Hillsdale Collegian 2.22.18

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Vol. 141 Issue 19 - February 22, 2018

www.hillsdalecollegian.com Peyton Bowen achieves season best time, coming in 9th place in the 100 butterfly at Conference on Thursday Feb. 15th. Brad Heeres | Courtesy

Swim team takes second in its first-ever G-MAC By | Katherine Scheu Associate Editor When sophomore Bailey Bickerstaff asked her fellow swimmers to bow their heads Wednesday, she ushered her teammates into a moment of calm reflection just before the Chargers began to compete at the G-MAC-Mount East Swimming & Diving Championships for the first time ever.

Bickerstaff ended her prayer and the Chargers jumped into a four-day meet at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton, Ohio, where they fought hard for a 1,323-point, second-place finish.

“The meet was charged.

Our team was excited — we were ready to go,” Bickerstaff said. “It was also very purpose-driven meet.”

Bickerstaff said head coach

Kurt Kirner and assistant coach Zoe Hopkins had prepared their swimmers to greet pre-swim nerves with mindfulness, a composure cultivated for the team as she prayed over them before the meet. This poise carried the swimmers through the meet as the Chargers faced nine other teams, dominating all but the University of Findlay, which won first place with 1,973 points. Malone University finished well behind Hillsdale in third place with 953.5 points.

“The meet was more competitive than I had anticipated, as the G-MAC has some quality athletes,” Kirner said.

“Mountain East provided some awesome competition, especially Fairmont State University and West Virginia Wesleyan College.”

Junior Anika Ellingson started the meet out strong on Wednesday with a lifetime best in the 200 IM for fourth place at 2:08.91. Heeres touched the wall soon after, earning a sixth-place spot on the podium with a season-best 2:10.92. Sophomore Lizzie Leathers placed eighteenth at 2:23.77, a lifetime best time for her.

Later that evening, Ellingson, sophomore Allie Matti, sophomore Catherine Voisin, and freshman Emma Rao took a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay.

Thursday, three Chargers shone in the 400 IM. Freshman Hannah Wilkens carved her way to fifth place in 4:44.37. Ellingson snagged seventh place with a lifetime-best time of 4:46.5.

Senior Theresa Smith pow-

looking into pulling incremental funding together specifically for additional road repairs this year.

“I think every well-managed state is looking for ways to accelerate their infrastructure investments, because the costs only go up over time,” Leutheuser wrote in an interview with The Collegian.

He emphasized the importance of these partnerships, referencing the way unfunded pension liabilities affect infrastructure investments.

“We do need the proverbial ‘all hands on deck,’ because the need to is so great,” Leutheuser wrote. “Resources are increasingly dedicated to social safety net programs, while time marches on, leaving much of our infrastructure at or past its engineered lifespan.”

While around 50 percent of the city’s budget goes to payroll and benefits, about 83 percent of those pensions are funded by property taxes.

According to City Manager Dave Mackie, Hillsdale is in pretty good shape compared with some other Michigan communities.

For Hillsdale, the biggest impediment to infrastructure boils down to cost, and Mackie said the city is hopeful the federal money makes its way down to the local level as Hillsdale qualifies for block grants that focus on communities with a low-to-moderate income population.

“If Trump’s infrastructure plan makes its way down to the local level, we’ll definitely look to take advantage of that funding to do more in the community,” Mackie said.

In Hillsdale, 31 percent of residents fall under the federal government’s poverty line, according to Mackie.

This is not something to tout, Mackie said. On the other hand, it qualifies Hillsdale for federal and state resources

because it means that the city has lower taxable values on properties and homes and is not collecting as much on its taxbase without needing assistive grants.

For example, the city is working with the Board of Public Utilities to fix Garden, Vine, Mead, Rippon, and Spring streets. The project, slated to begin in April, should costs $2.8 million, and Mackie said, wouldn’t have been feasible if the city didn’t receive a $1.9 million Community Development Block grant issued by the federal government and administered by the state government.

Since the bids were higher than anticipated, the council is still in the financing stage but intends to complete the project, he said.

Additionally, the city council found two sources of revenue that could be allocated to just road projects, including the payments in lieu of taxes from the BPU. The board will also contribute their services: For water and sewer projects, the group would replace water and sewer mains or electrical lines, while the city would pay for sidewalks and stormwater drains.

Although roads remain the biggest priority, broadband is getting attention, too.

Mackie said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s statewide goal is to promote high-speed internet, giving the state a competitive advantage in both rural and urban areas.

According to Mackie, the city is forming a fiber broadband committee to determine how best to capitalize on existing broadband and how to extend it to residents and businesses. The existing broadband forms a ring around a certain portion of downtown and some residential areas, connecting the county offices, Hillsdale College, See Trump A7

ered into fourteenth place in 4:57.86, a season best.

The 100 butterfly brought Hillsdale glory seven times over. Voisin took fifth in 58.30. Bickerstaff, junior Tiffany Farris, and senior Peyton Bowen boxed out ninth, 10th, and 11th places in 59.20, 1:00.21, and 1:00.42, respectively. Bickerstaff and Farris’ times were lifetime bests, while Bowen’s was season-best. Leathers came in fourteenth at 1:02.52, Rao in twenty-first at 1:04.62, and sophomore Taylor Steyer at 1:04.91.

Heeres won bronze in the 200 freestyle with a lifetime-best time of 1:54.09, edging within a second of the school record.

“Coach and I were on the line about whether I was going to swim the 200 freestyle

on the second day of the meet.

I hate the 200 free because I’ve never known how to swim it, but I had done it at almost every meet this year and I felt good about it,” Heeres said. “I was pretty close to the school record on that one too, which was totally surprising. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

Hillsdale relayers repeated their second-place finish when Matti, Ellingson, Voisin, and Heeres swam the 400 medley relay in 3:54.99.

Ellingson swiped the silver medal in the 100 breaststroke on Friday with a 1:02.97, a time which will most likely qualify her to proceed to the national competition in March.

“That race sets me up in a really good spot for nationals,” Ellingson said. “I was disappointed that I didn’t win, but I

knew it was going to be tough competition.”

Sophomore Victoria Addis, Rao, and Smith followed Ellingson into seventh, 19th, and 21st places in the 100 breaststroke with respective times of 1:08.38, 1:13.42, and 1:16.06. Rao earned a lifetime-best time while Smith swam a season-best.

Heeres scored another third-place when she swam the 100 backstroke in 58.40.

Matti took the podium with a seventh-place, 1:00.13 swim.

Bickerstaff was just behind in eleventh with 1:01.99, followed by freshman Mary Vita in 14th with a season-best 1:02.67. Rao and Smith took 19th and 21st place, Rao with a season-best 1:13.42 and Smith with a season-best

By | Katherine Scheu Associate Editor More than twice the amount of expected attendees came to a two-day conference on human personhood Friday and Saturday when 200 people listened in on lectures and participated in discussions.

The conference’s organizers senior Lillian Quinones and sophomores Sarah Becker, Dietrich Balsbaugh, and Caitlin Weighner partnered with the World Youth Alliance to hold The Modern Identity Crisis: Emerging Leaders Conference. The conference explored modern bioethics and personhood and further developed the meaning of what it is to be human in four interdisciplinary breakout sessions.

“Witnessing the intellectual earnestness and the good-spiritedness of speakers,

professors, and students was truly amazing,” Weighner said. “It took so many months to plan this and, to be honest, there were many times that I wondered if it was worth it.

But if the conference helped a single person towards a fuller and more authentic life, even in some small way, we have to believe it was worth it.”

The conference began with a lecture by Ashley Fernandes, the associate director of the center for bioethics and medical humanities at Ohio State University College of Medicine and an associate professor of pediatrics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Fernandes unfolded the morality behind physician-assisted suicide, refuting the idea that a patient’s choice, a doctor’s compassion, or the dignity of death should allow a doctor to enable a pa-

tient in ending his own life.

Later that evening, University of South Carolina Philosophy Professor Christopher Tollefsen delivered the conference’s first keynote address, speaking on “The Ethics of Medicine and its Counterfeits.” Tollefsen distinguished between two phases of medical history: old medicine and new medicine.

Old medicine, Tollefsen said, makes a goal of human flourishing, addressing biomedical and spiritual goods. New medicine, however, follows only the requirements of law, the limits of technology, and the autonomous desire of the patient.

“Medicine has lost its way with no clarity as to the way it should lead,” Tollefsen said.

By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief A solution to the congestion in the Knorr Dining Room may come soon.

Bon Appétit Management Company is planning to open a “grab and go” shop on the ground floor of Kendall Hall to draw some of the crowd from the cafeteria during peak lunchtime hours on the weekdays. David Apthorpe, general manager of Hillsdale Bon Appétit, said the shop is slated to open for lunch on March 26, though its hours still are yet to be determined.

“As the college expands, if it wants to expand, we are looking at a lack of dining seats, especially Monday, Wednesday, and Friday lunch,” Apthorpe said. “We really wanted to be able to add some flexibility to the meal plan.”

Differing from Jitters Coffee Cart and A.J.’s Café that only take Liberty Bucks, the grab and go would allow stu-

dents on a meal plan to trade a meal swipe in the cafeteria for a meal bundle. Apthorpe said it would likely include a choice of ansandwich or salad, a snack option such as chips, a dessert, and a drink. Vegetarian and gluten-free options also would be available.

“And then you’re off,” Apthorpe said. “The idea is to build it for speed and efficiency.”

The idea comes from Apthorpe’s time at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. A library there holds a Grab It! station, open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

“It works really well at Case, because it’s a big school, so if you can’t make it to one of the dining halls there, you can grab something there,” Apthorpe said. “That’s not the case here.”

Nonetheless, Apthorpe said given the dining seating shortage in the Grewock Student Union, he hopes it could relieve some pressure on the

union’s kitchen staff as well as provide students with a portable food option not easily available in the cafeteria.

Several students said the option excited them, noting that sometimes students are waiting in line for 10 minutes during the noon-hour peak.

“I think it’s a good idea,” freshman Gabe Kramer said.

“It’s super busy downstairs, and for those with a noon or 1 p.m., it would be nice to have another option.”

Sophomore Victoria Addis agreed, adding that it could be helpful for students with busy schedules.

“I know people that would skip meals, because they didn’t have the time,” Addis said.

“I think this is a really good option.”

She, however, said her one concern would be that students wouldn’t get enough food since the cafeteria’s buffet-style service allows for more than one serving.

See Swim A9

Infrastructure plan could benefit city 200 guests attend identity conference By | Jo Kroeker Features Editor In south-central Michigan, where roads and broadband remain a top priority, Hillsdale is the kind of city President Donald Trump’s infrastructure investment plan is meant to benefit.

Trump’s plan intends to use $200 billion in federal money to spur more than $1 trillion in local and state government and private investments to fix America’s infrastructure, according to a White House fact sheet. The plan tabs $50 billion for rural infrastructure, $20 billion for expanded loan programs and private bonds, $20 billion for what Trump calls “transformative projects,” and $10 billion to the Federal Capital Revolving Fund.

“Modernizing and investing in our nation’s infrastructure is long overdue, and I’m glad President Trump’s plan pays a great deal of attention to helping rural communities,” Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Michigan, said in a statement. “In particular, expanding broadband deployment to rural areas is important so that residents are connected and can enjoy greater economic productivity and higher quality of life.”

The Rural Infrastructure Program would allocate a bulk of the dollars to state governors, while the remaining funds would be distributed through rural performance grants, a fact sheet outlined.

Walberg echoed the plan’s shift of authority to the local and state level.

“It is also important to return more decision-making power to state and local officials who are better equipped to manage resources in their communities than Washington, D.C., bureaucrats,” Walberg said.

State Rep. Eric Leutheuser, R-Hillsdale, said Lansing is Follow @HDaleCollegian

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SAB to hold President’s Ball this coming Saturday By | Isabella Redjai Collegian Reporter The Student Activities Board is holding one of its most noteworthy (and classy) events all year long on Saturday: President’s Ball, with this year’s theme inspired by the Middle East.

The ball is from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Searle Center.

Although SAB originally named the theme “Arabian Nights,” it later modified it.

“The theme has been

modified, and is less ‘Arabian Nights’ and now more elegant, Middle Eastern, desert-oasis-type theme,” said senior Jake Kenyon, the event’s creative team leader.

With hanging fabric, a unique patio set-up, and ceiling adornments appealing to a sunset, SAB is experimenting with their creative process at this year’s President’s Ball.

“Our light designer, Scott Pienta, gave us some ideas for this year. We’re using his lighting towers to hang our fabric, so it’s really a collabo-

rative process,” Kenyon said.

“We can’t attach anything to the walls in Searle, so that definitely creates some challenges we have to overcome, but it helps us become more creative with how we use the space.”

Kenyon said he directed their light designer to use a color scheme of red, orange, pink, and gold to appeal to the idea of a sunset.

Sunsets aren’t the only thing that will be at the ball.

“Chicken tenders will be making an appearance

again this year, but maybe in a different form,” Director of Student Activites Ashlyn Landherr said. “We try to keep it interesting.”

Chicken tenders, though, are not the only items on this year’s menu. The event will also have a ‘dip bar’ with a variety of dips for people to taste, as well as “fancy grilled cheese,” according to Assistant Director of Student Activities Hank Prim.

“What we have found is that people just want comfort food at these events, rather

than align the food with a Middle Eastern theme, which they’ve done in the past, and does not always meet with success,” Prim said.

There will also be a dessert bar with both a chocolate and fruit option.

The Jerry Ross band will be performing again, per Dr. Arnn’s request, according to SAB sources. The band plays a variety of music from swing to modern pop covers.

SAB will also provide students with a photobooth, where students will be able

to take a printed photo with them by the end of the evening.

“We’re excited about it. The team’s really excited about it.

This is one of their favorite events to put on, every year, just because it is one of the more elegant and traditional items Hillsdale College has always offered,” Prim said. “I know we’re excited about it, and we hope the student body is, too.”

(From left to right) Seniors Katelyn Bercaw, Katherine Scheu, Katie Davenport, Lara Forsythe, and Lillian Quinones Lyndsey Bice | Courtesy

(From left to right) Seniors Noah Weinrich, Hans Noyes, Micah Heinze, Jonathan Moy, and Mark Naida.

Lyndsey Bice | Courtesy

Johnson memorial to be held Monday By | Hannah Niemeier Senior Writer The memorial service for former Hillsdale pastor, counselor, and teacher Charles “Chuck” Johnson will be held at College Baptist Church on Monday at 11 a.m., with visitation Sunday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Johnson died Jan. 22 in the Nursing Facility of Hillsdale Hospital after more than 40 years of pastoral and professorial care for the town and the college.

“Because Pastor Johnson had such an influence at both the church and college, faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to attend either the visitation on Sunday or the service on Monday,” College Baptist pastor Ben Cuthbert said. “We realize it may be easier for professors and students to make their way from campus. Madelyn will be there on Sunday to greet people as they pay their respects to Dr. Johnson’s life.”

Johnson and his wife, Madelyn, moved to Hillsdale in 1986 to co-pastor College Baptist. Two years later, he was hired by the college, where he lectured in sociology, served as a counselor, and co-taught a course with his wife about marriage.

Johnson cared for his congregation down to fine details, according to Cuth-

bert.

“Dr. Johnson made it easy for us — his family found a yellow folder that said ‘My Memorial Service’ after he passed,” Cuthbert said.

“He had chosen his favorite hymns, Scripture readings, and times of reflection from important people in his life from the college and his family.”

Johnson selected classic hymns including “Children of the Heavenly Father,” “To

“From the start, he just saw me as a partner in the gosepl ministry.”

God Be the Glory,” and “Jesus Led Me All the Way,” and Scripture passages from Romans 8 and Philippians 3.

Johnson’s pastoral leadership will continue through College Baptist’s current minister.

“I’ve only been at College Baptist since June, but in that short time, he and Madelyn were so welcoming to me and my family, and I had some special conversations with him in the last few weeks of his life,” Cuthbert said. “That could be kind of daunting,

working with someone who has pastored this congregation in the past, but it was helpful to get his perspective.

From the start, he just saw me as a partner in the gospel ministry, which was affirming and refreshing.”

Johnson’s friendship was a comfort to the end, said Carmen Wyatt-Hayes, who met Johnson 28 years ago when she joined the Hillsdale College staff as a Spanish professor. She and Johnson bonded over their shared love of pets. When both Johnson and his wife fell ill, she volunteered to feed the cats.

“The day Chuck died, I was over at the house tending his beloved cats, and I was feeling very sad,” Wyatt-Hayes said. “I spotted a slip of paper on the fridge that said ‘A Note of Encouragement.’ It was from Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, and it was a Bible verse that described Chuck perfectly: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’ — that’s Romans 15:13. Overflowing with hope: That was Chuck.”

Expressions of sympathy may be sent to Johnson’s wife, Madelyn, at 79 E. Fayette St., Hillsdale, MI, 49242. A lunch will follow Monday’s service, and all are welcome to attend.

Catholic Society to hold Lenten retreat this Saturday in Mauck By | Regan Meyer Collegian Reporter For Christians, the Lenten season is meant to be one of prayer and contemplation.

Finding time for those activities, however, can be difficult.

The Hillsdale College Catholic Society has found a way to aid students in their endeavor to make the most of their Lenten sacrifices.

The Women’s Lenten Retreat will be held in the Mauck Solarium on the morning of Saturday, February 24th.

Freshman Michaela Peine and sophomore Sarah Becker have designed it to be a short but meaningful time.

“It’s pretty short,” Peine said. “We wanted to keep it really doable. It’s really casual.

Our idea with the retreat is to create an event where people could just come and prepare for lent.”

Becker, who is on the Catholic Society Women’s Outreach Board, says the retreat is designed to be a welcoming atmosphere for the Christian women of campus.

“We’ve been trying to build women’s community on campus especially among Catholic women,” Becker said. “But I think even more

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will be here for confessions.

There will also be time for personal prayer and then at the end we’re hoping to wrap up and just have people share something they took away from the retreat or something they want to work on just to build that community.”

Junior Rosemary Pynes says she looks forward to a peaceful and fruitful morning during the retreat.

“I was attracted to how it is chill and laid back but also a space where I can reflect on my faith.” Pynes said. “I like retreats but sometimes so many talks and things like that can be overwhelming. It’s more like a chill retreat with time to reflect and pray, so I’m excited for that.”

For those unsure, Peine wants them to know that the retreat is low-key and low intimidation.

“Bring a friend and just come,” Peine said. “If you feel like you don’t know anyone, bring a friend and just come.

We’re hoping that it will be very low on intimidation.

And also, I would really encourage people to just take a break in the midst of their really busy lives and just give this time over to God so that their Lent can be really intentional.”

Kendall from A1

Apthorpe said the meal exchange option in the past has been available at A.J.’s Café but he is doubtful that it would be an effective solution now.

“We’ve considered that, but A.J.’s is pretty busy as is,” Apthorpe said. “We don’t know if it can handle the throughput, creating more problems than we’re solving.”

The Searle Center’s kitchen would make the meals for the new shop. Bon Appétit is holding off the grab and go’s opening until the end of March to best implement the new production after the final Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar of the academic year and Parents Weekend.

Apthorpe said Bon Appétit has hired a few new employees recently, though the new shop could mean two additional hires. Ideally he said he would like to see student cashiers running the new grab and go as well.

The company also would add a menu for the new shop on its website: hillsdale.cafebonappetit.com.

Apthorpe said the college has been helpful with efforts

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broadly than that Christian women. We’re opening it up to Catholic and non-Catholic women. We just want it to be an opportunity for people to have an environment where they can encounter the Lord and not feel a lot of strict requirements to be there, where they can just come and have a lot of time to just pray individually with the Lord.”

Peine is working to get a large amount of women from a variety of different backgrounds.

“We’re trying to invite a huge degree of girls, girls from every class, from sororities, from independent groups, from athletic groups,” Peine said. “So for it’s been really successful. We’ve had a ton of girls RSVP from all over the place. The first part of the retreat, we’re just gonna have a little bit of mingling so people can get to know each other.”

The retreatants will be praying together, attending brunch up the hill, and participating in some praise and worship.

“Elizabeth Luea is coming in to lead worship and give a short talk in the morning,” Becker said. “There will be brunch together and then in the afternoon Father Dave

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Empty refrigerators sit on the second floor of Kendall Hall for the march 26 openning of a “grab and go” shop.

Breana Noble | Collegian

to alleviate overcrowding in the cafeteria. It removed a seating area in an alcove in Kendall to make room for the grab and go, moving the chairs there to another lounge on the west end of the building and two of the chairs to the third floor of Kendall for a new small study area.

Freshman Jack Smith said although there seems to be a few more people in the lounges in Kendall, he likes the new study space.

“It was the only seat I found that wasn’t taken by 20 humans,” Smith said. “It’s good for waiting for my class.”

Ultimately, though, the hope is that the changes in Kendall will benefit campus as a whole.

“Everybody is working toward the same goal, which is student satisfaction,” Apthorpe said.

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Classical School Job Fair seeks aspiring teachers Thursday By | Josephine von Dohlen Assistant Editor When the first Classical School Job Fair came to campus in 2009, only 14 schools attended. Today, 47 school systems are on campus for the 10th annual career event.

Aspiring teachers can visit the Classical School Job Fair Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Searle Center.

The schools consist of classical and charter schools from all over the United States — from the Bronx in New York to outside an Indian reservation in New Mexico — looking for teachers willing to teach anywhere from kindergarten to high school and everything in between.

The Barney Charter School Initiative, Hillsdale’s outreach program designed to promote “liberal learning and civic education through classical charter schools,” according to their mission, will have 18 schools represented at the fair.

“Interestingly enough, of the 17 Barney Charter Schools that are currently opened, we have 70 Hillsdale college teachers,” said Joanna Wiseley, director of career services.

Trinity Wright ’17, attended the fair last year and landed a job with Benjamin Franklin Charter school, a classical school located outside Phoenix, Arizona. She now teaches 145 sophomores AP European History and Western Civilization II. “I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but there are so many schools in the United States of America, so it was hard to narrow down where I wanted to go,” she said.

She said speaking to teachers at the college like Christy Meier, encouraged her to decide what was most important when she began looking at schools – factors such as location, teaching subject, and age group. The workshops hosted by the career services office were also helpful, she said.

College installs campus file-sharing service By | Regan Meyer Collegian Reporter Students can now keep their files safer than every before.

Hillsdale College information technology services made a storage system called Box available campus-wide at the beginning of the spring semester. Box is a cloud-like storage system similar to Dropbox and Google Drive.

It will be replacing the campus P Drive, which currently provides 10 gigabytes of space to students.

“The biggest difference between Box and Google Drive is that Box is a more corporate-style infrastructure,” Executive Director of ITS Jason Sherrill said. “So we have the ability to be able to implement better security on Box. It integrates more with the software and tools that we use here, but at its core it is very similar to Google Drive or Dropbox.”

