The Black & Magenta Vol. 124 Issue 6

Vol. 124 Issue 6

March 2020

Snow finally came to Muskingum’s campus with a heavy snowfall of approximately three inches of wintery precipitation.

Photo Credit: Seth Roseberry/Black & Magenta

News

COVID-19 Coronavirus sweeps across the globe Dana Parsons Editor-in-Chief People across the globe are worried about a virus outbreak that was first detected in Wuhan, China, last year and has spread to nearly 169 locations internationally. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from virus SARS-CoV-2 was declared an “outbreak” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in late January. On March 11, WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among people and different species of animals, including camels, bats, cattle, and cats. How these viruses have initially spread is most likely from animal-to-human and then from human-to-human. In the case of the three viruses listed above, the viruses originated from bats.

According to WHO as of March 25, there are 372,757 globally reported cases, with 81,174 of those cases coming from China. Globally, there are 16,231 deaths, with 3,283 of those cases coming from China.

Though the virus originated in China, the U.S. has had a total of 7,087 cases and 100 COVID-19 related deaths.

As of March 25, there are 704 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio. Some counties affected include Cuyahoga, Franklin, Coshocton, Medina, among others.

Muskingum University has acted on campus to help prevent the spread of the virus. Posters were put up around campus for awareness and hand sanitizers have been put out in academic buildings. Muskingum University announced March 10 that it would be moving to an off-campus instructional format March 16-March 29 due to the coronavirus concerns.

President Susan S. Hasseler made the announcement via email to the Muskingum community at 4:10 p.m.

The announcement to move to the off-campus instructional format follows a

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statement made by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on March 10.

DeWine urged universities to transition to remote-learning due to the cases of the coronavirus that were confirmed in Cuyahoga County.

More announcements came as President Hasseler announced on March 16 that face-to-face classes were being postponed until April 13. In an annoucement made on March 19, the administration announced that campus will continue with remote learning for the remainder of the spring semester.

Several students on Muskingum’s campus are worried about the recent outbreak in Ohio. Sophomore Koya Zhou, a Chinese exchange student, said she’s more worried about her health in America rather than her family’s in China.

“At this time, I’m not worried about my family. I’m worried about myself. It’s much safer in China, I think, because most people have gotten healthy. At the beginning [in China], no one cared about coronavirus and a lot of people died. Now, some American people laugh at the virus. That’s why I’m very worried,” said Zhou.

The CDC states that COVID-19 is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person through close contact with an individual with the virus and through

droplets traveling through coughs or sneezes. Another way this is thought to spread is through touching something that has been contaminated with the virus and then touching the eyes, mouth, or nose. COVID-19 spreads easily and quickly.

Symptoms of the virus include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath, showing 2-14 days after exposure. While there is no current vaccine to prevent COVID-19, there are several ways you can prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases.

Though facemasks are popular among people who are protecting themselves from illness, the CDC states that they do not recommend facemasks for people who are well. Facemasks should only be used for infected individuals and healthcare workers.

Individuals who are more at risk are people living in highly infected areas and those with weaker immune systems.

Although COVID-19 is spreading fast, it isn’t the disease with the highest death count as of the 2019-2020 season. The CDC states that in this season, there have been 32 million flu illnesses with 18,000 deaths associated with the flu.

To keep yourself healthy, follow CDC guidelines for preventing the spread of all viruses, not just COVID-19.

Preventing the spread:

How you can do your part • • • • • •

Avoid close contact with those who are sick Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth Stay home when you’re sick Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap isn’t availible Guidelines from the CDC

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March 2020

News

President Hasseler: Adressing questions and concerns Dana Parsons Editor-in-Chief President Susan S. Hasseler, in an interview with Orbit Media on March 20, addressed some questions and concerns students had about the recent events connected to COVID-19.

In an email sent by Provost Nancy Evangelista, it was noted that graduation commencement will not be held on campus in May. President Hasseler addressed commencement concerns.

