Hillsdale Collegian 2.20.20

Vol. 143 Issue 19 - February 20, 2020

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

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Hillsdale enrollment defies national trends

As national college attendance numbers drop, Hillsdale attendance numbers hold strong

By | Rachel Kookogey Assistant Editor Hillsdale College continues to welcome the same amount of new students each fall, despite the national downward trend in college enrollment.

According to Forbes, in the fall of 2019, the total amount of new students that attended a form of postsecondary education decreased by 1.3%, or 231,000 students, as compared to the previous

year. Last fall’s enrollments nationwide dipped below 18 million, which is a decline of more than 2 million students since college enrollment peaked in 2011.

So far, Hillsdale College has not suffered any declines in enrollment. Hillsdale’s ability to maintain its average class numbers is largely a result of the college’s values, curriculum, affordability, and post-graduation employment rates.

Although last year the

admissions staff saw a small dip in applications for the first time in five years, Senior Director of Admissions Zachary Miller said this has not affected the number of students that commit to and attend Hillsdale. In fact, Miller added, Hillsdale College has “record yield rates” for the enrollment of accepted students.

“Hillsdale’s current yield rate is at 44%. If you have a yield rate in the 30% zone, you are really good,” Miller

said.

Miller said part of the national decline is due to a decreasing population. Many expect this decline to reach a low point in 2026, which will be 18 years after the financial crisis of 2008, during which there was a significant decrease in children born.

“This is something that is scaring many colleges,” Miller said. “In the next few years, many small private schools will have to shut their doors.”

Miller attributed Hillsdale’s

The Hillsdale College swim team poses after winning their first GMAC championship. Courtesy | Sterling Wertanzl

Charger swim clinches GMAC championship Courtesy | Kaitlyn Johnston

By | Rachel Kookogey Assistant Editor On Saturday, the Hillsdale College Charger swim team won their first conference championship since joining the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, and Chargers Head Coach Kurt Kirner was named “GMAC Coach of the Year” for the second year in a row.

In the past two years since joining the GMAC, the Chargers took second place behind Findlay University in the championship meet. This

year, however, the Chargers took first ahead of the teams in their conference as well as the Great Mountain East Conference teams, which also swam in the combined championship.

After each of the 4 competition days, Hillsdale led all 13 participating teams in point totals. The team concluded the meet on Saturday with a leading total of 1,691 points.

“It was kind of surreal being there on the last day and realizing we were going to win,” Senior Daniel Snell

said. “But we started out strong and maintained that lead through each day.”

Freshman Leah Tunney was named the GMAC “Freshman of the Year,” which is the second time in three years that a Charger has earned that title. Tunney scored 28 points and earned NCAA Division II B-cuts in both the 1000 freestyle and the 500 freestyle, which means she’s nearing the qualifying times for the national meet.

On Wednesday, the first day of competition, Tunney

broke the school record in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 10:17.98 as she finished first in the conference and second overall — only 0.1 second behind the first-place winner. In the 50 freestyle, freshman Marie Taylor also finished first in the conference and second overall with a lifetime best of 24.04 seconds.

Thursday, Snell made a lifetime best time of 4:37.57 as she won the 400 IM.

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continually high enrollment levels to the commitment to its values.

“If the whole pie is shrinking, every college is trying to appeal to everyone,” Miller said. “But Hillsdale is doubling down on its mission.

People are drawn to Hillsdale and the values that it has held for 175 years.”

Associate Professor of History Kenneth Calvert echoed these sentiments, saying Hillsdale’s mission attracts students committed to

pursuing knowledge.

“In public schools and universities they often talk about critical thinking, but what they think is critical thinking is questioning the status quo,” Calvert said.

“We want to create people who know how to think well. We want to teach them to understand some depth of science, math, literature,

By | Nolan Ryan Editor-in-Chief Donald Heckenlively always looked for ways to combine his career as a biologist with his interests in the arts and computers. This served him well, for instance, when he had to illustrate the mating habits of frogs for his class, much to the amusement of his students.

Colleagues and students remember Heckenlively, a former biology professor, for his humility and humor. He died after a brief illness on Jan. 27 at the age of 78 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. During almost 30 years of teaching at Hillsdale College, Heckenlively directed the biology department and served as vice president for academic affairs, similar to the provost role before that position had been created.

And while he loved teaching his students, Heckenlively’s family said he also had a deep-seated passion for the arts and photography.

‘He did whatever he needed to support his family’ One of Heckenlively’s sons, Patrick, said he admired his father’s humility. Their family first moved to Hillsdale in the

early 1970s, and after a year of filling in at the college, Heckenlively found a variety of ways to provide for his family.

No job was too menial for his father, Patrick Heckenlively said.

“When he was still completing his degree, he would go work in the factories in town just to put food on the table,” Patrick Heckenlively said. “He also worked as a substitute teacher for a while in the local schools. He did whatever he needed to support his family.”

During this time, Patrick Heckenlively was in elementary school. But as he got older, he began to understand how much his father valued work and how amazing it was for his father to get jobs outside of higher education to take care of the family. He remembers his father as being “very quietly capable,” and someone who didn’t have an overinflated opinion of himself.

“For someone who’s highly educated to work in the factories, that shows a level of humility that I don’t think too many people have.”

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Former professor remembered for humor, humility

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Donald Heckenlively died on Jan. 27 at the age of 78.

External Affairs

TN governor visits graduate school

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks to attendees in the Searle Center. External Affairs Follow @HDaleCollegian

By | Ben Wilson Assistant Editor Students of the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship hosted Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Friday night for their annual President’s Day banquet. Lee spoke about his life, policies, and the importance of faith in God. Lee opened his remarks by telling the crowd about his time on campus so far, which included touring the school, meeting with students from Tennessee, and sitting in on President Larry Arnn’s Statesmanship of Winston Churchill class. He also noted the special holiday.

“It’s a little intimidating to be Valentine’s Day date night,” he said with a laugh. “Not sure how that happened.”

The governor talked about his appreciation for the ideas the graduate students spend www.hillsdalecollegian.com

their time studying.

“I’m proud of the tradition of celebrating statesmanship here,” he said. “Our country’s been blessed with statesmen, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that God put the right people in place at the right time for our country.”

Lee said many of the historical figures who inspire him are featured on Hillsdale’s Liberty Walk, and he attempts to model his decisions after them.

“I passed Ronald Reagan out there,” he said. “I thought about his commitment to restoring our appreciation for freedom and individual liberty.”

Lee is the 50th governor of Tennessee and previously served as the CEO and president of his mechanical appliance family business, Lee Company, where he supervised 1,200 employees.

President of the Graduate Student Society Russell Richardson is a Tennessean and introduced Lee to the group.

“We spend a lot of time studying politics by reading and discussing the great political works of the past,” he said. “Rarer are opportunities to learn about statesmanship from those practicing it today.”

The annual banquet has previously featured professors and scholars, but this is the first year an elected official has spoken.

Sophomore Sascha Steinhausler is a lifelong resident of Tennessee and met with the governor before the banquet.

“He’s incredibly honest and straightforward,” she said.

“No matter what he’s talking about, if he believes it’s right,

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Five students named as Everett Oratory speech competition finalists Competitors will deliver their speeches at the final round during CCA on March 3; winner will receive $3,000 By | Sofia Krusmark Assistant Editor The Hillsdale College speech department recently announced the Edward Everett Oratory Competition finalists. Freshman Ethan Tong, sophomore Molly Buccula, juniors Taryn Murphy and Connor Daniels, and senior Michelle Reid will deliver their speeches at the final round on Mar. 3 at 11 a.m. in Plaster Auditorium during the second CCA. “From looking at the preliminary competition, it looked intense,” Tong said. “It was tough, there were a lot of people I knew and had a knowledge of their reputation that were competing. I got to watch some of the speeches and they were all well organized and written. I think my style of speaking was different than theirs, which might have helped me. But, it was a

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He said one of his father’s neighbors came to him at the visitation and remembered Heckenlively’s humility.

“My dad’s neighbor didn’t have a lot of book learning, but my dad told him, ‘You know a lot of things I don’t, and I know a lot of things you don’t,’” Patrick Heckenlively said. “Even though he was highly educated, he didn’t really look down on people.”

Similarly, Professor of Biology Frank Steiner remembers Heckenlively being a calm and composed colleague. He said it was easy to get along with him.

“He never seemed to get bent out of shape. He had a level head,” Steiner said. “And he was a team player. He valued everybody’s expertise and was willing to cooperate with other faculty members and students on research projects.”

Bringing Hillsdale into the age of computers Heckenlively, who primarily taught biostatistics, was known for being handy with computers. Heckenlively, Wes Kelly of ITS, and Cal Jerret, a math professor, worked together to create the college’s first computer network.

Patrick Heckenlively said his father played a critical role in moving the college into a computer-centric world at a time when most work was still done on typewriters.

“They made our first computer network by daisy-chaining all the little Macintosh computers,” Steiner said. “They did that in a couple of weekends.There were wires above on the ceilings in Strosacker.”

Patrick Heckenlively said that before this, his father would even use one of the school’s early mainframes to work on his dissertation.

Beyond that, Heckenlively also used computers to his advantage as a teacher.

He created a program, according to Patrick Heckenlively, which was a game to teach students about the thalamus and what it does.

“At the time, the graphics were pretty primitive, but he made the most of them,” Patrick Heckenlively said.

Heckenlively also wrote, from scratch, an enzyme program called Simzyme, which he had published, Steiner said. The program focused on the enzyme responsible for the browning of fruit.

“It was an enzyme simula-

bloodbath to get there.”

Unlike the prompts in past years— typically focusing on a specific political question— this year’s topic read, “How to be a good neighbor in a divided world.”

“It’s wider and not discipline bound in anyway,” said Kristen Kiledal, Rhetoric and Public Address Department Chairman.

“In some ways, it evens out the resources that each brings. They not only have to become masters of the subject matter but masters of rhetoric as well.”

Tong added that the topic is timely for Hillsdale’s audience, who rarely interacts with people who disagree with them.

“It’s pertinent today because especially with Trump’s presidency, we’ve seen massive divides among parties and even within parties, and in religion tion program that we ran for many years. I loved it; it was a great program. We had all our intro major classes do it as one of their labs,” Steiner said. “Afterward, I had it redone so we could continue to use it on more modern computers.”

While the program is no longer updated for current computer software, Steiner said he appreciates that the biology department was able to use Heckenlively’s program for so long.

Excellence, care interacting with students, colleagues Steiner and Professor of History Kenneth Calvert agreed that Heckenlively’s personality made him an excellent teacher and a delightful colleague.

“He was well-versed in his field,” Steiner said. “He got students to look at things from a real analytical perspective. He got students to approach things from a scientific perspective rather than from a touchy-feely way.”

Calvert met Heckenlively in 1996 when he was applying to teach at Hillsdale. He recalls getting a phone call from Heckenlively on March 1 at 5:30 p.m., when he offered Calvert the job. Every year since then, including

differences,” Tong said.

“Looking into the outside world, there aren’t usually people who agree with us.»

This isn’t the first competition for some. Last year, Buccola placed third and Murphy placed first.

Two years ago, Reid placed second overall.

“It’s not unusual that we have repeaters,” Kiledal said.

“We’ve had students who make it all four years.”

Murphy says she’s excited to be back.

“Most of my preparation right now involves learning my speech like the back of my hand,” Murphy said.

“Once I know it backwards and forwards, I can just enjoy delivering it without worrying about what I’m saying. I’m looking forward to sharing some incredible stories I came across in my research in hopes that they will touch the audience.”

last year, Calvert has either spoken in person with or emailed Heckenlively thanking him for the professorship. A couple of years ago, Heckenlively said to Calvert, jokingly, “Well, let’s just hope it works out well.” Calvert still laughs at the instance, pointing out that it was more than 20 years after he was hired.

“He was not only very welcoming and encouraging through the whole hiring process, but once I arrived, he reached out to me and was immensely encouraging,” Calvert said. “Whenever I stopped to talk with him, he would always ask me how classes were going, how students were doing, and how I was doing personally. He had a sense of the whole nature of being a professor, what it took.”

Professor of Physics Jim Peters said the college owes a lot to Heckenlively, especially in his efforts to make Hillsdale a place that ran with personal computers. Peters said that Heckenlively even got faculty backpacks which allowed them to take heavy computers home.

Peters also said his and Heckenlively’s families were good friends.

“One day, Don brought a

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Student speaker explores flaws in conservative economic theories

By | Liam Bredberg Assistant Editor The Hillsdale College Classical Liberal Organization hosted junior Cal Abbo to host a presentation on Tuesday regarding the flaws of the neoclassical economic argument.

Abbo, who was invited to speak after writing a number of articles for the Collegian regarding similar issues, addressed a club that encourages discussion from all sides of the political sphere.

“We are extremely open to dissenting opinions,” Senior Calvin Zabrocki, vice president of the Classical Liberal Organization, said.

“I would say this almost goes to the point of actively seeking them out for our events. An echo chamber is never good for an intellectual ecosystem. The free exchange of ideas requires two differing opinions.”

“I would agree that CLO is probably one of the most open to outside opinions,” senior Christian Betts, president of the organization said. “I don’t agree with Cal’s arguments but I think it’s

important to have a dialogue between differing view points as to avoid an echo chamber.”

Abbo argued that conservative economic theory on paper is not always a viable option in the real world. He pointed to a lack of experience in most theories that he said was detrimental to the soundness of their arguments.

“The central problem with theoretical economics will always be applying the theorems to the real world,” Abbo said. “After making certain assumptions about human nature and how people act, it becomes impractical to reapply that theoretical system back to the real world.”

Zabrocki was one of the club members to invite Abbo to speak.

“We noticed the back and forth of the Collegian articles between Cal and critics so we wanted him to be able to articulate his position in a long-form atmosphere,” Zabrocki said.

Abbo authored a number of pieces for the Collegian earlier in the semester in which he presented his arguments for healthcare reform in the United States.

Abbo was delighted to receive an invite to voice his views on a majority conservative campus and believed that it was a great opportunity to produce discourse on topics that are sometimes viewed as taboo.

“Hillsdale is a great place for stuff like this because we want to emphasize diverse opinions in the pursuit of real, actual truth,” Abbo said. “I was so happy when Christian and Calvin invited me to give a presentation, and the discussion afterward was very fruitful.”

The discussion between students following the talk was cordial and productive.

Abbo responded to students who voiced concerns with his premises while the audience seemed excited to engage in lively debate. While it seemed that almost all of the listeners disagreed with Abbo’s arguments, they gleaned what they could from his lecture.

“I’d say where we disagree most is the use of economics in the way we talk about health,” Zabrocki said.

“There seemed to be a major difference in the role of economics in viewing human action.”

milkweed plant over to our backyard with a caterpillar on it so our children could watch it turn into a Monarch butterfly,” he said in an email.

Mark Kalthoff, professor and chair of history, was both a student and colleague of Heckenlively. He met Heckenlively during a campus visit in high school. It was the personal interaction with professors like Heckenlively that played a large role in bringing Kalthoff to campus as a student.

When he was put into an advisee group as a freshman, Kalthoff ’s adviser was Heckenlively. The group of freshmen had dinner at the Heckenlively home. A few years later, during his senior year, Kalthoff ended up renting the family’s garage, which had been converted to a studio apartment.

“Their house was the bookends,” Kalthoff said. “It was the first house I went to off-campus when I arrived as a freshman, and I ended up living in that house as a senior. I knew their family and knew their sons pretty well.”

Kalthoff remembers Heckenlively being matter-of-fact when they met to talk, an approach which worked for Kalthoff in his own academics.

Biology on the homefront Heckenlively’s work as a biologist was not confined to the classroom. Patrick Heckenlively said living in a biologist’s household had some interesting dynamics.

He said one time the family was sitting down to dinner when someone went to get the bread.

“Someone said, ‘Ew, the bread’s moldy,’ to which my dad responded, ‘Ooh, bread mold! I’ve been trying to grow some in the lab all week.’ He took it to the office the next day,” Patrick Heckenlively said.

Another time, Heckenlively was working with a professor at Michigan Technological University, and the two were studying the temperature properties inside chicken heads. They created a system where they would, according to Patrick Heckenlively, “snake through the blood vessels of the chicken head while it was alive” and collect data. But before that, they needed a map of the blood vessels. So Heckenlively injected a deceased chicken’s head with a plastic that would map out the arteries and veins.

“We had this dead chicken head boiling on a back burn-

er for a weekend,” Patrick Heckenlively said. “It was in the family kitchen.”

An artist ‘in his heart of hearts’ Throughout his life, Heckenlively was an avid photographer, musician, and supporter of the arts. After his retirement in 2003, he became much more involved in community arts, even having a hand in starting Gallery 49, a local arts venue.

When he went to college, Heckenlively originally wanted to be an artist, according to his son. But his grandfather offered to pay for his education if he majored in something else. So Heckenlively chose biology and eventually got his Ph.D. in the field.

“But in his heart of hearts, I really think he was an artist,” Patrick Heckenlively said.

As a photographer, Heckenlively mainly took photos of architecture and flowers.

Patrick Heckenlively said he liked to mess with filters and almost approach the art as a painter might.

When it came to music, he was an accomplished musician, and he served as the organist at Holy Trinity Parish. But not in the way one would expect.

Patrick Heckenlively pointed out that his father — while he played instruments like clarinet and could read music — was not a keyboard player. He ended up controlling the organ’s notes through the MIDI interface, a computer system used with musical instruments. He would just hit a button, and the organ played the notes.

“He joked he was the only organist in town who would make the same mistakes each time,” Patrick Heckenlively said.

Kalthoff said that Heckenlively’s diverse interests proved he was a good fit to teach at a liberal arts school.

But whatever field of study or hobby Heckenlively was interested in, Calvert said he always showed a real care for people with whom he interacted.

“I remember being interviewed by him. What was clear to me is that he was looking for professors who were quality, that knew their stuff. And that they fit the mission of the school,” Calvert said. “The way he spoke to me about that was genuine and caring. He was playing the role of a shepherd for a young professor.”

During his time at Hillsdale, Donald Heckenlively helped to create the colllege’s first computer network. External Affairs

How to: Advertise with The Collegian

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How to: Join The Collegian

To find out more about how to contribute to The Collegian through writing, photography, or videography, please contact Nolan Ryan at nryan1@hillsdale.edu.

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February 20, 2020

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Hillsdale woman offers self-defense class for women By | Austin Gergens Collegian Reporter When Becky Waters moved to Hillsdale, she was not certain how she would continue pursuing her passion for teaching self-defense. After several conversations with Senior Christa Green, they formed a plan.

The result was a women's self-defense class which meets on Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Sports Complex.

The class will meet from Feb. 6 to April 16.

Waters has achieved the rank of 2nd-degree black belt in taekwondo, is a black belt mentor, and a student of Krav Maga. After nearly a decade of teaching martial arts and self-defense, Waters decided that after moving to Hillsdale, the next step was to offer a class for women.

