Collegian 12.1.2022

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Academy of Science and Freedom principles attract more than 6,000 signatures

By Annabel Peltzer

Freelancer

Collegian

Hillsdale’s Academy for Science and Freedom

collected more than 6,000 signatures for their “Ten Ethical Principles of Public Health” after the release of one promotional email in October.

The academy established the principles to reform public health policies following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“By putting this document out there for the long term future, more people will sign it,” said Dr. Martin Kulldorff, one of the ASF’s founding fellows. “The more people who accept these principles and discuss them, the harder it will be for future politicians and public health officials to violate them.”

Fewer than 400 people signed the principles after founding fellows Kulldorff and doctors Scott Atlas and Jay Bhattacharya released them on Aug. 23. After sending one promotional email to Hillsdale donors in October, the number of signatures skyrocketed, according to Amanda Kitchen, ASF’s organizational developmental lead.

Kitchen said traditionally accepted standards between science and ethics became blurred during the pandemic.

“Ten Ethical Principles of Public Health is not a revolutionary document,”

Kitchen said. “These are previously fundamental tenets of public health that were widely accepted before the pandemic — and in early 2020, they suddenly became verboten.”

Kitchen said the high rate of signatures shows Americans are relieved to see ASF attempting to right the wrongs of COVID-19.

“I think many are relieved to see ASF attempting to right this wrong and restore integrity to the practice of public health,” she said, “and they want to add their voice to the growing chorus of supporters.”

Sarah Grablick, the college’s director of digital communication and promotion, said the academy strives to bring awareness to the public’s distrust of healthcare policies.

“We thought the Ethical Principles were an important statement that had been made not only by the fellows, but by all the other health care folks who wrote it with them,” Grablick said.

The principles are giving the public the tools to face future health crises, according to Kitchen.

“People's lives have been directly affected by unethical public health policies,” Kitchen said. “The public has done their homework, is bringing knowledge to the table, and is hungry for action, which was evident in the response.”

Bishop Robert Barron to give 2023 commencement address

By Thomas McKenna Collegian Freelancer

Bishop Robert Barron will be the commencement speaker for the class of 2023, according to an email announcement from Provost Christopher VanOrman’s office Wednesday.

“Hillsdale is a Christian college, nonsectarian since its founding,” College President Larry Arnn said. “It holds firmly to the Christian teachings of time immemorial. Bishop Bar-

ron is a great teacher and defender of those truths. It is an honor and blessing to have him.”

Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and the Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota. Word on Fire seeks to use new forms of media to share the gospel and draw people to the Catholic faith, according to its website.

Senior Class President Andrew Davidson said a survey of the senior class

revealed they wanted a religious figure, and Barron was a popular choice. He said he and the other senior class officers recommended Barron to the college administration.

“Bishop Barron has an extraordinarily broad reach and effective ministry,” Davidson said. “You see that with the success of his podcasts. I expect that he will deliver a fantastic speech, one that focuses on what Christians have in common and not just on Catholicism

specifically. I'm not Catholic, but I'm excited to hear what he has to say.”

Barron rose to prominence through his YouTube videos commenting on popular culture, books, and movies, as well as theological issues. Since then, his YouTube channel has gained more than half-a-million subscribers, and his Facebook page has amassed more than three million followers.

See Barron A2

College community prefers DeSantis to Trump, survey shows

By Meghan Schultz Features Editor

Almost 60% of Hillsdale faculty, staff, and students said they favor Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination, according to a Collegian survey of 166 people. Of those surveyed, only a quarter said they would choose Trump.

Courtesy | Design Collaborative

College to open new video studio

By Josh Newhook Digital Editor

Hillsdale College plans

to construct a new video studio beginning next year, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.

The studio will be built on the corner of Fayette and Union streets in part of the parking lot next to the Stanton Building for Classical Education and the Founders Gym.

The plans for the studio include additional space for teaching online courses and will serve as a lab for documentary filmmaking classes, according to Director of Visual Media Mark Waters. This is the first phase of a larger project. It will also include the construction of a connected building that will house marketing and media offices.

“This new studio will be critical to expanding our educational outreach, and several generous donors

have already stepped up with lead gifts for the fundraising for this building,” Vice President of Marketing Bill Gray said.

Péwé said Chair of the Board of Trustees Pat Sajak gave the lead donor gift of $2.4 million — presently valued at $1.9 million. An anonymous donor gave a $1 million matching gift, leaving about $800,000 left to raise. The donations will cover the studio and mezzanine loft.

The first step of the project is to submit an order for the “studio box,” a high-ceiling, heavily insulated concrete structure where the video team can film without interruptions, according to Péwé.

“The plan is to build a big-box studio where we can do classes and forum-style videos,” Péwé said.

Péwé said the college hopes to settle funding and

order the concrete prefabrication for the project in the spring.

Currently, the visual media team uses the small studio in the basement of the Knorr Student Center for filming, Waters said.

"It's limited in the amount of content you can put out because you have to change the space every time,” Waters said. “It takes a couple of days to recreate another set so that we can do something different there next.”

Trump announced his third presidential campaign from his home in Palm Beach, Florida on Nov. 15.

“There’s never been anything like it, this great movement of ours,” Trump said. “America’s comeback starts right now.”

Another 18% of those surveyed said they would prefer another candidate

over Trump or DeSantis.

More than half of Hillsdale students, faculty, and staff surveyed said they would not support a presidential run from Trump in 2024.

The remaining half was split between a positive reaction to his campaign and a “maybe” response to supporting Trump’s third run.

DeSantis has not announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. Regarding his potential presidential run, 23% of respondents replied that they would not support it, and 25% answered maybe.

The survey, included in the Student Activities Office biweekly newsletter, received a total of 166 anonymous

responses. It first appeared in the newsletter on Nov. 17, and results were collected through Nov. 30.

Senior John Paul Schlueter said he plans to support Trump in 2024.

“DeSantis was largely ineffective when he was a congressman, and while I have hopes for a future DeSantis ticket, I believe Trump is the man for the job in 2024,” Schlueter said.

Schlueter said Trump’s name is polarizing.

“Republicans have failed to communicate their ideology convincingly, in part because the GOP does not speak as strongly about issues as the Democrats,” Schlueter said.

Hillsdale remembers Javier Barrios

By Micah Hart Collegian Reporter

between the two,” former Spanish Professor Sandra Puvogel said.

Gray said the Old Snack Bar is directly above the current studio, which makes recording difficult.

“I can remember filming an online course and having to run upstairs to halt a swing club practice because the sound of the students’ heels was being captured on the audio for the course,” Gray said.

Former Hillsdale College Spanish lecturer Javier Barrios died at his Ypsilanti, Michigan home on Nov. 4 at the age of 53. According to the Stark Funeral Professionals, Barrios is survived by his sister, two nieces, and his three dogs.

Even on his deathbed, the former lecturer continued to pursue knowledge. Barrios decided to delve into the nearly 700 page novel “Middlemarch,” according to former Spanish Professor Carmen Wyatt-Hayes.

could know the ending. Barrios’ love for learning and compassion for people intersected at a correctional facility, where he taught Spanish to inmates.

Barrios loved to learn, whether it be Spanish, literature, or history.

“We often commented upon how he would start out a sentence in Spanish and end it in English and hardly even know he was going

“It was this quest for knowledge and for the joy that comes in literature that was just always part of him,” Wyatt-Hayes said.

“He really enjoyed participating in a process that might give someone a second chance,” Spanish lecturer Amanda Stechschulte said. Barrios’ care and compassion for others extended outside of the classroom. He would take more of a workload at times just to help a colleague in need, according to Wyatt-Hayes. See Media

Wyatt-Hayes said Barrios knew he would not finish the novel. His curiosity overcame him, and he decided to watch an adaptation so he

A mockup portrays the new video studio and office space extension at the corner of Union and Fayette streets.

Bishop Robert Barron speaks at a session of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, Philippines on Jan. 26.

Courtesy | Katarzyna Artymiak

Praxis speaker advocates for wolves

By Anna MacPhee Collegian Freelancer

Reintroducing wolves into American forests could decrease property damage, disease, and even car accidents, said Dominic Parker in a Praxis lecture on Nov. 17.

“Wolves have been enemy No. 1 for civilizations for a long time,” said Parker, who is an applied economics professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“But some of the research I’ve been working on shows wolves have a lot of economic benefits and can save human lives.”

According to Parker, wolves could economically benefit American counties by decreasing the deer population.

“Deer damage crops and landscaping,” Parker said. “They are also possibly involved in the spread of Lyme disease through deer ticks and chronic wasting disease. And they’re one party of deer-vehicle collisions, which do a lot of damage to the vehicle and cause human injuries and fatalities.”

In counties where

wolves were reintroduced, animal-vehicle collisions decreased by about 25%, according to Parker.

Parker said wolves could reduce these costs not only by hunting deer but by causing changes to deer behavior.

“Wolves try to minimize the costs of travel, so they travel on the flatter features, such as streambeds, gullies, and roads,” Parker said. “One possibility is that deer learn to stay away from those areas when wolves are around.”

Charles Steele, associate professor of economics and faculty adviser to Praxis, said he appreciated Parker’s research on the indirect economic effects of reintroducing wolves.

“As far as I know, no one has ever asked this question before, about these other effects of wolf reintroduction,” Steele said.

Junior and Vice resident of Praxis Alec Stamm said he appreciated the economic approach to understanding wolf reintegration projects.

