featured – Page 18 – The Transcript

Men’s basketball beats Oberlin 83-66

Junior wing Zak Davis passes the ball under the basket. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

It was a matchup that had been played twice before, and this time wasn’t very different from the others.

But this round was worth more – after their third win against Oberlin College, the Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team will advance to the North Coast Athletic Conference’s tournament semifinals against DePauw University.

The women’s basketball team was also playing at Oberlin during this game, and won 75 to 58 with a career-high 24 points from junior Emily Julius.

Like the men’s team, they’ll face DePauw next, but the OWU women’s team lost against them 74-69 in their previous matchup.

The men’s game will be this week on Feb. 27 at 8:30 in Branch Rickey Arena.

In the regular season, DePauw took on the OWU men’s team twice, and lost both times – first on January 17, 76-64, and again on February 21, 86-77.

“We know we’re playing a really good team, we’re going to enjoy this one tonight and start getting ready for DePauw tomorrow,” said men’s team head coach Mike DeWitt.

Coach Mike DeWitt watches the play. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey

“…Being the regular season champions is, you know, obviously a good thing. We’re on to our next goal now, which is to try to win the conference tournament.”

The men’s team has three consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament as well, and DeWitt said he hopes for a fourth, which they’ll automatically get if they win the conference tournament.

If they don’t win, they find out if they get an at-large spot March 2.

DeWitt said the team relies greatly from having a wide range of talent; in the regular season four of their five starters averaged more than 12 points a game. Junior post Claude Gray led with 19.8 per game; in this game he had 31 points.

“We have a lot of different weapons, we have a lot of different guys that can do a lot of different things,” DeWitt said. “That’s our biggest strength as a team.”

“I think the best way to describe this group is they are really a true team,” said athletic director Roger Ingles. “You had four different kids this year that were player of the week in the conference – you can’t just shut down one guy.”

What they don’t have a lot of, though, are seniors – there’s one on the whole roster, senior starter Nick Felhaber.

The team reacts to junior post Claude Gray's fast break score. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey. — The team reacts to junior post Claude Gray’s fast break score. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

“It’s been interesting, really we’ve got a lot of guys who play like seniors so it doesn’t feel like I’m the only senior,” Felhaber said.

“He’s a great senior, he’s a great leader and we’re going to miss him once he graduates,” DeWitt said about Felhaber.

At the start of the year, Felhaber said, OWU was predicted to finish fourth, so finishing first has been a great experience.

On the other end is starting guard Nate Axelrod, a freshman, but he said the team’s welcomed him into the ranks.

“To be honest, it was a little nerve-wracking…coming into college, new teammates, new players I’m playing against.”

Looking toward the Friday night game, Axelrod said it’d be a “great feeling” to be at home with fellow students behind him and the team.

Ingles added he hopes “a lot of folks from the university” support them, including students. The current Weather Channel forecast puts the Friday night temperature at -7℉, with a 10 percent chance of snow.

Junior post Matt Jeske shoots a free throw. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey. — The team reacts to junior post Claude Gray’s fast break score. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

Sophomore wing Ben Simpson jumps past Oberlin guard Ian Campbell. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.

House of Thought not returning to campus next year

Gathered in the tiny living room inside House of Thought (HoT), all 10 Small Living Unit (SLU) residents got together to express their grievances.

The subject at hand: HoT’s application for renewal was denied, and as a result, the SLU will not be returning.

Senior Todd Zucker, a resident of HoT, said they were told by Residential Life (ResLife) staff that there were several problems with their application.

“We felt that the house has struggled to meet occupancy and complete house projects this year, which indicate their lack of sustainability as a community,” said Wendy Piper, director of ResLife at OWU.

These occupancy concerns, according to the residents of HoT, are unfair.

“We had all of our spaces filled,” said senior Felicia Rose, the house moderator. “Two of our new members had not officially ‘checked-out’ of their old dorms, so they weren’t ‘officially’ residents of HoT when we submitted the application for renewal.”

