9.10 Hillsdale Collegian

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

College goes on the air By | Hannah Madeira Collegian Freelancer “God Bless America” burst forth from the static on July 10 in the Hillsdale area on 101.7 FM, the station established by Hillsdale College in pursuit of new ways for the student body to find its voice.

WRFH — Radio Free Hillsdale — currently broadcasts an automated loop of patriotic music, but eventually students will man and air everything from news to music.

“It will be the college and the students creating the content,” said Vince Benedetto, college supporter and station founder.

Benedetto noticed the availability of low-power station for purchase and met with college President Larry Arnn in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.

Benedetto, president and CEO of Bold Gold Media Corporation, mentioned the possibility of putting Hillsdale’s values, and students, on the air.

Benedetto said he told Arnn that he thought the college and students should have a radio station.

“We need young people to go into spoken word format, such as news and talk,” Benedetto said.

Benedetto began working with important college personnel in media, institutional advancement, and journalism to make the station a reality.

In June, after Hillsdale obtained the station license, Benedetto came to Michigan with

a truck full of broadcast equipment, a crew from Bold Gold, and they got to work.

When the physical side of the the station was complete, the real work began for Miller.

Before students’ programs air, the college will hire a full-time station manager who will oversee day-to-day operations.

Once that happens, students from all majors — but especially those intereste d in journalism — will have the opportunity to be on the air, learning what it takes to be the next Hugh Hewitt or Dana Loesch.

Since broadcast equipment is now also installed in the college’s Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies & Citizenship in Washington, D.C., radio engineers will be able to link that signal to 101.7 here in Hillsdale and air speeches and debates taking place at the Kirby Center.

Benedetto promised Bold Gold will remain involved, occasionally sending special speakers from its stations as well as producers, soundboard engineers, and show hosts to share with students what their careers have taught them. radio, A2

New marketing videos top 1 million views By | Anders Hagstrom Collegian Freelancer Hillsdale has gone viral.

The college’s marketing department released three video montages over the summer which garnered nearly 1.15 million views across all social media platforms in the department’s campaign to expand visual output. The outcome broke previous college video viewership records with ease.

“The 2015 fiscal year saw a huge improvement in our video production,” Vice President for Marketing Matt Schlientz said.

“In 2015 we produced 114 videos, compared to 12 videos in 2014.”

Hillsdale College’s official YouTube channel now has the largest subscriber base of any of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the U.S., according to a list

from U.S. News & World Report.

All three videos were produced by Coldwater Media, a film contractor with which Hillsdale frequently works.

Coldwater contributed alongside Video Content Editor Sam Brown and marketing intern Josh Hamilton, among others.

The most popular in the summer series was “America the Beautiful,” featuring the classic, patriotic song performed by the Hillsdale College Choir accompanied by breathtaking visuals to compliment the lyrics.

The video, published in June, earned over 900,000 views across social media and YouTube and received thousands of positive comments and likes, but it is only a small part of the department’s initiative to maximize the videos, A2

‘Saga Steve’ hospitalized By | Breana Noble Assistant Editor Steve Casai, known as “Saga Steve” by students, is a patient at the neurological unit at the University of Michigan Hospital. The 1974 Hillsdale graduate has checked in students for meals during the past four decades, seldom missing a day.

Named fondly after the college’s

previous food service, Saga, Inc., Casai is known for his diligent work, friendship with students, and great memory for names.

His diagnosis and prognosis remain unknown. Those wishing to express sympathy and concerns are encouraged to send cards to his hospital address: NICU Room 4814, University of Michigan, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109.

VOICES OF 2016

Students to be featured commentators on national debate broadcast

“

Our generation is very important for the upcoming election

By | Phil DeVoe Assistant Editor It’s almost done.

The much-anticipated event center has entered its final stage of construction and will open this week as the Searle Center.

“It all came together, and we will have a beautiful and useful building ready to contribute to the great atmosphere here,” Vice President for Administration Rich Péwé said.

As was expected at the conception of the renovation, the building will seat 700 for meals in a new dining hall. The center’s purpose is primarily to

By | Macaela Bennett Editor-in-chief Hillsdale College’s national reputation for academic success continues to improve, according to an annual ranking of best liberal arts colleges released Wednesday. Rising two spots from last year, Hillsdale tied with four schools as the nation’s 67th best liberal arts college in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking.

While college administrators and faculty say they are pleased with the bump, they emphasize that the ranking doesn’t tell the full story.

“The rating is good for what it’s good for, but it’s not the ultimate arbiter of quality,” Provost David Whalen said. “The current status is good, but I think we’re better than it suggests.”

The rankings are determined by totaling a school’s points, which are received in weighted categories including: acceptance rate, alumni giving, class sizes, freshmen retention rate, and a

TURTLE ISLAND QUARTET TO PERFORM AT HILLSDALE

WILDWOODSTOCK FESTIVAL ROLLS INTO JONESVILLE. Local organizes the first Jonesville rock ‘n’ roll festival this Saturday. A6

courtesy photo | Turtle Island Quartet

hopes to have a way for other students to listen in and observe their classmates who are part of the focus group.

In addition, Gallagher’s daily show will broadcast from Hillsdale from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 15, 16, and 17, Davis said.

Gallagher will feature some students from the panel during his Thursday radio show.

Each of the 15 students chosen for the panel came to Davis highly recommended, she said.

Broadcasting the student panel gives outsiders a chance to see what it’s like to discuss topics at Hillsdale.

“This is a great opportunity.

Our generation is very important for the upcoming election,” senior Emily Runge, who will be part of the focus group, said.

The radio show host enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to do a focus group with millennials, particularly Hillsdale students.

“I have such faith in the integrity of kids who go to Hillsdale,” Gallagher said. “I wouldn’t

be quite so confident at Berkeley.”

As for any rookie mistakes the students could make, Gallagher said spontaneity is a big part of the success of talk radio – and there’s always the ten-second delay.

“I can share with listeners what college kids are saying about the candidates,” Gallagher said, and that’s a win-win for him because it brings a new dynamic to his show.

Even with Gallagher’s confidence in Hillsdale’s students, panelists senior Sarah Onken, Runge, and Restuccia have not had previous radio experience and said they have some nerves about going on the air.

“I will be watching the debate processing what I want to say. Of course there are nerves,” Onken said. “I’m going to be very scrupulous in what I say.”

Senior Dominic Restuccia, another panelist, said it was an honor that the Department Marketing chose him for the panel. debate, A2

provide a new venue for larger events which Phillips Auditorium and the Dow Leadership Center could not handle.

Starting this year, several existing college events will be moved to the new venue, and a few more events will be added to take full advantage of the opportunities the Searle Center offers.

Director of Student Affairs Anthony Manno has already booked the new center for the President’s Ball, an annual formal dance typically held at the Howard Music Building that is organized and sponsored by the Student Activities Board.

“My hope is that it will allow us more space to transform the room into the atmosphere we envision,” Manno said. “I also hope there will be a natural draw to the Searle Center from students which will further boost attendance.”

Dinners and special events related to the Center for Constructive Alternatives seminars will be moved to the Searle Center, although the lectures will remain in the Biermann Athletic Center until the completion of future renovations of Phillips Auditorium.

“The functionality of the Searle Center will make it a

great venue for the dinners and other events throughout each CCA,” Director of Programs for External Affairs Matthew Bell said.

As the Searle Center’s completion nears, Péwé and his staff have set their eyes on the future of the college’s development.

Campus projects in planning include renovations of Mauck Hall, further upgrades to the hotel rooms of the Dow Leadership Center hotel, and breaking ground on the campus chapel, which Péwé hopes could occur as soon as this fall.

College moves up national rankings

CROSS-COUNTRY STARTS STRONG Men and women cruise past Saginaw Valley in first meet of the season. A10

Grammy-winning group to perform in Markel Saturday. B1

By | Natalie C. McKee Senior Reporter Watching and discussing presidential debates isn’t rare for Hillsdale students, and next week 15 students will be doing just that – on the radio.

Talk show radio host Mike Gallagher of “The Mike Gallagher Show” will moderate those students as they respond to the CNN Republican Presidential Debate Wednesday. The nationwide Salem Radio Network, the radio distributor of the CNN televised debate, will broadcast the students’ reflections.

“This i s a chance for our students to shine,” Media Relations and Communications Manager Emily Davis said. “We say when somebody comes to campus and sits in a classroom, that’s when they understand Hillsdale.”

According to Davis, the logistics are still in flux, but she

Searle Center to open soon

MICROBREWERY MOVES IN

Hillsdale community can get their fill at the Hillsdale Brewing Company, opening in 2016. B4

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Vol. 139 Issue 2 - 10 Sept. 2015

peer assessment score.

While Hillsdale ranked highly in most of these categories, its peer review score (determined by other schools’ presidents, provosts, and deans of admission) was much lower than colleges with a similar overall score.

Out of five possible points, Hillsdale earned only 2.5.

Weighted at 22.5 percent, this peer review category significantly impacts a school’s ranking and Whalen said the low number “reveals a misperception” of Hillsdale among other college administrators.

He said the low peer review could be derived partially from an “ideological bias.”

Assistant Professor of Politics John Grant agreed with Whalen.

Grant, who taught and worked in administration at a college comparable to Hillsdale in size and ideology for 12 years, said its reputation also suffered for similar reasons.

He added that Hillsdale’s 96 percent freshmen retention rate is “astonishingly high.”

High retention rates positively impact the college because it shows students are able to handle Hillsdale’s coursework and enjoy the community. In turn, committed students attract high-quality faculty, Grant said.

Another category in which Hillsdale ranked poorly was its 13 percent average alumni giving rate. Admitting that the college needs to allocate more college resources to connecting with alumni, Whalen said Hillsdale students’ relationship with the college is improving dramatically and will likely lead to a better giving percentage.

Both Whalen and Doug Banbury, associate vice president of admissions, said the college is making changes that may affect future rankings, but both emphasized that rankings aren’t the reason for the changes.

“There are things we will do that will impact our ranking,” Banbury said, “but the rankings don’t impact our strategy.”

Banbury said that while some students use rankings like this

to create a short list of schools to which they will apply, it does not drastically alter who ends up enrolling.

“Those who decide to come to Hillsdale come because Hillsdale is the place for them,” Banbury said. “They don’t come because we’re number 67.”

In addition, students are attracted to Hillsdale for many reasons not accounted for in this ranking, Whalen said.

“Most important things in life escape metrics,” he said.

After working with students from other institutions, including a yearlong stint at the University of Colorado, Professor of History Brad Birzer agreed Hillsdale’s quality isn’t captured by this ranking.

“I’d be more than happy to take a representative sample of our faculty and of our students and compare them to the equivalent at any other university,” Birzer said. “We’d best them.”

RUN, BIDEN, RUN Read the unlikely petition for a Biden candidacy for the 2016 election cycle. A5

nders

ledal |

olle an

Check out articles online at www.hillsdalecollegian.com

A2 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

In brief:

Students attend ‘16 debate in Cleveland

Galloway, CRs to host GOP debate party By | Breana Noble ASsistant Editor College Republicans and Galloway Dorm will bring “screen on the green” to campus for the Sept. 16 CNN Republican primary debates. Students can watch both the 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. debates on a large LED screen set up on the east Galloway lawn. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to enjoy the live stream and free food and refreshments.

The event will also include a straw poll following the primetime debate and an opportunity for students to register to vote.

9/11 victims to be honored Friday By | Vivian Hughbanks News Editor The 13th annual 9/11 memorial ceremony will take place at noon this Friday near the statue of the Union Soldier between Lane Hall and Kendall Hall.

The event is co-sponsored by the College Republicans and Young Americans for Freedom and will feature an address by Major Jim Bernthal, a retired marine.

“The September 11 attacks are the singular event forever altering the modern United States,” College Republicans President senior Sam Holdeman said. “9/11 served as the end of the relatively quiet decade between the vanquishing of America’s greatest terror, the USSR, and the rise of Islamic terrorism. 9/11 was the reminder that, though one evil may be defeated, another will always rise seeking to destroy freedom.”

The two student organizations worked with Assistant Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers to plan the event. As in the past, four flags to honor the victims of the Benghazi shooting will join the 2,977 flags in remembrance of the 9/11 victims in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Lane café gets firstday jitters By | Sarah Albers Opinions Editor Jitters Café was unable to conduct business on the first day of class due to a defunct cash register.

An ITS technician replaced the unit with a spare, and Jitters was able to resume standard operation the following day.

“They’re computers. They crash,” AJ’s Manager Lisa Beasley said, referring to past failures of the campus cafe’s cash register. “But I believe [the ITS technician] told me it was just a year old.”

The cash register is one of four identical registers on campus. Hillsdale ITS purchased a spare last year when they were installed in case of technical failure. When Jitters Cafe reported the malfunction, ITS replaced the current unit with the spare. “[The cash register] has a Windows operating system,” Kevin Maurer, Hillsdale information services manager, said.

“We had the ‘blue screen of death.’”

The registers are expected to last longer than a year. Maurer said Jitters employees had had problems with the register last year, but technical glitches went unreported until last week when the system failed completely.

Maurer said the unit is still under its five-year warranty.

Photo credit | Claudia Sladick

Morgan Brownfield, Claudia Sladick, Michael Lucchese, and Madeline Domalakes pose at the first Republican 2016 debate in Cleveland, Ohio on Aug. 6.

By | Joe Pappalardo Assistant Editor Several Hillsdale students traveled to Cleveland to attend the first Republican 2016 presidential debate at Quicken Loans Arena on Aug. 6.

Sophomores Claudia Sladick, Madeline Domalakes, Morgan Brownfield, and Michael Lucchese, all members of Hillsdale’s College Republicans chapter, arranged to meet in Cleveland with event tickets from the Cuyahoga County Republican Party. Although they disagreed about which candidate won, they were in

agreement that the debate in person was much different from the debate on TV. One off-camera highlight was a dispute between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida. “[We] witnessed some verbal sparring between the two that looked to be very heated and ended with Trump turning his head and not looking at Jeb for the rest of the night,” Domalakes said.

According to Sladick, the Cleveland crowd gave Ohio Governor John Kasich a wild reception.

“They were very responsive to the candidates

throughout the debate,” she said.

But everything didn’t go as planned- in fact, the group almost cancelled their trip.

They were sidetracked when the Cuyahoga Republican Party, which had previously promised tickets for the four students and Sladick’s father, withdrew its offer.

After several phone calls to the organization, Lucchese and Brownfield managed to get the group admitted as volunteers.

“We didn’t have tickets until noon on the day of the debate,” Brownfield said. “I was thinking about cancelling my flight [from D.C.].”

While the delay prevented them from seeing the 5 p.m. forum, the students were

“

It was an absolute blast!

able to watch the prime-time evening debate featuring the top ten candidates.

Sladick described debate moderators Bret Baier,

Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace’s questions as “challenging, but necessary.”

While the politicians did not answer with specific details, she hopes they will be more open in future debates.

Brownfield said that Sen. Marco Rubio was a “big hit” for the College Republicans because of the members’ strong support for him.

Though Rubio was the favorite throughout the group, Sladick thought neurosurgeon Ben Carson deserved special recognition.

“I felt that Ben Carson was impressive because he did not try to present himself as something he is not,” she said. “As one of the only non-politicians on the stage, he remained collected and well-spoken and did not seem insecure by his lack of political experience. Rather, he highlighted his intelligence and sense of humor while interacting with the moderators and other candidates.”

Domalakes said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Sen. Ted Cruz had “excellent” responses, but added that she believed Carson was only able to talk on foreign policy issues. She noted he may not have expected the moderator’s questions, but he should have been more thorough in his preparation.

Though their trip did not go according to plan, the students are glad to have had the opportunity.

“It was an absolute blast,” Domalakes said. “I have to thank Morgan and Michael for working so hard to give us the opportunity.”