“We are figuring out ways to celebrate the class of 2020. We have both graduate and under-graduate students that we planning to celebrate in commencement in May. So, we’re currently working to figure out how to celebrate these accomplishments of the students because that’s a very important thing to do,” said Hasseler.

Hasseler also explained how Muskingum University came to the decisions it did.

“We have been preparing as soon as we found out about the virus and the fact that it would be a potential issue in the U.S. and we started assessing what our resources are on campus and what direction we might have to go,” said Hasseler.

According to Hasseler, there are several individuals and departments who are involved in making decisions like the decisions that have been made over the past few weeks. That group includes President

Hasseler, Academic Affairs division, Provost, division chairs, department chairs if necessary, Student Affairs Division, Enrollment Division, Advancement, Finance and Operations and Graduate and Continuing Studies.

“I have a team that meets daily to review what’s going on. We look at national, state, and regional guidance and we make a decision for next steps,” said Hasseler.

Hassler discussed the springs sports season and how the decision was made to cancel the rest of the season.

“We looked at the national information and guidance. We looked at other conferences. We looked at what every school in the OAC was doing in terms of athletics.

Then, the OAC presidents met and determined what the next step would be. We ended up being in the company of the majority of conferences in division three in terms of saying ‘let’s terminate our spring seasons’ so we protect eligibility for our athletes,” said Hasseler.

For athletes in spring sports, they will have another season of eligibility added if they decide to go that direction.

Another concern students expressed was if students would receive a financial refund for room and board due to time spent off campus.

Hassler stated that students will be credited with unused room and board fees.

“It’s a bit complicated because it’s connected with financial aid and we want to do this for students in the way that best serves them,” said Hasseler.

Hasseler said she is proud of students and their perseverance through such an unexpected experience.

“People are coming together. They are rolling up their sleeves, they are problem-solving, they are looking at the situation and saying ‘how can we best do this to keep connected.” Whether it’s student-to-student, professor-to-student, student affairs staff, everyone on campus is coming forward to try to stay connected,” said Hasseler.

Hasseler wants the Muskie Community to know that we will get through this together.

“I look at this community and I see the immense amount of grace that is being offered across the community to everyone and from people outside of our community. To make sure we can problem solve. I see an amazing resilience. We’re going to come out of this stronger on the other side and we’re going to learn and grown and we will stay together,” said Hasseler.

For updates about Muskingum University and the New Concord area, visit OrbitMediaOnline.com. Listen to the full interview on WMCO 90.7 FM.

Coronavirus affected areas around the world

cdc.gov Global case numbers are reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in their coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation reportexternal icon. Areas affected by COVID-19 are highlighted in blue.

Editor’s note: All information was gathered March 25. Numbers and information may be updated after the publication date of this issue.

Keep up-to-date with Muskingum University and New Concord area announcements on OrbitMediaOnline.com

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March 2020

News

Second annual Innovation Mania takes place

Mary Double Staff Reporter The second annual Innovation Mania took place on campus in the bottom of the Chess Center in February.

The event allows students to present potential business and innovation ideas in front of an audience and a panel of judges in order to win prizes.

Students, who are members of the Ignition Club, are able to win scholarship money for their ideas.

Students were also able to create a team to compete for a trophy.

Teams were assigned a task which was later voted on by non-participants that attended the event. The task was to create an innovative way to solve a problem on campus.

This year’s team winner was the Chi Alpha Nu Sorority.

Muskingum sophomore Olivia Lang was one of the individual participants awarded money this year. This is her first year in the ignition club.

Lang pitched her idea for a fruit farm at the event.

“It was a great experience because I

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta The winner of the second annual Innovation Mania event was sorority Chi Alpha Nu. Their innovative idea was for a bar and grill for students to hang out at on campus.

got to practice speaking in front of a large group and even learned more about my idea” said Lang.

