‘Quiet strength’: Professor’s son dies after cancer battle
By Catherine Maxwell Senior Editor
Trent Moyar, son of history professor Mark Moyar, died Aug. 22 at age 22 after a yearslong battle with bone cancer.
“He was a very caring and kind person,” William P. Harris Chair of Military History Mark Moyar said. “He dealt very bravely with the terrible affliction that he ended up having to bear.”
Trent Moyar was an introvert who loved coding, Studio Ghibli films, and rollercoasters, his father said. He competed in track and field in high school. After graduating, he attended the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science.
“He wasn’t able to run in college, and he eventually had surgeries, but he seemed pretty upbeat throughout this,” Mark Moyar said. “He was more stoic, probably, than others in the family, and tended to be very calm and collected, even when bad news was coming in.”
Trent Moyar’s best track event was the 800-meter, but he also competed in the 1,000-meter and ran cross country. He placed fourth in the 1,000 in his final competitive race.
Trent Moyar also loved Lego sets and heavy metal music, senior Mary Boudreaux said.
Boudreaux met the Moyar family when a professor found out she had experienced a bone cancer that was similar to Trent Moyar’s. Boudreaux has now been in remission for almost six years, but she said she and Trent Moyar traded treatment and hospital stories.
“Trent is actually the perfect example of what people at Hillsdale want to be, in the sense that literally nothing stops Trent at all,” Boudreaux said. “Quiet strength, I think, is a good way to describe him. And I think in so many ways, he really embodies a lot of what Hillsdale really loves. And it was just so impressive to see, no matter what complication came up, or what setback came up, he was always continuing to push himself.”
Boudreaux said Trent Moyar and his brother always beat her when they played boardgames, card games, and video games.
“We played Othello at one point,” Boudreaux said. “He also really beat me at that. I’m just not good at any game that involves strategy. I’m horrible at it. He was very, very good at all of those.”
Boudreaux said one of her
favorite memories of Trent is when he took her, his brother, and his mom out in the family’s boat one summer.
“He was telling me all the different distinctions in heavy metal music,” Boudreaux said.
“And he’s explaining, like, there’s heavy metal and death metal and rage metal — I’m not sure, there’s a whole genre of them. So he’s describing all the differences. And it was very funny because he’s such a quiet, cards-to-the-chest kind of guy, but then is totally into this screamo rock music.”
Gwen Thompson ’25, a former student of Mark Moyar, said that even though she only met Trent Moyar once, the way he handled his sickness made an impression on her.
“I remember being struck with how honestly and calmly he carried his sickness,” Thompson said. “He did not apologize for, hide, or seem bitter about his crutches, but was a great example of patience.”
Boudreaux said Trent Moyar returned to college for a semester during chemotherapy and got all As.
“He was a very inspiring person,” Boudreaux said. “In many ways, you would never know that he was going through all of that.”
Dilsun Kaynar, associate teaching professor at the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science and Trent Moyar’s academic adviser, said Moyar was “a joy” in class.
“Even when it was a physical challenge for him to come to class, he was always fully engaged and focused,” Kaynar wrote for Trent Moyar’s tribute book. “It was a joy to see and interact with him, and every professor who taught him felt the same way.”
Mor Harchol-Balter, professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon, and Weina Wang, assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon, also spoke highly of Moyar in a joint statement for the tribute book.
“Despite the crutches, the tubes, and the medications, Trent somehow managed to stay upbeat whenever he met with us, never missing homework and excelling at all exams,” they said. “Trent simply loved to learn new things and seemed to always be grateful just to get the chance to do that.”
Trent Moyar is survived by his father; his mother, Kelli; his sister, Greta; and his brother, Luke.
Trent Moyar was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma in January 2021. The cancer went away after months of chemotherapy but returned the following year. Hillsdale College student Emmy Sigtryggsson died from the same form of cancer in 2024. Assistant Dean of Men Jeffery “Chief” Rogers spoke at a memorial service for Sigtryggsson hosted by the college.
Arnn enters 25th year as college president
Hillsdale takes third place in Forbes financial rankings
By Ellie Fromm and Luke Miller News Editor and Collegian Reporter
Hillsdale College received the top financial rating from Forbes this summer, as Congress exempted the college and several other schools from having to pay a new tax on endowments.
Forbes released its annual college financial ratings list earlier this summer, ranking private American colleges based on the size of their endowments, management of those assets, and other factors. Hillsdale ranked third among the 20 colleges that received an A+ grade, behind only Carleton College and Johns Hopkins University.
“Because we don’t take even a single penny of taxpayer money, we have to work even harder to raise and steward private support,” said Bill Gray, vice president for institutional advancement. “This ranking shows that an independent college, faithful to its principles because of its independence, can thrive at the very highest level.”
Hillsdale’s endowment investments totaled more than $900 million as of June 2024, and the four-year average of the endowment balances is about $800 million, according to Assistant Director of Media Relations Bruno Cortes.
“Our college is fully responsible for itself. We don’t wait upon Congress or the bureaucracy to tell us how much money we have or what we may do with it,” College President Larry Arnn said. “These things give us motives to take care of our finances. So far, so good.”
Forbes is a media company that is known for its rankings, such as the Forbes 400, which ranks the 400 richest people in America. Since 2013, it has published annual financial rankings of private colleges and universities.
“If we were taking federal money, all the information the school could give donors about you as a student would be your name and where you’re from,” said John Cervini, executive vice president of institutional advancement at Hillsdale College. “But if I were funding your scholarship at Hillsdale, the college could give me a bio on you with your major, how you’re doing academically, the family you come from and what your parents do, things that help donors get to know you a little bit.”
These private donors fill up Hillsdale’s endowment fund, the majority of which is invested through a private firm to create financial security, according to Cervini.
“If a donor wants to give $100,000, 5% of that will be paid out in the first year, and the rest is reinvested in the en-
dowment for the future,” Cervini said. “So the endowment is a perpetual scholarship that’ll go on and continue to grow as long as the college is in existence.”
While Hillsdale’s endowment fund is not nearly as large as some of the multi-billion dollar endowments at Ivy League institutions, Cervini said he believes better management has elevated Hillsdale to a stronger financial position.
“We don’t like debt here, so we have a strict spending policy,” Cervini said. “The thing that sets us apart is that, even though those Ivy League schools have enormous endowments of several billion dollars, they’re actually still borrowing money to run the place. That’s the sign of a place that’s not managed very well financially. There’s a lack of financial control there.”
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed by Congress this summer created a tax on private college endowments valued at more than $500,000 per student and more than 3,000 full-time students paying tuition. Several large schools, such as Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University will likely now need to pay a tax or increased tax on their endowments, according to Forbes. This tax exemption for Hillsdale and the other smaller schools will take effect next year.
Hillsdale is one of many colleges that will be exempt,including Amherst College, Wellesley College, California Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College, The Juilliard School, Claremont McKenna College, and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, among others, according to a Forbes analysis. The tax will apply to Ivy League schools.
The tax exemption criteria originally included a provision to protect religious schools from taxation, but Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough said it did not pass a Senate rule that seeks to keep policy issues from encroaching on budget reconciliation bills. Hillsdale’s private donors have put the school in such a strong position that students are receiving an education that is valued at almost double the actual price, according to Cervini.
“Our student-to-faculty ratio is seven-to-one, our average class size is about 15, we have excellent faculty and they’re well paid, and with the activities, dormitories, and facilities we have for the students, the actual cost of that education is over $90,000 the last time I was told by our CFO,” Cervini said.
Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
An interview with The Collegian from before his inauguration in 2000
Trent Moyar. Courtesy | Mark Moyar
Students to research Hillsdale’s history in new course
By Sophia Bryant Assistant Editor
Students will have the opportunity to research local history and turn their research into publicly available exhibits through a new course offered this semester.
The one-credit course, taught by Assistant Professor of Modern European History Anna Vincenzi, Professor of History Harold Stewart, and Assistant Professor of Art Christina Chakalova, will meet on Tuesdays for the first three weeks to teach an overview of Michigan history, American art history, and museum writing. After that, students will work on their projects while regularly meeting with professors and the Historical Society instead of attending a traditional class.
“Students will be offered the option to work on a variety of museum exhibit type projects, working closely with the Hillsdale Historical Society,” Vincenzi said. “For example, organizing an exhibition space at Will Carleton Poorhouse or a guided visit at Stock’s Mill. They will also have the option to produce a podcast guiding visitors through a driving-tour of Hillsdale.”
According to Stewart, possible projects include researching, creating historical signs, curating displays for the Hillsdale County Historical Society, and interviewing
elderly residents about their memories and the heritage of the town.
“The Hillsdale Historical Society has put a lot of effort into identifying a range of possible projects, drawing on a wide variety of skill sets,” Stewart said.
Another possible project is a podcast that will guide people through a walking or driving tour around Hillsdale.
“Students would identify a dozen or so places significant to the community’s history, research those sites, write appropriate scripts, and then record them,” Stewart said.
Vincenzi said she hopes both local schools and visitors will use the podcast to learn about Hillsdale’s history.
“I wanted to get to know the place where I live and hopefully contribute something to it by creating something that can be shared with the Hillsdale community,” she said.
Senior Emily Schutte said she joined the class because of her love for storytelling and interest in podcasting.
“I’m looking forward to learning more about Hillsdale,” Schutte said. “This will be my fourth year and I’m definitely guilty of not learning about Hillsdale’s history. I’m also excited to get more experience with audio editing and storytelling.”
Dining hall opens new station free of nine allergens
By Ella Malone Collegian Freelancer
Metz Culinary Management introduced a food station this school year that is free from the nine most common allergens.
Called “Pure + Simple,” the station offers one protein, one starch, and two vegetable options that do not contain peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, or sesame. The goal is to offer meals that are more than just a gluten-free version of Main Plate.
According to Head Chef Adam Harvey, “Pure + Simple is a station comprised of proteins, starches, and vegetables that uses creative cooking techniques and minimal ingredients to provide healthy and delicious food that is free of the top nine allergens, but certainly not free of flavor.”
Sophomore Caroline Lanicek is gluten-free and said she appreciates the variety compared to her freshman year.
“Last year just kind of felt like a replica of the main dish line,” Lanicek said. “They were trying to make it the exact same. But it just, it wasn’t very good, I’ll be honest. And then this year they have made completely separate meals from the main line that are pretty diverse and unique every day.”
As a member of the volleyball team, Lanicek came to campus early for training and has been eating at Pure + Simple for two weeks. So far, her favorite meal was a lemon chicken dish served with turmeric rice, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. Lanicek noted that restricted options and the unpredictable gluten-free station last year left her eating lots of salads. As an athlete,
Radio students named national finalists
By Evelyn Kniffen Collegian Freelancer
Three Hillsdale students are finalists in the 2025 National Student Media Contest held by College Broadcasters, Inc., an organization that aims to support and recognize high school and college media producers.
Junior Luke Miller and recent graduates Lauren Smyth ’25 and Erin Osbourne ’25 all placed as finalists. The CBI will announce the winners at their convention in October.
Miller received a nomination in the category Best Radio Documentary for his piece “Alamo of the Pacific.” About 10 minutes long, it details the story of a World War II battle on Wake Island, an island in the Central Pacific that was attacked by the Japanese only hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The battle was “one of the most overlooked moral victories for the U.S. in World War II,” Miller said. Smyth was nominated for
her newscast “Lauren Smyth News,” and Osbourne is a finalist in the Best Feature News Reporting category for her coverage of Hillsdale’s annual Battle of the Bands, an on-campus music concert hosted by the music fraternity Theta Epsilon.
Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7
FM General Manager Scot Bertram spoke highly of all three students. “I worked really closely with Lauren for all four years, and then Erin did more as she was getting into her senior year,” Bertram said. “Lauren was a natural from day one. I helped a little bit in the margins, but she had a great understanding of the way things should sound.”
Miller stood out as well for his work in the studio, according to Bertram.
“Part of the challenge with production is getting that thing that’s in your head into the production,” Bertram said.
“I can help so much, but at some point the student has to say, ‘this is what I hear,’ and translate that. Luke’s docu -
mentary, ‘Alamo of the Pacific,’ was just really impressive from someone who had not done a lot of work previously with radio and audio.”
Smyth said the writing classes she took at Hillsdale were especially important.
“I had experience writing coming in, but while I was at Hillsdale I took a bunch of writing classes, both from Scot Bertram for radio and also John Miller for print, and I can’t say enough good things about those classes,” Smyth said. “I would not be able to do the role that I do now without having taken those classes and just gotten all the feedback from them. It really is personalized feedback that makes the biggest difference, and Hillsdale offers a ton of that.”
Luke Miller and Smyth have differing perspectives on possibly winning the award.
“I try not to keep track of that sort of thing because it stresses me out,” Smyth said.
“There are three different radio awards that we enter, and
so at any given time during the year it’s possible that your name will come up in a nomination or it’s possible that you’ll win something, and because I’m a writer as well I enter other competitions around the same time, and it’s very stressful to know that. So the goal is to not keep track of it, but the actual reality is that I do usually keep track of it. If I know I’m a finalist for something, I’ll try to keep track of the award winners.” Miller’s answer reflected his experience in the journalism department.
“I felt honored,” Miller said. “Not only to be chosen as a finalist, but to now be a part of an incredible group of Hillsdale radio students to be recognized by CBI over the years. The standard for us as Hillsdale journalism students has been set really high by the people who were here before us, so I’m grateful and I’m really excited to be recognized.”
Nimrod fellowship director inducted into outdoor writers hall of fame
By Logan Lyter Collegian Freelancer
Al Stewart, director of the Nimrod Education Center, was inducted into the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association’s Hall of Fame for his work in game bird programs across the state.
Lanicek said having better gluten-free protein options will be influential in her recovery from practices and games and will hopefully influence her performance for the better.
Senior Bella Spinazze, another gluten-free student and athlete, also said that protein is a key component in her diet, especially as a member of the tennis team.
“I would love multiple protein options instead of just one protein choice at the station,” Spinazze said.
But some students said they are still concerned that the station is not fully committed to providing healthy options even if it’s allergen free.
“I would also love to see some protein bars or snacks instead of the cookies or other treats,” Spinazze said.
An email to the student body from Resident Life on Aug. 22 explained that Metz Culinary Management will be cooking with beef tallow and olive oil at every station except in baking and at Pure + Simple. The email claims they will be cooking with “allergen-free oils to keep things safe and inclusive.”
According to Metz Culinary Management, Pure + Simple will use olive oil in all cooking except those that are deep fried, which will be fried in canola oil.
“When we made the switch to beef tallow in the fryers on the J. Clark’s Grille, it then removed an option for vegans and vegetarians who don’t eat foods containing animal products,” Harvey said.
The use of canola oil provides some variety for vegan and vegetarian students since there is no longer a vegan protein option, according to Harvey.
The MOWA is an organization that works to conserve and preserve the state’s natural environment, as well as educate the public on the outdoors and how to best enjoy and care for it. In 2017, MOWA established the Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame to honor those who promote the outdoors and inspire others to do the same, according to their website.
“It wasn’t like I was campaigning for it,” Stewart said. “I was as surprised as anybody
when the president of the organization contacted me.”
Tom Huggler, who was inducted into the MOWA Hall of Fame in 2017, nominated Stewart.
“Al put in a half a century doing good things for wildlife and contribution in Michigan and his heart was always in it,” Huggler said. “This was a no-brainer for me, and it was
Hillsdale accounting students rank first in Michigan
By Catherine Maxwell Senior Editor
Hillsdale College accounting students ranked first in Michigan on an accounting licensing exam.
Hillsdale ranked eighth out of 793 schools in the nation, or in the top one percent, for first-time test-takers of the Certified Public Accountant Exam, according to data from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
“Our ranking speaks highly of both the students and professors,” Accounting Instructor Deanna Mackie said. “Our students are doing well passing sections of the CPA exam the first time they take it, and they are also receiving great job opportunities.”
The CPA exam is a 16hour, four-part test that students must pass to become Certified Public Accountants.
The national pass rate for first-time test-takers was about 54%, while Hillsdale’s pass rate was about 83%. Hillsdale also beat the University of Michigan, which had a pass rate of about 74%.
