gravel wins 400th career match Volleyball completes perfect 3-0 weekend as head coach Chris Gravel celebrates 400th win.
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Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
‘Saga’ Steve Casai recovering By |Macaela J. Bennett Editor-in-Chief His long-term prognosis remains uncertain, but “Saga” Steve Casai’s health is improving. “Steve is doing much better,” Casai’s longtime friend Bud Vear said. “I have been encouraged by the dramatic improvement in his alertness over the past two weeks.” Four-decade college employee Casai was hospitalized in September after falling in his house, where his landlord found him unresponsive. An ambulance transported him to the University of Michigan Medical Center. There, doctors removed a partial brain tumor and mended skin lesions. Since he returned to Hillsdale, doctors are treating him at the Hillsdale Community Health Center. Last Thursday, he received surgery to clean out a deep wound on his hip. Though he shows positive signs of recovery, Vear said it’s uncertain when or if Casai will be able to return to work. Casai’s pain has lessened in the past couple weeks, but his slow-healing hip wound and paralyzed leg still bother him, Vear said. “I miss walking around the beautiful campus,” Casai said Tuesday after a routine therapy session to help him stand and walk. “Things will never be the same. I will never stand the same way again.” Casai now lies covered in a patchwork blanket with notes and prayers from Hillsdale College students and staff scrawled across the squares. “I am so grateful for everyone,” Casai said, surveying the mounds of cards piled on a table and window ledge and taped to the walls of his room. “It’s unbelieveable.” Casai said he does not know when he will be able to return home, but he is finding comfort in reading his Bible and a biblical commentary, fixtures on his bedside table. Specifically, Casai describes the hope Psalm 3 provides him with the Lord’s promise of deliverance from suffering. Vear advises visitors to come see Casai in the early afternoon or evening when Casai is most alert. College food provider Bon Appétit also accepts notes and gifts that it will coordinate sending to Casai. “He has received many wonderful cards from students and alums with very touching messages, and we read these to him when he is awake,” Vear said. “Steve has impacted many in very meaningful ways by his smile and his cheerful manner...I am constantly reminded of the impact Steve has had through the years.”
By |Sarah Chavey Collegian Reporter While dozens of Hillsdale College students gather around the 90-inch TV in Grewcock Student Union to watch the presidential debates, three alumni are playing major roles in the action. Raz Schafer ’09 leads a Super PAC for presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Brittany Baldwin ’12 is the policy coordinator for Cruz’s presidential campaign, and Nathan Brand ’15 works for the presidential campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). “I’ve been trying to get involved with a campaign since I was able to talk,” Brand said. While dressed as a cowboy, Brand first interacted with President George W. Bush a week before the 2000 election. Follow @HDaleCollegian
City of Hillsdale elects new councilmembers only seven percent of registered voters in the city went to the polls on Tuesday, causing a four-vote victory in Ward 4. Ward 2 remains with only one City Council representative. A
Acting for the Camera Theater department brings professor from Western Michigan University to teach class in acting for film and television. B1
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Vol. 139 Issue 9 - 5 Nov. 2015
Kirby Center celebrates five years with Boyle Radio Studio dedication Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen.Tom Cotton featured in inaugural broadcast
By | Emma Vinton Assistant Editor Nationally syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt featured Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) along with Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn for the inaugural broadcast of the Boyle Radio Studio in the Allan P. Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship on Nov. 2. “Whenever I’m in town, this is where I’m going to be broadcasting from,” Hewitt said. “I’m very grateful to be a partner with Hillsdale College.” Hewitt recorded and broadcasted his three-hour show from the studio. He also
“Whenever I’m in town, this is where I’m going to be broadcasting from.” featured Weekly Standard Executive Editor Fred Barnes and Roll Call Contributing Editor Morton Kondracke as guests. “Hillsdale’s great,” Ryan said as he left the show. “They’re doing a fantastic job of teaching young Americans about our constitution and our founding principles.” The Boyle Studio was dedicated in conjunction with the Kirby Center’s fiveyear anniversary celebration, which included lectures by Kirby Center Associate Vice
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) was a guest on the Hugh Hewitt show, which broadcasted from the Boyle Radio Studio on Nov. 2.
Nationally syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt hosted his threehour show on the inaugural broadcast from the Boyle Radio Studio on Nov. 2.
