11.16.17 Hillsdale Collegian by The Hillsdale Collegian

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Vol. 141 Issue 11 - November 16, 2017

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

For Battle of the Bands coverage, see A2

Sophomore Claire Calvert sings at Phi Mu Alpha’s Battle of the Bands on Friday. Adam Cieply | Courtesy

Volleyball beats Findlay for top tournament seed By | Michael Lucchese Senior Writer Hillsdale volleyball concluded regular season play with an impressive sweep with scores of 25-19, 25-18, and 25-17 over the University of Findlay on Friday at the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena. The Chargers improved to a 25-3 overall record and a 15-2 conference record, stretching their winning streak to 18 matches. Their victory also secured the number one seed and a home court advantage in the conference tournament — the first time Hillsdale will host a conference volleyball tournament since 2010. Hillsdale previously lost to Findlay 3-2 in their only G-MAC face-off before Friday’s match. Since that loss though, the Chargers have vastly improved their game, head coach Chris Gravel said. “Earlier in the season we occasionally made several bad decisions consecutively,” Gravel said. “But now we are playing smarter volleyball. When Findlay made an emphasis to take something

away from us we were quick to adjust.” Gravel also said that the team has been working on serving and serve receive all season, and that paid off in the match against Findlay. Freshmen middle hitter Allyssa Van Wienen and setter Lindsey Mertz each scored three aces, and juniors rightside hitter Paige VanderWall and outside hitter Kara Vyletel each scored two — a total of ten Hillsdale aces. On the other hand, Findlay was only able to score two aces, despite their reputation as one of the best serving teams in the G-MAC. Serving was not the only part of the Chargers’ offense that shone against Findlay. Playing her last regular season game as a Charger, senior outside hitter Jackie Langer made 14 kills and a .400 personal hitting percentage. She was awarded G-MAC player of the week on Monday for her performance in Friday’s match. Langer contributed to an overall team hitting percentage of .402, followed by VanderWall with 12 kills and a .391 personal hitting percentage and Vyletel with 11 kills

and a .381. Mertz provided the support the team needed for such a phenomenal offensive performance with 46 assists through the match. The Chargers’ defense also stepped up to sweep Findlay. The Oilers were limited to a .223 hitting percentage. Sophomore libero Taylor Wiese concluded the regular season with an impressive 13 digs, followed by Langer with 11. Hillsdale focused on blocking in the practices leading up to the match, which Gravel and said paid major dividends. Sophomore middle hitter Hannah Gates and Mertz each had four block assists, Van Wienen had three, and VanderWall had two. “This season we haven’t been a big blocking team and wanted to change that,” VanderWall said. “So we’ve been going back to the basics and working on footwork and pressing over the net and I think that showed through.” Gravel and VanderWall explained that the team performed well not just because of what they did in practice, but also because of the atmosphere. There were a total of

The collection of red dots seen here show one of several very distant galaxy clusters discovered by combining ground-based optical data from the Kitt Peak National Observatory with infrared data from Natuoanl Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Spitzer Space Telescope. NASA/JPL-Caltech/KPNO/University of Missouri-Kansas

Hillsdale among last to use Kitt Peak telescope under the National Science Foundation By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief Students at Hillsdale College no longer have access to using the telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, after the National Science Foundation’s astronomy division divested from the project this year. The physics department has taken two trips to the Tucson, Arizona, observatory this year, after the foundation approved proposals that Assistant Professor of Physics Tim Dolch submitted for research on bow-shock nebulae. The visits mark some of the final opportunities for public access to the observatory after a consortium of several universities, including California Technological University, bought it and are not accepting research proposals from outside astronomers. The divestment and privatization of small-to-midsized telescopes has become a trend, as the foundation looks to devote its resources to larger telescopes that may not have the same accessibility to Follow @HDaleCollegian

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, students. That shrinks the research opportunities for many, especially those at smaller colleges and universities such as Hillsdale, Dolch said. “Student accessibility has got to be a factor in divestment decisions,” Dolch said. “Why do people go in the direction of STEM careers? It’s because you have an interesting experience, so I don’t think you can underestimate that value of being an undergraduate, using a world-class facility, and having that direct experience of exploring something in nature.” At Kitt Peak, researchers could submit observing proposals to request use of the Mayall 4-Meter Telescope. An anonymous committee would review them and either reject the request or allot time for their use of the telescope. “People are really disappointed, because this telescope has been the place to go to for a long time for optical astronomy,” said sophomore Christopher Scheithauer, who

Freshman Lindsey Mertz (15) celebrats with sophomore Hannah Gates (11) during Friday’s victory against Findlay. Todd Lancaster | Courtesy.

937 spectators in attendance, the largest crowd for a home volleyball game in the past five years.

“Oh my gosh, the overall crowd was awesome, it created a really fun atmosphere to play in. The student section

brought so much energy and was so engaged, something my whole team talked

See Volley A8

Stockford takes seat as mayor By | Stefan Kleinhenz Collegian Freelancer Adam Stockford, a 2015 Hillsdale College alumnus, took the oath of office for mayor on Monday night. Former Mayor Scott Sessions left his seat and moved to the back of the room, as Stockford and the other

oaths of office. “I think apathy has been a criticism in the city for a long time, and this election definitely showed that our residents are ready to take ownership of the city,” Stockford said. “We as council members follow behind, I really think that is a good sign.” The meeting was mostly

traveled to Kitt Peak over the summer with Hillsdale. Dolch received approval to search for bow-shock nebulae this summer and at the end of October. The nebulae form when pulsars, rotating neutron stars that emit radio waves, plow through interstellar gas. Dolch has interest in them because they can be used to help identify gravitational waves coming from merging supermassive black holes, which have yet to be detected, and explain why the waves arrive to Earth when they do. “It’s part of the story of galaxy evolution,” Dolch said. “These black holes exist in the center of galaxies. They merge with each other, and a lot of our own galaxy’s history probably has to do with mergers in the distant past. And in the future, we are going to merge with the Andromeda Galaxy.” During the first visit this Adam Stockford was sworn into the mayoral office on Monday. summer, monsoon season Stefan Kleinhenz | Collegian prevented Dolch, junior ceremonial, its first order of Laura Salo, and Scheithauer new Hillsdale City Council business being to offer praises from opening the dome and members filled their seats for and thanks to Sessions, who collecting data. the first time after taking their lost reelection, for his service See Kitt Peak B3 www.hillsdalecollegian.com

to the people of Hillsdale. “You were a good mayor,” Stockford said to Sessions during the meeting. “You opened up the horseshoe to public discourse and we all appreciate what you’ve done.” Greg Stuchell of Ward 1 and Ray Briner of Ward 4 also were sworn in as new members of the council. William Morrisey of Ward 2 and Bill Zeiser of Ward 3, both of whom ran unopposed, renewed their oath to the public office. Penny Swan, who ran for the the Ward 4 city council seat, said the city is ready for the change the council will bring. “I am elated that Adam won,” she said. “He will be a mayor that will run a respectful council meeting, that follows the rule of law. I am anxiously waiting to be present at the new city council meeting with Adam Stockford sitting as mayor.” The council also unanimously elected Morrisey as mayor pro tempore and praised high voter turnout in the Nov. 7 election. Of registered voters in Hillsdale, 17 percent cast a ballot. “I think expectations are high, and we have a clear charge before us,” Stockford said. Kaylee McGhee contributed to this report. Look for The Hillsdale Collegian

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A2 Nov. 16, 2017

Dick Whiskey and the Short Stacks rock their way to first By | Joe Pappalardo Senior Writer The drum set that knocked down five ceiling tiles with its stage-shaking beat now supported the boots of senior Jake Coonradt. His back to the audience, he timed his return to the ground with the final strum of his guitar solo. And 250 pairs of feet beat the Elk’s Lodge floor into submission. The Phi Mu Alpha men’s music fraternity held its annual Battle of the Bands Nov. 10, giving six student bands the opportunity to play 30-minute sets in front of more than 250 students. The $5 entry fees ($3 pre-sale) will go toward charities chosen by the top three bands. “We looked for bands that really played as a group,” said sophomore Carson Waites, a member of Phi Mu Alpha. “It’s easy to play a bunch of instruments together but difficult to play in a cohesive manner.” Waites, a member of Coonradt’s concert-winning band Dick Whiskey and the Short Stacks, and senior Aaron Andrews worked with senior Mark Naida to determine which bands would perform at the battle. Both Naida and Waites said they were pleased with how well every band played. Audience members voted for their favorite band by placing marbles into jars. Dick Whiskey and the Short Stacks placed first, The Wineboxes took second, and Penny and the Mandimes finished third. Catalogue, the Village Idiots, and Clemons’ Lemons also played. The night kicked off with a robotic voice recording intoning: “Hello, our name is

Catalogue. We will be playing all original songs. We hope you enjoy.” Catalogue is a recently formed duo of international EDM artist Declan James, a freshman, and sophomore James Millius. While James created the backing music, Millius provided passionate vocals as the room began to fill with people. “I felt like I was listening to the soundtrack of ‘Stranger

rock ’n’ roll hits including John Mellencamp’s “Hurt So Good.” With the exception of freshman bassist Dominic Bulger, the band was a sophomore effort. Drummer Adam Buchmann and guitarists Patrick Votel and Zane Mabry formed the core group, enlisting the vocal talents of Claire Calvert. Calvert said Buchmann approached her about singing because she could “sell the theatrical part”

Junior Shadrach Strehle plays bass for The Wineboxes. Adam Cieply | Courtesy

Things’ but with words,” said Associate Professor of Classics Eric Hutchinson. “But I liked it.” Hutchinson, along with Associate Professor of English Dutton Kearney and Assistant Professor of Philosophy Lee Cole, helped judge the sets, with their ratings affecting each band’s ranking in the competition. Penny and the Mandimes played next, performing

of their performance. “Stage presence exceeds office hours presence in this case,” Cole said. The show moved to turnof-the-century punk rock with The Village Idiots, who opened with Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacey’s Mom” and finished with an intense yet reverent performance of “Car Radio” by 21 Pilots. The band featured juniors Calvin Kinney on lead vocals, Matthew

Kendrick on drums, Ethan Greb and Christian Yiu on guitar, and sophomore Rowan Macwan on bass. “When you guys played the 21 Pilots song, I got goosebumps,” Kearney said. “It seems like you all really dealt that music and in feeling the music, we feel it, too.” Then came the almost drum-set-buckling show from Dick Whiskey and the Short Stacks, who covered rock ’n’ roll as well as some original music. Coonradt provided vocals along with his guitar solos, while Waites switched between keyboard, vocals, and bass. Andrews rounded out the trio on drums. “We kept changing our name, but nobody knew who we were and half the time we didn’t know who we were. It’s an identity crisis,” Coonradt told the audience, before advertising the band’s range of services. “We do children’s parties and funerals.” Despite Coonradt’s antics, the surprise of the night was freshman John Stanley’s guest appearance on vocals for a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker.” The audience became a mass of waving arms as Coonradt played his guitar with a violin bow, while Stanley performed a song he’d learned just two days earlier. The band’s performance prompted music department chairman, James Holleman, who has judged the battle for the previous 15 years, to take the mic for a moment. “I don’t mean disrespect to the other bands, but amateur hour ended about half an hour ago,” he said, before returning to the crowd to watch the next performance. Clemons’ Lemons came into existence, after Naida

The Wineboxes took second in the Battle of the Bands. Adam Cieply | Courtesy

threw junior Gill West into a Facebook message group with several female musicians. The result was a blazer-clad combination of junior Domine Clemons on vocals, senior Callie Ring on bass, freshman Jenny Buccola on keyboard, sophomore Luke Woltanski on a pink guitar, and West on drums. “If you haven’t lost your voice, scream louder,” Clemons shouted before performing a set that ended with Fallout Boy’s “Thanks for the Memories.” The night ended with The Wineboxes. The Phi Mu Alpha group started with a barefoot Strehle playing bass for Pixie’s “Where is My Mind.” He took the stage alongside junior Ryan Burns on guitar and vocals, and seniors Dean Sinclair on drums and Noah Weinrich on guitar. The group grew with each

song it played, adding seniors Josh Liebhauser on keyboard, Naida on vocals, and Jacob Hann on trombone as well as junior Matt Nolan on trumpet. A guest appearance from senior Brigette Hall’s clarinet completed the band’s rendition of “Redbone” by Childish Gambino. “It was nice to see Dean play with two hands once in awhile,” Kearney said. “Just a joy to watch.” By the end of the night, the floor was a little worse for wear and five square holes gaped in the ceiling, but the greatest impression was the bands’ performances. “We were surprised by how well the bands who came together rather last minute played,” Waites said. “Also, every band that played sounded really great, which we were extremely happy with.”

Shooting center teaches hunting safety Hillsdale offers new course to become certified By | Stevan Bennett Jr. Sports Editor Successful passage of a hunter safety course is required to hunt legally in any of the 50 states, and for the first time in recent history, Hillsdale College is offering a way to obtain that certification. On Nov. 7, around 20 participants gathered at the John A. Halter Shooting Sports Center for the field day portion of the class. Upon passing the final exam, students received their hunter education cards, which allows them to register for hunting licenses in any state. “We got a really good response,” said Joey Kellam, associate director of security and the instructor of the program. “Hunting is a focal part of the community and of the shooting sports program, and there was definitely a need for it.” Kellam said the course was born out of student interest. “A request went through the deans’ office by a couple of students who were interested in hunting locally, but hadn’t been able to take a hunter safety class,” he said. “Then they contacted myself and Mr. Spieth about the possibility of putting one on.” Before attending the field-

day portion of the program with Kellam and shooting center range master Bartley Spieth, students completed an online class teaching them the basics of hunting and firearm safety. Although the class lasted several hours, it was an important part of the process, according to junior Caleb McNitt. “I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge about hunting as a whole,” he said. “And I gained a newfound respect for how much actually goes into the sport.” Participants also heard from Hillsdale County Department of Natural Resources Officer Chris Reynolds at the field day, learning about the laws and ethics of hunting. For McNitt, the class was a welcome opportunity. “My family has always been very into hunting, and I’ve always kind of been the odd one out,” he said. “It’s a good way for me to get closer with my family, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to try.” In addition to allowing students to register for hunting licenses, having a hunter education card will also give local students the chance to join the various shooting teams that have been started at schools. Eathan and Khalea Westfall, age 12 and 15 respectively, are students in the Reading

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School District and graduates of the program. Now that they are safety certified, they plan on joining their school’s trap shooting team, which is in its second season. Khalea Westfall said she chose trap shooting over other sports because it offers a unique opportunity to block everything out and focus on a singular thing. Spieth said the shooting center plans to host another course in the future, and he even plans to become certified through the DNR to instruct the course. Additionally, he said the center is always looking to add new opportunities in which students have expressed interest. Spieth suggested that even those not interested in hunting consider taking part in the course in the future. “Many people don’t own a firearm because they are scared,” he said. “Anytime you can teach those fundamental safety and marksmanship skills, it can break down the barriers of the fear of the unknown.” For anybody who may take part in the course in the future, Eathan Westfall has a piece of advice on how to make the most of the course and be prepared for the exam. “It’s best if you take lots of notes.”

The Hillsdale debate team competed at Bowling Green State University this weekend. Matthew Doggett | Courtesy

Debate takes top 3 places, 1st overall By | Rowan Macwan Collegian Reporter Hillsdale won first place team and the top three places in debate at Bowling Green State University this weekend. After winning all of their preliminary rounds, sophomores Lucy Meckler and Joel Meng won their semifinal round, meeting freshmen Jadon Buzzard and T.J. Wilson in finals. Due to their better preliminary record, Meckler and Meng won first place. “It was good to see my partner and I improve over the course of the tournament and see our effort pay off,” Meng said. “Lucy was amazing and she excels at the critical aspects of debate, which is the key driver of our success.” The debate team competed in two back-to-back tournaments at Bowling Green State

throughout the weekend: the first on Saturday and the second on Sunday. On Saturday, sophomore Kathleen Hancock and freshman Ryan Lanier were both semifinalists in individual parliamentary debate. Both were undefeated in their preliminary rounds. “It was cool doing so well in my first time doing this form of debate and preparing myself for all my rounds,” Lanier said. On Saturday, in two-ontwo parliamentary debate, the team of senior Duncan Voyles and sophomore Henrey Deese and the team of sophomores Brigid Majmudar and Elizabeth Owen competed in semifinals. Voyles and Deese also made semifinals on Sunday. This was Majmudar and Owen’s first tournament of the

year. “It clarified what we need to do to prepare for future tournaments,” Majmudar said. This was also the first time Buzzard and Wilson competed in parliamentary debate. Wilson attributed their success to a change in their strategy. “We started the first day going 1-3,” Wilson said. “After that, we were really annoyed. We decided to comb our hair the opposite direction for the second day and we went 3-1 and won second.” Coach Matthew Doggett said the team brought more people than it has to any tournament this year. “We had 17 people go,” Doggett said. “They all got along, and that’s the great part of the team this year.”

By | Alexis Daniels Collegian Freelancer Bon Appétit Management Company has added calorie counts to certain foods in the dining hall due to a new Food and Drug Administration regulation and student demand. It plans to proides similar counts to other places on campus such as A.J.’s Café. “We just want to make that information available,” General Manager of Bon Appétit David Apthorpe said. Earlier this year, the FDA moved to require food establishments that are part of a large chain, using the same name, and offering similar menu items must disclose nutritional information for those items by May 7, 2018. Bon Appétit falls under this regulation. The guidelines, Apthorpe said, are “still being hashed out,” such as questions about enforcement and monitoring

of this new legislation. The legislation requires that any one food served for 60 or more days must have the calorie information. This would include foods like the salad bar in the dining hall and A.J.’s beverages. The counts are as accurate as they can be. “Of course, it’s not all 100 percent accurate,” Apthorpe said, but he assures dietitians and scientists have been working to produce numbers as close as possible to reality for dining hall foods like ham, cheese, and vegetables, among others. This addition has also not been just for the regulation requirement. For the college, this is an opportunity to connect with the students more about promoting good health. “We saw a need to be more interactive with our guests, specifically our student body,” Apthorpe said. Students received the new

additions positively. “I know a lot of people who do keep up on that stuff, so I think that’s a good thing,” junior Chad Schiller said. “For me, it would be fitness stuff, because dealing with a more regular fitness plan helps to try to balance my calories with my workouts.” Junior Kathleen Russo appreciated the nutritional awareness aspect of the counts. “I think we should always be mindful about what we’re putting in our bodies,” Russo said. “I think it’s all about being a well-rounded and healthy person.” One of the goals of the calorie counts, Apthorpe said, is to provide an array of options to “have our guests make good choices.” “I think balancing your choices to provide for a more moderate consumption would be ideal,” Apthorpe said.

Bon Appétit introduces calories counts

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News Hart, Alexander debate American interventionism

www.hillsdalecollegian.com The Conservation Club is partnering with the City of Hilsdale to implement fishing line receptacles at Baw Beese Lake. Andrea Wallace | Courtesy

Conserving the city By | Cal Abbo Collegian Reporter The Conservation Club will collaborate with the City of Hillsdale’s recreation department, proposing a project which would implement fishing line receptacles into Baw Beese Lake this spring. “Everyone in the club is super passionate about plastic in the environment,” said senior Andrea Wallace, president of the Conservation Club. “Plastic has definitely been a theme for us this semester. It’s exciting to see that come to fruition and actually do something.” Junior Jimmy McGrath, the club’s treasurer, has been in contact with Hillsdale’s recreation department as well as a company that recycles fishing line for free. “Basically all we’re doing is building the receptacles for this, and then we’ll send it in to this company for recycling,” McGrath said. “Obviously the goal is to reduce pollution in the water.” The club has also taken on smaller projects. “We pulled five tires out of St. Joseph River along with about 10 bags of trash,” McGrath said. McGrath also plans on fostering a better relationship between the college and the town. “We’re neighbors just like they are,” he said. “We feel it’s only right for us to be good stewards.” Michelle Loren, director of Hillsdale’s recreation department, expressed delight when she found out about Hillsdale’s conservation club.

“This was the first I had ever heard of the group existing on campus. I was pleasantly surprised to learn they existed and had taken an interest in our community’s outdoor resources,” Loren said in an email. “They had done all their research with regard to the receptacles: benefits, construction, and placement. All the city had to do was give its blessing and help plan the placement of them.” McGrath and the Conservation Club understand the importance of these receptacles in Hillsdale. “Fishing lines can really interfere by getting tangled up with birds,” McGrath said. “They can also ingest them which don’t break down very easily in their stomach.” McGrath explained man’s duty to preserve and protect the environment. “We’re supposed to be caretakers of our common home,” he said. “We’ve all got to live here on Earth, and it’s important for us to recognize that we want to make it a better place to live.” The club said it hopes it can make conservation a more forefront idea among conservatives. “The club’s goal is twofold: one, it’s to do conservation work, but two, it’s to advocate for conservation. That’s especially important at a place like Hillsdale where people have a lot of misconceptions about stewardship,” Wallace said. “I think as conservatives and as Christians, we should be motivated to respect what God gave us.”

