letter to the editor – The Transcript

Letter to the Editor: Debunking myths about prison inmates

By Diana Muzina, Letter to the Editor

When someone says the word ‘prison,’ we immediately have associations and assumptions about what it is like based on media portrayals and pervasive stereotypes. We see prison as being this place where bad people are sent, and that they deserve to be there. This is not always the case.

As a part of our Sociology & Anthropology Senior Seminar this semester, myself and the other 19 departmental majors, have a joint class with 20 inmates of Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) in Marysville, Ohio.

Every Wednesday at 4:50 p.m., we depart campus and make the 25-minute drive to the institution with our two professors, Mary Howard and John Durst.

“It forces us out of our OWU safety bubble, literally, and encourages interaction with views we otherwise don’t hear on a liberal campus,” junior Kelsey Morrison said.

This course has been in the works for a long time, and was first conceptualized by Howard in 1987 when she was the director of Women Studies.

“Bill Louthan, who was provost at the time, supported the idea but as it turned out, the prison system was forced by public outcry to close down all rehabilitation programming,” Howard, professor of Sociology/Anthropology, said.

“Through recent tours with SOAN Senior Project classes, we noticed the return of multiple skills training projects and the addition of Inside/Outside college level courses held within the prison,” Howard said. “We did not design our course as any kind of mission for the prisoners. If there was any intent in a joint class of 20 OWU students with 20 ORW students, it was to learn from each other.”

The women in our course are a select group of individuals from the institution who have proved themselves as open to learning in a self-help program developed for those who have passed through many other personal developmental hoops.

Many women in the course have commented to myself and other students that not everyone in the prison is happy and that many do not choose to seek self-improvement programing.

Upon arrival, belongings were stowed away in the vans, cellphones were left in our bags, and with our state IDs in hand, and maybe a pen and paper, we made our way to the metal detectors. IDs were traded for visitors passes after our identities were checked against the volunteer registry. We signed in and had our hands stamped.

Many times we waited up to 20 minutes for everyone to go through security, including other volunteer groups and another class of students from Ohio State, until nally we were sent, five at a time, through a large metal door into a small room.

After one door shut, another opened to let us out onto the prison grounds. Five by five, we regrouped and headed across the yard to class. Right in the middle of the yard along our way was a track which encircled a new softball field. It didn’t look like a prison; it looked like a college campus.

Letter to the Editor: SIAC addresses lack of diversity among faculty

By Ryan Bishop, Contributing Writer

The Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs’ (WCSA) Student Inclusion Advocacy Committee (SIAC) was created in the spring of 2016 to ensure that students from under-represented groups on campus have a pres- ence and voice on our student government.

Its mission is focused on addressing is- sues that students from minoritized groups face. SIAC has eight voting senator positions, known as Inclusion Representatives, and is currently chaired by Ryan Bishop.

SIAC’s first big project for the 2017 term was composing a letter to address the lack diversity among faculty on our campus.

This three-page letter was reviewed by Juan Armando Rojas, associate dean for inclusion and diversity, and WCSA’s full senate.

In our letter, we expressed appreciation for the number of efforts which the university has already undertaken to address this issue, including creating Rojas’ position and holding various faculty training sessions related to diversity, inclusion and equity in the classroom.

Ohio Wesleyan prides itself on fostering a welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds and has been working toward strengthening the efforts in this area.

SIAC expressed concerns we have heard from our student body regarding the small number of faculty of color (for instance, out of 129 faculty members, only four are Black, and only three are Hispanic or Latinx; OWU has only ever had one Black female faculty member, Judylyn Ryan).

Not only do these numbers not re ect the diversity in our student body, but they are also unjust and undermine our commitment to liberal arts education.

Diversity among professors is crucial for a number of reasons, including providing students of diverse backgrounds with the opportunity to see themselves in their teachers who are often their role models.

According to a 2014 report by the National Education Association, professors of color are often more capable of connecting with students of color, and also tend to teach with a more socially conscious mindset which is inclusive of students from under-represented groups and incorporates diverse approaches.

