Don Ritenburgh Business Adviser ritenbur@oakland.edu
248.370.2533
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA SCHIHL
Interviews and networking at OU’s annual fall Career Fair
MATILDE RABAJOLI
Campus Reporter
On Oct. 1, the Oakland Center at Oakland University hosted the annual Career Fair. Students were invited to attend to network with possible employers in the health sciences, human resources and business fields.
The upper level of the OC hosted many stands with information regarding what each company represented, possible internships and events to attend. Companies had various application papers and flyers of general information. Merch was given to students who put themselves out for this event and initiated conversations with possible future employers.
Sophia Gegaj and Gabriella Gjonaj were both students at the event; they shared their initial reactions to the fair. “I think it’s a good opportunity to meet people and just get your name out there,” Gegaj said.
The months of the organization before the event manifested on the application forms with QR codes, and flyers with specific job openings, requirements and interview opportunities provided to students by the companies.
The tables and stands populated the second floor, from the Banquet Rooms to the Ballrooms, attendees could walk around and apply as much time as they wished to the stands that caught their interest and fit their career plans.
“We’re both doing finance, and it’s interesting to
see how much into finance there is,” Gjonaj said.
Companies had at least two representatives or recruiters standing at their tables with whom students could speak, network and clarify inquiries. “It’s important to start the conversation yourself and ask them what you want to know,” Gjoanj said.
It was common practice that all stands had business cards available for students, containing contact information for interviews or introductory programs.
“We think it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet with the up-and-coming future of our leaders at Forvia,” Forvia representative, Brandi Harris, said.
On the Healthcare Sciences side of the fair, Kevin King, a recruiter, said “It’s a really wonderful event.”
“Just having all the employers laid out here is very nice,” Jacob Benninger, a student, said after visiting both the business and healthcare sides of the fair. “[The fair] is mutually beneficial for both,” Benninger said.
“I’ve been very impressed by the students that I’ve seen,” Harris said after an hour of tabling and interviewing. “They offer so much to the table in terms of skill set and knowledge that they can bring to Forvia — that’s amazing.”
The Career Fair ran from noon to 3 p.m. In the following two hours, students were welcomed to apply and be interviewed by a select group of companies who stayed after the event to offer more extensive interviews.
Students could sign up for an interview slot during the career fair at the selected companies’ booths. The Career and Life Design Center staff offered
students help to prepare for the formal interviews at the Ready Room, located outside of the Ballrooms.
A full list of the workshops, networking events and meet-and-greets — virtual and in-person — are available in the Career and Life Design Center’s Handshake profile. Events scheduled until Dec. 6 are aimed at preparing students for the next Winter Career Fair.
“Intelligent, can hold a good conversation … all have an eagerness to learn, they are all very curious.” King said, describing all the Grizzlies he met at the 2024 Fall Career Fair.
Engineering and IT Career Fair fosters career advancement at OU
ADRIAN JIMENEZ MORALES MATILDE RABAJOLI
The Oakland Center’s upper floor held Oakland University’s annual Engineering and IT Career Fair on Oct. 3. The event ran from noon to 3 p.m. for students interested in the engineering, computer science, informational technology and management information systems fields.
“It’s amazing, There’s some [companies] that are looking for Co-Op internships, but I’m shocked by the amount that are actually hiring full-time,” Luc Taburet, a bioengineering student, said. “I do have one lined up already, but it’s a lot nicer knowing that every company I talk to is potentially something that could open another door for me,” Taburet said.
In the same fashion as the Fall Career Fair, students had the option to apply for an interview with select companies after networking at the event.
“Overall some of the companies seem pretty open to talking to you on the spot and kind of getting the gist of who you are and what you want,” Thomas Rowden, a mechanical engineering student, said. “Sitting down with the [Career and Life Design Center] folks really helped, they help out a lot here at Oakland University — shout out to them.”
The same office offered drop-in Career Studio workshops in which students are guided through the resume creation, handshake navigation and
networking prep.
“Something I also put together alongside that is a portfolio,” Rowden said. “Simply putting in some of the projects and labs that you might have done inside of your classes, I think, is a great way to make yourself not the same person as everyone else.”
OU has planned multiple career fairs throughout the academic year to allow students from specific departments the chance to highlight what their studies look like after graduation.
“We have been working with them the entire month of September and they are all working hard to prepare and decide what employers they want to talk to,” Kelli Foskic, director of the School of Engineering and Computer Science Career and Life Design, said. “So, this is just a big celebration of all the hard work they have put in to get ready for today.”
A variety of engineering and systems firms populated the OC’s upper level. Atomic Object, Siemens and MAGNA shared rooms with Atlas Copco, MacLean-Fogg and Corwell Health.
“We have a list of companies who have attended our career fairs over the years,” Foskic said. “So, every year … we send out all the invites, so the same companies are invited.”
The Engineering Career Fair has developed a long-established roster of companies due to many of them choosing to return to OU after attending a few times before.
“I’m all about networking,” Luis Gomez, an
electrical engineering student, said. “Trying to get those connections going, you never know who you’re going to bump into later on.”
“I will say maybe nursing and other departments also deserve another career fair but as it is right now, I think all the big schools deserve one specific career fair,” Gomez said after highlighting how helpful the event proved to be in his field.
Students and recruiters alike highlighted the importance and benefits of networking events from their perspectives.
“We definitely benefit from getting interns and fulltime employees from these events,” Rachael Klawanf, a MacLean-Fogg recruiter, said. “We also benefit by just understanding what students are looking for and what they want in their future careers.”
The benefits don’t end there. “We always try to improve ourselves as a company,” Klawanf said. “So, we always want to make sure that we’re kind of acclimating to what the students want as well as getting to know them and understanding what Oakland students can provide.”
“They’ve been all incredibly ready and prepared, which we appreciate. We’ve had dozens and dozens of conversations with students who seem excited about all these opportunities.” Nick Stauffer, a MacLean-Fogg recruiter, said to describe OU students. “We go to a lot of career fairs, and so far, I’ll say this is in our top three. We’ve really enjoyed our time at Oakland.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE REID
OU-AAUP vote in favor of tentative agreement ratification
ADRIAN JIMENEZ MORALES
Campus Editor
On Sept. 25, the Oakland University American Association of University Professors (OU-AAUP) ratified the tentative agreement to renew the faculty contract for another 5 years. With 78% of the votes in favor and 22% opposing approval, the faculty union membership accepted the tentative agreement.
After a tentative agreement was reached between OU-AAUP and the university’s bargaining team on Sept. 3, a day before classes began, the document awaited approval by the faculty union membership.
The union held an informational meeting on Sept. 10 to review the details of what is to become the new faculty contract. Voting opened on Sept. 19 and a week later the union membership approved the ratification of the document.
Amy Pollard, OU-AAUP executive director, broke down some of the major points in the ratified tentative agreement.
Full-time faculty will get:
• A $1,500 one-time bonus and a 4% merit increase in year 1
• A $500,000 market adjustment and a 3% merit increase in year 2
• A $500,000 market adjustment and a 3% merit increase in year 3
• A 3% merit increase in year 4
• A 3% merit increase in year 5
“Part-time faculty salary increases are the same with the exception that their one-time bonus is $500 and they do not receive any market adjustments,” Pollard said. “There are increases to faculty travel and promotion raises as well.”
Pollard clarified that the tentative agreement did not include changes to retirement or health care benefits. Changes to limit shared governance like universal workload policy were not included either.
“The agreement also includes increases for promotional raises and funds for faculty travel and research,” the OU bargaining team said in their negotiations updates. “It also doubles the retirement stipend for special lecturers.”
“When the [Board of Trustees (BoT)] approves the Tentative Agreement, it will go into effect immediately and be retroactive back to August 15,” Pollard said. This will take place on Oct. 18, the next BOT meeting of the semester.
Daniel Clark, professor and director of the Center for Public Humanities explained the significance of this year’s tentative agreement.
“I’ve been through a lot of contract negotiation seasons,” Clark said. “This round confirms past trends, faculty continue to fall further and further behind financially, and that’s especially true for newer faculty hires and colleagues in the middle stages of their careers.”