“Having an economic perspective on something you would consider a biological or scientific issue is very

helpful because econ teaches you how to think through those policies,” Stamm said.

According to Parker, wolf reintroduction remains a very controversial issue because those who benefit from wolves do not always pay the costs. Farmers whose livestock are killed absorb the costs of wolves, Parker said.

A conservation group called Defenders of Wildlife are addressing this issue, Parker said. The group set up a program to compensate farmers for any livestock killed by wolves.

“If farmers have losses due to wolves, but you pay them, they’re more willing to put up with the wolves,” Parker said.

Despite potential setbacks to wolf reintroduction, Parker said it is a policy worth considering.

“If wolves recovered over the historic range, which I’m not sure we would want them to, the savings would be $3.1 million per year, and there would be about 9,000 fewer human injuries and 60 fewer deaths due to car accidents,” Parker said.

Club studies campus' connectedness

By Alexandra Comus Collegian Freelancer

Every student on campus is one degree removed from College President Larry Arnn, according to the Applied Math Club.

The Applied Math club’s newest project, Degrees of Arnn, seeks to determine how connected Hillsdale’s campus is. This project was modeled after the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” law.

The project started when senior Daniel Brand speculated that because Hillsdale was so small, if he did not know a person, one of his friends would.

Members of the club hypothesized that any individual on campus could be connected to any other by one mutual friend.

“About a month ago, we began to elaborate on certain questions to test this,” senior Jack Graham said. “For example, how do you

Survey from A1

“The GOP has low moral standing following COVID, and it remains in an identity crisis over Trump.”

Junior Avery Noel, co-president of College Democrats, said the 2022 midterm results revealed many Americans will not support Trump again, but he also believes the former president still holds strong

tell if you know someone or not? How connected are two people through others on campus?” Graham asked.

The project’s results have been interesting so far, according to junior Lydia Hilton.

“We ran our first stage at a table in the student union,” Hilton said. “We had random people come up to us, and we would randomly generate 15 students from the school directory. Then, we had people go through and see how many people they could identify from the list by both name and face.”

Graham said one of the main challenges of the study has been acquiring reliable information.

“Getting the data has been the hardest part,” Graham said. “We have lots of ideas about what kinds of data we would like to get and what we would like to do with it once we have it.”

Participants in the De-

support within the Republican Party.

“Many Republicans have expressed that they will only vote for Trump or someone endorsed by him,” Noel said.

“With that in mind, I believe he will be the Republican nominee for 2024 over Ron DeSantis but that he will lose to President Biden.”

President of College Republicans and senior Dan Harmon said he prefers De-

Founding Fest returns Saturday

By Elizabeth Crawford Collegian Reporter

Founding Fest will return to the quad on Saturday, Dec. 3 to celebrate Hillsdale’s mission and founding.

Photo booths, free mugs, and hot chocolate will be available to students from 5-9 pm, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Braden VanDyke said. Alpacas will also join the celebration on the quad.

grees of Arnn project look at pictures and names of 15 random Hillsdale students and identify those they know. Then, the math club runs the results through an algorithm that constructs a path from person to person, connecting friend groups and individuals on a visual map.

“Once we run that, we will be able to look at the matrix and find things like the highest degree, the lowest degree, and the most common degree of separation,” senior Emily Balsbaugh said.

Balsbaugh said the project has shown her Hillsdale is less interconnected than she thought.

“As a senior, one begins to feel that they know everyone on campus,” she said. “Getting random students in the directory and realizing that you don’t know who they are makes campus feel a lot bigger.”

Santis as the 2024 Republican candidate.

“Right now Trump is not popular in College Republican circles across the state, and it seems that they are rallying around DeSantis,” Harmon said. “It remains to be seen if DeSantis will run, but I certainly think he can win in a primary. It’s still very early, so we’ll see.”

In previous years, the handlers have allowed students to pet the alpacas, according to VanDyke.

“They are coming from Lowry’s Little Flock Farm, a local area hobby farm that sells winter clothing products like mittens, socks, hats, etc.,” VanDyke said. “They are a favorite of ours,

a very kind family business that we love to work with year after year.”

All the events at Founding Fest seek to bolster community amongst students, faculty, and alumni, VanDyke said.

“Founding Fest engages and draws together the entire college community in what is quickly becoming a favorite amongst the students, faculty, and staff,” VanDyke said.

VanDyke said he is the primary coordinator of the event, as he books vendors, sets up catering menus, communicates between departments, and shops for decorations.

“I enjoy working with people that come from all different walks of campus that bring a variety of

perspectives and ideas to the table,” said senior and 1844 Society Vice President of Marketing Jack Hammons. “I love the comradery of Founding Fest. The aesthetic and the environment is very nice between the fire pits, the hot chocolate, and the alpacas.”

Junior and Vice President of Social Media Grace Gottwalt said she enjoys the teamwork and the planning which goes into the event.

“My favorite part about organizing the event has been seeing everything come together,” Gottwalt said. “From a memory of last year’s Founding Fest and Philanthropy Week to deciding what new things to bring and fan favorites to keep for an anticipated great evening on the quad.”

Sophomore clears bat from library

By Logan Washburn City News Editor

A bat interrupted students in the library on Tuesday night.

The animal flew into Mossey Library’s Heritage Room just after 8 p.m. It took several laps around the room until several men ushered the bat through the doorway.

“I was working, and then, all of a sudden, I hear screaming and I turn around,” said senior Abigail Yi, who was working at the reference desk. “I was like, ‘There shouldn’t

Barron created and hosted “Catholicism,” an award-winning documentary series that appeared on PBS in 2011. He has taught as a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas and is a bestselling author on theology and spiritual life.

Associate Professor of English Dwight Lindley said he is excited to have Barron speak.

“He is one of the most intelligent Christian public intellectuals we have right now,” Lindley said. “He’s a well-spoken man and knows what is actually important in a collegiate valedictory address: to

be screaming coming from the Heritage Room.’ And then several people run out, and then the bat flies out.”

When the bat left the Heritage Room, it landed behind the reference desk on the wall above the printers, Yi said. At that point, Yi went to Library Director Maurine McCourry, who called security.

Before security could arrive, however, sophomore Jude Doer stepped in to remove the animal.

“I’ve seen videos of people catching things,” Doer

quote great poets and philosophers and give the audience a rousing good exhortation to high and holy living.”

Professor of History

Kenneth Calvert said he appreciates Barron’s ability to share the gospel in the modern world.

“I have a number of friends who literally came to Jesus — not even just Catholicism — but literally came to Jesus because of listening to Robert Barron,” Calvert said. “On that side of things, I'm really impressed by him and really appreciate so much of what he's done. He's been able to reach the culture in some important ways.”

Calvert added he has complicated opinions about Barron and his work.

said. “I just caught him in a sweatshirt."

Doer said he made sure the bat did not bite him.

He said he grew up around animals and has never feared bats.

“I just didn’t want to hurt the bat,” Doer said. He took the bat outside, where he set it free.

McCourry said bats are an issue in the library.

“It comes and goes. My predecessor actually had a box on a stick, and he would go catch the bats,” McCourry said. “But I don’t really want to go catch them.”

“On the other hand, it's always dangerous to engulf yourself in the culture,” Calvert said. “Sometimes I feel like he's a little too ‘pop-culture-bishop.’ That bothers me sometimes. He does have a tendency to water down some of the more difficult doctrines.

I don't know how helpful that is.” College chaplain Adam Rick said he has wanted to bring Barron to campus for a long time.

“Bishop Barron is one of the great Christian teachers and evangelists of our time,” Rick said. “I think he fits in quite well with the culture we strive to foster at Hillsdale. I am thrilled that we’re finally bringing him to campus.”

Courtesy | Carmen Wyatt-Hayes

Obit from A1

Barrios took over one of Wyatt-Hayes’ classes after her mother became sick.

“We were halfway into the semester, and Javier agreed to teach the class for me,” Wyatt-Hayes said.

“This was no small thing in that, unlike many professors at Hillsdale, he lived in Ypsilanti.”

Barrios made the more than hour long commute four days a week to teach Wyatt-Hayes’ 9 a.m. class so that she could stay home with her mother, who was battling cancer.

Even at the end of his life, Barrios continued uplifting others, Puvogel said.

“Even when his cancer incapacitated him and robbed him of his career, he was deeply concerned about the wellbeing of others,” Stechschulte said.

Spanish Department Chair Todd Mack said despite Barrios’ own suffering, he always asked about others.

“He knew what he was facing, and he never complained about it,” Mack said. “He just was interested in other people.”

Puvogel and Wyatt-Hayes visited Barrios at his home in his final months. They said his selfless and generous personality remained constant even as he continued to suffer.

“He had given us a gift,” Wyatt-Hayes said. “We thought we were giving him a gift by visiting him, and he had given us a gift by the very person he was.”

Barrios will be missed for his enthusiasm as a professor and for his compassion for others, Stechschulte said.

“The world is just a tiny bit of a sadder place now that he’s gone,” Mack said.

Gray said the new studio will provide an easier and more comfortable place to work with faculty, Gray said.

“It will allow us to film video more efficiently, which could result in an increase in the number of videos produced,” Gray said.

The visual media department often has to go to other places on campus to record when there is not enough space, Waters said.

“Instead of going into the Heritage Room, we could recreate that in a

studio so that you can shoot an interview without disrupting college life, which is always our goal,” he said.

Once the college receives additional funding, the work will begin on the second part of the project: accomodating an increasing number of marketing and media personnel who moved to the Stanton Building from Moss Hall. With the radio station and the podcast team planning to move to Stanton, it will further limit the office space there.