Campus gets a facelift over summer By | Theresa Smith Collegian Freelancer Though most students were away this summer, the campus stayed busy as the school remodeled McIntyre Dorm and construction finished on Simpson Dorm and the new outdoor tennis courts.

McIntyre’s renovations were one of the largest on campus this summer, beginning as soon as students left campus. The construction was completed in only 85 days, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.

“The fact that we did McIntyre in one summer is crazy, actually,” Péwé said.

“That’s really fast.”

McIntyre now has a reworked basement, complete with five new washers and dryers - free for Mac girls’ use.

The dorm’s construction included removing several rooms to build two new kitchens, one on each wing of the dorm. These are accompanied by cozy lounges, featuring couches, a television, and a fireplace.

Dorm rooms got a new coat of paint and laminate flooring while the suite-style bathrooms were updated as well. The front entrance was

debate from A1 “The fact that the college would allow 15 of their students to go on programmed time and fill space and expect us to be entertaining and knowledgeable says something about Hillsdale and what they think of their students,” Restuccia said.

According to Restuccia, the group will certainly have differing views: While panelist senior Richard Caster is pro-Trump, Restuccia is pro-Rubio.

“I’m thinking everyone is still pretty open-minded except for some really strong Rand or Cruz people,” Restuccia added, saying that he also thinks there are “different paradigms” from which people are choosing their candidates – some people are looking for a business candidate, some for a social champion, and others for a foreign policy guru.

Runge said for now, she favors Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Scott Walker, and her top concerns are abortion, foreign

altered to a single ingress, leading directly to the lobby.

McIntyre also received an elaborate patio. Complete with an outdoor fireplace, the freshmen girls can now enjoy a space to relax outside in lawn chairs.

The renovated dorm is unrecognizable.

“It is 100 percent better,” McIntyre head resident assistant senior Angela Bonvissuto said. “There are more places to hang out, so it’s way more social.”

Across campus, Simpson Dorm received some renovations over the summer. The front entrance to Simpson was expanded and additional windows were added, allowing more natural light into the lobby.

The construction on Simpson also included a new roof, which, as Simpson house director Peggy Wilson explained, matched the roof of the Searle Center across the street.

This is part of a long list of work done on Simpson over the past year. These summer renovations were, Wilson said, “a part of phase two.”

In addition to the renovations in McIntyre and Simpson, the summer projects included the new outdoor tennis courts, located next to

policy, and budget and taxes.

Both Runge and Onken said they are looking forward to what Carly Fiorina will bring to the debate.

“It’s her time with the big boys,” Onken said. “I think she can hold her own.”

And who is Gallagher’s preferred candidate?

“Anyone with an ‘R’ behind his or her name,” Gallagher said, adding he’s been in the business for 38 years and he’s tired of the “circular firing squad” that comes up during primary races.

As a host, he won’t be endorsing one candidate over another, Gallagher said. Even though a colleague of his said he could never vote for Donald Trump, Gallagher said he will support whoever the Republican nominee is and will remain neutral until that point.

The radio show host added in all his time doing shows like this, he’s never seen Americans as engaged as early in the process as they are this year, attributing some of that to Donald Trump’s presence in the race.

the Biermann Center.

Péwé explained the project began last October because the old courts had deteriorated and needed “to be completely rebuilt.”

After breaking ground last fall and waiting until after the winter snows melted to finish, workmen finally laid down the green and blue courts during.

According to Péwé, as of Tuesday, the courts are “ready for action.”

Anders Kiledal | collegian

Entrance of the renovated Simpson Dormitory

Theresa Smith | Collegian

Patio behind the renovated McIntyre Dormitory

“It’s safe to say that young people are engaged,” Gallagher said.

radio from A1 Not only is the station an opportunity for students to gain experience with radio, but Benedetto said it would draw national radio figures like Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity, to campus to do remote broadcasts.

“The radio station will help students see lots of these hosts up close and learn first-hand how the spoken word can affect people,” Benedetto said.

Miller said, that like in written journalism, people best learn to speak on the radio simply by doing it.

“We will help students improve rhetoric, train them in the art of communication, how to speak and tell a story, and how to communicate,” Miller said.

“That’s the fundamental thing.

We want to get students behind the microphones.”

Benedetto agreed.

“It’ll be the first broadcast program where students who want to go into radio can go into college, learn the Constitution, learn American history, then broadcast that knowledge. It’s art form,” he said.

videos from A1 college’s visual marketing capability.

Two other videos released this summer, “The Freshmen Pledge” and “The Good, The True, The Beautiful,” illustrate a secondary goal of the marketing department: increased production quality.

These videos feature four graduates from the class of 2015, chosen for their ability to exemplify what it means to be a Hillsdale student and explain, in their own words, the purpose and value of a Hillsdale education.

“We really wanted to capture the story behind what it means to graduate from Hillsdale,”

Schlientz said. “We thought these students were perfect to illustrate that story.”

Schlientz and the rest of the marketing department intend to continue with the rate of output they set in 2015, maintaining the goal of producing 100 videos within the 2016 fiscal year.

These productions will cover a range of topics from online courses, event recaps, and holidays, to special features similar to “America The Beautiful.”

Upcoming clips include an admissions video slated to be released in January as well as a general athletics montage.

The marketing department also wants to connect with students who would like to be featured in either a video or photo campaign. Those interested should visit the marketing department, located on the third floor of Moss Hall. `

A3 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

French department welcomes new prof

By | Katie Scheu Collegian Freelancer

Assistant Professor of French Anne Theobald’s office evidences her love of the subject on which she instructs: French film posters hang on the walls, countless well-worn books line her shelves, and pictures hint at her many adventures in France. It is Theobald’s ever-present smile and enthusiastic attitude, however, that show her to be the wellversed and passionate professor she is.

One of two new professors to join Hillsdale College’s French Department this year, Theobald holds a doctorate in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and previously taught at Ithaca College in New York, though she hails from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Theobald’s introduction to Hillsdale is not unlike those of many of its students. She heard of the school through her father, who receives Imprimis. It was not until her visit to campus, however, that she fell in love with the college.

“The minute I stepped on campus, I felt that this was a good place, a place where I

could be happy professionally and personally,” Theobald said.

Though Theobald’s introduction to the college resounds with many Hillsdale students, her application process was much more intense.

According to Marie-Claire Morellec, chair of the French Department, of 100 applicants, 25 were interviewed at the Modern Language Association Convention in January in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Selected among these candidates, Theobald and now-Assistant Professor of French Sherri Rose came to Hillsdale and completed the application process.

She interviewed with College President Larry Arnn and Provost David Whalen in addition to teaching sample classes, meeting with students, and speaking with professors of various departments.

Theobald remained unperturbed by this. Instead, she cites the process as one of the main elements that attracted her to Hillsdale, saying she was impressed by every interview she had, as well as the enthusiasm of the students.

As impressed as Theobald was with Hillsdale, Hillsdale

Katie Scheu | collegian

Dr. Anne Theobald

was impressed with her.

Morellec explained the French Department was looking for a generalist, someone who can teach a variety of topics in the department.

Having taken classes in medieval and 16th-20th

century French literature, in addition to her expert command of the French language, Theobald certainly fulfills this requirement. She specializes in 17th century literature, the era on which her thesis focused.

Theobald is also working on a textbook with her colleagues from Ithaca called “Textures: pour approfondir la communication orale et écrite” (“Textures: Developing Oral and Written Communication”), which is under contract with Yale University.

The text is geared toward bridging the gap between beginning and intermediate speakers through the study of contemporary short stories found in modern French culture.

Apart from Theobald’s mastery of the French language and culture, her eagerness to participate in the greater college community helped her get the job, Morellec said.

“We at Hillsdale College are looking for good teachers, but also for someone who can advise students and be an active part of our community,” Morellec said.

Theobald spoke excitedly about a cycling class she will teach at the fitness center

on Thursday mornings this semester. An avid cycler, she earned her certification to teach the class this summer, intending to bond with students outside of the French Department.

She loves to be in the classroom, building connections with people who love to learn, and watching them improve with each lesson, which does not go unnoticed by her students.

Sophomore Sarah Dasgupta experienced Theobald’s sample class.

“In the first class I had with Mademoiselle Theobald, I remember her being so incredibly sweet and kind,” Dasgupta said. “She wasn’t intimidating whatsoever, and I felt I could really glean from her without being scared of making mistakes. And when the inevitable mistake did occur, she was gracious and kind in her correction.”

For Theobald, growing in skills and relationships are the most important aspects of her career.

“I just love my job,” Theobald said. “I feel like the luckiest professor in the world.”

Greeks receive national recognition By | John Gage Staff Reporter Hillsdale’s Greek chapters Pi Beta Phi, Alpha Tau Omega, and Delta Tau Delta earned national and regional recognition this summer for outstanding work.

The Pi Beta Phi national sorority awarded the Michigan Alpha chapter Excellence in Academic Mentoring Programming.

“This was a huge honor to have been recognized out of 175 other chapters from

around the world,” said senior and Pi Beta Phi President Elise Rempel. “Michigan Alpha was given this award to commend the academic mentoring programming we offer to assist, motivate, and reward those needing support.”

Rempel added that the national sorority recognized their program for creating a positive environment in which members reinforced each other through positive incentives and goal setting.

Hillsdale’s Alpha Tau Omega Beta Kappa chapter won the True Merit Bowl at

the ATO congress for its third consecutive year. The recognition is given to chapters that excel in all categories such as scholarship, recruitment, philanthropy, and leadership development.

Delta Tau Delta won multiple honors in the Northern Division Conference. They were recognized for top academic performance within the fraternity system at Hillsdale, surpassing the all-male average at the school, and receiving the Honor in our Shelter award for having the best kept shelter in the region.

Even with their current success, the Greek houses are looking toward next year.

“We hope we continue our achievements and receive another True Merit Bowl in the future,” senior and ATO President Jeremy Filar said.

“This coming year, we hope to earn the Hugh Shields award, the highest award Delta Tau Delta gives out,” Delta Tau Delta President senior Richard Caster said.

Rempel said Pi Beta Phi plans on competing for many more awards this year including: Excellence in Appreci-

ation of Fraternity Values, Excellence in Community Service and Philanthropy, Excellence in Literacy Activities, Excellence in Fraternity Heritage, and the Silver Slipper Financial Award.

Rempel said this shows “continued efforts towards academic excellence.”

The other two college sororities, Chi Omega and Kappa Kappa Gamma, have biannual national conventions, this being an off year.

Search for graduation speaker commences By | Lillian Quinones Staff Reporter Last year, two students duelled with sabers for their choice commencement speaker whilst yelling incoherent Errol Flynn quotes on the top balcony of Central Hall. The decision was difficult: Michael Ward or Houdini’s ghost.

One student died, and the other didn’t, leaving Ward, a leading Oxford scholar on C.S. Lewis, the selected orator, according to College Provost David Whalen.

“Have you heard about the student who crashed his van into Central Hall in earnest pursuit of their choice candidate?” Whalen teased.

In all seriousness, Whalen’s lips are sealed about the possibilities for the 2016 commencement speaker as the selection process remains

underway.

The deadline for seniors to suggest individuals for the commencement speaker ended Wednesday. Senior class officers will take the suggestions to Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, Vice President of External Affairs Doug Jeffery, and Whalen this week to narrow down the list of candidates.

Senior class president Nick Brown stressed the speaker must not only represent the senior class but the college as a whole, its donors, its faculty, and its mission.

“We want the commencement speaker to represent the senior class because he or she is one of the most important people at the graduation ceremony that inspires us to take what we’ve learned and put it to good and useful things,” Brown

said.

To reach a decision, the senior officers will meet with the administration multiple

“

One student died, the other didn’t.

times throughout the year, senior class treasurer Ryan Jelalian said.

The search for the 2016 speaker began in the spring.

Newly elected, the senior officers sat down with Arnn to jumpstart the selection process, and they asked for suggestions from their classmates.

After once again surveying the senior class and having Whalen solicit faculty recommendations, the officers typically start with a list of 20 names, which they narrow to roughly nine individuals after meeting with the administrative panel.

With this list of candidates, senior officers will analyze the candidate’s speaking ability via YouTube, consult with friends and colleagues, and return with a smaller list to Arnn, Jeffrey, and Whalen.

“We’re interested in the person’s quality of mind they are bringing to the conver-

sation being had with the senior class, someone who can best address the students and be a person of admiration for the college and its audiences,” Whalen said.

Despite that one third of the nation’s colleges pay their commencement speakers, Hillsdale College does not, although it compensates traveling expenses.

“I find the paying of commencement speakers a sad thing,” Whalen said. “I regard it as unseemly and distasteful.”

“To be asked is an honor because you have been deemed deserving, that your excellence of mind and character is worthy of recognition to place our entire senior class, our friends, all at your feet in rapt attention,” Whalen continued. “That is an enormous responsibility.”

Andrzejewski speaks on transparency By | Joanna Kroeker Collegian Freelancer Young Americans for Freedom’s first meeting of the year convened Wednesday and featured Adam Andrzejewski, a business and government watchdog from Illinois.

In a crowded room only, Andrzejewski gave a talk titled “Out-of-Control Debt, Spending & Taxes - A Perfect Storm of Public Entitlement, Incompetence, and Corruption.”

He discussed his experience growing up in Illinois, the “superbowl of corruption,” and how he spearheaded an aggressive public transparency campaign.

“We promise to post every dime online in real time,” Andrzejewski said.

He ran for governor of Illinois in 2010 on this platform, and after losing the election, began the nonpartisan company Open the Books to fulfill his promises.

“OpentheBooks.com is the largest repository of government spending in the world,” YAF President

senior Frank Bruno said. “It has possession of the most information on government spending.”

Bruno worked with Andrzejewski this summer as a senior research fellow, examining tranches of data on the Export-Import Bank and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The speaker rallied listeners around his call for transparency and encouraged students to participate in the spending debate at the local level.

“The reasons why I fight are the same reasons you’re here today: to make something out of life and live the American dream,” Andrzejewski said.

The Open the Books team has investigated countless instances of embezzlement in Cook County, Illinois by local government officials and county college administrators.

Andrzejewski also described the analysis Bruno and he worked on this summer to uncover irresponsible spending on the part of the Ex-Im Bank. Their data ap-

peared in the debate over its reinstatement, demonstrating the power of ordinary people to impact out-of-control government spending, Andrzejewski said.

“We have no idea where tax dollars are going,” Andrzejewski said. He relayed countless instances of taxpayer dollars going to places like Mexico, China, Planned Parenthood, and private country clubs.

His speech hit close to home when he used the Open the Books app to view statistics for the town of Hillsdale.

He revealed which Hillsdale businesses are the largest recipients of tax dollars: Hillsdale Beauty College and Malibu Tanning Company.

“See the data and fight on hard facts: that’s how you win the spending debate,” he said. Andrzejewski also called on Hillsdale’s YAF members to “fight for principles and foundational values that made the U.S. the greatest nation ever conceived.”

With the start of a new year, YAF board members wanted to accurately represent YAF: the opportunities

Photo credit | Breana Noble

In brief: Campus Rec to host IM games By | Zoe Harness Collegian Freelancer Hillsdale’s award-winning intramural sports program splashes back to campus this year with the IM Games.

This year’s inaugural IM Games on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. is free to students and will feature a 12-feet-by-75-feet slip-n-slide, soaked with thousands of gallons of water courtesy of the Hillsdale Fire Department.

The games will also include a bouncy house obstacle course, a mini golf course, sand volleyball, corn hole, can jam, and a cookout lunch.

Hillsdale Campus Rec’s IM program ranked among the best in the nation by BestColleges. com. This year’s IM program will be even better, according to co-directors junior Isaac Dell and senior Elizabeth Thistleton.