“To be successful on the exam, students need intelligence, conscientiousness, and discipline,” Associate Professor of Accounting James Webb said. “Not only do Hillsdale accounting majors outperform the national average on the CPA exam, they’re
successfully moving into the profession.”
Hillsdale students also beat the national average for all test-takers, which included re-testing students with lower scores. Hillsdale’s pass rate was about 69%, while the national average was about 48%.
Senior Grace Gainar said the Economics, Business, and Accounting department has prepared her well to take the CPA exam.
“Besides teaching us technical accounting knowledge that will show up on the CPA exam, the EBA department teaches us how to study extremely well,” Gainar said. “It takes drive, structure, and discipline, and I feel confident that my rigorous Hillsdale education will have adequately prepared me with these skills and habits.”
Gainar said some class tests include problems from old CPA exams.
“We are becoming familiar with the depth of understanding and studying the CPA exam will require from us, as well as what it’s actually going to look like,” Gainar said.
Fellow senior Makenzie Dana said the Hillsdale accounting classes are challenging but benefit students.
“Each class requires you to absorb a huge amount of information in a short time and then be able to apply
and build on those lessons throughout the entire semester,” Dana said. “That’s what the CPA exam demands: that you can learn and apply a vast amount of different information in a relatively short time and demonstrate proficiency in four four-hour exams.”
Dana said while it is hard to gauge how prepared she is for the exam, the department has taught her well.
“The EBA not only teaches us the fundamental building blocks of accounting but also trains us to have the mental dexterity and endurance that is necessary to pass the exam,” Dana said.
Hillsdale students consistently find full-time jobs after graduation, according to Webb.
“All students in each of the last several graduating cohorts have accepted their full-time positions by fall of their senior year,” Webb said.
The exam results show the strength of Hillsdale’s accounting program, according to Mackie.
“I have talked with prospective students over the years, and one concern most of them have is that we are a smaller school and they wonder if our program can compete,” Mackie said. “This demonstrates that we can.”
kind of hiding in plain sight.” Besides being inducted into the MOWA Hall of Fame, Stewart has also been recognized for his efforts on a state and national level. The Hillsdale College website reports that Stewart has been awarded the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Award, the Henry S. Mosby Award from the National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ Legacy Award.
“Here at Hillsdale, he’s had an enormous impact,” Morgan Morrison, director of outdoor programs at Hillsdale, said. “He has brought many people, new people and new organizations, alongside Hillsdale to support the mission here. It’s hard to overstate his impact in Michigan and here on campus.”
In the college’s press release about the Forbes financial rating, Cervini said Hillsdale students are able to receive their education for a little over $48,000, and many students are paying even less, thanks to the generosity of donors.
Hillsdale benefactor Cleves Delp said he believes the college has a unique appeal to private donors by demonstrating an unwavering commitment to its mission.
“Hillsdale doesn’t so much solicit donors as it inspires them,” Delp said. “Remaining true to its principles through cultural shifts, political attacks, and financial pressures has been the single most important factor in earning donor trust and loyalty. Donors are drawn not by clever fundraising tactics, but by Hillsdale’s unwavering integrity.”
In the wake of the Forbes rating, the college will continue the practices that led it to this point of financial strength, according to Gray.
“We’ll keep working to protect our independence,” Gray said. “We’ll keep working to be good stewards of our resources and expand our mission to reach and teach millions of people from here on campus to every corner of America.”
Stewart smiles at the MOWA Hall of Fame.
Courtesy | Al Stewart
Students to recite the Acts of the Apostles
By Sophia Bryant Assistant Editor
Hillsdale students memorized chapters from the book of Acts over the summer to recite Sept. 7 at 2 p.m.
The event, hosted by the Memorization Club, will take place at the Mauck Solarium. The 28 students involved will each recite a chapter from Acts to complete the whole book.
“When you hear Scripture out loud instead of just reading it on your own, it comes to life in a different way,” Ashley DeVore, senior and vice president of the Memorization Club, said.
The Memorization Club decided to recite Acts as a continuation of their recitation of the book of Luke, which they did in the spring, according to junior and club treasurer Ellery Toman.
“For Acts specifically, it’s the story of how this church was formed,” Toman said. “Like in Chapter 11, it’s that they’re in Antioch, they’re first called Christians. So I think it’s a story of a shared heritage.”
Toman tries to work on her passage for five to 10 minutes every day. DeVore frequently listens to her passage to familiarize herself with it, then writes
Moyar from A1
“I got to know several of Emmy’s friends after discovering that her loss had been devastating to them, and I tried to provide some comfort to them,” Mark Moyar said. “The service for Emmy at Christ Chapel last fall was very moving. I particularly liked Chief’s eulogy, in which he eloquently described how death is not the end but only the transition to a better place.”
Trent Moyar’s funeral was held at Living Savior Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Virginia, where he grew up. Flack Family Foundation Chair and Professor of Theology Mickey Mattox attended the service.
“That sense of accompaniment, you sort of look for that, who can help me bear this burden?” Mattox said. “And if you can be there and help someone do that, what more important thing is there than that?”
Mattox said he and Mark Moyar joined the Hillsdale College faculty in the fall of 2022 — Moyar had spent the previous year at the Kirby Center for Constitutionalism and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. The two connected over shared experiences — Mattox’s late wife, Pam, was battling cancer at the same time as Trent Moyar.
“Pam and Trent just kind of got along, and it wasn’t like they were cancer patients, like exchanging notes or something,” Mattox said. “They were just chatting. I think he liked her. My wife was very personable, she wasn’t trying to figure out what to say to him. She was just being herself to him.”
Mattox said the Moyar family supported him when his wife died last January.
“You can’t die with someone else, but you can accompany them. So being present is not insignificant — to be there, to be at their side,” Mattox said. “They were there for me. I’m glad I was able to be there for them, too.”
Director of Program Review and Accreditation Samuel Negus also attended the funeral. Negus said he met Mattox and Mark Moyar shortly after his own wife was diagnosed with cancer.
“Life-ending cancer is something that just forms a kind of immediate bond with anyone who has been through the same thing,” Negus said. “There’s just an obvious, natural sympathy right away.”
Negus, whose wife is now in remission, said he attended the funeral both to represent the college and out of a sense of
the first letter of every word and looks at it to start piecing together the memorization.
“The Memorization Club also gives you the excitement of looking forward to sharing what you memorize with other people,” DeVore said. “Not just like, oh, I have to do it, but like, I can’t wait for someone else to get to hear it.”
The club will provide refreshments such as iced coffee, chocolate, and a charcuterie board. People are encouraged to stay as long as they are able.
“It’s going to be great,” Toman said. “There’s 28 students reciting, so anyone who comes will probably know someone reciting. So you get to support your friends and have good refreshments, so that, in general, will be a fun time.”
Toman said she is always encouraged by what other people are reciting and the community within the club.
“I think that community, like experiencing Scripture in community is really important, and that’s something we neglect a lot of the time,” Toman said. “It’s like a personal devotion, or maybe memorizing on your own, but really it’s great to just do it all together.”
shared solidarity. He encouraged students to pray for the Moyar family.
“I’m sure Dr. Moyar and his wife Kelli would be very happy and feel uplifted to know that the students were praying for them,” Negus said. “I doubt it would be unwelcome for any students who encounter Dr. Moyar to tell him that they’re praying for him and his family.”
Faith, Mark Moyar said, is the biggest comfort for him and his wife.
“The greatest solace for my wife Kelli and I has been our faith that Trent is now with God in a place where he is not encumbered by all of the terrible things he had to endure in this world,” Mark Moyar said.
Mattox also encouraged prayer. He said he found it most helpful when people showed him they remembered him.
“The thing I liked when people said it to me, ‘I have no words.’ I thought, I don’t have any either,” Mattox said. “Because nothing you can say really will change it. And to acknowledge that with another person is to acknowledge your co-humanity.”
Mattox said he had one student tell him she had been praying for him the whole time his wife was sick.
“When people say that to you, it makes you feel less like giving up, because you kind of want to throw in the towel at a certain point, like give up and just stay home and cry all the time or something,” Mattox said. “I could tell someone I’ve been praying for them in a way where I would be trying to show them that I have been praying for you — that’s not helpful. On the other hand, if I can kind of quietly say to a person, I’m remembering you, then that’s something so I feel that I’ve been remembered, and I want to remember them in the same way.”
Boudreaux said watching the Moyar family support Trent Moyar has been an inspiration to her.
“They’re an incredible, incredible family, and I think just seeing how they have handled all of the trials as a family and how their faith has never wavered in this, I think, has honestly been really inspiring to me, and really encouraging in my faith too,” Boudreaux said. “I think that anyone who has had the blessing of knowing their family would absolutely agree with me when I say that they’re one of the most incredible families I’ve ever met.”
Politics department revives honoray with talk on Locke
By Christina Lewis Assistant Editor
The politics department relaunched its politics honorary, Pi Sigma Alpha, at a Sept. 1 talk by an assistant professor from the Washington D.C. campus.
David Azerrad, assistant professor and research fellow at the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship, asked in his speech if the liberalism proposed by English philosopher John Locke inevitably led to a more progressive outlook, such as the one championed by political philosopher John Rawls.
Azerrad argued that while Locke’s liberalism tempers people’s moral longings by teaching that humans are “not entitled to all that much beyond certain basic rights,” Rawls’ liberalism “fuels the utopian longing for perfect justice.”
“Lockean rights, in turn, are firmly grounded in nature,” Azerrad said. “Rawlsian rights, by contrast, are anchored in mutual hypothetical incentive. Behind the veil of ignorance, we all agree to recognize cer-
tain basic liberties in one another.”
People mistakenly associate Locke’s liberalism with expressive individualism, the ability to do whatever they want in their private lives, Azerrad said.
“Locke’s liberalism is not in the service of permitting or empowering individuals to fashion and refashion themselves into whatever they may so please,” Azerrad said in his speech. “Provided, of course, as they allow others to do the same. It is true that Locke, as I mentioned, teaches us to think of ourselves first and foremost as rights bearing individuals. And it is true that in the Lockean state, individuals have many freedoms, however, Locke places considerable restrictions on how we may exercise our liberties.”
Locke is neither a libertarian nor a liberal, in the contemporary sense of the terms, according to Azerrad.
“His liberalism has much more prosaic ends,” Azerrad said. “His goal, and this is his political project, is to create a more peaceful, populous and prosperous world, as he puts it.”
While Locke wanted to promote commerce, science and religious toleration, Rawls wanted to “make life fair,” according to Azerrad.
“Rawls longs for perfect justice, for a world in which every last person gets what they deserve and nothing more,” Azerrad said. “This uncompromising demand for justice can, of course, never be satisfied, at least not in this world.”
In Rawls’ “A Theory of Justice,” he asks his readers to step behind the “veil of ignorance” to examine the original position, the kind of society they would like to live in if they knew nothing about themselves.
“Locke’s liberalism is anchored in nature, in a state of nature that is meant to reveal human nature and make clear why we need a liberal state,” Azerrad said. “Rawls’ liberalism, by contrast, is anchored in the original position, which demands that we actually completely abstract from nature. In fact, that we transcend it altogether.”
Sophomore Phoebe War-
ren said she appreciated how Azerrad distinguished between Locke and Rawls.
“I thought it was interesting how he talked about the difference in the individual between Locke and Rawls — the Lockean individual has more freedom and the Rawlsian individual has more duty,” Warren said.
Junior Jackson Casey said Azerrad made a strong case that progressivism is not the necessary conclusion of liberalism.
“I took an American political thought class last year or two years ago, and we touched on Rawls a little bit, so this was a really great refresher on some of that,” Casey said. “It had some of the same themes about Rawls and his conception of justice. Dr. Azerrad did a great job of describing that and explaining how it doesn’t necessarily align fully to a more classical liberal worldview, which encourages independence that seeks to produce an economy and generate wealth for other citizens.”
Hillsdale professors awarded Heritage Foundation honors
By Tayte Christensen D.C. Correspondent
A conservative think tank recognized three Hillsdale professors this summer for their work inspiring conservative policy and fostering patriotism.
The Heritage Foundation announced Associate Dean of Van Andel School of Government and Assistant Professor of Government Matthew Mehan as one of its 2025 Innovation Prize winners in June.
In July, Heritage named Professor of Philosophy and Religion Nathan Schlueter and William P. Harris Chair of Military History Mark Moyar as recipients of Heritage’s Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prize.
Mehan said the prize money will go toward his upcoming book, a collection of fables for families using American wildlife, terrain, and traditions to both explain the words of the Declaration of Independence and tell the stories of various fables.
“The prize money will allow me the liberty to write beautifully about our Declaration of Independence and our country and allow me the means to commission truly beautiful art that will make for an heirloom book fitting for this grand 250th birthday of our country,” Mehan said at the awards banquet in June.
By Luka Stevlic Collegian Freelancer
The first episode of Hillsdale’s latest online course, which examines America’s history through its artistic past, will premiere Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. in Plaster Auditorium.
The course, titled “American Paintings,” explores the American story through portraits of leaders, everyday scenes, landscapes, and depictions of war in a four-part series of videos, each about an hour long and is led by Professor Emeritus of Art Samuel Knecht.
In the course, Sam Knecht analyzes how several paintings were crafted — from presidential portraits to the works of Winslow Homer — as well as the motives behind their creation.
“I believe the course succeeds in spurring the viewer to learn more about American painting and what that says about being an American citizen,” Sam Knecht said.
The course emphasizes the
“With this prize, I am very hopeful that I can help a great many American families fall in love with this great nation for generations to come.”
Mehan said the book, which releases next summer, will feature the terrain of many of America’s national parks in its various illustrations and 13 full-page oil paintings. Mehan said he spent three weeks this summer traveling with his illustrator, John Folley, to gather inspiration for the book’s setting.
“We took tons of photos for illustrations, to learn about the animals and their behaviors,” Mehan told The Collegian. “Because my fables are not just going to be fantastical, they’re sort of a big fantasy reality, sort of like real things that happen to real animals.”
Through its 2025 Innovation Prizes, Heritage awarded $250,000 to five projects that “elevate America’s founding principles and foster a deep love of country” in a special round of awards highlighting patriotic projects in light of the celebration of the country’s 250th birthday next summer.
Mehan is also the author of two children’s books, “Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals” and “The Handsome Little Cygnet.”
Other Innovation Prize
winners include the Cana Academy, The Emergent Order Foundation, The Herzog Foundation, and The Sophia Institute.
“Together, we can reignite the flame of patriotism that gave life to our great country — and remind Americans that we are standing at the sunrise of a new Golden Age, rooted once more in the permanent things: faith, family, work, sovereignty, and sacrifice,” Heritage President Kevin Roberts said in a press release..
Heritage’s Freedom and Opportunity Prize awarded 14 higher education professionals with $15,000 to $20,000 for research and education that promotes conservative values and policies.
“I am deeply honored to win the Freedom and Opportunity prize, which is one of the few major prizes for professors who do not conform to the political orthodoxies of American academia,” Moyar told The Collegian in an email. “Although the prize is relatively new, it has already honored many of the scholars whom I respect the most.”
Moyar said the award recognized a variety of his publications and activities, including eight published books. He said his prize money will go toward his current project researching the last years of the Vietnam War.
connection between the motivating subject and the personal philosophy of the artist. He also sees his new online course as a reflection of Hillsdale’s educa-
adherence to visual truth but also where a narrative painting is concerned — like a battle scene — adherence to the story, getting the facts right,” Sam
tional mission.
“There’s something in the first century or so of American painting that stands out for me, and that is honesty: this
Knecht said in a recent interview on the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour. Sam Knecht taught in Hillsdale’s art department for 47
Schlueter, who has published works on a range of topics, including marriage and family, education and political theory, said the award is “an acknowledgment of my academic work up to this point.”
“In my writings, I have been an energetic defender of the principles of the American Founding against both libertarian and postliberal critiques,” Schlueter told The Collegian in an email.
Schlueter is the author of the online course “Introduction to Western Philosophy,” and said he is currently working on two books: “Leisure, the Basis of Liberalism” and “Making Sense of Sex.”