Rose added that the two new members had tried to contact their Resident Assistants (RAs) to check out of their dorms, but their RAs had not responded to them.

Zucker said the house had seven people last semester.

“We have 10 people living here this semester, and 10 people were lined up to live here next semester,” said Zucker. “Despite all new members knowing that this house was going to be razed, and we wouldn’t have a house.”

Levi Harrel, a residential life coordinator (RLC) and a member of the SLU selection committee, said all SLUs are required to have 100 percent occupancy throughout the entire year.

HoT had only completed two of the required 11 house projects at the end of last semester.

“It was expected that they complete at least half of the required house projects by the end of the first semester,” Harrel said.

Rose says ResLife told her that the house had the entire year to complete their house projects.

Rose said it is hard to know the rules or what ResLife expects from them when there are no written guidelines or rules for SLU members.

Harrel said every member of the SLU community is required to perform one house project per year. House moderators are required to complete two.

Junior Sarah Richmond, a resident of HoT, brought up the point that SLUs are the only non-dorm living option for women.

“Men get to live in a fraternity or a SLU, but women are not allowed to live in the sorority houses, so this is the only place I can live if I don’t want to live in a dorm,” Richmond said.

Replacement SLU?

“Each year, Small Living Units must submit a proposal for renewal and be selected as a SLU for the following year,” said Piper. “Students also have the opportunity to propose new SLUs each year.”

In addition to the HoT’s denial of renewal, a proposal for a new SLU was accepted by ResLife for next year.

The House of Spiritual Athletes (HSA) will be joining the OWU community in the fall, Piper said.

Freshman Conner Brown, one of the founders of HSA, said they will be one of the first SLUs to be completely substance free.

“We will strive for a high standard of maturity and morality, and, as a group, we believe that a substance-free environment is the best way to help us achieve that goal,” said Brown.

The last time a SLU’s application for renewal was denied, according to Piper, was the Creative Arts House in 2010.

“In 2010, the Creative Arts House submitted an application that we initially did not renew on account of our concerns for their physical structures that were located at 110 and 114 Rowland Ave.,” Piper said in an email. “Ultimately, we worked to keep Creative Arts House open amidst certain plans to raze the structures in 2011. The Creative Arts House submitted an application in 2011 but was not renewed. Coincidentally, the last time that we had a SLU that was not renewed and a new SLU that was accepted in its place was when the House of Thought replaced the House of Spirituality in 2003.”

Duplexes on Rowland Ave.

In June of this year, Piper said the university has plans to raze the structure at 118 Rowland Ave.

“We are currently surveying the property and working with a team of architects to determine what the best location will be for newly constructed SLUs,” said Piper. “We hope to have a confirmed site very soon so that we can make plans for construction to commence over the summer.”

Many SLUs are in poor physical condition, according Zucker.

“It usually takes the school about a month to fix something in the house when it is broken,” Zucker said.

Harrel agrees the structures are in poor physical condition.

“It is just time to update the structures, they need it desperately,” Harrel said.

Harrell said the university plans on building a series of duplexes over the next several years to which the SLUs on Rowland Avenue would be relocated.

“It makes sense to start building at 118 Rowland Ave.,” said Harrel, “As it will be the first building to be demolished.”

School records set at the NCAC championship meet

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s and women’s swim teams set new records at the NCAC Conference Championship meet at Denison University Feb. 12 through Feb. 14.

The women’s team set two school records while the men’s team set four school records.

Junior Bryce Uzzolino set two school records in the 50 meter and 100 meter freestyle.

Uzzolino surpassed the 50 meter record of 21.39 seconds with his new time at 21.07 seconds. His time of 46.69 seconds in the 100 meter swim beat the previous record by .02 seconds.

Alongside his fellow team members sophomore Greyson Goodwin, senior Kaneat Nimcharoenwan and junior Andy Cumston, Uzzolino assisted in breaking the 200 meter free relay record of 1:24.64 set in 1992 with 1:24:36. He also beat the 400 free relay record – 3:08.14 – with a time of of 3:07.48.