Waters began her studies of taekwondo with her sons and was quickly forced to employ the skills she learned.

“Throughout the years my strong sons have always happily taken it upon themselves to seize every opportunity to see how successful they could jump out and scare me in public

and private,” Waters said in an Waters also believes that learning these skills from a email, “From around corners, it isn’t her place to teach men woman who understands cars, behind doors, bushes, how to defend themselves. what it is like to be a woman,” walls, in the elevators, and While she can teach them Green said, “The perspective pounce, attack, wrestle, grab, street defense to some extent, and mentality is more pin, grapple-to see if I could, men are better suited for relatable in an all-women's in fact, defend myself.” teaching men. environment.”

While the study of self Green prefers the all Green said that Water’s -defense is important for women’s environment. teaching style also contributes men and women to learn, “There is more comfort to the success of the class. sometimes learning in a single-sex environment is better.

“It has been my personal experience that women thrive in an environment where we feel safe first,” Waters said, “I can easily teach a skill "hands-on" so that participants experience how the move feels, and then the issue is learning the skill rather than focusing on other Becky Waters (far left) poses with graduates of one of her past self-defense class. factors.” courtesy | Becky Water

“She is kind but also hard on us because she honestly desires our well-being and safety.”

Over the course of the 8-week class, Waters offers a condensed program of advanced levels of taekwondo, studies of street defense, and Krav Maga.

“I wanted to be trained in how to react in various unsafe situations,” Freshman Lucy Cuneo said, ”Whether in running, confronting, or defending, I desired precise details and applicable techniques.”

Cuneo did not have any previous self-defense training but had always wanted to learn.

Waters welcomes any woman on campus to join the class, but with the

understanding that each class builds upon the last.

“Each week provides at least four new skills which build on previous weeks as they become instinctive with the drills we do,” she said.

Green believes that self-defense is a vital skill to know.

“I enjoy how practical the class is,” Green said, “We have not yet learned anything super fancy or complex, so these are moves I am confident I can do in the adrenaline of an actually threatening situation.”

The class emphasizes confidence in awareness, what to do if situations arise, and defense skills, all through engaging in practical and situational drills.

“I believe all martial arts are great at teaching both character and physical life skills, and this women’s program is not to compete with what’s already in place, but to supplement,” Waters said.

At the core of her classes, Waters gets to share her Christian convictions. She is able to share her beliefs in how, “God values us and we are loved, created by Him for greatness to do great things.”

Intervarsity to take students Annual Chi O pancake on Spring Break mission trip breakfast set for next Sat. By | Austin Gergens Collegian Reporter InterVarsity will be leading a missions trip in Detroit and the town of Hillsdale over Spring Break.

“The Spring Break Missions Trip is a great way to spend spring break because it’s a time of living out the Christian faith alongside your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,” event coordinator and advertiser Andy Walker said.” Working on the same projects, sharing meals, devotions, and each other’s stories connect you with

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and languages, and not just to follow one political philosophy.”

For comparison, Ellen Condict, who teaches literature at the Hillsdale Academy as well as education and English courses at Hillsdale College, said when previously teaching at Baylor University in Texas, she found students were quickly bored by the literature curriculums based entirely on contemporary works.

“One of the big differences between the core programs is Hillsdale’s focus on primary texts and great books, which has a lot of appeal with students,” Condict said. “Students tend to think they want to read the contemporary works, but they wind up getting bored of it pretty quickly.”

Governor from A1 he’ll go for it.”

She said she appreciates his willingness to support policies, even if they are politically harmful, like his controversial school voucher bill, which gives students in failing schools $7,200 to attend private schools.

Lee spoke at length about this issue and his commitment to “engage students in an educational system that gives them opportunity.”

According to statistics cited by Lee, one in three students born into poverty don’t finish high school, and if one doesn’t finish high school, they are highly likely to stay in poverty.

“Low-income students deserve the exact same opportunity that every other kid does,” he said. “When parents have choices, their children not only have better outcomes but the entire system begins to be transformed.”

The governor praised Hillsdale for its commitment to private schools with the Barney Charter School

those in your group in a unique and deeply Christ -centered way that builds lasting relationships.”

After six years, InterVarsity continues to bring students into the community of Hillsdale to help spread the word of God. The group serves the community regardless of Christian denomination.

The central goal of the missions trip is to be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus to a community that so desperately longs for and needs it, according to junior Caroline Walker who will be attending the trip.

“I'm not just talking

about the city of Hillsdale, but also us, the students,” she said. “The missions trip is structured to encourage growth toward understanding and falling in love with the heart of Jesus and to demonstrate the love and beauty discovered there to our fellow students and to the world around us.”

In addition to being a time of gathering with fellow believers, students who participate can earn HTA hours towards volunteer requirements.

Students begin serving the night of March 6 and are finished on the morning of March 12.

Both Condict and Calvert, as well as Hillsdale Academy College Counselor Deanna Ducher, acknowledged that the national resurgence in classical education has boosted the attractiveness of schools like Hillsdale.

But Hillsdale’s low tuition rates, Ducher added, make Hillsdale stand out among the crowd of private liberal arts schools.

“In general, finance is always a big question,” Ducher said. “Hillsdale is attractive because it’s done such a good job with keeping costs down and providing a lot of financial aid options. Plus the fantastic education.”

Not only is Hillsdale College more affordable than other small liberal arts schools, Ducher said, it is also often more affordable than state schools like

Michigan State or the University of Michigan.

The affordability, combined with unusually high post-graduation employment and graduate school rates, makes Hillsdale College still valuable in an age where an increasing amount of people are rethinking college.

Because many colleges are expensive, Condict said, parents and students are “being wise consumers” by not always choosing to enroll in college.

“People are rethinking college because now it’s no longer a guarantee that a college education will get you a higher salary or a better position in society,” Condict said. “I find that encouraging. Not everyone needs to go to college, not everyone enjoys it, even at Hillsdale College.”

Initiative.

“This institution has been instrumental in developing charter schools across the country,” he said.

Lee spoke about several other priorities his administration is working on throughout the dinner, including vocational training, prison reform, incorporating refugees into his state, and protecting the unborn.

In January, Lee announced he will propose sweeping new pro-life legislation to the Tennessee legislature later this year. The bill will include requiring a mother to receive an ultrasound and not allowing abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

Sophomore Jack Coker, who is also from Tennessee, said he appreciates Lee’s commitment to vote his conscience on issues like protecting the unborn, despite being unpopular.

“He’s a man of really strong character,” Coker said.

“He had to do what he believed was right, and I really appreciate that.”

In the Searle Center,

decorated with large paintings from the revolutionary era, including the famous “Washington Crossing the Delaware” piece, Lee closed his remarks with encouraging students to pursue God and follow the “north star” as they finish their studies and go on to serve the country.

“My prayer for you is that you truly seek God for his wisdom,” he said. “He desires to show you the highest call for your life because He’s equipped you for it.”

The crowd met his remarks with applause and many students went up to him afterward to shake his hand and ask for autographs.

With each signature, he noted a bible verse, Psalm 71:14, followed by his name.

As he prepared to head back home, Lee said he was impressed by the college and the student body, and that he left encouraged.

“What a beautiful and inspiring place,” he said. “This is a very fine group of people and it gives me great hope for the future of our country.”

By | Alexis Daniels Web Content Editor The Chi Omega house will kick off their annual pancake breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 29th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The breakfast, which has been Chi Omega’s main fundraising event for the past 10 years, includes pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Junior and Chi Omega community service coordinator Samantha Widmer said they host the breakfast every spring parents’ weekend, and it is the most successful of their fundraising events.

“It does raise usually about close to half of what we raise every year,” Widmer said. “It’s definitely probably

the most loved fundraiser across the house. It just gets so many people involved in one day.”

All proceeds of the event go to the Make-A-Wish foundation in Michigan.

Junior Clare Nalepa said their advertising has been widespread, and last year, they were able to invite a “Wish Kid” and her family.

“The goal of the event is not only to fundraise to be able to grant a wish as a chapter but also to support Make a Wish in any way we can as well as continue to get their name out there and what they do,” Nalepa said in an email. “I hope people are able to come and eat a ton of pancakes to support a larger purpose and organization that helps kids experience

life to the fullest and maybe forget about the very grown -up things they are dealing with in their illnesses.”

Widmer said the event brings the house together; each member contributes to the event in organization, advertising, and cooking, and it reflects the mission of Chi Omega.

“We’re holding each other to a standard of serving one another in the community,” Widmer said. “That’s probably the biggest thing that I would want someone to see when they walk in our house, that this is something we enjoy doing and that we hold each other accountable to do. Come eat pancakes, hang out with us – not only is it fun to attend, but it’s fun to be able to support

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Senior Allie Matti followed Snell in second with a time of 4:41.75, which was also a lifetime best and a 7-second drop from her time in the preliminary race that morning.

“Having that big time drop showed everyone that we trained for this and we could win it,” Matti said. “In the end, I just thought, ‘this is the last time I’m gonna do this so I really need to push.’

And I ended up out-touching another swimmer by 0.3 seconds.”

In the 200 butterfly on Friday, senior Catherine Voisin led five Chargers in the top eight spots. Voisin finished in second with a time of 2:08.64, just 0.8 seconds after the first place winner. Tunney also took first in the 500 freestyle, earning her second NCAA Division II B-cut and establishing a new meet record with a lifetime best of 5:02.34.

On Saturday, the 400 freestyle relay team of Voisin, Tunney, senior Victoria Addis, and freshman Marie Taylor set a school record with a time of 3:56.26, and

Junior Katherine Heeres successfully defended her title in the 200 backstroke.

Heeres said the team got “a little nervous” on the last day but was able to maintain and even grow their lead.

“I can’t wrap my mind around it,” Heeres said, “We talked about it for the entire year, and for it to finally happen is really exciting. Everyone was so resilient.”

Head Coach Kurt Kirner, who was voted “Coach of the Year,” said the Chargers focused on the psychological side of competing more consistently this year, and it was very rewarding to see that result in a championship title.

“It’s something they put so much time and effort into,” Kirner said. “Because we worked on mentality so regularly this year, you really saw the fruits of it. Hopefully it’s the start of something that will happen more for the underclassman in the years to come.”

On the title, Kirner said, “I try to coach the same each year. It’s the athletes that make a difference. My award is the representation of how good the team is this year.”

Kirner also recognized his assistant coach, Zoe Tracey, who he said “deserves the award just as much” for all her close work with the swimmers.

Matti said that a lot of swimmers and coaches around the conference like their team because of Kirner.

“We’ve created such good relationships across the conference that people really appreciate our sportsmanship, and that’s all due to him,” Matti said. “He says he wins coach of the year because of the type of people we are, but it stems from the type of person he is.”

Heeres added that about half the team teared up when Kirner was announced as the Coach of the Year.

“It really speaks to the kind of man and coach he is,” Heeres said. “He’s so dedicated to all of us and is so humble. I think I speak for everyone when I say that he is one of our favorite people on campus and he cares so much for us — not just in our swimming, but in our academics and personal lives. He really deserves that recognition.”

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Online: www.hillsdalecollegian.com Editor-in-Chief | Nolan Ryan Associate Editor | Abby Liebing News Editor | Regan Meyer City News Editor | Julia Mullins Opinions Editor | Alex Nester Sports Editor | S. Nathaniel Grime Culture Editor | Stefan Kleinhenz Features Editor | Cal Abbo Web Content Editor | Alexis Daniels Circulation Manager | Regan Meyer Assistant Editors | Elizabeth Bachmann | Liam Bredberg | Emma Cummins | Ashley Kaitz |Rachel Kookogey | Sofia Krusmark | Victoria Marshall | Calli Townsend | Ben Wilson 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 the Opinions Editor at anester@hilldale.edu before Saturday at 3 p.m.

New physicianassisted suicide technology attacks human dignity By |Reagan Cool We’re two months into the decade, and the race for new technology is zipping along as fast as ever.

New technologies now are able to detect and address birth defects earlier and more precisely, advance the viability of prematurely-born babies, and tend to the health and lives of mothers in new ways. Diseases are caught earlier and treated better. We know more than we used to, and that’s a good thing.

But unfortunately, not all technology is being used to promote life.

In the race to develop technologies and legislation for euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, or E-PAS, America is just steps behind the front of the pack.

Whenever the topic comes up in conversation, I almost always get one of two responses. Either, “It’s not that big a deal — nobody wants to be euthanized.” Or, “what’s the big deal? If someone wants to end their suffering it’s none of your business, anyway.”

Unfortunately, the methods of euthanasia are frequently traumatic and often painful. For one, the patient must administer the life-ending drug to himself for the procedure to be considered an assisted suicide.

The most common method of assisted suicide is a bitter drink made of a lethal overdose of barbiturates dissolved in a glass of water. Hypothetically, the patient will fall asleep within five minutes, and quickly advance from anesthetized to comatose. Cardiac arrest occurs within 30 minutes.

The administration of barbiturates is frighteningly quick and irreversible, but worse is on its way.

Late last year, a file was made public for a 3D-printable suicide machine called Sarco. The machine requires a patient to answer just four cognitive questions before a patient can climb in, close the lid, and be gassed to death.

Because the agent adminstering the euthanasia need not be the patient, it is available in a range of methods, from starvation to lethal injection. Unlike physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia doesn’t even require the consent of the patient. And often, the patient isn’t able to consent anyway.

Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide prey upon the weak, vulnerable, and seemingly less-useful members of society, capturing them in their moment of despair. Especially when isolated in the shroud of terminal illness, it is devastating for a patient to be told they are a financial and emotional

burden of your family — one of the most common reasons the dying will request PAS. Disguised by terms like dignity, compassion, and medical treatment, euthanasia commits a grave offense against human dignity. Medicine developed to defend the personhood of each patient, hoping to assist them to victory over their illness or injury. E-PAS, on the other hand, links arms with the illness and injury, stamping out the flicker of hope in each patient until they submit to helplessness and defeat.

As of the new year, Maine joins Washington, D.C. and eight other states in legalizing physician-assisted suicide. In addition to the 10 that have already legalized, there are currently 17 states with active legislative or petition-driven efforts in favor of legalization, according to Death with Dignity, a nonprofit organization that promotes pro-E-PAS legislation. That leaves only 24 states opposed, at least for the time being, to E-PAS. Yet even that is a skewed number, upon closer examination. Consider Oklahoma. While counted among those states in which assisted suicide is illegal, many turn a blind eye when it occurs.

While PAS remains legally unrecognized in the state, it still happens, and is required to be listed on death certificates when applicable.

Because euthanasia and PAS remain prohibited on the federal level, it is easy to dismiss the issue as something to be dealt with down the road. But it’s time for Americans to realize that we’re already well on our way to legal and widely-accepted use of these procedures.

It seems that the advocates of traditional marriage and social conservatives did not learn their lesson in 2015, when Obergefell v. Hodges legalized gay marriage across the country. In 2015, Obergefell was most shocking to the 13 states still defending a traditional definition of marriage. In 2013, 33 states still held that marriage was, by definition, between a man and a woman.

The speed of technological development seems to be dragging time along with it. Centuries-old opinions reverse in a matter of years.

Already, more than half of the United States permits physician-assisted suicide.

The undertow is pulling.

Stay vigilant.

Reagan Cool is a senior studying philosophy and religion. She is a columnist on faith and culture.

The Weekly: Living off campus benefits students The opinion of The Collegian editorial staff

With the first waves of off-campus permissions being granted soon, it’s a good time to consider the benefits of off-campus living, especially for juniors about to enter their last year of college.

Dorm life has merit for incoming college students, as they provide a safe environment for students to transition into adulthood independence.

After a few years of being coddled by RAs and house moms, however, many students are ready for a new challenge and adventure.

The skills students learn, like self-governance and independent living, will serve them well in the real world.

Though students are told they will grow to self-governance, the living environment is often not conducive to achieving that fully. Hillsdale strives to allow their students to rise to self-governance, and giving students off-campus permission is a tangible way to provide students with an opportunity to learn to live prudently.

Living off campus requires students to create a

budget and learn to pay rent on time. They learn how to pay utilities, handle conflicts without RA involvement, and keep a house clean. Instead of jumping off the deep-end and going from dorm living to adult life, students are able to dip their toe in the pool of adulthood before going off to live on their own.

Off-campus living also aids in the creation of an authentic campus community. With off-campus permissions, students may leave the dorms and pursue a community of their own.

Students who aren’t living in the dorms don’t miss out on Hillsdale’s vibrant campus community. Instead, they build their own small communities in their houses, all of which contribute to campus at large.

Off-campus living benefits the individual students who take advantage of the opportunity and campus as a whole. It allows students to exercise self-governance and creates an intentional community within the greater college community.

Trump’s proposed budget fails to secure campaign promises By | Matt Fisher President Donald Trump proposed his budget for the 2021 fiscal year last week.

It has been received with a chorus of boos from the progressive left for its spending cuts, domestic programs, and proposed funding of the border wall.

The Democratic Party does not like Trump’s budget. They should not be alone, however, in their disappointment with the proposal. Republicans and conservatives must also appraise the Trump budget for what it is: a mixed bag at best, and a massive disappointment at worst.

Politicians talk about balancing the budget the same way students discuss homework on a Friday night.

They’ll get it done quickly, so they can go out for a drink later.

The United States has run a budget deficit that has racked up more than $22 trillion in debt, thanks in large part to the unwillingness of bureaucrats to address entitlement spending. In 2017, 24% of the federal budget was devoted to Social Security with $945 billion shelled out to senior citizens. In the same budget, nearly $600 trillion was allocated for Medicare.

Economists forecast that the cost of both programs will only escalate further as more of the baby-boom generation enter retirement.

It is both inexcusable and a national embarrassment that our public servants have refused to keep the costs of both programs in check, and thereby passing on an enormous I.O.U. to the next generation of Americans.

When Trump announced his presidential bid in 2016, many wondered if he could finally change the culture of waste in Washington, D.C. There was hope he would seriously tackle our nation’s

budget problem. At his campaign announcement in 2015, Trump pledged not only to reduce the deficit, but actually begin paying down the national debt. In December of that year, Trump boldly proposed a “budget freeze” to halt the growth of all discretionary expenditures. It appeared that maybe Trump would be the one to finally break through and restore sanity to America’s finances.

And then Trump got to talking about entitlement reform.

“I’m not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican, and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid,” Trump swore in the primaries, effectively derailing any hope of a fiscally responsible administration.

Since Trump took office, the annual deficit has increased from $665 billion in 2017 to $1.1 trillion this year.

Dramatic increases in defense spending and the 2017 tax bill added to the growing cost of entitlement programs. The national debt has increased by nearly $4 trillion in Trump’s first term alone. For perspective, the previous Republican president George W. Bush needed eight years with two wars and an economic collapse to rack up the same amount of debt.

