May 1, 2009
Volume 96, No. 24
The Voice of Taylor University since 1913
Marion Meijer officially opens
A&E
“South Park” takes aim “They might have only killed Kenny once so far in Season 13, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone are as vicious as ever.”
WORLD
Swine Flu Spreads “With the rapid spread of this disease, the World Health Organization has just raised its pandemic alert to a phase 5.”
OPINIONS
Balloons line the checkout aisles of the newly-opened Meijer in Marion.
By Hillary May Contributor
Im(media)te gratification “Passive information has replaced active knowledge in our society.”
IN BRIEF Heritage Weekend
Taylor’s annual Heritage Weekend is here, and key events for this year include the Campbell Hall dedication in honor of Walt Campbell’s legacy as dean of students, Grandparents Day on Friday, and residence hall picnics and open houses on Saturday. On Friday, May 1, there will be a Distinguished Faculty Lecture at 4 p.m. in the Nussbaum Science Center. On Saturday, the TU Cycling Club Alumni Ride is at 9 a.m., and everyone is invited to be a part of the 19-mile round trip to the Matthews Covered Bridge. The 55th annual Taylathon bike races will begin 11 a.m. The Heritage Program, including the Campbell Hall Dedication, will be held at Rediger Chapel at 3:30 p.m.
Mr. TU Pageant
Twelve guys from all over campus will be competing in Taylor’s very own Mr. TU pageant at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5. They will showcase their talents in four categories: choreographed dance, talent, TU spirit formal wear and an interview. All proceeds from ticket sales will be given to two families struggling financially to provide for their sons who suffer from serious illnesses. Tickets are priced at $3 and will be available at the Dining Commons on May 4 and 5, and at the door.
Taylor students now have an alternative to Wal-Mart and Kmart, as Meijer officially opened its doors to the community of Marion at 7 a.m. Sunday. Meijer hosted a soft opening on Wednesday, April 22, before
formally introducing the store to the public soon after. “The soft opening went pretty well,” said Nicoya Rolle, an employee of the new store. “We had quite a few customers. The official opening, however, was rather slow, but we’re hopeful. Building a Meijer was definitely a risk, but the number of shoppers is expected to grow.
of food were given to passing shoppers. Throughout the opening, several employees stood in the aisles offering assistance, while others continued to stack the shelves with new products. There were various sales on food and houseware. A Meijer spinning wheel was even set up, which allowed customers
Students consider graduate schools By Benita Lee Co-News Editor Looking back on your high school years, you remember the college application process. It was a hassle to take the SATs, shorten your list of dream schools, and painstakingly squeeze out a couple of essays to make you stand out. Now, years later, many are forced to go through it all once more, only with higher stakes. With graduation just around the corner, the panicked, exhausted look in many seniors’ eyes serve to prove one thing – it’s time to start thinking about life after Taylor. Deciding between graduate school and working after graduation can be a tough choice, and the results often vary between the different departments at Taylor. Students who major in areas like Christian education, psychology and most sciences often end up going to graduate school, while the media communication, math, visual arts,
philosophy and education departments have a good mix of students attending graduate school and working. On the whole, professors and students both agree Taylor has done an exceptional job in preparing students for graduate school. Most alumni cite their experience at Taylor as tremendously beneficial in equipping them for life after graduation. According to the Career Development Office, about 18 percent of Taylor’s 2007 graduates are now in graduate school. Within the different departments, professors often conduct one-on-one sessions with students to offer them advice and opportunities. Communication Arts professor Jessica RousselowWinquist said that “professors discuss career and graduate school options with classes and individual students” in an effort to aid students in their decisions for the future. The physics department periodically offers a course to help students prepare for the
Graduate Record Examination (GRE). They also “give guidance through personal interactions or advising, and write lots of recommendation letters,” said Ken Kiers, department chair. Mick Bates, assistant professor of business and director of the Innovative Enterprises Program, says the department encourages students to get experience outside Taylor to stand out against the competition. “The best thing that students can do during their career here is not only work hard to get good grades, but to do something that’s real world in nature that they can put on their résumé to make them different,” Bates said. “If they can do that, and they can secure a solid internship, they position themselves very well.” Senior Troy Tomasik is one student who has taken the advice to heart, as the business management and chemistry major has been accepted to Sarah Neel Senior Troy Tomasik is one of several Taylor students acceptHarvard Business School. ed into graduate school.
