Tag: owu

“Fighting Words” focus on peaceful protests

Alex Emerson

Transcript Correspondent

aaemerso@owu.edu

“Fighting words” took on a more peaceful tone on campus recently.

That theme was a play on words for a display in the faculty-staff dining room at the Hamilton Williams Campus Center Wednesday, focused on the effectiveness of peaceful protests around the world,.

Tables at the event displayed the flags of six nations and included papers with examples of protest, along with laptops that showed a video or an article of those protests or of revolutionary poetry. The countries included the U.S., Argentina, Afghanistan, Hong Kong/China, Serbia and Czechoslovakia.

Every country had a phrase or a line of poetry that illuminated the message of a particular cause. Language and expression clearly was an integral part of those protests.

Sophomore Meg Edwards, a member of the House of Linguistic Diversity, put this display together for her house project.

Edwards said she focused on this issue because she believes peaceful protests are more effective than people think and she wanted to raise awareness of the history of effective peaceful protests.

“I’ve heard people say that peaceful protest isn’t enough and that violent protests might be more effective, but I’m a believer in nonviolent action does work,” Edwards said.

Violent protests could legitimize the oppression of the regime and lead to less support for the cause. Instead, peaceful protests are the most effective route to change, but should also be loud and hard to ignore, she said.

“In Hong Kong, there were so many people in the street that they couldn’t be avoided,” Edwards said.

Thousands of people filled the streets of Hong Kong over the past year, protesting the introduction of a bill that would have allowed for the extradition of criminal fugitives to mainland China. Many blocked roads and chanted “Hong Kongers, add oil,”which is a widely used phrased roughly translated to “keep it going.”

The famous phrase was spoken in Konglish, a mix between Cantonese and English, according to information at that table.

Protest through art was a big part of this project as well. It’s effective because poetry or plays can reach a lot of people, and also they’re entertaining, Edwards said.

The Afghanistan table featured poetry translated from Pashto to English. This particular poetry was a forbidden form of expression passed around by the oppressed women of Afghanistan.

One example: “Daughter, in America the river isn’t wet. Young girls learn to fill their jugs on the internet.”

And a 22 syllable poem that women in Afghanistan create, called a landlay, is shared by word of mouth and is used to express forbidden love.

Edwards got a lot of support from her housemates who came to see her project.

Senior Sarah Gielink thought the event was important in light of the political tension in America.

“It’s important to take a step back and look back on history,” Gielink said. “And what other people have done in the face of oppression.”

Nonprofit work beckons SOAN students

Meg Edwards

Transcript correspondent

mmedward@owu.edu

Sociology and anthropology students needn’t fear a lack of meaningful work after they leave Ohio Wesleyan, the non-profit field offers many opportunities.

That message was delivered Wednesday in Elliott Hall by the Department of Sociology-Anthropology (SOAN), which hosted a lunch for students interested in nonprofit work.

The event featured guest panelists Mel Corroto, executive director of Andrew’s House and Kerri Robe, the assistant program manager for OWU’s Service Learning office. The panel was moderated by Sally Leber, the director of OWU Service Learning.

Andrew’s House, 39 West Winter St., is the former home of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. After the fraternity left in 1993, the neighboring St. Peter’s Episcopal church purchased the property.

Now, Andrew’s House is “COhatch before COhatch was COhatch” for nonprofits, in the words of Leber, describing a network of community workspaces. The community center is home to seven nonprofits and also hosts its own programs, such as legal clinics and cooking classes, and features a large mural that depicts Paul Dean, OWU’s associate professor of sociology.

Corroto and Robe each described their very different paths to working at nonprofits. Corroto graduated with a degree in English literature, but found her way into the business world working for Borders Books.

Running a small nonprofit is a lot like running a business, Corroto said.

“I have to wear many hats,” she said, adding the most important part is “fundraising, fundraising, fundraising.”

Robe said she planned on becoming a nurse from an early age, but she struggled with science courses in college and realized that “really, I just wanted to help people.”