By | Joel Meng Collegian Reporter

munity is like a family,” Assistant Director of Student Activities Hank Prim said. “This dinner’s goal is to bring together that sense of community to give thanks for all the blessings we’ve been afforded as a college family.” Doors open at 5 p.m., and there will be live acoustic music. “Thanksgiving is a time for family to get together and share what we’re thankful for,” freshman Richard Frost said. While the dinner is a relatively new event, some have wanted it for a while. “The dinner is something that Dr. Arnn has always wanted: a Thanksgiving dinner with the students,” said Ashlyn Landherr, director of student activities. Pexels

By | Carmel Kookogey Collegian Freelancer “When did the United States become responsible for the world, or when did it become a superpower?” asked Darryl Hart, professor of history. The crowded lecture hall was quiet in response. About 50 Hillsdale College students gathered in the basement of Lane Hall on Nov. 9 to hear Hart and Professor Gerard Alexander debate the purpose of American interventionism in foreign affairs, hosted by the Hillsdale chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Society. The resulting discussion, however, was less of a debate and more of a conversation. A professor of politics at the University of Virginia, Alexander admitted there was definitely less disagreement between the two debaters than expected. “I was fully prepared partway through tonight’s proceeding to scream at Professor Hart, ‘What is wrong with you?’” he said, laughing. “Instead, as sometimes happens, I think there’s going to be quite a bit of common ground.” Hart opened the debate with a proposition about Canadian foreign policy. “The reason for comparing the United States to Canada is that we could have turned out like Canada, if we hadn’t sought independence,” Hart said. “When Canada breaks

with its original allies, the reason is usually a disagreement about strategy, not goals.” Hart added that Americans should learn from Canada’s attitude of not feeling responsible for the world, before quoting George Washington’s Farewell Address. “[Washington’s] vision for American foreign policy is much more like what Canada has turned out to be,” Hart said. “And so, by proposing Canada as an alternative to our current involvements overseas, we could actually go back to the founding.” Alexander joked that the debate topic was no longer interventionism. “I’m obviously here to take up the anti-Canadian position,” Alexander said. “I say that jokingly, but not really. We can’t be Canada, and we wouldn’t want to if we could.” Alexander also explained why he thinks the United States should not be like Canada in its foreign policy. “A lot of people who advocate for a diminished U.S. foreign military and political presence or intervention around the world often assume that free trade and more peaceful forms of intercourse with other countries could be achieved separately from the kind of global role that America has played, in political and military terms. I think that’s probably not true,” Alexander said. “There need to be agenda setters.” Despite disagreements

on the level of intervention America should employ in foreign affairs, both professors agreed the issue has no easy, straightforward solution. “I think the Founders were worried about that kind of bigness in American government and what that might do to our institutions,” Hart said. “Is anyone up to the task of overseeing American foreign policy the way it has become?” President of the Alexander Hamilton Society Hillsdale chapter junior Pearce Pomerleau said he was pleased with the outcome of the event. “That was the sort of broad discussion that we were looking for,” Pomerleau said. “There are so many specifics that you can delve into with a topic like this, but we really wanted to get into the broad strokes, the more idealistic aspect of this, and debate the bones of the issue, as it were.” Alexander emphasized to The Collegian that one of his biggest concerns on college campuses is the growing intolerance for dissenting opinions. “Airing disagreements seems to me among the most important things that can happen on any college campus,” he said. “If students aren’t on campus to do that, I’m really not sure what they’re here to do. If you can walk away doing that, you’re going to continue to learn for the rest of your life.”

SAB to hold Sunday Thanksgiving dinner If the scent of pumpkins wafts across campus Sunday night, it is probably from the Student Activities Board’s Thanksgiving dinner. At 5:30 p.m., students will gather for a Thanksgiving dinner sponsored by the 1844 Society and the Student Activities Board. Students can RSVP through a link in the student activities newsletter emails and pick up their tickets in the Grewcock Student Union. The tickets are intended to help everyone get seated more quickly. The dinner is intended to foster community. “There’s something unique about this college. Its com-

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In brief: Nowrasteh to speak on immigration By | Emma Cummins Collegian Reporter Praxis will hold its final event this semester on immigration with Alex Nowrasteh, who will be speaking on why “The best argument against immigration is still wrong” in Dow B at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16. Nowrasteh is a leading expert on immigration at the Cato Institute with a master’s from the London School of Economics. Known for having a libertarian stance on immigration, he advocates for freer movement of peoples with less economic incentives for immigrants to receive welfare. Praxis President junior Emma McCormick expressed her enthusiasm for bringing Nowrasteh to campus. “We’re excited to bring him because he’s knowledgeable about the subject and has some name recognition,” McCormick said. “The topic of immigration itself is interesting because as economists, it’s something that there’s clear indicators based on economics about making decisions on immigration. On the wider campus it’s more disputed. So this is definitely a very debatable topic and we hope that people from all disciplines will come to learn more.” Sophomore Christian Betz, who plans on majoring in political economy, said he will be going to the event without a firm stance on the debated issue. “I’m going in order to learn and see what they have to say,” Betz said. “I’m not completely sold by either side of the immigration debate. I want to better understand their arguments and maybe arrive at a better understanding of what policy should be taken by the U.S. with regard to immigration.” McCormick hopes the event will be the first step in a greater plan of action for students at Hillsdale. “It’s hard to take action on certain things, and immigration is one of those frustrating topics because it’s such a political matter, and there’s so much butting of heads in D.C. that it’s really hard to affect change,” McCormick said. “The first step is understanding the arguments and then if people can learn from that, be able to take what they learned and not only come to a stronger understanding of what they believe, but also being able to debate people in other areas of life afterwards.”

College Republicans hosted a Pie-a-Patriot fundraiser on Monday. Matthew Kendrick | Collegian

College Republicans holds discussion with Slack on surveillance By | Nolan Ryan Collegian Reporter Surveillance of American citizens is a major concern for some, according to Kevin Slack, associate professor of politics, but there are different views of where the problem lies and what must be done about it. College Republicans had Slack speak on the issue and take part in a discussion on policy on Nov. 8. The College Republicans hosted a policy discussion entitled “Counter-terrorism.” Slack opened the event by speaking on government surveillance. Afterward, there was open discussion among the students that attended. Slack argued that today there is “an unprecedented level of spying.” This is not just on foreign communication, but also on American citizens, Slack said. The surveillance put in place after the 9/11

things to know from this week

-Compiled by Josephine von Dohlen

terrorist attacks, he said, have continued to expand since then. “The government claims to draw a line between U.S. citizens and non-citizens,” Slack said, “but it collects the metadata and content of U.S. citizens nevertheless, both upstream, via fiber cables, and downstream, by requiring private companies to turn over information about their clients.” The National Security Agency is collecting information from at least nine companies through the surveillance program PRISM, he said. The Department of Homeland Security also gives funding to state and local police for surveillance equipment. “The NSA claims it does not collect content, nor does it spy on American citizens,” Slack said. But this claim, he said, is not true, as directors of National Intelligence have lied

Five dead, after shooting in California A gunman killed five in a shooting rampage Tuesday in northern California. Authorities say Kevin Neal first killed his wife, before starting a “shooting spree” in several spots, including an elementary school. Neal was killed by the police.

to a congressional committee. This diminishes the credibility of government surveillance officials, he said. Surveillance of American citizens, he suggested, has not made us much safer, as “it has proven ineffective in preventing terrorist

be modified, though this will prove to be difficult. “The solution to this problem, which would require a change in executive orders and U.S. law, is pretty straightforward: require warrants for all domestic surveillance, re-encrypt the data, and stop collecting and storing most of it,” he said. “But to undo such an entrenched bureaucracy would require epic statesmanship, especially when our elected representatives are hardly lawmakers in any proper sense of the word.” Slack cited Michael Glennon, professor of international law at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at

“The government claims to draw a line between U.S. citizens and non-citizens,” Slack said, “but it collects the metadata and content of US citizens nevertheless.” attacks.” In order to resolve the problem of government spying, Slack says the laws must

Trump returns to United States, after travelling Asia President Donald Trump arrived in the United Statess Tuesday following his 12-day trip to five Asian countries. He met with the leaders in each country, hoping to advocate for nuclear disarmament and gathering support against North Korea.

Republicans hope to repeal health insurance mandate Republicans in the Senate hope to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s mandate on health insurance as they prepare to rewrite the new tax plan. Motivation to cut taxes as promised led the Republicans to reveal that tax cuts for individuals will expire in 2025.

Tufts University, in arguing that many elected officials are puppets for bureaucrats. Widespread surveillance of American citizens puts money in the bureaucrats’ pockets, he said, but does not help the people of the nation. Ross Hatley, president of Hillsdale College Republicans, said the event was arranged to help Hillsdale students better understand where policy and principles meet. “We have to build statesmen here on this campus to go out into the political arena,” Hatley said. “I hope that’s what we’re able to continue doing with this event format.” He added some thoughts to Slack’s talk, especially on the difference between domestic and foreign surveillance. “The more we can separate the foreign policy and the national security apparatus from the domestic side, we’ll have increased success,” he said. Senior Razi Lane also at-

Australians vote to legalize same-sex marriage In a national Australian vote, 62 percent voted in favor of legalizing same-sex unions, just as the United States did back in 2015. Because the vote was nonbinding, the Australian Parliament will vote on the official decision in the next few days.

tended the discussion and had his own views on the policies presented. “The text of the law itself, particularly the Patriot Act and the FISA, delineate specific protections for United States citizens, and part of the problem now is that the NSA is not following those provisions as closely as it ought to,” Lane said. “In terms of a solution, that was what was up for discussion tonight; I don’t think we arrived at any kind of a ‘silver bullet,’ so to speak, to the NSA problem.” However, Lane had his own views on a solution to this issue. He suggested Congress should order the Government Accountability Office to conduct audits on the NSA. “You want a private, government organization conducting an audit of the institution,” he said. “I think we can start from there.”

Clinton may face investigation Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated he might gather a special counsel to investigate Hillary Clinton. On Tuesday, he said he is also looking into selecting a counsel to investigate a 2010 uranium company deal and other deals, which included donations to the Clinton Foundation.

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Write letters for the day of thanks

The opinion of The Collegian editorial staff (517) 607-2415

Pray for America this Thanksgiving By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief Another tragic shooting, this time in California, has left five people dead and is reigniting the debate over U.S. gun policy just in time for America to sit around the Thanksgiving table. Thanksgiving, however, is not about the turkey, the parades, the football, or even the pilgrims. It must not be overshadowed by the sales that begin that Thursday evening and continue into Black Friday. The true meaning of Thanksgiving, as defined by those who began the tradition, is actually the cure for what this fractured country needs: prayer for the United States. The tradition of Thanksgiving began with President George Washington. On Oct. 3, 1789, Washington issued a statement, at the request of Congress, to set apart a “day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” In it, Washington implores his countrymen to take the upcoming Nov. 26 and devote it in service to the “glorious Being” by uniting in gratitude for the end of the war, the peace in the nation since, and the people’s liberties. But he also requests citizens to “beseech” God to forgive the country’s wrongdoings, to provide good government, and to promote virtue. Following the birth pangs of the new country, Washington sanctified Thanksgiving for the nation’s future. The executive and legislative branches deemed it important enough to have this holiday — very much a holy day — for Americans to come together as one for the sake of their homeland. In the face of an untried challenge with a government based on protection of inalienable rights, equality, and consent of the governed, the people of the Founding generation sought a way to bridge the divide between state lines as a nation under one flag. Exactly 74 years after Washington’s statement, President Abraham Lincoln made a Thanksgiving proclamation of his own to set every last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving to standardize the tradition across the states. Like Washington, he called for a “day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father.” “I recommend to [my fellow citizens] that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings,

they do also …fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union,” Lincoln said. In the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln took the time to call upon Thanksgiving to be a day of prayer so that God would heal the divided nation. With the U.S. facing its biggest crisis yet and, as many believed at the time, punishment for the horrific institution of slavery, it prayed for forgiveness, for the care of each other, and for the restoration of the country. President Franklin Roosevelt would later change Thanksgiving to the second-to-last Thursday in November, after retailers complained in 1939 that a Nov. 30 Thanksgiving left insufficient time to do Christmas shopping. Since then, however, Christmas has crept forward and overshadowed the all-American holiday, as radio stations begin playing carols 24/7 after Halloween. Thanksgiving doesn’t even earn the title of Black Friday Eve, since so many stores open their doors to the shoppers at 8 p.m., 5 p.m., even 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving, when the customers and employees should be at home with their families. There are other opportunities to score deals and get overtime pay. America may have not just fought the Revolutionary War, and it may not be in the middle of the Civil War. But it is divided over its president and the character and purpose of the nation. Instead of succumbing to the political arguments that will arise around the dinner table in a week, Americans should remember the unifying principles they hold in common. The values that Washington and his contemporaries feared the country would not be able to uphold are still standing. The union that Lincoln prayed would be healed was reformed. This Thanksgiving, U.S. citizens should come together and pray for the future of the United States — for its strength and its unity in a divisive time.

“The true meaning of Thanksgiving is...prayer for the United States”

Breana Noble is a senior studying politics and journalism.

The Student Activities Board is holding its annual Day of Thanks event 10 a.m. to 7 p.m on Thursday in the Grewcock Student Union. Every year, students gather to write thank-you cards to scholarship donors, parents, and anyone else they would like to thank. It’s an excellent opportunity to remember the selflessness of others and show appreciation.

Students, make it your mission to go above and beyond this Thanksgiving. Write letters to donors and family because they have given much to support you and your education, but write to those you appreciate on campus as well. If a professor sat with you in his office when you needed help, if a residence assistant made you feel welcome, if a

friend prayed with you when you were stressed about homework, if a Bon Appétit Management Company employee greeted you with a smile, if a housekeeper asked about your day, if a coach encouraged you and helped you grow, or if your roommate hasn’t complained about your side of the room being a bit messy when you get busy, show your appreciation.

Everyone is busy this time of year, but you can afford to take a couple of minutes to relax and reflect on what you have been given. A thoughtful, handwritten note will brighten anyone’s day. Hillsdale College is a special place. There are a lot of people who work to make it so. You won’t be here forever, so make sure you thank them while you are.

Remove the registration restriction By | Katarzyna Ignatik Special to The Collegian Some students thrived in the stress of registration week, but most of us were uneasy for our uncertain fate. Come registration day, you probably slept for four hours, got one of the classes you wanted, and ended up with many professors to email and a mess of scheduling to deal with. A small slip up — a failed alarm clock, a failure to line up registered classes in time, a blip in the Wi-Fi — can transform your next-semester schedule from a dream to a nightmare. Even your academic adviser forgetting to lift your registration ban can have grave consequences — and this situation isn’t that uncommon. The adviser meeting before registration is required for all Hillsdale students, especially since students can’t register until their adviser lifts restrictions on their WebAdvisor account. This system of

adviser-controlled registration bans puts responsibility that should belong to the students on the advisers. Every semester, I hear stories about different registration ban fiascos. Professors just don’t have the investment in class scheduling that their advisees do. Some advisers forget to lift the ban after the adviser meeting. Others don’t remember how to work the system, and they don’t lift the ban in time. By the time a student emails about a standing ban and gets a response, his or her sought-after classes could be gone for the semester. If all that was at stake was the surface issue of “oh, you didn’t let me register first before all of my other classmates,” my problem with the current system could be seen as merely selfish. But the truth is that it should be the students’ choice how far they are willing to go to get his classes. The students decide whether or not they are going to wake up at an ungodly hour to register. It’s each student’s

choice to determine how important the classes are to them, and the registration ban just doesn’t provide an environment for that sort of adult control. Legally, college students are adults. We are trusted with our own jobs, health, and cars. We are trusted to do homework and accept the consequences of our actions, whether good or bad…but we’re given a restriction on class registration, which seems arbitrary and unnecessary. The ban seems to serve no purpose besides incentivizing students to show up for adviser meetings. Does the ban exist so advisers can prevent students from taking too many or too few classes? If so, it isn’t much use. There isn’t anything stopping students from dropping or adding classes through WebAdvisor after their adviser meetings. Students who really don’t care about their classes will suffer the consequences one way or another, whether through terrible classes or

terrible grades in classes. The registration restriction doesn’t make a bad student get his life together, and it doesn’t do anything for a good student. In life, we’re going to suffer from other people’s consequences as well as ours. But the registration ban insults hardworking, grown-up students while not providing much of a deterrent for lazy ones. I’m not discounting professors’ superior knowledge — my own academic adviser has been beyond helpful with me. But we shouldn’t shift this responsibility on them. Ultimately, class scheduling is most important to the student. Let’s continue having contact between advisers and students, while not forcing both parties to deal with the adviser-controlled ban. At the very least, it’ll give us students one less thing to worry about during the hellishness of registration week.

By | Joshua Waechter Special to The Collegian The GOP House leadership released its new tax plan last Thursday. Following the Obamacare repeal fiascos of the spring and summer, this bill, known as the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” marks the latest attempt by Republican lawmakers to prove they are capable of governing effectively in the wake of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The main features of the current plan include: 1) lowering the corporate income tax from 35 to 26 percent. 2) consolidating the seven current tax brackets into three brackets of 12, 25, and 35 percent. 3) doubling the standard deduction and expanding the child tax credit while eliminating most other individual deductions. 4) gradually abolishing the death tax over six years. At first glance, this plan appears beneficial — cleaning up and simplifying a messy tax code while also lowering the corporate tax rate to a more reasonable level with respect to other industrialized Western countries (Germany’s national rate is only 15 percent). Upon closer inspection, however, the White House’s claim that these will be the “largest tax cuts in history” rings hollow. This bill is more of a deduction cut rather than a tax cut. Although most Americans will have their tax rates reduced, they will end up paying more in taxes overall because of the loss of many important personal deductions. Under the proposed tax plan, as prepared by the House Ways and Means Committee Majority Tax Staff, the simplified rates and doubling of the standard deduction will reduce federal revenues by $921 billion over 10 years. But at the same time, by eliminating most of the personal deductions currently available, revenues will increase by $1.5 trillion over that same period — nearly a $600 billion increase. A possible explanation for such an increase is a desire by Republicans to “pay” for the

corporate tax cut by increasing personal tax revenue. Even if this explanation is inaccurate, the Republican congressional leadership, while pretending to be interested in cutting taxes, seems decidedly disinterested in cutting government spending. A few particular examples illustrate how the elimination of most deductions will harm American taxpayers, particularly those in the middle to lower income ranges. First, the new bill will eliminate medical deductions. If elderly persons or couples living on fixed incomes are forced to move into assisted living which costs $50,000 a year, they are able to write most or all of that off on their tax return. Under the new plan, no such deduction will be available. Second, the current

losses, such as house fires or robberies, for anything above 10 percent of their income. Without this deduction, people who lose their home and do not have insurance will be left out in the cold. Lastly, the suggested tax bill prohibits anyone from writing off Health Savings Accounts on their returns. This is intriguing because it directly conflicts with the Republicans’ supposed desire to repeal Obamacare. Rather than encouraging people to put money into one of the better alternatives to government-subsidized healthcare, the Republican plan actually disincentivizes spending on private healthcare. By proposing a reform package that eliminates necessary deductions for millions of middle-income and lower-income families, the

rate of 39.6 percent) for individuals making upwards of $1 million and couples making upwards of $1.2 million. These top earners include not only the Warren Buffets and Hollywood elites of the world, but also a large number of American small business owners, whose enterprises provide collectively more than half of our country’s jobs. In addition, this rate does not include state income tax, meaning that small business owners in states like California or New York could be paying well over 50 percent of their income to state and federal governments. Rather than cutting taxes across the board for everyone to drive growth — as happened during the Reagan years — Republicans intend to raise taxes on the richest Americans, which is both harmful to the economy and inconsistent with the party’s declared opposition toward “tax policies that deliberately divide Americans or promote class warfare” in the 2016 GOP platform. While there are good elements to the tax plan — most notably the slashed corporate tax rate — there is no excuse for the Republican-controlled legislature and executive branch to not separately pass the good parts. The reason all of this is being bundled together into a behemoth-sized piece of legislation is because Republicans want to hide from the American people their refusal to reduce the size of government. This is not tax reform; it is giving with one hand and taking with another. Republicans want to clean up the tax code around the edges rather than fundamentally change the way it operates. By cutting the corporate income tax in an attempt to return American businesses to our shores and jump-start the economy, Republicans simultaneously have taken no substantive action to address bloated government spending and the massive debt. This is not going to work. If the President and the Republican establishment in Congress really want to have the “biggest tax cuts in American history,” they need to quit with the smoke and mirrors.