Sherrill said the switch has been a long time coming.

“One of the things that we’ve realized though, and this has been this way for a long time, is that most of us are accessing our data on more than just our computer,” Sherrill said. “What Box allows you to be able to do is put your files in Box and then access them on your phone, on your tablet, whether you’re on campus or off campus.”

Sherrill said he recognizes the 10-gigabyte limit of the P Drive is too small for current students “Now you have unlimited storage,” Sherrill said. “You can easily share those files with others and easily access them on any device.”

That unlimited storage doesn’t go away when a student leaves campus. Once students graduate, they are able to take the account with them.

“The deal that we nego-

Identity from A1

“The norms are so fuzzy that they won’t protect the patient or the doctor.”

When Fernandes gave his keynote speech Saturday afternoon, he implored the audience to “remember the person.” He begged the students in the audience to always respect the human being as they enter any career, and he emphasized the need for Christian doctors and nurses.

Alumna Naomi Virnelson ‘16 traveled from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is pursuing her masters degree in nursing. She came to the conference to learn about the ethics that could apply to her future career.

“Through my graduate school career, I’ve learned that

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things to know from this week

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tiated with Box for students is that you get to take that account with you when you leave,” Sherrill said. “Anything that you’ve created when still a student here, you’ll have access to that.

Once you leave you can convert it into a Box personal account.”

ITS employees pilot-tested Box for six months before deciding to implement the system campus-wide. A few different groups on campus have tested Box as well, including Teacher of Art Bryan Springer’s graphic design classes.

“It’s been great,” Springer said. “What I like about Box is I can leave notes. I can leave a Box Notes, which is basically a text file, and I leave instruction or specs for certain projects in the folder.

Peter Blum, chair of the Academic Technology Committee, says Box is necessary for students to backup their important files.

“I’ve actually been preaching for a couple of years — even before I knew that we were going to get Box — that students need to use one of these services,” Blum said.

“Students will come near the end of a semester with a catastrophe. Something terrible happens, and they just don’t have their paper because it wasn’t anywhere besides that.”

Sherrill echoed Blum’s sentiment, saying that if students only use it for one reason it should be to keep their files safe and secure.

“When you’re working on documents or files, if you put them in Box, then you always have access to that,” Sherrill said. “If your computer dies, Box is taking care of that backup for you. If there’s no other reason, it’s for that.

You’re going to prevent losing something really important.”

To access Box, go to box. hillsdale.edu.

I have to seek these ideas out on my own, rather than rely the school i’m attending to give them to me,” Virnelson said. “I want to take the philosophical and metaphysical foundation seriously so I can practice medicine the right way in an increasingly secular and hostile environment.”

While Virnelson attended the conference primarily for its medical implications, she also enjoyed the interdisciplinary breakout sessions on Saturday morning and afternoon.

Philosophy Professor Blake McAllister and Religion Professor Jordan Wales partnered to speak on culture wars and artificial intelligence while Philosophy Professor Nathan Schlueter and his wife, Elizabeth Schlueter, spoke on transgenderism.

North Korea predicted to run out of money Kim Jong Un’s cash flow is said to run out by October after a period of financial troubles, according to South Korean lawmaker Kang Seokho. The controversial Olympic team made up of both South and North Korean athletes is considered to be a sign of their financial desperation.

“I had never had a job outside Hillsdale, so I didn’t know what it was like to approach someone, give a spiel on who I was and what I was interested in,” Wright said.

Senior Sarah Strubing, a history major and classical education minor, said she will attend the fair, specifically looking at schools in the Midwest.

“I want to be a teacher and ever since I was a freshman, I have always heard about how a ton of schools come here and they want Hillsdale kids,” Strubing said.

Strubing attended a public school before coming to Hillsdale for college, and she said she didn’t really understand why the liberal arts were important. But throughout her time at Hillsdale, she said she has seen the benefit of a background in a variety of subjects.

“I am looking forward to being able to share my passion for teaching kids, and not just

hopefully being a good teacher, but teaching them what is important, not just filler stuff,” Strubing said.

Career services held two workshop sessions on Monday preparing students with suggestions on how to approach the fair. Over 50 students attended.

“Some of the biggest takeaways from that workshop are sell yourself, be confident, do your homework before you go to the fair, know which schools you want to talk to, but also be open-minded and explore all the schools,” Wiseley said.

Taylor Hannel, a senior who is also planning on attending the fair said she is excited to learn about the classical schools that are coming, the classical school model, and to find prospects for jobs.

Hannel graduated high school from Hillsdale Academy, so she knows the benefits of a classical education firsthand.

“It will be cool to see the

different schools that are using the same Hillsdale Academy model and learn about the ways that I could be an influence in their schools as a teacher,” Hannel said. “I like spreading the message. I think it’s the best way to educate children.”

For students planning on attending the fair, Wright said that students should not feel pressured to accept the first offer that is given to them.

“Each Hillsdale student who goes through the fair is very intelligent, and very capable of doing the job with the proper training,” she said.

“You have options. You don’t have to commit to the first school.”

Wiseley said most schools will be conducting follow up interviews after the fair on Friday in the Searle Center.

All students are welcome to attend the fair on Thursday, whether or not they have previously registered.

Team 1107 won five of five and a half rounds of Mock Trial tournament in Joliet, Illinois, this weekend. Lauren Eicher | Courtesy

Mock trial will compete at opening round championship By | Josephine von Dohlen Asssitant Editor After a successful weekend competing at the Regional tournament in Joliet, Illinois, Mock trial is headed to the Opening Round Championship Series.

Team 1106 and 1107 each won five and 5.5 rounds, respectively, granting Team 1106 an honorable mention and Team 1107 a guaranteed bid to the Opening Round Championship Series which will be held in Hamilton, Ohio, at the end of March.

With one secured bid to ORCS, the coaches said they will focus on putting together the most competitively strong team as they go forward. Mock trial could have the opportunity to send two teams to ORCS, based on how other teams perform at their regional competitions this coming weekend.

“Our ultimate goal is to be able to send a team to Nationals, so whether or not we have one or two teams going to ORCS, we are going to try to put together our strongest possible roster or rosters to have our best chance at going to nationals,” Coach Lindsey Church said. “And then we

are going to keep polishing.”

Moving forward to prepare for ORCS, the team will adjust their case according to changes that will be required for the tournament, focusing on their confidence, smoothness, and ability to sound naturally, Lindsey Church said.

“Going forward, ORCS is a really exciting tournament,” Coach Jon Church said. “It tends to be chuck full of all national caliber teams, so I think the competition is more enjoyable.”

This past weekend, Team 1107 performed well, Lindsey Church said, particularly against Northwood University’s A team, who ended up winning the entire tournament.

“I was really proud of my team and how they stuck in the round,” she said. “They ended up tying a ballot in that round, which is what pushed us over the edge and we were able to get a bid. If we had won five instead of 5.5 then we would not have a bid right now.”

Sophomore Lucas O’Hanian, a member of Team 1107, received an Outstanding Witness award for his performance as a lead inves-

tigator for his team. This was the second time O’Hanian won this award this year, previously landing one at their first tournament of the year at Michigan State.

“We started right off the bat on Saturday with two wins, and then two more. So we had four wins going into the second day,” O’Hanian said. “We felt really good about our chances. “ O’Hanian is the lead detective of their case.

“I played it pretty straightforward,” O’Hanian said. “I spoke and I tried to sound helpful. We have a really airtight case on prosecution, we talk about a lot of really cool stuff. I think the judges really like that I did a decent amount of improvisation on the stand.”

Jon Church said last year Hillsdale’s team at ORCS missed a bid to natinals by a single point and a half.

“We’re really looking forward to the increased quality of opponent at ORCS and we’re looking forward to trying to get our first national bid,” Jon Church said.

As far as securing a second bid for ORCS, “We’re going to be praying,” Jon Church said.

Later in the day, History Professor Matthew Gaetano spoke on personhood in history while Philosophy Professor Ian Church led a discussion. As Politics Professor Adam Carrington examined the right to life in the U.S. Supreme Court, philosophy Professor Lee Cole spoke on the person and the trinity.

“I wanted to select an issue that I could address from within my own discipline, and I wanted to draw upon my particular area of expertise within philosophy, while also forcing myself to extend and deepen my own reflections in the writing process,” Cole said. “I’ve thought a fair bit about what it means to be human, but, more recently, I’ve been trying to articulate what the designation ‘personhood’ adds to a conception of the

human.”

Senior Maria Grinis is a Spanish major on the pre-medical track. She said she attended the conference to be able to better answer questions on ethics as she completes her interviews for medical school.

“Overall, I found that the conference provided me with a foundational understanding of the roots of many of the heavy-hitting issues in the medical field: the right of conscience for the physician, the intrinsic nature of human dignity, the goal of medicine to restore the patient’s full health,” she said.

Junior philosophy major Katarina Bradford said the conference delighted her.

“I have never been to a conference specifically dedicated to the rigorous philo-

sophical defense of the human person and dignity,” Bradford said. “Hearing such defenses from world-renowned speakers, including our faculty, was nothing short of inspiring.”

After the overwhelming attendance at the conference and its clear impact on the audience, Weighner said she’s tempted to organize another one.

“If there’s a next time, we hope to get even more students and faculty involved,” Weighner said. “I think it’s a very fruitful thing for professors and students to have shared intellectual experiences — I loved seeing professors and students attending for the entire weekend. Having those experiences in a conference context hopefully allows the conversation to be sustained and to go a bit deeper.”

Evangelical preacher Billy Graham dies at 99 World-famous Christian evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, who is said to have spoken to hundreds of millions of people in person and on television, died of natural causes Wednesday at age 99 at his home in Montreat, North Carolina.

Florida students walk out to protest gun laws Florida schools witnessed statewide walk-outs from students to honor the 17 victims from a school shooting last week in Parkland. The protests called for tighter gun control laws.

Man arrested in Detroit for school shooting threat Detroit police have arrested a 26-year-old white male who allegedly threatened on Facebook to carry out a mass shooting at an undisclosed school after a citizen saw the post and alerted authorities.

In his posts he claimed to be a black man who intended to “kill all white people.”

In brief:

Student Fed approves new clubs By | Emma Cummins Collegian Reporter

The Student Federation approved two new clubs on Thursday, as well as funds to Cravats and Bluestockings. The federation approved the Hillsdale Table Top Society and the Chesterton Society on probationary club status.

The Chesterton Society meets every Saturday for brunch to discuss G.K. Chesterton’s writings. Until now, about 10 to 12 students have met unofficially.

The society’s president, sophomore Maggie Vangieson, is pleased with the federation’s decision.

“I’m very relieved to have the whole process over with,” Vangieson said. “It’s nice to be finally recognized as a real club so that we can plan events, advertise, and hopefully grow our fanbase.”

The second club to receive approval from the federation was the Hillsdale Table Top Society, a club devoted to playing board games.

Freshman Gabriel Meyer originally came up with the idea. After deciding to hold a test trial game night, Meyer was able to attract over 20 people.

While Meyer eventually hopes to test out unpublished, unreleased games from board game companies and give feedback and even travel to game conventions, he plans to start off slow.

“The first thing we’re going to do is have regular game nights where everybody can come to one spot and play board games, and utilize our board game collection,” Meyer said. “I hope to build a board game library.”

The student federation also approved a disbursement of $350 to the Cravats and Bluestockings club with the stipulation the federation will be reimbursed if the fundraising accumulates over $250 but a cap will be placed at $350.

Cravats and Bluestockings, a club devoted to experiencing and learning about the Regency Era in Great Britain, requested the funding for their annual Regency Ball. The club brings in a collar and a small band to play music for english country dancing, a form of dancing popular in the Regency Era. This will be their 11th year holding the ball.

“We like doing it because it was such an important part in upper class socializing in the Regency Era and because it’s fun so it makes for a really good event,” minster of events and senior Rebekah Roundey said. “It’s easy to learn the dancing because you don’t need any experience.”

Flu numbers decrease

By | Jordyn Pair News Editor The number of influenza cases is dropping, with nly 15 new cases since last week.

“It’s tapering off,” said Linda Snoes, office assistant in the Ambler Health and Wellness Center. “We’re hoping for the best.”

Oregon, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. continue to be the only places not marked as having “widespread” flu, according to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

The flu vaccine is still available at the health and wellness center.

“Every little bit helps,” Snoes said.

House puts $175M for roads on fast track Michigan legislators are enacting Gov. Rick Snyder’s call for $175 million additional road and transportation funding now rather than waiting for next year’s budget. The house unanimously approved the plan as the Metro Detroit road commissions notes that “roads are crumbling.”

A4 February 22, 2018

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The Weekly: Journalistic ethics apply during tragedies (517) 607-2415

Online: www.hillsdalecollegian.com Editor-in-Chief | Breana Noble Associate and Design Editor | Katie Scheu News Editor | Jordyn Pair City News Editor | Nic Rowan Opinions Editor | Joshua J. Paladino Sports Editor | Stevan Bennett Jr. Culture Editor | Madeline Fry Science & Tech Editor | Madeleine Jepsen Features Editor | Jo Kroeker Web Editor | Chandler Lasch Web Manager | Kolbe Conger Photo Editor | Matthew Kendrick Senior Writers | Brendan Clarey | Michael Lucchese | Hannah Niemeier | Joe Pappalardo Circulation Manager | Regan Meyer Ad Managers | Danny Drummond | Matthew Montgomery Assistant Editors | Cal Abbo | Brooke Conrad | Ben Dietderich | Josephine von Dohlen | S. Nathaniel Grime | Abby Liebing | Scott McClallen | Mark Naida | Nolan Ryan | Crystal Schupbach | Allison Schuster | Anna Timmis 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 jpaladino@hilldale.edu before Saturday at 3 p.m.

Soundproof the practice rooms in Howard Music Hall By | Brooke Conrad Assistant Editor It’s 3 p.m. on a Monday, and Howard Music Hall is full of practicing musicians who have just come from class.

As you walk down the hall, a soprano with her face turned away from the window belts a high “C,” only to be drowned out by the pianist in the next room who’s pounding out his Rachmaninoff concerto for competition next week.

The rest of the hallway is a clashing cacophony of brass, strings, and cymbals, accompanied by fragments of hallway chatter.

The music hall practice rooms need better soundproofing. The constant noise distracts practicing musicians, and the consciousness of other listeners discourages their creativity during practice sessions. If even four of the hall’s 23 practice rooms had soundproofing, then music students, who make up about one-third of the total student body according to an estimate from The Collegian last year, would benefit greatly from having an occasional opportunity to practice in silence.

Music department chairman James Holleman said soundproofing was discussed before the dedication of Howard Music Hall in 2003. The music department formerly shared the Sage Center with the art and theater departments, and the sound coming from the upstairs practice rooms in Sage often disturbed other activities in the building. But Holleman said he personally opposed soundproofing the new practice rooms when they moved to Howard because he believed the sound-filled atmosphere creates an environment of productivity.

“When we’re sharing a building with art and theater, it’s noise,” Holleman said. “If you’re just a music facility, then it’s activity, and I think activity is positive.”

Some students agreed with this perspective.

“I kind of like that it’s not soundproofed because it helps us get over ourselves,” senior Micah Heinz said. “I may be more comfortable in performance because people have heard me mess it up a thousand times downstairs.”

Voice teacher Kristi Matson also noted that the sound creates a sort of camaraderie in the hallways, even though it can distract.

Nevertheless, many students dislike the situation as it stands.

“When you are working really hard on a piece, and a lot

of other sounds are filtering in through the walls, it just breaks down your concentration,” junior pianist Molly Schutte said.

Others said they often feel nervous to express themselves freely during practice times, since the sound carries so well. Even upperclassmen with years of experience feel self-conscious when curious passersby steal a glance through the window to see who is playing.

“I remember when I started practicing for the concerto competition last year,” senior vocalist Katie Scheu said in an email. “One of my pieces was full of vocal trills, which I didn’t know how to do yet. My voice teacher recommended I take a few sheets of paper with me to the practice rooms so that I could tape them to the door when I started working through those trills. Imagine wobbling your voice up and down until you can achieve a full operatic trill — it’s totally embarrassing until you get it right.”

The solution, then, is to provide a few—perhaps four—practice rooms with complete soundproofing, leaving the rest as they are.

This way, the department can retain its active and comradely atmosphere, while also allowing students the opportunity, on occasion, to practice in solitude. The jazz room in particular should receive soundproofing, since it often houses full bands that create large distractions for other musicians.

Noise isolation requires sound-blocking materials, such as a heavy and properly-sealed acoustic door, according to Brian Atkinson, client development manager from ABD Engineering and Design in Grand Rapids. Holleman estimated the cost to soundproof one of the smaller rooms would cost approximately $2,000.

The practice room should be a place where students can experiment with new ideas without strains of French horn filtering in from the next room or the consciousness of other listeners shattering the imagination. While students should learn to ignore outside commotion to some extent and not allow themselves to become too affected by selfdoubt, every musician needs an occasional hour of solitude to focus his or her thoughts.

Let’s allow practice time to be practice time and save performances for the semester’s end.

Brooke Conrad is a junior studying English.

The opinion of The Collegian editorial staff

In a rush to report the most controversial news after the Parkland, Florida, school shooting last week, the Associated Press and other news outlets ran stories claiming the gunman had ties to white nationalists. The AP discovered the allegations were false and retracted the story, but the damage was already done.

Twitter users quickly pounced when the AP tweeted, “Leader of white nationalist group has confirmed suspect in Florida school shooting was a member of his

organization.”

Within minutes, the AP tweeted again. This time, it quoted a law enforcement official who stated that he had no knowledge of a connection between white nationalists and the shooter.

The first tweet, which was false, received 40,000 retweets and 50,000 likes. The second tweet, which was true, received less than 10,000 likes and retweets.

The AP has a powerful voice. More than 1,700 newspapers and 5,000 television

and radio broadcasters use the news its journalists gather.

Politico reported that the AP — the largest, most powerful news gathering service in the world — was fooled by “white nationalist trolls” on the internet.

No amount of evil allows for sloppy reporting. Truth is in fact the enemy of evil, and that’s why journalists should take special care with their reporting in the wake of enormities such as the Florida school massacre.

Everyone makes mistakes,

of course, and that’s why newspapers have correction boxes. But corrections don’t always rectify a wrong.

On the internet, the false information has a tendency to exist forever. Many people will continue to believe false narratives because they never heard the latest, correct information.

News outlets ought to prioritize accuracy above timeliness, fairness above partisanship, and truth above politics.

Immortalize Harriet Tubman on the campus Liberty Walk By | Chandler Lasch Web Editor Harriet Tubman deserves honor and recognition, which is why she was originally scheduled to replace President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. According to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, this may not happen after all. Last month, he said the Treasury Department has not decided whether it will change the bill. No matter what the department does, Hillsdale should honor Tubman in its own way with a statue on the Liberty Walk.

Standing among presidents and prime ministers, Frederick Douglass’ statue on the Liberty Walk is unique.

He is known for his work with the abolitionist movement fighting for the rights of African-Americans rather than his political career.

Hillsdale should continue in this departure from tradition by commemorating Tubman, who fought for freedom while working against the government.

A statue of Tubman would honor her legacy and serve as a reminder of the role that Hillsdale County played in the Underground Railroad.

Although the railroad’s secretive nature can make identifying stops difficult, the

Dow House may have been a station, possibly connected by a secret tunnel to what is now the Sigma Chi sorority house, as Professor Emeritus of History Arlan Gilbert told The Collegian last year. Mike Venturini, who owns and operates the Munro House Bed and Breakfast, also told The Collegian that several buildings in Jonesville, including the Munro House, may have been stops.

Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland around 1820. Her childhood was fraught with illness and neglect. When she was in her early teens, she noticed an overseer at a store who intended to attack a fugitive slave. Tubman stood in the way to help the slave escape, but the overseer picked up a heavy metal weight from a counter and aimed at the slave. Instead, he hit Tubman in the head, breaking her skull. The injury caused frequent headaches and seizures, which affected Tubman for the rest of her life.

In 1849, Tubman’s owner died. Following the sale of three of her sisters, Tubman worried for her future. She decided to escape on the Underground Railroad. Putting her faith in God to protect her, she convinced her brothers to run away with her. They escaped,

but her brothers soon decided to return to the plantation.

Tubman was not deterred. She traveled by night, following the North Star to safety until she made her way across the Mason-Dixon Line into Philadelphia.

According to Sarah Hopkins Bradford in her 1869 book “Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman,” the now-fugitive slave worried for the family members she left behind.

“I had crossed the line,” Tubman said. “I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom.

I was a stranger in a strange land; and my home after all, was down in Maryland; because my father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were there. But I was free, and they should be free.”

Just over a year after Tubman escaped, she rescued the first of her family members.

She eventually led her parents, several of her siblings (including the brothers who turned back), and close to 60 others to freedom. This earned her the nickname “Moses.” In fact, evidence suggests that Tubman stopped with a group of eleven escaped slaves at the home of Frederick Douglass in 1851, which, if true, provides more reason to reunite her with Douglass here on

campus.

Her faith in God served as an important impetus. As fellow abolitionist Thomas Garrett once said, “I never met any person of any color who had more confidence in the voice of God.” A statue of Harriet Tubman would make an excellent addition to Hillsdale’s campus.

Tubman’s incredible achievements and sacrifice for human rights should inspire all Hillsdale students. She dedicated her life to helping others, despite her own hardship.

She trusted in God to use her where she was. She continued to fight for her cause during the Civil War and later advocated for women’s suffrage.

A statue of Tubman as the second woman on the Liberty Walk would also honor Hillsdale’s legacy of respecting women’s rights from day one.

Harriet Tubman belongs on the same walk as President Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and the Alpha Kappa Phi Civil War memorial. Outside of Delp Hall, she would stand close to her fellow defenders of freedom and others who advanced the cause of liberty.

Chandler Lasch is a senior studying history.

Pence’s response to North Korea at the Olympics was brave and historic By | Nolan Ryan Assistant Editor Vice President Mike Pence took a hard stance against the cooperation between North Korea and South Korea during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Two weeks ago, Pence attended the opening ceremony and caused a stir in the American press. He did not stand or applaud for the joint Korean team when they entered during the Parade of Nations.

Indeed, he only applauded for the United States.

“We will not allow North Korean propaganda to hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games. We will not allow North Korea to hide behind the Olympic banner the reality that they enslave their people and threaten the wider region,” Pence said.

Some news outlets such as USA Today called Pence an embarrassment to the nation and disrespectful to the host country.

“As a visiting American, it was an embarrassment,” USA Today sports reporter David Meeks wrote. “If Pence had stood to recognize the Korean athletes at this global event, it would be preposterous to portray it as an endorsement of the regime in North Korea.

It was not political until Pence made it political.”

Pence’s actions, however, were correct. He follows in a historic line of Americans standing strong on principle in the face of morally corrupt regimes at the Olympic Games.

