Collegian 11.16.2023 by The Hillsdale Collegian

Students gathered in the Hoynak Room last Friday for a Great Gatsby themed murder mystery night. (See A3) Erik TEder | Student Activities Board

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Student Fed changes funding policy By Nathan Stanish AD Manager Funding for religious organizations and intercollegiate club sports will come entirely from the chaplain’s office and the director of club sports starting next semester, replacing support from the Student Federation, which reflects a change that began years ago, according to administrators. “Because the Student Federation’s budget comes from student fees, it’s important they try to use the funds so that a wide range of students are able to receive the monetary benefits,” said Diane Philipp, vice president of student affairs. According to Rev. Adam Rick, the college’s chaplain, another reason for the change is rapid growth in both faith life and non-varsity sports activities on campus. “The reason this shift has occurred is because with regards to student ministries on campus in the last 10 years, and with regards to the intercollegiate club sports in the last three years, there’s more need for support for these organizations,” Rick said. “They’re getting very complex and large and the college wants to make sure that their impact on campus life is sustained and supported.” For religious organizations, the decision reflects a long-standing policy of the college, according to Philipp. “When the college hired a chaplain, a budget was created to fund student ministry programs and the federation was to refer these groups to the chaplain’s office,” Philipp said. “When Fr. Rick was hired, he received an increase in the budget based on additional growth with student ministry programming.” To accommodate the growing need for staff support, the college hired Rick as full-time chaplain in 2021 and hired Ryan Perkins as director of campus recreation and club sports in 2023. “We have 10 intercollegiate club teams, right now, and of those teams we’ve had three go to postseason play this semester, one last semester, and one scheduled to go to regionals next semester,” Perkins said. “On the whole, intercollegiate sports is becoming increasingly competitive and with that comes a lot more expenses — the playoffs alone are really expensive.” Part of the funding for intercollegiate teams already comes from fundraising, according to Perkins.

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Vol. 147 Issue 12 – November 16, 2023

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Keith Otterbein retires as on Puritan leader John Owen Charger football head coach Drummond lecturer speaks By Elizabeth Troutman Editor-in-chief

Puritan John Owen was a “thoroughgoing Protestant” who believed salvation is by grace alone, according to British scholar and Church of England clergyman Lee Gatiss at a Drummond Lecture in Christ Chapel last week. Gatiss is the director of Church Society, a Church of England fellowship dedicated to the renewal of Biblical faith, as well as a lecturer in church history at Union School of Theology in the United Kingdom. In a lecture titled, “John Owen: The Genius of English Puritanism,” Gatiss said the 17th century Puritan was a Christian statesman, scholar, reformed theologian, and prolific Biblical commentator. Though Owen was an imperfect, sinful man and prone to anger, he left a mark on faith and history, Gatiss said. Owen guided Oliver Cromwell as his chaplain, working to reform England through Christian principles. “He built up a network of contacts with the deliberate purpose of bringing about godly religious reform in England and freedom of conscience,” Gatiss said. A fine scholar, Owen also knew his classics, according to Gatiss. “His Greek, his Hebrew, and his Latin were all very much

up to scratch,” Gatiss said. “He earned the respect of the academy for his deep schools of learning.” Owen was also a firm Anglican who loved the Reformation and an ordained Anglican minister, Gatiss said. “His focus on the doctrinal basis of Anglicanism could serve as a rallying cry for all Protestants,” he said. Assistant Professor of Politics Adam Carrington, an Anglican, said he thought Gatiss’ introduction to Owen’s life and theology was thoughtful and valuable. “In Owen, we see the views of an Englishman who defended the fundamental principles of the broader Protestant Reformation shared by the Church of England,” Carrington said. “At the same time, Owen came to hold different views from the ecclesiastical and liturgical distinctives of the English Church. That tension is a helpful, even fruitful one for Gatiss to introduce to us.” Humans cannot earn their way back into God’s good graces by our own works, Gatiss said Owen believed. “Having no righteousness of our own, God then clothes us with the perfect righteousness of Christ, and he loves us as he loves his own son, despite our deep unworthiness,” Gatiss said.

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By Alex Deimel Assistant Editor After 22 seasons as the head football coach for Hillsdale College, Keith Otterbein announced his retirement Nov. 15. Offensive coordinator Nate Shreffler will fill his position. Otterbein led the Chargers to three NCAA Division II playoff appearances, three GLIAC division championships, and one G-MAC regular season championship, which was when the 2018 Chargers went undefeated in conference matchups. Otterbein is also the inspiration behind Hillsdale’s ubiquitous “Otter’s Army” t-shirts. He finishes his career with a record of 133-107, and his wins put him third among

Hillsdale football coaches, behind Charger coaching legends Frank “Muddy” Waters and Dick Lowry. “To be in the same position as Dick Lowry and Muddy Waters, it’s a bit overwhelming and intimidating,” Otterbein said. “It’s very, very humbling to be in the same light.” The Chargers struggled early this fall but reeled off five straight wins to conclude the season 6-5, putting Otterbein just one win away from tying Lowry’s 134 wins, and six wins away from breaking Waters’ all-time Hillsdale record of 138 career wins. “Getting closer to Muddy’s record over the years has been in the back of my mind,” Otterbein said. “But part of my decision was if I was to come

Keith Otterbein was the head football coach at Hillsdale for 22 years. Courtesy | ANthony Lupi

back, I’m not about chasing the records, I’m about the kids. I’m about developing men.” Otterbein has been involved with the Charger football program since 1975 when he first arrived at Hillsdale to play for former coach and athletic director Jack McAvoy as a linebacker. After his four-year career under McAvoy, he stayed in Hillsdale and became an assistant for Lowry, then became the youngest head football coach in the nation when Ferris State University hired him in 1986. In between his stint at Ferris State and his return to Hillsdale in 2001, Otterbein was the running back coach for Ball State University. “More than 20 years ago, I went looking for my first football coach,” Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said. “I wanted someone who could play competitive football with highly intelligent young men who wished to build their characters as well as their intellects. Coach Otterbein said he could do that, and he has. I am proud of him for so many things, above all that. I wish him every good thing in his retirement.” Otterbein said his most memorable moment came during the team’s 2009 banquet.

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Graduate school of education launches hybrid program By Michael Bachmann Features Editor A hybrid program will allow working adults to earn a master’s degree through a combination of in-person and online classes through the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education. “We knew all along that we wanted to offer a high-quality program for people who can’t move here for two years, which is why we created the hybrid program,” said Daniel Coupland, dean of the graduate school of classical education. “We always knew we wanted to create something to reach out to those people.” The program will accept its first 15 students this year for classes that will begin summer 2024. The cohort will take the same 36 credit hours as students in residence, but classes will be spread out across three years instead of two. The program will begin on campus in June with a week-long in-person class followed by an online class in July. Students will take

only one night class during the fall and spring semesters. According to Coupland, the hybrid program’s schedule is targeted toward current teachers and administrators seeking to earn their master’s degrees. “We want our students to continue to work as practicing educators,” Coupland said. “We don’t want to pull them away from the schools that they work at, so we are offering classes around their schedules.” The graduate school has worked hard to alleviate any concerns students may have about online learning, according to Program Director Jaime Boerema ’21. “We will have the same faculty teaching in the online program as we do in person. And they will be offering the same courses,” Boerema said. “Online classes will also be synchronous, meaning that professors and peers meet live.” Assistant Professor of Education David Diener, who will teach a course online next year, said education is a deeply personal affair.

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A2 November 16, 2023

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Psychology honorary Psi Chi hosts lecture on child abuse Documentary class screens By Tayte Christensen Collegian Reporter Child abuse in America is a cycle that repeats itself, said psychologist Brian Allen in a speech Monday night. Hillsdale’s Psi Chi psychology honorary sponsored Allen’s speech, titled “Looking Back to Look Ahead: A Retrospective from 20 Years Fighting Child Abuse on the Frontline.” “In child abuse in particular, we see cycles that repeat over and over again,” Allen said. “We’re at a point right now where we can see where we’re at and predict where we’re going.” Allen, a 2002 Hillsdale alumnus, currently works at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine and Pennsylvania State Children’s Hospital and has studied the psychology of child abuse for over a decade. His speech looked at many historical landmarks of child abuse as well as current issues. Studies by people like John Caffey, M.D., began to recognize child abuse as an issue after World War II, Allen said. “You had John Caffey who concluded that there was more to kids’ broken bones than scurvy and brittle bone disease,” Allen said. “But he de-

clined to say exactly what that extra thing was.” It was later discovered that this missing piece was child abuse. “We had these mandated reporting laws in all of the states between 1963 and 1966 that shone more light on the problem of child abuse,” he said. “A national incidents study was done every 10 years and we knew approximately how many children were being abused.” Later, Allen said, funding from the government was retracted and conversations about child abuse lessened. “By the time we got to the end of the early ’80s, child abuse was not really on the radar anymore,” he said. Talk of trauma began in the early 2000s, and was especially apparent after 9/11, with the uncovering of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church causing tensions to rise, Allen said. It was traumatic events such as these that led to the use of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, he said. “It’s exposure therapy,” Allen said. “When the patient gets to the point where they’re not afraid to talk about their experience anymore and all

the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder disappear. That’s ultimately the goal of this kind of therapy.” Today, Allen said the problem is that the home, where most child abuse occurs, cannot be criticized. “The reality is the vast majority of sexual abuse happens in the home,” Allen said. “But the only thing we’re allowed to talk about is the system — that is something we can take on.” Senior Paige Conway said this point relates to the immediate community. “I found it interesting how Dr. Allen drew attention to the fact that systems of abuse are criticized but not individuals,” she said. “Most child abuse is done by someone close to the child, but people are unwilling to discuss the facts or believe that it could happen in their community.” Senior psychology student Taylor Royston said the history behind a lot of these ideas was shocking to her. “This has been an ongoing problem and fight since World War II,” she said. “There has been so much misinformation spread and things stated about child abuse that is simply not true and has no data to back it up.”

Despite its history, research on child abuse has a long way to go, Royston said. “This is an area that still needs to be researched since the data is showing things people have never even thought of,” she said. “There need to be agencies and people who know about child abuse researching this and working on this nationwide.” Royston said she thinks this speech was a unique opportunity for students to learn more about an area of psychology that is not talked about enough. “I think this speech offered insight into things that we do not think of normally,” she said. “It allowed us to see that this is an ongoing fight that needs to be talked about and researched more so that we are focusing on helping the children and finding out what works for them.” Psychologists must keep working on the problem to gradually make it better, Allen said. “We have to fight the fight that we can fight and do what we need to do to combat this problem,” he said. “I just pray that it doesn’t take other big incidents to make changes.”

Cameron Moore transitions to full time in English department By Lauren Scott City news Editor After teaching as a lecturer in English since spring 2021, Cameron Moore will now work full time at the college as a visiting assistant professor of English. “I’m so overjoyed to do it,” Moore said. “To get to teach the best stuff with smart students, who are sharp and want to engage, it’s a delight.” Moore said he has taught a

Great Books I and II course every semester since spring 2021, but now he teaches Great Books and Great Books in Continental Literature. In spring 2024 he will teach three sections. “Dr. Moore has spent his life studying the great books and has always been a part of classical education,” said Justin Jackson, chair and professor of English. “The college needs strong teachers in our core, especially in the Great Books sequence since there are three

Cameron Moore has been a lecturer in English at Hillsdale since the spring of 2021. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Archives

Fed from A1

“Intercollegiate sports teams have always been able to very successfully fundraise most of their needs,” Perkins said. “There’s a big community of alumni and parents and other donors who help with the financial needs of the individual teams.” Philipp said the college now funds postseason competition travel expenses for non-varsity sports. “There was a lot of confusion in the past year over money, about why we can’t give funds to these places,” said Liam Giles, senior and president of Student Federation. “This is a change made years ago and we weren’t aware of it, so it came about with a miscommunication in the beginning, so a lot of it was asking questions and getting responses from the administration. The administration realized that these clubs were getting funds last year — like Catholic Society, for example — and that’s really because both Student Federation and Catho-

lic Society did not pass that information down and it got lost. Hopefully, with this new policy, we’ll be on the same page.” Initially, the Student Federation did not understand why they could no longer fund these organizations, according to Giles. “The big thing we’ve learned from this is to make sure when clubs come asking for funding, we should always first direct them to their faculty adviser or especially if they have a staff contact,” Giles said. The decision should also free up funding for the many other activities that Student Federation supports, Philipp said. “The college’s yearly funding of student ministry programing and intercollegiate club teams gives the federation the ability to distribute additional student fees to all the other clubs, organizations and honoraries on campus and contribute to campus improvements that benefit all students if they have additional funds remaining at the end of the year,” Philipp said.

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courses there, and he fills that role perfectly.” Senior Caleb Holm was in Moore’s first Great Books class in the spring 2021 semester. He said one of his favorite memories was when Moore talked about his sheep. “Dr. Moore’s inaugural Great Books class was such a trip,” Holm said. “He’s a brilliant professor who pushed us to examine the texts in new ways. It was also a very small class — just five of us — and I think that the conversations were more intimate because of that.” Moore said he received his Bachelor of Arts from Spring Arbor University and then went to Baylor University to get his Ph.D. in English. After he completed his Ph.D., he went back to Spring Arbor to be a professor for six and a half years. “Then they cut positions because of COVID enrollment declines,” he said. “So at that point, I started teaching a Great Books section here every semester.” Moore said he taught one class at Hillsdale while teaching seventh grade at Lumen Christi Catholic School in Jackson, Michigan, until he

Gatiss from A1 Owen did not believe in the separation of church and state, according to Gatiss. The Puritan was deeply attached to the protestant doctrine of the Church of England. “The state had a duty to stop anti-trinitarianism from infiltrating the church and reject those who didn’t believe in justification by faith alone,” Gatiss said of Owen’s beliefs. “Salvation was too important for the state to be entirely neutral about it.” Owen was a reformed theologian as well as a reformed scholastic who believed the Reformation’s principles needed to be passed to the next generation, according to Gatiss. Reformed scholasticism is “a method, not a conclusion, adopted to ensure the institutionalization of the Reformation’s basic principles” “One has to defend against false teaching with a comparable level of backing,” Gatiss said. Owen is also the author of a seven-volume exposition on

was offered a job at University of Michigan to teach technical communication for the College of Engineering. Although Moore stopped teaching at Lumen Christi in December 2021 when he was at University of Michigan, he still taught one class at Hillsdale. Moore said one of the first things he noticed about Hillsdale students is that they come to class ready to find answers. “Students just come with higher expectations for what’s going to go on in the class, which is great,” he said. “That’s inspiring as a teacher.” Jackson said Moore is great in the classroom and a welcoming person. “He’s incredibly well-read in the great books, from all times and from every culture. He can teach them all with aplomb,” Jackson said. “He always has a smile. He’s one of the most generous people I know — with his time, care, and collegiality.” Jackson said he imagines many students who never realized they liked literature will find joy under his tutelage. “I hope the students get to know him,” he said. “They’ll love him.” Hebrews. The more than twomillion-word commentary is approximately 20 times longer than the Bible. “In his commentary, he sought to unwrap as much of the message of Hebrews as he was able,” Gatiss said. “His exposition is in English, based on the original Greek, interacting with many other commentaries, liberally peppered with Greek and Hebrew, but not so obsessed with minutiae that it neglects doctrinal and practical application.” Senior Vivian Tork, a history major, said she enjoyed that the Drummond lecture pertained to 17th century Christianity. “Rev. Gatiss delivered a clear depiction of John Owen, both as a man and as a major contributor to Christian scholarship and politics,” Tork said. “I was left with much to mull over, and enjoyed being on the receiving end of some wildly expressive glances from members of the history faculty, aroused by one comment or another from Gatiss.”