IM offers weekly leagues for several sports, but Thistleton emphasizes IM is not just for competitive athletes who want an ongoing activity. There are also one-day events that promote social interaction as well as physical activity. The organization offered many unique opportunities, including a winter Zombie run, which, in spite of the cold, snowy weather, attracted over 100 students.

New additions to the schedule include intramural soccer, beach volleyball, and frisbee golf.

This year’s Campus Rec campaign for IM is “Hit the Quad,” Dell said, adding students can use the hashtag “#hitthequad” to follow the fun.

The theme encourages students, professors, and staff in “developing healthy minds and bodies.”

“Even if you have never played a sport before, you could find an activity you really love,” Thistleton said. “It is a great way to make friends and be active -- do it and you’re cool!”

Pool now open By | Kacey Reeves Collegian Freelancer The McAvoy Natatorium experienced an unexpected closure during the summer months due to an emergency problem with the main drain.

Maintenance originally scheduled the repair to last 14 days but completed the fix in fewer than 11, allowing summer patrons to resume access to the facilities sooner than expected.

“The maintenance department worked very hard to have it working properly as quickly as they could,” Anita Gordon, aide to the athletic director, said via email.

The swimming pool was also closed to the public during the first week of classes. From Sept.

2-4, the new lifeguard staff ran their annual in-service and coordinated schedules.

“It was great to see the capabilities of our new guards this week,” senior Ian Gensler said.

“It’s going to be a great season.”

The pool resumed its normal schedule this week and is open daily to the public from 6-8:30 a.m., noon to 1:30 p.m., and 6-7:45 p.m.

Game night Adam Andrzejewski speaks on transparency in the Grewcock Student Union Wednesday.

for travel, conferences, and even job connections.

“We wanted to pull out all the stops for this meeting and show people what YAF is all about,” Bruno said.

“What Andrzejewski has to say fits perfectly with YAF and Hillsdale College because it’s about government accountability and transparency.”

“A lot of our core classes deal with philosophical conservatism,” YAF Treasurer

sophomore Jack Sinko said.

“He brought the metrics into play: government spending and transparency are issues Hillsdale students care about. We asked him to speak because people here want to hear about this, but they just haven’t yet.”

Students interested in the app can download Open The Books for free in The App Store or the Google Play store.

at Mossey By | Breana Noble Assistant Editor Mossey Library is staying open late Saturday night to host a game night in the Heritage Room from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Available games include Apples to Apples, Clue, Monopoly, Scrabble, and more, but students are also encouraged to bring their own to share. Free refreshments will be provided.

A4 10 September 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

A DATE BY ANY OTHER NAME IS NOT A DATE

Editor in Chief | Macaela Bennett News Editor | Vivian Hughbanks City News Editor | Kate Patrick Opinions Editor | Sarah Albers Sports Editor | Nathanael Meadowcroft Arts Editor | Ramona Tausz Features Editor | Amanda Tindall Design Editor | Meg Prom Web Editor | Evan Carter Photo Editor | Anders Kiledal Associate Editor | Micah Meadowcroft Senior Reporter | Natalie McKee Circulation Managers | Sarah Chavey | Conor Woodfin Ad Managers | Drew Jenkins | Patrick Nalepa Assistant Editors | Stevan Bennett | Phil DeVoe | Andrew Egger Jessie Fox | Madeleine Jepsen | Breana Noble | Tom Novelly | Joe Pappalardo | Emma Vinton Photographers | Joel Calvert | Elena Creed | Stacey Egger | Anders Kiledal | Ben Strickland | Laura Williamson Faculty Advisers:| John J. Miller | Maria Servold The editors welcome Letters to the Editor but reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, length, and style. Letters should be 450 words or less and include your name and number. Send submissions to salbers@hillsdale. edu before Saturday at 3 p.m.

Nudists: stripping away objectification By | Mark Naida Special to the Collegian American sexuality is centered around carnal, virulent nudity purveyed by the world’s largest pornography industry. America harbors a seemingly ironic antipathy for the nude form in public while hungering in private.

We boast a robust economy of uncensored internet pornography, yet there are disapproving murmurs when a woman breastfeeds in public. A traipse through a sculpture garden or art museum will result in children and adults alike tittering, glancing over both breasts and genitalia before ever admiring the art as a reflection of human beauty.

Clothing serves to veil the problems of a sexual culture that objectify the human body, instead of recognizing its sanctity and the sanctity of the human person. The suggestive nature of form-fitting clothing even leads toward a sexuality that seeks only to peek under a blouse instead of partake in the hard work of true intimacy.

This culture of sexualized suggestion and eroticism lies at the heart of many marital and relational issues and is actually perpetuated by some strains of prudish conservatism.

As necklines get lower and pants get tighter, reaction to dress becomes about fantasy and neglects the reality that we all have bodies. Starkness and vulnerability allow the body to become something pure and free.

Puritanical clothing and decorum have created a potentially positive rebellion against the priggish dress of high collars and covered ankles. Unfortunately, instead of recognizing the sanctity and inherent freedom of the body, the rebellion has served so far only to further objectify it.

In Albert Camus’ essay “Summer in Algiers”, he states that the youth of Algiers “[undress] every day at noon for a frugal lunch in the sun… they are simply ‘comfortable in the sunlight.’” The nude beach, taboo in American culture, allows for the display of the human form which divorces it from objectification.

Camus so dearly loves this idea that he admonishes men who try to “diminish the flesh and complicate dress.” Camus finds beauty in nudity and certain natural freedom shown by tanned flesh. When all is taken away, bodies remain, art unto themselves, naturally erotic while seeking greater fulfillment than sordid eroticism.

Camus’ words have become only more poignant in a society concerned by the “Free the Nipple” campaign and rampant sexualization. Americans will soon be forced to decide just how puritanical society should look from the boardwalks of our coasts as well as from the quiet streets of suburbia.

Public nudity as a cultural practice could help elevate us beyond base carnal desires. It could make sexuality more about interpersonal connection and less about craven, blind hunger. A cultural acceptance of nudity would cause the taboo to disintegrate and would serve as the impetus of a positive sexual revolution in which bodies must be recognized for what they are, imperfect and beautiful, a subject of love rather than a subject of lust.

Being “comfortable in the sunlight” means that sex becomes detached from cultural stigmas and perverse turn-ons concerning nakedness. Sex, therefore, can become a spiritual and emotional union as well as an expression of physical intimacy without being reduced to merely an expression of materialism and pleasure.

Perhaps ironically so, nudity could save us from our own sexual woes.

Mark is a sophomore studying French and English.

The beginning of the semester means meeting new people and reconnecting with old.

Though we are a small school, meaningful relationships aren’t inevitable. You could just wait and see into whose arms college life throws you, or you could just go on a date.

Before we continue, let us define our terms. A date should be unambiguous. You should know—both parties should know—when it is happening.

Meeting a friend for lunch in Knorr, or for coffee in AJ’s, is not a date, and if you decided to explicitly label it a date that would make it a feeble date.

Also, a date is not a betrothal. You have not actually asked anyone to marry you. Goats have not exchanged hands. You have only expressed interest in spending time with someone.

In English, talking about intentionally having a conversation face-to-face evokes images of

business deals and theology à la Moses and the Lord, which may explain (but does not excuse) some of the caution and reverence that creates the dubious passivity that has been labeled Hillsdating.

The French, who are traditionally good at these sort of things, have the term ‘tête-à-tête.’ That’s an intimate one-on-one conversation; it’s also a couch that loops in such a way that forces you to look

at the person to whom you are talking. So, if you want to get to know someone better, you risk nothing but your pride (kill it with fire) asking them to spend time with you over lunch downtown. Or you could take advantage of the weather, and SAB’s new toys, and go paddle board.

Make it a date.

HAS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FALLEN? By | Kristiana Mork Student Columnist Same-sex marriage advocates kiss on the steps of the Supreme Court and students attending religious educational institutions are preparing to kiss tax exemptions goodbye.

Obergefell v. Hodges heralds the birth of same-sex marriage rights, the conclusion of a decade-long civil dispute threatening to undermine a centuries-old institution.

The proposed First Amendment Defense Act (FADA) is one of few things left protecting religious educational programs.

It prohibits the federal government from discriminating against a person on the basis that he believes or acts in keeping with his belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. Passing FADA means defending the existence and availability of traditional, religious schools—and their principled, well-educated students.

Religious education traces its roots back to early American churches, where congregants learned to read as a way to study the Bible. The tradition continues today, as tens of thousands of religious schools open their doors for the 2015-2016 school season.

Evangelical Christian, Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish churches, mosques, synagogues, schools, colleges, and universities instill knowledge and develop wisdom through the study of mathematics, English, science, history and theology that

their students might become principled leaders in their communities.

These educational institutions were tax exempt, allowing them to invest in improving and expanding educational opportunities rather than paying taxes.

Until now.

When same-sex marriage became a constitutional right, religious schools defining marriage as one man united to one woman became liable for tax penalization and discrimination lawsuits, costing families fewer education options or tuition hikes.

Many argue that tax penalization is unlikely. They defer to IRS commissioner John Koskinen. During a Senate question and answer session Commissioner

Jones prohibited interracial marriage—a violation of “an established public policy.”

Analysts contend that same-sex marriage does not rise to the level of “an established public policy,” therefore it would have little legal standing for a lawsuit.

As assuring as the promises of an IRS commissioner may be, they are not law.

Nor are they supported by a steady track record of IRS honesty.

Though the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman is not yet a violation of established public policy, a few supportive court cases could provide the lacking case law, and same-sex advocates could approach Congress directly.

When asked whether religious protections extended to Christian schools,

“Religious educational institutions have been tax exempt...until now.”

Koskinen explained that if the IRS penalized Christian organizations, then “[t]he public would have plenty of notice and plenty of opportunity to comment,” but “that’s not going to happen in the next two and a half years.”

Legal analysts also explain that there is little legal standing for discrimination lawsuits. They argue that Bob Jones University is the only religious educational institution to have lost its tax exempt status, which only happened because Bob

Minority Whip Illinois Senator Dick Durbin told the Weekly Standard that he would have to “think long and hard” about it. Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland agreed that he’s also “not sure how it applies to Christian-run schools.”

Dubious IRS promises and unsure congressmen make for staunch protection of religious education, indeed.

Kristiana is a sophomore George Washington fellow studying politics.

Education ‘amid the ruins’ By | Christina Lambert Student Columnist As the year begins and deadlines and activities start to fill up our planners and our lives, a little perspective is always in good order.

I stumbled across this insight walking through the Cotswald Hills one fine (meaning cloudy) British morning this summer. I came upon a 15th-century manor house called Minster Hall, situated on the River Windrush. Parents picnicking and children playing occupied the ruins of the former grand home.

I raised my eyes to the manor’s chapel on the bank just above. St. Kenelm’s Chapel rests amidst a peaceful cemetery, looking over the manor below.

I took in the whole scene. The happy

Forester McClatchey

Online: www.hillsdalecollegian.com

The opinion of The Collegian editorial staff

Uses of a Liberal Arts Education

Newsroom: (517) 607-2897 Advertising: (517) 607-2684

shrieks of children rose amidst a dwelling whose residents were long dead. A church, one whose doors are still open to congregants and passersby, sat within a cemetery.

This view gave me a new perspective.

We are playing amidst ruins. We are making our lives out of the structures of the past. We are experiencing life abundant amidst a cemetery.

This view reminded me that we are not the first who have been here, nor will we be the last. We are living and studying and growing amidst structures and traditions that have been formed by those who have come before us.

This perspective humbles us. The triumphs of today are simply the ruins of tomorrow. But it also moves us to gratitude: we have this small space of time here, between life and death, between the ruins, to

contribute to the structures and traditions that will be the foundations of those who will come after us.

Just beyond our college campus lays its town’s cemetery, reminding us that there is only a lane separating life from death. I know that taking a walk in a cemetery isn’t the first thing on your to do list as soon as you return to school. But maybe it can give us a little perspective for the year— perspective that shows us that today we are truly blessed to be here, in this place called Hillsdale College, with good people to know and true things to learn. And perhaps this perspective will inspire us to live richly, in things great and small, in this short space of time between the ruins.

Christina is a senior studying history.

A5 10 September 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

The abolition of majors As Hillsdale welcomes the new freshman class to campus, one of the most common questions we’ll hear over the next few weeks is “What do you plan on majoring in?”

There was a time, however, when this question would have made no sense to the students of Hillsdale College, or any other serious liberal arts school.

Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from those days.

Prior to the establishment of the academic major, students largely studied the same courses, all aimed at giving the students a broad liberal education. The curriculum at American colleges was built around an understanding of liberal education as comprehensive and allencompassing.

Then, after the Civil War, American universities began embracing a system of “free electives,” granting the students more academic freedom to pursue their curiosities.

However, this new birth of academic freedom brought with it a decline in rigor.

Instead of pursuing truth with intensity, many students used their freedom to take easy classes to avoid the struggles associated with the more traditional path of the liberal arts.

To solve this problem, faculties across the

nation developed what we now call majors— particular fields of concentration students would master in order to graduate. Under strict guidelines about class hours and course content, each field’s faculty regulated and closely shepherded students to a rigorous education.

However, there were downsides the

“Majors tend to promote academic tribalism, with partisans of different fields taking up their pens to spill ink for their ilk.” academic majors brought with them.

Since their advent, majors have caused the fracturing of the academic world into fields and disciplines that compete with one another. The existence of majors tends to promote a certain kind of academic tribalism, with partisans of different fields taking up their pens to spill ink for their ilk.

Take, for instance, the recent disputes between the humanities and the sciences in the wider American academic context.

Because of differing methodologies and purposes, thinkers in each field tend to have differing worldviews. This tribalism of majors tends to enhance a certain narcissism of small

thought.

Here at Hillsdale, these problems are not so readily apparent. Our core curriculum, in which we rightly take pride, is reminiscent of the rigor and breadth of old-school liberal education. Our focus on classic works and great books furthers our shared goal, as well.

True commitment to the liberal arts, though, cannot be limited to the core classes taken freshman and sophomore year. Rather, we ought to let the comprehensive pursuit of truth shape our entire academic careers.

The outright abolition of majors is both extreme and unlikely. Although certain liberal arts colleges, such as St. John’s in Maryland, have gone back to their roots and done away with

Veterans are not victims

The news media is the primary vehicle of misinformation. In many firearm crimes, the weapon used is wrongly referred to as an “assault rifle.”

The lack of basic understanding of firearms in media, such as the difference between a shotgun and a rifle contributes directly to how they are negatively viewed in our culture.

The most extreme result of misinformation occurs on the national political scale. Congressmen talk often of the dangers of assault rifles, but few gun

RUN, JOE, RUN

“Anyone who has heard veterans telling stories over a meal can tell you they do not sound like victims.” what is higher in actuality.

You might also hear soldiers tell the story of the Battalion Intel Officer who briefed a platoon that the probability of an IED attack on the next mission was 93 percent, but they all went anyway.

The virtue and moral courage of such men shines even brighter when one remembers that not only are they willing to lay down their lives for people to whom they owe no duty, but that they have all volunteered to perform this sacred work. Nowhere among the revelers will you see the visage of psychologically traumatized, emotionally crippled victims. In contrast, you might observe that these men are rather proud and feel little to no need to lament the costs each of them paid in the execution of their good work.

In a time when the moral profile of most influencers is largely postmodern, relativistic, and progressive, we find that many are happier sympathizing with victims than with those who have gladly accepted the circumstances of victimhood for a higher purpose, but rejected the persona on the grounds that suffering for the right reasons and in the right way is, in fact, not suffering at all, but a privilege to be fought for and one of the great glories of which man is capable.