Clark explained that on 2009 the university’s policy attempted to gain more control of faculty research,
lecture notes, and assignments — something similar to this year’s universal workload and fixed merit score policies.
“The most common thread over the years is that faculty members come out of contract negotiations feeling unappreciated,” Clark said. “Almost as if we were an impediment to the institution’s functioning, when we are the ones who do the most fundamental work of the university.”
Clark emphasized that to yield a higher support for future agreements form the union’s membership, the contract has to be more financially supportive of faculty.
“It seems pretty clear that to get a higher ratification vote, the tentative agreement has to be better, but I don’t see that in any way as the fault of the bargaining team,” Clark said. “We’re public employees, our leverage is limited…but administration priorities that consistently tip away from supporting faculty members make it very difficult for many colleagues to make ends meet and creates an environment of feeling unappreciated, mentioned earlier, which erodes any sense of common mission.”
“Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions,” OU-AAUP President Mike Latcha, said. “I’m glad the university and the bargaining team were able to come to an agreement so that I can get back in the classroom to deliver the excellent education Oakland students deserve.” For more information, visit the OU-AAUP bargaining diary.
Community and Unity: Bodies in Protest performs at Elliott Tower
REAGAN REETZ
Marketing Director
On Friday, Oct. 5, Oakland University Dance Department’s Repertory Dance Theatre returned to Elliott Tower for the fifth annual Bodies in Protest event.
Originally created in response to the heightened social unrest following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bodies in Protest uses the art of dance to enter important dialogues such as women’s rights and water politics. The theme is selected yearly by students under the guidance of the Director of OU’s Repertory Dance Company, Thayer Jonutz.
“This year they felt unified in expressing community in all of its many facets,” Jonutz said. “They drew from stories from their communities, they did some research online and found some interesting quotes and stories that they drew from and that was the base.”
Development of the performance begins at the start of the semester, meaning students have a little over a month to fully coordinate the event. As a student-choreographed piece with a tight production timeline, collaboration and unity were central to its success.
“It’s a little different than what usually happens in a studio space because we as the dancers collectively work together,” student performer June Wallace said. “It’s super fun to be able to collaborate with the people that you’re dancing with all of the time
to create a piece and bring it to life out here.”
The performance began following the 10:30 a.m. ringing of the clock tower bell while dancers emerged from the audience and surrounded the plaza to the opening lines of Micheal Jackson’s “Heal the World.”
Elliott Tower, a familiar campus centerpiece and rallying point for student activities, heightened the vibrancy of the performance. As onlookers passed by, they caught snippets of music and narration, creating a dynamic blend of art and everyday
campus life.
“Some people didn’t even know this was happening and they just walked by and noticed it,” student performer Alyssa Sedlock said. “We are trying to get it across to as many people as possible and we wanted it to kind of be sporadic so that it was something that caught their eye and really affected them.”
As the performance progressed, the audience steadily grew in number to witness the unfolding narrative. For audience member and freshman dance major Layla Sherman, this experience impacted her understanding of community.
“Even though they were struggling, they came together,” Sherman said. “They brought everything with them, even the things they were struggling with.”
The theme of coming together was underscored in the choreography, sound and overall structure of the performance. The dancers drifted apart and interweaved with passersby, yet they always returned to the group. Ultimately, just as the dancers began in the audience, they concluded the performance by returning to it.
This year’s Bodies in Protest was not only a dance performance, but it also blurred the lines between audience and performer, transforming the act of protest into a shared experience.
“It’s that idea of bringing people together regardless of upbringing or background, views, anything of that kind of sort,” Wallace said. “At the end of the day, we all bleed the color red.”
Rematriation of Gidinawemaaganinaanig: Endazhigiyang on OU campus
ADRIAN JIMENEZ MORALES
Campus Editor
The Native American Heritage Site, Gidinawemaaganinaanig: Endazhigiyang, has been the epicenter of rematriation at Oakland University for three years — restoring the land, wildlife and traditional stewardship.
First declared an Anishinaabek Heritage Site in 2022, the conception started in 2019 with the Land Acknowledgement written by a native OU alumni, Tara Maudrie, member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
“She’s actually just about to receive her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins,” Andrea Knutson, associate professor of English and co-chair of the Native American Advisory Committee (NAAC) said. “She was a student in the Honors College, and she was doing youth leadership at the American Indian Health and Family Services Center in Detroit.”
The formal statement recognizes the traditional lands that have raised and supported generations of indigenous people and non-native settlers. It respects the sovereignty of Michigan’s Indian Nations and acknowledges the wrongs done by colonial institutions.
“A land acknowledgment is a statement, but it’s also a promise to make changes,” Megan Peiser, associate professor of English, NAAC co-chair and citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, said. “Our land acknowledgment notes that it is going to
keep up with these commitments, its actions and its policies in addition to its words.”
Rematriation is the avenue to achieve the goals laid out in a 10-year plan for Gidinawemaaganinaanig: Endazhigiyang, translated in Anishinaabemowin to All our relations: The place where we all grow.
“Repatriation is returning to the people, rematriation is returning to the land,” Peiser said. “This is a space on OU’s campus that is being returned to traditional stewardship and land practices. Allowing the land to return to herself is an important anti-colonial act.”
Peiser explained that this rematriation work is done through gardening, workshops and traditional practices on the land. A welcome garden with ethnobotanically appropriate plants makes a central part of the repatriation process.
“As those [plants] grow out, they reseed and expand in that area,” Peiser said. “Those plants bring pollinators and important insect relatives; then you’re going to have small critter relatives. Those bring the bigger critter relatives to the point where we are finding the coyote, deer, foxes and eagles.”
To restore biodiversity and health on the land, the welcome garden is also accompanied by Cedar trees, a Three Sisters Garden, a Medicine Garden and a Pawpaw Orchard. The different cultivation projects, Peiser explained, help restore indigenous relationships to the land, practice stewardship and better relationships with native fauna and flora.
“This morning, I was stepping out on the land on my way into campus and three herons flew in and landed right next to me,” Peiser said. “They’re
coming because of the wetlands that the beaver created. So every time we take these steps, we see evidence of the success and the richness of doing this rematriation work.”
The return of beavers to Galloway Creek has been one of the most mediatic successes of the Gidinawemaaganinaanig: Endazhigiyang heritage site. “In the past, the university has just gotten rid of them,” Knutson said. “All of this infrastructure has allowed us a moment where we can work to coexist with beavers, minks, raccoons, muskrats.”
Currently planning to address accessibility needs with better sidewalk access and building a roofed pavilion to host larger events, Knutson explained that the heritage site has developed 10 years’ worth of projections thanks to the community partners.
“We have gotten donations from Wild Ones North Oakland, national nurseries and Student Congress,” Knutson said. “We would not be able to do this work unless we had strong allyship and partnership with campus facilities or University Communications and Marketing or the Provost Office.”
Peiser offered a reflection on the importance of the heritage site for the entire OU community.
“I want more than just a restoration of land relationships for Native people, I want all people to have land relationships,” Peiser said. “That’s the way forward, the way to fight climate change, the way to fight massive colonial and imperialist projects that are not only destroying our earth, but are destroying our communities, destroying people’s health and our possibility to have to share this knowledge.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF OU SCHOOL OF MUSIC, THEATRE AND DANCE/CRYSTAL ORSER
Harvest Fest with WXOU
NOAH FRANCIS Features Editor
On Oct. 4, the Elliot Tower was home to WXOU’s first Harvest Festival event. The event featured live music from three different bands, pumpkin carving with the Student Programing Board (SPB), a screening of Scooby-Doo by Student Video Productions (SVP) and a plethora of art fair vendors from all corners of Oakland University.
Andrew Deacon, WXOU’s event coordinator, explains his initial thoughts on the event.
“It exceeded all expectations,” Deacon said. “It was an entirely new event. This is the first time WXOU has done anything like this. So, the planning was hectic. There were a lot of people involved, a lot of moving pieces, but it was like the perfect storm of things just working out, and people loved it.”
Deacon explains how the idea for the event came to be.