“They are crammed in one spot,” Péwé said. “In the long term, it would be

really helpful to have more office space down there.”

While the college usually waits to get full funding for projects, the board of trustees decided to continue to fundraise for the $7.8 million needed for the entire project.

Waters said the ultimate goal of the larger studio is to further the college’s mission.

“It’s less about being able to have walls that look like the Heritage Room,” Waters said. “It is more about the desire to teach more people.”

Media from A1

Former professor Sandra Puvogel and the late Javier Barrios share tea and cake at Barrios' home.

Barron from A1

No. 1 in Princeton Review’s Best College Satire

Catholics outraged: Luther chosen as commencement speaker

By | Grace Sola

Martin Luther will be Hillsdale’s next commencement speaker, sparking complaints from Catholic students.

“I just really don’t feel represented by this speaker,”

freshman John Luke Matthias Athanasius O’Connor said. “Half of Hillsdale is Catholic, and I don’t think the board should’ve chosen someone who has made his career bringing down the One True Church.”

Luther is known for criticizing the church’s practice of selling indulgences and

inspiring the Protestant Reformation.

Catholics are organizing a crusade to protest Luther’s arrival, followed by an inquisition of InterVarsity leadership and a sprinkling of holy water on College Baptist Church.

“Whoever chose this speaker deserves a diet of worms,” senior Mary-Margaret Cecelia O’Brady said. “I’m scared RCIA numbers will take a hit. This campus doesn’t need more hand-raising, acoustic guitar-playing, tongue-praying, Bible readers.”

“I for one support Luther

Charger Football adopts new game plan

The Hillsdale College Chargers football team struggled through the 2022 season, finishing with a record of 5-6. One bright spot on the

team was sophomore receiver Elon Tesla who made plays all over the field. Coach Beaver blamed the team’s struggles on an overly complicated playbook which was leaked to the Collegian.

being elected,” fifth-year Johnny Kelvin said. “I’m tired of the ’Lics getting all the attention on this campus.”

Professor Dan Eastsword agreed.

“Luther was definitely predestined for this role,” Eastsword said.

Junior Mary Bernadette Perpetua St. Claire said she has been praying to the patron saint of washing machines for a different speaker.

“We thought it was gonna be that cardinal, then everything came out, and now he’s not allowed to be within 25

from the line of scrimmage.

To simplify the offense, Coach Beaver has invented a new scheme where the team has nine offensive

linemen and one quarterback while Elon Tesla runs around and tries to get open.

yards of a school,” St. Claire said.

Some Protestants say they do not feel obligated to attend.

“I’ll just watch the livestream on Sunday for my church fix,” said sophomore MyKayleigh Smith, who attends Thriving Vine and Branches Church in Jackson. “Now I don’t have to go on Christmas.”

The Well will host a post-ceremony open time of worship and unguided prayer, said Clayton VanPyke, class of 1844.

Hillsdale sends out search party for the red wave

By | Tonald Dump

Conservatives across America reacted with shock and dismay following The Red Wave That Couldn’t after midterm elections on Nov. 8. Specifically, 90% of evangelical Republicans were taken aback at the lack of Christ’s second coming.

“When they told us to wear masks, I figured it was almost certainly the end times,” Hillsdale resident Joe Pothole said. “But after all my neighbors put anti-Proposal 3 signs in their yards and it still passed, I figured we were on our way out for sure.”

According to freshman and aspiring first lady Holly Hyllsdate, the appearance of a liberal opinion in the pages of the Collegian was a particularly telling sign of the coming apocalypse.

“Like, I’ve always sort of known there are people in the world who disagree with me,” Hyllsdate said. “But I just thought they were in hell or

L.A.”

Newly reelected Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has denied heavily circulating rumors claiming her biological relation to Jadis the White Witch. She began a press conference in a noisy, crowded, passing her leather jacket and pointy silver staff off to an assistant.

“These rumors are unsubstantiated,” Whitmer said, her breath visible in the air. “I have the people of Michigan’s best interests in mind.”

As Whitmer exited the press conference, 16 small business owners picketing outside immediately froze to death.

Following the midterm results, Hillsdale’s campus buzzed with news of an additional, Southern presidential candidate throwing his hat into the race. But there was a mistake when making the announcement.

For the article covering Ron DeSantis’ announcement, the Collegian ran a headline

Professors react to midterms

By | Cig Freed

Midterm season occurs from the end of September throughout the month of October, interrupting students’ regular studying habits and creating a permanent stench of body odor, unbrushed teeth, and exposed feet in the Mossey Library.

We asked professors from different departments to share how they prepare their exams and what they thought of their students’ work.

Hillsdale’s language departments give both oral and written exams. Associate Professor of Spanish May Yamo described her students’ success at answering questions in a foreign language.

“I truly think my Spanish 201 students are just about ready to study abroad,” Yamo said.

Also hoping to provide his students with practical experience for the real world, Associate Professor of Theater Kristoff Mattress was encouraged by the dramatic excellence displayed by his students.

“I thought the perfect way to prepare my young thespians for Broadway was to have them show me how to enter a room,” Mattress exclaimed. “It was exhilarating. They exhibited attitude, humility, and confidence.”

of the new system say it’s exactly what we did last year. Only time will tell if it will pay dividends.

Other professors were not as impressed with their stu -

dents’ performance. Teaching “The History of Spaghetti,” Associate Professor of History Amalfi Vaticano described her disappointment with her student’s lack of knowledge, especially after providing an extensive study guide.

“I gave them an 82-page document with 350 questions,” Vaticano explained. “Every question that would be on the exam was in that pdf. My exams are not hard, they’re all multiple choice, A-Z. If I gave you the questions ahead of time, there are no excuses.”

Among the professors with high expectations, English Department Chair Grigori Rasputin said his students’ work was thoughtful, but not worth publication.

“Average college-level work gets a ‘C,’” Rasputin said. “None of my students were able to identify the connection between Beowulf and the prophecies of Hezekiah, so I was disappointed.”

In his 400-level class on identity politics, Associate Professor of Politics Packer Gunn was satisfied with the nuanced view demonstrated in the midterm’s 200-word essay.

“My students identified identity politics as a fascist ideology, so I would say this class has been a success so far,” Gunn said while sipping his shot of espresso.

saying, “Florida man arrested for throwing alligator through drive-thru window.”

“We are so sorry,” editor-in-chief Mags Hraeiouch-

lose race.’ Again, so sorry.”

The paper had originally planned to cover Donald Trump’s campaign announcement, but after some consideration, the editorial team decided to refrain.

“‘Old man past his prime thinks he knows what’s best, constantly reminisces about his 15 minutes of fame,’” associate editor Sportys McSports said. “It got cut in edits by accident. We just thought it was a freshman writing a cliche headline.”

Sophomore and hopeful future president Johnny McSmith emphasized his concern for the quickly-approaching end of times.

ikz wrote the next day. “The paper made a grave mistake in publishing the wrong Florida man headline. Our correction now states, ‘Florida man to run for president, Republican party to split vote and

“The world has just never been in such a bad state,” McSmith explained. “The Babylon Bee only just got back on Twitter.”

McSmith took a crack at guessing the day and the hour.

“Really, I should have known Christ wouldn’t be coming back this fall,” Smith

NEXT WEEK in The Colli sion:

- Trump running in 2024, but fountain still won’t be

- Homeschool freshman ready for first heck week

- Senior class regifts The Arb

- Breaking News: Grad student has good take

- Stockford holds Galloway and Chi O fight night

- Republicans take mental health day after midterm elections

- DTD chapter closes after epidemic of lung cancer cases leaves three members alive

- It’s a miracle: Hillsdale theater production cures student’s insomnia

- College Democrats now so large they need two presidents

- Sailing Club completes long voyage across Baw Beese

- New Dorm initiates new members by burning down Newer Dorm

“...the appearance of a liberal opinion in the page of the Collegian a was a particularly telling sign of the coming apocalyse.”

The offense also required complicated pre snap adjustments

Critics

City News Businesses brace for minimum wage increases, as state officials discuss postponing the measure

Thomas McKenna

Collegian Freelancer

Local restaurants say minimum wage increases would force them to raise prices and reduce employee hours, as lobbyists and state officials including Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer discuss stalling wage hikes scheduled to take effect early next year.

“Everything is on the chopping block,” Finish Line Family Restaurant owner Lisa Slade said. “I just hope it doesn't go through.”

A Michigan Court of Claims ruling in July scheduled the minimum wage to increase from $9.75 to $12.05, and would increase the minimum wage for tipped workers from $3.75 to $10.85.

Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association vice president of governmental affairs John McNamara told the Collegian the group is continuing talks with Whitmer to postpone minimum wage increases.

Republican state Sen. Wayne Schmidt, of the 37th state Senate district, introduced a bill Tuesday to postpone a minimum wage hike scheduled for Feb. 19 until 2024, and prevent an increase in the tipped minimum wage.

Whitmer said she supports legislation to delay the increases.

“The very employers that the legislature was supposedly trying to help,” Whitmer told the Detroit Free Press in November, “they’ve now put in a terrible position.”

McNamara said the lobbying group would support the bill. McNamara said the MRLA has had conversations with Whitmer and Democratic leadership about passing legislation to delay the increases in the next few weeks.

“Having the governor on your side always helps you out and means a greater

likelihood of getting a signature,” McNamara said.

“We were encouraged by those comments and have continued to have positive conversations on maybe getting something done here in the upcoming lameduck session.”

a limited amount of time.