Katarzyna Ignatik is a sophomore studying English.

GOP tax plan harms most Americans

President Donald Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and Vice President Mike Pence are coordinating on tax reform. Wikimedia Commons

proposal caps the property tax deduction at $10,000, which means people living in high-value areas will be able to write off only a small portion of their property taxes. When Congress introduces this cap and the Federal Reserve raises interest rates — which looks increasingly likely — property values nationwide will likely be severely damaged. This, in turn, will incentivize more people to rent instead of buy because they are likely to get little return on investment by way of increased property values, damaging the sluggish real estate market. Third, the tax plan will eliminate deductions for casualty losses. Currently, taxpayers can write off catastrophic

Republicans, whether through sheer incompetence or willful intent, are causing Americans to pay more in spite of lower rates. If this bill is what is required to show that Republicans can govern, as some normally-conservative mouthpieces have argued, then it is perhaps time for voters to consider whether or not the cost is too high. This violation of trust on behalf of Republicans toward their base should not be taken to mean they are cozying up to the rich at everyone else’s expense. In fact, the proposed plan actually raises taxes on the rich by leaving the door open to a new additional rate of up to 46 percent (an increase from the current max

Joshua Waechter is a sophomore studying history.

Opinions U.S. dollar threatened by inflation, borrowing, and China

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By | Cal Abbo Special to The Collegian The U.S. dollar has dominated the international economic system for almost a century, but that may be coming to an end. Through the third year of World War I, the British pound remained on the gold standard and as the world reserve currency, but Britain’s war deficit accumulated. Britain had to take out loans, and due to the state of Europe, the U.S. was the creditor-of-choice. This, coupled with Britain’s eventual departure from the gold standard in 1919, firmly established the dollar as the world’s leading reserve currency. In 1944, allied countries met in New Hampshire to create an equitable foreign exchange system. Most countries desired a return to the

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gold standard, but the United States owned a large majority of the world’s gold supply as a result of its weapons sales and late entrance into World War II. The Bretton Woods Agreement, recognizing the need for a gold standard, tied the dollar to gold and all other currencies to the dollar. This configuration centralized the dollar as a necessary component of every country’s economy and strengthened U.S. economic growth. Due to massive spending policies during the Cold War, however, the United States abandoned the gold standard. Notably, the Vietnam War exposed the U.S.’s inability to reign in its printing and spending habits. It became evident to other countries that the dollar was no longer linked to gold, so they began requesting gold for dollars at the designated exchange rate. As a result, President

Nixon admitted a divorce of the dollar from the precious metal. “I directed [Treasury] Secretary Connally to suspend temporarily the convertibility of the dollar into gold…except in amounts and conditions determined to be in the interest of monetary stability and the best interest of the United States,” he said in an incident later dubbed the “Nixon Shock.” While Nixon promised the dollar’s value would remain intact, the announcement resulted in enormous inflation, peaking above 12 percent in 1974, and monstrous price volatility. Just one year before the climax of the crisis, though, a new agreement was born; the petrodollar, a contract requiring Saudi Arabia to sell all their oil in U.S. currency, would salvage and stabilize the dollar for decades to come. By 1975, every member of the Organization of the Pe-

troleum Exporting Countries had agreed to sell their oil explicitly in U.S. dollars after seeing Saudi Arabia’s profits. An oil-based economic system largely replaced the goldbacked system in a very short time frame. Since then, the U.S. has wielded its military in the Middle East unceasingly supporting its petrodollar sponsors and defending its oil interests. Countries that sought to change the world order either had their leaders deposed, like Libya and Iraq, or were ostracized by the U.S. and NATO, like North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Syria and Russia. Yet countries opposed to the petrodollar seem to be popping up more often, and the dollar could suffer dramatically because of last month’s announcement from the Chinese government. CNBC reported on Oct. 24 that “Beijing may introduce a new way to price oil in com-

ing months… this benchmark would use China’s own currency.” Unlike a majority of current oil contracts, China’s offer would be Yuan-based and gold-backed. This would offer an alternative to oil traders seeking to circumvent U.S. sanctions or oppose the dollar’s influence worldwide like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. Additionally, the futures would have a direct exchange back to gold, providing an attractive stability measure. If this new oil market caught on, the implications for the dollar would be daunting. The artificial demand created by the petrodollar has allowed the U.S. to print alarming amounts of fiat currency for a colossal military and massive administrative state with few consequences. If another viable option for purchasing oil arose and became popular, the artificial demand for the dollar would

collapse, leaving the U.S. in an inflationary spiral that some economists say could be worse than the Great Depression. Chris Martenson, the CEO of Peak Prosperity, said, “Since 2000, roughly seven trillion U.S. dollar equivalents have been accumulated by oil exporting nations.” Additionally, countries that wanted oil had to acquire dollars, and as the preferred avenue became exports to the U.S., the richest country in the world secured even more wealth. China’s announcement has been seriously under-reported by U.S. news outlets, especially considering its implications. If China, which imports about 25 percent of the world’s exported oil, successfully implements their version of petrocurrency, the dollar could lose its dominant status. Cal Abbo is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Embrace secular Hillsdale Make a book your own own theological errors when debating non-believers. As Jefferson states in Query XVII of his “Notes on the State of Virginia,” “Reason and enquiry are the only effectual agents against error… [therefore,] difference of opinion is advantageous to religion.” Exploring religion through the exchange of ideas rather than having the college presuppose one idea to be absolutely true is a more rational and genuine manner of pursuing truth. Both authors assert that secularization will lead to “a shift away from free speech” or towards a “progressive education” characterized by safe spaces and trigger warnings. However, the erosion of free speech on college campuses is not unique to secular schools. The renowned Foundation for Individual Rights in Education provides multiple instances of Christian-affiliated colleges silencing the speech of students and faculty. For example, Catholic-affiliated Villanova University cancelled a workshop held by a gay-rights activist in 2012. In 2016, Fordham University prevented the creation of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. In another instance, a faculty member of the College of the Holy Cross forced a secretary to remove an American flag from her office. The assertion that these issues are created by secularization is false. If anything, the growth of progressive thought on college campuses correlates with secularization, which the critical authors fallaciously interpret as causation. Secularization is not an attack on or advocacy for any faith. Rather, it is a neutral method by which our college community can more genuinely and effectively pursue the truth, wherever that pursuit may lead.

Eva Brann, in her treatise “The Paradoxes of Education in a Republic,” notes that any project formed based in shared animosity “will soon degenerate into an exercise in nostalgia, a sentiment that unwittingly underscores the loss of a living tradition, for nostalgia literally means return ache, a desire to pass back into the past.” And millennial conservatives can likewise vouch that a romanticism of the past and contrarianism toward the future has proven unsuccessful in the present attempt to persuade others to consider our beliefs. Despite frequent passing remarks about the death of culture, civilization, Christianity, the West, or any other such victim of modernity, many young conservatives do precious little to revive, cherish, conserve, and pass down these “essentials.” If those on the right firmly believe in the truth of their opinions and hope to persuade others to share in the same truth, an honest, critical look at contemporary conservative expression and, in

turn, a greater effort to match rhetoric with the content of our message is crucial to the success of our project. We should see this shortcoming, then, as an opportunity to return to our aims, and subsequently, an opportunity to reconsider the most effective methods to employ in communicating our message. Recently, an article in Jacobite Magazine responded to this issue, indicating that the fundamental problem is that young people on the right lack joy — not just in the expressions of our positions, but in our lives. This may seem shocking. After all, as the author of this piece, Felix Miller, notes, “The right consistently flaunts shibboleths both in person and online, pulling no punches when mocking the sacred cows of our age. Right-leaning young people are awash with ironic memes that call out the contemporary plagues on Western society with humor.” He concludes, rightly, “But mockery and irony are far cries from true, abiding joy. Joy is an essential aspect of human flourishing, and a

By | Michael Lucchese Columnist I didn’t understand Hillsdale College when I was a freshman. Then I discovered a book that changed everything. I came here because I thought it would help me advance in Republican Party politics, but everyone at freshman convocation and other orientation events spoke about liberal education and the Honor Code. Aside from the statues of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, Hillsdale didn’t seem like a very political place those first few days. Later that semester, I read Plato’s “Republic” in Professor of Philosophy Nathan Schlueter’s Introduction to Philosophy course. It was difficult to read and follow — I never read a Platonic dialogue during my public school education. I was bored and confused, and I didn’t quite know what to make of this strange book I had to read. Then one day, while Schlueter was lecturing on the first book of the “Republic,” I had a revelation: I was Thrasymachus. The first book consists

partly of a great debate between Socrates and one of his most famous interlocutors, the sophist Thrasymachus. Attempting to win over Plato’s brother Glaucon and Adeimantus as students, Thrasymachus argues that justice is merely the advantage of the stronger. Socrates tries to save his students’ souls from this relativism by proposing that justice is something more permanent. That day in class, I realized I had my priorities all wrong. Hillsdale isn’t about being powerful in conservative political circles, it’s about liberal education. I came to the right place for the wrong reasons, but Plato saved me from remaining a little Thrasymachus forever. Since then, I’ve read the “Republic” all the way through more than any other single book — four times, to be exact. I’ve read it to understand Plato’s political science, I’ve read it to understand his anthropology, and I’ve read it to shed light on other great texts. Through each of my four readings, I’ve learned not just about Plato’s philosophy — I also learned about what it means to be human. Through the core curriculum, every Hillsdale student should acquire a broad familiarity with the texts of the Western tradition. Each of us will encounter books and authors who raise those questions about how we live. They’re worth reading because they teach us truths about the human soul. But, one of these texts, like the “Republic” for me, may

speak to your soul with a particularly loud voice. My advice: Make that book your own. Read it, and reread it until you become an expert of the text. A broad understanding of the Western tradition is a good thing — that’s why we have the core. But a deep understanding of certain problems and questions that are relevant to your own life is important too. Reading a great text once is a good thing, but a single reading will never give a reader a comprehensive understanding of the work. Through reading and rereading the “Republic,” I’ve come to realize just how deep a text it is. Each time through I notice some new artistry of Plato’s I hadn’t before. But even more than that, each time I read the dialogue I marvel at the timelessness of Plato’s idea. At different stages of my life, I realize I can apply Plato’s truths about the human soul to my own life in different ways. Men as great as Secretary of Defense James Mattis have learned this lesson and live by it. He carried a copy of Marcus Aurelius’s “Meditations” with him on each of his overseas deployments as a Marine Corps officer. While facing some of the most difficult life-and-death situations a man could endure, Mattis wanted to keep the lessons of that book near his heart because the “Meditations” captivate him. His great book is a source of strength and courage. You owe it to yourself to find a text that speaks to you in that way. It doesn’t matter if it’s Jane Austen or Saint Augustine, “Hamlet” or the “Odyssey.” Let a great author invade your soul and occupy it. Go find your book; it will change your life.

memes rather than for truth, goodness, and beauty.” Without a primary, positive love of some good in our own individual lives — and discourse ordered accordingly — any influence we once had on the politics and lives of others will be lost. In response, Miller advocates reviving, in our own lives, a fundamental love of what is good. This can be done by immersing ourselves in the lived practices that have historically given shape to our tradition: simple communal meals, religious practice, or engagement with great literary, artistic, and philosophical works. This return, he asserts, “is not aestheticism, but communally gathering around all that is true, good, and beautiful.” And Brann agrees, recommending a revival, immersion, and continuation of our own tradition, since, “the past matters, not as it has gone before, but as it has gone into the present.” This immersion, prompted by love, produces joy. And joy allows us to describe our account of conser-

vatism in terms of the human good — a present, positive aim throughout all of history. This is the type of rhetoric that compels people to consider an alternate position. An account of conservatism — of the past — built upon a shared, positive love of something good, is not opposed to the new nor is it apt to degenerate into nostalgia, for it is not an attempt to return to the past. As Brann asserts, this project “is not nostalgic, because it does not aim at a return to the past but at its reappropriation for the present.” Rather, it is directed toward the preservation, passing down, and reappropriation of past manifestations of goodness, truth, and beauty in the present, perhaps even freeing the present for a new revolution — literally, a return to beginnings, like the revolution of a planet. And this revolution would be a joyous one.

By | Jo Kroeker

In the past semester, multiple articles in The Collegian have attacked the idea of removing Hillsdale College’s Christian affiliation. Andrew Simpson wrote a letter on Sept. 7 to the editor claiming secularization denies the “timeless spiritual truths” of Christianity and would endanger free speech. Doyle Wang authored a piece on Nov. 9 arguing that secularization “subject[s] truth to personal feelings” and results in the adoption of progressive ideals. Secularization would advance the pursuit of truth. Removing Hillsdale College’s Christian label would attract more non-Christian students to campus, thereby enriching religious dialogue. A religiously diverse student body is desirable because it advances the search for spiritual truths. Increased religious diversity would foster interfaith dialogue among students of both Christian and non-Christian beliefs, resulting in intellectual growth and critical thought essential to liberal education. Wang asserts that the college already has adequate religious diversity, citing the school’s “variety of faiths” that include “Catholicism, Anglicanism, Calvinism, Lutheranism, Mormonism, and Judaism.” The “variety of faiths” he outlines are, in reality, a variety of Judeo-Christian faiths. This does not amount to a religious diversity that promotes thinking beyond Christian ideas and therefore limits religious dialogue to a majority Christian perspective. While Wang is correct in his statement that “the very existence of God can be up for debate here on campus,” how often is such an inqui-

ry genuinely raised on the campus of a school that calls itself Christian? If we are students of the liberal arts, and honestly claim to be pursuing truth, should we purposefully limit ourselves to a Christian perspective? As demonstrated, secularization is a means by which the college can further pursue truth. Yet both Simpson and Wang argue that secularization would deny “fundamental truths” inherent in Christianity. This is simply not true. By its very definition, a secular institution takes no stance on religious matters. Refusing to take a position on Christianity is not the same as denying its truthfulness. Wang also boldly claims that secularization appeals to “self-centeredness,” in order to “attack Judeo-Christian values” and to “subject truth to personal feelings” instead of following an objective Christian truth. Refusing to take a religious stance, however, is not akin to subjectivism. Christianity does not necessarily have a monopoly on objective truth, and it is completely rational to explore other faiths and non-religious beliefs. Questioning Christian truths is not always based on self-centered emotion. This is not a denial of the existence of universal truth or even a denial of Christian truth. As students, however, we must humbly and honestly consider the idea that we are wrong in what we presuppose the truth to be and pursue truth no matter where it reveals itself. Similarly, secularization is not an attack on Christian beliefs, as Simpson claims. In fact, Christians would greatly benefit from secularization. Secularization provides a marketplace of ideas that include both Christian and non-Christian beliefs. This allows Christians to spread the gospel to a greater number of non-believers, while at the same time correct their

Apple glitch reveals Descartes’ errors

By | Blake Estep Special to The Collegian

Blake Estep is a sophomore studying the liberal arts.

Michael Lucchese is a senior majoring in American Studies

Young conservatives need joy, fewer memes By | Morgan Brownfield Special to The Collegian No young conservative would be surprised to hear that their opinions are countercultural or fringe, even unpopular. Nevertheless, many may not have considered that rhetoric — not just the ideas themselves, but the way they are expressed — preclude debate and sincere consideration. Rare is the man whose mind is changed by another’s pessimism, contrarianism, mockery, or irony. Of course, this usage of objectionable rhetoric is is generally not an intentional, malicious practice, but rather the result of a lack of reflection. Nostalgia for the good old days (at Hillsdale, perhaps the days of Aristotle or C.S. Lewis), predisposes conservatives to express their beliefs through accounts that beatify the old and reject the new — all without explaining what exactly made the good old days so good.

posture of mockery and irony is diametrically opposed to the experience of joy.” This is because joy proceeds not from hatred, but rather, from love and love only. Accordingly, shared animosity cannot serve as the rhetorical basis of any account of politics that live up to the name — for politics is the pursuit of, the love of, a common good. G. K. Chesterton agrees: “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” Most importantly, shared hatred cannot provide a proper foundation for any pursuit that leads to joy, to satisfaction, to rest. Our common pursuits — if to succeed — must be rooted, nourished, and propelled by love. “If joy is truly a result of love, man must be very careful to develop the right affections in his breast,” Miller aptly infers. Right now many on the right seem hellbent on cultivating affection for dank

Morgan Brownfield is a senior studying politics.

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Two active duty officers fold the American flag during the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Stefan Kleinhenz | Collegian

‘We gather so we don’t forget’

Eleven Hillsdale County veterans were honored and inducted into the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Fame By | Stefan Kleinhenz Collegian Freelancer The people of Hillsdale came together on Nov. 9 to honor 11 veterans who were inducted into the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Fame. The 17th anual induction ceremony also served as a commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I. The ceremony began with the presentation of the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. Rear Admiral Peter Beckwith, Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Fame chaplain, delivered the invocation, asking for God’s guidance to

“recommit to the values that make America a beacon of hope.” Seven special awards, named in honor of their first recipients, ranged from “Service Organization of the Year” to “Military Spouse of the Year.” Three of the seven recipients had affiliations to Hillsdale College, one being former Professor John Reist. From 1985 to 2010 he served as Director of Christian Studies, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Professor of Christianity and Literature before he passed away. His twin brother, Irwin Reist, accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award on his behalf, saying of his brother: “He was a good man, a square

Jewelry store to close after 152 years By | Tess Skehan Collegian Reporter

After 152 years of serving the Hillsdale community, Roger Losey Jewelers will close its doors at the end of the year. Located on North Howell Street, nestled between the Palace Cafe and Nash Drugs, Roger Losey Jewelers opened its doors in 1865, providing a variety of custom and fine jewelry, and specializing in diamonds. Its current owner, Ken Potok, has made the decision to close the business so that he can retire after working in the store for 55 years. “I’m retiring. I’m done. D-U-N done,” Potok said. Hoping to close its doors by Dec. 31, the store is holding a liquidation sale. Potok said he is unsure what will happen with the store after it closes, since he rents the building, but he said he is open to the possibility of someone buying the remaining merchandise and continuing to use the space as a jewelry store. Potok’s family became involved in the business more than 70 years ago when his father-in-law took an apprenticeship as a watchmaker with the owner at the time, Ken Kiess. After working there for several years, he bought the business in 1949, and Ken Potok took over when he died in 1988. For Potok, the family business has been about his experience with the people who walk through the doors. “I have enjoyed meeting a lot of really nice customers, and working with them. Many have remained customers for many, many years” Ken Potok’s daughter, Tammy Potok, has been a part of the business for so long that she struggled to remember how long she had worked

there. “I’ve been down here since I was a baby,” Tammy Potok said. Tammy Potok said she hasn’t been the only Potok baby to spend time in the store, citing the times she brought her own son to work with her while she did a variety of tasks as a bench jeweler. “He would sit in the back, right over there. That was his spot,” Tammy Potok said. For Tammy Potok, Roger Losey has not just been a home for her family, but a way to express her creative side as well. As a bench jeweler, she has the opportunity to design and make custom work, in addition to making repairs and other duties. “It’s a job,” Potok said. “But it’s also a meeting place for people. I have a lot of friends who come in here, so it’s social for me. I like to create, so it’s fun to create things. I really enjoy the design aspect of this. I’m a creative person.” The store has been home to both long-term customers — some of whom have been doing business with the store for more than 30 years — and customers who recently discovered the store. “Just this week they fixed my engagement ring,” Hillsdale resident Christina Dafnis said.“They went beyond expectations and even rhodium-plated the ring after polishing it. I am very much pleased with the work. I wanted to get the repair done quickly and locally, and made a good decision by using their shop. I am sorry to hear that they are closing.” Despite moving on from the store itself, Ken and Tammy Potok will still repair jewelry, continuing to serve the community that Roger Losey has been a part of for a century and a half.

shooter.” John Reinst’s nephew, Tim Reist, and daughter, Jennifer Azar, were also in attendance. “He would be humbled by the event, finding himself unworthy; he’d probably have some sort of wisecrack,” Azar said. Eleven veterans were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Each one represented an American war from the War of 1812 to the Iraq War. Henry Waldron of the Union Army’s 18th Regiment was the “special inductee,” representing Hillsdale’s ser-

vice in the Civil War. Nicole Ellis, a pediatrician in Hillsdale, said she came to support the veterans because it was a chance for the community to say “thank you” for all they have done. Jeffery Rogers, assistant dean of men at Hillsdale College and treasurer for the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Fame, presided over the flag folding ceremony. After singing each military branch’s hymn, Rogers recited the observance and symbolism for each of the flag’s

“Our biggest charge is to remember.”

