Collegian 4.27.2023

Alumna Kat Timpf publishes No.

By Maggie Hroncich Editor-In-Chief

The most traumatizing and sensitive topics are the most important to joke about, argues Hillsdale alumna Kat Timpf ’10 in her new book. Released on April 18, “You Can’t Joke About That: Why Everything Is Funny, Nothing Is Sacred, and We’re All in This Together,” is this week’s No. 1 Amazon bestseller in nonfiction.

Timpf, whose mother, grandmother, and family dog died within months of each other, was dumped by her college boyfriend over text, and nearly died from a perforated bowel, says humor enabled her to cope with a series of challenges she faced early in her career.

“I was waiting tables, I was super broke, I was living in squalor, and also I was performing stand-up comedy.

I had only done it like twice before when I was in college, but I really felt like talking about my dumpster fire life on stage,” Timpf told the Collegian. “It gave me power over the things that were making me feel so powerless, and it became one of my only means of connection during the loneliest times in my life.”

Timpf, who is a comedian, columnist, and co-host on Fox News’ “Gutfeld!,” said social pressure not to joke about sensitive topics made her feel isolated.

“When my mom died, it was such a tragic, sad thing,” Timpf said. “But it was only made worse by the fact that I could tell everybody that was around me and talking to me after my mom died was so afraid to say the wrong thing that I felt like they couldn’t have a real conversation with me.”

In her book, Timpf, who

is a self-described libertarian and free-speech absolutist, explores cultural attitudes toward grief and comedy – and what is considered acceptable to joke about. Her book details countless personal and popular culture instances – from her own experience receiving death threats for a joke about Star Wars, to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. “We’re emotional creatures, and it’s a good thing to express yourself and share your feelings,” Timpf said. “Where it becomes not about sensitivity anymore is when you expect the world to revolve around those feelings, which is what a lot of this stuff is really about.”

Timpf said there’s a misconception that people who are overly concerned about speech regulations are sensitive, when in reality, they tend to be oppressive.

bestselling book

“A lot of the rules that our culture has put in place for speech, they’re supposed to be there to protect people who are going through tough things, but I think the opposite is true,” Timpf said. “I think that it prevents people from really being able to communicate honestly and with comedy and ultimately keeps us from being able to make connections with one another.”

Timpf said she got the idea for the book after her emergency bowel surgery in 2020, when her dad told her, “You’re only 32, but what have you not been through?”

Timpf said she realized the things she has been through helped her build connections with others who had been through similar situations, but it didn’t matter if she couldn’t laugh and talk about it.

The feedback Timpf has

received so far has been “amazing,” she said, and she has heard from people across the country who have also used humor to cope and heal.

“I think that it’s a little different of a book than people can expect because I hit all sides. I really do mean everything can be joked about, I really do mean nothing is sacred,” Timpf said. “I wrote this because it’s something I’m super passionate about and I feel like if our discourse would change surrounding the way we talk about these things that we would all be better off.”

Professor of History Brad Birzer, who taught Timpf while she was at Hillsdale, said though he hasn’t yet read the book, he agrees humor is an essential part of political and cultural discourse.

“Kat’s humor comes out of an older tradition of satire — so famous in the 1970s be-

cause of Saturday Night Live, etc,” Birzer said. “And, I’m sure that being canceled is a serious threat for all kinds of comedians at whatever level.” Birzer said he is proud of Timpf’s career.

“Her path to success is as unique as she is,” Birzer said. Maria Servold, assistant director of the Dow Journalism Program and former roommate of Timpf’s, said the book is true to her personality —witty, irreverent, and smart.

“Kat and I lived together for a summer in D.C. when we were students and I told everyone it felt like living with my own personal comedian,” Servold said. “I am not at all surprised that she has been able to handle so many difficulties with humor, and I think it’s important we all learn from her example in that regard.”

Ohio man attacks student athletes

By Josh Newhook Digital Editor

Prosecutors charged an Ohio man on April 21 with seven counts of resisting arrest and simple assault and battery after tackling senior track team member Isaac Waffle April 20.

Austin Matthew Crist, 28, of Montpellier, Ohio, was arrested on Mauck Road about a mile-and-a-half east of Half Moon Lake Road, according to Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office reports. The site is approximately two-and-ahalf miles from the center of campus and a mile-and-ahalf from Hayden Park.

Junior Claire Hipkins, sophomore Cecelia Cummins, junior Orlagh O'Donohue, dog Aggie, and junior Vinny Hill enjoyed SAB's Taste of Manning event this past weekend. It was the first time since 2021 that it wasn't canceled for weather. Courtesy | Student Activities Board

WHIP student speaks at Heritage Foundation Anniversary Gala headed by Tucker Carlson

By Quinn Delamater Collegian Reporter

Young conservatives need to turn legal systems back to their constitutional intent, junior Joseph Sturdy said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Gala in Washington, D.C. on April 21.

About 2,300 guests attended the event, where former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was the keynote speaker.

While participating in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program this semester, Sturdy interned at the Heritage Foundation in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies department. According to Sturdy, the Meese Center is responsible for

dealing with law, courts, and all legal issues.

“At Heritage, I've had the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with influential decision-makers and colleagues,” Sturdy said. “What's more, nowhere gives young people the ability to engage with constitutional law in the way that Heritage, and specifically the Meese Center, does.”

In his speech, Sturdy also explained how over the past few decades, progressive principles have afflicted the American political system which desperately needs conservatives in the coming generations to fight against this.

“Since the 1960s, America has seen the law and the courts

plagued by radical ideology, so there's perhaps nothing more pressing than regaining control of legal institutions to fight for what is right and true,” Sturdy said. “America needs young conservatives — Generation Z — who not only have the right ends in mind, but also a commitment to the means and processes called for in the constitution.”

Sturdy said while young conservatives find themselves in a difficult place fighting for their beliefs, hope is on the rise.

“Conservative institutions are seeing an uptick in applications—a welcome sign that, though our work is cut out for us, we are up to the challenge,” Sturdy said.

Fellow junior and WHIP

participant Elizabeth Troutman was present for the speech and praised Sturdy.

“Joseph’s speech representing the next generation of the Heritage Foundation truly made Hillsdale proud. His delivery was spotless and the content of his speech was inspiring,” Troutman said. “It makes sense for a student of the most influential conservative college in America to represent the future of America’s largest conservative think tank.”

Junior and WHIP student Duggan Foley said Sturdy impressed him.

“Joseph was the right man for the job,” Foley said. “He represented Heritage and Hillsdale very well.”

Crist’s probable cause conference is tentatively scheduled for May 3 at 10 a.m., according to MiCourt Case Search. If convicted as charged, Crist faces up to two years in prison.

Waffle and sophomore track team member Caleb Bigler said they were running east on Mauck Road as they usually do multiple times a week.

“Isaac as a senior has probably run down this road hundreds of times,” Bigler said. “We run there all the time.”

On this occasion, the runners planned to run six miles, three miles out and back, Bigler said. Bigler noted he was at 2.9 miles on his running watch when something strange happened.

“This dude has just walked out of a driveway and onto the road, and he’s got two big dogs next to him,” he said. “He starts drifting into our side of the road and steps right in front of Isaac and sticks his arms out and says, ‘You want to see black Jesus?’ and tackled Isaac into the ditch in a headlock.”

Bigler said he and Waffle did not see it coming because

Crist was not acting unusual.

“Being a naive Hillsdale College student, I thought he was just out for a walk with his dogs,” Waffle said. “There are people like that out there, so you just have to be smart.”

As soon as it happened, Crist’s family sprinted over and pulled him off of Waffle within 10 seconds, Bigler said. Bigler was never touched, and Waffle said he wasn’t hurt in the incident.

“I had the most minor scuff mark on my shoulder,” Waffle said.

Waffle noted Crist was never actually choking him and that he did not fight back. Waffle said he just sat there with Crist wrapped around him.

“He was not in immediate danger of suffocating, and he was only there for a couple of seconds before his family got there,” Bigler said.

After the incident, a neighbor at the house next door who had seen the commotion told Waffle and Bigler she would call the police.

“She thought the dogs had attacked us, and wanted to shoot them,” Bigler said. “The dogs actually never even barked at us. That could have gone very bad if the dogs hadn’t been so chill. They could have ripped our arms off.”

It took four police officers to get Crist handcuffed and in the back of a police car, Bigler said.

“His brother and a family friend, who were both bigger guys, were struggling to keep this guy down,” Bigler said. “I think he hit one of the cops in the face.”

After about half an hour, the two teammates ran back to campus and finished their run unscathed.

See Attack A2

“You want to see black Jesus?"

