Collegian 3.21.2024

Michigan’s oldest college

Hillsdale Mock Trial punches ticket to nationals

By Zachary Chen Collegian Repo R te R Hillsdale College Mock

Trial team A is headed to the national championship next month.

The team will compete in the American Mock Trial Association National Tournament in Chicago. Team A, which placed second at nationals last year, won first place in the Opening Round

Championship Series tournament last weekend with a score of 6.5 ballots, the highest a Hillsdale team has ever won at ORCS, according to team captain and senior Caleb Sampson. “It was an excellent tournament,” Sampson said. “After first place at regionals and first place at ORCS, at this point in the season, it’s the most successful competitive season Hillsdale College Mock Trial

has ever had.”

Hillsdale team A swept the first two rounds against Syracuse University team D and University of Toronto team C with scores of 2-0 before defeating Dickinson College team A 1.5-0.5 and splitting ballots with Dartmouth College team B for a score of 1-1, according to Pema.

“We were very pleased with the caliber of competition we hit,” Sampson said. “We

thought everybody else did an excellent job, and we’re grateful to have walked out with the win knowing the quality of people we competed against.”

After qualifying in ORCS, mock trial teams across the country must prepare an entirely new case for the nationals tournament, according to Pema.

Former Charger’s to take the court for March Madness

By Alex Deimel assistant editoR

Patrick Cartier and Jack Gohlke were freshman basketball players at Hillsdale College in the fall of 2017.

Now they’re competing on college basketball’s biggest stage: the NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

Cartier helped the Colorado State University Rams advance to the first round of the tournament, scoring 12 points on Tuesday night in a First Four victory over the Virginia Cavaliers, 67-42.

“We spent four years of our college career right by each other’s sides,” Gohlke said. “He’s one of my best friends in the world so it’s awesome to see his success, and I’m always rooting for him. I definitely hope CSU makes a run in the tournament because he deserves to be in the spotlight.”

Cartier played three seasons with the Chargers, was a two-time G-MAC player of the year, and currently ranks sixth on Hillsdale’s all-time career scoring list with 1,624 total points. He transferred to Colorado State at the end of the 2021-22 season.

“It was definitely a sense of relief to see our team chosen on Sunday,” Cartier said. “Since the first four was add-

ed in 2011, one of the teams in the first four has made the sweet 16 almost every year.”

In his second year with the Rams, Cartier started 33 of 34 games and finished the regular season averaging 10.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He had a 52% field-goal percentage.

Gohlke played at Hillsdale for four years, transferring to the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies in metropolitan Detroit at the end of last season.

In his final season with the Chargers, Gohlke was the team’s best 3-point shooter, and he tied a single-game record with 10 3-pointers, against Ashland University. This season, Gohlke averaged 12.2 points per game, with a 37% 3-point shooting percentage. The fifth-year senior scored 21 points in Oakland’s victory over the Cleveland State Vikings on March 11 in the Horizon League conference tournament. Oakland clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament the next day by beating the Milwaukee University Panthers in the conference championship. Gohlke scored 15 points in that game.

Hillsdale radio nabs station of the year, Collegian students win in multiple categories

By Catherine Maxwell a ssistant e dito R

WRFH Radio Free Hills -

dale 101.7 FM recently won the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ 2024 College Audio Station of the Year award, and The Collegian won 11 awards in the Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

Radio Free Hillsdale won 12 additional awards on March 18, including six for first place, four for second place, and two for third place awards. The Collegian won three first place awards, three second place awards, two third place awards, and three honorable mentions in the Better Newspaper Contest awards announced March 14.

“I’m very proud of the work the Collegian students put into making the newspaper each week,” said Maria Servold, assistant director of the Dow Journalism Program. “Few people appreciate the dedication the Collegian students have. I’m glad that their work has been recognized.”

This is the second consecutive year Radio Free Hillsdale has won College Audio Station

of the Year and the third time overall. The first victory came in 2019. The station was founded in 2015 and began submitting for awards in 2017, according to Scot Bertram, general manager of the station.

“Being honored in this way is special,” Bertram said. “It’s incredible to step back and think that our students are competing and winning these awards against college radio/audio programs at institutions with student populations that are 10, 20, even nearly 40 times larger than Hillsdale’s enrollment.”

Senior Thérèse Boudreaux won first place in the daily newscast/news feature category for her broadcast “Spotlight on PFAS,” which discussed the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals” that pollute the environment and drinking water.

“The broadcast was not something I thought I’d win an award for, because it was basically just clips of my PFAS documentary turned into a newscast,” Boudreaux said.

She said she likes the creativity the radio program encourages. “It’s a very independent pro-

cess,” she said. “What you make is 100% your creation, start to finish, but there are always people there to help if you need it.”

Bertram said he likes seeing students’ hard work recognized.

“Thérèse now has won both a national first place and a statewide first place for her piece on PFAS,” he said. “That’s pretty tough to do.”

Sophomore Evan Mick won first place in the sports feature category for his piece on Hillsdale’s new football coach. He also won second place for his piece “The Life of a Kicker.”

“I love the sport of football, and this is another avenue in which I get to be involved in it,” Mick said. “I get to learn new things about the sport that I am around every day.”

According to Bertram, the editorial category was new for MAB. Junior Gavin Listro won first place for a piece on misleading marketing for electric vehicles.

“I was trying to bring awareness to the idea that marketing should highlight actual benefits of electric vehicles while still being truthful about environmental impacts,” Listro said. Abigail Snyder ’23 won sec-

ond place in the editorial category for a piece on the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.

“Throughout my 3.5 years at Hillsdale, I had a podcast/ radio show called ‘The Virtual Voyage,’” Snyder said. “It was

an armchair travel show where I took people to visit my favorite sites in Israel, all from their comfort zone. Listeners could put on their headphones and feel like they were there at various sites in Israel, with me as their tour guide.”

Snyder

Virginia.

newspaper

spent four summers in Israel, participating in an archeological dig for one, and will pursue a master’s in Jewish Studies at the University of

The Hillsdale College Mock Trial team A placed first at ORCS last weekend and will proceed to the national tournament. Court E sy | Chlo E n oll E r

Student Activities Board shoots for the stars

By Alessia Sandala Collegian Repo R te R

Students will have a chance to see planets and constellations at a stargazing event hosted by the Student Activities Board on April 3 from 9-11 p.m. in Hayden Park.

“The physics department will be there with telescopes to help us see stars and planets up close,” junior and SAB creative team member Phoebe Vanheyningen said. “We just love working with the physics department. We’ve done it before and it worked super well so we

decided to reach out again and they gladly accepted.” Vanheyningen said SAB hosted a similar event in 2022. “This was one of our favorite events in fall of 2022, so we’re very excited to do it again,” Vanheyningen said. “The best thing about this event is honestly just setting aside the time to go appreciate natural beauty. We’re all so busy here and we like to romanticize the idea of stargazing but we rarely take the time out of our schedules to really do it.”

Freshman Hijiri Cramer said she loves to look at the stars

and is looking forward to stargazing with friends.

“I’m looking forward to seeing who is interested in the stars there because it’s something I’ve loved for a long time now,” Cramer said. “I am always far too willing to show constellations to people who aren’t interested, and I hopefully will get my friends to come out.”

Cramer said the weather will determine if attendees will be able to see spring constellations, Jupiter, and Uranus that night.

“I’m really hoping that it

is going to be a very beautiful night out there. That’s what I’ve been hoping for beyond anything else so that we can see the stars,” Cramer said. “I did go stargazing a few weeks ago and it was really nice but it was just so cloudy. Hopefully we get to go to a location that is even better on a night without clouds but I guess that’s not up to us.”

Vanheyningen said students should bring blankets if it is chilly outside but doughnuts will be provided.

Awards from A1

“After 10/7, I knew I had to use my platform to spread truth about what was happening in Israel, especially in the face of blatant anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda, so I dedicated the remaining episodes of my senior semester to interviewing key figures about the war in Israel,” Snyder said. Snyder focused her 60-second editorial on the hostage situation in Israel.

“I hope and pray that these submissions brought further awareness to the war in Israel and helped people see the truth,” she said.

The Collegian won awards across several categories, including second and third place for best writer, second and third place and honorable mention for feature story, and first and second place for front page design.

Collegian Associate Editor Logan Washburn won honorable mention in the news story category for his piece about

city power restoration after an ice storm. He said the storm hit the night before publishing The Collegian. “Covering real-life breaking news is always an exciting experience,” Washburn said. “I was surprised my coverage of the storm recovery won an award because it was so rushed, but sometimes that can help because it keeps you from overthinking.”

Junior Jack Cote won two first place awards in the news-only photo and feature photo categories.

“Those two photos were particularly special because they each capture a very genuine moment,” Cote said. “I’m most proud of my work when they feel as genuine as those two photos.”

Cote said he likes all aspects of photography. “Finding an interesting subject, figuring out framing, editing and playing with colors — it’s all really fulfilling for me,” he said.

Maggie Hroncich ’23, for-

mer editor-in-chief of The Collegian, won second place for both best writer and feature story. “I was honored to be named for an award,” said Hroncich, who is now a reporter for the New York Sun. “My feature piece on the fossils in the walls of the Arb was one of my favorites to write because I learned Hillsdale has a lot of history that is still being discovered. Biology Professor Anthony Swinehart told me he used old Hillsdale newspaper archives as part of his research in confirming the mystery, so it was a cool reminder that Collegian articles aren’t just fleeting news of the day, they’re recording the story of the college.”

Current Editor-in-Chief and senior Elizabeth Troutman won third place for best writer and second place for front page design.

“That page design was for the paper that came out after the midterm elections, so I featured a photo of Gretchen

Whitmer, the winning gubernatorial candidate, with a graph laying out the vote distribution,” Troutman said. “That layout took a lot of time and was my favorite one I designed, so it’s exciting that it won an award.”

Troutman encouraged younger writers to write often and learn from their edits.

“The experiences I’ve gotten writing for The Collegian and in my journalism classes have been invaluable to my development as a writer,” she said. “I am so thankful to the Hillsdale journalism program for teaching me how to write and edit and for instilling in me a great love for journalism.”

John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program, said the awards show the high quality of journalism students. “These results show that Collegian writers are producing some of the best campus journalism in the state,” he said. “Next they’ll win Pulitzers.”

Student fed grants probationary status to new military club

By Tayte Christensen Collegian RepoRteR

The Student Federation granted probationary club status to a new military club in a meeting March 7.

The new club, Liberty Battalion, hopes to work with students interested in entering the military and attending Officer Candidate School for the United States Armed Forces.

“The club is aimed at OCS students, students who plan to enter the military after graduation,” spokesman for the club junior Luke Kjellson said in his presentation.

At the meeting, Kjellson said the club is helpful both to upperclassmen who want to enter the military as well as underclassmen.

“The goal of the club is ultimately to prepare students for OCS,” he said. “But it is also helpful for freshmen and sophomores who want to build connections.”

The club will work with Associate Professor of Leadership Studies Peter Jennings and will host events for members, such as battlefield visits and guest speakers, according to Kjellson. Many of the events will be open to all of campus.

The Federation also granted $380 to the Spanish Honorary, Sigma Delta Pi, for its upcoming Venezuelan Culture Night, featuring Associate Professor of Spanish Victor Carreño and his wife, María Eugenia.

The event will take place on April 4 in the Old Snack Bar, according to junior Sigma Delta Pi treasurer Emma Turner.

“The first part of the evening will include a live cooking demonstration by a real-life Venezuelan, Professor

ORCS from A1

“The fun and also the catch is that you are assigned an entirely new case packet with a new defendant, with a new criminal issue, and with new witnesses,” Pema said.

Sampson said team A has continued to progress steadily through the semester and they hope to continue improving in the weeks to come.

“The key to success at nationals is going to be hyper focus on that case from here until the day we’re competing,” Sampson said. “I think we’re going to keep seeing that linear progress – regionals was better than Great Chicago Fire, ORCS was better than regionals. We hope that nationals is even better.” Hillsdale College team B did not win a bid to nationals last weekend. This year’s team B is the third most successful team B in Hillsdale history, according to sophomore Nathan Emslie.

The team split ballots 1-1 against Pennsylvania State University team B before losing to Juniata College team B with a score of 1.5-0.5. On the second day of the tournament, Hillsdale team B scored 1-1 against Pennsylvania State University team A and lost 1.5-0.5 against the University of Cincinnati team A, according to Emslie.

The team had a good weekend despite a slow first day, according to Noller.

“We were prepped, we were ready, we worked really hard,” Noller said. “We had a rough start to the tournament, I would say, but our

Carreño’s wife,” Turner said.

The campus-wide event will allow students to learn how to make arepas, a traditional Venezuelan food consisting of cornmeal cakes stuffed with meat.

Turner said students will also have the opportunity to hear about Carreño’s experience living under socialism.

“The second part of the event is going to be Professor Carreño talking about what it was like living in Venezuela and all the things that come with that and also why he decided to move to America,” she said.

Student Federation president and sophomore Jacob Beckwith said the federation wants to encourage students to come to board members with any club ideas they have.

“We want to make sure people know that if they have an interest in starting a new club, we’re happy to talk to them,” he said.

Beckwith said the federation is eager to help students through the process of starting a new club.

“They don’t have to have everything in order and all the board figured out before they even come talk to us,” he said. “Even if they just want to ask us ‘What’s the process like?’ or ‘What do you think about this idea?’”

Sophomore representative Anne Love said she wants to see more clubs generated on campus. “We need more clubs,” she said. “Obviously we aren’t having enough clubs apply for probationary status, so we really need more.”

second day was really good. We rallied and went against some pretty difficult teams.” Emslie also said that the team performed better later in the tournament.

“As far as our best moments, those were in rounds three and four,” Emslie said. “Pretty much all the way around in each of those rounds, objections were clean, statements were strong, cross-examinations were good, and witness presentation was good.”

According to Noller, freshmen Jon Hovance and Campbell Collins performed well at the tournament.

“Jon Hovance, one of the freshmen on the team, he gave his best closing I’ve ever seen in our round against Penn State,” Noller said. “It was just super solid – brought everything together. It was really, really fun to see a really solid end.”

Emslie thanked the team B captains, sophomore Ashley Poole and junior Natalie LeBlanc.

“I’d like to shout out to the captains, Ashley and Natalie,” Emslie said. “This was their first season captaining for both of them, and they’re very solid and very dedicated, and they definitely brought together a good team performance for the season.”

Emslie said team B is looking forward to next year.

“I’m just proud of all the work that everyone put in,” Emslie said. “It was a great season, and we’ll be back.”