Many in the Trump White House have argued the increase in the deficit was an unfortunate side effect of the needed tax relief to grow our economy. To his credit, Donald Trump has enjoyed the best economy in a quarter-century for his entire first term. Wages are growing across all demographics, unemployment is at an all-time low, and workforce participation is on the rise. The Trump economy is booming. And his tax reform bill deserves some credit.

But now that we are more than two years removed from

the passage of the tax cuts and the economy is in great shape, it is time for Trump to get serious about the deficit.

Indeed, never has there been a better time than now for Washington D.C. to finally tackle entitlement reform and overhaul Social Security and Medicare. For the first time in a generation, our employment numbers and GDP growth are strong enough that steep cuts to federal spending would not risk a recession.

In the 1990s, the United States enjoyed a similar economic boom with the rapid growth of technology in the workplace. The explosion, caused by the rise of the internet, led to a prolonged era of peacetime growth. In the midst of this, Washington addressed the budget deficit.

President Bill Clinton kicked off his second term by signing into law the bipartisan Balanced Budget Act of 1997 that set America on course to running a surplus within the next five years. Both parties agreed that a booming economy was an ideal time for the United States to make necessary spending cuts.

We again are in the midst of an economic renaissance in the United States. Yet even with the most ideal of conditions to make difficult decisions, President Trump has mostly passed the buck on entitlement reform and tackling the deficit. To his credit, he does propose some reforms to Medicare and Medicaid. The White House budget would tighten eligibility for Medicaid and alter prescription drug provisions in Medicare. However, those savings average out to only about $42.2 billion per year over the next ten years. For perspective, that will only cut the annual deficit by 3% of its current level. Social Security remains an unaddressed ticking time bomb whose trust

fund is estimated to run out by 2034.

The path towards a balanced budget begins with reforming Social Security.

To do so, the Trump Administration should back three common sense proposals.

First, raise the retirement age from 65 to 69 by the year 2030. When Social Security was first created in 1935, life expectancy for men was 59 years, and for women it was 63. Today, the average American lives until they’re 78 years old.

Raising the retirement age would reduce the deficit by $100 billion by the end of the decade.

Second, Trump must embrace a new cost of living index for calculating Social Security benefits. Adopting “Chained CPI”, a proposal set forward fifteen years ago by economists, would save $340 billion by 2030.

Finally, Trump should propose mean-testing benefits for high-income seniors. It makes little sense that a multimillionaire elderly couple receives the same amount in Social Security benefits as a widow in a working class neighborhood. These three proposals would cumulatively reduce the deficit by over half of a trillion dollars and save Social Security for future generations; more importantly reining in the long-term growth of non-discretionary spending.

If Donald Trump’s desire is to score quick and easy political points with a safe budget, he should stick with his current proposal. But if he wishes to leave a legacy of leadership and oversee a presidency that positively impacted the lives of the American people, he must address entitlement spending.

Matt Fisher is a senior studying political economy.

Take time to read humorous books P.G. Wodehouse offers witty humor, relaxation for students

By | Emma Cummins With midterms and papers beginning to pile up nearly halfway through the semester, a great way for students to take a break is to stop in the library and pick out a book to read for fun.

Easily found on the second floor of the library, more than 20 P.G. Wodehouse novels await curious readers. Even during the busiest weeks of college, students should be sure to take time out of their day from reading the Great Books to read the good ones.

The aforementioned “Pigs Have Wings” is my personal favorite. A bitter rivalry between two lords: Lord Emsworth and Sir Gregory Parsloe. A devoted butler with poor nerves. The practical joker and noble Gally. And most of all, a contest between the Empress of Blandings and Pride of Matchingham, two pigs. Combined, these make for a wonderful use of 20 minutes.

Lyricist, playwright, and novelist, Wodehouse wrote some of his best novels in the early 1900s, before World War II. Filled with dry, Brit-

ish wit, each novel guarantees a laugh every few pages.

Whether it’s the romance between Jerry Vail, the hopeless romantic and self-supporting author, and Penny Donaldson, the daughter of a wealthy American, Mr. Donaldson of Long Island City, or the adventures of the eternally-unperturbed Psmith (the P is silent), readers are lifted away to the world of British lords and their beloved prize-winning pigs.

Reading good books serves as a superior substitute to the traditional ways of relaxing such as watching shows and scrolling through social media. Though TV shows, Twitter, and Tik Tok promise brainless entertainment, a Wodehouse novel satisfies the need to escape the dreadfully-dense chapters of Rousseau’s “Emile.” And unlike social media, it doesn’t turn brains to mush.

A Wodehouse novel also serves the purpose of lightening the load of the semester without at all changing your external circumstances. This is the essence of humor: to provide relief and joy in times

of strife and to give you some zest for the challenges it may throw at you. Humor doesn’t change your life, but it can change the way in which you view it. Spending time with Wodehouse and the characters at Blandings will make you look at the challenges of life as a practical joke.

The beauty of Wodehouse’s novels is the joy you can feel despite it being so simple.

Reading about a butler and his absent minded employer, Lord Emsworth, whose pastime is reading about pigs and avoiding his bossy sister, has a childlike ridiculousness to it. And yet, taking a break to read something absolutely ridiculous is both refreshing and sometimes necessary. The best TV show can’t convey the simple joy and absurdity of a Wodehouse novel.

Reading a Wodehouse novel also reminds us of the wonder we have as human beings. Though a joke may be completely absurd, and you’re not really sure why you’re laughing at something so simple as a detective who inserts “P” into his last name of Smith to distinguish himself,

humor brings us back to the initial desire we have to wonder. Though one can wonder at the brilliance of Newman’s hypothesis about the development of doctrine, it’s also nice to wonder at the foibles of the British aristocracy and their occasional obsession with pigs.

This is to say, wonder is a result of our not fully understanding something, but grasping it enough to know it is good. The best kind of humor is one which inspires wonder.

It’s a hard sell to convince a student at Hillsdale to take time out of their busy day to read books outside of those required in class. But taking a long-view look of our lives might convince us that knowing and regularly reading a few authors who lighten the spirits is just as crucial as knowing Euclid’s first five postulates.

Emma Cummins is a junior studying politics. She is the assistant opinions editor.

Opinions

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February 20, 2020

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Cannabis major reflects societal New education shifts in thought on marijuana budget could help

Program of study would help students learn about industry, affects on public health By | Quin Colhour What used to be a favorite pastime for hippies and debate topic for politicians is now becoming a college major.

More liberal-leaning colleges have been known to offer peculiar majors. Take Northwestern University’s lesbian dance theory, for example. Colorado State University-Pueblo gained state approval for their new “Cannabis, Biology and Chemistry” major on Friday, Feb. 7.

This major will begin in the fall of the next academic year and is designed to educate students on the biology and chemistry of the drug.

But with the expansion of the marijuana industry over the past few years, giving students the opportunity to study the drug might not be a bad idea.

Studying cannabis in college might seem bizarre with the controversy it’s caused.

While most Americans support legalization, a Buzzfeed study said “they don’t want to get too close to the drug.”

Giving students the opportunity to study marijuana isn’t bringing society closer to the drug. Rather, it reflects how close cannabis already is to the American people.

According to the Wash-

ington Post, nearly 55 million American adults use marijuana, with around 83% of Americans in favor of legalizing medical marijuana. Marijuana is fully illegal in only 8 states with the rest having legalized weed in some form or another. And 22.3% of high school seniors report using the drug in the past month.

Clearly, America is already very familiar with cannabis.

Denying this fact is delaying the inevitable. Protesting the existence of a marijuana major when weed is already an accepted staple of our society is ridiculous.

Colorado State has an obligation to teach its students useful knowledge and skills.

In Colorado, the cannabis industry has generated more than $1 billion dollars of revenue, with projected sales skyrocketing as America becomes more familiar with marijuana use. Teaching students how to navigate the growing industry and be effective business workers within it is not only a wise idea but also a big attraction for the college.

From a student’s perspective, learning how to make money in a budding field is a big reason for attending college and shouldn’t be suppressed because of con-

troversy.

“It’s a rigorous degree geared toward the increasing demand coming about because of the cannabis industry,” David Lehmpuhl, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, told the Denver Post.

Colorado has allowed the recreational use of weed since 2014. Even if an individual sees marijuana as potentially harmful or immoral, the major still provides students with the opportunity to learn about the economics of the marijuana industry, which could be beneficial in an increasingly cannabis-friendly future.

According to the school, students won’t only study the sale of the drug, but also spend time learning about its cognitive effects and how it should be regulated.

“Hemp and marijuana has really come to the forefront in a lot of economic sectors in the country,” Lehmpuhl said. “We’re not pro-cannabis or anti-cannabis. What we’re about will be the science, and training students to look at that science.”

Like it or not, many Americans use marijuana, and whatever states decide to do regarding the drug’s legalization, the public should know with what they’re deal-

ing. Drug education allows the public to investigate and understand the costs and benefits of legalizing drugs on public health.

An entire major focused on this isn’t a bad thing for people who don’t want weed to be legal because, if they are right about the dangers of marijuana, more research could potentially reinforce their concerns. Gregory Frye, the executive editor of cannabis education group Green Flower said, “The more access we have to credible cannabis education, the easier it will be for us to discuss cannabis, exchange ideas, and to make informed decisions at the policy level as well as in our personal lives.”

A major in marijuana has less to do with the political fight for marijuana legalization and more to do with where public interest leads. If the United States wants to go green, then cannabis majors will become an increasingly common option for a major at universities — and that is a reality non-users will just have to accept.

Quin Colhour is a freshman studying rhetoric and public address.

Political, social unrest in Mexico could disrupt U.S. economy Trump, Democratic candidates are ignorant of the situation

By | Abby Liebing When running for President of the United States, one would think that candidates would have some knowledge of what is going on in neighboring countries.

But when Telemundo reporter Guadalupe Venegas asked Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, philanthropist and billionaire Tom Steyer, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg about Mexico, had trouble even naming the president of Mexico.

When Venegas asked the seemingly easy question of who the president of Mexico is, Steyer just said, “I forget.” Buttigiege hesitatingly guessed the right answer. But Klobuchar hilariously tried to dodge the question until Venegas finally asked her, “Do you, I’m sorry to ask this, but do you know who he is?

Do you know his name?”

Klobuchar unsuccessfully tried to play it off by answering, “Yeah, yeah. I know that he is the Mexican president.”

Venegas asked again, “But can you tell me his name?”

And Klobuchar finally had to say no.

But as amusing as the interchange was, it’s deeply concerning that some of the people running for U.S. president cannot name Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as the president of Mexico.

If they don’t know Obrador’s name, then they probably also don’t know how messy Mexico is and how their economic situation will threaten the U.S. economy.

No matter how much U.S. officials such as Trump and the Democratic presidential hopefuls may try to ignore Mexico and literally wall off its problems from our own, what’s going on in Mexico has and will always have ramifications in the United States.

So it might be good for U.S. politicians to start brushing up on their knowledge of what’s going on south of the border.

Sadly, with rampant violence, cartel power, and government weakness, there is never a dull day in Mexico.

Each year the murder rate in Mexico increases, and in 2019 it broke its own record with nearly 35,000 murders.

Last week, a 7-year-old girl was kidnapped, murdered, and left in a bag south of

Mexico City. The week before, a 25-year-old woman was stabbed to death, skinned, and then had her organs removed. After the gruesome Jan. 17 killings of local musicians, the community of Ayahualtempa, Mexico is arming its children, ages 6 to 15, and training them to become vigilantes.

attention to Mexico, but responding in all the wrong ways. He thought that renegotiating the North American Trade Agreement was enough to shore up the relationship, but then promptly returned to villainizing Mexico.

“The Democrats want Open Borders. I want Maximum Border Security and

Many Democratic candidates were unable to name Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. | Wikimedia Commons

“We are surrounded by the bad guys, so we have to prepare ourselves to defend our town and our families,” 13-year-old Luis Gustavo Morales said.

Meanwhile, El Chapo’s daughter had an ostentatious wedding as she married the nephew of another wellknown criminal. As the cathedral was locked down and closed to the public, the grandiose wedding was a reminder of the Sinaloa cartel’s power and the rest of the country’s weakness.

The United States cannot keep ignoring its southern neighbor as the rule of law is continually flouted and violence continues to rise.

Besides the plethora of ethical and human rights abuses that should concern the United States, Mexico’s violence will affect the U.S. economy, which at the very least, should concern U.S. leaders.

Trump has been paying

respect for ICE and our great Law Enforcement Professionals!” he tweeted in 2018.

In June 2015 when he was campaigning, Trump even went so far as to call Mexico an American enemy.

“And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically,” Trump said when he announced his candidacy.

But Trump seemed to forget that Mexico is still an incredibly important trade partner and blocking out its problems will not solve issues.

Many politicians focus on how dependent Mexico is on the United States for economic growth, which is undeniable. The United States is Mexico’s largest trade partner and number one source of foreign direct investment.

But Mexico is the United States’ third largest trade partner. Mexico ranks second as a source of U.S. imports,

after China and Canada, and second as an export market for U.S. goods and services.

Much of the bilateral trade between Mexico and the United States is particularly important because it happens in the context of supply chains, as manufacturers in each country work together to create goods. That means that many United States manufacturing industries, such as automotive, electronics, appliances, and machinery, all rely on Mexican manufacturers “The health of the Mexican economy certainly affects the U.S. economy.

Bilateral U.S.-Mexico trade totaled $671 billion in 2018, with Mexico ranking as the second-largest importer of American goods,” James M. Roberts and Devin DeCandia from The Heritage Foundation explained.

Violence in Mexico actually costs money and deteriorates its domestic economy, which in turn can hurt its trade with the United States.

The Mexico Peace Index estimated that the level of peace in Mexico deteriorated 4.9% in 2019, costing $268 billion and making it the third year of successive deteriorations that is costing Mexico lives and money. An investment in decreasing violence would help the Mexican economy, which in turn will of course benefit the United States.

“If violence and its consequential economic impact were reduced to the level of the five most peaceful states in Mexico, the resulting peace dividend would amount to 10 trillion pesos over a four-year period,” the 2019 Mexico Peace Index discovered.

A more peaceful Mexico will lead to a better economy for Mexico and also the United States. Any increase in peace in Mexico will literally make the United States more money. Mexico is in shambles and that is the precise reason that the United States needs to pay attention and invest in anything that will decrease the violence. And the first steps American officials can take in helping Mexico is learning the Mexican president’s name.

Abby Liebing is a senior studying history. She is the associate editor of The Collegian.

charter schools

By | Ashley Kaitz The Trump administration’s proposed education budget for 2021 slashes federal funding for charter schools.

Though controversial, this move could actually benefit students by loosening national control of education and giving states more flexibility to address students’ needs.

Although the budget cuts seem to be a complete reversal of the administration’s professed support for school choice, the fact that charter schools would no longer receive specifically allocated money from the federal government doesn’t mean that they’ll no longer be funded. It just means that they would be funded in a different way.

Charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run, have received federal dollars through the Federal Charter Schools Program since 1994, according to the Washington Post. The proposed budget would effectively eliminate this program, instead lumping money for charter schools into block grants dedicated to education.

The block grants, which are about $20 billion each, would be given to the states to spend as they see fit. U.S. News reported that the block grants would also include money for school safety, teacher training, arts and civics programs, and more.

According to a White House budget document, the goal of consolidating federally-funded education programs into block grants is “to give States and school districts the flexibility to better meet the needs of their students and families, eliminating Federal intrusion into State and local education systems.”

This statement demonstrates the administration’s belief that state and local governments have a better idea of what their students need than the federal government does.

And in the wake of failed national initiatives like Common Core and No Child Left Behind, they have a point.

According to the Washington Post, some charter school leaders fear that if the choice to fund charters is left up to the states, their schools will receive little to no money.

However, state govern-

ments are more accountable to their constituents, and the growing popularity of charter schools implies that parents will be clamoring for more charters. In fact, the percentage of students attending charter schools in the U.S. more than tripled from two to seven percent between 2000 and 2016, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Giving states the ability to choose how much money they want to dedicate to charter schools will benefit students by increasing competition.

According to a 2018 Forbes article, an analysis of standardized test scores in major cities during the 2015-2016 school year showed that charter schools consistently outperform traditional public schools.

Families who want the best education for their children will be attracted to states that dedicate more funding to charter schools, while states that choose to suppress charters will have to compete.

The budget also includes a proposal to create Education Freedom Scholarships for K-12 students. According to the same White House budget document, these scholarships would amount to “$5 billion annually in State-designed scholarship programs that could support a range of educational activities such as Career and Technical Education, special education services, and tuition for private school.”

Reason reported that the program provides tax incentives to people who donate to the Education Freedom Scholarships. Through the EFS program, students would have greater school choice and potential donors would be encouraged to invest in students’ success.

Decentralizing the education system can only benefit students, who for too long have been subjected to a nationalized, one-size-fits-all approach to education that caters to the lowest common denominator and props up failing public schools rather than encouraging competition.

Ashley Kaitz is a sophomore studying history. She is the assistant features editor of The Collegian.

Letter to the Editor:

Respect privacy of students’ GPAs By | Tom Conner I have believed for a long time that the college, and those who speak for it, are way too fast and loose about revealing the GPAs of our students at CCA events, convocations, or in other public venues — to include, most recently, the pages of The Collegian.

When the photos of the 10 nominees for the President’s Ball court appeared in the paper two weeks ago, with the GPA of every one of them underneath the pictures, I decided to write this letter. In doing so, I mean to impugn the actions of no one. Rather, I simply wish to propose that the details of a student’s academic performance deserve to be treated as private and should not be considered part of his or her profile to be disclosed so habitually at college functions. There are certain things about any person that, frankly, are not the public’s business. Individual GPA ought to belong in that category.

If one is being presented as valedictorian of his/her class, or even as one of the top five or 10 academic performers among graduating seniors, then an audience can assume

the GPA is exceptionally high and be told what it is with little chance of surprise or potential embarrassment.

But, when students are presented at a CCA dinner or lecture, or tapped to speak at Freshman Convocation, or nominated for king or queen of the President’s Ball court, why must the GPA be part of their introduction? It just doesn’t seem necessary, or right — especially, as is sometimes the case, when the student might not be in the uppermost academic echelon.

Even when one is exceptionally successful in the classroom, to reveal the GPA conveys the message that such statistics about the individual are somehow a defining characteristic, at least important enough for everyone to know. Our students deserve better than that.

We have wonderful students here, and we are justifiably proud of them. But, when we celebrate them at public moments, they should not be expected unduly to give up their privacy.

Tom Conner is a professor of history at Hillsdale College.

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February 20, 2020

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Local high school football players sign to continue athletic careers at Hillsdale College By | Rachel Kookogey Assistant Editor

Local high school football players Gavin LaFollete and Ben and Nick Affholter will join the Hillsdale College Chargers’ football program in the fall of 2020.