OWU men’s team placed 7th out of 10 teams and OWU women’s team placed 8th out of 9 teams. Denison came in first place in both men’s and women’s beating out the traditional powerhouse, Kenyon.

Junior Bryce Uzzolino on Saturday. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.

“We fall kind of in the middle in terms of the swim program,” said coach Richard Hawes. “But what we have to understand is that the NCAC is at the very top in the country so we could be in a different conference and win. So, for us to be in the middle is actually quite good. When you look at all the division three swimming programs we are probably in the top 25 percent.”

Before the meet, the men’s and women’s swim teams both sat down and wrote goals for themselves. There were three goals that were consistent between both teams: cheering for each other at the meets, swimming season-best times as well as lifetime-best times, and to break school records.

“100 percent of the teams achieved season best and about 92 percent set lifetime-best times” Hawes said. “They did not disappoint,” Hawes said. “I knew they were going to go fast and they did. They certainly hit every expectation that I had.”

Rugby gains popularity across OWU

Rugby, an imported sport with a growing following on Ohio Wesleyan campus, is on its way to being an institution.

With the spring season poised to start, both the men’s and women’s club rugby teams report an established coaching staff, growing rosters, and the potential to qualify for national tournaments.

“We’re more competitive,” director of OWU rugby John English said. “Just from last spring to this spring, the biggest change is more students are getting involved.”

Josh Longenbaker, head coach of the women’s team, said there are more than 20 women signed up to play and around 30 for the men’s team. Along with increased players comes increased play, with both teams signed up to play other schools and in tournaments. English said OWU will also host a sevens tournament for both teams.

In rugby, there are two formats of play. The traditional format pits two teams of 15 against each other for two, 40-minute halves while the sevens format narrows the players to seven a side, and the halves to seven minutes. Both teams will play both formats, though Longenbaker said the women’s team will be playing in a sevens league.

Longenbaker said atmosphere is important to getting, and keeping, players new to the sport. Some techniques include running the men’s and women’s practices together and making the drills run like fun games.

“We know everything we do works at a high level so we ask a lot,” Longenbaker said, “but we also try to make it fun.”

English and Longenbaker came to OWU from running a competitive high school program. Also on staff are Cody Albright, coach of the men’s team, and Pat Bowling.

Sophomore Liam McNulty, who formed the men’s club last year, said the coaches’ experience helps create a welcoming atmosphere, essential to helping people “understand the true beauty” of an aggressive sport.

“Other than myself and a handful of others, most members have not played rugby before their college careers,” McNulty said. “Since I started the program, the development of this atmosphere has been crucial.”

McNulty said efforts to recruit are always ongoing – he said players constantly talk about the club, wear the gear to gain visibility and try to get as many students as possible “hooked” by going to the games. Students might have also noticed posters for the women’s club taped around OWU, stating the empowering aspects of playing rugby.

Junior Lauren Kiebler, public relations chair for the women’s club, said it’s well known that the club is inclusive, but it is important to note it is open to non-binary players; the team plays in a trans-inclusive league.

Freshman Bree Riggle said the rugby club was a big reason she chose to come to OWU, though health reasons have prevented her from attending many practices.

“Everyone helps everyone,” Riggle said. “It’s a family. I love it. It’s a great sport.”

Theology professor dispels myths about Satan

A visiting scholar set out to determine where the idea of Satan came from in the spring lecture for the Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies program (AMRS).

Speaking at Ohio Wesleyan University on Feb. 9 to a packed Benes Room, Ryan Stokes of the South Western Baptist Seminary entertained the audience of students and faculty with charisma and interesting facts which he has learned from his studies on the origin of Satan.

Stokes said he wanted to determine whether or not there are stories from the Bible about how Satan came to be who people know as the devil today.

“In the old testament, Satan was just some obscure figure of relative insignificance,” Stokes said.

In the New Testament of the Bible, Stokes said the character of Satan is much more prominent, appearing in 19 different books.

“During that time between when the two testaments were written, Satan teams up with evil spirits, Satan becomes the ‘deceiver’ and the ‘tempter’, he becomes the leader of wrecked nations, and he became the enemy of God’s people,” Stokes said.

