Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
Vol. 142 Issue 16 - January 31, 2019
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The college canceled Wednesday classes and Thursday morning classes, the first closures since 2011. Left to right: junior Frances Wiese, sophomore Jonathan Bauman, junior Emma Peters. Christian Yiu | Collegian
College cancels classes for subzero temperatures By | Jordyn Pair Associate Editor Hillsdale College canceled Wednesday’s classes schoolwide due to weather, though campus offices remained open. At the time of print, the administration had also canceled Thursday classes until 1 p.m. Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn warned students to bundle up in an automated phone call made to students canceling Thursday morning classes. “The morning classes are canceled, except for the young
man who was running across the campus in shorts and a T-shirt, whose identity we are seeking,” Arnn said on the message. “He is to report to my office properly clothed.” This is the third time classes have been canceled since 1994.The last cancellations were in 2011, according to Public Service Librarian Linda Moore, once for snow and once for ice. Since the blizzard of 1978, the college has called off classes five times. The high in Hillsdale on Wednesday was minus 13 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
“This is the first cancellation that I know of purely because of temperatures,” said Provost David Whalen in an email to the Collegian. “The last cancellation was, I believe, due to ice and this occurred several years ago.” Cancellations were first discussed on Monday morning, Whalen said. The dining hall was open for meals, according to a campus-wide email from Arnn. “We imagine that students will still go outside — for example, to the dining hall to eat — and we caution them to bundle up and cover every
patch of skin on their bodies,” Arnn said. “If you do not have warm clothes, plan to purchase some. This is Michigan.” Whalen said the campus buildings will still be open, as well. “Except for classes, it will be business as usual,” he said. Brock Lutz, director of Health Services, said in a campus-wide email that the Health and Wellness Center would be open for regular operations until noon. Hillsdale college rarely cancels classes. Moore said she has seen reports that said 1978 was “the
first time in 40 years classes had been canceled.” “When the college was smaller, sometimes classes would be dismissed for a variety of reasons, one being the death of someone connected to the college, but that hasn’t happened in a very long time,” she said. Some sports teams also had practice, including the baseball team and swim team, according to their captains. Students’ reactions to the cancellations have been mixed. “My plans are to observe my less prudent peers devel-
op frostbite as they celebrate the cancellation of classes by galavanting around in the weather they were complaining about five seconds earlier,” said sophomore Asa Hoffman in a Twitter message. But others have different plans. “Plans for tomorrow include a box of wine, cleaning up the house, catching up on freelance design work, watching movies, and reading for English,” senior Zane Miller said in a Twitter message. “Call me boring.”
Men’s Basketball
Chargers win sixth straight, remain tied for first place By | Calli Townsend Assistant Editor Since the New Year, the Hillsdale College Chargers have won the last six of seven games, and joined Findlay in the No. 1 spot in the G-MAC rankings. Last weekend’s wins on the road against Kentucky Wesleyan University and Trevecca Nazarene University put the Chargers at 14-5 overall, 10-2 in the G-MAC. “We set really high expectations for ourselves this year,” junior guard Dylan Lowry said. “The year didn’t really start out as expected. We had some unexpected injuries. This isn’t like a surprise or anything, but we aren’t satisfied where we’re at right now.” The Chargers took an early command of the game against Kentucky Wesleyan, leading by 11 at the half. With just under 10 minutes to go in regulation, the Panthers crept within four points, 35-31. But after a 17-4 scoring run for the Chargers in the next six minutes, they sealed their victory. Despite the Panthers attempted comeback, Hillsdale prevailed, 57-47. Lowry led the Chargers in scoring with 14 points, and he had four rebounds. Senior forward Gordon Behr snagged seven rebounds while adding an assist and a steal. Hillsdale put up higher numbers in every statistical category against Kentucky Wesleyan, including turnovers, however, the Chargers
were more efficient as they scored 16 points off the Panthers’ 12 turnovers. “It’s always tough to play on the road, especially when it’s such a long trip,” senior guard Nate Neveau said. “I think we realized to beat any team we have to play well. We aren’t a team that can just show up and win. I was pretty happy with the overall mindset we had going into the game.” Against the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans, the Chargers played an aggressive first half, putting themselves up by 10 points in the first five minutes. By halftime they led 34-22. With six minutes to go, the Trojans only trailed by seven points. Lowry sank an three-pointer and on the next possession, he added another point at the free throw line to put the Chargers ahead by 10. In the last 30 seconds of the game, junior guard Connor Hill went 4-4 from the free throw line. The Chargers won 79-56. Head coach John Tharp credits both of last week’s wins to his team’s defense. “The week of, we talked about them being really disciplined with our game plan: paying attention to details and being as tough as we possibly can,” Tharp said. “With a long road trip, we thought those were the things that were incredibly important. From an X and O standpoint, we thought the only way those two teams would be able to beat us was if they made a lot
of threes. We did an excellent job of guarding around the arc.” Senior guard Harrison Niego and sophomore forward Davis Larson scored 20 and 13, respectively. Senior center Nick Czarnowski not only scored 11 points, but had seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal for a well-rounded performance. His 71 shot percentage was the highest of the season. Hillsdale will host its next two games. Tonight the Chargers will take on the Tiffin University Dragons (7-13, 3-9 G-MAC) at 7:30 p.m. Then on Saturday at 3 p.m. the Chargers play the Cedarville University Yellowjackets (128, 9-3 G-MAC). “I think we’re really starting to get to a point where we have all our pieces -- most of our pieces,” Neveau said. “We’re starting to learn how to play together and that gives us confidence because we know we’re getting better. But we know they’re a good team and we’ll have to play well to beat them.” Cedarville is ranked third in the conference standings. Hillsdale beat Cedarville on Nov. 29, but Cedarville beat Findlay who is currently tied for first with the Chargers. “We’re just trying our hardest to take it one game at a time right now, not looking past any one team,” Lowry said. “We’ve seen that anyone can beat anyone. We’re confident, but not overconfident.”