Hillsdale College Head Football Coach Keith Otterbein said all three players have been involved with the college’s summer football camps from a young age and have “good football IQ.” “These guys are part of a really good recruiting class,” Otterbein said. “It is one of the strongest, deepest classes that we’ve had in my time here. The quality of the players, the fact that they’re good student-athletes, and the number of guys that we think are impact players are all really exciting.”

Gavin LaFollete said he grew up in Hillsdale County dreaming of playing college football and is excited to access that dream through Hillsdale College.

LaFollete started playing recreational football in second grade. It was in middle school, however, that LaFollete says he fell in love with the sport.

“In middle school, I was playing under actual coaches for the first time and really got to experience the camaraderie with the other guys on and off the field,” LaFollete said.

LaFollete went on to play for Hillsdale High School.

In his sophomore year, he moved onto the varsity team and quickly became a leader.

In his junior season, LaFollete became the team captain and led the team in tackles that season.

“In my freshman year I was looking up at the seniors

thinking, ‘Holy cow, these guys are huge!’ But as I moved up, I slowly gained the confidence that I was playing at the same level as the older guys,” LaFollete said.

Despite breaking his foot in pre-season football camp the June before his senior year, LaFollete stayed with the team as a players’ coach until he could return to playing in the middle of October.

“He’s a great leader,” Hillsdale High School Head Football Coach Marc Lemerand said. “He missed eight weeks, but kept involved with the team. And when he came back, he learned a new position because he’s such a good team player.”

Lemerand added that LaFollete was “a difference-maker” in the team’s playoff run this past year, leading the team to a district championship.

According to Otterbein, LaFollete plays with “a lot of intensity and emotion.”

“He’s one of those kids that just loves football and he’s chomping at the bit to get out there,” Otterbein said.

LaFollete said that his decision to play with Hillsdale College was influenced by its commitment to him despite his injury.

“The Hillsdale College coaches were loyal, and they kept talking to me,” LaFollete said. “Other colleges weren’t sure because I had injured myself, but Hillsdale stuck with me through the entire process.”

His familiarity with the Hillsdale College players also influenced LaFollete’s decision to play for the school.

“I know quite a few guys on the team, and they’re good guys. The locker room situa-

tion is great,” LaFollete said.

“Everyone that’s on the team wants to dedicate their time to win a championship, so everyone’s going to work their butt off and put in the work.”

LaFollete will get the opportunity to reunite on the field with current Chargers Martin Petersen and Shannon Petersen, who previously played for Hillsdale High School.

The Petersen’s cousins, twin bothers Nick and Ben Affholter, will also be joining the team this coming fall.

“To see backyard football become college football is pretty cool,” Nick and Ben’s father Brad Affholter said.

“We have a highlight tape of the four of them playing at Christmas in their dress-up football gear at 4 and 5 years old and so on, so it’s going be really cool to see them all in Charger uniforms,” the boys’ mother, Darcy Affholter, added.

The Affholter boys’ Hillsdale story is three generations long. Darcy Affholter’s father graduated from Hillsdale College in 1964, and Darcy and Brad Affholter met at the college and graduated in 1997.

Brad Affholter played for the football team and Darcy Affholter played for the volleyball team.

Brad and Darcy Affholter planned on leaving Hillsdale, but fell in love with the community while Brad Affholter student-taught at Reading High School, where the couple now teaches and the sons attend school.

Because Brad Affholter assistant-coached the Reading football team, his sons were on the field as water boys since they were about 3 years old.

Reading High School Head Football Coach Rick Bailey said the brothers unified the team and played a key role in Reading’s back-to-back state championships.

“When they moved up to the varsity team in ninth grade, they immediately gained the respect of their teammates,” Bailey said.

“Their desire to play and how hard they were willing to work got those in the classes ahead and behind them to all buy in.

Obviously you don’t win the high school state title with just two players, but it unified the players and helped them win.”

Both Nick and Ben said they are excited to play for this community at the college level, especially for the same team that their father was part of and cousins play for.

“The guys on the team are very down to earth. It’s just a bunch of guys hanging out like a family. And seeing Martin go through that was really cool to me,” Nick Affholter said.

Ben Affholter echoed his twin.

“I really enjoy playing for this community. Since I’ve signed, many people have come up to me to say they’ll be coming to Hillsdale Chargers games now,” Ben Affholter said. “And it’s been a dream of ours to play with our cousins ever since we were little.”

The Affholters will be the eighth set of brothers currently on the Hillsdale College football team. Otterbein said he hopes this is a reflection that the team “is doing well with brother number one, so brother number two wants to follow in their footsteps.”

“It’s a family-type school,” Otterbein said.

Gavin LaFollete (#42) at a Hillsdale High School football game.

Courtesy | Gavin LaFollete

Nick and Ben Affholter are recognized for winning the 20192020 Division Eight Michigan State Championship with Reading High School. Courtesy | Brad Affholter

Hillsdale Hospital offers scholarships to students

Annabelle Springborn (left) and Ashley Terpening (right) of Hillsdale High School were the recipients of the scholarships awarded by Hillsdale Hospital in 2019. Courtsey | Mackenzie Tipping

By | Elizabeth Johnsen Collegian Freelancer Hillsdale Hospital is offering up to $10,000 a year in a scholarship grant to help two high school seniors from the Hillsdale area pursue their education in the field of nursing.

Students can choose to attend school for an associate’s degree or a four-year university to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The program aims to give assistance to students who want to invest in the Hillsdale community.

According to Nurse Educator Mackenzie Tipping, the goal is that the students would come back after graduation and work for Hillsdale Hospital in return for the financial assistance.

“We want to do everything we can to help the students in our community succeed in the field they want to be in,” Tipping said.

The application asks for a copy of the student’s transcript, letters of recommendation, and a few personal essays of about 500 words, one of which asks, “Why Hillsdale?”

“We want to know why they’re thinking they want to get into this field; why do they want to stay in this area? Why do they feel like this hospital is a good fit for them? Those kinds of things,” Tipping said.

After applying, students are interviewed by a peer board which mirrors the interviews they will go through when applying for their job at Hillsdale Hospital post-graduation. This gives them not only an opportunity to meet with hospital educators before acceptance into the program, but also real experience learning valuable job skills for the future.

Brittany Page is currently the obstetrics charge nurse at

Hillsdale Hospital and went through this program herself.

After receiving a phone call and a letter of acceptance as a senior in high school, Page was presented with the scholarship at an awards ceremony at her school.

Page said that the hospital communicated with her throughout her college experience, making sure she stayed on the right academic path to set her up for success at Hillsdale Hospital.

“I think it’s been very beneficial for my career,” Page said.

“Hillsdale has done a great job of raising me as a baby nurse and giving me the opportunity to grow in my career.”

Page attended Davenport University in Saginaw, Michigan. But having grown up in Jonesville, Page said that she always knew she wanted to come back after school to be near her family and to invest

in the community of Hillsdale.

She compared her experience working at a larger hospital while at Davenport to her experience here at Hillsdale: “At a larger facility, you know, you have multiple teams for different things, where here at Hillsdale, we have so much knowledge and so many tools in our pocket that I think as a nurse, I am very well-versed.”

Page said she hopes to continue her education in the future by pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing, and said the culture at Hillsdale Hospital has prepared her for more education in nursing.

“I think that Hillsdale has given me the opportunity and tools that I need as a nurse to want to pursue that later in life,” Page said.

Cottage Inn Pizza set to open at new location on March 5 By | Reagan Gensiejewski Collegian Reporter On March 5, Cottage Inn Pizza will open at its new location on M-99, previously the home of Silos Fun Park, according to Cottage Inn Pizza’s Facebook page.

The pizza shop will be temporarily closed beginning Sunday, Feb. 24 as it transitions to its new building.

The initial announcement of The Cottage Inn’s move recieved 505 shares and 370 likes on Facebook, encouraging owners Donna Olmstead and her husband Brad Olmstead to make the move.

“As this project draws to completion, we are so very excited to finally unveil the hand work and countless hours that have been put into this,” Donna Olmstead said.

“Our community has been so

wonderful in their support of this project. We are blown away by how huge this has been received.”

Cottage Inn Pizza purchased Silos Fun Park in August 2019 with plans to renovate and add on to the Silos. Construction to attach a building to Silos arcade began on Sept. 1, 2019, in addition to other renovations, such as new flooring and fresh paint.

With the new space,

Donna Olmstead said she hopes to host birthday parties and large gatherings. She added that her staff plans on running all of Silos past attractions with the exception of the batting cages, which were damaged years back in a storm and no longer exist.

Most students have not experienced the activities at Silos, as it has been closed for a few years.

“I’ve always enjoyed

supporter of our program,” Upton said. “We use donations to help cover things that the grants won’t cover, such as volunteer recognition.”

Cady owns a Healthies store in Jackson, Michigan, where she originally started partnering with CASA. In January 2019, she opened a store in Hillsdale as well.

She said Upton became a customer of hers, and when she found out through Upton that there was a CASA program in Hillsdale, she wanted to help.

“We like helping the kids, they’re kids in need,” Cady said. “We have a CASA in Jackson that we support, and

we do that for like 50 kids.”

Healthies partnered with CASA back in December to help provide for kids around Christmas time.

“Healthies had a collection box at the club accepting donations for things such as crayons, color books, and toy cars,” Upton said.

Hillsdale College junior Carmen Botha visited Healthies on Wednesday to order her favorite smoothie and help CASA. “I am happy to help little children in any way possible,” Botha said.

CASA is a nonprofit organization that trains volunteers to serve and

mentor children who suffer from neglect and abuse. These volunteers meet weekly with the children and then can advocate for them in court room situations.

This nonprofit was founded

by Juvenile Court Judge David W. Soukup in Seattle, Washington, in 1977. He realized the need for more information when making life-altering decisions for children. By having volunteers serve as advocates for these children, courts can make better decisions. The program helps more than 270,000 children across the nation.

Healthies of Hillsdale gives back to local CASA By | Calli Townsend Assistant Editor

Sierra Cady, owner of Healthies of Hillsdale, has been involved in the Court Appointed Special Advocates program for 10 years now. On Wednesday, Feb. 12, her store donated $1 of every smoothietea combo purchase to the Hillsdale CASA, along with money that was put into a donation bucket.

CASA Director Heather Upton said CASA relies on donations and grants because it is a nonprofit organization.

“We appreciate the generosity of Healthies very much. They are a big

Cottage Inn Pizza, and Silos Fun Park has always been closed during my time here,” Hillsdale College junior Julia Sayles said. “It should be a refreshing change to have something in that space.”

With the support of the community and anticipation of the big move, Donna Olmstead has nothing but gratitude to all that have made the move possible.

“We would like to thank

Dave Cleveland for his tireless work on this; our kids for keeping the household running while we were constructing; and the County National Bank for this financial backing and seeing the need within our community for this endeavor,” Donna Olmstead said. “Please keep praying for a successful opening.”

Healthies of Hillsdale donated a portion of its Feb. 12 sales to Hillsdale CASA. Calli Townsend | Collegian

City News

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February 20, 2020

A7

Local candidates hold meet-and-greet with residents at Stadium Roller Rink

By | Ben Wilson Assistant Editor Three local candidates spoke to residents about reducing government interference and spending during a candidate meet-and-greet at Stadium Roller Rink on Feb. 15.

The candidates took questions from the attendees, passed around petitions, and discussed issues important to the citizens.

The three candidates included: Doug Ingles, owner of the rink and candidate for county commissioner; Adam Stockford, mayor of Hillsdale and candidate for State Representative; and John Smith, candidate for county commissioner.

Ingles opened the event by telling the group about his reasons for running and the policies he plans to support.

“My mission statement is government is growing too much. One of the questions I

will ask myself on any proposal that comes to me is: Will this grow government?” he said. “Second, taxes are out of control.”

Ingles talked about his opposition to programs that receive funding but only benefit a few people.

“If it grows government, if it raises taxes, and it only fills the needs for a few people, I’m going to be a ‘no,’” he said.

“Unless there is some benefit, and that will take a very strong position to turn my ‘no’ into a ‘yes.’”

He said commissioners on the board have been there too long, including his opponent Ruth Brown.

“Ruth Brown has had four terms,” he said. “It’s time for a change.”

The Stadium Roller Rink owner also announced that he plans to chair the county commission.

“I’m not only running for county commissioner, but I also intended to chair it,” he

said. “We need a change and I hope to be that change.”

Stockford has served as mayor of Hillsdale since 2017 and is running for the 58th District seat in the State House of Representatives.

“The state has started to centralize more and more,” Stockford said. “On a daily basis, alphabet agencies within the state pass unfunded mandates that affect local municipalities.”

Stockford said he is opposed to growing government and is hesitant to expand executive power.

“There’s this bureaucratic mindset that only the experts can do things and that the rest of us, not just your average resident, but elected officials as well, are just kind of dumb,” he said. “Authority is being taken away from local units of government.”

Stockford took questions from residents and explained the relationship between the city and county.

Smith was the final candidate to speak at the event, and he highlighted his reasons for joining the 5th District Country Commissioner race.

“We have a communication problem between government and citizens,” Smith said. “I think by being humble and being honest about this topic, we can start communicating better.”

Smith talked about issues important to his campaign, including getting better returns on investments from committees and supporting local businesses. He said he is particularly opposed to wasteful spending in government agencies.

“You would never do this in your own budget, so why would you expect everybody to else pay for it,” he said. “I believe I would make a better county commissioner for your pocketbook.”

Construction on the Dawn Theater to begin once the weather breaks By | Tracy Wilson Collegian Freelancer

The Dawn Theater on North Broad Street in downtown Hillsdale. Julia Mullins | Collegian

Mayor Adam Stockford, a candidate running for the 58th District seat in the State House of Representatives, addressed residents at the Stadium Roller Rink during a meet-and-greet.

Ben Wilson | Collegian

Foulke Construction will resume renovating the Dawn Theater once the weather starts to break, according to Hillsdale Zoning Administrator Alan Beeker.

“Foulke will not actually start full blown construction until the weather starts to clear because the grant process took longer than expected,” Beeker said. “They’re finishing up some projects they had ahead of us.”

Beeker noted that although the building went through the hazardous material abatement process, much of the necessary interior and exterior work still remains.

“It needs a full re-roof and there is some roof structure that needs to be repaired prior

to completing it, and no one wanted to do that during the winter,” Beeker said.

City of Hillsdale Tax Increment Finance Authority board member Mary Wolfram added that TIFA owns the Dawn Theater, but Keefer House LLC, a subsidiary of C.L. Real Estate, will manage the space.

Wolfram said Keefer House LLC has also stated an intent to purchase the building next to the Dawn Theater, formerly occupied by Smith’s Flower Shop.

At a Hillsdale City Council meeting on Monday, Hillsdale College Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram shared his excitement regarding the renovation, as he has his own memories of his children visiting the Dawn Theater.

“I look forward to sending

my grandkids to see things at the Dawn,” he said.

Mary Wolfram said the space will function with dual purposes, serving as both a community theater and private event space once fully renovated. In addition to bringing in small musical acts and performances, she said, the city hopes to host a film series, showing classic and children’s films.

“It’s not a big theater. It’s not going to be something where we will bring in a big group of performers,” Mary Wolfram said. “Keefer House LLC will have that space available to them to hold events such as business parties, wedding receptions, Christmas parties for businesses, family reunions, and anything that people have to rent a hall for.”

City Council approves $200,000 loan for Dawn Theater project By | Ben Wilson Assistant Editor The Hillsdale City Council voted 5-3 to approve a loan on Monday night that will help the general contractor complete renovations on the Dawn Theater.

The loan will be granted to the Tax Increment Finance Authority and will come from the Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities’ budget.

The purpose of the five-year loan is to alleviate potential problems with receiving grant money from the

Michigan Economic Development Corporation and to pay Foulke Construction for completing the project.

TIFA members spoke at the meeting, saying the city would be paid back within the five-year time period and that the loan is only necessary to finance the deal with Foulke Construction.

Councilman Bill Zeiser agreed that there was little risk with the investment.

“TIFA has the funds to pay for the project with the money that they will receive,” he said. “This is just kind of

insurance if they need the money, so there’s no risk involved whatsoever.”

Zeiser proposed shortening the term to less than five years to get the money paid back quicker.

The council discussed shortening the term but agreed to keep the five-year due date because many of the TIFA board members are business owners who they trust to be financially responsible.

Mayor Adam Stockford addressed the concerns of some citizens and expressed

his hesitation with “looking at the government as a banking tool.”

Stockford said he is critical of government agencies but sees benefits to TIFA. “I haven’t always liked the way the TIFA system has worked, but I’ve come to peace with it,” Stockford said. “I really like that they capture tax revenue that the city wouldn’t normally get to keep.”

Stockford acknowledged that while he isn’t on the board, he appreciates its members’ commitment to

improving the city.

“The ball is in our court to use money which is for public utility,” he said. “I’ve been asking for years for the Board of Public Utilities pilot payment to be raised another percent to be used on the roads, and have been told they don’t have the operating money to do that.

But here’s a couple hundred thousand dollars that we have that could go someplace else.”

Stockford said citizens have other needs and it’s hard to justify the Dawn Theater as

his top priority.

“It’s really, really difficult for me to talk to residents of this city and tell them that we’re putting money into this project,” he said. “And we’re not putting it in roads or fire trucks.”

After 30 minutes of discussion, the council voted on the five-year loan. Stockford, Zeiser, and councilwoman Cynthia Pratt opposed the funding.

Heritage Association’s 2020 project will bring mural to downtown scene By | Victoria Marshall Assistant Editor The City of Hillsdale will get a scenic upgrade to its downtown wedge with The Heritage Association’s current beautification project.

Coming in September of 2020, a 10-by-40 foot mural with the words “Welcome to Historic Hillsdale” will be painted on the upper side of Moore Insurance and above Hillsdale Jewelers.

The project began when Richard Moore, owner of Moore Insurance, contacted the Heritage Association about the exposed wall on the side of the insurance building.

“Rich Moore approached me and said, ‘You know I’ve got this side of this wall, and I’ll fix the bricks that are popping up if you’d like to put something up there,’” co-founder of The Heritage Association Heather Tritchka ’98 said.

Moore’s offer came at a perfect time for Tritchka, as the Association was looking for its 2020 project.

According to its website, the Heritage Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to create visual art across the city so as to “reflect the historical, cultural, and natural heritage of Hills-

dale County.” This latest mural project fits its vision.

After obtaining a permit from the City of Hillsdale, Tritchka worked with muralist John Castelles on designing the mural. She wanted to base the mural off the other “Welcome to Historic Hillsdale” signs Hillsdale College has placed throughout the city.

“I got the idea to make it something that kind of pulls those signs in and labels the downtown area as a historical interest point,” Tritchka said. “Instead of a picture that might be a little dated, I wanted to have wording with a little bit of scenery rolling in behind it like the hills and dales to make it a little more timeless and fit everybody.”

After finalizing the design, Tritchka’s fellow co-founder Connie Sexton, contacted muralist Wes Hardin to paint the mural. Hardin is no stranger to Hillsdale. He painted the train mural in downtown.