CHP to include new attractions

By Isaac Green Sports Editor

The Student Activities Board is set to host this year's national parks themed Centralhallapalooza with live music, camping inspired catering, and games across from Broadlawn Saturday, April 29.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. with performances from three student bands before the event headliner, DWLLRS, takes the stage. Sophomore and SAB member John Schaefer said he encourages students to get into the national parks spirit.

“Dress to the theme,” Schaefer said. “Wear national parks attire, be granola, be crunchy. I think that would just make the whole event more fun. The more you participate, the more fun it is.”

Student band The Ambassadors will kick off the live music at 6:30 p.m., followed by performances from Schizmatics, as well as James Bullet and the Dirty Blondes.

“Get there as soon as you can,” sophomore and SAB member John Schaefer said. “All the bands this year are re-

ally, really good, I think it'll be a ton of fun, and I don't think you want to miss out on all of the hard work that they put in.”

In addition to the live music, students will be able to enjoy things like sweet treats from an ice cream cart or group pictures in a Volkswagen photo booth, according to Schaefer.

Sophomore and SAB member Josiah Jagoda said this year's theme has allowed

for the SAB crew to be creative with the event.

“We thought National Parks would be a really fresh and unique theme. We saw all the potential to make really cool decorations, and we were all sold on the theme pretty quickly after.”

of their many projects has been a photo wall that will feature national parks postcards and a Smokey the Bear cutout.

“CHP is a pretty big event, but the bulk of the work is creating the decorations,” Jagoda said. “Luckily, we have an extremely talented group who have worked a lot of hours to make sure everything is stunning.”

Schaefer said he expects DWLLRS — a band that formed in college — to engage well with the crowd at CHP.

“I think coming back to this college setting will make them really enjoy being back in a collegiate setting and will probably make them want to interact with the audience and connect with the audience,” Schaefer said. “Hopefully they will be willing to meet with people afterwards and stuff like that, like Arlie did last year.”

Jagoda said he encourages all students to come out for the event.

Editorial: Satire should be funny

The following is the opinion of the editorial staff of The Collegian.

In what we assume to be an attempt at satire, the editors of “The Sophist” made disparaging remarks about Hillsdale’s residents and community earlier this week. Satire should make an argument by humorously exaggerating true facts; the recent issue did nothing of the sort. Cruelty and pomposity are no substitute for

comedy and wit. We stand behind our satire in the Collision, but these other “publishers” hide behind their anonymity. We hope the Hillsdale community realizes most students on campus do not share the views expressed in the other publication this week, and we are grateful for the welcome we receive from the city and its residents when we return to campus each fall.

WRFH reports high download numbers

SAB members have been working in a warehouse building at Hayden Park on “shop nights” to prepare the themed decorations, Schaefer said. One

“I mean, it’s CHP,” Jagoda said. “What more is there to say? If you don’t go, everyone will look at you like you’re weird. I know I will.”

Army vet author to speak on campus next week

By Michaela Estruth

Assistant Editor

Author and Army vet -

eran Don Bentley will visit Hillsdale to speak about his new book “Forgotten War” Thursday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Lane 124.

Bentley has written four military thrillers in his own series of novels featuring the character Matt Drake, as well as books that feature Jack Ryan Jr. in the Tom Clancy series. The Dow Journalism Program is sponsoring Bently’s visit.

“Veterans will have a special interest in this story,” said John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program. “Students who

are thinking about careers in the military will have an interest, students who are interested in military history and grand strategy will have an interest, and also people who are writers or potential writers or thinking about publishing novels.”

Miller learned about Bentley during his research two years ago for a National Review article on veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and now contribute to the military-thriller genre.

“I had noticed the rise of a newer and younger generation of writers who were involved in these more recent conflicts,” Miller said.

During his service in

Afghanistan, where he flew Apache helicopters, Bentley was involved in a botched mission to save four lost SEALs in Afghanistan. Only one survived: Marcus Lutrell, whose story later was told in the movie “Lone Survivor.” Bentley told Miller this mission haunted him for years, but he finally decided to write about it in novel form.

Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers said Bentley is an American hero who served to protect our freedoms. Rogers said we should express our gratitude to him for this sacrifice.

“By acknowledging his contributions and sacrifices, we can demonstrate our

appreciation and admiration for him and others like him who have served our nation,” Rogers said. “Taking a break from our daily routine to express our thanks is a small but significant gesture that can go a long way.”

Miller said he has never met Bentley in person but has remained in contact through email and social media. Bentley told Miller he would be in Ohio for his book tour at the beginning of May and would love to see Hillsdale, Miller said.

“He’ll tell us his story as a veteran and as a writer,” Miller said.

Catholic Society hosts talk on 'Christology in Literature'

By Thomas McKenna Assitant Editor

Students should not force images of Christ onto literature, said Professor of English

Justin Jackson in a lecture at the Hillsdale Thomistic Institute conference on “Christology in Literature” April 22.

“The simple answer is ‘respect literature, please’ — don't do violence to it,” Jackson said. “Just because you want it to be a certain way, does not mean that it has to be that certain way.”

The conference, co-sponsored by the Catholic Society, featured Jackson and two guest speakers: Michael Mack, associate professor of English at the Catholic University of America, and Thomas Pfau, professor of English at Duke University. Mack spoke on “Sidney Shakespeare, and the Imago Dei,” and Pfau spoke on “Conversion and Annunciation in Paul Claudel’s ‘Magnificat.’”

“The goal of this conference was to help all of those who attended to see how they could treat literature in a serious way that respected the literature

Attack from A1

“When we got back we were like, ‘Coach, you’re not going to believe what just happened!’” Bigler said.

Bigler said he does not feel any less safe now.

“Like the email said, it was a very isolated incident in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “Fear never struck. It happened so fast that we didn’t even get any adrenaline.”

Bigler said he doesn’t think it should be a concern for students on campus.

itself, while also seeing where Christ becomes present in literature,” said senior Colton Duncan, who helped organize the conference.

In the opening lecture, Jackson analyzed Christological imagery — metaphors that depict or allude to Christ — in works by Ovid, Nietzsche, Julian of Norwich, Dostoyevsky, and others. Jackson also pointed to images of Christ in the Narnia and Star Wars movies.

Jackson said the Clint Eastwood movie “Gran Torino” made its Christ figure too obvious.

“By the end, Walt Kowalski is on the ground with his arms out,” Jackson said of a crucifixion reference at the end of the film. “If you look very closely, you can see Clint Eastwood literally beating a dead horse.”

While students often see Christological imagery in works by English poet William Blake, Jackson said Blake’s view of Jesus does not align with general Christian belief.

“They’ll come to me and say ‘this is beautiful — look at how he's portraying Christ’ and I have to tell them ‘his Jesus is

“It was three miles away,” Bigler said. “It doesn’t change anything, just like the email from campus safety said.”

Bigler said he and other members of the team continue to use the route without an issue. Nevertheless, he is glad that it didn’t happen to one of the women on the team, especially one by herself. Joe Kellam, associate director of security and emergency management at Hillsdale College and captain of homeland security and emergency management at Hillsdale Police Department, said central dis-

not your Jesus,’” Jackson said. “First, his Jesus is a man born mortal, because when Mary was betrothed to Joseph, the Holy Spirit came to her with a sense of free love, and she went and slept with somebody else. She had baby Jesus, and Joseph is the saint in Blake's world because he forgave her. Do you see what I'm getting at now?”

Mack said Phillip Sidney, the poet he discussed in his lecture, would have concurred with Jackson’s approach to literature.

“Treat literary works as literary works,” Mack said. “That was Sidney’s position as an inventor of literary works. He engaged in a program that, yes, had ambitions beyond literary aims. Every time I teach a work, there’s always some contingent of people who want to know what the moral is, or what’s the takeaway. I don’t think Sidney was reductive enough to give us a moral or religious or spiritual takeaway.”

The speakers participated in a roundtable after the lectures.

All three speakers recommended students see “Waiting for Godot,” an absurdist play

patch notified his team immediately.

“Our officer helped with taking the report from Caleb and Isaac,” he said. “I went to the sheriff’s office the following morning to follow up.”

Kellam said one of his security officers, most of whom are either former or current police officers, are trained to react to any emergencies in a timely manner.

“We will get the call from dispatch and students and respond together to assist the local law enforcement in their investigation,” Kellam said.

by Samuel Beckett. Pfau said modern audience reactions to the play signal a descent into moral relativism.

“If you see the play in the theater, pay close attention to where the audience laughs,” Pfau said. “From what perspective does an audience today experience Beckett?

