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Let peace and justice ring

Leia Miza, Transcript Reporter

A 200-pound bell, made by senior Owen Kelling, will be settled in front of Elliott Hall over spring break.

The creation of the bell was initially a house project for the Peace and Justice House (P&J). Kelling decided to create this piece in order to represent both the house and school curriculum.

“[Kelling] signed up for an independent study last fall and elected to work on a commemorative bell celebrating 30 years of the Peace and Justice House,” said Jon Quick, part-time professor of fine arts.

The bell has two different sayings: “For Peace and Justice” and “A Coeli Usque ad Centrum,” which is Latin for “to the sky from the center of the earth.”

“It’s a phrase from old Roman property tax code,” Kelling said. “It was a literal definition of infinite personal property. In this context, it’s more figurative and spiritual [of] peace and justice everywhere.”

The frieze embedded on the bell was another reference to the P&J house. “It’s a charcoal rubbing I took of the radiator that’s in my room at pj and then retraced it on the plaster and carved the shape in the plaster so it’s from scratch,” said Kelling.

Kelling cast the bell this past October. “The final cast was a little disappointing due to significant breakout in the cast. But [Kelling] put in untold hours of work, as did I, providing troubleshooting and assistance throughout the entire process,” said Quick.

The bell got recognition after a house meeting at P&J with President Rock Jones.

“Owen has done a great job of promoting his efforts and apparently got the attention of Rock Jones and others who deemed it an appropriate and timely addition to the campus landscape,” Quick said.

The bell tower will be positioned 20 feet over from Elliot, will stand at 11 feet and ring the D note. Kelling mentioned that the bell might ring for commencement this coming May.

Camille Mullins-Lemieux, a resident of P&J, spoke highly of her housemate. “I think that we were excited when we found out he was making the bell. As he made it over the months, the excitement grew. He would bring molds and drawings to house meetings and we would all be in awe each time.”

Mullins-Lemieux said the project was a way to preserve the legacy of P&J.

“It will be here forever and it will be maintained as a landmark,” Kelling said. “It’s going to ring for every single person that goes here forever. That’s really one of those augmentation things I really didn’t expect.”

The art of the OWU relay

Julia Snyder, Transcript Reporter

Running in a relay is considered an honor in track and field at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Kris Boey has been the head coach of the track and field team for the past 14 years. He said that having a strong relay team says a great deal because it shows the depth and quality of the team.

“Relays are fun, they’re exciting and they’re something that, as a team, we put a premium on because it makes a strong statement of your team and the culture should be that you earn your way onto a relay,” Boey said. “It’s a desirable thing. We take pride in that.”

There are several different relay events for outdoor and indoor track, but the same distances and strategies are used for the boys and girls.

There are three different relays in outdoor track: a 4×200-meter relay, 4×400-meter relay and a distance medley. There are only two relays for outdoor track: a 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay.

“The 4×100 is a pure sprint. It’s the trickiest because a hundredth of a second matters and exchanges have to be perfect,” Boey said. “It’s an extremely exciting race.”

Junior Colin McShane said, “The 4×4 is the most fun event for me because it’s the very last event of the track meet, and usually big meets come down to whoever wins the 4×4. To be a member of that relay is special because the whole team is watching you and depending on you guys to run well and basically win the meet.”

A distance medley consists of four runners who run 1200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1600 m, respectively.

“The distance medley is unique because of the four different distances. The exchanges can be a little tricky because runners are coming in at different speeds,” Boey said. “It becomes really strategic on where you put your people.”

There are many variables that go into choosing runners for a relay. Boey said that he wants the type of person who wants to have the baton in their hand, someone who is very team-oriented.

Both McShane and senior Sara Johnson agree that running a relay is less pressure and more fun.

“For a relay, I don’t get nervous,” Johnson said. “You’re not in the blocks, you’re like chasing someone and it’s with three other girls, so it’s more fun that way.”

McShane said, “When you’re on a relay, it really brings in the team aspect of the sport. I always run better in a relay because you feel like the guys depend on you more. My other roommate, Adam [Turner], has run the 4×4 with me since I was a freshman. It makes it more fun to do a relay with somebody you’re really good friends with.”

Sophomore Griffin Peyton is new to the team.

Peyton said, “Running a relay really establishes our team motto, ‘we stand alone, together,’ which is nice. I like that.”

Senior project will redefine boundaries

Olivia Lease, Online Editor

Senior Yasmin Radzi didn’t always like dancing.