The college began work on the quad during spring break. Isaac Green | c olle GI an

Radio students pose with the award for College Audio Station of the Year. c ourtesy | M I ch IG an assoc I at I on of broadcasters

Mehan calls Dickinson

‘America’s finest poet’

By Evalyn Homoelle senioR RepoRteR

Emily Dickinson is America’s finest poet, said Associate Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government Matthew Mehan during a seminar hosted by Hillsdale in D.C. and Career Services on March 7.

The discussion, “Emily Dickinson and Truth’s Winding Way to Our Hearts: A Discussion of the Poetic Arts of Persuasion,” centered on three of the American poet’s compositions: “Tell all the truth but tell it slant,” “The Brain, within its Groove,” and “The Brain – is wider than the Sky.”

Mehan read each poem, welcomed insights and questions from the group, and offered an analysis of each selection. He said Dickinson’s work and poetic legacy encapsulate the virtues of the American tradition.

“One of the things that I think is most beautiful about Emily Dickinson’s poetry is its particularly American character of both simplicity and good old American friendliness, but in a particular ethical framework,” he said.

Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, on Dec. 10, 1830. Now widely regarded as one of the most influential poets of all time, her work was only recognized after her death in 1886.

“Her first 10 poems that were published during her lifetime were published anonymously and without her permission,” Mehan said. “She was very private and didn’t like being published.”

Dickinson masterfully used physical symbols to convey philosophical concepts like the law, human dignity, and friendship, Mehan said.

“The art that works with symbols to communicate with sensible and intelligible things is poetry,” he said. “It winds up being absolutely fundamental, and it’s an art of liberty. If you cannot do it, you cannot have shared things that are not merely property.”

The discussion centered on the general themes and connections between the poems, as well as the particular words, punctuation, meters, and poetic devices Dickinson employed.

Mehan said Dickinson understood the power that poetry holds to make a moral claim or suggestion in an artful, enjoyable way.

“Horace says in the ‘Ars Poetica’ that good poetry must delight and instruct,” Mehan said. “In the ‘Tell all the truth but tell it slant,’ she’s pointing the way to poetry as a means by which you might consider a softened approach to the deployment of truth.”

Senior Katrien Langedyk took Mehan’s Continental Literature class during her Washington Hillsdale Internship Program semester and said she loved the chance to revisit poetry analysis.

“Dr. Mehan is great at illuminating the kernel of our American culture through the study of literature and poetry,” she said. “It was so enjoyable to continue to discuss the tie between literature and citizenship, as we did during his class in D.C.”

Junior Gardner Coates said she enjoyed the discussion and appreciated Mehan’s analysis of Dickinson’s poetry. “I hadn’t read much of Dickinson’s work before, despite being an English major, and I was struck by how creative her wordplay is,” she said. “The event was a great opportunity to learn from Dr. Mehan again after taking his class on WHIP. He always leads productive discussions, but it was great to discuss Dickinson’s poems with a larger group.”

Mehan argued Dickinson’s thoroughly American poetry has significant implications for the political sphere.

“A proper understanding and study of poetry has implications on communication, friendship, ethics, and politics, particularly for the American character of republican self-government,” he said. “We have to be candid with one another, because we have to continue to make sure we’re helping each other become good citizens and good friends. We pick our representatives, we vote, we sit on juries, and we have to become masters of communication, so that we can ‘tell all the truth but tell it slant’ to one another.”

Dickinson’s powerful use of the poetic arts provides insight into human nature and community and remains an important perspective in how to achieve political stability and human flourishing, Mehan argued. “There’s a lot at stake in rediscovering people like Emily Dickinson, our finest poet, in being able to actually achieve these goals,” he said.

Student Activities Board to host Casino Night

By Catherine Maxwell a ssistant e dito R

Students don’t need to know when to hold ’em or fold ’em to attend the Student Activities Board’s Casino Night on Friday from 8-10 p.m. in the Formal Lounge.

Students should wear formal attire and will be able to win raffle prizes. According to creative team member and junior Phoebe Vanheyningen, SAB is providing multiple games. “We have roulette, blackjack, Texas hold ’em, and poker,” Vanheyningen said. “We’ll also have a few decks of cards out for people waiting for a specific game.”

SAB is looking for a classic casino feel, according to Vanheyningen.

“We are hosting it in the Formal Lounge to help with the more refined vibe that we’re going for,” she said.

Campus Rec to host March Madness bracket challenge

By Christian Papillon Collegian RepoRteR

More than 70 students are competing in Campus Rec’s March Madness bracket challenge as the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament kicks off this afternoon.

Competitors will try to predict the winner of each March Madness game for the challenge, receiving one point for each correct pick in the first round, with points doubling each round up to 32 points for a correctly picked champion. The contestant with the most points at the end of the tournament will receive a $100 Walmart gift card.

Ryan Perkins, director of Campus Rec, said this is the second year the group has organized a bracket challenge.

“It is part of a bigger attempt to revitalize Campus Rec,” Perkins said. “We saw this bracket challenge as sort of a promo opportunity and to get people excited about sports.”

According to Perkins, the bracket challenge drew a similar number of participants last year.

Junior and Campus Rec member Libby Patrick said Campus Rec was inspired in part by the smaller bracket

challenges that students hold during March Madness.

“Everybody does a bracket challenge,” Patrick said. “It’s fun to do it with the campus as a whole, and of course the prize is a good incentive to sign up.”

Freshman Caesar Gombojav said this is the first bracket challenge he has participated in.

“I follow college basketball a bit,” Gombojav said. “I just signed up on a whim because

it looked interesting.”

Sophomore Marc Ayers said that although he has participated in bracket challenges in the past, this is his first time participating in one at Hillsdale.

“This is the biggest group I have been in,” Ayers said. “It should be really interesting and fun.”

Ayers said that he does not have a particular methodology when picking teams.

“I don’t ever delve too deep

into the numbers game,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll just pick teams based on color. One of my friends even picked teams based on how close they were to a Chick-fil-A location.”

Ayers said he picked the University of North Carolina to win the tournament but also hopes that James Madison University has a strong showing.

“I’d like to see them make a run,” he said. “It would be fun to see.”

Debate team takes three of five rounds at Arizona tournament

By Emma Verrigni Collegian Repo R te R Freshman Ryan Rodell

and senior Victoria Kelly won three of five preliminary rounds in a Pi Kappa Delta debate tournament at Glendale Community College in Phoenix, Arizona, March 7-11.

Hillsdale College competed against Cleveland State University, Duquesne University, McNeese State University, and Simpson College in the preliminary rounds.

The college also sent three judges, Director of Forensics and Debate Kirstin Kiledal, Hillsdale College Debate Team Assistant Emma Sand-

ers ’23, and Sigrid Kiledal ’17, to the tournament.

The tournament unexpectedly split into quarterfinals instead of splitting into octo-finals, as was originally planned, according to Kiledal.

“Original projections were that there would be octo-finals and they were well within that bracket,” she said.

Rodell and Kelly competed as partners in parliamentary-style tournaments and in individual extemporaneous speaking events, according to Rodell.

In the extemporaneous events, competitors have 20 minutes to prepare a seven-minute speech on a topic. Parliamentary topics de -

bated included social justice, foreign and domestic policy, and labor laws.

Rodell said he enjoyed participating in the tournament with Kelly because they have complimentary strengths when it comes to debate.

“She’s very good at painting a narrative of why the case matters, and I am really good at all of the technical skills, and the way debate works,” Rodell said.

Kelly said the tournament allowed her and Rodell to become immersed in new debate techniques.

“He was put in some new contexts that he hadn’t been in before, like parliamentary style,” Kelly said. “You basi-

cally have to be able to win the crowd over.”

Sanders said she enjoyed judging the tournament.

“Judging is always so much fun,” Sanders said. “Watching experienced debaters perfect their strategies, while inventing new ones, and seeing new debaters improve round after round is an incredibly rewarding experience.”

According to Kiledal, the debate team plans to host a scrimmage this weekend with five Hillsdale teams. The team’s next tournament will be the Collegiate Advocacy Research Debate Conference of Champions, which will take at Western Washington University in April.

Vanheyningen said the event will also feature authentic poker equipment. “We’ve rented actual poker tables and supplies so it will feel more like the real thing as well,” she said.

Vanheyningen said students should come out to enjoy the experience. “This is a one-of-a-kind event,” she said.

According to junior John Schaefer, SAB’s promo lead, the 2021 President’s Ball featured a casino.

“It was super successful and we thought it would be fun to do the same thing as a stand alone event,” Schaefer said.

He said he hopes students will come learn new card games and win raffle prizes.

“It’s an opportunity to gamble with nothing on the line, so come learn a game if you don’t know it, and come enjoy if you do,” Vanheyningen said.

Jack Gohlke played basketball for four years with the Hillsdale Chargers before transferring to the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. He will play for the Golden Grizzlies during March Madness this year. Courtesy | t witter

By Alexandra Hall Design eD itor

Why does a nice, young civilian like me live on military time?

The answer is simple — I have severe clinical depression.

My habit of using a 24hour clock started because of Phil, one of the regulars at the coffee shop where I worked in high school. The shop was right next to an army base and 30 minutes away from the Air Force Academy. It was military-owned, military-themed, and mostly hired military wives.

And me.

Phil was a part of “Old Man Tuesday,” a name I had given to the group of elderly men who would come in and loiter around for a few hours on — wait for it — Tuesday. They were all vets, and a few definitely should not have been operating vehicles, much less interacting with young women. But Phil, who was 75, never whistled at me or put a dollar bill in my back pocket. Phil always stood by the coffee bar and offered me life advice as I made his speciality lattes I’d always call out as “dark roasts.”

One day, I expressed how I felt about the monotony and dullness of going to college during the pandemic. It was hard enough convincing myself to get out of bed, much less commute to my college classes. I wasn’t able to socialize much out of work, and the days melted together.

“Try military time,” Phil said. “There’s nothing better than watching the clock zero out.”

That night, I switched my phone settings and watched my first day zero out. Almost instantly, I understood. The anvil of despair that usually sits snugly on top of my collarbone lost its weight for a brief second. The day was actually, completely, unequivocally over. I was already one minute into the next, and I didn’t even have to think about the next six hours before my shift. I began structuring my days on a 24-hour schedule and saw my life open up. I had one timeline instead of two separate ones,

Delete TikTok from your phone, not the country

By Claire Gaudet opinions eDitor

Last month, a girl from Louisiana hand-knit a purple scarf with a big pencil on it and sold it to me for $48.

She’s sold so few of these scarves that she’s had to cut the price twice, which means less and less dollars are going to her student loans from art school. I wonder how many lessw scarves she would have sold if she was limited to the population of her small, Southern town — a town which is far too hot for scarves.

If the government bans TikTok, small artists and local businesses across the globe would lose word-ofmouth and revenue, and would need to invest in more costly forms of advertising.

which used to trick my brain into thinking I had a set amount of time before it was noon and then the day was practically over.

Many people with depression can become paralyzed at the thought of completing a task later in the day. If I have class at 1 p.m., I can’t possibly do anything before then in case I forget that I have class or the dread creeps up. But opening up that continuum of a day released me from some of that inane thought process. I see it as a block of time relegated to one activity in a list of 23 other blocks.

Depression is awfully good at tricking you into believing that the world is always about to end, and you’re right there with it. Today is the worst it has ever been, and there is no up. Something as simple as altering my perception of daily time proved integral to me being able to be a functional member of society. Switching to military time simultaneously tricked me into thinking I had more hours in the day, and yet not too many. I had enough to get my work done, but not enough to wallow.

Much of my identity has been shaped by the military community and culture of my hometown area despite not being a military brat. And over my years of working at the coffee shop, I had a lot of different regulars. Some I had to call the cops on. Some brought me gifts and handwritten letters. Some tried to lasso me into loveless marriages before I graduated high school. But Phil changed my life with a simple piece of advice. Phil told me every week he’d try to take me on a date if he was “20 years younger,” which would have made him 55 at the time. No matter how gleeful or tortuous the day is, no matter

“TikTok provides small business owners with an opportunity to tap into what content their target audience really wants to see, without spending a lot of money in advertising,” according to America’s Small Business Development Center.

The TikTok algorithm connects its viewers with niche content and products that, in some cases, they would enjoy more than the vast majority of the population. Applications like this are what allow so many poor college students from

a Walmart-centric town to dress nicely, uniquely, and ethically.

Getting rid of the app altogether and tearing down a bustling section of the American economy seems like a high price to pay when TikTok naysayers could — oh, I don’t know — simply not download TikTok.

Much like my $48 pencil scarf, TikTok is not something everyone needs to invest in. If you’re worried about your data, don’t hit “install” in the app store (best to avoid the internet as a whole, actually). If you’re worried about other people’s data, don’t you think you’re a couple decades too late?

Another criticism people lob at the app is that the platform discourages free speech. Creators get suspended or banned for promoting certain ideologies or saying certain words, which rubs a lot of Americans the wrong way. But, these are the same type of people who repost Elon Musk thanking him for saving free speech on his platform, and no one expected Twitter to evolve from its censorship phase. If we tear down institutions without giving them due time to improve, benefit others, or even dissipate on their own, what’s the point?

Claire Gaudet is a senior studying rhetoric and journalism.

Ban Chinese-backed social media companies

By Elizabeth Crawford AssistAnt eDitor

Tik Tok should be banned because it destroys focus, promotes social media addiction, and the algorithm rewards suggestive sexual content — especially from young girls.

But even worse, it has ties to the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party, which poses a threat to U.S. sovereignty.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would force the social media’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell TikTok.

“Lawmakers have long tried to regulate the platform because of its ties to China,” CBS reporter Caitlin Yilek wrote. “They argue it threatens national security because the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on Americans or weaponize it to covertly influence the U.S. public by amplifying or suppressing certain content.”

As a result, 170 million Americans’ personal information is at risk because of Byte Dance’s associations with China and the CCP, according to Axios reporter Sareen Hashbenian.

“The FBI has for years said that TikTok could pose national security risks, warning that the Chinese government, through its alleged relationship with ByteDance, may be able ‘to control’ software on millions of devices in the U.S. or could conduct influence operations through the app,” Hashbenian wrote.

TikTok isn’t the only social media platform that threatens U.S. sovereignty and national security. Other companies — such as Zoom — also have ties to the Chinese government.

Back in 2019, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan capitulated to Chinese demands for censorship after the government blocked the platform, saying that the network hadn’t done enough to suppress dissidents and critics, according to CyberScoop reporter Elias Groll. Who’s to say TikTok won’t do the same?

Even those who voted against the bill did so on the grounds that the bill wasn’t thorough enough. Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz said that the U.S. should consistently apply the same regulations to other social media and networking platforms.