She said she worked in direct service for several years before moving into prevention and now helps coordinate programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters and other mentorships between OWU students and Delaware schools.

Her advice for students looking to get into nonprofit work: “relationships, relationships, relationships.”

Many nonprofits are within walking distance or a short drive from campus that are constantly looking for volunteers, Robe said. Making connections in the community and building those relationships early can help students find work after graduation.

Leber drew attention to the high rate of burnout among nonprofit workers, and the stress of constant fundraising.Robe said that self-care was important.

“It’s really important to have these reflection times … so I can be the best person for these people [in need].”

Leber said it is important for anyone doing service to see it as a mutual exchange, rather than a one-way act of charity.

“I haven’t done any act of service where I haven’t learned more from the other person than I’ve given,” she said.

Senior Makaila Weir, who is on the SOAN student board, said the board decided to organize the event to educate students on opportunities after college, as many students had expressed an interest in nonprofit work.

She said she enjoyed hearing about the different tracks Robe and Corotto took to arrive in nonprofits.

“You hear about the burnout,” Weir said, and added that she is glad to hear that they are still passionate about their work so far into their careers.

The event was catered by an Ohio Wesleyan SOAN student, junior Courtney Owens, who recently started her own catering company, The O’s Catering.

Elizabeth Warren makes history at OWU’s Mock Convention

Connor Severino and Hailey de la Vara

Transcript correspondents

cmseveri@owu.edu

hhdelava@owu.edu

Ohio Wesleyan students elected the first-ever woman president Saturday at their Democratic Mock Convention.

Voters elected Elizabeth Warren as president and Stacey Abrams as vice president. Warren secured the election after a run-off vote with Bernie Sanders and was the first woman president elected since the beginning of the convention in 1884.

Abrams secured the vice presidency following a passionate endorsement from Sally Leber, OWU’s director of Service Learning, who highlighted her record defending voter’s rights and racial equality.

OWU alumna Valorie Schwarzmann, permanent chair of the convention’s committee, said, “Hoping as a country we have a sense of whom to be and who we want to lead us, I hope we can figure it out.”

The convention, begun Friday, always focuses on a political party and this year’s event simulated a Democratic Party nominating convention, with the theme “The Future is Ours.”

William Louthan, a politics and government professor, led the invocation for the event, animating the crowd with his introduction of “Welcome to the party of the people.”

David Pepper, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, presented the opening message, encouraging students to get involved in the upcoming presidential election and to register to vote.

Alaina Shearer, a candidate from Ohio’s 12th Congressional District, rallied the crowd by stressing the importance of this year’s election. Proceeding her speech was a performance by the acapella group OWtsiders, who set the mood for the remainder of the convention.

Also speaking was Alex Moscou, a senior and survivor from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018, addressed the crowd about gun violence, earning enthusiastic recognition for his courageousness and leadership.

The convention’s atmosphere was filled with energy and optimism throughout both days and seemed to unify students.

“There was a higher level of energy and a deeper engagement of issues, compared to the last Mock Convention,” OWU President Rock Jones said.

Drama was on hand, too, when security escorted out sophomore Hamzah Malik, the state chair for Ohio, after he refused to leave the microphone in defense of Vermin Supreme for vice president. Supreme is a performance artist and perennial Democratic candidate.

Malik had collected enough signatures to nominate Supreme, but the executive committee ruled the move invalid on the grounds Supreme is actually an Independent candidate.

Throughout, students delivered addresses about issues such as climate change, student loan debt, equality and healthcare. A vision for an equal and ecological friendly economy coincides with the interests of Warren and runner up Sanders.

Students represented their home states and with their votes, Warren surpassed runner up Sanders 111-to-52. The remaining candidates came in a close third place, with each having around 30 votes.

“It was so exciting because not only is this OWU history but country history being the first time we’ve had all women,” junior Alexis Greene said.

The convention concluded with scores of balloons and cheers.

Transcript correspondent Meg Edwards contributed to this report.