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new film ‘The Prison Games’

Logan Washburn, Erin Osborne, Jane Kitchen, Alex Deimel, and Ty Ruddy (left to right) pose for a photo at the premiere of their documentary. Courtesy | Buddy Moorehouse

By Gray Turner Collegian Reporter The documentary filmmaking class premiered its film “The Prison Games” on Tuesday night in Plaster Auditorium. The documentary covered a series of football games played during the 1960s and ’70s between the Hillsdale Chargers and a team of prisoners within the State Prison of Southern Michigan facility in Jackson, Michigan. “This is an absolutely fascinating story,” Moorehouse said, “and the fascinating thing about it is that before this documentary, it’s never been told before, ever.” “The Prison Games” is a half-hour long film. Students Alex Deimel, Jane Kitchen, Erin Osborne, Ty Ruddy, and Logan Washburn spent the majority of the semester working together to conduct research, gather and record film, and interview individuals involved in the story. “I think getting to interview people who have had those life experiences was definitely my favorite part,” said sophomore Ty Ruddy, a researcher for the documentary. “The most challenging part was research, trying to figure out what went down in the prison.” The story began in the 1960s, when the Hillsdale College football team had so many players that coach Frank “Muddy” Waters created a reserve team. The reserve team played an annual game at the Jackson Prison against the prisoners. The prison team was created to encourage inmates to be on good behavior. The Michigan State University and Detroit Lions donated

Hybrid from A1 He hopes the one week intensive classes offered every June will help the students develop a learning community. “They are designed not only to deliver education content but to build community among the cohort and with professors,” Diener said. “Spending time on Hillsdale College’s campus helps students become a part of the Hillsdale College community and understand the mission and vision of this institution.” The hybrid program was designed in response to the growth of classical schools across the country and the need for teachers and administrators, according to Coupland. “Classical education is in great demand right now. One of the major impedi-

used equipment for the prison team. The story of the games were never covered in the media in any form, Moorehouse said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of information on the story, but it was very rewarding to get to interview some of the members of the team that played against Jackson Prison,” Ruddy said, “so we just let them tell the story through their own eyes.” Ruddy said the interview process was key to the success of the film, and it was through the stories of the original football players that the students working on the film were able to piece together the whole story. “It was so cool that they were able to find the football players and were able to interview them,” said sophomore Christina Lewis, who attended the premiere. “Some of the players showed up here to watch their documentary, so it was cool to see their reactions.” In addition to the showing of “The Prison Games” documentary, the five students also presented their own short documentaries. The short films covered a variety of topics, ranging from local history, famous alumni, and student features. Deimel made his short film about his friend junior Andrew Klare who is a Cincinnati Bengals fanatic. The film was about Klare’s passion for the team. “Being able to tell a story about a very good friend of mine and about something that he’s passionate about was awesome,” Deimel said.

ments to its growth is the ability to identify people who will take on leadership roles within classical education,” Coupland said. “We need more teachers but also more administrators — deans of faculty, deans of curriculum, headmasters, assistant headmasters.” According to Boerema, the hybrid program is unique because it won’t take teachers away from the classroom when they are already in short supply. “A lot of people are very excited because they would not have an opportunity to complete a program like this otherwise,” Boerema said. “A lot of heads of school are also very excited about this because they don’t have to lose their best teachers.” Applications for the program are open through Dec. 15.

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November 16, 2023 A3

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Jon Balsbaugh joins faculty as professor of education Professor of history speaks By Christian Papillon the department and the col- Thomas in St. Paul, Minneso- teach a one-credit class on on conspiracy theories Collegian Freelancer lege. ta, in 1997, writing his thesis The Inklings and Arthurian Jon Balsbaugh joined the Hillsdale College faculty this fall as a visiting assistant professor of education. Balsbaugh has more than 25 years of experience as a teacher and administrator. He resigned earlier this year from his position as president of Trinity Schools, a network of private Christian schools of classical education across the country. “We are really excited to have Professor Balsbaugh join us,” Associate Professor of Education Benjamin Beier said. “He is an excellent teacher who can speak both theoretically and practically on a subject from experience.” Beier said that Balsbaugh’s previous experience in education will be a valuable asset to

“As we look to prepare future leaders, it helps to have someone who not only knows education, but also someone who has been an educator,” he said. Balsbaugh said that he first discovered Hillsdale College in 2015 when he visited with his son, Dietrich Balsbaugh ’20, on his campus tour. “I have long admired Hillsdale’s commitment to the liberal arts, but probably even more, the intellectual community and the quality of its graduates,” Balsbaugh said. Balsbaugh grew up in western Oregon. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California, in 1995, and his master’s degree from the University of St.

on C.S. Lewis’ “Till We Have Faces.” Later that same year, he began teaching at the Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan, Minnesota. While at River Ridge, Balsbaugh taught humanities seminars before becoming headmaster in 2009. His courses included classical and Christian seminars for juniors and lectures on the medieval to modern eras for seniors. Balsbaugh’s accomplishments as headmaster of River Ridge included the establishment of a Christian arts festival and the addition of a sixth grade to the school’s curriculum. Balsbaugh currently teaches two sections of Classical Logic and Rhetoric at Hillsdale. Next semester, he will

Tradition, as well as a class on educational administration at Hillsdale’s Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education. “I love how when you go into class, there are lots of good discussions. Professor Balsbaugh really encourages good class participation,” freshman Nick Rutkoski said. “Especially when it comes to rhetoric, he pulls a lot from personal examples.” Balsbaugh said he looks forward to making an impact during his time teaching at Hillsdale. “I would like to be able to pass on something that I’ve learned in my 26 years of working in classical education,” Balsbaugh said. “I’d like to contribute to the intellectual

Student Activities Board hosts murder mystery night By Jamie Parsons Collegian Reporter Students gathered in the Hoynak Room for a Great Gatsby themed murder mystery night filled with laughter, thrill, and theatrics Nov. 9. Students played in teams of up to five people, each team playing a character who had attended Jay Gatsby’s gala when character Sid Forman was unexpectedly murdered. The objective of the game was to figure out who killed Forman and how. Teams also competed to win categories in best actor and best dressed. “SAB did very well with this event,” sophomore MaryEllen Petersen said. “I think it was one of the highlight events of the semester for me. It was really well done.” SAB team member Rachel Hintze said in the days leading up to the event, teams received an email with the theme, the set up, and the character they would be playing. Hintze said when teams began to trickle into the Searle Center, they were dressed for their parts. Some women wore flapper dresses, some men wore tuxedos, and some used accents. Junior Bella Dix said her team playing Tom Buchanan, a polo player, had three people dressed up as Buchanan and two dressed up as his horse. “We decided to be a little avant garde with it,” her team member junior Rachel Houts said. “We then took that bit and we ran with it.” Hintze said when teams arrived they signed in outside the Hoynak Room and were given two folders: one for before the murder and one for after.

Rekt Judicata, one of Hillsdale’s three mock trial teams, won honorable mention in Harvard University’s invitational tournament last weekend. The team placed sixth overall and netted two individual awards. The Boston Tea Party was the last tournament of the team’s fall season. Senior Caleb Sampson and junior Njomeza Pema, Rekt Judicata’s captains, each won outstanding witness awards, Pema with a perfect score. According to Sampson, the Harvard invitational tournament, which had around 30 teams in attendance, presented the team with plenty of excellent competition from the American Mock Trial Association. “Harvard is one of the most difficult invitational tournaments that AMTA competi-

All conspiracy theories hinge on the rejection of authority, Professor of History Dave Stewart said in a talk Nov. 10. Stewart discussed popular conspiracy theories like the fake moon landing and the Illuminati, and how these theories arise from groups who feel that they lack power. “In some cases they will try and say that the government or some group is lying about something, covering it up, or manipulating things,” Stewart said. According to Stewart, there are four categories to conspiracy theories: secret societies, deceitful governments or groups, enigmas, and cryptids. “Enigma are things that aren’t necessarily conspiracies but defy explanation like Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle,” Stewart said. “Then Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster are what scholars call cryptids — an animal whose existence is unsubstantiated.” When it comes to the moon landing, there are three basic strains of the movement, similar to the different denominations in Christianity, according to Stewart. “Some people believe that all the moon landings were fake and others believe that the first half of them were fake,” Stewart said. “But the last and my favorite is that we did land on the moon but we faked the footage anyway because what we found there was terrible.” Stewart said a few common reasons include that the photos were edited, the pictures don’t have stars, the astronauts did not

develop cancer, and other things. “Most of these claims are built around common sense and are not outlandish,” Stewart said. “All we must do is raise a reasonable common sense objection.” Stewart said possible objections to the theories are that exposure may have been too low to capture the stars, Photoshop didn’t exist in the 1960s, and astronauts had insignificant radiation exposure. When it comes to the Illuminati, Stewart said the lack of evidence acts as evidence. “There is no evidence of the Illuminati because they are that good at leaving no evidence,” Stewart said. “This is what compels so many to believe in this theory.” Stewart said that theories like these arise from a need to create an ordered world. When evil occurs, people would rather believe it was orchestrated rather than happening without reason. Senior Lydia Hilton organized the event and said she appreciated learning how conspiracists arrived at their claims. “I am generally very factbased but it was interesting to consider these theories because they are definitely coming from somewhere,” Hilton said, “so it was interesting to hear the why behind their beliefs.” Sophomore attendee Lucy Treene also said it was helpful to hear the reasoning behind the claims. “It was super interesting to hear and try to understand the logic behind the conspiracists,” Treene said. “People will really believe in whatever you want them to believe.”

Four student debaters offer solutions to climate change SAB assigned character roles to student groups ahead of the event. Erik Teder | Student Activities Board

All the teams had passed through the golden tassels hanging from the entryway at 7 p.m., and were engaging in conversation with each other at Jay Gatsby’s gala. “Some groups would split up and go talk to different characters,” Hintze said. “But most people would go as a group up to another group of four or five students and would have conversations where there would really be 10 people, but they were playing two characters.” When Forman was killed, Hintze said the lights dimmed down and the sound of gunshots echoed through the room. When the lights turned back on, Forman was laying on the ground dead.

Hintze said teams then had time to talk to one another and try to find who the murderer was. “There was a group who was apparently just making things up to say and lying,” Petersen said. “It was so funny because I didn’t learn about that until I had Great Books with them the next day and they said they made up a bunch of stuff to people.” Forman came back to the game as detective Dickie to lay out all the murder evidence to the teams Hintze said; that signaled the end of the conversations. “At the end they have the detective stand up and be like ‘here is all the evidence,’” Petersen said. “Then everyone is

given an envelope with different pictures and then they tell us we have 10 minutes to write our answer down.” Petersen said when the 10 minutes were up, SAB collected all the answer sheets and gave a run down of the whole plot. It was revealed to her and the rest of the students that Greta Gatsby had picked the lock to Jay Gatsby’s gun box and shot Forman. Hintze said there was a three way tie between teams Daisy Gatsby, Billie Love, and Eddie Brewer. The team playing Billie Love won best dressed and the team playing Jay Gatsby won best actor. “They put it on really well,” Dix said. “I think we would all totally do it again.”

Mock trial team places sixth in Harvard tournament By Zachary Chen Collegian Freelancer

By Sydney Green Circulation manager

tors can go to, and we had the pleasure to compete with the best programs in America,” Sampson said. Rekt Judicata faced off against four of the top teams in the nation: Tufts University, Yale University, Northwestern University, and Fordham College at Lincoln Center. The team finished with a final score of 6-2, splitting ballots 1-1 in its rounds against Tufts and Yale, defeating Northwestern and Fordham 2-0. Pema said the team’s cohesion helped them compete well in the tournament. “By this third tournament, I think, we knew our case theory super well,” Pema said. “We’d all gotten super close as a team, so it was really enjoyable to run all our cases one last time at Harvard of all places.” Sampson agreed the team performed well. “This was Rekt Judicata’s best tournament of the fall

semester,” he said. According to Pema and Sampson, Rekt Judicata has both new and returning mock trial competitors. Sampson said the progress of the team’s new talent has been very impressive, and they performed well in the Harvard tournament. “To see people like Ms. Lovins, Ms. Perez, and Ms. Morey doing such a good job against top talent has been very encouraging to see as a captain of the team,” Sampson said. Freshman Ella Lovins, a defense attorney for Rekt Judicata, said she particularly enjoyed the round against Northwestern. “The whole team went in having a lot of fun and it made a good run,” Lovins said. Lovins also said she felt she had grown over the course of the semester and that she enjoyed the difficult competition.

“This tournament, I walked in and we were going against very difficult, very talented teams,” she said. “But I definitely had a better grasp of what was going on, and I felt much more confident arguing the case.” Pema said the team was excited for the spring competition season. “Hillsdale mock trial has historically had a really good work ethic. I think at this point we also have really great team chemistry and everyone is really dedicated to making sure that we put in the type of work that took us to nationals for the last two years,” Pema said. “I’m really looking forward to what the spring holds.” Sampson was similarly optimistic about next semester’s prospects. “We’re looking forward to future progress and future wins in the spring semester,” he said.