In the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Adolf Hitler

presided over the ceremonies any sign of camaraderie with three years before Germany North Korea. invaded Czechoslovakia, but Forty four years after the tensions surrounded Hitler ‘36 Olympic Games, the and his international relations. Soviet Union invaded AfghanDuring the Parade of Nations, istan to support the socialist each country’s athletes saluted regime battling Islamic rebels.

Hitler in their own customary This sparked the Soviet-Affashion. That is, all except the ghan War, a conflict lasting Americans. nine years. The rebel groups, In an article titled “100,000 known as the Mujahideen, Hail Hitler; U.S. Athletes fought against the Soviet Avoid Nazi Salute to Him,” forces and the Afghan governreporter Frederick Birchall ment, backed by the United recorded States. At the events of this point, the opening Cold War ceremony tensions for the New existed York Times. between “The the U.S. greeting to and Russia, the Amerever since ican team the end of was mostly World War enthusiasII. America tic but not took the comparable opportunity with the to support welcome to Russia’s some of the enemies in other teams, the Midwhich gave Mike Pence fought against coopera- dle East. the Olym- tion between North Korea and South Whether pic or Nazi Korea. Wikimedia Commons this was a salute,” he wise deciwrote. sion or not is debatable, but American athletes took a President Jimmy Carter gave stance against Hitler. Under the Russians a deadline of Feb. the watchful eyes of the world, 20, 1980 to withdraw their the athletes did not bow to troops from Afghanistan. the pressure. And the world When the Soviet Union connoticed. tinued their invasion, Carter Pence, likewise, did not announced on March 21 that conform to the world’s presthe United States would boysures to applaud the joint Kocott the Olympics in Moscow. rean team. Again, the world West Germany and Canada watched. Through his actions, both followed the U.S. in the he directly informed the glob- boycott, as well as 63 other naal population that the current tions, including China. Again, administration will not show America led the charge in sol-

idarity against the oppressive communist regime. America is not without its faults, certainly, but at the Olympic Games, it has historically been a voice of opposition to deadly governments.

Pence has become the next icon of the American spirit at the Olympics. CNN and the Telegraph reported that Pence said he deliberately ignored Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

“I didn’t believe it was proper for the United States of America to give any attention in that form to someone who is not merely the sister of a dictator but the leader of a propaganda unit,” he said.

The day after the opening ceremony, CNN published an article titled “Kim Jong Un’s sister is stealing the show at the Winter Olympics.” The reporters were honest about the despicable lack of human rights in North Korea and Kim Yo-Jong’s hand in the travesties, but the media’s response glamorized Kim Jong-Un’s dynasty. Pence’s silence and refusal to applaud the joint Korean team is the proper response when facing a tyrannical, destructive government.

Pence received criticism from the mainstream media, but the American people need to regard him for what he is: a historic icon standing face to face with a monstrous regime, who, like past Americans, refuses to buckle under the world’s pressure.

Nolan Ryan is a sophomore studying English.

Opinions

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February 22, 2018 A5

Let’s pray for Parkland, for tragedy, and for suffering By | Nic Rowan City News Editor When I was a junior in high school, I witnessed evil writhing on the stone floor of a Benedictine monastery about an hour outside of Krakow, Poland.

I hardly ever tell this story, but in light of the Parkland tragedy, it seems appropriate.

Every year during the first week of March, my high school takes students overseas on Crescite Trips. (“Crescite” is the school motto, a Latin imperative meaning “grow.”)

This particular group traveled from Berlin to Krakow, a 10day Soviet-Bloc-Meets-Western-Enlightenment trip.

On day five, we rode a bus from Krakow to visit the former death camp at Auschwitz.

It was see-your-breath cold outside. We were encouraged not to take pictures. But I had no desire to do so anyway.

Walking through Auschwitz is a horror. The whole complex hinges on a cruel promise, an iron sign piercing the gray sky, announcing that “work will make you free.”

We saw a plot of land roped off and marked “MASS GRAVE” because it had once been the ash dump outside the crematoria. When the Russians liberated the camp, they were unable to distinguish ash from the soil. So they memorialized the whole thing.

One of my friends, Andrew Warner, snapped a picture

with his phone.

I asked him why he did that.

“Memories,” he said.

We stayed that night at Tyniec Abbey, the oldest monastery in Poland. It was the first Friday of Lent, and we arrived just in time for a dinner of jelly toast followed by vespers. Afterward, we went to our rooms and washed up.

The monks make their own soap. It smells like oatmeal.

Some of us returned to the chapel for compline, the prayers religious brothers recite just before bedtime. Only four students went: Andrew, John, Walter, and myself.

Afterward, John, Walter, and I left to play chess in my room.

I was losing to John when one of the teachers leading the trip, Mr. Luckett, knocked on our door. I noticed he was not wearing shoes.

“You two need to come over to the chapel,” he said.

As we walked across the outdoor courtyard, he explained. Andrew had been praying alone after compline.

Nearly an hour passed and the church emptied out except for a few monks assigned to keep the blessed sacrament company. Suddenly Andrew fell to the floor and cried out, drawing their attention. Once surrounded by monks and teachers from our trip, he began calling for us.

I remember wondering during his whole story how Mr. Luckett could be flapping across the cold stone barefoot.

What could possibly be exciting his blood to keep his toes that warm?

When we entered the church, we heard the cries.

They sounded like the noises a sheep makes when hit by a tractor at the county fair.

Andrew was lying on the floor spread out in crooked cruciform. A teacher and several monks crouched over him.

When Andrew saw us, he started gesturing.

“What happened?” I asked.

“It, It touched me,” he said.

Andrew told us how he had been praying when he felt something behind him.

A pinpoint sensation on the back of his neck. He tried to turn around, but it was as if a vise had locked his neck in the forward position. He felt It coming closer and closer — panting — and he could bear the anticipation no longer. A dull thud alerted the monks that he had passed out on the church floor.

Then the screams. First cries of human terror. Followed by more animal groans.

When the monks arrived he couldn’t stop calling for Nic and John for Nic and John.

It was decided that Andrew had suffered a panic attack and that Nic and John would take him back to his room where we would watch over him until he fell asleep.

But back in the room, Andrew told us he was terrified It would come back for him.

He requested that we all hold hands and pray the rosary as a

trio. Neither John nor I dared ask what It was; we knew that if we sought It we would most likely find the thing that wanders the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Better just to pray the rosary.

We prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries, appropriate to a Friday in Lent. At about the third mystery, Andrew began wincing and breathing heavily.

By the fourth mystery, he was crying out in that same sheep’s bleat we had heard in the chapel. Soon the cries devolved into something more guttural and throaty: hacked brays of despair and epithets flung at the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Like a goat.

John and I prayed louder.

Andrew writhed, trying to free his hands from ours. John and I gripped tighter. In the struggle, he rolled himself off the bed and slammed himself into the wall. John and I prayed louder.

Mr. Luckett rushed back into the room followed by two monks.

“Satan!” Andrew screamed.

“Get away from me!” Then came the expletives.

He was kicking now, lying on the floor, eyes all whites, pupiless.

The monks informed us that an ambulance was coming and that Andrew would spend the remainder of the night in a hospital. When they took him away on a stretcher, he made so much noise that the other 20 people on the trip

could see what was going on.

A panic attack.

The next day, nobody addressed the situation.

On the flight back to Washington, D.C., several days later, Andrew thanked me for sticking by him in that moment. He thanked John, too, but John did not want to talk about it.

I now see why. Andrew needed help, but we couldn’t give it to him, except through our prayers. I did not know this in 11th grade. I thought I was in a position to take action. I looked at my friend like a complicated problem that needed fixing when I should have seen him as a human being, in need of my love and prayers.

For the next six months, I martyred myself for Andrew, trying everything I knew to find a way to solve his problem. I thought if I listened to his anxieties, I could diagnose his problems and restore him to his place before It attacked him.

I remember indulging his whims — driving around the Beltway with him while he rolled up his sleeves and showed me the long grooves It had told him to carve into his skin. I listened to his fatalistic gay fantasies, thinking talking about it would at least make him love life, when in truth, I probably only fed his chronic lust for death. I even let him borrow my iPod and puff my cigarettes (in those days I only smoked Marlboro Red 100s)

while he told me that Titus Andronicus line about the “splitting the sky with a thousand curses” was true; that’s how we all live and always will live.

In the end, I lost a friend.

Andrew became a blight in my eyes, the unfixable problem. I could only console my conscience with the cruelest erasure.

I now see the pride in my fault. I pray for Andrew every day. It’s all I can do. It’s all I ever could have done. I wish I had known in 11th grade that no one man (with one notable exception) can conquer sin all on his own. Auschwitz should have taught me that. But it took a much more personal encounter with evil.

When I see that same evil manifesting itself in a Florida public school, all I can do is pray. I know this shooting (like all the shootings before it and doubtless the many after it) will produce a policy debate. We will talk about gun control and mental health. We always do.

But for me, I can’t see just problems that need fixing or policies that need enacting.

Before anything can change, I have to keep seeing people who need love and prayers.

And I pray God will have mercy on us.

Nic Rowan is a junior studying history.

The 21-year-old drinking The drinking age causes age serves a good purpose dangerous drinking habits By | Josephine von Dohlen Assistant editor I am a 20-year-old sorority girl, but I have yet to drink a single drop of alcohol.

I am waiting until my 21st birthday to drink, because it is the law. All of us ought to respect it.

The 21-year-old drinking age in the United States exists to try to limit drunk driving incidents and support brain development that continues into early adulthood.

My parents never told me I couldn’t drink. My friends certainly wanted me to drink.

Yet, it just didn’t feel right. I couldn’t justify intentionally breaking one law when I don’t intentionally break any others.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, requiring states to raise the drinking age to 21 or face a 10-percent cut to federal highway funding. Every state chose to adopt the higher drinking age.

A national problem with drunk driving provided the motive. In the late 1960s and 1970s, all states held their drinking age at 18 years old, which resulted in a greater number of car accidents due to drunk drivers. The National Institutes of Health stated in the 1970s that 60 percent of all deaths caused by traffic were connected to alcohol, including more than two-thirds of those involving 16- to 20-year-olds.

In the years following the passage of Reagan’s law, drunk-driving accidents dropped by 50 percent, mostly among teens and young adults.

Underage drinking still

has a profound effect on the mental health of many young people.

Teenagers who drink before 15 are six times more likely to have alcohol dependence or abuse in their adult years than those who start drinking at age 21, according to a study by the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Statistics continue to support a 21-yearold drinking age. Underage drinking and driving is still a major problem, causing about 25 percent of all car crashes involving teens, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. It also leads to alcohol addiction as they grow older. A survey of 14 million people who are alcohol dependent found that 95 percent began drinking before age 21.

Another issue is binge drinking, which is understood as the drinking of alcohol in abundant amounts in a short timeframe. Several studies published by Center for Disease Control said binge drinking is the most common, costly, and deadly pattern of excessive alcohol use in the United States.

Starting binge drinking habits early in life could lead to larger drinking issues in the future. A study found in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research stated that men and women who started drinking after puberty drank half as much as those who began drinking prior to puberty.

“Having the first drink during puberty was associated with elevated drinking levels and more hazardous alcohol consumption patterns,” the study said. People who put off

drinking have more time to build healthy habits. Underage drinking damages the brain.

A teenager who drinks has more damaged nerve tissue compared to teens who don’t drink.

“The adolescent brain is still undergoing several maturational processes that render it more vulnerable to some of the effects of substances,” said Susan Tapert, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego.

Although evidence supports the 21-year-old drinking age, the fact still remains that the majority of young adults will probably drink at some point before they turn 21 years old. Redirecting the culture away from binge drinking would require a major cultural shift — one that may take generations to overcome. True, police can crackdown on college campuses and threaten to shutdown parties, but people will still drink.

Currently, about one in seven teens binge drinks, yet only one in 100 parents believes their teens binge drink, based on a study from the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. By raising awareness to the situation, and perhaps only by doing so, can there be a widespread movement against underage drinking.

The law aims to do good and as honorable citizens, we should respect that.

When my birthday rolls around, I will go out for my first drink. I’m not going to lie, I’m excited.

Josephine von Dohlen is a junior studying history.

By | Aaron Andrews Special to the collegian I was 18 when I had my first drink with my dad.

He sat me down to have a conversation about alcohol in light of my first and fast-approaching semester at Hillsdale: “I understand that it seems arbitrary,” he said, “but it’s really not that big of a deal.

You should just obey the law.

You have to wait only a couple years. In the meantime, why don’t you just drink with me?”

That seemed reasonable, and I love my dad. So, more out of respect for my father than agreement with the state, I obeyed the law.

Yet, I really do think that the drinking age ought to be lowered to 18.

Why? Because as it stands now, the law doesn’t work.

Rather than protecting underaged drinkers from the dangers of alcohol, the drinking age nannies a group of young adults who ought to be exercising their capacity to act responsibly.

Look, the obvious evil here is binge drinking. Binge drinking is stupid, unhealthy, and in many cases, dangerous. But the 21 drinking age does not fix this problem. The government can’t legislate against stupidity. The kind of person who habitually drinks himself to sleep is the same person who will break the law to get his hands on a pint. He will spend hard-earned cash on a fake ID, or he will hire an older person to buy alcohol for him. The barrier to booze does not keep a drunkard from the bottle. It only drains his wallet and his integrity.

The only people that are going to keep that law are the responsible, law-abiding citizens — people who could probably handle themselves around alcohol and who frankly deserve a good drink.

The drinking age does nothing but withhold the joy of a good drink from those who deserve it and increase the wretchedness of the people who don’t.

“The drinking age creates a culture of extremes, especially at college.”

The drinking age creates a culture of extremes, especially at college. It forces students to choose between either a square’s-night-in with Coke and Catan, or a night of crime at a college party. As much as I love board games, I understand that they aren’t for everyone. The law leaves no middle ground for college students. You are either a prude or a criminal.

In addition, the law creates a sub-culture of excess. Instead of going to a public bar to grab a drink with buddies under the watchful eye of God and the world, covert drinkers gather in the seedy corners of campus, where the din of blaring music mixes and stirs a crowd of Red Solo cups. There, in an act of rebellion, they drink as much as they possibly can. Thus the drinking age inadvertently creates an outlying community where drunkenness is

not only acceptable, but also expected. Obviously, college parties would not vanish if the legal drinking age were lowered to 18, but the culture on campus would change for the better. If students were allowed to drink at parties, they might not feel the freedom that comes from having already broken the law — the same freedom that encourages further law breaking. Think about it: If you have to break a law in order to have a drink, then what is stopping you from breaking another? For example, a minor drinking on the sly isn’t going to coordinate with a designated driver.

He’s much more likely to attempt driving himself home to avoid discovery.

Rather than forcing students to choose between prudishness and crime, the government should give them the chance to choose between moderation and excess. Due to the immediate biological effects of binge drinking, this choice is fundamentally easier to make. In addition, lowering the drinking age would provide college students with a myriad of alternate avenues for more reserved alcohol consumption.

Young adults don’t need to be babied. They need to be called up to responsibility. Rather than trying (and failing) to restrict college students access to alcohol, the government ought to foster a culture of responsibility.

But in the meantime, we ought to obey the law; because guys, it’s just not that big of a deal.

Aaron Andrews is a senior studying English.

Americans shouldn’t expect teenagers to solve the gun debate By | Kaylee McGhee D.C. Correspondent During my daily commute through the nation’s capital, I passed a group of high schoolers sitting in a circle outside the White House. They were swaying and humming, and I was trying to figure out if this was a morning yoga session or a religious vigil when I noticed the array of signs lining the pavement.

They read anything from “Are we next?” and “Guns are bad” to more outlandish statements like “Why don’t you shoot me while you’re at it?”

High school walkouts like this have taken place across the country during the last week, following a school shooting on Feb. 14, when a

19-year-old shot and killed 17 people in Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School.

Stoneman Douglas was one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, so it’s natural the nation is asking: “What do we do next?” But for some reason, people are pointing their cameras at the survivors, as well as high schoolers from across the nation, expecting them to answer that question.

And they’ve responded in kind, staging walkouts and protests in an attempt to make their voices heard. In many ways, these high schoolers’ display of passion and strength is inspiring. Their anger is understandable. Too many at too young an age have become the victims of

twisted, evil men. They recognize that something about the culture they’re growing up in is amiss. I applaud their demand for change and their desire to make a difference.

But asking teenagers what the next step forward should be regarding gun control and policy reform is, well, pointless.

I decided to stop and sit with the high schoolers gathered outside the White House as they chanted “HeyOh-Hey-Oh, the NRA has got to go!”

Yasmin Derrada, 17, is a senior at McLane High School in D.C. and helped organize the school’s walkout. I asked her why she was protesting the National Rifle Association

in particular.

“I think it’s kind of disgusting how politicians are still accepting donations from the NRA,” she replied. “It’s just to show their power and to get rid of the idea that assault rifles have to be banned.”

Elena Perez, 16, a junior at McLane told me she wasn’t “okay with the idea they propagate that makes people think guns are okay.”

“It’s not okay to make citizens think they can have AR-15s for everyday use,” she said.

I then asked the two girls what the NRA was. Their response: “Well we’re not the most informed people. We just know they deal with guns and the sale of guns, and that’s

just not okay.”

Many of these students don’t know what they’re protesting against or why they’re protesting in the first place.

All they know is that they’re angry, confused, and they don’t want to be next. Conservatives shouldn’t dismiss them, because their voices do matter. But the left also shouldn’t try to use them to push forward sweeping gun reforms.

One of their best chances at success was in the Florida legislature, involving a bill that would limit the sale of assault rifles similar to the one used to kill 17 of their classmates and teachers. But the bill failed — even with the daily protests, pressure from the

media, and national attention.

The media is using these kids’ narratives to push gun control down the nation’s throat. Although we should be open to all gun policy suggestions, and we should debate the merits of each, we should not use high school kids to make that point. They’re just kids. And while that doesn’t disqualify them or make them less important, it should make us wary. Because if you sit down and speak with them, you’ll find — just as I did — that these are frustrated, hurt, traumatized kids who want to make a difference, but don’t know how.

Kaylee McGhee is a junior stuying politics.

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

A6 February 22, 2018

City delays demolition, as foreclosure case heads to county court By | Joshua Paladino Opinions Editor The City of Hillsdale has delayed the demolition of a condemned building downtown, as a county court prepares to hold a foreclosure hearing.

The structure at 23 and 25 N. Broad St. still stands, even though the city’s office of code enforcement considers it a threat to public safety.

The city ordered the owner, Mortgage Management LLC, to repair or demolish the building by Jan. 23. Now, the Hillsdale County Circuit Court will decide whether to foreclose the property because of unpaid taxes on Feb. 28.

City officials indicated that Hillsdale County will likely take ownership of the building.

Jeff Fazekas co-owns Mortgage Management LLC. The county foreclosure notice also listed James Daniels and Carol A. Daniels as having a recorded interest in the property.

Tim Dixon of Dixon and Rahe Attorneys at Law is the owner of 27 N. Broad Street, which stands adjacent to Mortgage Management LLC’s property.

He claimed the disrepair of his neighbor’s building caused damage to his building.

“I had to pay to get my own foundation reinforced,” Dixon said, adding that it cost him about $3,800.

Mortgage Management LLC stopped paying taxes in 2009. After three years of delinquent taxes, the county can foreclose on a property and resell it, according to Dixon.

Instead, Beth Sanford, deputy bookkeeper at the Hillsdale County Treasurer’s Office, said the county granted the owners a hardship, meaning the county temporarily waived their tax bill.

Mortgage Management LLC owes more than $50,000 in back taxes, according to Planning and Zoning Administrator Alan Beeker, who works for the Hillsdale Office of Code Enforcement.

“It should’ve been handled six years ago,” Dixon said. “If they had foreclosed it and sold it to someone who would’ve taken care of it, then it wouldn’t have gotten so bad.”

A large crack runs down the southwest corner of the building. The city tried to reinforce it a few years ago, but Dixon said it has only gotten worse. Hillsdale Code Enforcement put a barrier around the building to protect people from the crumbling structure.

Fazekas said the building is in disrepair, but does not pose a threat to the public.

“There are things that need to be done, but because of the city harassment and basically not allowing me to have use of the building, I haven’t been in the building in two years, and we haven’t done anything, because we can’t do anything,” he said.

Beeker said his office enforces city ordinances about blight and deterioration. He said they contact Fazekas fre-

quently because his building doesn’t meet city codes.

“It’s not harassment, because he’s not obeying the law,” Beeker said. “It would be like saying the police were harassing somebody for speeding.”

Fazekas said the Tax Increment Finance Authority, the city’s economic development agency, has tried to acquire the property.

TIFA selectively subsidizes business owners, providing them with grants to restore dilapidated buildings that are liabilities — that is, the cost to repair them or tear them down is higher than the value of the property. Since properties in which liabilities exceed value simply deteriorate, the TIFA Board grants money to business owners who present development plans that meet its economic goals.

Fazekas said rather than working with him, the TIFA board wanted to take his property and sell it.

He said he didn’t know why the TIFA board wouldn’t work with him. He added that the City of Hillsdale never contacted him about TIFA until after it condemned his property.

Mary Wolfram, the city’s former director of economic development, said she spoke with Fazekas after the city condemned the property.

“I told him, ‘If you’re willing to donate the building to TIFA, they would accept it,’” Wolfram said.

Fazekas said the city inspected the building without his permission in February 2015.

“TIFA board members talked about acquiring the building,” Fazekas said. “TIFA okayed, on Jan. 20, 2015, for Beeker to look at the building. They sent Beeker out in February to go through the building and fabricate that the building is going to collapse and the whole block is at risk of falling down.”

Fazekas said he didn’t know how Beeker and the inspector got into the building, since he did not give them permission.

“Since they ‘did an inspection’ and condemned the building without informing me, and they didn’t have a search warrant, the Fourth Amendment was violated in this particular situation,” Fazekas said.

Beeker said Rick Roth, a real estate agent in Hillsdale, had the keys and let him into the property. Roth corroborated the statement.

But Fazekas questioned how Roth obtained the keys, since he wasn’t his realtor.

Fazekas said he had the property listed with Don Helton, owner of Don Helton Realty in Hillsdale.

“I most likely called Don Helton and got the keys from him to show it to my buyer,” Roth said. “That would be common practice.”

Beeker, however, said he inspected the building with Roth and an architect from Adrian.

Roth said he went into the building to show it to a

prospective buyer, not for an inspection.

“I had an inquiry on it, and a customer was interested in seeing it,” he said. “I’m not sure why Alan came along. I don’t recall why he did, but, yes, he was along when the client and I looked at it.”

Roth said the inspection was visual, and that’s “not out of the ordinary.”

“I don’t recall any pictures being taken. There was no measuring, that type of thing,” Roth said. “I do know that they detected quite a bit of wall movement.”