Her mother, Fauziah Embi, was open about this. “The funny story is, I tried to start her earlier [in dancing] when she was five, but she hated her teachers.” A few years later she had Radzi try dancing again and, “she loved it, hasn’t stopped since.”

The Houston-raised dancer is currently president of the student-run dance organization Terpsicorps and majoring in both neuroscience and theatre and dance.

Radzi has trained in ballet, tap and jazz. She was also a part of a competition jazz team and a contemporary company before coming to OWU.

“Ohio Wesleyan was a place that encouraged me to continue my passion of dancing, but also to pursue neuroscience,” she said.

At OWU, she said she’s learned a lot, especially about composition and choreography as an art.

Rashana Smith, assistant professor of theatre and dance said, “Her first piece I saw in Orchesis had to do with light, I really liked that piece a lot just because she worked so hard on it and in many ways, although it had to do with light, it also had to do with architecture.”

Radzi said there’s been an underlying theme for her work these past four years. She likes to focus on the idea of architecture and the idea of dealing with boundaries, how one can push them as well as embrace them.

“For my senior project, I wanted to push my limits. All of my previous work had to deal with revealing and hiding within boundaries.”

Radzi is pushing the limits by filming, editing, directing and choreographing her own senior project.

She’s looking at dance for camera work, specifically film. Smith said this style became popular around the 1940s, but has not been explored extensively at OWU.

Radzi said that for the most part, she had always seen dancing performed a frontal view where the audience is seated, but for her senior project she wanted to do something different. “I wanted to be able to use a medium that would allow me to view movement from many angles.”

The setting for her film will be a storage closet on campus.

“She’s really determined, she cares a lot about finding her creative process. She’s dedicated to the field of dance,” said Smith.

When asked if she gets nervous on stage, Radzi replied, “I love performing, [it] is one of the most rewarding things I think that I will ever feel.”

Her mother said each show Radzi performed in growing up was unique and that she loved them all. Even though she hasn’t been able to see her daughter perform at OWU, Radzi makes sure to send her DVDs of all her performances.

The only thing Radzi wishes OWU offered would be more dance classes, specifically technique-based ones so dancers can keep up on their training. She has already taken every dance class offered.

Radzi will present her senior project at the Spring Dance Showcase on April 24 at 2 p.m.

After graduation, she plans to apply for research positions, eventually go to podiatry school and join a local dance studio in Columbus.

Vigils held in remembrance of Luke Gabbert

Transcript Staff

Luke will never be forgotten.

This was said by Carson Miller, an old friend of Luke Gabbert’s, as well as several others in the wake of his body being found just off of Ohio Wesleyan University’s campus late Saturday morning.

There are certain things that bring the OWU community together and one of those things is tragedy. On the night of Gabbert’s death, students gathered on The Hill for a vigil in his memory.

Delta Delta Delta sorority member senior Megan Ryan put it out to students soon after hearing the news. As word spread quickly over 300 students gathered to grieve with the community they all share.

Gabbert was a soccer player, a pledge of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity (Phi Psi) and a member of Athletes in Action. All of these communities he touched were present at the vigil. Students braved the cold to honor his memory.

Students and members of the OWU community had the opportunity to light a candle and write a prayer on white paper bags that were lined around The Hill. They were able to remember Luke and the things he loved.

Gabbert’s neighbor Julie Feasel said, “He was always smiling and just last Sunday I saw him leaving his house with a big smile on his face.”

Students were seen comforting each other holding hands, giving hugs, and consoling emotions with comforting words. At one point everyone was circled all the way around the Hill holding hands in a moment of silence for the deceased.

At the end of the vigil the attendees walked around the circle on the hill to look at the prayers and messages people wrote for Luke. Messages read “Miss you roomie” and “Rest in Peace Luke.”

Director of Mission, Chad Johns, Director of Greek Life, Susie Long, and the President of Phi Psi Doug Dodridge all spoke to the students in attendance, comforting them and thanked everyone for coming.

Associate Chaplain Lisa Ho said, “The vigil was a beautiful illustration of all that is good about the OWU community. It was the strength of community coming together in the midst of tragedy to honor a young life lived well.”

“We only had four lighters, not realizing that we were going to light 315 candles,” said Ryan. “Four people showed up together, 10 people showed up together, entire sororities and fraternities showed up together, sports teams gathered, and then just like that, almost 400 people were gathered together, crying, holding hands, and being there for each other.”

Ryan said she hopes to make a collection of the bags and give them to the Gabbert family. “Luke truly touched so many lives,” she added.