See Grads Page 2
Arthur Hodson: the gift of a lifetime By Hannah Beers Co-News Editor
WEEKENDWEATHER TODAY 63/ 44
PARTLY CLOUDY
SATURDAY 60/45
RAIN & CLOUDS
SUNDAY 63/45
RAIN & CLOUDS
It has certainly created new job opportunities.” With the official opening underway, Meijer hosted a promotional event at 10 a.m. to help publicize sale items. Employees dressed up in costumes and handed out balloons and cookies to children. Advertisement tables were set up around the store, and free samples
Katy Andres
to spin the wheel to receive scratch-off coupons and prizes. With the help of colorful flyers, Meijer displayed its largest sale items toward the front of the store, where several customers stood in checkout lines waiting to purchase their items, which ranged from groceries and electronics to toiletries and clothing. Freshman Caroline Helmke said, “Everything I was taught about marketing, consumerism and selling immediately came to my mind when I saw the inside of the new Meijer.” “Everything important was at eye level,” she said. “All the flashy things were placed at the end caps luring me down the aisles, and what ended up to be just a two-item trip turned into a 10-item trip. I’ve never felt more like a typical American consumer than I did when I left the store.” For freshman Jack Davies, shopping at Meijer is all about the healthy, wider range of food products. “I’m excited that Meijer is finally opening. It’s really like an upscale Wal-Mart,” Davies said. “It’s cleaner, crisper and much more visually appealing.”
Arthur Hodson
It is unlikely that any one student at Taylor has not entered the Hodson Dining Commons. But it is likely, unfortunately, that students can better describe the PowerPoint menu slides than the man whom the building is named after. During chapel on Wednesday, students were re-introduced to Arthur Hodson, when President Eugene Habecker announced Hodson’s $13.8 million estate gift to Taylor — the largest estate gift in the university’s history. “It’s just such a blessing for Taylor to receive it in these current economic times,” said Provost Steve Bedi. “God’s timing is perfect. Who would have known, when this was all being put together, that it would (come at) just the right time to provide this encouragement?”
The estate gift is the last of Hodson’s lifetime of generosity and service to Taylor. He lived in Upland and studied for two years at Taylor before transferring to Purdue to pursue chemistry, graduating in 1936. Ten years later, his father’s declining health brought him back to Upland, where he maintained his family’s farm and helped found the STAR Financial Bank in Upland. (In fact, the “A” in “STAR” stands for Arthur Hodson.) He also served as a Taylor Board of Trustees member from 1959 to 1963. His wife of 63 years, Mary Hodson, passed away Jan. 24, 1996, and Hodson remarried Nelle Alspaugh, the woman for whom the Dining Common’s Alspaugh rooms are named. They were married almost nine years before she died in 2005. Hodson passed away two years later in 2007. The total estate is worth $27
million. The Indiana Wesleyan University endowment will receive $10.6 million and another $2.6 million will go toward White’s Residential and Family Services, an organization assisting community youth in Wabash, Ind. The three recipients of Hodson’s generosity reflect his lifelong mission to help young people learn and grow. One student who experienced this mission firsthand was a young Jay Kesler, now Taylor President Emeritus. In 1955, when Kesler transferred from Ball State, Taylor had no financial aid department. With no outside support, Kesler worked hard to pay for his education but found himself coming up short. Hodson met Kesler in the STAR Financial Bank over a request for a loan.
See Hodson Page 2