Forget the myth, English majors can do well with their degree

Alex Emerson

Transcript Correspondent

aaemerso@owu.edu

Turns out majoring in English has earned a bad rap.

That generally accepted impression is a myth, according to a couple of Ohio Wesleyan English professors who pinched hit for a missing speaker scheduled to lead a Thursday discussion titled “What Did I Do with My English Major?”

The event’s focus aimed to help students understand what they can do with an English major after graduation, as well as pointing to the resources OWU has available for them.

Nancy Comorau, an associate English professor and Patricia Demarco, an English professor, led the conversation after OWU alumna Kristina Wheeler (’16), who was going to preside, was unable to attend for personal reasons, according to Comorau. Wheeler, who has an English degree, is an editorial and production assistant at The Ohio State University Press.

The discussion was informative despite not going as planned. Comorau and Demarco talked about paths for English majors, including graduate school, professional school and career paths.

There’s a myth that majoring in English is a bad idea, which isn’t really true.

“There’s this idea that when you say you’re majoring in English, people say ‘OK, well are you going to teach?’” Comorau said.

English majors have an advantage with careers in communications because they know how to write and many internships are available in any field that involves writing, Demarco and Comorau said. Demarco talked specifically about the writing and editing experience involved in a political internship.

“Working in politics is great editorial work. Even in local politics, nothing gets released without going through lots of revisions and edits,” Demarco said.

For the English major interested in creative writing, or in graduate school, a Master of Fine Arts degree is an option, which involves rigorous coursework. A master’s is typically necessary in order to teach a subject like creative writing at a university, Comorau said.

OWU offers English majors resources that give students real-world experience. An example is the Sagan Academic Resource Center where students help other students edit writing assignments.

Not only that, the Sagan Center also improves the people skills of students working there because they interact with people all day, said senior Brandon Stevens, a member of Sagan.

Other helpful organizations include the Sturges Script, a student-run blog made by associate English professor Zackariah Long, The OWL, OWU’s literary magazine and The Transcript.

If you’re an English major worried about how much money you’ll make, you could have the wrong idea about that as well.

“English majors tend to outpace other majors in terms of money … English majors make less at first and more money later on,” Demarco said.

OWU spring theatre production: an ancient myth with a modern twist

Katie Cantrell

Transcript Correspondent

kmcantre@owu.edu

An ancient Greek myth came alive with a modern theme at Ohio Wesleyan this past weekend.

OWU theatre department’s spring production of “Eurydice,” written by Sarah Ruhl, was performed in the Chappelear Drama Center Studio Theatre from Thursday through Sunday. It was the directorial debut for Bradford Sadler (’05), a part time instructor in the theatre & dance department.

Sadler had multiple reasons for choosing Eurydice.

“I think it’s a really beautiful show that deals with issues that I was interested in in terms of love versus loss,” he said. “I thought it provided a challenge for the actors as well as the technicians, but an appropriate level of challenge that we could rise to together.”

The play centers on the ancient Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. Sadler brought the play into a modern setting.  However, the overall core plot of the myth stayed true to the original tragic love story.

In the play, Eurydice died and went to the underworld where she encountered her father, the three stones and the lord of the underworld. Eurydice’s husband, Orpheus, in his grief writes some of the saddest songs and eventually uses those songs to gain both entrance and passage through the underworld in search of his wife.

While in the underworld, Orpheus makes a deal with the lord of the underworld: his wife can leave with him as long as he does not turn around and look to see if she is following.

The cast of “Eurydice” included: junior Miko Harper as Eurydice, sophomore Adam Lieser as Orpheus, sophomoreAaron Eicher as the father, sophomore, Maxwell Haupt as the nasty, interesting man and lord of the underworld, freshman Alex Dolph as Loud Stone, freshman Camy Dodd as Little Stone, and senior Maggie Welsh as Big Stone. The cast and crew have been preparing for months. Some work was done as far back as December of last year.

 Eurydice is not leading lady Harper’s first time on the mainstage. As a freshman she played Sally Bowles in OWU’s spring production of “Cabaret.”