If the audience has a strong, robust foundation in theology, I think Beckett can be a very productive experience. But if it is a theologically illiterate or subliterate audience, they will actually take away the wrong things.”

Duncan said the Thomistic Institute was considering a conference on the Church fathers even before the success of the Christology in literature conference.

“I thought it was a very cohesive conference,” Duncan said. “I thought all of the talks covered various topics that all were different from each other but also complemented each other very well. I’m very happy with how the conference turned out.”

Kellam said downloading the Rave Guardian app in case of an emergency is a good idea.

“Students can set a call timer and will notify someone they set as a contact if they don’t get back in time,” he said.

Kellam also encourages students to call the security patrol unit if they see anything suspicious.

“We would much rather go out and it not be a problem than to not get a call, and it be a problem later,” he said.

By Sarah Katherine Sisk Collegian Reporter

Student shows at WRFH

Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM have received nearly 83,000 downloads on their new publishing platform since September.

According to senior and Digital Director Abigail Snyder, WRFH switched from Soundcloud to Transistor at the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year.

“It was a necessary change, but we definitely lost listeners in that move,” Snyder said.

Snyder said the total number of downloads dipped slightly from last year, likely due to the change in hosting platforms.

“For the 2021-22 year, we saw 96,000 downloads. This year, it was 82,596,” Snyder said.

Radio Station General Manager Scot Bertram said when the listens that occurred in the early months of the school year prior to the switch are accounted for, the numbers look more similar to last year’s.

“The decline almost solely can be attributed to our move in September from SoundCloud to Transistor as the host of all of our content,” Bertram said. “In fact, if we add in the additional 12,000 listens that occurred at SoundCloud in August and September you get a total very much in line with the last two years.”

According to Bertram, Transistor better suits the needs of the station, providing them with more robust options, but it also means the place where most people used to stream their content is no longer being updated with new shows.

“We've changed the language in our on-air announcements and in the way we promote our content inside shows and on social media, so the audience who might not have followed us is aware of the change,” Bertram said.

Snyder is happy with the station’s performance this year, given the turnover.

“Considering we had quite a number of shows not returning due to seniors graduating or other factors, and the switch to Transistor, I'm quite pleased we essentially matched the previous year's downloads,” Snyder said.

According to Snyder, the most popular locations of listeners are the U.S. and Taiwan.

“The U.S. makes up 92.95% of our listener base, with a large number of U.S. based listeners from the Midwest, and Taiwan makes up just over 3%.”

Snyder said she does not have an explanation for the listener base in Taiwan.

Bertram said the station attracts a notable local audience as well.

“These numbers also do not reflect the significant local audience that tunes in at 101.7 FM. We'll never be able to report an exact number of listeners on the radio side, but based on emails, phone calls, and conversations, I'm confident it's a sizeable number,” Bertram said.

Senior and Program Director Josh Barker said he is very pleased the numbers are almost identical to the previous year, despite the changes in online location and transition.

“The results are clear, our student content is really making a difference and having a truly worldwide reach,” Barker said.

Barker attributes the station’s success to being both thoughtful and engaging.

“That’s why we won Michigan College Radio Station of the Year this year, and frequently win state and national awards,” Barker said. “Some college stations are almost exclusively student DJs playing music 24/7. We have a few music shows, but most of our content is spoken word and that makes it perfect for podcast distribution too.”

SAB to host annual Last Class Bash

By Jacob Beckwith Collegian Reporter

The Student Activities Board will host its annual Last Class Bash Tuesday, May 2 from 3 to 6 p.m. outside the chapel on the quad.

“Last Class Bash is the final SAB event of the year, and it serves as a celebration of finishing classes,” said sophomore and SAB staff member John Schaefer.

The event was rainy last year, but junior and SAB staff member Ian Schlagel is hopeful for this year.

“Two years ago it was a beautiful day and super fun,” Schlagel said. “Everyone came out for some food and yard games, and it was a great afternoon!”

As the last event of the year, SAB gives senior staff-

ers the day off, according to Schaefer.

“Only younger SAB staff members work the event so the graduating seniors can just enjoy,” said Schaefer.

The event also serves as a bookend to a school year of activities where students can reflect on all the events that have happened, according to Schlagel.

“Baw Beese BBQ is one of the first events so it is fitting we have a similar event at the end of the year,” said Schlagel. “Students can look back to that first weekend and think about all the blessings and changes that have taken place since.”

“There will be hamburgers, snacks, music, and games,” said Schaefer. “Come hangout and relax before finals!”

Sophomore Josiah Jagoda dances at last year's CHP. Courtesy | Student Activities Board

Campus reacts to Bud Light boycott

www.hellsdalecollision.com

Campus removes Thatcher statue after backlash

By | Prue Disch Burqa Advocate

After hundreds of parents complained about the inappropriate Margaret Thatcher statue on campus, the college is permanently removing it.

“The administration hears the complaints from parents and agrees it’s not appropriate to have such an indecent statue on public display,” Dean of Women Becca Bell said.

Most of the complaints were concerned with the exposure of Thatcher’s ankles.

the switch.

“I actually enjoy walking past Strosacker now, whereas I used to close my eyes,” junior Noah Bichon said. “Finally, I’ll be able to register for my core science classes.” Bichon and others said

By | Trick Neglia Miller Lite Drinker

Many students say they will boycott Anheuser-Busch following Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, AKA Natty Daddy.

“I really think this boycott is a good thing,” said Senior T. Toetler, who wasn’t allowed to drink, but got permission from his parents so he could boycott Bud Light.

“Just another reason why drinking is a sin,” said Hezekiah Ward

Another student disagreed with the transgender ideology pushed by Bud Light, saying

“There is no way Dylan Mulvaney can pass as a woman. He’s about as flat as a day-old Bud Light.”

Although most students and faculty support the boycott, there are still a few Bud Light fans on campus. Bud Light is now the official beer of College Democrats, who, to help boost sales, are offering a limited time deal: buy one six pack of Bud Light and get one free sex change.

Though most of campus

was touched by the Bud Light controversy, the frats were hit the hardest.

“We made jokes about Bud Light just like everybody else,” said ATO President Nennett Bichols. “But this Bud Light makes you gay stuff is serious. One day our social chair is drinking a Bud Light, the next he schedules an ATO-Sig mixer.”

There is fear among the Delts that woke marketing could spread to other products, such as cigarettes, which they insist they could quit whenever they wanted. As a

precaution, they are growing their own tobacco in case American Spirit goes woke.

The sororities have largely been unaffected. “We don’t really drink Bud Light but we’re in serious trouble if White Claw goes woke,” said Pi Phi president Rita Book.

For some, simply boycotting Anheuser-Busch was not enough. A group of students, known as the Sons of the Liberty Walk, snuck aboard a Bud Light delivery ship anchored at Baw Beese and dumped all the beer into the lake.

Dean Pete announces career as WWE wrestler

“Hey man, sometimes you’ve got this drive to take a punk kid who’s going around removing doors and lay him flat on his back,” Chief said. “You gotta deal with it, and Dean Pete’s dealing with it in the best way he knows how: wrestling.”

Joining Dean’s wrestling team as his trainer is Dr. Charles “mad-eye” Yost, who claims to be just the man to whip Dean into shape.

“When I’m done with him, they’ll be calling him Demon Pete,” Yost said.

Some students criticized the decision, arguing that Dean’s track record is too sketchy for professional sports.

“We all saw how he cheated in the staff versus student event, what if he brings that same attitude to the WWE?” an anonymous Campus Rec representative said.

College President Parry Larnn said he doesn’t care if Dean joined the WWE.

“I suppose that Dean is the right kind of man to start professional wrestling, but I’ll miss pre-gaming our talks together, as the kids say. Isn’t that a funny phrase?”

As far as his career goals, Dean said he hopes to face Roman Reigns, the current WWE universal champion, in the future.

“I did not know there was such an inappropriate statue on campus or else I would not have sent my son here,” Hillsdale parent Helen Copper said. “My son does not need that type of distraction every time he’s walking to class.”

Thatcher’s spot in front of Strosacker will not remain empty for long.

“We are thrilled to announce we have acquired the original ‘David’ sculpture by Michaelangelo which will be installed this summer,” Bell said. “This statue better represents our values as a college and a community.”

Friends of the college from Florida donated the ‘David’ statue to further the mission of Hillsdale.

Students are happy about

they couldn’t believe the statue was ever on campus in the first place.

“Such an indecent depiction of female anatomy in a public space is so not in line with our values as a college,” freshman Sing Le said. “I’m glad the college recognized how inappropriate the statue was and is taking action to make our campus more virtuous.”