“For Logan Pizzurro, the general manager (of WXOU), one of his big things that he wanted to do this year was a harvest festival,” Deacon said. “It started with Logan’s idea, and SPB just happened to be doing the pumpkin carving of that, so we talked during SPVs Fall Retreat, and we were like, ‘Hey, we’re doing this outdoor concert, and you’re doing the pumpkin carving. Let’s combine.’ I came up with the art fair portion, so then things just built from there.”
Deacon explains why he decided to add the art fair portion.
“I wanted to display the Oakland art community,” Deacon said. “There are so many talented people that I’ve met through WXOU and outside of it that deserve to have their work highlighted.”
For this event, many people had the opportunity to become a vendor and sell their own crafts. For Maya Kirksey, the program director of WXOU with a table full of bracelets and crochet products, this event was her first time vending with her own crafts.
“This is my first time vending, so kind of winging it,” Kirksey said. “I’m used to vending since I volunteer with Arts & Apples. I work at the donut truck, The Little Donut Factory, so I see a lot of vending, and I kind of know how it runs, but this is my first time actually doing it.”
Elisheva Roberts, a student running a table of handmade jewelry, keychains and hand-painted totes, explains how she decided to join as a vendor.
“To be honest, I normally just make them for gifts, but I saw about this, and I was like, why not sell a couple,” Roberts said. “I love sharing art and making art, so I made some extra and brought them over here.”
One person that had prior experience selling their products was Drew Elwarner, founder of the Vintage and Secondhand Fashion Club, and her vintage clothing stand. While she has had an online platform since she was 16 years old, this was her first time selling in-person. Elwarner explains the difference
between selling online and selling in person.
“I think selling in person is very exciting,” Elwarner said. “I like seeing How excited everyone gets over the clothes I have, and it makes me happy just seeing people liking my stuff.”
To prepare for her first in-person event, Elwarner explains how she acquired all of her products.
“A lot of the clothing that I have here today is either from my personal closet over the years, from thrift stores, vintage shops, and then to prepare for this specifically, I did get some wholesale packages,” Elwarner said. “So I did some wholesale sweaters, and the sellers sold them to me at a cheaper price. That was my first time buying wholesale and it worked really well.”
While several tables around the event were for single-party individuals, a plethora of clubs from around OU’s campus came to support WXOU and got tables of their own.
Several organizations made appearances, such as StudiOU selling artful prints and other merchandise, the organic farming club Growing Grizzlies offering a variety of flowers and fresh snacks made from their own products, the Oakland University Student Council (OUSC) offering helpful tips about how and why we should vote in the upcoming election, and the new restaurant, O Grizzlies Bar & Bistro, doing a $25 gift card giveaway.
While one club had to cancel due to sickness, Pick It Up! The Euchre Club at Oakland University picked up their table and set up several games of the midwestern card game.
“One of my favorite parts of the event was they literally were just playing Euchre and inviting people to play Euchre with them the entirety of the event,” Deacon said. “They had a random table where one of the artists was going to be and they were having a blast.”
WXOU brought three live band performances to the event, each with their own unique style.
The first performers featured was the Sweet Swinging Six, playing tasteful jazz renditions of popular songs such as Isn’t She Lovely, Sir Duke and Uptown Funk.
The second performer featured was Aniya Gray, a 21-year-old vocalist, songwriter and music producer, playing Rhythm and Blues with her band.
The Third and final performer was Christian Ohly, a popular indie-folk singer and songwriter out of Detroit.
“He was our initial pitch for harvest fest,” Deacon said. “I was blown away by the way that he can tell a story with his lyrics, and just like the tone of his voice, fantastic, and his band was a lot of fun.”
To coincide with SPB’s pumpkin carving, WXOU encouraged students to drop off their finished pumpkins around Elliott Tower, to be lit up once the sun set.
“I don’t normally get emotional at these kinds of things, but when I was walking through seeing all the pumpkins, I teared up a little bit,” Deacon said. “It was an experience that I helped create at Oakland that I don’t think had existed before. It was just, it was beautiful to see everybody come together for this.”
While the Harvest Festival has concluded, one of the event’s collaborations is still ongoing. WXOU and the Grizz Pantry are continuing their food drive raffle until Oct. 11 with the prize of a gift basket containing a sunset lamp, a fall blanket, and a Chappell Roan vinyl.
For more information about the Grizz Pantry and how to donate, visit their OU webpage. For more on WXOU and their events, follow their instagram page @wxouradio or visit their webpage.
PHOTO BY COURTNEY BLACKETT
Forcon Boxing Club at OU: Grizzlies pack a punch
DANIELA CESARIO
Features Reporter
Created with the goal of teaching students the art and discipline of boxing, Oakland University’s new club boxing team promises to be much more than just a high-intensity workout. It’s an opportunity for students to learn a centuries-old sport focused on technique, strategy and mental toughness.
“We teach how it can change your character and work ethic,” junior Balaaj Forcon, president of the club, said. “And how it can teach you to have a cool head in times of high stress, so you can do what you need to get done. We love to teach people how to defend themselves so they can walk with confidence, that’s why a lot of times in our meetings we go over scenarios outside of the boxing ring.”
Led by experienced coaches and boxing enthusiasts, the club is open to all skill levels, from absolute beginners to more seasoned fighters. While many students may think of boxing as purely a physical activity, the club’s mission emphasizes mastering the technique and discipline behind the sport.
“Over the past few months we’ve gotten a lot of new members from all different backgrounds, boys and girls from all different majors, but they’re all there
eager to learn and they have progressed amazingly,” Forcon said. “They are learning to be confident and not scared. Some are progressing faster than others, but the best part about it all is that everyone knows we’re all on the same boat, so no matter how good or bad you are, we have your back.”
The club meets every Friday at 6 p.m. on the upper soccer fields, but once the weather gets colder they will move to the Recreational Center. While there isn’t much commitment required, it
is encouraged to show up to as many meetings or training days as possible.
“I feel like the club’s main goal is to just get people learning to box and get healthier at the same time, pushing each-other and getting out of our comfort zones,” senior Paul Costea said. “The team has grown a lot. Every time I went, there was someone new.”
The team is currently accepting new members and encourages anyone with an interest in boxing, fitness or learning a new skill to come out and participate. Whether you’re looking to improve your coordination, build strength or master a new sport, the Boxing Club offers an inclusive and challenging experience for all.
“The dynamic among the team is great,” Forcon said. “We build each other up and tease each other and when we get someone new we bring them right in and show them love. We talk trash and we hype up everyone. And when other team members get at me and tease me I love it. We’re hard on each other when we need to be and we take care of each other as well. All of my members know they can reach out to me whenever they need.”
For more information on the team, visit their Instagram page @forconboxing or visit their GrizzOrgs page.
O Grizzly’s: The bar and bistro made by Grizzlies, for Grizzlies
ETHAN RICE
Contributor
Auburn Hills’ newest bar, O Grizzly’s Bar & Bistro, had its soft opening on Friday, Sept. 27. Located on the corner on North Squirrel Road and University Drive, the Oakland University themed bar contains 11 televisions and an extensive menu of classic bar food, Michigan-brewed beer and mixed drinks — all of which are priced with college students in mind.
According to O Grizzly’s mission statement, its purpose is to create a “hometown bar” experience for OU students, faculty, staff and alumni. Ankit Sinha, head of marketing at O Grizzly’s and founder of A Plus Commercial Solutions, spoke on the bar’s goal of creating a meaningful experience for OU students on their night out.
“We wanted a place for students where, after a long day, at night-time they can come and unwind and be themselves with their friends,” Sinha said.
Patrons entering the bar are welcomed by friendly O Grizzly’s staff members. Its team consists of current and former Golden Grizzlies, including two bartenders and four servers. The art and decor of the restaurant are intended to highlight Detroit’s professional sports teams, including the Pistons, Lions, Tigers and Red Wings, as well as the Golden Grizzlies.
Jaxson Ayer Williams, a senior and graphic design major at OU, is one of the artists responsible for the creation of the bar’s main wall art.
“When we first started the project, the owners told me that the vision for O Grizzly’s was to create a place that was for us, the students at OU,” Ayer Williams said.
O Grizzly’s leadership team sought the talents of Ayer Williams, and other OU graphic designers, to help create an environment that felt unique and special to Golden Grizzlies that visit the bar.