“The winners of Heritage’s Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prizes are on the front lines of the fight to reclaim American higher education from the grip of leftist orthodoxy,” Roberts said in a press release. “This is not just an academic battle — it’s a fight for the soul of our nation. These bold scholars are restoring the principles of economic freedom, human dignity, and constitutional self-government in institutions that shape the future of our Republic.”
years before retiring in 2020. Professor of Music Melissa Knecht, Sam Knecht’s wife, said Hillsdale’s art program was set apart from those of other schools through her husband’s lifelong work.
“Sam has always been a serious artist,” Melissa Knecht said. “He’s had a career since before he came here.”
Melissa Knecht noted that her husband brought in faculty like Associate Professor of Art Anthony Frudakis, a professional sculptor with a successful career outside of teaching.
“I think they give a good model of someone who takes their work very seriously,” Melissa Knecht said. “When they paint or sculpt, the students can see professionals working and coaching them in it. The idea of that fits very much into classical education. A lot of these other art schools are very much not like that.”
Professor Emeritus of Art Samuel Knecht in the “American Paintings” course trailer. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Online Courses Website
Opinions
Fitness is foundational
By Elaine Kutas Sports Editor
When I was 13, an incoming freshman in high school, I realized that joining a fall sport would be a great way to make friends in a school where I knew only one other student. So, despite never having run a mile in my life, I signed up for the cross country team. My first practice resulted in panic, regret, and an inability to breathe, but by the end of my freshman season, I had cut almost seven minutes off my first 5k race time and was recognized as “most improved” by my coaches.
Pay attention to pop culture
By Moira Gleason Executive Editor
Culture matters.
And not just high culture. Don’t get me wrong — I love to talk about Shakespeare just as much as the next female Catholic English major on campus. But my goal here is something different. I propose popular culture matters. For better or worse, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the Cracker Barrel fallout, and our frenzy over Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement both influence our national character and tell us something about who we are and where we’re going.
These are more than just passing trends to be scoffed at. Politics, after all, is downstream of culture. Or is culture downstream of politics? No matter which way the currents flow, the whitewater at their intersection deserves our attention.
I’m The Collegian’s executive editor, Moira Gleason. Welcome to my new column: Culture Shock.
I write this column as a young person invested in both the future of my generation and the endurance of our intellectual and cultural inheritance. The current cultural moment is many things: good, true, beautiful, evil, false, and horrifying. As a student, it’s OK to delete X and stop looking at the headlines. But liberal education demands we reenter the secular world at the conclusion of our studies, shocking as it may be. Retreating from a world drifting away from “the tradition” will not save it, and right-wing outrage at the wokeification of American cultural institutions only gets us so far. Rather, there is space to find common ground and move toward a positive vision for our culture. It’s not all bad.
Culture Shock will be my
biweekly attempt to engage with relevant topics at the intersection of politics and pop culture in a positive and nuanced way. Expect to read about popular ideas, trends, media in all forms, dating, health and wellness, technology, arts, and more. These are things each of us encounters daily, at Hillsdale and beyond.
In that vein, this column will ask:
In an online environment of streaming services and algorithm-curated social media feeds, is there a common “culture” to speak of in America? How do we tell what’s worth our attention?
What are the most influential cultural trends of the moment, and what do they say about our national character?
How do tools like social media and artificial intelligence alter the way we communicate and form relationships?
And, most importantly: How do we, as students, engage the culture in a meaningful way at Hillsdale and afterward?
Culture Shock is not necessarily religious or conservative, though I am both. Topics will be driven by current events. In just the past few weeks, KPop Demon Hunters swept the internet, Sabrina Carpenter released “Man’s Best Friend,” and the original Ronald McDonald returned to the Golden Arches. We have a lot to talk about.
The stakes are higher than you think. Pop culture may be ephemeral, but it has a profound influence on how we see ourselves and how we will be remembered. Even Shakespeare was pop culture to the groundlings.
While I was surprised by the improvement in my times, I was even more surprised to discover that the mental and physical challenges of cross country were conquerable. This newfound fortitude helped me persevere through rocky friendships, calculus homework, and the tricky balance of school and extracurriculars.
Running countless hill practices, competing in 100-degree heat at one meet and freezing sideways rain in another, and recovering from injuries taught me that hardships could be rewarding once I worked through the immediate pain of the situation. This is what President Donald Trump hopes the Presidential Fitness Test will teach young Americans.
Trump issued an executive order in July to create
the “President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and the Reestablishment of the Presidential Fitness Test,” emphasizing his dedication to the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. Trump has said he wants to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test, a cardiovascular assessment of middle and high school students’ physical capabilities that was instituted during the Cold War in an effort to keep students strong amid America’s culture of leisure. Adults of our parents’ generation will remember running the dreaded timed mile, doing as many situps and pull-ups as they could, battling dizziness during the shuttle run, and harnessing their inner gymnast with the famed sit and reach test.
In his 1960 essay, “The Soft American,” President-elect John F. Kennedy expressed concern about the nation’s physical deterioration. He saw the negative effects of a comfortable world on Americans’ mental and physical health in his time and hoped to prevent further decline in our society.
“Of course, physical tests are not infallible,” Kennedy wrote. “But the harsh fact of the matter is that there is also an increasingly large number of young Americans who are neglecting their bodies — whose physical fitness is not what it should be — who are getting soft. And such softness on the part of individual citizens can help to strip and destroy the vitality of a nation.”
President Barack Obama eliminated the mandatory test in 2013, but Trump wants it back. In his executive order, Trump reminds the country that obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are constantly on the rise, particularly for young Americans. School-aged students used to walk to school, have a morning paper route or after-school job, or play baseball in the cul-de-sac or at the park. Most of today’s kids ride to school while tapping on their iPads, sit in a classroom all day, and play video games with their friends. The technology of today creates comfort in all aspects of life, as well as removes the challenges that face-to-face interactions bring. Although we still sit in class and participate in sports like the generations before us, we must go even further out of our way to get active and go outside our comfort zones.
Because of these modern-day privileges, Americans are becoming lazy, uninspired, and unhealthy. According to research by Columbia University and the National Institute of Health, today’s kids are more depressed and suicidal, and have shorter attention spans than when this test was considered necessary in the late 1950s. This only proves Trump’s wisdom in bringing it back.
If we want to be the strongest nation in the world, we need to create the strongest citizens in the world, which
means challenging Americans to do what is difficult. Trump says his hope for bringing back this fitness test is to provide children with greater access and physical ability to participate in sports and play, to have stronger mental and physical health, and to excel in their daily lives.
In a time of luxury, perseverance and discipline are not given. Trump’s dedication to Americans’ health and fitness includes this test, which will push kids past their comfort zones and bring our nation to a new level of greatness. My time running four years of high school cross country and now jumping for the Hillsdale track and field team continually reminds me of the benefits physical activity provides to my mental health and work ethic. Kids need to be challenged in every aspect of life: academics, relationships, and athletics. Learning to overcome adversity while young equips children with skills that will benefit them later on in their lives when big challenges present themselves. Participating in a fitness test may seem menial compared to what life really throws our way, but by developing the skills and confidence to endure trials, Trump knows our nation can be made of happy and successful American citizens.
Elaine Kutas is a junior studying English.
Sophia Douglass Collegian Freelancer
How can a nation be respected when its capital is ridden with crime?
As reported by the White House, Washington, D.C.’s murder rate last year was higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia, and double that of Mexico City. Both cities are known for exporting cocaine and for housing cartels, and yet our nation’s capital has a higher murder rate than either of them.
The chaos that has been allowed to brew on the streets of Washington, D.C., is disgraceful and humiliating to our nation. The loved ones of the capital homicide victims have demanded answers and accountability for years. The president has finally answered their pleas.
President Donald Trump began his “crime crackdown” Aug. 7, deploying the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Border Patrol into the crime-ridden
streets of Washington, D.C. Through the Home Rule Act, Trump has legally exercised emergency control over the Metropolitan Police Department and can keep it for up to 30 days. If necessary, Congress can then pass a joint resolution extending his control, which would require a simple majority in the Republican-held House and Senate.
The president’s crackdown on crime has been intense and effective, with more than 1,000 arrests having been made as of Aug. 25. This swift enforcement of the law not only penalizes criminals, but also deters individuals from breaking the law in the future.
Although few critics attack the legality of his actions, many claim that Trump has distorted the capital’s crime statistics, saying that he made an inaccurate claim during a press conference Aug. 11. During the conference, the president said “murders in 2023
reached the highest rate probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don’t know what that means because it just goes back 25 years.”
In 1991, there were 509 murders in Washington, D.C., compared to the 274 of 2023, even though the population was far smaller in 1991 than it was in 2023. Though the president’s claim was not entirely correct, Washington, D.C., did have the highest murder rate in 20 years in 2023.
Critics of Trump’s actions say that his reaction to the capital crime is unwarranted and an overreaction, but they cannot claim it has been ineffective. Since his intervention, robbery has gone down 46%, carjacking has gone down 83%, and violent crime has gone down 22%. And of the 600 arrests made by Aug. 21, 251 were of illegal immigrants.
The president has since made comments of furthering the crime crackdown into other major Demo -
crat-run cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. These cities are known for their high violent crime statistics, and if Trump pushes for crime reform in such cities as these, many more criminals will be prosecuted. If Trump pushes for crime reform in the major cities, smaller American cities may follow suit, witnessing the good it has done for Washington, D.C. But for our nation to be one of peace and order, we must first lower our capital’s crime rate, bringing it below that of Bogotá and Mexico City. Thanks to Trump, thousands of criminals have already been arrested, creating a safer and brighter future not only for all capital residents, but also for all Americans.
Moira Gleason is a senior studying English.
Sophia Douglass is a freshman studying the liberal arts.
Cultural apathy creates killers
By Adriana Azarian Assistant Editor
Two children were shot and killed last week at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, both students of Annunciation Catholic School, a pre-K–8 school about 20 minutes from my home. Within hours, the nation learned the killer was a biological male who identified as a woman.
Standing outside the church mere hours later, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey quickly dismissed the significance of the shooter’s so-called gender identity in the shooting.
“Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity,” Frey said during a press conference.
We must never villainize groups of people, but we must also recognize a tragedy of this scale is the consequence of leaving the mentally ill untreated.
It’s not as simple as “transgenderism leads to school shootings.” In fact, transgender individuals make up a very small percentage of mass
shooters. However, it is widely known that mass shooters tend to be socially isolated, depressed, and bitter people. The mental and social effects of gender transitioning, then, should sound alarm bells. Had the shooter been properly treated, Annunciation’s shooting would likely never have happened. Psychology “experts” have not only normalized but glorified gender confusion such that our society has widely accepted it. The shooter was not only untreated but encouraged.
Only two years ago, a disturbingly similar story emerged when transgender-identifying shooter Audrey Hale killed six people, including three children, at the Covenant School, a pre-K–6 Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2022, a non-binary-identifying individual named Anderson Lee Aldrich shot and killed five people at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs.
This new trend is extremely alarming. But it is not surprising. Gender ideology is designed to isolate young people and make them angry. Rather than learning to embrace their biological sexes, young people are taught to reject their own
bodies and anyone who acknowledges reality.
Promoting gender transitions also encourages a wide range of secondary mental illnesses. In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that between 56.4–63.9% of transgender individuals expressed feelings of loneliness. Moreover, they are six times more likely to develop mood or anxiety disorders, three times more likely to take antidepressants and anti-anxiety medicine, and six times more likely to be hospitalized for suicide attempts, according to the 2019 study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry.
These issues persist post-transition. Even after receiving so-called gender-affirming care, individuals with gender incongruence “showed no advantage of surgery in relation to subsequent mood or anxiety disorder-related health care or prescriptions or hospitalizations following suicide attempts in that comparison,” according to a 2020 correction to the aforementioned 2019 study.
The vast majority of transgender individuals and those suffering from other mental illnesses are not dangerous
people. However, nearly 9 in 10 surviving mass shooters have had misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or incorrectly treated mental illnesses. Many “experts” no longer view gender dysphoria or gender incongruence as mental illness. Instead, they normalize it and leave people to become even more sick, physically and mentally. And when people don’t receive appropriate psychological care, these warning signs fly under the radar. Vulnerable people are left to harm themselves, and, in the case of last week’s shooting, to harm others.
Suddenly, 2.8% of Gen Z identifies as transgender, compared with 0.9% of all U.S. adults, according to 2024 Gallup findings. With gender transitioning on the rise, these devastating side effects are guaranteed to come with it. It’s time to accept the fact that this lifestyle causes immense harm to vulnerable people.
So, actually, no, Mayor Frey. When two children are dead, refusing to face reality reflects a whole culture’s lost sense of humanity.
Plain sans serif and a grayscale palette: Soulless branding is nothing new in modern corporate America. Over the last decade, too many companies have swapped their signature looks for so-called “blanding.” Tech giants like Google and Spotify, as well as prominent fashion houses such as Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent exemplify this phenomenon. Many companies have also streamlined their visual logos beyond fonts, as evidenced by the Pringles mascot’s gradually disappearing facial features or the near-complete lack of 3D figures in modern branding. Most of these changes happen quietly and with little controversy. But last month, American restaurant chain Cracker Barrel drew backlash for replacing its beloved Old Timer logo with a more generic logo. The new logo presented a simplified typeface on a flat yellow polygon vaguely shaped like a barrel, removing the iconic “Uncle Herschel” character leaning against the eponymous barrel. The updated logo
lacked Cracker Barrel’s iconic rustic charm and immediately upset many fans upon release. The chain also unveiled a newly streamlined interior design for its stores that drew equally harsh criticism. Consumers were apparently unwilling to put up with a cheap, cash-grabbing rebrand. These changes made national news overnight and took social media by storm, with customers complaining that the new logo felt lifeless and lacked the homespun spirit of the brand. At first, Cracker Barrel leadership attempted to double down amidst the surge of negative response. A statement released to USA Today described the backlash as that of a “vocal minority” and affirmed that the changes were being positively received by their customers. No amount of corporate optimism, however, could speak louder than the numbers. Within a week of the logo change, Cracker Barrel’s market share dropped by almost $100 million. Already in dire financial straits, the chain hastily reversed the change. Even though Cracker Barrel repealed the logo change, its attempt at rebranding revealed
the company’s true colors. By being so quick to strip its brand down in an attempt to broaden appeal, Cracker Barrel demonstrated a disturbing faithlessness to its customer base and core identity.
Logos are important, after all. They represent the essence of a company. A company that strips its logo of character becomes faceless. Combined with the minimalist redesign of the restaurants, Cracker Barrel’s gutting of its brand destroys all the things that make it special. Without the rustic, cluttered aesthetic, the consumer gains nothing exceptional from the dining experience. After all, mediocre food can be had anywhere. There’s no particular reason to choose a Cracker Barrel over an Applebee’s if they all are the same on the inside. As a result, the popular characterization of the rebrand as “brand suicide” is apt.
While branding is an important aspect of a company’s identity, some level of function ought to be present alongside the form. Research shows Cracker Barrel already trails in food quality, value, and other more important facets of the dining experience, AP News
reported. Cracker Barrel leadership is keenly aware of the brand’s shortcomings, with CEO Julie Masino admitting that Cracker Barrel is “not leading in any area” within the food service sphere. If Cracker Barrel’s leadership is insightful enough to recognize that, it’s telling that the first inclination is to dump resources into marketing. Indeed, it’s probably easier to pump cash into branding than improve the chain’s food or customer service. In the past, the complacency of the American consumer meant a quick fix like a logo change might be enough to boost business. Now that consumers have demonstrated an unwillingness to accept cheap rebrands, Cracker Barrel and similarly struggling corporate entities will have to consider more substantive solutions.
While the failed rollout of Cracker Barrel’s logo may seem inconsequential on the surface, it indicates a more significant notion: American consumers are learning to raise their standards.
Isaiah Sasser is a freshman studying the liberal arts.
Pope challenges the Catholic politician
By Frederick Woodward Circulation & Ad Manager
The liberal consensus in America for decades has held that religious belief can and ought to be separated from political action. National and political identity have largely been seen as taking precedence over religious affiliation within the public square, to the degree that there is a conflict between the two. Such an attitude is perhaps best crystallized, ironically enough, by America’s first Catholic president: John F. Kennedy.