NEXT WEEK in The Colli sion:

- Rejected Collegian writers become editors of the Sophist

- Tucker Carlson only attendee at Career Services’ job fair

- Grad student writes op-ed arguing that Ukranian students should get back to class

- DWLLRS asks Phi Mu band for autographs

- Spring Convocation 2023: Pi Phi has highest GPA, ATO highest B.A.C.

- Students can’t tell if college visitors are presidential candidates or donors

- Koon detransitions to male dorm

- Trustees made Arnn get brain surgery after inviting the New Yorker to campus

- After tackling incident, Hillsdale Football recruits the Mauck Road Mangler

Dean Pete Dean announced this week that he’s stepping away from his role as

dean of men to pursue wrestling at the World Wrestling Entertainment organization.

“I just want a place where I can really throw my weight around,” Dean said. “Dealing

with so many belligerent kids is really frustrating, and I want a better outlet than limiting off-campus housing.”

Dean Chief supported Dean’s decision.

“I think it’s time to see if he lives up to that Greco-Roman tradition he’s got in his name,” Dean said. “I’ll teach him the meaning of my favorite cardinal Roman virtue, masculine manliness.”

- Olds unaware of power outage as they haven’t had electricity since 1973

- Dr. Smith denied off-campus permission because he isn’t married

‘I could see her ankles’

“We are thrilled to announce we have acquired the original ‘David’ sculpture by Michaelangelo which will be installed this summer”

City News Historic train trips return for the summer

Sexual assault suspect to face preliminary exam hearing

By Kamden Mulder Collegian Reporter

When the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society brings old-fashioned steam engine trips back to Hillsdale this summer, the town can expect more tourism, according to the society’s Vice President Kelly Lynch.

“This was a huge opportunity for our organization because typically our steam locomotives and trains operate throughout the entire Eastern United States,” Lynch said. “This was significant because we’ve never had such a big venue for our trains right in our own backyard.”

By Sarah Katherine Sisk Collegian Reporter

The suspect in an alleged Easter weekend sexual assault will likely face a preliminary examination next week.

35-year-old Litchfield man Leandro Pereyra is set to face the hearing on May 3 at 2:30 p.m., according to the district court docket. The judge will evaluate the charges against Pereyra, determining whether his case will proceed to the circuit court.

Pereyra was apprehended early Easter morning by the City of Hillsdale Police Department on suspicion of raping a woman in a room at the Days Inn.

At the preliminary examination, the prosecutor must show probable cause that a crime was committed and that Pereyra committed it, according to his attorney Kimm Burger.

Pereyra faces charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which is punishable by a 15year maximum sentence, Prosecutor Neal Brady previously said.

A probable cause conference was held on April 19, Burger said.

“The probable cause conference is an informal way to try to resolve the case,” she said. Since the conference did not reach a resolution, Pereyra will move forward for a preliminary examination.

His preliminary exam was first scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 26, but Burger was expecting it would be pushed to next week since she had not yet received enough information.

“I requested the body camera video, hotel video, and SANE report — basically a rape kit,” she said.

A SANE report is filed by a nurse trained in sexual assault examinations.

“Once I get those, then I will be comfortable with proceeding to the preliminary examination,” Burger said.

Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jamie Wisniewski also said she expected the preliminary exam would be postponed until after April 26.

“We are waiting on a few pieces of evidence and exchanging evidence with his attorney at this time,” Wisniewski said.

If the prosecutor can demonstrate likelihood that the crime occurred and that Pereyra committed it, Burger said, the case will proceed on the felony offense in the circuit court.

The society signed an operating agreement with Indiana Northeastern Railroad in 2022, according to Lynch. The railroad operates in South Milford, Indiana, and Hillsdale.

According to the society, the train currently has 30 trips scheduled starting in May, expanding from 10 trips last year.

A few of these excursions are fall foliage “full-color” trips to and from Hillsdale.

The society is a nonprofit, and donations, ticket sales, and its large base of volunteers support the trips,

according to Lynch. “We’ve started to make a few relationships,” Lynch said. “But because that’s a new community to us, we don’t know a lot of people.

So we’re looking for people to become part of this in a way that they can support it through donations, through sponsorships, and through grants.”

Though the historical society is run by volunteers, it has big plans for the future of locomotive excursions, Lynch said.

“Last year was so

AquaBounty appeals Ohio permit denial

By Michael Bachmann Assistant Editor

A biotechnology company filed an administrative appeal to the Williams County Common Pleas Court in Ohio after the county’s commissioners denied a permit for water lines to its plant in Pioneer, Ohio.

AquaBounty Farms Ohio LLC would use the lines to draw water from the Michindoh Aquifer, one of Hillsdale County’s main water sources, to its genetically-engineered salmon plant in Pioneer. The company could draw 5.25 million gallons of water daily, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

AquaBounty

filed the appeal on April 4, alleging the commissioners’ decision was “unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable and/or unsupported by preponderance of substantial, reliable, and probative evidence.”

president, no decision has been made yet.

“We are consulting legal counsel as we have been throughout the whole process,” Westfield said.

The commissioners submitted a notice to the court on April 25 declaring Aaron Glasgow and Ryan Spitzer of the Isaac, Wiles, and Buckholder firm in Columbus, Ohio, as counsels of record in the case.

According to Williams County Engineer Todd Roth, his department reviewed the plan.

“It can be done physically,” Roth said. “Determining that was our solo job answer, and we forwarded our comments to commissioners. It could be constructed without interfering with utilities.”

successful that the Indiana Tourism Association named the railroad excursions the best new experience in Indiana out of all the tourist attractions, which is also pretty incredible,” Lynch said. “That’s because we were able to bring more than 7,000 people and $300,000 in spending to the economy.”

The society similarly hopes to bring more business to the Hillsdale area. It has also considered creating a commuter train experience to bring people to and from the Hillsdale County Fair this fall.

Indiana Northeastern has restored 100 miles of railroad in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio that was almost abandoned in the 1990s, according to the Indiana Northeastern Railroad.

According to Lynch, the railroad offers excursions for every type of person. There are ice cream train trips for families and a wine and whiskey train for those over age 21.

“We have tickets that cost $15 and we have tickets that cost $300, so we’re very conscious about making this something that is accessible to people of all ages,” Lynch said. “You don’t have to be of a certain income bracket to enjoy these train rides.”

ArtWorks plans to showcase local artists

The commissioners have 28 days to respond to the appeal. According to Bart Westfield, the commissioners’ vice

The permit for the water lines was submitted by the town of Pioneer, which has been communicating with AquaBounty. The water and sewer lines were proposed along County Road S. If approved, they would draw water from wells east of County Road 16 and discharge near County Road 15.

The commissioners denied AquaBounty’s permit on March 6 on legal grounds, arguing that a private company could not use the town’s public rightof-way.

“We sought legal counsel, who advised us that we cannot give the permit to a private entity,” Westfield said. “It has to be a public entity, which excludes AquaBounty.”

Homeless lead citywide cleanup

By Tess Owen Assistant Editor

James Galloway is homeless, and he has been leading residents and fellow homeless people in cleaning up the city.

Galloway decided to take action when Councilman William Morrisey said he was concerned about trash in the woods around town at a Jan. 17 council meeting.

“I relayed those concerns directly to people staying in the woods,” Galloway said.

“The following weekend we homeless worked together to bag 30 massive contractor bags of trash from the woods.”

Since then, Galloway has also led cleanup projects along the Baw Beese Trail and in Mrs. Stock’s Park.

Volunteers collected more than 120 bags of trash, he said, and the City of Hillsdale’s Department of Public Services helped pick up the bags.

A group including former Professor of English Michael Jordan, Hillsdale Community Thrift Director Missy DesJardin, Austin Christie, John Jarrell, Liz Wilson, and Galloway met on April 23 to clean

up trash near downtown. They picked up more than 20 bags from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to a Facebook post.

Galloway has been homeless since October 2022, and said he was inspired to serve the community after staying at the Share the Warmth shelter in Sozo Church. There he met the shelter’s director, Penny Myers, whose support eased his crisis at the time.

According to Galloway, doing seasonal yard work for the owners of Rough Draft and residents in town also encouraged him to become active.

“The showers, laundry, food, shelter, and warmth at Share the Warmth directed by Penny Myers was a crucial element,” Galloway said. “With money from a job and momentum from the dignity of work, I was in a position to take a risk and become involved in community affairs.”

Galloway said he informs people about the cleanup projects by word of mouth and through Facebook. He has also set up a website called zeroing. in to raise awareness and funds for the projects.

Galloway said he has received positive feedback from City of Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner and Sgt. Steve Pratt, as well as residents like Elizabeth Schlueter and Jordan. Galloway also noted support from others he met at the shelter.