“They wanted to find a way to represent all of the local sports teams, both college and professional, but more importantly represent Oakland,” Ayer Williams said. “Being able to have a hand in making the space ours was a truly amazing experience, and I’m so happy to be able to see it through.”
O Grizzly’s has already established partnerships with well-known OU organizations, such as Oakland University Formula SAE and WXOU, to help strengthen the bar’s ties with OU’s student body.
O Grizzly’s mission to support OU goes well beyond their branding. The Grizzly’s Education Fund (OGEF) is a future grant that promises to dedicate a percentage of O Grizzly’s revenue from food sales, brought in by OU-affiliated customers, back to the university.
“We will allocate 10% of OU student and affiliate spending at our venue to this fund and engage the broader community through promotional campaigns that contribute to OGEF,” O Grizzly’s said in their mission statement.
This is far from OU’s first time associating with a local bar. Other well-established bars and restaurants in Auburn Hills and surrounding areas, such as
Buddy’s Pizza and RJ’s Pub, have had existing associations with the university for several years. RJ’s Pub is the home of “The Greg Kampe Radio Show,” hosted by Neal Ruhl.
John Young, vice president of university communications and marketing at OU, provided insight into the collaborative, and legal, journey that transformed O Grizzly’s from a simple idea to a reality.
According to Young, the process began approximately nine months before O Grizzly’s soft opening.
“We worked with [O Grizzly’s] so everybody [at OU] was comfortable with what it is, and how it’s used,” Young said.
While the bar’s tie to the university is not a direct partnership, O Grizzly’s leadership worked closely with the university to guarantee that the use of OU’s brand and likeness was utilized properly — and not at risk of trademark infringement.
“In this case it’s one of the rare ones,” Young said. “It is a going concern that worked with us to create a separate name, but worked with the university to get there. The process was pretty collaborative.”
As of publishing date, OU has yet to make an official statement acknowledging O Grizzly’s, or the association between the two organizations.
The official grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for O Grizzly’s will take place on Oct. 21 from 3:30–4:30 p.m. The public can expect appearances from members of the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce and OU’s own WXOU radio team.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FORCON BOXING
Golden Grizzlies on the hunt with OU’s Honors College
DANIELA CESARIO Features Reporter
Oakland University’s Honors College class, Making Discoveries, added an unexpected twist to its curriculum last week. Students participated in a campus-wide trivia scavenger hunt, designed to challenge their intellect and get them moving across the lesser-known corners of OU.
“The scavenger hunt allowed me to explore parts of campus I might not have visited otherwise,” freshman Jana Helou said. “It gave me the chance to engage with OU’s unique spaces in a fun, interactive way. I learned more about the history and the hidden gems on campus, which helped me feel more connected to the university early on.”
This unique scavenger hunt had students venturing from one end of campus to the other, solving clues that led them to iconic locations such as the Kresge Library, Vandenberg Hall and even lesser-known spots on the grounds.
“The scavenger hunt also fostered a sense of teamwork,” freshman Sophie Miller said. “My
group was made up of people I had just met in the beginning of the course, and we quickly had to rely on each other’s strengths to solve clues and navigate the campus efficiently. It taught me how collaboration can bring out the best in everyone, especially in new and challenging environments.”
In addition to solving riddles and campus trivia, students were met with team-building challenges that added an extra layer of fun to the event. Teaching Assistants, stationed across campus, guided the teams through trivia questions and facilitated games like leapfrog competitions and a hula-hoop group activity.
“Games like leapfrog and hula hoop challenges brought out everyone’s competitive spirit and helped us bond quickly,” Helou said. “We had to communicate clearly about the trivia and strategize. These simple games actually played a huge role in strengthening our teamwork, because they required us to collaborate and rely on each other’s physical coordination and creative thinking.”
The trivia questions tested the students’ knowledge of Oakland University’s history, notable campus features and fun facts, encouraging them to think critically about
the spaces they move through daily. The event wasn’t just about answering questions, it was about connecting the university’s past to its present.
“It was really cool to get out of the lecture hall and get to move around campus,” Miller said. “That’s not really something you do in an everyday class, especially in college. The Honors College is really unique, especially this course. When they told us about it before school even started, I had no idea what to expect, it definitely wasn’t running around campus answering trivia and playing leapfrog.”
Dr. Graeme Harper, Dean of the Honors College, has made this event an annual tradition, in hopes of continuing an engaging atmosphere for the Honors College students.
“Finding Dr. Harper was also worth points during the scavenger hunt,” Helou said. “If we found him, we had to get a picture with him, and it counted for extra points. Overall, the hunt was an engaging way to encourage teamwork and camaraderie with its students, especially students like me who don’t live on campus.”
For more information on the Honors College and what they have to offer, visit their OU webpage.
Future Leader Dogs at OU: Guiding one paw at a time
NOAH FRANCIS Features Editor
Leader Dogs for the Blind is an organization that pairs those suffering from visual impairments with dogs who have been specially trained to guide them. While many students want to take the opportunity to help train these dogs, it can be difficult to juggle college life, but one club on campus offers aid and guidance to their fellow leader dog trainers.
Mackenzie Nichols, the president of Future Leader Dogs at Oakland University, explains the services her club provides.
“Our program on campus is really built around advocacy for the blind and visually impaired communities, as well as making the puppy raising experience affordable and not as much of a time burden, because we are students first.”
When you are training a leader dog on campus, there are some off-limit areas you can’t take your dog to, such as the gym or certain classes. That is where the club’s campus buddy program comes in.
“Each puppy raiser is matched with a team, and we’ve had teams as small as three all the way up to 18 plus,” Nichols said. “This campus buddy team is specifically trained for that future leader dog in order to offer that time support during anything on campus
where that puppy can’t be safe or isn’t welcomed.”
While the thought of raising and training a leader dog sounds like an expensive endeavor, the Future Leader Dogs Club ensures that the cost of raising a leader dog puppy is covered.
“Puppy raising at OU as a student is free,” Nichols said. “You’re not paying for the vet, you’re not paying for dog food, any of the training supplies, everything from the bone that he’s chewing on to the Kennel at home, it’s provided by our student org. We do a lot of fundraising in order to make that a possibility and more accessible to more students on campus.”
Nichols explains the changes she had to make to her schedule to accommodate her leader dogs.
“I just build in an extra 15 to 20 minutes wherever I’m going, just in case my puppy decides to go off on a little adventure,” Nichols said. “It takes us a little bit longer to go to the bathroom before and after, so it’s just to build in a little bit of a buffer.”
Nichols explains how training a leader dog has fixed her schedule and time management.
“They’ve held me to a consistent schedule,” Nichols said. “I used to be the kind of girl that would sleep in until 11am and then go to bed at two in the morning. Now I go to bed at 10pm and I’m up by six or seven in the morning, and honestly, it’s made me a lot more productive and way better at time management.”
I raised four puppies in the last five years. One got to walk at graduation for my undergrad with me. So, I had a big 80-pound golden retriever walks across the stage. He’s absolutely perfect. The only thing he was uncertain about was the bagpipes and the procession line as they went through. But he walked in with me, and he walked out with me.
For more information on the club and how to become a future leader dog trainer, contact the club at FutureLeaderDog@oakland.edu or visit their GizzOrgs webpage.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FUTURE LEADER DOGS AT OAKLAND UNIVERSITY
Meet Marcus Johnson: OU’s rising civics celebrity
Story by Adrian Jimenez Morales
Design by Megan Judy
Photos by Coutney Blackett and Samantha Schihl
“Because if anybody took high school civics class, they’d know what the vice president can do and what the vice president can’t do,” were the words of Marcus Johnson, a political science student at Oakland University, now dominating the screens of millions worldwide.
Spoken after the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate, Johnson’s statement took off as a response to JD Vance’s words on Kamala Harris. “If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle-class problems, then she ought to do them now, not when asking for a promotion but in the job the American people gave her three and a
Riot Grrrl reborn: How 90s punk gave us female rage
MORGAN WARNEKE Content Editor
The Riot Grrrl movement was an underground feminist punk scene that began in Seattle, Washington in 1991. It consisted of protests, art and zines that addressed issues such as gender inequality, body image and sexual harassment.