But in an address to French political leaders released last week, Pope Leo XIV expressed a profound objection to this mindset. His remarks, the first he has made directly to politicians, set a new precedent for resolving the tension that political, national, and religious affiliations breed in the mind of a lawmaker.
Speaking to Catholic politicians representing the French cities of Créteil and Paris, who arrived in Rome on pilgrimage, the pope bluntly rejected the proposition that political leaders could separate their public mission from their interior convictions.
“There is no division within the personality of a public figure,” the pope said. “Rather, there is the politician who, under the gaze of God and his conscience, lives out his commitments and his responsibilities in a Christian manner.”
Christianity, the pope continued, is fundamentally impossible to reduce to private devotion, “for it entails a way of life in society” which is both objective and imbued with the love of Christ.
The pope also took aim at the French idea of laïcité, a core principle of France’s current secular government, intended to effectuate a formal separation of church and state. In words poignant to the American ear, the pope empathized with the plight of Catholic politicians serving under such a paradigm. Virtuous political motivations are “all the more meritorious since it is not easy in France, for an elected official, because of laïcité … to act and to decide in coherence with faith in the exercise of public responsibilities.”
The pope’s remarks come amid a striking re-emergence of Catholic faith and rightwing populism in France. This Easter, the French Bishops Conference reported a 45% increase in conversions since the same date in 2024. This, for France, is the highest number recorded since these numbers were first tracked over two decades ago, and young adults now constitute the largest segment of converts by far. Simultaneously, the populist right-wing Rassemblement National (National Rally) party in France is now leading presidential polls after, for the first time in polling history, becoming the most-favored party among French Catholics, a liberal voting bloc in previous generations. The French context for Pope Leo XIV’s address mirrors the American paradigm in several ways, especially in the hybrid demographic shift toward Catholicism and right-wing, populist, anti-immigration political movements. The progress of these deeply entwined movements depends largely on young citizens disaffected with the liberal consensus both in France
and America. The outcome: an emerging Catholic-motivated right-wing political basis of affiliation.
Much attention has been focused on JD Vance and his impending status as America’s next right-wing presidential candidate. Without a doubt, Vance could be a watershed figure. Not only would he be the first real Catholic to hold such an office, he would be the most reactionary rightwing figure to do so. Yet Vance is a nuanced figure. While publicly citing and defending key moral and philosophical truths of the faith (such as the idea of an “ordo amoris”), Vance has also drawn ire from traditionalist figures for declining to kiss the Pope’s ring — a traditional sign of fidelity and respect — in his meetings with Leo XIV. The statements of Leo XIV can be seen, to a degree, as a direct refutation of Kennedy, who famously stated during his campaign that “I am not the Catholic candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic.” It isn’t inconceivable at all that Leo, born and raised in Chicago, had Kennedy’s statements top of mind when he delivered his remarks implicitly condemning JFK’s stance.
To Vance’s credit, he, too, has rejected such a view. In an interview with Ross Douthat of the New York Times earlier this year, Vance criticized those who treat religion and policy as two totally separate matters, proposing instead an approach that makes “a prudential judgment informed very much by the Church’s teachings as reflected by these leaders.”
Like Vance, Leo has reaffirmed fidelity to perennial principles as the primary duty of a Catholic politician, calling on Catholic leaders to “deepen your knowledge of doctrine — particularly of social doctrine — which Jesus taught to the world, and to put it into practice in the exercise of your responsibilities and in the drafting of laws.” The foundations of Catholic doctrine, the pope continued, “are fundamentally in harmony with human nature, with the natural law that all can recognize, even non-Christians, even non-believers. [Politicians] must not therefore fear to propose it and to defend it with conviction: It is a doctrine of salvation.”
Unlike Vance, however, Leo has gone a step further in enjoining steadfastness to Christ and His gospel upon lawmakers. “I [am not] unaware of the pressures, the party directives, the ‘ideological colonization’... to which politicians are subjected,” the pontiff said. Nevertheless, he continued, “They need courage: the courage at times to say, ‘No, I cannot!’ when the truth is at stake. … Only union with Jesus — Jesus crucified — will give you the courage to suffer for His name.”
An emerging order under an American Catholic president and an American Catholic pope may still be years in the making. It is not inevitable. But today, with Pope Leo’s address to French politicians, we might just have an initial glimpse into what such a future would entail.
Frederick
Woodward is a junior studying political economy.
City News
County commissioners vote to extend LifeWays lease
The decision leaves the 2B District Court three years to find another location
By Charles Hickey Collegian Reporter
The future home of Hillsdale County’s 2B District Court is uncertain after the county’s board of commissioners voted to keep another tenant in an office building it had previously considered using to house the court.
The county currently leases the office building at 25 Care Drive to mental health program LifeWays. The commissioners voted 3-2 last week to extend the lease until 2030, which prevents the commis -
sioners from moving the district court into that building. The court’s lease in another building owned by Hillsdale Renaissance, a real estate development and property management firm, is set to expire in 2028.
The new lease extends two years past the court’s 2028 deadline, but it does include a termination clause that allows the county or LifeWays to opt out with 180 days’ written notice.
Where the court will be housed next is unknown, and District Judge Megan Stiver-
son said she was ready to sue to prevent the court from being “shoved” into an insufficient space.
Stiverson appeared before the board at a July 22 meeting to remind them of their legal obligation to provide a suitable place for the court.
“You do, pursuant to the County Board of Commissioners Act of 1851, have an obligation to provide for the courts,” Stiverson said at the meeting. “If you vote to extend that lease, unless you are planning on violating their lease in the future, you are leaving the district court without a place to house a functioning branch of the government.”
The district court is currently located in the Courthouse Annex at 29 N. Howell St. Hillsdale Renaissance bought the Courthouse Annex in April 2023 and rents the building back to Hillsdale County.
District 4 Commissioner Brad Benzing
said ballooning repair costs prompted the commissioners to approve the sale.
“Our facilities director said the least expensive option to fix the things that were wrong with the annex building was a million bucks,” Benzing said. “We couldn’t afford that, so we sold the building to Hillsdale Renaissance, with the understanding that we would have the use of the building over the next five years.”
prohibitively expensive for the court to renew the lease for the annex building with Hillsdale Renaissance.
The board authorized $120,000 in architectural
adequate funding to convert that space to what we need. We don’t have the funding for a $4 million renovation on 25 Care Drive.”
“You are leaving the district court without a place to house a functioning branch of the government.”
Luke Robson, owner of Hillsdale Renaissance, said Hillsdale County stipulated favorable lease terms as part of the sale.
“The county crafted a lease that allowed them to rent the building from me for $0 a month for three years, then $600 a month for another two and a half years before finally leaving in October of 2028,” he said. “Understanding that this was the price of doing business, I took the deal.”
The board of commissioners originally planned to move the court into the top floor of a county-owned office building at 25 Care Drive once the lease with Hillsdale Renaissance expired in 2028.
Benzing said it would be
Mexican spot to open at gas station
By Francesca Cella Collegian Reporter
The new owners of the Shell gas station on 3311 W. Carleton Road plan to open a restaurant called Cooper’s in the attached building in the next two weeks.
Shukri Abdulla purchased the gas station and adjoining building in April and partnered with George Chamaa to open a restaurant that would provide another food option for the community.
“The first time we came here about four months ago, we noticed that everything here in Hillsdale is burgers and fast food,” Chamaa said. “When we talked with my partner to see what we’re going to open here, finally we told him, ‘No, we have to open something different, like rice bowls.’ A couple of guys came here to the gas station when we were redoing it, and they told us they have to go to Jackson to get rice bowls. That’s why we are going to do it here.”
Cooper’s will serve a mix of American and Mexican cuisine, including protein rice bowls, chicken wings, subs,
smash burgers, and barbeque chicken egg rolls, according to Chamaa.
Chamaa currently works as a cashier in the gas station, but will work as head chef once the restaurant opens. After starting a restaurant in Panama with his brother and working as a chef for 20 years across South America and the United States, Chamaa said he is confident Cooper’s will succeed.
“People are really excited,” Chamaa said. “A lot of people come here and ask about the restaurant. They are waiting for us to open.”
Since April, Abdulla’s nephew and business partner Waseam “Sam” Samara has been working to get the gas station off the ground. It had a poor reputation under the former owner, who, The Collegian reported, was charged with 4th degree criminal sexual assault in 2016.
“The first week when I took over, people were rude and grouchy,” Samara said. “They thought we were related to the old owner, but we’re not at all. I’m Jordanian, and the old owner was Egyptian. Once they knew we’re not re-
lated and I was from a different country, that’s when things started becoming uplifting.”
Samara said the gas station was disordered when his uncle bought the two buildings.
“At first, it was dark, dirty, and the shelves were old,” Samara said. “It was empty too — there was no inventory at all. People probably didn’t feel safe walking in. I had one customer from before who said, ‘I only come in because your gas prices are cheap, and I didn’t even want my wife to come in. Now that I know you guys took over, and we got to know you a little bit better, she can come in.’”
“We’re not going to have lottery, beer, wine, or liquor,” Samara said. “I feel like that brings in more of a bad environment. Incidents or something bad might happen — we want to try to avoid that.”
Ramy Jagman, another partner of Cooper’s, said he will work with Chamaa in the restaurant until it is established.
drawings for a proposed renovation of 25 Care Drive to accommodate the court.
Before voting in favor, District 5 Commissioner Brent Leininger said it would be too expensive to renovate 25 Care Drive to accommodate the district court. He said the court should trim its staff and fit into the historic Hillsdale County Courthouse, which already houses the First Judicial Circuit Court and the Family and Probate Court.
“The court must fit into the space that we have available,” Leininger said. “Our responsibility at the board of commissioners is to provide the space. We have a [courthouse]. It’s not fully utilized. We have adequate space and
Benzing said the commissioners had previously hired an architect to gauge the possibility of moving the district court into the historic courthouse, but the prospects of either renovating or expanding the courthouse were both too expensive.
“One proposal was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $15 million,” Benzing said. “The second larger proposal, which would address all of the issues, was probably closer to $30 million. Just totally financially impossible for us to tackle.”
Benzing said fitting all three courts in the courthouse with no renovations or expansions was just not possible. “I’m not an architect, so I don’t feel qualified to say myself, but we have been told by an architect that it is just impossible to get all three courts in there.”
Stretch of M-34 to honor fallen deputy
By Samantha Mandel Collegian Reporter
A portion of highway M-34 in Hillsdale County will officially take the name of fallen Deputy Sheriff William Butler Jr.
Chamaa said they replaced nearly everything in the gas station and restaurant.
“We painted everything,” Chamaa said. “We bought everything new. All the old stuff that used to be in the kitchen we threw into the garbage. We built the kitchen from scratch. It’s a new building.”
Samara said he has been striving for a family-friendly environment since he began running the gas station.
“In a successful business, you can have only one chef who’s going to run the show,” Jagman said. “George is the one who came up with the idea. We’re just going to help him out in the beginning in the kitchen if he needs any help, and then once it takes off, he’s going to be running the show.”
Chamaa said he is starting this restaurant because he enjoys his work.
“I love everything about cooking,” Chamaa said. “I am passionate about it. I don’t know how to do any other thing. I know how to cook Brazilian food, Colombian food, and Panamanian food. I know how to make Italian food, Lebanese food, and now American food.”
Samara said Cooper’s will have dine-in and takeout options. He said he hopes to draw students to his business because youth will shape the future of the area.
“I’m going to try to have the cheapest prices in the whole town,” Samara said. “Because college students are limited on how much they can spend, so anything that saves them matters. I was a college student before, too.”
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Joseph Bellino and Sen. Jonathan Linday, passed through both chambers unanimously Aug. 26. It designates a stretch of the highway between Pioneer Road and South Pittsford Road as the “Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. Memorial Highway.” According to Bellino, Butler’s associates and other Hillsdale community members can easily raise about $3,000 for the signs, which the Michigan Department of Transportation will install.
Butler was shot during a traffic stop near Beecher Road in Hillsdale County and died at Hillsdale Hospital in June 2024. He was an Army veteran who served the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years. Bellino, who introduced the legislation in February, said the memorial ensures Butler’s name and service will remain part of the community for generations.
“Even though in the past there have been debates about road naming, when it comes to first responders, it’s always unanimous,” he said.
“Democrats, Republicans — it doesn’t matter. We want to honor those people.”
Former State Rep. Andrew Fink said Butler’s family helped shape the legislation.
“Sen. Bellino and I reached out to people close to Deputy Butler’s family, and they suggested the section of road that was ultimately designated in the bill,” he said.
With Public Act 10 of
2025, Hillsdale leaders say the memorial is more than a road sign. It is a permanent reminder and commitment to honor those who have served Hillsdale County. In the House, Michigan State Rep. Jennifer Wortz delivered a testimony speech before the final vote, which also passed without opposition.
“This legislation was introduced last year but didn’t make it to the governor’s desk. This year, after Sen. Bellino reintroduced it and it passed the Senate with a unanimous, bipartisan vote,” Wortz said. “Our next step to honor him is a plaque and sign. Everyone who passes through this road is going to see William Butler’s name and be reminded of his dedication and devotion to Hillsdale County.”
Fink, who was in office when Butler was killed, said he and Bellino began discussing a memorial highway immediately after the tragedy.
“I had already sponsored a bill naming part of M-49 after Marine Sergeant Michael P. Hodshire, who was killed in Iraq, and I believed this was an appropriate way for the state to respond to the loss of a first responder or serviceman,” Fink said. The memorial also sends a broader message to officers across the state, according to Wortz.
“Overall, passing this bill serves as a reminder to law enforcement officers that they are appreciated every time they are on duty,” she said. “They put themselves in harm’s way to protect us.”
Hillsdale County’s 2B District Court must move within three years. Catherine Maxwell | Collegian
Cooper’s will serve American and Mexican-style food. Gemma Flores | Collegian
George Chamaa will be the head chef at Cooper’s. Francesca Cella | Collegian
State rep to host 5K run
The
proceeds will benefit Wortz’s campaign
By Alaina Estus Collegian Freelancer
Michigan State Rep. Jenni-
fer Wortz will host a 5K run and walk Sept. 6 at Lewis Emery County Park.
“One of the best ways that I know to maintain good mental health is to stay active and be outside,” Wortz said. “To create awareness of the great things we have in our district and the needs of our district, ultimately, one of the simplest and best ways we can help in the community is first start with us.”
Wortz said this is the first time she has put on an event of this kind, but she wanted to host an event that brings the community together in the outdoors.
Wortz, a Republican who represents Hillsdale and Branch counties and part of Lenawee county, said she grew up in Hillsdale County, attended Michigan State University, and eventually moved to Branch County with her husband. She was elected to the Michigan House in 2024
and is running for re-election in 2026. Wortz said several factors motivated her to host this particular event. She said her first goal is to encourage both physical and mental wellness. The race is also a fundraiser for her upcoming re-elec-
“One of the best ways that I know to maintain good mental health is to stay active and be outside.”
tion campaign, according to Wortz.
“Part of this money will go toward my campaign, but it will also go towards helping other Republicans in their campaigns for next year,” Wortz said.
Additionally, Wortz said the event highlights a unique location in Hillsdale: Lewis Emery County Park.
“It is a hidden gem in our community,” Wortz said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize how beautiful it is out there. Also, we don’t have to disrupt the main road to have the run. They can all be done in a pretty safe location, and it’s just beautiful out there.”
Aurelia Meyer, a sophomore and member of the Hillsdale Running Club, said the event is an opportunity to get off campus and be a part of the local community.
“I think exercise and having that goal of getting to race provides such a good, needed break for my brain and a boost to my productivity,” Meyer said.
Whether it be through financial sponsorship, volunteering, or just attending the event, Wortz said she invites everyone to come and enjoy a beautiful race in the community.
Remembering V-J Day 80 years later: 1st Lt William MacRitchie, a Hillsdale local, helped arrange the surrender of Japanese troops in Northern China.
Big Pines Brewing opens outdoor seating as business grows
By David Bellet Collegian Freelancer
Local brewery, Big Pines Brewing, added new picnic tables for customers to enjoy drinks right outside its front door.
Big Pines owner Kevin Robertson said he secured a permit from the city to operate a patio area with tables because of his increasing clientele. Recommendations from surrounding bars helped the increase, according to Robertson.