By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter Student disagreed on the solution to climate change at the Citizens for Self Governance student-led debate Nov. 7. “It is reasonable to assume that the exponential wealth growth will be able to play a factor in offsetting potential future temperature increases,” CSG president junior Jacob Fox said. “As our technology expands, we develop systems that are better able to address the challenges of climate change.” Fox said he thinks given the history of economic growth across the globe, the market will innovate to solve issues. “There is no need for any immediate action because the world will naturally reach an equilibrium over the next 100 years to deal with whatever the climate has for us,” Fox said. Junior Geert Ensing argued the West has a duty to ensure a stable economic environment in which underdeveloped countries can rise to meet the global issues climate change causes. “Third party costs that aren’t being accounted for in the way our laws and politics work,” Ensing said. “Comparatively, in the Western world, this is not as much of a problem as it is in Africa. It is a growing continent where we have incredibly young populations.” Ensing encouraged stability and the rule of law as the solution to incentivize the growth necessary to solve many of the problems of climate change. “There have not been many countries where a stable body of law, a stable government, has been able to emerge in Africa,” Ensing said. Junior Micah Hart discussed the Paris Agreement, which he said disproportionately harmed the United States

while letting other major polluters off easy. “North America isn’t the worst offender in regards to the climate. That award goes to East Asia and the Pacific Region,” Hart said. “Under the agreement, China will be able to increase their emissions for a staggering 13 years.” Rather than engaging in lopsided global initiatives, the solution to the climate crisis can be found within the United States itself, according to Hart. “There needs to be some national action. I think that can come in the form of tax breaks and economic incentives that support both business and the environment,” Hart said. “We need to encourage and not enforce; we need to recommend rather than require.” College Democrats President and senior Avery Noel spoke last and argued for a return to the policies of the Obama administration. “Obama did a lot of really good work as far as promoting cap and trade legislation, which caps the total level of emissions allowed, and then it allows for individual companies to basically trade for the levels of emissions that they’re themselves allowed to emit per year,” Noel said. “The idea is that eventually over time, you decrease the cap, incentivizing them to find different solutions to factories or other things that have high emissions.” Sophomore Isaac Myhal, who attended the debate, said all the speakers made it a productive discussion. “I would disagree with any sort of regulation that requires the implementation of complicated apparatuses of enforcement agencies,” Myhal said. “The question is can we really rely on people to do that and not slack off or turn it into just another method of government taxation and other control?”

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Devil’s Advocate with Claire Gaudet Bad relationships harm everyone on campus “They don’t even like each other.” If you’ve been on this campus long enough, you’ve probably heard this about a couple or two. This means either a bunch of couples on this campus stay together for no reason, or the students here watch other people’s relationships as if they were on a reality-television show — or both. I’ve had my fair share of friends say pretty awful things about their partners. I recently heard a man call his girlfriend just about the worst thing you can call a woman to a group of his friends. They’re engaged now. What’s the point of being with someone if you don’t like that person? This isn’t rhetori-

cal. I’m genuinely wondering if there is one. There’s a lot of pressure on this campus to get engaged if you’ve been dating for more than, say, six months. But, when people give into this idea without thinking it through, they usually become one of famous cautionary tales students talk about for years later. “Did you hear so-and-so broke off the engagement? It was only a month before the wedding — what a shame.” Don’t be a cautionary tale. Ending an unhappy relationship benefits both partners — even if one of them is really invested. If you’re unhappy with your partner, there’s someone out there who

would love that person better than you can, even if it hurts them to hear that in the moment. The second half of this issue is everyone outside of any given relationship. I’ve been guilty of talking about other people and their partners behind their backs. It’s a small campus, and it’s fun to talk — but it doesn’t do anything. Gossiping isn’t going to make anyone break up. It’s just going to make them mad at you. There’s a difference between being a concerned friend and spewing rumors about a relationship you’re not involved in and don’t understand. It’s perfectly fine to talk about the boyfriend or girlfriend who treats your friends poor-

ly, but you have to do so with the right people. Talk to the person in question about your concerns, not to anyone who’s willing to listen to your rant at an A.J.’s table. I think there are a lot of wonderful couples on this campus — case in point, my own. But if you or your friends’ relationships don’t fall into that category, it might be time for some tough conversations. This is one of the most highschool-y problems we have at this college, and it’s annoying, so let’s all agree to either break up or shut up. Claire Gaudet is a senior studying rhetoric and journalism.

Take advantage of your public library’s resources By Gray Turner Collegian reporter

I have always loved to read. I remember the excitement from when I was younger of going to the library with my dad. I’d run to the children’s section just to sit in the aisle and flip through the chapter books, searching for a new adventure to read. I would proudly strut to the front of the library to check out my pile of books, and peek over my tower of knowledge as I balanced the comically large stack in my arms on the way back to the car.

I also remember when I got my first library card. It had my name on the back in official, typed-out letters, and was my own little key to a seemingly infinite supply of little treasures hidden in the volumes of Judy Blume and the “Magic Tree House.” Visiting the public library was one of the most exciting things in the world, from playing in the gardens outside the front, the smell of the shelves upon shelves of books, the excitement of finding a new story to indulge, the satisfaction of returning the stack of stories

that I had surmounted, and hearing them tumble down the returned books slide. Why, as we grow older, do public libraries lose this appeal? I’ll admit I would rather own my own copy of books to amass my own personal library, and the thought of returning a book is slightly less exciting than it was when I was younger. My appreciation for public libraries was practically non-existent as a young adult, and my adventures at the library came to a halt around middle school. As college students, however, we encounter this funny

problem of not having much money, especially to spend on luxuries like troves of books. This makes resources like public libraries invaluable to those who enjoy reading. This semester, I have begun to write my first college research papers, and have spent a lot of time immersed in the aisles of Purgatory. I often sit on the floor surrounded by stacks of books. By using the library more, I found there is a whole collection of books at my disposal, and part of my childhood excitement of exploring the library returned.

Though we are busy college students, and reading for leisure is probably less of a priority for Hillsdale students to spend their free time, public libraries are an invaluable resource not only to students but to society. Libraries help all corners of the community, and are not exclusively useful to children and broke college students. The joy of reading is one that is, unfortunately, slowly being forgotten by society. Through the use of public libraries, individuals of all backgrounds have access to any book imaginable, and with it the worlds, sto-

ries, knowledge, and history found within the pages. We should let go of our pride and desire to amass a physical collection of books and return to the use of public libraries, whether for academics or simply to pursue the joys of reading that once brought so much excitement to us as children. In doing this, we not only benefit ourselves, but also the local community, and help ensure the public library will remain a staple in communities across America for many years to come.

US should quit UN Stop whining about By Micah Hart Political Correspondent

When more than 60% of members of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of a “humanitarian truce” in the Middle East on Oct. 27, it sent a clear sign the U.N. opposes Israel. The United States must recognize the U.N. as the farce it is and withdraw from the corrupt organization. A truce would put Israel in the hands of terrorists. This vote stands in stark contrast to the U.N.’s founding intentions. Representatives from 50 countries first came together at the close of World War II with a simple goal: “maintain international peace and security, give humanitarian assistance to those in need, protect human rights, and uphold international law.” The goals of the U.N. are admirable, but the execution is not. Withdrawal begins with eliminating funding. The U.S., according to the Council on Foreign Relations, gave the U.N. more than $12 billion in 2021. No country gives more, and this is nearly the same amount the United States spends each year on the Coast Guard. The leading donor to the U.N. should enjoy significant power and support from other countries, but this is not the case. The U.S. holds strong veto powers because it has a permanent seat on the Security Council, but they amount to little because China and Russia wield the same power, which they use to block American interests

and the goals of freedom. America’s lack of power in the organization became evident during the Trump administration. U.S. politicians pushed to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. With 128 votes, the U.N. called on nations to refrain from moving their embassies to the Holy Land. Ambassador Nikki Haley and President Donald Trump did not listen to the member countries and criticized them. “When we make generous contributions to the U.N., we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected,” Haley said before the emergency meeting at the U.N. in 2017. Anti-Israel rhetoric continues to remain at the forefront of what the U.N. does. A US-backed resolution in 2018 aimed at condemning Hamas failed to receive the two-thirds majority needed to pass. Both China and Russia sided with terror rather than Israel. The U.N. could have called out Hamas five years ago for dangerous behavior. But rather than do this, it continually attacks Israel. U.N. Security-General António Guterres addressed the U.N. Security Council on Oct. 25 and called for a ceasefire and spewed more anti-Israel comments. “Protecting civilians does not mean ordering more than one million people to evacuate to the south, where there is no shelter, no food, no water, no medicine and no fuel, and then continuing to bomb the south itself,”

Guterres said. “ I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza.” Statements like this try to turn Israelis into criminals. If Israel agrees to a ceasefire, then Hamas terrorists win. From 2006 to 2022, 99 resolutions from the U.N. Human Rights Council targeted Israel. Only 41, according to the human rights organization U.N. Watch, went against Syria, 13 against Iran, four against Russia, and three against Venezuela. If the U.N. were a serious organization that tried to live up to its charter, it would focus on addressing actual human rights violations like those perpetrated by China. China, a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council, continues to violate humanitarian rights, specifically in regard to Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. Nearly half a million Turkic Muslims remain in prisons, according to Human Rights Watch. China’s abuses extend beyond wrongful imprisonment, including the use of torture, forced labor, and sexual violence. By remaining a part of the U.N., U.S. officials continue to toss aside America’s ideals and founding principles. Rather than supporting freedom, America’s aid bolsters fear and oppression. Micah Hart is a junior studying politics and journalism.

the Michigan winters

By Carly Moran Assistant Editor I was driving through the countryside with a friend last month, admiring the orange, autumnal views. Leaves fell on the dashboard window, jazz played through the aux, and warm Biggby coffee sat in my cup holders. It felt like something straight out of “Gilmore Girls” until my friend broke the scene. “I can’t believe this will all be gone in just a month. I hate Michigan winters.” It’s time to stop dreading Michigan winters. I’m ashamed to say I may have agreed at the moment, but a guilty feeling stuck with me after our conversation. It would be easy for me to say I also dislike the cold slush of a Midwestern January day. I’m from the Sacramento Valley, a place that will always remind me of state office frying-pan parking lots and drought-ridden olive tree orchards — not exactly a scene out of a snowglobe. Growing up, people would “go to” the snow, not live in it. I can remember the first time it snowed my freshman year at Hillsdale. I woke up to what was in hindsight a thin dusting of snow on the ground. I called my mom in a panic, not even sure how to walk in this extraterrestrial terrain. She responded with the grogginess of someone awakened at 4 a.m.

Pacific Time Zone, “Just get outside and go. You’ll be fine.” We can all learn from my mom’s sleep-deprived candor. Sure, the Michigan winter can be an inconvenience. I’ve labored to help friends get their cars unstuck in the snow. Despite this, there is an inherent beauty to the cold weather that I’ve grown to love, especially as an outsider looking in. As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, we should not complain about the burden, but rather take the dark and the cold as reminders to rest. The modern work schedule spreads the lie that to give anything less than our absolute best is to fail. Nature tells us this is not true, that we must live our lives in seasons. Even the trees cannot be green year round, and we call them beautiful for it. A gorgeous snowlined walk quite literally forces us to slow down. It tells us to stop and stare at the iceglazed branches above our heads, at the softly falling snowflakes following our path, at our frozen breath reminding us we are alive. We should relish the cozy mornings in bed, the afternoons spent at the sledding hill, and the hot chocolate evenings by the fire. None of this is wasted time if understood correctly. There are even health benefits to the cold months of the year. According to a

Stanford University study, a drop in temperature can assist with brain performance and impulse control. The American Journal of Human Biology states that cold weather reduces allergies, drops blood glucose levels, and can even improve sleep. There’s truly nothing like a Midwestern holiday season, stretching from Thanksgiving to the New Year. It brings a sense of anticipation as people rush through airports, stomp through the snow with their presents to their cars, and exchange hugs in parkas. This is one of the few things Hollywood gets right, through its nostalgic “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “A Christmas Story” renditions of a heartland holiday. When you’re tired of the slush and gray, take it as a time to have the indoor fun you’d been meaning to do at a busier time. Read a classic book, take a dance class, visit a museum, or perhaps more realistically, catch up on your studies. There’s always room for that at Hillsdale College. The next time you’re trudging up the hill on a 10-degree day, cursing the winter, take a moment to pause and appreciate the still, monochromatic wonder around you. It won’t be here for long.

Carly Moran is a junior studying politics and journalism.

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Social media masculinity influencers forget that men are called to serve By Caroline Kurt Collegian Reorter Social media has come alive in recent years with a growing masculinity movement. Influencers like Chris Bumstead, Noel Deyzel, and Andrew Tate offer relationship guidance, fitness motivation, and life advice to young men. In many respects, this is an encouraging change. Third-wave feminism has attempted to replace our appreciation of strong, capable men with a bitter war between the sexes. Rather than giving up on masculinity altogether, we need a standard of selfless masculine strength that goes beyond the current vision of the masculinity movement. The masculinity movement responds to modern feminism with a bold celebration of physical brawn, business savvy, and success with women. These influencers have many worthwhile things to say about the value of discipline, self-respect, and hard work. They encourage young men to channel their competitive wiring toward worthy goals, such as success in the gym or workplace. They stand against the lie that strong men are inherently

threats to society. What’s worrying, though, about many of these influencers, is their misunderstanding of the purpose of strength: the foundation of masculinity. These influencers carry great responsibility for their words, for many of the young men watching their content lack other positive male role models. Men like Andrew Tate and Justin Waller exemplify a strength based on wealth, physical excellence, and discipline: positive characteristics, but incomplete. Self-serving strength ultimately leaves men hollow and unfulfilled. Masculine strength is not meant to stand alone. Rather, masculinity attains its meaning and value precisely when it is put at the service of others. Masculinity media often lauds the image of the “sigma male,” a successful man who works alone. However great the value of self-reliance, no man (or woman) can grow and flourish apart from relationships with others. Podcast host Chris Williamson asked award-winning professional bodybuilder Chris Bumstead in a July 2023 interview whether Bumstead achieved his goals on his own.

