Students gathered on the quad over the weekend for the Student Activities Board’s annual Maker’s Market event. (See A2) Erik Teder | Student Activities Board
Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
Vol. 147 Issue 8 – October 12, 2023
www.hillsdalecollegian.com
College names Chris Rufo Hillsdale community reacts to war in Israel By Elyse Apel kidnapping more than 1,000 fessor of classics and faculty ad“Everyone is staying indoors Digital Editor soldiers and civilians in Israeli viser to Hillsdale’s Jewish Club, right now, partly in fear of any as distinguished fellow communities near the border, said the attack has impacted not rockets actually getting past the trator, and someone who really understands the purpose of education and the need for Journalist Chris Rufo practical statesmanship and joined Hillsdale College as a politics,” Rufo said. “That disdistinguished fellow Oct. 4. cussion, as well as the class at Rufo is a senior fellow at the Pulliam fellowship, realthe Manhattan Institute and ly sparked a desire within a contributing editor at City me to be more involved with Journal. He is the author of Hillsdale, and I sent an email “America’s Cultural Revolu- to Dr. Arnn and said, ‘Hey, tion: How the Radical Left would it be possible to start Conquered Ever ything,” teaching some additional which made the New York short courses and doing some Times Bestseller List after its additional lectures and pubrelease in July. lications?’” “Chris Rufo is a smart Arnn offered Rufo a disand energetic man who has tinguished fellowship. Rufo built a career out of his in- said he wants his current genuity,” College President course to guide students toLarry Arnn said. “Beginning ward making a better culture. as an army of one, he has in“I want them to underformed legions and uncov- stand that the world we live ered the abuses of the great in is driven by profound and mighty. He does not fear, changes in intellectual, social, but he takes care to be in the economic, and political life,” right. He will be an excellent Rufo said. “And for those colleague.” students who are interested Rufo is best known for in pursuing politics, or pubhis investigative journalism lic policy, or even academic on critical race theory and careers, they shouldn’t be gender theory in schools and seduced by the popular symcorporations. bolism that you see in mass He joins the ranks of mil- media.” itary historian Victor DaRufo hopes to teach a class vis Hanson and C.S. Lewis every fall, he said. scholar Michael Ward Sophomore Maggie as distinguished McGee, a student fellows. in Rufo’s class, R u f o said her exwill teach perience courses so far has and give been exlectures cellent. to the McGee college said the commuclass has nity. This taught her week, he to articuChris Rufo is a senior fellow at is teaching late some of a one-credit the Manhattan Institute. the troubling course titled Courtesy | Facebook t hings she “Culture War has observed and Public Policy.” in the culture. “I’m trying to give stu“I have really enjoyed dents a deeper understand- the structure of the class, in ing of some of the culture which we identify the greatest war dynamics that we see in threats to American culture the news in the contempo- and discuss how to combat rary political debate,” Rufo them,” McGee said. said. “It’s a class that seeks to Rufo has a personal congo deeper than a simple left- nection to Hillsdale, as his right understanding of the grandfather grew up in the Culture War.” city and graduated from the Rufo said he wants stu- college in 1942 before serving dents to be able to effectively in World War II. interpret the issues of the day. “He actually paid his way “When students finish through college working as a the class after the end of 10 painter, so he painted some hours, they’ll be able to read of the campus buildings the news and understand many years ago,” Rufo said. contemporary controversies “Hillsdale allowed him to get at a much deeper level, and a bachelor’s degree before he understand some of the fun- went to war. He then got a damental changes that are master’s degree in electrical expressed, but in some ways engineering, was very suchidden, in these cable news cessful, and moved out to fights,” Rufo said. California, but it all started After teaching a class in here.” spring 2022 as the Dow JourRufo said he is excited to nalism Program’s Eugene C. continue meeting students. Pulliam Fellow, Rufo had “It’s just an honor and a a conversation with Arnn privilege to be working with about Aristotle, Churchill, Hillsdale,” he said, “and I look and the cultural issues of the forward to this week and day. coming back soon.” “I think he’s an extraordinary scholar, leader, adminisBy Elizabeth Troutman Editor-in-chief
Shavit Rootman ’20 was in Israel for a friend’s wedding when Hamas attacked the country Saturday. “There is a lot of shock,” Rootman said. “A lot of heavy-hearted spirits, but we remain united as a people here in Israel.” Although he’s an Israeli citizen, Rootman lives in the United States, but he says he’s planning to stay in Israel to defend it from further aggression. Another Hillsdale alumnus, Nathan Steinmeyer ’18, now lives in Jerusalem with his wife, an Arab Israeli. “This is a full-scale war, complete with the most unimaginable atrocities committed by man. This is not just another conflict with Gaza, this is something completely new that Israel has not faced in many decades,” Steinmeyer said. “The brutality and indiscriminate nature of the attacks are beyond measure.” Steinmeyer is an editor at Biblical Archaeology Review and is pursuing a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University. The fighting in Israel began when at least 1,500 Hamas militants broke through the fences between the Gaza Strip and Israel, raping, murdering, and
according to the New York Times. Rootman said it is important to understand the horror of the situation in Israel. “Israel is dealing with animalistic and barbaric terror groups who are not conducive to peace,” Rootman said. The assault, which took place on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, happened simultaneously with Hamas firing more than 3,000 rockets from Gaza into Israel. The Iron Dome, Israel’s air defense system, intercepted some, but not all the rockets, according to Business Insider. Since then, Israel has gone on the offensive. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu issued a formal declaration of war, and Israel has begun to strike hundreds of targets across Gaza. Hamas, a Palestinian Islamic terrorist movementknown to be funded by Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, specifically targeted civilians in its attack, including attendees of a music festival taking place just three miles from the Gaza border. At least 260 people have been found dead at that festival, according to CNN. Joshua Fincher, assistant pro-
just Israelis, but Jews around the world. “The Jewish community has reacted with grief and shock; it was especially upsetting given that it occurred on the festival that ends the holiday season, Simchat Torah, which is one of the most joyful holidays in the Jewish calendar as a celebration of the Torah,” Fincher said. “I think it’s important that the Hillsdale community knows that many of us have friends or relatives in Israel, and so this can be extremely distracting and upsetting.” Alumnus Nathaniel Birzer ’21 is also currently in Israel studying at the Polis Institute.