He said Hillsdale Brewing Company and Dante’s have referred customers to Big Pines Brewing. Robertson said he
likes to return the favor, too, recommending the same locations to his regulars.
“We actually heard about Big Pines through the other brewery,” said Brian Davenport, sipping a light beer while passing through Hillsdale.
After opening in September 2024, Big Pines Brewing has made four varieties of beer and one seltzer in-house.
Robertson said he brews every beer he sells in stainless steel tanks right behind the bar.
“Everything we brew is brewed on site,” Robertson said. “We have a three-barrel system. So we try to brew 75 to 80 gallons once a week.
To have good beer, you have to make sure everything’s su-
“To
everybody. So we have some light wheat beers that are
have good beer you have to make sure everything is super clean. We try to source as much as we can locally, and we try to have something for everybody.”
per clean. We try to source as much as we can locally, and we try to have something for
more like your gateway beer for people that drink American domestics.”
Robertson’s best-selling beer is his IPA, which he said caters to the “hopheads,” people who enjoy the taste of hops, a bitter additive to IPAs.
While the brewery doesn’t serve food inside, Robertson said he hopes to have food outside in the future. For now, though, he refers customers just up the hill to Ethan’s Donut Factory.
“In the future, we’d love to try getting a food truck, and then maybe something that we’ll set up there permanently,” Robertson said.
Anne Kunkle, a regular at Big Pines Brewing and a friend of Robertson, spent her Friday afternoon talking with friends
at the picnic tables.
“I like the lavender-flavored seltzer,” Kunkle said. “It’s refreshing. It’s perfect for summer.”
With a long, light-colored wooden bar facing the brewing room and many tables, Big Pines has plenty of space, according to Robertson. Customers can also watch fun TV or play games.
As the sole owner and operator of Big Pines, Robertson said he likes to stick to an acronym that keeps his beer delicious and his job easier.
“Our motto here is K.I.S.S.; Keep it simple, stupid,” Robertson said.
Local artist paints Hillsdale’s past with downtown mural
The illustrations highlight the city’s growth from before its settlement to its founding
By Gemma Flores Assistant Editor
Students returning to the City of Hillsdale might recognize a new fixture outside City Hall: a mural honoring the city’s storied history.
The Hillsdale Heritage Association, a community organization aimed at preserving Hillsdale County’s history through art, installed a three-panel mural on the north side of City Hall in May.
“We wanted to expound on our town history a little bit,” said Connie Sexton, executive director and cofounder of The Heritage Association.
The mural depicts scenes of Hillsdale’s develop ment, from before the city was settled to its bustling popularity in the late 1800s.
Sexton said the project started as an attempt to hide the HVAC unit located behind City Hall.
“It’s always been an eyesore for everybody, and peo ple were always telling us we should do something there,” Sexton said The Heritage Association commissioned local artist David Youngman for the project.
“I knew a number of the [Heritage Association] board members,” Youngman said. “I think them just knowing I’m a local artist. They are trying to display more of the history of the area through the arts.”
Youngman moved to Hillsdale with his wife after graduating from Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. A musician and guitarist for 15 years, Youngman said he was inspired to change his career after he “hit a wall.”
“I was kind of stuck with that,” Youngman said. “I just started drawing for
fun, and that kind of just took over. I felt like God was leading me in a new direction.”
Youngman said each of the three panels shows a portion of Hillsdale’s history. The main panel depicts a group of Potawatomi Native Americans at Baw Beese Lake, with a train passing by in the background.
“From that one, I like the natural sense of Hillsdale,” Youngman said. “I remove all our business and economics and sort of the logistics of a town and get back more to a spirit state.”
can do in this town.”
The second panel, which Youngman said is the crowd favorite, depicts a train with steam swirling around it. “To me, it isn’t so much about the train but about the liveliness and excitement,” Youngman said. “I want to see this town feel alive, and I wanted to portray and stir those feelings. I want to help people both be motivated and remember that there’s a lot we
The third and final panel shows downtown Hillsdale filled with pedestrians and activity.
“It’s not a specific scene of Hillsdale, but it brings in elements of it, and also that sense of thriving,” Youngman said. Youngman has his own studio in downtown Hillsdale, located at 2 N. Howell St, where his work can be viewed and purchased.
The Heritage Association fundraised the mural with donations from Hillsdale Hospital, Arrowswift Painting, Moore Insurance, County National Bank, the Hillsdale
County Community Foundation, Hillsdale Brewing Co., Rough Draft, the Hillsdale County Board of Realtors, the local radio station WCSR, The Dale 99.5, Hillsdale Renaissance, LLC, and Woman’s Life Insurance #741.
Gelzer’s Hardware also provided materials to Youngman when he was preparing the murals.
Sam Fry, the City of Hillsdale’s marketing and economic development coordinator,
said the project embodies the history of Hillsdale.
“On behalf of the city, we’re obviously very appreciative of both the effort of The Heritage Association and also David,” Fry said. “This is not a project the city set out to do, but it was a group of folks that understand and believe in the importance of having high-quality public art to adorn our downtown.”
Courtesy | Hillsdale County Historical Society
The main section of the mural behind city hall. Gemma Flores | Collegian
The mural portrays Hillsdale’s connection to the railroad. Catherine Maxwell | Collegian
By Lewis Thune Assistant Editor
The Penn State Nittany Lions have won a single Big Ten Football championship in the past decade. Their sole playoff berth came in the 2024 12-team format after losing the most recent Big Ten championship. They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games against the Michigan Wolverines, and 1-9 over the same stretch against the rival Ohio State Buckeyes. Simply put, the Nittany Lions can’t win a big game.
But as the 2025-26 season begins, a discerning observer can see that Penn State’s recent history of shortcomings is their biggest asset. All of college foot-
Battleships
Despite bleak history, Penn State is national championship material Segorski joins coaching staff
ball should be on notice for the 127 men in Happy Valley, because they’re the team to beat this year. Somehow, they perfectly fit the profile of the last four national champions.
The 2022 and 2023 national champion Georgia Bulldogs lost three straight postseason heartbreakers to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The 2024 national champion Michigan Wolverines spent five years being humiliated by Ohio State and two years losing in the College Football Playoff. Those same Buckeyes, the 2025 national champions, lost four straight games to Michigan and three playoff games. These programs broke through right when everyone
stopped believing they could. This year’s Nittany Lions have reached that point. Penn State head coach James Franklin is college football’s foremost loser of big games. In their 11 years under Franklin, Penn State is 17-26 against top 25 teams and a staggering 1-15 against top five teams. They routinely drop big games without regard for their consistent topof-the-line talent and elite home field advantage. In spite of fostering premier NFL talents like Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and Chris Godwin, they can’t win for losing. Sound familiar?
This year’s Penn State team returns most of their talent from a 2024 squad that came
There are four ships of length 1 (. ), three ships of length 2 (◀ ▶), two ships of length 3 (◀ ■ ▶), and one ship of length 4 (◀ ■ ■ ▶). Each ship is surrounded by empty water on all sides, including diagonally; no two ships touch or intersect. The numbers along the border indicate how many ship pieces appear in that row or column.
Difficulty:
The product of the entries in each bolded region is noted in its topleft corner. However, digits in a dashed region are first added together, and that sum is multiplied by the remaining entries. Each row and column contains one each of 1–6.
Noughts and Crosses
This week's solutions will appear alongside next week's puzzles. If you have questions or feedback, please contact Matthew Tolbert at mtolbert@hillsdale.edu.
one bad pass away from the national championship game. Notable names include quarterback Drew Allar, running backs Nichalos Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and most of the offensive line and defensive front seven. They’ve reloaded talent at wide receiver and secondary via the transfer portal. Perhaps their only weakness is at the cornerback position, where they return only one starter — but with as manageable a schedule as they’ve been dealt, the cornerbacks will have all the experience they need come postseason ball.
What’s more, despite holding the No. 2 preseason ranking, the Nittany Lions are receiving
Softball
By Sophia Bryant Assistant Editor
Taylor Segorski joins the Hillsdale softball team as assistant coach for the 2025 to 2026 season.
Hillsdale is Segorski’s third collegiate coaching position. She previously coached for Davenport University and Albion College.
“I’m looking forward to her experience at other championship programs, bringing that, and just to see her grow with the team,” head softball coach Kyle Gross said. “It’s rewarding to see a coach under you find their niche and hit their stride.”
Segorski is replacing Ericka Hess, the previous assistant coach. Hess coached at Hillsdale for three years before leaving to become the head coach at Carroll University, according to the Carroll University Athletics website.
“I’m looking forward to coming in and getting to know the girls, getting integrated into the team and contributing to the culture,” Segorski said. “But I’m also looking forward to playing some high-level softball. We have a really strong both fall and then early spring schedule that I’m excited to dive into and see where we’re at.”
Segorski played for Escanaba High School, a varsity team in the Upper Peninsula. She played collegiate softball at Grand Valley State University, where her team made two Division II College World Series.
criminally little national media attention, and it’s perfect for them. Last year’s Ohio State team showed that in the era of a 12-team playoff, all it takes to win the national championship is a foot in the door. That very Ohio State team’s defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, who is newly a Nittany Lion, can provide them that food in the door. He’s the best in the business, and with him directing the defense, Penn State can and will cruise through an easy schedule. Even if they lose their two big tests against Ohio State and Oregon, Penn State will make the playoff, and when they do, they’ll still be overlooked.
Even in December, national
media attention will inevitably center on the bigger brands that will inevitably make the expanded playoff: Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs, Jeremiah Smith’s Buckeyes, Arch Manning’s Texas Longhorns, or Dabbo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers. With no attention comes no pressure, and thereby nothing to lose.
Right there in the shadow of the proven programs, the Nittany Lions will be poised to silence the critics and ignite the media on their way to college football gold. This season, the most overlooked No. 2 team in history has a date with destiny: get ready for happy times in Happy Valley.
“I wanted to be at a Division II school,” Segorski said. “I really love DII. I think that it’s kind of the purest form of high level sport right now. And obviously, coming up through Grand Valley’s program, I was familiar with Hillsdale, I was familiar with their success, and I wanted to be a part of a program that seemed like they were doing things the right way.”
Segorski played catcher and outfield. She hopes to build
“I have so many friends here who care about me and who I care for. It is definitely the people."
on previous seasons of success while making sure the team feels confident.
“We've talked a lot about our standards, making sure that they feel good stepping out onto the field and have a good grasp of what we’re there to accomplish, and I think that the checklist of goals will accomplish themselves along the way there,” Segorski said.
The softball team has welcomed Segorski and are excited about her addition to the team, according to senior Anna Chellman.
Cross Country
“Coach Segorski has definitely made a great first impression,” Chellman said. “Hearing her perspective on the game of softball makes me confident that she’ll be a great addition to this team, and so far all of us have liked her a lot and welcomed her into our program.” Chellman plays third base and said she is excited to go on the team trips to Florida and Texas.
“Hillsdale softball brings me so much joy and fulfillment,” Chellman said. “My best friends are on this team, and they make every day such a blessing. I love being able to share my experiences with these people, and I have so many friends here who care about me and who I care for. It’s definitely the people, for sure.”
The softball team has a larger roster and a larger pitching staff this year, according to Gross.
“I’m actually looking forward to how this new staff approach works, versus just a number one and a number two pitcher,” Gross said. The softball team will play nine games in their non-championship season this fall. The regular season will begin in January after Christmas break.
“We don’t talk a whole lot about the wins and losses,” Gross said. “Those are kind of there. You’re starting the season wanting to win GMAC championship, go postseason, those kind of things, but really just want to see this team come together by the end of the season and be playing our best."
Chargers gear up for home opener
By Anna Stirton Collegian Freelancer
As the Hillsdale men’s and women’s cross country teams gear up to start their seasons with a home meet Sept. 5 at Hayden Park, both teams are looking toward exciting possibilities throughout the next few months.
The men’s cross country team is chasing lofty goals this season after securing the Men’s Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship title last year. Head coach R.P. White plans to enter the new season while still reflecting on the success of last year.
“I would love to defend that title,” White said. “The goal of this year is to continue that winning tradition.”
On the women’s side, senior captain Anna Roberts was hopeful and confident about the upcoming season. “Ideally, we would love to
make an appearance at the national championship meet in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Nov. 22,” Roberts said. “So we’re really gearing ourselves towards that this season.”
While staying focused on big championship season goals, Roberts also highlighted the importance of fostering a vibrant team culture in the meantime.
“I would love to make being a cross country and track athlete not just something where you show up to practice and run, but rather where you have a lot of fun, it feels like a family, you look forward to training, you look forward to coming to practice, you grow to love running and let it become a lifelong passion,” Roberts said.
While team culture is facilitated by upperclassmen, freshman Jefferson Regitz demonstrated that it is experienced in a tangible way by underclassmen when he expressed
how appreciative he was of the welcoming team environment.
“A bunch of guys on the team just put themselves forward and have gotten to know me really well and asked me questions about my life, about who I am, which I think is super gnarly,” Regitz said.
Preparing for his first race as a Hillsdale Charger, Regitz said he was excited to see the results of training for himself and the other freshmen.
“All the work put in over the long summer months, even at the end of my senior year of high school, it’s all coming to fruition,” Regitz said. “It’s all going to play out, and I think it’s going to happen pretty quickly.”
Hillsdale tennis alumna returns to courts as women's head coach
By Anna Broussard Design Editor
Mel Zampardo ’25 should feel right at home as the new head women’s tennis coach, after playing on the team and assistant coaching over the last four years.
Zampardo played three years at Hillsdale after transferring from Wayne State University as a sophomore. She was named team captain her senior year and served as assistant coach during the 2024-25 season under the team’s previous head coach, Nikki Walbright.
Zampardo recorded 67 match wins at Hillsdale while playing at No. 2 and No. 3 singles and No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Walbright also earned All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference honors all three seasons.
“Hillsdale was the first place
Club Sports
By Robert Matteson Collegian Reporter
When the Chargers take on the Cedarville University Yellowjackets at home Sept. 13, it will mark the sixth consecutive year of club rugby play, following periods of falling in and out of existence.
Alumni Sam Theole ’23 and Luke Turnbow ’23 founded the club rugby team in 2019 with hopes of creating a program that would sustain for many years to come.
“Technically, the club has been around since 2008, but it would periodically die,” Theole said.
One of the reasons Theole said he thinks the team has had continual growth is because no second-semester seniors are allowed to hold lead-
I really felt at home,” Zampardo said. “What has really drawn me to coaching is wanting to make the impact in just one girl’s life that coach Nikki has had on my life.”
Zampardo, who spent the summer doing a coaching internship in Virginia, said her insights as a coach come from her time as a player and teammate.
“My goal as a coach is to have a player-led team, and I know that that’s not me anymore,” Zampardo said. “All I can really do is inspire the leaders on my team.”
Junior Ane Dannhauser, assistant captain of the team, said her respect for Zampardo comes from being her teammate as a freshman, but also Zampardo’s support as assistant coach.
“I cannot be more excited to have her as my coach, because it feels like we’ve been a part of
her journey, during my freshman year she was a senior, and the captain,” Dannhauser said. “The team is so excited, because we know how much it means to her, how good she is at what she does, and how much she cares.”
Dannhauser said Zampardo’s experience at Hillsdale separates her from other coaches, especially in Dannhauser’s own life.
“She knows Hillsdale so well, and she knows what it means to be on the team,” Dannhauser said. “Mel also knows me, she talks matches through with me, and knows how to calm me down which is a different perspective because she’s always going to be there when I need to work through things.”
For senior and co-captain Bella Spinazze, Zampardo plays a major role in her college tennis experience. From
knowing her as a teammate to respecting her as a coach, Spinazze said Zampardo could not be a better fit for the role.
“Although Mel is new to being a head coach, she feels like home to me,” Spinazze said. “She is a huge role model on and off the court.We also have a really unique opportunity this year with four new players and a new coach to create a new dynamic and foster an environment that promotes success and challenges us all.”
For Spinazze, Zampardo’s example as a captain has shaped her own expectations for herself as a captain this year. Spinazze said she and her co-captain, senior Megan Hackman, understand the significance of being intentional with leading the team well.