13 folds as two active duty officers ceremonially folded the flag, with the veterans standing in salute. “We gather so we don’t forget,” Rogers said. “Our biggest charge is to remember. Freedom is a high cost to pay — the hope is we don’t forget it.” Assistant Professor of Management Peter Jennings, a veteran himself, concluded the night as the guest speaker. His speech remembered the “Doughboys” of the battle of Belleau Wood in 1918 during World War I. He said this was the first major battle fought by Americans in the war and that their sacrifice and effort put the Allies on the path to victory.

Jennings said they have been remembered by writers such as Hemingway and Fitzgerald, who fictionalize their duty and portray them as participants of senseless massacres, or “shell shocked members of the lost generation.” It is this false remembrance that taints people’s views of all veterans, Jennings said. He reminded the audience that if the sacrifice of those who served our country is lost in tainted remembrance, the country will miss the honor, the courage, and the patriotism that sanctions freedom. “My hope and prayer,” Jennings said, “is that we will properly remember them and their noble duty.”

Amy Goldsmith will serve as Hillsdale High School’s interim principal for the 2017-2018 school year. Facebook

Local teacher accepts position as HHS interim principal By | Katie Scheu Associate Editor When teachers send students to the principal’s office at Hillsdale High School this year, the students might be speaking to the same woman who teaches their English class. English and Spanish teacher Amy Goldsmith ’89 has stepped up as Hillsdale High School’s interim principal for the 2017-2018 school year, after former high school principal Jeff Terpenning accepted a superintendent’s position in the thumb area of Michigan just as the high school opened for another year. Goldsmith will return to teaching and teacher-coaching next August. She agreed to fill the position only after the hiring committee — on which she served — conceded it could not find a worthy candidate. Although she did not anticipate her year-long ascent into the administration, Goldsmith has made plans to succeed in her temporary position. “I would like to just have a tone of positivity and continue with the great academics we’ve set,” Goldsmith said. “The high school has received a lot of accolades in the last three years, so I want the students to continue to strive, and I want the staff to feel like this is a great place to work.”

Goldsmith usually teaches English and Spanish, and she will continue to teach her AP Literature and Composition course this year. She won two awards for her teaching at the end of the 2016-2017 academic calendar. The top 10 academically achieving seniors voted her best teacher. The Stanton Foundation and the Hillsdale County Community Foundation awarded her the County Teacher of the Year, a $10,000 prize. “Mrs. Goldsmith is a high-quality person. She demonstrates integrity, consistency and intelligence,” Hillsdale School Superintendent Shawn Vondra said in an email. “Her strong understanding of pedagogy equips her to be a mentor to and leader of other teachers.” Goldsmith focuses on student learning in every approach to her job, Vondra said, but she’ll have to do some learning of her own this year. Goldsmith will have to familiarize herself with the procedures and programs of the high school and implement them at the same time. The hands-on learning may pose a challenge for a firsttime principal, but it will also help Goldsmith grow, according to Vondra. “At the conclusion of this experience, she will be more informed with an enhanced ability to provide leadership in

a peer mentoring and coaching structure,” Vondra said. Goldsmith agreed that the role will test her. “I think the greatest challenge will be balancing time and problem-solving for the things that I don’t know I’ll face,” Goldsmith said. “Since it was kind of a surprise and I’m entering the position, in some ways I’m a little unprepared. I’m problem solving on a daily basis, so on some levels that’s challenging.” One of Goldsmith’s fellow Hillsdale High School teachers, Amanda Waidley, said Goldsmith’s personality will ensure her success as principal as much as her experience and skills. Waidley cited Goldsmith’s sound reason, sense of justice, practicality, and inclination to listen as leadership qualities that will benefit the school. “Amy is not just a good

teacher, she is a great teacher,” Waidley said. “What makes her great is her love and passion. Love of students, love of the job, love of the school, love of the community. This shines through everything Amy does.” Goldsmith has taught since she graduated from Hillsdale College 29 years ago, at which time her father served as the chair of the education department alongside her brother and sister, who were also professors. She is married to Professor of Classics David Jones. “The district is very appreciative of Mrs. Goldsmith’s service to the students, parents, and staff by providing the leadership of principal this year,” Vondra said. “She is passionate about teaching and ensures that students are learning. Her focus is clearly on the students.”

Correction

In “Local business owners speak out against Meijer, hinder progress” in the Nov. 9 issue of The Collegian, Market House owner Brett Boyd was incorrectly stated as asking Hillsdale City Council to vote no on the 425 Agreement, a re-zoning arrangement that

would allow the City of Hillsdale and Fayette Township to share tax revenues from an incoming Meijer grocery store. Boyd only asked the council to carefully consider the effects the agreement could have on local businesses. The Collegian regrets this error.

City News

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A7 Nov. 16, 2017

Sheriffs call for Michigan ‘kayak tax’ By | Mark Naida Assistant Editor

Outdoor lovers may soon have to pay up if they want to drop their kayak or canoe in Lake Baw Beese or any other Michigan lake. A group of sheriffs are calling for registration fees for small, non-motorized watercraft such as kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards. County sheriffs rely on grants from the Marine Safety Fund to police and aid in aquatic safety. The fund gets its revenue from boater registration, but the number of registered boats is dwindling and kayak sales have increased by 55 percent since 2009, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. And while kayaks grow in popularity, revenue from boats shrinks. In 2007, there were 827,869 registered boats in Michigan. By 2012, there were only 800,793. Last year, that number dropped to 790,425, according to the DNR. If a kayaker or canoer has trouble on the water, it is the duty of the police department to provide assistance. “We’re seeing major issues with kayaks,” Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson told the Metro Times. “We’ve been called out over 70 times this year for kayak rescues.” With the tax system as it is, kayak owners do not contribute to the fund but still receive benefits from it. Mackinac County Sheriff Scott Straight said when users call for help, they are using marine division resources

without contributing to the funding. Currently, boats 16-feet or shorter that are propelled by oars or paddles and that are not used for rental or commercial purposes, along with rafts, surfboards, sailboards, and swim floats are exempt from registration. Commercial-use, non-motorized vessels must be registered with the state, however, so it would be only recreational owners who would be subject to the new tax. Hillsdale College’s student activities office cares for three kayaks and two paddleboards. Hank Prim, assistant director of the office, said the tax would be just. “The government has the ability to assess taxes on them,” he said. “And while we would love to not pay said registration fees, we will comply with whatever the law is. We do have a duty to comply with Michigan statutes and laws because we do use public waterways.” This is not the first time that a registration fee for small boats has been proposed. In 2010, House Bill 6319 proposed a $5 registration fee on private canoes and kayaks for safety reasons. The registration fee would provide a number or decal that would help the state keep track of boats. The bill did not pass. As to how states will enforce kayak registration, Prim said Illinois uses an honors system and officers will issue a ticket if a vessel is not registered. Michigan may adopt a similar approach.

The plaque that sits at the entrance of the building that was the St. Anthony’s Parish School. Josephine von Dohlen | Collegian

Preserving Catholic education Even after closing its elementary school, St. Anthony’s strives to promote religious education By | Josephine von Dohlen Assistant Editor Patrick Flynn walked through the doors of the St. Anthony Parish School as a first grader in the fall of 1956. When the school closed in the spring of 1985, his youngest daughter graduated from the fifth grade. “There was a Flynn in the school every year it was open,” he said. St. Anthony’s Parish School served the Hillsdale community as the local Catholic school for 30 years, and although the parish community has many school-aged children today, lack of funds for renovations keeps the school closed. “We have so many kids here, but it’s not feasible,” said Father David Reamsnyder, pastor at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. According to Reamsnyder, reopening the school would

be close to impossible, as a recent report revealed that renovations to get the building back to code would be more than $1 million. “As far as I know, there are no grandfather clauses because of the historical building,” Father Reamsnyder said. “Even though we closed in 1985, we would need to meet all modern codes.” The school building, which sits behind the church building, was built in 1955, and opened the following year with first through eighth grade. At its opening, the Sisters of the Nazarene from Kalamazoo, ran the school, until 1962, when some lay teachers began to teach at the school. Flynn was on the school board the year it closed. He said he was the only one who voted against closing the school. “I was the only one who voted ‘no’ to close the school, because I believe in a Catholic

education, if it’s feasible,” Flynn said. “In my heart, I knew it wasn’t feasible, I knew it was draining the parish, and I wasn’t going to be supporting it anymore because I didn’t have anymore children in the school.” Bud Vear, a parishioner at St. Anthony’s, said in an email that all but his two oldest children completed their elementary education at St. Anthony’s School, and their education at the Parish School prepared them for high school. “St. Anthony’s school was one of the reasons we chose Hillsdale in which to set up my medical practice in 1967,” Vear said. “We wanted our children to have a Catholic education.” The church still uses the classrooms of the school building for religious education classes and other small groups within the parish. Today, more than a dozen children from St. Anthony’s receive a Catholic education

from Sacred Heart Catholic School in Hudson. Others choose to homeschool their children or send their children to local schools in the Hillsdale area. While St. Anthony’s cannot provide a traditional Catholic school education, the parish still does what they can to promote the education of the Catholic Church with their school-aged children through various programs. Reamsnyder said the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that parents are the primary educators of their children, so parents play a large role in their education programs. Parish programs allow for school-aged children to supplement with religious education classes on Sundays, as well as their confirmation preparation program for students preparing for the Catholic sacrament of Confirmation.

Pursuing the Beautiful: Hillsdale residents talk fashion By | Anna Timmis Assistant Editor At Hillsdale College, students are taught to pursue the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. According to Insider, however, Hillsdale may not be up to snuff on the Beautiful. In an article written this fall, Insider listed “the least stylish city in every state.” Based on criteria such as the ratio of clothing stores to population and “fashion amenities like walk-in closets” in local homes, Insider rated Hillsdale the least stylish city in Michigan. A photo of the Wedge apartments, located downtown, accompanies a caption: “Downtown Hillsdale, Michigan, is about as lively as the city gets.” But Hillsdale students, locals, and boutique owners

offer a different perspective of their beloved town: Maybe style means more than the latest trends. Style includes the city’s culture and the way Hillsdale residents live. Ryan Burns, a junior, said he sees the student population as generally stylish and conservative but also individualistic. “At Hillsdale, I see people not necessarily wearing name brands, but I do see some trends being followed,” he said. Burns said when he visited the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, most students were dressed more casually than at Hillsdale. “Everyone is typically following whatever trend is happening,” he said. “People don’t put quite as much effort

into a coherent appearance.” Burns commented on the sororities’ pin day: “Everyone looks very stylish on Monday. But the other six days every-

Patti Bailey, owner of Maggie Anne’s, a boutique and gift shop in Downtown Hillsdale, said clothes in her store kept up with European style.

“It just doesn’t matter where you go. If style is unique, people like it.” body keeps it pretty baseline stylish and conservative.” Local shop owners argued that big city or small, nice clothes are nice clothes.

“I just went to London and Paris — the fashion capital of the world,” Bailey said. “We compare very well. Over there it’s almost as if anything goes.

A casual athletic look is what’s popular and just being comfortable,” adding that she saw people often not even wearing make up. People from out-oftown shop in Hillsdale for the unique style, said resident Jane Scholl, who works at Maribeth’s, another downtown boutique. Scholl’s daughter lives in Washington D.C., but shops at Maribeth’s — and often receives compliments on her style in D.C. “It just doesn’t matter where you go,” Scholl said. “If style is unique, people like it.” Hillsdale certainly is unique, and Hillsdale alumna Antonia Busch ’15, who grew up in Hillsdale, said the city displays its charm through its

warm culture. “Walking down the streets of Hillsdale, you don’t necessarily see the most trendy outfits but you see classic taste,” Busch said. “And not only in what people are wearing but also the way they look at you and make eye contact and know about your life, and encounter you as another human being. That speaks volumes about their sense of style more so than the latest sweater that’s trendy in New York City.” The smiles of friends will never go out, Busch said, but that trendy New York sweater will. Meanwhile, Hillsdale residents will continue to love beauty — and fashion. “I would say that we’re right on in Hillsdale,” Bailey said.

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Volleyball

Football

Friday, Nov. 10

Saturday, Nov. 11

Hillsdale

Stats

Chance Stewart David Graham Christian Shepler Konnor Maloney Joe Philipp Dan Shanley

Basketball

14-19, 146 yrds, 1 int 13 att, 167 yrds, 4 td 11 att, 45 yrds 1 rec, 67 yrds, 1 td 2/2 fg, 6/6 pat 9 tkl

Lake Erie

Men’s Results Saturday, nov. 11 Hillsdale - 74 Ill-Springfield - 63

Women’s Results Friday, Nov. 10 Hillsdale - 80 Lewis - 94

Tuesday, nov. 14 Hillsdale - 87 Urbana - 54

Tuesday, nov. 14 Hillsdale - 76 Indianapolis - 70

Hillsdale

Swimming

Results Saturday nov. 11 Lewis: 179 - 83 Findlay: 175 - 87

Upcoming Nov. 16 - 18 g-mac tournament

SEASON LEADERS Kills Digs Aces Assists Blocks

Kara Vyletel- 324 Taylor Wiese- 517 Taylor Wiese-33 Lindsey Mertz- 920 Alyssa Van wienen- 13

Findlay

Upcoming Friday nov. 17 University of Chicago Invite at University of Chicago TBA

Hillsdale will host the 2017 G-MAC Conference Volleyball Tournament. Stevan Bennett | Collegian

Volley from A1 about and really appreciated,” VanderWall said. “I think they also did a great job of getting in Findlay’s head a little bit, especially when they were back at the service line, so we may owe a couple of points to them! A huge thank you from Charger volleyball to whoever came!” Looking forward, the Chargers will begin playing as the number one seed in

the G-MAC tournament this Thursday. The 2017 tournament is the first time Hillsdale has hosted conference tournament since 2010. “As we move on to postseason nothing will change,” Vyletel said. “We’ll remain focused on the task at hand and continue to work on the fundamentals.” The Chargers’ first match is against Davis & Elkins College (10-20) at 7:30 this Thursday evening in the Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena.

The last time the programs faced off, in September, the Chargers won in a 3-0 sweep. The winner of the Hillsdale — Davis & Elkins match will proceed to the semifinals on Friday, playing the winner of a matchup between Walsh and Cedarville. “We have a deep bench,” Gravel said, “If everything goes as planned, we will be the team with the most energy come Saturday.”

Swim from A10 “The juniors have for the past couple seasons have been at the center of our core strengths as a team,” head coach Kurt Kirner said. “They are developing into the type of leaders we need to depend upon to succeed in the new conference.” Both Lebleu and Heeres said they thought the meet went well despite the circumstances — tough practices and the pre-Thanksgiving push of

academics had worn out the swimmers, and they arrived at Findlay to find out no pool for warm ups and cool downs would be available. “Warm up and warm down is crucial to swimming. It allows you to recover after races and get rid of the lactic acid building up in your muscles,” Lebleu said. “Warm up also helps with getting your heart rate up before going behind the blocks which helps with racing as well. Without it, we experienced more fatigue than we would have otherwise

between races.” The swimmers will get a chance to recover, rest, and reenergize in the coming weeks as the team transitions into championship mode, according to Kirner. “The next two meets are our mid-season showcase events that feature a championship format as we incorporate a moderate rest to enable us to establish season and possibly lifetime-best times,” he said.

Charger Chatter: Stedman Lowry When did you start playing basketball?

My dad played basketball at Murray State and Transylvania University and got my brother and me playing, probably when I was in second grade. I was really bad and my brother was really good. My first season, in the rec league, I had four points for the whole season and my brother was averaging 20 points per game. Charger Athletics | Courtesy

Stedman Lowry is a senior on the men’s basketball team. He is from Liberty Township, Ohio, and is studying accounting. His brother, sophomore Dylan Lowry, is also on the team.

What’s it like playing collegiate basketball with your brother? It’s cool. I know what he’s going to do and he knows what I’m going to do and so we have a little brother chemistry. It’s sweet. It’s like the

whole team is all brothers so it’s not like we’re that different. At least when we’re on the floor. Why did you choose Hillsdale?

They were my first real offer. When I was a junior, I tore my ACL and I was talking to some low division one schools and they were half in, half out. Hillsdale was the first and only school that was really interested in me. Coach Tharp seemed like he really cared and wanted me. Also, the fact that Hillsdale is such a good school played a part in it. I don’t always love it mid-season when I have all sorts of tough homework to do, but overall, I’m really glad I chose

to come here.

Do you have a life motto? 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always” or carpe diem. You can’t go out there and waste days. You have to seize them, and you can’t do that with a negative attitude. What is your spirit animal? A lemur, because Coach Tharp calls me Lemur a lot and tells me not to hop around on defense. Who are your basketball inspirations? Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

What is your favorite movie and your favorite book? Movie: Arrival. Book: Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. What is the good? That which for all aims. If you had to listen to one song on loop for ten hours, which one would you choose? “Sunrise” by Kygo. What do you value? My relationship with Jesus because it underlies all that I do, and the team and all

we do. If you value the team above yourself, everything else will fall into place. Do you have any funny stories about Coach Tharp? So Coach Tharp, every bathroom he goes into, he says, loudly enough so that everyone can hear him, “Roundy Tharp, Hillsdale, Michigan.” in case there’s someone in the stall that he knows in some random place. So apparently, he was in an airport and said that and he just heard a voice from one of the stalls say, “Who the hell cares?”

-Compiled by Joel Meng

Sports Chargers honored Bodies by Coach Giff Football at Sunday’s awards banquet Strength and Conditioning Coach Patrick Gifford

A9 Nov. 16, 2017

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helps prepare Chargers for competition By | Brooke Conrad Assistant Editor If you were up at 6 a.m. two Fridays ago, you would have seen 30 baseball players sprinting around campus on a scavenger hunt for hidden Diet Cokes — one of Coach Giff ’s latest workout inventions. “He does keep it light,” senior shortstop Colin Hites said. “I mean, we get work done, but he definitely does keep it interesting, and we’re not just doing the same stuff over and over again.” Starting his own strength and conditioning program at Hillsdale two years ago, Patrick Gifford directly oversees 11 of Hillsdale’s sports programs and helps occasionally with men’s and women’s track and cross country, which has freed up time for the rest of the athletic staff. “Before Pat got here, we had to do it within the football staff in terms of training, planning, and time in weight room,” head football coach Keith Otterbein said. “This allows us to spend more time schematically and ensure we’re not pulled away from recruiting.” Gifford grew up immersed in sports and began coaching high school sports as a junior at Michigan State University, graduating in 2009 with a degree in kinesiology, with a concentration in coaching and exercise science. Before coming to Hillsdale, he served as an assistant strength coach at Liberty University. Gifford said his favorite part of his job at Hillsdale is building relationships with athletes and staff. “Not just physically in terms of getting stronger and better at their sport, but seeing them when they get accepted to med school and they’re super excited, or when they get offered that job,” Gifford said. “Some of the stuff you teach them in the weight room — like you need to go through adversity, you need to push our of your comfort zone and things like that — are gonna help them down the line as they go into their careers.” With between 250 and 300 athletes to train on a regular basis, Gifford said the toughest part of his job is being able to give individualized attention to every athlete. Even though he usually arrives at work around 5 a.m. every morning and finishes the day on campus around 7 p.m., he says there’s still not enough time in the day.

Pat Gifford started a strength and conditioning program for Hillsdale College athletes two years ago. Carly Gouge | Collegian

“He’s a high intensity guy, has a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, is a hard worker, and he puts in lots of hours,” Otterbein said. “Luckily we’re not paying him by the

“I’m getting paid to sit at a baseball game or go to a swim meet…real rough life. I just remind myself that I’m living the dream.” hour, because he puts in long, hard hours.” Gifford said he tries to be sensitive to athletes undergoing the academic rigors of Hillsdale. “You’ve got to know when to back off on them and

Gifford and his dog, Dozer, take in a Hillsdale College baseball game last spring. Laurie Ackerman | Collegian

when to push them,” Gifford said. “I’ve got to read them when they walk in in the morning for a 5:30 lift and they didn’t’ sleep, and I’ve got to know them and make sure that I’m reading them right, because they’re going to set themselves up to get injured, and we don’t want that.” Junior volleyball player Paige Vanderwall said Gifford is good at being in tune with athletes, as far as knowing when to push them or cut them some slack. “Giff is as tough as he wants to be, but also as sweet as he wants to be,” she said. “He’s kind of like a teddy bear, but he tries not to be sometimes…and that’s definitely something you need to have in a strength coach: they’re not going to accept anything but the best.” When Gifford is not supervising or planning workouts, he’s reading about them. He said he’s always on the lookout for ways to improve his programs and make his student athletes faster and stronger, and for ways to improve leadership and team-building. “Giff is good at making workouts specific to what we need as a team,” senior offensive linebacker Jake Bull said. “He even tailors our workouts to our different positions on the team.” Several athletes mentioned Gifford’s goofiness and spontaneity. Senior first baseman Haley Lawrence said Gifford often brings two nerf guns to her team’s lifts. “Anytime he sees someone lifting too light of a weight, he’ll shoot them from across the weight room, and then that person knows they need to push themselves more,” Lawrence said in an email. At other times, Gifford will organize a game of capture the flag on campus, or he will give a random “flash challenge” where athletes have to run around and look for something in the sports complex. Hites said that Gifford almost always has a Diet Coke with him. “When he doesn’t have a Diet Coke, he’s probably already angsty, and then as soon as he gets upset he’s going to go get one.” Gifford said when athletes are dragging on a particular day, he often reminds them that they’re “living the dream,” just like he is. “I tell people like, yeah, I’m here for work on Sunday—but then I’m getting paid to sit at a baseball game or go to a swim meet…real rough life. I just remind myself that I’m living the dream.”