Iron Dome, partly in fear of the invaders breaching so far inward, and partly in fear that some radicalized individual, driven by fear or hate, might just start attacking people,” Birzer said. Since the weekend, Rootman has volunteered to re-join the Israel Defense Forces unit he did his mandatory service with, but it’s up to the government to decide if he will be able to fight. “I served in a special ops unit called Duvdevan, which specializes in counter-terrorism in the West Bank, dealing with high-profile terrorists,” Rootman said.
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Hillsdale alumnus Nathaniel Birzer stands on the Austrian hospice’s roof in Israel. Courtesy | Dedra Birzer
Construction on new media building to finish in 2024 By Adriana Azarian Collegian Reporter
Construction of the studio portion of the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center will be finished in February 2024, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé. “It’s going to be a game changer from a visual media standpoint,” Péwé said. “You don’t have to set up a studio in different places and try to make that work. It’s all there. You have all the equipment. It’s state of the art.” The building at the intersection of Fayette and Union streets requires two construction phases: one for the studio and one for the surrounding
office spaces, which will come at a later date. Director of Visual Media and Marketing Mark Waters said production for outreach videos will begin in the studio in early 2024. “Because the college has been doing an increasing amount of media, we need a bigger space,” Waters said. “The media portion of the college is meant to address that audience who won’t go to Hillsdale but still wants to learn all that Hillsdale wants to teach them.” Péwé said the 10,500-squarefoot visual media studio will be completely soundproof, featuring smooth floors for rolling cameras, a green room, and room for sets, makeup, and equipment.
According to Waters, the usable studio space is 80 x 60 feet, and can hold four to five filming sets. This will allow the visual media team to work on more projects at a time, including commercials, online courses, and videos for K-12 outreach. While the building will primarily serve the media and marketing teams, students will also have the opportunity to use the space to film documentaries. Junior and photographer Jack Cote said he was impressed with the building’s design as suitable for filming professional videos. “Lots of people that I’ve talked to haven’t been impressed with how the building looks, but
that’s actually very intentional,” Cote said. “It’s pretty essential that no outside lighting interferes with the sets. While it may look bland from the outside right now, I’m confident it will match the rest of the buildings on campus when it’s finished.” Waters said the studio will enable the college to reach and educate a greater audience. “We’re having an increasing impact on that audience that wants to learn from Hillsdale,” Waters said. “Our bottom line goal is to be more and more effective, always reaching a broader audience with the content we have to offer, and the studio’s a step in the right direction to increase the amount of content.”
Security warns about potential predator By Logan Washburn Associate Editor The college locked doors on campus after Campus Security warned in an Oct. 9 email that a potentially dangerous man was in the area. “This subject was on campus recently and is known to wear Hillsdale College attire,” said Joe Kellam, director of security and emergency management, in the email. “We will be implementing locked doors.” Joseph Robert Bruneau, 54, is known for “assaultive and predatory behavior,” according to Kellam. Security locked the doors to campus buildings and has been patrolling to find Bruneau.
Kellam sent another email lice Department told security Oct. 11, saying there have been Bruneau was in the area, and seno additional confirmed sight- curity has taken reports of him ings of Bruneau on campus. on campus, according to Kellam. “As a precaution we will Bruneau is white, 6 feet tall, remain in the current and has brown hair locked status until and brown eyes. He we know further drives a 2012 dark on his location,” blue Jeep CherKellam said in okee with New the email. “AdYork license ministration plates and a and security large dent in have been cothe rear passenordinating Joseph Robert Bruneau has been seen on ger bumper. their efforts campus multiple times in the last week. S t u to assist lo- Courtesy | Campus Security dents, staff, cal authoriand faculty ties with all investigations refer- should call security at 517-398ence [sic] trespass and theft.” 1522 if they see Bruneau on camThe City of Hillsdale Po- pus, and call 911 if confronted,
according to Kellam. “Do not approach or engage with this individual,” he said. Kellam said students should download the RAVE Guardian app in case of emergencies. He reminded students to carry IDs to enter buildings and avoid holding doors open for anyone they do not know. “Please be aware that anything you post on social media is potentially visible to him also,” Kellam said. The security email included a surveillance photo that captured Bruneau entering Mossey Library wearing a hat, glasses, and a blue Hillsdale College sweatshirt.
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