“I don’t even have a style that you could call mine,” Hardin said. “I’m not after trying to make a name for me.

I do enjoy the work, I enjoy the process. I’m very grateful for the opportunity. In fact, I love working for the people in Michigan, they were absolutely amazing. They went over and beyond to accommodate

the artist.”

Hardin said the main focus for the association’s mural is visibility.

“Obviously our goal is to make sure it’s visible,” he said.

“And for being so far away, being a mural that’s on top of a building, you won’t have access to it as someone in the public. We want to make sure that everything reads really well from a distance.”

Hardin has been painting murals for 45 years. He said the most important thing to focus on with murals is storytelling.

“What I’m trying to do as a designer and artist is ask, ‘What is the best way to activate the space to accomplish my client’s goal? What’s the story they want to tell?’ What’s important, especially in mural art, is storytelling. It’s very simplified,” he said.

The Heritage Association wanted a straightforward design, which Hardin said makes his job easy.

“They wanted something decorative that would say ‘Welcome to the City of Hillsdale.’ They’ve got a great location for it,” Hardin said.“We already know how much space is available. Then I go in and start to sketch ideas in scale proportionate to the space.”

After much back-and-forth

with the design and logistics, Hardin set the date to start painting in September.

“It’s hard to get this done.

It’s not cheap. There’s all the logistics. It’s really nothing to do with the artists and everything to do with the committee and city,” Hardin said. “I’m just lucky to be the one that gets to come back and work with them.”

The ultimate goal for the mural, Tritchka said, is to beautify the city.

“We’re trying to bring more artwork to Hillsdale,” Tritchka said. “I’m from California originally, so I’m used to seeing a little more artwork and statues and different things to beautify downtown. We’re trying to bring that to Hillsdale.

There’s a lot of projects going on to improve downtown.

It’s time to start bringing in more artwork to make the city look a little nicer and more interesting.”

The Heritage Association is taking donations for the Historic Hillsdale mural project.

Those interested can message the association on its Facebook page or donate through their website at https://www.theheritageassociation.org.

The upper side of Moore Insurance’s building where the mural wil be painted. Courtesy | Connie Sexton

A sketch of the “Welcome to Historic Hillsdale” mural, coming in September 2020. The mural is a project of the Heritage Association of Hillsdale, Michigan. Courtesy | Connie Sexton

SPORTS

A8 February 20, 2020

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Men's Basketball

Two big wins moves Hillsdale up in conference standings Second-place Chargers one game behind Findlay By | Calli Townsend Assistant editor The Hillsdale College Chargers stepped on the court as underdogs in a pair of home games last week.

Without their returning All-Conference forward Davis Larson who’s out due to injury, the Chargers took on two teams to whom they’ve already lost this season. But this week, Hillsdale changed the narrative and played with confidence and intensity to snag two wins, climbing back up in the conference rankings.

On Thursday, the Chargers came out strong to take a 13-point lead at the half, giving them just the edge they needed to beat the Walsh College Cavaliers 84-74. It was a close fought game, but Hillsdale’s team chemistry with its ability to share the ball, create scoring opportunities, and help on defense gave the Chargers just the advantage they needed.

“Saturday night when I finally got home I just sat there and was incredibly proud of our guys and the way they played that week,” head coach John Tharp said.

“And with the loss of Davis, it was an emotional week for everybody and our guys really rallied around each other.”

Walsh (20-4, 11-3) was not only ahead of Hillsdale in the conference rankings prior to Thursday’s game, but also sat at number 19 spot in the NCAA Division II men’s basketball national rankings.

They passed the ball for 19 assists, which is the second highest assist total this season. Head coach John Tharp always emphasizes the importance of passing the ball as part of their offense.

Against Walsh the first time back in January, Hillsdale only had eight assists, and the team ended up losing 67-62.

Juniors Austen Yarian and Connor Hill each contributed four of the teams 19 assists during Thursday’s game, while also adding in 16 and 10 points, respectively. And freshman Pat Cartier played a solid game for his second double-double performance of the season.

He had 11 rebounds and 17 points, not to mention two steals as well.

“We just played a beautiful game,” senior guard Dylan Lowry said. “We didn’t turn the ball over, the offense was clicking on all cylinders, and we did a good job of guarding a couple of their better players. We’re just really happy with how everything went.”

While Hillsdale led by 13 at the half, Walsh closed in during the game’s final five minutes. At one point, the Chargers were only up 69-63 and the Cavaliers called a timeout to decide their next move as to how to seal the win. The Chargers put a quick stop to that, however, coming out of the timeout with a 6-0 run.

Lowry’s experience and leadership proved to be effective as he scored nine of his 20 points in the last two and a half minutes of the game, four of which came from shooting 4-4 in free throws.

“I like to have the ball in my hands at the end of the game if possible,” Lowry said. “For me free throws are just all mental, it’s something we practice so much. I’m confident enough to shoot them any time in the game so I just like to get the ball in my hands.”

Freshman forward Tavon Brown also played a big role in the Chargers’ victory as he came off the bench to add in nine points and eight rebounds as well. He shot two for two from behind the arc and dished out three assists.

“It’s great. I thought he and [senior guard Mike] Travlos gave us great min-

utes. Tavon gives us a tremendous amount of versatility. He played some three for us this weekend and he rebounded the basketball and passed the ball really well,” Tharp said. “And Mike on Thursday scored weight points when Walsh was coming at us and I’m really proud of him. He’s taking advantage of this opportunity. We need him to help us finish out this season.”

Thursday’s victory gave the Chargers the momentum they needed as they headed into Saturday’s game against Ohio Dominican University. They outperformed the Panthers in every statistical category as they won 79-67.

The contest didn’t start out that promising, however, as ODU scored the first seven points before the Chargers even got on the scoreboard. The first half became a game of catchup for Hillsdale, but the team responded well.

The Chargers led by five at the 15:35 mark when Tharp called the timeout.

When Hillsdale took the court again, the momentum shifted and the Chargers made their mark.

Travlos started things off with a three-pointer. A minute later, the Panthers still hadn’t scored when Hill stole the ball and passed it over to Brown for the dunk. And on Hillsdale’s next possession, Yarian punctuated the scoring run with another three.

From there the Chargers led the rest of the game by a decent margin, never giving the Panthers another chance at a comeback.

The team had 17 more assists in that game, along with four steals and 30 rebounds.

Cartier and Yarian led the team with scoring with 20 and 18 points, respectively.

Most of Yarian’s points came from beyond the arc, as he shot 5-8 for threes.

“I definitely feel like it causes a lot of problems for other teams,” Yarian said

of his shooting abilities.

“When I am hitting my shots from the three-point line, it spaces the floor so much more and allows our guards to get driving lanes and our other bigs to have easy post touches.”

Lowry took advantage of this extra spacing and scored 12 points as well, while Hill and Brown each added four and three assists, respectively.

“It feels awesome after losing Davis that we still banded together as a team to beat two really good teams that we lost to earlier in the season,” Yarian said. “I think it gives us a lot of confidence. We’re in a really good place team-wise along with possibly hosting the G-MAC Tournament so that gives us extra motivation.”

The Chargers are now number two in conference rankings behind the University of Findlay. Hillsdale beat Findlay 77-65 back on Dec. 14 in one of the first conference games of the season. That time was on the Chargers’ home court. Next game they’ll travel to Findlay, but that’s not until Feb. 29. Before then, Hillsdale has two more home games against Cedarville and Tiffin Universities.

“It’s going to be easier to have confidence after two big wins but they’ve had a very good season and they’re incredibly talented,” Lowry said of Cedarville. “We’re going to have our hands full.

Their place is an incredibly tough place to play, so luckily we get to play them at home.”

Hillsdale hasn’t played Cedarville yet, but the Yellow Jackets sit in the number four spot in the G-MAC with a conference record of 11-3, and an overall record of 16-8. Tiffin on the other hand, is ranked 11th in the conference. Hillsdale beat the Dragons on their court 95-71 on Jan. 9.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13

| hillsdale, mi

Walsh (20-4, 11-3 Hillsdale (15-8, 11-3

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

g-mac)

| hillsdale, mi

Ohio Dominican (11-14, 7-8 Hillsdale (16-8, 12-3 - )

final

g-mac)

g mac

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

| hillsdale, mi

67 79

7:30 P.M.

Cedarville (16-8, 11-3) vs. Hillsdale (16-8, 12-3)

| hillsdale, mi 3:00 P.M. Tiffin (8-17, 2-13) vs. Hillsdale (16-8, 12-3) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

G-MAC STANDINGS SCHOOL

G-MAC OVERALL

1. FINDLAY 2. HILLSDALE t3. 19 WALSH t3. CEDARVILLE 5. LAKE ERIE 6. KENTUCKY WESLEYAN 7. MALONE 8. OHIO DOMINICAN 9. ALDERSON BROADDUS 10. TREVECCA NAZARENE 11. TIFFIN 12. OHIO VALLEY

13-2 12-3 11-3 11-3 8-7 8-8 7-7 7-8 6-10 4-12 2-13 1-13

MEN'S BASKETBALL february 13 19 Walsh (20-4, 11-3 g-mac) Hillsdale (15-8, 11-3 g-mac)

18-6 16-8 20-4 16-8 14-11 9-14 13-11 11-14 8-17 4-21 8-17 4-21

1 2 FINAL

30 44 74 43 41 84

fgm/a 3pm/a ftm/a pts reb ast

Dylan Lowry Patrick Cartier Austen Yarian Connor Hill Tavon Brown Mike Travlos Cole Nau Trenton Richardson

6/12 2/4 6/6 20 2 2 7/13 0/1 3/6 17 11 2 6/14 2/5 2/2 16 5 4 4/9 2/3 0/0 10 1 4 2/2 2/2 3/4 9 8 3 3/7 2/6 0/0 8 3 0 1/2 0/1 0/0 2 2 2 1/1 0/0 0/0 2 0 2

february 15 1 2 FINAL Ohio Dominican (11-14, 7-8 g-mac) 31 36 67 Hillsdale (16-8, 12-3 g-mac) 38 41 79

fgm/a 3pm/a ftm/a pts reb ast

Patrick Cartier Austen Yarian Dylan Lowry Connor Hill Tavon Brown Cole Nau Mike Travlos Trenton Richardson

6/12 2/3 6/6 20 7 2 6/9 5/8 1/2 18 4 2 6/10 0/2 0/0 12 2 3 4/10 1/3 0/0 9 6 4 4/6 1/1 0/1 9 3 3 2/3 2/2 0/0 6 4 2 1/2 1/2 0/0 3 3 1 1/3 0/0 0/0 2 1 0

Women's Basketball

Chargers fall at home against Tiffin Team's final home game tonight; season ends on the road next week By | S. Nathaniel Grime sports editor The Hillsdale College Chargers fell to 3-12 in the G-MAC and 6-18 overall after losing to Tiffin University last Thursday, 80-73. The Chargers’ final home game of the season is tonight at 5:30 p.m. against Cedarville University before Hillsdale closes its season with two games on the road.

Against Tiffin, a slow start offensively for the Chargers gave the Dragons an early edge in the first quarter that they didn’t relinquish for the rest of the game, despite the score remaining close.

The Dragons outscored

the Chargers in the first quarter 18-11, and outrebounded Hillsdale in the quarter, 10-6. The last three quarters each team scored 62 points. The Dragons outrebounded the Chargers overall, 42-31.

Sophomore guard Grace Touchette led the Chargers with 24 points, her sixth straight game with at least 10 points. In five of those games she scored at least 18 points.

Touchette shot 10 for 16 from the field overall and made two of five three-point attempts. She also had a team-high four assists and two steals.

Junior guard Jaycie Burger

scored 16 points, her most in a single game since Jan. 2.

She did so efficiently, going 5 for 8 from the floor, 2 for 4 from behind the three-point line, and 4 for 5 at the free throw line.

Senior guard Sydney Anderson scored 10 points, her sixth straight game scoring in double digits.

A pair of Chargers came off the bench to make an impact in the scoring column.

Freshman forward Sydney Mills played 23 minutes and scored 5 points with 5 rebounds. Three of her points came from the free throw line.

Freshman center Kennedy Pratt scored 7 points, her

most in a game since Dec. 14. She went 3 for 7 from the floor and also had three rebounds.

The Chargers host Cedarville tonight in their regular-season home finale.

They then travel to Pepper Pike, Ohio, to play Ursuline College on Saturday before wrapping up their regular season next weekend on the road against the University of Findlay.

Cedarville is the final G-MAC team the Chargers haven’t played yet this season. Hillsdale lost to Ursuline at home earlier in January and defeated Findlay at home in December.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13

| hillsdale, mi

Tiffin (11-14, 6-9 - ) Hillsdale (6-18, 3-12 g mac

g-mac)

final

80 73

| hillsdale, mi 5:30 P.M. Cedarville (17-6, 10-4) vs. Hillsdale (6-18, 3-12) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

| pepper pike, oh 2:00 P.M. Hillsdale (6-18, 3-12) at Ursuline (6-18, 3-12) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

G-MAC STANDINGS SCHOOL

G-MAC OVERALL

1. 11 WALSH 15-0 22-2 2. 22 KENTUCKY WESLEYAN 15-1 24-1 3. MALONE 11-2 17-6 4. CEDARVILLE 10-4 17-6 5. FINDLAY 10-5 14-11 6. OHIO DOMINICAN 9-6 14-11 7. LAKE ERIE 6-9 9-16 t8. TIFFIN 6-10 11-15 t8. TREVECCA NAZARENE 6-10 9-16 t10. HILLSDALE 3-12 6-18 t10. URSULINE 3-12 6-18 12. ALDERSON BROADDUS 3-13 6-19 13. OHIO VALLEY 1-14 3-18 february 13 1 2 3 4 FINAL Tiffin (11-14, 6-9 g-mac) 18 19 14 29 80 Hillsdale (6-18, 3-12 g-mac) 11 18 19 25 73

Grace Touchette Jaycie Burger Sydney Anderson Kennedy Pratt Lauren Daffenberg Sydney Mills Julia Wacker Anna LoMonaco Amaka Chikwe Maverick Delp

fgm/a 3pm/a ftm/a pts reb ast

10/16 2/5 2/3 24 0 4 5/8 2/4 4/5 16 4 0 3/8 2/6 2/4 10 2 1 3/7 0/1 1/1 7 3 0 1/5 1/3 2/2 5 4 1 1/3 0/1 3/6 5 5 1 1/4 0/1 2/2 4 3 0 1/3 0/0 0/0 2 1 1 0/2 0/1 0/0 0 2 2 0/1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0

Sports

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Scoreboard

SWIMMING february 12-15

2020 G-MAC Championships

1000 yard freestyle

time

2. Leah Tunney 4. Madison Pyhel 9. Sarah Clark 10. Madeline Breay 11. Anika Fassett 13. Anna Clark 16. Stefanie Walker

10:17.98 10:32.13 10:53.14 10:55.98 10:57.54 10:58.96 11:04.33

4. Danielle Snell 6. Allie Matti 7. Catherine Voisin

2:11.45 2:12.60 2:14.30

14. Sydney Slepian

2:17.06

2. Marie Taylor 4. Katherine Heeres 7. Emma Rao

24.05 24.23 24.40

12. Victoria Addis 13. Carissa Henderson

24.83 24.90

200 yard im (a)

200 yard im (b)

50 yard freestyle (a)

50 yard freestyle (b)

200 yard medley relay

time

time time

time

time

2. Bickerstaff/Addis/Voisin/Rao

1:48.15

3. Taylor/Addis/Rao/Heeres

1:36.33

1. Danielle Snell 2. Allie Matti

4:37.57 4:41.75

200 yard freestyle relay 400 yard im (a)

100 yard butterfly (a)

7. Catherine Voisin 8. Anna Clark

100 yard butterfly (b)

time time

time

58.41 58.87 time

Men's Track & Field

Women's Track & Field

Chargers run three meets in one weekend

Chargers prepare for G-MAC Championship

By | Kate Pipher collegian freelancer This last weekend, the Hillsdale College men’s track team split up its athletes and coaching staff to tackle three different meets in order to prepare for the upcoming conference championship.

“We had some good things, nothing earth shattering,” head coach Andrew Towne said about the weekend. “But, we had good things across the board.”

At Grand Valley State University, senior Joey Humes ran a hard mile to capture fourth overall with a time of 4:08.26. His teammate junior Jack Shelley ran 46th place with a time of 4:20.70.

Some of the sprints crew traveled to Kent State University to compete in the 400 and 800 meter runs. Freshman Benu Meintjes ran a season best in the 400 meter dash. He ended 13th overall with a time of 49.94 seconds.

His teammate, junior Adam Wade also ran a season best time of 50.21 seconds coming off of injury to end 17th in the 400 meter dash.

“Being injured has hindered my progress towards conference goals, but I still have a strong belief that I

will be able to finish the indoor season strong,” Wade said. “I also have high hopes for our men’s 4x4 at the conference meet.”

Freshman Ian Calvert continued his strong debut season with a time of 1:58.71 in the 800 meter run to finish 24th.

At the University of Findlay, teammates senior Ian Brown and sophomore John Baldwin raced one another in the 60 meter hurdles.

Brown finished third overall with a time of 8.38 seconds.

Baldwin ended fourth with a time of 8.409 seconds.

Sophomore Jacob Schmidt attacked the 60 meter dash and ended fourth with a time of 7.06 seconds.

Senior David Downey ended 14th in the 400 meter dash with a time of 54.66 seconds.

In the field, senior Ryan Thomsen leapt to a 1.99 meter finish in the high jump.

Sophomore thrower, Steve Weidman set a personal best with a weight throw of 15.12 meters.

The Chargers return home this weekend to finish tuning up before the attack conference with fresh legs and a championship mindset.