“They were instrumental in the early going and have remained supportive,” Galloway said. “Joseph Caudill arrived at Share the Warmth later on and provided quality labor and inspirational support.”

According to Caudill, his own background of battling addiction inspired him to help others and give back to the community.

“While at the warming center, I shared my idea of picking up trash with a man named James Galloway,” Caudill said. “We ended up going out together that weekend, and since then, I have volunteered for more than 80 hours, not only picking up trash but also helping out other places.”

Like Galloway, Caudill said he involves Hilldale’s homeless community in cleaning up the city.

“I believe that everyone can make a difference,

regardless of their circumstances. The trash we see on the streets is often left behind by the former homeless, but not always,” Caudill said. “It's a small effort, but I believe it contributes to reducing depression and crime rates, and creating a positive environment for everyone.”

Galloway said he has mixed feelings about the city council’s April 17 consideration of a public camping ban, but the cleanup efforts have already prompted someone to offer space on private land.

“Other community members heard the alarms and saw a need they could fulfill, and there was a camp ready on private property for folks to go to,” Galloway said. “So this new camp is already a step in the right direction.”

According to Galloway, he plans on cleaning the wooded area by West and Fayette streets, and along the St. Joseph River.

“This is the beginning of spreading some dignity into the homeless community,” Galloway said. “That’s a key concept of what is occurring, the spreading of dignity.”

By Tess Owen Assistant Editor ArtWorks

of Hillsdale

is planning “An Afternoon of the Arts” with an art exhibit and live performances on April 30.

“Our goal is to bring to the Hillsdale community an afternoon of the arts under one roof in three hours,” said ArtWorks President Connie Sexton. The group will hold the event at the Dawn Theater from 12-3 p.m. this Sunday.

“We want the public to enjoy an art exhibit featuring artwork by local artists and photographers, watch live performances with local singers, dancers, and musicians, and experience watching artists conduct a ‘Life Drawing’ session with a live model,” Sexton said.

According to a Facebook post, performances will include pieces done by cellist Timothy Gaebler, a dance performed by Ariel Brandon, and the first act of the play “Murder on the Orient Express.”

Sexton said she came up with the idea for the event and led a committee organizing it, while they searched for and invited the performers.

According to Sexton, admission is free, and some artwork will be available for purchase.

ArtWorks is a nonprofit founded in the early 1990s to promote arts and culture in the community, aiming to improve local quality of life and economic activity, according to the group’s website.

“We want the public to know the arts are alive in Hillsdale County,” Sexton said.

“It has to be a public entity, which excludes AquaBounty.”

Leandro Pereyra. Courtesy | JailTracker

A historic train visiting town on Oct. 1, 2022. Logan Washburn | Collegian

C harger S port S

Softball

Chargers win two weekend doubleheaders

By Olivia Pero Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale softball team moved up to second place in the G-MAC after winning doubleheaders against the Ursuline Arrows and Lake Erie Storm, as junior pitcher Erin Kapteyn was named G-MAC Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week.

The Chargers won the first game against the Arrows 17-0 and won the nightcap 12-1 in Pepper Pike, Ohio, April 23. The next day, the Chargers bested the Storm 4-0 in the first and won the second 10-0 in Painesville, Ohio.

Hillsdale also competed in a doubleheader against the Ohio Dominican Panthers last night, splitting the pair of games with a 2-1 win and a 4-1 loss. In the first

of these games, sophomore pitcher Joni Russell broke the Chargers’ program record for single-season strikeouts, reaching 217 after her fifth strikeout of the game.

“We got strong pitching from both Joni Russell and Erin Kapteyn again,” head coach Kyle Gross said.

“Along with strong pitching, our offense did really well, scoring 40 runs over the four games. Freshman Anna Chellman had two home runs, and senior Jenna Cantalupo, sophomore Hannah Hoverman, and

Women’s Tennis

freshman Maggie Olaveson each added a home run.”

Junior infielder Grace Wallner said the Chargers’ offense has a combination of big hitters and consistent contact hitters.

“There isn’t a single person in our lineup that the other team doesn’t need to worry about — they should worry about all of us,” Wallner said. “Overall, I’m just really happy with how far we’ve come this season, and I’m really excited to see how these next few weeks pan out as we

Baseball

get into the postseason.”

While Ursuline and Lake Erie are ranked low in the G-MAC, they have been playing competitive games against higher ranked teams lately, Wallner said.

“Lake Erie specifically has had a few close games, with one or two run deficits, against some of the better teams in our conference, so we didn’t want to show up and take anything lightly,” Wallner said. “We won all four games this weekend by a comfortable amount of runs and secured our spot in the conference championship tournament next week.”

The Chargers will play their last regular season games at home against the Findlay Oilers April 28. Cantalupo, the team’s only senior, will be honored for senior day.

Hillsdale ends season with 4-1 loss to Findlay

By Isabella Helms Collegian Reporter

The third-seeded Hillsdale women’s tennis team fell 4-1 to second-seeded Findlay in the semifinal round of the G-MAC Tournament April 21 in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Senior Canela Luna said the team anticipated a turnaround, but could not mount a comeback in the end.

“I think we are all disappointed in the outcome of the match,” Luna said. “We had hoped to make a comeback,

Hillsdale drops three-of-five versus Walsh and Wayne State

By Jillian Parks Social Media Manager

The Hillsdale baseball team split both doubleheaders against the Walsh University Cavaliers April 23-24. The Chargers also lost a game against the Wayne State University Warriors April 25.

The team is currently sixth in conference standings and, after 41 games, the Chargers now have a conference record of 14-10.

Men’s Tennis

but overall, we fell short.

It was a sad end, especially since four of the 11 girls are seniors and will not get to compete again.”

Findlay took control of the match at the start, winning two out of three doubles matches to claim the opening point.

Hillsdale’s only singles win came from senior Sarah Hackman who defeated Findlay’s Elina Ivanova 6-3, 7-6, 10-8 in a battle for the first position.

“Our incredible fifth-year

senior, Sarah Hackman, played spectacularly and got revenge on Findlay’s No.1 player who Sarah had lost to in regular season,” sophomore Courtney Rittel said.

“Our four graduating seniors will be dearly missed next season, but we are all very hopeful and excited for the things to come” Hillsdale’s loss in the G-MAC Tournament means that the Chargers finish the season with a 10-9 overall record. Despite the defeat, the Chargers made it to their

fifth consecutive semifinal game, this time under coach Liam Fraboulet’s first year of leadership.

The team will say goodbye to seniors Sarah Hackman, Canela Luna, Ellie Chawner, and Tatum Matthews.

“It was heartbreaking to lose to Findlay in the GMAC championship semifinal, but the team truly played amazing,” Rittel said. “Everyone left it all out on the court and played their hearts out. The team had a great season and I am so proud of this team.”

“We played alright this weekend,” senior outfielder Lewis Beals said. “We had an opportunity to win the last game, and should have, but we couldn’t capitalize on some big opportunities. Overall, however, splitting the weekend, going two and two, was not the worst outcome at all.”

In the first game on Sunday, the Chargers won 10-6 after the Cavaliers brought home five runs in the first inning. The Chargers trailed until pulling ahead in the bottom of the eighth, closing out the inning with a threerun home run.

The Chargers lost the second game of the day 4-2. The Cavaliers again plated three runs in the first inning, and even with a home run from Aidan Brewer in the bottom of the third inning, the Chargers were unable to pull ahead, leaving nine runners on base.

“This weekend I would say was pretty positive,” senior shortstop Aidan Brewer said. “They were a solid team and are right above us in the standings, so earning a split was pretty good. We had two comeback wins and the two losses came down to the wire,

so it was a very competitive weekend.” The second doubleheader on Monday followed a similar pattern. Walsh plated eight runs in the third inning, creating a 9-3 deficit. The fifth inning is where the Chargers took a 10-9 lead, and junior closing pitcher Zane Barnhart prevented any future runs for the Cavaliers.

The second Monday game was a 5-4 loss for the Chargers with Walsh pulling ahead in the top of the tenth inning after a ground ball bounced over the second baseman’s head, securing the Cavaliers’ win.

“I think we are very close to breaking out as a team and going on a run,” head coach Tom Vessella said. “The offense is coming alive at the right time, our defense is solid, and the pitching staff is keeping the games close.”

Following the four games against Walsh, the Chargers lost 11-10 in a game to Wayne State University April 25.

“We have eight more games left in conference play and a lot can happen,” Vessella said. “We are all excited to see how it shakes out.”