“On a personal level, it will be important for me as a captain to stay positive and stay focused on tennis,” Spinazze
said. “As a senior, it can be difficult to not get swept into everything else going on during the school year and lose sight of leading a team. So it will be crucial to keep the team as a main priority this year.”
While both Spinazze and Hackman spent some of their college careers as Zampardo’s teammates, it will serve as an example for the younger women on the team, according to Zampardo.
“I’m so close with the seniors and the biggest leaders on my team,” Zampardo said.
“With them coming to me and me having a constant line of communication with them, it will inspire the younger girls to see that I understand.”
For Zampardo, coaching at Hillsdale was a dream and this team has given her the confidence to take on the authority of being responsible for the season.
“This is my dream job,” Zampardo said. “I loved my athletic experience playing Division II and Hillsdale is the best school in the world. Yeah, this is the best place to be.” Zampardo said the opportunity for assessing the team will be at their home invitational Sept. 6, plus another invitational later this month. Zampardo also said she is already looking forward to the spring season.
“Our fall season is gonna be a really good precursor and a retelling of how spring goes,” Zampardo said. “We have a tournament right off the bat after the first full week of classes. It’ll be a great opportunity for everyone to get out and play very raw.”
ership roles. This means that the president, coaches, and board members are students who will return beyond the current season, which Theole said attracts new athletes to the team.
“Everyone is encouraged to come out and try it,” Theole said. “Most guys had zero experience coming in.”
Junior forward Luke Jones is one athlete who had no rugby experience prior to playing at Hillsdale.
“I was recruited before classes even started," Jones said. "I went out to my first practice and it was great."
The Hillsdale club rugby team is entirely student-led.
Senior Paden Hughes is the club president. The team is coached by senior Luca Vitale and sophomore Charles Hick-
ey, who handle the backs and the forwards respectively.
The club rugby team receives a stipend of $1000 per
parents, alumni, and friends,” Hughes said.
The funds for the team are split between a fall season and
academic year, as do all other intercollegiate sports teams, from the college, however, that is not the main source of funding for the team, according to Hughes.
“The team is funded primarily by donations from
a spring season.
The Chargers compete as a member of Division III National Collegiate Rugby. In the fall, the squad typically plays six or seven matches in addition to the postseason. In the more informal spring season,
the squad plays five or six matches, according to Jones.
Hillsdale’s schedule often includes the University of Michigan, Western Michigan University, Cedarville University, and the University of Notre Dame.
When asked why they play on the club rugby team, Jones and sophomore back Peter Kaiser gave similar answers: camaraderie.
“The camaraderie is not just amongst the team, it is amongst the whole sport,” Kaiser said.
The Chargers have as many as 30 players on the team this season.
“The brotherhood and having to rely on my closest friends is what I miss the most,” Theole said.
Kaiser emphasized the im-
Charger Chatter
portance of trust between athletes as they compete.
“We talk about it all the time, you have to trust the guy on your left and your right to cover their guy and make the tackle,” Kaiser said.
Theole said everyone on the rugby roster plays an important role.
“You are only as strong as your weakest link,” Theole said.
Hillsdale College students, faculty, and staff can witness the camaraderie of the team during their home matches this semester.
In addition to the match against the Yellowjackets, the Chargers will also be playing the Xavier University Musketeers in a rematch of last year’s postseason matchup at home Sept. 27.
Hillsdale Club Rugby during 2024 season COURTESY | Joseph Frates
Charger Sports
Shotgun junior sets sights on 2028 Olympics
By Ty Ruddy Culture Editor
At 7 years old, Ava Downs went to a shooting range with her dad and uncle to pull clays for them. A few weeks later, she began learning how to shoot. Now in her third year at Hillsdale and a star on the shotgun team, she has her eyes set on the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California.
After five years of shooting at the range, Downs and her parents decided shooting competitively needed to be her next move. When they went in search of clubs, Downs said they found no shortage of options around town. Although her hometown of Waterford, Wisconsin, does not boast a large population, it does boast half a dozen gun clubs, according to Downs.
“It’s a really good spot to get into shooting,” Downs said. “In terms of shooting, it’s big.”
Starting early gave Downs the chance to hone her craft. It also gave her the chance to
compete with her sister who started two or three years after her. They competed together until Downs left for college.
In high school, Downs and her squad had all their matches except nationals in Wisconsin, which brought them only as far east as Ohio. Travel distances changed when Downs made the 2023 Shooting Shotgun USA Junior National Team a couple days after she finished high school. That summer, she competed in Korea.
“It’s still probably my favorite place I’ve been, and the range was beautiful,” Downs said. “That team was great because they brought five women, five men for trap; five women, five men for skeet. And out of the 20 people they brought, five were either at Hillsdale College or about to be at Hillsdale.”
high school, so the two have known each other for most of their careers.
“Seeing her in other countries as we both compete, representing Hillsdale and USA, and then thinking back to when we were just shooting against each other in Wis-
with Downs and Corbin in the fall of 2024. In the spring of 2025, Sapp and Downs returned to Peru and added Argentina to the itinerary for international competitions.
“Ava is incredibly supportive and always brings a positive mindset,” Sapp said. “Her
consin is so amazing,” Corbin said. “I am proud to have her as a teammate and friend and I know she is going to continue to do great things.”
presence, both on and off the field, has been a crucial asset to our team, helping all of us perform at our best and achieve the best results possible.”
Downs. Hillsdale was her home base for training, but she competed all over the world. She travelled to Cyprus, Italy, and in late August, just before returning to Hillsdale, she won gold at the Junior Pan American Games in Paraguay and there she received a bid that will allow her to compete for the Olympics.
Under the pressure of competition and often on the road, Downs said she takes time to meditate because it keeps her mind clear for competition.
she performs best with an even mind.
“When things go well, I w not to get too excited. When things go poorly, I trust myself not to panic,” she said. “Going slow helps, too.” Downs said in a month she will head back to Europe to compete at the 2025 International Shooting Sports Federation World Championship Shotgun in Greece. Downs also said she will compete at the 2027 Pan American games, which could send her to the Olympics.
Junior Madeline Corbin was on that team. She competed against Downs in
Also among the USA junior national team members in 2023 was senior Jordan Sapp. Sapp travelled to Peru
But South America only marked the beginning of an adventurous summer for
Volleyball Golf
Hillsdale ranks 2nd in GMAC
By Grace Brennan Assistant Editor
Charger women's volleyball is currently ranked second in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. After a small setback of injuries and losing the G-MAC tournament to University of Findlay, head coach Chris Gravel said the team recovered over the summer and is ready to bring its all to the new season.
Senior outside hitter Emory Braswell was injured last season and unable to play, but said she now is ready to get back in the game. The team has been practicing for several weeks, getting to know its new members, discussing strategy, and setting goals.
“I would say our main goal right now is to win all of our conference games and to win the conference tournament,” Braswell said. “We all have personal goals that we stay on top of throughout the season, but they all kind of work together for that big goal of winning conference and hopefully to go in further into the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.”
Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Fles acknowledged the importance of having good relationships within the members of the team while off the court and hopes that the girls will be strong in that this year,
even more so than the last.
“How we work together as a team, what we do off the court, what we’re doing in practice all leads up to that finish and hopefully this year we can be even better,” Fles said.
According to Braswell, there are already good relationships between the upperclassmen and the freshman.
“We are focusing on relationships, building relationships early so we can kind of establish trust with them, and that has impacts on the court but also off the court,” Braswell said.
Gravel said the team is putting a lot of their focus on trust and letting that drive them in all areas of the game. According to Gravel, trust is ranked number one in “the five necessary functions of a team,” a foundation for his team modeled off of the book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.”
“The trust that we’re looking for is really when things get tough you can put yourself out there without any guarantee of how your teammates are going to respond,” Gravel said. “But you really got to trust them a lot to do that, to put yourself in that vulnerable state.”
With a foundation of trust the team can then discuss what strategies they want to implement throughout the season. Fles said they often watch
footage from old practices or games to see where they can improve and better attack the opponent.
“We’ll probably watch film before a game to see what our opponents’ tendencies are, what areas of the court we want to attack, where their weaknesses might be,” Fles said. “Then, in practice we work on exploiting that.”
According to Gravel, the Chargers have been focusing a lot on their mental state and how that will help them on the court.
“We’ve been talking a lot about getting into the zone, and we also talked about how we do that: creating an alter ego with ourselves, so we develop an alter ego and bring it to the fight every day,” Gravel said. “So they’ve been developing their alter egos to be like warriors on the court while we play our opponents, and we’re going to keep developing that and make it stronger.”
According to Gravel, although the women on the volleyball team are warriors as soon as they step onto the court, they are always respectful.
“Obviously in our practices we’re always working to become better and be the best we can be. So we always work on respecting our opponent,” Braswell said.
“Each time zone is different, but I try to lean into the things that don’t change,” Downs said. “I always visualize the night before a competition. I envision a perfect round. I tell myself that there are going to be negatives and that I need to let them go. I try to let myself trust my training and lean into the nerves, because they’re not a bad thing and they’re not going away.”
Downs said she finds that
“It’s not a guarantee, but if I do well at Pan Ams, I’ll get a bid for LA,” Downs said. “A bid doesn’t get me in automatically, team USA still gets to choose, but it's a chance.” Downs plans to train in Hillsdale until at least 2028 but knows the fun will not end there.
“Sometimes it’s hard to turn the competition off," Downs said. "I don’t get to shoot just for fun a whole lot right now but when I do, I’m on the range with my dad and my uncle. I don’t really plan to ever stop shooting.”
Chargers tee up new season
By Christian Papillon Assistant Editor
As the Hillsdale College golf team prepares this week for its season opener Sep. 8, it welcomes new head coach Luke Kelly.
Kelly, who replaced former head coach Matt Thompson, played golf at the University of Findlay for four years. After graduation, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he played professional golf for four years, including on the Professional Golfers’ Association Tour Americas for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Kelly said he looks forward to working with the team.
“From what I’ve seen, attitude wise, I think they gel really nicely as a team,” Kelly said. “It looks like they all get along with each other really well, which is a big first step. You want them to get along with each other and care for each other and work hard for each other.”
Burns said he is also excited for the return of junior Oliver Marshall who missed both semesters last year due to injuries.
“He’s been our best player when he’s played,” Burns said. “He’s still healing, but he seems to be progressing pretty quick. We’ll have a pretty good five-man roster this year.”
Team tryouts run from Sept. 1-5 at Jackson Country Club and Coldwater Golf Club. The top four players in the tryouts automatically gain a spot on the team, with a fifth slot decided by the head coach.
Junior Ryan O’Rourke said he was motivated going into the team’s opening tryouts.
“Everybody is motivated and thinks we can achieve more this year.”
Senior Max Burns said he is looking forward to building on the momentum from last season which saw the Chargers advance to the Division II regional tournament.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we do this year,” Burns said. “I think everybody is motivated and thinks we can achieve more this year, so it’s a little more of a competitive vibe this year.”
Burns said he had a positive impression of Kelly as the new head coach.
“He seems like a really great guy,” Burns said. “He seems to be all about business. With the coaching change, it’s just a different feeling this year. It’s a feeling where we’re all expecting more of ourselves than we have in the past.”
“It seems so far that everyone is super excited to get things going,” O’Rourke said.
“We're all motivated to practice hard and to try and make the lineup for this upcoming event. I think it will be very competitive and whoever makes the lineup will make a good run at our first tournament.”
Kelly said he is grateful for the chance to be the new head coach.
“I’m just excited to have that opportunity here in front of me, and I can’t wait to get to work and see what this year brings us and see what improvements we can make throughout the year,” Kelly said.
The team begins the season Sept. 8 against Malone University at the Glenmoor Country Club in Canton, Ohio.
Ava Downs, Olivia Krauss, and Joy Chen at competition COURTESY | Ava Downs
C U L T U R E
Summer blockbuster: ‘Jaws’ still eats after 50 years
By Moira Gleason
“Jaws” made waves in Hollywood when it premiered in June 1975. Director Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece continues to strike fear into the soul of anyone who even thinks about setting foot in the ocean.
Re-released in theaters over Labor Day weekend this year for its golden anniversary, the movie opened in second place at the box o ce with $9.9 million behind Zach Cregger’s new horror ick “Weapons.” Any lm that outranks dozens of new releases a er 50 years deserves a second look.
Based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, the lm takes place o the coast of ctional Amity Island in New England and follows police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) as he hunts down a man-eating great white shark with the help of marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and seaworn shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw).
e thriller gave us an iconic movie poster, an ominous staccato score by pre-“Star Wars” John Williams, and three too many sequels. Among the most
referenced and imitated movies of all time, it launched Spielberg’s career and became the rst movie to break $100 million at the box o ce, initiating the genre of the summer blockbuster.
For many, the lm is nostalgic, a callback to a di erent age of entertainment when movie-goers would stand in actual lines at the box office to purchase physical tickets from real people. But its popularity has endured with younger generations. A May 2025 Gallup poll found 53% of Americans ages 18 to 29 have seen the movie. The figure is lower than the 91% of my parents’ generation (ages 50 to 64) who have seen it, but not bad for a 50-year-old lm about a shark.
nomenon in the ’70s and why it has stood the test of time.
Practical e ects, score, and casting play a role. But the movie endures because it feels real. e audience never sees the shark head-on until the last 15 minutes of the lm. Part of this
e cameras couldn’t show the whole shark because half of him was carved out, with dozens of tubes spilling out of his side. But rather than diminishing the terror e ect, Spielberg’s cinematography, combined with Williams’ ominous score, mo-
the whole damn thing when it launches itself onto the deck of the Orca to devour Quint.
Jaws is considered the first summer blockbuster. COURTESY | Johnson Hall Opera House
The last time I watched “Jaws” was through my ngers when I was about 10 years old. is weekend, I rewatched the original lm to gure out why it became such a cultural phe-
choice was due to the limited technology of the time. The crew lmed in the ocean with a set of robot sharks named Bruce, operated by means of pneumatics and hydraulics.
Sabrina Carpenter: Man’s best friend?
By Gemma Flores AssistAnt Editor
Sabrina Carpenter’s newly released album “Man’s Best Friend” poses a pertinent question: Where have all the real men gone? A synth-pop ode to the state of modern dating, the album dropped on Aug. 29. Carpenter received backlash prior to the album’s release due to its risqué cover, which depicts her kneeling in front of a man.
“It’s always so funny to me when people complain,” Carpenter told Rolling Stone in response to the criticism. “They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it.”
The album tells the story of a modern-day woman making excuses for her poor dating decisions, with a few subtle references to Carpenter’s own life. With the opening track, “Manchild,” Carpenter sets the tone for the album both musically and thematically. She expresses her frustration with the men in her life, who she deems useless, unreliable, and stupid. Yet, at the end of the day, Carpenter admits that she chooses them herself in her refrain: “Oh, I like my boys playing hard to get/ And I like my men all incompetent/ And I swear they choose me, I’m not choosing them/ Amen? Hey men!”
“Tears” crosses the line of innuendo that Carpenter usually walks. Carpenter sings about tears running down her thighs when she envisions a man acting like a decent human being.
“Baby, just do the dishes and I’ll give you what you, what you, what you want,” Carpenter sings. “A little communication, yes, that’s my ideal foreplay.”
an, and something to be used as a vehicle for gaining male attention.
In nearly all of the songs on “Man’s Best Friend,” Carpenter describes herself pursuing men by making herself available sexually.
In “Go Go Juice,” Carpenter peppily describes the drunken aftermath of being dumped, where she calls exes in an effort to forget her pain.
Though shocking, the themes of the song are not new. Many women are wondering where the thoughtful, competent, masculine men have gone. Carpenter speaks here, in her signature, innuendo-laced style, to a very real problem young women in the dating scene are recognizing.
The picture that Carpenter paints of the dating scene, representative of modern-day hookup culture, reveals the problem. Carpenter describes sex as transactional, utilitari-
“Sipping on my go-go juice, I can’t be blamed/ Some good old-fashioned fun sure numbs the pain,” Carpenter sings, while alluding to her ex-boyfriends Shawn Mendes and Barry Keoghan.
In “My Man On Willpower,” Carpenter complains of how her partner has ceased to pay attention to her sexual advances, instead focusing on his goals and career.