If the architect did inspect the building, Fazekas said there was a conflict of interest anyway. He said Siler Associates Inc., a long-time employer of Beeker, conducted the inspection.

Wolfram recalled a different story about the inspection.

“It was an outside inspection,” she said. “He had not given the city permission to go inside the building, so it was an outside inspection.”

“I lost $200,000, and I’ve lost 10 years of my time, energy, and efforts making improvements.

I deal with the city on a regular basis. This is the game ” Although the inspection occurred in February 2015, Fazekas said the architect did not email the city until May 2015. Once the architect informed the city about the building’s condition, it took officials until Dec. 17, 2015, to condemn the property.

“It’s in such disrepair that the whole block is going to fall that it took them until Dec. 17 to condemn the building?”

Fazekas said.

The city’s statement said the building “is likely to partially or completely collapse, or some portion of the foundation or underpinning of the building or structure is likely to fail or give way.”

Roth noted that during the walkthrough, the city posted a warning for Dixon, the owner of the next door building, asking him to ensure that his building’s walls were not shifting.

On Dec. 18, the day after the city condemned the building, Fazekas said he received the previously mentioned call from Wolfram.

“She stated that they want me to give them the building and that it would be a great tax write-off for me,” Fazekas said. “They weren’t wanting to purchase it for what I had it listed for previously, but they

were more interested in me giving it to them.”

Fazekas said he asked Wolfram whether she would work with Mortgage Management LLC to get the company TIFA grants, to which she responded that she would not.

“His characterization is that no one would work with him,” Wolfram said. “The city’s understanding of itself is that they have bent over backwards trying to get him to work with us, to get him to fix up his own building, and to no avail.”

The city condemned the building in December 2015, eight months after finding a major threat to public safety.

Fazekas said he then began to hire attorneys and structural engineers to build a case against the city.

“I met with the first structural engineer in March 2016, at which point he told me they’re full of [it],” he said. “The building isn’t going to collapse. The structure is sound. It isn’t sinking. The city was saying the soil underneath the building is sinking, thus causing the wall to collapse, and that is not the case.”

Since the city hasn’t had access to the building, it has had trouble determining the extent of the structural issues and how serious the threat is to public safety, Beeker said.

“There are definitely bricks falling off this building,” Wolfram said. “There’s a slant to the sidewalk, and the water is running into the building.”

Although TIFA offered to take the building in 2015, disrepair has become so severe that the city is no longer interested. Fazekas tried to give the deed to the city in December 2017, but it didn’t accept it.

“The city will not take it, because he has 10 years of back taxes on the property, and it’s also mortgaged,” Beeker said. “Unless the bank is willing to sign over the property, the city is not going to take on the property and all the debt, as well.”

Since the city won’t take the building and Mortgage Management LLC has no interest in it, the foreclosure hearing will likely result in Hillsdale County taking possession of the property.

“The county’s never going to receive the back taxes,” Dixon said.

Beeker said the county will hold a foreclosure auction for the building in which the minimum bid will be the lien — the amount of back taxes owed on the property. If the building doesn’t sell, then a second auction will occur in which the minimum bid is $25.

But Dixon and Beeker agree: No one will buy the property.

“Who’s gonna spend $50,000 on the tax sale, when they have to spend $1 million to repair the building?” Dixon asked.

It’s also unlikely that someone will demolish the building and rebuild it.

“If they built that building and replaced it so that it was historically correct, it would

A wall at 25 Broad St. has cracked, causing concern from the City of Hillsdale. Joshua Paladino | Collegian

The base of 25 Broad St. is crumbling.

Joshua Paladino | Collegian

The demolition date for 25 Broad St. remains uncertain, as a foreclosure hearing nears. Joshua Paladino | Collegian

cost about $1.5 million, by my calculations,” Dixon said.

Beeker said the city hasn’t simply let the property sit as a public safety threat; it has done everything it can to get Fazekas to repair or demolish the property.

“Due process dictates there are certain things you have to do before taking each next step,” he said. “The owner is given a certain amount of time to make amends, and

then the next judgement is delivered.”

Fazekas said he doesn’t plan to show up to the Feb. 28 hearing. He’s ready for the county to take the building.

“I’m screwed,” he said. “I lost $200,000, and I’ve lost 10 years of my time, energy, and effort making improvements. I deal with the city on a regular basis. This is the game. The bottom line is: I’m done with it.”

Plant pathologist to present on oak tree disease threatening area By | Madeleine Jepsen Science & Tech Editor Oak wilt, a fungal disease that can infect and kill certain oak trees in a matter of weeks, is a growing problem across Michigan and the eastern United States, according to Plant Pathologist David Roberts from Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Roberts will present about the disease, its spread, and how to prevent or contain the infection of oak trees March 1 from 5-7 p.m. at the Hillsdale Community Library. The talk is sponsored by ReLeaf Michigan, a nonprofit tree organization, and will educate homeowners and attendees about how to protect local oak trees that are susceptible to oak wilt.

Oak wilt has a confirmed presence in Michigan, and is spread through the root systems of infected trees or by sap beetles, which feed on the fungus and spread the disease

to new trees through wounds in the bark that can be caused by pruning trees, Roberts said. He said about 90 percent of oak wilt cases are due to root graft, when the root systems of two trees naturally grow together.

Roberts said transport of firewood or timber from infected trees can also spread the disease to different locations.

Preventative measures, such as avoiding pruning oak trees while the beetles are active from approximately mid-April to mid-July, help prevent the spread of oak wilt, according to Hillsdale College Horticulturalist and Hillsdale County Shade Tree Committee member Angie Girdham said.

“The silver lining with oak wilt is that proper tree care management techniques goes a long way in controlling the spread,” Girdham said in an email. “The biggest factor is pruning at the correct time of year to prevent the transpor-

tation of the disease by the beetles that move the spores into fresh wounds.”

Red oaks, which are especially susceptible to oak wilt, can die within two to three weeks of becoming infected, according to information from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Roberts said the primary symptom of oak wilt is premature leaf fall, but since managing the disease can be an expensive process, anyone who suspects an oak wilt infection should consult an arborist to confirm the diagnosis.

Once a tree is infected with oak wilt, there is no way to cure the tree, making it all the more important to prevent the spread of the disease, Roberts said. Preventative measures include digging trenches around infected trees to prevent the spread of oak wilt through the tree’s root system or injecting trees with a fungicide.

City Forester Gary Sta-

chowicz said he is not aware of any cases of oak wilt in Hillsdale County. He said the city’s trees are predominantly maple, but include a small number of both white and red oaks along the road, and there are more oaks in the city’s parks and cemetery.

“The idea is to educate as much as possible to slow the spread of the disease,” Stachowicz said.

Stachowicz said the twohour presentation is free of cost, and is open to anyone in the community. He said he has also invited tree cutting businesses and tree companies from Jackson, Michigan, to attend the oak wilt presentation.

“Anybody who is interested in learning more about oak wilt is welcome to attend the presentation,” Stachowicz said.

According to the DNR, a 2011 Forest Inventory and Analysis data and with the current average stumpage price for red oaks indicate

that the value of red oak timber in Michigan is approximately 1.6 billion dollars.

Girdham said one of the most valuable trees on campus is a large White Oak near Howard Music Hall valued at $39,025.50.

Based on a 2013 survey of campus trees, there are approximately 19 oak trees on campus, although the city’s oak trees and trees in the arboretum, Hayden Park, or at Hillsdale Academy were not included in the survey.

There have been no known cases in any oaks at Hillsdale College, according to Arb Program Coordinator Laurie Rosenberg.

“As far as I know, we do not have any oak wilt on any of the trees at the arboretum yet,” Rosenberg said in an email. “We are very careful about trimming them and protecting them from damage, which is about all you can do to prevent the disease from having an entry point into the tree. I am also

shifting any future plantings of oaks to white oak species, which are less susceptible to the fungus.”

Although official recommendations from the DNR advise against pruning oak trees from mid-April to mid-July, Roberts said the sap beetles that spread the fungus can become active anytime temperatures rise above 45 degrees for several days, although the risk for transmitting oak wilt is not high during short stretches of warm weather toward the end of winter.

“One of the major purposes of having ReLeaf Michigan and Hillsdale offer this presentation is to educate our property owners and the local tree trimming companies of this awful pest and the steps each of us can do to prevent it from moving into our community,” Girdham said in an email.

City News

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

February 22, 2018 A7

Celebrating local history in brick and stone

By | Anna Timmis Assistant Editor Senior Sarah Schutte serves as head RA of the Paul House, officially the Dow House, one of Hillsdale’s many historic homes. Built in the Italianate style, houses like the Paul House have a reputation for being eerie, and are the style for the popular depiction of haunted houses.

“The house is full of odd twists and turns, and I love surprising people by taking them to a room they had no idea was there,” she said in an email.

Throughout Hillsdale’s neighborhoods, several homes with deep architectural history tell a story of America’s past.

Down the road, on a quiet street in Jonesville sits a grand old house, also Italianate in style. Surrounded by smaller or plainer or less serious homes, the Grosvenor House is the grandfather of Maumee Street.

Built in 1874 for Ebenezer Grosvenor, a trustee of Hillsdale College, the 32room Grosvenor House has old Victorian charm. The architecture, including the intricate woodworking, would be expensive to recreate — the architect, Elijah Myers, designed the state capitol buildings for Michigan, Texas, and Colorado.

Moving to Detroit after serving in the Civil War, Myers lived the rest of his life in Michigan and had a diverse

career as an architecture, even designing insane asylums. His style varied from Jacobean, reminiscent of Renaissance architecture, to Greek revival.

The Italianate, originally inspired by Italian farmhouses, exploded in America after the Civil War, taking on a whimsy of its own. Towers, intricate molding, and dramatically sloping roofs distinguish the homes in this style. The Grosvenor House is more solemn, built with red brick.

Kelly Scott Franklin, assistant professor of English, catching onto the haunted theme, held a dramatic reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Telltale Heart” at the Grosvenor House for Halloween in 2015.

The Halloween tradition of has continued since. Paul

Trump from A1 and some local businesses, but is underutilized.

Since it’s tough to justify putting fiber in a smaller community because the customer base can’t support it, Leutheuser said in the meantime, other barriers to expansion need attention, such as competing interests, priorities, and regulations.

Ultimately, Trump’s plan aims to spur investment rather than use federal money to fund the bulk of projects. Cit-

“Modernizing and investing in our nation’s infrastructure is long overdue.”

ies such as Hillsdale will have access to block grants, but will need to rely more on financing themselves and seeking state and private investment.

“We’re being very aggressive in setting aside monies now,” Mackie said, “monies that weren’t set aside in the past that are dedicated specifically to road repair. I feel over the next five to 10 years, the city will be making strides.”

Hosmer, assistant professor of physics, helped coordinate the event and read a ghost story of his own. He said the house was perfect for a Halloween reading.

“Dr. Franklin’s rendition of the Tell-Tale Heart was both brilliant and disturbing,” he said.

The Hillsdale area did not escape the Italianate craze in the 1800s. Built just before the Civil War, the Paul House’s centered tower, delicate trim over the porch, and a royal blue door give Hillsdale’s formal campus a touch of fun.

There’s a story that a secret tunnel connects the Sigma Chi house next door, and that the Paul House was part of the Underground Railroad.

Schutte said the steep spi-

The historic Grosvenor House in Jonesville has Italianate architecture, a style popular in the late 19th century.

Nic Rowan | Collegian

ral staircase in the foyer feels majestic. But the stairs creak, and the rooms at the top lead to a labyrinth of rooms: one step down, two steps up, through another room and then another, till you reach the narrow back stair or a tiny sitting area. Or the stair to the tower.

“The girls wanted the house to be haunted, so they made up a ghost named Paul,” Schutte said. “Then, I was reading old Collegian articles that talked about a female ghost people had seen years ago.”

It’s no surprise the house, over 150 years old, is spooky with lots of hidden corners, creaking floors, and the romantic— if ramshackle — tower room overlooking

Hillsdale Street.

Down the street from The Grosvenor House sits the Munro House, now a bed and breakfast. Built by George Clinton Munro in 1834, the house is the oldest in Hillsdale County. Also possibly part of the underground railroad, Munro added a hidden room to shelter slaves. It fell into disrepair until the 1960s before it was bought for 1 dollar and refurbished.

An evening walk through Hillsdale shows its haunted history, with diverse architectural styles that hearken to the 19th century, where the conflict of war reached even quiet Hillsdale.

have time to run around the grocery store.

“Sometimes you just run out of time to get stuff for dinner or to just get groceries,” he said.

According to Boyd, his initial efforts have gone well.

“We knew it was going to require time for people to get used to it, but it has been gaining in popularity and it has been great for business,” he said.

Market House employee Laura Wilson agreed.

“The business helps a lot of people, especially if they have disabilities,” Wilson said. “It really helps them to not have to leave their car.”

Market House is the only grocery store in Hillsdale that offers such a service.

Walmart in Jonesville allows customers to order items online and pick them up in the

store.

A few Kroger locations, including the Kroger on W. Argyle Street in Jackson, offer a “Click list pick up” where customers can shop and pay for their groceries online and have them brought out to their car upon arrival at the store location.

Several Meijer locations are beginning to implement a curbside pick up program, and have intentions to bring it to all locations, but as of now that does not include the nearest Meijer locations in Coldwater and Jackson.

Boyd and the entire Market House team hope the customers take advantage of this wonderful opportunity as they set the path for a new way to grocery shop in Hillsdale.

“Customers are very happy, and they love the convenience,” Boyd said.

Market House introduces grocery pickup service By | Stefan Kleinhenz Collegian Reporter Market House customers at the Hillsdale and Hudson locations can now order their groceries and have them carried out to their car, all with the send of a text message.

“Text 20,” a curbside pick up service, allows customers to text their grocery list of 20 groceries or less to (517) 2342020. Within 30 minutes, the groceries are brought to their car for a $4.95 fee. Payable with credit or debit card, this service is available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Saturday.

According to Market House owner Brett Boyd, this project has been in the works for a little under a year, but has only been up and running for about six months.

Boyd said he understands shoppers sometimes do not

Student athletes found on both sides of the counter at Filling Station By | Joe Pappalardo Senior Writer Hillsdale College football and baseball athletes are working at the Filling Station Deli in downtown Hillsdale. A handful of students have been rotating through and taking shifts since 2014.

Cindy Bieszk, the owner, will celebrate 17 years of running the deli on May 1. With a steady stream of business from the football, baseball, and basketball teams, she has been a staple of the students’ Hillsdale experience. The deli itself has served the community for 28 years.

“When football travels, I do their sack lunches,” she said.

“I’ve fed pretty much all the teams.”

When Garet Lee ’14 injured himself playing football for the Chargers, he became a potential employee for Bieszk.

With the economy improving, Bieszk said, she needed an extra body in the deli. Lee lived close to Hillsdale and was able to take shifts at the Filling Station.

By the time Lee graduated, Bieszk needed someone to take his place. Lee named Sam Landry ’15 as his successor, starting a trend of football players vetting their peers for the coveted shifts at the Filling Station.

“They tell me who’s going to work the best,” Bieszk said.

Of course, with the Filling Station’s unique design, not everyone can join the team.

Players over 6 feet 2 inches can’t stoop beneath the deli’s low ceiling. Aside from this physical deterrent, the student workers select their successors based on personality and ability to work within the team.

Bieszk noted the limitations set by the restaurant’s tight space, saying, “There’s a concussion protocol for the too-tall guys.”

With some employees graduating each December, the sandwich shop owner said she has been “rotating bodies in” as positions open up. As the number of employees has increased incrementally each year, the demand for the positions has increased as well.

Now three members of the football team and one baseball player work at the deli.

“I got the job from Scotty Penola and Jordan Harlamert,” senior Alex Zimmerman said.

“They recommended me to Cindy and she slowly started to give me shifts so I could learn the ropes, and eventually I just started working more and more.”

Zimmerman joined after Penola and Harlamert graduated and now works three

days a week at the deli.

“The experience so far has been awesome,” he said. “It’s a great job for my schedule.

The toughest part has been mastering the cash register and memorizing orders. The best part has been the people who work there.

Christian Rodino, who graduates next December, reached out to Bieszk this year to see if he could spend some of his free time working at her restaurant. The baseball team member is the first student to land a position without the football team’s blessing, but his frequent stops at the deli helped him develop a relationship with the owner led to his hiring.

“I just wanted to get some work because I’m planning on going on a trip to Europe this summer,” he said.

Rodino and the baseball team provide the deli with business when their coaches buy them lunch there, he said.

The sandwich place fed the team when the cafeteria was closed to the athletes over school breaks. Rodino said the job was a great fit because of his schedule-oriented lifestyle as an athlete.

“It’s very fun to work with these people,” Rodino said.“I like everything here.”

A8 February 22, 2018

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Follow @HDaleSports for live updates and news

Women’s Basketball

Men’s Basketball Saturday,

feb.17

Hillsdale

94

Saturday,

Upcoming

Saturday, feb. 24 at findlay 1:00 PM

Stats

Ryan Badowski Stedman Lowry Gordon Behr Nick Czarnowski

Ohio Valley

36 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast 22 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast 9 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast 6 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast

76

Track and Field

Feb. 17 Hillsdale: 4 Northwood: 5

ability to catch fire and change the course of a game.

“She’s obviously a pretty good player,” Fritsche said.

“It’s cool to see her experience success, but it’s not a huge surprise. We think all of our kids can score it a little bit.”

Freshman guard Jaycie Burger flirted with a tri-

Saturday, feb. 24 at findlay 3:00 PM

Hillsdale

103

Stats

Jessica De gree Hunter Stevens Sydney Anderson Julia Wacker

Ohio Valley

25 pts, 7 reb. 2 stl 14 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast 13 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast 10 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast

37

Findlay-1,973 Hillsdale-1323 Malone-953.5

Women’s Results

Feb. 17 Hillsdale: 4 Northwestern Ohio: 5

Feb. 18 Hillsdale: 0 Ferris St.: 9

WBB from A10

Upcoming

Results 2018 G-MAC Championships

Feb. 23-24 G-MAC Championships at Hillsdale, MI

Men’s Results

17

Women’s Swimming

Upcoming

Tennis

feb.

ple-double, scoring 10 points while collecting seven rebounds and eight assists. Burger has 18 assists in the team’s last three games.

“I’ve been able to learn my teammates’ tendencies throughout the season,” Burger said. “That has helped me place effective passes that allow them to play to their strengths, which makes scoring a little easier.”

Junior Makenna Ott leads the team with 14.5 points per game this season. Gabe Prieur | Courtesy

Burger is typically Hillsdale’s first player off the bench to compliment the Chargers’ usual five starters. On Saturday, she spent much of the game coordinating an offense that consisted almost exclusively of players who normally take on secondary roles to the core five. That detail wasn’t lost on Fritsche, who pointed to Burger’s performance as a sign of her maturation and leadership.

“Today, I think she took on a leadership role; a really good communicative role,” Fritsche said. “She really wanted to lead that team and get people good looks. She did a great job of it too.”

Burger agreed that her communication allowed her to step into new shoes as a leader on the court.

“I made it a personal goal to increase my volume and talking during the game,” Burger said. “It helped my play to improve and my teammates also responded well. I’m trying to take a leadership role and talking is a very important aspect of that.”

Burger was central to Hillsdale’s ability to include of its players, especially those role players who have contributed to the team’s recent success in so many ways.

One of many role players who enjoyed a stellar game was sophomore center Julia Wacker, who recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 10 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

Baseball

Results

Feb. 18 Hillsdale: 9 Saginaw Valley:16

Feb. 19 Hillsdale: 5 Saginaw Valley: 2

Hillsdale: 8 Saginaw Valley:7

Hillsdale: 4 Saginaw Valley: 5

Fritsche had high praise for Wacker’s growth this season, comparing her potential to Dittmer’s. Earlier this month, Dittmer became only the 14th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.

Wacker figures to be the team’s starting center, or “five”, next season once Dittmer graduates.

“We’ve gone through the second half of this season thinking that Julia was going to move into that role for next year, to be a go-to five,” Fritsche said. “She’s developed a lot; her ceiling is unknown to all of us. If she has a really good summer, she could have Dittmer-like years in her future.”

Sophomore guard Sydney Anderson also came off the bench with a hot hand, making three three-pointers en route to 13 points, her second time scoring in double-digits in her last three games.

As a team, Hillsdale shot 55 percent from the floor. The Chargers nearly broke a record they set just a week earlier in making 15 of 37 three pointers. The school record for threes in a game is 16, set on Feb. 10.

The Chargers dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Ohio Valley, 60-16. Hillsdale remains second in the nation in rebounding margin, out-rebounding opponents by an average of 11.3 boards per game.

The Fighting Scots, who played with only five players

Upcoming

Feb. 25-26 Dunn Hospitality Classic

due to injuries and suspensions, struggled to get anything going offensively all game long.

Hillsdale’s final game of the regular season comes at the same location where the G-MAC tournament will be held, in Findlay, Ohio. The Chargers travel to take on the University of Findlay Oilers (19-6, 16-5) on Saturday. Tip off is at 3 p.m. Hillsdale defeat-

ed Findlay on Jan. 13, 75-67.

Though Saturday will be the final regular season game for De Gree and the seniors, they have their eyes set on more.

“I know we can win the tournament and I want to go on,” De Gree said. “That would be super cool to end my senior year with huge postseason success.”

Freshman Jaycie Burger is leading all Hillsdale freshmen with 5.4 points per game this season. Gabe Prieur | Courtesy

Women’s tennis drops match to Northwestern Ohio By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief Despite victory pried from the women’s tennis team by the University of Northwestern Ohio, the G-MAC recognized a freshman for her fight.

The conference office named Hannah Cimpeanu as its Player of the Week on Tuesday. Cimpeanu contributed half of the score for Hillsdale College, which fell 5-4 to the Racers on Saturday in Toledo in the non-league match. The Chargers are now 1-2 this season, but they’re the No. 1 pick in the confer-

ence by head coaches, according to Ben Schlesselman, G-MAC assistant coordinator for strategic communications.

“Hannah is one of many names on the Hillsdale roster that I anticipate the league will get used to hearing this season,” he said in an email.

“It is exciting to see the Hillsdale athletic department have considerable success in every sport during their first year with the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.”

Although the Chargers lost, the matches were close and showed some of the best competitive play from the

women that coach Nikki Walbright said she has seen from them.

“The girls did everything they could,” Walbright said.

“They were exhausted afterward. It was a tough team.”

Hillsdale started with a lead after doubles play with Cimpeanu and junior Halle Hyman winning 9-7 at No. 2 and junior Madeline Bissett and sophomore Kamryn Matthews finding victory 8-3 at No. 3.

“We stayed really positive and were there for each other and gave it our all,” Cimpeanu said. “I saw that for doubles, confidence is key and

you need communication to keep it tight on the court.”

Sophomore Katie Bell and junior Corinne Prost lost in a close 9-8 matchup at No. 1 doubles.

