Campus grieves John Owen Habib, 21

By Lauren Scott Assistant Editor

When Khalil Habib’s 21-year-old son fell into a coma after a rock climbing accident in Morocco two weeks ago, students, staff, and faculty reached out to support the family with text messages, emails, and prayers — and many contributed to a GoFundMe account that raised more than $230,000 for medical expenses.

John Owen Habib died April 11 following a catastrophic fall on April 1, according to the GoFundMe account organized by his

Deans roll out new housing system

By Jillian Parks Social Media Manager

A new software will help students select housing and meal plans for next school year and include features such as the ability to form roommate groups and to browse individual rooms.

StarRez, which will roll out on Tuesday, April 18, will allow students to have more control over their living situations, freeing administrators to focus on student needs and relations, Dean of Women Rebekah Dell said.

“This was an area in which we thought we could streamline the process,” Dell said. “We can automate, and we can create some efficiencies, so that we can really keep our eyes focused on student support at every level in the experience. We started looking for software back in 2019, and StarRez pretty quickly came to the top of the pile because of the scope of what they can handle as well as the variety of features and high customization.”

According to Dell, students will have access to on-campus housing choice priority based on their high school graduation year and number of credits. There will be hour blocks of time for each credit group to go into StarRez and select their room choices, either picking a single for themselves or selecting living accommodations on behalf of

See Housing A2 brother, Jordan Habib. He was at Akdital Hospital in Tangier.

“He was far greater than I could ever be,” Associate Professor of Politics Khalil Habib, John Owen’s father, said. “If this pain is the price of having had him as a child, I would pay it again just to hold him one last time.” College President Larry Arnn said he met John Owen once when he was visiting campus.

“Many people at Hillsdale found him to be attractive, talented, and engaging,” Arnn said. “He was a star student and a star young man. It is a great loss.”

When John Owen was still in the hospital, Arnn said the college was planning to help bring him home to the states.

“We were helping them to arrange a special flight with medical care to get John Owen back to America,” Arnn said. “It looked like it was going to be able to be organized.”

After John Owen’s accident, the Habib family flew to Morocco to be with him in the hospital.

“We all spent every day upon our arrival in Morocco by his bedside, holding his hands and praying over him,” Khalil said. “We were talking to him even though he was in a coma and playing his favorite music and messages from his friends around the world.”

He said his wife, Cressida Habib, and his son, Jordan, were by John Owen’s side supporting him the entire time.

“They were best friends,” Khalil said.

Adam Carrington, associate professor of politics, said the outpouring love and worry for the Habib family is a testament of how Khalil has touched so many lives at Hillsdale.

“He is a deeply devoted husband and father,” Carrington said. “He makes time and does so much for his family.”

Dan O’Toole, lecturer in politics, said he will teach Habib's Classical Political Philosophy course and Professor of History Paul Rahe will teach his Roman Political Thought graduate level course. Recent Ph.D. graduate Joey Barretta will teach his section of U.S. Constitution.

Carrington said everyone on campus should remember to pray for the Habib family and be prepared to welcome Khalil back when the time comes.