The Chargers will play Malone University this weekend, April 29-30, in a four-game series. They will also play four games against Ashland University May 5.

“We feel really good going into this weekend against Malone,” Beals said. “It’s a big conference weekend and we could clinch a spot in the tournament. If we can clinch, the rest of the year will be about jockeying for better seeding and getting tuned up for Prasco Park.”

Chargers fall to Walsh, knocked out of G-MAC tournament

By Emily Schutte Collegian Reporter

The second-seeded Hillsdale men’s tennis team lost 3-4 to third-seeded Walsh University in the G-MAC tournament semi-final Friday.

The Chargers’ lineup shifted last week after their No. 2 player, senior Brian Hackman, was unable to attend.

“It was definitely a tough match,” senior Brennan Cimpeanu said. “We went in without our No. 2 singles, so we knew we were going to struggle with each match we played. The guys gave it their all, but we came up a little short.”

Hillsdale started off with a win in doubles. No. 1

Cimpeanu and junior Sean Barstow won 6-2, No. 2 senior Tyler Conrad and freshman Aidan Pack won 8-6, and No. 3 junior Daniel Gilbert and freshman Nik Wastcoat lost 5-7.

“We managed to save two set points in our No. 2 doubles match that would have given

Walsh the doubles point and the early momentum,” Conrad said. “Aidan and I managed to save those and then we were able to finish out the match. I played some of my best doubles ever at the end of the season.”

Singles only brought two wins to Hillsdale at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. No. 1 Cimpeanu and No. 3 Pack both won 7-4, 6-2.

“In singles, my opponent played really well,” Cimpeanu said. “I played him three times prior to this last match, so we both knew how to play one another. Thankfully, I was also able to step up and perform for my last match of my 15year long tennis career.”

No. 2 Conrad lost 2-6, 2-6, No. 4 Barstow lost 3-6, 2-6, No. 5 Gilbert lost 3-7, 4-6, and No. 6 Wastcoat lost 0-6, 5-7.

“I’ve played that guy several times before,” Gilbert said.

“I’ve never beaten him, which was tough mentally going into it. We’ve always been really close and once again we were really close. His game style

just matches up pretty well to mine, so it’s a tough matchup for me definitely.”

As the season comes to a close, it is also the end of the seniors’ time in Charger uniforms.

“Ultimately, my time with this team has come to an end and I am thankful for each year I got to experience with them,” Cimpeanu said. “I spent the last three years with five of these guys and it was fun to end my journey with two of them.”

While the Chargers did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament, they have consistently reached at least the G-MAC semi-finals since joining in 2017-18. They end the season with a 13-8 win-loss record.

“It was a good season,” Conrad said. “We bounced back from a difficult season last year. Our record was 7-11 last year, and this year was 13-8, so it was a good bounce back. We’re going to have a strong team again next year, and things are looking on the upside for the future.”

Senior Will Gifford struck out nine batters in six innings against Walsh April 24.

Courtesy | Isabella s heehan

Junior Melanie Zampardo will return to the Hillsdale women’s tennis roster next year.

Courtesy | Isabella s heehan

Junior Sean Barstow won his doubles match 6-2 with senior Brennan Cimpeanu. Courtesy | Isabella s heehan

Junior Erin Kapteyn won G-MAC Pitcher of the Week last weekend.

Courtesy | Isabella s heehan

Culture

Spring Saturdays: Students dine on Manning

By Jane Kitchen Assistant Editor

Last weekend, the seemingly incessant spring rain took a break just long enough for Chargers to enjoy the annual Taste of Manning event hosted by Hillsdale’s Student Activities Board. Despite a less than favorable forecast, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, the skies cleared, allowing students to stroll between Manning Street residences sampling everything from classic desserts like gooey butter cake - a local St. Louis favorite - to more creative dishes like breakfast kabobs consisting of fruit and waffles on a stick, served up by their classmates.

With Manning Street blocked off to traffic from River to Fayette, culinarily curious students from every corner of campus enjoyed not only the many food offerings but the spirited social activities, which included corn hole in the middle of the street and live music from Lodge’s covered porch, a location chosen by SAB members anticipating inclement weather. The food, games, music, and lively atmosphere gave the unexpectedly mild afternoon a real festival vibe.

Freshman Daniel Doyle and sophomores Matthew Byrne, Isaac Green, and McKayla Faust dazzled attendees with their vocal stylings and contributed to the celebratory atmosphere.

For the uninitiated, Manning Street is a coveted address for upperclassmen seeking off-campus housing. The block comprises student-occupied dwellings whose creative names, including “Graceland,” “Fratican,” and “Waffle House,” are nearly as fun as their residents. The houses are often handed off to friends at the end of each academic year, and there’s a strong sense of social cohesion among each year’s occupants as they begin the journey of adult life together.

“I went to Taste of Manning because it was a great way to see how off-campus culture thrives. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was very friendly,” said sophomore Abby Id-

stein, who attended the event with a group of friends.

But Taste of Manning isn’t just an annual food festival. It’s a much-anticipated culinary competition. Residents enjoy sharing their cooking skills, and attendees sample each abode’s offerings and then vote on the winner. Jars labeled with the houses’ names are set up, and each student drops a SAB-provided marble in the jar of the house that prepared the tastiest dish. This year, the voting process was enhanced by charming arrangements of tulips and baby’s breath, which added some springtime flair.

Senior Dan Harmon, a resident of Fratican, served butter cake made by fellow seniors Ashtyn Harms,

Carson Brown, and Charlie Kippley.

“It’s just nice to know that something we did here at Fratican is also making campus really happy,” Harmon said.

Sophomore Phoebe VanHeyningen, a member of SAB’s creative team, said there was a great turnout, and she was happy with how the event went.

“There were people playing cornhole, sitting in front of Lodge enjoying the music, walking up and down the street, sitting at the tables, talking to everyone on Manning,” VanHeyningen said. “I think it brings two sides of campus together really well because people who wouldn’t normally meet the people who live on Manning end

up going and talking to new people. And I think bringing people together is what SAB is really about.”

At the close of the afternoon, as the clouds began to gather again, Harbor’s pork and shrimp dumplings emerged as the clear winner. Harbor’s prize? A year’s worth of bragging rights. One could say that the real win was the fact that the event was held at all, given the threat (and historical precedent – Taste of Manning was canceled last year due to poor weather) of another rainout. In that respect, every participant and attendee left that day a winner.

Seniors showcase

Art students create exhibits to display their collegiate work

By Anna Broussard Collegian Freelancer

Throughout March and April the art program gives senior students a chance to showcase the work that they have accumulated over the years. The seniors worked in groups to create three different exhibits that encompass their time within the Hillsdale art program. The first group featured Anna Freeland and Maria Ball. The second included Regina Veneklase and Catherine Milem, and the last group consisted of AJ Freeman, Taylor Lavin, and Hannah Cheng. Each group featured pieces of their work that reflected on their artistic education here at Hillsdale.

Senior Hannah Cheng described the exhibit as similar to a senior thesis.

“The exhibit will feature the highlights of the past four years and what we have made as well as what we have recently made,” Cheng said.

When reflecting on her development as an artist at Hillsdale, Cheng emphasized the fundamentals at the core of learning.

“The focus is a lot less on the expression, but highlights teaching the fundamentals of drawing, painting, sculpture, and how to hone the craft,” Cheng said “ We learn to do it well, which allows you to do it more in-depth and communicate more effectively because you have a better command of the tools that you’re using.”

The Assistant Professor of Art Julio Suarez echoed Cheng when talking about the purpose of the Hillsdale art program.

“The most important aspect of an art education is that you are well trained in the fundamentals, specifically of drawing because it is the basis for everything else,” Suarez said.“Style is one of those things that we do not really talk about or focus on. It’s one of my beliefs that you do not worry about style. Everything you do is going

to reflect who you are. You really, as a student, or even your career, you should not really worry about style because it naturally develops.”

Suarez said he saw a lot of artistic growth in the senior exhibits, which he attributes to the department’s focus on technical skills.

“You see their development within their drawings, paintings, sculptures, graphic designs, and photos. It just just gets better,” Suarez said.

Senior Taylor Lavin, whose work was featured in the exhibit, emphasized the principles that at the core of art education. She talked about some of the challenges she faced during her time in the art department, mentioning a specific style of painting that she initially struggled to enjoy, but eventually found very impactful. “Dr. Suarez had helped me to step outside of the painting and learn to observe the whole of the piece,” Lavin said.

Lavin said she hoped to carry that mindset with her

in her post-graduation life. c

“The right approach to life is similar to an artist, which is to take a step back and learn to observe,” Lavin said. Both Cheng and Lavin are continuing their careers as artists, working in the graphic design field. They each reflected on the personal growth and comprehensive education that they received here at Hillsdale.