Lang hopes to actually pursue her fruit farm one day and says that the money she was awarded from Innovation Mania will

be very beneficial.

The Ignition Club is advised by Dr. Gary Golden, associate professor of Business.

The club has hosted several events including idea meetings and meetings with business owners.

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta The bottom of the Chess Center on campus was packed with judges, participants, and observers during the second annual Innovation Mania event. Sorority Chi Alpha Nu were the winners of the event.

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March 2020

News Muskingum University Counseling Services hosts AnxieTEA event Dana Parsons Editor-in-Chief Muskingum University Counseling services hosted an informational session on anxiety on Tuesday, Feb. 11 in the Chess Center.

The event, titled AnxieTEA, was hosted by the counseling services counselor Leah Shirer.

The event was designed to teach students about anxiety in a calm and welcoming environment. Tea and cookies were served during the presentation.

Shirer said why she wanted to have an event specifically about anxiety.

“Right now, anxiety is the main reasons why students are coming in [to counseling services]. This event was to educate them and give them a way to manage their anxiety,” said Shirer.

Topics covered included what anxiety is, types of anxiety, and why people have anxiety.

Anxiety, according to Shirer, is a response to stress. Anxiety is excessive, hard to control worrying. It can also make you feel like something bad night happen.

Some symptoms of anxiety are sweating, a higher heart-rate, chest pain, tunnel vision, difficulty concentrating and sleeping, and muscle tension.

Anxiety can develop for several reasons. Anxiety can be genetic. If your parents have anxiety, you are more likely to also have anxiety.

It can also be due to environmental factors, medical issues, chemical imbalances in the brain, and a predisposition to anx-

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iety while taking substances, i.e. drugs or alcohol.

There are several different types of anxieties that are considered disorders. For anxiety to be a disorder and not “normal” anxiety, it has must: interfere with day to day responsibilities, is difficult to control, makes you avoid specific things, and symptoms that last longer than 6 months.

Shirer talked about the different types of anxiety. These include Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety, Agoraphobia, specific phobias, Separation Anxiety and Selective Mutism.

During the event, students were given some healthy coping mechanisms for anxiety. One way to cope with anxiety is called grounding.

If you experience anxiety, taking deep breaths and counting to ten in between breaths can calm your breathing and heart rate.

Also, when experiencing anxiety, use the five senses. Find something you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. These things will ground you to your environment rather than your stressor.

The event ended with a gift giveaway.

Items given away included lavender essential oils, anxiety tracking book, and selfcare items.

If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety, you can email Muskingum University Counseling Services to set up an appointment at counseling@muskingum. edu or visit their office in the basement of Montgomery Hall.

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta Muskingum University Counseling Services hosted an anxiety workshop titled ‘AnxieTEA’ on Feb. 11 in the Chess Center on campus. This flyer was handed to students at the event. The flyer shows 50 differnent ways someone can take a break if they are feeling overwhelmed.

For more information about Muskingum University Counseling Services, visit www.muskingum.edu/ campus-life/counselingservices

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To receive this year’s issues, send a $30 check payable to: “Muskingum University” to: The Black & Magenta Newspaper, Caldwell Hall 147 10 College Dr., New Concord, OH 43762 Include your name, USPS mailing address, and telephone number.

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March 2020

News

Glenn Museum celebrates Annie Glenn’s 100 birthday

Dana Parsons Editor-in-Chief The John & Annie Glenn Museum hosted a celebration for Annie Glenn’s 100th birthday Feb. 17 with an afternoon tea at the museum in New Concord.

The tea honored Glenn’s “century of commitment, compassion, and courage.”

Glenn was born Feb. 17, 1920 in Columbus, OH. Glenn’s family moved to New Concord in 1923. She graduated from Muskingum College in 1942 with her music degree.

She is known as an excellent organ player.

Glenn also played the trombone.