“Banning TikTok is the right idea,” Gaetz posted on X. “But this legislation was overly broad, rushed, and unavailable for amendment or revision.”

The legislation needs to be comprehensive — addressing both censorship and foreign influence on all social media platforms, not just TikTok. Any large social media or networking platforms with ties to foreign governments and foreign investors should be banned.

In a digital age, it just seems like common sense.

Elizabeth Crawford is a senior studying politics and journalism.

My grandmother cried when I took her to the Collegian office. She and my grandfather visited Hillsdale for the first time last fall. I showed them around campus. At the end of our tour, I took them to the Collegian office. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in that room in the back of the Union. I started writing as a freshman in 2020 and have worked in various editorial roles since. In the office, I’ve written and rewritten dozens of articles, interviewed sources, designed dozens of newspaper pages, and combed through pieces word by word to fact check, edit, and reorganize them. That means the room doesn’t always feel very special to me. Sometimes it feels like going there is a chore.

But when my grandmother stepped foot into the office, her eyes filled with tears. She became speechless looking around at the computers, posters of famous writers, and stacks of newspapers. My eyes glazed over the features of the room I’d seen a thousand times but she saw them and recognized them as parts of a place that had given me opportunities and introduced me to lifelong friends. She saw the collage of the staff’’s photos, my signature on the whiteboard, and the photos of scholarship recipients going back years. Her reaction reminded me that what I’ve had the opportunity to do with The Collegian the past three and a half years is

special. Even more than that, she reminded me not to take the little things for granted.

Maddy Welsh is a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Maddy Welsh | Collegian

because it’s true. It asks a lot from its students. But it gives so much, too.

It’s

Don’t let the long days, the challenging assignments, or the demanding extracurriculars distract you from the wonderful opportunities available to you as a student at Hillsdale. For me, it’s been The Collegian, but for you it might be a practice room in the music building, a locker room in the sports complex, or the classics seminar room in Kendall Hall. This college will make you a better human being if you just let it. So let it.

Keep presidential elections outside DC families

By Olivia Pero Culture eDitor

Dear Washington, D.C., let someone new run for president.

Let someone who genuinely wants to serve his country run for president rather than someone whose family has been in politics for years.

Washington thinks small. It sticks with who it knows, keeping it all in the family. Hillary Clinton, a former first lady, ran for president. George W. Bush, son of former President George H.W. Bush, became president. Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was fifth cousins with former President Theodore Roosevelt. Luckily, however, the Obamas won’t be added to

this list, as former first lady Michelle Obama said she doesn’t plan on running for president in 2024. “I’ve never expressed any interest in politics. Ever,” Obama said. “I mean, I agreed to support my husband. He wanted to do it, and he was great at it. But at no point have I ever said, ‘I think I want to run.’ Ever.”

Obama’s Director of Communications Crystal Carson said Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ reelection campaign.

Obama will campaign for Biden and Harris once Biden gets the expected nomination, Boston Globe Columnist Renée Graham wrote in a March 10 article.

Most Democrats don’t fully support Biden’s reelection and would prefer a different, stronger candidate like a former first lady. Democrats and Republicans started considering the possibility of the former first lady becoming a Democratic presidential candidate before primaries began. Other names suggested for the Democratic presidential candidate included Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Nevertheless, the Democratic party is rallying behind Biden. Newsom said in a 2023 NBC interview, “I think we need to move past this notion that he’s not going to run. We’re gearing up for the campaign. We’re looking forward to it.”

Harris has no intentions of running for president, but she said she’s ready to serve as president if anything happens to 81-year-old Biden. “I am ready to serve. There’s no question about that,” Harris said to the Wall Street Journal Feb. 6.

Since Obama supports Biden as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, she shows her values lie with every liberal issue Biden touts. Even if Obama were the Democratic presidential candidate, she wouldn’t offer anything better than Biden.

Olivia Pero is a junior studying politics and journalism.

cliché to talk about how difficult Hillsdale is, but that’s

Maddy Welsh is a senior studying history and journalism.

A Professor’s Opinion

Compiled by Skye Graham

“If you could time travel to one event, which would it be and why?”

Jason Gehrke, History Jason Peters, English

“Well that’s pretty easy. I would go to the Resurrection.”

“The Athenaeum Club. Anthony Trollope overhears two clueless clergymen complaining about Mrs. Proudie, a character in his serialized novel “The Last Chronicle of Barset.” Trollope, unable to contain his irritation at these prelates, stands and says to them, “I will go home and kill her before the week is over!” And so he did. Give me that or Appomattox two years prior.”

Ivan Pongracic, Economics

“As a guitarist with a deep passion for music, I would choose to go see one (or more, if possible) of my favorite guitarists playing live at the peak of his powers: Hank Marvin and The Shadows in 1961, Dick Dale and His Del-Tones in 1962, Ritchie Blackmore’s “Rainbow” in 1976. I suspect those would be truly fulfilling experiences with a great deal of nourishment for my soul.”

Paul

Rahe,

History

“The travel that I would like to undertake is travel through space and time to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to sit in on the deliberations that took place there and then concerning the framing of the U.S. Constitution. I would like to hear with my own ears the words of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Dickinson, James Wilson, Luther Martin, Charles Pinckney, Rufus King, and Gouverneur Morris.”

Roger Butters, Economics

“That’s easy. Outside a garden tomb on a Sunday morning, in the spring, circa A.D. 33”

John J. Miller,

Journalism

“I’d want to go to the Sermon on the Mount — but then I’d be like ‘Oh shoot, it’s in Aramaic.’ And modern dentistry is too far in the future. So, just take me back to Tuesday night, and I’ll watch the Red Wings win again.”

Lab-grown meat fixes nothing: bad for your health and the environment

By Francesca Cella Collegian FreelanCer

Since the 1970s, eating meat has become a more and more hotly debated topic.

For some time, Americans have been reducing their meat intake, sometimes entirely cutting meat from their diets. Nutritional reasons often cited for limiting meats are that eating too much meat can increase cholesterol levels and the risk of death from heart disease and cancers.

Often, people also avoid meat for ethical reasons in an attempt to “prevent animal cruelty” and “save the planet.” The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, for example, lists the fact that “cows have complex feelings” in the top 10 reasons not to eat beef on its website.

A modern alternative to

the vegetarian diet is “labgrown” or “cultivated” meat. Lab-grown meat is “edible animal protein grown from cells.” It is not meat harvested from a cloned animal, but rather protein grown from animal stem cells and fed with nutrients. This provides a meat substitute rather than requiring the complete elimination of meat. Scientists are able to adjust cholesterol levels in lab-grown meat, which may reduce the health risks vegetarians fear. Additionally, lab-grown meat does not involve slaughtering animals, easing the minds of those avoiding meat for ethical reasons.

Other advantages of labgrown meat are that it could be produced on a mass scale without the amount of land and resources needed to raise animals. Supposedly, this could decrease the environmental impact of rais-

ing and slaughtering animals as well as the rates of human hunger by making meat more accessible to people in poverty around the world. Upper-class Americans such as Bill Gates and Richard Branson have promoted this trend by investing in meat production companies. Gates went so far as to state that he thinks wealthy countries should “move to 100% synthetic beef” to decrease carbon emissions. However, the men funding this project seem to have overlooked the downsides of lab-grown meat.

While cholesterol levels may be decreased in the creation of lab-grown meat, a study done by the FAO and WHO indicated that the molecules used for cell cultivation pose harm to the metabolism and have been connected with cancer development, the very effect

Swearing: Jesus gets it

By Caroline Kurt assistant editor Sh*t.

When I step into a cold shower in the morning or summon the will to continue a workout, my language is less than pristine.

I’ve heard all the arguments against swearing. It’s vulgar. It’s abrasive. It’s unladylike. But let’s face it: swearing is fun.

We’re all adults here, and our parents are no longer lurking around the corner with a bar of soap. Profanity can easily be abused, but it can also be used judiciously, even by Christians. I’m not advocating a liberal use of vulgar language: that’s anything but refined, and limits the power of your speech. Sprinkling your words too heavily with profanity is like putting too much hot sauce on your food: you look stupid, and it ultimately masks the substance of your point.

But hot sauce is great. A little goes a long way.

To Christians, words carry the power of life and death. There are a plethora of ways to squander the gift: taking the Lord’s name in vain, cursing someone out, and using slurs or derogatory language.

There are also places where swearing is entirely inappropriate. Kids imitate everything. Your boss or grandma may not be impressed by your foul mouth.

But there’s a way to swear appropriately and sparingly — a way even Jesus, who

hung out with a bunch of fishermen, might not mind.

Swearing is cathartic. It helps us do hard things, and hard things build virtue. According to a 2020 study by the Keele University School of Psychology, swearing can alleviate pain.

When participants plunged a hand in icy water, those required to use neutral words or fake swear words made up by the researchers (fouch, twizpipe) had measurably poorer pain tolerance. The participants allowed to swear took longer to feel pain and kept their hands in the water longer.

Remember that the next time you jam your toe.

Swearing also adds emphasis. Our ears perk up when an otherwise innocuous speaker drops an f-bomb. Comedians learn this power early on: the funniest ones use little profanity, impeccably timed. See almost any sketch from John Mulaney.

We also need strong language for atrocities. Fullterm abortion? That’s not “bad,” that’s effed up.

Many good speakers and writers learn to harness this power: Dante, Shakespeare, Twain, Hemingway, and Harper Lee, to name a few. In his novel “East of Eden,” John Steinbeck incorporates curse words naturally without overdoing it. Swearing can help us connect with certain relatives or acquaintances, or empathize with a friend experiencing a painful life event.

Swearing can forms a live-

ly part of particular experiences: Watching your favorite NHL team in person or tearing down a ski slope on a good powder day come to mind. It’s all the better when we don’t use it as a crutch or a curse, but as an expression of surprise or enjoyment.

If we’re going to make a fuss about language, I’d rather see us cut out the obscenely gross descriptors that abound in modern pop music before whining about the occasional “damn” in otherwise wholesome lyrics.

When we get hung up about swear words, we forget there are a million ways we can dehumanize, degrade, and condemn people without a single expletive. Pulling every curse word out of Cardi B’s “WAP” still wouldn’t redeem the message.

Swearing is habit-forming, but in that regard it’s no different from phone usage, fast food, caffeine intake, or alcohol consumption. For the vast majority of mature adults, it doesn’t need to be an all-or-nothing. We’re capable of self-awareness and balance.

I’m not dead yet, so I am still moderating all my habits, language included.

But until I stop colliding with furniture, nearly getting T-boned in Chicago, or taking cold showers, I’ll still be swearing from time to time. I think Jesus understands.

Caroline Kurt is a sophomore studying English and journalism.

being avoided. The claim that lab-grown meat would help save the environment also carries little weight, for the CO2 emissions of the bioreactors needed to produce cultured meat are over twice as high as the emissions of raising livestock.

Although lab-grown meat may be mass-produced on a greater scale than livestock, this does not guarantee a decrease in hunger in impoverished areas. Currently, the average cost of a homemade cheeseburger is around $2.56 in the U.S. The cost of creating a lab-grown hamburger, on the other hand, was $325,000 in 2012, and while it is predicted to cost $11 in 2030, that price is still more than four times as much as livestock meat. With such a spike in meat prices, the odds are that impoverished areas will be able

to afford less meat, which would increase hunger rates.

While lab-grown meat does not necessitate immediate slaughter of an animal, it requires regular biopsies to be performed on an animal sedated with some sort of anesthesia and contained in a cage. The animal then undergoes a recovery period after the biopsy.

As far as cows having complex feelings, it seems that animal rights activists should consider whether it is more pleasant for a cow to have constant extractions of stem cells throughout its life, only to be slaughtered in the end anyway, or to spend the majority of its life as a healthy animal grazing fields before it is slaughtered.

The potential benefits of shifting meat production to the laboratory are far too minimal to justify the health risks, price increase, and

drawn-out harvest of the animal. Furthermore, there have been several instances in the past where foods pushed as substitutes for animal products turn out to be worse for health than the animal products themselves. For example, margarine and vegetable oils have been encouraged as substitutes for butter and have both been discovered to increase the risk of disease.

It seems unreasonable to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in the name of the environment, health, and the poor, when the funds could be used to make the natural growth and development of livestock more efficient and accessible to impoverished areas.

Francesca Cella is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

By Christina Lewis Collegian FreelanCer

Swearing isn’t cool. When a boy in my fifth grade class used the f-word during recess, I knew that what he said was bad. Still, my 10-year-old brain was enamored by the sound of the cuss word.

But just because something feels good doesn’t mean it is good. Any Hillsdale student is sure to recall their freshman convocation day. It wasn’t just a time for tears. It was also a time for Aristotelian philosophy. During my freshman convocation, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said the good is when something or someone is what or who they are meant to be.

The Bible records two times when Jesus cursed. In Matthew 21:19, Jesus said, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” when he saw that the fig tree he had come to get fruit from was fruitless.

Jesus thought the tree was bad because it was not producing fruit — the very thing the tree was meant to do. This passage has a much deeper meaning, however. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, he was effectively saying that people who do not produce the fruits of the spirit will also be cursed on judgment day. The fruits, as any faithful Christian is sure to have memorized, are love, joy, peace, patience, kind-

ness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, according to Galatians 5:2223.

What fruit are you producing when you swear?

In another instance, Jesus was angered by the religious teachers of his day and said, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” in Matthew 23:33.

That’s rough. Imagine being called a serpent and a “brood of vipers” — an expression used in that age to describe someone full of malice.

Jesus was upset — to put it mildly — that the religious leaders were leading people away from God even though they were claiming to do the opposite. Jesus likened the religious leaders to serpents. Yes, the same serpent who rebelled against God and tricked humans into eternal separation from their creator.

In this passage, Jesus referenced the first instance a curse was mentioned in the Bible. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were cursed out of Eden. Curse words are curses. But only God has the power to curse because only he can give life and take it away. Christians should not take swearing lightly. Jesus, the son of God, cursed in the most extreme circumstances. He didn’t curse for fun or because he thought it was cool. Jesus cursed when a human soul was at stake. He cursed

people when they rebelled against their creator and he cursed at his creation when it did not live up to its intended purpose. Is a stubbed toe really worth a cuss word?

Although research finds that cursing releases emotions which in turn allow people to deal with pain, there comes a point when cussing gets excessive. Ultimately, if you repeat a word too many times, it starts to lose its meaning. I’m sure that, after a while, frequent use of swear words diminishes their numbing powers.

The next time you are about to curse, remember Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples. After Jesus’ arrest, people came up to Peter to inquire if he was one of Jesus’ followers.