Photo courtesy of Marco Ventresco. — Photo courtesy of Marco Ventresca.

A memorial for Gabbert was also held at Pioneer Field at his high school on Saturday, Feb. 6 with over a hundred people attending.

“Everyone was hugging each other a little tighter last night. He touched all our hearts and was with us in spirit. He is looking down on us letting us know it is okay,” said Marco Ventresca, Gabbert’s friend from elementary school days.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help Gabbert’s family with the funeral costs.

The GoFundMe was created by a friend of the family, Jody Spriggs, in an effort to make the process even the slightest bit easier, said Ventresco.

OWU men’s soccer coach Jay Martin was open to talking about one of his former athletes. A long time coach of Gabbert, he said he is sad to see such a talented kid go. Martin was not only his coach at OWU but had also worked with Gabbart on the field during summer soccer camps.

Martin said Gabbert was studying physical education and dreamt of becoming a coach and teacher.

Martin also said the university plans to hang a banner featuring Gabbert’s name and number at OWU’s soccer field in his honor. He said the team will retire the number 19 in his honor. He wants people to know that the support from the community has been amazing and is appreciated.

Miller, who had known Gabbert for 9 years, said, “[Luke] did everything for everyone else and did not expect anything in return. He was so lovable and loving...No one is ever going to forget Luke.”

In just six hours, friends, family and well wishers of Gabbert came together to raise over $8,000 for the family to cover funeral costs. To view the GoFundMe account, click here.

UPDATE: The calling hours and Celebration of Life services will be held at Grace Church of Powell, 7600 Liberty Road, Powell, Ohio. Calling hours will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, with a service at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13.

Olmstead goes from print to screen

Ross Hickenbottom, Sports Editor

Ohio Wesleyan’s Robert Olmstead has teamed up with two Hollywood in-laws, Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck to create a film based on his novel “Far Bright Star.”

Olmstead is an “established writer of fiction,” with four novels under his belt, short stories as well as numerous articles published in magazines and journals.

He is a New Hampshire native, who grew up on a farm and enjoyed outdoor activities like fishing. He graduated with two degrees from Syracuse University.

Before becoming the director of Ohio Wesleyan’s creative writing program, he served as a senior writer at Dickinson College in PA as well as Boise State University.

“Far Bright Star” is the first part of a series, consisting of three novels.

“There are three books, and in my mind they are a trilogy. ‘Coal Black Horse,’ ‘Far Bright Star’ and ‘The Coldest Night’ are loosely connected,” Olmstead said.

“They are about these three generations of a family and has to do with the legacy and inheritance of war. It interests me how in some families, war passes down through them as a trade or occupation if you will,” he continued.

Professor Olmstead received his inspiration for the series from a trip he took back in 1997.

“It started back in probably ’97. I was down in Georgia hunting wild boar, and there were all of these guys I was hanging out with, and this goes back to the early 90s and these fathers, sons and grandsons were just waiting around for the next war, you know? It really got me thinking about this legacy of violence, inheritance of war,” he explained.

Olmstead feels as if it’s embedded into the American psychology that a son follows a father in a path of occupation, but making war is a “whole different story.”

The problem is, though, according to him, that in America, we don’t see ourselves as a nation of warriors, so it makes for a much more riveting and interesting topic.

Before the inspiration developed, moving Olmstead to write this certain series of novels, or anything else he has constructed, he was a kid who loved to read.

“At a very young age, novels, short stories, fiction, were very, very important to me,” he said.

“I just remember at a young age, just thinking; ‘wouldn’t it be great to do for some people, what some of these people have done for me?’ It’s like giving back, returning the favor,” Olmstead reminisced.

The story involves the visit of an aging cavalryman who leads a group of young men on a hunt for Pancho Villa. It takes place in 1916 and captured the attention of director Casey Affleck.

Affleck, who directed “I’m Still Here” and “The Book of Charles,” and acted in “Manchester by the Sea,” “Interstellar” and “Gone Baby Gone,” is the younger brother of Ben Affleck. He described it as a “beautifully written story on pain and loss in the drive and resilience one finds within themselves to continue through the day.”

Affleck, in the midst of starting a new production company, approached Olmstead in 2014 and gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Contracts were signed in November 2014, the screenwriter finished his sample and just this past October, Olmstead received the screenplay.

“It blew me away,” he said. “It was extremely powerful.”

It was announced that Joaquin Phoenix, known for his roles in “Gladiator” and “Walk the Line,” would play the lead role in November 2015.