Stokes also cleared up several common misconceptions about Satan and the Bible.

“In the Old Testament, he was called ‘The Satan,’ it was a title, not a name,” said Stokes, “and The Satan actually worked for God.”

Stokes also taught that the Hebrew Scriptures actually contain no origin story for The Satan.

One audience member asked about how the number 666 relates to the devil.

“There is honestly no discernible correlation between the number 666, and the Satan,” said Stokes, “The number six hundred sixty six, not six-six-six, had connections to a beast, but that beast was never identified as The Satan.”

A blast from the past: OWU finds historic ledgers

Documents of financial statements. Photo courtesy of Sara Schneider.

Leaking water in the VP finance vault led to the discovery of historic ledgers that date back to the mid 1800s. These ledgers are now being stored in Human Resources.

The historic ledgers were brought to the Human Resource office for dry and safe housing while the vault is being repaired.

These ledgers consist of budget operation, cash payments, scholarship records, housing records and budget books. Also included are books filled with minutes from executive meetings. One of the executive meeting minutes discussed the Funding of the Spring Street Gateway.

“If the Human Resources department cannot find another place to store the ledgers, they will return the VP Finance Vault in the basement of University Hall,” said Elizabeth Foos, purchasing coordinator for Human Resources.

These ledgers contain records of budget operation, cash payments, scholarships, housing records and budget books. Also included are books filled with minutes from executive meetings.

“It is so interesting to see how they organized the finances and all the records when the university first began,” said Foos. “It’s fascinating to think that most all the records kept today are done electronically.”

The first tuition payment on record in the ledgers dates back to 1853, which consisted of $217.00 for one semester.

Almost all of the ledgers are handwritten in script, which can make them difficult to read.

Book with old tuition costs and payments. Photo courtesy of Sara Schneider.

“I reached out to the OWU Archives to see if they were interested in the historic documents,” Foos said. “However, they didn’t show interest in the ledgers because they are not considered to be true archives.”

According to Emily Gattozzi, digital collections librarian, “the OWU Historical Collection isn’t a true university archive, so it doesn’t serve as the department of record for things like financial records.”

The OWU Historical Collection contains material such as promotional items like brochures, pamphlets and event programs; periodicals such as The Transcript, Le Bijou, OWU Magazine, annual catalogs, faculty, staff and alumni publications; and memorabilia like letterman sweaters and pennants.

Something new brewing in Delaware

Standing in the place of the old Beehive Bookstore on 25 N. Sandusky St. is the upcoming Restoration Brew Worx (RBW), Delaware’s new brewery.

In January of 2014, the Beehive Bookstore closed. Following the closing, owners Joe and Linda Diamond began searching for a business to take over the empty space. According to Rick Martine, managing partner of Brew Worx, “the Diamonds wanted the space to continue to be a place where people could gather together, talk about the day’s events and relax in a comfortable and supportive environment.” Martine has been a resident of Delaware for 18 years.

“Restoration Brew Worx is technically a brewpub, where we manufacture our own beer for sale over our bar and we also provide foodservice,” said Martine. “We will brew our beer on a 10-barrel system purchased from B Cast Stainless in Plain City, OH.”

This new system will produce 310 gallons of beer per batch and will be served in the Restoration Brew Worx storefront and in select locations around Delaware. Martine said their goal is “to brew and serve 500-700 barrels of beer in the first year.”

The storefront of the former Beehive Bookstore will undergo minor changes as RBW settles in. Martine said “Joe Diamond ‘restored’ the front in 2007. We are leaving the existing iron sign frames in place and simply replacing the Beehive sign with our new RBW sign and the existing banners with our own.”

Other changes to the store front will include a fenced patio area in front with roughly 20 seats and two bi-fold windows within the existing framework. These windows will allow RBW to open the front in warm weather, and close it in cold weather.