“No, none of them,” Bumstead said. “I wouldn’t be the man who I am without my dad. I wouldn’t have gotten through my stress as a teenager without my sister. The people I have in my life are everything.” Men like Bumstead demonstrate that the most stable masculinity is founded on an attitude of grateful interdependence. Strength on behalf of others finds its source in secure friendships and community. In their skewed ideas of masculine strength, Tate and Waller mistake what it means to be a provider. They, and others like them, adopt a rhetoric which goes too far in equating masculine fulfillment with monetary success and material goods: perfect bodies, perfect cars, perfect houses, etc. A masculinity founded upon impermanent physical achievement and social approval will never be secure. To them, it takes only a deep wallet to be a five-star provider. Waller argued for this wealth-based view in his May 2023 interview on the Whatever podcast. The now-viral episode featured a tense exchange between Waller and Lila Rose, the

founder of Live Action. Waller argued he could be a good father to multiple families with different women if he supports his children financially. “If my daughters that are overly spoiled and educated in every way and have friends all over the world have a problem with me at the end of the day, then they can kick rocks,” Waller said. The model of providership Waller embodies leads to the very cycle of deadbeat dads, divorce, and role model absence that creates Waller’s young audience. Financial support is not enough to be a good provider. Good fathers selflessly invest in their families’ spiritual and emotional lives, teaching their children by example the beauty of masculine strength. Even men without families of their own are called to provide in this way. Chris Pusalan is a 30-yearold musician and runner who takes care of his 97-year-old grandma full-time. His YouTube videos chronicle their daily life: unglamorous, yet full of shared humor and friendship. “Taking care of grandma is your current life’s purpose,” Pusalan said in a message to his younger self. “You’ll be re-

warded for your sacrifice not in the form of money or material things but in a way you won’t understand until later.” The kind of tender caregiving and providership Pusalan models heightens, not compromises, masculinity. Having grown up without a father himself, bodybuilder Noel Deyzel started making videos with the life advice he wished he had heard as a young man. One such video features Deyzel giving advice on finding love while preparing for a date. “You must practice loyalty, respect, and honesty, and embody what you look for in a partner,” Deyzel said. Following in Deyzel’s footsteps, men have the opportunity to mentor boys and teens, repairing some of the ravages of the fatherlessness crisis through friendship and firm example. At times, masculinity influencers lean toward treating women well in order to win them as trophies. A temporary show of strength on behalf of others wins them the prize of a woman’s affection. Waller described one strategy he uses to get the attention of a beautiful woman at the grocery store.

“I make sure I get into the same line as her, and I talk to the most unattractive woman nearby,” Waller said. “The pretty woman can see how you handle the other girl.” While Waller is right to give women he finds unattractive the same respect as those he does find attractive, his motives are not commendable. Treating women with honor must be a constant, not a pickup strategy. Truly masculine men treat women well not to get something out of them, but because they recognize women’s inherent dignity. Life is not a zero-sum game between the sexes, either in the way feminists imagine it or in the manner of Tate and Waller. Men and women flourish together and because of each other. The beauty of this issue is that we are precisely the generation capable of fixing it. By embodying strength on behalf of others as a young man or supporting brothers and friends in this as a young woman, we will all benefit from true masculinity.

Caroline Kurt is a sophomore studying English.

Dance: an overlooked Independents expose party failures liberal art Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Courtesy | CNBC

By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter

Independent presidential candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both hope to capitalize on the growing unpopularity of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Polls show that both Trump and Biden are viewed negatively by a majority of American voters. West and RFK Jr. have no chance to win, but they could spoil the outcome for Biden and Trump in swing states and shape the election’s final result. In 2020, Biden defeated Trump by an electoral margin of 306-223. But had 76,000votes switched in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Wisconsin, Trump would have won re-election. Both West and RFK Jr. pose major threats to the two major candidates as they

threaten core aspects of the candidate’s bases. Cornel West is running on a platform of economic and social justice that threatens Biden’s support among young progressive voters, especially those in key swing state urban centers. RFK Jr. presents a unique challenge to the status quo as his campaign draws support from the far right– through his challenging of the medical establishment during COVID and his distrust of the media– as well as many young disaffected independents and even many traditional liberals who see him as a centrist candidate willing to govern liberally but in a return to the manner Biden and Trump do not offer. Both independent candidates are symptoms of the larger problems that lie underneath the American political system–they demonstrate the often justified feeling of distrust and animosity towards the way the federal govern-

Cornel West. Courtesy | Getty Images

ment operates. While West primarily draws from voters who would otherwise vote for Biden, because RFK Jr. draws from both Trump and Biden, both major candidates must address the members within their respective parties that are searching for alternative candidates. These independent candidates provide both major political parties with an opportunity to address the rising populism, both from conservatives and progressives, before it destroys what is left of the two major political parties. If West and RFK Jr. meet the electoral expectations so many polls indicate, one of two outcomes for each party will affect the future of American political parties after 2024. Either the winning party in 2024 will take its narrow margin of victory as a referendum on its party and recklessly govern the federal government until the next midterm shakes its con-

fidence; or, the winning party will recognize that its victory is more a call to return control of politics to the people to ensure the future of its principles. Likewise, the losing party in 2024 will either take its narrow loss as a sign of voter fraud or foreign election interference and continue on a downward spiral with the winning party or, the losing party will snap out of its delirious state, face the problem of over nationalized politics and push for a long-term political strategy of community building and actual constituent representation. Both parties will likely walk away from 2024 without a clear recognition of their failures to improve the lives of the people and will march on into 2026 and 2028 until one day they are finally humbled. Joshua Mistry is a sophomore studying politics.

Don’t be discouraged, keep voting locally By Erin Osborne Collegian Reporter

The Nov. 7 elections remind Americans of one thing: every citizen should vote. Among local elections, Ohioans voted on a proposition to protect abortion in the Ohio constitution. The proposition won by 13 points, according to NBC. NBC praised the outcome, while conservative outlets like the Daily Wire lamented the codification of abortion. As with every political issue, some voters are happy and others are discouraged. The group that is unjustly emotional is made up of the people that did not vote in their own elections. People who refuse to vote or are too lazy to vote about an issue neglect their obligations as American citizens. At the end of the day, the election cannot be undone. The results are what they

are. That said, both parties can learn one important lesson from the election: Voting matters. It seems cliche, but every vote counts. In states like Texas, pro-life voters have been able to create legislation to combat abortion. Pro-life voters, like pro-choice voters, have the capacity to win elections in their favor. They just need to vote and convince other people to do the same. At Hillsdale College, many students have strong thoughts on the presidential elections and various clubs debate political theory, but local elections fall through the cracks. Personally, I struggle to pay attention to local elections. I read national newspapers, pay attention to foreign relations, and try to remember which events are happening on campus. That said, local elections are cru-

cial, and have almost more of an impact than presidential elections on my everyday life. For example, Indiana voters from my district this year voted on a proposition to keep funding in public schools. That vote, which passed, will have a far more direct impact on my neighbors than the upcoming presidential elections. The same goes for abortion legislation. When voters are informed about the policies at hand in their local communities, they can choose to make an impact on abortion in their region. Even if the legislation a citizen supports fails in an election, that citizen must continue to vote. The day that voters, regardless of their position, avoid the polls due to discouragement is the day that the opposite side wins. It is difficult to keep track of the political intricacies of

local politics, but they have a greater impact on life beyond college. We will not exist in the “Hillsdale bubble” forever, and need to take an active role in local politics, rather than just national ones. Take the initiative to register for an absentee ballot. Go door-knocking over fall break. Volunteer with a political campaign over the summer. Elections are in the hands of the voter. As citizens, it is our responsibility to be engaged in our local politics as much as national politics. If voters have strong opinions about a candidate or a proposition, they need to vote about that. And they need to be informed enough to know when those issues are on the ballot. Erin Osborne is a junior studying English and journalism.

By Lucy Fernandes Collegian Freelancer

Good dancing — truly excellent work and not your 4-year-old sister’s glitter-filled, two-minute recital — is incredibly difficult to find, and our culture is worse for it. Dance is perhaps best understood in connection to the liberal arts. It uniquely synthesizes elements found within other artistic disciplines: the technicality and mathematics of music, the texture and lineage of visual arts, and the emotional complexity of acting. As George Balanchine, the brilliant 20th-century choreographer, famously said, “Dance is music made visible.” Dance, however, crowns all of these other arts by taking the world’s most precious material object as its matter: the human person. The violinist creates a harmonious sound, and the sculptor molds clay. In the same way, the dancer applies its form to the entire person, body, mind, and soul. The discipline, then, presents a unity and wholeness that cannot be found in any other artistic pursuit; the art and the artist are one. For those who believe that men are made in the image and likeness of the eternal God, there is something sacred, then, about dance. At its purest and best, dance dignifies the whole of the human person. If the philosophical argument isn’t enough, then consider how hard dancing really is. According to the Labor Department’s Occupational Information Network, dancing is the most physically demanding job in America. Yes, it looks easy, but if the dancers’ movements look hard, then they are doing something wrong. The goal of dancing is ennobling the

human person, especially the body. Think of it like a classical painting, where all of the figures are elegant. Even when the people are depicted in battle or in other active occupations, they nonetheless look graceful, almost unreal in the proportionality and beauty of the depiction. Dance should achieve the same end. OK fine, you might say. “Dance is worth something, but how on earth can you enjoy it? How are you supposed to look at it?” Think of it like any other painting or piece of music. Look for lines and structure. Pay attention to what emotions it creates in you. Appreciate the costumes, the color, or the athleticism. In the end, there is no wrong way to watch dance. Like reading a poem, it is a good experience in and of itself, enriching the viewer for simply because it has been seen. Not all dance is created equal. Like any other art, there is a profound amount of trashy, tacky, degrading, sexualized, or otherwise bad dance. But it is possible to find good dance, and when it is found, it should be respected as a powerful tool for promoting human dignity and the reintegration of beauty into secular culture. So, if you are looking for good dancing to enjoy, come to the Tower Dancers Concert on Dec. 3. It is an entirely student-choreographed performance, and you’ll even catch sections from the Nutcracker. Men, now is your chance to take the girl you’ve been Hillsdating to see the show. There’s nothing more romantic than ballet. You might even enjoy it. Lucy Fernandes is a senior studying English.

City News A6 November 16, 2023

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Branch county commissioner running for state representative Matthew is the first to announce his candidacy to fill state Rep. Andrew Fink’s seat By Olivia Hajicek Science and Tech Editor

Tom Matthew and his wife, Karen, love to travel. Courtesy | Tom Matthew

Whe n Tom Matt he w moved from India to America in 1968, he had $8 and a Bible. Now, he’s running for state representative. Matthew announced his campaign Nov. 6 after serving on the Branch County Board of Commissioners for four years. Matthew is running as a Republican and is the first to announce his candidacy for state representative of District 35, after current state Rep. Andrew Fink, R-Hillsdale, said he is running for Michigan Supreme Court. The district includes Branch and Hillsdale counties and the city of Hudson in Lenawee County. “My goal is to serve the public,” Matthew said. Matthew was appointed in 2019 to fill a vacancy on the commissioners board, where he helps manage public safety. He also serves on the BranchHillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Board of Health, which is composed of two commissioners from each county. “I always stood for our citizens’ needs,” Matthew said. Matthew said he grew up in an evangelical Christian

family in India and came to the United States to pursue an education, earning his master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame. After graduation, Matthew worked for two years as the director of a Head Start program in Chicago. He said families need help

and schools need to teach children the “three Rs”: reading, writing, and arithmetic. “Avoid conflict and injecting social issues of the day,” Matthew said. “That’s not going to help our children.” He said his priorities if he is elected would include public safety and helping small

businesses. “I want to make sure — in the good old days we used to say ‘red tape’ — cut that red tape for our business people because they are our backbone of our resources in our great state of Michigan.” He also said that as a representative he hopes to help rep-

resentatives from both parties come together to serve their constituents. “He is somebody who is a peacemaker and an advocate for people,” said Matthew’s son Abraham Matthew, who works as an attorney in Chicago. “He’s not the flashiest person in the world. He’s actually

a very humble man and tends to downplay how amazing he is, but when it comes down to it, his entire life people have looked to him for advice.” Tim Stoll, the chairman of the board of commissioners, said Matthew is a faith-focused person who always wants what is best for the public. “I’ve noticed that he’s certainly willing to invest his time as well to make sure that things are covered appropriately and that he understands issues,” Stoll said. Stoll said Matthew is a fiscal conservative. “I am not in favor of increasing taxes unless it is necessary, and I am a fiscal hawk — I am very conservative on that,” Matthew said. “But I have a great heart for those people who are not fortunate yet to be like us.” Matthew said he lives on Coldwater Lake with his wife, Karen, and has four children and three grandchildren. He said he had considered running for a higher office and prayed about it. “I feel this is God’s plan for me at this time,” Matthew said. The Republican primary election will be held on Aug. 6, 2024. The general election will be on Nov. 5, 2024.

New Jonesville venue booking 2024 events By Quinn Delamater Collegian Reporter Jonesville has a new event venue for weddings, proms, and more. Memories on the Hill, located at 3260 Mosherville Road, is now booking weddings and events for 2024. “I have four weddings booked for next year, four open houses between May and June, and am also hosting Jonesville’s prom,” said Sara Cares, owner and director of Memories on the Hill. Cares said there are multiple venue locations on the property that span 10 acres. The first option, she said, is a one-story lodge building, freshly built and lined with windows across the front and back, giving a view of the spacious field in front and the hill and river behind. The second option, Cares said, is a bridge built by Cares and her family during her childhood, overlooking the river, sitting in the back of the property in a secluded, quaint, and private area. Farther down the property lies the third venue location, which is currently under construction. Cares said she hopes to build a deck that expands out from the riverbank over top of the water, to create an elevated space for the bride and groom to say “I do,” immersed in nature. Cares said the property of Memories on the Hill is sentimental to her as it has been in her family for generations. Her and her husband currently reside on the property as well, and have owned it for 11 years. For the past five years, Cares also served as the head girls volleyball coach at Litchfield High School. When the land was put up for sale, Cares said she wanted to acquire it to preserve all of the childhood memories it held for her, such as building

the bridge with her cousins from when she was young, which is now one of the ceremony venues, she said. At Memories on the Hill, Cares said couples have the

kitchen for the wedding party to use. Cares will also provide the couple with all the tables and chairs needed for their big day, and doesn’t require that

frame availability. “It’s very helpful to have access to the venue all weekend,” Patterson said. “I have always dreamed of having an outdoor/barn wedding. The

since her wedding is in June. “Another plus for us was the location is close to home,” she said. “We are so excited to see everything come together.”

aesthetic they have visioned is exactly what I was looking for.” Patterson said she is thankful for the air conditioning

Cares said she loves celebrating brides at a beautiful location. “You can find so many unique spots and so much

Memories on the Hill has four weddings booked in 2024. Courtesy | Sara Cares

There are multiple venue locations on the property. Courtesy | Sara Cares

venue reserved for the whole weekend, from Friday at noon until Sunday at 10 a.m., in addition a bride’s room, groom’s room, bathrooms, and a

the couple use any specific vendors. One client, Hannah Patterson, said she chose the venue because of the extended time

wildlife out here,” Cares said. “There’s beautiful chances for pictures and memories,” Cares said. Cares said the value of family and what their support has meant to her throughout her journey of creating Memories on the Hill. “I have a very strong support system, and I think that’s huge when you’re making a big investment like this,” Cares said. “I couldn’t do this without certain people. It’s important to have a village, to have people looking out for me.” Cares said she also feels supported by her friends as well. Known as the Sassy Shoppers, Cares and her friends have been a close knit group for decades that venture out on a shopping trip extravaganza once a year. Cares says that these women have been an integral part of her support system in developing Memories on the Hill, and that she couldn’t have done it without them. Cares said Rebecca Nortley, her son’s girlfriend, has been very helpful when working to develop the property. “Memories on the Hill has been an amazing adventure with Sara and her husband,” Nortley said. She said she thinks the brides and other clients will enjoy the scenery of the Kalamazoo River that runs nearby, and the long time period Cares allows brides to stay. Cares also said she hopes to make Memories on the Hill a year-round venue that hosts events beyond weddings, as it is even looking to host a military ball next year, and possibly a corn hole league. Memories on the Hill will be ready to serve the community for all of its event hosting needs in 2024.