Music from this era was full of loud guitars, drums and liberating lyrics. The Riot Grrrl style consisted of ripped tights, babydoll dresses and anything else that allowed women to feel empowered in their femininity.
These small, intimate shows were turned into safe spaces where female musicians and music-lovers could come together to mosh, scream and vent their frustrations without worries of being heckled or pushed to the back of the venue.
The Riot Grrrl movement was also a response to the male-dominated presence in the alternative rock music scene. After the success of Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” in 1991, Seattle was exploding with the excitement of the subgenre grunge. Soon after, many underground grunge bands found their way alongside Nirvana to global success, such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.
Not only was there a lack of representation for women, but female-fronted bands were overlooked altogether. All-girl bands like Bikini Kill, L7, Hole and Babes in Toyland were focused on helping
grunge and punk remain true to its roots, with a “do it yourself” attitude that fought against the commercialization of the genre.
The creators of this movement are known to be singer Kathleen Hanna and drummer Tobi Vail from Bikini Kill. Emerging during what was considered third-wave feminism, this movement was arguably ahead of its time.
Over thirty years later, where are the Riot Grrrl’s now?
Though it’s no longer an underground movement
that’s limited to one demographic, the influence of this era persists. The evolution of Riot Grrrl has led us to “female rage” — referring to the powerlessness and frustration women feel from misogyny and inequality. This concept can be traced back to the 60s and 70s, however, the Riot Grrrl movement unmistakably encouraged the amplification of feminist resistance.
Female rage has found its place in all corners of the internet — especially Tik Tok and Instagram. It’s a much broader term that has been portrayed in literature, art and film. Movies like “Girl, Interrupted,” “Jennifer’s Body” and “Gone Girl” feature a woman in distress and are considered accurate modern portrayals of female rage.
Female rage music is no longer genre-specific and has been associated with artists such as Fiona Apple, Mitski, Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Rey. This phrase has quickly become mainstream and profitable, two things that Riot Grrrl’s rebelled against, and has become less of a movement and more of an aesthetic.
It’s important to remember how the Riot Grrrl’s helped pave the way for us to openly express our female rage. As a girl who plays guitar and loves rock music, I wish there were more female-fronted bands, and I’m nostalgic for an era that took place before I was born. I would love to see a Riot Grrrl movement that is both gender and race inclusive — a physical place full of female solidarity and empowerment — beyond the hashtags and trends.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SB PRESS
MOE DEL ROSARIO Arts Reporter
Horror fans often find themselves feeling at a loss when a new movie comes out but don’t quite fit the level of gore that would really surprise them or give them anything new — Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” is a revolutionary change for that.
Body horror is arguably one of the scariest types of horror movies. From “Tusk” to “The Human Centipede,” it’s simply one of the most uncomfortable genres to watch. Yet it is also one of the most intriguing and one of the most iconic. This is particularly why “The Substance” is currently rising in the box office,
‘The Substance:’ Body horror at its finest Marvel makes spookiest comeback with ‘Agatha All Along’
MOE DEL ROSARIO Arts Reporter
A new addition to Disney Plus’ lineup of Marvel Cinematic Universe shows dropped Sept. 18 to the delight of fans who have been anticipating the release since “WandaVision”.
Slight spoilers ahead for the series.
“Agatha All Along” follows the former antagonist and witch Agatha Harkness as the main character as the audience follows her journey after the events of “WandaVision” where Wanda Maximoff stripped Agatha of her magic and left her in Westview.
The first episode plays with the same genre bending we saw in the original series as Agatha believes herself to be a detective straight out of shows like “Law & Order” or “Criminal Minds.”
This doesn’t last the entirety of the episode though as Agatha gets help from two new characters. Cue Rio Vidal, a mysterious character added that plays into Agatha’s role under Wanda’s spell. Rio, played by Aubrey Plaza, eventually helps Agatha realize that all is not what it seems.
To help her finally break the spell is Teen, an unnamed character who breaks into Agatha’s house and is eventually revealed to be a witch in training. Teen remains unnamed throughout the series as every
calling attention from horror lovers and non-horror lovers alike.
The 2024 film first screened at the 77th Cannes Film Festival back in May and won Best Screenplay at the festival. It received an 11 minute standing ovation from the crowd.
While originally bought by the movie streaming service Mubi, the film was also set to release theatrically world wide. In the first weekend of its box office run, the film generated $3 million domestically. Internationally, it received $13.5 million.
Spoilers ahead for “The Substance.”
The film stars Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, an Academy Award winning actress who is told she is too old to continue her successful career. At the hospital, Elisabeth is lured into the substance, a new and experimental serum that would create a younger and more beautiful version of yourself.
With seemingly no other choice if she wants to stay in the spotlight, Elisabeth takes the serum and true to its advertisement, a younger version of herself played by Margaret Qualley crawls out from her back and adopts the name Sue.
“The Substance” deals with the topic of the life cycle of a star in Hollywood.
Elisabeth and Sue both become obsessed with the substance. The former is excited to have all eyes on her again while the latter is excited about the newfound freedom and the opportunities to run young and free in the industry.
time he tries to reveal any information on himself, a vigil stops any magic users from being able to hear.
Once free from the spell and with Teen on her side, Agatha sets her mind on traveling The Road — a dangerous trail for witches who seek power.
A makeshift coven is formed including Patti LuPone as Lilia Calderu, Sasheer Zamata as Jennifer Kale, Ali Ahn as Alice Wu-Gulliver and reprising her role as Mrs. Hart — Debra Jo Rupp.
With the witches constantly bickering and Mrs. Hart, who repeatedly has to remind Agatha that her name is actually Sharon just wanting to go home — the show sets itself up as a truly entertaining ride.
Moore is no stranger to feeling the same conflict Elisabeth faces in the film.
“Even just the idea of, like, what I did to my body, it’s, like, so crazy, so ridiculous,” Moore said for CBS News.
The commentary of addiction within the film is evident too.
While the agreement works for a while, Elisabeth becomes increasingly dependent on the substance. Sue sees her counterpart and decides to take more stabilizers to keep control of themselves and while Elisabeth has a chance to stop Sue, she can’t.
Sue’s living her former life.
So, Elisabeth continues to unravel in her life and decides to take back control — only for it to be too late. The film ends with both of the actress’ deaths in a grotesque yet symbolic way of the remains of Elisabeth and Sue crawling on top of Elizabeth’s Hollywood star.
Fargeat doesn’t hold back on the body horror either.
“I felt strong enough to kind of cope with the disturbance that digging into this is going to create,” Fargeat said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Overall, the film is a pretty hard watch if you’re not into body horror but so worth it in my opinion. The performances from Demi Moore felt real and raw in a way that makes you feel for Elisabeth.
The characters in the show all have incredibly good chemistry with each other. Each time the witches end up having to work together creates a new level of friendship that feels genuine and fulfilling to be able to see them work things out in real time.
The plot itself is really interesting as we haven’t really seen much of Marvel’s witchy side as projects like “WandaVision” focused more on Wanda’s prespellcasting abilities. The timing couldn’t be any more perfect as we are in the spookiest month of the year.
Episodes two and three continue with the coven heading out to the road where each episode focuses on a new trial the witches have to face to get their magic back and while we lose some characters, we gain back Rio from the first episode in the third.
Rio is one of the most interesting characters in the series as her role seems slightly misleading. Of course, any article on the series has to bring up the romantic tension between Rio and Agatha as even Deadline has called Rio a “romantic antagonist.”
Overall, the series is off to a wonderful start and while so many questions arise each episode, the show is doing a great job of answering them episode by episode.
Catch the series on Disney Plus before the series finale on Oct. 30.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB
‘Correcting Past Mistakes:’ OU’s newest art gallery featuring Jim Chatelain
CHELSEA BOSSERT Arts Editor
Art — at its best — is challenging to viewers. Great art should push the boundaries of its medium while also being accessible to a wide variety of people and backgrounds. This type of art, relevant in the modern era, has always had some pushback from groups who try to define what “art” is rigid.
Oakland University has always been at the forefront of conversation about pushing the boundaries of artistic expression — whether it be about race, ethnicity, sex, gender, etc. Curator and visiting professor of Art, Art History and Design at OU, Ryan Standfest, aims to cultivate a muchneeded conversation about this type of art.