We'll keep fighting, but it's definitely an uphill battle.”

Opposition to the bill will come from multiple sides, according to McNamara. He said both Republicans and Democrats will likely vote against the bill.

said the changes in February must take place to respect workers’ rights. “We are holding legislative briefings to educate legislators about the need to move to implement the minimum wage as ordered, especially given the

Pennsylvania. The survey found one in six full-service restaurants would close its doors if the February wage changes take effect, and estimated that restaurants would cut as many as 60,000 jobs.

Mitch Spangler, owner of Spangler’s Family Restaurant, said minimum wage increases would expand his payroll 30%.

“We're all for people making more money,” Spangler said. “But at the same time who's going to pay for it? The business owners are not millionaires sitting on a ton of money that they can just pay it out.”

Spangler’s General Manager Lindsey Fucile, who has worked in the restaurant industry for 19 years, said the change would raise the restaurant’s expenses as inflation increases.

“It would devastate the restaurants,” Fucile said.

The lame-duck session, or the legislative days between an election and inducting new members, will be a narrow window to pass legislation that delays the increases.

McNamara said he expects only three to four session days before members break for Christmas, though days can be added to the session. He thinks chances of passing any legislation to stall the minimum wage increase are about 30%.

“You have 110 representatives and 38 senators and the governor's office staff and everyone's got their own priorities,” McNamara said. “It's just tough to get anything done with that many people in

“It's going to come from people who don't believe that you should raise the minimum wage in any way, shape, or form,” McNamara said. “It's going to come from people who believe Michigan shouldn't have a tipped wage.”

staffing crisis,” Gutierrez told the Collegian. “The lieutenant governor has previously expressed that he and Whitmer are both supportive of ending the subminimum wage and increasing the wage, and that the time is now.”

Slade said Finish Line’s payroll would increase almost 20% due to the wage hikes. She said she will need to raise prices and reduce hours for some workers to offset the additional costs.

“That's a huge jump,” Slade said. “There's no way that places that have lots of servers are going to just soak that in.”

Jolenta Dangerfield, a server at Finish Line, said she thinks customers would tip less because they know the tipped minimum wage had been increased.

Maricela Gutierrez, a co-organizing director at One Fair Wage, a nonprofit that collected signatures for a 2018 ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage,

The MRLA commissioned a statewide survey by Lloyd Corder, the CEO of CorCom Inc., a research and communications consulting firm from Pittsburgh,

“I think most of the reason we get the tips is because the minimum wage for us is so low,” Dangerfield said. “If you give good service, generally you get a good tip.”

Adams clerk faces recall after 2020 election controversy

By Sarah Katherine Sisk Collegian Reporter

Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott and Adams Township Supervisor

Mark Nichols are facing a recall election, after a petition stemming from 2020 election controversy reached its goal.

Scott, a Republican, will face Suzy Roberts for Adams Township clerk. Nichols, also a Republican, will face Randy Johnson for Adams Township supervisor in a special election next May.

The recall began with a petition by Gail McClanahan, an Adams Township resident upset with Scott’s refusal to comply with Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s order to hand over election equipment in October 2021.

Chief Deputy Clerk of Hillsdale County Abe Dane said both Roberts and Johnson will run in the Adams Township recall election on May 2 with no party affiliation, as election law prohibits challengers from running under the same party as officeholders.

Scott refused to give the township’s ballot tabulator to the secretary of state’s office in an effort to perform her duties as clerk, according to court

documents. McClanahan said Scott was relieved of her duties in 2021 after refusing to comply with mandated Public Accuracy Testing and maintenance on voting equipment. In November 2021, Michigan State Police obtained a warrant and seized the tabulator from Adams Township Hall.

McClanahan said she gathered more than the required 264 signatures to file a recall petition.

“I think we got closer to 100 extra,” McClanahan said. “I don’t think there was a half a dozen that ever turned us down.”

McClanahan, who served on the Adams Township Board in years past, said Scott’s actions were costly to residents.

“Stephanie wouldn’t turn over the tabulator, so we had to turn around and buy a new tabulator which cost us $5,500. It was just so unnecessary,” McClanahan said. “Then Mark supported her. It was a 3 to 5 board vote, but he supported her in doing that.”

Hillsdale County Clerk

Marney Kast said the recall included Nichols for voting in agreement with Scott to not purchase a new tabulator in February.

Scott, represented by Detroit-based attorney Stephanie Lambert,

filed a complaint against defendants Kast, Dane, Benson, and Michigan Director of the Bureau of Elections Jonathan Brater to the Michigan Court of Claims on Feb. 24, 2022.

The lawsuit alleges that defendants unconstitutionally usurped Scott’s powers and duties as township clerk because she refused to violate her oath of office. The complaint, filed in the Michigan Court of Claims, states Scott is obligated to uphold state and federal laws regarding preserving sensitive election data and equipment.

The lawsuit cites federal law Title 52, which states election officers must “retain and preserve” all records related to required actions for voting for 22 months after any federal elections.

Brater sent a letter to Scott on Sept. 8, 2021 about her refusal to comply with orders to allow a technician from Hart Intercivic, the company that manufactures the township’s voting equipment, to perform preventative maintenance.

The letter invokes a contract between the State of Michigan and Hart Intercivic, which requires this maintenance every two years. Brater said the maintenance neither destroys election data nor

violates any federal law.

“While the bureau understands that individuals have circulated false claims asserting the actions listed above would somehow destroy data or violate federal record retention laws, these claims are not accurate,” Brater wrote.

In a July 11 affidavit, digital forensics expert Benjamin Cotton expressed concerns with the lack of cybersecurity protections on the tabulator.

“Given that the ballot images are stored on the tabulator, the QVF (Qualified Voter Files) is stored on the tabulator, the ballot images are stored on the tabulator and the tabulator has multiple modes of internet connectivity with few if any cybersecurity protections, a huge vulnerability exists,” Cotton said in the affidavit. “If an unauthorized person were to gain remote access to the tabulators, the vote as recorded on the tabulator could be modified.”

Cotton said he examined Adams Township’s Electronic Poll Book USB drive from the November 2020 election, which contains voter and election data. The time-stamped data is unique to both the machine and the election, making it evidence of the

voting process. Cotton said there were discrepancies between the EPB and FOIA documents produced by the secretary of state’s office.

In February 2021, Dane sent an email, presented in the lawsuit, to township clerks including Scott, saying the clerks were free to change ballot storage containers.

“We received word from the state’s Bureau of Elections that the security of ballots and election equipment is released,” Dane said. “You are free to remove seals and store your ballots somewhere more convenient.”

Dane asked Scott to delete information from the drive in a March 2021 email.

“If you already have your EPB flash drive, please delete the Nov. 3, 2020, election folder within the drive,” Dane wrote.

The lawsuit claims Benson is aware of the alleged threat that the voting machine maintenance poses to election integrity, due to several other lawsuits she faces. Benson connected Brater with nonprofits to change voting rules in the 2020 election, according to The Federalist.

Scott said she has no intention of removing her name from the recall ballot.

“Not just Spangler’s, it's going to go everywhere in the state of Michigan. All those small mom and pop businesses can't afford this, especially after Covid.” Gutierrez said One Fair Wage has found that restaurant owners favor the new changes. “We have an association of 2,500 restaurant owners nationwide who are calling for policy to raise wages and end subminimum wages,” Gutierrez said. “They are calling for policy that will level the playing field and signal to millions of workers that wage increases will be permanent and it's worth coming back to work in restaurants.”

The state has taken the Court of Claims ruling raising the minimum wage to the Michigan Court of Appeals, which will hear the case on Dec. 13. The MRLA filed an amicus brief in the case, attempting to prevent the scheduled increase. McNamara said he thinks this isn’t the end of the legal battle.

“No matter what happens in the Court of Appeals,” McNamara said, “I think this eventually ends up being in the Michigan Supreme Court.”

POLICE REPORT:

The Collegian has compiled a selection of recent arrests from the City of Hillsdale and Hillsdale County.

29 Nov.

The City of Hillsdale Police Department arrested a Jackson man on a warrant for a false report or threat of terrorism. A $100,000 bond with 10% allowed was not posted.

26 Nov.

The Michigan State Police arrested a Pittsford man for assault by stranglehold and a probation violation. No bond was allowed.

25 Nov.

The Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office arrested a Reading man for resisting and obstructing, and assaulting police. No bond was allowed.

22 Nov.

The Michigan State Police arrested an Adrian man for delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine. No bond was allowed.

The township clerk’s recall comes after she refused to give a tabulator to the secretary of state

Lisa Slade, owner of Finish Line, said she expects staff cuts and increased expenses if the state increases the minimum wage. Thomas McKenna | Collegian

“We’re all for people making more money,” Spangler said. “At the same time, who’s going to pay for it?”

Chargers 7-0 in out-of-conference play for first time in 12 years

By Christian Peck-Dimit Associate Editor

For the first time in more than a decade, the no.7 Hillsdale men’s basketball team finished non-conference play a perfect 7-0.

Undefeated through seven games for the first time since 2010-11, the team moved up to no.7 in the DII Sports Information Directors of America national rankings.

A 93-62 dismantling of the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals at home put an exclamation point on the team’s out-of-conference schedule as the Chargers

Volleyball

prepare for their first G-MAC opponents of the season.

“I thought we shared the basketball pretty well that game, and I thought Peter Kalthoff had just a great start in that first half that got us going” head coach John Tharp said. “Obviously Jack Gohlke banging a bunch of shots sure helps us.”