Martine said that inside they “are in the process of adding a new 20-seat bar and roughly 15 dining tables, changing the lighting, adding ceiling fans, a fresh coat of paint and a new floor. We have added a small kitchen, new restrooms and our pride and joy, the 10 barrel brewery in the back. The brewery will remain open to view by the patrons as we feel it offers a truly unique visual experience, not available anywhere else in Delaware. Patrons will be able to see the equipment and experience what it is like to step inside a working brewery.”

In order to legally establish a brewery in downtown Delaware RBW had to obtain a tax and trade bureau permit, state liquor license, building permits, Delaware Heath District permits and USDA approvals.

As for an opening date, Martine said “at the moment our brew system is in and going through a testing phase, but we are waiting on the tax and trade bureau to approve our brewery permit and the state of Ohio to issue our A-1c manufacturing license, which will allow us to begin brewing. Once we can begin brewing, it will be roughly 5-6 weeks for us to brew enough beer to open the doors and let the taps flow freely. We will be keeping everyone updated on our website and our Facebook page.”

“While the legal drinking age remains 21 in the state of Ohio, we are a gathering place for people of all ages who share a love of good craft beer and their families,” said Martine. “We will serve our younger patrons with a limited children’s menu and soft drinks, featuring our house-made root beer, so that Mom and Dad can still enjoy a pint of their favorite brew.”

Senior Haley Schafer said, “I am excited for Restoration Brew Worx to open. I believe this will be a great place for people to relax and hang out in town, while getting a drink.”

According to Martine, RBW “will offer a slightly different element than most of the other drinking and eating establishments around town. We will make and sell only our own beers on tap, but we will attempt to make a beer that almost everyone will find to their liking.”

IOCP keeps in contact with returning OWU students

For Ohio Wesleyan students, going off campus and studying abroad can be a challenge. The International and Off Campus Programs (IOCP) office is there to make that challenge a little bit easier.

While the number of OWU students traveling off campus or abroad changes each year, this fall 80-100 students left Delaware for the semester.

When the students return, IOCP helps them readjust to campus life by offering a returnee session, Crossing Boarders sessions, student evaluations, study abroad assessments and a number of other group activities.

“Each program has its own system of evaluation,” said director of IOCP Darrell Albon.

IOCP is also adding a group called The New Cosmopolitans, which stems from an old OWU group called the Cosmopolitans Club that existed in the 19th and early 20th century.

The New Cosmopolitans will serve as a peer-advising program for both domestic and international students. It is designed to support students interested in studying abroad through preparation and orientation.

While abroad, students stay in contact with faculty in a variety of different ways depending on the program they’re in.

“For the first five weeks I think everyone has a weekly meeting with their advisor, it’s sort of a lecture,” said senior Ian Boyle, who participated in the New York Arts Program last fall.

Boyle worked in the property shop for a public theatre, among other things. He compared it to working a full-time job.

In addition to staying in contact with faculty, frequent emails are sent out from OWU staff back on campus to keep off campus students informed.

“We want them to be fully engaged in the culture, but we want them to have a well-circumscribed relationship with OWU,” Albon said. “We really want them to be careful, it’s so easy to be in one country and live virtually in another country.”

For junior Meghan Guthrie, who took part in the Salamanca program in Spain, this was not a problem.

“I believe most (students) did have pretty good contact with professors while abroad,” Guthrie said. “It was easy to keep in touch through email about any questions/concerns we might have had.”

Albon did mentioned that some students abroad this semester were having difficulty receiving emails from OWU because of a “glitch in the system,” but that it has been taken care of.

Another difficulty in the past has been selecting housing and scheduling classes from abroad. Many students are too busy with their schedules to remember when the selecting takes place.

“It was out of the blue, it didn’t even occur to me,” Boyle said.

Boyle went on to say that once he figured out the time for scheduling, he had no problems with it. Guthrie had a similar experience.

“I was luckily able to figure things out and schedule for the classes I wanted and needed,” Guthrie said. “The only thing that made us nervous was being in a different country and having the time difference.”

Women’s basketball wins on National Day

The win against Kenyon for the Ohio Wesleyan University women’s basketball team was a win for women everywhere.