On his third denial of being with Jesus, it is recorded: “Then he [Peter] began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know the man.’ And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly,” in Matthew 26:69-75.

When Peter cursed, he felt the farthest away from Jesus. The same goes for everyone else. You are the farthest away from Jesus when you curse. That’s not cool.

Christina Lewis is a sophomore studying politics and journalism.

City News

Restuccia runs for Michigan House of Representatives

Hillsdale College alumnus hopes to win the 50th district open seat

By Moira Gleason Assistant Editor Hillsdale College alumnus and Howell resident Dominic

Restuccia ’16 is running for the open 50th district for the Michigan House of Representatives.

Restuccia is a father, real estate agent, and former congressional staffer, and will run for the seat currently held by state Rep. Bob Bezotte, a Republican who is retiring. The 50th district includes the city of Howell and part of Livingston County.

“One thing that is clear to me is that we need a conservative fighter representing Livingston County,” Restuccia said in a statement to his supporters. “With housing prices, interest rates, energy bills, and grocery costs at record highs, I will fight to make Michigan affordable again for all of us.”

Lansing politicians are trying to tax, spend, and mandate their way out of this, according to Restuccia, but he said he will fight tax increases, cut spending, and take on government bureaucracy and red tape prohibiting the American dream.

Restuccia launched his campaign in February and will face Republican candidates Kristina Lyke and Jason Woolford in the primary election on Aug. 4. Democrat Austin Breuer will also run for the seat in the general election on Nov. 5.

Bezotte, the incumbent, announced his plan to retire from public office in a statement in January and later endorsed Woolford.

If elected, Restuccia said he will promote public policy that aligns with the values of rule of law, limited government, and personal responsibility.

“These really aren’t Republican ideas or Democrat ideas, but they are American ideas,”

he said. “These are things that I think people on both sides of the aisle can agree with.” A father of two, Restuccia works as a real estate agent with Griffith Realty in Livingston County, where he was raised. He said he started his first small business, “Dom’s

and family owned businesses of Livingston County because he has already done it.”

Restuccia said he wants to make the state safer and more economically friendly for families. He said he will prioritize policy reforms that rebuild Michigan’s economy

“The state has become less affordable, not just from a housing standpoint, but in terms of paying for groceries, paying for basic bills,” he said. “And our governor’s only plan seems to be ‘come for the abortion and stay for the pronouns.’ There is no real plan

“We have to make this the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Restuccia said. “And in order to do that, people need to feel safe. They need to feel like they have opportunity. And they need to be able to have not just opportunities for themselves, but

Cutting Edge Painting,” at the age of 14 to pay his way through college.

After graduating from Hillsdale College with a politics major in 2016, he worked in Washington, D.C., as a legislative assistant for U.S. Sen. Mike Lee and U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop before returning to Livingston to start a family. He married Hillsdale alumna Emma Vinton Restuccia ’16 in 2017 and the couple has two daughters, Leona and Edith. Bishop endorsed Restuccia on March 12.

“Dominic Restuccia is the public servant Michigan’s 50th House District needs representing them in Lansing,” Bishop said in a press release. “I know for certain that Dominic is a true conservative committed to fighting for the veterans, farmers,

and cut taxes and government spending.

As a real estate agent, Restuccia said he sees the negative effects of bad economic policy and regulations on the housing market. Inflation and government spending have made it difficult for the average person to be able to buy a home while also paying living expenses, he said.

“We have got to be making it so that people can actually afford to buy a house and with grocery bills and energy prices going as high as they are,” he said. “We need public policy that actually helps bring some of those prices down and helps people’s wages rise.”

He said he is disappointed with the failure of state government to address the economic issues driving people out of Michigan.

to grow the population and to bring jobs and opportunities back to the state.”

Restuccia said Michigan needs economic reform to attract business and people to the state rather than driving them away, and higher taxes and increased government spending are not the answer.

“I’m sick and tired of our state being left in the dust, while other states are freer and happier and seem to be attracting talent and businesses left, right, and center while we’re straggling along and slowly bleeding out,” Restuccia said.

His other priorities include protecting parental rights in education, bettering civic education, eliminating sanctuary cities in the state, and supporting local law enforcement.

then opportunities for their kids, to have good education, and to have a strong community that they feel comfortable raising their family in.”

With experience working for congressmen in Washington, D.C., Restuccia said he knows how to address at the legislative level the problems he and others in his community experience in the private sector.

“Government is its own animal,” he said. “The bottom line of the job is the rules, regulations, and laws that come out of our government and impact people in the community.”

Restuccia said the education he received at Hillsdale College has informed him in his political career because it taught him how to analyze primary sources and shaped

his understanding of the nation and of political philosophy.

Professor of Politics Kevin Portteus said Restuccia was an excellent student, always open to new ideas and arguments.

“I think that what stands out to me most about Dominic from my experience with him was, first, his sincere commitment to his faith and his desire to live out that faith, and second, his outgoing, friendly personality,” Portteus said. “He was always positive, always excited about whatever he was doing, and that energy was infectious.”

As a student, Restuccia was a resident assistant in Galloway Residence. House director JoAnn Arendt said she remembers Restuccia as a leader in the dorm.

“He joked but he always got his point across with the students,” Arendt said. “He was a good communicator and sincere. I think those are good qualities for anybody going into politics today.”

While opposing the social agenda and bad economic policy he sees Democrats pushing in Lansing, Restuccia said he hopes to promote a better vision for the future of the country and the state.

“I think it’s incumbent on us to give a vision for what we think Michigan should look like, not just the things that we need to stop, not just stopping illegal immigration from coming to Michigan or stopping the consolidation of power in government,” Restuccia said. “We need to have a positive mission of what we’re going to bring to the table, how we’re going to make Michigan the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Helping Hands earns 2023 best nonprofit award

By Quinn Delamater Collegian Reporter

Helping Hands Pregnancy

Resource Center took the prize for best nonprofit or charity organization last month in the 2023 Best of Hillsdale County Community’s Choice Awards. Hillsdale locals vote for the winners based on their outstanding service to the community. The contest is affiliated with the USA Today Network.

“As an alumnus, I praise God for the many students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Hillsdale College who support our life-saving work,” said Bryce Asberg ’21, the executive director at Helping Hands.

Numerous college students volunteer at Helping Hands, and the resource center also partners with more than 30 local churches.

“So much of the strength of what we do comes from our wonderful team of more than 20 volunteers. It is such a blessing to get to work with women and men who are so committed to Christian service,” said Malisa Banbury, who works with Helping Hands. Asberg said the the staff at Helping Hands are encouraged by their selection for the award, and are grateful to be able to positively impact the community.

“We do what we do because our work is valuable and makes a difference in the lives of our clients, and we know that from the testimony of the clients that we serve,” Asberg said. “However, it is a blessing to know that the community recognizes what we do and that they love and support us.”

With growing needs in the local community, the center is committed to innovating and expanding their services, Asberg said. “2023 was a big year for our ministry and we made significant facility updates, increased the quality of our staff and volunteer training, brought on additional staff and volunteers, and initiated strong partnerships with the Hillsdale Hospital and the Hillsdale County Courts,” Asberg said.

Helping Hands is also offering a fatherhood class beginning April 4, according to Asberg. “This will be a new effort with a group class model that includes dinner,” Asberg said. “We are expecting that this class will open doors for us to serve more fathers than we ever have before.” According to Asberg, the center is also creating new marketing strategies to best reach different women in need throughout the community.

“These developments are increasing the number of clients that we serve and our effectiveness in serving clients. Every week, we are strengthening families, equipping parents, meeting material needs, and providing life-affirming services right here in Hillsdale County,” Asberg said.

Receiving the Community Choice Award has helped propel Helping Hands to best accomplish these initiatives, Asberg said.

Helping Hands Office Coordinator Emelie Randell said she is grateful for the publicity garnered from the award.

“We are so grateful for the award and most excited about it getting our name out there better,” Randell said.

Helping Hands offers services such as pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, consultations, mentorship, and material assistance, Randell said.

“This award gives us even more momentum as we head into 2024,” Asberg said. “We are so grateful for the rich support of this community and are eager to serve more young women and families across the county.”

Bryce Asberg and Nancy DeBacker work for the pregnancy resource center. Courtesy | FaC ebook Restuccia graduated from Hillsdale College in 2016. Courtesy | Domini C r estu CC ia

Hillsdale GOP factions share seats at convention

By Thomas McKenna Sports Editor

The dueling Republican factions of Hillsdale County shared seats at the Michigan Republican convention earlier this month after state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater, brokered a deal between the two sides.

When each group sent its own delegates to the March 2 convention in Grand Rapids, the state party gave credentials to members of the America First Hillsdale Republicans chaired by David Stone, who was absent. Lindsey told The Collegian the state party’s credentialing committee “preliminarily” selected the America First delegates as the official Hillsdale County representatives.

But Lindsey said he told the America First delegates they should share the 13 seats allotted for Hillsdale County with the other faction, headed by Brent Leininger, who was absent. Three America First members gave up their seats to the three members of Leininger’s faction, Lindsey told The Colle-

gian. He said the body voted to recognize delegates from both factions. “This is classic convention politicking, where the people who are there can work things out,” said former state Rep. Eric Leutheuser, who attended the convention on behalf of Leininger’s group. Leutheuser and Lindsey told The Collegian the deal could be a step toward resolving the conflict that has split Hillsdale County Republicans since August 2022.

“I think it was a step for-

ward,” Lindsey said. “It allowed the two groups an opportunity to have this conversation of, ‘Are there things that we can do that set a more positive environment going forward in Hillsdale County politics?’” Lindsey said representatives from Leininger’s faction, including former Michigan GOP chair Susy Avery, agreed to advocate for the county clerk’s office to run a “fair election” of precinct delegates this year.

In the past, members of the America First faction accused the clerk’s office of excluding

candidates from the precinct delegate ballots, according to The Collegian.

Abe Dane, Hillsdale County’s chief deputy clerk, said both he and Clerk Marney Kast are officers of Leininger’s group which he identified as the “Hillsdale County Republican Executive Committee.”

Dane declined to comment on the deal because he had “no firsthand knowledge,” he said. He also denied any wrongdoing by the clerk’s office in past elections.

“I vehemently oppose any

Community and college to host 5th annual Day of Service next month

By Elyse Apel Digital Editor

The Hillsdale College GOAL program is partnering with The Hillsdale County Community Foundation to host its 5th annual Day of Service on April 6. College students, local families, and alumni will work together on a number of different service projects throughout the community.

“We have gathered about 30 different service projects to complete this year and we are hoping to recruit about 500 volunteers,” said senior Mary Ann Powers, director of the GOAL program.

The Day of Service has become a critical part of Hillsdale’s culture since it was first started in 2019.

“Day of Service is an incredible opportunity for the college and the wider Hillsdale community to unite in celebrating our community through serving the needs of our community members and beautifying our town,” Powers said.

The 1844 Society is also working with the Day of Service, though in a more informal capacity than in past years.

“HCCF is helping with the vast majority of it this year, so 1844 is more trying to help promote it as Day of Service is particularly aligned with our core pillar of service,” said Braden VanDyke, associate director of Alumni Relations.

The 1844 Society has invited college alumni in the area to join in the Day of Service working in teams with their former Greek houses, dorms, or athletic teams.

“This year we’re hoping to integrate them with teams that match their affinity when they were at Hillsdale,” VanDyke said. “Someday we hope to host a concurrent Day of Service with our alumni chapters around the country.”

The Day of Service will start with check-in at 9 a.m. in the Searle Center. After check-in, teams will disperse to their

various project sites.

“At 12:30 p.m. everyone will return to Searle for a celebratory lunch with pizza and sandwiches catered from several local favorites including Handmade, Filling Station, Main Street Pizza, Hungry Howies, and Cottage Inn,” Powers said.

This year, the projects will include everything from yard work for community members to painting a mural on the side of the Hillsdale Brewing Co. Powers said she is especially thankful for the partnership with HCCF this year.

“Partnering with HCCF has been wonderful for promoting Day of Service to the wider Hillsdale community,” Powers said. “They have done a phenomenal job building the energy this year with their marketing campaign on their website, social media, and the local radio station.”

Sharon Bisher, CEO of HCCF, said the foundation is excited to both help fund the Day of Service, but also have

volunteers from the broader community working on a few of the teams.

“We are also putting together two teams to do some work in the community and are encouraging other people in our community,” Bisher said. “We love to be visible in the community, helping our community, but also promoting all the great work that Hillsdale College and their GOAL programs are doing.”

Powers said that Day of Service is an important reminder for Hillsdale students.

“At the college we have the wonderful privilege and opportunity to spend our time reading, discussing, and contemplating the good life,” she said. “Day of Service and the GOAL volunteering programs ground us and remind us of our calling to not just read about the good life but live it by loving and serving our fellow man.”

accusations that this office participated in unethical or illegal activities,” Dane said. “That is simply false in every respect.”

The handshake deal also included a “fair distribution of delegate seats across the county,” according to Lindsey, who said he expected more controversy at the convention.

“It was all set up to be a potential knockdown, drag-out fight on the floor of the convention in front of the whole district,” Lindsey said.

Stone said he was also absent.

“I haven’t talked to the other

side so I can’t speak for them,” Stone said.

Both the Republican National Committee and Trump have endorsed Pete Hoekstra, as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, after the state committee voted him in on Jan. 6.

The Republican National Committee’s appointment of Pete Hoekstra, a former congressman and ambassador to the Netherlands, as new state party chairman could affect the leadership of the Hillsdale County Republican Party.

The Hillsdale GOP has been split into two groups since August 2022, when an “America First” faction blocked more than 61 Republican members from the county party’s convention.

Still, both factions held conventions on Feb. 15 and sent a slate of delegates to send to the state convention.

Hoekstra told The Collegian at the end of January he would choose between the two factions in three weeks, but has not yet recognized either.

Senior Center to host Good Friday breakfast

By Quinn Delamater Collegian Reporter

Perennial Park Hillsdale County Senior Center will host its annual Good Friday Senior Breakfast March 29.

The breakfast will last from 8 to 10 a.m., and will be held in the congregate area of the center.

The breakfast has been an annual tradition for 10 years and gives senior citizens something to look forward to as the Easter holiday approaches, as well as a chance to commemorate Good Friday.

“They can look forward to a delicious meal, meeting up with new and old friends, and celebrating the holiday with the community,” said Grace Broesamle, the Perennial Park marketing and communications coordinator.

Broesamle said guests can expect Easter decorations and a special blessing over their food at the beginning of the breakfast.

