Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
Vol. 143 Issue 1 - August 28, 2019
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Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn speaks at freshman convocation. External Affairs
Incoming freshmen break academic records By | Rachel Kookogey Assistant Editor Once again, the incoming freshmen are the highest-performing class in Hillsdale College history. On paper, the Class of 2023 has the strongest academic profile, according to the Admissions Department’s preliminary numbers. The freshmen — 186 men and 178 women — have an average high school GPA of 3.91, up from last year’s 3.89. Their average ACT score, 31, was significantly higher than the previous record of 30.26 in 2017. As Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said in his Freshman Convocation speech, the incoming class is full of “ambitious, active
students.” But Arnn also reminded the freshmen that the Hillsdale experience is much different from — and harder than — other schooling. “It’s not practical to come here,” Arnn said. “You have to take yourself out of the world for four years. You have to make it with your whole heart, or else go somewhere easier.” The 364 members of the Class of 2023 fit in the college’s goal range of 360380 students per class. The admission rate tied last year’s all-time low of 37%, a number which Senior Director of Admissions Zack Miller said can be attributed to the growing interest in Hillsdale from
around the country. “We haven’t changed the type of student that we are recruiting,” Miller said. “What has changed is Hillsdale’s popularity across the country and the number of interested students in a classical liberal arts education. Because there are no other schools like Hillsdale out there, we’re seeing more students want to attend.” Although the percentage of students from Michigan was not as low as last year’s record of 25%, it remained lower than percentages from the previous seven years at just 29%. The remaining 71% of the class comes from 37 other states and 8 other countries. Miller said that while interest and experiences of
incoming classes vary, they all share the college’s values. “Even though the academic profile of those students has increased over the last five years, what hasn’t changed is their commitment to Hillsdale’s mission, desire to pursue a rigorous classical liberal arts education, and excitement to involve themselves in our campus community,” he said. Freshman Kate Lawson reiterated Miller’s point, saying that she was attracted to Hillsdale because of the college’s commitment to their mission. “Because my high school was affiliated with Hillsdale, I got to experience a bit of the college through my school
City council to vote on proposed rent-controlled apartment complex
By | Julia Mullins City News Editor More than a year and a half ago, an Ohio-based development company approached the city of Hillsdale about a building project for a new 50-unit apartment complex at the corner of Westwood and North West streets. At the next city council meeting on Sept. 4, members will vote on a Payment in Lieu of Taxes for the proposed rent-controlled Wells Apartments. Tom Grywalski, the co-founder and principal of Spire Development and Spire Consulting, said the PILOT is one part of the developer’s application process in order to receive project approval from Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The PILOT is one way of calculating real estate taxes by tying the property taxes Spire pays to the amount of revenue the property brings in.
and my teachers,” Lawson said. “So every other school I visited I was comparing to Hillsdale, and I found that no other school I went to stated its mission as clearly, and followed through as deeply on it, as Hillsdale does.” Freshman Nathaniel Balet said that when he visited, he was impressed with how different Hillsdale was from other schools and how helpful the people were. “I talked to my admissions representative Victoria Watson a lot,” Balet said. “She was great. As she was going to Philadelphia, she even came out of her way to come to my school that is in the middle of nowhere in west Pennsylvania.”
Balet added that his campus tour guide, senior Isaac Johnson, was “the best tour guide I’d ever had.” “Isaac made me realize that most colleges nowadays are more like a business, but Hillsdale is not that,” Balet said. Lawson said her experience with a former Hillsdale professor was just an example of the care that Hillsdale faculty and staff show their students. “I asked Dr. Sam Negus questions about the college before my first visit, and in response to my one question, he organized my entire visit for me. And that’s just one example of what Hillsdale people will do, whether or not they are in Hillsdale.”
Students dance to one of the student bands at Welcome Party. Anna-Katherine Daley | SAB
Hillsdale’s City Zoning Administrator Alan Beeker said approval of the PILOT would give Spire the go-ahead to complete the application process to receive tax credit by the state’s Oct. 1 deadline. Only one-third of applicants in Michigan will receive a tax credit from the state. The PILOT is essential to meeting Spire’s goal of “de-rent burdening” people in the community by making the taxes on the property reasonable enough to control market rents. Grywalski said Wells Apartments would not be subsidized or Section 8 Housing. Instead, local banks would invest in the project through a federal tax credit. Under the Community Reinvestment Act, which was passed by the federal government in 1977, banks are required to See Apartment A4
New student booklet emphasizes proper student conduct, details sexual assault policies By | Nolan Ryan Editor-in-Chief Hillsdale College has published a new student handbook on the purpose of academics, the importance of civility, and rules of conduct. The booklet, titled “Being a Student at Hillsdale College,” features 22 pages on questions such as “Why Do We Study?” and “What Kind of People Are We Trying to Be?” Appendices list rules and policies for students. The booklet is intended to help students and their parents understand “the necessary nature of the partnership between students, parents, and faculty/staff,” according to Dean of Men Aaron Petersen. Petersen said the college wanted to emphasize the Honor Code and college policies. The rules in the new booklet have previously been published in the course catalogs and student planners. For the freshmen, Petersen Follow @HDaleCollegian
said, the new booklet is a way to set them up for their time at Hillsdale, and for upperclassmen, it could serve as a good reminder. “The booklet provides a compilation of our policies and practices into a unified and accessible resource,” Petersen said in an email. “It just made sense to put it all together in a handsome and helpful way.” As part of an ongoing plan to reinforce the goals behind the Honor Code, the booklet was published after the school released a video about the Honor Code this summer. The booklet was distributed to freshmen on Sunday, and copies are still available in the deans’ offices. Petersen said his office is working with student leaders to determine ways to circulate the publication more widely. The booklet lists 17 rules on “proper student conduct.” These rules — which
The new booklet includes a note to student parents, definitions of sexual misconduct, and other resources for students. Regan Meyer | Collegian
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Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn referenced in his speech at this year’s freshman convocation — have been a focus of the college for years, according to Petersen. Arnn, in his speech, said that the Honor Code is meant to beckon students. “It doesn’t restrict; it elevates,” Arnn said, adding that rules are supposed to be what we use when things go wrong. Petersen noted that the booklet begins with the fundamental goals and proper approach to being a Hillsdale student. Later on, it deals with the processes to be used “when a student breaks from his or her commitments as a student,” Petersen said. One of the appendices details policies on sexual misconduct. Petersen said that last year, a number of students asked the college to “provide more information
on sexual misconduct.” The appendix comes after the administration announced last semester that it would provide more training on sexual assault prevention and reporting during orientation and in other programs. “Any sexual assault — the imposition of sexual acts upon someone unwilling at the time to participate — is not only a gross failure to govern oneself, but violates the rights and dignity of victim, the standards of the Honor Code, and the basis of membership in the College,” the booklet says. The section also details the process for reporting sexual assault to college administrators, police, and counselors, as well how such reporting may be kept confidential. The booklet contains two other sections which deal with guidelines for parties, alcohol, and the processes for student discipline. Look for The Hillsdale Collegian