Olmstead admitted that it was a strange coincidence, having Joaquin Phoenix star in his production because he starred in one of Olmstead’s colleague’s films, “Buffalo Soldiers.”

Olmstead looks forward to the release of “Far Bright Star,” and the positive impact the publicity will have on OWU, which has already started.

Chris Mondon, OWU graduate, is familiar with Olmstead’s work, and “can’t wait for the movie to be released.”

“I love Joaquin Phoenix and this whole storyline,” he said.

The production process is still in action, and release information will be communicated within the year.

Ideas, insight and imagination in three minutes

Sara Hollabaugh, Arts &Entertainment Editor

If lectures were only three minutes, would phones be checked or the internet surfed?

Ohio Wesleyan will hold a three-minute lecture series event on Feb. 3 called I³ (I-cubed), which stands for ideas, insight and imagination.

At the event, 10 professors will give lectures for three minutes each.

The idea for I³ was developed by OWU’s communications office.

Will Kopp, chief communications officer, said there was a branding initiative to create a new event to market what OWU has to offer.

“We have the OWU Connection and [we were seeking] how to display that.”

Kopp added one-third of OWU students have double majors with interests across the academic spectrum.

“They are not always things that may seem to go together,” Kopp said. “It might be physics and art, but there’s a wide variety.”

The communications office considered student interests and what was most important about OWU in order to decide what really defines the campus.

Cubes hang in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center to advertise the series. Photo courtesy of Sara Hollabaugh.

The office decided it was great teaching.

Kopp said the event then came all together and they searched for 10 of the student’s favorite faculty members.

“We have several students working in the communications office and had them survey students,” Kopp said. “Narrowing down to just 10 was difficult, [but] every single professor said yes.”

“If we keep it the length of a pop song and really interesting, I think [people] will watch them all,” Kopp said. “[Three minutes] really makes you focus.”

Kopp added that each topic needs to be interesting because even though each lecture is three minutes, the whole series will last 30 minutes.

According to the event’s online description, the lectures “will exemplify the power of combining the traditional liberal arts with practical experience, which is the hallmark of the OWU Connection.”

“Each person has to walk out of there learning something,” Kopp said. “[The faculty] must teach the audience something new. This event is strictly ours, unique to OWU. I hope it could become a tradition here.”

Melanie Henderson, assistant professor of psychology, is giving her lecture on interviewing.

“The title of my presentation is ‘Interviewing 101: Who is That Chameleon in the Mirror?’” Henderson said. “I will present research findings on the topic of “mirroring,” a process relevant to the psychology of interviewing and the role of self-presentation in interview outcomes.”

“My objective is to provide students in the audience with a simple insight on the interviewing process and a strategy for applying this knowledge to future interview experiences,” Henderson said.

Jennifer Jolley, assistant professor of music, will be teaching a music lecture.

Jolley admitted that her lecture will be a challenge because the audience will need time to hear the music.

“In other creative fields, time is not fixed (the amount of time it takes to look at a piece of art or read a short story varies),” Jolley said. “But in my field, you cannot speed-listen to a piece of music.”

“My lecture will have to include ridiculously short excerpts of music, but hopefully that will inspire my audience to listen to the featured works when the event is over,” Jolley added.

Other professors selected to participate in the lectures are Sally Livingston, Jenny Holland, Bob Harmon, David Eastman, Paul Dean, Laurie Anderson, Zack Long and Goran Skosples.

For more information, visit here.

Orange is the New Black author visits OWU

Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman. Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post website

Ela Mazumdar, Transcript Reporter

Piper Kerman, author of Orange is The New Black, visited Ohio Wesleyan University on Jan. 20 to talk about the issue of mass incarceration.

Kerman came to speak at OWU’s Gray Chapel, sponsored by the Delaware County District Library.

The room was quickly flooded with Ohio Wesleyan students, faculty and staff and a large number of Delaware residents, eager to hear about time in prison from someone with firsthand experience.

Kerman introduced herself and her experiences in a comedic yet relatable manner, providing ease to the audience.

She then talked about meeting her significant other at a brewery, which led her into the prison system.

“Rather than run in the other direction as common sense might have suggested, I instead followed her around the globe,” Kerman said.

She discussed in detail her fears when she ended up helping her significant other travel with drug money.

“She was scared. I could tell she was scared and I was scared, too, so I did it. I carried that bag of money. I had crossed a line I couldn’t uncross.”

Kerman continued with her story, saying that eventually “our consequences catch up with us.”