City News

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

November 16, 2023 A7

Hillsdale Hospital has new treatment for back pain By Emma Verrigni Collegian Reporter People with debilitating lower back pain can receive a new treatment for spinal pain at Hillsdale Hospital, according to a Hillsdale Hospital press release. The treatment, called VIA Disc NP, is a procedure that replaces degenerated tissue in intervertebral disks with a tissue graft, called an allograft, from a donor, according to Vivex Biologics Viadisc NP. Hillsdale Hospital began offering the treatment earlier this month, one of the few hospitals in Michigan to do so, according to a press release. “It is incredible to have this kind of treatment available, especially in a small, rural hospital,” hospital Marketing and Communications Coordinator Kyrsten Newlon said. According to Andrew Biegner, certified registered nurse anesthetist at Hillsdale Hospital in pain management, Hillsdale Hospital’s Pain Management Clinic worked with Vivex Biologics Viadisc NP. The procedure is per-

formed under either moderate sedation or local anesthesia. After the procedure, a follow-up appointment is typically scheduled, according to the company.

“It is incredible to have this kind of treatment available, especially in a small, rural hospital” “Intervertebral discs can deteriorate through normal aging and injury, causing dehydration, flattening, and loss of natural cushioning,” according to online Viadisc

materials. “This process leaves your discs vulnerable to motion stress, strains your spinal nerves, and can result in lower back pain.” Hillsdale Hospital aims to offer minimally invasive pain relief treatments to its patients, according to its website. “Hillsdale Hospital’s Center for Pain Management provides a multi-disciplinary approach to relieve, reduce or manage pain and improve quality of life,” the press release reads. “Novel treatments involve minimally invasive techniques specifically designed to treat painful conditions.” According to Biegner, the treatment is primarily covered by Medicare, but Hillsdale Hospital is also working with other third-party insurance providers as well. “Medicare is the primary insurance coverage at this time,” Biegner said. “However, we are working with other third-party insurance providers to cover this treatment for our patients.”

Hillsdale GMC sells its franchise By Tayte Christensen Collegian Reporter Hillsdale GMC sold its franchise and will take on the name Southern Michigan Motors later this year. “We were approached by someone to sell the company,” said Hillsdale GMC owner Ken Joswiak. “We never expected this to happen, and we were not planning on selling because we knew that we did not want to leave Hillsdale.” Together, Joswiak and his wife Stacy, own Hillsdale GMC as well as the recreational vehicle dealership across the street, Southern Michigan RV. “This was a good opportunity that would allow us to remain in Hillsdale and continue operating the business as normal,” he said. Joswiak has owned the dealership since 2016. Before then, it belonged to the Leutheuser family since its founding in 1950. “I sold the dealership to Ken Joswiak over five years ago,” said former owner Eric Leutheuser. “I was serving as a state representative at the time, and he became the owner-operator. He has been the

dealer since then.” Both the GMC dealership and the RV dealership will continue their normal operations despite the change. “We will still retain our normal service department, including RV repair, which is a unique element for a dealership our size to have,” Joswiak said Joswiak said the dealership has a new body shop that they will continue to use despite company changes. “It might not seem like it from the outside, but the inside of our body shop has brand-new, state-of-the-art machinery that allows us to do very unique kinds of work for a dealership our size,” he said. The only major change coming is that the dealership will stop performing warranty work, Joswiak said. “This change just means that we will no longer do warranty work on vehicles,” he said. “We will still sell cars and RVs like normal.” Joswiak said the change made the most sense considering the current state of the car industry. “With the car industry these days, no one knows

what will happen,” he said. “COVID has really changed the game, and we as an industry are down millions of cars that should be out being purchased, being used, but are not.” Leutheuser said he understands why the change was necessary for the company. “I know Ken has had great support from the community while marketing Buicks and GMCs,” he said. “But also, the factory allocation system has not been kind to smaller, rural markets like ours.” John Miller, customer of Hillsdale GMC, said he also understands the need for change in the company. “I’m sad to see the changes, even though they make sense for the owner,” he said. “The shop offers great service, and I’m glad to know that will continue.” The change will be officially installed later this year, but Joswiak wants the Hillsdale community to know he doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon. “We’re not going anywhere,” he said. “We will stay here and continue to do the same things we’ve been doing.”

Brian Videan and Andrew Bieger, CRNAs at Hillsdale Hospital, work in the pain clinic. Courtesy | Kyrsten Newlon

New church hosts first service By Sophia Mandt Collegian Freelancer Life Changing Church hosted its first sermon at the Dawn Theater on Nov. 5. The church is non-denominational and has locations in Edgerton, Ohio, and Angola, Indiana, according to its website. Sophomore Christina Lewis attended the first sermon. She said the message was about “hospitality and how we as a church can be hospitable, how we serve our communities and how we can love our neighbors.” Brock Rohrer serves as the church’s Hillsdale campus pastor. He said the first service was “unbelievable.” Rohrer said that all the anticipation, prayer, work, and volunteers that allowed Life Changing Church’s new location to come together was incredible. He said more than 400 people attended the church’s first service. “Our church motto is raw, real, and love you where you are,” Rohrer said. “We’re looking to build the kingdom, not an individual castle.”

Rohrer said he hopes Life Changing Church can find opportunities to serve the surrounding community. “We pray every Sunday for other area churches that God

“It’s definitely a place where people would feel very loved and feel God’s presence” would fill them up,” he said. Rohrer said Life Changing church is for everyone. “We’re for the other churches, we’re for the lost, we’re for the college, we’re for the homeless population,” he said. Lewis said the church is making a special effort to reach out to the community

and it had a welcoming atmosphere. “It’s definitely a place where people would feel very loved and feel God’s presence,” she said. Taylor Fenicle, Kidzworld Coordinator for the organization’s Hillsdale church, helps run Sunday school for children. She said she believes serving others is the greatest love of all. Fenicle said she is hopeful about the future of the church. “If one person gets saved because of Hillsdale’s Life Changing Church that is enough for us to be here,” she said. Fenicle adds that she is excited for Life Changing Church’s first baptism in a few weeks, and is looking forward to the weeks ahead. Life Changing Church offers services at 9 and 11 a.m. each Sunday, according to its website, as well as discipleship groups, services, and ministries.

Nonprofit helps fund medical bills relating to miscarriage By Sydney Green Circulation Manager Women diagnosed with miscarriages can now receive up to $500 in financial support for medical bills through the Early Pregnancy Loss Association and Hillsdale Hospital. “EPLA is so thrilled to finally launch our bill-pay program, which has been one of our goals since our founding in 2016,” President of the EPLA Board of Directors Maria Servold said. “We hope to help relieve the burden of local families suffering miscarriage as much as we can.” The EPLA is a nonprofit organization founded by Emily Carrington in 2016 that seeks to support women experiencing miscarriage. Carrington, Servold, and others founded it after noticing women experiencing the same frustration

they did with finding resources that support women grieving early pregnancy loss. “We started out by providing women with educational and physical resources,” Carrington said. “But the big vision in the end was to be able to help a woman pay her medical bills from her miscarriage.” Upon individual request, the EPLA freely provides both small and large miscarriage care kits to a woman experiencing early pregnancy loss. The small kits are meant for women who have already miscarried and include a journal, memory blanket, tea, lip balm, sympathy note, sanitary pads, memory bookmark, and more. The large kits are intended for women who are anticipating the miscarriage process and contain more toiletries in addition to the small care kit.

“We have grown a lot since our founding,” Carrington said. “I think the time we had while we were working on the bill pay program was good to really develop the type of educational and physical resourc-

Hillary Zimmerman, clinical nurse manager of obstetrics at Hillsdale Hospital, worked with the EPLA to establish the program. “Upon a patient experiencing a miscarriage, whether in

“EPLA is thrilled to finally launch our bill-pay program, which has been one of our goals since our founding in 2016 ” es we were handing out.” The EPLA partnered with Hillsdale Hospital to launch a bill-pay program that provides funding to women for miscarriage related bills.

the office, ER, or OB unit, the patient is given a miscarriage care kit provided by the EPLA,” Zimmerman said. “Within the care package the patient will find a card with

instructions on this process, including a number for our billing department to call to see if they qualify for this funding after their bill has been processed through insurance.” Women can apply for up to $500 in funds for miscarriage-related expenses. Once all insurance and other discounts are applied, Servold said the hospital will then cover up to this amount through a $10,000 donation fund set up through the EPLA. “Now we just want to continue raising awareness and make sure that people know this is available to grieving women,” Carrington said. The program works with Hillsdale Hospital and Hidden Meadows OB/GYN, a clinic affiliated with Hillsdale Hospital. “This bill-pay program is currently only approved

through Hillsdale Hospital,” Servold said. “We’d love to be able to serve more families with financial assistance someday, but for now, it’s only local.” Z immerman said she hopes this program will provide support to women as they experience the pain of pregnancy loss. “The last thing a family needs is a bill that comes in the mail to painfully remind them of their loss,” Zimmerman said. “This program hopes to lift some of that financial burden.”

A8 November 16, 2023

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Sports Swim

Hillsdale takes first loss of season against Findlay By Maddy Welsh Senior Editor The Charger swim team fell to its G-MAC rival Findlay University, as well as out-of-conference Lewis University, in a tri meet last weekend. “It was good for us to see the challenge ahead,” head coach Kurt Kirner said. “Their times will help fuel our motivation as we look toward the end of the season.” Hillsdale scored 110 points to Findlay’s 152 and Lewis put up 163-99. Despite falling short of a win, Hillsdale decreased its margin of loss by about 10 points compared to the same meet last year when the 2023 G-MAC champions put up 157 to Hillsdale’s 105. “They have some great swimmers and always challenge us to step up to the next level as competitors,” junior captain Emma Dickhudt said about Findlay. Kirner said there were some good performances at the meet, despite the team’s tiredness after weeks of tough training without much rest. “Megan Clifford came through again in the 200 fly placing first,” he said. “Our

distance team — Elise Mason, Izzy Ondracek and Jamie Parsons — showed why they are dominant in our conference with great performances. A couple of role competitors like Lauren Kamp and Caroline Holmes put up some very gritty performances.” Junior Megan Clifford swam a 2:06.49 in the 200 butterfly for Hillsdale’s only first-place win at the meet and her second-fastest time of the season. In both distance events, junior Elise Mason and freshman Isabel Ondracek finished second and third respectively, with an out-of-conference Lewis athlete taking first both times. In the 1000, Mason swam a 10:46.03 and Ondracek finished in 10:50.74. In the 500 freestyle, Mason just out-touched Ondracek, going 5:14.35 and 5:14.43 respectively. “I am really happy with how I raced and I was close to my times from earlier meets in the season when training was lighter,” Ondracek said. “I was pleased with where I placed and I felt strong racing.” Hillsdale also had second-place finishes in 200

freestyle and 200 breaststroke events. Holmes swam a 1:57.44 in the 200 freestyle, just 1.24 seconds behind the first-place finisher from Lewis. “Caroline put up such a good fight her whole race, finishing second and touching out two Findlay girls,” Dickhudt said. Freshman Alyson Early and sophomore Jamie Parsons finished eighth and ninth in the same event, going 2:01.20 and 2:05.05 respectively. In the 200 breaststroke, Dickhudt finished second in 2:30.14, closely followed by junior Joanna Burnham (2:32.20). Freshman Lauren Kamp finished fifth in the same event in 2:34.02. Holmes also took third in the 200 yard backstroke, going 2:11.18. Freshmen Irene Del Castro and Inez McNichols followed her in sixth and ninth, going 2:18.80 and 2:21.90. Hillsdale swimmers finished third, fifth, and sixth in the 200 yard individual medley. Burnham took third (2:16.56), Kamp fifth (2:18.53), and Dickhudt sixth (2:18.59). To close the meet, Hills-

The swim team will race Nov. 17-19 for the Davenport University Invitational. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

dale’s 400 medley relay comprised of Holmes, Early, junior Lucia Richti, and Clifford took third in 3:41.03, which was 18.41 seconds faster than Hillsdale’s time at the Oct. 28 home meet this season. The Chargers will race for the last time this semester Nov. 17-19. “We have started to taper and get ready for our mid-sea-

son meet,” Ondracek said. “I am excited to see how we perform this weekend and watch all our hard work pay off.” The meet is a three-day invitational at Davenport University. Hillsdale will race Davenport, Saginaw Valley State University, Wayne State University, and three NAIA teams with “good rosters” according to Kirner.

“Scoring at the meet is not our main focus — unfortunately diving events play a large role here and we do not field divers,” he said. “Getting great times is our first priority. We should be rested and ready to swim a series of great times.”