The natural mode in our age of pop psychology is to expect brokenness and feebleness as necessary reactions to trauma of all kinds. The proud, unapologetic type does not meet our expectations and this is unnerving. But as for myself and my closest friends, we will continue merrily tumbling towards our next righteous battle, whether in uniform or out.

Michael is a senior studying politics.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, I’m concerned about the media’s influence on America’s understanding of firearms.

When a case containing a target shotgun is placed in front most people, it is common for a gate agent to refer to it as a “weapon” or a “piece.”

According to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary, a weapon is “something that is used for fighting or attacking someone or for defending yourself when someone is attacking you.” Guns are rarely used to inflict harm on others.

Michael is a sophomore studying American Studies.

By | Dominic Restuccia Special to the Collegian

By | Michael Aavang Special to the Collegian Are veterans victims? Are the men and women of the Global War on Terror a robust warrior class or the damaged victims of bad foreign policy?

Anyone who has overheard veterans telling stories over a meal, or reliving old adventures between pints of beer, can tell you they do not sound like victims.

You will most likely hear vociferous accounts of young men, many not even old enough to legally drink, merrily tumbling down some ramshackle dirt road in armored trucks, bodies and vehicles bristling with weaponry, covered in dust and sweatinduced salt stains, yearning for a righteous battle.

You might hear about the guttural thrills induced by the electric energy and rapid percussion of a successful range exercise.

Impressions from the media, Hollywood, and much of the professional health industry, however, tend to imply veterans are the broken refuse of foreign policy blunders. But the answer to this question is more complex than pop psychology buzzwords or sensational representations in film and media.

As I pose this question, it is important I make clear that I appreciate the sentiments of those who sympathize with veterans. Compared to the tragic treatment veterans of other wars have endured, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have been well-received and we truly are grateful for the acknowledgment.

But the question remains: are veterans victims? I resolutely say no. The “victimized veteran” is merely an extension of the modern liberal preoccupation with victimhood. It is not an accurate reflection of the truth of war, killing, and the human soul. Exposure to the violence of war is not a psychological ‘coups de grâce,’ and does not necessarily condemn one to merely a life of striving.

The terror and pain a soldier experiences often serves to expand, not diminish, the potential greatness of his soul. It realigns the soldier’s moral paradigm with what is truly important and higher—a rare gift, considering that in peacetime experience it is so easy to mistake what appears to be higher for

majors successfully, such a plan would likely be impractical at an institution like Hillsdale.

Having said that, Hillsdale already has a model for concentration without pigeonholing: interdisciplinary studies.

Although they are frequently scoffed at by the partisans of different majors, interdisciplinary studies such as political economy, American studies, or Christian studies are much more similar to the origins of American liberal education than a more limited concentration in exclusively politics or history or religion.

When students take interdisciplinary studies seriously and their faculty overseers ensure a certain level of rigor, these programs can inculcate the freedom of the mind that is becoming more and more lacking in academia as of late.

Our administration should abolish the majors, and then promote different interdisciplinary “fields of concentration,” based on the model of the currently existing programs.

Allan Bloom once wrote that “[t]he liberally educated person is one who is able to resist the easy and preferred answers not because he is obstinate but because he knows others worthy of consideration.”

Hillsdale’s system of majors tends to inhibit that important aspect of liberal education, and therefore ought to be redesigned or outright abolished.

photo credit | Wikimedia Commons

By | Michael Lucchese Special to the Collegian

differences, in which minor points spark major conflicts.

In an even broader sense, specialization takes precedent over comprehensive knowledge and learning from multiple viewpoints, and the idea of liberal education suffers for it. Students today are trained to think almost exclusively within the boundaries of their fields, and that is a problem.

A liberal education is meant to liberate men’s minds, whereas this slavish devotion to one particular field limits perspective and free

control proponents seem to know what an assault rifle is: “a military rifle capable of both automatic and semiautomatic fire, utilizing an intermediate-power cartridge” (Dictionary. com). Firepower of this kind cannot be legally possessed by a person without a class-three firearms permit.

What many Americans consider an “assault weapon” is a model of a military style firearm lacking the fullyautomatic capabilities.

Many features that Diane Feinstein

recognized as dangerous in her assault-weapon ban proposal play no part in the lethality of the firearm. Had her bill passed, almost everyone in the competitive shotgun world would own an “illegal assault weapon” because of the ability to fire shots semiautomatically with the capability to adjust the stock for a competitor’s needs.

Jordan Hintz, Hillsdale Shotgun Team

The phrase “Joe Biden is an idiot” is a fairly common one. Especially in more conservative circles, old uncle Joe is a steady source of comedy material. His gaffeprone personality allows us to constantly dismiss him as a serious contender for the White House.

Yet, I think that he has the best chance of any Democrat nominee to dethrone Hillary from her perch where she assumingly resides until her all-but-promised coronation. It really doesn’t seem that there is a strong Democrat nominee running for President this time around, but Joe Biden would be the strongest.

This says a great deal about the state of the Democrat party. Hillary is a weak frontrunner trailing more baggage than my family’s fleet headed to South Carolina for vacation. No one trusts her. The word most closely associated with her at this point is “liar.”

She has no real record of accomplishment and a seemingly endless record of failure: from Benghazi to the disastrous foreign policy that she promulgated as Secretary of State under President Obama to her failed attempt to implement Universal Health Care as a Senator in the 90’s. The recent email scandal just tops it all off.

There is not currently a serious competitor with the name recognition and the money to challenge her for the nomination, but even Bernie Sanders is headto-head with her in the polls. It’s a problem when a declared socialist is not just gaining ground on you in an American political campaign, but starting to pass you.

This is where old uncle Joe comes to the rescue: he has the name recognition. He has the political connections to bring in the money.

The hard-line progressives who rejected Hillary in 2008 and elected Obama to the white House are looking for a new standard bearer. Biden is a far safer bet than Saunders on this count. And the Obama administration has indicated that it would be friendly to a Biden run. It really isn’t a secret that Obama dislikes Hillary and has a great deal of affection for Biden. A large part of that is that Biden is loyal to the Democratic cause and the Obama administration while still connecting himself to blue-collar voters and progressives. Biden is the only nominee who would defend the Obama administration’s agenda. He recognizes that this election is going to be colored by a large degree by the last eight years of President Obama as much as 2008 was impacted by George Bush.

Obama’s eight years are a massive liability, but the damage is not going to be minimized by running away from it. To the contrary, the Democrats hope is to galvanize a high turnout and that means going on the offense, not playing defense and trying to distance one’s self from the administration which Hillary has been trying and failing to do. It just doesn’t work.

At least Biden would embrace the liberal and progressive agenda with both arms and passionately advocate for greater adherence to the Democrat agenda. Biden is very well liked among both democrats and independents according to recent Quinnipiac University Polling, registering at 83 percent favorability rating among Democrats and 48 percent favorability rating overall. These numbers are seven and nine points above Clinton, respectively. According to the same research, he beats the leading Republican candidates by a much more significant margin than Hillary does. It’s because Biden is likable. He is trusted.

Biden doesn’t need any Republican voters to come his way, anyway. The biggest issue Biden faces is his age, an issue that Hillary faces as well. At 72, he would be the oldest President ever to assume office by five years.

The very gaffes we find so imbecilic democrats often find endearing.

Independents seem to find them unscripted and genuine. Democrats thought the same thing about Bush, who then went on to prove that just because the other party’s voters think you are a moron means that the rest of the country does.

Dominic is a senior studying politics.

A6 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Wildwoodstock Festival rolls into Jonesville By | Stacey Egger Collegian Reporter The very first Wildwoodstock Music Festival in Jonesville this weekend will provide the perfect opportunity for students who are not quite ready to let go of summer to enjoy a local rock ‘n’ roll field day.

“We really have no idea how big this is gonna get,” the festival’s organizer, Jake Bearinger, said. “We have no idea how many people this has reached so far.”

The festival will take place on Saturday at the Wildwood Acres Campground at 14508

Goose Lake Road outside Jonesville. Gates will open at 11 a.m. and bands will play from noon until at least 10 p.m., or even later “if people are really having fun,” Bearinger said.

In addition to music, the festival will feature food vendors and alcoholic beverages. The cost of admission is $10.

Bearinger, who has worked at the family-owned campground his entire life, said the festival is something he’s had in mind for years.

“We’ve had a lot of other bands and stuff come out here, but we’ve never actually had a music festival, at least as long as I’ve been alive. So it’s really

kind of groundbreaking, really exciting for us,” Bearinger said.

The bands are all local this year, with genres ranging from rockabilly and country to “hippie rock.” Bearinger said he plans to continue the festival annually and maybe bring in some bigger acts in the future.

Wildwood Campground is situated in a forested area outside Jonesville, and highlights a large lake for fishing and boating, which Bearinger said will be open to festival attendees.

For more information, potential festival goers may visit the Wildwoodstock Music Festival Facebook page.

City approves new college parking lot construction

By | Thomas Novelly Assistant Editor

Students and faculty will have more than 250 new places to park this semester as construction on a new paved parking lot next to Simpson Residence will begin within the next two weeks. The start date — contingent on city planning and construction — is not finalized, although the parking lot must be completed

by November.

“The rough timeline is to start construction in two weeks,” Chief Administration Officer of Hillsdale College Rich Péwé said. “We are expanding the whole lot, and we’ll probably end up with about 270 — close to 300 — spots.”

The lot will stretch from the north side of Simpson to Galloway Street. While the spaces will be reserved primarily for faculty during school hours, Péwé said students will have access to the parking spaces during special events Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn hopes to host in the Searle Center during the year.

The college couldn’t provide the exact number of parking spaces available on campus at

this time.

“We’re hoping the expansion of Searle will heighten student morale,” Péwé said.

“Dr. Arnn wants to have a large Christmas dinner for the whole student body there, and we will also hold the President’s Ball in there.”

While the city planning commission approved the parking lot design, Péwé said details may change during construction, which may push back the completion date.

“There are a lot of things tied into a final date, city approvals are part of that,” Péwé said. “We have to extend the water drainage, and curb cutting details and water storage are all part of it. We just have to work out a couple details.”

City of Hillsdale Zoning Administrator Alan Beeker played an important role in approving the parking lot design, and said the city needed to make several changes to the initial design to begin construction.

“It was planned and designed by the college’s engineer, Matt Taylor, and then the planning commission met with him to go over the project. The city asked Taylor to change a couple things to comply with certain ordinanc-

es,” Beeker said. “Taylor made the modifications, and the city passed it.”

Beeker said it is crucial the builders finish the parking lot before winter, or else they will not have access to necessary structural materials.

“They want to have it started soon,” Beeker said.

“Definitely within the month, before all the asphalt suppliers close in November. Then it will be a while before it is completed.”

All college construction must meet city and state guidelines and receive approval from the city planning commission and zoning administration.

Jonathan Smith, a member of the Hillsdale city planning commission and alumnus, said the city wants to support the students and accommodate additions to campus.

“The planning commission is doing this in line with the college’s expansion, especially the new renovations of Simpson Residence and the Searle Center,” Smith said.

“The college does everything very well, and the commission wants to support them. To add the parking lot to accommodate the college was really a no-brainer.”

Courtesy photo | Josh Colletta

Josh Colletta launched Hillsdale News Now last month.

Facebook page evolves into Hillsdale News Now By | Sarah Chavey Collegian Reporter The city of Hillsdale has a new publication in town: Hillsdale News Now, launched by Josh Colletta last month to provide more comprehensive coverage of local news. The site only generates about six articles each month, which includes four editorials and two articles covering city council meetings, but Colletta, who also started the Facebook page Hillsdale’s Hot Debates, said he ultimately wants to add video, audio, and live broadcasts.

“There’s really a lack of local news online,” Colletta said. “The Hillsdale Daily News has limited space and limited resources, and WCSR really doesn’t do anything online.”

Colletta said he also hopes to

fill the void created by the Hillsdale Collegian during college breaks.

“We are a small community, we don’t have a lot of media coverage,” Hillsdale resident Jeff King said. “We’ve got a radio station and a corporate owned newspaper that don’t necessarily dig as deep as they should sometimes. Colletta’s trying to fill a void. He’s not going to duplicate what the station or the newspaper or the Collegian is doing.”

Although King is not involved with Hillsdale News Now, Colletta considers him a mentor who assists with prompts, suggests unique angles, and encourages him to narrow his focus. Colletta’s main intention is to increase online news options.

Though Colletta only launched just last month, he’s been planning the site for

three years. As the sole writer for Hillsdale News Now, he is tasked with running the entire site by himself.

“There have been some issues that I’ve run into here and there and I have to push my launch date back. I don’t have tech support on the other line to help me with this,” Colletta said.

Colletta received positive feedback from city council members on his work with Hillsdale News Now, and receives about 100 online hits per piece. Hillsdale resident Sally Bildner Wood also praised his work, calling it a “more accurate and timely way to get news.”

“I think Colletta does a great job of presenting various viewpoints to consider,” Wood told the Collegian. “He also gives a forum to discuss issues and hear other ideas and opinions.”

Courtesy photo | Alan Beeker

A blueprint of the new parking lot.

JHS graduate places in national contest By | Jordan Finney Collegian Reporter

JHS graduate Makenzie Swisher volunteers at FFA.

Jordan Finney | Collegian

“Imagine a garden, a mulch walkway down the middle with fruits and vegetables growing on either side. Ripe tomatoes and fresh green beans that will be later canned and cooked.”

The opening line of local Makenzie Swisher’s almost 700-word essay, titled “Gardening to Make a Difference for a Better World,” helped her place second in the National Garden Club High School Essay Contest in June.

Swisher, a 2015 graduate of Jonesville High School, wrote about her three-year gardening experience at JHS’ Future Farmers of America chapter.

“It was really inspiring for me to see the difference I made each week when I donated to the local food banks,” Swisher said. “I wanted everybody else to know the difference even one garden can make.”

Swisher’s FFA chapter planted many kinds of produce, from cucumbers and squash to watermelons and carrots. The chapter cultivated more than 1300 pounds of food during summer 2014.

“We donated pretty much all of it to two local food banks, one in Hillsdale and one in Reading,” Swisher said.

Swisher learned about the competition from JHS teacher Jennifer Welden, who helped edit the essay.

“In my opinion, Makenzie Swisher is a very caring student — in the global sense,” Welden said. “She does not just reach out to students she sees on an individual basis, but she is active in the whole community.

She is definitely here to help better her environment.”

Swisher said she edited the paper about six times after brainstorming and writing.

High school students across the nation submitted their es-

says for judging by November 1, 2014 and Swisher learned she won second place in June.

“I was actually really shocked when I found out, because I hadn’t heard anything about it for a long time,” Swisher said. “When they called me and said ‘congratulations!’ I felt like ‘wow’ and was really surprised.”

President of Hillsdale Garden Club Anna Bertalon presented Swisher with a $100 prize and the second place award from the national club.

“I think this is the first time we’ve participated in the competition as a club. No local student has placed in the competition in recent years,” Bertalon said. “We want to get young people interested in gardening and participating in their neighborhoods.”

Swisher is now a first-year student at Spring Arbor University. She plans to study English and aspires to be a writer.

A7 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

BRIDAL AISLE THROWS IN BOUQUET By | Emma Vinton Assistant Editor

The Bridal Aisle, Hillsdale’s bridal boutique located next to Smith’s Flowers on North Broad Street, finally closed its doors with a sidewalk sale on July 11 after being closed for four years and reopening briefly in March.

Bridal Aisle owner Sandy Rupp — who lives and works in Ohio — changed the window display occasionally over the past four years, so the shop appeared open.

The building was technically for sale, but not listed, Smith’s Flowers owner Jane Steward said.

Because the Bridal Aisle still had so much inventory, Steward suggested to Rupp a collaborative effort: if Rupp would reopen the store and provide staff members for the weekends, Steward would help liquidate the inventory.