“Although they lost, it was probably the best I’ve seen them play,” Walbright said.

“The team they were playing was really competitive and were heavy hitters. It was an unfortunate loss.”

Coming off doubles wins, Cimpeanu and Bissett won their singles matches: Cimpeanu at No. 2, 6-4, 6-2 in the game’s most decisive victory and Bissett at No. 6, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

Long singles matches, however, stretched Hillsdale, as half of the matchups entered a tie-breaking third round. Prost at No. 4 fell 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 and Matthews at No. 5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

In stiff competition, Bell at No.1 fell 7-5, 6-4, and Hyman at No. 3, 6-2, 7-5.

“As we get tired, we need to fight through it,” Walbright said. “We need to win while being really exhausted and working under some pressure points.”

As Player of the Week, Cimpeanu joins Bell in her recognition for the honor for the 2017-2018 academic year.

MBB from A10

All-Americans, we have ever had here,” Tharp said. “If he continues to work and develop, he has the potential for a bright future.”

Junior forward Gordon Behr had a complete game as he scored 9 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and added 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal.

With 10:54 left in the game, Ohio Valley pulled to within 6 points. Hillsdale responded with a flurry of scoring from

Badowski and sophomore forward Davis Larson, capped by a high-arcing three-pointer

by Behr to put the game out of reach for Ohio Valley.

Hillsdale caps its season against the University of Findlay, the roaring dragon at the top of the G-MAC conference standings, on the road on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“The kids know the battle we have ahead,” Tharp said.

“They know. They get it.”

players.

But the Hillsdale seniors weren’t the only Chargers to contribute to the win. Freshman forward Austen Yarian used his savage toughness to rip down 11 rebounds while he scored 4 points, and added 3 assists in 21 minutes of action.

“He is a young man who has some of the same qualities of some of the best players, the

Cimpeanu is the 26th Charger to receive the award this year across all programs.

“It’s really nice to know hard work pays off,” Cimpeanu said.

On Saturday, women’s tennis is scheduled to play former GLIAC rival Ferris State University at 1 p.m. in Big Rapids, Michigan. The Chargers have never defeated the Bulldogs, according to Walbright, but their last meeting in October 2016 was a narrow 5-4 loss.

“We’re just trying to bring our best tennis out, and hopefully we’re feeling really good,” she said.

The Charger men are also well in the hunt for a bid to the Division II national tournament. The team is currently a No. 6 seed in the region and the top four teams in the region are a lock to receive bids, Tharp said. A win over Findlay may give them the boost they need to get to the tournament.

“We have battled all year and we have a chance to write the end of our own story here,” Tharp said.

Sports

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

February 22, 2018 A9

Baseball opens season with split against SVSU By | Stevan Bennett Jr. Sports Editor Pulling into campus in the wee hours of the morning is commonplace for the Hillsdale College baseball team.

This past weekend, the Chargers returned from Tennessee at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday with a season-opening split against Saginaw Valley under their belts.

“Everybody is pretty positive,” senior pitcher Phil Carey said. “We hoped for better than a split, obviously, but being our first weekend outside, we played well.”

After rain delayed the series on Saturday, the two teams met at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, Tennessee, on Sunday, where the Cardinals took game one, 16-9.

Saginaw opened up a 7-2 lead over the first three innings, but the Chargers fought back to take a 9-7 lead by the end of the fifth. That was the end of the scoring for the Chargers, however, as the Cardinals plated nine runs over the next four frames,

Swim from A1

Before Heeres, Wilkens, junior Grace Houghton, and sophomore Danielle LeBleu finished Friday with a 7:49.56, third-place victory in the 800 freestyle relay, the Chargers flooded the winner’s podium on the 200 butterfly. Houghton won second place with a season-best time of 2:08.09. Voisin came next in fourth, just five seconds after Houghton at 2:13.03.

Bowen was fifth with a season-best 2:14.31. Leathers followed with a lifetime-best time at 2:16.64 with Bickerstaff touching the wall just after at 2:16.87.

“That race was a really good experience for me because I thought less about myself during the swim and more about going out and swimming for the team. It was a really good experience of camaraderie,” Houghton said. “It was fun to see blue everywhere.”

On Saturday, Heeres broke the school record for the 200 backstroke, swimming a lifetime-best at 2:04.74 for the silver medal. Matti took sixth at 2:09.47. Both Bickerstaff and Farris pulled lifetime-best times in their respective finals, with times of 2:13.07 and 2:12.83, respectively. Smith closed her college swimming career in twentieth place with a season-best of 2:21.15.

Ellingson earned another chance at nationals when she out-touched the competition for third place in the 200 breaststroke for a season-best 2:19.64.

“Both Anika Ellingson and Katherine Heeres are driven swimmers both in practice and at meets. They have a mindset that allows them to focus on what it takes to be at their very best.

Many competitors still come up and say ‘I’m nervous’ or ‘I’m not feeling quite right,’” Kirner said. “You will never hear that from either Anika or Katherine. They trust their abilities and training.”

including four in each of the eighth and ninth innings.

Junior infielders captain Colin Hites and Colin Boerst and sophomore outfielder Dante Toppi all drove in two runs in the effort, while sophomore infielder Jacob Depillo added one RBI of his own.

Senior pitcher and captain Will Kruse opened the season on the mound for Hillsdale, allowing seven runs — only three earned — on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. Freshman Sawyer Allen made his Charger debut next, hurling four innings and allowing five runs, four of which were earned.

The Chargers bounced back in game two — which started on Sunday but was finished on Monday morning, due to darkness — winning 8-7.

“You have to rebound the way you rebound from anything that doesn’t turn out in your favor — you just move on. You learn from it and move on,” head coach Eric Theisen said. “It was a new game.”

Addis, Bowen, and Voisin followed Ellingson into ninth, 15th, and 18th. Addis achieved a lifetime-best time at 2:30.12 while Bowen and Voisin had season-bests at 2:35.94 and 2:41.04.

Houghton raced into second place for the mile swim at 18:05.83 with sophomore Lizzie Leathers following up in 14th place at 19:54.86 and Smith in 19th at 20:21.61.

“I have a different way of training for distance. I don’t train mechanically. I know when I’m getting tired and I need to increase my effort to compensate,” Houghton said.

“I don’t know what pace I’m going like other swimmers do, but I know what I need to feel in my body to sustain myself. It’s in the core.”

Kirner said that Houghton was better prepared for the competition the G-MAC-ME conference offered her, as opposed to what she swam against at the GLIAC championships.

“Houghton’s time of 18:05 in the mile places her at sixth on our all-time list,” Kirner said. “She isn’t done yet. I believe she can cut more time moving into her senior year.”

To finish out the conference, Rao and Vita took 11th and 12th in the 100 freestyle at 55.08 and 55.16 before the two joined Farris and Heeres to finish fourth in the 400 freestyle relay at 3:38.56.

Kirner said he and Hopkins are already gearing up for the next season. Hopkins is developing an offseason program the team will use for the first time to work smaller muscles and finer details of a swim before the team re-enters in the pool to train for next year.

“We have a lot of work to do to get ready for next year,” Kirner said. “Overall we will be stronger next season as we get back some competitors who were injured or unable to compete. We will definitely miss the leadership that the seniors, Peyton Bowen and Theresa Smith, have provided these past four seasons.”

Toppi opened the scoring with a three-run home run in the second, the first of his Charger career. Boerst drove in another run in the inning, giving Hillsdale an early 4-0 lead.

Saginaw took the lead with five runs in the top of the fourth, starting a backand-forth which brought the Chargers to a one-run deficit entering the bottom of the seventh and final frame. After a walk by Boerst and a single by redshirt freshman Rob Zurawski left runners on first and second, sophomore Jake Rhodes stepped to the plate for a two-out pinch-hit at bat.

A walk-off double to left later, the Chargers poured onto the field victorious.

“Coach told me I would be hitting in the fifth spot coming up, so I knew if it got to me it would be an important at bat because that would mean we had guys on and a chance to win the game,” Rhodes said. “He trusted me with the opportunity and I just wanted to step up for my teammates. I just really wanted to get that hit and get us

started on the winning track.”

Game three of the series belonged to senior starter Phil Carey, who struck out four in a seven-inning complete game, leading Hillsdale to a 5-2 win. Carey said while his go-to changeup was not working well, he was able to locate his fastball, which gave his defense a chance to make plays.

“It was a big confidence booster. To get the first one out of the way like that and get the season started on a good note, that’s pretty big for me and I hope to carry that momentum to next weekend,” Carey said. “What really won the game, though, was the defense. Every single game this weekend they showed up and they backed everybody. I give them full credit for that game.”

The Chargers never trailed in the game after scoring three runs in the top of the first. Boerst, senior captain Ryan O’Hearn, and juniors Dylan Lottinville and Steven Ring all drove in a run in the win, which brought the Chargers to 2-1 on the season.

Hillsdale spent all of game four trailing after a four-run second from the Cardinals opened the scoring. Despite the early deficit, the Chargers stayed in the game, only trailing 5-4 at the end of the fifth.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, this was how the game ended, when Boerst was left on third after a leadoff double in the seventh.

“I’m excited about the passion this team plays with and the belief that we’re never out of a game,” Theisen told the team in an email after the series. “We’ve begun to utilize our depth and versatility and that will continue. I’m excited about the identity we’re starting to create for ourselves.”

Freshman David Toth threw a solid 1 2/3 innings in relief before battling some control issues in the fifth, when Toppi came in to finish the game. The two combined to hold Saginaw scoreless over their three innings out of the bullpen.

“We asked a lot of David Toth for his first day of college baseball...and he did a great job,” Theisen said. “And

Toppi being able to come in straight from the outfield — he’s just a gamer. He just gets it done.”

Theisen also highlighted senior infielder Alex Walts — who had a huge weekend at the plate, going 7 for 13 on the weekend, while also filling in behind the plate some — and junior pitcher Jonathan Lapshan, who picked up two very important outs in the game two victory.

This weekend, the Chargers head to Evansville, Indiana to play one game against each of Missouri S&T, Southern Indiana, Grand Valley St., and Rockhurst, four teams which bring strong squads into the 2018 season.

“We’re ready. We’re kind of chomping at the bit,” Carey said. “We’re going to see some of the best teams in the region this season and we’re eager to prove ourselves against them. As coach always says, ‘We’re not going to fear them. We’re going to be the team that other teams are afraid of.’”

Men’s track uses Tune Up to prepare for G-MACs By | Regan Meyer Collegian Reporter At the Hillsdale Tune Up this weekend, the Charger men polished up their performances in preparation for the G-MAC Championships.

Head coach Andrew Towne was pleased with the team’s overall performance.

“It went really well,” Towne said. “It was exactly what we want the Tune Up to be. Not everyone competed but those who did really readied themselves for G-MACs this weekend.”

Junior Nick Fiene took second in what was his first race this season, the 5,000-meter.

“I had gotten injured after cross country,” Fiene said.

“So I had to take like eight weeks off. This was my first race of the season. It was just a little bit different in general, just being the first meet and running an event that I had never raced before. I’m just glad to be healthy and glad to be back on the track in general.”

Although Fiene may not be participating in G-MACs, he says the that those who are are setup to claim the crown.

“I know how our guys team is set up for G-MACs, with everyone who is healthy,” Fiene said. “I know that we have a good shot to do really well.”

As for preparation, the team is continuing to train as they usually would just

with less intensity.

“I’m pretty sure that every person on the team isn’t changing anything,” senior Daniel Čhapek said. “We might do less intense workouts so we get more rest. But we’re doing the same thing, because why would we change anything?”

Towne said he believes his team is ready, but they have to deliver when the time comes.

“It’s a huge benefit to us to be at home,” Towne said.

“And my feeling is that our team dynamic has improved throughout the year. We have a lot of guys fired up and ready to lay it on the line, so to speak.”

Towne said he has been talking to his athletes about

the intensity and aggression they have to show this weekend.

“I think at times we can have a perception as being a little soft because our kids are smart, our kids are good kids,” Towne said. “They’re not troublemakers. They’re not fighters. So sometimes we have to get out of that mode of thinking our way through everything and being very intentional and just compete. We have to be very aggressive.”

The G-MAC 2017-2018 Indoor Track and Field Championships will be held this Friday and Saturday.

Competition will begin at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the day at the Biermann Athletics Center.

Junior Nathan Pando (middle) runs at the Wide Track Classic earlier this season. Carmel KooKogey | Collegian

Men’s tennis falls to Northwood, Ferris in nonconference matches By | Scott McClallen Assistant Editor The Hillsdale College men’s tennis team dropped two nonconference matches over the weekend.

The Chargers fell to Northwood University 4-5 on Saturday evening, taking two doubles matches and two singles matches.

Junior Justin Hyman and sophomore Charlie Adams won No. 1 doubles, 8-3.

Hyman won No. 3 singles 6-2, 6-3 and Adams was a No. 2 singles winner, 6-1, 7-5. Senior captain Dugan Delp and junior John Ciraci won No. 2 doubles, 6-2, 6-3.

Head coach Keith Turner said new Northwood players gave the Timberwolves more depth as a team than the Chargers.

“They added a new No. 1 guy who might be the best player in the region,” Turner said. “But we had a couple real good wins in that match.

Charlie Adams beat the No. 17 guy in the Midwest. Justin and Charlie also beat the No. 4 ranked doubles team in the Midwest. So we had some good results.”

Turner said the score didn’t reflect the level of competition demonstrated.

“Northwood lost their top two guys from last year but they still had a lot of depth and some strong players that just didn’t play last year,” Turner said.

Delp said weak second sets sunk the Chargers.

“I think some of that was that because we had bad second sets: my match was 6-4, 6-0. John’s was like 6-3, 6-0 and Gabe’s was 7-6, 6-1,” Delp said.

He added that Adams helped beat the No. 1 doubles team handily.

“So we really didn’t do a good job of continuing to develop a strategy and implement that in the second set to make it more competitive….

But obviously, credit to them,”

Delp said. “They were really good.”

Turner said the Chargers will most likely face these teams again.

“Northwood was No. 8 in the region and they are probably a little bit stronger than that,” Turner said. “So we lost to the two teams who are going to reach the NCAA tournament. The guys will learn from it and we will be better in the long run because of it.”

The Chargers fell 9-0 to Ferris State, ranked 25th in the nation on Sunday morning.

The Bulldogs swept singles and doubles matches although Delp and Cirici viciously fought at No. 2 doubles, losing 9-8. Delp completed all three sets at No. 6 singles, losing 1-6, 5-7, 10-8.

“Ferris is always in the top teams in the region,” Delp said.

“They won the GLIAC pretty handily last year.”

Delp said the team had improved exponentially.

“The difference between

the last two years and this year and our depth and our ability to change up the lineup,” Delp said. “It’s already very evident that our level of intensity and level of play has to rise because our players further down the lineup are playing really well and pushing us to be better.”

Ciraci said he looked forward to facing them at the end of the season with more matches under the team’s belt.

“We played well against Ferris even though we didn’t win any matches. As we go along I think we’re going to keep playing better,” Ciraci said. “They lost awesome kids from last year but replaced them right away…. We gave him some good runs and some of the matches but they were just a little bit too strong.”

Turner said his No. 2 doubles team stood out from the rest this weekend.

“If they can play like that the rest of the year, that’s huge for us,” Turner said. “They beat a really good Northwood team

and we had some very competitive matches with Ferris State.

They played a great tiebreaker in that match and they didn’t give us anything.”

Ciraci said that their No. 2 doubles loss was played incredibly well.

“Ferris is good at every single spot but we never felt outmatched at any point. It was close the whole time,” Ciraci said. “We both played very well and very few mistakes were made.”

Delp said that almost every player came back in their second set against Ferris.

“This weekend was disappointing, especially Saturday, but those are the two of the top teams in the region and maybe the two toughest teams we’ll play all season,” Delp said.

The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 on the season.

“Both teams will be very competitive...We split with Wayne State last year. We lost to them 5-4 and we beat them 5-4,” Delp said. “So we’re going

to have to adjust quickly and, like we did against Ferris and figure out our opponents and make it competitive throughout the whole match.”

The nonconference losses left the Chargers record at 2-2.

The Chargers will face off on the road against the Edinboro Fighting Scots, ranked No. 3 in the Atlantic region on Feb. 24 at 4 and against unranked Wayne State on Sun. Feb. 25 at 1.

“I think Ferris is stronger than both of the two teams we are playing this weekend,” Turner said. “I think Edinboro and Wayne State will be close matches but there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to beat them.”

Delp said that Edinboro beat Walsh 6-3 on Feb. 3.

“Walsh is ranked second in our conference,” Delp said.

“It would be a really good win against them for our own sake and also to show everyone what we’re made of.”

Charger Men’s Track The Hillsdale College men’s track team used the Tune up to prepare for the G-MAC Championships this weekend. A9

FEBRUARY 22, 2018

Baseball In their season opener this weekend, the Chargers split a four-game series with Saginaw Valley in Johnson City, Tennessee.

A9

Tennis Both men’s and women’s tennis played nonconference matches this week.

Women’s A8 Men’s A9

Both basketball teams celebrated Senior Day on Saturday. Stevan Bennett Jr. | Collegian

BASKETBALL TEAMS SWEEP OVU ON SENIOR DAY

Seniors shine in decisive men’s victory Strong bench play leads women in win By | Mark Naida Assistant Editor Senior Ryan Badowski ended his last home game as a member of the Hillsdale College basketball team hanging on the rim after a two-handed slam dunk. Thirty seconds later, senior Stedman Lowry had a lay-in from the baseline and the two senior guards shook head coach John Tharp’s hand and sat on the bench to watch the final moments of the 94-76

victory over Ohio Valley University as their parents cheered them on.

Badowski led the team in scoring with a season-high 36 points, the most since Kyle Cooper racked up 40 in 2016.

He shot with accuracy and poise, going 13-18 from the field on 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc, and a cool 5-5 from the free throw line.

But he didn’t do it all himself. Lowry, who ranks third all-time in career three pointers made, added 22 points

Senior Ryan Badowski led the team in scoring on Saturday with a season-high 36 points. Gabe Prieur | Courtesy

and 6 rebounds, including three first-half triples that gave the sputtering Hillsdale team some life.

These two performances were the culmination of a career for both players. Badowski spent a year at Division I Longwood University before transferring to Hillsdale his sophomore year. Lowry turned down Division I offers to come play for the Chargers and receive a great education.

“They are both college 1,000 point scorers here,” Tharp said.

“They have had tremendous careers here. We are thankful for them and sad to see them go.”

After the first half in which the Fighting Scots shot 8-11 from beyond the arc, the Chargers knew the Fighting Scots, though at the bottom of the conference standings, were a dangerous team.

The first half run by the Scots including three triples by senior guard Aleksandar Djordjevic, a 21 percent threepoint shooter on the season, as he poured in 19 first-half points.

“It was more of a dogfight that I wanted it to be,” Tharp said.

The team headed into the locker room with a 48-44 lead and got hot in the second half, shooting 58 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.

Badowski’s quickness allowed him to get easy buckets off the dribble against the Fighting Scots’ lax defense.

“We tried to get out tempo going and some of their guys were in foul trouble, so we let Badowski go off the bounce at them,” Tharp said. “They are not a great defensive team by any stretch of the imagination.”

Sharing the ball helped the Chargers have one of their highest scoring games this season, as they racked up 21 assists from 10 different

See MBB A8

By | S. Nathaniel Grime Assistant Editor The last time the Hillsdale College Chargers scored 103 points, head coach Matt Fritsche mentioned how important it was that all his players experienced success on the court. One week later, his team treated the home crowd at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena to an encore.

For the second time in three games, the Chargers (16-9, 14-7 G-MAC) eclipsed the 100 point threshold, defeating the Ohio Valley University Fighting Scots (0-20, 0-24) on Saturday, 103-37.

It was a special day for four Chargers in particular: the team’s 2018 senior class.

Seniors Michelle Boykin and Maddie Reed started the game at the guard position, with senior Jess De Gree drawing the start at forward and senior Allie Dittmer starting as usual at center. Junior forward Makenna Ott, the team’s leading scorer this season, rounded out the starting lineup on Senior Day. Hillsdale’s typical five starters are Dittmer, Reed, Ott, and juniors Brittany Gray at forward and Allie Dewire at guard. On Saturday, those five combined to score 21 points, while the rest of the team accounted for 82 points. An encore from the bench, indeed.

De Gree made 10 of 13 shots to lead the team with 25 points and added seven rebounds. She also nailed a pair of threes in the second half.

On hand to witness De Gree’s standout performance were her parents, who came all the way from San Clemente, California to watch De Gree for the first time in her collegiate career.

“This one was easy,” De Gree said. “This game was much slower. I was much more confident in myself once I got

Senior Maddy Reed is averaging 7.6 points per game so far this season. Gabe Prieur | Courtesy

used to the game, and I started shooting more.”

Fritsche, who often mentions the impact De Gree has during practices as a leader and encourager, got the opportunity to talk about the impact she brought to the court in the victory.

“She understands how to move without the ball and be efficient in those movements,” Fritsche said. “She’s a good finisher. It doesn’t surprise you when she makes all those shots around the basket.”

It was appropriate that on Senior Day, it was a player like De Gree, who so often leads by example in cultivating a positive atmosphere among the team, was the team’s leader on the court on Saturday.

Another feel-good story was the fact that Boykin, who had been shut down for the season due to recurring concussions,

suited up to start and finish the game on the floor. It was the first time she’d been on the court since Jan. 4.

“Her teammates talked her into putting on a uniform and jacking up a couple of shots,” Fritsche said. “They wanted her to play one more time.

She’s a special kid that’s a good friend and a good teammate, and they wanted to experience one more game with her.”

Another player that seemingly came out of nowhere to make a significant impact was junior guard Hunter Stevens, who made three of four three-pointers and scored 14 points.

Stevens has dealt with concussions this season that have kept her off the practice and game court for extended periods of time, but she proved that when healthy, she has the

See WBB A8

Shea grabs two wins for women’s track By | Anna Timmis Assistant Editor The women’s track team won event after event at the Tune Up on Saturday, promising a successful meet next week at G-MACs. Senior Fiona Shea took two of the three Charger wins during the meet. She won the 200-meter dash in 25.86 minutes and finished the 60-meter dash in 7.85 seconds.

Shea said she and other teammates were fighting off a cold and flu prior to the meet, so they hadn’t had much time to practice before the meet.

“We’ve had a pretty good season of training so we knew we were gonna start to hit our peaks around here and around our conference next week,” she said.

About a third of the team competed in the Tune Up, with most of the distance runners sitting out to save energy, but head coach Andrew Towne said about 400 to 500 competed in the meet.

“I thought the Tune Up was exactly what we want it to be,” Towne said.

Shea said the meet was relaxed, but the teams who participated provided good competition.

“It was a really good chance to get out there and prove ourselves and fix the small things before conference,” she said.