Fifth-year guard Jack Gohlke led the way in scoring for the Chargers for the second straight game, knocking down seven threes on his way to a game-high 25 points. This game came less than a week

after the team’s win over Northern Michigan, where Gohlke scored 26 points on eight threes, both career highs.

“I’ve always tried to just be level-headed as a player,” Gohlke said. “Basketball is obviously a game of runs, but it’s also a game of streaks in a bigger sample size of multiple games, so I just try to keep a level head to go out there and shoot it with confidence no matter what the result is.”

The Chargers took down Northern — who was projected to finish second in the GLIAC in the conference’s preseason poll — by

21, while holding the team to a season-low 53 points.

Hillsdale was scorching from outside, shooting north of 50% from three while keeping Northern to just 14%.

Defense helped define the Chargers’ win over Saginaw as well, holding the Cardinals below 36% from the field and 28% from three. Behind Gohlke in scoring were three other Chargers with at least 16 points, led by sophomore guard Joe Reuter and senior guard Kyle Goessler at 17 each. Just behind them was senior forward Peter Kalthoff with 16 points

and a game-high eight rebounds.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the other team’s defense to have to guard every single one of us,” Reuter said. “I think that our offense allows us to get everyone open looks, allows everyone to do their part. That’s why we’re so balanced, because the system that we’re involved in is based on everyone doing their parts and communicating with each other.”

The team will begin conference play on Thursday, against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets. Tipoff is at 7:45 p.m.

The Chargers ended up playing Cedarville four times last season, twice during the regular season, once in the conference tournament, and once in the NCAA Tournament.

“They’re incredibly skilled, they have a superstar in Palmer, I think he’s leading the league in scoring, and they have a bunch of other guys that are really good players,” Tharp said. “I think they’re a little different from what they’ve been, but I think they’re really quite impressive.”

Chargers fall in second round of NCAA tournament

By Isaac Green

Assistant Editor

After a thrilling first round win in the NCAA tournament, the Hillsdale volleyball team suffered a season ending loss at the hands of the Ferris State Bulldogs.

The Chargers entered the Midwest Regional on Nov. 18 as the defending champions after last year's trip to the Elite Eight. With the help of a program-best 28 match kills from sophomore outside hitter Marilyn Popplewell, they defeated the Lewis Flyers in the first round but were eliminated from the tournament the following day in a four-set loss.

“The strength of a winning team is how quickly they can recover, because there's mistakes made every single set, no matter how good you are,” head coach Chris Gravel said. “Our ability to recover started taking

us longer and that was the difference in the match.”

Despite the quick exit from the tournament, the Chargers were able to celebrate several team members for their performances this season on and off the court. Senior outside hitter Karoline Shelton earned D2CCA All-Region Second Team honors, Popplewell and sophomore libero Alli Wiese earned CSC Academic All-District honors, and both Shelton and Wiese received AVCA All-Midwest Region honors.

The All-Midwest Region honors also placed Shelton and Wiese under consideration for AVCA All-American status. Shelton was ultimately placed on the All-America third team while Wiese was named as an honorable mention.

Going into the first round of the NCAA tournament the Chargers were ranked as the underdogs against a Flyers team that beat them

in a five-set match earlier this season.

“We went into that game knowing everyone expected us to lose so we played with no expectations which helped us close out the match in the end,” Shelton said.

After a decisive 25-16 first-set win, Hillsdale swapped sets with Lewis and eventually forced a fifth-set showdown. This made for one of the Chargers’ most intense matches of the season.

The score was tied thirteen times during the set, with both teams struggling to gain an advantage. The Chargers prevailed, though, taking the set 20-18.

“I am so proud of my team for being able to fight all the way to the end and come out on top,” Wiese said. “Fighting off four match points for Lewis isn't something a team without grit and fight can do. It was truly incredible.”

On the heels of this win,

the Chargers prepared to face the same team they had beaten a year prior in the Midwest Regional Championship. The Ferris State Bulldogs entered the NCAA tournament as the three seed — four ranks higher than Hillsdale — but the Chargers were familiar with the Bulldogs, having beat them in a four-set win at the beginning of the 2022 season.

“After coming off a five set winner where you face four elimination points and come back and win a match, it's really easy to come in on a mental low, setup that you're not going to perform well the next next set,” Gravel said. “But we grinded it out, and we won that first set.”

Despite the early 1-0 lead, however, the Chargers lost sets two, three, and four after controlling leads in all of them heading into the back half of play.

“As the match went on, it just almost looked like we

got a little bit tired mentally, and we just weren't quite as sharp,” Gravel said.

For the senior class, which includes Shelton, middle hitters Linnea Larson and Megan Kolp, outside hitters Madeline Zenas and Emily Susitko, and setter Audrey Riley, this loss marked their final matches as Chargers.

“I am really grateful that this was the team I got to end my career with,” Shelton said. “They taught me so much about myself and how to be a great teammate. I am very grateful for my time as a Hillsdale College Volleyball Player and that I got to play under Coach Gravel but I am so excited to see all the great things the returning players will do in their careers.”

Heading into the offseason, Gravel said that the staff will be working to fine tune each of the individual players.

“We do a lot of individual

meetings and kind of take inventory on where we're at physically, mentally,’ Gravel said. “It's that simple, but it comes with a lot of pain. So we’re preparing to create those situations for them all winter long.” The 2022 season was full of many outstanding achievements for the Chargers, and Wiese said that she looks back on the season positively.

“I am just so proud of this team,” Wiese said. “We exceeded the expectations that everyone thought we would achieve. To win a GMAC championship again is just such a blessing and we worked so hard all year to achieve it. None of this would have been possible without our consistent drive to get better as a team. I loved this season, and I am so thankful for everyone on our team. And of course, thank you to our seniors for their constant support and leadership.”

Women's Basketball

Chargers finish non-conference play 3-3

By Moira Gleason Collegian Freelancer

The Hillsdale women’s basketball team defeated the Purdue University Northwest Pride at home on Nov. 18, then lost two games on the road to finish non-conference play 3-3.

Sophomore guard Caitlin Splain put up 19 points for the Chargers, and senior forward Sydney Mills made a last second floater layup for a 61-59 victory against Purdue Northwest. The following week, Hillsdale fell short on the road, scoring 85-80 against the Lake Superior State University Lakers and 73-61 against the Davenport University Panthers.

In their home game against Purdue Northwest, the Chargers were down

55-59 with under 2:10 to play. Splain stepped up and made a four-point play, sinking a three-point shot and drawing a shooting foul. She scored from the charity stripe to tie the game up 5959 with 2:02 minutes on the clock. The Chargers played strong defense, holding the Pride scoreless for the next two minutes. With less than one second on the clock, Mills secured the win for the Chargers.

“Sydney is someone who every single game is going to give her all,” head coach Charlie Averkamp said. “She went and got a pass and had the confidence to make a shot. But you don’t gain the confidence to make game winning shots in the game. That happens in the summers and when she’s on her own working. I obviously couldn’t be more proud of

her with that.”

Though Mills made the winning shot, the win against Purdue Northwest was team effort, and each player fought hard for the victory.

“Purdue Northwest is a very scrappy, defensive team,” Mills said. “Pretty quick, we knew it was going to be hard to play against them because they fight really hard and if we gave them any room to slide in they’d be able to get a lead on us, and we’d have to fight back. I thought that we played really tough in that game, stopping their leading scorers and being disciplined which put us in a spot at the end to win it. It was very frantic there at the end, but we were able to pull it off.”

Her game-winning layup was the only shot that

Mills made against Purdue Northwest, but she led the team with 10 rebounds, her fourth double-digit rebound game in four games. Caitlin Splain led the team in points, scoring 19 points off the bench. Junior Ashley Konkle put up eight points for the Chargers, senior Grace Touchette scored 11, and senior Ariana Sysum added three points. Reserves Carly Callahan and Dani Salenbien both scored six points. The two games on the road were a different story for the Chargers. The Chargers overcame a half-time deficit of nine points. With four minutes to play, the Chargers held a 78-72 lead against Lake Superior State. The Lakers were able to outscore them 13-2 in the final four minutes to finish the game 85-80.

Mills played a strong offensive game against the Lakers, recording her fourth double-double of the season with 27 points and 15 rebounds. Konkle also finished in double digits with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Touchette had an impressive performance with 14 points and seven assists.

The Chargers fought hard in their matchup against Davenport on Nov. 27, but couldn’t overcome a half time deficit of 34-26. Hillsdale had a rough offensive game, shooting 36.4% from the floor with only three offensive rebounds. Touchette and Callahan both scored 13 points for the Chargers.

Peighton Nelson added 11 points, Mills had nine points and four rebounds, and Splain contributed eight points.

The Chargers look to

learn from their games on the road and start strong as they head into conference play this weekend with an away game against Cedarville at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and a home against Trevecca Nazarene at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of positives that we can take from both games that we’re going to keep learning from this week,” assistant coach Brianna Brennan said. “But the losses help us focus in and fine tune some things that we need to moving into conference this week. The losses force us to reflect and see what’s hurting us so we’re able to hone in on those things and get better. We’re excited to start conference play with a clean slate and see what we can do.”

Chargers win first tournament match against Lewis Flyers. Courtesy | Denny s inno C k

C harger S port S

Football

Star receiver Isaac TeSlaa plans to transfer

By Christian Peck-Dimit Associate Editor

Seven Charger football players were named to one of the three G-MAC

All-Conference teams, headlined by sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, who has entered the transfer portal.