The store reopened in March as “Smith’s Next Door” under Steward’s name, but no new in-

Anders Kiledal | Collegian

ventory was added.

When most of the dresses sold, Rupp asked if Steward would continue the project alone.

Smith’s Flowers could not continue the venture, so the Bridal Aisle closed permanently. There are no plans for the building yet, and the closest bridal boutique is now Patty’s Apparel and Bridal Shoppe in Quincy.

“We know flowers, but we don’t know dresses,” Steward said. “It’s a negative thing, but at the same time, Rupp liquidated. She is better off for it, and the community is better off for what she did.”

Steward bought a prom dress and a wedding dress there in the ’80s, and the store has provided for many other women since.

“She sold some beautiful dresses out of there last summer up until not too long ago,” Steward said. “She made a lot of brides in the area very happy.”

The remaining bridal gowns at Bridal Aisle will not be sold.

Council to investigate Welcome Party complaints By | Thomas Novelly Assistant Editor The Hillsdale City Council approved a local bowhunting agreement allowing city residents to target game on city property and agreed to investigate noise complaints about the Hillsdale College Welcome Party at its Tuesday meeting.

Hillsdale residents Steve and Sally Wood asked the council during public comment to control the noise level at college events, citing Welcome Party and football practices as recent disturbances.

The couple, who live half a mile away from the college quad at 1560 Barber St., said the music was “too loud” and “profane” for their comfort and the comfort of their young grandson.

“The music was so inappropriate,” Sally Wood said. “Yes, it was appropriate for college students, but it was not appropriate for a six-year-old to listen to in his bed. I called campus security and they said there was nothing they could do, and the athletic director said there is nothing he can do about the music during football practices.”

Steve Wood raised his voice while speaking to the council

to illustrate how loud the music was.

“The volume of the party in our bedroom was so loud, and we weren’t able to do anything about it,” Steve Wood said. “We want to be treated like good neighbors. We are not dirt under the feet of Larry Arnn and Hillsdale College.”

According to the Hillsdale Police Department, Hillsdale College sent a letter to the council and police to notify them of the potential noise disturbance at Welcome Party. Hillsdale police responded to the Woods’ call during Welcome Party on Aug. 31, but Police Chief Scott Heph-

Voted best coffee for the last four years!

ner said the responding officers didn’t believe the noise levels were substantial enough to stop the event.

Councilman Adam Stockford sympathized with the Woods and said he hopes to address their concerns.

“I live just a block away from the college, and if you live near the college, you know what you can expect,” Stockford said. “It’s not reflective of the college but usually just a few individuals.

College administrators and Dr. Arnn live right there too, and they deal with the noise as well.

I feel for the Woods and I hope their problem is addressed.”

In other business, Hephner told the council the city may issue 15 permits to bow hunt on city-owned property.

“We have determined that we can allow for 15 hunters on city property,” Hephner said in a statement to the council. “If we get more than 15 applications we will do a lottery to issue permits.”

The permit limit will not apply to hunters who wish to hunt on private property, Hephner said. All hunters who wish to hunt on private land will need a hunting license from the state of Michigan and permission from landowners.

Councilman Bruce Sharp

said local complaints about deer in the city of Hillsdale are high, and encouraged hunters to take advantage of the city-approved bow hunt.

“I was approached by a couple citizens about the deer,” Sharp said. “I have had a lot of ladies contact me saying that their plants are under assault. I encourage the hunters to shoot anything they can as long as it’s not Bambi.”

The hunt season will be held Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.Those who wish to obtain one of the 15 permits to hunt on city property may contact the Police Department for more information.

LittLe C aeSarS 380 C arleton r oad , H illSdale, Mi 49242 H ourS : M on- t Hur & S un. 10:30 a.M .-10 p.M .

F riday & S aturday 10:30a.M .-11 p.M .

Enjoy the famous $5 HOT-N-READY Pizza for your next meal. With classic favorites such as pepperoni and cheese tossed from housemade dough or the signature Crazy Bread, dinner is just one Lincoln away. Perfect for your next family dinner or college party.

C heCker reCordS 28 S H oWell S t., H illSdale, Mi 49242 H ourS : M on- S at . 6:30 a.M .-7:30 p.M .

S unday 8a.M .- 5 p .M .

Guitar strings sold here!

Hours Mon.-Fri. 6:30 a.m. -7:30 p.m.

Sat. 6:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Sun. 8 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

28 S Howel St, Hillsdale, MI 517.439.5488

State Street Market 146 S tate S t., H illSdale, Mi 49242 H ourS : M on, tueS , tHur , F ri 9:30a.M .-9 pM , W ed, S at 10 a.M .-9 p.M ..

CloSed S un.

Offering gourmet pies, specialty sodas, craft beers, homemade French bread, and quarter-pound sandwiches, State Street Market isn’t your average convenience store. With housemade sandwich combinations named after local cities such as “The Moscow” or “The Mosherville,” eating local has never tasted so good.

From the busy college student writing a paper to the caffeine lover with exotic taste to the avid music connoisseur, Checker Records has something to offer everyone. Come enjoy unique coffee concoctions such as the Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar On Me” latte, listen to distinct records ranging from Bob Seger to Vampire Weekend, and choose from plenty of nooks to finish papers and unwind.

A8 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Follow @HDaleSports for live updates and news

Volleyball

Football Results

SATURDAY, SEPT.

FRIDAY, SEPT.

saturday, sept.

Hillsdale

34

Results

upcoming

5

vs.

12 Lake erie 7:00 pm

Findlay

stats C.J. Mifsud |12-20, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Bennett Lewis |14 ATT, 115 YRD, 1 TD Wade Wood | 5 ATT, 17 YRD, 1 TD Joe Reverman | 2 ATT, 12 YRD, 1 TD RUSH, 2 REC, 79 YRD Taylor Cone | 1 REC, 8 YRD, 1 TD

45

Women’s Cross-Country Results

FRIDAY, SEPT.

Hillsdale | 15 Saginaw Valley | 46

friday, sept.

11 vs. mercyhurst, @FindLay 9:30 am vs. ursuLine, @FindLay 2:00 pm

Gannon

03 00 Hillsdale

Clarion

03 01

saturday, sept.

Hillsdale

12 pitt.-Johnstown, @FindLay 11:00 am vs. cedarviLLe, @FindLay 3:00 pm vs.

5

North Alabama

01 03

stats

Kills |Kara Vyletel-32, Emily Wolfert-25, Erin Holsinger-23 Digs | Jenalle Beaman-47, Taylor Bennett-26, Jordan Denmark-21, Marissa Owen-21, Kara Vyletel-21 Aces | Jenalle Beaman-3, Emily Wolfert-3, Jordan Denmark-2 Assists| Marissa Owen-55, Taylor Bennett-37, Haylee Booms-5

Women’s Tennis

Stats 4

Hillsdale

SATURDAY, SEPT.

upcoming

4

Upcoming

Results

SATURDAY, SEPT.

1st | 14:23.3

5

Hillsdale | 8 Walsh | 1

Emily Oren Krista Galat

SUNDAY SEPT.

3rd | 14:25.2

12

vs. Tiffin 10:00 AM 6

Hillsdale | 7 Ashland | 2

Kate Royer

saturday, sept.

sunday, sept.13,

2015

vs. Findlay 1:00PM

Molly Oren

Men’s Cross-Country Results

FRIDAY, SEPT.

4 Hillsdale | 19 Saginaw Valley | 38

Golf

Stats

Upcoming

1st | Caleb Gatchell |17:20.69

sept.

2nd | Joseph Newcomb |17:20.70

at Bucknell

12-13

3rd |Anthony Wondaal |17:21.60

Volleyball serves up winning weekend By | Jessie Fox Assistant Editor The Hillsdale College women’s volleyball team is off to a positive start after earning a 2-1 record in their first tournament last weekend. On Friday, the Chargers enjoyed their first 2-0 start since 2009 after taking down Gannon University 3-0 and Clarion University 3-1. But on Saturday, Hillsdale suffered a loss to North Alabama 3-1.

Several Charger women offered stellar performances in the opening weekend. Freshman outside hitter Kara Vyletel smacked down 32 kills in the first three matches of her career, the most by any Hillsdale freshman in the rally-score era (2001-present).

“I wasn’t expecting to play all the way around or every single match, so it was a good surprise,” Vyletel said. “I was a little nervous, but I was more energized and excited.”

Senior middle hitter Emily Wolfert, who made a position change from outside hitter just last spring, also had a “consistent” weekend for the Char-

Junior Erin Holsinger had nine kills against Clarion University. Anders Kiledal | Collegian gers, according to head coach Chris Gravel.

“Emily played really well, especially because middle is one of the hardest positions to switch to because there’s so much you have to do and it’s so fast-paced, but she played really well in the middle,” senior co-captain and outside hitter Haylee Booms said.

Against Gannon, Wolfert led the Chargers with 10 kills and chalked up four of the team’s eight blocks. Senior

co-captain Marissa Owen set up 15 assists for Hillsdale.

Vyletel worked with her fellow freshman outside hitter Paige VanderWall to spike 15 combined kills in their debut match.

Vyletel didn’t cool down as she slammed 14 kills against the Clarion Eagles and led her team to its second victory. Junior middle hitter Erin Holsinger was not far behind with nine kills and dealt seven of the team’s 13 blocks. Fresh-

man setter Taylor Bennett led the Chargers with 13 assists.

As her teammates played the first two matches of their season, sophomore defensive specialist Brittany Jandasek entered into surgery to repair her torn meniscus and is now facing a projected three-week long recovery period, according to Gravel. Jandasek’s absence gave senior defensive specialist Jenalle Beaman a new role on the court.

“Jenalle, knowing that she was going to have to be the primary ball control person, stepped up and filled that role,” Gravel said. “She did a really nice job.”

Beaman led the Chargers in digs in each match and had a total of 47 over the weekend.

On Saturday, the Chargers suffered a loss to North Alabama as the Lions filled the court with five Division I transfers. Booms and Gravel agreed that this game illuminated some of the things the Chargers will work to improve before their next competition.

“They had really good outside hitters but it wasn’t anything special, it’s probably

something we will see all year,” Booms said. “At the end of game four we started adjusting to that and it made us realize that’s what we need to do earlier: see what they’re doing, see the shots they’re hitting, and notice it as we’re playing so we can make adjustments quicker.”

Gravel said that the team as a whole needs to work on bringing consistency to every match.

“Improving isn’t always about jumping higher or hitting harder, it’s about jumping high several times in a row, hitting that hard several times in a row,” Gravel said. “That’s really what we need to do. We know how to play the game, we know what we’re supposed to do, but we actually have to do that at a higher percentage.”

Gravel explained that in order to keep a strong mentality he likes his players to focus on the bigger picture.

“When we entered into this weekend I said, ‘we need to score 225 countable points,’” Gravel said. “We came up short on that—we scored most of them—but after the first

match we had 75 down and 150 to go. I describe it that way so we don’t get too high or too low during a match. Yes, we can have a great play but we have 150 more points to score.”

The Chargers hope to use this mentality to grab four wins in this weekend’s tournament at the University of Findlay. Hillsdale will face Mercyhurst, Pitt-Johnstown, Ursuline, and Cedarville, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the G-MAC. “These are all teams that are going to have winning records, so if we keep beating teams like that it will set us up nicely for the end,” Gravel said.

Booms said she wants and expects an undefeated weekend.

“In the last game we played, our coach said that we probably just gave them the bit of confidence they needed for the rest of their season,” Booms said. “That’s not what we want to do. We want to beat them and take them down a notch, so I’m hoping we go 4-0 and I’m pretty confident that we will.”

Golf ready to compete in second season By | Christy Allen Collegian Freelancer Entering their second year of varsity competition, the Hillsdale College men’s golf team is looking to “pose a big threat in the GLIAC,” according to sophomore team captain Steve Sartore.

The team of twelve includes returning senior Patrick Nalepa, as well as returning sophomores Logan Kauffman, Ben Meola, John Duffy, John Burke and captains Joe Torres and Sartore.

Hillsdale recruited freshmen talent as locally as Jackson, Michigan, and as far away as Perth, West Australia. The six incoming freshmen include Henry Hitt, Liam Purslowe, Peter Beneteau, Andrew Berryhill, Andrew Grayson, and Joel Pietila.

Head coach Nathan Gilchrist says the freshman

players are “refined” and believes they add “more depth in the line up.”

Over the summer, Gilchrist implemented a strict practice routine that all players were expected to follow in anticipation of the season.

Sartore said each player was expected to spend an “hour on the range, an hour on long iron shots, two hours on wedges, and an hour on putting” every day. He added that the program aimed to encourage the players to hit “the same distance with different clubs.”

“This gets us comfortable hitting as many shots as possible and decreases stress,” he said.

Gilchrist made trips to visit the players over the summer and believes everyone followed the program well.

“The evidence of that is how much better they are from the

The Hillsdale College golf team courtesy photo | Brad Monastiere spring,” he said.

Nalepa notes the difference in his game as a result of the practice regiment.

“It was nice to practice with a purpose,” he said. “Nate reminds us to hit every practice shot like we’re on the 72nd hole to win a tournament, and I became more intentional with each stroke.”

Official coach-instructed practice began on September

7. The Chargers use Bella Vista Golf Course and Coldwater Golf Course, both in Coldwater, Michigan, as their primary home courses. Hillsdale Country Club and the on-campus driving range are also used for local practice.

The Chargers hope all the summer practice pays off as the team plays their first tournament of the non-championship season on September 12

and 13 at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Qualifying matches began on Monday and will help to determine the five traveling players.

“As a Division I tournament, our players are very excited to see where they’re at,” Gilchrist said.

“To be the best you have to beat the best,” Nalepa said.

“The best way to improve is to

play against people better than you.”

But the hopes and expectations for this season are that the Chargers will be the best.

Gilchrist anticipates “sub300 scoring.”

“Our returning players are more mature and experienced, and we have a really strong group of freshman to compliment them,” Gilchrist said.

“The accolades of the freshmen are a scroll long and really impressive,” Sartore said, echoing his coach’s sentiments. “We have every right to be GLIAC champions and hopefully make a try at nationals.”

With strong team chemistry and fresh talent, the Chargers hope to turn their experiences from the last two seasons into a competitive force this fall.

“A competitive culture within the team makes everyone better,” Gilchrist said.

A9 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Hillsdale alum’s hard work leads to professional basketball contract Ian Sheldon ‘15 joins German team TV Langen Giraffen By | Jordan Finney Collegian Reporter

On their first birthday, many kids get building blocks, new outfits, and a small cake.

Ian Sheldon got his first regulation-sized basketball.

A four-sport athlete in high school, the 6-foot-5 Traverse City native played defensive end on Hillsdale College’s football team for three seasons before transitioning to basketball for his last two years of college. Today, he plays professional basketball for TV Langen Giraffen, a German team based about ten minutes south of Frankfurt. He is the fourth Hillsdale College basketball player to play professionally overseas.

“Basketball has always been my favorite sport,” said Sheldon, who graduated with a marketing/management de-

Ian Sheldon defends Michigan guard Muhammaad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman last year. courtesy Photo | Scott Galvin Photography

gree in May. “I knew I could play in college but it would take a lot of hard work.”

Sheldon said he realized how much he missed basketball during his junior year when he watched a couple of his younger brother’s live games. After discussing his decision with Hillsdale’s football and basketball coaching staffs, Sheldon tried out for

the Chargers’ basketball team during the spring of his third year and made the cut.

“Coach Tharp said he’d give me a shot and it ended up working out. I owe a lot to him. He gave me a chance that most coaches wouldn’t,” Sheldon said. “Hillsdale was an incredible experience. The coaches always spent time making sure everyone was do-

ing well academically, socially, and with basketball. They expected a lot out of you, which was good.”

Sheldon spent the spring of 2013 conditioning during individual and group workouts, practices, and open gym.