Inclusive approaches are bene cial to all students, as they shape graduates to be true global citizens.

Increasing diversity among faculty, as well as strengthening diversity and sensitivity training of faculty and staff, is a goal of equity and justice, and one that can only improve our already exceptional liberal arts institution. In the letter, SIAC also offered suggestions which could help expand existing efforts.

Our letter was immediately addressed on multiple levels of the administration, including by Provost Chuck Stinemetz and President Rock Jones, both of whom ex- pressed desire to meet with SIAC and further the conversation.

Furthermore, departments that are currently hiring have expressed willingness to honor a resolution passed by WCSA in 2016 to invite SIAC members to hiring committees.

WCSA is grateful for the administration’s commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive and just campus environment and for its willingness to work with students.

Letter to the editor: the labyrinth

By: Tom Wolber, associate professor of German

Thanks to a generous gift from the Rhinesmith family, Ohio Wesleyan University now has a spiritual labyrinth. Modeled after the circular labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, it is situated in the shady, idyllic grove between Merrick Hall and the Delaware Run where it blends into the landscape. The official dedication and asperging (cleansing and blessing with water) took place on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015. But the labyrinth had already seen hundreds of curious visitors before that, after it was completed just prior to the start of the 20152016 academic year.

Passersby are clearly intrigued, but many may wonder what it all means and how it relates to OWU’s mission. Here is a humble attempt to explain some of the mysteries.

A labyrinth is not a maze, with false leads and dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, OWU’s labyrinth has a single trustworthy path that can help you find your way. However, that path follows an enigmatic series of 35 tracks that take the visitor through eleven circuits divided into four quadrants each. With a circumference of 47 feet (about 15 meters), the total length approaches 1,000 feet (about 300 meters). During medieval times, pilgrims are said to have negotiated the circuitous path on their knees, which was both humbling and challenging.

That the labyrinth is sacred ground and a magical place is obvious. For some, it may simply be a sanctuary to patiently sit and rest for a while and to meditate in peace and quiet – a much-needed respite in our noisy, fast-moving world. There is a demand for retreats that encourage introspection. For others, the path may simply be a metaphor for the many unpredictable twists and turns that the journey of life has in store for us. The path can also be seen as a teacher in the never-ending quest for knowledge and enlightenment. That would certainly jive with OWU’s educational mission. Is the path the key to a deeper understanding of the human condition, both conscious and subconscious? That, too, would be a perfectly plausible explanation. Some look at labyrinths as medicine tools and their paths as vehicles for hope and healing of that which is broken. Is it the path to the mysteries of the divine? That, likewise, goes well with OWU’s legacy as a religious institution founded by Methodism. The labyrinth is probably all of the above, and more. Thus, it is a laboratory where all kinds of research can be conducted, epiphanies had, and discoveries made. For example, some scholars have argued that the four quadrants may represent the four earthly elements of water, fire, earth, and air and that the twelve circles (including the center) may represent the planetary zodiac signs.

The labyrinth is symbolic of the indomitable quest for truth and fulfillment. It is a place where the body and the mind connect. Essentially built with rock and sand, the labyrinth nevertheless allows visitors to leave behind everything that is earthly and to soar above the mundane. It is a testimony to the dual nature of humankind, which is at home in both the physical (flesh) and metaphysical (spirit). Also, is it a coincidence that the convoluted path of the labyrinth is reminiscent of the twists and turns of the human brain, resembling a map and a blueprint? This labyrinth, and all mazes and labyrinths, has archetypal depth and fulfills a primal need, for “man does not live by bread alone.” Thus, the labyrinth is a mystical place that allows us to dream and to raise our soul to a higher level. It is also a place where body and soul, solitude and community, freedom and captivity, heaven and earth, cosmos and chaos meet and form a mystical “coincidentia oppositorum” where time and space are suspended and transcended. As such, however, the labyrinth also instructs us that certain things will forever remain unknowable and unfathomable, given the limits of human epistemological understanding.