10. Anika Fassett 11. Bailey Bickerstaff 12. Stefanie Walker 16. Emma Rao

59.39 59.44 1:00.17 1:03.86

18. Sydney Slepian

1:02.51

2. Katherine Heeres 4. Leah Tunney 6. Marie Taylor

1:53.71 1:54.01 1:57.41

9. Madeline Breay 15. Sarah Clark

1:57.05 2:02.26

2. Tunney/Addis/Voisin/Taylor

3:56.26

1. Leah Tunney 5. Madison Pyhel 7. Danielle Snell

5:02.34 5:12.51 5:17.15

9. Anika Fassett 12. Sarah Clark

5:14.24 5:19.70

3. Katherine Heeres 7. Sydney Slepian 8. Bailey Bickerstaff

57.93 1:00.35 1:01.31

10. Allie Matti 11. Carissa Henderson

1:01.05 1:01.11

5. Victoria Addis 6. Taylor Boyle

1:07.17 1:07.50

10. Madeline Breay 14. Marie Taylor 15. Carissa Henderson

1:09.36 1:10.87 1:11.89

17. Emma Rao

1:14.60

2. Catherine Voisin 4. Anna Clark 5. Anika Fassett 6. Madison Pyhel 8. Bailey Bickerstaff

2:08.64 2:09.77 2:10.54 2:12.53 2:16.05

SB: Toppi CS: Kanclerz

13. Stefanie Walker

2:18.58

1. Heeres/Tunney/Breay/Snell

7:43.72

3. Madison Pyhel 4. Sarah Clark 8. Anna Clark

17:45.70 18:01.80 18:16.27

time

Sawyer Allen Josh Stella Andrew Verbrugge (W, 1-0) totals

time

BF: Allen 18, Stella 1, Verbrugge 17 HBP: Verbrugge P-S: Allen 61-45, Stella 5-3, Verbrugge 70-49

100 yard butterfly (c) 200 yard freestyle (a)

200 yard freestyle (b)

400 yard medley relay 500 yard freestyle (a)

500 yard freestyle (b)

100 yard backstroke (a)

100 yard backstroke (b)

100 yard backstroke (a)

100 yard backstroke (b)

100 yard backstroke (c) 200 yard butterfly (a)

200 yard butterfly (b) 800 yard freestyle relay 1650 yard freestyle

100 yard freestyle (a)

time time

time

time time

time

time

time

time

time

time time

time time

5. Marie Taylor

52.68

9. Catherine Voisin 11. Emma Rao 13. Carissa Henderson

53.82 54.40 55.01

17. Danielle Snell

54.97

100 yard freestyle (b)

100 yard freestyle (c)

200 yard backstroke (a)

time

time time

1. Katherine Heeres 2. Leah Tunney 7. Bailey Bickerstaff 8. Allie Matti

2:04.03 2:05.74 2:11.96 2:12.07

10. Sydney Slepian

2:13.39

9. Madeline Breay 11. Taylor Boyle 12. Victoria Addis

2:30.43 2:31.22 2:33.25

17. Stefanie Walker

2:38.59

2. Taylor/Voisin/Tunney/Heeres

3:31.38

200 yard backstroke (b) 200 yard breaststroke (b)

200 yard breaststroke (c) 400 yard freestyle relay

time time

February 20, 2020 A9

Scoreboard

BASEBALL

february 15 (game 1) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E Indianapolis (0-1) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 2 Hillsdale (1-0) 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 x 6 9 1 hitters

rf Jake Rhodes 3b Cody Kanclerz 1b James Krick 2b Rob Zurawski dh Jeff Landis cf Dante Toppi lf Steven Strachan III lf Danny Passinault c Cooper Peterson ss Aiden Brewer totals batting

ab r h rbi bb so lob

3 2 1 0 2 2 1 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 1 0 3 0 3 0 0 1 0 1 3 3 1 1 0 1 1 1 3 1 0 0 1 2 0 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 1 1 2 26 6 9 4 6 11 7

2B: Rhodes, Peterson HR: Strachan III Sac Fly: Zurawski, Brewer GIDP: Zurawski baserunning

fielding

E: Kanclerz DP: Krick (2), Zurawki, Brewer (2) pitchers

pitching

Baseball

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

ip h r er bb k hr

The Hillsdale College Chargers split up and tackled different meets this weekend in order to continue preparation for the upcoming G-MAC Championship meet. The distance crew travelled to Grand Valley State University on Friday where they set multiple personal bests, while the sprints and jumps groups competed at Kent State University and the University of Findlay on Saturday.

Junior Christina Sawyer competed well in the 5000 meter run to take seventh in a highly competitive heat.

She set a new indoor personal best by a full 30 seconds with a time of 17:15.15 and ran a NCAA Division II Provisional Mark.

“It was a big PR for me, so that’s exciting,” Sawyer said.

“My teammates who ran before me ran really well too so there was a lot of momentum going into the race.

Our training has been going really well and it’s just really exciting.”

Her teammate, sophomore Claire McNally, finished second in her heat with a time of 17:39.49.

Freshman Meg Scheske ran the race in 17:58.09 and took third in her heat. Sophomore Sophia Maeda finished 24th in her heat with a time of 18:12.40.

In the mile, freshman Gwynne Riley set a personal record running 5:03.44 which earned her eighth in her heat. Sophomore teammate Amber Mango also claimed a personal best with a time of 5:13.29.

In the 3000 meter run, stacked with tough competition, senior Arena Lewis ended 31st with a time of 10:04.33. She was followed closely by teammate junior Maryssa Depies who ran the race in 10:09.35 to place 38th.

At Kent State, junior Calli Townsend competed in the 800 meter run and finished 10th with a time of 2:19.21.

The women’s 4x400 meter relay made of freshman Dakota Stamm, junior Kajsa Johansson, sophomore Alanna O’Leary, and freshman

Judith Allison ran a season’s best time of 3:49.38 which qualified as a NCAA Division II Provisional Time.

“I ran a personal best in terms of my split,” O’Leary said. “I wish I would’ve gone faster, but that was how we all felt across the board. It was good for us to collectively get a three second PR and see that as a potential to do really well.”

At the University of Findlay Alumni Classic, freshman Jillian Roney started the day with a nice race in the prelims of the 60 meter hurdles. Roney qualified for finals with a time of 9.35 seconds, but did not compete in the finals. She also ran the the 60 meter dash prelims where she ended 13th with a time of 8.13 seconds. Her teammate, Zoe Eby ran the same race in 8.15 seconds to take 15th.

In the field, the Chargers set several new personal bests. Freshman Emily Gerdin ended fourth with a new personal best after a leap of 5.47 meters in the long jump.

She also took second in the triple jump with a jump of 10.91 meters. Senior Carlin MacDonald-Gannon also experienced success taking seventh in the long jump with a personal best of 5.19 meters. She took third in the triple jump with another personal best of 10.75 meters.

In the shot put, Maines led the throwing squad with a fourth place finish in the shot put of 13.84 meters. In the weight throw, she ended with a toss of 16.46 meters and ended fifth.

Sophomore teammate Michaela Burkhauser ended ninth in the shot put with a throw of 12.64 meters.

Freshman Katie Weldy took nineteenth in the weight throw with a throw of 12.81 meters.

The Chargers compete next week at home in their Tune Up meet to prepare for the conference.

“For some kids it’s their last chance to get on the travel squad, for some it’s just a time to work on something in particular,” head coach Andrew Towne said.

“It’ll just give us a good feel for where we’re at.”

4.2 4 1 1 0 1 1 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4.0 5 0 0 0 4 0 9.0 9 1 1 0 6 1

| johnson city, tn

Indianapolis (1-1) Hillsdale (1-1) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16

By | Kate Pipher collegian freelancer

| johnson city, tn

Indianapolis (2-1) Hillsdale (1-2)

final

1/13 6/7 final

11 3

time

| louisville, ky 12:00/2:30 P.M. Hillsdale (1-2) at 17 Bellarmine (3-3)

time

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

| louisville, ky Hillsdale (1-2) at 17 Bellarmine (3-3)

12:00 P.M.

Chargers celebrate after a race. From left to right: Judith Allison, Dakota Stamm, Alanna O'Leary, and Kajsa Johansson Courtesy | Calli Townsend

charger chatter: Sam Catron Q: When did you start playing softball?

A: I started playing softball when I was six years old. I played t-ball when I was five, but I started playing softball when I was six years old.

Q: What do you most enjoy about playing softball at Hillsdale?

Senior Sam Catron hillsdale college athletic department

A: I like playing with the teammates I have. They are an amazing group of girls and I am so blessed to get to play with them every single day. They make

my day 100 times better. They are so funny and anytime I need a pick-me-up they are always there and I am always there for them.”

Q: What is it like balancing school and softball?

A: It is very challenging with time management. You just have to put school first and make that your priority because you are here to get your education. Between practices you study and there are some late nights because we practice until 9:00 pm and you just have

to study after that, and we lift at 5:30 in the morning so just managing that time wisely.”

Q: Are there any moments that have stood out to you so far in your softball career?

A: Winning. We have won back to back championships. So, I would say the second championship was more memorable just because I was able to play in the field because I had surgery after my freshman year going into my sophomore year. Winning G-macs my Junior year was probably the most memorable.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: I would like to get into sports marketing actually. I decided late what I wanted to do career wise so either grad school or looking for more sports marketing opportunities.

--Compiled by Amelia Teska

Charger A10 February 20, 2020

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Golf team hires new head coach By | Julia Mullins City News Editor

The Hillsdale College Men’s Golf Team will go through its spring season with a new head coach. Matthew Thompson, a former standout on the University of Michigan Golf Team, became interim coach for the Chargers earlier this month.

He took the place of former head coach Nate Gilchrist, who will serve as a consultant to the team.

After traveling to St. Augustine, Florida for the team's first spring tournament on Feb. 10 and 11, Thompson said he’s excited to be back in the college-golf atmosphere.

“It was cool to bring back some of those memories from when I was in school,” Thompson said. “And I think having those experiences, I have an idea of what I want the team to look like. Being able to implement some of those things will be a blast and teaching the guys how to play the game.”

After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2012, Thompson played professionally in Mini Tours for five years. Junior Logan Anuszkiewicz said Thompson brings knowledge from his professional career that can help the team improve its tournament strategy.

“He’s got a lot of good tournament advice and strategies when playing tournament golf or playing on difficult golf courses,” Anuszkiewicz said. “His experience in that category, even though he hasn’t ever

Members of the Chargers Golf Team from left to right: Luke Girodat, Ryan Zetwick, Josh Davenport, George Roberts, Logan Anuszkiewics, and newly hired coach, Matt Thompson. Courtesy | Ryan Zetwick

been a coach, just the knowledge in that aspect is huge.”

Thompson said he hopes to improve the team’s physical approach to the game while players still improve their mental game.

“It's something you kind of learn later, as you go, but

I'm hoping I can give them that knowledge while they're still 18, 19, 20 years old and hopefully get them ahead of the game a little bit,” Thompson said.

Senior Ryan Zetwick said Thompson helped the team improve its approach on the

Men's Tennis

The Hillsdale College Chargers narrowly won their third match of the season with strong individual play from the bottom of the lineup in key moments The win over the Ashland University Eagles Saturday in the Hillsdale College Biermann Center puts the Chargers at 3-0 in the season.

In doubles, the Chargers dropped two of three sets.

Junior Ivanhoe Lissanevitch and senior Charlie Adams fell into a quick hole on the no. 1 court, down 0-5 before mounting a comeback that Ashland put to an end after giving up three games.

Sophomore Bryan Hackman and senior Michael Szabo were able to get through their set with little trouble, beating their opponents 6-3 on the no. 2 court. The lone doubles point came down to the no. 3 court, but senior Julien Clouette and freshman Tyler Conrad were unable to build momentum and lost 3-6.

“We just came out very SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15

flat,” head coach Keith Turner said. “We didn’t really do anything to make them earn the point.”

Starting out singles play one point behind, the Chargers were forced to win four of the six matches to win the match. Hackman and Szabo got the Chargers off to a good start with wins on the no. 3 and no. 4 courts in straight sets.

“I was making a lot of my first serves and was getting a lot of free points. My service games were just like, ‘boom, boom, over,’ and I just put a lot of pressure on his serve,” Hackman said. “No matter if he was serving or returning, he felt like his back was against the wall.”

Szabo battled hard with his opponent. He won two breaks to take the first set and got out to an early cushion in the second set.

After some pressure from his opponent, Szabo took the second set and the match 6-4, 6-4.

“The guy had kind of a weird game,” Turner said.

“A game where you had to win some ugly points and be

| hillsdale, mi

score

Ashland (3-2) Hillsdale (3-0) SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

3 4

| park forest, il

2:00 P.M.

Hillsdale (3-0) at Purdue Northwest (4-1) | plainfield, il Hillsdale (3-0) at Lewis (1-5) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Scoreboard february 15 Ashland (3-2) Hillsdale (3-0)

Anuszkiewicz added that Thompson knows a lot about the golf swing, helping players improve their own swing.

“He’s very educated with the golf swing and what needs to happen,” Anuszkiewicz said. “He knows the fundamentals.”

Women's Tennis

Chargers finish weekend 3-0 By | Ryan Goff Collegian Reporter

course in Florida.

“He was very good at interacting with us and making sure we had the right mindset,” Zetwick said. “He calmed us down, joked with us, and made sure we were in the right frame of mind.

He did a great job.”

Thompson said golf has always been part of his life, as he had a golf club in his hands when he was 3 years old and has been playing ever since. He started taking the game more seriously when he got into high school.

“It’s pretty much been a part of everything,” Thompson said. “I played in college, and then I played professionally, and then I worked at a golf course, and now I’m a golf coach. It’s pretty much taken me everywhere, but I’m very excited to be here.”

Through all of his years of playing, Thompson said his favorite aspect of the game was competition.

“It's nice to kind of get back into that,” Thompson said. “It's a lot harder when you don't have control. But even at the first tournament we were at, just getting back to that whole realm was a lot of fun.”

While the game has taught him a lot about hard work, Thompson said the biggest lesson he’s learned from golfing has been patience.

“You have to learn that it’s not the end of the world when things don't go right,” Thompson said.

Thompson said he hopes to draw on his own experiences and use the team’s talent to have a successful spring season.

“We have a great base going forward, and that's credit to the previous previous coach, Nate,” Thompson said. “It’ll be about getting them to buy-in with what they can really achieve.”

9:00 A.M.

SINGLES DOUBLES SCORE

2 2 3 4 1 4

singles scores

1. Stuart Brdicka def. Ivanhoe Lissanevitch 2. Priyank Soni def. Charlie Adams 3. Michael Szabo def. Jordan Phelps 4. Brian Hackman def. Tche Kun Teng 5. Tyler Conrad def. Hung Huynh 6. Julien Clouette def. Jacob Hoffman

7-6 (2), 6-3 6-4, 6-4 6-4, 6-4 6-2, 6-1 6-3, 6-3 6-1, 6-1

doubles score

1. Brdicka/Phelps def. Adams/Lissanevitch 6-2 2. Szabo/Hackman def. Huynh/Teng 6-2 3. Soni/Hoffman def. Conrad/Clouette 6-3

okay with it.”

After dropping the first set, Adams kept the second set competitive. But once he tied the second set at 4-4, Adams lost the next two games to lose his match 6-4, 6-4.

Despite many powerful serves and well-placed groundstrokes, Lissanevitch was unable to get ahead on the no. 1 court, either. He kept rallies long and tense, but his opponent was able to get back nearly every shot.

He forced the first set to tiebreak, eventually losing it, and couldn’t sustain the momentum in the second set.

When the no. 5 and no.

6 singles started playing, the Chargers trailed 2-3 and faced an uphill battle to come out on top of the Eagles.

“I felt a little bit of pressure,” Conrad said. “It was pressure that I knew I had to win but I knew if I kept my head down I could win relatively easily.”

At no. 5, Conrad battled his opponent in moments and came out decisively ahead in his straight set win.

“I felt pretty comfortable,” Conrad said. “But there were a few points in the match where it got pretty tight and that was a little nerve wracking.”

On the no. 6 court, Clouette was dominant in his match, sealing the point with two 6-1 sets and clinched the match win for the Chargers.

“That was the good thing about the match,” Turner said of the four wins that came out of the third through sixth courts. “It shows that we have a very deep team.”

The Chargers will be on the road this weekend at Purdue Northwest University on Saturday, and then the 5-Star Tennis Club on Sunday to take on Lewis University.

“We have another huge weekend coming up,” Turner said. “Lewis is always one of the best teams in the region, one of the best teams in the nation every year.”

Women's tennis still undefeated after quick match last weekend By | Ryan Goff Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale College Chargers played a dominant 4-0 match at home against Purdue Northwest on Sunday. The win gives the Chargers a 3-0 start in the spring season.

“They were able to play their own games really well, which is what I think enabled us to win the match as quickly as we did,” head coach Nikki Walbright said.

“I was very proud of them for that.”

Three quick wins in doubles sealed the first point of the match for Hillsdale, which were all over within 30 minutes.

In singles, the Chargers shifted up one spot since junior Hannah Cimpeanu, who is usually Hillsdale’s no.

1, didn’t play over the weekend. But the Chargers kept up their doubles momentum.

With everyone sliding up, sophomore Sarah Hackman moved to the no. 1 spot on Sunday, and played up to the challenge in her 6-2, 6-1 win according to Walbright.

“Sarah stepped up really well today. I saw a lot of what we’ve been working on during her matches, so I was definitely very happy with her,” Walbright said. “She adapted really well in her match today.”

Seniors Kamyrn Matthews and Katie Bell also handled their matches efficiently.

Mathews was the first off the court with a straight set 6-0, 6-1 win at no. 3 singles.

Bell won her match by a wide 6-1, 6-2 margin, though she still had to work hard in points.

“It was an intense match, despite the score,” Bell said.

“She gave me a lot of pace. It was actually difficult. I was

just trying to defend more and approach on the shots that I could.I didn’t feel like it was easy. I got angry at times, but no I just tried to approach on what I could do. If I moved her around a bit and then did something defensive and then came in I seemed to do okay.”

But Bell stuck to her gameplan against the pressure from her opponent.

“If I moved her around a bit and then did something defensive and then came in, I seemed to do okay,” Bell said.

With those matches won, the Chargers clinched the match. Freshman Canela Luna was one game ahead in her second set, at no. 4 singles, which ended up being the tightest set of the day.

“Her opponent was trying to bring Canela in at first and then backed off totally and sent up a bunch of moon balls,” Walbright said. “CaneSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16

la had to adjust to that, and I think that’s difficult to do.

I think it was a good test for her.”

Though quick, Bell said a lot of the positives from the match will help when the Chargers play Michigan Tech on Sunday.

“It gave me confidence that I could keep doing what I was doing and be defensive, finish when I could, and still win the match even though she was putting pressure on me,” Bell said. “We’ve got a really hard match coming Sunday and I have to be able to do that.”

The Chargers will host Michigan Tech University on Sunday, Feb. 22 in the Biermann Center. They still have a month left before conference play, but Hillsdale sits in the number one spot in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference rankings.

| hillsdale, mi

score

Purdue Northwest (4-12) Hillsdale (4-0) | hillsdsale, mi Michigan Tech (9-3) vs. Hillsdale (4-0) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

0 4 TIME TBA

Scoreboard

february 16 SINGLES DOUBLES SCORE Purdue Northwest (4-12) 0 0 0 Hillsdale (4-0) 3 3 4

singles scores

1. Sarah Hackman def. Carolina Yepez 2. Katie Bell def. Patricia Dizon 3. Kamryn Matthews vs. Lena Van Bergen 4. Canela Luna vs. Julia Yanes-Barrera 5. Sophia Spinazze vs. Anna Wachowski 6. Tatum Matthews vs. Kelli Canul

6-2, 6-1 6-1, 6-2 6-0, 6-1 6-1, 4-3, unfinished 1-0, unfinished unfinished

doubles score

1. Hackman/Cimpeanu def. Van Bergen/Dizon 2. Bell/Chawner def. Yanes-Barrera/Yepez 3. Matthews/Luna def. Canul/Wachowski

6-0 6-2 6-1

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Coffee and flower arrangemnts on display at SAB’s ‘Get Crafty’ event hosted at Rough Draft. Sofia Krusmark | Collegian

The time I threw glitter on my ninth grade history project How ‘Get Crafty’ reminds us to flourish creatively By | Sofia Krusmark Assistant Editor I’m not a crafty girl — at least I didn’t think I was.