By | S. Nathaniel Grime Assistant Editor The day following their 54-0 trouncing of Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, the Hillsdale College Chargers officially put a bow on their 125th season with the annual football awards banquet. Junior wide receiver Trey Brock, an honorable mention All-American last year, was recognized as the team’s Most Valuable Player for a second consecutive season. “It’s sweet. It means a lot coming from my teammates,” Brock said. “It’s pretty cool that they view me as that guy. It’s definitely a huge honor for me.” Brock led the Chargers with 74 receptions, 1,174 yards, and eight touchdown catches in 2017. “I’ve worked on leading by example, especially now that I’m one of the older guys,” Brock said. “Throughout the season, I’ve been trying to establish myself as a leader by example, especially for the younger guys.” His 74 receptions set a single-season G-MAC record, and his 302 receiving yards on Sept. 23 against the University of Indianapolis were the most in any NCAA Division II game this year. “I definitely could have played a lot better in some games,” Brock said. “I’m happy we ended up 7-4 and that I had a decent year. But there’s definitely a lot of work to be done going into my last year.” Brock will enter his senior season just 114 yards shy of the all-time school record for receiving yards, held by current Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Holmes. “I try not to think about it too much,” Brock said of his climb in the record books. “Just want to finish my career off on the best note possible. Do better than I did my past two years, and do everything I can to do good individually which will end up helping the team in the long run.” Hillsdale graduates three starting offensive linemen, all of whom were recognized with awards. Senior left tackle Jake Bull won the Leonard Urbanick Award for Scholarship, Leadership, and Ability. Senior right guard Zach VanOrman won the Coach’s Award. Senior center Danny Drummond was named the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for a third consecutive season. “There are a lot of great players on the offensive line,” Drummond said. “It’s really an honor, especially to be chosen by Coach Shreffler, our position coach, who I really respect and think the world of. I really appreciate the honor and being recognized by him is really special.” Junior quarterback Chance Stewart was named the team’s Most Outstanding Offensive

MBB from A10

scorer. He scored 26 points on 10 of 13 shooting, including five first half three-pointers. “It is always nice to see the ball go in,” he said. “They kept feeding it to me. I just took my shots. I was really relaxed and shot well. We all have those nights, and that was just one of my nights.” Badowski earned the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week award for his play. He averaged 19.5 points per game over the weekend, shooting 71 percent from the floor and 70 percent from behind the arc. “It’s a good way to start off the year. We are ready to make a statement in the G-MAC,” he said. “It is nice to be honored, but at the same time this weekend was more about the team.” During each of the first two games, four of the starters, Lowry, Badowski, junior guard Nate Neveau, and junior forward Nick Czarnowski all finished with double-digits in scoring. Little scoring came from the bench, however, in the first two games of the season, save for a five-point burst by redshirt freshman guard Davis Larson against Southern Indiana. “We definitely have guys off

Back. He completed 60 percent of his passes this season for 2,695 yards, threw 16 touchdowns, and rushed for six more. Stewart was the only non-senior captain on the 2017 team. “With three years of experience as the Chargers’ starting quarterback, Stewart said he feels in control of and comfortable with the offense. “Our type of system is pretty complex, so the best way to learn it is just getting reps in it,” Stewart said. “I feel like I’m at a point now where I have full control of the offense, I know what’s going on, and I’m just getting ready for my senior year now. I won’t have to worry about that as much, and can just go out there and play football.” Junior defensive back Wyatt Batdorff was named the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Back. Batdorff led the team in total tackles for a second consecutive season. His 87 tackles were fourthmost among defenders in the G-MAC. “It means a lot. I think everybody deserved it among the defensive backs,” Batdorff said of the award. “We all played a great season. I’m pretty honored to accept it. I’m just looking forward to the future, because now I’m one of the oldest defensive backs, so I’m just moving my role from one of the normal guys to being a leader and a captain. That’s my new goal now.” Sophomore linebacker Nate Jones was named the team’s Most Outstanding Linebacker. Jones was a regular recipient of the team’s weekly Big Stick award, given to a defensive player who applies a big hit in a game. Head coach Keith Otterbein said he was impressed with Jones’ development in his first season as a starter. Jones’ 55 tackles were third-most on the team this year. Two senior defensive linemen were recognized with awards. Defensive tackle Matt Hall won the Howard “Champ” Messenger Award. His counterpart, Jordon Harlamert, was named the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman. Hall and Harlamert were stalwarts in the trenches for Hillsdale all season. Redshirt freshman defensive back Alex Anschutz won the One Play Warrior Award. The One Play Warrior is a special teams award the coaches give throughout the season. For every play on special teams, each player is graded positively or negatively based on their execution of their assignment for that play. Once a player accumulates 50 positive points over the course of the season, they are recognized as a One Play Warrior. Anschutz tallied the greatest number of points on special teams over the course of the year, so he was recognized as the team’s One Play Warrior for the entire year.

Anschutz made 41 tackles this season, many of them on special teams. Senior wide receiver Timmy Mills won the Every Player Every Play Award, an award that is given after every game. Mills was recognized as the E.P.E.P for the entire season. “The E.P.E.P goes to kind of an unsung hero guy, maybe he contributes on offense and special teams, just a grinder, maybe it’s a guy that steps in for an injured guy,” Otterbein said. “It’s a selfless, team-oriented kind of deal, a guy that’s really doing his job at a very high level, being very dependable.” Mills finished the season with 36 receptions and 433 yards, second to Brock in both categories. He also handled kick return, punt return, and holding duties on special teams. “I really wasn’t expecting to get it, so when I got it, I was really happy, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment that I did my job here,” Mills said. “The coaches are seeing that, and they’re giving me the respect that I may or may not deserve, and I’m just very thankful for them awarding me that.” With a number of influential seniors on the team this year, many players commented on the closeness and chemistry of the team, as well as the culture the seniors created in the locker room and on the field. “It was great being able to learn from Danny, Jake, Matt, [senior linebacker] Scott Penola, those seniors,” Stewart said. “Just being able to take a step back at times and learning how they handle situations, their leadership type, and how they go about their day-to-day business.” Otterbein said the bond among the players was something he noticed throughout the year. “This team became very close,” Otterbein said. “They bonded, they fought through the adversity of the couple bumps we had in the road mid-season. They recommitted themselves to each other and showed up.” Although they didn’t meet their goal of winning the conference and advancing to the playoffs, Otterbein and the team shared positive sentiments about their first season in the G-MAC. “It was fun coming to work every day. This was really a fun, good group to coach,” Otterbein said. “Their energy was always there, they were upbeat, they were positive. When they did get knocked down, they re-engaged, they didn’t pout or feel sorry for themselves. They just went about the process of preparing for the next opponent, and that is a big compliment to the leadership of the senior group.”

the bench who can score and will score but they just didn’t happen to be scoring that weekend,” Lowry said. But when Urbana University came to play at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena on Tuesday night for the first home game of the season, a 30-point halftime lead let Tharp empty his bench, allowing the second unit to score 52 of the team’s 87 points. Sophomore guard Mike Travlos scored 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting with three three-pointers. Junior guard Harrison Niego added 8 points and sophomore forward Noah Kalthoff had 7 points. Hillsdale frustrated the Blue Knights with their defense, forcing 22 turnovers, which the Chargers converted into 29 points. This season, they have averaged nearly 10 steals per game. “We are trying to make defense our DNA for this program,” Badowski said. “We have done well turning teams over and locking down in big time situations.” Lowry and Tharp both said that stout defensive play has been the key to success for the Chargers early in the season. “We really need to be help-oriented. All five guys need to be in the gaps helping

each other,” Tharp said. “We are denying certain parts of the floor. The thing we did best though was that each guy won his one on one matchup.” The Chargers are also shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc, which Lowry said helps to open the floor and create opportunities. “When guys like me or Ryan are hitting threes, defenders have to help less or they have to fly out to the perimeter and that allows us to drive,” Lowry said. “Then we can throw it to Czar who one on one can score pretty easily in the post. It gets our defense going too.” With the season underway, the team is excited to play at home in front of Charger fans. “I hope people come out and cheer. All I know is when our student body is there and they are loud, it sure helps us.,” Tharp said. The Chargers play next on Thursday night at 6 p.m. against Ferris State University, an old GLIAC foe. Next week, the Chargers will host the Hillsdale Lanes Thanksgiving Classic and play against Lewis University on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Purdue Northwest University on Nov. 22 at 4 p.m.

Charger Charger Chatter Senior Stedman Lowry talks about his struggling in his first rec league, the brotherhood of the men’s basketball team, and shares a little-known fact about Coach Tharp. A8

NOV. 16, 2017

Bodies by Giff Meet Hillsdale College Strength and Conditioning Coach Pat Gifford, who joined the athletic program two years. A9

G-MAC Volleyball The Chargers will host the 2017 G-MAC Conference Voleyball Tournament this weekend. A full schedule is within. A8

CHARGERS THRASH LAKE ERIE IN SEASON FINALE By | S. Nathaniel Grime Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale College Chargers finished their 125th season of football with a resounding 54-0 whitewash on the road against Lake Erie College on Saturday. The shutout was the Chargers’ third of the year. Hillsdale finishes its season with four consecutive victories and a 7-4 record, its best mark since 2012. The Chargers went 5-2 in the G-MAC and finished third in the conference. Their conference losses were against Ohio Dominican University and the University of Findlay, the top two teams in the G-MAC. “We had a goal to win the conference, so we fell short of that,” head coach Keith Otterbein said. “But we were close to that, so there’s positive feelings about the season. You’d certainly like to have a shot at Ohio Dominican and Findlay with the team we had ready on Saturday against Lake Erie.” Hillsdale once again got off to a hot start on both sides of the ball, with the offense scoring on its opening drive for a fourth consecutive week. The defense forced five three-andouts to begin the game before finally allowing a first down late in the second quarter. “We speak a lot about getting to game speed right away,” Otterbein said. “There is certainly a different tempo from a practice to the intensity of a game-day football game. That speaks to our team believing in that, taking that to heart, accepting it, and doing a good job of executing at a high level right out of the gate.” Sophomore running back David Graham enjoyed a career day, scoring five total touchdowns. He carried the ball 13 times for 167 yards and touchdown rushes of 12, 23, 60, and 11 yards. He also caught one pass for a 53-yard touchdown. “Getting through the line is the first part,” Graham said

Sophomore David Graham (23) ran for four touchdowns and caught one more in Saturday’s vistory. Jordyn Pair | Collegian

of the long touchdown scores. “Our linemen did a fantastic job Saturday. The second part is just reading the defense and how you’ve got to weave through them. It was a lot of instinct. Our receivers blocked well down field too.” Last season, Graham saw minimal action on the field in his true freshman season. This year, he was thrust into the starting role at running back. Graham finished the year with a conference-best 18 rushing touchdowns. He also surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for rushing yards on Saturday, finishing with 1,050 total yards in 2017. “I think I became more calm in clutch moments,” Graham said of the leap from his freshman to sophomore season. “I worked on my open-field moves a little more. Hopefully I can go into the offseason working on that a little bit too, to add that to my game. Just little things, like lowering your shoulder if you’re going to get tackled. I started thinking about the little things more throughout the year.” Junior quarterback Chance Stewart completed 14 of 19 passes for 146 yards and an interception. Sophomore quarterback Steven Ficyk relieved Stewart midway

through the third quarter and completed 5 of 6 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, the first to Graham and the second to freshman wide receiver Konnor Maloney. The 67-yard touchdown reception was the second of the season for Maloney. Hillsdale’s top-ranked rush defense held the Storm to just 89 total yards of offense. The Chargers were especially stingy in the running game, allowing just 16 yards on 29 rushing attempts. “All they really do is run the ball,” sophomore linebacker Dan Shanley said. “That’s their main focus on offense. We really stressed that a lot this week. Our main priority was definitely stopping the run. We had a little bit of a chip on our shoulder because we knew where we were ranked in the conference, so we wanted to keep that and wanted to pitch another shutout. It was definitely a good way to end.” Shanley led the defense with nine total tackles, and the unit as a whole collected a season-high 16 tackles for loss. “A big part of that was our defensive line really owned the line of scrimmage,” Shanley said. “When our D-line can do that, you kind of have

a field day like we did. There was really nowhere for their running backs to go other than down.” Hillsdale finished the season best in the conference in rushing yards allowed per game and per carry, as well as total touchdowns allowed. The Chargers surrendered just 10 touchdowns in 11 games. “We know a lot of teams in the conference have really strong offenses, and particularly, rushing offenses,” Shanley said. “That was definitely a point of emphasis for us, because when you stop the run it’s harder for teams to pass the ball. We changed our scheme up a little bit in the spring, and I think that definitely showed how effective that was in the fall.” Redshirt freshman kicker Joe Philipp made both of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 48-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Philipp’s efforts earned him the G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Week award. “I was excited about that,” Philipp said. “It’s an individual award, but I couldn’t have done it without all my teammates — the whole line, my snapper and holder, they’ve been great the whole year. I really enjoyed playing

with them.” Philipp finishes the season with a conference-best 11 field goals, three more than the next most among G-MAC kickers. His 48-yard boot on Saturday was one yard shy of the conference record. “I thought I improved a lot on field goals and extra points this year, just with ball contact and accuracy,” Philipp said. “I fixed a couple of things at the beginning of the year. I was a little off at the beginning of the year, and I felt really comfortable by the end of the year with those.” In mid-October, the Chargers’ record stood at 3-4 after consecutive losses to Ohio

Dominican and Findlay. The players rallied behind Otterbein’s call to finish 7-4 for the seniors, and the team delivered, outscoring its opponents 174-38 in its final four victories. “Starting the season, we weren’t playing with a whole lot of confidence,” senior offensive lineman Danny Drummond said. “We knew what our goals were and what our expectations were, and that we had a lot of potential as a team. We didn’t really realize that potential until later in the season. By the end of the season, that’s when we started playing our best football. Hopefully for them going forward next year, they can have that confidence from the get-go and realize the potential of their team right off the bat.” Drummond is one of four senior captains graduating, along with offensive lineman Jake Bull, defensive lineman Matt Hall, and linebacker Scotty Penola. Otterbein said while the leadership and influence of the seniors on and off the field is invaluable, he’s already looking forward to next season. “There’s a lot of talent in this freshman class,” Otterbein said. “It’s tough to lose those seniors, but let’s get to spring ball and see what these freshmen can do.”

Sophomore Joe Philipp received G-MAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after Saturday’s win. Jordyn Pair | Collegian

Men’s basketball wins three, as Swim splits Tharp breaks all-time record dual meet By | Mark Naida Assistant Editor When head coach John Tharp got back to the bus after a 74-63 win over the University of Illinois-Springfield, his phone kept buzzing with congratulatory texts for be-

coming the winningest coach in Hillsdale College basketball history. With the victory, Tharp earned his 173rd victory as head coach of the Chargers, surpassing the previous record held by Ron Halstead. “It was a little sentimental

for me to be honest, not about the wins or the records, but you start reflecting on the people that you have been blessed to be around for the last 10-plus years,” he said. And after two quality wins over Southern Indiana University, a legendary Division

Head coach John Tharp set the record for wins by a Hillsdale men’s basketball coach this past week with a 74-63 victory over the University of Illinois-Springfield. MaryKate Drews | Courtesy

II basketball program, and the University of Illinois-Springfield, an athletically gifted team, the Chargers had something to celebrate. But Tharp spent the bus ride thinking. “Rarely do you have a chance to reflect like that during the year,” Tharp said. “It was a long bus trip home.” The Chargers have raced out to a 3-0 record after an exhibition loss to the Michigan State University. After that loss, the team practiced for a whole week. Senior guard Stedman Lowry, after a tough game against the Spartans, said he was ready to get back playing. “It sucks having a week after playing a bad game and then having to let it stew inside before you get a chance to play again, but luckily we were able to turn around and get two big wins,” he said. The team participated in the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover Classic at Malone University in Canton, Ohio. Lowry came out shooting against the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles. He led all scorers in the first official game of his senior season with 22 points on 7 of 15 from the field. The next night Ryan Badowski, the other senior guard, took his turn as the leading

See MBB A9

By | Katherine Scheu Associate Editor Despite end-of-the-semester fatigue and no opportunity to warm up or warm down, the swim team conquered Lewis University 179-83 Saturday at the University of Findlay, though it suffered a 175-87 loss to the hosting team. As the Chargers sized up Findlay’s competition in anticipation of the February G-MAC championships, the swimmers placed first, second, or third 15 times in total. “Findlay is definitely a tough competitor, and they certainly had the advantage this past weekend, but if we keep working, I think we’ll be set up for a good competition in February,” freshman Katherine Heeres said. “Everyone’s tired, but we really targeted toughness this past meet and fighting through challenging events,” Kirner said in an email. Sophomore Danielle Lebleu and freshmen Hannah Wilkens and Heeres swam with the grit their coach encourages, according to Kirner. Lebleu won the 1000 freestyle in 10:53.63 with Wilkens just behind her in second place with 11:02.85. Wilkens pushed ahead for second in the 500 freestyle with 5:20.26

and Lebleu chased her for third place at 5:25.19. “With long swims like the 1000 and the 1650, I usually just try to get into a rhythm early on in the race, and hold onto that pace,” Lebleu said. “That usually makes it go by faster, especially if you have a song stuck in your head.” Kirner called Heeres’ performance in her first collegiate 200 backstroke “spectacular,” as she finished second by a tenth of a second at 2:09.87, only seconds behind her best time. “It’s a pretty great feeling to be only a couple of seconds away from a best time the first time you swim an event during the season, especially when you’re as tired as I was,” Heeres said. Heeres also placed second in the 200 free at 1:59.95 and in the 200 IM at 2:16.11. The team’s juniors brought strong competition to the meet as a group. Junior Anika Ellingson came in second on both the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.32 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:26.48. Junior Grace Houghton’s 2:14.54 200 butterfly took second place and junior Suzanne DeTar finished third in the 100 freestyle at 54.94 and the 50 freestyle at 25.15.

See Swim A8

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B1 Nov. 16, 2017

Junior Judy Moreno and senior Nikolai Dignoti rehearse for Tower Players’ production of “Proof.” Elena Creed | Courtesy

Graphic by Katherine Scheu

‘Proof,’ with four-person cast, scalds the heart awake By | Mark Naida Assistant Editor When Michael Beyer first saw “Proof,” he was working as an usher at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre during grad school in 2002. Months before, the play had received three Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “I thought it was refreshing. As far as new theater went it was energetically written,” Beyer said. And ever since he began teaching in 2005, he has taught the play to his students. Now, he gets to put it on the Markel Auditorium stage. The Tower Players will perform “Proof ” at 8 p.m. from Wednesday through Saturday with an additional Saturday matinee performance at 2 p.m. The play, which uses only four characters, centers on Catherine, played by junior

Judy Moreno, and her late father Robert, played by senior Nikolai Dignoti, and how genius has affected their family. Despite having revolutionized the field of mathematics by the age of 23, Robert lost his mind in his later years. Catherine, delaying her own studies in college, has had to stay at home and care for him. The scenes flash back in time to when Robert was still alive, complementing the chronological narrative in which Catherine’s sister Claire, played by junior Jessica MacFarlane, comes to suburban Chicago from New York to deal with the death of her father. Meanwhile, Hal, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, played by junior Dylan Strehle, leafs through piles of notebooks searching for hints of mathematical genius. When he does find a notebook that contains a sa-

vant-level mathematical proof, the plot pulses dramatically toward its bittersweet conclusion. Everything about the play is tight and controlled: careful scene progressions, smooth emotional waves, and a small cast. The four actors, who underwent a grueling four-anda-half week rehearsal process, look like a small family as Beyer, who serves as both director and lighting designer of the production, gives them pre-show notes around the small table on the stage. “With such a small cast, consistently we have reworked stuff and changed blocking to see how it feels. I think we made a better product in the end,” Strehle said. Although the play became famous for its subject matter, Beyer thinks that deeper themes lie behind the mathematical intrigue. “The easy answer is to

say ‘Oh, it’s about math and insanity and genius,’” he said. “But more so it is about how people who care about each other and are faced with hard decisions deal with it. Family responsibility. Putting things on hold because you have to.” And the focus of that familial responsibility is Robert, Dignoti’s role, which serves as his senior project for the theater major. Dignoti, already an accomplished actor, dove deeper into source material and read extensively about John Nash, the mathematician who revolutionized game theory and who is the focus of the film “A Beautiful Mind.” “Nash was very demented. He had schizophrenia, I believe. He was very young at the time. He had this moment where he thought he could do math again but was checked by his family and was actually just writing gibberish,” Dignoti said.