TeSlaa becomes the first Charger in program history to win the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year award after finishing top five in the nation in both receiving yards and touchdowns, with 1,325 and 13 respectively.

Following his stellar season, TeSlaa has entered the transfer portal and intends to transfer to a

school with a DI football program.

“I’ve been thinking about it since the end of the season,” TeSlaa said. “It’s not an easy decision, but I just feel like I was a step above the competition at the DII level, so I want to challenge myself as a receiver and become the best receiver I can be, and I feel like that will come to fruition quicker at a higher level.”

While TeSlaa said the experience has been both difficult and nerve-wracking, he said it is the right thing for him to do, and he has already gotten a lot of interest.

Head coach Keith Otterbein, however, said he does

not like the trend of players transferring schools becoming more popular.

“I hate it, I don’t like it, they know I don’t like it, but the new culture is that ‘I’m going to go somewhere else’ kind of thing,” Otterbein said. “When you are recruited by a school and you go to war with the guys in that locker room, it’s just not in my DNA to go somewhere else and start over.”

TeSlaa will end his career as a Charger with 2,116 total receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns, the sixth and seventh most in program history, respectively. He has played in just two fall seasons as a Charger, appearing in 26 total games.

“We certainly would love

to have him back, having him in our program makes us a better program,” Otterbein said. “But we don’t want guys here that want to be somewhere else, so whatever happens as we move forward, we’re gonna field a football team, we’re going to show up September 2nd against the University of Indianapolis and play football in about 280 days.”

Joining TeSlaa on the All-Conference First Team are Charger fifth-years Luke Keller - as a punter - and Kyle Kudla as well as senior running back Michael Herzog. Keller led the G-MAC in punting yards, finishing with nearly 800 yards more than the next closest punter.

“He deserved it, he stepped up,” Otterbein said. “We’ve looked for a punter the last couple of recruiting classes and just haven’t found the right guy, so it was always comforting to know where those guys were.”

Herzog finished second in the conference in rushing yards in his first season playing since 2019.

“Very well deserved recognition for him, there’s some good running backs in this league,” Otterbein said. “That’s a guy that opposing coaches would come up to me and say ‘number one really runs hard after contact and really did a good job.’ So, I’m really happy for Mike, really

proud.”

Kudla, the team’s leader on defense, finished third in the G-MAC in total tackles in his final season with the program.

“He built up to play his best football his senior year, he played with passion and was a leader, got us into our calls, so I’m really happy for him,” Otterbein said. “He wore his passion on his sleeve, you could tell how important the game was to him.”

Junior tight end Michael Harding was named to the All-Conference Second Team, while sophomore offensive lineman Nick Affholter and senior defensive lineman Kendall Tobin were named to the Third Team.

Sports Opinion Swim

Swimmers smash records at invitational meet

By Maddy Welsh Assistant Editor

Hillsdale swimmers

traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the annual Davenport University Invitational meet last weekend.

They came home with five NCAA B cut times, a handful of broken records, and even more individual best times.

Earning third overall, the team saw smashing success at its midseason meet — the last chance to race in 2022.

“The meet was a challenge in the first place due to cramming four days of events into two plus days,” head coach Kurt Kirner said”. “We exceeded expectations by having great individual performances and the team still was able to take third place, second place if you discount the diving scores.”

The first big swim of the weekend was sophomore Elise Mason’s third place 1650 yard freestyle (17:13.20). Mason competed in this event at the 2022 NCAA DII national championships.

“The mile was a stressful event for me as I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform as well as last year,” Mason said. “It is also the event I am most likely to get my nationals cuts in. I was very happy with the swim. It just gave me some confidence going into G-MACS.”

She hit the B cut time in the 1650 yard freestyle, and also swam her 1000

yard split so fast that she earned a B cut for the 1000 yard freestyle event as well.

“Elise pretty much duplicated last year’s outstanding 1650 at this very same meet but a bit faster this year. She was in an outside lane which is a disadvantage but that does not seem to stop her,” Kirner said. “Certainly it was another outstanding performance.”

Swimmers who make B cut times may have a chance to race at the NCAA DII National Championship meet in the spring.

“It’s looking promising for NCAA qualifying but each of them knows that they must ensure those performances stick by improving out of the GMAC/ MEC championships in February,” Kirner said.

In the 400 yard medley relay, Hillsdale’s team came out on top with a time of 3:50 flat — a new Hillsdale record. Junior Caroline Holmes, sophomores Joanna Burnham and Megan Clifford, and senior Marie Taylor will see their names up on the record board for this win.

“We didn't have any expectations going into the 400 medley relay, we were all just so eager to finally get to race. It was our first race of the weekend for most of us on that relay, so we were rested and ready to go,” Clifford said. “Relays are always the best part of the meet, and for one of our first relays of the meet to be a school record and a win from an outside lane was so exciting.”

The record is particularly special for Taylor.

“For me it’s really exciting too because I am part of the relay records for all the sprint relays now,” she said.

Burnham had a solid individual performance in the 200 yard individual medley, placing third with a time of 2:08.33.

In a tight 200 yard backstroke race, senior Leah Tunney and Holmes went third and fifth respectively, with times of 2:06.14 and 2:07.48.

Taylor swept the sprint freestyle events and earned B cut times in both, going 52.13 in her first place 100 yard freestyle and 23.48 in the 50 yard freestyle, where she also finished first.

“The 50 free is always such a fun and quick race, and the competition was up to par for sure,” Taylor said. “I knew I had to swim my best in prelims, as with the 50, even if you are a couple tenths of a second off, it can dramatically change your placing going into finals.”

The standout swim of the meet was Clifford’s 200 yard butterfly.

“200 fly is my favorite event, so I was very excited to swim it to see if the training I have been doing would pay off,” she said.

Clifford came first by a seven second margin with a time of 2:03.01. This time was a personal best for the sophomore, as well as a NCAA B cut time, a G-MAC record, and a Hillsdale College record. The previous Hillsdale record had stood for 10 years,

Michigan is here to stay

since All-American swimmer Linda Okonkowski set it in 2012.

“When I finished, I thought that I might have broken the team record, but I wasn't sure,” Clifford said. “I went over to talk to my coach, and he told me I had broken it which made that moment after the race very exciting.”

Kirner wasn’t as surprised.

“I would have put money on her accomplishing that based upon her earlier meet performances and the intensity of her workouts leading up to this meet,” Kirner said. “She is an amazingly driven athlete who sets the tone for those around her. Truly a pleasure to coach.”

Clifford followed up this remarkable swim with another first place finish in the 100 yard butterfly (57.24) and a seventh place finish in the 200 yard freestyle with a 1:56.26, just behind Holmes in sixth (1:55.73).

In the 400 yard individual medley — one of the toughest races in the sport — Burnham came third with a time of 4:32.88.

The 400 yard freestyle relay was the last swimming event of the weekend and saw the Chargers place third with a time of 3:33.46, thanks to Holmes, Clifford, Taylor, and freshman Julianna Weir.

Charger swim will race again on Jan. 14 against Ashland University and Saginaw Valley State University.

By Alex Deimel Collegian Repo R te R

Many of the Michigan Wolverine fan base called for Jim Harbaugh to be fired following his fifth straight loss to Ohio State in 2019, but since then he has proven himself to be the head coach that Michigan hoped for when he was hired in 2015.

For many Michigan and Ohio State fans, “The Game” surpasses any other competition that either team faces. It does not matter how you perform during the first eleven games of the season — if you want to call it a successful season for either squad, you must beat the other.

Prior to the 2021 game, Ohio State had won eight years in a row, but Michigan running back Hassan Haskins led Michigan to a 42-27 victory, with five rushing touchdowns.

That was a year ago, and since then Michigan had graduated most of its defensive starters, and were ninepoint underdogs against that team down South this year. They had lost their Heisman Candidate running back Blake Corum to a knee injury, and were headed to Columbus to face the second ranked team in the country. Nobody from Fox Sports or ESPN — except for former Michigan Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson — picked the Wolverines to win.

And they still won.

They didn’t just win, they showed to be the superi-

or team, especially in the second half. Michigan outscored Ryan Day’s team 28-3 after halftime, while intercepting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud not once, but twice. Sophomore running back Donovan Edwards, who was also dealing with an injured hand, finished with over 200 yards on the ground, including a 75and an 85-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

In the past two years, Day's Buckeyes have been outscored 87-50 by the Wolverines.

Day is the first Buckeye head coach since John Cooper to have a losing record to Michigan, which proves how far smack talk from an inferior team gets you.

Unlike Day, Harbaugh can deliver on a promise.

He delivered in 1986 as Michigan’s quarterback, saying, "We’ll beat Ohio State, we’ll be in Pasadena on January 1.”

And they did.

All of this is proof that all Jim Harbaugh needed was his team. His team that he recruited, his coaching staff that he hired, and his quarterback that fits his play style.

Even during a somewhat rocky season, current quarterback and 5-star sophomore J.J. McCarthy delivered when it mattered, throwing three touchdowns and running one in. Ohio State's nine penalties for 91 yards is prime evidence of an undisciplined, inferior team that lost to a faster, stronger, better-coached team.

After 25 years of let down, Michigan football is back and here to stay.

Campus choirs and orchestra join for final concert

By Elizabeth Crawford Collegian Reporter

Senior Jack Golden said he couldn’t be happier about his first experience as a concertmaster with the Hillsdale College Symphony Orchestra.