Enter Jim Chatelain: he was a Wayne State University art student in 1967 through 1971. Him and his colleague’s works during the post-revolt period in Detroit would come to be known as the “Cass Corridor” movement. However, while other artists created art directly relating to their experience in the revolt, Chatelain opted to stay hidden in his studio.
Jim Chatelain’s more abstract works are often challenging — as most abstract art is — yet in this exhibition, Standfest has curated and selected these types of work to tell a story. This story ended up
being “Correcting Past Mistakes.”
“Whenever Jim talks about painting or whenever he talks about any of these works, he talks about it as a space. He doesn’t talk about technique, he doesn’t talk about any psychological underpinning to the work, but he talks about space in a formal construction,” Standfest said during a talkback on Sept. 26.
When you enter the OU Art Gallery, you are immediately confronted by a Jim Chatelain piece — the first of many. It acts as a precursor for what is to come. Many of Chatelain’s pieces are constrained by their form but are not entirely limited by it — there’s usually some background that is threatening to break free from the external structure of the painting.
“This is a retrospective — so you see work from numerous periods in time — but because it is curated, there’s a conversation already established between the viewer and the work where there are like pieces placed next to one another,” Standfest said. “Jim is an artist who is communicating something here.”
Chatelain and Standfest have worked together to not only say something about abstract, modern art as a whole but also about art as a process. The title of Standfest’s curation, “Correcting Past Mistakes,” is not only a reference to correcting preconceived notions of modern art; it is about the ever-changing process of said art.
Many pieces, as Standfest said, are intentionally
placed together so viewers can draw their own conclusions about how these paintings came to be and how they build on one another.
“So, look at the evidence, form your own opinion or interpretation, but know that it exists within a certain amount of how much you choose to research or think about it,” Standfest said. “That’s different for different kinds of artists: some artists are very particular and want to communicate specific meaning and some artists want to leave it a little bit more vague … I think Jim does that; I think there’s an openness to this work that he wants people to grapple with a little bit.”
Standfest wants you to think, not only as a viewer but as a student. As a visiting professor of Art, Art History and Design, his aim is to create conversation about all facets of art.
“Working with professors within the department is great because it is just another tie to the university and really helps bring in more students and kind of relate them back to their classes,” Leo Barnes, OU Art Gallery manager, said.
The Art Gallery is open from Tuesday through Sunday, from 12-5 p.m. and more information about Chatelain and Standfest’s exhibition can be found at https://www.ouartgallery.org.
“Correcting Past Mistakes” is open through Nov. 24.
OU students react to vice presidential debate
NICHOLAS KABLAK Political Reporter
On Oct. 1, Oakland University hosted a watch party for the vice-presidential debate between J.D. Vance and Tim Walz. Students had mixed reactions with some preferring one candidate over the other, but also seemed equally impressed with the turnout.
Since OU is located in Michigan, a battleground state, young voters are an important audience that each candidate hopes to win over before election day arrives.
Across the board, students thought the debate was more productive, positive and professional than the previous presidential debates between Harris and Trump, leaving many pleased with the experience.
“I think we’re used to leaders who can’t say a sentence correctly. I think that some guy who can properly think and speak is going to automatically do good,” Maya Kirksey, program director at WXOU, told The Oakland Post.
“I prefer this style of politics over the style of the presidential debates where they go off on tangents saying crazy things,” Senior Joseph Williams said.
Both Walz and Vance supporters echoed this sentiment — that this debate was more informational and respectful. Many students expressed how they wished politics were like this more often.
For some students, Vance gave good responses and
increased their faith in the Republican ticket.
“He (Vance) was actually answering questions … at the end, he was talking about how he believes in affordability, and I remember eight years ago when things were actually affordable and in today’s climate it’s just not,” Freshman Logan Berthiaume said.
Vance’s professionalism surprised many in the audience who were expecting a more unhinged performance in the debate. Vance had even swayed some students who are swing voters.
“I was surprised how professional J.D. Vance was … I was rooting for Kamala Harris, but after watching this I am back in the middle of undecided,” Carl Tisler, Junior majoring in History, told The Oakland Post.
Tisler also expressed that, were he to vote at that moment, he would vote for Trump and Vance.
While some students were very enthusiastic about Vance, some had a more neutral feeling — though still leaning towards a certain candidate.
“It’s not like Tim Walz did bad or anything … If you said, ‘Say who won?’ I’d say probably Vance … maybe slightly,” Williams said.
Ola Grazhdani, a Senior majoring in Economics, mentioned that she believed that Walz won the debate partially due to Vance’s deflecting of questions. Other students were in agreeance about this.
“He’s trying to manipulate the situation,” Grazhdani said.
Many students had a very negative view of Vance
and weren’t shy about their support for Tim Walz.
“He (Vance) just seemed so slimy to me, he just seemed like such a bad person. Especially about Trump’s peaceful transfer of power — which was a total lie,” Jack Waters, a member of the College Democrats, said.
Many students expressed that they felt the expectation for Vance was low. This likely contributes to the common comment that he did much better than expected — even amongst students who were ardent Walz supporters.
“I’ll be honest, I really hated his performance, not for it being necessarily super bad — I mean it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I thought he was basically just gonna crumble immediately,” Waters said.
To those who liked Walz, many commented on how he seemed to be a better person. Some of those who were Vance fans also commented that they didn’t have many outright negative things to say.
“I do trust the Midwestern dad a bit,” Grazhdani said.
The watch party was hosted by multiple student organizations including Oakland University Student Congress (OUSC), College Democrats (CDOU), College Republicans, For Michigan, Pi Sigma Alpha and Young Democratic Socialist of Oakland University (OU YDSA).
The Associated Press, MSNBC and Local 4 were also present interviewing students while covering the event.
How has Visa been abusing the market?
NICHOLAS KABLAK Political Reporter
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently filed an antitrust lawsuit against Visa Inc. The DOJ alleges the company has monopolistic powers that they have been using to exclude competitors, squash innovation and maintain market dominance.
According to the lawsuit, Visa is responsible for the largest number of debit card transactions in the U.S., processing over 60% of all debit transactions and extracting over $7 billion per year in transaction fees. This lawsuit highlights one of the most essential parts of modern life that often flies under the radar — debit transactions.
If the allegations are proven to be true, and Visa has been engaging in market exclusionary activity, the prices of practically everything would have been raised as a result. This is because debit transactions affect nearly every part of the economy.
“Visa maintains its dominant position not by competing on a level playing field but by insulating itself from competition through exclusionary and anticompetitive means,” the lawsuit reads.
The crux of this lawsuit is that Visa has allegedly been entering into contract agreements with various parties that ensure that it is one of the few debit
transaction networks — using punishments and incentives to keep companies in line.
“While Visa’s contracts with merchants and acquirers include varying pricing terms, one almost universal constant is that the routing contracts contain significant volume commitments,” the lawsuit reads.
These volume commitments make it so companies who accept Visa transactions have to direct the vast majority of their transactions to Visa as opposed to a competitor. If the company doesn’t do this, Visa will charge higher fees to the company.
Visa also provides incentives to companies that accept their transactions. According to the lawsuit, one large incentive is when Visa bundles its services with other companies — like credit card companies — making it difficult for companies to switch to another debit transaction network.
Since the Durbin Amendment, a regulatory law that forced debit card issuers to include multiple networks on each debit card, Visa has been engaging in various actions to reduce the competition that would ensue from multiple debit networks on one debit card.
One method is gathering large amounts of debit transactions that Visa owns completely, meaning competition isn’t an option. This also means that companies cannot avoid going through Visa and are forced to make a choice.
“The merchant has only two choices: either (1) agree to exclusivity with Visa or (2) pay Visa’s supracompetitive rack rates,” the lawsuit reads.
Along with making companies use them exclusively, Visa also incentivizes banks to keep as many other networks off debit cards as possible. By doing both these things Visa has effectively mitigated the Durbin Amendment.
Visa also allegedly stifles innovation. The lawsuit claims Visa has entered into contracts with potential competitors — like PayPal or Apple’s Wallet app — to require them not to create innovations that would reduce their market share.