She then did a statistical walk-through about U.S. incarceration and layered these facts with her initial experience in the prison in terms of surroundings, clothing and the other inmates she encountered.

“The last thing I expected to experience in prison was kindness at the hands of the other prisoners, yet that was exactly what I experienced,” Kerman said.

She went on to talk about Star, a woman in her dorm who had made her a name tag as a welcome, which was a powerful signal that gave a Kerman a sense of community.

After these personal anecdotes, Kerman discussed the impact of incarceration on people in terms of losing a parent and mental health. She also told everyone the meaning behind her novel and the reason she wrote it.

Bob Gitter, professor of economics at OWU, said Piper Kerman did an excellent job of making the case that we do indeed put too many people in prison in the U.S. In terms of cost, families and recidivism, she shows that locking up non-violent criminals is not the way to go.

“I hoped that by talking about what I experienced, people would get a better understanding of who was in prison and why they were there and what goes on behind prison walls,” Kerman said.

She ended with her favorite scene from her Netflix series and ended with questions from the audience and a book signing where fans could get up close and personal.

Freshman Natalie Campbell, an attendee at the event, said, “I thought the event was eye-opening about the problems within the U.S. prison system. It was interesting to hear Kerman’s plan of action to help reduce the amount of people, especially women, who are incarcerated every year.”

Extreme home makeover: SLU edition

Liz Hardaway, Transcript Reporter

More than a hundred years later, Ohio Wesleyan’s Small Living Units (SLUs) are finally getting a makeover.

While construction of the first SLUplex continues on 118 Rowland Ave. where House of Thought (HoT) previously stood, the remaining SLUs are rotting from the inside out.

SLUs, most of which were built in 1901, encounter problems typical to any older home: propping windows open with bricks, bats occasionally finding their ways into the hallway and laying down tarps to prevent a leaking roof, according to multiple SLU members.

The basement and third floor of the House of Peace and Justice (P&J) are off-limits, however, due to lack of renovations and concerns for personal safety, according to sophomore Izzy Taylor, a member of the house.

Whether the problem is a leaky ceiling, overflowing toilet or mold creeping between the walls, each complaint is submitted through the moderator to a residential life coordinator. Buildings and Grounds then prioritize these complaints depending on the immediacy of the concern and availability of supplies, said Melinda Benson, a residential life coordinator.

“It took almost half a semester for a computer to be installed in our common room … a hole in the ceiling over my bed rotted through in mid September, and it took until sometime over winter break for it to be repaired,” said Taylor.

Occasionally students have to relocate. Benson mentioned a student with severe asthma who had to move out due to mold within the facility.

“Some of these houses are so old that the solution will be to close that house down, and move those people to one of the new facilities,” said Benson.

Currently there is one SLUplex being built, a duplex style living facility that will house two SLUs. The master plan is to eventually have four of these SLUplexes along Rowland Ave., but the project only progresses when funding is provided, said Benson. She is hoping that by next year, as the first SLUplex opens, another will be under construction.

As most SLUs are predicted to stay in their current homes, the application process to move into a SLUplex has changed from previous applications.

SLUs will have to submit a proposal to renew and rank their preferences for facilities. Students, staff representatives and one staff member from residential life will then determine based on the merits of the presentation and application who will be the occupants of the first SLUplex, said Benson.

“I hope to see a home that is designed around the community-focused aspect of SLUs … building community and family within the SLUplex is what is most important, as is making the building accessible to all people,” said Taylor.

Remembering Brandon Sega

By Sara Hollabaugh, Arts & Entertainment Editor

The tragic death of a beloved friend invites shared memories and a petition to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Brandon Sega ’13 was killed Dec. 31, 2015 in a two-car accident.

Jason Lonneman ’14 and Rebecca Muhl ’13 were also in the car with Sega, which left Lonneman seriously injured.

According to NBC4, the graduates were hit by Daniel Merz, who has had alcohol convictions prior to the accident on New Year’s Eve.

In an email addressed to the Ohio Wesleyan community, President Rock Jones spoke highly of Sega.

“Brandon was an exceptional young man who will be remembered for his artistic talents, his success as a varsity baseball player and his involvement with Sigma Phi Epsilon,” Jones said.

OWU’s baseball coach, Tyler Mott, had countless things to say about Sega as well.

“I can’t say enough good things about him,” Mott said. “I got to know him his senior year in high school. We recruited him and he was a joy.”

“[I knew him] his last year in high school, his years in college and the last two years,” Mott said. “He was one of the most hardworking players that I’ve been around. [He was] talented, not just with baseball, but in so many other areas. Well spoken, bright and artistic.”

