Vol. 121 Issue 6
Featured: Muskingum University Inaugurates President Susan S. Hasseler
May 2017
The Black & Magenta Editorial Staff
Brenna Busby Editor-in-Chief Assignment Editor bbusby@muskingum.edu
Logan Weaver Staff Writer & Editor Circulation Manager loganw@muskingum.edu
Orbiting movie screens across the country: “Hidden Figures” Aaron Eno Orbit Media Columnist “Hidden Figures” is a historical drama that shines a light on the three remarkable African-American women who were critical to the space flight that took Sen. John Glenn into orbit. The main characters include Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Hensen), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). “Hidden Figures” begins in 1961 during the Cold War and Space Race with Soviet Russia and the Civil Rights Movement in America. These are overarching plot points that help drive the main plot of the film. The main plot of the film revolves around these three women making a name for themselves during a time that
would otherwise not allow them to do so. The movie does a great job of following the difficulties of these characters and how they persevere through them. It is established at the very beginning of the movie Katherine is the main character. The film opens up with her as a child being sent to a school where she can put her remarkable mind to work. Each of these characters specialized in certain areas and Katherine’s specialization was crazy super advanced mathematics. Props to the actress for being able to communicate all of those complicated algorithms so well and write them out on a chalkboard numerous times through the film. Aside from that each character has something working against them. While in the overarching
NEWS
FEATURED
Page 3 East Muskingum School District’s Proposed Levy Page 7 Senior Art Gallery Showcase
Page 5 Astronaut Scott E. Parazynski Visits Muskingum
THE MUSKIE HI
SPORTS
Page 4 President Susan S. Hasseler’s Inauguration
Page 6 New Muskie Scoreboard
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plot they all have to deal with segregation and racism in their own way, each character also faces a direct antagonist. Katherine’s comes in the form of Paul Stafford (Jim Parson). After Katherine gets moved to the Space Task Group run by the NASA director Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) Stafford gives her nothing but grief for the majority of the film. The pacing of the plot is good. With two key events as the driving force for what everyone involved does moving forward. The over arcing plot as stated is the space race with Soviet Russia. At the beginning of the film it’s established that Russia had already launched Sputnik’s into orbit. And in the middle of the Cold War that scared a lot of American people. I have been working on a project for my Senior Seminar that revolves heavily around John Glenn. Glenn was played by Glen Powell. There’s a moment in the film when all of the astronauts meet everyone at NASA and John is the one who comes over and shakes hands with the main characters. But again, while the events of this film do follow the Mercury launch, the focus is on the people that made it happen. I think John Glenn’s character was portrayed well the only major issue is historically John was 40 when he went to space and Powell was only 28 when the movie was filmed. But, his character’s kindness and determination were well represented. Overall, “Hidden Figures” is an exceptional well done historical Drama depicting one of the greatest moments in American History.
May 2017
News EMSD presents12 million dollar project Brenna Busby Editor-in-Chief The East Muskingum School District is proposing a 12 million dollar project to build an athletic complex and an auditorium at John Glenn High School. The levy is on the May election ballot. East Muskingum School District Superintendent Jill Sheridan and East Muskingum School District Assistant Superintendent Dave Adams presented information and renderings about the levy to New Concord Village Council at their March 13 meeting. Sheridan said the slogan for the campaign, “Choose Excellence,” was incorporated due to the values of the community. “We are founded on the choice of excellence,” said Sheridan. The plan for the athletic complex includes an eight lane track, 2,500 seats on the home side and 500 additional seats on the visitor side. Restrooms and concession stands are located on both sides of the complex. The initial plans also call for the football field to be lighted. The auditorium would feature 650 seats. As of right now the current student body is 540 students, that would allow the entirety of all students and faculty to be in the auditorium at all at once. It would be connected to the front of John Glenn High School. Both spaces, the athletic complex and the auditorium, would serve as educational spaces during the school day. The auditorium would feature two classrooms that can be used as practice spaces for the music classes and field would be used for gym classes. While Sheridan said this project wouldn’t add to the number of parking spots, it would add safety and efficiency with parents dropping off students that is currently lacking. She said it will be “safer and more efficient drop off for the [Larry Miller Intermediate School].” Adams added the direction of the traffic will remain the same. To date, their private campaign has raised $1.6 million dollars which helps to offset the total estimated cost of the entire project.