Senior team captain Rachael Tolsma continued to shine in her events, taking second place in both shot-put and weight throw, making an NCAA provisional mark in

Senior Fiona Shea competes at the Wide Track Classic earlier this season. Carmel KooKogey | Collegian

the latter.

Younger athletes also distinguished themselves. Sophomore Abbie Porter finished second in the 800-meter, and freshman Carmen Botha finished second in the 60-meter hurdles. Towne said that Porter, though an academic sophomore, is a freshman on the team, and still learning the 800-meter race.

The Chargers also won the 4x400 meter relay, finishing in 3:55.13. Seniors Ashlee Moran and Victoria Wichman, sophomore Lorina Clemence, and freshman Zoe Eby made up the relay team.

Clemence said the team didn’t race as fast as they had wanted, but they did what they could.

“We really wanna shave down our 4x400 time because

we’re really hoping to make it to nationals,” she said.

G-MACs will be held at home in Hillsdale’s own Margot V. Biermann Center. Shea said the team is excited to compete at home without the hassle of travel, and they are looking forward to winning some G-MAC championships.

But the Chargers won’t let the recent success keep them from focusing ahead.

“Our coach just met with us today to tell us that even though we do have this great opportunity to win some championships and odds are that we will because we’re pretty strong, pretty high powered, we’re still going into it with a mindset of its a fight and we’re gonna fight for every point we earn,” Shea said.

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

B1 February 22, 2018

Tower players to perform ‘Seagull,’ soaring work of drama By | Mark Naida Assistant Editor After Professor of Theater James Brandon and his wife decided to adopt a child from Russia, he felt an obligation to at least try to learn a little Russian. As a theater professor and lover of cinema, he knew where to go. He marched into Mossey Library and checked out all the Russian language movies — nearly 50 in all — and watched one each night to learn phrases and try to grasp the Russian idiom.

After two weeks, he inserted the next disc from the stack, “Chayka,” from 1970. It looked grainy and bootlegged, as if someone had brought a camcorder into a Russian movie house and sold the recording.

But after a few moments Brandon recognized it as Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.”

The realization intrigued him, even though Brandon was prejudiced against the Russian playwright after reading him early in college.

“I hated Chekov when I first encountered him,” Brandon said. “Bored me. I wasn’t ready to listen, there are some things you don’t get right away.”

But seeing Russians acting the play opened his eyes to its beauty and complexity.

And now the Tower Players of Hillsdale College tackle this pivotal work in theatrical and artistic history on the Markel stage from Wednesday through Saturday with performances at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m.

Saturday matinee.

Brandon likens the play’s second premiere to the fall of Constantinople. And that is not too bold a comparison. “The Seagull” is the consummation of realist and naturalist elements into which 19th century theater had only dipped its big toe.

Before Chekhov, Ibsen, and Strindberg, theater was purely presentational. The actors addressed the audience in loud voices, making for performances that would seem like mere poetry recitation to a

contemporary audience.

After the play flopped initially, Chekhov elicited the help of Konstantin Stanislavski to develop a method of acting for realist drama.

“Stanislavski basically said ‘hold my beer’ and changed everything,” Brandon said.

Nowadays, any acting on television or in a film is the kind of acting that Chekhov and Stanislavski pioneered with the Moscow Art theater.

The Tower Players, under Brandon’s direction, debuted with a successful performance on Wednesday night and will perform this landmark play throughout the weekend.

The Tower Players will use Curt Columbus’ translation of Chekhov’s work, which Brandon said is “dynamite.”

It is muscular and colloquial, correcting many errors which British translators have made in their attempts to connect with an American audience.

“The Seagull” tells the story of a household that has coalesced around Madame Irina Arkadina and shows

‘A Wrinkle in Time’ movie could flop if unfaithful to L’Engle’s book squad of wonder women prowess with the genius L’EnBy | Katherine Scheu will radiate such power that gle displays in her 1962 sci-fi Associate Editor Hollywood will become the novel. If DuVernay has substiTime magazine thinks “A epicenter of a country-wide tuted the story and its themes Wrinkle in Time” will change transformation, says the mag- and lessons with political jabs Hollywood and maybe the azine. The story quotes Oprah and social justice rants, it will world when Walt Disney Picrecalling how she marveled at surely flop. tures releases the $103 million DuVernay’s command on the A staple in the canon of movie remake March 9.

“Wrinkle” set, thinking to her- young adult literature, “A It just might, but only if it self, “‘O.K., next generation: Wrinkle of Time” is loved by bursts with the beauty of the There you are.’” late middle school and early book that inspires it: “A WrinWitherspoon echoed this high school students all over kle in Time,” by Madeleine sentiment when she observed the country. And how could L’Engle. L’Engle asks readers that she had never worked young scholars dislike it? to contemplate objective evil, with a director who demandL’Engle makes a hero of a few objective goodness, equality, ed inclusivity like DuVernay underdogs who suffer from homogeneity, the same struggles justice, love, and and insecurities hate. It seems of the adolescent like the cast and readers who make crew of “Wrinkle” up most of her audihowever, may ence. As Meg Murry, just want to think the book’s heroine, about social juspats at the wild tresstice and political es of her unruly hair, agendas. she tames her volaOn the cover tile temper with even of Time’s Dec. 25 less success. Meg issue, “Wrinkle” explodes whenever stars Storm Reid, her classmates tease Reese Witherher about Charles spoon, Oprah Wallace Murry, her Winfrey, and 5-year-old brother Mindy Kaling who refuses to speak stare out of a in public, despite his photo’s black expansive vocabubackground, their lary. Calvin, Meg’s hair slicked down newfound confidant, and their lips set shrouds his superb shimmering with intellect to fend off the same shade bullies who target of matte fuschia brainy nerds. lipstick. Each L’Engle’s story woman holds her takes a turn for the chin just slightfantastic when Meg, ly higher than Charles Wallace, typical posture and Calvin travel to demands, assert- Time magazine featured actresses from the upcoming worlds in another film adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time” on its Dec. 25 ing her power dimension with a and demanding cover. Facebook trio of celestial berespect. did. “[Inclusivity is] just a ings known as the “Mrs.” The “Wrinkle” Director Ava different perspective, and you six set out to save Mr. Murry, DuVernay said she searched don’t get that unless we start Meg, and Charles Wallace’s out this force as she carefully to have powerful filmmakers father, a brilliant scientist selected the quartet. of different colors, different trapped on the planet Cama“I wasn’t just casting for genders,” Witherspoon told zotz. There, the children face actresses. I was casting for Time. an evil being the people of leaders — icons,” DuVernay Time spares no words in Camazotz call “IT.” told Time. “Reese is the hotexplaining how the racially L’Engle stitches proverbs test producer in town. Oprah’s diverse and mostly female into every chapter of “Wrinthe most prolific, venerable cast and crew of “Wrinkle” kle,” eventually presenting a legend of television and an could sweetly cut Hollywood’s tapestry thick with wisdom. artist and entrepreneur. And bitter exclusivity. Time and “We can’t take any credit for Mindy’s one of the few women the “Wrinkle” team, however, our talents. It’s how we use running a show with her scarcely mention the story them that counts,” chides Mrs. name, about her.” they say they’ve fought to reWhatsit, one of the guardian Through “A Wrinkle in tell. The movie will succeed if Time,” DuVernay and her See Wrinkle B2 the women unite their creative

the trials and struggles that arise from passion and artistic inspiration.

“The show is about how people approach life and how they deal with love,” senior Nikolai Dignoti said. “Some people want to love each other and be true to each other without seeing the bad things in the world. The happiest people are the ones who know life is difficult.”

Dignoti said the play’s themes of perseverance and survival offer insight into the Russian psyche.

“They believe that it will be better when it’s over, when you go to heaven,” he said.

It is a difficult play, with subdued dialogue, off-stage action, and complex emotional landscapes which mark the final Tower Players performance for two great actors: Dignoti and senior Glynis Gilio.

Gilio plays Arkadina with power, vulnerability, and restraint cracking her emotional facade only when absolutely necessary.

“Glynis is freaking killing it,” Dignoti said.

To prepare for her role, Gilio said she rehearsed in a corset and spent hours doing vocal exercises to find precise tones and inflections to play the aging star. That work paid off as Gilio offers a masterful performance that draws the audience along through her clear emotional struggles.

Dignoti plays Peter Sorin, the ailing 60-year-old brother of Arkadina, with authenticity, resembling a grizzled Russian, suffering from alcoholism.

The senior duo knew they wanted to portray siblings as accurately as possible. Dignoti and Gilio used Meisner technique to help draw out similarities between their two characters. In the technique, two actors sit less than a foot apart. One states a fact, the other repeats. Then they move onto questions and analysis of their conversation.

“It is a great way to get in tune for another actor’s speech and pitch,” Dignoti said. “Our characters have lived together

for at least thirty years, so they would have surely developed similar speech patterns and mannerisms.”

This commitment to aesthetic realism provides the nuance and subtlety that makes the masterfully-written play sparkle on the Merkel stage.

The three other principals — Constantine Treplev, played by junior Lane Gaudet, Nina Zarechnaya, played by junior Rebecca Carlson, and Boris Trigorin, played by junior Austin Benson — all performed admirably.

Gaudet’s slim frame accentuates his youth and vitality during the first act, in which Treplev premiers his play, a strange monologue which he wrote for Nina, his lover. In the fourth act however, which occurs two years after the events of the first three acts, Treplev’s shoulders drop and his neck juts forward after countless hours spent craned over a desk scribbling away at his masterpiece.

Carlson’s transformation is

See Seagull B2

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Culture B2 Feb. 22, 2018

Q&A with James Matthew Wilson, author, poet, lecturer James Matthew Wilson is an associate professor of religion and literature at Villanova University and the author of several books, including “The Vision of the Soul: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in the Western Tradition” and a collection of poems titled “Some Permanent Things.” He gave a talk on Monday, sponsored by the Lyceum, titled “Faith, Aesthetics, and the Trinitarian Dimensions of Beauty.”

Wilson received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, his Master of Arts. from the University of Massachusetts, and his doctorate and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Notre Dame Thank you so much for speaking with the Collegian, Dr. Wilson. To start, would you mind explaining in a nutshell what your talk this week was on?

In the modern age, we have a conception of aesthetics or the aesthetic disciplines as those contemplative activities that are characterized by concern for form, and the emergence of such a discipline is by in large modern, and usually thought of in some sense secular, in the sense that when we study literature we study literature for its own

sake independent of any other field of inquiry.

My argument is that there is such a thing as aesthetics, that it is possible to have a concern for form, to contemplate form, but that to do so in such a way to that you partition it off the fullness of being will always cause that field of inquiry to collapse, that is to fall into contempt or skepticism.

An inquiry into aesthetic form can’t proceed by way of exclusion from the rest of being. And so three conditional factors are necessary to maintain an opening to form.

One is an adequate account of human reason as ordered to being. The second is an account of being that is open to being known, so being as real and being as intelligible.

Then third, conception of beauty as a property of being as constituted by both form and splendor.

So the final step of this little argument is that these three qualities that are necessary if you just want to maintain the possibility of contemplating the beauty of something are fortified and strengthened or even partly revealed through a clear theology of the trinity.

How do these ideas affect

you as a poet?

They are a posteriori to the act of writing. I’m explaining to myself why it is that the writing of this form that becomes a work of art seems to have some bearing on other forms. That is to say that works of fine art are manifestations of reality but also ways of knowing reality. My whole enterprise as a scholar of aesthetics is to explain why it is that art is a way of knowing. Art as a way of knowing seems to be the intuition that lead me to take up writing in the first place.

How does your Christian faith influence your work as a poet?

When I was first writing fiction, the great American fiction writers at the time really represented in a particular sense a formalism in American writing. Their subjects were familiar rather than epic or adventurous. The craft of writing then appeared to be of formal seriousness. On the one hand that was great because it taught us to really value and weigh the sentence.

But on the other hand there were moments in which it seemed that modern fiction lived in a shrunken world. My early anguish was to figure

Better than ‘Star Wars’: ‘Black Panther’ does sci-fi right By | Joe Pappalardo Senior Writer There are too many superhero movies these days. Even with fresh attempts at the formula, such as “Deadpool,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “Thor: Ragnarok,” Marvel seems to be running out of steam as it approaches the release of the next Avengers film. But, despite the alarming amount of hype it’s received, “Black Panther” is actually worthy of the praise.

The film’s ability to leave audiences giddy with excitement without pandering is a testament to the talents of Ryan Coogler, the director also responsible for “Fruitvale Station” and “Creed.” By the time the futuristic aircraft fade off screen, it seems as if “Black Panther” is a better “Star Wars” movie than any of the recent “Star Wars” movies. The supporting cast has a significant role, but it entertains without stealing the show. The film’s setting and backstory is original and entirely separate from the rest of the Marvel movies, save Black Panther’s appearance in “Captain America: Civil War.” Black Panther’s gadgets and technology are impressive, and yet the battle between good and evil doesn’t feel like a one-sided power struggle.

The question with “Black Panther,” as it was with films like “Wonder Woman,” is whether the hype eclipses the film itself. The movie made over $200 million during President’s Day weekend, setting records at theaters across the country. A fulllength album, overseen by Kendrick Lamar (who also makes a surprise cameo in the film), an aggressive marketing campaign, and the anticipation of an almost all-

black cast are all reasons to be excited for this film. They are also talking points that distract from the movie itself.

Looking past the hype, it’s clear that Marvel and Disney aren’t just trying to profit from seeming #woke. There is a sincere effort to make an entertaining film here, with strong performances all around, from the title character to his intense female bodyguards.

Sure, there are some

hiccups along the way. Andy Serkis’ role as bad guy Ulysses Klaue is much less significant than readers of the comics would expect, and Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is so gangster it’s corny.

Some of the CGI backdrops will not age well when future generations give this film a viewing. The movie sometimes seems more interested in its Afrofuturistic aesthetic than the story, yet it executes enough character development to stay on its feet.

“Black Panther” takes steps that black superhero movies like “Hancock” and “Blade” didn’t. The film offers a big budget depiction of good versus evil, with a positive role model for its target audience. Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa is a hybrid of Batman and Superman, a virtuous hero who relies mostly on gadgets. The movie pits him as a Martin Luther King Jr. figure against the Malcolm X philosophy of Killmonger.

When Killmonger manages to take the throne by ritual combat, he reopens the debate between peaceful negotiation and violent revolution. Should Wakanda use its

vibranium resources to arm oppressed people around the world, or should it restrain itself from interfering with other countries?

The home of the Black Panther, the African country of Wakanda hidden from the rest of the world, provides a backdrop to honest discussions about the oppression of black men and women and the proper response to it.

Killmonger is numb to death after growing up in a harsh environment torn by conflict. His radical desire to overthrow governments by arming his people may go against the better judgment of T’Challa, but it demonstrates the difference in their experience.

T’Challa and the people of Wakanda have never experienced apartheid, racism, or oppression of any kind. Sheltered from the outside, they rarely venture out to assist in foreign conflicts. Killmonger’s perspective, while radical, is understandable because of his harsh upbringing and separation from Wakanda, his father’s home country.

Where his cousin is reserved and cautious, Killmonger is aggressive and reckless.

By positioning T’Challa against Killmonger, Coogler does more than provide a thrilling superhero movie with a hat tip to his black audience members. This film is a celebration of African-American heritage, coupling awesome set pieces with social commentary that isn’t heavy-handed. With a strong supporting cast, a story that isn’t based on old tropes and gimmicks, and a fair share of great action scenes, Black Panther is wholeheartedly entertaining.

And yes, it’s much better than those new “Star Wars” movies.

her meditations on diversity, equality, liberty, group-think, pride, and, yes, Jesus Christ, survived. When Meg faces the fearsome, pulsating brain of IT, for example, she recites the preamble to the Declaration of Independence to extricate her mind from the cerebric hypnosis. When IT sneers that his Camazotz has perfected equality by forcing everyone to be the same, Meg begins to shout something like a mantra: “Like and equal are not the same thing at all!”

L’Engle pushes deeper still

as she plays on the theme of darkness and light, good and evil. She presents them as objective opposites and offers only one solution to the problem of hate: love. After Charles Wallace falls to his pride and becomes possessed

by IT, Meg realizes she can wrest her little brother’s mind from the monster’s control: “If [Meg] could give love to IT perhaps it would shrivel up and die, for she was sure that IT could not withstand love…

But she could love Charles Wallace.”

“The film is a celebration of African-American heritage.”

Wrinkle from B1

angels.

“Wrinkle” transcends didactic sayings and witticisms as L’Engle begins to cultivate themes many publishers asked her to scrub out, thinking children too simple and naive to grasp profound concepts.

L’Engle has said she knew children could understand the serious themes woven into her work since she read drafts of it to her own kids as bedtime stories. She pressed on, and

out how a writing that was formally sensitive and formally adept could also be restored to a kind of spiritual breadth after the fashion of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I didn’t think of that as specifically Christian at the time, but I did think of it as religious. I sensed that though I can think of nothing more brilliant than form, a conception of formalism that excludes form from an openness to being or truth is an inadequate form of formalism.

I certainly would never think of myself as a Christian poet as if there were this special category, but on the other hand, one of the things a poet should have the capacity to do is to express genuine devotion to God. So one of the challenges I set for myself over the previous several years was to write a genuinely devotional poetry. One that would not cease to be interpretable as poetry, but was still capable of a genuine expression of reverence, and that proved to be quite challenging.

What advice do you have for young people, especially Christians who write poetry, who think a lot about the fine arts, who maybe want to make a career out of it?

To insist that the formal in-

tegrity of the fine arts doesn’t mean a self-enclosure of the fine arts. You need to respect aesthetic form as a reality, but one that is destined to be informed by, and deepened by, and always in communion with other forms of knowing.

Aesthetic form needs to be philosophically and theologically informed to be fully realized as itself. But that is not to say that a good philosophy or good theology could substitute respecting the integrity of the form. Christian students will be especially prepared for this openness of form to what is other than form, or at least other than aesthetic form.

This is the weakness of some contemporary Christian art, it needs to genuinely respect craft and master the making of the work as a good work.

Most people that are going to be reading this Q&A probably aren’t ever going to want to write a poem themselves. Most people probably aren’t going to pay very much attention to the cutting edge of contemporary poetry. So for someone like that, what advice do you have for them as readers to perhaps open themselves to the possibility of contemporary

poetry, or to read contemporary poetry well?

You have to look so carefully to find some poetry that you think isn’t a waste of time, not because there isn’t an abundance of it but because there is just so much poetry being written and published today. My first advice is to go find one or two good anthologies of poets who actually recognize what the craft of poetry.

But I would like to raise an objection to the proposal of not writing a poem. Your professors wouldn’t let you graduate from college without being sound in prose composition and essay. You ought to be able to write a dedication to your wife to inscribe inside a book before you graduate from college. And do that you need to learn a little bit of iambic pentameter. To be literate, you ought to know how to write in verse. You don’t need to be able to do it well enough to publish, but you ought to be able to do it well enough that you can write a tribute to a future wife.

Illustrative artists: Hillsdale celebrates comics and the graphic novel in debut exhibition

By | Ryan Goff Collegian Freelancer Hillsdale College is holding its first-ever exhibition of comic book illustrations, beginning Thursday in the Sage Center for the Arts.

“Storytellers: Illustration, Comics and the Graphic Novel,” which will be on display in Sage’s Daughtrey Gallery from Thursday to March 25, features the work of three comic book artists. The show will present original ink illustrations from Gary Kwapisz’s series “Conan the Barbarian” and two complete graphic novels from Durwin Talon and Guin Thompson’s series “Beautiful Scars.”

Although the college’s last professional exhibit featured children’s book illustrator Aaron Zenz, Teacher of Art Bryan Springer said this semester’s focus on illustration was coincidental. Regardless,

highlighting both comic and children’s books illuminates diverse styles within the same artistic genre.

“It gives a broad sampling of the genre of storybook illustration,” Springer said.

“They both incorporate historical themes into their work.”

The difference between these comic illustrations and the children’s art, according to Springer, is the double genre explored by comic artists.

“They are taking these historical themes and placing them in more fantastic genres,” Springer said.

Viewers may notice both themes in Kwapisz’s new series, “Civil War Adventure,” which includes various fictional and real scenes from the battlefields of the Civil War, and Talon and Thompson’s work “Beautiful Scars,” which incorporates World War I imagery alongside

dragons.

It is interesting from an artistic perspective to explore the juxtaposition of historical and fantastical imagery, one that curiously fits comic book art as a whole. This show is one of exploring the integration of reality and the surreal in the illustrators’ work.

The college does not offer illustration courses in its art program, but the genre has introduced some in the department, including Springer, to the larger field of art and design. Even still, Springer sees the art program as one which is helpful to students who want to take up this kind of discipline.

“We see this type of illustration as a result of good, fundamental drawing skills that are learned from still lives and figure drawing and sculpting here,” Springer said.

the stage for the majority of Act II as he relates the limits of fame to Nina. Despite his literary success, he thinks his work is stilted and uninspired. After establishing himself as an amiable but struggling character, Benson reveals the author’s sexual appetite in an understated yet shocking manner.

It is a well-rounded performance of a great play. The realist elements are nicely incorporated. In the latter two acts, characters sit with their backs turned to the audience without worry. Vocal

projection is audible but not self-aware. And the beauty of the script overcomes any of the actor’s faults.

By the end play, Treplev has lost his idealism, and says, “Art is not about new forms or old forms, but what a man writes, what flows freely from his heart.” I left the theater with that line sitting like an anchor in my chest. I teared up as I crossed the parking lot, shaken by the realism and beauty and undetermined sadness of “The Seagull.”

Senior Glynis Gilio, junior Austin Benson, and freshman Jake McKie act in ‘The Seagull.’

Zane Miller | Courtesy

Seagull from B1

equally dramatic. Her bright face and long hair make her portrayal of Nina the picture of youth, especially when standing next to Arkadina and her tightly-coiffed pompadour. But in the final act, her hair is coiled into a bun, and in those two years she has had a child and lost it as her dream of becoming a great actress lies dead at her feet.

Benson, adorned with a refined goatee, commands

The book pairs wonderfully with DuVernay’s goal to empower a diverse group of women and defy unjust standards. But in her interview with Time, she does not make an explicit connection between the story’s themes and why she cast the film to achieve inclusivity and nourish creativity. Her actresses seem unaware of this parallel as well. They celebrate inclusivity and diversity (rightfully so) without ever mentioning that the book hinges on the same concepts and champions

other noble ideas as well.

Time finally draws out the link when it quotes Winfrey saying movies and TV shows need more racial diversification among leading ladies, especially young ones. “‘When you don’t see yourself, there is a subconscious psychological manifestation.

It’s diminishing.’ But to see yourself as the savior of a world threatened by unquantifiable evil? ‘That will have impact far beyond anything any marketer, any researcher, any of us even know.’”