“My favorite part about this is seeing the community come together from the clients to staff to the volunteers, it’s just so much fun,” Broesamle said. The meal will include a spread of omelets, pancakes, sausage, and drink refreshments, donated by Market House, Kuster’s Dairy Food, Bob Evans, and Sysco.

“Without the support of the community, we would not be able to provide fun events like this and we appreciate everyone that has helped make what we do possible,” Broesamle said.

Sponsors for the event include: Hillsdale Hospital, County Pharmacy 2, Kuster’s Dairy Food, and Green Energy LP. The event also has volunteers from County National Bank, Hospice of Hillsdale County, and WellWise Area Agency on Aging.

Axe throwing returns to Hillsdale Brewing Company

By Ellie Fromm Collegian Reporter

Axe throwing is now open at Hillsdale Brewing Company after not being available for the past few months.

Although the brewery has offered axe throwing since 2022, it had to stop offering it temporarily due to staffing issues, according to the brewery.

The brewery offers axe throwing three times per week. Walk-ins are available Wednesdays from 4 to 8 p.m., but reservations are required for Fridays from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 9 p.m., according to the brewery’s Facebook. Walkins cost $15 per half hour. Reservations start at $25 per person for the first hour and $40 per person for the second hour.

“We allow people 14 and up to throw axes,” co-owner Felicia Finch said. “Closed-toe shoes are required, and safety measures, including an instructor, are in place at all times”

To ensure safety, an instructor known as the “Axe Master” is present at all times and controls the activity. All partici-

pants must adhere to the Axe Master.

This activity has been years in the making. To begin with, the indoor beer garden had to be renovated to fit the new activities, with lanes for axe throwing, according to Finch.

“About three years ago we decided to renovate the area into our indoor beer garden and were looking for ideas for people to do right here in our Hillsdale Community,” Finch said.

brought new life and new events and activities to the brewery,” Finch said. “It is a fun place to hang out with lots of fun things to do.”

With an influx of new activities, Hillsdale Brewing Company plans to keep this space alive with activity, according to

“The whole space has brought new life and new events and activities to the brewery.”

Finch.

Axe throwing, as well as other activities such as darts and foosball, have brought a lively atmosphere to Hillsdale Brewing Company, according to Finch. “The whole space has

“The Indoor Beer Garden has the axe throwing on Fridays and Saturday, but also offers darts, foosball, board games, trivia Tuesday nights, beer and music bingo monthly, corn hole, and a kids play area,” Finch said.

Sophomore Dylan Hughes and four friends went axe throwing at Hillsdale Brewing Company last semester.

“Axe throwing at Hillsdale Brewing was a super fun time,” Hughes said. “They have two axe throwing lanes so you and a friend can throw at the same time and compete against one another.”

Hillsdale Brewing Company advertises this activity to everyone. According to the post, there is “no experience required” for those who would like to participate.

Hughes said axe throwing was more difficult than originally anticipated.

“It’s definitely a bit tricky to get the hang of, and the hardest part is getting the axe to stay wedged in the wooden target,” Hughes said. “The trick was not being scared to give the axe a good, hard throw –– almost as hard as you can throw it.”

Turnout for axe throwing has been inconsistent, according to Finch. She hopes for this activity, and space, to become a place of amusement for the community.

Hughes said there were also refreshments available during axe throwing. However, drink limits are set in place both be-

fore and during throwing to ensure the safety of participants.

“There’s also good food available for order,” Hughes said. “It is lots of fun for a few hours and not too expensive

either.”

He said this is a great activity to work off stress.

“Definitely a good way to let some steam off,” Hughes said.

Those interested do not have to have axe-throwing experience. Courtesy | FaC ebook

Both Republican factions of Hillsdale County attended the Michigan Republican convention. Courtesy | FaC ebook

Sports Chargers travel to Florida, win eight of 10 over break

Softball

Softball

By Ellie Fromm Collegian Reporter

The softball team is returning from Florida with an 8-2 record over spring break.

Despite early losses of 1-0 and 6-3 to the Rollins College Tars, the Chargers went un -

defeated the rest of the week. The team defeated the Florida Southern College Moccasins 8-2 and 6-5, Eckerd College Tritons 7-5 and 3-0, Slippery Rock University Lions 1-0, Purdue University Northwest Lions 4-1, Shepherd University Rams 7-6, and Saint An-

selm College Hawks 8-3.

Five of the Chargers’ ten games went to eight innings, which the Chargers controlled with a record of 4-1.

Head coach Kyle Gross said he hoped the Chargers would have been able to execute these games better. Gross said he believes the losses against Rollins were a learning experience for the Chargers to use to begin their winning streak.

“We definitely learned from our lack of execution in the first game, and in extra innings it’s all about execution,” Gross said. “Whichever team executes the best during the extra innings is typically the winner.”

Junior Hannah Hoverman thinks the eight-inning games proved the Chargers’ ability to adapt and endure long games during a high-intensity week of competition.

“The game we eventually got up by about six runs really proved the strength we have as a team and our ability to fight for long periods of time,” Hoverman said. “We’re all tired after weeks of com -

Men's Tennis Hillsdale wins two of three down south

By Jamie Parsons Collegian Reporter

The men’s tennis team won two of three matches in the PTR Spring Tennis Fest on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, March 11-13.

The Chargers started off the Fest with a 6-1 win over West Virginia State University, winning the doubles point, and five of six matches in the single plays.

The Chargers won all three doubles securing the doubles point and a 1-0 lead in the match. Senior Sean Barstow and his partner, sophomore Aidan Pack, won 6-3 at No.1 doubles, starting the match on a high.

“They are a new team this year and have done a solid job,” head coach Keith Turner said. “They complement each other well.”

The Chargers claimed another victory in a match against Quincy University the following day. Seniors Tyler Conrad, Sean Barstow, and Daniel Gilbert each helped the team claim the 4-3 win

Swim from A10

“I am very grateful I had an opportunity to go,” she said. “I had a lot of fun watching Elise swim her events, she did a great job and had worked hard the whole season. It was also fun to get to know my coaches better and see my friends from other teams. Overall I had a blast.”

Both athletes are juniors and have just one season left of collegiate swimming.

Kirner said the successes

Clifford and Mason had at this meet and throughout the season is great for the whole team.

NCAA from A1

“It’s been more than I ever could have hoped for here. I never expected it to go like this. It’s been a storybook season with a bunch of great friends,” Gohlke said.

The next games for Cartier and Gohlke are Thursday. Carter and Colorado State will face the Texas Longhorns at 6:50 p.m. in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Gohlke and Oakland will play

by winning their singles.

In the doubles play, the Chargers claimed the doubles point with Conrad and freshman Ellis Klanduch winning 6-3 at No.2 doubles, and Gilbert and freshman Henry Hammond winning 6-3 at No. 3 doubles.

Gilbert and Hammond said beating Quincy was one of their high moments from the weekend.

“They are a solid team and it took everyone being on their A-game to get the job done,” Gilbert said.

The Chargers finished off their week in the PTR Spring Tennis Fest with a 6-1 loss against the University of St. Louis NCAA D1 program.

“If a couple matches that we lost in tiebreaks went the other way, we potentially could have beat them,” Gilbert said.

Although the team lost, Turner said it was a confidence booster because it showed the players they are capable of playing against teams at a D1 level.

“These performances help set the standard for things to come,” he said. “With Megan and Elise leading practices day in, day out striving for even better times, our whole team benefits as we move into their senior years.”

Mason said she has ambitious goals for her senior season. “It is sad to think that there is only one year left with this team but I am excited for it,” she said. “My goal for next year is to make it back to nationals one last time. I also would like to make top 8 in the 1650. That might be too big of a goal to reach for,

John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats at 7:10 p.m. in Pittsburgh, PA. This will be Oakland’s first appearance in the tournament since the 2010-11 season. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Gohlke said. “Kentucky’s obviously a blue blood program, so being able to play them will be a great experience.”

Both Cartier and Gohlke were recruited to Hillsdale by former basketball head coach and current athletic director John Tharp. Under Tharp, the

petition, and this long week of playing, and we were still able to fight for all our games.”

Charger softball came back against Purdue University Northwest last week, to whom they lost in February 2-0.

“This game we put away and scored early on,” Gross said. “That’s a big comeback, a big win for us.”

Senior Hailey Holtman said she thinks the team was motivated to win this game because it was an important matchup going into upcoming regional games later this season.

“We were determined to win,” Holtman said. “We all knew what that game meant for our even-

tual potential to go to regionals, so we all played with the intensity necessary to win.” This upcoming weekend the Chargers’ are set to begin conference play. They are scheduled to play doubleheaders away against the Malone University Pioneers on Friday, the Walsh University Cavaliers on Saturday, and the Findlay University Oilers on Monday. According to Gross, this is a big weekend for the Chargers, but they believe the preseason prepared them well. “We’ve had a really good preseason, but it’s now that is important,” Gross said. “Conference is what it’s all about and this is where we

have to be our best.” Holtman said she believes the team will perform well in conference play as long as they continue to work hard and believe in the season results that are within reach.

“We’re trying to stay hard working and believing that we can have a great year this year as long as we put that effort and belief into it,” Holtman said.

“Playing against the D1 team was really good because we got to experience playing against a higher performance team and we were getting close and were level with them which was fun,” Hammond said.

The Chargers will host Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday, March 23, as they head into the first match in the G-MAC play.

“We are hoping to start off the G-MAC portion of our schedule with a couple of wins,” Turner said. “We are also hoping for no losses by any of the players.”

Hammond encourages students to come watch the match.

“Not a lot of people understand tennis so it's hard for them to get into it,” Hammond said. “But if you were to go to a tennis match and stay for a while and see what the atmosphere is like and how loud it is, and if you hear everyone cheer and you just join in and cheer with them, then it's loads of fun.”

but we'll see what happens. No matter what though, it is going to be so fun having another year with this team.” Clifford also said she is looking forward to her last season.

“My biggest goal is to have fun with my teammates. Everyone always says that when you look back on your time as a college swimmer, you will remember the memories you made, not necessarily the times you went,” Clifford said. “Although I am proud of my accomplishments, I cherish my time with my teammates more than anything.”

pair went to three NCAA Division II tournaments, and were two-time G-MAC regular season champions.

“Pat and Jack were everything you’d want in someone to represent Hillsdale College,” Tharp said. “They were great students, great players, great teammates, and great friends to so many people across campus.”

For Tharp, watching his former players succeed at a high level brings much emotion.

Women's Tennis Chargers drop all matches over break

By Isabella Helms Collegian Reporter

The women’s tennis team lost all seven of its matches played in Florida over spring break.

The shift from Michigan to Florida came with its own set of challenges for the Chargers, according to junior Libby McGivern.

“It was a tough week transitioning to playing outside again but we all played very well and had so much fun in the nice weather,” McGivern said.

Sophomore Isabella Spinazze said the team adjusted well to the Florida heat and bonded during the trip.

“The matches did not go our way,” Spinazze said, “but we had an amazing time in Florida. It was amazing for our team chemistry.”

The trip began with a match against the second-ranked Nova Southeastern University on March 11, where the Chargers fell 7-0. The No. 1 doubles team of senior Melanie Zampardo and sophomore Megan Hackman and the No. 3 team of senior Helana Formentin and McGivern each competed in tight 6-4 matches.

At No. 1 singles, Freshman Ane Dannhauser faced off against a ninth-ranked singles player in Division II, which resulted in a 6-2, 7-5 win. Zampardo and Spinazze each put up a fight in their singles matches as well, but they finished with 2-6, 2-6, and 3-6, 4-6 losses respectively.

The next day on March 12, the Chargers nearly clinched a win against Florida National University, with the match ending in a 4-3 defeat. Chargers dominated the doubles

“There’s a sense of pride for sure, and a lot of joy. It’s like you’re watching your own children. Both of those guys still have a lot of love for Hillsdale,” Tharp said.

Although both Cartier and Gohlke are with different programs, both players attribute much of their growth as players and humans to Hillsdale.

“I would not trade my Hillsdale experience for anything,” Cartier said. “I made some super strong connections with

matches, sweeping all three to earn the doubles point, with Hackman and Zampardo leading the charge in a 6-3 victory. Dannhauser and junior Courtney Rittel, along with Formentin and McGivern, followed suit, each pair securing their matches with 6-2 scores.

Dannhauser and Zampardo continued their strong performances in singles play as the former triumphed 6-0, 6-1, and the latter 6-1, 6-1. Two third-set tie-breakers, however, which extended beyond seven points each, slipped away from the Chargers, sealing the narrow loss despite their early lead in singles play.

“We played against some really tough schools, but every single match was super competitive and everyone had high energy."

In the trip’s finale on March 13, the Chargers faced yet another opponent in Palm Beach Atlantic, enduring a 5-2 defeat.

The day started with a mixed outcome in doubles

both coaches and teammates that have played a huge part in getting me where I am now.” The Rams are the 10th seed in the Midwest region, and the Golden Grizzlies are the 14th seed in the South region. Since their teams are in different tournament regions, the only way Cartier and Gohlke would face off against each other would be if both teams reached the Final Four.

“Jack and I are best friends,” Cartier said. “We were room-

matches as Rittel and Dannhauser were the only pair to overpower their opponents 6-0.

In singles matches that followed, Rittel achieved a 6-7, 6-4, 1-0 comeback victory at the No. 6 position, and McGivern earned a point for Hillsdale at No. 3 singles before her opponent retired. Zampardo nearly added another win in a closely contested match that went to a third-set tiebreak.

“The spring break trip was great,” Dannhauser said. “The team had a chance to spend time together outside of Hillsdale and I think it only brought us closer together as a team. We played against some really tough schools, but every single match was super competitive and everyone had high energy.”

Finishing the trip with a 3-9 record, the Chargers are now focused on their upcoming performance in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, where they have matches scheduled against Kentucky Wesleyan University on March 23 and Thomas More University on March 24.

“We didn’t necessarily end the trip how we wanted to,” Dannhauser said, “but considering that we haven’t been outside in months, I am super proud of how we played. I think the team is totally ready for conference, and we will be going into the next few weeks intending to win the conference.”

mates for our entire Hillsdale careers. We actually grew up pretty close to each other in Wisconsin, but never knew each other. Anytime I see him or any other prior teammates see success in their life it’s a great feeling. Both of us definitely understand how important Hillsdale played in our growth as players and people.”

Emma Sather has 11 hits this season. Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department

Sophomore Mackenzi Maxson has 14 strikeouts this season. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Action Shooting

Hillsdale wins centerfire optics at Talladega

By Carly Moran Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale College Action Shooting team took first in the centerfire optics category of the Scholastic Action Shooting Program College Nationals in Talladega, Alabama.