During the next 18 months, he lost 85 pounds.

“He really had an unreal work ethic,” teammate and Hillsdale alumnus Darius Ware ’15 said. “He’d be at practice before everybody and stay there after doing cardio. Ian had a real passion for strength and conditioning. He’d do it himself when no one would ask him to.”

Sheldon’s role on the team was primarily defensive, with the broad responsibility of guarding key opponents regardless of whether they played point guard or wing.

“I have so much admiration for Ian. He almost became a poster child of our program in terms of dedication. When you think about what he did, it tells you something about

his tremendous work ethic and passion to be the very best possible,” Hillsdale College basketball head coach John Tharp said. “He just kept on getting better and better—we just couldn’t keep him off the court. If he keeps working like he did when he was with us, who knows what he could do in the future.”

During his senior year, Sheldon’s father suggested he attend the Slammers Basketball Pro Exposure Combine, a three-day camp in Bonn, Germany for athletes who want to play professionally.

“When my dad asked me if I wanted to give it a shot, I decided it was something I wanted to try. Better to try and fail than have never done it,” Sheldon said.

From June 5 to 7, coaches across Europe watched a live stream of Sheldon and about 60 other athletes competing in a series of games and called the camp if they were interested in recruiting a player.

“I played the worst basket-

ball game of my life the first game,” Ian said, laughing. “I was really nervous, put a lot of pressure on myself, and didn’t play well. But I made up for it in the second and third games.”

Sheldon received a 9-month contract offer from TV Langen Giraffen after the first day of tryouts. He immediately accepted the offer and was later named MVP of the camp.

The 2015-16 season starts on Sept. 19 and lasts until April 15. Sheldon’s role on the team is a 2-3 guard, a position that combines some of the responsibilities of a shooting guard and small forward.

“If you believe in yourself and are willing to sacrifice everything for your dream—it’s within your grasp,” Sheldon said. “It all comes down to how hard you are willing to work for your dream. Believe in yourself and don’t listen to the people who doubt you and call you crazy. They just don’t see what you see.”

Men’s tennis set to begin Women’s tennis dominates during perfect weekend inaugural season By | Stevan Bennett Assistant Editor On September 19, the Hillsdale College men’s tennis team will suit up six freshmen and one sophomore for the program’s first match in over a decade.

It was announced in August of 2014 that Hillsdale would revive the men’s tennis program and that head coach Keith Turner would be trusted at the helm.

“I am very happy that I was the guy that was chosen to do it,” Turner said. “I have had a lot of experience leading up to this, and I am certainly happy with how it is going so far. I feel like I am finally at a place where I would like to be for a long time.”

Having played at both Boston University and Western Michigan University, Turner is certainly justified in citing his experience. More recently, he has served on the coaching staff of Albion College and as the head coach of Limestone College in South Carolina.

The team, which will compete in the GLIAC regular season in the spring, is coming into the season with a chip on

their shoulders.

“We are looking forward to the challenge of trying to show other teams what we are,” freshman John Ciraci said.

“We are such a young team, and so I don’t think the other teams will expect us to be a great team, but I think we’ll surprise them.”

Despite the high expectations that ring throughout the program, Turner understands that this year is only a pushing-off point.

“We aren’t going to win the GLIAC or anything this year, but we plan on being able to compete with those guys,” Turner said. “When these guys are seniors I would really like to be a the point that we can get a regional ranking and look at an NCAA tournament berth.

The Chargers didn’t start practice until this week, but that didn’t stop the hungry young team from beginning their preparation.

“The freshman have been out hitting with each other every single day since coming to campus,” sophomore Dugan Delp said. “We all just can’t wait for practices to start.”

As the only member of the team with experience around Hillsdale, Delp has naturally fallen into a type of leadership role. The freshmen all stressed his importance in helping them feel at home on campus.

As is the case with every program on campus, these young men decided to come to Hillsdale for more than just their sport.

“The overall package at Hillsdale was just better than anywhere else,” Ciraci said.

“Obviously there are great tennis opportunities here, but the academic opportunities are greater than other places as well.”

The team’s fall season will consist of two tournaments before traveling to Iowa to face Davenport University in a dual match. While these matches are not part of the regular season, they still factor into the team’s regional and national ranking.

Come spring, the men will have 15 dual matches, six of which will be at home.

“We would love to see some support,” Ciraci said. “I think people would be surprised how much fun tennis matches are.”

By | Hannah Leitner Collegian Reporter After starting their season with an 8-1 victory over Walsh on Saturday, the Hillsdale College women’s tennis team pushed their winning streak to two matches with a 7-2 win over Ashland on Sunday.

Saturday’s matches started outdoors, but rain forced the teams to move to the Biermann Center’s indoor courts.

Despite the inclement weather and changing courts, the team played well, head coach Nikki Walbright said.

“I think it went great. It was hard to predict what would happen, and I know the girls had some nerves, but they really rose to the challenge,” Walbright said. “Everyone competed really well. They had fun, and I just think we confirmed how strong of a team we are this year.”

It is the first time since the team’s re-institution in 2011 that the team has gone undefeated in its first two matches.

Team captain Lindsay Peirce said the atmosphere going into their match against Walsh was tense.

“They have beaten us the past three years by one point,” Peirce said. “Everybody on the courts knew just how important every single point and match was for the win. Being prepared for them put us on top.”

Several freshmen aided the team in the win. At No. 1 singles, freshman Halle Hyman made her debut by posting a 6-4, 6-2 win. Hyman then competed alongside fellow rookie Julia Formentin at No. 2 doubles for an 8-5 win.

“It was very exciting playing in my first college match,” Hyman said. “I wanted more than anything to start off my season strong, and I am extremely happy about my wins.”

Hillsdale’s veteran players also had strong showings. At No. 1 doubles, seniors Sydney Delp and Lindsay Peirce fought out a 9-8 victory, which was easily the longest of the doubles matches. At No. 3 doubles, junior Dana Grace Buck and freshman Corinne Prost posted an 8-2 win.

On Sunday the team battled with weather of a different kind. Despite temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees,

the Charger wins continued on both the singles and doubles courts.

“The heat and weather was definitely a tough factor on Sunday,” Peirce said. “But each court gave it their all and gave support during each match.”

Hyman cruised to a straight-set victory again, winning 6-3, 6-4. Then, Hyman was joined by Formentin and continued her winning streak at No. 2 doubles 8-5.

Delp and Peirce eased to an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles, leaving them undefeated this season.

At No. 3 doubles, sisters competed for the Chargers, as junior Jada Bissett and freshman Madeline Bissett were 9-8 winners in their first official match together in their tennis careers.

Other wins of the day were picked up by Peirce at No. 3 singles, Madeline Bisset at No. 5 singles, and Formentin at No. 6 singles.

The Chargers are now preparing for another full weekend, as they face Tiffin and Findlay at home this upcoming Saturday and Sunday.

Hillsdale hires first strength and conditioning coach Pat Gifford joins the Chargers after two years at Liberty University

By | Jesse Faile Collegian Freelancer Pat Gifford is stepping into shoes that were—until a month ago—nonexistent at Hillsdale. He has assumed the role of Hillsdale’s first strength and conditioning coach. Since his start in August, Gifford has been busy getting to know the athletes and building a new strength and conditioning program from the ground up.

Getting athletes in top shape is something Gifford feels strongly about. He wants to get them as close to 100 per- Hillsdale strength and photo during a football cent as possible.

“I loved the opportunity of Gifford said his position coming to Hillsdale,” Gifford will help Hillsdale’s coaches said. “They’ve been missing not have as much to worry what I consider to be a very about and “allow them to focus integral piece to success in on being coaches.” having a dedicated strength Since his start in August, coach, somebody whose job Gifford has worked closeit is strictly to try and prepare ly with head athletic trainer the athletes to be at their best Lynne Neukom. when the times comes to going “The athletic training staff, out and playing their sport.” specifically Lynne Neukom,

conditioning coach Pat Gifford pauses for a practice last week. Anders Kiledal | Collegian has been a huge help with getting the athletes to not be afraid to come talk to me and come see me,” Gifford said.

“It’s been great working with her because she’s really helped me not drown right away.”

This is an understandable concern, considering that they both look over the needs of 364 athletes across several sports.

Senior Nick Taylor, who plays defensive back on the football team, talked about Gifford’s interaction with the players.

“He oversees everything that we do strength-wise in the weight room,” Taylor said.

“A lot of guys are getting really excited about it. He creates a

fun atmosphere in the weight room.”

According to athletic director Don Brubacher, the field of strength and conditioning is growing rapidly, and there is a lot of new research. He said it was essential that the athletic department found someone who had experience and knowledge with the ability to make decisions that will positively affect Hillsdale’s athletes.

“We were looking for someone who was bright, well-prepared, and well-educated in the field, and we felt that Patrick brought that,” Brubacher said. “We not only had to assess each candidate, but we had to determine how they would go about developing a program that didn’t exist, to some extent.”

Gifford has a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science and coaching from Michigan State University. He was first exposed to the strength and conditioning field his sophomore year, and his junior year found him coaching high school sports.

After that, Gifford wanted to find the best way to combine his love of working out for

strength and athleticism with his love of coaching, Before coming to Hillsdale, Gifford gained two years of experience at Liberty University, where he was also a strength and conditioning coach.

“The fact that he worked at Liberty University, most recently, was a positive for us,” said Brubacher. “It’s a school that we feel has quite a lot in common with us. And the fact that the people there were far more than positive about him professionally and personally meant a lot to us.”

Gifford is excited at the opportunity to build the program from the ground up to better support the athletes.

“I’ve wanted to be involved with athletics since I could move,” Gifford said, recalling his first sporting event at threeyears-old. “There are days I have to remind myself that I’m at work because I’m spending all day with athletes, and I’m at games, and I’m watching them do great things, and they’re getting excited, and you don’t even realize that you’re working.”

CHARGER SPORTS 10 SEPT. 2015

CROSS-COUNTRY STARTS SEASON ON RIGHT FOOT Men and women cruise past Saginaw Valley in their first meet of the season

By | Evan Carter Web Editor The men’s and women’s cross-country teams started the season off strong, with both squads defeating Saginaw Valley at the teams’ first meet last Friday at Hayden Park. The women had a perfect score of 15 points, claiming the top five places, while the men won with 19 points, taking the top three places.

Although still very early in the season, the women dropped from second to fifth in the rankings after the race. The men remain unranked.

Distance coach Joe Lynn was pleased with what he saw, but still highlighted areas the teams need to grow in.

“Starting with the ladies it was really solid and what we were looking for,” he said. “On the men’s side our front three looked really controlled. We have some work to do after that.”

The women ran a 4K race, which was two kilometers shorter than they would run in a typical meet. Still, the effort was impressive because of the day’s high temperatures and the hilly terrain of Hayden Park.

All 11 of the women racing finished within 70 seconds of

one another, and the top seven finished within 26 seconds of each other. The amount of time between the first and last scoring runners is an important indicator of how good a team is and is something that the women will try to shrink throughout the season.

Lynn was pleased with how well the women ran together and believes that the team’s ability to run together is what will be the difference in their success this year.

“We have some good runners up front obviously,” Lynn said. “But having some girls that can push them is important to not make us just a front

loaded team, but a deep team.”

Senior captain Emily Oren was also pleased with how her teammates performed in their first race.

“I think everyone stepped up and did awesome. We were all together as a pack, which was so fun,” she said.

The men were scheduled to run a 6K race, which is also two kilometers shorter than they would typically run, but due to race error they ran less than 5 and 1/2 kilometers.

There was a wider gap between men’s finishers than there was on the women’s side.

The first Charger crossed the line 2:15 before the last runner.

But, there was a much smaller gap between the men’s top seven: only 28 seconds. Additionally, the men were without junior Luke Daigneault who, according to Lynn, is expected to be a strong contributor when he races with the team within the next month or so.

Although they beat the Saginaw Valley men, the Chargers benefited from Saginaw running without some of their top runners. Lynn believes that future competitions between the two teams will be much closer than Friday’s race.

Junior Caleb Gatchell, who won the men’s race, was happy with how the team ran.

Members of Hillsdale’s men’s cross-country team pull ahead of Saginaw Valley in a meet on Friday. Anders Kiledal | Collegian

“I thought it was good. We got out there and put a good effort in,” he said.

Lynn was pleased with the progress shown by the freshmen on both teams.

“Ally Eads and Lucy Allen are going to add some great depth to us this year,” he said. “I felt Isaac Harris looked pretty good.”

Because the men have a younger team, Lynn believes that the freshmen will play a big role.

“We’re a little bit younger on the guys’ side, so we’re going to have to count on our freshmen this year. Those guys will definitely be great assets to us,” Lynn said.

Hillsdale’s next meet is Friday, Sept. 18, in East Lansing on Michigan State University’s golf course. The meet will be much more competitive than the first meet as a number of teams from NCAA Division I and the NAIA will be in attendance.

Although time is not the most important factor in cross country, Lynn is excited about the meet because of how fast the course is.

“It will be a nice change for ladies and guys, and a chance to really open up a little bit, especially for our speedsters.”

Hillsdale’s women’s cross-country team eased past Saginaw Valley on Friday afternoon. Despite finishing with a perfect 15 points, the team dropped to fifth in the national rankings. courtesy Photo | Dana Bodary

Cross-Country Schedule Sept. 18 Spartan Invitational Oct. 2 Notre Dame Invitational Oct. 3 Greater Louisville Classic Oct. 9 Michigan Intercollegiates (Home Meet) Oct. 24 2015 GLIAC Championships Nov. 7 NCAA Midwest Regional Nov. 21 2015 NCAA D-II Championships

Findlay charges past Hillsdale in season opener By|Nathanael Meadowcroft performance and Hillsdale’s slow start offensively, the Oilers Sports Editor dominated time of possession, The Hillsdale College foot- controlling the ball nearly twice ball team fell behind early on as long as the Chargers. FindSaturday night and couldn’t re- lay held the ball for 39:29, while cover, falling 45-34 to the Uni- the Chargers had possession versity of Findlay Oilers in their for just 20:31. season opener at Frank “Mud“We didn’t help the defense dy” Waters Stadium. when it came to time of posFindlay’s offense scored al- session. That’s a two-way street most at will, finishing with too,” Otterbein said. “That takes 587 total yards of offense. The both sides of the ball. They’ve Oilers never punted the entire got to get off the field on degame. fense and we’ve got to stay on “We really created a lot of the field on offense.” third down opportunities to get “As an offense we put a litoff the field and we just didn’t tle bit of that on us at first bemake any plays,” head coach cause we hung them out to dry Keith Otterbein said. “They ex- in the first quarter,” senior left ecuted well. I think we’ve got to guard Justice Karmie said. “We cover them a little tighter.” weren’t moving the ball well, The Chargers forced the and I think that got our defense Oilers into 14 third-down sit- back on their heels a little bit uations, but Findlay converted because Findlay is a really good nine of them. Twice when they offense.” failed to move the chains on The Chargers went threethird down, the Oilers went for and-out in their opening posit on fourth down and convert- session, and Findlay responded ed. with a methodical 11-play, 55“I don’t think we pressured yard drive to take a 7-0 lead. the quarterback like we need The Chargers failed to convert a to. We need to be in any quar- first down on their next possesterback’s face just to feel pres- sion as well. Hillsdale’s defense sure,” Otterbein said. “We need held Findlay to a missed field to tackle a little better. I don’t goal, but on the first play of think our tackling was terrible the Chargers’ next possession, but it needs to improve some.” junior tailback Bennett Lewis Due to their strong offensive fumbled the ball and Findlay’s

Findlay’s Chauncey Bridges fights through a tackle. Bridges scored two touchdowns in Saturday’s game. Anders Kiledal | Collegian Johnny Hopkins returned it 17 yards for the touchdown.

