Collegian 2.18.21

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Lupini and Rothfuss dance with the Arnns after being crowned President's Ball king and queen. Andrew Dixon | Collegian

Vol. 144 Issue 19 - February 18, 2021

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Lupini, Rothfuss named Presi dent’s Ball queen and king By | Haley Strack Assistant Editor

Senior psychology major Claire Lupini and senior biochemistry major Spencer Rothfuss were crowned queen and king of the president’s court by Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn at the annual President’s Ball on Saturday night. “Claire and Spencer are both exceptional representatives of our Hillsdale College campus community,” Chairwoman and Associate Professor of Chemistry

Courtney Meyet said in an email. “Not only are they outstanding scholars in their disciplines of study, but they have also made themselves known throughout campus by their outreach, leadership, and mentorship to other students.” Both Rothfuss and Lupini are extremely involved in multiple sects of campus life. Lupini is the small events leader on the Student Activities Board, works at the St. Peter’s Free Clinic as the volunteer coordinator, and is in the Lamp-

lighters, Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership, and Psi Chi Psychology honoraries. Rothfuss is the former chairman of Equip Ministries. “I was shocked and excited and honored and honestly, speechless,” Lupini said. “I was so beyond honored that I won — it was a moment I’ll never forget.” According to her boss Zane Mabry, director of student activities, Lupini is a wonderful example of the values Hillsdale instills in students. “Her work ethic is super

apparent. As far as SAB goes, she's often looked to as one of the leaders, and one of the wiser members,” Mabry said. “She's trusted by the whole team not only with ideas but character-wise as well. She's a good model of both like good work in terms of what happens on SAB, but also good character as a whole.” Professors are encouraged to nominate seniors for the President's Ball court on multiple criteria: high academic achievement, campus involvement, and

most of all, strong character. From there, a panel of five faculty members conduct interviews with all 10 nominees to determine who would best represent the senior class. In an email 5 to The Collegian, 9 said he didn’t want Rothfuss glory. 10 “Should I bother to make a list of my qualifications it would be, I assure you, banal at best,” Rothfuss said. “Even more so, however, I have no desire for that list to be the thing communicated 78 to my peers about my represent-

ing them. If my stint as representative king is to be of any value, it is to exhort next year's king and the rest of the studentry on how to properly view success.” Rothfuss also submitted an opinion piece to The Collegian titled “A Message from the King.” “Even if you, reader, never get a crown, live so that you won’t be ashamed to smile under one,” Rothfuss wrote. Assistant Professor of Theatre

See Ball A3

Survey: Most Hillsdale students say Do you plan to take the COVID-19 vaccine? they will decline COVID-19 vaccine The Collegian surveyed 102 faculty members, 103 staff members, and 340 students.

Many faculty, staff already have received vaccine By | Madeline Welsh Collegian Freelancer A majority of Hillsdale students do not plan on taking the COVID-19 vaccine, and a majority of faculty and staff already have taken it, according to a new Collegian poll. In the survey, 55% of the 340 student respondents said they would not take the vaccine, with 23% saying they would take the vaccine and 20% undecided. Among faculty, 76.5% of 102 respondents said they have already taken the vaccine, while 8.8% said they planned to take it and 9.8% said they don’t. Other faculty participants declined to respond or were undecided. Among staff, 53.4% of 103 respondents said they have already received the vaccine,

while 7.8% said they wanted to take it and 27.2% said they don’t. Others declined to answer or were undecided. The poll included 545 respondents among students, faculty, and staff. It was conducted online and distributed through campus newsletters from Jan. 17 to Feb. 17. In a Gallup poll last month, 65% of Americans said they would be willing to receive an approved vaccine if available at no cost. Campus respondents who said they do not plan on taking the vaccine cited concern for potential side effects, distrust of the vaccine itself, and lack of being in a high-risk category. Among those who want to take the vaccine, 48% said they wanted to speed the end of the pandemic, while 19% said they

would take it to avoid exposing family members to the illness. Only 7% of those planning to take it cited fear of contracting the virus. Professor of History Miles Smith said he took the vaccine. “It was actually pretty easy,” Smith said. “The whole process, from me walking in to getting the shot, was less than five minutes.” Smith said the shot’s effects were minimal. “After the first shot, my arm got sore, like what happens with a normal shot,” Smith said. “I was tired for a couple hours in the afternoon after the second shot, but I didn’t have any significant side effects.”

Already received No Yes Undecided or declined to answer 4.9%

8.8%

Faculty

9.8%

76.5%

7.8% 11.7%

Staff

53.4% 27.2%

See Survey A8

2.1%

Students

20.3%

55.0% 22.6%

COVID-19 on campus Limbaugh speaks at Hillsdale College's ninth annual Churchill Dinner in Washington, D.C. in 2008. | Facebook

Rush Limbaugh, radio legend and friend of college, dies at 70 By | Reagan Gensiejewski Assistant Editor Look up “Rush Limbaugh Hillsdale College” and the first thing that pops up is Hillsdale’s “Rush Limbaugh Challenge,” where you can take a Supreme Court quiz and get a free pocket Constitution from the college. The long-time Hillsdale College supporter and radio talk show host died Wednesday, Feb. 16, after a battle with stage 4 lung cancer. Limbaugh was 70 years

old. Over the last 40 years, Limbaugh became one of the most influential voices on talk radio. At the height of his popularity, Limbaugh had a weekly audience of 15.5 million listeners. Last year, former President Donald Trump surprised Limbaugh in his State of the Union speech by awarding him the Medal of Freedom. Hillsdale College Professor of Theatre James Brandon wrote his

doctoral dissertation at Bowling Green State University on Limbaugh and his interactions with his audience. “There was certainly a natural charisma there. There was confidence. He made things very simple for his audience,” Brandon said. “He had a knack for taking a complex political argument or debate, and sort of boiling it down, often in a humorous or sarcastic way, that was easy to

See rush A2

8 active student cases 5 students in contact isolation 382 students tested 29 students recovered In contact isolation

Active cases

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