Feature

Sailing club places fourth in qualifying regatta, moves to championship

Left to right: Arden Carleton, Henry Lennignton, Matthew Scanlon, and Alya MacManaway sailed in the regional regatta and championship. Courtesy | Hillsdale Sailing Club

By Emma Verrigni Collegian Reporter The Hillsdale sailing club competed in the Midwestern

Collegiate Sailing Association Open Fall Championship Nov. 4 to 5 after qualifying for it in the club’s first regional regatta. The team placed fourth in

the regional regatta Oct. 14 to 15. Four Hillsdale sophomores competed: regatta chair Arden Carleton, captain Alya MacManaway, commodore

At Hillsdale, Otterbein has coached 19 All-American players, four conference MVPs, and many players who have signed with NFL teams. His first NFL player was Jared Veldheer ’10, who was drafted in the third round of the 2010 draft by the Oakland Raiders, and went on to have an 11-year career in the league. Andre Holmes ’11 was the second player under Otterbein to start an NFL game when he signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Otterbein has tried to create a philanthropic culture within the football program. Victory Day and Guys with Ties are just a few of the many charity initiatives that benefit children in the Hillsdale community that have been a part of the program under Otterbein’s leadership. “Our job is part of education, through football, to teach life lessons that 20 years from now make our players better fathers. They're

going to be better husbands, they're going to be active and involved in our community, in their church, and whatever pool of influence they have,” Otterbein said. “They're going to make the world a better place.” Otterbein was G-MAC coach of the year in 2018, after leading Hillsdale to its first G-MAC championship season. The Chargers lost to Notre Dame College — not to be confused with the University of Notre Dame — in the NCAA Division II regional semifinal game. “He’s all I've known as Hillsdale College football,” Athletic Director John Tharp said. “I’ve always had a tremendous amount of admiration for him, in regard to what type of leader that he is. He’s a man of really high character, a man that has great faith, and a man that really worked hard and tried to build a program that wasn't just about winning and losing.”

Matthew Scanlon, and treasurer Henry Lennignton. They composed two teams: Carleton and MacManaway on the A team, and Lennington and Scanlon on the B team. Hillsdale competed against 12 other colleges including the University of Wisconsin, Michigan Technological University, and Ohio State University. The qualifying race took place at Macatawa Bay Yacht Club, an inlet of Lake Michigan, at Hope College. “Arden really carried our team all the way through the qualifying regatta,” Scanlon said. “Alya, too — she’s been sailing on Lake Champlain in Vermont a lot.” The team placed 13th out of 15 teams in the championship. “It was a great experience just to be there and to get to know teams from other schools. We definitely developed camaraderie with Ohio State,” MacManaway said. “It’s great because we get to devel-

op friendships with the teams we see at regattas.” In a regatta, the fastest team will receive the fewest points, and the team with the fewest total points will win the regatta. The regatta consisted of multiple sailing races. Scanlon said the teams of two raced upwind toward a buoy. “You have a second boat that goes out in a race that your first one does not go out — so it's really a team effort,” Carleton said. Carleton and MacManaway’s team placed second overall, while Lennington and Scanlon’s team placed tenth overall. “ We w e re d e f i n it e l y pleasantly surprised,” MacManaway said. Lennington said the qualifying regatta was an excellent learning experience, especially as a beginner sailor. “The regatta was a great experience, with lots of competition,” Lennington said. “I

learned that a dry suit is not recommended but should be mandatory, seeing as I fell in without one.” Scanlon said the sailing club board decided to sign up for qualifying regattas this year. The board consists of Carleton, Hamilton, Lennington, and MacManaway. Carleton said the club plans to attend six regattas this academic year. MacManaway said she and Carleton usually spend practice skippering or driving a boat with less experienced team members on Baw Beese Lake. “It’s pretty remarkable how well we come together as a team at our regattas,” MacManaway said. “We usually don't practice together, but we make a good team.”

Jump from A1 “The first time we made the NCAA tournament and got to the playoffs, I got informed of that during our banquet,” Otterbein said. “So I was able to announce that at the banquet, and I barely got it out. I got pretty choked up.” Otterbein also coached with his sons, Steve ’07 and Brad ’10. Steve is currently the team’s defensive coordinator, while Brad is the quarterback coach and recruiting coordinator. “It’s one of those things that if you wrote a movie about it, people would think it's kind of corny,” Otterbein said. “When they were playing, basically we’d get our whole family on the bus, my wife would travel with us, and my daughter would also come with us as a water girl. Eventually, coming into work and getting to be around your kids every day and work through the game plans and the personnel decisions and the recruiting has made us very, very close-knit as a family.”

Keith Otterbein mingles with players and their families at the 2023 football banquet. Courtesy | Reagan Monnin

Sports

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Feature

November 16, 2023 A9

Womens club soccer ends season 6-4, moves to playoffs By Tayte Christensen Collegian Reporter The womens club soccer team will advance to the playoffs Nov. 19 for the second year in a row. The games will take place in Grand Blanc, Michigan, featuring many teams Hillsdale has faced this season, including Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, and University of Michigan. “We have the potential to play three games this weekend if we make it to the finals,” said sophomore team captain Sophie Fink. Going into tournament play, the team looks to have a mid-range seed, Fink said. “We ended the season with a 6-4 record, which means we’ll be seed four or five,” Fink said. “That is the same as, or potentially better, than last year.” Last year the team lost in the first round of tournament

“We ended the season with a 6-4 record, which means we'll be seed four or five.” play, senior captain Brooke Timmerman said. “Getting to the second round this year would be making history for the team, and winning it all, of course, would be the dream,” she said. Nevertheless, head coach

Ken Koopmans said victories will not come easy, and maximum effort from every player will be necessary. “It’s going to take everyone because the normal 11 starters will not be enough,” he said. “We usually only take 18 total players to away games, but this time everyone is going, and we’re going to need everyone.” Timmerman said this will be possible through the team’s deep bench which has been a help in many ways this season. “We have a lot more talent than in the past, and a deeper bench with very efficient subs, which is so important,” she said. According to Timmerman, this year, the team chemistry has also affected performance. “The community of this team is so unique,” she said. “This is not a varsity sport, and these girls are under no obligation to be here. It’s just that they like the sport, and they like each other.” Koopmans said the captains have played a large role in the team’s coherency. “Our captains have been a big part of the team chemistry this year. They have gained the respect of their teammates,” he said. “The team sees how organized they are and how much they care about this game, and they really listen to them.” Moving into this weekend, one of the biggest challenges will be playing and winning the mental game, which has been a focus for the team all season, Timmerman said. “One of our biggest strug-

The womens' soccer club will travel for playoffs in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Nov. 19. Courtesy | Charlie Chen

gles this season was playing to the physical level of the other team,” she said. “We had to be the ones to set the mental intensity to force them to match our tone throughout the game, so even if we can’t quite win the physical game, we play with their minds, which makes a huge difference.” Fink agreed that the mental aspect of the game will be extremely important this weekend. “In all sports, it really is a mental game,” Fink said. “You can lose the physical game, but if you win the mental game you'll go out of that game learning and knowing

how to do better.” Koopmans said ball possession is a big target for the team going into the weekend. “We need to win those 50/50 balls,” he said. “If we step into the ball and win it, we need to maintain it. We’ve got to push the ball.” In preparation for this week’s game, Timmerman and Fink have reviewed previous game film with Koopmans and developed practice drills to target their weak areas, which is something they have done all season, Koopmans said. “We’ve been recording our games this year, so we can

see things about the game that we have not seen before,” he

confirm the things we initially thought about the game or see new things. From there we tailor our practices to improve what needs to be improved.” F i n k i s c on f i d e nt the team’s competition throughout the season has prepared them to fight hard this weekend. “It’ll definitely be a hard challenge proving that we can go up against these difficult teams,” Fink said. “I feel like we already proved that we can compete against them. We just have to leave it all out on the field.”

“We have a lot more talent than in the past, and a deeper bench with very efficient subs, which is so important.” said. “We can look at it and

Charger chatter Zechariah Steiger, Action Shooting When did you start shoot-

Compiled by Christina Lewis

If you could travel anywhere

ing guns?

in the world, where would you

I grew up plinking at emp-

like to go?

ty coffee cans with a Red

I'd love to go back to Africa

Ryder BB gun, but I didn't

and see more of the conti-

really start shooting guns

nent. I spent seven months

until I joined the Army back

in Cameroon and fell in love

in 2016.

with sunsets and the night

sky while over there.

What’s one movie you think

If you could shoot anything

everyone should watch?

out of a gun as ammo, what

“The Outlaw Josey Wales”

would you shoot?

with Clint Eastwood or

Mini-Dr. Arnns asking,

“The Searchers” with John

"What is the Good?"

Wayne.

What’s a life lesson that

What's your favorite thing

shooting has taught you?

about your home state and

Focus on the process and

why?

not the outcome. The out-

The culture. Texan culture

come only reflects how

is a unique blend of Amer-

well I applied myself to the

ican, German, and Mexican

process.

culture. There’s a lot of

Do you have a hidden tal-

pride Texans take in being part of a state with such a rich history.

ent? Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

If I told you, then it wouldn't be hidden.

Charger

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

A10 November 16, 2023

Football

Herzog, Chargers cap season with five-game win streak

Michael Herzog broke a G-MAC and school record Saturday. Courtesy | Isabella Sheehan

By Alex Deimel Assistant Editor When senior running back Michael Herzog and the Hillsdale Charger football team defeated the Ohio Dominican University Panthers 35-17 during senior day this weekend, they clinched their first winning record since 2019 at 6-5 overall. After a dismal 1-5 start to the season, the Chargers miraculously redeemed themselves, winning five straight games against conference opponents. During these final five games of the season, Hillsdale averaged 38.8 points and 390.7 yards per game. Herzog, who has led the Chargers offensively all year, was awarded the Roy Beck Most Valuable Player award

at the team’s banquet Nov. 12. The senior’s offensive performance culminated in a record-breaking end to his final season. He had 175 rushing yards and scored all five Hillsdale touchdowns, breaking the G-MAC record and tying the Hillsdale record for most rushing touchdowns in a single game. His 21 total touchdowns also broke the G-MAC record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season.Herzog now ranks fourth on the Hillsdale single-season record board. “To be honest, I had no idea what the records were coming into the game, I only found out through my family afterward,” Herzog said. “So I want to give a huge thank you to the whole team for making

that possible. At the end of the day, it’s all about the win but I’m super proud of myself for what I’ve been able to accomplish this season.” Herzog led the G-MAC in rushing yards this season, with 1,333 total on the ground, 21 rushing touchdowns, and 1,894 all-purpose yards. Herzog earned G-MAC offensive player of the week three times this season, making his four total weekly G-MAC awards the most in Charger history. Senior quarterback Garrit Aissen, another offensive leader, finished the day completing 7-11 passes for 179 yards, including a 79-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Sam Lee in the third quarter. Aissen finished his

final season with 1,438 passing yards in nine games, with 10 passing touchdowns and a 59.5% completion percentage. “A lot of credit goes to the rest of the team. They’ve done an outstanding job at believing in ‘Team 131.’The offensive line has done an incredible job this year at protecting me and Herzog. It’s been a crazy journey and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Aissen said. Aissen finished his career with 2,809 total passing yards and 24 passing touchdowns in three seasons as a Charger. After serving as a backup to former Charger quarterback Luke Keller, Aissen led a Charger offense that averaged 31 points per game this year. “All glory goes to Jesus Christ, and I really hope that

the guys on the team take that and make strides with it,” Aissen said. “I hope to leave a legacy of working hard because this season proved that you can do so much by working hard.” Most of Aissen’s passes this weekend were caught by Lee, who made five receptions for 151 yards. The sophomore wide receiver finished his 2023 season with 39 receptions for 624 receiving yards and three touchdowns.“It was nice to have some great connections with Garrit in the last game of the year,” Lee said. “We started building that connection in spring ball when Keller transferred.” Senior defensive end Riley Tolsma led Hillsdale’s defensive charge with eight total

tackles, including one sack. Tolsma achieved his career best of 50 tackles this season, with 6.5 sacks. Junior defensive back Vince Francescone made eight tackles, including a huge stop on fourth and one, preventing the Panthers from scoring on the Hillsdale sixyard line. The final five conference wins propelled Hillsdale to a 6-3 G-MAC record, the most conference wins since their undefeated G-MAC season in 2018. Hillsdale has now won three of its last five matchups against the Panthers, shrinking the Panthers leading margin for all-time matchups to 7-6. Hillsdale’s victory locked in a winning record for an incredible season, fit to send off 23 graduating seniors.

Womens Basketball

Chargers fall in back-to-back weekend games By Moira Gleason Assistant Editor Despite a rally in the fourth quarter and a double-double from senior forward Sydney Mills, the Chargers fell 62-58 to Purdue University Northwest on the road Friday. The next day, the Chargers fell again 82-58 to the University of Illinois-Springfield in Hammond, Indiana. “I think we did really well not getting down when the other team went on a lead,” assistant coach Morgan Litwiller said. “They had poise and composure, and they knew their own strength.” Trailing 55-43 in the final seven minutes against Purdue Northwest, Hillsdale went on a 15-2 run to take a one point lead off of a 3-pointer from junior guard Lauren McDonald with 3:10 on the clock. “We were playing really good team basketball, just seeing the open player, getting into good gaps and then kicking it out for threes from lots

of different people,” Mills said. Purdue took the lead back off of a layup with 1:29 left. Despite several good looks to tie it up in the last 30 seconds, Hillsdale came up short as Purdue Northwest sealed the game at the free throw line. “I’m just very proud of how the girls continued to work and just continued to focus on what we could control in that moment,” head coach Brianna Brennan said. “Didn’t quite go our way even down the stretch before those last 30 seconds. We missed a couple of bunnies around the hoop that normally we would make. Sometimes that happens.” Mills led in two categories with a 20 point, 13 rebound double-double in the contest. Sophomore Sydney Pnacek scored 14 points off the bench in her first collegiate game after redshirting freshman year. Junior Caitlin Splain added another 14 points, playing the entire contest for the Chargers.

After the team graduated six seniors in the spring, Mills is the only returning starter. “We’re inexp er ience d court-wise,” Mills said. “We’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to move the ball to each other, how to connect off one another well, and so that’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve starting this season.” On Saturday, the Chargers couldn’t recover from a 3117 first quarter against Illinois-Springfield. The Prairie Stars went 68.4% from beyond the arc in the contest. Though the Chargers rallied to outscore the Prairie Stars 18-17 in the second quarter, they couldn’t come back from the initial deficit. “Defensively we came out a little flat,” Brennan said. “We weren’t communicating super well, and we weren’t working as a team. Springfield had a lot of very quick, very athletic guards. We just struggled to keep them in front or be able to help each other in our gaps

in our defense.” McDonald led scoring with 14 points for the Chargers. Splain and junior guard Kendall McCormick also scored in double digits with 13 and 12 points respectively. The Chargers will try to bounce back from their 0-2 start in another double header this week, facing Quincy

University and McKendree University on the road Friday and Saturday. “We knew that there were going to be ups and downs going into our first weekend, and we know that there still will be to come,” Brennan said. “And so if we're just focusing on using every game as a learning opportunity, we’ll

end up getting to be where we need to be, which is super exciting. And the players know that and they're ready for that.”