Glenn was accepted into The Julliard School of Music, but turned down the opportunity to marry John. The Glenns married on April 6, 1943. They have two children, David and Lyn. Tea, punch, and deserts were served in celebration for Annie Glenn’s 100 birthday. sang for Annie during the event.

Glenn Museum Executive Director Dr. Barb Hansen helped organize event.

“It is just such a remarkable accomplishment to live to 100 years. We chose the theme with honoring a ‘century of commitment, compassion and courage’ because we think those three words so well describe aspects of Annie’s life,” said Hansen.

Muskingum University President Susan S. Hasseler spoke during the event. She shared her experiences with Glenn.

“I had the opportunity to meet with Annie a few times before she moved to Minnesota and was always delighted with her interest in the world and the people around her,” said Hasseler.

Members of the Muskingum University community sent a birthday card to Glenn.

The university also shared web and social media posts commemorating her birthday.

Glenn had an 85 percent stutter. A video, “Out of Silence: The Annie Glenn Story,” was shown during the event that showcased Glenn and how she overcame her communication disorder.

“When John and I were married, I was

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Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta On Feb. 17, the John & Annie Glenn Museum hosted a birthday celebratong for Annie Glenn’s 100 birthday. Tea, sweets, and sandwiches were served at the celebration.

meeting more people. I really wanted to talk and carry on conversations. John got very interested in finding someone or someplace I can go to,” said Glenn in the video.

Glenn attended a 100-hour treatment course at Hollins Research Institute in 1973 for speech therapy, led by Ronald Webster.

Glenn was one of the first 100 participants to complete the course.

“We were to make a telephone call. I made one to John and he couldn’t believe it [regarding her progress]. I could tell it really touched him,” said Glenn.

Glenn is an advocate for people with communication disorders and disabilities.

She became the principle spokesperson for the National Association for Speech and Hearing Action.

Brenda Castor-Higgins and Jane Castor, family of Glenn, attended the tea.

“We might have been in a big crowd [when John and Annie returned to New Concord for public events]. When they would come back there was always people that would want to see them. If she spotted any family, she’d go right to you,” said Castor-Higgins.

“She said ‘there’s nothing like family,’” said Castor.

Dr. Lisa Marshall, Associate Professor

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of Communication, conducted an interview with Lyn Glenn, John and Annie Glenn’s daughter, prior to the event.

“It still is like a miracle to me that she was not only able to face her own stutter, but the National Association for Speech and Hearing Action named their award to people ‘The Annie’ after her. I think one of the qualities that many people have loved her for was that it brought an empathy and a compassion and acceptance, and forgiveness was just part of her nature. I think part of that was the suffering that she experienced,” said Lyn Glenn.

Guests at the event included eight museum board of trustee members including Levi Shegog, Renee Coll, Barb Hansen, Clyta Young, George St. Clair, David Adams, Jeremy Morrow, and Bev Allen.

Also in attendance was Mayor Jennifer Lyle, who shared fond words about Glenn.

“The event was so beautiful. So filled with joy, companionship and celebration.

Just the way it should be for an event like this. She is so gracious and kind and really cares about who she’s talking to in that moment. I’ll never forget that,” said Lyle.

The John & Annie Glenn Museum, open May-October, is located at 72 W. Main Street in New Concord.

March 2020

News

Muskingum University hosts art exhibition

“Images through Lenses”

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta This wooden piece, by Carrie Turner, is titled “Gold Glitter Dragonfly”. It was part of many pieces in the Louis O. Plamer art gallery for the “Images through Lenses” photography exhibition.

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta This piece by Julie Keirle is titled “Crows Collection”. It is a collection of photos that is inside a decorative box.

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Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta This black and white photo, “Jane Doe” by Dave Coker was part of many black and white photos in the gallery.

Dana Parsons/Black & Magenta This black and white piece by Scott Morrison is aptly titled “Reflection”. Wildlife was a popular point of focus for many of the photographs featured in the gallery on campus.

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March 2020

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Photo Credit: Dana Parsons