“He fell in love with self-restraint and now it’s getting out of hand,” Carpenter sings. “He used to be literally obsessed with me/ I’m suddenly the least sought-after girl in the land/ Oh, my man on his willpower/ Is something I don’t under-, something I don’t understand.”
Though at times shocking, “Man’s Best Friend” paints an accurate picture of the effects of hook-up culture. It’s a bleak message wrapped in a glittery, synth-pop-inspired package flled with quotable lines and clippable moments.
nopolizes on the common human fear of the unknown and unseen. Suspense builds as the lm moves from showing just the victims struggling in bloody water to giving a glimpse of a n, head, tail, and nally
As computer-generated imagery improves, it’s easier now for movie-makers to arti cially generate monsters than to use practical e ects like Bruce to elicit fear. But compare Godzilla and Kong from the 2024 lm “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” to the shark. e 400-foot CGI monsters are so unrealistic they’re laughable instead of terrifying. Spielberg was doing something new for the time, but his plot doesn’t hide behind the novelty of the shark. He also created a pretty good story. The movie’s premise feels familiar. Not only does it tap into a natural human fear, it draws upon classic literature for characters and action. Quint clearly takes inspiration from Captain Ahab of “Moby-Dick” in his monomaniacal pursuit of the shark, and the man v.s. nature
trope nods to Ernest Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea.” No big-name actors appear on screen, which allows the audience to more easily relate to the three men aboard the Orca, despite their fantastic circumstances. Anyone can picture Brody as a neighbor or family friend trying to do his job and protect his family, and it’s easier to buy into that identity when you don’t know the actor’s name. Most importantly, the lm offers a reflection on unlikely friendship that transcends its cultural moment. Three men from very di erent backgrounds join to conquer a common threat. Personalities clash, crew members ing insults, but the next moment they are trying to save each other’s lives. In an extreme way, it’s the kind of friendship in the face of crisis many of us will experience at di cult moments in life. But in the case of the Orca and its crew, the crisis just happens to be a 45-foot long man-eating shark. Even for those of us who weren’t alive at its release, “Jaws” is just as relevant as ever. Modern Hollywood should take notes.
Sabrina Carpenter on the red carpet. COURTESY | E n TERTainm E n T n O w
C U L T U R E
Campus reacts to Taylor Swift’s engagement
By Martha Kennedy
An Instagram caption revealed the news last week:
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” This post referred not to any Great Books or Physical Wellness professor, but to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
After dating for about two years, Swift and Kelce announced their engagement on Aug. 26. The post featured photos of the pop superstar and Kansas City Chiefs tight end in a romantic garden surrounded by roses. The announcement, which comes amid Swift’s promotions of her newest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has sparked reactions across the country, ranging from congratulations from President Donald Trump and the NFL to online fan theories about the timing of the announcement.
Junior Violet Hubartt said she is happy for Swift, but fans should focus less on Swift’s personal life.
“I love her music, and I love the concert that I went to, but it’s really hard for me to care that much about her personal decisions, because I don’t know
her,” Hubartt said. “I think as a result of social media, it’s pretty common for people to get excited about little aspects of the lives of people who they don’t actually know.”
Others, however, argue that Swift has invited public scrutiny. Throughout her career, Swift has appealed to fans with Easter eggs that hint at album releases, tours or fandom lore. Aspects of this appeared in her engagement post, as online fans noticed in one of the engagement photos that the time on her watch appears to add up to 13, which is Swift’s lucky number.
Junior Audrey Powell said this brand of public scrutiny that Swift has built can become problematic.
“Engagement is a part of your life that’s very sacred,” Powell said. “Putting in little details for your fans, maybe not even intentionally, but that fans pick up on, because that’s the brand that you’ve built, can make you more of a force in these people’s lives than you should be.”
Junior Jonah Swartz said he felt like the phrasing of the Instagram caption itself was catered to the public more than it was an expression of love be-
tween Swift and Kelce.
“There was nothing about him. There was nothing about them,” Swartz said. “I don’t think in an engagement post you should be talking about the other people who are perceiving the engagement.”
Nathan Schlueter, a professor of philosophy and religion, said he believes that the obsession with celebrities’ private lives coincides with an obsession with romance that is problematic for the culture.
“I think our culture is saturated with a kind of perverse romanticism,” Schlueter said. People don’t notice it as much as they notice the obscene things like pornography and hook up culture, but I think that the infatuation with romantic themes is maybe equally dangerous.”
Schlueter said despite the infatuation with romance, Swift and Kelce’s engagement could be good for the secular culture to see the end goal of a relationship as marriage.
“In our culture dating is romantic and marriage is boring, but I think the reverse is true, so I’m excited to see what happens,” Schlueter said. “Without marriage, romantic love
doesn’t make any sense.”
Throughout her career, Swift has written songs, such as “Love Story” and “Paper Rings” where marriage or engagement is the happy, end goal of the relationship. She even talks about marriage being the proof of the love that exists in some of her breakup songs, such as “So Long, London.”
“You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues?/ I died on the altar waitin’ for the proof,” she sings.
Junior Cole Timmler said even though it might not be the perfect example of a Christian marriage, Swift’s marriage could be a good example for her fans that look up to her as a role model.
“For a lot of women Swift is a big role model, so if she’s happy about marriage, then
hopefully it will get the general public excited about the idea of marriage,” Timmler said.
Hubartt said the public’s excitement about Swift and Kelce’s engagement shows that the culture still values marriage, even if it does not realize its full importance.
“It’s neat to see that, for some people, marriage still is a big deal even though it’s so often minimized in our culture,” Hubartt said.
Schlueter said he hopes their marriage is fruitful, and is glad
of their marriage as a signal that even high profle celebrities believe in marriage as the end goal of a relationship.
“It’s nice to see, just at a minimum, that there are two big celebrities who think that love should get expressed in marriage, that’s a really great public signal,” Schlueter said. “Marriage has a way of changing you, if you let it, and changing the way you see the world. So I think it’s great they’re getting married.”
Catharsis rings in Christ Chapel Theta legacy: New band, new booze
By Dave Bellet
Associate Professor of Spanish Kátia Sherman, Associate Professor of Music
Daniel Tacke, and visiting musician Lara Turner performed 18th- and 19th- century pieces written for recorder, harpsichord, and viola da gamba last week in Christ Chapel.
Sophomore Alethia Diener said she spent her Saturday afternoon in the pews of Christ Chapel to listen to the restful sound of the recorder and harpsichord together.
“I appreciated the slower pace, because it gave me a lot of time to think and refect on the week,” Diener said.
Tacke gave the history of his harpsichord, which had a red foral design and stood in the center of the stage.
“It was built in San Francisco in the 1980s, but it is modeled off an 18th-century Parisian harpsichord,” Tacke said. “These ones were usually bigger and painted like this.”
Turner then explained that her viola da gama, which looks similar to a cello, has seven silver gut strings and some with silver coating. Turner’s instrument provided the lower melody while Sherman’s recorder played the upper.
The group performed six pieces all written within the baroque period. Tacke explained why he chose these from among his favorite repertoire.
“The French baroque style is such an interesting blend of formality and spontaneity — it’s really unlike anything else, and the viola da gamba especially is uniquely suited to capturing the expressive spirit of this music,” Tacke said.
The frst piece, “Sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève du Mont de Paris,” has a melody meant to imitate the church bells of the Paris Pantheon, formerly named Church of Sainte-Geneviève.
The last piece, “Trio in F Major, Essercizii Musici No. 7” by Georg Philipp Telemann, started with a fast vivace movement and slowed down to a mesto tempo. Sherman’s recorder ended the melancholy piece.
After playing, Sherman described what drove her performance.
“The love of music, of playing beautiful music in beautiful places, and with people that think musically, in a way that makes me make better music,” Sherman said. “Playing is always cathartic, and last Saturday was no different.”
By Francesca Cella
e agship band of eta Epsilon, the men’s music fraternity, made its premier performance at the close of Welcome Party under the name Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mamas.
Composed of seniors, the Bahama Mammas include Aidan Christian as lead singer, John Frenz on drums, Jeremy Holford as lead guitar, Erik Teder on rhythm guitar and piano, and Luka Vitale on bass.
“For the last 12 years, the music fraternity has had a live performance band that comprises four or ve of the guys that they think can do the best on stage,” Christian said. “Jett Cruz isn’t its own entity, but it’s a continuation of a 12-year-old band, and I am just the newest edition.”
Christian joined the band this year to replace former lead singer Stephen Berntson, who graduated in the spring.
“It’s based on the scheme of Type of Alcohol and the Mixed Drinks,” Teder said. “We had a few ideas for the name this year. We picked Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mamas because it is thematically uni ed and demonstrates a whimsical component that comes through in our playing.”
Although the name and band members change every year, the band is rooted in the mission of eta Epsilon, Christian said.
“ e mission of the fraternity is musical brotherhood,” Christian said. “ at’s what
ing here?’” Teder said. “ ere’s an energy that comes from people that are interested in what you’re doing and that makes you play better and it makes it a lot more enjoyable.”
All ve members are very dedicated to the band, which usually means they are ready to perform a er only one runthrough, Teder said.
“Stephen and I play two very di erent music styles,” Christian said. “I like Stephen’s music and I loved his performance, so it can be a little bit daunting. I hope I can do Stephen’s legacy justice.”
Holford is returning for his third year with the band.
“I was invited on two years ago when it was Spike Jäger and the Spit res as rhythm guitar, and I said yes,” Holford said. “Next year, the lead guitarist graduated. I became the leading guitarist and that was when we changed to Jay Jameson and the Car Bombs.”
Each year, the band members rename themselves a er alcohol that represents their charisma.
it’s for. I think a lot of people think that what we do is get together so that we can form bands and put on shows, but that’s not it. Our focus is mainly to invest that music and that brotherhood into ourselves, but it’s also a very primary mission of eta Epsilon to pour out that music into campus in any way we can and penetrate campus with our chords.”
Teder said he sees music as a way to serve other people.
“I would way rather play ‘Cake by the Ocean’ and look out and see that everybody’s having a good time than play ‘Weird Fishes’ by Radiohead and everybody’s looking around and wondering ‘What am I do-
“Everybody in it is really serious about music and serious about practicing, which is a big deal because I think anybody who’s been in a non-school sanctioned music group knows that there’s always somebody who didn’t learn the stu ,” Teder said. “What’s nice with this group is we all just show up and practice. We just have one practice and everything goes well, and then we play.” While the band takes their music seriously, they also form unique friendships through their music, Holford said.
“It’s definitely a tight band culture,” Holford said. “We’ll get together when we discuss the music list, we’ll go over to someone’s house and have some beers and just talk about it together. at’s always fun.”
Holford said he encourages students to play in a band.
“It’s a great experience,” Holford said. “You’ll never really have the same kind of opportunity to play for all people your age with that level of energy unless you make it big or something.”
For Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mammas, their era has just begun.
“I just hope that the campus is ready for what we’re bringing to them, because from now on it’s all Jett Cruz all the time,” Christian said.
Professors’ Picks: Christopher Busch, professor of English
ese are powerful songs about friendship and caring for another person (or humanity as a whole) with kindness and empathy. As John Denver concludes, “Come and stand beside us, we can nd a better way.”
Directed by Robert
ford and starring a young Brad
it’s
against a backdrop of Montana mountains and trout
It’s a poignant portrayal of the challenges of family life, foregrounded by the realization that some things remain beyond our understanding. The only response we can give is to love one another completely even without complete understanding.
Kelce proposes to Swift. COURTESY
This book is a beautiful portrayal of childhood, youth, and lifelong friendship.
“My Antonia” by Willa Cather (1918)
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel; “Rhymes and Reasons” by John Denver.
Red-
Pit,
set
rivers.
“A River Runs rough It” (1991)
Dr. Busch enjoys a carousel with his granddaughter. COURTESY | C h R i STO ph ER B USC h
Christian, Holford, and Vitale at Welcome Party. COURTESY | E mma K aTE m E ll ORS
Compiled by Ty Ruddy
Students clock in for work in the big city
By Vivian Stewart C ollegian F R eelan C e R
During the summer, some students traded the rural charm of Hillsdale for the promise of street food, the metro, and bigcity internships — here are three of their stories.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Senior Luke Wong spent the summer as a policy intern in the White House. Wong said he first became interested in telecommunications policy through the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program in the fall of 2024, where he interned at the Federal Communications Commission. Encouraged by his FCC supervisor, he applied for the Office of Science and Technology Policy internship.
Every day at OSTP provided new experiences, Wong said, including taking notes on key meetings, conducting in-depth policy research, and becoming an overnight expert on subjects ranging from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. Alongside the rest of OSTP, he often worked on implementing executive orders related to AI, ensuring the success of the president’s agenda.
“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect,” Wong said. “OSTP is not a very large team. They are all hands on deck for everything.” Wong said even if he didn’t have experience in the area of policy he was working in, adopting an attitude of wanting to help created room for men
torship.
“You always want to say yes to as many opportunities as you can, especially as an intern, because you never know who you’re going to meet or what you’re going to get to work on,” Wong said.
Wong said his Hillsdale education proved invaluable.
“Hillsdale kids are held to an extremely high standard of writing,” Wong said. “I really saw how much that was helpful, in terms of Hillsdale training us, to be clear at what you’re saying.” Although he missed Hillsdale, Wong said he would hap-
pily return to Washington after graduation, ideally in public service or telecom policy.
For students interested in D.C., Wong advises not to underestimate the importance of the Hillsdale connections.
“When you get down to D.C., when you come across someone from Hillsdale, regardless of who you are on campus, you’re automatically friends,” Wong said. “I think that is one of the reasons Hillsdale kids do so well in D.C., because we look after each other.”
more transactional interactions,” Rapoport said.
Some of his favorite memories included watching Congress debate the “Big Beautiful Bill,” exploring the Capitol with his intern badge, and touring the West Wing.
Though Rapoport said he loved the work at CPI, he realized congressional staffing was not the right fit for him. Still, the experience deepened his interest in politics and left him open to future opportunities in D.C.
Conservative Partnership Institute and Congress
Sophomore Leon Rapoport also spent his summer in Washington, D.C., interning at the Conservative Partnership Institute and in a congressional office. Rapoport’s responsibilities included legislative research and administrative tasks. Despite a sharp learning curve, he eventually settled in to the rest of the summer.
Rapoport said he was surprised how much the political life in D.C. blends into everything. More than anything, he emphasized the value of authenticity.
“I was genuinely interested in what they had to offer, and that built a lot more connections than
“I definitely am much more interested in politics now that I’ve been to D.C., so I feel like one way or another, I’ll return to D.C.,” Rapoport said.
The Wall Street Journal
Senior Thomas McKenna interned at The Wall Street Journal through the Bartley Fellowship, a competitive program named after former opinion editor Robert L. Bartley. McKenna, now editor in chief of The Collegian, said he has been a dedicated reader of the Journal since his parents gifted him a subscription at 15.
With help from John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program, McKenna applied last fall and landed the position.
As an intern, he edited op-eds and columns, fact-checked stories, and occasionally pitched and wrote his own pieces.
“I expected a high level of editing and fact-checking from the Journal,” McKenna said. “Not every publication has a process as rigorous as theirs.”
He was also surprised by the number of young people on staff — though many editors are seasoned veterans, there’s a strong cohort of early-career writers.
One highlight was reporting on New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. McKenna traveled to Queens, interviewed constituents, and practiced onthe-ground reporting. He also attended editorial meetings with some of his favorite writers, getting to see how the newspaper crafts its voice.
McKenna said the best piece of advice he received from his immediate boss was that an article should “start fast and not slow down.” He practiced writing and editing with the philosophy that the reader should stay engaged throughout the article.
McKenna said he lived in student housing in Manhattan’s East Village.
“It’s a very exciting neighborhood to be in if you’re a young person, but it also got a little exhausting to live there because it never slowed down,” McKenna said. “There were people out at 11 p.m. on Tuesday night in my neighborhood.”
He met people from all walks of life, including briefly spotting Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire in an elevator lobby. Still, McKenna said he could see himself moving out of the city after a few years.
McKenna credited his success in New York to his experience with The Collegian and the Dow Journalism Program.