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A play within a play: actors reenact Hamlet’s father’s death. Jillian Parks | Collegian

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Tower Players present a colorful Hamlet

By Jillian Parks Culture Editor

of rehearsal, the cast blocked three hours worth of scenes, working with fight choreographer Chloe Whiting-Stevenson and constructing a transportative environment. “The story is pretty vibrant,”

our lighting designer and our costume designer, giving people a motivated look,” Brandon said. “Some will take that line, ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,’ and they apply it to every visual, and it’s

presentation of it. “I think I’ve offered a colorful Hamlet,” Leatherwood said. “Hamlet is more than just this kind of sulky, sad little boy who’s depressed. He’s a leader. He’s strong. He’s funny. He’s a person.” Leatherwood said this focus on the personhood of Hamlet is true to life.

This is not the “Hamlet” of Laurence Olivier or Kenneth Branagh. With its woodgrain set, jewel-toned lightning, and Viking-era costumes complete with fur collars and leather accents, it stands apart. For the first time in his 25year teaching career, Director and Associate Professor of Theatre James Brandon is presenting William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” It premiered last night in the Markel Auditorium, with shows tonight through Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. “I knew ‘Hamlet’ would be a big show, regardless of whatever cuts I made to it,” Brandon said. “With the amount of activity we have in the department right now, I have just come to the point where now is the time to do it.” In addition to the novelties the Tower Players add, this production presents the classic themes of grief, insanity, love, and revenge. The story begins after the death of Hamlet’s father and the hasty remarriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude, played by junior Heather Hobson, to his uncle King Cladius, played by senior Chris Dick. Hamlet, played by senior Jack Leatherwood, juggles a visitation by the ghost of his father while pursuing his love interest, Ophelia, played by senior Mary Kate Kearney. He navigates this terrain as he slowly devolves into lunacy. “There’s little sense of ner- Courtesy | Caleb Diener, Hillsdale Department of Theatre & Dance vousness toward performing what is considered to be the greatest English character, and Brandon said. “These are really cool. But, I didn’t want a lot of English professors love 10th-century Vikings. I really to do that. We’re not restricted this play, so there’s this fear wanted to capture them as to some kind of drab interpre“Even in the midst of grief, of wanting to do it justice,” rough, more barbaric people, tation of ‘Hamlet.’ I just think in the midst of sadness, you’re Leatherwood said. “But I’m but they’re also really lively, so it’s more visually interesting.” still gonna find joyful moalso excited since I am offering I went with the Viking motif With a classic Shakespeare ments in life,” Leatherwood my Hamlet. It’s different to the with my design.” work, many actors said the said. “He still loves his friends sort of preconceived notion of Brandon said costumes and pressure is significantly inand still wants to be with who Hamlet is.” lighting were a crucial part of creased in the interests of bethem. And yet he’s in this kind The cast features 30 difdeveloping the setting. ing both honest to the original of unfortunate circumstance ferent actors. In eight weeks “It’s a collaboration with script and individual in their with these very weighty things.

It’s like balancing those two.” As deadlines for term papers and final assignments approach, three hours may seem like a big undertaking for students. If not only for the aesthetic experience, the production’s famous soliloquies, Ophelia’s devolution into her own insanity, and the ending duel scene between Hamlet

and Laertes, played by senior Kenton Baer, offer a worthy incentive. “There’s action,” Baer said. “There’s a lot of fight choreography. There’s sword fighting, there’s spousal abuse, which shouldn’t be the draw, but it is action nonetheless. If you’re

somewhat familiar with the story, then you come to watch the whole thing. It really is a cool story.” The core leads are exceptional. Leatherwood, Kearney, Baer, Dick, Hobson, senior Nikoleta Klikovac as Horatio, and senior John Tasseff as Polonius, embody adult Vikings as 21st century college students. They also manage to play these characters not as aloof, stagnant tenants of the Western canon, but as deeply present, relatable people, even through old English dialogue. “My character — while facing his own demises — kind of gets to see other characters also face their demise,” Baer said. “I think that does strike a chord because I feel like I have seen people kind of go crazy in real life a little bit. So in those scenes, it’s not the hardest thing to conjure up some pity.” The ensemble members bolster the show during their particular scenes, but also in regard to audience buy-in. They help build the world in an honest way, directing focus and even translating what is going on through their body language. They all make choices. Brandon said this is a necessary part of his job as well from casting 30 people to casting male roles as females to abridging the play from the original four hours to just under three. “When you decide to do a script, especially a familiar script, like Hamlet, every decision you make has the potential to piss somebody off,” Brandon said. “Oscar Wilde says it best when he says, ‘When critics disagree the artist is in accord with himself,’ the idea being that the artist is making decisions. For me, it’s like, let’s make one choice and from that choice, the next follows and you end up with a production about 1,000 choices later.”

Professors’ Picks: Catherine Sims Kuiper, assistant professor of education From the minds of Hillsdale’s professors: the song, book, and movie everyone ought to know Kuiper graduated from Hillsdale College in 2012. Courtesy | Catherine Sims kuiper

“Down in a Hole” Alice in Chains - 1992 “Every student should listen to ‘Down in a Hole,’ the MTV live unplugged version. Self-knowledge and compassion for your fellow man lie therein. What you have to ask yourself is how far is my success and virtue a result of my own effort and diligence, and how far is it the mingling of grace, chance, and the transformative compassion of love? This song is the sound of contrition without reconciliation, of the human as separated from God — mired in vice, but groaning with desire for the divine. Come for the gorgeously unsettling harmo-

nies, stay for the embodiment of Seattle sound, and come back for the Platonic wing references.”

“The Education of Henry Adams” Henry Brooks Adams - 1907 “It is a gorgeous, somber, strange work of history, politics, philosophy, sociology, theology, and America. The book could be seen as a flight of aristocratic eccentricity, written as it is by a son of America’s most famous founding family: a man of influence, wealth, and great privilege. I cannot deny Henry’s aristocratic sensibilities; but his eccentricity is his strength. This is not your av-

erage luddite. His apocalyptic vision of modernity is powerful precisely because it is not a reaction, but a clear-sighted genealogy of philosophy, religion, and politics as they intersect with the tectonic shift of the industrial revolution at the turn of the 20th century. The key to understanding him surfaces when you inevitably find yourself reading the preceding, and tantalizingly connected, work ‘Mont Saint Michel’ and ‘Chartres.’ He is, in the end, a poet.”

“Predator” - 1987 “Every student should watch ‘Predator’ because apparently many of you haven’t, and you are unjustly hampering your

professors’ reference capacity. Look, this recommendation stems from the wrath I felt at a student having seen all of James Bond while having no knowledge of 1980s action staples. Is this a good movie? No, not really. It’s insanely violent, the humor is sketchy, and the language is a wreckage of basic observations drifting in a sea of expletives. On the other hand, you can do — as in I have done, on occasion — a pretty compelling critical feminist reading of the cinematography and screenplay, so if James Bond gets to count as some kind of classic cinema experience, so does ‘Predator.’” Compiled by Eleanor Whitaker Collegian Reporter

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Downey poses outside of concert venues with her fellow fangirls. All photos courtesy: Rachel Downey

Fangirls do not deserve the hate they get By Rachel Downey collegian Freelancer When USA Today announced it was looking for a full-time Taylor Swift writer, thousands of people flocked to apply for the position. “We are looking for an energetic writer, photographer, and social media pro who can quench an undeniable thirst for all things Taylor Swift,” the job posting read. Getting paid to constantly talk about Taylor Swift is every Swiftie’s dream, including mine. Last week, USA Today revealed its chosen candidate for the position, and people were shocked to find they hired a man.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am sure Bryan West loves Taylor Swift’s music as much as the next person, but no matter how much criticism he faces for getting this position, it doesn’t compare to the criticism fangirls receive for their respective obsessions. I got my first radio when I was six years old for Christmas. It was white and covered in pastel pink flowers and I carried it everywhere. Collecting One Direction and Taylor Swift CDs, I would listen to music all day, every day. Then I discovered concerts, and it was game over. When I started frequently attending concerts as a senior in high school, I quickly discovered the negative connota-

tions around being a “fangirl.” Some words I have been called by my fellow peers for being a fan are obsessive, psychotic, and mentally ill. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a “fangirl” as “a girl or woman who is an extremely or overly enthusiastic fan of someone or something.” I would consider myself an enthusiastic fan of my favorite artists, but why do the words “extremely” and “overly” have to precede my personal interests? While women are consistently criticized for showing their love for something, men are praised for their love of a team or game even as they exude the same behavior as “fangirls.” Recently, I have be-

‘Now and Then’: Beatles release fitting final single

Courtesy | The Beatles’ website

By Zach Chen collegian Freelancer “Now and Then,” the last Beatles song ever released, came out on Nov. 3, 2023, 63 years after the band’s formation in 1960. The song is a well-done tribute to the Beatles’ relationships with one another, career as a band, and effect on popular music. The song came two days after a short film titled “Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song,” an introduction to “Now and Then,” which chronicled the process of its creation. According to the short film, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr held a recording session in 1995 to record other parts for three songs that Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s widow, gave the surviving Beatles after Lennon’s murder in 1980. The trio were able to record “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” from Lennon’s demos. The piano on Lennon’s demo of “Now and Then” made it difficult to hear his voice, however, and at the time, the technology necessary to digitally separate Lennon’s voice from the piano did not exist. The Beatles reluctantly decided to shelve “Now and Then” due to the technological constraints.

“It really brought to the fore, to the three of us, that John’s gone,” Starr said in the short film. After Harrison died in 2001, “Now and Then” remained an unfinished project for 21 years until Peter Jackson, who also directed the Lord of the Rings films, began producing the 2021 documentary entitled “The Beatles: Get Back.” During the course of developing “Get Back,” Jackson’s team developed a software which used machine learning to digitally separate different components of soundtracks. No part of “Now and Then” was generated by AI, but the Beatles did use this software to isolate Lennon’s voice from the original demo, which was combined with Harrison’s guitar tracks from the 1995 recording sessions and finished with the addition of McCartney and Starr’s parts.

Courtesy | IMDB

“Now and Then” is a fitting final release. The tempo is steady but not overly slow, which keeps the lyrics moving forward. The most memorable aspect of the song is the rough sonority of Lennon’s voice carrying the melody poignantly throughout; though over 40 years have passed since Lennon’s death, the opening lines sound as fresh as “Yesterday.” The tune is supported by background strings and a buoyant bass guitar. As a soft, psychedelic-rock piece, “Now and Then” carries a distinctly Beatles-esque air with it, a longing twang which never feels quite fully resolved, even at the end of the piece. Its lyrics are simple and somewhat repetitive, but reflective and moving nonetheless. Though it expresses sorrow and nostalgia, the song never quite slips into melancholy. “I know it’s true,” Lennon sings. “If I make it through, it’s all because of you.” The lyrics reflect the dependence and trust required to make music in company with others; it is tempting to hear “Now and Then” as a commentary on its own creation as well as on the Beatles’ career as a whole. Near the end of the track, Starr says “Good one.” His words are a tribute to his band and its last release, bringing the era of the Beatles to a close.

gun to notice more and more men on my social media feed singing along to some of my favorite artists’ songs and getting praised for liking the same music as myself. Last year I went to my third Harry Styles concert in Chicago, and quite a few people asked me why I saw the same artist multiple times as “it is the same concert every time.” I could say the same thing about sporting events I watch people go to every weekend. Camping for a good spot in the pit? Crazy. Tailgating for 8 hours before a football game? Passionate. Spending $700 on a floor ticket for the Eras Tour? Crazy. Spending $1000 on an NBA Finals ticket? Passionate. I could go on.

I am always told to pick a career based on something I am passionate about. Career opportunities for sports fans have always been around in the form of reporters, sports agents, sports management, and more. With the rise of fangirls also comes the rise in jobs catering toward their interests, but instead of the music industry being filled with these same girls, it is predominantly men. In 2022, it was reported that only 3.4% of music producers were female. When the Beatles first rose in popularity, they were mainly seen as a boy band catered toward a younger, female audience. Fast forward to 2023, and their music is seen as legendary across the globe. Their

first fans knew that their music was fantastic, but they were not taken seriously because people thought they were just fangirls who considered the band members cute. “Who’s to say that young girls who like pop music — short for popular, right? -– have worse musical taste than a 30-year-old hipster guy?” Harry Styles said in a Rolling Stones interview. “Young girls like the Beatles. You’re going to tell me they’re not serious?” Being a fangirl should not be something society criticizes. I have met so many girls from across the world who share the same passion for an artist’s music as myself, and that is something to celebrate, not criticize.

Schizmatics perform at the 2022 Battle of the Bands. Courtesy | Makenna Banbury

Battle of the bands will rock 55 Below again By Jillian Parks Culture Editor The annual Battle of the Bands, put on by the music fraternity formerly known as Phi Mu Alpha, will take place Nov. 17, from 8 p.m. to midnight at 55 Below. Five featured bands will compete before a panel of three judges. The competing bands are Hexagon Sandwich, Runaround, Schizmatics, Spike Jaeger and the Spitfires, and Diet of Worms, playing in that order. Students can purchase tickets in the union before the event for $3 and at the door for $5. “We like to give bands a chance to play for an audience, one because we love to play music and to perform, and two because a little friendly competition never hurt anybody,” said Matt Byrne, president of the music fraternity. The judging panel will consist of Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor of education; Jordan Wales, associate professor of theology; and Dwight Lindley, associate professor of English. Hexagon Sandwich is a new band, created this week with the express purpose of being the fifth band in this year’s battle. “We have this running joke on the cross country team that we call the Taco Bell crunchwrap supreme

the hexagon sandwich, so I just said hexagon sandwich, and we loved it,” junior Caleb Bigler said. “And I think if we can get momentum behind our bands this week, CHP Showdown will happen for us.” Performing music from artists like Noah Kahan to Mumford & Sons to Beatles, the band members describe their sound as rock, country, and indie. “Those are our three buzzwords: country, rock, and indie,” Bigler said. “The funny thing about us is our three guys who are singing all have completely different tastes, so we are justdoing the songs that will go hard.” Runaround will also be performing at Battle of the Bands for the first time, making its debut with covers ranging from classic artists like Journey and Elton John to more modern tunes like those from Bruno Mars. “I am in the music fraternity, so I was there last year,” sophomore and Runaround lead singer Daniel Doyle said. “I really enjoyed it. I think it’s a really great spot to get our music out there, and I think we’ve got a lot of talent that hasn’t performed for a big audience yet.” Spike Jaeger and the Spitfires, the official band of the music fraternity, will err more on the side of alternative and classic rock, playing

artists such as Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses, and My Chemical Romance. “We try to choose songs we like to play and songs for people to sing and dance along to,” lead singer and senior Stephen Berntson said. “I’d say our set is a pretty good mix of rock and modern favorites. Honestly, it’s pretty eclectic.” Schizmatics will perform at Battle of the Bands for the second time, and its set will feature covers of artists such as Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, and Billy Joel. “The songs are a mix of old favorites from the last two years and also some new ones especially for these events,” junior Gavin Listro said. “We try to pick ones that people know fairly well but also balance that with how fun they are to play for us, so everyone has a good time.” Diet of Worms, also performing for the second year, will end the night with a combination pop and alternative rock set, covering songs from Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and The Backseat Lovers to name a few. “We’re excited to return to an event that has such a special place in the history of our band,” sophomore Erik Teder said. “We’re looking forward to bringing the hype with a few Diet of Worms classics and some crowd favorites.”