Last week’s win represents the third year in a row the team brought home a national title. The team’s A and B squads placed second and third in both the centerfire and 1911 pistol divisions, narrowly losing to rival Texas A&M University’s Corp of Cadets Marksmanship Unit.

“We haven't been especially focused on optics, it's kind of easier to transition from iron sights to optics,” junior Joseph Grohs said. “When you have iron sights, you have your rear sights, you have your front sight post, and then you have the target. So your brain is trying to work three different things at the same time. When you go to the red dot, you'd have a dot and then you have the target. So it's less cognitive load.”

“The industry and shooting sports are going toward red dots,” Grohs said. “They’re a lot more affordable, they’re a lot more reliable, and they’re more fun because you can shoot faster.”

In addition to Hillsdale placing first in the centerfire optics category, senior and Army veteran Zechariah Steiger won the individual national title with a time of 41.46. He also took second in the nation in the 1911 category with a time of 44.4, and third in centerfire with a time of 45.76 seconds.

Other notable wins in the men’s category include senior Adam Bentley’s third-place finish in centerfire optics, with a time of 45.76 seconds. Junior William Hudson competed in all three categories, earning third in the 1911 category with a time of 47.42 seconds, fifth in centerfire optic (47.61), and fifth in centerfire (51.52).

The Chargers took two medals in the women’s division, with sophomore Christina Lewis placing third in the centerfire category with a time of 65.6 seconds, and freshman Kayla Mullin in third in the 1911 category with a time of 82.72 seconds.

While the college has a variety of shooting teams, the action shooting discipline focuses on speed, with time added for each target missed. Competitive categories are created based on the firearm’s model and type of sights used.

Women's Track and Field

According to sophomore Grohs, the team competed well considering their head coach Adam Burlew was unable to come to Talladega due to a family emergency. Burlew is normally responsible for final practices and strategizing, as well as getting snacks and water, and signing everyone into the facility.

“I'm a little bit older, so I've kind of taken on the team manager role,” Grohs said. “And then, Coach Burlew had a family emergency so I took over the whole show down there. That was a big swing in the mental game for me.”

Assistant coach Michael “Doc” Sweeney stepped in to drive the team eight hours south, and also assisted in administrative tasks Burlew would normally complete.

“We all stepped up,” junior Taylor Chen said. “Like if someone had a bad run or a bad stage, we made sure to be encouraging. One of the things I've been studying is positive reinforcement. We can make fun of each other a lot, but we really stepped up and focused on the good stuff, like, ‘You did that well,’ instead of ‘That was trash, don't do that again.’”

The team practices at the range three times a week, and

is expected to complete one hour of dry fire drills on days when there’s no practice.

“It's definitely a time commitment for sure, but I mean, it’s a varsity sport,” freshman Kayla Grace Mullins said. “I’m grateful I have that connection to get to know them because otherwise I wouldn't. None of them are freshmen, none of them are in my classes. So I wouldn't have made any of these connections if not for the team.”

The team has been sponsored by Springfield Armory since 2019, which provides XD-Ms, XD-M Elites, and 1911 pistols.

“I think that we have a really good crew,” Grohs said. “We are a team, not just like a group of people that go and do the same hobby, which is generally kind of how stuff goes with shooting sports is kind of a bunch of hobbyists that work together. This is not just a flash in the pan.”

The team has plans to expand its national presence next season. This September, the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Center will host the first-ever U.S. Practical Shooting Association Collegiate Championship.

Five Chargers take top spots at nationals

By Anna Broussard Collegian Reporter

The national qualifiers on the women’s track and field team traveled to Pittsburg, Kansas, over the first weekend of spring break to compete in the NCAA Division II championships.

The qualifiers in attendance were seniors Shura Ermakov, Liz Wamsley, Katie Salyes, and Katie Weldy, and junior Averi Parker.

Ermakov finished sixth in the 400m dash, earning her fifth overall All-American honors.

Ermakov’s 400m race showcased a personal best, improving her time from the previous conference championships by nearly half a second.

“My 400m preliminary race was half a second better than my personal record at conference,” Ermakov said. “My final race was also faster than my conference personal record, but slower than my preliminary race.”

Ermakov placed sixth in the nation, receiving 2024 All-American honors for the indoor track season.

“We had some good performances. Katie Weldy improved her ranking in weight throw,” she said.

Weldy, who competed at the championships for the first time, placed 13th in the weight throw.

“Nationals went really well, I competed in weight throw and it was my first time making it,” she said. “I competed exactly how I needed to and

the goal at the end of the day was just to enjoy the experience.”

Wamsley took 14th place in the 5000m.

“I finished slower than my personal record,” Wamsley said. “It wasn’t the result I was looking for, but I’m grateful for the experience and opportunity to race against that level of competition.”

The championships featured competitors from Hillsdale’s conference like Ashland University.

“The runner-up in the 400m dash at conference championships from Ashland University competed in my 400m preliminary heat,” Ermakov said.

The competition and atmosphere of the championships contributed to the intensity of

the races, Ermakov said.

“It was a very high-stress environment because it was a very competitive field,” she said.

With the indoor season coming to a close, Ermakov said the team has shifted its focus to their upcoming first meet of the outdoor season.

The championship meet aided the girls in prepping for the outdoor season, according to Weldy.

“It gave me a really good experience for the outdoor season,” Weldy said. “I am someone who is way better at hammer over shotput, so being this successful in weight is really encouraging as I move into my main event.”

March Madness picks Students tips for your bracket

By Christian Papillon & Jeffrey Roskopp Assistant Editor and Collegian Freelancer

Overrated

Papillon: Purdue will need to prove itself after a humiliating defeat to 16thseed Fairleigh Dickinson University last year. Senior center Zach Edey is a force, averaging 24.4 points per game, but, as FDU proved last year, he can’t carry the team alone. The Boilermakers' offense is solid, scoring an average of 83.4 points per game, but its defense is only slightly above average, allowing an average of 70.2 points per game. If they face a team with an equally strong offense, such as Gonzaga, their defensive liability may be difficult to overcome.

Roskopp: Marquette never seems to be able to follow up a good regular season with a run in the tournament, and there is no reason to believe that will change this year. Coming in as a No. 2 seed again this year, it would not be a shock to see the Golden Eagles bow out before the first weekend is over. With a possible matchup with Colorado in the second round, it would not come as a surprise if Marquette gets upset by another No. 10 seed as they did last year.

Underrated

Papillon: It may seem funny to consider a No. 5 seed team underrated, but the Saint Mary’s Gaels are a sleeper team in this tournament. Their 58.7 points allowed per game is among the lowest in the NCAA. Houston is the only other team in the tournament that allows fewer points per game. Fifth seeds historically have a tough time in the tournament, but if the Gaels can get their offense together for a few games, they will be a tough team to beat.

Roskopp: James Madison stands out as a possible Cinderella team this year. The Dukes are one of three teams with more than 30 wins this season. They take care of the basketball, averaging just 10 turnovers a game. Plus, their star in the making, Terrence Edwards Jr., shoots the ball at an impressive 42% from the field.

Who Wins?

Papillon: Houston’s defense has allowed fewer than 60 points per game for four straight seasons, and is first in the NCAA with 57 points allowed per game this season. Senior guard Jamal Shead averaged 13.1 points per game and was first in the NCAA in defensive win shares this season with 3.1. Houston has three of the top four players in the NCAA by defensive rating with Shead, senior forward J’Wan Roberts, and junior forward Ja’Vier Francis. If the defense is working, the offense won’t have to do much for Houston to be nearly unstoppable.

Roskopp: After getting routed in the Big 12 Conference championship game, the Houston Cougars added fuel to their fire as they prepare to make a run in the big dance. Houston’s stellar defense is ranked number one in the country for efficiency. With veteran coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars will be ready to go.

I have to eat an Uncrustable the day of the meet before I compete.

Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

Creamy on PB&J, crunchy if it’s just a peanut butter sandwich. Do you observe any sports superstitions when you compete?

Name a band or musician you think is underrated.

The Muses in the "Hercules" soundtrack. Those ladies can sing!

If you were famous, what would you be famous for?

Being one of the girls on "The Bachelor."

If you could choose anyone to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, who would it be?

I would bring Freddie Mercury back from the dead and have Queen play.

What is your best hot take?

Monday is one of the top three days of the week.

Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Charger Sports

Chargers christen new stadium under the lights

By Cassandra DeVries Social Media Manager

The baseball team beat Findlay University on March 17 after losing the three previous games in its opening G-MAC series.

The team played in its home stadium for the first time.

“The whole team had big smiles on their faces when we took the field for the first time,” senior Danny Passinault said. “We’ve been waiting for that field for a while.”

Swimming

Hillsdale earns honors at nationals

Megan Clifford earned All-American honors at last week’s NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving championship meet in Geneva, Ohio, making her one of only three Charger swimmers to earn it in two separate seasons. Fellow junior Elise Mason also competed at the championship meet for the third year running.

“I was very proud of their performances and accomplishments,” head coach Kurt Kirner said. “It cannot be understated that all performances by both athletes were season best times and all their placings were up from where they were seeded into the meet. The meet was faster than last year and it took great times to make all-American honors.”

The NCAA awards All-American honors to swimmers who finish within the top 16 at the national championship meet. This year, the meet ran from March 12-16 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Clifford placed 13th in the 200 yard butterfly this year after placing seventh last year in a race that Kirner told The Collegian last year was one of the best swims from one of his athletes in 32 years of college coaching. Going into the meet this year, Clifford was seeded 19th in the 200 yard butterfly. During prelims in the morning on Friday, she swam a 2:03.13 and improved to 16th place, clinching a spot in the final. That evening, she improved her time to 2:02.27 and

her standing to 13th overall. “I was very excited about this race and had a lot of fun meeting people from other teams,” Clifford said. “It’s also very cool to swim in finals because you can score points

“The energy at nationals really helps to get you excited to be there.”

for your team and the arena always gets very packed and excited for the finals session.”

Mason was just shy of all-American honors in the 1,650 yard freestyle with a 17th place finish and a time of 17:06.51 — an improvement of five places from her original 22nd place seed. In the 1,000 and 500 yard freestyle races, she broke Hillsdale’s school records — which she herself had set in earlier competitions.

“The energy at nationals really helps to get you excited to be there,” Mason said. “It was definitely hard to continue training straight away after our conference meet, but it really was worth it to have been able to go to nationals and have another opportunity to race.” Clifford said the meet was a great experience, especially since she wasn’t sure she would qualify.

Passinault said it felt good to win after the previous losses.

“We have a lot of things to improve but we are getting better every weekend,” Passinault said.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Hillsdale trailed the Oilers 9-8. They loaded the bases, and Passinault hit a sacrifice fly that tied the game 9-9. Senior Nate Waligora batted in a run and brought the score to 10-9. Freshman Aaron Jasiak earned the save in his first relief pitching for the Chargers, striking out two of the four batters and preventing Findlay from scoring.

Sophomore John Hunter agreed.

“Losing was obviously upsetting, especially dropping two on the first day but Findlay was a talented team that could hit the ball to all parts of the field in any count and didn’t chase pitches very often,” Hunter said. The Chargers said they loved finally playing on home turf.

“Obviously we loved being on the new field but having a packed stadium for both days brought even more energy to the games,” Hunter said. Despite the rain and snow over the weekend, the team was able to play on the field, Passinault said.

Shotgun

“At night the lights all went on, and it worked great,” Passinault said. “We’ve been waiting a while for this.”

According to players, the team has been practicing at the Hillsdale High School baseball field and is thrilled to move to the new stadium. The team will continue to practice for the G-MAC on the new field.

“We have a lot of young guys that are getting experience and are getting better and better with every outing and at bat and they have a lot of support from veteran guys that have been here,” Hunter said. Hillsdale 5-12 overall, with a 1-3 conference record. This weekend, they will play four games in a home conference series against Tiffin University, starting at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 22.

“We are right on the edge of being an elite team, and I won’t be surprised if we take four from Tiffin this weekend,” Hunter said.

Four Chargers earn spots on junior national team

By Carly Moran Assistant Editor

Eight members of the Hillsdale College shotgun team traveled to Tucson, Arizona, from March 11-17 for the Olympic Trials, where half earned a place on the junior national team.

Junior Josh Corbin, junior Jordan Sapp, and freshman Madeline Corbin made it onto the skeet junior national team, while freshman Ava Downs will join the trap junior national team.

While they will not go to Paris in 2024, the junior national teams serve as a competitive bridge for teens and young adults to hopefully go to the Olympics later in life, all while still being a part of Team USA. Both the skeet and trap teams will travel to Porpetto, Italy, and Lima, Peru.

In the men’s skeet division, Sapp placed third in junior men and 10th in open men with an aggregate score of 240/250. Corbin followed in third in junior men and 12th in open men with a 235/250, while junior Kyle Fleck got third in collegiate men and 17th in open men with a 233/250. Sophomore Davis Hay earned 12th in junior men with a 198/250. “Hillsdale has provided me with the tools I needed to make the Junior National team,” Corbin said. “Head coach Jordan Hintz has been very supportive to teammates wanting to pursue the international games and he provides us with the ammo, coaching, and funding to help us get there. The Halter Center is also one of the best ranges in the country and I am very fortunate to be able to train there.”

In the women’s skeet division, assistant coach Caitlin Connor earned a 233/250, placing her 8th in open women. Corbin finished second in junior women and ninth in open women, with a 231/250. “I would’ve hoped for a few more targets but I am happy where I finished,” Downs said. “There were higher stakes and a lot of peoples’ life work was on the line. We had more people than normal and Tucson is a challenging range overall.”

No men competed in trap at Tucson. In the women’s trap division, senior Ida Brown finished ninth in open women and second in collegiate women with a 211/250. Downs followed with 10th in open women and second in junior women. Sophomore Sophia Bultema placed third in the paralympic category with a 175/250. “Having Hillsdale represented at the Olympic Trials means so much to me because Hillsdale has given me such an amazing opportunity to become the best athlete that I can be,” Sapp said. “Hillsdale's coaching and resources at the range guided me towards my success by providing me with everything I need, including one of the best Olympic skeet shooters as our assistant coach.”

The Charger’s season ends this week in San Antonio at the Association of Collegiate Unions International/Scholastic Clay Target Program Nationals. The competition runs from March 18-23. Last season, the team placed fifth overall.

Freshman Ava Downs qualified for the trap junior national team. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The Chargers played their first game in the new stadium March 16. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Senior Jaekob Sallee scored five runs over the weekend. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Students spend spring break serving local communities

By Christina Lewis Collegian Reporter

Thirty students chose to sacrifice sleep to serve Hillsdale and the surrounding communities during InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s mission trip this spring break.