“I actually understudied for Big Stone in high school, so I was familiar with the show and knew it was hard, but it’s so good and I was really excited to do it,” Harper said.

Every cast member had something they enjoyed about their experiences.

“I think because it is sort of a minimalist type of show in terms of the set and I guess it’s less flashy than a lot of shows, so it kind of forces you to really dig deep and there’s no distractions or cover ups and it’s a little more raw,” Harper said.“That’s been really challenging but it’s been really cool because I haven’t really been able to do that in a long time.”

 Eurydice was Doph’s first mainstage theatrical play at OWU. Prior to this show, she participated in Orchesislast semester.

 “Eurydice” provided junior Jarrod Ward his first opportunity to be a lighting designer for a major production. He had to meet with the director, the technical director and the set designers frequently throughout the production process to work out different lighting for the production.

“Some things were a little bit challenging like trying to work with projections and getting projections set up was a bit challenging. Along with a few tweaks here and there, it hasn’t been too challenging,” Ward said.

Dolph thoroughly enjoyed her experience.

“The people and the relationships we’ve made, I’ve grown closer to so many people and all my cast members. I’ve gotten to know our director pretty well and I’ve made so many friends with people I didn’t even talk to before,” Dolph said.

Police asked to step up patrols after more campus racial incidents

Katie Cantrell

Connor Severino

Transcript correspondents

kmcantre@owu.edu

cmseveri@owu.edu

The Delaware Police Department has been asked to increase its patrols of Ohio Wesleyan’s campus in the wake of two racially-charged incidents this week.

The request comes after local police and OWU Public Safety responded to two, separate race-related episodes. Last year, racially-tainted incidents occurred on campus in both the spring and fall semesters.

The most recent episodes occurred in Bashford Hall over the weekend where someone wrote a racially offensive word on a community bulletin board and tore a poster in half, which showed an African American student.

And just before midnight Tuesday, an older man in an olive-green coat and jeans near South Liberty Street and Rowland Avenue yelled a racial epithet and pointed at three students, one white, one black and one Asian. The man ran off behind nearby houses when a PS officer responded.

OWU President Rock Jones and Dwayne Todd, vice president for Student Engagement and Success, were unavailable for comment, but Cole Hatcher, OWU’s director of Media and Community Relations, said the university has zero tolerance for these sorts of episodes.

Meanwhile, Delaware police have been asked to boost their nightly patrols, he said.

“There is no evidence to prove these issues are tied together, but there is some pattern forming here,” Hatcher said. “When an incident like this occurs, it’s important to make sure the students feel comfortable enough to be able to address these types of issues, along with addressing these concerns right away.”

Residential Life office has been meeting with students living at Bashford Hall to discuss any concerns, he said.

Both PS and Delaware police said the two recent incidents are likely unrelated.

“We have no reason to believe either of these two incidents are related to each other and would encourage anyone that might have additional information to give us a call on our tip line,” said Delaware police Capt. Adam Moore.

Sean Bolender, OWU’s PS director, said no additional information has been obtained.

“Students should never hesitate to contact us when they experience any situation where they don’t feel safe and need assistance,” Bolender said. “Our primary objective is to collaborate with Delaware PD to identify individuals engaged in this behavior.”

Should a suspect be identified as a person not associated with OWU, the administration can generate a no-trespass order barring them from campus, Bolender said.

The most recent incidents follow the vandalism of a diversity bulletin board in Hayes Hall last spring and the posting of 25 stickers with pro-white messages linked to the white supremacist group Patriot Front in November.

Patriot Front has been described as an organization that embraces racism and intolerance. Similar incidents occurred around the same time in November at The Ohio State University and reportedly at other college campuses.

After the stickers were removed, OWU created nine unique diversity posters and placed them around campus. A campus gathering was also held to create community and send a strong message that division and white supremacism is unwelcome. A new series of posters under the ONE OWU Campaign are being created now, said Juan Armando Rojas Joo, campus’ chief diversity officer.