This intense research into his character helped Dignoti play the role of Robert realistically. His monologue at the open of the second act in which he reflects on life at the University of Chicago pulls attention toward Robert’s interior world and later, when he becomes unwell, Dignoti, bent and shivering in the winter cold, fills notebooks full of nonsensical proofs. Dignoti’s ability to open up his character to the audience and then sever all connection is masterful. Catherine, though, is the principal character of the play. After she put her life on hold for five years, the death of her father allows her to see new horizons. “She is complex and layered,” Moreno said. “She expresses herself passionately whether it is in her sadness or her anger or even her joy. It is very cathartic for me to be

able to express that, because I don’t express a lot.” Moreno displays Catherine’s interior conflict with mood shifts that react against force: her sister’s pleas to move to New York, Hal’s attempts to insert himself into her family, her father’s insistence that she not waste her talent for mathematics. Moreno explores static and kinetic motion, adding an unwritten element that opens up the play. Catherine expresses that she wants desperately to stay in her home and Moreno roots herself to her chair on the porch for much of the first act. Beyer also used the music of feminist singer Ani DeFranco, who struggles openly against authority, and other female singers of the 2000s between scenes to set a defiant tone and to immerse the audience in the aesthetic of the

See Proof B2

Alumna adds pop to band Ellen Hogan ’16 expands Nashville-based group

Students perform in “Pirates of Penzance.” Elena Creed | Courtesy

In Opera Workshop, ‘Pirates of Penzance’ radiates with energy By | Katherine Scheu Associate Editor More than 600 people crammed into McNamara Rehearsal Hall Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to watch Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.” Never in my four years here have I seen so many attend Opera Workshop’s annual performance. I would know — I was always performing. The show attracted audiences in mass, because it’s a classic, but the audience’s uproarious laughter and undistracted attention didn’t hinge on nostalgia. The 23-person cast radiated with energy, and it sang and danced with seemingly effortless precision. The operetta is wild. As a young pirate goes googly eyed for the daughter of a general, stars cross and hilarity ensues. The general’s nine other daughters squeal as their impassioned Mabel, freshman Julia Salloum, falls for freebooter Frederic, junior Miles Garn. The speed-singing Major General, sophomore Nick Uram, boasts of his gift for strategy in a near-rap. And the Pirate King, sophomore Isaac Johnson, spearheads a

deafening sneak attack (“No sound at all,” the crew belted. “We never speak a word!”). “It’s such a fun show to see — it works in so many different elements,” Director Jonathan Henreckson, a senior, told me before “Pirates” opened Friday night. “It has the humor. It has some sadness, some dancing, some recitatives.” Jonathan didn’t mention the show would double as an ab workout. I started laughing as soon as the pirates took the stage in the first scene, and I rarely quieted to even a chuckle until the performers bent in a final bow. The cast enriched the show as each actor, even those in the chorus, brought a well-developed character to the stage and every song, every scene coursed with a continuous, tangible energy. The Major General and the Pirate King had me doubled over in painful laughter with their feature numbers. Decked out in military garb, Nick adapted some sort of accent with a speech impediment that reminded me of Dick Van Dyke’s elder Mr. Dawes in “Mary Poppins.” Remember “Fidelity Fiduciary Bank”?

Nick must. Even better, he could actually translate this affectation to his singing voice — an notable feat for a young singer. As Isaac swaggered across the stage, I couldn’t stop thinking about King George of “Hamilton.” The two kings exuded haughtiness and mischief, but where Jonathan Groff, of “Hamilton’s” original Broadway cast, opted for subtlety, Isaac sprung for exaggeration. It worked, especially in Isaac’s physical portrayal of the brash leader. “A lot of the energy I tried to put into the performance was more athletic, and I tried not to take the role too seriously,” Isaac told me after the show closed. The Pirate King moved with the grace of a dancer (fittingly, since Isaac does dance) and the stateliness of royalty, but his agility enabled him to bumble and stumble like a drunken sailor. Miles based much of Frederic on Isaac’s example in rehearsal, he explained to me afterward. Springboarding off Isaac’s natural exuberance, he created the youthful, charming Frederic. The audience

See Pirates B2

By | Anna Timmis Assistant Editor As a student, Ellen Hogan ’16 could be expected to perform in most campus musical events. From both chamber and school choirs to Phi Mu Alpha’s Battle of the Bands and Coffee House, Hogan established her broad musical ability. Now Hogan brings this versatility to Nashville-based band Sunset East as its frontman and newest member. When Hogan auditioned, drummer Harrison Doyle and bassist Kyle Robert were reviving their band. But they didn’t have a singer or a guitar player. They sent out a notice for auditions, but nobody lived up to expectations. “Except for Ellen,” Doyle said. “Ellen was actually one of the few that I was able to find, and she was absolutely phenomenal. We were so happy with the way that she sounded. Right after the first audition we were like, ‘I think that’s the one.’” Robert and Doyle had cultivated a style with rock and Southern influences, Robert having played with The Band Perry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Chase Rice. Hogan, howev-

er, loves pop — especially Ed Sheeran. With the three working together, their style is a mix of country, pop, Tom Petty, The Eagles, and “a big blend of everything,” Hogan said. With Hogan’s stylistic influence, Robert said the band now appeals to a broader audience. The band adjusts its style depending on the audience, bringing out the country influence for some crowds, while adding a pop twist to country songs for others. Each member brings a different skill to songwriting, creating a strong team and playing to their strengths, Robert said. “We all write together, which we balance out really well,” Hogan said. Robert writes lyrics, Harrison works with the chord structures, and Hogan creates a skillful melody line. “Ellen’s influence in pop has really vocally and melodically taken us into that commercial direction where we’re able to utilize the harmonies of The Eagles, use the jam sessions of Dave Matthews, and still have a pop feel that’s viable to almost any demo-

graphic,” Robert said. While Doyle did not have much previous interest in pop style, he said it was a welcome change. “Just the way that the style blended into what we already had, it just worked so well,” he said. A music major at Hillsdale, Hogan said she did not expect her classical training to help her as much as it has. She also gives input to her bandmates, helping with tonal quality and harmonizing. As a member of the student band The Biting Goats at Hillsdale, she said she learned to manage a band, applying her business classes to organization and logistics. “Everyone in the band is professional in a great way,” Robert said. “And every decision is made with everyone in mind and together, which is what I’ve always envisioned.” Senior Jacob Hann, a member of Phi Mu Alpha and friend of Hogan said when visiting her in Nashville, he could see her love for its energetic music scene. “I know she’s very passionate about it,” Hann said “She’s doing what she ultimately wanted to do.”

Kyle Robert, Ellen Hogan ‘16, and Harrison Doyle make up the band Sunset East. Facebook

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(Above) The Student Activities Board poses for a photo. 1997 Winona Yearbook

(Right) A student stands poolside at a swimming event. 1976 Winona Yearbook

Proof

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millennial turn. Hal and Claire push the plot and foil Catherine. Strehle plays Hal with the quirky mannerisms and chipped shoulder of a mathematics Ph.D. past his prime. His clear acting helps ground the play and allows Catherine’s tensions to shine through all the more. MacFarlane squares her jaw and plays the hard-partying yet professional Claire with the brutality and dismissiveness that only an older

sister could wield. “Proof ” presents life as a binary code of action. Robert is crazy, or he is not. Catherine is a genius, or she is not. She will leave the house in the Chicago suburbs, or she will not. The play is either about a mathematical proof, or the title suggests that the characters are looking for proof: of identity, of stability, of love. This week, the Tower Players, through a masterfully written play, offer nothing less than a reality that scalds the heart awake.

‘Reputation’ is the sound of 2017 By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief When I first listened to Taylor Swift’s new album, I didn’t recognize the sound. This was a new Taylor Swift. “Reputation,” Swift’s sixth studio album, is dark, despite its pop genre. Swift is moody, angsty, and sensual from beginning to end in an album that feels like one complete masterpiece. While she sings of her adoration for her current boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, and she takes digs at her personal feuds with rapper Kanye West, singer Katy Perry, and her ex-lovers, the songs convey a universal mood. It sounds like 2017. The numbers show it. On Friday’s release date, “Reputation” sold more than 700,000 copies in the United States alone, according to Billboard, collecting the largest sales week in 2017 in its first day even before becoming available on streaming services. It’s been three years since the 27-year-old singer-songwriter released a new album, breaking a trend of releasing new music every other year. If Swift had followed her previous pattern, “Reputation” would have told an entirely different story. But the album’s storytelling is one thing Swifties since her sundress-and-cowboy-boots days will recognize, as she moves from feelings of anger and frustration to finding peace with the “death of her reputation,” all while conveying it with a stuck-in-yourhead chorus song after song. In the midst of today’s political polarization and Hollywood scandals, a few lyrics convey the confusion in conflicts playing out on social media and in the news: “They’re burning all the witches / Even if you aren’t one / They got their pitchforks and proof / Their receipts and reasons.” The album’s lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” and its music video attack her enemies as well as the media for their limited portrayal of her. Meanwhile, conservatives and liberals alike criticize their bias. The lyrics convey that skepticism and never-ending news cycle heaviness: “The world moves on / Another day another

drama, drama / … / I don’t trust nobody / And nobody trusts me.” Other songs refer to how “my drug is my baby,” getaway cars, and “dancing with our hands tied,” continuing a dark mood and sense of powerlessness throughout the disc. These metaphors parallel the current culture’s elements of escapism and the suffocating restraint on free speech that comes with political correctness. Swift’s lyrics obviously appeal to feminism, though, a reminder of the women’s marches and #MeToo campaign: “I want to wear his initial / On a chain round my neck / Chain round my neck / Not because he owns me / But ’cause he really knows me,” Swift sings in “Call It What You Want.” The album’s narrative does shift toward the end, however. Swift draws focus to a redemptive love story. Although “Dress” is probably the most sexual song on the album, lines like these remind fans of the Taylor Swift they know and love: “Even in my worst times / You could see the best of me / Flashback to my mistakes / My rebounds, my earthquakes / Even in my worst lies / You saw the truth in me.” In the last three songs, Swift shows maturity in regards to her thoughts on the events she discusses earlier in her album. In “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” she seems to be leaving behind the drama to prioritize her family, boyfriend, and “real friends.” In the final track, “New Year’s Day,” which is unfortunately Swift’s lone ballad on the album, she finds a brightness in the little things in a new era: “But I stay when it’s hard / or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes / I want your midnights / But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you / On New Year’s Day.” That’s something we can — and should — take from what Swift has written. Even though 2017 has come with tragedies and devastation, it is precisely those reasons that should help us to recognize that who we are — our reputations — come from the things we treasure the most.

B2 Nov. 16, 2017

Hillsdale fashion: Sometimes preppy, always one of a kind By | Allison Schuster Collegian Freelancer Some trends — such as plush winter coats, blue jeans, polos, and button-down shirts — never go out of style. A photo from the 1997 Winona yearbook shows the Student Activities Board posing for a picture on the Quad in jeans and T-shirts like students wear today. But while certain styles have stood the test of time, others have faded fast. Since its founding in 1844, Hillsdale College has seen its share of fashion trends as well as faux pas. In the 1970s, classic blue jeans evolved into bell-bottoms, like those on a student (right) standing poolside at an intramural swimming

event. Students walking around Hillsdale in the late ’80s wore stirrup pants, similar to modern-day joggers but with straps to wrap around the feet. In the ’80s, Hillsdale women wore gym shoes with oversized anything (sweatshirts, shorts, hair). The men, however, opted for a preppy style: Polos, khakis, and boat shoes seem like a required uniform based on the 1987 yearbook. That’s one style that doesn’t seem to have lost its popularity over the years, though some eras sell more boat shoes than others. “Students are a bit more preppy these days than in my time,” said Matthew Gaetano ’05, assistant professor of history. But there have always

been students who dress nicely to their classes, according to Assistant Director of the Dow Journalism Program Maria Servold ’10. “There was this one guy who always wore a suit and top hat,” Servold said. “Yes, a top hat.” Hillsdale women dress well, too. Every Monday, students in sororities wear pin attire, often in heels and dresses, for class. “I think if students from any other university were to walk into Hillsdale’s campus on a Monday morning, they would be shocked,” sophomore Erin Johnston said. “A lot of students at Hillsdale want to present themselves well, even just by looking nice when going to class, which I think speaks a lot about our student body.”

Kendrick should win the AMAs By | Joshua J. Paladino Opinions Editor Rappers don’t often move thematically beyond money, reputation, and women. But Kendrick Lamar does more than rap. He even called himself a writer, rather than a rapper, during an interview on the Colbert Report because his music “is more storytelling than rhyming words together.” He paints pictures in the listener’s mind. He tells the stories of life in Compton, a city near Los Angeles where he was born. He struggles with the belief that human nature — “wickedness and weakness” — causes chaos and suffering. And he faces God’s seeming passivity to human suffering — or even worse, his active role in it. For the contemplative, philosophical experience that Lamar’s 2017 album “DAMN.” provides listeners, he deserves to be the American Music Awards artist of the year on Sunday. The other nominees for artist of the year — The Chainsmokers, Drake, Bruno Mars, and Ed Sheeran — make fine music, but they don’t offer the storytelling that enhances our moral and spiritual dialogue. Lamar begins the album with the song “Blood” and presents the choice God offers: Admit weakness and submit to God’s will, or live

in wickedness and maintain pride. In the song, Lamar sees that a blind woman dropped something and can’t find it. His wicked side hesitates to do the right thing and help her. Yet when Lamar chooses the right thing by offering his assistance, she murders him, showing the frailty of human existence. More concretely, the allegory reveals a disturbing truth about his community: Kindness, which is often perceived as weakness, gets you killed. In “Pride,” he says it outright: “Love’s gonna get you killed.” But if people can’t safely choose good over evil, what do we do? He offers a solution in the next line: “But pride’s gonna be the death of you and me.” The perceived weakness of love, kindness, and goodness does not threaten humanity as much as pride. The album tells a story forward and backward. Played start to finish, it ends in hope. Played backward, it ends with anger, fear, and unresolved questions. It’s two albums in one, allowing listeners to decide the answer to the first question Lamar asks in “Blood”: “Is it wickedness? Is it weakness? You decide, are we gonna live or die?” Listen forward, and you’ll answer that human kindness and God’s grace will overcome. Listen backward, and

you’ll answer that wickedness and weakness will undermine humanity. In “DNA,” the second track on the album, Lamar presents his conception of humanity’s depravity (“I got dark, I got evil that rot inside my DNA”) and the inability to escape it (“I was born like this, since one like this”). It’s a tragedy that people can better themselves only to an extent — and Lamar reflects this in the song’s intense, angry vocals. In “Duckworth,” the album’s final track, Lamar concludes with a mixture of kindness and cosmic irony. He tells a story about an encounter between two men involved with rival gangs: his father, Kenny “Ducky” Duckworth, and his producer Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment. Top Dawg lived in Compton near Ducky, who worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Top Dawg wanted to rob the fast-food joint, which would likely require him to kill Ducky. Ducky knew Top Dawg’s history, but he decided to show him kindness instead of animosity — “Free chicken every time Anthony posted in line, / two extra biscuits, Anthony liked him and then let him slide.” Rather than allowing the situation to end in violence, the two moved past their gang-related differences. Lamar says their decision

to quell conflict, rather than escalate it, is rare in Compton. And it saved his life, in a sense. If the tension had risen to violence, Lamar wouldn’t have the father who raised him or the record label that allows him to share his poetry with the world. “Whoever thought the greatest rapper / would be from coincidence? / Because if Anthony killed Ducky, / Top Dawg could be servin’ life / While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight.” Lamar allows the listener to decide whether chance or kindness prevailed 30 years ago in that KFC. Either way, Lamar is here today, sharing his wisdom through stories — and he accompanies the stories with the best collaborations and the most diverse vocals that contemporary hiphop has to offer. Like many listeners, Lamar hasn’t answered the questions about suffering and God, either. In fact, he’s still questioning God’s justice. If listeners reverse lyrics on “Fear,” they’ll hear Lamar sing: “Every stone thrown at you resting at my feet. Why God, why God do I gotta suffer?” I’m praying for you, Kendrick. That you win Artist of the Year, that your story will be heard and change will arise because of it, and that you’ll find peace with your unanswerable questions.

Sophomore Isaac Johnson, junior Miles Garn, and freshman Sarah Nolting perform in “Pirates of Penzance.” Elena Creed | Courtesy

Pirates from B1

accidentally stumbled upon the Major General’s daughters stripping (off their shoes and stockings) and taking (their toes for) a dip in the sea. Miles’ best moment in the show was with Ruth, freshman Sarah Nolting. Miles and Sarah sing with similar timbres, so their duet blended with a perfection I don’t often hear men and women achieve, especially in college. None of the leads stole the show, which tells me no one’s talent exceeded another’s by any startling measure. But I really want to know what the coming semesters hold for Julia, who sang opposite Miles for most of the show. As she lofted her voice into the stratosphere, her high notes always sparkled and never stung. She gently serenaded Frederic as she gazed at him

with the widest, softest puppydog eyes. And she hadn’t taken a single voice lesson before she started singing with voice professor Missy Osmond this semester. “This show was just a completely new experience that helped me grow as a performer and a singer,” Julia said. “Vocally, I’ve learned a lot more about breath support and some more techniques because singing operatically is a whole different playing field than singing jazz or typical musical theater.” With this much star talent so evident from the beginning of the show, I wondered if the chorus would lack flair. I shouldn’t have worried. The pirates stomped around in their boots and flexed their muscles as the

sisters pranced in floor-length skirts and giggled in belllike peals of girlish laughter. When Frederic crooned to the sisters, freshman Abbey Bohrer swooned so convincingly that I was ready to dash forward and catch her if she actually keeled over. The towering Sergeant of Police and his short stooges marched like the world’s most clumsy, goose-stepping robots. Most importantly, the chorus produced a warm and supported sound that allowed the audience to understand the lyrics that often flew by at prestissimo. Save a few messy cutoffs, their work was clean and crisp. The cast could never have showcased any of this talent without tremendous energy. They unashamedly enjoyed themselves (especially in the

more ridiculous moments), and I honestly don’t know how they maintained character through every joke. The pauses for audience response must have agonized them. Here’s my only critique: I wanted to see this show in the Markel Auditorium. I wanted to see Isaac swing from the masts of a colossal ship as his crew crawled drunkenly out of the bellows. I wanted to see the sisters dance in ornate costumes. But a performance as such is not the point of Opera Workshop. Opera Workshop allows singers and audiences to interact with opera. With a production of this caliber, I’d say we all walked away from the show happier, lighter, and maybe even a little more learned.

B3 Nov. 16, 2017

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Science & Tech

Multiple choice versus matching: Research tests ability to recall info

(From left to right) Seniors Mary Blendermann, Giannina Imperial, and Colby Clark presented their research findings on different exam question formats at a meeting of the Psychonomic Society. Jeri Little | Courtesy

By | Madeline Fry Culture Editor College students may not enjoy taking tests, but according to a study three Hillsdale College students presented last weekend, test-taking may be what helps them learn. On Friday, seniors Mary Blendermann, Colby Clark, and Giannina Imperial

presented their research in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Psychonomic Society, the top international conference for cognitive psychology. Over the summer, the students conducted research with Jeri Little, who taught at Hillsdale for three years and began this fall as an assistant professor of psychology at

California State University. They compared multiple-choice and matching questions to see which produced a better result. To their knowledge, no one else had studied how matching tests promoted learning retention before. “Our results showed that matching questions are an

efficient way to promote test-induced learning, and such learning gains may be greater than multiple-choice or cued-recall questions,” Little said. Their results showed that each type of question aids the learning process, but matching questions can do a better job than multiple-choice questions, because the test-taker must analyze each option, rather than just choosing the one correct answer and moving on. Blendermann and Little also discovered that “none of the above” answers helped the learning process only when the answer was an incorrect option. “The biggest takeaway from research on test-taking is that it’s a good learning tool,” Clark said. “If you had the choice between just re-reading text or quizzing yourself with actual multiple choice questions, always do the test because even if it seems more difficult and it’s more laborious, you’re going to learn the material in much more depth, and it will ultimately be more efficient.”