“I chose to come here because I love learning about everything. I knew I wanted to be an artist but maybe if I went to another school, the other side of me, that loves science and loves reading would have been a little bit starved. And with that, of course, my art would have also suffered because that is where a lot of inspiration comes from,” Cheng said. “Hillsdale keeps everything else alive. Even though you do have to pick a major. You have to learn about other things that are fundamental to reality.”

Students gathered on Manning Street to

Seniors Catherine Milem and Regina Veneklase hosted their senior art show in the Fine Arts Building.

Courtesy | Mercedes Bryan

Science & Technology

‘The Myth of Conflict’: Physicist speaks on science & religion

By Alexandra Hall Science & Tech Editor

“Robert Boyle, the first modern chemist and considered the founder of chemistry, was a pious Anglican who said that he liked to do his chemical experiments on Sunday because they were a form of worship,” Theoretical Particle Physicist Stephen Barr said in a lecture on April 24.

His talk, “Science and Religion: the Myth of Conflict” was more than just a list of scientists like Boyle who happened to be devout. Barr spoke to a packed Plaster Auditorium about how science and religion both historically and contemporarily shake hands on more topics than the general public thinks. The talk on Monday was preceded by a Gold Mass at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, with the purpose of celebrating science as a vocation.

Barr is a Professor Emeritus of Physics from the

University of Delaware, a fellow of the American Physical Society, and the founder and president of the Society of Catholic Scientists, whose Michigan-area Colleges Chapter co-sponsored the event alongside the Hillsdale College physics department.

The focal point of Barr’s speech was a distinction he set up as science “itself” versus scientific materialism, which concludes that all of reality is reducible to matter and its behavior. According to Barr, scientific materialism is just a philosophical opinion– not an accurate representation of science as a whole.

“If matter were the only reality, then of course God would not exist because God is not a material entity,” Barr said. “Not even human spiritual souls would exist. A human being would be nothing more than a complex structure made of atoms, and everything about a human being would therefore be

ultimately explicable in terms of the laws of physics that govern how those atoms move.”

Barr helped construct a

narrative of viewing science as a sequence of order and the lawfulness of nature, making believing in God as a “creator” and not directly in

Physics lecturer earns Ph.D. from Michigan State University

By Eleanor Whitaker Collegian Reporter

Lecturer in Physics Hank

Thurston earned his Ph.D. in physics and computational math, science, and engineering from Michigan State University on March 29.

Thurston defended his dissertation, titled “The Development Of A Novel Diamond-Based Neutron Detector and Quantum Color Center Fabrication Framework,” in front of a committee.

Thurston currently teaches the lab portion of Physics

100. According to Paul Hosmer, chair of Hillsdale’s physics department, Thurston has been a valuable part of the Hillsdale physics education.

“He has been a tremendous help in the physics department both inside and outside the classroom,” Hosmer said. “The background explanations he provides to students at the beginning of the lab are rich and insightful. During the recent ice storm, Dr. Thurston restored local physics lab power within minutes using only his truck and a few items from his glove compartment.”

Thurston investigated the properties of diamond and its applications in nuclear engineering. A diamond’s unique crystalline structure of carbon atoms allows it to withstand high electric fields and pressures and makes it an excellent conductor of electricity. The combination of these factors makes it widely applicable in many research fields, but Thurston specifically explored diamonds as material used in neutron detectors.

For his research, Thurston designed and constructed a neutron detector that captures neutrons at higher energy levels than previous detectors have reached. His detector is unique because it combines a gadolinium activation layer with a special diamond-based diode called a Schottky diode, allowing efficient capture of high-energy neutrons.

Thurston said neutron detectors are important because they allow us to understand processes that charged particles cannot interact with.

“Neutrons are a valuable looking glass into the natural world,” Thurston said, “We can use them to study myriad processes ranging from

the dynamics of molecules interacting with cell walls to particle dynamics inside nuclear reactors to synthesis of materials in stars and stellar processes as well as more utilitarian purposes such as port-screening and non-destructive testing of materials.”

Michael Tripepi, assistant professor of physics, is both Thurston’s coworker and another professional in the physics world.

“The improved performance of Dr. Thurston’s diamond-based neutron detector (what he calls the POSSM) is impressive,” Tripepi said. “Dr. Thurston is very resourceful. He accomplished a lot of work in his dissertation and troubleshooted numerous technical issues in a short amount of time to run experiments.”

Thurston gave some advice to students who are thinking about pursuing a Ph.D.

“I would encourage any students considering pursuing a Ph.D in physics (or any other science) to really think about their motivations and what they want to get out of grad school and then get involved in undergraduate research,” Thurston said.

conflict with reason or science. Barr furthered this idea with his setup of primary and secondary causes, asserting that the failure to grasp the

asked the audience if they thought one of the character’s deaths in the play was due to the hands of his killer or simply because that’s how Shakespeare wrote the play. He stated that these two reasons can be true at once.

“By analogy, there’s no competition if God is the author of the universe,” Barr said. “He’s the vertical cause of the universe and its whole plot, whereas there are causes within the plot of the universe, which we call natural causes which scientists and everybody else studies.”

at least some material proof of coinciding views between scientific discoveries and religious views. Also, the talk should not have been titled ‘science and religion’ because the only religion he spoke to was Christianity.”

Assistant Professor of Physics Michael Tripepi hoped the audience was able to gain a new perspective on science and religion.

distinction between the two is why people see conflict between science and religion.

Using the analogy of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Barr

Sophomore Ruth Kirsch was unconvinced by Barr’s talk. “It was odd because the speaker was a Catholic physicist and the talk was on why science and religion are not at odds with each other, but the only thing he used as proof of this was that there are a lot of religious scientists and that they have been important historically,” Kirsch said. “I expected him to have

“Any thorough study of science makes you more, not less, astounded by nature and how it seems to operate,” Tripepi said. “I hope those coming away from the talk understand that science enriches our understanding of nature and God because awe and wonder for creation can only increase our awe and wonder for the Creator. This is part of the ‘intelligent piety’ spoken of in the College’s founding documents.”

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT:

Jeremy Luce

What was the focus of your research?

It was on the copper dependent increase in neurodegeneration due to amyloid beta protein and the metabolic growth rate decrease due to copper. So basically, I’m expressing a protein in the eye of a fly, and then I’m either giving them copper or not giving them copper and seeing if that protein causes the eye to shrivel up. That mimicks what happens in Alzheimer’s disease, and so I’m looking to see if copper is going to increase the degeneration due to Alzheimer’s disease, or lessen it, or do nothing. My research found that it didn’t have any effects, which was kind of surprising because a lot of previous research has indicated that the copper should make it worse. I did find it decreased their growth rates. For instance, if I gave them about two milli-molar copper it would take them a day or two longer to pupate than it normally would take them. In the research, it’s kind of like two different fields looking at the metabolic

growth rates and looking at the eye, and so I wanted to do a study where I combined both of those and looked at the effects.

What is the significance of your research?

Finding out why my research had different results than other things that I had looked at could be important. The amyloid beta proteins that I was expressing, using a certain gene are slightly different from the ones I had seen in other studies. Theoretically, it shouldn’t really have made a difference, but it did. Finding out why there was a difference there might actually give us an indication of what copper is affecting in pathways.

How was Hillsdale able to help you with your research?

Obviously them literally paying me to do this over the summer was awesome. I worked part time while I was doing the research, but if I wasn’t being paid, that would have been a lot more difficult to survive over the summer and pay for rent and stuff. Having a fruit fly pro-

gram here because Dr. Nam works with fruit fly research was also helpful. And then the chemistry department helped me as well with getting the copper sulfate that I used to deliver the copper into the fruit flies.

What was it like presenting your research?

It was honestly really cool. It was interesting to see other research that other schools were doing, and I was kind of expecting that with Hillsdale as sort of a small school the scope of our research projects might be a bit smaller than some of these other big schools. But that is not what I found at all. We were definitely among the most impressive research projects.

What are your future plans?

I’ll be going to the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine this summer, and they have four campuses, but I’m going to the one in Florida because I want to be warm. It’s right outside of Tampa, and it’s kind of sweet because it’s like 30 minutes away from all the beaches.

Conservation Club: conserving and caring for campus

By Micah Hart Collegian Reporter

April is Earth Month and the Hillsdale College Conservation Club continues to offer opportunities aimed at supporting the Earth and local community.

The club’s annual cleaning of the Slayton Arboretum is just one of the events the club plans each Earth month.