“I’m so grateful to Mr. Miller and Mrs. Servold and all of the Collegian editors who have given me feedback in the past, and made me a better writer and reporter. It’s a real testament to The Collegian and the journalism program that I could work at my favorite publication in American journalism with the writers I read every day, before I left college,” McKenna said.
Quick Hits
Alexandre Winston with
By Daniel Johnson C ollegian R epo R te R
How did you meet your wife?
In line to get our photo IDs on the first day of orientation at Hillsdale.
What advice would you give to your college freshman self?
Give up thinking that the key always lies in complication. Much is complicated, but the key typically lies in the simple.
What are three books every student should read?
“A Brief Reader on the Virtues of the Human Heart” by Joseph Pieper, “Helena” by Evelyn Waugh, “Another Sort of Learning” by James V. Schall.
What’s your favorite quote of all time?
I don’t have an all-time favorite quote, but I’m fond of Pindar: “The days to come are the wisest witnesses.” I repeat it to myself while observing my insane sons.
Camp Hillsdale: high schoolers study advanced science over the summer
By Eleanor DeGoffau
C ollegian R epo R te R
Biology majors at Hillsdale do not learn how to duplicate DNA until well into college — but Emmeline Peltzer, a high school senior from Arizona, spent a week learning upper-level molecular biology at one of Hillsdale College’s summer science camps.
“I was so excited to get to take such a deep dive into specific aspects of biology and really immerse myself in those areas,” Peltzer said. “And that’s exactly the experience that I had at the camp. I got to dive deep into those aspects that I was so interested in.”
Peltzer is one of 64 high schoolers who attended science camp this past summer in one of four disciplines — chemistry and biochemistry, physics, biology, and math. While a typical summer camp experience is filled with greasy sunscreen and cheesy camp songs, Hillsdale College summer science camps are filled with topography problems, textile dye experiments, and electronic kits, all designed to present complex scientific topics to high schoolers in an engaging and educational manner.
According to Professor of Mathematics David Murphy, the director of the science camp program, Hillsdale College established the camps in 1990 as a way to expose high schoolers to college-level science topics and labs, as well as to promote the college’s science programs. According to Murphy, about 11% of high schoolers who attend camp matriculate to Hillsdale as freshmen.
“From the students’ point of view, the purpose is to give them a good hands-on experience of doing real science and mathematics that is not just part of the standard K-12 curriculum, and to give them a chance to really see what is it like to do science or to engage with science in a meaningful way and to do it
with like-minded students who are also interested in sciences,” Murphy said.
These camps are a staple of Hillsdale College’s academic programs and have run every year since 1990, except for the summers of 2020 and 2021.
According to Peltzer, one of her favorite aspects of the camp was how the time was structured.
“It’s definitely for students who are desiring a rich, edifying, immersive camp, where there’s no downtime, and you’re there to learn, and you’re there to learn from professors who expect you to take things seriously as well,” Peltzer said.
A typical day at summer camp includes morning lecture, lunch, afternoon lecture, free time, and an evening lecture or review period.
According to Peltzer, the camp gave her the chance to explore biology-focused topics like
DNA much more deeply and creatively than she would in her high school classes.
“It was a whole camp about DNA and photosynthesis, which I was very excited about, because it’s sad how in some of my courses, it’s like, ‘No, we’re ending this way too early. I could spend three more weeks on this one topic,’” Peltzer said.
The summer camps are fun for more than students alone — the camps give professors the opportunity to be creative with how they teach the subjects they are passionate about.
Chairman and Associate Professor of Mathematics David Gaebler, who taught the math camp, said he aims to get high schoolers exposed to the big ideas of mathematics without the formal structure.
“We’re able to find a pretty accessible route into things that you might not learn in college until
your junior year,” Gaebler said.
Because it is a summer camp and not a college class, the professors have more freedom to follow the rabbit trails of students’ curiosity. Gaebler said he uses more playful methods of teaching during camp.
“The experience of camp is even more playful than the Hillsdale College classroom, if you can believe it,” Gaebler said. “We spent a fair bit of time just with games and puzzles. I brought in a bunch of Rubik’s Cubes, and some of them were messing with them.”
Without the pressure of exams and getting through material, Gaebler said he enjoys teaching a group of enthusiastic students in a more free style.
“It’s something that I don’t get to experience really anywhere else, except research projects and things like that,” Gaebler said.
The summer camp is also an
opportunity for Hillsdale College students to share their passion for their subject with high schoolers as teaching assistants and resident assistants during the camps.
The dual role involves leading evening recitation sections and assisting with labs in the classrooms, as well as organizing activities and enforcing rules in the dorms.
Junior Benjamin Bassett was a TA and RA during the physics camp and said the experience helped him understand the subject at a deeper level.
“It’s really a different experience for physics to approach it from the perspective of a high schooler, instead of a college student,” Bassett said. “I feel like it helped me understand things on a deeper level.”
Bassett said he loved how enthusiastic the high schoolers were for physics.
“Some of them were very
familiar with physics and had taken calculus and some physics courses before,” Bassett said.
“And maybe half of them knew almost nothing about physics, which was awesome, because they were seeing all these things for the first time. They would discover this new concept and get really excited about it. It was really cool to talk to them about the ideas they found interesting.”
One of those high schoolers was current sophomore Brandon Meeks, who attended the biochemistry camp the summer before his junior year of high school. Meeks said the camp helped him feel confident about Hillsdale’s science programs.
“Even though the science department exists, it is a little glossed over when Hillsdale is presenting itself to the world,” Meeks said. “So the science camp was an opportunity for me to see more of the science and the professors here.” Meeks said the camp pushed him to take organic chemistry in high school, which eventually prepared him to take the subject at college.
“The camp definitely helped me do better in organic chemistry. It was quite helpful for that. I felt like I had a very solid basic understanding of the language because of the camp,” Meeks said. After attending the camp, Peltzer said she gained a better understanding of Hillsdale College and how it approaches education.
“The camp was able to simulate the experience of the Hillsdale student better than any of those prospective student experiences, because — although I’ve met with Hillsdale faculty on business before — having to be in a classroom environment with other students, understanding the professor’s lecture styles just really gave a taste into life as a Hillsdale student better than just a regular prospective student visit ever could have,” Peltzer said.
High school campers, professors, and teaching assistants from Hillsdale College’s summer science camp pose in front of Central Hall. Courtesy | David Murphy
Senior Luke Wong stands in front of Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington D.C.
Courtesy | Luke Wong
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy Alexandre Winston and his wife, Elizabeth, smile for the camera with their three sons. Courtesy | Alexandre Winston
Freshman takes the scenic route to Hillsdale
James Burkett pedaled more than 300 miles with his father from Pennsylvania to Michigan
By Caroline Kurt o pinions E ditor
Some students drive to Hillsdale College. Others take a plane. Freshman James Burkett rode his bike.
Burkett and his father, Peter, biked more than 300 miles from their home in Pennsylvania to Hillsdale in three days: the longest ride either of them had undertaken before. Peter was a seasoned cyclist, but James bought a bike only this summer.
“I was a runner in high school, but I didn’t enjoy it that much,” James Burkett said. “Then I graduated high school, and I wanted something different.” Neither father nor son remembers how the idea of cycling to Hillsdale came about, but soon both took it up as a challenge.
“James was looking for some kind of adventure before leaving for school,” Peter Burkett said. “It was going to be a challenge. There are no guarantees, by any means. But it wasn’t something ridiculous, like ‘I want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro before I go to college.’ That’s not gonna happen.”
Not only was the trip doable, it felt appropriate to the moment.
“This is in a lot of ways a metaphor for college,” Peter Burkett said. “You’re going through a long tunnel of thought and emotion to try to get to your destination and see what you’re made of. The more I thought about it, the more I liked it.”
So the Burketts bought a used bike for James and started training. The family lives in Meadville, which is in northwest Pennsylvania, 40 miles south of Lake Erie.
“I rode back from Lake Erie a couple of times. We rode to our cousin’s house, which was 40 miles. We rode to my dad’s friend’s house, which was 80 miles,” James Burkett said.
By Lauren Bixler AssistAnt Editor
Having moved from the rolling hills of Connecticut to her roach-infested Texan abode, Assistant Professor of English Leta Sundet now finds herself in the middle-of-nowhere, Michigan, sharing in the Great Books tradition with eager Hillsdale College students.
This semester, Sundet is teaching two sections of Great Books in the British and American Tradition, as well as an upper-level Restoration and Romantic British literature course. Sundet said she is already very impressed with the students as observed through one class thus far.
“I was immediately astonished in my first class that no one was wearing pajamas,” Sundet said.
Overall, Sundet said the energy was high.
“There’s an exchange of energy,” Sundet said. “When you have a dead class and you’re giving all the energy, it can be very exhausting. But as soon as you have even just a few people who are giving it back, exciting things can happen.”
After doing graduate work at the University of Dallas and
The first day of the trip, the Burketts rode 71 miles in five hours and 34 minutes. They stopped only a couple of times before staying the night at a family friend’s house. The second day, they rode into Cleveland, Ohio, visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Later that day, James hit an important distance benchmark in cycling.
“When we got to 100 miles, that was my first ‘century’ ride ever,’” Burkett said. “We stopped and got ice cream.”
Outside of Cleveland, their route changed from small highways to bike trails, which Burkett said felt safer.
“The bike trails allowed us to not worry about traffic,” Burkett said. “You can look ahead. You don’t have to constantly worry about the people behind you or next to you.”
On their second night, they stopped at an inn in Ohio close to the North Coast Inland Trail,
earning her doctorate, Sundet taught for a couple years in Houston before becoming faculty at Hillsdale. Her position, however, is earned through hours of intense interviews, teaching a class, and giving a research presentation. Dean of Faculty Thomas Treloar said this process for all new faculty helps discern if they will acclimate to the mission and pace of life at Hillsdale.
“What I’m looking for is, do they understand what kind of institution they’re coming to?
Do they understand what we’re trying to do here at Hillsdale College?” Treloar said.
Chair and Professor of English Justin Jackson affirmed that a point of focus in the hiring process is Hillsdale’s status as a teaching institution.
“Any Ph.D. can research — that’s just what you’re trained to do — but not every Ph.D. can teach. And we’re a teaching school, so if you can’t teach, you’ll be fired quickly,” Jackson said. “So students should know, if you have someone in your classroom, that person is going to be able to teach.”
Jackson spoke highly of Sundet’s ability to work in tandem with Hillsdale’s mission and educational model.
“She got her Ph.D. at Dallas, and the reason why that’s
having biked 195 miles in total. The Burketts woke up for their third and final day of cycling knowing they would have to reach Hillsdale by the evening — 111 miles left, about an 8-hour journey. Outside of Toledo, Ohio, the bikers ran into a strong headwind, slowing their progress. They took turns riding right behind one another, so only the rider in front would feel the full effects of the wind.
“It was really just demoralizing,” Burkett said, describing it as the hardest part of the trip. “I was getting pretty tired by that point. My dad definitely has more endurance.”
According to Burkett’s smart watch, he was burning around 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day — comparable to what a marathon runner would burn on a race day. Unlike a marathon runner, Burkett did not wear special shoes.
“I actually rode in these boots,” Burkett said, pointing to
the pair of Blundstone Chelsea boots he wore. “My dad had riding shoes, but I didn’t. They cost like $200.”
During the ride, Burkett said he listened to a rotation of his favorite podcasts, including “The Pillar Podcast.” For his part, Peter Burkett said he enjoyed often riding in silence.
“For the most part, we were in our own little worlds, which is what I wanted,” Peter Burkett said.
first, they were passed by the people who made the whole trip possible: James’s older sister Rue, who drove James’s college belongings and their younger siblings to Hillsdale.
“The same day that they were going to do their last leg, our drive was only about four and a half hours,” Rue Burkett said. “So we slept in and made
where they met their relatives, Professor of Philosophy and Religion Nathan Schlueter and his wife Elizabeth.
“It really helped to have the Schlueters as our destination,” Peter Burkett said. “Elizabeth had dinner ready for us, and they looked after us for a couple of days.”
“Worst comes to worst, I can just ride the 300 miles back.”
“James has got a lot of ideas. He’s always thinking about something, so sometimes it’s kind of nice to actually ride separately, so you don’t have to hear about more questions or problems. And I wanted him to have time to process all this on his own.”
By the end of the third day of the trip, the Burketts were drawing close to Hillsdale. But
sure all of James’s stuff was in the car.”
With the help of her younger sister Stella, Rue planned a drive-by. The siblings stopped in a parking lot and met Peter and James with Gatorade and cookies. Later that Saturday, all five Burketts made it safely into Hillsdale — Peter and James several hours after the car —
Peter joined Rue and company for the trip back to Pennsylvania, though he says he wished he could have done otherwise.
“I was ready to turn around and bike home, really,” Peter Burkett said. “If I had the time off of work, that’s what I would have done.”
His sister traces James’s determination to his early high school days in cross country, when he committed to a sport he at first hated.
“James is the type of person who, if he’s going to do something, he’s not just going to do it halfway,” Rue Burkett said. “He ran hard. He didn’t just jog because someone said he had to. And then he grew into it.”
Reflecting on the trip, James said he appreciates the new freedom he has. Knowing he can handle long rides opens up the possibility of other cycling trips in the future, including day trips to his cousins’ house next summer.
“Cycling is something my dad really likes, and I was super glad we got to do it together,” James Burkett said. “I actually really enjoyed it.”
The cycling trip, Burkett said, puts freshman year in perspective.
“When I got here, I did think it wouldn’t be as hard as I’d thought,” Burkett said. “Worst comes to worst, I can just ride the 300 miles back.”
important for her working here is that Dallas is also a Great Books school. So she’s gonna step in here, and it’s going to be second nature,” Jackson said. Sundet’s specialty as researched in her dissertation
is the element of surprise in writing, explored through Jane Austen, Flannery O’Connor, and Isak Dinesen.
“Surprise is sort of an element of plot, but where does it kind of go beyond just a plot
element — the surprise, the turn, the jump scare, into what I call deep surprise, where fundamental assumptions get overturned for the characters,” Sundet said.
As with many students on campus, Sundet shares a love of reading and a love of Jane Austen’s works.
“I didn’t really love any of Austen’s novels until I read ‘Mansfield Park’ in college, and it was my gateway,” Sundet said. “I think everyone has a gateway Austen — that’s my theory — you just need to read the right one, and then you’ll love Austen.”
For those who may be averse to Austen as an over-romanticized and over-hyped author, Sundet said even the formal scholarship of Austen can play into that stereotype — the Jane Austen Society of North America academic conference ends in a ball, after all. Yet Sundet said there is more of Austen to be explored and taken seriously.
“There’s kind of an illusion that because her novels are so easy to love, and in a way so accessible, there’s not an awful lot to say,” Sundet said. “And I think, yeah, you do enjoy them, but I also think there is a lot to say and dig into.” Sundet said she is eager to
become part of the community and explore the unique gems of Hillsdale county, such as visiting farmer stands, the Most Popular Fair on Earth Since 1851, and Amish donuts.
“The Amish donuts — I’ve heard from friends that the donuts are out of this world,” Sundet said. “I will track them down.”
In the meantime, you may find her reading Jane Austen in her office, teaching a Great Books class, or perhaps debating students on the intricacies of movies.
“I hate to say I’m a film buff, because then it sounds like I watch Citizen Kane or something, but I just enjoy movies, and I really like fighting about movies with people,” Sundet said. Her journey here, although rigorous through a faculty vetting process, was well-earned, according to Jackson.
“For me it was a no brainer, because she’s tough,” Jackson said. “You don’t expect it because she’s small, and she’s quiet, and she teaches Jane Austen, for the love of God. Like those three things for me, mean, ‘Oh, you’ll be crushed’ — but no way. She’s very tough, so I’m looking forward to seeing how students respond.”
James Burkett hits 100 miles for the first time and makes a celebratory ice cream stop.
Courtesy | Peter Burkett
James Burkett poses with his bike at the end of the trip in front of Professor Nathan Schleuter’s house. Courtesy | Peter Burkett
James Burkett traverses the countryside on two wheels. Courtesy | Peter Burkett
‘She teaches Jane Austen, for the love of God’: Sundet joins English department
Sundet smiles with her two-year-old niece, Simone. Courtesy | Leta Sundet