Campus reacts to new iPhone X features By | Abigail Liebing Collegian Reporter A bigger screen, a better camera, no home button, and a new facial recognition feature are exciting the Hillsdale College community about the new iPhone X, which went on sale on Nov. 3. Although few people on campus have upgraded to the iPhone X, many have heard about its design and new features. Junior Zane Miller, who bought the iPhone X, said he adjusted quickly to the iPhone’s changes such as Face ID, which can unlock the device by recognizing the user’s face, and the lack of a home button. “After day one, I was already used to swiping instead of tapping the home button to get everywhere, and I’ve been using iPhones since my dad got the iPhone 3GS in 2009,” Miller said. Some may still be skeptical of the new Face ID, but Miller said he finds it easy to use. “Face ID works super well,” Miller said. “It took about a

The Download ... Science in the news -Compiled by Madeleine Jepsen

day of use to get it to really learn my face, but now it almost always works.” He added that the passcode option alleviates any worry of getting locked out of the phone on the off chance that Face ID malfunctions. Since the phone uses infrared light to scan the user’s face, Miller said one drawback he has found is that the phone sometimes struggles to scan his face in direct sunlight. “Contrary to what you might think, it works best in the dark. The phone projects infrared light on your face and reads its reflection to create a scan, so it’s actually hardest to get it to work in direct sunlight when there is infrared light to potentially interfere,” Miller said. “I haven’t noticed more than once or twice when this has been an issue so far, and the last few days have been fairly sunny. At night, there’s nothing to interfere with the IR beams, so it works perfectly then.” According to Apple, the iPhone X houses some of the most sophisticated technology the company has developed, including the cameras and

A research group in the U.S. has attempted to edit the genome of a man with Hunter syndrome, a liver disease. This is the first attempt to put a corrected gene and gene-editing tools directly into a patient’s body rather than re-inserting cells with corrected genes back into the patient. The gene-editing tool the researchers used was zinc-finger nucleases, which allow the corrected gene to be inserted in with the cell’s other DNA. The inserted gene then allows the cell to produce an enzyme not present in those with Hunter syndrome.

idea of what we were doing and could appreciate it.” For the rest of the weekend, the students browsed other research posters and listened to lectures. “To anyone involved in research, whether in social or natural sciences, I highly recommend attending a research conference and presenting your work to other like-minded researchers,” Imperial said. “Not only is it a great résumé builder and a great way to get your name and research out there in the public for other scientists to see, but it’s a fantastic way to learn more about the different areas of study in your field, and it is just so much fun to go to conferences like this.” Clark said the findings of their own study haven’t made him more excited about taking tests in his classes, but it has taught him about their value. “It doesn’t mean it’s not a pain, but that’s indicative of the fact that it’s actually making you think through the process — and you really know if you know it,” Clark said.

Kitt Peak from A1

through the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves and control it from the Radio Telescope Remote Command Center in the Strosacker Science Building to collect data on gravitational waves. A much larger facility than Kitt Peak, Arecibo has had more challenges finding a private owner. “We’re hoping some last-minute funding might come through,” Scheithauer said. “At a college as small as Hillsdale, you wouldn’t think you would have access to these world-class instruments. I never thought I would be able to control one of the largest moveable objects on the planet.” Dolch said he does have hope that more resources will be devoted to exploring gravitational waves in the future. Every 10 years, the National Academy of Sciences conducts its Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey, which reviews where it allocates its resources and prioritizes where it will invest them for the next decade. Given the lack of progress on detecting gravitational waves in 2010, the foundation began moving away from supporting the endeavor. Since then, however, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory has detected gravitational waves, reviving interest in the research and renewing the hope of discovering new astrophysical phenomena in space. “Gravitational waves are a whole new way of seeing the sky,” Dolch said. “There are all kinds of physics that are opening up.”

Over fall break, however, senior Christos Giannakopoulos and Dolch stayed up two nights in a row and successfully photographed the heavens with the Mayall 4-Meter Telescope for Giannakopoulos’ senior thesis. He will review the images collected from 40 pulsars to find a bow-shock nebula, if possible, and identify an upper limit for the exposure time used to generate the images. “I was so lucky to be one of the last non-CalTech student to use it,” Giannakopoulos said. “I’m very grateful for that. I’ve been interested in astrophysics since I was young, and it stimulated my interest even more.” Dolch said it is disappointing to no longer have the opportunity to use Kitt Peak’s telescope, since its 4-meter diameter is an ideal size for observing the nebulae. While there are a few other similarly sized telescopes available, to which he has already submitted observing proposals, Dolch expressed concerns that the focus on building 10-meter or 30-meter telescopes limits resources Satellite to provide more accurate forecasts available to STEM students. “Building bigger and better telescopes doesn’t mean the The Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSSdiscovery potential of existing 1, launched early Wednesday morning. The telescopes is anywhere near satellite will provide data for the National over,” Dolch said. “There’s a Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as certain philosophy there that JPSS-1 passes over the equator 14 times a day, its orbit spanning the entire globe twice every I am not sure is sustainable day. According to NASA, the atmospheric, long-term.” temperature, and precipitation data collected Arecibo Observatory in by JPSS-1 will provide more accurate warnings Puerto Rico also is facing a for hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards and threat of divestment. Hillswill help assess hazards such as droughts and dale students access its radio wildfires. telescope about once a month

sensors for Face ID. Miller said this is the best camera he has ever seen on a smartphone and he loves this new upgrade from the camera on his iPhone 6S Plus. “The colors are super accurate, and the photos are a whole lot sharper,” Miller said. Assistant Professor of Philosophy Blake McAllister, who also has the new iPhone X, has only used it for a few days but said he finds it easy to navigate — even without a home button. “The home key is almost never missed,” McAllister said. “Navigation is fast and buttery smooth. For a superficial phone user like me, that’s basically just what I’m looking for.” He also is a fan of the bigger screen. “The screen is stunning,” McAllister said. “The edgeto-edge display provides a sleeker, more immersive experience. The screen is as big as the one on my 6 Plus, but the phone feels way slimmer.” McAllister, like Miller, said he finds the facial recognition accurate and pretty easy, but he said he still thinks that the

First gene edits attempted in human body

To investigate the types of test questions, the students created a research goal, combined multiple-choice questions from previous studies with their new questions, and adapted all the questions into matching format. They created an online survey for participants, contributed to coding and data analysis, and wrote the results in a research paper. Little, a fellow in the Psychonomic Society, has attended its conferences for more than 10 years and invited the students to come with her this year to present their research. On Friday evening, the students took turns over a couple of hours explaining a poster about their study to conference attendees, mostly graduate or postdoctoral researchers. The students heard encouragement and suggestions for further study as feedback. “People really seemed to care about it,” Clark said. “They had really intelligent feedback, and that’s just because of the nature of the conference. It’s a very specialized field, so everyone had a good

fingerprint unlock feature may be a little more convenient while adjusting to the new phone. “The execution is flawless — it recognizes me every time,” McAllister said. “The most annoying part is that you can’t easily see the content of your notifications or unlock the phone when it’s laying on the table beside you. You have to pick it up or awkwardly lean over the table. Touch ID may actually be a hair more convenient, but the edge-toedge display is likely worth the exchange.” Not everyone is a fan of the new phone’s upgrades. Although she doesn’t own the new phone, junior Hannah Socolofsky said the home button on previous iPhone models provided distinction for the design. “I think it looks too much like other brands of phones, like Samsung, that have the control panel at the bottom,” Socolofsky said. “Apple is usually focused on setting itself apart and so it frustrates me that it’s trying to assimilate.”

Features

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B4 Nov. 16, 2017

A philosopher’s retreat: Students press refresh at Notre Dame By | Jo Kroeker Features Editor Over the din of energetic theological and philosophical discussions among conference attendees clutching cups of coffee, the woman on the loudspeaker announced that it was time for prominent virtue ethicist Alasdair MacIntyre to speak. More than 30 students, six alumni, and Kathryn Wales, former program coordinator for the Center for Ethics and Culture, attended the University of Notre Dame’s 18th Center for Ethics and Culture Fall Conference, a three-day event that drew 750 people and more than 100 presenting scholars. As everyone filed in, some Hillsdale representatives found seats front and center, positioned their coffee and notebooks, and prepared for MacIntyre’s lecture, “From Grammar to Metaphysics, From Adjectives to Evil.” Entitled “Through Every Human Heart,” the conference grappled with the perennial problem of good and evil and how it is discussed and depicted in theology, philosophy, and even pop culture. For students like senior Stacey Egger, who has been attending the conference since her sophomore year, the event is an annual highlight. “A big part of it is going on the trip with Hillsdale students. It’s become a really cool tradition,” she said. “The first time that I went was the first time that I heard of Alasdair

MacIntyre and then that’s something that becomes a part of the conversation once you get back to campus.” Junior Natalie Taylor attended for the first time this year. She said at first it was hard to see how the disparate lectures connected, but she loved being able to see everything come together. “I was trying to think of how I could justify spending time at this conference because I have so many other things I should be doing, but even to be able to hear these lectures from the mouths of amazing thinkers that we’ve read,” she said. “There are so many levels, you have access to their words and all the things that come along with it.” Wales’ connection to the conference dates to 2009, when she coordinated the event — Notre Dame’s largest academic gathering — and she knows it inside and out. The conference connected her to Hillsdale students for the first time, and she would later give a talk to Hillsdale’s Catholic Society. If it weren’t for that talk, she said her husband, assistant professor of theology, religion, and philosophy Jordan Wales, would not have applied for his job at the college. “Ever since arriving in 2014, I’ve been telling people about it: It’s amazing, it’s so close, you can’t miss it,” Wales said. “People need to know. There are some important speakers at this thing who won’t be around much longer.” “I think this conference

should be worth a credit, if the CCAs are worth a credit,” Wales said, even volunteering to drive a shuttle (if she had the right license). “Going to this thing is a really big deal where serious academic credit is concerned.” The conference features keynote speakers, a day of paper presentations by rising scholars, and colloquiums and panels by scholars and

college is the last institution engaging in these kinds of discussions, to the point of seeming like the city on a hill. It seems lonely and hopeless, she said. “It wasn’t just Hillsdale students,” Taylor said, noting the students coming from Notre Dame and Rice universities. “It’s comforting to know...this dialogue is happening in all these places that are so differ-

“It’s amazing, it’s so close, you can’t miss it. People need to know. There are some important speakers at this thing who won’t be around much longer.” consecrated religious from universities across the nation and the world. Egger said going to the conference made her realize that what’s going on at Hillsdale and what’s going on outside is all part of one conversation. “There is a sense of freshness to it,” she said. “There is something so amazing about finding people out there who are having similar conversations, there are a lot of other things they’re talking about that we’re not. Some of my best memories of Hillsdale have been at these conferences with my friends there.” Taylor added that at Hillsdale, there’s a sense that the Professor of History Paul Moreno teaches a class on the history of baseball. Wikimedia Commons

ent from Hillsdale.” Some of Egger’s best memories are from going to this conference with her friends and engaging in conversations that they bring back to campus. After her third conference, she said she has more reference points and can make connections between the talks and her conversations at Hillsdale. Egger pointed to one presentation as the most shocking and also her favorite. “The whole time I was thinking, ‘I have to tell Dr. Gaetano about this,’” she said. “It ties into this class I took with him about scholasticism and modernization — in terms of the sacraments — in

this crazy new way that was connected to this question defining the whole conference: Is evil a demonic presence or is it just negation, are these the same thing? For me, not only did it sort of unify the other talks but it also tied into so many other things I’ve been thinking about at Hillsdale.” In one panel, a discussion of depictions of depravity in art segued into demonology and the modern rejection of the devil that necessitates the rejection of God, which transitioned into a discussion of natural law and how Pascal can contribute to a Thomistic conception of natural law. “I loved that because it really did bring together these things I’ve been studying and that I care about a lot, and to see how it was framed in an aesthetic conference,” Taylor said. Senior Birch Smith is in charge of philosophy tutoring for the honorary. He organized the conference trip in 2016 and stepped in to help this year. According to Smith, the philosophy honorary has organized it for the last two years after taking the responsibility from the Fairfield Society, which organized it in 2015 but shrunk down and disappeared with the graduation of the class of 2016. He said the fact that the event conflicted with Phi Mu Alpha’s Battle of the Bands prevented eight to 10 other interested people from attending part or all of the conference. The central theme is something that usually interests Hillsdale students and gives

them three days of intensive talks. Smith said every year he’s attended has been really helpful for sorting out what he believes, and for broadening and deepening his understanding of big topics. Smith said he was encouraged to hear that recent alumni in master’s programs are interested in applying to Notre Dame’s graduate program because it reveals the similarities in focus and interests between Hillsdale and the graduate program. “I would love to see more people even than we had come this year, continuing to go down to the Fall Conference,” he said. “I certainly plan on being there, and I think a lot of the other alumni are as well — it is a miniature homecoming for the Hillsdale humanities people.” For junior and first-time attendee Colleen Prince, the conference came at the right time. “It felt like a philosophical retreat, where I was able to take a weekend to listen and absorb what I love most,” Prince said. “Even though I love the pressure of school and the academic setting, it is really nice to listen to those people you’ve encountered in class and appreciate them and realize that you’ve learned so much in your classes at Hillsdale that you’re able to understand these speakers later on in your life. I want to go next year and see the improvement there.”

Squash bread and scripture

Bible studies foster campus community

By | Josephine von Dohlen Assistant Editor

Professors preserve America’s favorite pastime in the classroom

By | Max Troyke Collegian Freelancer When Gordon Thiesen was in high school, his favorite sport was whatever was in season. He played all of the sports when he grew up. Now, however, Thiesen — a teacher, coach, and recruiting coordinator at Hillsdale College — admits that the game of baseball has earned a special place in his heart. This semester, he’s teaching a course called Theory and Practice of Baseball, one of two classes offered on baseball at Hillsdale right now. Indeed, with a particularly intense World Series drawn to a close, it seems that the entire country is engulfed in baseball frenzy. Natalie Walters, a freshman student-athlete enrolled in Thiesen’s Theory and Practice of Baseball course, is no exception. “Baseball fascinates me,” Walters said. “As a softball player here, it’s incredible to learn about it in class and then apply the strategic aspects when I’m practicing or playing with the team.” Perhaps just as fascinating as the mechanics of baseball, however, is the little known – and at times, highly tumultuous – history of the sport. Thiesen’s class isn’t the only one on campus that gives students an opportunity to more deeply engage with the game of baseball. Every year, Hillsdale’s Collegiate Scholars Program encourages faculty to submit their ideas for seminars to be offered as extra options for some of the top students on campus. This year, 11 such students are enrolled in Dr. Paul Moreno’s “History of Baseball” seminar, meeting once a week to discuss the ins and outs of America’s pastime. “I’ve been interested in baseball all my life,” Moreno

said. “I often use it in the other history courses I teach as an illustration of important developments in race relations, urbanization, and what’s going on in the world outside of baseball.” After establishing itself more than 100 years ago as America’s national pastime, baseball has undergone many sociopolitical changes and demonstrated itself to be a sort of microcosm of American society. This, Moreno says, is a big part of why he – and so many other scholars – find the sport to be so interesting. Though baseball was around in America before the 1860s, the Civil War made it a truly national game. That’s why Moreno’s seminar spends a lot of time discussing baseball throughout its early years in the 19th century, exploring the several decades it took to work out the particulars of the game – for example, determining the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate. “It wasn’t really until 1901 with the formation of the American League that you get a system that hardly changes at all until 1953,” Moreno said. “There were eight teams in each league, and players usually played for the same team for their entire career.” Baseball is still big in the United States, but many scholars of the sport believe that the game no longer enjoys the status it once held in the eyes of the American people. To Moreno, this has a lot to do with the current structure of the major leagues. “It used to be that you if you won the pennant, you played the World Series. It’s moved towards more of an NFL wild card-type system – it’s less distinctive,” he said. What’s more is the fact that, ironically enough, the

formation of players’ unions in the 1960s forced the owners of baseball teams to become much more profit-minded. While both players and managers are better off financially than they once were, the game of baseball itself has suffered and become more of a big business, according to Moreno. Baseball has also declined in popularity because of the increasing prominence of televised athletics. “TV is more geared towards basketball and football,” Moreno explained. “There’s no substitute for watching baseball live at the stadium.” Despite the dominance of the NFL and the NBA, however, America’s pastime hasn’t completely lost its luster. Even in modern times, academics are still very much drawn to baseball by virtue of the fact that it is a thinking man’s game. For Moreno, you don’t have to be an athlete yourself to understand or even appreciate the sport. “I was never very good at the game,” he said. “There was one year in middle school where I could throw strikes.” His admitted lack of prowess in the game, however, hasn’t taken away from his affinity for it. The sport of baseball continues to make us celebrate, cry, and scream ourselves hoarse, and every new season gives many Americans the opportunity to back their favorite teams. For Thiesen, it’s the Tigers. For Walters, it’s the nascent Cubs. For Moreno, it’s the good old Yankees. Despite its tumultuous history and evolution, America’s pastime continues to serve as a powerful source of unity and excitement – and the historical record suggests that it will live on for many, many innings.

It smells like banana bread, but it isn’t. Each week, the aroma of freshly baked “squash bread” reminds senior Monicah Wanjiru of Bible study. “This scent is associated with this Bible study because I have had it every week faithfully since freshman year,” Wanjiru said. Many Hillsdale students, like Wanjiru, have found community within various groups studying scripture on campus. For the past four years, Wanjiru has attended a weekly scripture-based study with fellow students led by Robert Snyder, a lecturer in religion at Hillsdale College and associate pastor at Countryside Bible Church in Jonesville, Michigan. The Bible study, which has grown from a small group of around seven to a gathering of almost 30 students, is affectionately called “Pastor Bob’s Bible study,” and is hosted weekly at a student-owned house on West Street called “The Nest.” “I don’t know how people hear about it, probably just through word of mouth,” Wanjiru said. “But once you get there, you’ll probably want to come back.” InterVarsity is a “witnessing community” that gathers in numerous forms across campus to learn more about Christ and to share him with others, Campus Staff Minister Hannah Weikart ’15 said. The organization runs 33 Bible studies on campus. “Our desire is to see Bible studies happen in places where people already trust each other,” Weikart said. “We want to see Jesus become central to people’s lives. A big part of that is how he is central to our relationships.” The InterVarsity Bible studies take place in Greek houses, among sports teams, and in other communities throughout campus, such as dorms and arts groups. “Instead of just starting a Bible study and saying whoever wants to come, can come, starting a Bible study in a sorority, you’re going to get a higher level of trust among those people already, and application can be so much deeper because you don’t have to build that trust first,” Weikart said. During her own time at

Hillsdale, Weikart took part in an InterVarsity Bible study at Pi Beta Phi sorority. “My Bible study experiences were up and down,” Weikart said. “I went to a lot of not-the-best Bible studies, and I think that led me to want to come on staff, because you can see the potential of what a Bible study can be.” She said helping and equipping Christians to witness more effectively is the best way to reach people who don’t know how they feel about Jesus. “My heart has always been for people who don’t know God, and making sure that they have a space where they can question scripture where they can engage with it and be honest about where they are,” Weikart said. Junior Chris Sturges is the chaplain of Delta Tau Delta and uses the Greek InterVarsity curriculum to run a weekly Bible study for the men in his fraternity, although he said he rearranged the curriculum a lot to reflect where DTD is and where he wanted it to go. “The main thing that I saw a lot in the house was two different sets of guys: one of them that were firmly founded in their faith and wanted to grow more, and one who wanted to figure out where they’re at,” Sturges said. “I wanted to meet them wherever they are.” Sturges said he challenged all the men in his fraternity to make a commitment to delve more into their spiritual life, which has led to about half of DTD joining Sturges’s weekly study. For the next four weeks, the group will study scripture in the context of Delt’s four pillars of Truth, Courage, Faith, and Power. “What we are doing is examining a scripture passage and trying to figure out what scripture has to say about these things and how it connects to how we use these pillars,” Sturges said. Students find Bible studies to help them engage with scripture when they might not be able to do so on their own. “I love it because reading scripture can be very daunting for me, especially because my temptation is to sort of go through it very quickly and try to get more quantity over quality,” said Olivia Brady, who leads a women’s scrip-

ture study through Catholic Society. Brady is a member of the society’s Outreach Board, and she leads women in a scriptural reading approach called Lectio Divina each week. Lectio Divina, which is Latin for “Divine Reading,” is a devotion from the Benedictine order and guides people through reading, meditation, and prayer through scripture. “The point is for it to be slow and meditative and prayerful and not necessarily just starting out the discussion the right way,” Brady said. She opens up her group to women of all backgrounds. They study the following Sunday’s gospel reading, which allows for her group to function without the ongoing commitment of a scripture study that studies a specific book. “As a student at Hillsdale, studying scripture is a great way to make time for prayer,” Brady said. “Because of all the anxiety of stress, that state of mind wasn’t really conducive to open prayer, for me. So having myself step aside and take 10 minutes even to look at a few verses and meditate on that and have that be the template and inspiration for my prayer was really helpful.” Weikart emphasized the importance of Hillsdale students in particular engaging in Bible studies. “The culture of Hillsdale is often performance, and I want the culture of Bible study to be honesty,” she said. “That’s really hard to crack.” Wanjiru’s study with Pastor Bob this semester has been going through the book of the Colossians. She said being reminded “God himself is our peace,” helps her throughout her faith journey. “This semester we’ve been talking a lot about identity in Christ,” Wanjiru said. “This school is very performance oriented, a lot of people are defined by GPA and leading different clubs…so we’ve been talking a lot about what Colossians says about identity and how that is wrapped around our identity, which is in Christ and in him alone. Everything is secondary to his glory.”