Hillsdale’s offense started to pick up steam after that, but Findlay never took their foot off the pedal.

“We got off to a slow start offensively and were never really able to catch up,” senior quarterback C.J. Mifsud said. “We ended up doing some pretty good things in the second half and we’ll be able to learn from our mistakes and build off of the good things we did to improve week to week.”

Mifsud finished with 225 yards passing and scored a touchdown in his first start of the season. Lewis rushed for

115 yards and a touchdown on just 14 attempts.

Otterbein said he was happy with the way his starting quarterback played.

“C.J. got us in a couple really nice audibles,” Otterbein said.

“There were a couple of those big plays that we had on offense where he audibled to the play because they were grossly misaligned. You take your senior veteran fifth-year starting quarterback, those are the things he’s supposed to help you do.”

Otterbein doesn’t plan to make any big changes to his personnel going into Saturday’s game.

“It’s too early to tell,” he

said. “What I told the staff is we’ve got to put our best players in positions to be successful, so whatever tweaks we’ve got to make to personnel in all phases, whatever tweaks we’ve got to make schematically to give them a better chance to succeed, those are the things that as you get your first game under your belt and you know what your personality is you have to address.”

The Chargers have focused their attention on their next game on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium against the Lake Erie Storm, who lost their season opener 56-22 to Ashland.

“They’re a tricky team,” Karmie said. “They’re not typically seen as one of the best teams in the GLIAC but they’re a dangerous team because they have athletes and they run a lot of blitz schemes.”

The Chargers have been getting ready for Lake Erie’s aggressive blitzes. In Hillsdale’s game against Lake Erie last year, the Storm sent blitzes three out of four plays, according to Karmie.

Defensively, the Chargers have been preparing to deal with Lake Erie’s starting running back Anthony Bilal. Bilal rushed for 216 yards and three touchdowns in Lake Erie’s season opener.

“He’s a home run threat every time he touches the ball,” Otterbein said. “There will be times when he makes something out of nothing so that’s a challenge.”

Overall, the Chargers hope the lessons they’ve learned from their season-opening loss will help them to their first win on Saturday.

“We have a lot to learn from our first game,” Mifsud said.

“It’s important for us as a team to not get too discouraged after a loss but rather learn from the mistakes and move forward.”

B1 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Q&A: TurTle islAnd QuArTeT Grammy-winning chamber group visits Hillsdale Sept. 12

The innovative Turtle Island Quartet has been blending a classical chamber esthetic with contemporary American music styles since 1985, and has twice won the Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album. This Saturday, they will be performing the program “Jelly, Rags & Monk,” a collection of rag and jazz selections. Founding member violinist David Balakrishnan sat down with the Collegian to talk about the quartet’s latest release, “Confetti Man,” and the group’s upcoming Hillsdale performance.

- Compiled by Madeleine Jepsen Your music is “classical string quartet” yet innovative, and draws upon some unique American styles — how do you combine the two?

“

Each member of the quartet is chosen specifically because they are trained in both classical technique and jazz improvisation...

As Paquito D’Rivera said, ‘Strings that can swing are like a barking cat.’

”

The answer to that is that each member of the quartet is chosen specifically because they are trained in both classical technique and jazz improvisation. When I was growing up, I fell in love with rock’n’roll. I started on guitar, like everybody was doing, and quickly realized there were a lot of guitar players, but that I could kind of sound like rock’n’roll on the violin. And there were people that were doing that — Papa John Creach, David LaFlamme, and It’s a Beautiful Day. Looking back on it, that’s when I started improvising. When I got on stage to play rock violin, people always liked it. Go forward and 10 years later, I’m out of college and trying to figure out what my voice is. I started writing music for string quartet to try and combine these styles that I loved to play that involved jazz improvisation and classical composition and technique. What happened was that players showed up who could play the music and from then on, as soon as we started playing, we realized we were doing something pretty unique in that we could swing. As Paquito D’Rivera said, “Strings that can swing are like a barking cat.” So 30 years of exploring that vein, and here we are, still going strong.

According to your website, the name Turtle Island Quartet is derived from Native American creation mythology.

What’s the story behind that name, and how does it encapsulate your music?

When we were formed, we knew we were unique in the way we were constructed — this idea of all four players being able to speak on the violin with an American accent, so to speak. So we needed a name to reflect that. One of our members, Darol Anger, came across a poet, Gary Snyder, who won a Pulitzer Prize for this book called “Turtle Island.” It turns out turtle island is a creation myth — it’s the Native American name for the North American continent. The Native Americans believed that they lived on the back of a turtle, and that was their world myth. But what Gary Snyder was doing in that book was talking about how American culture is an immigrant, polyglot culture. That really appealed to us — it was so similar to what we were doing as a string quartet. We’re so focused on playing jazz, which is America’s classical music. It’s a style that’s born here in America that reflects immigrant culture both from Africa and Europe, but also from Latin America and Asia. In some ways, you could consider jazz the first world music form. In calling ourselves Turtle Island, it seemed like a way to address that uniqueness that we brought.

The members of Turtle Island Quartet: Benjamin von Gutzeit, Mateusz Smoczynski, David Balakrishnan, and Mark Summer. Courtesy Photos | Bill Reitzel

Remembering Jeffrey Tangeman ’88

See Turtle Island, B2

Son of theatre department dies from alleged heart attack By | Emma Vinton Assistant editor Jeffrey Paul Tangeman ’88, Hillsdale College alumnus and a successful stage director, died on Aug. 14 at age 49 from an apparent heart attack.

He was at his home in York, Pennsylvania, and found by a close friend. Tangeman is survived by his parents Robert and Mary Suzanne, as well as friend Suzanne Carlson.

Tangeman was born in 1965 in Wheeling, West Virginia. After doing his undergraduate work at Hillsdale College and earning degrees in theatre and marketing, he went on to earn his master’s in fine arts from Illinois State University in Bloomington, Illinois. He taught theater courses around the country at Eastern Illinois University, Florida International University, Ithaca College, University of Alabama, and York College of Pennsylvania.

“It’s a loss that is being pretty keenly felt by his alumni and constituents,” George Angell, chair of the theatre department and friend of Tangeman, said. “There are a lot of people he was quite close to.”

Tangeman acted in many plays at Hillsdale in his day: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Clouds,” among others.

During his time at Hillsdale, he was also a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. His real passion, however, was directing. He went on to act and direct in cities such as Detroit, Washington D.C., and New York.

In the spring of 1997, Tangeman returned to Hillsdale to direct “The Taming of the Shrew,” after theatre department chairman Raymond J. Pentzell — and Tangeman’s former instructor and close friend — died.

In April 1997, Angell, who had taught Tangeman when he was a student at the college, told the Collegian that, “It’s a real honor to have Jeff here. He’s a real testament of what someone from our department can achieve.”

Angell said Tangeman returned to the college often, and remained close with many peers from his class.

According to Angell, Tangeman was an eager and earnest student. He said he and Tangeman were close and he is deeply grieved by his loss.

“He was always special to me both because he was a great guy and because he went the same professional route that I did,” Angell said. “Professional directing, acting, and teaching.”

Casey Fatchett ’97, who acted under Tangeman in “The Taming of the Shrew,” told the Collegian in 1997 that, “It has been a great experience to work with a professional director. He is very organized and honest — he’s not afraid to say what he’s thinking.”

Many friends, colleagues, and former students shared shock, sadness, and memories of Tangeman. They described him as loving, generous, talented, and a man who touched many lives through his genuineness and artistic work. His sense of humor also encouraged many people.

Tangeman jokingly and humbly told the Collegian in 1997 about his claim to fame.

Jeffrey Tangeman ’88. Courtesy Photo | Tower Players of Hillsdale College Face-

book page

“You can almost see my apartment on the opening of Letterman,” he said.

“It feels wrong,” Angell said. “It’s not the or-

der it’s supposed to go.Your students are not supposed to predecease you.”

B2 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Arts News

Alumna interns at Image Mindi Popovich ‘15 snagged summer job at Gregory Wolfe’s journal of art, faith, and mystery By | Chris McCaffery columnist Mindi Popovich ’15 lived an English major’s dream this summer as an intern at Image Journal in Seattle, Washington.

The recent Hillsdale College graduate and Pratt, Kansas, native worked as an administrative intern at the literary journal which Gregory Wolfe ’80 founded in 1989. Popovich first met Wolfe, publisher and editor of the journal; his wife and Image Executive Editor Suzanne Wolfe; and many artists and writers associated with the quarterly publication in fall 2014, when they visited campus for a celebration of Image’s 25th anniversary.

“When everyone from Image was on campus I was very impressed with who they were as people,” Popovich said. “It was a really good experience, seeing a different side of publishing. Mostly I’ve worked in commercial places, but Image was more creative.”

Image Journal is a quarterly literary publication that Wolfe founded to “demonstrate the continued vitality and diversity of contemporary art and literature that engage with the religious traditions of Western culture,” according to the Image website. Image publishes prose, poetry, and art that showcases artistic achievement not represented in other circles, with the journal’s cover bearing the tagline “Art. Faith. Mystery.”

Popovich had plans to pursue a career in publishing, and a summer as one of Image’s three interns worked perfectly with that goal, connecting her with the publishing industry and providing practical experience.

Mindi Popovich ’15 interned at Image this summer.

Courtesy Photo | Mindi Popovich

She and her fellow interns worked to digitize and categorize Image’s new online archives, which meant an opportunity to read the journal and acquaint herself with the contemporary work that it publishes.

Work from Kathleen Norris, Franz Wright, and Gregory Orr especially stood out to her.

“Mindi gave a huge boost to our office’s productivity this summer, helping with events, marketing, and with our transition to a totally revamped website,” Mary Kenagy Mitchell, Image’s managing editor, said in an email. “We were all impressed with the way she took initiative in projects, by how professionally and courteously she conducted herself, and by how meticulous and

responsible she was. In return, she got to see how a small, thriving nonprofit works from the inside — the good, the bad, and the coordinated chaos.”

Popovich was inspired to go into publishing because of what she sees as the dismal state of much young adult and children’s literature available today. After reading Wintergirls, a 2010 young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson which focuses on two teenage protagonists with eating disorders, Popovich was struck by the hopeless tone of the book.

“It’s [eating disorders], a really important topic to talk about because it’s something a lot of people struggle with,” Popovich said. “But the

novel was very nihilistic, a symptom of general society and how selfishly we think about things. I was so disturbed by that.”

For Popovich, Image Journal represents a place for contemporary writers who want to incorporate other themes into their writing.

“In contemporary literature there’s no hope and no striving for beauty and everything is very edgy and very sensational,” she said. “Image creates the community for writers who want to explore themes of faith, combine faith and beauty, and want to look into the void and see something that is not the void.”

Popovich wasn’t alone on the West Coast for the summer, but she doesn’t think she’s cut out for the big city. Other Hillsdale alumni in Seattle and Portland allowed her to enjoy time with friends, amid secretarial and administrative work for the journal, a two-hour commute, and new places to explore.

She’s joining an Eastern Orthodox church, and the parish life was another source of community for her and her co-intern (and student at nearby Spring Arbor University) Alexandra Harper.

“I had a nice community out there and I think it kept me from being homesick,” she said.

Creating community is also where Image excels, according to Popovich. Through its Glen Workshop programs, writers find fellowship with like-minded artists.

“The whole summer, we got letters from writers who went to the Glen,” Popovich said. “Creating a space for authors who have a goal with their writing is definitely the most important part of what Image does.”

Sept.  Concert on the Quad 7-10 p.m. in front of the Grewcock Student Union

Sept.  Masterclass with Cyrus Chestnut and the Turtle Island Quartet 1 p.m.

Turtle Island: McNamara Rehearsal Hall Cyrus Chestnut: Conrad Recital Hall

Sept.  “Jelly, Rags & Monk: from Jelly Roll Morton to Thelonius Monk” Turtle Island Quartet with Cyrus Chestnut, Piano 8 p.m.

Markel Auditorium Reservations Required

Sept. -Oct.  “Pure Photography: Pictorial and Modern Photographs from the Syracuse University Art Collection” Opening Reception: 2-4 p.m. Sept. 13 Daughtrey Gallery Sage Center for the Arts

Rachelle Ferguson: entrepreneur, playwright Kittywham Productions offers original dramas from a Christian perspective

By | Heather Woodhouse Collegian freelancer

Junior Rachelle Ferguson is not only a talented writer and musician. As of this summer, she is a budding entrepreneur as well.

In July, Ferguson launched Kittywham Productions: Plays with a Punch — a business which offers original Christian dramas. According to the website, the company’s mission is “Discipleship through drama: Kittywham produces dramas written for Christians, by Christians. Our dramas bring truth to light in unique, meaningful ways, mingling humor with honesty and enthusiasm with insight.”

Currently, three of Ferguson’s plays are available for purchase: “Rejected: The Inside Story,” “Padlock Homes and the Case of the Missing Splinter,” and “The Gift.” A fourth play, “Narrow Escape,” will soon be available.

Ferguson’s skill as a playwright was kindled at a young age, when she and her older sister, LaRae Ferguson ’15, began writing skits for their parents and performing them with stuffed animals. Several years ago, Ferguson took that talent to a new level.

Julia Thomas, the drama director at Ferguson’s home church — Wesleyan Bible Holiness Church in Illinois — was searching for plays online but had difficulty finding dramas that were both thought-provoking and Christian.

“It’s almost insulting to young people,” Thomas said. She noted many Christian plays only deal with exhausted issues such as peer pressure or drugs.

When Ferguson noticed the needs of this specific audience, she put her own ideas to paper and began writing plays for Thomas to use in the church’s drama program. During the past four or five years, she has written a total of four plays for Thomas, and the church drama group has staged them for both summer camps and annual Christmas performances — with Ferguson even acting in the plays herself.

Longtime audience member Cindy Dice lives just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. She could easily attend other holiday events, but chooses to attend the church’s annual Christmas perOne of Ferguson’s plays is entitled “Padformance.

“It’s our favorite event to at- lock Homes and the Case of the Missing tend every Christmas season,” Splinter.” Courtesy Photo | Rachelle Ferguson she said. “I really appreciate her

Turtle Island, from B1 You’ve won 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album. To what do you attribute your success?

One of the things that is difficult when you’re trying to break down barriers and find creative juice is that you can leave the confines of categories that make it easy to define who you are. We actually don’t see ourselves as a crossover group, in a sense that we’re not crossing over, we’re already there. We’re not leaving something that we know to do something that we don’t know, which is so common in crossover-type concepts.

So for us, we were clearly not fitting into the traditional, classical categories, and it was really hard for people to identify what we were doing — there wasn’t a name for that.

But nonetheless, to be nominated and win that category, it was really important for us because it gave people a sense that what we were doing was valued, and important.

What is it about your music that has struck a chord with modern audiences?

String quartet in general; it’s one of those iconic music forms — the violin, the viola, the cello, these are incredible instruments that can do so much. You see the violin in just about every culture across the world. It just seems to be one of those designs that allows for so much creativity and so much expressivity for human beings. We’re trying to take that form and extend it and still recognize it as being the same form that Haydn was using in the 1700s. Now, based on who we are as these integrating musicians bring-

ing styles together, we can reflect the music of America in a more genuine way. Which means we can play classic pieces like Miles Davis’ “So What” and all these famous pieces in the jazz world, and we can also explore our own original music concept as well. And in it all, you can hear the sound of the string quartet.

Tell us about your latest release “Confetti Man.” There’s some jazz standards on there, there’s some original music by great jazz composers written specially for us, there’s original music written by myself, and there’s even an appearance by a singer we’re working with named Nellie McKay. So you just get a full Turtle Island meal of what a string quartet can do with the right approach.

You collaborate frequently with Cyrus Chestnut. What does he add to your performance?