The Hillsdale College choir, chamber choir, and orchestra performed their final show of the semester in Christ Chapel on Nov. 19. Both choirs and the orchestra performed for a full house. Late afternoon light streamed through the westward windows of the chapel, and Christmas greenery created a festive atmosphere.

The chamber choir performed five pieces for the audience, ranging from more sacred music such as the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis” by Andrew Maxfield to the spiritual “I Got a Key” arranged by Joni Jensen.

Professor of Music, Choirs, and Orchestra James Holleman conducted the chamber choir in the beginning. Associate Professor of Music Derek Stauff joined the choir on the organ for part of the “Magnificat” and “Nunc Dimittis.”

“‘The Magnificat’ and the ‘Nunc’ were from our project in October where we did this commissioned world premiere of our Evensong Service,” Holleman said. “This was a second opportunity to perform that music because we worked so hard on it.”

As to the timing of the performance, Holleman wanted to be mindful of students’ other commitments.

“I wanted each of the three groups to have enough substance for an end of the semester concert,” Holleman said. “Typically we do two concerts at the end of the semester, one for the orchestra and one for the choirs, but with only one week after Thanksgiving before finals, I’ve just been learning that to do a concert while people are getting ready for finals is just really stressful for the students.”

The college choir performed “The Seed is in the Ground,” another one of Maxfield’s works, and John Rutter’s “Gloria.”

Sophomore Caitlin Filep, who had a solo during the “Gloria,” was happy with the performance the college choir gave with the orchestra.

“I loved doing the ‘Gloria,’” Filep said. “There’s a really beautiful brass refrain in the second piece. The brass predict a lot of the musical themes that the choir is about to sing, and they kind of echo what’s been done before in the piece, so that they just hold it all together.”

Golden viewed the concert as a testament to the orchestra’s talent and commitment.

“I think we had seven rehearsals to prepare this concert, totaling about 13

Culture

Panhel hosts mixer

hours of ensemble time before the concert,” Golden said. “That said, I think we were more than ready. I think this year’s Hillsdale College Symphony is the best one I’ve played with, and I don’t say that lightly.”

Filep also stated how impressed she was with the freshmen members’ talent.

“I think that the chamber choir is flourishing perhaps in a way that it may not have before,” Filep said. “Especially with the new blood I’m really appreciative of the sheer enthusiasm, focus, and dedication that the freshmen have brought to the music department.”

In addition to the choral pieces performed, the orchestra played Carl Maria Von Weber’s “Overture to Der Freischutz” and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1 in C major, op. 21.”

Golden said his favorite piece to perform was the Beethoven symphony.

“As an orchestra, we were really able to lock in that technique and get the kind of sound that Beethoven would have intended, which is always a challenge in a space like the chapel,” Golden said. “It’s a beautiful venue for a concert, but with an average echo of 4.5 seconds, precise articulation requires unusually high levels of focus.”

For the last section of the performance, both choirs and the orchestra came together to perform “A Musicological Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas,” arranged by Craig Courtney. Each day of Christmas had an accompanying orchestral piece from a famous composer.

For the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the orchestra played John Philip Sousa’s “Star and Stripes Forever.” The audience began to clap, following Holleman’s lead.

“I’m the one who just turned to the audience and encouraged them to start clapping,” Holleman said. “The orchestra wasn’t expecting it, I wasn’t expecting it, it was just a spur of the moment decision.”

“Let’s just say the clapping was very unexpected,” Filep said. “However, we were really appreciative that the audience was excited about the piece.”

Golden was a bit worried that the clapping would throw off the orchestra’s tempo.

“The clapping was fun, but that’s always a little dangerous for an orchestra because sometimes the audience has a different idea of what tempo is, and that conflict can sometimes make it hard to hold together,” Golden said.

With the concert finished, both choirs and the orchestra begin working towards next semester’s pieces.

“I think it’s technically a secret at this point, but there’s something really big coming down the pipe for May that you won’t want to miss,” Golden said.

Tower Dancers premiere group-choreographed piece

By Linnea Shively Circulation Manager

After over three months of concert preparation, Tower Dancers will perform Saturday, December 3rd at 8 p.m. in Markel Auditorium.

“This is our first show all student choreographed so it’s very exciting,” said Holly Hobbes, Director of Dance and Tower Dancers.

According to Sophia Rome, a sophomore dance minor and student in Hobbs’s choreography class, the dance styles featured in the show will be mostly modern with some contemporary and jazz. Each dance is the work of a student in the choreography class.

“We’re turning improv into choreography,” Rome said. “We’re creating movement and developing that into a group dance.”

Hobbes encourages the audience to approach each piece as an individual artistic statement from her class.

“Each dance should be looked at as if you were in an art museum,” Hobbes said. “As you look at each painting, they’re going to appear different. That’s how I would encourage the audience to approach a dance concert.”

Throughout the semester, students received feedback from dance faculty and dance company during concert showings as they developed their group choreography.

“The process for dance is involved,” Hobbes said. “Once you’ve made part of a dance, it’s really helpful for choreographers, especially when they’re just starting out, to get feedback.” company and the dance faculty.

Rome is excited to share her first group choreographed piece with an audience.

“It’s surreal to think that the concert we’ve been thinking about since before school started is this weekend,” Rome said. “I’m really excited to showcase my piece and perform. It’s very magical. You go into different worlds and when you’re performing.”

The concert will be free admission. No ticket reservation is needed.

SAI has ‘New Horizons’

By Erin Osborne Collegian Reporter

The women’s music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota held its end-of-semester concert on Nov. 19.

The concert, entitled “New Horizons,” featured the 10 members of SAI in nine solo and ensemble pieces.

“Since the theme was ‘New Horizons,’ all of the songs were about travel or finding home in some way,” said SAI sophomore Fiona Mulley.

This was Mulley’s first time performing with SAI.

“I think everyone was having so much fun because we really appreciate making music together, and that energy was just so positive,” Mulley said.

SAI planned to disband in the spring of 2022, but was able to continue in this semester. The fraternity received a wide amount of donor support and support from college peers, and has been able to expand its recruiting efforts.

“The concert almost feels like a resurrection, and I am just looking forward to reestablishing a presence and credibility on campus,” Mulley said.

SAI has welcomed several new members this semester alone, including sophomores Emily Griffith, Rachel Houts, Fiona Mulley, Katrin Surkan, and Phoebe VanHeyningen.

“I am one of five new members, and SAI has doubled in size since the semester began,” Mulley said.

Sophomore Libby Gannon said SAI has grown not just in size, but as a community.

“I knew a few of the girls in SAI last year, and they seem so much more happy and excited to be a part of the group this year,” Gannon said.

The concert began with the SAI chorale, in which every member participated.

“I heard the chorale in the past, and it was heartwarming to see them perform it with all of the new additions,” sophomore and music department employee Sophie Webster said.

vocalists Nathan Malawey and Kevin Pynes, joined SAI members Griffith and Mulley.

“‘Snow’ was so exciting to sing,” Mulley said. “We got to bring in some of our other friends, and I loved looking at my song partners and interacting with them during the performance.”

SAI members hope to use more instrumental talents of the group in future concerts, according to Mulley. Mulley accompanied “From This Valley” on guitar, and Blockhus accompanied several acts on piano.

“Emily Rose plays violin, I also play cello, and some of the other members play electric guitar and percussion,” Mulley said.

Many members originally became exposed to SAI through the college’s theater department, said fraternity leader Mikela St. John.

By Kamden Mulder Collegian Reporter

Women of campus and all three sorority houses gathered on Nov. 18 for the Panhellenic Holiday Mixer, a night full of conversation, charcuterie, and sparkling cider.

The annual event included time to chat with current Greek women about their experience, why they chose to join a sorority, and the pros and cons of Greek life in general.

Representatives from all three houses spoke to the group at large. Junior Mary Clare Hamilton, and seniors Mercedes Bryan and Jaiden Frantz.

Each woman expressed how “being Greek” has impacted her college experience. All shared the sentiment that Greek life has the potential to cultivate lifelong friendships and a place on campus to call home.

Hamilton, membership chairman for Kappa Kappa Gamma, advised women considering recruitment to be honest with themselves.

“Each of these houses has amazing qualities and amazing women,” Hamilton said. “Search for the house you feel at peace in and the women who encourage you to be the fullest version of your truest self.”

Bryan, the president of Pi Beta Phi, addressed how Greek life has pushed her to grow.

“In short, Greek life is the challenge of a lifetime: it’s a challenge to practice noble character amidst these varying spheres, and to find yourself, four years later, a better woman,” Bryan said.

The freshmen women also heard speeches from Pi Beta Phi alumnae Rebekah Dell, advisor to the Panhellenic Council, and Reagan Linde, also an alumnae of Pi Beta Phi, who works in Student Activities and assists Dell on the Panhellenic Council.

Frantz, the president of Chi Omega, revealed in her speech that having a strong sisterhood to come home to has been the defining factor of her Greek life experience.

“I learned the undeniable sense of security I had originally noticed in these women had nothing to do with self-help books they were or were not reading, and everything to do with the sisters they were coming home to at the end of a long, hard day,” Frantz said.

Webster recorded the concert professionally for the Hillsdale College music department, and said that around 35 people were in attendance.

“We’ve wanted to make music together since last semester, and discovered that our vocal ranges blend really well,” Mulley said. “We loved singing a bluegrass song where those harmonies could be at the front. The theme of the song is about homecoming and celebration, and so it was a great fit.”