May 2017
“The undertaking of the private campaign...that was a part that we took on as a district because we understand that we want to offset this 12 million dollar cost so that it is not shouldered on the taxpayers alone,” said Sheridan. According to Sheridan, that money came from “support from local people, some of them business owners.” If the levy is passed, a homeowner whose house is valued at $100,000 would be paying $115 per year, $9.45 per month, or 31 cents per day. The Bond Levy is a 20-year levy and the Maintenance Levy is continuous. Sheridan said the bond would be no more than for $2.8 million and the maintenance levy to keep up the project over its lifetime would cost no more than $5,000 thousand to “operate and sustain the facilities.” Sheridan anticipates the project will benefit the New Concord area. “We are excited for our community,” said Sheridan. “We are excited for the property owners.” Sheridan said the building of both the athletic complex and the auditorium is about balancing academics with athletics and arts in the East Muskingum School District. “This is more than just a facility project,” said Sheridan. “This project is a choice that we and this community have made a conscious decision to educate [and] not only keeping our academics at the forefront, making sure
that’s strong, but also that our athletics and our arts are part of that whole child experience.” More information about the project and a site plan can be found on Muskielevy.com. More information can also be reached at 740-826-7655. The New Concord Village Council Meeting where this information was presented can be found on Orbit Media TV’s YouTube channel.
Quick Facts
The estimated cost of the project is $12 million. The auditorium would feature 650 seats.
The Athletic Complex would boast an eight lane track and 3,000 seats total. The amount of parking spots would remain the same. The bond levy is a 20 year levy and the maintenance levy is continuous. The combined levy includes both the maintenance and bond levy on the ballot.
Brenna Busby / Black & Magenta East Muskingum School District Superintendent Jill Sheridan presents levy information at the March 13 New Concord Village Council meeting.
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The Muskie Hi
21st
Muskingum Inaugurates President Susan S. Hasseler Logan Weaver Staff Writer & Editor
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uskingum University celebrated the arrival of President Susan S. Hasseler during an inauguration ceremony Friday, April 7 in the Anne C. Steele Center. Hasseler said it is “a true joy” to officially become a part of the Muskingum University community. “I am honored and humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me,” said Hasseler, “and I am eager to make this public covenant with you today to serve and lead this wonderful, wonderful place.” Hasseler said she’s had the opportunity to meet new people both locally and across the country who have congratulated her on becoming Muskingum’s next leader. “People often ask me, ‘What brought you to Muskingum?’ or on occasion, ‘Why in the world would you want to be a university president right now?,’” said Hasseler. “My response is that this is my calling – to lead and serve a university community as president. I am called at this time to be in this place,
this remarkable community that is Muskingum.” Hasseler said she has been “struck” by the willingness of the campus community to serve, create, and explore. “This is clearly a learning community that provides students with the foundation, the tools, and the confidence they need to discover the world around them, and even the world beyond them,” said Hasseler. Ken Hasseler, President Hasseler’s husband, said she is “one of the best leaders I have ever known.” “As President Hasseler’s partner for 41 years,” said Ken, “I have watched, listened, conversed, and marveled at two characteristics she has consistently embodied – compassion and curiosity.” In his remarks, Ken told of a time during her years as a teacher where President Hasseler helped a student named Mary who was being bullied. “Mary needed compassion and Sue recognized this,” said Ken. “Sue worked tirelessly to create a caring community in the classroom for Mary…. Sue never forgot or forgets the power of that experience.” Jon and Kaitlin Hasseler, President Hasseler’s son and daughter, said they
Marty Kurtz/ Black & Magenta Muskingum University President Susan S. Hasseler‘s inauguration ceremony featured her husband Ken Hasseler, daughter Kaitlin (left), and son Jon (right).