Time may have put DuVernay’s vision in context of L’Engle’s book in the final sentence of its cover story, but, as the saying goes, better late than never. There is hope that DuVernay has seen how she can craft a fantastic film that springs from a well-selected cast of talented and diverse women who will leave behind personal agendas to teach its audience about darkness, light, and love. And if the movie disappoints, we can continue to cherish the book.

February 22, 2018 B3

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Science & Tech

Humanities help future health professionals

Medical school-bound students reflect on benefits of interdisciplinary studies during their undergrad years

Senior Lauren Barlass collected local water samples downstream from the sewage treatment plant to determine phosphate levels present in the St. Joseph River. Lauren Barlass | Courtesy

Student research measures phosphate levels in local water By | Chandler Lasch Web Editor To measure very low levels of phosphate in water samples, sometimes researchers have to get creative.

Senior biochemistry major Lauren Barlass spent her summer researching phosphate levels from locally obtained water samples, including the St. Joseph River and Baw Beese Lake. Most kits for testing phosphate rely on a visual scale, which is not sensitive enough to detect low levels and determine whether water samples exceed local limits.

“The purpose of the research is to be able to determine even very low levels of phosphate in natural waters,” Barlass said. “We used a spectrophotometric method to then quantify how much phosphate was in the water through a series of reactions.”

Barlass said she used a flow-injection process to mix water with chemical reagents.

From there, the reagents formed a blue complex with the phosphate. This complex absorbed certain wavelengths of light, and the phosphate level could then be determined based on how much light was absorbed. Barlass used an instrument called a spectrophotometer to measure light intensity. The spectrophotometer determined the intensity of the blue light, so Barlass could tell how much phosphate is in the water sample by comparing these measurements to a known standard.

“We were trying to use this method to see if we were able to detect even very low concentrations of phosphate accurately,” Barlass said.

Too much phosphate can have a negative effect on plants and animals within a body of water.

“Microorganisms like

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phosphate as a nutrition source, but there can be too much of a good thing,” said Professor of Chemistry Mark Nussbaum, Barlass’ research adviser. “The EPA tries to ensure that phosphate levels in natural waters are very low, so we need good analytical techniques to test for them.”

Barlass said one danger of too much phosphate is eutrophication, which occurs when an excess of nutrients causes an increase in plant life, such as an algal bloom, and death for animals who cannot get enough oxygen. This is one of the reasons it is helpful to have an accurate measurement of phosphate levels in water.

When the spectrophotometer measured the level of phosphate in water, it would show a peak that served as a concrete measurement of the phosphate level.

Barlass said she ran into a bit of trouble with some of her instrumentation.

“We still don’t know exactly what caused some of the problems,” Barlass said. “At some points, it would just be constantly having spikes up and down, even when we weren’t injecting anything. We had to try to troubleshoot it to get it working again. That took up about a week or so of my research, which is frustrating, but by the last week, we were able to get it up and running again.”

Senior Randi Block, Barlass’ roommate, said Barlass remained positive despite the difficulties she encountered, particularly with blocked tubing that could mess up reactions.

“During this frustrating process, Lauren always worked diligently to complete each day’s work and to find ways to prevent further problems,” Block said. “No matter

how frustrated she got, Lauren always took the time to help me on my own research and never lost her positive attitude. I really admired her constant positivity and smile.”

Nussbaum said contaminants in the water sample could interfere with the measurement by affecting the absorption of light at the particular wavelength or by reacting with other compounds. Additionally, he said that it is easy to get air bubbles in the tubing that can change the signal.

“In general, she got good results,” Nussbaum said. “Her numbers were surprisingly high. I’m suspicious that something else might have been causing that, but I don’t know what.”

Barlass’ research also sought to expand on research another student, Ryan Wiska ’12, began in 2011.

“He only was able to test a few different water samples, and he found that the levels of phosphate were significantly higher directly downstream from the wastewater treatment plant versus upstream,” Barlass said. “He hypothesized that the wastewater treatment plant was adding phosphate somehow into the water, and so I wanted to add more samples to that to try to confirm or refute those initial results.”

Barlass said she found that the phosphate levels were pretty consistently higher downstream versus upstream of the treatment plant.

Nussbaum praised the work that Barlass did, especially in optimizing the time it took to take measurements.

“Lauren did a really good job,” he said. “She showed tenacity and dedication, sticking with it and fighting challenges she faced.”

New device identifies concussions by measuring blink reflex A new device, the Blink Reflexometer, could provide improved, objective concussion diagnosis. The device uses air puffs and detailed videography to record and analyze a person’s blink reflex. A study of the device’s potential for concussion diagnosis found that football players’ normal blink reflexes were significantly different from their blink reflexes while concussed. Researchers said the results of their study, published in Cogent Engineering, indicate this type of device could be used to assess head injuries immediately after they occur and during recovery.

By | Josephine von Dohlen Assistant Editor At her high school graduation, Maria Grinis told everyone that she wanted to study Spanish at Hillsdale College and go to medical school — and she’s doing just that. Grinis will graduate in May with a Spanish major and attend medical school.

She is just one of many students who are discovering that medical school isn’t just for science majors. New research from Tulane and Thomas Jefferson universities suggests a correlation between studying humanities and higher levels of positive characteristics of physicians such as empathy, wisdom, emotional intelligence, and the ability to avoid burnout.

“What I tell students, is if you’re pre-med, you can major in whatever you want, as long as you get the science prerequisites in,” said Christopher Hamilton, associate professor of chemistry and pre-health professions adviser.

fluency. Since she was 8 years old, Grinis said she wanted to work in medical missions, ideally in South America or rural California.

While already accepted into one medical school, Grinis is still interviewing at additional schools and said her Spanish major has turned into a great talking point.

“At every single interview, they’ve asked about my major,” she said. “It has made my application stand out because it is a humanities major...At this point it is asking who has something different to bring to the table, and by studying humanities and studying those aspects of how people interact, that ends up helping you in terms of developing people skills.”

Hamilton agreed.

“You want to be a real person, and Hillsdale is going to do that for everyone because of the liberal arts background, but you want to be a well-educated person,” Hamilton said. “A doctor is more than a technical job.”

an email that her department looks for strengths in academics, pre-medical experiences, and personal attributes.

“Non-science majors tend to think differently and bring unique ways of looking at problems,” she said. “This is very valuable in our teambased approach.”

Hamilton said medicine has taken on a much more team-based approach, including more than doctors by bringing in different healthcare professionals.

“Bringing in different people from different perspectives and backgrounds can help lead to that creativity that you need, especially when life and death is on the line,” Hamilton said.

Sophomore Sarah Becker is studying biochemistry and philosophy in addition to being in the pre-medicine program. She said she came to Hillsdale in order to dive into the liberal arts, an opportunity she found possible through the core curriculum.

“But I also think that there

“It really is crucial to know more than just science or medicine or biology, because I think the spirit of things that you see and the people you interact with really requires that you have a broader perspective.”

Hillsdale offers a pre-medical track program that helps students fulfill the prerequisite courses for medical school.

The program recommends several courses in chemistry, biology, physics, psychology, and sociology to give students a strong background in the sciences for medical school courses.

This past year, 18 students and graduates of Hillsdale College applied to medical school. Three of those students were not science majors.

“The short answer is, they don’t care what your major is,” Hamilton said. “The longer answer is, if they’re just looking at you, they rarely just look to see what your major is. We’ve had a number of non-science majors go on to medical school and be very successful.”

Grinis found that her Spanish major with the pre-med track allowed her to pursue what she was most passionate about: the Spanish language and helping people through the medical profession.

Growing up with her extended family speaking Spanish, she said she wanted to go to college and cement her

Antibiotic analog research shows new target for herbicides Molecules similar to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin shows promise as an herbicide, according to research in Chemical Communications. The molecules the researchers tested prevent the activity of DNA gyrase, an enzyme present in plants and necessary for their growth, but is not present in humans. The researchers said more work is needed before this new type of herbicide can be used in commercial applications. The ciprofloxacin analogues show promise as a replacement for glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that many plants can now resist.

One of Grinis’ favorite parts of being a Spanish major while preparing for medical school was the opportunity to tie the two together, even through the core curriculum as well.

“Chemistry gives you the basis of how everything works, because you’re literally studying molecules.

And then you’re studying biology and you now know how the little things work and work together and how that translates into human life.

Then you study the brain, and how these things work, and then the physiological sides of emotion,” Grinis said. “But then you can take that and apply it to how you analyze a character in literature. You know how the brain works, but then you can see the parts that medicine can’t get at. For the parts that science doesn’t reach, that science can’t answer, you can go into the humanities and study the soul.”

Jean Shelton, assistant dean of admissions and student life at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, said in

Household products contribute to air pollution ‘significantly’ A new study demonstrates that air pollution from commonly used products such as cleaning supplies and personal care products may approach the pollution levels caused by car fuel.

The researchers said successful efforts to clean up car exhaust fumes have allowed them to identify other sources of air pollution that were previously masked by pollution from cars. In the study, published in Science, researchers compared the presence of certain types of compounds in indoor air and atmospheric samples to identify products contributing to pollution.

is a really unique opportunity for students to take classes and learn things that it’s really hard to do on your own for the rest of your life,” Becker said.

She said she thinks a liberal arts perspective is especially important going into the medical field as opposed to research-based graduate programs.

“It really is crucial to know more than just science or medicine or biology, because I think the spirit of things that you see and the people you interact with really requires that you have a broader perspective,” Becker said.

Becker said she hopes to one day enter the neurology field and has a particular interest in bioethics.

“If I am going to treat people and engage in medicine, I really need to understand who the person is, what constitutes their flourishing, and what is good for the person before I go into medicine,” Becker said. “I think that is really important, because they’re not going to give you that in medical school.”

Kepler researchers discover nearly 100 new exoplanets Using data from K2, a Kepler spacecraft launched for the purpose of discovering exoplanets, researchers identified 95 new planets outside Earth’s solar system. The researchers used a verification process to study the decreases in light that occur when a potential exoplanet crosses in front of its host star. They were able to validate the existence of 149 exoplanets out of 275 candidates, 95 of which had not been observed previously. These new exoplanets are documented in a work published in the Astronomical Journal.

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B4 February 22, 2018

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Politics and Poetry: Meet lecturer Matthew Mehan

Lecturer of English Mathhew Mehan, who teaches at the Allan P. Kirby Center, tours Canterbury Road in England. Matthew Mehan | Courtesy

By | Nicole Ault D.C. Correspondent While teaching “Hamlet” to college students in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, Lecturer of English Matthew Mehan is writing the book he wishes Hamlet had read as a kid.

Titled “Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals” (or “M5” for short), the book features 26 colorfully illustrated monsters with their own poems, one for each letter of the alphabet. Layered with meaning rich in classical and Christian tradition, the book should teach children about the liberal arts and offer them a way to cope with difficulties

in life better than Hamlet did, Mehan said. Adults will have plenty to wrangle with, too.

“Literature lets you pull back and see things as a whole,” Mehan said, noting that it cultivates imaginations that determine how people deal with life.

Mehan’s philosophy is consistent with his vision for teaching English in the middle of politics-frenzied Washington, D.C. He said the political sphere is an important place to be, but it’s easy to “get lost in the weeds” if one loses sight of the big picture.

“Literature and beauty are a part of becoming wise,” he said. “That’s something Hillsdale wants to offer here

in Washington.”

As the Worsham Teaching Fellow at the Allan P. Kirby Center, Mehan has been teaching an English class for Hillsdale College since the spring of 2015. He used to teach an American literature class, and now he teaches the continental literature class that fulfills a core requirement for students, many of whom intern for policy think tanks or the government during their semesters of WHIP. “A lot of people on WHIP aren’t English majors,” noted Bert Hasler ’15, WHIP director and a former student of Mehan’s. “But it’s important to read the classics and great books, and Mehan inspires that in a lot of students.”

On the first day of class this semester, Mehan told students, “In order to have a healthy politics, you have to have a healthy poetics.”

He calls that his motto.

For Mehan, cultivating a “healthy poetics” for people in politics extends beyond lectures in the basement of the Kirby Center. On several occasions, Mehan has led a Saturday seminar at the Kirby Center for young professionals to come discuss literature, as he did recently on “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” And sometimes, he leads one of the regular “Coffee with the Classics” reading groups that Kirby organizes in the US Capitol.

It’s an opportunity to help young professionals “see their culture, their tradition” and “refine their ‘good mother wit,’ as Chaucer put it,” Mehan said.

Although he has his Master of English and his Ph.D. in literature, Mehan studied politics as an undergraduate.

His ability to bridge politics and English is part of the reason the college hired him, said Matthew Spalding, the college’s associate vice president and dean of education programs at the Kirby Center.

“His approach is very consistent with the Hillsdale view of things,” Spalding said.

“The way he looks at literature and its relationship to politics is very consistent with how we approach the question.

He’s interested in the great writings that have to do with statesmanship.”

Mehan met Spalding through D.C. connections and knew several Hillsdale professors before joining Hillsdale’s faculty; he took classes at the University of Dallas under Hillsdale’s politics professors Thomas West and Ronald Pestritto and Associate Professor of Classics Grace West. There, Mehan also became close friends with Professor of English Steve Smith, who was a graduate student at UD while Mehan was in undergrad.

Looking for someone to teach an English class that would help students fulfill

core requirements, Spalding said he knew Mehan would be a good fit.

“I wanted to have a local person who could teach literature and, more broadly, humanities, because that’s an important component of learning about politics and statesmanship,” Spalding said.

Senior Macy Mount, a politics major who took Mehan’s class while doing WHIP last spring, attested to Mehan’s ability to connect English and politics. For example, Mehan had the class read Machiavelli and Cicero while studying “Hamlet,” showing them the political elements in Shakespeare.

“He never tried to force the political element out of Shakespeare, but because we were reading the other works alongside, we sort of naturally had to see it,” Mount said.

Hasler remembered Mehan’s ability to make abstract concepts palatable.

“I thought he was the smartest professor I’d ever had,” Hasler said, adding that the class inspired him (a finance major) to read more literature. “His way of connecting things was so intelligent; he had a unique ability to take a high concept and bring it down to our level.”

Mount agreed, noting that Mehan saw the integration of the liberal arts into every aspect of life.

“The class kind of changed

the way I view everything,” she said.” He has an incredible way of applying the liberal arts and the good, the true, and the beautiful to every single thing we talked about.

Every time we ‘got off topic,’ we were never really off topic.”

Mehan is in tune with pop culture, Mount said. One time, she remembered, the class talked about Eminem as a poet; another time, a classmate brought up Kendrick Lamar’s new album, and Mehan listened to it so he could discuss it with them in class.

College students find him cool, but Mehan still “commands respect,” Hasler said, noting that Mehan could trust students to do take-home exams because they honored his rules. He’s also relatable: He even hosted a pizza party for the class with his whole family at the end of the semester, Hasler recounted.

Mount likewise remembered the class going out to dinner with Mehan and his wife, and she said she would email Mehan for extracurricular advice. She admired Mehan’s ability to integrate idea not only between different areas of study — like politics and literature — but between academics and the real world, she said.

“He could really take a lot of the ideals we talk about at Hillsdale and apply them to real life.”

Stolen pillow cases lead to campus-wide scavenger hunt By | Aaron Andrews Collegian Freelancer Last semester before the first day of classes, a bunch of upperclassmen living in Galloway Residence stole a group of freshmen’s pillows and hid them in Olds Residence. This playful pillow heist sparked a war that has since escalated.

This semester, freshmen Caleb Ramette and Philip Andrews, two of the original prankees, planned a reprisal.

The two had held a grudge during the winter months.

They did their homework, found out the names of their upperclassmen oppressors, and crafted their revenge.

Stealing the upperclassmen’s pillows and stowing them in the physics lounge, they then hid five successive, handwritten clues all over campus.

“We put them as far apart across campus as possible so that they would have to walk,” said Ramette, grinning from ear to ear. “The clues weren’t that difficult, though. We tried to use as few words as possible, sticking more to signs and symbols. We were able to throw the hunt together in a couple of hours.”

The clues led the upperclassmen from Galloway to the escalator in the Searle Center, then to the sinks in the basement bathrooms of Howard Music Hall, then to the banner in the psychology suite of Kendal Hall, then to the basement of Michael Alex Mossey Library where the final clue was wedged between volumes one and two of “Manners and Customs of the Ancient Irish.” When they finally found their pillows in the physics lounge, the clues had led them just over a mile and a half around campus.

It took them two days.

They got hung up on the second clue for so long that Ramette had to plant another clue that encouraged them to look harder. But they eventually found them, and they only went one night without pillows.

Some of the upperclassmen were angry (understandably), but Jared Ellison, a sophomore history major, enjoyed

the prank immensely.

“I thought it was hilarious,” he said. “Pranks like these are very important for building community in a dorm.

Somehow by pushing against each other we end up getting closer. Some people were mad when they found that their pillow had been stolen, but when they found out who did it, everybody softened. In the end, most of us congratulated Philip and Caleb on setting up such a good hunt.”

Ellison enjoyed the pillow hunt so much that he decided to pay the pranksters back in a similar fashion. Focusing just on Ramette and Andrews, Ellison stole their pillows and their toothbrushes and set up a hunt of 20 successive clues that took the pair to nearly every building on campus.

This time, the treasure hunt involved more than simple clues.

Ellison explains one of his favorite puzzles: “I took a book from the free-book shelf in the library and hollowed out the inside where I put a pen and a coded message.

When they deciphered the code, the message told them that the next clue was in the dust jacket of the book they were holding.”

It took Ramette and Andrews four days to finish the hunt.

Ellison estimates that they had to walk about five miles to find their stuff, which he had stashed in McIntyre, another women’s dormitory.

Ramette had stashed a couple extra pillows in his closet in case of such reprisals, so he and Philip didn’t have to go without pillows. In fact, they could have just quit, but they completed the hunt anyways.

“They were good sports,” Ellison said.

When asked if he thought that Caleb and Philip were going to get him back, Jared smiled at the prospect.

“They haven’t hit back yet, but I hope they do,” Ellison said. “They should choose their victims carefully so that no one gets super frustrated, but I would love to get my pillow stolen again.”

Dutch Uncle Donuts is a bakery in Coldwater, Michigan, 25 minutes from Hillsdale College by car. facebook

Dutch Uncle Donuts: an occasional tradition By | Sutton Dunwoodie Collegian Reporter

When Hillsdale College students get hungry after a night of revelry, there are two popular destinations for latenight comfort food: Dutch Uncle Donuts and The Palace Cafe.

In many ways, The Palace is the easier option for the late-night munchies. It has an expansive menu with an atmosphere like Thanksgiving dinner, and it is within walking distance of campus.

But students don’t drive to Dutch Uncle Donuts because it is convenient. Alexander Green, a junior resident assistant in Niedfelt, said that going to Dutch Uncle Donuts at absurd hours is an essential part Hillsdale’s student culture.

“On Friday night, you make late-night Duncle runs.

It’s what you do when you are in college at Hillsdale,” Green said. “I think it was the first thing I did as a prospective student.”

As a second-year student who had not yet participated in this tradition, I decided to go to Dutch Uncle last Saturday. It should have been busier than normal because the Palace Cafe was closed that night.

I originally planned on leaving around 10 p.m., before talking to junior Jerry Hewitt, who provided some insight on how to properly embrace the tradition.

“The Dutch Uncle is a great place, but 10 is way too early,” Hewitt said. “You really shouldn’t leave before 11.”

Snow was falling steadily when I finally set out at 11 p.m. Earlier in the week, a rainstorm melted much of the snow from last week’s blizzard. Now the remaining water had refrozen, and the fresh flakes covered up the black ice, creating a surface as slippery as a banana peel in a soap factory.

15 miles of the 22-mile trip to Dutch Uncle is on Jonesville Rd. Jonesville Rd is one of those two lane roads that exist for the sole purpose of splitting open fields and abound in the rural midwest.

It took me about 30 minutes to navigate the 15 miles due to the poor road conditions.

During that half hour I saw only five pairs of headlights: a salt truck, an ambulance, a car that swerved off the road, and two wayfaring strangers braving the weather like myself.

Between the passing cars, the world outside the high beams was so dark I felt the irrational urge to relock the doors.

The emptiness of Jonesville Road and others like it provide a kind of insulation to the city and students of Hillsdale, especially during the winter months. There is a bubble of rural land around Hillsdale and neighboring Jonesville that takes about 30 minutes to penetrate in any direction, and apart from the beautiful scenery, that bubble does not offer much to students.

Dutch Uncle was empty of customers when I went inside.

The only sound came from two employees in the back making the next day’s donuts.

One of them came out to the register after a tinny buzzer announced my presence.

While she grabbed me several long john donuts, she explained why the donut shop was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We make all the donuts for the morning during the night,” she said. “We don’t really sell enough donuts during the night to stay open 24 hours anymore.”

That statement proved prophetic. During my two hour vigil, only one other customer bought anything, a middle aged man that ordered a dozen donuts and promptly left. No students came out to embrace the tradition besides me.

The fact that going to Dutch Uncle Donuts is a tradition at Hillsdale, and that no students embraced it on Saturday reveals some things about how attending a small, rural college affects student life.

Dutch Uncle Donuts is 22 miles from campus, and it takes about 35 minutes to get there in good weather.

Despite the inconvenience of the long drive, many students have been there late at night because there are limited late-night dining options in Hillsdale.

Having to travel a long distance to find good food at 1 a.m. may not seem like a big deal to some, but late-night dining is a significant part of college life.

In a study conducted by Grubhub that collected data from more than 350 college campuses, the college student was 87 percent more likely than the average diner to eat out between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. While Hillsdale has several fast-food restaurants open

late, there are few sit-down restaurants open to serve those customers.

The city of Hillsdale has increased the dining options available to students late at night with the opening of Rough Draft and Hillsdale Brewing Company, both of which are open late on weekends.

The lack of restaurants servicing this late-night and college crowd is not the fault of the town, but the result of the size of the Hillsdale student population.

A student at a large public school like Michigan State University, located in East Lansing, has a plethora of options for late-night food.

Late-night dining is so prevalent in East Lansing that the city orders 392 percent more late-night take-out per person than the rest of the United States. The student population of over 39,000 at MSU forces the restaurant market to create venues that suit the wants of students.

Hillsdale College students, who number less than 1,500, cannot create a large enough incentive with their dining preferences to entice many restaurants to stay open late, limiting students’ options.

Some students, however, don’t view this relative isolation as a negative thing. Green thinks that the necessary long drive to Dutch Uncle is a fun time to spend with friends.

“I think donut runs are about the drive,” Green said. “I mean the donuts are okay, but if Dutch Uncle was in Hillsdale, I don’t think I would go that often.”

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A degree, 9 years in the making By | Stefan Kleinhenz Collegian Freelancer Some say college goes by too fast. For Stephen Sterkenburg, it feels like a decade.