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B5 Nov. 16, 2017

‘Man of the mind’ Alumnus Elliot Gaiser ’12 pursues truth in law By | Scott McClellan Assistant Editor In high school, Elliot Gaiser was told he was either going to be a lawyer or politician. As hard as he tried to avoid these, he failed at both. A 2012 graduate, Gaiser now works for Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher LLP, a firm with more than 1,200 lawyers in 20 offices worldwide. Within five years of graduation, he had already externed with Judge Alice M. Batchelder of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and clerked for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the Fifth Circuit, he worked for the Honorable Edith Jones, who was appointed by former president Ronald Reagan. Gaiser also spent his second summer of law school as an associate in the Washington D.C office of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, & Hamilton LLP, where he worked on case law and other projects. He spent his remaining summer working under the Solicitor General’s Office of Ohio, where he managed appeals cases for state, and even worked on different cases in the Ohio Supreme Court. Jones spoke of Gaiser as a man of real integrity. “Elliot’s records of high achievement and excellent GPA at Hillsdale and the University of Chicago made him stand out to me,” Jones said. “Hillsdale was also a positive thing. He had an excellent and rigorous undergraduate education, and was well-prepared for law. He drafted bench memos — the summary of cases we heard in court and

preliminary drafts of opinions that I edited. He had the first crack at stating the law in the draft opinions.” Gaiser said he was lucky to spend a year working with Jones, whom he called an incredible mentor. He watched her make decisions and be faithful to her oath of office. “It’s a beautiful thing when you see someone who is good at their job, doing their job faithfully,” Gaiser said. “Judge Jones is such a faithful servant of the law and constitution.” But when he graduated, Gaiser didn’t intend to go straight into law school and a career in law, even against entrepreneur Don Tocco’s encouragement, who had become a close friend during Gaiser’s time on campus. “The very last day of his senior year, he came up to me in his cap and gown, and I asked him ‘What’s the plan’?’ and he said he was going to work for his dad,” Tocco said. “I told him, ‘I think you should get a law degree, pursue higher roots in the judiciary.’” Ignoring Tocco’s prediction, Gaiser spent five months working for Altus Technologies Corporation, a boutique data center management consulting firm, after his graduation. There, he managed communications for more than 40 IT professionals and of thousands of applications and servers to a new data center. “Then I realized ‘Man, I miss the sort of aggressive, learned aspect of daily life that a liberal institution like Hillsdale has taught me to appreciate,”’ Gaiser said.

Gaiser applied and was accepted to Ohio State Moritz College of Law. He transferred after his first year into the University of Chicago, ranked No. 4 in the United States by USNews.com. In law, Gaiser said he found exactly what he was seeking. “[Law is an] incredible place to apply what I learned at Hillsdale: understanding of human nature, of institutions, and community,” he said. “That human beings form to facilitate flourishing and liberty and order under law— all of that was available to practice through the day-today process of law.” As Gaiser deepened his studies in law, he found richness in even the driest topics. “Even in an esoteric and dry subject, like civil procedure, I found there were streams in an otherwise apparent desert flowing through questions of court’s personal jurisdiction, where opportunities to explain what fundamental justice means for human nature,” Gaiser said. “So I loved it.” Inspired by that pursuit of justice, Gaiser went on to become an attorney — the career everyone but him saw years ago. Tocco’s prediction came to fruition. Tocco said that Gaiser’s prestigious clerkship was no surprise to him — from the first time he met Elliot, Tocco said he was shocked how excellent a communicator Elliot was, perfect for judging and interpreting law. “[Law] is axiomatic,” Tocco said. “If you take an excellent, intelligent, person capable

Developing fitness from ‘two left feet’: Aumock celebrates 33 years in fitness training Lecturer in Sports Studies Alesia Aumock leads a fitness class in the Roche Sports Complex. Madeleine Jepsen | Collegian

ropes. A Hillsdale native, By | Madeleine Jepsen Aumock first became interestScience & Tech Reporter ed in fitness classes when she signed up to be a participant Upbeat pop music, colfor a research study run by a or-coded dumbbells, and a physical education instruccheerful face greet students tor at the college about the walking into a fitness class led benefits of weight training for by Lecturer in Sports Studies women. Alesia Aumock. “I came right up here “When I think of Alesia because I wanted to get into Aumock, I think of her conthe study, and when I got here tagious, cheerful disposition,” she said she signed up her last said Associate Dean of Women Rebekah Dell ’06, who par- person and didn’t have any more room,” Aumock said. ticipated in Aumock’s classes as a member of the staff. “She’s “But next to her was standing an assistant football coach, a cheerleader at heart when and he said, ‘I’ll show you how you’re working out with her. to use the weights.’” She never takes the smile off From there, Aumock starther face and encourages you ed using a universal machine at every level.” and became a certified fitness Although Aumock said she instructor. In 1984, she began enjoys working with people of all fitness levels in her exercise teaching classes at Jackson Fitness and Aerobics Center classes, she especially loves in Jackson, Michigan, and the challenge of teaching beginners and making workouts EXERFIT Fitness Center in Jonesville, Michigan. fun — an opportunity she’s In October 1989, Aumock had many times in her 33 helped start the Hillsdale Colyears of working as a fitness lege Fitness Program and beinstructor. gan teaching an aerobic dance “I think my favorite parclass in the physical education ticipant or student is somedepartment. She said her posione who feels like they have tion grew as time went on, two left feet,” Aumock said. and she began teaching other “I embrace challenges, and classes such as weight trainthey always come out with a ing, indoor cycling, methods left and right foot, you know of teaching physical educawhat I mean? The other thing tion, deep-water aerobics, and is getting them in the weight mat science. room, too. Some people feel “Since the early ’80s, we intimidated, and I try to make used to just do dance to it fun and try to get small music, and then we would do groups to go together.” Even Aumock first thought more mat-pilates, but now we infuse all kinds of fitness the weight room looked equipment like elastic cords intimidating, she said, until someone showed her the and bands, so there’s a lot

more variety,” Aumock said. “Over the years, I’ve embraced the variety of the types of workouts because it keeps things fresh, and a variety of exercise keeps you safe.” Over the course of her time teaching at Hillsdale, Aumock said she has taught aerobic fitness classes to all of Hillsdale’s sports teams. She remembers teaching Dean of Men Aaron Petersen as an undergraduate student during the football team’s spring training. She also taught gym classes at the Hillsdale Academy and coached the Hillsdale College cheerleading team for several years, drawing on her experience as a varsity cheerleader at Hillsdale High School in the ’70s when the Hornet football team won the Class B State Championship. Now, she teaches Physical Wellness Dynamics and helped teach the course’s labs when the class was first offered. “I like to sometimes teach physical wellness in the cycle room and make everyone cycle while I’m doing the PowerPoint,” Aumock said. She also teaches a variety of fitness classes for students, faculty, staff, and community members. “It’s like a fruit salad — there are all kinds of different people in the fitness program classes, ranging from age 13 to 84,” Aumock said. Beyond fostering a fun and encouraging atmosphere in classes, Aumock has also gone the extra mile to help indi-

of consulting and and place them in making law, good will come. And this country needs good leadership.” Gaiser’s gift with words helps him determine text’s true meaning — whether he liked them or not. “When I have a case to read, I interrogate that text. I take words as having meaning, in the real world, and I take that meaning seriously. I don’t always agree with those words, particularly when opposing litigants are making an argument,” Gaiser said. “Words have meaning, but there’s a way to study those Elliot Gaiser ’12 works for an internationally recognized law firm, words to determine of they after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School and are true or false.” holding externships and clerkships in the Circuit Court of Appeals. At Hillsdale, Gaiser Elliot Gaiser | Courtesy excelled in argumentation, es“I admire no man more pecially in speech delivery. He “one can never be surprised with his accomplishments.” than Justice Clarence Thomas. was a four-time finalist and “Character is a driving As a very young attorney myone-time winner of the anforce for that young man,” self, his story, his example, his nual Edward Everett Oratory Contest, a speech competition Kiledal said. “The only times intellectual leadership from I’ve ever seen Elliot hurt was judged by Hillsdale College the Supreme Court. So many when there were challenges President Larry Arnn, Tocco, of the things I learned about, to his character, particularly and Bill McGurn, an editor what does it mean to be a when we knew that they were of the Wall Street Journal and hard worker, a professional, a former speechwriter to former ill-founded.” lot of the aspirations I have, I During his college career, president Bush. learned from afar from ThomGaiser interned for Liberty Gaiser said one of his outas,” Gaiser said, drawing from standing Hillsdale experiences Central, a nonprofit conserThomas’ wisdom on work in vative advocacy firm, and the that brought him to where he Daily Caller under Tucker his book, “My Grandfather’s is today was a public address Carlson, and he contributSon.” workshop with Rhetoric and ed to RealClearPolicy, the Address Chairman Kirstin For Tocco, Gaiser’s steady Orange County Register, Kiledal. climb up the ladder of law was the Daily Signal, American “I alway hear her voice in evident. Spectator, PJ Media, and The my mind as she told me how “I would have been surFederalist. He also worked as to change a phrase a particprised if [Elliot clerking for the opinion editor for Hillsular way to make it resonate the 5th Court of Appeals] with an audience,” Gaiser said. dale Collegian. hadn’t have happened,” Tocco At Liberty Central, Gaiser Kiledal said Gaiser is a interned for Virginia Thomas, said. “Keep an eye on him, “man of the mind”, and said and see where he ends up in the firm’s founder and the she was pleased when she wife of Supreme Court Justice the next five to 10 years.” heard he clerked for the Fifth Circuit, but not surprised — Clarence Thomas. vidual students improve their fitness, Dell said. “She’s perfect because she starts you out, she makes sure you’re comfortable, and grows you into your physical fitness journey. She’s kind of like a mom — I’ve known her to work one-on-one with students who need that extra support, and she’s great at working with them.” Aumock said she struggled with her own fitness after losing her hearing five years ago, which required here to re-learn how to speak and teach again, and also during the past two years when she served as a caregiver for her mother. She said these times were some of the biggest challenges she’s faced while trying to teach classes and maintain her own physical health. Though Aumock leads fitness classes, she said the classes she teaches aren’t her workout. During a typical class, she keeps busy checking participants’ safety, interacting with the participants in the back of the room, and talking — the social component of wellness, she said. To maintain her own fitness, Aumock said she enjoys walks around Slayton Arboretum and Baw Beese Lake. “I like being out in nature and doing my cardio,” Aumock said. Aumock said she also enjoys seeing how former students have gone on to incorporate fitness into their lives. One student, Lecturer in Sports Studies Leah Novak, became a fitness instructor after taking one of Aumock’s classes. “I distinctly remember her in aerobics class up in the old, old dance studio long before the renovations happened to the Sports Complex, getting us to laugh when the tempo and intensity of the exercises went up. It was great,” Novak said in an email. “Incidentally, I lost 30 pounds that semester.” Long after her students’ sore muscles have recovered, the memory of a good workout remains. “I had never taken a cycling class before hers, so I will always appreciate the love of cycling classes she instilled in me,” Dell said. “I will never forget the sore muscles after that first class and thinking, ‘Wow, this is a good workout.’ She helped me catch onto something new and great, and that will always stick with me.”

A.J.’s from B6

protective instinct by enlisting in the Army or the Air Force Special Forces. “I have realized that my calling is to serve in the military,” A.J. wrote in an email to Coppock. “With all that is going on in the world, I have felt like I am not doing my part as a young man to help make the world a safer and better place.” But now, after the accident, the world is an emptier place for the Istvans. A.J.’s bear-hugs, his wry jokes, the light in his eyes, and the joy he gave them — all that is no more. They try to follow the advice of a friend, and find distractions. “And so we work, we’re busy in the church, but at the end of the day, A.J. still isn’t here. It is sometimes hard to wait to get to heaven because we want to be with him,” Diana Istvan said. “They say that when you bury a child, you bury your future. And I think that’s true. All that might have been will not be. A marriage, a daughter-in-law, grandchildren, what he would have done with his life, the joy he would have brought us just by being here — that’s something we have to live without now.” The Istvans live surrounded by memories now — every day, whether they are driving, playing golf, or passing

restaurants, something brings A.J. back to them. “Something will come up during the day, and we recollect and say: ‘Remember when…’ because something triggers it,” Andrew Istvan said. “It’s bittersweet. You are glad that you have those memories, that you got to spend time and do things together, but you miss the person. We wish we had more, he could life longer.” The Istvans wanted to help other young people create new connections and new memories, and so with the help of A.J.’s friend Quinn Kiriluk, they donated A.J.’s Café. “I know that today, twelve years after his homegoing, A.J. would be thrilled at the way people are studying together, laughing together, meeting in the café,” Diana Istvan said. “It seemed exactly like what we wanted to do in memory of A.J.— something that he he would have loved himself.” Sometimes the Istvans just come and sit and watch people mingling in the café named after their son and take it all in. On the wall, A.J.’s picture smiles down at them. A decade has passed since his death, but his portrait is not yet darkened by age. “On his headstone, it says ‘We’ll see him in the morning,’” Andrew Istvan said. “So we will. Because this life goes by quickly, very quickly.”

A.J. and Kimberly Istvan pet their dog. Diana Istvan | Courtesy

Nov. 16, 2017

Behind the portrait in A.J.’s Café By | Julie Havlak Assistant Editor They have kept his room the same. His clothes are still folded in his drawers and his bed is made, but they keep his door closed now. Inside his room, cards and letters line his bookshelves, and two candles glow in his windows. Those candles never go out, and they greet his parents, winking out from the windows of their son’s room. “There is still a light on for him,” his mother Diana Istvan said of their home in Farmington Hills, Michigan. “I always look at those lights when I drive up to the house, but for some reason it’s really painful to go in there. Probably because he had just finished the room when he passed away, and it’s hard to go in there with all of his things because it just seems like he should be there.” An A.J.’s Café hat hangs on the doorknob, embroidered with the name of their son A.J. Istvan, a 2001 Hillsdale graduate and the namesake of Hillsdale College’s A.J.’s Café. “A.J. was the epitome of a good, solid Hillsdale student,” A.J.’s former adviser Lee Coppock, professor of economics at University of Virginia,

said. “A.J. had everything. He could do anything he wanted, he was that kind of guy. Could have done anything he wanted. And then he had that stupid accident.” In June 2005, just after sunset, A.J.’s motorcycle hit a dip in the road, and everything that could have gone right went wrong. His motorcycle spun out of control, sending him careening into a nearby field. He had almost gotten his bike back under control when it hit something, throwing him over the handlebars. The bike landed on top of him. Two hours later, his sister Kimberly got a call telling her that her brother was in the hospital. “At the time, it was: he had a broken ankle, some scrapes, and was unconscious. That’s what they told me,” Kimberly Istvan said. “The unconscious thing sounded bad, but there were a lot of people trying to comfort me.” Kimberly didn’t know the truth: It wasn’t A.J.’s ankle that was broken, it was his leg; and he wasn’t unconscious or scraped up, he was in a coma, bleeding out. Kimberly kept trying to get a hold of her parents, but all she got was silence.

Her parents were racing to their son, flying down shadowy roads as the clock ran down toward midnight. At 11:30 p.m., they reached the hospital. “And there he was in a coma, being kept alive by the machines,” A.J.’s father

but something — the weather, or the landing situation, they can’t remember which now — stopped them. A.J. was stuck, and the hospital was running out of blood. “They could not fix him internally,” Andrew Istvan said. “His insides were badly…It

A.J. Istvan and his baby sister, kimberly. Diana Istvan | Courtesy

Andrew Istvan said. “It says in the Bible that there is life in the blood, and there was nothing more evident when they would give him a pint of blood. His vitals would pick right up, and as he bled out internally, the vitals went down.” But the hospital was not equipped to deal with A.J’s injuries. A.J.’s parents tried to airvac A.J. to a larger hospital,

Campus Chic: Mauckoodfeldt

was just tough to see this big, strapping young man who we had seen the day before, just tough.” On June 12, 2005, A.J.’s heart stopped, and it did not restart. “You do go into shock, and I remember the moment I did,” Diana Istvan said. “You don’t know how you are going to survive. I didn’t know how I was going to do another day,

Inside:

A.J. Istvan at 25, while on a motorcycle trip through the great smoky mountains in north carolina. Diana Istvan | Courtesy

or another hour, or another heartbeat without him.” The Istvans fell into a stupor, “shaking on the inside” and wrestling with their God. “Everything about that accident was a fluke. You just go on and on and on with all the things that could have gone right that went wrong,” Diana Istvan said. “And you think, ‘Well, Lord, if every single thing that could have gone right went wrong, then I guess you intended for this.” This what his parents have taken comfort in: They believe that God saw something terrible in their son’s future that he wanted to spare him, and that it is now their lot to learn to how survive without their son. For A.J.’s sister, peace has been harder to come by. After the accident, she lost herself in a fog. The intensity of her grief has become tempered with acceptance over the years, but there are still times when she thinks of the whole stretch of life before her, and sees the big brother who will not be there to share it. When Kimberly was scared of the dark as a kid, she didn’t go to her parents. She went to her brother, and he let her sleep on his trundle-bed, even if she annoyed him all day. And when she brought a boy-

friend home for the first time, it was A.J. who acted the part of the terrifying protector. “I wondered if my dad was going to give [my boyfriend] a hard time, but my dad couldn’t have been nicer. So I was like, it is going to be all good,” Kimberly said. “And then the gun happened.” It was not all good: A.J. came home, sat himself down beside them, and proceeded to methodically clean his gun, looking up occasionally to flash a smile at her boyfriend. That protective instinct didn’t always turn out too well for A.J., either. One day, while attending Hillsdale College, A.J. saw a woman crash her car, but when he ran to help her, he accidentally tore off her car door. “And the woman was perfectly fine, she just gave him this look like: ‘You weirdo, what are you doing with my car door?’ She just got up and walked into the Dow Center, totally ignoring him,” Lecturer in Spanish Amanda Stechshulte said. “After he told the story, he called over to the barista and said ‘a white mocha please,’ and we all burst out laughing because it was a not-so-manly drink after this big manly story.” A.J. planned to follow that

See AJ B5

Students find nourishment for mind and soul at Notre Dame conference. See B4

The faces of MaucKoodFeldt. Madeline Fry | Collegian

In high school, Elliot Gaiser’s friends told him he’d be a lawyer or a politician. They were right. See B4

What inspired the Mauckoodfeldt T-shirts? Senior Andrea Wallace: Senior Reuben Blake designed our shirts. I know they were inspired by the fire of community kindled by the Mauckoodfeldt alliance. It’s definitely an upgrade from our orphan wardrobe. The three letters featured represent our dorms — ‘M’, ‘K’, and ‘N’ for Mauck, Koon, and Niedfedlt. It also features our slogan: “Mauckoodfeldt: It means family.” How would you describe Mauckoodfeldt style? Mauckoodfeldt style is eclectic, unexpected, and casual. Basically hobos who shop at really nice stores or millennials who thrift everything they wear.

3) Do you often run into each other up the hill in your matching shirts? Yesterday was the first day we had the shirts, and I coincidentally ended up in a photo with several people wearing Mauckoodfeldt shirts, so I would say it happens quite a bit. 4) What’s the best way to wear your dorm pride? Dorm pride should be worn on your sleeve, alongside your heart for your dorm. It is also worn best on the sleeve of a Mauckoodfeldt shirt. 5) Can you explain the student holding the baby t-shirt? She accidentally ordered a youth small instead of an adult one!

Bible studies foster campus community. See B4.

Students who are involved with the Greek Bible studies participated in “Compelling,” a retreat hosted by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Lily Splawn | Courtesy