However, Mulley’s favorite song was Bing Crosby’s “Snow,” during which pianist Esdras Blackwell, as well as

Because of this, St. John said she chose Jukebox the Ghost’s “Hollywood” as the first song of the night, to reflect SAI’s theatrical involvement. SAI songmaster Ollie Blockhus accompanied on piano.

The rest of the concert was a combination of classic and modern songs like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s “Midnight in Vermont,” and Harry Styles’ “Sweet Creature.”

Webster said that the different musical backgrounds of SAI allows them to sing a variety of songs.

“I am a sucker for a barbershop quartet like ‘Snow,’” Webster said. “SAI has the ability to sing a variety of classical, musical theater, and popular songs, and it was great to hear that.”

The mixer was a unique opportunity for freshman women to mingle with members of all three sororities in one place. It provided the opportunity to learn about the recruitment process and converse with Greek women in a relaxed and authentic way.

“I went to the holiday mixer to get to know more women in greek life with other girls interested in rushing,” freshman Mattie Grace Watson said. “The atmosphere was festive and fun, and I got to meet so many incredible women.”

When asked about the highlight of the night, Watson said she loved listening to the speeches.

“The speeches were so moving and made me even more excited to get the chance to join one of these amazing sisterhoods in just a couple of months,” Watson said.

The mixer was the last panhellenic event before spring recruitment begins in January. Those that are interested in rushing are able to sign up for formal recruitment.

Seniors Patricia Fernandez, Abigail Yi, and Emily Marsh constructed costumes for Gingerbread Wars. Courtesy

Sophomores Sophia Rome, Laura Luke, and Olivia Rome practice for their upcoming show. Courtesy | Holly Hobbes

Seniors Ollie Blockhus and Mikela St. John perform at concert. Courtesy | Rachel Houts

FEATURES

A day of thanks: Students write to friends, faculty, and donors

By Linnea Shively Circulation Manager

Each November, the Grewock Student Union fills with long, community tables covered in candy and pens. A welcoming blend of Christmas and pop music greets students picking through a collection of thank-you cards and taking a seat, hot chai tea steaming in hand.

Thank-you messages fill the student-designed cards as students write to donors, professors, family, friends, and alumni about the semester. Cards fill the drop off boxes as the total count races to 4,000.

When deciding to attend Hillsdale College, freshman Lulu Celecia saw Day of Thanks highlighted online.

“I think Day of Thanks is really unique to Hillsdale,” Celecia said. “The kindness in the hearts of people here and the love of donors and others helping us through college still blows my mind. I think expressing your gratitude is always a great reminder.”

Letter-writing went from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celecia spent

every free moment of her day in the Union finishing another letter.

“I sat down here to start writing and realized how many people here I’m grateful for,” Celecia said. “So many people have already impacted my life here in the past two months. It’s like how people will say, ‘think about what you’re grateful for and you’ll have a better day.’ That’s been my day.”

According to Braden Vandyke, assistant director of alumni relations, the Hillsdale College Alumni Office co-hosts the event to further their goal of stewarding the legacy of Hillsdale College.

“Day of Thanks calls students to remembrance of all the things that we’ve had to be thankful for here,”

Vandyke said. “A large part of that is the financial story of Hillsdale College, where a lot of our education is footed because of people who have never visited campus before.”

Vandyke believes the tradition also helps give students more perspective on their college experience.

“A lot of students can fall into the trap where they go

QUICK HITS: Daniel Coupland

to classes, sleep, study, and repeat,” Vandyke said. “This event gives them the space to step aside and see the bigger picture of Hillsdale College and Thanksgiving.”

Along with reflecting on their blessings, Day of Thanks offered a space for students to gather together. With the help of SAB, snacks and long tables fostered a community space.

“I think it’s a great place to foster friendships with other people and even meet new people,” senior and SAB event leader Katie Weis said. “I think it highlights campus culture well because you see people from all across campus come in to write a card.”

According to Weis, the length of the event and amount of cards continue to grow each year as more students embrace the tradition.

“I remember coming to this my freshman year and it was my favorite event,” Weis said. “I think it helps students give back to the college and to those who give so much to us.”

By Sofie Kellar Collegian Freelancer

In this quick hits interview, Dean of Masters in Classical Education and Professor of Education Daniel Coupland talks swords, teaching, and Kid Rock.

What are some amusing teaching moments you’ve had in your career?

As a Spanish high school teacher, I once recreated the running of the bulls in the halls of my high school.

Do you have any advice you would give to aspiring teachers?

Don’t judge teaching solely on the first year, because the first year of teaching is always going to be the hardest.

Did you have any inspiring teachers in your past?

I know it sounds crazy, but two teachers that inspired me were Mr. Keating from Dead Poets Society, and – crazy as it may seem – one of the

reasons why I became a professor was that I love Indiana Jones.

If you were to try to put it in one sentence, how does a good teacher teach?

I would say that the best teachers have a love of subject and a love of the students as well. So you really can’t teach well if you lack one of those.

What is your favorite children’s book? “Wind in the Willows” is my absolute favorite – as I tell students, there may not be a better treatise on friendship in the English language than the “Wind in the Willows.”

Who is your favorite character? In the Chronicles of Narnia, King Peter is always a character that I looked up to. Then there’s another character called Puddleglum, a character who I had great affinity for.

What do you like about fairy tales?

The best fairy tales can actually create that other-world experience. When we come back to our world, we begin to notice the things around us that we’ve kind of taken for granted.

What magical item or a power do you think you would best love to have?

Well, Tolkien and Lewis play into this natural desire to have a sword – weapons and swords and other things that had a long tradition and even had names. So I’m kind of drawn to that, but I think it’s really hard to beat the ability to fly.

Where have you traveled?

I lived in C.S. Lewis’s house for three weeks in 2016. I was able to live there and study there, and I stayed in Joy’s room.

What was going to high school with Kid Rock like?

In my senior year of high

school there was this kid in my drama class, Bob Ritchie. He was a little bit quiet, but I got to know him during class. I didn’t have my own car, and he drove a white convertible Mustang, so I think he took pity on me and gave me a ride home once in a while. When we graduated, I lost track of him.

After two years of teaching, I decided to take some graduate classes. I ran into a woman who graduated from high school with me and she said, “Hey, did you hear about Bob?”

“You mean Bob Ritchie? No.”

“Have you heard of this guy named Kid Rock?”

What final advice would you recommend to aspiring teachers?

What makes a good teacher is what makes a good student. A curious mind, the ability and the willingness and the longing to pursue an answer.

From quartets to bluegrass: Local Gospel Barn celebrates 50 years

By Micah Hart Collegian Reporter

Approaching its 50th season this spring, the Gospel Barn continues to combine family, faith, and tradition.

Located on Bankers Road in Hillsdale, the barn hosts a guest group weekly and a house band of its own.

Artists range in genre from traditional gospel and quartets to family groups and bluegrass music.

“The atmosphere just attracts people,” former Michigan State representative Ken Kurtz said. “These acts [touring music groups] want to come to the gospel barn.”

The Christian concert venue is closed for the remainder of the year but will open its doors again in April.

The Gospel Barn took four years to build and first opened its doors in 1974 under the direction of Everett Wirick and his wife Margaret Frager.

“My grandfather was a builder and he built this facility for the purpose of holding gospel concerts,” current owner Scott Wiley said.

Visiting the venue today, one will find a display area with a carpenter square that Wiley found when the roof was being redone. This carpenter square, according to Wiley, was from the early

1970s when his grandfather first constructed the roof.

From building to management, the Gospel Barn has been a family affair, and Wiley knew that he wanted to be involved in it.

Wiley sent his grandparents a letter detailing his plan to move to Michigan, learn how to run the venue, and eventually lead the Gospel Barn.

After graduating from high school in 1987, that dream became a reality and Wirick added Wiley’s name to the deed.

A family crisis, however, put Wiley in charge of the barn sooner rather than later.

“In February 1988, he and my grandma were in a car accident and were killed suddenly,” Wiley said.

In the midst of this tragedy, Wiley continued the Gospel Barn’s operations.

“We carried on, and we have carried on all these years,” he said.

Kurtz said that the venue has been successful under the leadership of Wiley.

“The community goes quite a ways beyond Hillsdale down to Indiana, Ohio, and further up in Michigan,” Kurtz said. “Sometimes people come in buses.”

Norm Keesler, a member of the house band who has been involved in the Gospel

Barn since Wiley’s grandparents ran it, echoed similar sentiments about how special the Wiricks, the Wileys, and the barn truly were and continue to be to him.

“The Wirecks and the Wileys have been very supportive of me and very encouraging to me and they are to other folks as well,” said Keesler.

Despite COVID-19 lockdowns and regulations, the venue continued to perform its mission. Although concerts could not be held in the auditorium, Wiley said the crew set up an area outside to host weekly concerts.

The Gospel Barn hosted Saturday concerts from June to September 2020, where people could bring lawn chairs or sit in their cars and enjoy music.

Wiley said the weather cooperated and made the outdoor concerts possible.

“One of the real blessings of that entire time was that we never got rained out in that 15 to 16 week span,” said Wiley.

Since the pandemic, Wiley said crowds are coming back.

“The Gospel Barn just has a place in Hillsdale County,” Kurtz said.

Indiana jones inspired Daniel Coupland to become a teacher. Courtesy | Hillsdale College

Students spent the day writing notes using cards designed by their peers. Courtesy | SAB

The Gospel Barn celebrates its 50th anniversary this spring. Courtesy | Gospel Barn Facebook