“The price of not signing a contract is high —Visa imposes onerous penalties. Those high penalties ensure that virtually all these merchants, acquirers, issuers, and digital platforms choose the deal with Visa,” the lawsuit reads.
The DOJ seeks to ban Visa from continuing these incentive and disincentive structures that crush competition. This effectively demands that the company allow full competition and only be able to fight competitors through quality of service.
Visa has yet to issue any official response to these allegations.
Vance and Walz face off in VP Debate
MALLORY WALIGORA
Political Editor
On Oct. 1, Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz met in a CBS broadcast studio in New York for the first vice presidential debate of the election season. Both men are Midwest politicians seeking to connect with voters with less than one month left before election day.
The debate started with moderators bringing up Israel-U.S. relations and then shifted to Hurricane Helene and the effects of climate change. Soon after the opening discussion, moderators turned to the subject of immigration.
“We have a historic immigration crisis because Kamala Harris started and said that she wanted to undo all of Donald Trump’s border policies … So, we’ve got 20, 25 million illegal aliens who are here in the country. What do we do with them? I think the first thing that we do is we start with the criminal migrants. About a million of those people have committed some form of crime in addition to crossing the border illegally. I think you start with deportations on those folks,” Vance stated.
“Kamala Harris was the Attorney General of the largest state and a border state in California. She’s the only person in this race who prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drug interventions. We all want to solve this … That’s why we had the fairest and the toughest bill on
immigration that this nation’s seen,” Walz rebutted.
After the immigration discussion, the moderators turned to the economy, which is a top concern for voters in this election.
“Kamala Harris and I do believe in the middle class because that’s where we come from … The bold forward plan that Kamala Harris put out there is, one, is talking about this housing issue. The one thing is there’s 3 million new houses proposed under this plan with down payment assistance on the front end. To get you in a house. A house is much more than just an asset to be traded somewhere. It’s foundational to where you’re at. And then making sure that the things you buy every day, whether they be prescription drugs or other things, that there’s fairness in that,” Walz explained.
“(Harris) She’s been the Vice President for three and a half years; she had the opportunity to enact all of these great policies. And what she’s actually done instead is drive the cost of food higher by 25%, drive the cost of housing higher by about 60%, open the American southern border and make middle class life unaffordable for a large number of Americans. If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle class problems, then she ought to do them now, not when asking for a promotion, but in the job the American people gave her three and a half years ago. And the fact that she isn’t, tells you a lot about how much you can trust her actual plans,” Vance said.
In terms of mistakes, Walz made two notable ones. First, while talking about gun control and an assault weapons ban, Walz said, “I’ve become friends with school shooters.” Taken out of context, this quote could damage the campaign.
Secondly, when asked directly about his claim that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protesters, Walz struggled to explain the discrepancy between his claim and media outlets reporting he didn’t visit the country until later that year. When followed up again by moderators on the discrepancy, he stated, he “misspoke on this.”
Walz wasn’t the only candidate who made some missteps. Vance was hit with tough topics such as certification the 2020 election, January 6th protests and abortion. He stated that housing is “totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes.” This has proven to be an exaggerated claim, as illegal immigration is not the main cause of the housing affordability crisis. The night was filled with challenging subjects for both candidates.
Compared to the previous debates this year, there is no clear consensus on who won. Both candidates brought up important arguments and were relatively civil. Although the presidential nominee is the largest factor in swaying voters, the vice-presidential candidate can add a unique perspective to the ticket and potentially even secure undecided voters.
On Deck: How the Detroit Tigers can defeat the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS
EVAN BLANCHARD Sports Reporter
The Gritty Kitties did it.
They walked into Houston and stole two games off the Astros to advance to the American League Divisional Series against the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians, winners of the AL Central division title during the regular season, await to host the Tigers in a best-of-five series, with the winner advancing to take on the New York Yankees or Kansas City Royals.
To conquer the Astros, Detroit had to come up clutch in several big moments. In the first game, the Tigers pounced on Houston’s Framber Valdez in the second inning for three runs. Detroit starter and prospective Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal kept the Astros off the board until the ninth inning.
Things got dicey. Closer Jason Foley let up three hits and a run before being pulled for Beau Brieske, who walked one to load the bases. With two outs, Houston’s Jason Heyward lined out to first baseman Spencer Torkelson, getting the Tigers out of a huge jam and securing the win.
Detroit found themselves in a similar situation in Game 2, down late in the eighth inning 2-1. After scoring a runner on a wild pitch, the Tigers came up with some clutch walks off Astros reliever Josh Hader
that loaded the bases.
Up came rookie pinch-hitter Andy Ibáñez. On a 1-2 pitch with two outs in the inning, Ibáñez roped a triple down the third base line, scoring three runs and giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.
Clutch moments like this can define a postseason for a team, but they can’t be expected to carry Detroit the rest of the way. What needs to happen for the Motor City to advance to the ALCS?
4 Keys to Cleveland
1. Get an early lead: It sounds obvious, but it’s probably the biggest key to victory in this series. The Guardians have one of the best bullpens in the league. They have 53 saves on the year, tied for second in MLB behind the St. Louis Cardinals. They also boast the best reliever ERA in the league at 2.57, a whole .6 runs better than the Brewers in second. Detroit must be able to score on Cleveland’s starters.
2. Keep reliever Emmanuel Clase out of the game: Clase is so good that he could receive some downballot Cy Young votes. For a reliever, that’s absurd. 47 of those 53 saves are his. He boasts a .61 ERA over 74.1 innings. That’s right; he has allowed only five earned runs all year. The star reliever has also only let up ten walks to 66 strikeouts, a ridiculous ratio. Only two home runs have been hit off him this season, as well. In short, don’t let the game get to him tied or with your
team down.
3. Make other players besides José Ramírez & Josh Naylor beat you: Ramírez has long been one of the most underrated players in the league. The star third baseman is in the midst of his fourth-straight +5 WAR season. He has 39 home runs and 118 RBIs on the season. He has been a franchise cornerstone for years; he wants his moment to shine. Behind him is first baseman Josh Naylor, who hit 31 homers on the year. Outside of these two, the offense is very league average. Naylor and Ramírez combine for just under a third of Cleveland’s RBIs. Cleveland’s offense will struggle if the Tigers’ pitchers can work around these two.
4. Steal a game in Cleveland: This final point isn’t as statistically driven as the rest, but if the Tigers can go 1-1 and bring the series back to the D, they won’t lose. Comerica Park will be packed to the absolute brim to cheer on their team, not having seen home playoff baseball since 2015. Detroit has been waiting for this moment for almost a decade; the Gritty Tigs will not let the city down. Tigers in 4. Book it.
Season Preview: Men’s basketball looks to build on last year’s success
KURT SZYMANSKI Sports Editor
It’s hard to believe, but it’s October, and the start of the Oakland University men’s basketball season is already around the corner.
After advancing to the second round in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament for the first time in school history, the Golden Grizzlies are poised to make some noise in the Horizon League once again.
Team Overview and Key Players
One of the glaring differences between the Golden Grizzlies last season and this season is how different the roster looks.
Between Blake Lampman, Rocket Watts and Jack Gohlke, who are out of eligibility to suit up for another season, and Trey Townsend and Chris Conway hitting the transfer portal, there are a lot of new names on this roster.
Still, there are players on this roster that provide a foundation for a solid team.
Starting with DQ Cole, the dynamic guard emerged as a key player last season and will be an important player this season for Oakland. Last season, Cole averaged 8.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 47% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc.
As Cole steps into a more prominent role this season, it will be interesting to see if he can continue
the running trend of Oakland players being named to the Horizon League All-League First Team. Townsend did it last season, Jalen Moore did it in the 2022-23 season and Jamal Cain did it in the 2021-22 season.
Jayson Woodrich is also set to be a key player for the Golden Grizzlies this upcoming season. Notably, Woodrich shot the second-highest threepoint percentage last season for the Cleveland State Vikings, knocking down 37% of his tries from deep.
“I think in our system, because of his age and because of his experience, he’s somebody I’m going to count on to score a lot of points for us,” head coach Greg Kampe said in a YouTube video posted to the Golden Grizzlies channel.