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were excited for their mother’s opportunity to become president. “This is a really special day for the both of us,” said Kaitlin. “We’ve been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. It’s hard to put into words what an honor and a joy it is to be here and to celebrate our mother.” Kaitlin and Jon both shared scripture readings during the ceremony. Dani Crown ’15, Admission Counselor and member of the Presidential Search Committee, said one of her favorite memories of President Hasseler thus far was when the two first met. Crown said President Hasseler had heard about Crown and asked about her time at Muskingum. “I hope I responded accurately to Dr. Hasseler’s questions,” said Crown, “but in that moment, I was so impressed that somehow she knew who I was.” Ohio State Senator Troy Balderson said he and his fellow politicians were very impressed with Hasseler since the first time they met her. “She worked a room better than any politician up there could ever do,” said Balderson. “It is an honor and I truly look forward to working with [President] Hasseler.” U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson said although he first met Hasseler a few weeks ago, he too was impressed with what he saw from her. “She is full of energy,” said Johnson. “The evidence of her work outside of her office here at the university is already becoming known. Former President Anne C. Steele was the last Muskingum President to be inaugurated in 2000.
See additional videos, photos, and information from Inauguration Week on OrbitMediaOnline.com May 2017
Featured
Astronaut Overcomes Extreme Environments Brenna Busby Editor-in-Chief Dr. Scott E. Parazynski was the inaugural lecturer in the John Glenn Lecture Series in Earth and Planetary Sciences held April 5 at Muskingum University. The event was part of the inauguration week celebration for Muskingum’s 21st President, Dr. Susan S. Hasseler. Parazynski, an astronaut who flew on STS-95 in 1998 with Sen. John Glenn, spoke highly of his experience working with Glenn. “To get a chance to fly in space with your boyhood hero it’s like playing soccer with Pelé or basketball with Michael Jordan or doing astrophysics with Albert Einstein,” said Parazynski. Their flight into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery was just one of Parazynski’s five trips into space throughout his career. While aboard Discovery Parazynski also served as Glenn’s doctor. “It was kind of high stressed to be Senator Glenn’s personal physician on that mission,” said Parazynski. “We were doing a lot of medical research and also he was 77 years of age at the time so we didn’t know exactly [how] the spaceflight environment would influence his physiology.” Parazynski’s other missions included STS-66 in 1994, STS-86 in 1997, STS-100 in 2001, and his final mission STS-120 in 2007. From a young age, Parazynski knew his life would take him to outer space. “I had always wanted to become an astronaut,” said Parazynski. “My father worked on the Apollo program when I was very young so I had a front row seat to all the early Apollo rocket launches.” After completing a biology degree from Stanford University, Stanford Medical School, and 22 months of residency, Parazynski was selected to join the NASA Astronaut Corps. He said these two passions are grounded in his interests in the human race. “As a very young boy I was interested in the pioneering astronauts and cosmonauts as well as people that went to high altitudes…so just fascination with
May 2017
Brenna Busby/ Black & Magenta Scott E. Parazynski speaks about his life experiences during the Inaugural John Glenn Lecture Series Presentation. human performance was just something that really fascinated me as a kid…and then moreover I really wanted to help people,” said Parazynski. Parazynski sees the future of space focused on exploring Mars and believes the possibility is achievable in as little as 30 years. “I’m really excited by what is in store for the future for human space flight and I’m confident that the work we did in my career will kind of be the stepping stone for eventually going to Mars which I believe is the ultimate human destiny to look for signs of life and also to eventually colonize,” said Parazynski. He is the only person to have both flown into space and to have stepped foot on the highest point on earth, Asia’s Mount Everest. “My experiences on Mount Everest quite honestly were some of the most difficult things I’ve ever done,” said Parazynski. After 59 days during his first climb of Everest, he woke one morning with pains in his lower back. He was one day away from summiting the top and he decided to return to the ground. “[It was] a real soul searching moment for me because I didn’t know if I would ever be able to return but I made the right decision,” said Parazynski.
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Upon returning home he discovered a ruptured disc was what caused the pain he felt during his journey. A year after his initial attempt in 2008, Parazynski reached the peak of Everest on May 20, 2009. “I like telling people the things that come to us the hardest typically mean the most to us,” said Parazynski. After explorations in space, climbing mountains, and hobbies such as deep sea scuba diving, Parazynski’s newer focus is on developing technology that could assist people living in under developed countries through his tech startup company, Fluidity Technologies. “I’m developing robotic hand controllers that allow us to move through all of our physical and virtual spaces,” said Parazynski. Parazynski attributes his diverse background to providing him experiences that taught him life skills. “The same lessons in teamwork, leadership, preparation and resilience that I have from those environments play really well for what I am doing today,” said Parazynski. Parazynski was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2016 and currently resides in Texas with his family. Watch his complete presentation on Orbit Media’s YouTube channel, OrbitMediaTV.