Mott said the athletic department and baseball team will honor Sega this spring.

“We’re going have a celebration where we honor him during one of our home games,” Mott said.

“There will also be a permanent sign put in the outfield for him and his family.”

In the wake of Sega’s death, Mott has spoken to the current baseball team about his former player.

“We just had our first team meeting of the spring and we talked about [Brandon],” Mott said. “And we brought out one of the game hats. Our guys have to earn their hats and we talked about what they resemble, including the players that came before them.”

Sega’s life has been celebrated over many social media platforms and talked about among his former peers, teammates and friends.

Friend and Sig Ep brother Ibrahim Santana ’15 said the only way to describe Sega is that he was the light of [the brothers’] lives and every life that he was a part of.

“I rarely saw him angry or upset; he didn’t let little things get to him,” Santana said. “He really lived his life to the fullest.”

Charles Cooper ’15 played baseball with Sega and is also a brother in the Sig Ep fraternity.

“I first met Brandon in high school,” Cooper said. “He was always texting me, wondering how my recruiting process was going. He even hosted me for my overnight even though he was a sophomore and the recruits usually stayed with freshmen.”

Cooper said he has many fond memories of Sega and their time on the baseball team together at OWU.

“The earliest memories I have of him were at our morning practices for baseball [my freshman year],” Cooper said. “He would throw the ball as hard as he could during our drills, especially when he was throwing to me or other freshmen. He thought it was funny seeing how scared we were to catch the ball when it was coming in that fast.”

Cooper said that Sega was really just a great person to be around.

“There was never a dull moment with him because he loved to talk about everything,” Cooper said. “He was always genuinely interested in what you were doing. It was clear that everybody he met or talked to was fond of him as there was an estimated 3,000 people at his wake.”

Cooper added that he hopes people remember Sega for his positive spirit and unparalleled work ethic.

In response to Merz’ alleged drunk driving, Cooper and Michael Jeffers are petitioning the Ohio State Senate, where they are calling for tough punishment for drinking and driving.

“I feel like it is appropriate for how dangerous the crime is,” Cooper said. “As we’ve seen, it can take the life of an incredible human being.”

To view the petition, go here.

Students allowed into December faculty meeting

After much deliberation, faculty voted to allow student representatives from the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) and The Transcript into their December meeting.

When the student guests arrived in Merrick Hall this Dec. 7, they were greeted by signs at the stairwells and elevators asking them to remain on the first floor.

A group of three faculty members waited downstairs with the students to relay messages about their admittance. After five minutes, the president and vice president of WCSA were allowed upstairs.

It took a half hour after this announcement before the reporter for The Transcript was permitted to join them.

The controversy over student presence at faculty meetings came to a head last month when faculty voted by a narrow margin to turn away student representatives from the Nov. 16 meeting out of concerns for privacy.

In the wake of that decision, articles about the meeting, first reported on by The Transcript, appeared in the Delaware Gazette and the Columbus Dispatch.

The publication of Transcript reports on faculty meetings in the Delaware Gazette, made possible by a sharing agreement between the two papers, initiated the three-month conflict. According to a campus-wide email signed by the Governance Committee, faculty were concerned that story sharing “could inhibit the frank and open discussion necessary in order to work through contentious issues.”

Other professors, namely professor Paul Kostyu of the journalism department, disagreed. And at the Dec. 7 meeting, while the motion to admit The Transcript reporter was still on the floor, Kostyu read a statement expressing his concerns.

Kostyu argued that “meetings shouldn’t be closed just because you think something might be said that you don’t like.”

After the faculty agreed to allow all students into the meeting, Provost Chuck Stinemetz announced that President Rock Jones was delayed in San Francisco and that there would be no administrative reports.

Professor Chris Wolverton, chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the department of botany and microbiology department, made remarks about the February board of trustees meeting. He said that it would be a “critical meeting” and that some faculty members might be asked to present information on their committee to members of the board.

Professor Dale Brugh of the chemistry department went on to present a proposed change to the wording of the faculty handbook. The amendment, which extends the deadline for those faculty applying for promotion, was approved.

Next at the podium was professor N. Kyle Smith, chair of the Academic Policy Committee and a member of the psychology department. Smith announced that his committee had approved a new math class, changes to politics and government course titles and numbers, and updates to the language of the existing academic catalog.

After a short reminder about the due date for final grades by professor Karen Poremski of the English department, the last meeting of the semester was adjourned.