When we do collaborations, we generally look for players or groups that we feel simpatico with.

Cyrus was one who has really fit — he’s one of these great, iconic jazz pianists. He has a very gospel, rootsy feeling to his music, but is also incredibly intelligent and thoughtful as well. He’s classically trained as well as trained in jazz, and so we can just do so much with him. In working with him, it’s a really valuable experience for Turtle, because it really gets us more going toward the more spontaneous, intuitive side of what we do, as a balance to our more thoughtful side. Which isn’t to say that this isn’t thoughtful

balance of humor, morals, and ways of capturing the audience’s attention. Her plays are always well done and portray truths in a subtle way. It all fits together perfectly.”

Ferguson said she writes not only for the audience and for the community, but also for the kids involved. Every drama is a teaching opportunity for the cast.

According to Thomas, “Young children giggle, but everyone walks away having understood something.

We are all learning together.”

Thomas’ 10-year-old son has also been inspired by Ferguson, and longs to become an author someday.

Ferguson’s favorite character is the incompetent Detective Walter Breckenridge. She spoke of him proudly.

“He’s rather pompous,” she said. “Rather squeamish. He faints a lot, and doughnuts al-

music, it’s just that when you have a great jazz pianist like Cyrus, you can really blow that horn — so why not?

Describe the program you’ll be playing. It’s “Jelly, Rags & Morton” — a range of ragtime compositions.

Jelly refers to Jelly Roll Morton, who’s often regarded as the founder/inventor of jazz, though it’s one of those controversial things that people love to argue about. That was Cyrus’ idea. He was interested in exploring Jelly Roll’s music, and he talked about how he hears it. So we’re really bowing to him in much of what we do with the Jelly Roll influences, and also in the ragtime.

We’re working with him to find a way to express this music so it swings the way it should swing, so to speak, especially from Cyrus’ viewpoint.

And then there’s Monk — for us he’s the king of bebop piano, and playing this amazing original music for Turtle Island is a no-brainer.

We also go so far as to do a classical piece — Debussy’s “Golliwog’s Cakewalk.” I love that piece because you can hear a little bit of that eastern style he was interested in, but yet it’s definitely got that ragtime influence.

How does the quartet incorporate improvisation into their work as a classical string quartet?

When the string quartet was first formed in the late 1700s, they were improvisers. Everyone was improvising to some extent back then. It’s just that over time, for various cultural reasons, that skill set got lost. Turtle Island comes at it from the jazz standpoint, but it’s like returning something that was there previously. It’s import-

ways revive him — and comic books.”

Theater directors Joana and Jon Stratton at Hobe Sound Bible College in Florida are good friends of Ferguson’s and can speak to the quality of her writing.

“We like the way that her plays not only influence the audience, but also the actors themselves,” Jon Stratton said. “She’s developed a talent for drawing an audience in and taking their walls down. Truth is presented beautifully in the context of a story without having to have a perfect ending.”

Despite the beautiful results, Ferguson admits the tasks involved in starting Kittywham Productions — such as designing the website — was more difficult than she had expected.

“I didn’t anticipate quite all the time it would take,” she said. “It ate up July and August — going through and editing everything, then keeping up the blog on the website once a week or so, and finally getting on Facebook.”

Nevertheless, Ferguson has already sold one set of plays, and is in communication with multiple prospective customers. She hopes to continue writing and producing more material to print and sell.

“I think her company is really going to boom,” Jon Stratton said. “She is an encouragement to us.”

ant because it gives each player in the quartet an individual voice that goes beyond just playing written out notes. He’s playing from his sensibilities, coming from his intuitive self when he’s playing in that moment.

Given that, we can also sound like a band because our cellist is really talented at playing the cello like a bass, and we have these techniques from bluegrass called shuffle bow and chop, where you get this guitar-riff way of playing that creates rhythm and harmony.

Where do you find inspiration?

My father was born in India, and he came over here in ’47 and met my mother, an American. When I was growing up, the American culture won the battle, and my dad didn’t teach me anything about the culture. So there was this longing to understand the culture that my dad came from.

One of the things I do is I play with these south Indian folk musicians who are playing a form of music called Bajan. It’s weird when you can feel how fiddle music brews the same way as cathartic, south Indian music does — it has the same kind of loping vibe.

I’m confronted with trying to figure out how to play these incredibly complicated melodies that Indian music is based on. It’s not so much the way they slide around the notes, but the sound between the notes — the violin can do it, but it’s really, really challenging. It inspires me because I don’t know how to do it very well, and it forces me out of my comfort zone and into the creative middle ground where you have to go to create something that’s fresh and alive, and not caught up in a previous history.

B3 10 September 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Global to Local Meet Hillsdale’s international students By | Anna Timmis Collegian Freelancer

Madeleine Fry | Collegian Freshman Nora Ben Hmieida was born in Tripoli, Libya, and moved with her family to Colorado Springs, Colorado, seven years ago. She first heard of Hillsdale from her high school teachers, many of whom were Hillsdale graduates. She said that she decided to attend Hillsdale because of the focus on classical education. She is interested in pursuing bio chemistry as a major, and speech and German as minors. Ben Hmieida said said her first impression of Hillsdale College is that “It’s very conservative. People respect education and the professors care about the students.”

Madeleine Fry | Collegian Lisa Rippel, a student at the University of Saarland in Saarbruecken, Germany, said she hopes her time at Hillsdale will improve her English.

Both she and fellow student Simon Wenz [featured in next week’s Features section] are studying to become English teachers in Germany. “I like the idea of the Honor Code, and that we all had to sign it,” Rippel said.

Campus clubs help students pursue their passions By | Gill West Collegian Freelancer It takes thousands of hours to master any given discipline.

But not everyone, especially Hillsdale students, can devote such time to their favorite hobbies.

Campus clubs and student organizations allow students to engage in the activities they love without forfeiting large amounts of time.

Sophomore Stevan Bennett founded Hillsdale College’s club baseball team this year.

“Whatever you love to do, make time for that,” Bennett said.

Bennett’s team has practiced a few

times this year, and will probably only practice a couple more times more during the season. They will play ten games as part of a league in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Associate Dean of Women Rebekah Dell said students who lead clubs must solve conflicts, schedule events, and continue to find interested students who will help the club flourish.

“The clubs provide excellent opportunities for leadership and student development,” Dell said.

She said clubs deepen relationships and cultivate the love of rigor and of things for their own sake that is so pervasive at Hillsdale. Through this,

both the leaders and the participants of a club will grow together through their mutual love for that activity.

Starting a club is difficult, but systematic.

According to Director of Student Activities Anthony Manno, an applicant must name the club and ensure that something similar or identical to it does not exist, and then they’ll begin the process to start the club.

The reward makes it worthwhile. If the organization doesn’t exist, create it, Bennett said. Creating a club is doable.

“You will be successful as long as you love what you’re doing,” he said.

“And the people around you love what you’re doing.”

How to start a campus club 1. Identify the purpose of the club, any association with a regional or national organization, and its alignment with the college’s mission and Honor Code.

2. Write bylaws, find faculty advisor, and fill the offices of president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.

3. Bring the application to Dean of Women Diane Philipp, if a federal club, or Director of Recreational Sports Bradley Kocher, if a sports club.

4. Philipp or Kocher decide if the club meets the following criteria: • Appeals to the student body • Follows the college’s purpose • Doesn’t have a similar club on campus 5. The founder then presents the club to the Student Federation to demonstrate the capability of the board and the feasibility of the club.

6. If approved, the organization receives club status and startup money.

A liberally-educated officer

Senior Josiah Lippincott pursues future in the Marine Corps By | Micah Meadowcroft Associate Editor Senior Josiah Lippincott knows exactly what he is doing after graduation.

Within hours of commencement this spring, Lippincott will receive his commission as a Marine Corps officer. From there it will be off to the Basic School to determine his specialization. After that, he will spend four years active in the fleet.

While other seniors travelled, completed internships, went home to work or play, Lippincott spent ten weeks of his summer in Quanitico, Virginia. He completed the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School, the training and evaluation program for commissioned officers in the United States Marine Corps. He has worked for three years to arrive at the completion of this program.

Lippincott said he became interested in serving in the military since coming to Hillsdale, and while he initially considered the Army, the Marine Corps recruiters at the Source caught his attention.

“There’s a great relationship between the Marine Corps recruiting out of Ann Arbor and Hillsdale College, so they come out here. They do events. They’re easy to talk to. They’re great to work with,” he said.

The Source recruiters and the Marine Corps won out, as did the prospect of completing the program while still in school.

“That was attractive to me,” he said. “I wanted to do things over the summers, get a commission straight out of college.”

Lippincott had advice and the chance to commiserate during the process. He met Audrey Graber ’14 his first semester as a freshman.

Graber was interested in the military in high school, and she too talked to recruiters at the Source. For her, the decision to complete OCS was immediate. She applied, and split her time at Quantico in two, with six-week stints in both 2011 and 2012. After receiving her commission after graduation, she completed the Basic School and is now stationed at Camp Pendleton in California as a battalion adjutant for an artillery battalion.

Graber said Lippincott began to ask her about the process his sophomore year.

“I was the only senior who had gone to OCS,

so I was pretty much in charge of the program at Hillsdale from a student perspective,” she said.

While as a woman her experience at OCS differed slightly from Lippincott’s, and she spread it over two years, it is still one they share as friends.

“He called me nearly every weekend to talk about OCS, because it’s such a unique experience, that unless you’ve experienced it yourself — it’s really hard to have anyone in the civilian world

understand it. So, we did talk a lot about it this summer,” she said.

There were two major obstacles in Lippincott’s road to completing OCS. He trained almost two years to pass the application’s physical requirements, the most difficult part for him. The program does not whip candidates into shape, but assumes they are so already. Adding further challenge, for a semester of that time Lippincott was in

Washington, D.C., on WHIP. “Working full time, doing classes, and training for OCS was a lot,” he said.

At OCS, he found himself prepared for the physical tests, but faced the new difficulty of leading his peers, not all of whom were cooperative.

“It’s easy to lead someone who is legally bound to follow your orders, but that’s not the case at OCS,” he said. “You have to lead people who just a few hours earlier were in charge of you and the billets are constantly cycling.”

Lippincott said he sees a parallel between the Marine Corps and Hillsdale.

“I think there’s a lot of similarity between the Marine Corps and Hillsdale,” he said. “The Marine Corps is small, it’s tough, it’s rigorous, it poses a major challenge, and there’s just a lot of pride in it.”

Jefferson Ventrella ’11, who became a Marine Corps infantry officer in 2012, points out that while Hillsdale teaches critical thinking as it exposes students to ideas and philosophy, it is not an environment that requires you to look evil in the face. That, he said, is the task of Marines.

“You need to come to terms with evil, because that is what we deal with,” he said.

In the face of all adversity, Ventrella said, an officer must make decisions and consider questions of legality, justice, and prudence, where there will be no clear answer.

“And you have to be comfortable with the ambiguity and the consequences,” he said. “As a leader it’s not about you. It’s all about the beautiful bastards that actually go into harm’s way to kill the enemy.”

That leadership and responsibility is what Lippincott may look forward to before he runs for elected office after service.

“If Hillsdale is concentrated on developing the intellectual person, shaping your soul, OCS is trying to figure out what it is you’re taking with you, those qualities within you, that you bring with you in terms of leadership and ability,” he said. “It’s character building in suffering.”

Lippincott now gets to look forward to graduation, a wait that Graber said her eagerness made difficult. He encourages students interested in Courtesy Photo | Josiah Lippincott Marine OCS to come talk to him.

“If you want to do it, stay dedicated, stay motiLippincott stands next to the Californian flag immediately after his graduavated, ” he said. tion from Officer Candidates School.

B4 10 Sept. 2015

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

NEW BEER IN THE NEW YEAR Microbrews to come to the Hillsdale area

By | Andrew Egger Assistant Editor The years haven’t worn well for the old Boyd Hotel on Hillsdale Street. Once an important hub in a bustling town, the gorgeous building at various times housed a hotel, a candy store, and even — according to rumor — a brothel.

Today, most dismiss the bleached bricks and peeling paint as a relic of a faded past.

For Allen resident Roy Finch, however, the Boyd Hotel is an opportunity for a bright future.

Finch is the co-owner of Happy Pants, an LLC he founded with Hillsdale resident Cinda Conant to transform the derelict hotel into the Hillsdale Brewing Company, a restaurant that will double as Hillsdale’s first microbrewery, which they hope to open in early 2016.

“It’s gonna be a full kitchen, with pizzas and deli-style sandwiches, soups, salads, whatever we come up with,” Finch said. “We’ll plan on having at least eight beers on tap that are all made in house — stouts, porters, browns,

pales — and we’ll have specialties that we’ll rotate.”

Also on board with the plan is Kevin Conant, coowner of the Here’s To You Pub & Grub, who will serve as the Hillsdale Brewing Company’s general manager. Finch, himself a rookie restaurateur, said that Conant’s prior experience in the industry will be invaluable in getting them smoothly off the ground.

Finch said that he is excited to put one of Hillsdale’s most interesting buildings to work again.

“The city of Hillsdale’s been behind us one hundred percent,” Finch said. “They’re excited to have something done to this building—they don’t want it to crumble and fall apart—and they also know how the microbrewery industry is booming and how a large amount of people from outside the area will come to these places just to be there.”

Accordingly, the city of Hillsdale has chipped in for the project, matching funds for the renovation through a pair of beautification grants.

Microbrewing, a relatively recent phenomenon that hearkens back to the days when alcohol was a purely

local affair, is an oddly fitting use for the historic hotel, a fact not lost on the owners.

“Everybody in Hillsdale knows this building,” Finch said. “You want to maintain it on the outside as historically as you can. We love the big bay windows, the original tile flooring; we wouldn’t want to get rid of them.”

The architecture, too, is ideal for restaurant use, with broad open rooms ideal for brewing, seating, and even live entertainment.

“It’s such a cool building,” sophomore Stacey Egger said. “I’ve wanted to break into there for so long.” Note: take this out if you wanna? I thought it was funny Finch and Conant had originally planned to be open for business by spring 2015, but legal delays forced them to put their ideas on hold for about eight months.

“I probably started our Facebook page a little prematurely,” Finch said.

When the opening day comes, the brewery promises to do brisk business. In the meantime, Finch and Conant are sharpening their artisanal skills.

“We make a small batch

every week, usually about four gallons of beer,” Finch said.

“We’ve probably made about a hundred batches or so. We have a lot of solid recipes; a lot of people that we’ve handed them out to have really enjoyed them.”

A steady influx of students and professors from Hillsdale College probably won’t hurt either.

“It’s cool to see this thing come back,” senior Matt Sauer said. “It promotes beer drinking in a responsible and respectful sense when we go to these people who have made it themselves, when it’s part of their tradition, it’s only here, and you’re participating in it.

It’s a community thing.”

“I’m excited,” Visiting Assistant Professor of History Miles Smith said. “Having another place to eat and grab a beer is good for the town.

I’m pretty stoked.”

There’s a lot of work to do before the old hotel will open its doors to the public again.

But whether you’re interested in history, architecture, companionship, or just good craft beer, the Hillsdale Brewing Company should have something for everyone to get excited about.

Learn about Jonesville’s Ramschackle Brewing Company in a future Features’ section.

Stacey Egger| Collegian Photos of Hillsdale Brewing Co.

Campus Chic — Junior William Persson By | On Yu Lee How would you define your style in three words?

Minimalist, Urban, and Conventional

Where do you shop?

Mostly TOPMAN and ZARA

Who is your fashion icon?

Brooklyn Beckham

What is your favorite clothing?

Blue Saga shirt and Spirit Jersey from Rachel Solomito

What is on your fashion wish list?

Jumpsuits

On Yu Lee | Collegian