“I think our main focus is educating people about how to preserve our Earth well for future generations, and we actively engage in things like our Arb cleanup,” club President Josephine VanBerkum said.

Beekeeper Elizabeth Speck said the environmental change in the Arb is noticeable.

“I’ve gone to I think every

single one since my first semester here freshman year, and we’ve been able to see the progress of the projects that we’re doing,” Speck said.

In addition to the Arb cleanup, the club previously hosted a tote bag painting event at the beginning of the year and a lecture this semester focused on conservation and Christianity.

One reason for the cleanup is to give back and protect the place we call home, board member Sydney Metikosh said. “In Conservation Club, we get to see parts of campus that are very slept on, usually they’re very underappreciated,” Metikosh said.

“I think it’s really nice to be able to spend time in places that go underappreciated–like when we clean up the

Arb or spend time on the quad together during our tote bag event.”

Metikosh said that cleaning the Arb also unites her with people that she wouldn’t otherwise interact with.

This community appeal is part of the reason freshman Caitlyn Haggstrom, who now serves as secretary, was attracted to the club. She attended the tote bag painting event held at the beginning of the school year.

This year, the board decided to replace the typical welcome picnic with the tote bag decorating, according to a club email. Bags cost $3 to purchase and students could paint them, while also getting to meet other members of the club.

“I really liked the tote bag painting we did the first

week because we got connected,” Haggstrom said. “It was important as a freshman meeting other freshmen who have similar goals.”

While Haggstrom described the event as a fun activity, Vice President Carly Steele said the event was impactful in offering an alternative way to reduce waste.

“I thought it was a fun and trendy way to introduce people to low-dose environmentalism,” Steele said.

Another way in which the club attempted to reach out to members of the community was through an event focused on Christianity and environmentalism.

In early March, the club organized a professor panel titled “Christianity, Scripture, and Conservation.” With the nature of

politics today, speaking out about conservation can be difficult— but VanBerkum said the issue isn’t political. It’s rooted in Christian values.

“Genesis makes the point of saying humans are stewards of the Earth,” VanBerkum said. “We’re here to take care of it.”

At the March lecture, Assistant Professor of Theology Cody Strecker explained how God designated animals and humans with specific roles. Humans are responsible for taking care of the Earth, VanBerkum said. However, she also explained how it is important that humans do not interfere with the animal’s role or with some of what nature does by itself.

According to Haggstrom, Hillsdale College highlights

the necessity of conserving the Earth.

“If we’re striving to be the best people we can be here on campus, and we’re doing that through learning and getting involved, why should we not take care of the Earth that God gifted to us?” Haggstrom said.

Earth Month presents a time for politicians and environmental groups to push agendas however, the Conservation Club at Hillsdale offers a voice and ear to students.

“People are hesitant to ask questions, which is unfortunate because we are not going to fight. We’re just going to talk about it,” VanBerkum said. “It’s OK if you disagree.”

Stephen Barr spoke to a crowded Plater Auditorium about the intersections of science and religion. Courtesy | Alexandra Hall

Compiled by Isaac Green Sports Edtior

FEATURES

menu

from the kitchen of MARK DEN HOLLANDER

By Meghan Schultz Features Editor

Business was slow on Mark den Hollander’s first day at three-star Michelin restaurant Le Bernardin.

Starting on a quieter day was the only way to pick up the fast-paced, detail-oriented work of a place as skilled as Le Bernardin. Originally established in Paris and now also found in the heart of New York City, the renowned restaurant specializes in French seafood.

“It wasn’t very intense, but there’s so many moving parts,” den Hollander said. “I don’t know where I am; it feels like I’m in the middle of this jungle place.”

Currently a freshman at Hillsdale, den Hollander transferred to the college in spring 2023, pursuing an interest in education and politics. Before attending college, he spent years studying pastry and working as a chef.

“I love the skill and precision that’s involved. There’s just something so beautiful about having your own creation or being able to serve someone something on a plate that is cohesive. It’s art,” den Hollander said. “Through food, as with art, you’re sharing a part of yourself, but in something edible. You’re experiencing art on another level. You can look at art, at a painting, but you’ve never consumed it.”

In 2019, New York Eater reviewer Ryan Sutton described a dessert at Le Bernardin that had been stylized to look and shine just like a real apple.

“The feeling of cutting into fruit and finding cream is a dream that every child on earth should one day experience,” Sutton wrote.

Unique teamwork defined Le Bernardin’s kitchen, requiring staff to have each other’s backs while operating with technical expertise.

According to den Hollander, “When Chef says something

has to be right, it has to be done, now.”

“It’s at such a high level of stress, it really builds your character,” den Hollander said. “Everything has to happen and everything has to be perfect, all at the same time. It’s like a military setting.”

Den Hollander’s culinary education began in high school when he landed a parttime job in food service and first learned to make desserts for 50-some guests. With that experience piquing his interest, den Hollander decided to pursue the culinary arts.

He began a summer internship, making pastry as a line-cook and running shifts in the pastry chef’s absence.

“That was very, very interesting. I learned a lot. I thought, ‘Why don’t I take this seriously? Why don’t I go to school for this?’”

Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school located in London, was his next step. It offered a pastry and confectionery education shorter than a four-year degree. Courses ranged from “specialized ateliers, basic through advanced levels of pastry and confectionery craft making, plated and boutique style desserts, world delicacies, and precise decorating techniques,” according to the website.

Den Hollander chose the school for its reputation, planning to learn the basics of modern pastry. After bolstering his education, he applied for a Canadian work permit and spent two years at the Norwich Deli and Bakery in Norwich, Ontario, managing pastry production.

“I left there because I just wanted to continue learning more, and I wanted to get to the higher end of pastry,” den Hollander said.

He landed closer to home in New Jersey, traveling into New York City to work at Le Bernardin.

Working under Thomas Raquel, Le Bernadin’s pastry chef and Jean Banchet’s 2014 Rising

den Hollander grew familiar with the intensity of a well-respected restaurant’s environment.

“I got a better feeling of what I will do working in three-Michelin star restaurants like I had always wanted. I really enjoyed it,” den Hollander said. “But I was disconnected from what impact I wanted to have on others.”

Den Hollander said he began to question whether he was doing what God intended him to do. He worried about the physical consequences of spending years bent over a small pastry dish, plating desserts and placing garnishes. His concerns led him back to an old eighth-grade dream of becoming a teacher, one that had stuck with him through years of culinary school and work experience. He decided to enroll in community college and pursue an undergraduate degree.

“Once I was there, I really got down, got into the books, and started studying,” den Hollander said.

During his transition back to academia, den Hollander grew frustrated with the school’s politically-charged curriculum.

“I was raised to be aware of what’s going on in society with secular education. A lot of things weren’t connecting for me,” den Hollander said. “In the literature curriculum, we were only talking about issues. We were not actually looking at specific works in literature.”

One professor worked with him in the honors research program to develop a capstone project. Den Hollander decided to look into what was behind his experience in the education system.

“I started to get a better understanding of some of the things that are wrong with secular education and how far they’ve gone since 50 years ago. It was through that research that I found Hillsdale,” den Hollander said. “I came

sable cookie mixed berry mousse viola garnish

Berry Mousse Baton

here and visited, and I knew this was the place for me. You just feel it. You feel the love of learning.”

Director of Northeast Recruitment Lillian Carville was den Hollander’s admissions counselor. She said she knew from their first conversation that he would be an excellent fit for the college.

“Working with nontraditional students who have experiences outside of high school and have chosen college for a specific reason is always fun, but working with Mark was particularly impactful,” Carville said. “He has a real passion for education and a heart for learning. I think that he will really make a name for himself on campus, not just as an incredible baker, but as a great guy and a joyful student.”

After graduating, den Hollander plans to teach and get involved in politics.

“I really feel like if you want to be involved in one, you have to be involved in the other. We need to be helping those that are really meant to do what’s best for America,” den Hollander explained. “And that’s kind of how I see myself — being involved in organizations and lobbying against some large cultural shifts that are going on in society.”

Still, his passion for pastry isn’t going anywhere.

“Seeing the look on someone’s face when they’re totally taken aback by what they’re eating, that just does something to you,” den Hollander said. “Being able to bring together so many different flavors, textures, and colors at once, not limited to one dish at one time — it’s very, very unique.”

Lemon Meringue

lemon curd meringue chocolate disc

Apple Tatin Black Forest

caramel apple cinnamon mousse speculoos cookie

griottine cherry marscapone raspberry

Pastry Chef of the Year,

Mark den Hollander worked in a Michelin Star-rated restaurant before enrolling at Hillsdale College.

COURTESY | Mark den Hollander