Features

November 16, 2023

Feasts from around the world come to campus By Olivia Pero Sports editor The Hillsdale International Club brought flavors from Asia, Europe, and South America to the Grewcock Student Union last week, as a fundraiser for charity. The club raised $782.40 for Hope for the Fatherless, an organization which works with orphans in Ethiopia. Senior and president Charis Linton said the fundraised amount was more than double what the club usually raises. “Hope for the Fatherless fits the club’s mission well,” Linton said. “It’s based out of Ethiopia, so it has an international focus, and it supports families, orphans, and it facilitates education and adoptions, essentially giving vulnerable people the support and tools to proceed in life. There’s nothing not to like about it.” The fundraiser sold a different cultural snack or drink every day in the student union. Monday featured South Korean fish pastries, Tuesday offered Taiwanese boba tea, Wednesday sold South Korean Dalgona, Thursday presented Colombian, and Friday ended the week with Polish pierogies. “This way proceeds could go to charity and campus could experience foods and

culture from new countries and learn about the club and charity opportunities,” Linton said. “I got the idea from the bake sales other groups do to raise funds.” Olivia Tritchka-Stuchell, a freshman member of the club, said the fundraiser required some effort because members had to prepare all the food for the sale.

“I joined the club because I like the people and it’s a great way to meet people from all over the world.” “Preparation took a minimum of two hours per table,” Linton said. “I started prepping the boba tea at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, and I finished just in time to move everything to the Union and set up before 11 a.m.” Linton said the original lineup for the fundraising week was to have South Korea on Monday and Spain on Wednesday, but the chef for Spain fell ill.

“It was too late to find another country, and we thought we might have to cancel Wednesday,” Linton said. “Fortunately, Korea had two snacks they were planning to sell, so they volunteered to sell one snack each day so we wouldn’t have an empty day in the week.” Linton said the club hosts one annual fundraiser which is the group’s big fall event. “This year we changed things up from our annual big feast to a weeklong tabling fundraiser in the union,” Linton said. “Not only did this reach more people, raising more awareness on campus, it was also less of a burden on the chefs, encouraging more club participation throughout the week.” Linton said the Hillsdale International Club is designed to foster community between the international and American students on campus, hosting fun, cultural-themed events to share their backgrounds. “International Club not only connects the international students to Hillsdale College, but also vice versa,” sophomore Ky Nam Le said. “Through many events, HIC invites the rest of the college to come and experience different cultural stories around the world and also have meaningful conversations.”

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The International Club sells cuisine in the student union. Courtesy | Charis Linton

Linton said some countries represented by students in the club include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Uganda, United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The club also has many members who have grown up in America but who have family ties overseas. “I joined the club because I like the people in it, and it’s a great way to meet people

from all over the world,” Tritcha-Stuchell said. The club has an average of five events per semester, according to Linton. “Each semester there will be a welcome lunch, a movie night, a parents weekend dinner, a farewell to seniors dinner, and some educational panel, lecture, or other type of social event,” Linton said. “Then we always have a big fundraiser in the fall and our annual cultural fair in the spring. We’ve also partnered with Metz for several years

now to host Oktoberfest in the dining hall.” Anyone can join the club, Linton said. Events advertised in the Student Activities Board newsletter are for all of campus to attend, and anyone who wants to join the email list for more club-specific events simply can reach out to a club officer. “I enjoy being part of the HIC and hopefully in the future we can introduce even more events,” Le said.

QUICK HITS with

Timothy McDonnell

Take the toothpick out of the club sandwich, first thing. If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why? Pope Pius V. I want to talk over “Quo Primum” with him. What are some of your hobbies outside of music? Fishing, but in saltwater. Also, teaching Latin to my kids. What advice do you have for students? Something I stole from someone else: “Calm down. There are no career mistakes before the age of 30. Just calm down.”

McDonnell said he never stops learning. Courtesy | Hillsdale College

By Malia Thibado Collegian Reporters In this Quick Hits, Director of Sacred Music Timothy McDonnell talks childhood, hobbies, and travel. What was your favorite subject in high school? Greek and Latin.

What is your favorite piece of music? Why? Bach’s “Mass in B Minor.” It’s just perfect. What is your favorite piece to conduct? “Carmina Burana.” It’s definitely a conductor’s piece.

Where is your favorite place to travel? Italy.

What accomplishment are you most proud of? Why? My family. Being an only child, I didn’t expect having a family to be so much fun.

What are some choral pet peeves? The rhotic R. The tongue root yanks up on the larynx and all manner of problems ensue.

What’s your favorite book? Why? “Phaedrus,” by Plato. That part about poets, speechwriters, and lawyers is spot on.

Why teach at Hillsdale? The students. They are, by far, the best thing about the place.

What lesson from early childhood has stayed with you?

What is your favorite season? Summer, by the sea. How do you stay productive? Make your to-do list the day before. It’s too late once the day starts. If you could trade lives with any composer, alive or dead, who would it be? Well, among the famous ones, they all had pretty torturous lives. So, I’m good. Do you have a favorite pet? Not a favorite per se. But our most impressive pet was a Betta fish named Dorny. He actually had a personality. Never got feedback from a fish before or since. What is your favorite aspect of teaching? Phronesis: learning with my students at every turn in our collaboration.

Robson hopes to turn the freighthouse into a welcome pad for the Indiana Railway Experience steamtrain. Courtesy | Luke Robson

Jump from B4 “I pick out the products, send them over to him, and he gives me the thumbs up,” Mincio said. “We would not have been able to restore the space to the extent we are now.” The company is also working to transform the Secret Garden behind the businesses at N. Howell and E. Bacon streets into an outdoor club and cigar lounge. It recently helped Fetched Dog Groomers and Hillsdale Court Appointed Special Advocates relocate to new storefronts downtown. Robson said he is most excited to renovate the Courthouse Annex, Stock’s Mill, and the freighthouse on Hillsdale St., which will become the company’s largest holding once the property is closed on. Robson said he’d like to turn the freighthouse into a market and find a restauranter to transform the annex. In 2024, Robson also hopes to lay the foundation for a traditional trade school modeled after the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina. Robson was inspired after witnessing the college’s challenge finding stonemasons to complete Christ Chapel. “There’s certainly demand

for preser ving these old buildings,” Robson said. “But I think there is also a decent amount of demand for creating new things as well.” Robson said he hopes the trade school will complement the college’s intellectual endeavors through a practical application of beauty. “We will have the first sort of symbiotic institution with the college,” Robson said. “If you come to visit Hillsdale you can witness the liberal art up the hill and go down the hill and actually find someone to build you something beautiful.” Maine said the reaction to Robson’s plans has been overwhelmingly positive. She said people are shocked to hear

that the company prioritizes restoring old buildings instead of building new ones. “I think some people have the impression that we want to buy everything up and take control,” Maines said. “But they are really surprised and happy to hear that we are taking into consideration the town and trying simply to revive it out of both goodwill and, of course, our investment.” Despite his lofty dreams, Robson says he has a simple mission at its core — to give back to a town he loves. “It’s probably always going to be a small town,” Robson said. “I just hope it’s the best small town.”

A historic photo of 2 N. Howell St. depicts Robson’s hopes for his company’s renovations. Courtesy | Luke Robson

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November 16, 2023 Hillsdale Renaissance recently bought the freighthouse on the corner of Hillsdale St. and Carleton Road. Courtesy | Luke Robson

Welcome to the Renaissance. Inside an alumnus’ plan to restore Hillsdale to its historic beauty.

By Michael Bachmann Features Editor Luke Robson ’17 dreams of bringing a renaissance to Hillsdale, and he’s scoping out properties in the city in pursuit of his vision. Robson’s company, Hillsdale Renaissance LLC already, owns several properties downtown including the Courthouse Annex and Stock’s Mill, and is working to restore Hillsdale’s historic charm and industry. “My plan is not to make Hillsdale look radically different or utterly new. I want to restore what is already there,” Robson, the founder of Hillsdale Renaissance said. “I just hope it looks fulfilled. There’s a lot of raw material, and we just need to get in there.” Hillsdale Renaissance, which Robson founded in March 2022, owns 16 buildings downtown with 30 tenants. While the company is currently renovating the properties which are uninhabitable, many house well-established businesses, including Gold Star Taxes and Heather’s Blossom Shop. Last year, Robson unexpectedly received a small share from the sale of his family’s biotechnology firm in Fargo, North Dakota. With this money, Robson founded Hillsdale Renaissance. “I was sitting on this pot of cash and thought, ‘So what do I do now?’” Robson said. “I could go sit on a beach somewhere. But I also asked myself, ‘What’s the most amount of responsibility I can reasonably take on and be successful?’” Since Robson was already planning to move back to Hillsdale with his wife, Emma ’20, investing in the town seemed

like a good option. Many of Robson’s friends still lived in town, and he had fallen in love with the community at Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Albion. “I want to be in this town. I’ve got this ability to take on this opportunity. And hopefully, do right by it,” Robson said. Hillsdale Mayor

Its proximity between Chicago and Detroit made it a regional hub in the late 19th century. But today, like many rust belt towns, Hillsdale has seen better days. Historic buildings downtown sit abandoned. The average family income is below the statewide average and the poverty rate above. For the first time since 1980, the town has seen a population decline,

Robson poses with his wife, Emma. Courtesy | Luke Robson

Adam Stockford said he is optimistic about the company’s plans, having seen its connections to Hillsdale and track record in Van Wert, Ohio. “I’m excited about the prospects and plans of HR and their partners in our downtown,” Stockford said. “I’m confident they’re not only going to add some wonderful additions to Hillsdale but that they understand the needs and flavor of our community.” The project may seem ambitious, but Robson believes anyone who’s familiar with Hillsdale’s past knows it’s not impossible. The town was once a thriving industrial town packed with factories and Victorian homes. After the Michigan Southern Railroad opened in Hillsdale in 1843, the company ran out of money to continue the track. Hillsdale became the final stop on the railroad for settlers moving West from New York.

according to the latest census data. Still, Robson is confident that Hillsdale can be restored to its former glory. “In my mind a town can have transportation, industry, or tourism,” Robson said. “We used to be a transportation center. We used to be an industry center. But we do have the college, which means we have tourism.” According to Robson, more than 70,000 visitors come to the college every year, bringing with them resources the town can capitalize on. Brigid Maines, the company’s property manager, said Hillsdale Renaissance mostly works with retail businesses that will contribute to a vibrant downtown. “We want people to be walking downtown while they are doing their errands and going into the different shops. It brings life,” Maines said. “If someone were to approach us for office space, that is not something that we would probably prioritize.” In addition to creating community, Robson also wants to create a beuatiful downtown

“If we love this place, we have to make it beautiful,” Robson said. “To the extent that these buildings are beautiful, that these spaces we live in are beautiful, it is a mark of gratitude for the place.” Maine said the company’s projects are inspired by Christopher Alexander, an Austrian-British architect, who found inspiration in the close knit design of medical cities. His seminal work, “Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, and Construction,” contains 253 patterns, or qualities, for designing comfortable homes, offices, and cities. “We believe that he really kind of touched on what humans need in their spaces,” Maines said. But intensive renovations require experience and funds, which Hillsdale Renaissance can’t supply on its own. The company works closely with Pago USA, an Indiana-based consultant group dedicated

be based in the towns that we work with,” Long said. “Those investors can be anyone from a community foundation, to an institution, to a sole investor.” Pago USA has helped Hillsdale Renaissance acquire many

the building was under different ownership. Mincio had already drawn up a floor plan for the pizzeria and agreed on rent when Robson bought it. Initially worried about the sudden change of hands, Min-

Robson hopes to open a traditional trade school at Stock’s Mill. Courtesy | Luke Robson

The interior of 70 N Howell St., a property Hillsdale Renaissance owns, will need a complete renovation. Courtesy | Luke Robson

to reclaiming America’s small towns, according to its website. Eric Doden ’92, currently running for Indiana governor as a Republican, is the current president of the group. “We want to activate neglected historic infrastructure, restore historic buildings, and try to make rural downtown’s vibrant community centers like they once were,” said Erik Long, a project manager at Pago USA, who has worked with Hillsdale Renaissance for two years. While Pago USA does not finance projects, it makes funds available by securing both federal and state tax credits and grants. It also works to find investors for local projects. According to Long, the group only works with investors in the community. “We believe in local ownership, so any investor that we work with typically needs to

of its buildings. The companies’ first project is currently under renovation at 92 N. Broad St. The space will house Ad Astra’s new café and St. Joe’s Pizza, a European-style restaurant set to open in January. Joshua Mincio, St. Joe’s owner, said the pizzeria complements Robson’s vision for the town. The restaurant will be the only wood-fired pizzeria in the area and will source ingredients locally. Mincio hopes to build his own mill to grind Michigan-grown wheat for dough. “We’re trying to work within the community to make the pizzeria someplace that is not just enjoyable to eat at, but also someplace that a lot of people are actually involved in, whether it’s farmers or it’s other businesses,” Mincio said. When Mincio signed the lease for the space last year,

cio said his fears disappeared when he met with Robson to discuss business over beer. “We started talking and going over my vision for the space and it turns out that we have a lot in common,” Mincio said. “I am very much into localism, urbansim, reviving our downtown, making it walkable with business and apartments — and that’s his goal as well.” After months of renovation, the space now includes a marble floor, a faux tin ceiling, and bricked-up windows characteristic of a 19th-century building. While Robson has invested in the building’s foundations, including a renovation to waterproof the basement, he has given Mincio creative license over the space’s design and aesthetics.

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