Flashback to ninth grade when I had my first group project. Our teacher tasked us to explore a country and its culture. Aside from volunteering to make Irish doughnuts and volunteering my eightyear old sister to show up and play her fiddle, I decided to glitter our group’s entire poster.

I thought the four-dollar glitter pack served me well — my group thought otherwise.

And so, I went on with my day, ashamed of my mistake and upset the glitter still hadn’t come off my hands.

But, that day also taught me a lesson, a lesson the “Get Crafty” SAB event reminded my 20-year-old self.

Creativity only demands the authenticity of the individual. Nothing more. Nothing less. And it’s inherently valuable.

It was a night of no expectations. We simply showed

up, chose an activity (flower arranging, calligraphy, or card making), and had fun with it. SAB sponsored the nuts, pretzels, and M&Ms. Red, fuschia, yellow, purple, burgundy, and white flowers scattered throughout the room. Soft sounds danced through the speakers, while Ingrid Michaelson’s tunes guided the vibe. It seemed as though a vase exhibition was a go — small vases, thin vases, tall vases were all up for grabs.

Some stayed in the event room, others grabbed an array of flowers and headed over to their own table with friends.

Some people simply sat, evidently reminiscing on people who’d meant a lot to them, and decided to thank them for it in a letter.

For me, it was my roommate who made the night. “I want to go to this,” I said one night in our room. She said she’d join me. Then, she told me she’d taken a floral arranging class in highschool, so she took on the responsibility of teaching me how to make my own arrangement.

“These people have no idea how to arrange flowers,” she said with a laugh.

She made sure I knew how to arrange the flowers, but all the while, she invited me into her creative process by welcoming my own. Fuschia flowers in a yellow arrangement? Perfectly acceptable.

More baby’s breath than needed? It was more than okay.

Sure, creativity is enhanced by talent. We’d be fools to think that the most successful creatives lacked skill and talent. At “Get Crafty” hardly anyone knew what they were doing, and they probably knew that, too. But the truth is this: their creativity was still significant — and necessary — however unskilled it was.

Hallmark and Papyrus can press on with their standard stationary and classic “You Are So Special” puff cards with the lace and cursive.

No doubt, the rushed moms celebrating their husband’s birthday and the “I-donthave-enough-time-to-make-acard” excuses will keep them in business.

But creativity is the deep desire and choice to individually express ourselves. It’s an opportunity, and few choose to take it. Those that do — the crazy artists who weave sky art out of iron, the authors who explore the realms of imagination, or even me with my glitter-stained hands — live in freedom.

This event was a statement in and of itself. It provided space for us to jump onto an opportunity. Each of us there chose to capitalize on who we are as humans. Individual, self-giving, and distinct. After all, we’re created, and thus intended to create.

“Get Crafty,” may have only been an event, but it was one that reminded us of who we are as people. We are individuals who yearn to be known, and not just simply known but known as our authentic selves.

And that just might have shown through in my school poster covered in glitter all those years ago.

Tower Players to present ‘Little Women’ musical By | Carly Fisher Collegian Reporter Looking to escape the doldrums of student life for a few hours to enter a world of family drama, sword fights, and romance?

The Tower Players are presenting Little Women in Markel Auditorium on Feb. 26-29 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday Mar. 1 at 2 p.m.

On this 150th anniversary of the writing of the book, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Christopher Matsos, and Karl Schmidt decided to bring this iconic story to the Hillsdale stage.

“Any legendary story is made better by retelling and any community is made better by the retelling of those stories. Hillsdale deserved its own retelling of Little Women,” said Matsos.

Matsos expressed that he hoped the coming of age story would be relatable to his mostly college-aged audience.

The tale centers on Jo March as she navigates adulthood living in New York City. As Jo attempts to publish a book and forge a new life in the city, she reflects on the sweet times growing up with her sisters.

The musical features a series of vignettes which take the audience back to Jo’s upbringing in Concord, Massachusetts. Audiences will

also enjoy the subplots of Jo’s sisters performing her adventure novels as Jo explains her stories to Professor Bhaer.

Sophomore John Biscaro, who plays Professor Bhaer, said the music makes the play even more compelling as it tells the story in a way that mere dialogue cannot.

Audience members can look forward to numbers like “Astonishing” and “Delighted,” directed by Professor Karl Schmidt and played by a full orchestra.

Costume designer Corinne Landford created 95% of the costuming by hand, all influenced by 19th century dress patterns. Matsos said the costumes are so impressive, they are “ready for any movie.”

Biscaro said though “Little Women” is a female-dominated play, this should not keep male students from attending.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or guy. The story is relatable for both. It’s not a girly story. It’s a story about a family navigating life during the civil war together without a father,” said Biscaro.

Junior Micaela Stiles, who portrays Meg March, says she hopes the play will be a respite for her fellow students.

“I hope it is a fun release to laugh and cry with each other and step away from the harshness of Hillsdale academics for a while,” said Stiles.

(Left to right): Ariannah Gaiser (Amy), Abbey Bohrer (Jo), Michaela Stiles (Meg), Julia Salloum (Beth). Christopher Matsos | Collegian

I went home with ‘The Bachelor’ girls so you didn’t have to By | Haley Strack Collegian Freelancer This week, the Final Four bring Peter home to meet their families — what parents wouldn’t love to meet the man whose claim to fame is breaking 30 hearts?

To kick off hometowns, Peter visits Hannah Ann in Tennessee.

Hannah’s tough-as-nails dad, Rick, works in the lumber industry and has high standards for his daughter’s future husband. Peter tries desperately to prove his worthiness with an axe throwing contest.

After a sad showing of physical strength, Peter makes the target on the 10th try.

Impressive.

In a shocking turn of events, Rick isn’t exactly won over yet. Rick is excited to have Hannah home, but “of course she brought Peter with her, which is [deep breath] “new and exciting, I guess.” Very exciting.

Peter reassures him by saying he’s “thinking about telling Hannah I’m falling in love with her.”

Note the absence of certainty in that statement. I’m sure Rick felt right at ease.

Peter confesses his… affection… and tells Hannah he is “thinking about falling in love” with her.

I’m swooning.

Peter leaves an overjoyed Hannah to pay a visit to his next girlfriend’s family.

We meet Kelsey in Iowa and our day starts out strong — with alcohol. Did we expect anything less from Kelsey?

It appears Kelsey isn’t doing much to curb her alcoholic tendencies, especially when she brings Peter to a winery.

They make their own special bottle and name it “Wine.”

Simple. Eloquent. Creative. I like it.

Peter meets Kelsey’s family and many toasts are said for the happy couple. I see where Kelsey gets it from.

Kelsey tells Peter she’s in love with him — but he seems disinterested.

Either the wine wore off or he’s just not here for it.

Next, we travel to Alabama to meet Madison at her alma-mater, Auburn University.

Madison’s father is a basketball coach at the school and she was an athlete herself. Naturally, she’s excited to introduce Peter to her athletic world, but Peter isn’t your typical sporty bachelor.

So, when Charles Barkley, a retired NBA player and host of ‘Inside the

NBA,’ greets the couple, things get awkward. If you don’t at least recognize Barkley’s name, you’ve either been living under a rock or reading too much Aristotle.

In Peter’s case it must be the former (I doubt he ponders the good), because he seems confused at first. Once Madison identifies Barkley, Peter’s thrilled, but the momentary lapse in recognition is embarrassing enough.

The pair join together for basketball drills with head coach at Auburn, Bruce Pearl and suffice to say, Peter is comically awful.

Madison absolutely wrecks him in one-onone, which (I guess) is an attractive quality in a potential husband?

We meet Madison’s family and her parents are concerned about the couple’s values moving forward. Madison hasn’t told Peter that she’s waiting until marriage… and barring details, we are well aware that Peter’s past hasn’t exactly been, well, chaste.

Fantasy suites should be fun next week.

Last, but certainly not least, Peter meets Victoria F. in Virginia Beach. The only good part of the date is when Victoria brings her dog to meet Peter.

Coincidentally, Peter runs into an ex on the beach who says he deserves better than “what he’s on a date with right now.” Considering that Peter deserves very, very little, that’s an audacious statement.

He investigates further, only to find that Victoria has a reputation for breaking up relationships.

Based on her drama-free demeanor, I never saw that one coming.

When Peter confronts Victoria, she runs away.

Peter leaves without meeting her family and we head into a rose ceremony.

Let’s get this straight — Peter is falling in love with three out of four women, met three families, and can see three strong futures. Peter isn’t in love with one girl, didn’t meet one family, and knows there is no future with said girl.

But akin to Bachelor style, Peter gives that one girl a rose, and sends Kelsey home.

I don’t know if Peter’s goal in life is to drive me clinically insane, but he’s succeeding.

In preparation for next week, I encourage you all to raise a glass for poor Kelsey (she sure will), and get ready for Victoria’s next tirade.

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‘On Pine Knoll Street’: touching story, vulgar presentation By | Elizabeth Bachmann Assistant Editor The lights come up on a modest house, in which a rather large man stands, chin jutted, mouth opened, eyes bulging, his face only two, perhaps three, inches away from one of many swirling pink, purple, and blue impressionist paintings hanging on the wall. This is Curtis.

“He’s mesmerized.”

Now this is Thelma, played

by Anne Connors.

She is a feisty but aging woman suffering in the early stages of dementia. This first line, launched the audience into the world premiere of the play “On Pine Knoll Street,” by Mark Cornell. The play ran at the Sauk Theater in Jonesville Feb. 7-16.

This first scene sets the tone of the play: unnecessary vulgarity. The paintings Curtis stares at are by Marlyn, Thelma’s daughter. They are, in fact, of female genitalia, and they cover every wall on the set. In quick succession, this opening scene whacks the audience over the head with crude sexual jokes and innuendos that just barely wane as the play unfolds.

If you can get past this first scene, “On Pine Knoll Street” follows Thelma’s relationship with her 40-year-old, unmarried daughter Marlyn, portrayed by MJ Dulmage, who she’s forced to live with as her dementia worsens. In the first scene, the age old battle between the will of mother and daughter, worsened by Thelma’s belligerence and frustration at her condition, commences as Marlyn

prepares for a trip to Florida with her book club. In this first scene Marlyn gives next door neighbor Curtis, played by director Trinity Bird, in whose care she leaves Thelma, meticulous instructions on how to care for her mother and administer her daily meds.

The story then follows the growing companionship between Thelma and Curtis, who actually pays attention to her — in stark contrast with Maryln who often answers her mother with a snarky “Ok, mom,” and a sign of frustration.

Thelma and Curtis get along handsomely.

Unfortunately, much of the beauty of the human connections formed during the play are overshadowed by its pervasive vulgarity and empty humanism.

A major plot point is that Thelma, due to her daughter’s crudely eclectic decor and her cats — also named after female genetalia — believes Marlyn is gay, and is offended that she won’t “come out to her own mother.”

Throughout the play, Thelma teases and wheedles her daughter about her sexuality, and refuses to believe that Marlyn is straight despite her constant protestations.

Marlyn, a grown woman of 50, finally yells at her mother about the “earth-shattering” sexual relations she had with a man in order to convince her that she is straight. This moment marks the shift between the two women; suddenly they ‘understand’ each other.

Within the context of the play, this moment is clearly supposed to represent a great healing between the women.

They laugh and cry a little bit and then continue on. Thelma

Cast Members of ‘On Pine Knoll Street’ performed at the Jonesville Sauk Theater. Courtesy | Patrick Cook

is happy for her daughter’s sexual conquests.

But the dryness of this relational climax is especially highlighted by Curtis’s character. Whether intentionally or

Does an outfit expire?

An in-depth examination of the phenomenon that plagues all college women, ages 18 to 22 By | Victoria Marshall Assistant Editor It’s just after 4 p.m. as I stumble across the threshold of my off-campus house, drop my bags, pour myself a glass of water, and look at my reflection in the mirror.

My gosh. I look like one of those flying monkeys from the “Wizard of Oz.” Hair bedraggled, shirt wrinkled, pants baggy, makeup smudged.

“Did I look like this the whole day?” I ask myself, horrified.

I think back to how my outfit looked earlier that morning: my hair was neat and wavy, my shirt ironed, my pants—the perfect fit, and my skin close to airbrushed.

Did I fall into a black hole in the time between leaving and coming back? How did this happen?

I have a theory. All outfits expire roughly around 1:59 p.m. EST. Don’t ask me how, or why, it just happens—time and time again. Maybe it’s the law of entropy. Or perhaps it’s God’s way of teaching our naive, optimistic souls the transitory nature of life on earth and the material world.

But actually, it’s probably the law of entropy.

I mean what do you expect from a day full of fidgeting throughout your classes due to your mom-jeans cinching you in all the wrong places, panicking as you try to rub the salad dressing stain from lunch off your blouse, and laughing so hard with your friends that your mascara runs, leaving you looking like a raccoon? That’s a typical day-in-the-life for a Hillsdale female, which unfortunately, is at the cost of looking chic.

Also, the riskier the outfit, the shorter its lifespan. I put an outfit together at 9 a.m., I feel good about it. It’s on the creative side, sure, but I’m a trailblazer. Four comments and two exposing zippers later, however, by approximately 11:59 a.m. EST I am a sweaty mess with the confidence of a pimply, pre-pubescent teen. I must change and retreat into safety—the safety of predictability and what I know looks good.

As there is no end in sight to this unfortunate phenomenon that plagues all peoples (I’m being inclusive here—but do men actually suffer from this??), I propose a remedy: Go home and change.

unintentionally, Cornell’s Curtis presents an alternative to Thelma and Marlyn’s starved relationship.

Curtis seems gifted in his ability to quickly pene-

Midday, when you’re about to get that itch (at approximately 1:58 p.m. EST), and your self-esteem is on the precipice of plummeting, bite the bullet and walk back to your house or dorm, make yourself a cup of tea, take off your wrinkled sweater, brush your hair, and freshen up.

Trust me, this is a form of self-care. A time to reexamine yourself, your day, and your priorities. It’s a time to boost your self-esteem and make sure you’ll conquer the next half of the day while looking and feeling your best.

This is nothing but an exercise in self-respect. We are physical beings, therefore the way we look and feel affects our spirits. As you change into something that’s new and wipe the mascara off your face, you are telling yourself that you respect yourself enough to constantly be taking care of your body (not just in the mornings and evenings, but also in the middle of your day), and that this is worth it.

So, do all outfits expire?

Yes. But rather than throw in the towel, let’s use this as an opportunity to take care of ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Culture Corner: Playing in the snow If you haven’t seen the

time to play in the snow.

push off from the top of

snow, you’re living in a lie.

Trade your ID in for some

the hill. “I’m only here for

And if you haven’t played

cross-country skis and

four years,” says the Arizo-

in the snow, you’re missing

exercise with your best

nan, the Californian, the

out on a dream. It’s cloudy

friends. Or, go night sled-

Hawaiian. It’s true – so take

outside, but the snow is

ding. You don’t even need a advantage of the loads of

still out— and it’s the ideal

sled. Slip on trash bag and

snow while you can.

trate Thelma’s cantankerous cynicality, persuading her to dance for him on their first afternoon together. In this truly beautiful scene, Connors captures the misty nostalgia of

an eldery and rapidly declining woman as she trapses the familiar mental paths of her youth.

In a brave choice, Bird blocked the scene without music. Thus, as Thelma dances, pitifully and beautifully, in a silence only broken by her own ghostly whisper of a forgotten tune, the audience sees double.

There is Thelma as she is now, broken and shuffling, but superimposed over this temporal reality is Thelma as she once was and as she, in this moment, believes herself to be: young, happy, beautiful, noticed.

This is Curtis’ magic.

As we learn more about Curtis, we discover that his son Mitchell is severely mentally disabled. Curtis is a writer and a stay at home dad because, while his wife can’t even bear to be alone with her own child, Curtis can handle Mitchell.

In one of the more profound moments of the play Curtis and his wife have a fight. His wife decides to leave him after having what looks like a panic attack over all the stress of her job, her relationship, but, most of all, her inability to interact with her son. In response, Curtis reveals something of his philosophy.

“You have to enter into [Mitchell’s] world.”

You have to play with him, eat with him, run and jump with him, he says. In short you have to experience the world through his eyes.

In this moment, the audience realizes that this is how Curtis relates to every-

one in the play, and why he is so unexplainably likable in his blandness; he becomes a mirror into which other characters project themselves.

Through this, the audience can understand the other characters better. In doing so, Curtis, too, comes to understand, and then to love the people around him.

Bird’s directorial and acting choices further highlight Curtis’s self-sacrifice. When Mitchell begins to jump up and down uncontrollably — a symptom of his disability — Curtis, a large man, takes his own advice and jumps with him despite his injured back.

He gets down on his knees before his wife to calm her during her panic attack. He physically supports Thelma constantly as she shuffles around her house. The physical strain of his actions were subtly visible on Bird’s face, as he disregarded his own comfort to best carry the burdens of others.

This, of course, explains why Thelma immediately relates to him, and why he is so self-assured in caring for her as she continues to decline.

This is why he also becomes the saving, stable force as relationships constantly fluctuate, break down, and reform.

Ultimately, in spite of the startling vulgarity and the characters and relationships that starve on a vacant humanism, Curtis provides a light. He shows that to serve is to empty oneself in order to be filled with the burdens of another. And, to do so, is to love them truly and fully.

Houses for Rent for 2020-2021 The following houses are for rent for the 2020-2021 school year: · 85 East Fayette Street - This is a very spacious, partially furnished, five-bedroom, one and one-half bath Victorian that is one and one half blocks from campus.

It is centrally air conditioned, has a large eat-in-kitchen with a garbage disposal and dishwasher, separate dining room, living room, parlor, large front porch, deck off of the back, unattached one-car garage, unfinished basement useful for storage, and is equipped with a washer and dryer. The rent is $450 per student per month based upon five student occupants. Available immediately. · 173 West Street – This is a partially furnished three-bedroom, one bath Victorian that is only two blocks from campus. It has a separate dining room, living room, and unfinished basement that can be used for storage and is equipped with a washer and dryer.

The rent is $435.00 per student per month based upon three student occupants. A fourth student may be added at a reduced rate if desired. Available August 1, 2020. · 171 West Street – This is a three bedroom, one bath Victorian that is two blocks from Campus. It has a living room, den, eat-in-kitchen, and an unfinished basement available for storage that is equipped with a washer and dryer. The rent is $405 per student per month based upon three student occupants. A fourth student may be added at a reduced rate if desired. Available August 1, 2020.