Anyone possessing information related to these incidents can contact PS at 740-368-2222 or the Delaware police tip line at 740-203-1112.

OWU Radio boosts programs, seeks listeners and hosts

Azmeh Talha

Transcript Editor

aatalha@owu.edu

It’s been a big year for OWU Radio.

The student-run broadcast station, found online here, grew from eight shows to over 20 within a year.

Sophomore Henry Tikkanen, OWU Radio’s general manager, has led the way in boosting the number of shows and generating creativity at the station. He also schedules the programs.

“The shows that incorporate music play a wide variety of music and usually answer questions from listeners,” he said. “Some also prepare a topic and invite guests on to discuss it or discuss it with a co-host for an hour.”

OWU Radio has a plethora of diverse radio shows that can be found online.

“We have some that just play music,” said sophomore Max Peckinpaugh, the marketing manager. “We have a couple podcasts where they just talk about a topic for the whole hour; we have some that play music and talk, so just a wide variety of everything, really.”

Tikkanen co-hosts an alternative music show with Peckinpaugh at 6 p.m. Thursdays, that includes taking listener questions.

“My show is called “Silky Smooth Radio” even though most of our music isn’t smooth,” Tikkanen said.

OWU Radio broadcast its first Student Involvement Fair Jan. 29, Peckinpaugh said. It recruited 10 people who signed up to host their own radio shows.

The average number of listeners varies depending on the week and showtime. A rough estimate is between 15-20 listeners, Peckinpaugh said. The station’s aim is to draw more listeners.

“We’ve noticed that it’s a lot of just like personal, like family members or friends they know,” Peckinpaugh said.

The radio’s focus this semester is to get more women involved. Currently, only two women host a show.

Junior Anna McReynolds co-hosts “And That’s The Tea,” with freshman Sophia Gabriel at 8 p.m. Thursdays. They pick a theme and play music accordingly.

“In between songs we talk or read quotes,” McReynolds said.

McReynolds said she often encourages more young women to host shows.

“They are super fun and a great way to relax and take a break during the week,” McReynolds said.

David Soliday, an instructional technologist for OWU’s Information Services, also co-hosts a show called “Dancing for Change” with his son, Todd, a former OWU student.

Their show, which airs at 9 p.m. on Mondays, is upbeat and promotes positive messages, such as sustainability, peace and justice. Along with playing music, the Solidays discuss why they choose the songs and the messages behind them. For instance, with Valentine’s Day on Friday, Monday’s broadcast focused on love.

“We played ‘Cupid’s Shuffle’ just for fun,” David Soliday said. “That’s kind of typical Valentine’s Day stuff.”

The Solidays also played religious music about love such as “Give Love” by MC Yogi.

“It’s more of an Eastern, religious message, God is love, love is the force between us all,” the elder Soliday said.

He has worked with the radio since 2010. When he started, the station was an FM broadcast. Currently, radio shows are online and there’s also a Spotify account.

“Hopefully, we’ll get the DJs to be putting their playlists on Spotify and people can find them that way,” Soliday said.

On campus health program delivers physical and social benefit

Hailey De La Vara

Arts and Entertainment Editor

hhdelava@owu.edu

For one nationally recognized health program at Ohio Wesleyan the social rewards can be on par with the physical benefits.

FitOWU, aka “Noon Fit,” is a wellness and training program taught by OWU students that is available to current and retired OWU faculty, staff and others on campus.

And the American College of Sports Medicine recently recognized the program, qualifying it for the Exercise is Medicine designation, a global health initiative to make physical activity assessment a standard in clinical care.

Nancy Knop, a former professor of health and human kinetics, started the program in 2004. Andrew Busch, an assistant professor in health and human kinetics, took the reins of the program in 2016.

The goal of FitOWU is to provide many types of fitness programs throughout the academic year at a minimum $30 semester fee, regardless of the participants’ fitness level. About 45-50 people are taking advantage of the program this semester.

Busch said the program is more than just a fitness resource, it also has a big social aspect.