Life Trustee Kathe Law Rhinesmith, class of 1964, has referred to the labyrinth as a tribute to and celebration of the human spirit and soul. She has also made it clear that OWU’s labyrinth is not about proselytizing. Instead, it was constructed with a non-denominational, non-sectarian goal in mind. The labyrinth is intended to resonate with people of all faiths, or no faith at all. The internationally renowned builder, Marty Kermeen of Illinois-based Labyrinths in Stone, and his assistant, David Keller, are in agreement with that tenet, pointing out that labyrinths have been in existence for many millennia, pre-dating Christianity by thousands of years. The labyrinth is also designed to be open and accessible to the public – school children, church members, concertgoers and dog walkers. There are no barriers, fees, or rules of any kind. Everyone is invited to seek knowledge and wisdom. The labyrinth does not require that its path be followed.

But the path is there, patiently awaiting anyone ready and willing to go on a transformational adventure.

Letter to the editor: a gap in the OWU community

Dear Editors,

If you ask students what makes OWU special, many will say the community; the lasting bonds they have formed with people, in and outside the classroom, who have humanized their experience here. And many will say that staff people are a vital part of that community. In addition to keeping the university running in so many crucial ways, staff people have hosted international students for Thanksgiving, served as (official and unofficial) advisors, guided student clubs, ran sound systems for student bands, and offered understanding ears when students needed someone to listen.

Unfortunately, for various reasons, many dedicated staff people recently have had their positions eliminated. And many have been terminated after years of service, without the campus community having had a chance to recognize their contributions or thank them for their service.

Patricio (Pachi) Plazolles is one such staff person who, in his 26 years here, touched many people across the university, but whose position was recently eliminated. For many of us, Patricio’s abrupt departure left a gap in the OWU community. Some of us would like to thank him and recognize the many ways, above and beyond his duties at the Woltemade Center, that he contributed to campus life.

Students and alumni remember Patricio as both a mentor and friend, who invested his time in students and the community. Patricio was the advisor of the OWU Marketing Group (OMG) for the group’s entire existence, said a past president of the group, and he helped many of us to get practical work experience through the group’s projects. He guided us in succeeding academically and professionally, other students and alumni emphasized, but success was not enough; he wanted us to succeed with integrity, excellence, and a sense of service to others. One successful alumna identifies Patricio as the reason why is she is where she is today.

Patricio always knew what to say and how to connect with people, remembers one student.

When he walked around campus, people always approached him as if he were a great friend they hadn’t seen in awhile. Another alumna remembers visiting Patricio’s small homestead farm and remembers how his dreams to better the world inspired her in her sustainability work. A faculty member echoed these views, describing Patricio as one of the most sincere and honest human beings he has met. Patricio’s departure is truly sad and disappointing, they agreed, as Patricio had so many skills and virtues, and he truly represented the Ohio Wesleyan spirit.

Another student identified Patricio as an “incredible role model” and one of the key reasons she majored in economics. I never once saw him give up on a student or a student project, she says.

He is encouraging while also challenging people to do their very best. When she had an idea for TiPit grant to study social entrepreneurship and microfinancing, Patricio was immediately on board, helped her and others to design a workable project, and reached out to friends in Peru to make the project a success. It was a great honor, she said, to travel to his home country with him and see the tremendous respect that his friends, family, and local professors have for him.

Patricio and others who recently have lost their positions here will be missed.

Signed,

Lautaro Cabrera, former president of OMG, Class of 2015

Billy George, Class of 2017

Erika Kazi, Class of 2014

Reilly Reynolds, Class of 2016

Juan Armando Rojas, Associate Professor of Modern Foreign Languages

Sarah Sanders, former vice president of OMG, Class of 2015

Shari Stone-Mediatore, Professor of Philosophy

Michelle Waltz, Class of 2002

Andy Wittenberg, Class of 2013