“He averaged nine a game at Cleveland State last year. I believe if he stays healthy and if he does the things we want him to do I think he could score a lot more points than that for us.”
Another player to watch this season is Jaylen Jones. The transfer from Tennessee State fills a void that Oakland had last season as a team, as the Golden Grizzlies did not have a true lead point guard.
Jones led his team in assists last year with 2.7 per game, and he can potentially be the Golden Grizzlies’ leading ball distributor and starting point guard this season.
Season Prediction
If there were a term to describe the Horizon League, it would be the Wild West. Projecting how teams will
do in the Horizon League is truly difficult.
For instance, last season, in the Horizon League preseason poll, voted on by head coaches, sports information directors and media members apart of the Horizon League, the Golden Grizzlies were ranked in the middle of the road as the sixth-best team out of eleven teams.
That same team won the regular season outright and upset the Kentucky Wildcats in March Madness.
With all that in mind, the Golden Grizzlies will comfortably have a season above the .500 mark in conference play. Given the state of other teams in the Horizon League, a fifth-place finish in the regular season standings for Oakland seems to be within reach.
This team has the ceiling to win the Horizon League tournament and make another appearance in March Madness again. However, their floor is a second-round exit from the Horizon League tournament.
With the mix of returning talent and an overhaul of new additions, the Golden Grizzlies are set to start their 2024-25 campaign in an exhibition against the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, Oct. 20, at Little Caesars Arena.
Sweeping the Colonials: Oakland volleyball beats Robert Morris
EVAN BLANCHARD Sports Reporter
Oakland women’s volleyball hosted Robert Morris University (RMU) for a two-game series beginning Friday night, Oct. 4, for their breast cancer awareness game. In front of a pinked-out crowd, the team took care of the Colonials in only three sets.
“This win means a lot for us, obviously a bit of a slow start to conference play for us, but we’ve really been working hard, and tonight, that showed,” redshirt senior and opposite hitter Libby Smith said.
It was a much-needed show of force for a team that was on a three-game losing streak.
“I think it really helps when everyone gets the chance to talk after a loss and express how they’re feeling and their views on the game,” outside hitter Tyler Linkhart said. “This way, we can say what needs to be said and then move on to our next goal.”
The win got the team their first victory in conference play; it’s the type of dominating performance that a team can rally around.
Let’s take a look at each set and dig into the action.
Set 1: Oakland 31, Robert Morris 29
The Golden Grizzlies would strike first blood with a kill from Smith, jumpstarting an early 4-0 run. Freshman Olivia Rust got her first of three aces on the night, as well.
The Golden Grizzlies largely maintained the lead, but RMU gradually chipped away to make it a 1412 game with OU on top. Too close for the likes of Oakland, the Golden Grizzlies went on yet another big run, taking it all the way to 19-12. Another two
kills from Smith, and one from senior Ainsley Guse helped open the game back up.
“I just prepare by setting goals of what I’m going to do and try to get pumped in the locker room with my teammates,” Smith said. “I don’t have to get into a mindset because every time I go out there, I know I have a job to do.”
More stellar play for Guse (another killer kill and an ace) gave the Golden Grizzlies a 21-13 lead, but Robert Morris fought back with a vengeance, pulling out a 7-0 run. Jaaliyah Evans of the Colonials had three straight kills on the tail end of the run.
RMU would retake the lead at 24-23; from then on, it was back and forth. Senior setter Rachel Rossman had her best assist of the night: a backward bump to Linkhart turned into a kill sent across the court, which claimed the lead at 29. Oakland would finally pull away and win the set 31-29.
“I really think our mindset in the past when games have gotten tight was to play to not lose, but today I really saw a change in our mentality, and we played to win,” Linkhart said.
Set 2: Oakland 25, Robert Morris 21 OU would jump to another huge lead early with a 7-1 start, largely due to RMU’s five errors. Back-toback kills from Smith and Linkhart brought it to 9-2.
The Colonials were kept at arm’s length for much of the game, trading points with nearly every serve. Neither team scored more than two points in a row until Robert Morris used a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 20-17.
Out of an Oakland timeout, stellar senior libero Emily Wichmann had two unbelievable digs to take the 21st point. However, the Colonials would not go
away, bringing it close again at 20-21.
That attack mentality paid off again late, as two kills from Linkhart helped Oakland secure the set at 25-21.
“It sort of depends on who is really consistent for us at the moment,” Wichmann said about strategy as a game gets close. “If a player has been putting the last couple balls down for us, we typically stick to that player since they are in rhythm.”
Set 3: Oakland 25, Robert Morris 21
The Golden Grizzlies claimed an early 3-0 lead before RMU fought back to make it 4-3. Set three was incredibly back-and-forth, with no team scoring three straight until the game stood tied at 17 apiece.
Senior Christina Bohm got up and put down an emphatic spike for OU’s 17th point, which Oakland would later capitalize on with a 4-0 run that brought the game to 21-17.
The ladies finished the set behind stellar play from Bohm with three kills, Rust with four, and Guse with three kills.
“Our mindset was elite tonight — we were focused on the process instead of the goal,” Smith said. Wichmann, who led the team with 31 digs, reflected on her mindset on the court.
“I know my role on the court and that’s to take as many balls as I can, so going in with that mindset each match puts me in the right headspace,” Wichmann said. “When I stay confident and be a leader on the court, then I know what I am capable of doing.”
The win brought the ladies to 5-11 on the year. Next up are road trips to Purdue, Fort Wayne and Green Bay.
Reagan Reetz: Making waves at Oakland University — in and out of the pool
SUMMER WEATHERS
Sports Reporter
Reagan Reetz elevates the spirit of Oakland University swimming, electrifying the atmosphere whenever she takes the pool.
Reetz started swimming at the age of five and is part of a family legacy. Both of her parents were swim coaches, and her grandfather was also a swimmer.
“I’ve been surrounded by the water for as long as I can remember,” Reetz said. “My parents said that when I first started swimming, I asked to put on a swimming cap, and I said, ‘I’m going to go swim,’ and I did.”
This early introduction to swimming set the foundation for a lifelong passion, guiding her to continue the sport at the collegiate level. Choosing Oakland was an incredible moment for Reetz, and her decision to attend stemmed from both personal connections and the welcoming environment during her visits.
“We had a family friend that swam for Oakland. I emailed the coaching staff here, and I visited once unofficially, and then I came back and visited again, so when I did that, it was kind of like everything settled into place,” Reetz said.
The community environment that Reetz saw on the swim and dive team was something she also noticed around the campus at Oakland.
“I knew this was where I was supposed to be. I saw the community that the team had, and for me, now that I’ve been here for a couple of years, I found that
community in other places as well,” Reetz said.
“I have that community on the swim team, but I also work for undergraduate admissions, and I found community in that team over there. I’ve found people in my classes that I love to be around. I’ve really enjoyed the community that this campus has provided me, and it’s really grown my love for OU.” Reetz’s experience on the swim team exemplifies the camaraderie that thrives within the program.
As she reflects on her time at Oakland so far, it’s
evident that their shared purpose makes their team truly special.
“We are all super close. The one thing that unites us is our love of the sport,” Reetz said. “You come to a meet, and you hear ‘OU pride’ so often. We have a super strong alumni presence; you see people coming back because they believe in the goal of the team, believe in the work that we put in, and it’s not just something that goes away.”
“With there being so many of us, I find that it’s really a great opportunity to meet so many unique people, that OU pride is something that unites every single one of us. It’s also really nice to come in and have that group of people. You’re in it together. As soon as you walk through those doors in your first year, you are welcomed, and you’re a valuable part of the team.”
As Reetz continues to shine as a valuable part of the team, representing as a distance swimmer — her focus for the rest of the season is to step into that leadership role and provide an optimistic voice that uplifts her teammates.
Outside of swimming for Oakland, she offers swim lessons in her hometown of Gahanna, Ohio. She finds joy in sharing her love for the water.
“Swimming has given me so much, so I want to give back to those who maybe want to swim in college or see this as being their thing,” Reetz said. Reetz’s journey is proof of her commitment and resilience, not only in her growth as an athlete but also in inspiring upcoming swimmers.
“I love the work that I’m able to put into it. The water is your space,” Reetz said.