“We have an intermediate group that is made up of all women and some of them have been coming since the start,” he said. “They enjoy it so much because they get to see each other an extra three times per week.

Classes include resistance training, which meet at noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  FitOWU also offers yoga, swimming and cycling classes.

For student trainers, the program is an upper-level health and human kinetics course and usually two trainers manage each fitness group level.

Junior trainer Xavier Sarver thinks the program is just as beneficial to students as it is to faculty.

“Being a trainer of FitOWU gives us a chance to interact with the faculty and the locals and they are helping us just as much as we are helping them,” Sarver said.

Students have some leniency in creating workouts for the participants, so they can get a feel for being accountable to their clientele, and they are assessed as the training takes place, Busch said.

”During the first half of the semester I give the students the training recipe and by the second half of the semester they get more leniency with adapting their own workout movements into their teachings,” he said.

Senior trainer Emily VanDermark said the program gives students the chance to put themselves in a real work environment.

“It’s a nice way to put yourself in a professional environment without having to go out and apply for an internship or job,” VanDermark said.

New economics major could open doors

Tiffany Moore

Transcript Correspondent

tpmoore@owu.edu

A new major at Ohio Wesleyan will allow students to use mathematics and statistical models to study economic issues, explore theories, predict the future and lead to a job.

The quantitative economics major will also grant international students the opportunity to extend their stay in the U.S. for an additional two years post-graduation because it is classified as a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program.

With this major, students will be able to pursue career paths in finance, business or government, or continue their education in graduate school. The new program is attracting interest.

Junior Hanna Cao, currently a math and economics major, is one of those students. She said she plans on transitioning to a quantitative economics major and is excited to be able to combine her interest in math and economics.

“I have a great passion for economics and I want to use math as a tool to do research in social sciences in the future. I want to improve and give back to society as a whole,” Cao said.

OWU was able to incorporate this major at no additional cost because no new courses were created. Each course already exists in either the math, economics or computer science department.

Goran Skosples, an associate professor of economics and chair of OWU’s economics department, said the idea for the major came from an article in the Economist magazine, which said some schools are reclassifying their econ majors under quantitative economics mainly because of STEM designation.

“If you graduate in a STEM field you get a two year extension for a total of three years. It’s not guaranteed but you can apply if you have a STEM field,” Skosples said. “That was one of the leading things for us to offer. International students are well aware of this.”

The major will prepare students for graduate school, but would not provide enough math. Mathematical courses fill the first few years of a graduate-level degree in economics, so students should take as much mathematics as they can, he said.

Robert J. Gitter, a Joseph A. Meek professor of economics, said the degree will be helpful after graduation.

“Economics majors do extremely well in the job market, but I think that if you have this degree you’ll be even more marketable,” he said.

Gitter thinks this program could potentially attract around 5-10 students each year.

“I’m looking forward to having even more students in the class that are excited about taking the course,” Gitter said.

According to the OWU website, students will be required to take:

  • Economic theory courses that provide the tools needed for analyzing economic issues.
  • Mathematics, statistics, and computer science courses that provide the skills needed for understanding economic theory and analyzing data.
  • Field courses that apply economic tools to business, social, or specialized areas.

A classic myth becomes OWU’s spring play

Hailey De La Vara

Arts and Entertainment Editor

hhdelava@owu.edu

With Eurydice’s production, Ohio Wesleyan’s theatre department is bringing a post-modern spin on the classical Orpheus myth.

Eurydice is written by award winning playwright Sarah Ruhl. Ruhl gives the myth a new perspective in this poetic work. Theatre professor and director of the show, Bradford Sadler, will bring a Greek myth to the Chappelear Drama Center in the Studio Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 13. The performances will take place until Feb. 15.

The play is told from the point of view of Orpheus’s wife, Eurydice, played by Miko Harper.

Sadler expressed his excitement for the upcoming play.

“This is an out of the ordinary play, and when you come into the theater it will be different from any other play you’ve seen,” He said.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens. Admission is free for OWU students with a valid OWU ID.