Hillsdale students cooked food, volunteered for children’s programs at local churches, painted houses, refurbished basements, and gave their time and energy in other ways.

Senior Evan Anthopoulos said this was his first time going on a mission trip. He decided to sign up for the trip because he wanted a chance to give back to the Hillsdale community.

“We are called to be servants. Jesus was a servant,” Anthopoulos said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to serve and to learn from others how to properly do that and to also build community with other Christians.”

Carly Boerema ’23 led this year’s trip, despite being her first time going on a mission trip. “It was something that I didn’t necessarily feel qualified for, but it was something that I felt very called to do,” Boerema said. “The Lord provided in a lot of ways.”

Students visited the Hillsdale County Jail and spoke with inmates.

“We were talking to a young man who was in jail, we were sharing the gospel with him,

and we were praying with him,” Boerema said. “He couldn’t believe that we would choose to enter a jail and sit with him on our spring break.”

Boerema said ministering to neighbors doesn’t have to be complicated.

“It can be something as simple as giving our neighbor the time of day and treating them as a fellow human being and as an image-bearer of Christ,” Boerema said.

Shelby Tone ’22, correspondence manager for the President’s Office, said she has been serving on Hillsdale mission trips for four years. Tone led a small group on this year’s trip.

“Out of all the mission trips that I’ve participated in, this trip was the one where I had the most focus on other people and was not thinking about myself as much,” Tone said.

Tone said the mission trip pushed her out of her comfort zone.

“I think a lot of the point of the mission trip is to destabilize people so that they have to rely on God,” Tone said. “Relinquishing control is really important, especially for Hillsdale students who tend to like to know everything.”

Boerema said there was nothing fancy about the mission trip.

“God wanted to use what meager resources I had and multiply those,” Boerema said. “The Lord provided so abundantly in every single situation. He just wants us to be willing to put ourselves out

there and say ‘yes,’ and he does the rest.”

Anthopoulos said he saw the generational curse of parents making mistakes and kids having to deal with the negative consequences in the Hills-

“Relinquishing control is really important, especially for Hillsdale students who tend to like to know everything.”

dale community.

“Even though I’m a senior, there are a lot of things I didn’t know about Hillsdale, and it was a really good opportunity to just explore the area and be connected with people who are doing good work,” Anthopoulos said.

Sophomore Joy Li said she was thankful for the opportunity to see evangelism and ministry in action.

“We also saw how these cycles of brokenness can be broken by God,” Li said.

Sophomore Rebekah Preston shared similar views.

“The cycle of brokenness won’t stop until the gospel gets in there,” Preston said.

Boerema said it’s important to continue living with a servant mindset.

“The mission trip wasn’t designed for people to put on a special hat and serve during the week and then come back to campus and take that hat off and go back to ‘normal life,’” Boerema said. “It’s really a heart posture that we can carry into every single day and every interaction that we have with this person.”

Boerema said she encourages Hillsdale students to take time for the important things in life, like getting to know other people’s stories and sharing the gospel with them.

“We think that there’ll be a more convenient time to love our neighbor, but the mission trip demonstrated that we really just need to be willing to engage with each opportunity that comes along,” Boerema said. “It can be something really, really simple like sharing a meal with someone.”

Li said students should go on next year’s mission trip.

“It’s a really good opportunity to be doers and not just hearers of God’s word. There are opportunities to serve God and to carry out his ministry at Hillsdale,” Li said. “The trip is an excellent way to get involved in ministry for the first time and see how it works and to get comfortable with it.”

Carhartt and home goods: Jonesville boutiques boast history, variety

By Mark Den Hollander Collegian Freelancer

Shopping in Jonesville is the perfect activity for a Saturday afternoon while walking off your ice cream from The Udder Side.

The local shops welcome customers with warm greetings, displaying everything from trendy home essentials to Carhartt overalls.

At Powers Clothing, several members of the Pope family will greet you. The Popes have kept the store running since their ancestors started it in 1890. David and Sara Pope run the store along with their children Jim Pope and Marcy Boone. Sara Sauber, a grandchild and member of the Pope family’s sixth generation, also works there.

“We are kind of an anomaly,” David said. “We are an old-fashioned store. We carry everything from suits down to work clothes.”

“We are kind of an anomaly. We are an old-fashioned store. We carry everything from suits down to work clothes.”

According to David Pope, Powers Clothing is also the oldest Carhartt dealer in the U.S.

The shop also serves various needs for Hillsdale College. It provides uniforms for the college maintenance staff, and they also dress the senior football players in tuxedos for the football senior banquet free of charge.

Powers said he sells everything from wool vests to suits

at reasonable prices.

A full suit can run as low as $160. While large department stores offer sales like “buy one get one free,” David said he sells everything for the same low price all year round.

Powers is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and it’s open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Vintage 720 is a home goods store that Ronda Tulloch manages. Tulloch said she chooses items to sell at the store that she could envision in her own home. The store will reopen for the season on April 4, with its hours of operation being 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. The store is open regularly throughout the year at these times between April and December.

“The products that I sell are in the realm of unique home decor and higher-end personal care products,” Tulloch said. “There are many one-ofa-kind pieces of furniture that I have repurposed and some

that are still in their original condition. These include tables, chairs, sofas, nightstands, and lamps.”

Vintage 720’s tagline is “love your home.” The store sells cards, journals, and teas as well as candles and

“I truly want to inspire people to make everything in their home beautiful.”

David Pope and his family have been running Powers Clothing since family started it in 1890. Courtesy | Mark Den Hollander “Love your home” is Vintage 720’s tagline. Courtesy | Facebook

Hillsdale students painted houses and refurbished basements. Courtesy | Carly Boerema

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship hosted the mission trip. Courtesy | Carly Boerema

C U L T U R E

Jacob

Collier wraps up four-volume album in epic style

By Isaac Green News Editor

When genre-blending singer, songwriter, and producer Jacob Collier began work on his Djesse album in 2018, he planned to finish it in a year. But it didn’t work out that way.

With the release of “Djesse Vol. 4” last month, the English artist has finally wrapped up a six-year project that kept expanding. The new 16-track

volume offers yet another roller coaster of musical experiences as Collier fuses unique sounds with more recognizable arrangements, seizing attention with bold moves while drifting in and out of more familiar, but no less masterfully navigated, sonic spaces.

“I’ve just been so ignited by the process of learning for so many years,” Collier said in a virtual press conference last month hosted by junior Ally Hall, a public relations repre-

sentative for Universal Music Group’s creative solutions team 1824. “The best way that I’ve found to learn is to collaborate. Djesse at its heart is a monumental collaborative escapade.”

This album follows this roadmap to the letter, using the musical abilities of other artists to help express Collier’s creative vision.

The high-energy funk talents of Lawrence and the old soulful voice of Michael McDonald build an instant earworm in “Wherever I Go,” while the vocal talents of Shawn Mendes and Kirk Franklin craft a heartwarming gospel-style song about coming together during difficulty in “Witness Me.” But while it is teamwork as usual on “Djesse Vol. 4,” the new release marks itself off from the other volumes with a new kind of collaboration Collier said he didn’t see coming.

There are 100,000 voices on the album — not just the voices of Grammy-winning musicians but those of audience members all over the world, which Collier used to build a

massive choral ensemble and tap into the “hive mind” he said he thinks humankind has when it comes to music.

“I tend to give each segment of the audience a starting note and then I’ll point up or down to each segment at a time and then those notes will rise or fall accordingly,” Collier said. “But I don’t tell people what to do, they just know already.” This instinctive ability of all people to engage with music at some level pushes back on the idea that the technical expertise in Collier’s music makes it inaccessible to his more casual listeners.

“I tend to find that audiences actually really appreciate not being bent to,” Collier said. “I think the best thing I can do is make things I really respond to with awareness of the audience and sometimes using the audience.” Collier said he takes a similar approach when working with the musicians he features in his discography, finding that it creates more space for others to feel confident when he doesn’t shrink his ambitions.

“My job as a collaborator is to essentially scale my universe to be compatible with somebody else’s, but without reducing it in scale,” Collier said to The Collegian.

This approach gives birth to unforgettable moments, like the one fans got to witness in a Feb. 23 social media post capturing the moment Collier sat down with Tori Kelly to record the vocals on his arrangement of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel.

In the video, Collier shows Kelly the vocal runs he has planned for the track — runs so harmonically challenging and creative that she can only laugh, shake her head, and turn to the microphone to give it a try. She executes them flawlessly, performing vocal acrobatics that masses of singers have now taken to the internet in an attempt to replicate over the last several weeks.

This open community of people with a shared passion for music turned out to be a theme for this particular piece of the project.

“The big dream with Djesse

was for each volume to inhabit a different sonic universe,” Collier said. “‘Djesse Vol. 1’ was an orchestral album, ‘Djesse Vol. 2’ was more of an acoustic album, ‘Djesse Vol. 3’ was a kind of digital, electronic album, and ‘Djesse Vol. 4’ I kind of deliberately left blank for the end and it’s ended up being an album very much in celebration of humankind.”

The album ends quite literally on a goodbye in “World O World” as Collier bids farewell with an epic arrangement of choral harmonies, putting a bow on a project that occupied over a half-decade of his life.

“I thought that by the end of “Djesse Vol. 4” I would be ready to start my career,” Collier said. “That was the sort of overarching thing for me was like, ‘When I’ve done Djesse then I’ll be ready, I can really contribute something of value in all these different things I enjoy. So I would officially say I’m ready to start my career in a sense now.’”

It’s safe to say that if Collier is only getting started, we’d better watch out for what he is planning next.

Charles Dickens characters come to life in ‘The Artful Dodger’

By Catherine Maxwell Assistant Editor

“The Artful Dodger” probably won’t appeal to Dickens die-hards, but it remains an entertaining show for those who enjoy witty banter, clever thieving, and 1800s-style surgery.

Now streaming on Hulu, the show follows a grown Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), aka The Artful Dodger from Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.” No longer in prison as he was at the end of the novel, Dawkins is a gentleman and surgeon in the penal colony of Australia when his carefully-crafted existence is threatened by two individuals.

Dawkins is a likable protagonist. He cares for all his patients and only wants what’s best for everyone around him — even Fagan, who abandoned Dawkins in prison 15 years previously. Struggling to reconcile his current status with his thieving past, Dawkins always tries to make the best choices.

Even though Dawkins makes a fine gentleman, his character truly shines when he agrees to start stealing with Fagin again. No longer a mere pickpocket, Dawkins is a mastermind, and he’s willing to pull any number of insane capers to get what he wants, whether grave robbing

The first is Norbert Fagin (David Thewlis), who Oliver Twist saved from hanging 15 years ago and is now a prisoner in Australia. The second is Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell), the governor’s daughter who demands Dawkins train her to be the world’s first female surgeon.

or infiltrating the governor’s mansion.

Belle, Dawkins’ love interest and the show’s secondary protagonist, has far more depth than the modern girlboss stereotype. She’s smart, beautiful, and prefers anatomy to poetry, but she’s also arrogant and dismissive of others — qualities she works through over the course of the show. She’s disinterested in the many suitors her mother throws at her, but she supports her sister’s desire for marriage and family. The show balances Belle’s theoretical knowledge with Dawkins’ practical knowledge and never uses her abilities to put down the titular character. Even though Belle eventually executes a successful surgery of her own, Dawkins is always

shown as the master surgeon, and all of Belle’s medical discoveries aid him in helping his patients.

Even the side characters have more layers and complexities than anticipated. There’s Fagin, a selfish criminal who manipulates everyone but still cares for Dawkins; Captain Gaines (Damon Herriman), who ruthlessly hunts Dawkins down but is committed to justice; and the governor’s wife who is more competent than her husband but is also cruel and self-serving.

“The Artful Dodger” balances fun heists with medical drama — if either appeals to you, you’ll probably enjoy the show. Throw in a cast of colorful, complicated characters and a dash of romance, and you’re in for a great

time. (And don’t worry, the “Oliver Twist” connections have a fantastic payoff in the final two episodes.)

On the other hand, if you adored “Oliver Twist,” you might not appreciate the liberties the writers took with Dickens’ characters. I have never read the book, so I can’t speak to how accurately Dawkins and Fagin transfer from book to screen. If you don’t mind a less Dickens-like approach to the characters, however, you may want to give the show a chance.

Overall, “The Artful Dodger” is an enjoyable show. It has solid characters, a twisting plot, and a fresh setting. If you’re looking for your next binge-worthy show, this is it.

Professors’ Picks: Patricia Bart, associate professor of English

From the minds of Hillsdale’s professors: the song, book, and movie everyone ought to know

“The Sanctus” from Gounod’s “Messe solennelle en l’honneur de Saint-Cécile” (1885)

It is very like what my soul does when I am highly aware of the magnificence of God. But, a video of someone doing a shuffle dance is also not unlike that, either. Now, there’s also Bobby Bare’s “Dropkick Me Jesus through the Goalposts of Life.” If you don’t think that song is sublime, you haven’t been dropkicked often enough. Which, to be honest, a lot of people haven’t. And no Trekkie can pass by the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” I mean, all those enemy drones drinking deeply from the grapes of wrath when the crew broadcast it at precisely 57.7 MHz. Words do not suffice.

“The Dark Night of the Soul” (c. 1579) and “The Ascent of Mount Carmel” (1618) by St. John of the Cross

A good edition with footnotes gets you geeking out on the references to the Old Testament, and then on the mysticism of the via negativa inherent in the Old Testament. The whole thing then overwhelms the intellect so effectively that you actually start experiencing said via negativa. But what about Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral”? The works of Dante, on which only last week I spent $125 just to get some extra footnotes and commentary? Virgil? Horace? “The Upstart Crow”? Impossible question.

“The Hunt for Red October” (1990) and others

“The Hunt for Red October,” “What’s up Doc?”, and “Holy Grail.” These are just perfect of their kind. Even Aristotle agrees. The first has manly men doing manly things, as do “Patton,” “Lawrence of Arabia” (with a great score), “The Wind and the Lion” (allegedly Osama bin Laden’s favorite), “Master and Commander,” and “Gladiator.” I like watching manly men do manly things. I’ve never understood why more women don’t. Not for the same reason as men do, obviously. The two comedies are the only ones I know that can induce medically dangerous laughter even when you have had the whole thing memorized for over 40 years.

Patricia Bart poses for a picture as a young girl. Courtesy | Patricia Bart

The series features Charles Dickens’ character Jack Dawkins. Courtesy | The Hollywood Reporter

Jacob Collier said he’s officially ready to start his career after releasing “Djesse Vol. 4.” Courtesy | NPR

FEATURES

Exploring campus’ hidden library

The music department library houses hundreds of pieces of music in Howard

By Megan Li Collegian Reporter

Deep in the basement of Howard Music Hall is the college’s lesser-known library, holding a collection of sheet music that dates back to the 1940s.