If you are interested please call Berry LeCompte at: 850 736-8421(home); 847 381-2514 (office) 847 8094843 (cell phone), 847 809-4829 (cell phone) or email at cblecompte@aol.com.

Features

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Professor Kátia Sherman holding Professor Carmen Wyatt-Hayes’ missing cat Mici. Courtesy | Carmen Wyatt-Hayes

Hillsdale’s first female athletes: Are they just ‘feminine dollies’?

By | Callie Shinkle Columnist Following National Girls and Women in Sports Day, I decided to take a look back into Hillsdale’s history of female athletics.

The Collegian archives never disappoint, and this time was no exception.

In 1965, the newspaper premiered its first “women in sports” themed column.

Dedicated to celebrating team wins, advertising intramural opportunities, and announcing team tryouts, the “Sports in Shorts” column had a stupendous effect on athletic opportunities for women.

However, as with much of Collegian history, the column had a few snafus.

For starters, the column was originally called “Feminine Dollies.” Not the most ringing endorsement for increased female athletic participation, but it’s just a title that we can read past, right?

However, the content of the column had its low points too.

Take Feb. 24, 1966. The column said, “Although this isn’t exactly classified as girls’ sports, I would like to mention the basketball team.

When this goes to press, they will have one game left against Michigan Lutheran Feb. 26 and then on to the tournaments.”

The writer then proceeded to dedicate over half the column to the men’s basketball team.

In a similar spirit, on April 20, 1967, the entire column was an advertisement for cheerleading team tryouts. I’m

not saying cheerleaders aren’t athletic. I’ve watched Netflix’s “Cheer,” so I’ve seen stunts for the ages.

However, I just don’t know that a team whose existence depended on cheering for a male team deserved all the attention in this column. The synchronized swimming team must have had an update that week.

Yes, you heard me right: Hillsdale used to have an all-female synchronized swimming team.

On March 17, 1967 “Sports in Shorts” read, “The synchronized swimmers are still meeting every Wednesday night at 7:30 in the field house under the direction of Miss Nelson and Jody Schmitt.”

This team continued to perform and compete well into the late 1970s, and Hillsdale even offered a credited course in the discipline at one point.

As I continued to read “Sports in Shorts,” I found that some of the content issues were not the fault of the authors, but of Hillsdale’s facilities.

On Oct. 6, 1996 the author advertised a volleyball game, writing, “Be sure to wear your red flannels— still no heat in the gym, you know. To boot, the floor is being revamped and the ladies are waiting patiently.”

In that same article, the column reads, “The swimming pool won’t be open (unless it’s for ice skating) until the boilers are hooked up.”

Somehow Hillsdale’s athletic facilities managed to have damaged air, land, and water

all at once. I almost have to commend them.

While the humorous ironies of the column jumped out at me, I must recognize the awesome outlet it provided for female Hillsdale athletes.

On Dec. 2, 1965, the column read, “With snowflakes falling on Hillsdale the women’s sports interests have moved into the Field House.

Their program for the remainder of the semester includes basketball, badminton, swimming and volleyball.”

This demonstrates the high number of opportunities for women at the time.

In addition, the column reported on the first basketball game played by a women’s travel team.

On Feb.16, 1967 the author wrote, “After only practicing for a week, the women’s basketball team lost their first game against Concordia Lutheran Jr. College.”

While the report of the loss is unfortunate, “Sports in Shorts” shows Hillsdale’s dedication to increasing female participation in athletics at a time when many colleges were not making this push.

Hillsdale’s commitment to this cause dates far before this column’s founding. For instance, Hillsdale has offered intramural women’s basketball since 1920, according to The Collegian.

While the delivery was flawed at times, “Sports in Shorts” is a good showcase of Hillsdale’s continued dedication to education and wellness for all of its students.

Hillsdale’s synchronized swimming team practices for a performance in 1976. Collegian Archives

Fountain pens

from B4 came to appreciate the art of handwriting and its tactile nature. He paid more attention to the practice of physically writing things down and to the appearance of his handwriting, even as these things became less appreciated in the culture at large.

Lindley also noticed that we relate to our own writing differently when we form the words by hand rather than just typing them on a computer.

“If you use your body, not just your mind, to make the letters, it gets into you in a different way, and you relate to it more as a whole person,” he said. “I find that I actually write more humanely and better prose when I write by hand, which is why I write out all my papers by hand and then

type them up.”

His prose is slower but “has more flavor.” It may look the same on a page, but handwriting ultimately feels better to him.

Besides, handwriting is more personal than digital writing, and it helps people connect. This is why Lindley handwrites all of his comments on student papers and why he handwrites a poem to his wife every Valentine’s Day. While Lindley’s father gave him his first fountain pen when he graduated from college, Franklin was just beginning his career in higher education when he encountered this new way of writing. Franklin’s mother, an author, bought herself a fountain pen when she published and sold her first book. She purchased her pen from Pelikan, a German company, and the pen was made in West Germany

before the Berlin Wall came down.

Years later, Franklin’s mother gave it to him when he became a college professor.

“She handed it down to me and said, ‘You’re going to do a lot of writing. Here’s my old fountain pen.’ It’s an heirloom,” he said.

Franklin said he only used the pen for a year or two. He didn’t love the blue ink that came with the pen.

But a couple of years ago, his mother bought him some more pens and ink for Christmas.

“That was the end of it all for me,” Franklin said.

Now, he keeps a variety of fountain pens and nibs — the point of the pen which transfers ink to paper — in his office. Franklin dedicates an entire shelf to displaying his multi-colored collection of inks. One of his drawers is full of pens, some of

Hillsdale professor to combat feral cat problem by opening shelter in her backyard Professor of Spanish Carmen Wyatt-Hayes recently stumbled onto a problem plaguing Hillsdale County.

She was still in the process of transitioning her cat, Mici, from an outdoor to an indoor cat when he went missing. It wasn’t the first time that Mici hadn’t come home at night after being let out to roam during the day, so Wyatt-Hayes wasn’t worried. That is, not until she began talking to her neighbors.

“I went and talked to my nextdoor neighbor. They were missing three cats,” Wyatt-Hayes said. “And so I went to their next-door neighbor, and I was surprised to see on the porch two live traps baited with cat food. So I spoke to the gentleman, and he said, ‘Yes, I’ve been trapping cats, there are too many in the neighborhood. I’ve trapped seven.’”

As she continued digging, Wyatt-Hayes realized the sad reality of the situation.

Wyatt-Hayes found out someone else, one street over, was also trapping cats: a network of trappers, according to her. “The unfortunate thing I found out that day is that, according to Hillsdale ordinances, dogs have rights, but because cats roam, they have no more standing than a raccoon or a possum. So in essence, you could do just about

anything to a cat,” she said.

Wyatt-Hayes realized this problem looms larger than her own personal loss.

“That’s why it’s so important to see what we can do about reducing the number of feral cats,” Wyatt-Hayes said. “Because it is true that Hillsdale has many feral cats.”

Assistant Professor Kátia Sherman became aware of the problem almost immediately after moving to Hillsdale. When she arrived about three years ago, her next-door neighbor’s house was foreclosed and they had skipped town.

“They left behind a very large feral colony,” Sherman said. “I was either going to take care of them, or I was going to see them starve and get scattered. So, I got everybody neutered and spayed and have been feeding them and caring for their health ever since.”

Sherman’s cat collection has only grown. She now takes care of a total of 27 cats, as well as her dog Lucy.

“I learned about myself that I can’t turn cats away.

So I decided, ‘Well, I know the need is great. I have to find a solution for this,’” Sherman said. “If they want a cat to get out of their property, they can trap them, but there is no need to kill these cats.”

Upon finding out that Hillsdale’s Humane Society is both underfunded and overwhelmed, Sherman realized she had only one

reasonable option: to build a shelter herself.

“I was able to purchase an empty lot immediately behind my house, so that is where the shelter is going to go,” Sherman said. “As soon as the building is up, we are going to become a fully licensed shelter in the state of Michigan. We are eventually going to file for nonprofit status, so we can ask for contributions from the community.”

Sherman believes that her “no-kill” shelter will have a profound impact on the community and provide a solution for the spreading feral cat population in Hillsdale.

“A big component of what I want to do is not only to rehabilitate these cats, socialize them, and get them adopted into good families, but to offer outreach to the community,” Sherman said. “I want people to know that they can have their pets, whether they are indoor or outdoor cats, neutered and spayed.

We will cover the costs, we will offer transportation, and we will even trap them if need be.”

Professor of Spanish Sandra Puvogel explained: “Dr. Sherman is well aware of the important role our pets play in our lives and is devoted to making life better for all animals. This proposed shelter would be a great help to our community, both for the felines and the humans who love them.”

which he gives to students who want to try them out.

It’s one way he shares his love of this elegant writing instrument with others.

Franklin is particularly drawn to the vibrant colors of ink and potential for customization.

“There are waterproof inks, archival and fade-resistant inks,” he said. “You can leave a permanent record if you’re careful about your pen and ink.”

There are hundreds of different kinds of fountain pens, nibs, and inks. Franklin also said different inks tend to work better with different kinds of paper. It’s a learning process that requires some trial-and-error to navigate.

“It’s a little slower, and that’s probably good for us to slow down,” he said. “I’m relearning cursive for that reason.”

Franklin will admit his

hobby perhaps borders on obsessive, but we all need hobbies like that, he said.

He watches YouTube videos, especially from Brian Goulet, whom Franklin describes as “the American pope of fountain pens.”

Goulet’s videos feature reviews, comparisons between different pens, and FAQs. “You could spend a full-time job keeping up with the fountain pen social media world,” Franklin said.

“But I try not to — that’s a rabbit hole.”

Like Franklin, senior Elyssa Warren received a fountain pen from her mother freshmen year of college. But to this day, she doesn’t know why her mother bought it for her.

“I didn’t ask why. She had bought herself one, and she sent me one out of the blue,” Warren said. “I had to know how to not wreck it, so I turned to the internet. But

the internet consumed me, and now I have four pens.”

Franklin, Lindley, and Warren all prefer fountain pens to ballpoint pens because they are not disposable. The only thing you will be throwing away, Lindley said, is the occasional ink jar.

“I came to dislike the throwaway culture, which defines so much of American consumerism,” Lindley said. “It’s less expensive, and I throw away far less.”

Franklin’s love for fountain pens shows no sign of waning even after four years. He carries five of them in a small leather pouch wherever he goes, and his colleagues have noticed.

“Dr. Bart said there was this leather thing peeking out of my pocket. She said it looked like I was packing,” Franklin said. “But it’s not a gun. Just a fountain pen.”

By | Christian Peck-Dimit Collegian Reporter

Features

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

February 20, 2020

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Top left: John Somerville with his father in Mokpo, South Korea. Bottom left: Somerville and his brother visited the childhood home of Kim Il Sung in North Korea. Right: Somerville at his parents’ home in the ’80s. Courtesy | John Somerville

Quick Hits: John Somerville A weekly interview

John Somerville is a professor of English. This interview was conducted and compiled by Tracy Wilson and has been edited for length and clarity.

What is one memory from your childhood that stands out to you? The event I recall took place during the South Korean student revolution in 1960. My brother, my friends, and I were coming home from school, which was on the other side of Seoul from our house. A Korean man we called Kimpsi was driving the Land Rover we were in. We were downtown near the city hall and suddenly we were surrounded by a large crowd of protestors, all young men, probably university students.

Some had rocks in their hands. Many had tied cloths around their heads. Our driver told us to get down and he slowly, safely maneuvered through the crowd. We lived near the center of the city at that time, so I saw quite a few demonstrations and smelled a lot of tear gas. If you could pick a poet to write an epic about you, who would you choose? Homer. Which character from the Great Gatsby do you find the most

interesting? Oh my goodness, they’re all troubled. I think Nick Carraway, the narrator, is the most interesting figure in the book. The focus, of course, is on Gatsby, but if we draw back for a moment, we find ourselves watching this narrator, a character who is equally the focus of the novel. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up? A major league baseball player.

I wanted to be short-stop for the Los Angeles Dodgers. All I thought about was baseball.

But I was in Korea. We didn’t have a baseball team at our missionary boarding school, but one year my dad decided he would coach. He’d been a great high school player. His team won the state championship in his senior year. He could pitch with either hand.

We were all Americans, but we weren’t that good. Our first game, I think we lost 31-2 to a Korean high school team.

They let us score at the end so we could save face. I think my father finally went out and said to their coach, “Stop it, get it over with.” What’s one life-changing experience you had that you’ll always

remember? The most vivid memory is when our triplets were born ten weeks premature. They were vulnerable and fragile. Katherine in the first or second week had three major surgeries and almost died, and Elizabeth suffered cardiac arrest. The fact that they’re still around is miraculous. There are things in life that we learn pretty easily, and other things that we learn through suffering. God, I believe, is always in control, even in the hard times. One of my favorite verses is Ecclesiastes 7:14: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other.” What’s the funniest prank you’ve ever pulled on someone? When I was a freshman in college, there was a thing we would do called “pennying in.” The dorm room doors would open into the room, so we would come to the door on the outside and someone would push really hard and we would put a stack of pennies between the door and the frame so that when you released it, the person inside couldn’t open the door.

We did this to my friend,

To the point:

Fountain pens, writing experience highlight importance of handwriting By | Nolan Ryan Editor-In-Chief When Kelly Franklin received his first fountain pen from his mother, he had no idea of the obsessive hobby it would spark.

Franklin, assistant professor of English, said he has seen a notable rise in fountain pen use and sales over the last decade or so.

At one point, many fountain pen and ink companies were “teetering on the brink of extinction,” he said, but now, people of all different backgrounds have come to embrace the alternative writing implement.

Fountain pens are, as Franklin puts it, no longer just found in the desks of CEOs, only to be used for signing important documents. Even big-box stores like Meijer or Walmart carry these pens now. Indeed, sales are rising globally.

According to a 2016 article from Euromonitor International, the United States was the fourth-highest market for fountain pen sales in 2015.

A fair amount of students on Hillsdale’s campus use fountain pens. One of them, junior Christopher Van Scoy, bought himself a fountain pen in his junior year of high school and never looked back. Van Scoy loves the feel of a fountain pen, saying it’s easier on the wrist and smoother for writing.

But users embrace the fountain pen for more than its utility.

Our culture, Franklin believes, has lost something in the rush to digitize. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gollum forgot the sound of trees, he said, and humans aren’t far off.

“We’ve forgotten the feel of paper and the feel of pens and pencils,” Franklin said.

Similarly, Associate Professor of English Dwight Lindley thinks that the previous decline in fountain pen use is connected to a continuing disregard for the importance of handwriting.

Lindley said with the advent of email, people don’t handwrite letters to each other anymore.

“Messages we send to each other are usually electronic, so people only write if they’re forced to,” he said. “People are just fine with maintaining a utilitarian, chicken-scratch style of handwriting.”

Lindley received his first fountain pen as a gift from his father upon graduating from college.

“I think he understood that I had certain Luddite tendencies and appreciated old-fashioned things,” Lindley said.

From there, Lindley See Fountain pens B3

Bill, who had a room on the second floor. We pennied him in just before dinner. Maybe twenty minutes later, as we were eating, Bill came into the cafeteria looking disheveled and kind of wrecked. It turns out he’d jumped out of his second-floor window into the snow, then come on to dinner.

He must’ve been hungry. I thought that was funny. Even after that, we were friends, and he ended up being best man at my wedding. Do you have any strange phobias?

Bats. That’s not strange, that’s understandable. When we first came to Hillsdale, we were in a house that we didn’t realize at the time was infested with bats. I had some bad experiences with bats. I wrote about them, and that way I attained a kind of therapy. Have you ever met any celebrities? The Evangelist Billy Graham was my uncle. He was married to my mother’s sister. I was also once in a tent with Donald and Melania Trump, and Mike and Karen Pence. Rudy Giuliani was there too. That was a large tent, actually, at my uncle’s funeral. I’ve met some others. Have you heard of Larry Arnn? Did you go through

any interesting fashion phases as a young adult? I used to have long hair. All my years growing up my hair was short, but when I went to Boy Scout camp after my eighth grade year, my hair got a little longer. My mom wanted to cut it. But I made a little jerk of myself and got upset with her, so she said “okay,” and it kept growing. I just liked it that way. Also, when I first came to Hillsdale, I would wear a tie. One day I was walking home from school, carrying a briefcase and wearing my tie. A group of boys were kneeling by the sidewalk, playing with what appeared to be a pile of dirt. They stopped and stared at me, then one of them said, “Hey Mister, are you a detective?” I also prefer to go barefoot in the summer.

If you could ghostwrite for an author, who would it be?

I wouldn’t want to ghostwrite, but if I could write like any modern writer, it would be either Joan Didion or John Jeremiah Sullivan. Which fictional city would you most like to live in? The town of Jefferson in William Faulkner’s fiction, in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. A lot of weird,

horrible things happened there. It would be kind of cool to walk through that town and see where it all happened. If you could only keep 3 books, what would they be? Of course, the Bible. Three other books that are indispensable are “The Sound and the Fury”

by William Faulkner, “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve ever written?

My essay I wrote about visiting North Korea. Also, my essay on animal intruders. I prefer to write more personal, occasional essays. What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you? I wish my students, who sometimes suffer under me, knew that I truly do love them and want them to do well. I want to be friends, but that’s not what they’re paying me for. I’m never happy if I have to assign a grade to a student that I know they’ll get sad about, or even cry. That’s the hardest part of my job. After forty years, you’d think, “What does he care?”

But still, the sting of that. I really do love them and want them to excel.

Dear Dale, I don’t have time to do my readings for class, so I often rely on online summaries. Is this cheating?

-Worried Will It happens to the best of us — five papers due, three exams coming up, extracurricular and social expectations rising. It all seems like too much to ever accomplish, and then you suddenly remember an easy way to save time: skip reading assignments and pull up SparkNotes.

While certainly a useful tool for review and understanding the material, using only summaries violates a few ethical principles. As students at Hillsdale, we chose to sign the Honor Code, committing yourself to be “honorable in conduct” and “dutiful in study.” Relying only on others’ summaries is not quite living up to that promise.

Consider working on your time management skills. Is your schedule as efficient as it could be? Keep a time diary and thoroughly evaluate what you are doing with each hour of your day. Reworking your sched-

-Dale

ule may free up time that you didn’t even know you had, allowing you to complete more of your readings.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to make these judgment calls, but keep in mind what is truly in your best interests. You’re putting a lot of time, effort, and money into getting your degree, and at least a part of that is because you want an education. Are you truly learning and appreciating cultural masterpieces just by reading someone else’s bullet-point analysis?

The word “school” comes from the Greek word for “leisure” because only those with free time were fortunate enough to receive an education.

Don’t let the stress of school make you forget how lucky you are to be here. If you don’t get the most out of it you possibly can, the person you’re really cheating is yourself.

To submit questions to Dear Dale, contact The Collegian on social media or email cabbo@hillsdale.edu.