With the women’s soccer, rugby and softball teams in attendance, the women’s basketball team defeated NCAC rivals Kenyon 75-71 on National Girls and Women in Sports Day last Saturday, Feb. 7.

The win pushed the Battling Bishops’ overall record to 11-11 and their conference record to 8-6.

Senior LaNiece McRae had a game high with 23 points and sophomore guard Megan Kuether crucially connected on four free throws in the last minute to put away the Lords and add to her career-high 22 points.

“It felt great to get the win, especially since all the other women’s teams were there supporting us,” Kuether said. “The win felt bigger and more exciting because of all the support for (National Girls and Women in Sports Day).”

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation website, this year marks the 29th National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The theme of the day was the reduction of concussions in female student-athletes, something that the website reports as a major concern “among female athletes at both the collegiate and high school levels.”

The website also suggests “there is evidence of gender differences in the outcomes of concussions, with evidence suggesting that female athletes present more concussion symptoms acutely, take a longer period to recover from concussions and report a greater number of and more prolonged post-concussion symptoms than male athletes.”

OWU women’s basketball beat Allegheny 58-56 in a thriller last Saturday and now looks toward proving themselves further in the NCAC tournament.

“We will keep working hard in practice as a team and committing to defense which helped us the past few games,” Kuether said. “Hopefully it will help us peak for the tournament.”

The 8-6 NCAC record has the Bishops sitting fifth in the conference with two remaining games against Oberlin and DePauw. Oberlin is third in the conference with a 10-4 record and DePauw is first at 15-0.

Last year, the women defeated DePauw in the last game of the season to give the Tigers their only conference lost.

Student flees, arrested for distribution

An Ohio Wesleyan student was arrested on Jan. 30 for possession of marijuana after running from Delaware Police Department (DPD) officers.

Senior Asa Diskin, who lives in the Bigelow-Reed House on Williams Drive, was charged with distributing and selling marijuana in addition to possession, according to the police report.

Public Safety officer Chris Mickens said he was searching Diskin’s room when he ran out carrying bags of marijuana. DPD was on-site when Diskin left the building.

DPD spokesman Capt. Adam Moore said Diskin was fleeing the scene when the police arrived, but when ordered to stop by an officer, he voluntarily laid down on the ground and was put in handcuffs.

Senior Alex Lothstein, who also lives in Bigelow-Reed, saw him running down the back staircase and go behind Delta Tau Delta fraternity house when the police arrived.

Lothstein also commented that while he has never seen this happen before, the odor of marijuana can often be smelled from behind the house.

Diskin’s charges are still pending in court. He could not be reached for comment.

Public Safety director Bob Wood said it is uncommon for a student to flee from a drug search. He said Diskin probably panicked and ran because of the amount of marijuana that he had.

“It’s the same thing when you’re driving and you do something bad and see the blue lights and sirens behind you and you hit the gas,” Wood added. “It’s like what are you thinking, they’re gonna catch you and you’re in so much more trouble that if you had just pulled over. It’s just panic mode where you’re not thinking.”

Wood said there are around 20 cases a year when PS responds to calls and finds drugs. As part of policy, PS is required to call DPD when they find drugs because they cannot confiscate the drugs themselves.

“For me to possess drugs is just like for you to possess drugs because I’m not an actual law enforcement officer,” Mickens said.

Wood added that about 90 percent of the time the police will file a criminal charge, depending on the amount and level of emergency.

Wood said OWU often gets criticized for the amount of drug charges it processes each year, but that other institutions “process them through just the judicial and not the arrest system.”

“One year, we had 23 drug charges or arrests and another school just about our size had none,” said Wood. “But that other school had 150 judicial cases that were the exact thing but they just process them through their conduct system and don’t call the police. For drugs on campus, we almost always do both.”

Mickens and Wood said the procedures and complaints can change depending on the location and proximity to campus. Because this case happened on campus, it involved both campus security and DPD.

Cases around Sandusky Street and Clancey’s would also involve PS, but beyond that the police would normally respond.