The 27-year-old from Grand Rapids, Michigan, arrived at Hillsdale in the fall of 2009, but he never thought 10 years later he’d still be working toward his bachelor’s degree in economics.

His parents had been receiving Imprimis since before he was born, and they first introduced him to Hillsdale when he began looking at colleges. The curriculum and people of Hillsdale attracted Sterkenburg.

During the spring semester of his junior year, however, Sterkenburg decided to take a break.

“I took some time off a ways into it, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and I wasn’t too serious about it and I also had poor grades,” Sterkenburg said.

So he carried mail around Hillsdale for the post office for a couple of years. Gary Wolfram, professor of economics and public policy and Sterkenburg’s long-time faculty adviser, laughed.

“He was delivering my mail, and I stopped him, and I said, ‘Well, wait a minute, what are you doing? I’m still your adviser. Why don’t you come back?’” Wolfram said.

Wolfram suggested that Sterkenburg speak to his supervisor at the post office to see if he could return to school because he was close to completing his degree.

But Sterkenburg had his own plan.

“About a year ago I decided to try something different because I didn’t want to be a career post office guy,” Sterkenburg said. “I wanted to get off that wage before I got addicted to it.”

So he became certified for Emergency Medical Services and worked for Jackson Community Ambulance. But Sterkenburg’s time at Hillsdale College still wasn’t complete.

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Eventually, he came around to Wolfram’s advice and continued to pursue his degree.

“I had gotten pretty far in the degree, at least threefourths of the way done, and a lot of money from the college, me, my parents, had been invested. I felt a duty to make good with what was already invested in me and then to ultimately make something come of it; to give back and to use my knowledge to to help people,” Sterkenburg said.

Sterkenburg continues to work part time to pay his way.

He said that his parents are very generous, but he wanted to see if he could do it on his own. For work these days, Sterkenburg delivers pizzas and groceries.

“To be fair, it wasn’t entirely noble that I was working,” he said. “I had scholarships that would have paid for these things and would have had it done, but because of my failures, I eventually lost the scholarships.”

Sterkenburg admits that while his wasn’t the most efficient path to a degree, he wouldn’t change it for the world. The meaning of his long and confusing journey revealed itself with great clarity in January of last year when Sterkenburg met Lorryn Cruz ’17.

“One big silver lining is that I would not have met Lorryn if I didn’t take so darn long, so it’s a fantastic thing to me,” Sterkenburg said.

Cruz is currently working towards a Master of Education at the University of Michigan. They hope to be married soon, and when they do, they plan to return to Hillsdale to be married at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.

“When I first met him, I was struck by his graciousness and his attentiveness to his family; that was one of the major things he talked about; and as we kept talking, I really appreciated his intellect,” Cruz said.

Sterkenburg expressed his deepest gratitude to the college, the professors, and the economics department.

“Partially why I’ve been here so darn long is because sometimes I’ve had a hard time paying bills to the college,” Sterkenburg said. “I’ve had to retake a lot of classes, but the people have been very gracious to me and very helpful, forgiving, and understanding.”

He joked that he thinks the economics department has running bets on when he is going to graduate. Wolfram expressed how everyone has an interest in making sure he does.

“That’s what you find at a small school: If he would have been at a big school, that would have been it. No one would have helped him,” Wolfram said.

Sterkenburg has been here so long, he joked, that he should be referred to as “Dr. Sterkenburg.” His decade at Hillsdale College has also given him perspective on how the school has grown and changed.

“Maybe I’m not the person to give advice because I’ve been here so darn long,” Sterkenburg said, “but I would tell students to have humility, to be obedient, to work hard, and to live for more than just yourself.”

In Sterkenburg’s experience, one of the greatest aspects of Hillsdale College had been the freedom to ask the hard questions and the ability to be a part of such a distinct

community — he desires that for all present and future Hillsdale students.

“I hope that students have courage to truly be intellectually honest and ask questions that may be controversial. You come here to learn, not to reinforce your predispositions,” Sterkenburg said.

When Sterkenburg is not earning his degree, working, he enjoys riding his motorcycle and reading and studying with his girlfriend. Sterkenburg plans to join the United States Navy after his graduations at the end of this spring semester. Nine years later, Sterkenburg is accomplishing what at one time seemed impossible.

“I didn’t want to be a quitter,” he said, “I didn’t want to admit that I was done, so I kept going.”

Wolfram expressed his deepest joy for Sterkenburg’s accomplishment, saying that all roads lead to the same place, some just take a little longer than others.

“He can serve as an example to people that may think that they’re too far gone to do whatever they were going to do. You can always come around and get back to where you wanted to be,” Wolfram said. “He showed a lot of persistence. I think that’s why he ended up accomplishing what he set out to do many years ago.”

vibes in the OCF,” Majmudar said. “It doesn’t mean we have to constantly be around each other all the time, it’s just assumed that you make the same time sacrifices for each other that you do for your family.”

For senior Anastasia Frigerio, the student contact for the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, the familial nature of the group is more than just a vibe.

“I wouldn’t be getting married in May if the Orthodox group didn’t exist, which is just bizarre,” Frigerio said.

She said that there were only four Orthodox Christians in her freshman class, and only one, senior Gregory Farison, who regularly attended church besides herself. The two became friends quickly and are engaged to be married this spring.

“We figure there wasn’t much luck in that; that was probably on purpose,” Frigerio added, laughing.

Frigerio admitted some difficulties to having so few local members, including sharing responsibilities for events such as “OrthoTeas,” a weekly event where the Orthodox Hillsdale students get together to drink tea, eat scones, and chat.

“I guess sometimes I think it would be easier if there were more people to spread out event planning,” Frigerio said, “but at the same time, I know I wouldn’t know any of them as well. And it would be easier to just be friendly acquaintances and not actually spend that much time together.”

Both Majmudar and Frigerio grew up in the Orthodox Church, with fathers who are Orthodox priests. Frigerio’s father is the priest in Albion, at the Holy Ascension Orthodox Church where the Hillsdale students attend, and the first Orthodox church freshman Kirby Thigpen would ever step inside.

Thigpen, who grew up in a Southern Baptist church in North Carolina, first encountered Orthodoxy through an influential high school teacher. Coming to Hillsdale, she said she was intentional about connecting with others on campus, as she began her official conversion process.

“I saw that the OCF was going to be at The Source, and I went intending to meet them and introduce myself.

I did, and from there I went to church with them that Sunday, and I’ve gone ever since,” Thigpen said. She will officially join the church the Saturday before Easter.

In addition to weekly teas and carpooling to church, the OCF also hosts a reading group — open to any students interested in studying the primary texts of the Church fathers — lead by the group’s faculty advisor, Professor of English Justin Jackson.

“The OCF Reading Group really is for all students,” Jackson said. “I try to create a safe space of non-proselytizing. I mean, they will learn about Orthodoxy, because sometime I tell the Orthodox students, ‘Alright this is what the church teaches about this,’ but that’s really as far as it goes.”

Each semester, on Fridays at noon in Lane 232, students gather to parse the texts of Athanasius, St. John of Damascus, St. Ephraim of Syria, and more. This semester, the reading group is studying St. Gregory of Nyssa’s “On the Soul and Resurrection.”

The purpose of the group, Jackson emphasised, is to read the text and answer students’ theological questions.

“The thing that students need to understand is that when you read any theological text, you would never see it as just ‘the Orthodox Church’s teaching.’ It’s not intentionally an ecumenical group, it’s real-

ly more of an academic thing,” Jackson said.

This was not always the case with the reading group, however. He said initially, the texts were almost entirely secondary sources of Orthodox apologetics.

“When I first got here, it was kind of a traditional OCF group, so Orthodox and inquirers, and they would go through introductory ‘What’s the Orthodox Church’ texts, and I don’t know, they probably got more converts that way,” Jackson said.

Although he stuck to the status quo for the first few years, he found that the Orthodox students were not as engaged. Since most secondary texts present certain ideas as being the beliefs of the Church fathers, Jackson began studying the texts on which those secondary sources are predicated.

“It’s fun to give them the actual primary texts that either affirm or problematize those ideas,” he said.

Jackson added that as a professor, there is freedom in the loose framework of a notfor-credit discussion time.

“I feel a bit freer not to just speak about theology, but what it has to do with one’s soul, in studying these sorts of things, than I do in a class,” he said.

Most religious groups on campus are largely evangelical in their approach. By contrast, the attitude of the OCF seems to be very unconcerned with proselytizing.

Thigpen appreciates the stability of the OCF, and said that she knows the group will always love and accept her.

“Also knowing that what brought us together is something that is will consistently be there for the rest of our lives,” Thigpen said. “It’s something very special.”

Stephen Sterkenburg took nine years to complete his degree, but he met his girlfriend, Lorryn Cruz ‘17, in that time. Stefan Kleinheinz | Collegian

Orthodox Christians gather as one By | Carmel Kookogey Collegian Reporter From Compline to fasting practices, to reading group with Professor of English Justin Jackson, there is a tangibly different vibe about the Orthodox Christian group compared to the other religious groups on campus.

“We call it the ethos, the sort of character, the atmosphere, the textures of the church,” sophomore Brigid Majmudar said. “It’s very intense.”

Among the multitude of active Catholics and Protestants, the 15 to 20 Orthodox Christians comprise a sparse one percent of Hillsdale’s student body, and possibly, campus’ tightest religious group: the Orthodox Christian Fellowship.

The difficulty of their practices may explain this difference.

“Lent alone is ridiculous,” Majmudar said, describing how the fasting practices of Orthodox Christians amount to being vegan for more than half of the year. “It’s so good and so wholesome, but it’s hard. And when you grow up with all those things that are not only intense and hard, but also so clearly different from anything you see in the West, it means that other Orthodox Christians, especially other young Orthodox Christians, are very familiar to you.”

Majmudar spent a period of her childhood on the island of Cyprus while her father studied at a monastery.

Compared to the average Hillsdale student, her background differs significantly.

She described being perceived as more normal to members of the OCF because of their shared practice.

“There are very familial

February 22, 2018 B5

School from B6

they’re planning to teach.”

Clarey, who studied art at Hillsdale, said she frequently draws on the lessons art professors Barbara Bushey and Brian Springer taught her. She incorporated the art department’s emphasis on mastercopying into her elementary art classes, cutting up a blown-up photo of a Van Gogh painting and asking her students to replicate each portion before they arranged the pieces to look like the original. She also references the knowledge she gained about art history, she said, as her school’s art curriculum focuses heavily on that aspect of an education in art.

Thursday, many students will attend the job fair to explore and pursue teaching opportunities across the country. Among them are seniors Rebecca Willis and Amalia Hansen. Willis is completing her education minor with an apprenticeship at Davis Middle School and has already seen how her education will influence students.

“I’ve watched an experienced teacher teach and seen how the abstract ideas of classical education are being carried out in a concrete way,” Willis said. “The teacher never tells her students that she’s going to foster virtue in them.

It’s just a part of the culture of the classroom.”

Hansen has only recently realized how much she would like to impart her knowledge of patristic theology to young students.

“I love kids and I am passionate about the things that I’ve studied,” Hansen said. “I want to be able to help children have the same love for learning and learn about the cool things I’ve learned.”

House from B6

Faint lead pencil marks over the bumpy plaster tell the name and company that hung the paper, and they even left a date: Sept. 1, 1920.

Still, however bright and inviting the inhabitable parts of the house may be, it is the basement that monopolizes people’s attention. Finding the entrance is tricky. Additions and remodeling over the decades have bequeathed current residents with a veritable rabbit warren of oddly connected rooms, a staircase that would make a midget claustrophobic, and at least two sealed doors.

But here is the basement now, so pull hard on the door.

If it won’t open, just keep pulling.

Musty scents of worn wood, old stones, and stale water greet the nose, and thin wood steps exude untrustworthiness. Look up. Mid-19th century carpentry mixes with more recent wiring and modern water pipes, creating a strange pattern of eras. A chill comes off the surrounding solid stone foundation.

This is where the tunnel is rumored to be. Its intended original use is still a mystery, with some saying it sheltered escaped slaves during the Civil War. It may have even been used during the Prohibition. Reality dictates its use as a servants’ tunnel when the same family owned both homes, but the house shouldn’t be begrudged a little romance in its old age.

After a fruitless but enjoyable search of the lovingly nicknamed “dungeon,” the journey back to reality begins.

On the way up to sunlight and fresh air, those who remember toss stories to the newcomers of a long night spent in that damp, stone-enclosed space, waiting out tornado warnings and worrying about homework on a recent wild spring day.

Every house has a story to tell and many that will never be known. Its age lends mystery and majesty to the Paul House, but doesn’t inhibit the numerous young women who have called it home from creating some of their fondest memories within its walls.

For me, it holds all the moments I spent painting its walls with my family, intense conversations with friends while sitting in the kitchen, and days huddled around spaces heaters when our boiler died. Those coming after me may never know me or my connection to the house, but that matters little. Its walls have the beautiful purpose of holding the joy, sorrow, music, tragedy, laughter, and contentment that flows through them, and enabling residents to cherish their time within them.

Providence Classical Christian School in Oxford, Georgia, and said she has hired four Hillsdale graduates, none of whom had earned the classical education minor.

“When I’m able to hire somebody who had the opportunity to study under Dan Coupland, it’s golden. They get a training from him and a perspective that catapults them forward,” Hinton said.

“Most of the teachers I’m hiring haven’t had that, however, so I’m used to going through the learning process.”

Teachers new to Hinton’s school and to the teaching profession complete training led and developed by the headmaster herself. She sits in on their classes, schedules them to observe more experienced teachers, and provides them the philosophical and pedagogical knowledge provided by professors like Coupland and Lehman.

Hinton said she is willing to hire a teacher who needs to be worked through this learning process, though that offer rests on one important requirement: “If they have the background in the content of the subject they’re teaching, I can help with the method.”

Gregg echoed this. Classical schools like hiring Hillsdale graduates because they often have a deep understanding of the area they studied, he said.

“These schools are not saying pedagogy is unimportant. They’re saying they want students who have studied history or math or English at a deep level,” Gregg said.

“Students ought to have studied deeply in the content that

the house mother during those days, and I wish she had reminded the builders to put some insulation in during construction. Old supplies stowed in the basement and fine china in the cabinets also speak to this era.

Besides the tower, the second most striking feature is the house’s deep blue door.

Notoriously difficult to open, the bottom right corner is scarred and dented from the many kicks it has received over the years. The current method involves one’s knee and a prayer to avoid impalement on the fake wreath.

The front door safely shut, visitors are greeted by a sweeping, curved stairway and a front hall papered in blue and roses.

“The wallpaper was what made me want to live here, junior Caitlin Lowry said . “We wandered in one day, and that was the first thing we saw. We applied right after that.”

The most dramatic feature in the room hangs just to the left: an ornate wooden panel, set with a mirror directly centered. I use it to admire the effect of my thrift-store President’s Ball dress, but my more practical friends contemplate the worlds that could be reached if they could only step through it.

Built in the late 1800s, the house has seen many people in its halls. According to old Collegian articles, the grandfather of former professor Lillian Libby Rick was Lorenzo Dow. Secretary-Treasurer for the College, he purchased the Victorian house around 1918 and lived there until the Paul sisters bought it in 1948, five years after Dow’s death.

When the college bought the house, the college officially named it the Dow House to preserve the legacy of Lorenzo Dow and his contributions to the school.

Now take a right, and the glass-paned French doors lead into the front room. High ceilings and three tall windows let the natural light pour into the gray-hued room.

Originally hung with wallpaper, recent remodeling found not one but two layers of the material during removal. That huge mirror on the front wall is much too heavy to move, but after close inspection, the observer will be rewarded with a glimpse of both papers.

I love recounting to listeners the horror wallpaper has instilled in my 17-year-old brother after he spent close to a week scraping it off those main rooms.

The best surprise of all waits in a small, unpainted rectangle in the northeast corner of the living room.

February 22, 2018

Walking through the Paul House

The main window in the upstairs front hall of the Paul House overlooks Hillsdale Street. Sarah Schutte | Courtesy

By | Sarah Schutte Collegian Freelancer I shouldn’t have grown so attached to it, and now it’s slipping away.

It used to smell musty after a long, hot summer. The rooms stood in semi-darkness from poor lighting, but it hid the torn and dented wallpaper quite well. Furniture cluttered the upstairs, and the kitchen cabinets overflowed with dishes left behind by long-gone residents. But I made the best of it then, and now as a senior resident assistant, I struggle to imagine living anywhere else.

The Paul House sits gracefully between the yellow Sigma Chi house and the empty lot on Hillsdale Street.

The best view is from the front porch swing, where one can wave to friends walking into town, see professors driving to work, and predict the ailment of every person treading wearily into the Ambler Health Center. Others might say the view is better from the tower set primly atop the house, by far its most distinctive feature.

But to truly understand the house’s personality, which one of her residents terms as “moody,” let’s take a walk.

I noticed those paint traces my second year living in the house. Before coming to the porch, go find them at the end of the walkway. They speak of bygone days when the house held Hillsdale’s fourth sorority.

Four?

Yes. Alpha Xi Delta lived

in the house until the early 2000s when their charter was revoked. My little room near the back was an addition for the house mother during those days, and I wish she had reminded the builders to put some insulation in during construction. Old supplies stowed in the basement and fine china in the cabinets also speak to this era.

Besides the tower, the second most striking feature is the house’s deep blue door.

Notoriously difficult to open, the bottom right corner is scarred and dented from the many kicks it has received over the years. The current method involves one’s knee and a prayer to avoid impalement on the fake wreath.

The front door safely shut, visitors are greeted by a sweeping, curved stairway and a front hall papered in blue and roses.

“The wallpaper was what made me want to live here, junior Caitlin Lowry said . “We wandered in one day, and that was the first thing we saw. We applied right after that.”

The most dramatic feature in the room hangs just to the left: an ornate wooden panel, set with a mirror directly centered. I use it to admire the effect of my thrift-store President’s Ball dress, but my more practical friends contemplate the worlds that could be reached if they could only

See House B5

Garrett Holt ’14 and Ben Albers ’16 attend a previous Classical School Job Fair in the Searle Center. Joanna Wisely | Courtesy

Classical education teachers without the minor By | Katherine Scheu Associate Editor Without having taken a single credit in the education department, Hillsdale alumna Bailey Steger ’16 walked into Academy of Excellence in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just a few months after she graduated, to welcome her kindergarten class.

“I showed up in August having absolutely no idea what I was doing,” Steger said.

She was far from alone — all over the country, Hillsdale graduates with little to no experience in education prepped for the school year. Alumna Patricia Clarey, like Steger, graduated in 2016 without the classical education minor and accepted a job as an art teacher at Seven Oaks Classical School in Ellettsville, Indiana.

Ben Strickland ’17 accepted a job teaching math at Benjamin Franklin High School with no education minor on his resume. It was the same for Marie Landskroener ’17, who teaches music at Immanuel Lutheran School, and Sarah Anibal ’17, who teaches fifth grade history and grammar at Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy.

Each of the alumni found their jobs at Hillsdale’s Classical School Job Fair, which will be held this year in the Searle Center on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

According to a survey

conducted by Career Services at the end of the previous school year, 35 students in the 305-person class of 2017 accepted teaching jobs. Only 24 students completed the classical education minor that year, according to Registrar Douglas McArthur.

For Steger and Clarey, their first few months of teaching schooled them in the art of classroom management. Steger said, in fact, that she embarked on what she sees as the hardest — but most rewarding — year of her life when she took the charge of education 18 5-year-olds. Steger’s students earned the highest grades kindergarteners have ever earned at her school and Clarey said she wouldn’t trade her job “for the world.”

Before the school year began, both Clarey and Steger said she scrolled through Pinterest in search of activities that could help her class understand their behavioral expectations and gain foundational skills in reading. Both women were homeschooled and sought advice from their mothers who had taught them.

“I had to learn how to put together a class,” Clarey said.

“That was a thing that came by trial and error. Trial and error is a first-year teacher’s best friend.”

This experience-born learning may be the case with any new teacher — not only

those who lack pedagogical training.

“No matter how well you get prepared as a teacher, it’s not something you lock in perfectly your first, second, or third year, no matter what training you get,” Assistant Director of Hillsdale’s Barney Charter School Initiative Jonathan Gregg said.

Gregg, an alumnus of Hillsdale, works with administrations at many classical and charter schools to help them prepare and coach their incoming teachers. Before Gregg returned to his alma mater, he taught at Glendale Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, Arizona. He majored in English and math and did not minor in classical education because the program was not available when he studied at Hillsdale.

Alumna Hannah Fleming ’17 completed the classical education minor and said she is grateful for the philosophical knowledge and hands-on experience it provided her. She now teaches second, third, and fourth grade at Concordia Classical Academy and her first year of teaching has been smooth, though not without bumps.

“People kept telling me that this would be the worst year of my life and the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But this year hasn’t been awful. I love it. I’m having so much fun teaching,” Fleming said.

Two girls, one closet

Rebecca Joyce

“There are days that are really hard, but there’s only been one day where I wanted to curl up and cry after school. Most days I come away with a sense of what I can do better, but I also have things I can smile about.”

The philosophical training upon which the minor focuses informs Fleming’s teaching all the time, she said. She referenced Assistant Professor of Education Jeffrey Lehman’s class, Understanding the Trivium and Quadrivium.

“We thought about how our world is ordered in that class. It was one of the most important concepts that we learned. That affects everything,” Fleming said. “Order is so important, not just in our creation but in our classroom.”

Just as her philosophical studies inform her teaching, Fleming’s practical training in pedagogy has defined her approach to the classroom. Most important in this preparation, Fleming said, was her teaching apprenticeship at Hillsdale Academy, supervised by Associate Professor of Education Daniel Coupland. He taught her how to translate her philosophical knowledge into her actions the classroom.

Headmasters and principals recognize the value in an education like this. Patsy Hinton is the headmaster at

See School B5

By | Carmel Kookogey

Phoebe Fink

Freshmen Rebecca Joyce and Phoebe Fink. Carmel Kookogey | Collegian

Rebecca, how would you describe your style?

Has your style changed since RJ: “Overgrown toddler who being at Hillsdale? was probably raised by a retired art PF: “Yes. I benefit from Becca’s teacher and a rockstar. My sister wardrobe at least twice a week.” told me I was unprepared for Hillsdale because I didn’t have enough Where do you get most of your business casual clothing and I had clothes? to groom my eyebrows.”

RJ: “My basement, thrift stores, other people.”

How did you respond?

PF: “My cousins, American EaRJ: “I still haven’t plucked my gle...Becca’s closet.” eyebrows.”

What’s one of your favorite Phoebe, how would you de- pieces? scribe your style?

RJ: “My bell bottoms. And my PF: “Boy from ‘The Sandlot’ brown sweater.” meets Audrey Hepburn meets Cape PF: “I have this one sweatshirt Cod Senator’s wife.” that has been passed through like six different members of my family.

So probably that one.”