Professor of Music James Holleman, who directs the college orchestra and choirs, has been building the music library for 27 years.

“Since we have students in a four-year rotation, the music that we do is really connected and is standard repertoire that should be done by students when they’re in college,” Holleman said. “We don’t have to order it, we don’t have to buy it — it gets more expensive. We own it, and I can go and pull from it.”

Holleman said he buys about 35 copies for the chamber choir and 80 to 120 copies for the college choir, all of which show the full score of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts and accompaniment. For orchestra, he has to take into account different instruments.

“I order 12 first violins, 12 seconds, eight violas, eight cellos, four basses, and then you get all the winds, brass, percussion score, and then you file all that,” Holleman said.

Holleman said he enjoys having the library to loan music out and look at old music. He said there are many good options ranging from acapella and sacred music to secular and larger works.

“With the Chamber Choir this semester, I started pulling some of the pieces that just really went over well over the years,” Holleman said. “So I kind of joke that I’m starting my sort of Greatest Hits farewell tour.”

Holleman said he sometimes comes down to the library to scope out potential music for the next semester or next year.

“I’ll just come down here sometimes and put on my glasses — I just go through looking for titles and stuff will

jump out at me,” Holleman said

The library contains original pieces like the Hillsdale fight song, alma mater, an overture for the orchestra written by Associate Professor of Music Daniel Tacke, and pieces by Andrew Maxfield that Hillsdale has premiered. The library also holds Russian music that is no longer available since the fall of the Soviet Union.

“There were periods of time where you could purchase certain Russian music, and then it got to where you couldn’t — where it was only rental or it was unavailable,” Holleman said. “So if we had purchased

“There are pieces going years and years back that we can still pull out.”

it when it was available, then we have it and we have rights to perform it. So we have a few pieces that you just can’t get anymore, or it’s difficult to get.”

Sophomore Samuel Jarzab and freshman Miriam Ahern work as librarians who organize the music library. They are responsible for printing copies if the music is public domain and letting Holleman know if the choir is short on ordered music.

Jarzab said he enjoys organizing and maintaining volumes of music.

“My favorite part is just helping the choir with whatever they need,” Jarzab said. “We’re there with extra copies of music, extra folders if someone forgets on a particular day. We’re managers as much as we are librarians.”

Jarzab said at the end of each concert cycle, he and Ahern

collect the music to file away alphabetically by title until it can be recycled.

“It’s a little tedious, but nevertheless, it’s a great experience,” Jarzab said.

He estimates the library holds at least a few hundred pieces, with more being added by the chapel choir and the Tuesday night wind ensemble band.

“There are pieces going years and years back that we can still pull out,” Jarzab said.

Freshman Lydia Boone, a member of the college choir and orchestra, said the increasing size of choirs and orchestra may lead to the library’s further expansion.

“The music library seems to have a lot of stuff in it,” Boone said, “but not enough music for every student since choir and orchestra are growing.”

The moldiness of the paper and the different music presentation dates some pieces back to the 1950s, Holleman said. The differences range from individually flagged notes, rather than barred, to the use of diphthongs and vowels.

“The music written for choirs back then had that written out in phonetics below the text — it’s very confusing to look at it and read,” Holleman said. “I would order a new modern edition of the piece and put that in the library.”

Holleman said the alphabetical organization of the music, proposed by a student, took some getting used to, but a computer database allows him to see the number of copies of a piece. “It’s functional because I’ve lived with it for 27 years,” Holleman said. “I kind of know where things are and where to look, and I remember what I bought, what I haven’t bought. It’s nothing like they would do up at Mossey Library — they would be embarrassed by our organizational system, but it works.”

The academic priorities of librarians come first, but there have been student employees

organizing the library during the summer, according to Holleman.

“It’s just a matter of getting some students down here and just really rolling up their sleeves and trying to make it happen,” he said.

Jarzab said he enjoys looking through the sheet music as a part of his job as librarian.

“I know a lot of musicians are moving towards the iPad, having everything stored electronically, but for me, I love working with sheet music,” Jarzab said. “There’s an element of nostalgia.”

Finding God in song: students start weekly hymn singing club

By Adriana Azarian Collegian Reporter

The performance halls and practice rooms are empty and Howard Music Hall is silent on Sunday nights — except for room 220. That’s where the Hymn Singing Club meets from 7-9 p.m.

The Hymn Singing Club, which became official this semester, seeks to encourage students through the study and singing of hymns, which achieved official club status this semester, seeks to encourage students through the study and singing of hymns, according to sophomore Stephen Zhu, president of the club. “It’s easy to see hymns as nice poetry and music that you sing in church every

Sunday because that’s just what you always do,” Zhu said. “But good hymns are full of biblical truths, and we can learn a lot about God and ourselves.”

The club met informally last year, said sophomore Ellia He, the club’s treasurer. The founding members held a shared love of hymns and began singing throughout the semester and into summer session, she said.

“We want to get the word of God into your heart through as many avenues as possible,” he said. “We get truths and goodness from studying, but the beauty of music is a completely different avenue that touches your heart in a more direct way.”

Sophomore Hannah Wong, the club’s vice president, said learning the scriptural roots of hymns adds intentionality to the members’ singing.

“It’s the same way you read old books — it’s tried and true, it’s timeless,” Wong said. “People have sung about this for ages, and it’s been shown to be good.”

Members study a hymn at every meeting, discussing its history and composer, according to Zhu. They also learn new hymns and practice choral pieces to perform on campus.

“Sometimes we’ll just flip through the hymnal and find some hymns we don’t know. We’ll look at the lyrics and see if they’re good,” Zhu said. “If we like it, then we’ll just learn it.”

The club performed Christmas carols last semester and sang in the Knorr Dining

In this Quick Hits, Public Services Librarian Brenna Wade talks squirrels, Wales, and movies.

What book are you reading right now?

“Tales from the Café” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, second book in the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series.

How long have you wanted to be a librarian?

Ever since junior year of high school, around age 17.

What was your favorite study spot when you were a Hillsdale student?

The Dow Room in the library. I tried studying in the Heritage Room, but I kept napping on the couches instead.

“Harry Potter” or “Lord of the Rings”?

“Lord of the Rings,” no question. I have read the trilogy and seen the movies. The “Lord of the Rings” movies by Peter Jackson came out when I was in high school, and it was an amazing experience to see them in theaters. I have not read the “Harry Potter” books and have only seen parts of the movies.

What is your top advice for students?

Hall on Ash Wednesday this semester. Zhu said he hopes to perform at Hillsdale Hospital and senior housing centers where people likely grew up with traditional hymns.

Sophomore Madeline

Blake, one of the club’s founding members, said hymns guide and shape thoughts and emotions.

“I come away encouraged and happier,” Blake said. “I’m thinking about ways I can continue praising God in life and having that underlying joyful heart.”

Wong said hymns place scripture habitually in her mind.

“It’s a helpful reminder because oftentimes hymns talk of scripture or sets your mind on God,” Wong said. “The richness of the content of hymns is really amazing.”

Members of the Hymn Club see themselves as implementing Christian community.

“We come to sing together,” he said. “In Heaven, that’s the one thing we’ll be doing for sure. Why aren’t we practicing that now?”

College is an incredibly unique time. Your schedule will never be as flexible as it is now. Enjoy it, and don’t be afraid to make connections both on campus and in the community.

What is the craziest thing that's happened since you've worked at the library?

Probably the squirrel that got into the library several years ago. One of the maintenance personnel was able to get it out. I’m not sure how it got in the building, and I’m not entirely sure how they captured it. Added some excitement to the day, though.

Where are you from?

I grew up in Oakland, Illinois, a tiny town in east central Illinois, but I consider

FEATURES

Setting sail for spring break The British Virgin Islands

By

But it’s actually a group of friends from Hillsdale College on spring break. Senior Grace Hearne has sailed in the British Virgin Islands many times with her family, and she said she was excited to share the experience with her friends.

Early this semester, Hearne suggested the seven-day sailing

trip

five Chi Omega sisters, senior Emma Widmer said.

“Her dad helped to sail the boat and helped with the organization” Widmer said.

Each day the group woke up early, sailed, snorkeled, and explored the different islands, Hearne said.

“There were cabins in the boat, so we slept on the boat each night. However, most of us tended to sleep on the deck,” Hearne said. “We made meals on the boat and went out to eat a few times.”

According to senior Brooke Hillis, she and Hearne slept on

the sail like a hammock one night.

“There is no light polluation so you can just see so many stars from up there,” Hillis said. Widmer said she learned so much during the trip.

“I learned a little bit about sailing but also about snorkeling, some interesting fish and plants, and also about each other,” Widmer said. “When you are in that close of quarters for a week you get really close with your friends in the best way.”

According to senior Kayla Cho, the group ran into some

Tales from the Speaker’s office

Sophomore Tommy Smith shares experience interning for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson

By Jacob Beckwith Collegian Reporter

Sophomore Tommy Smith knows how to tell a story. Every evening, his classmates look forward to his re-enactment of the most memorable call he received that day.

“This is Speaker Johnson’s office. How can I help you?”

“Yes ma’am, we do.”

“No ma’am.”

“Certainly not ma’am!”

“Well thank you for the call, I’ll be sure to let the speaker know.”

Senior Noah Parlee always finds these re-enactments hilarious.

“I love how he pulls out his ‘polite voice’ for the imaginary phone calls,” Parlee said.

When Smith submitted his application for the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program last fall, he didn’t expect to be working for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson by this spring.

“I am an English major and not very politically driven,” Smith said. “But the coordinator for the program, Mary Wheeler, recommended that I apply to the speaker’s office, and I somehow got an interview and heard not long after that I was accepted.” Johnson, currently in his fourth House term representing Louisiana’s fourth congressional district, took office as speaker of the house last October.

“He’s a very humble man who genuinely cares about the people who he serves,” Smith said. “You can see that in the way he carries himself and the convic-

tion he has for good moral decisions in his politics.” Smith now spends 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day answering the phone, giving tours, and escorting guests to their meetings with Johnson.

“Mr. Johnson has an incredible amount of responsibility as speaker of the house, so our job as interns is to take care of all

“He’s a very humble man who genuinely cares about the people who he serves.”

the little things that he shouldn’t have to worry about,” Smith said. “Sometimes that’s just straightening chairs or restocking fridges, but other times we are doing projects directly for the Speaker.”

Mary Wheeler ’22, who serves as the undergraduate program coordinator for Hillsdale in D.C., said she has enjoyed working with Smith this semester. “He’s very personable, which makes him immediately likable,” Wheeler said. “I’m not surprised he’s been chosen for some pretty cool opportunities.”

Smith said within the past few weeks in the Capitol, he heard Andrea Bocelli sing, walked past Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and spoke to Jordan Peterson.

“You walk past these important and famous people on a daily basis, and you start to realize that they are just regular people too,” Smith said. “You walk past them, they walk past you.”

Yet along with that, Smith said embarrassing moments are an inevitable part of being in a new environment.

“I’ve emailed a finished project to the wrong Jay, escorted a guest to the wrong Josh, and messed up cleaning the coffee machine so badly that nobody could figure out why it was leaking,” Smith said. When asked how busy he feels in D.C. compared to normal student life back in Hillsdale, Smith laughed.

“There is a lot to do,” Smith said. “Not only are you taking two to three classes in the evenings after work, you are also shopping for your own meals. Most students are doing meal prep on the weekends based on their schedule for the upcoming week.”

Smith said he loves the challenge.

“I think there is this conception among students at Hillsdale that you will be missing out on things if you go on WHIP, and that is true to an extent,” Smith said. “But the opportunities that you get, and the experience of understanding how the political capitol of our world works, both make the sacrifice worth it.”

problems like a broken generator and an empty water tank.

“When we would run out of water, we had to refill the tank when docked on an island,” Cho said. “One day we ran out of water and had to do dishes off the boat with the ocean water.”

Hearne said the second day on the boat was her favorite because she woke up before the sun had risen, stargazed, and watched the sun rise.

“Once everyone was awake, we set sail around the south part of Norman Island. It was a beautiful sail as the sun was

still rising,” Hearne said. “We sailed all the way to Virgin Gorda to explore The Baths which is a beach that has massive granite boulders with pathways through them.”

Hearne said they then took the dinghy part way and swam the rest of the way to shore to explore the different paths.

“I had a revelation of how much this world has to offer and how beautiful it is,” Cho said. “It made me feel like I was so small. I ended up appreciating everything around me.” Widmer said she created great memories with friends.

“It was so nice just hanging out on the boat, making meals, and playing cards but also getting to experience something so unique together,” Widmer said. “It was truly a once in a lifetime experience.”

Widmer said the trip was a great opportunity to see beautiful aquatic life and the most turquoise water she had ever seen.

“Mostly it was just avoiding sunburn and trying to not be scared of jumping into the open ocean,” Widmer said.

Smith also said WHIP is not solely a political internship program. “There are over 700 Hillsdale alumni in the D.C. area, so if you tell the program directors what you are looking for, they will help you find an internship,” Smith said. “Hillsdale also just has a really good reputation on Capitol Hill, and people in D.C. always want Hillsdale students working for them.” While the students on WHIP spend most of their time apart at their various internships, classes and the occasional social event brings them together.

“They took us to a Viennese Waltz recently, a black-tie tuxedo event with professional waltzers,” Smith said. “I was so bad at waltzing that the person who I asked to dance stopped me a minute in and said, ‘You know what, don’t worry about it.’” Wheeler said a student on WHIP had given waltz lessons to her classmates a few times before the event.

“I guess Tommy didn’t attend any of the practices,” she said. Smith said WHIP students learn the value of a hard day's work. They won’t be able to

coast through classes on WHIP when they have worked a full day and cooked meals before even getting to the classroom.

“There is an external responsibility that is placed on you that you don’t have in Hillsdale,” Smith said. “It is very easy to take a Hillsdale education for granted, especially when you are there for four years. When you come to D.C., you realize how valuable that education is, and it makes you value whatever you have left of it so much more.”

Six women set sail in the British Virgin Islands for a week—the perfect reality TV show or Key West novel.

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Smith spends 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day interning for Mike Johnson. Courtesy | Tommy Smith

Mike Johnson poses with Smith and his other congressional interns. Courtesy | Tommy Smith

Olivia Pero Culture Editor

Six senior women sailed in the British Virgin Islands over spring break. Courtesy | Emma Widmer