Michigan GOP pushes for auto insurance reform By | Julie Havlak Collegian Reporter Slashing Michigan’s auto insurance costs is the first priority for state Republican legislators this session. When Republicans introduced Senate Bill 1 on Jan. 15, they promised Follow @HDaleCollegian
“long-overdue reforms,” including crackdowns on medical fraud, changes to personal injury protection, and potential modifications to Michigan’s no-fault system, said Sen. Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), the bill’s primary sponsor and a 2001 Hillsdale grad.
“Michigan drivers are sick and tired of paying the highest auto insurance rates in the country,” Nesbitt said. “It’s time we modernized the system, reduced fraud and costs, and provided better options for consumers.” For the last five years,
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Former WCSR radio legend Tony Flynn spent six years broadcasting Green Bay Packer games. Erica Flynn | Courtesy
From Green Bay to Hillsdale Legacy of local radio legend Tony Flynn lives on By | Brooke Conrad Features Editor
“Iiiiiiiiittt’s Charger time!” The familiar voice of WCSR’s long-time broadcast icon Tony Flynn trumpeted over the airwaves. Before the start of every football game, Flynn was up in the college press box preparing for another fastpaced segment of play-by-play Hillsdale College Charger coverage. “He would be up in the press box, and he’d stand up before the national anthem, stretch his arms out and say, ‘Look out here at this beautiful day and how lucky we are
to watch these student athletes play football,’” former Hillsdale College Athletic Director Mike Kovalchik recalled. “Regardless of whether we won or lost, he always complimented both sides, and at the end of the game he would give an Irish blessing.” Flynn passed away on Jan. 21 at 92 years old, due to complications following a stroke at the home of his son and daughter-in-law Tony Jr. and Erica Flynn, about 20 miles from the city of Hillsdale. But Flynn’s legacy of dedicated community service lives on. People in Hillsdale County remember him not only for his many years on WCSR
radio but also for his participation in many volunteer service projects with Hillsdale Hospital, United Way, Kiwanis, and the Exchange Club. In 1999, as a tribute to his 38 years of Charger football game broadcasts, Hillsdale College inducted him into its Athletic Hall of Fame. Flynn’s broadcast career didn’t start in Hillsdale, however. His first radio job was an announcing position with WDBC, Escanaba, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where he remained through high school.
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Pancakes on pause as Palace closes By | Nicole Ault Editor-in-chief The Palace Cafe is closing its doors indefinitely on Thursday at 2 p.m., according to business owner Leslie Meredith. A Monday-morning Facebook post announcing the closure sparked dismayed responses from the landmark diner’s patrons. Larry Houck, who owns the cafe’s equipment and its portion of the Howell Street building, said the business is closing and that an interested buyer is in the process of taking out a loan to purchase the building and equipment. If the loan goes through, the buyer may open a business much like the current cafe in the coming weeks.
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Meredith, who bought the business in 2011 after managing it for three years, said health problems and family hardships have made it difficult for her to keep running the restaurant. And while she’s kept prices the same for five years, wages and food costs have gone up, she said. “It’s time for me to pass it on to someone who really has the energy for it,” Meredith said. The Palace suffered a rocky year, losing staff and cutting out a weekend-night shift that was popular for college students last spring, Meredith said. The cafe currently has seven employees, she said. For Hillsdale residents, the cafe’s closure is the loss
of a landmark. According to the Hillsdale County Historical Society website, the building that houses The Palace was constructed in 1863. For a time, it was the Palace of Sweets — advertising homemade ice cream and candies in 1917 and “the best toasted sandwiches” in the 1930s — and then the Palace Cafe, with a brief interlude as The Whistle Stop during the early 2000s. Crystal Elliott, who’s lived in Hillsdale her whole life, said she used to ride her bicycle to meet her mother for lunch at the Palace as a kid some 45 years ago.
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