Aaron Sandford | Courtesy
Aaron Sandford | Courtesy
President Matthew Spalding and Director of the Dow Journalism Program John Miller, a dinner, and tours of the Kirby Center and the nearby Newseum. Spalding said Hewitt has been a “strong encouragement” to Hillsdale in building the studio. Vince Benedetto, Hillsdale College supporter and president and CEO of Bold Gold Broadcast and Media Foundation, helped the college set up its studio as well as the station on the main campus in Michigan, FM 101.7, Radio Free Hillsdale. Though the project is still in its infancy, the Dow Journalism Program will soon incorporate broadcasting and the radio station into its program. Benedetto said the Kirby studio has three main functions: recording and editing for faculty, staff, and stu-
Bold Gold Broadcast and Media Foundation CEO Vince Benedetto speaks Monday at the dedication ceremony of the Boyle Radio Studio at the Kirby Center. Aaron Sandford | Courtesy
dents; remote broadcasting for visiting radio hosts, such as Hewitt; and connecting with the studio in Michigan so students in the broadcast program will be able to continue studies in Washington, D.C. “Radio is an art form, just like a good album or a good book. It takes a lot of practice; you have to be an expert,” Benedetto said. “That’s why it’s hard to get young people into it.” According to Spalding, the new studio is one of the many ways in which Hillsdale is expanding its teaching mission. Broadcasters can interview members of Congress, radio hosts from across the country can remotely broadcast their
shows, and students can use the studio during journalism internships in Washington, D.C. In theory, the Kirby studio can run Hillsdale’s radio station during the summers. “It’s a piece of this dynamic picture we’re trying to create, and the radio fits into that picture of expanding the presence of Hillsdale in the nation’s capital,” Spalding said. Miller said he hopes for wide student participation with radio shows anywhere from talk news to music. He said the Kirby Center studio’s ability to pair with the station on the main campus is a helpful feature. “It can be a great resource for the college that we can do recording from there,” he said. “It’ll help the college spread its message and accomplish its mission from there.” The new radio program, main station, and the Boyle Studio enable the college to spread its values more broadly and efficiently.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was a guest on the Hugh Hewitt show Monday, which broadcasted from the Boyle Radio Studio. Aaron Sandford | Courtesy
“One of the reasons I got involved in supporting their efforts to get into the radio education business is to help prepare the next generation of talk radio hosts,” Benedetto said. “That’s something we need more young people to get into.” And though he thinks students will not be able to participate in the program for months, Benedetto said he has high hopes for how the program will influence students and the nation. “Someone who will graduate from this program will go on to be this generation’s next Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh,” he said.
The road to 2016: Hillsdale alumni work for presidential candidates Raz Schafer ‘09 now leads a Super PAC for presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Raz Schafer | Courtesy
The local news featured Brand and his sister for attending the rally in their Halloween costumes. “There’s never a dull moment,” Brand said. “Here we were talking about the 2016 elections the day after the 2012 election. There’s always something going on, and so much good could come of it too.” Schafer was only a few years older than Brand when he began working in politics at the age of 12. After working on a political campaign that lost by 12 points, he realized he hadn’t put forth his best effort and was devastated. More than a decade later, Shafer said he is giving it his all this time.
“I don’t want to get to Election Day and realize if I had just worked a little harder, we could have gotten Ted elected,” Shafer said. “I want to be able to know I gave everything I could and did every bit of work I could.” When he arrived at Hillsdale, Schafer studied politics and participated in the Washington Hillsdale Internship Program. When he graduated, he established three goals for his political reputation: honesty, integrity, and loyalty. “I think those are often times absent in politics, especially to have all three of them,” Schafer said. “I want people to know that I’m hard working...but also that I have an overarching integrity be-
yond ‘I’m not going to lie.’” In contrast, Baldwin didn’t anticipate a political career until she met Cruz a year after graduation. Working as the Student Program Coordinator for the WHIP program, Baldwin gave Cruz a campus tour before his commencement speech in the spring of 2013. She left an impression, and he invited her to interview for a job. Baldwin spent a month and a half as a staff assistant at his front desk before becoming his deputy speechwriter for more than a year. Now as his policy coordinator, Baldwin still assists with policy-related speeches, but she also contributes to researching policy. Though she didn’t make the decision to pursue politics until Cruz presented her with the job offer, his character
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persuaded her to join his staff. “The thing I really like about Sen. Cruz is that he’s very thoughtful in the way that he acts and the positions he takes,” Baldwin said. “It’s really a privilege to work with someone when they are so grounded in their understanding of ordered liberty.” Schafer concurred, describing Cruz as an honest, strong Christian who cares about his family. “He’s the Hillsdale type,” Schafer said. While Schafer’s work in the Super PAC is entirely separate from the political campaign, he still aims to help elect Cruz to the presidency. By fundraising and advertising Cruz as the next U.S. president, he hopes to keep Cruz competitive in the race. More than that, he considers Cruz to be
a friend. “He’s a pretty funny guy…a total nerd,” Schafer said. “He’s the kind of guy that sits in the dorm room playing Mario Kart with his debate friends. His favorite movie is ‘The Princess Bride.’” While Schafer, Baldwin, and Brand all worked to create an admirable reputation and resume, they insist procuring a job in politics relies much more on networking. “My little sister did gymnastics with this girl back in Seattle and our family became good friends with their family,” Brand said. “We kind of grew up together.” When Brand’s parents mentioned he was going to D.C. to find a job, the family friends offered their assistance and through a connection, Brand
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