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Sports
Logan Weaver/ Black & Magenta The Muskingum University Anne C. Steele Center now features a new video board that contains a screen to play videos and pictures. It was installed April 2017.
Logan Weaver Staff Writer & Editor A new video board was installed in Muskingum University’s Anne C. Steele Center in April. Muskingum Athletic Director Larry Shank said the video board will create a lot of excitement for both fans and players during campus and athletic events. “I think the purpose of [the video board] is showcasing our students,” said Shank. “It opens up a wide variety of marketing our student athletes to the fans and creating excitement.” Shank said he thinks the video board and its potential uses are “tremendous.” “Anything that moves us forward in marketing, in selling, [and] in showcasing is outstanding for us,” said Shank. Shank said he is excited for the future of Muskingum University with the addition of the new video board. “It opens up a lot of doors for us,” said Shank. “I am totally, totally excited about the step that we’ve taken.” Shank said the new video board can be used for more than athletic events, as it was used during President Susan S. Hasseler’s inauguration ceremony April 8 and the Golden Hook Awards
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ceremony April 10. The video board comes from Nevco, a company specializing in video display and scoreboards. Nevco has created scoreboards and video displays for high schools and colleges across the country and even internationally in Canada, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. Shank said Sports Information Director Tom Caudill, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications Ashley Birchmeier, and Director of Computer & Networking Services (CNS) Ryan Harvey have been trained to run the video board.
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News
Seniors Take Over Gallery: Senior Art Show Exhibition
Chelsea McCrae/ Black & Magenta Senior Sarah Gotschall’s painting titled “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” is displayed in the Senior Art Showcase.
Logan Weaver Staff Writer & Editor Muskingum University Senior Art students had their seminar art projects on display in the Louis O. Palmer Art Gallery through May 2. Yan Sun, Muskingum Professor of Art and seminar supervisor, said he is impressed with this year’s class of students and the work they have produced throughout the year. “This is one of the best senior shows in my career in 20 years,” said Sun. Sun said classes such as Art History and Appreciation help students create their own personal style by the time they reach seminar. “The mission of the art department [is] each student must understand what is art and what kind of art [works best] for him or her,” said Sun. “The personal style is one of the best choices for [the students].” Sun said this year’s group of seminar students is one of the largest groups he has seen in several years. In the past,
May 2017
Chelsea McCrae/ Black & Magenta Senior Hallie Gay created “The Blues Platter”at the Senior Art Showcase in the Louis O. Palmer Art Gallery.
Sun said there have only been approximately two or three seminar students each year. Muskingum Senior Kate Morgan, a double major in Digital Media Design and Art, said she has enjoyed seeing people react to her artwork. “It feels better than I thought it would,” said Morgan. “I enjoyed watching the reactions of the people I didn’t know as they experienced my artwork.” Morgan, who submitted multiple pieces to the gallery, said the research involved in her artwork included studying a culture of art of their choosing, their own portfolios, and how to talk about and critique art. “It was overall a very rewarding experience,” said Morgan. Sun said each student was required to submit at least eight pieces of artwork to be displayed in the gallery and approximately 70 pieces were submitted this year. Pieces ranged in eight different categories, including graphic design,
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sculpting, ceramics, painting, and more. The work on display takes inspiration from a variety of topics such as psychology, politics, and nature. Students were given the opportunity to use any medium and could combine multiple mediums to create their pieces. Items such as paint, wood, clay, glass, and even a pair of denim jeans are some of the items used to create the artwork in the gallery. Sun said students are able to keep their artwork after the art is displayed, but are asked to donate one of their best pieces to the university to be showcased. Examples of what students have done in the past includes art that has been donated to the university. In addition to the artwork submitted, each student was required to design a poster in order to advertise the Senior Art Showcase. The posters created by the art seminar students were located in residential and academic buildings around campus in addition to the gallery.
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Logan Weaver/ Black & Magenta President Susan S. Hasseler and the judges at the Cardboard Boat Regatta at the Campus Lake.
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Chelsea President Susan S. H McCrae/ Black & Magenta asseler ta Gotschall lk at the Sen ior Art Sh s with senior Sarah ow openin g.
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