Hillsdale Collegian 4.5.18 by The Hillsdale Collegian

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Vol. 141 Issue 24 - April 5, 2018

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College average GPA falls to two-year low

Even as the women’s average GPA score continues to rise, the overall GPA hits lowest score since 2015 By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief Hillsdale College’s allschool average GPA hit its lowest in two years, though female students are surpassing their male counterparts in the classroom. For fall 2017, Hillsdale students’ average GPA was 3.317, the same average as fall 2015’s. That is a drop from 3.343 in spring 2017, the highest allschool average GPA on record at Hillsdale. It is the first decrease since the average GPA decreased from 3.34 in spring 2016 to 3.29 in fall 2016. The GPA definitely did not suffer because of the performance of female students. The average GPA earned by women was 3.427, an increase from spring 2017’s 3.425. Meanwhile, the all-men’s average fell from 3.260 to 3.211. Provost David Whalen said he was unsure why the average GPA decreased last semester, especially since the women’s average rose. “While it is too much to say this is worrying with respect to the men’s GPA, it would become so if it continued or the decline accelerated,” Whalen said. “I can’t really explain why there is this difference, other than the usual quips about the superiority of the fairer sex. But quips aside, this is something to watch and consider as well in light of national trends.” In recent decades, more women are attending college than men. The U.S. Department of Education reported 2.2 million more women enrolled in an institution of higher education in the fall than men. They are more like-

ly to graduate than men, too. Although men and women in the class of 2018 are about even (167 women to 151 men), women accounted for the entirety of the top 10 graduating senior GPAs. The class of 2018’s top students are, in alphabetical order: Anna Eby, Abigail Engel, Madison Frame, Clare Grinnis, Jessica Kopmeyer, Delaney Lehmann, Anna Meckel, Macy Mount, Hannah Niemeier, and Callista Ring. It is the first time this has been the case in recent years, according to Registrar Douglas McArthur. Additionally, the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship faculty selected Sarah Onken ’16 for the Judith Finn Memorial Exemplary Master’s Graduate Award, which recognizes the best student pursuing a master’s degree at Hillsdale. “In addition to her consistent excellence in classroom performance – which will be of no surprise to anyone at Hillsdale since we had Sarah here as an undergraduate – Sarah has already shown remarkable potential as a scholar in her short time in the program,” said Ronald Pestritto, the graduate school’s dean. “I have seen her interact impressively at academic conferences with established scholars, who are surprised to learn that she is a graduate student.” In Greek life, Pi Beta Phi dethroned Kappa Kappa Gamma for the sorority scholarship cup. Pi Phi’s average GPA was 3.48, higher than Kappa’s 3.44 in spring 2017. Former Pi Phi President senior Charlotte McFaddin said

Although all the measured GPA averages for the school stayed above a 3.0, the overall school average dropped. Katherine Scheu | Collegian

since personal and intellectual growth is one of Pi Beta Phi’s six core values, the sorority began making a concerted effort in 2017 to celebrate academic achievement. It encouraged attendance to music and research presentations, honored excellence in academics on a weekly basis, and added a leaf to a bulletin board tree with a sister’s name when she earned an A on an assignment. “It’s something extra that makes you feel good,” McFaddin said. “It provides some extra reinforcement to keep you going.” McFaddin added that the initiatives seem to have worked. Seven Pi Phi women earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall.

For the fraternity scholarship cup, Alpha Tau Omega stayed on top for the fourth consecutive semester. The fraternity’s average was 3.263, up from the previous semester’s 3.259. Junior Joshua Pradko, the fraternity’s president, said ATO tries to keep track of every member’s grades and classes as well as make a conscious effort to take academic success into consideration during recruitment. “We’re celebrating when people do well and encourage people who may be struggling,” Pradko said. “Friends ask each other about their classes and what they’re worried about. It’s not an afterthought.” Pradko said the fraternity’s

next goal is to beat the allschool average GPA. In recognition for his classroom instruction, the faculty chose Professor of Philosophy Nathan Schlueter to receive the Emily Daugherty Award for Teaching Excellence. “There is a reason why Dr. Schlueter’s courses fill up so quickly semester after semester,” said Daniel Coupland, dean of faculty. “Students know that in his classes, they will encounter a wise and compassionate teacher who exemplifies all of the intellectual and moral virtues that we prize so highly here at Hillsdale.” The college also previously awarded the women’s cross country team during its

honors assembly over Parents Weekend last month with the athletics scholarship cup. The team had an average GPA of 3.43. The class of 2018 also voted last week on nominations for Professor of the Year. Nominees were art department chairwoman Barbara Bushey, Assistant Professor of Politics Adam Carrington, Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele, and Professor of Chemistry Chris Van Orman. The honoree will receive that recognition at commencement on May 12.

City council starts holding prayers before meetings By | Nic Rowan City News Editor Hillsdale City Council meetings normally begin when Mayor Adam Stockford’s gavel bangs on the semi-circular table, but this week, the council started with an informal pre-meeting prayer. Led by Pastor Bob Finnegan of the Hillsdale City Church, those who chose to pray gathered in a conference room one floor below council chambers and asked for God’s guidance in the body’s deliberations and decisions. Finnegan requested at a

March 19 meeting that he be allowed to pray publicly for council, as he said he had been allowed to do in the past. After reviewing his request and finding that it was in keeping with the Michigan case Bormuth v. Jackson County, which allows prayer before public meetings, Stockford decided to informally open the pre-meeting gathering to optional prayer. “I believe that one reason our nation has gone bad is because we’ve taken God out of everything,” he said at the meeting. “I’m not here to push an agenda or anything. I’m

just here to pray for you guys and get the Lord involved in Hillsdale.” Stockford said the city is looking into adopting a more formal mode of prayer before meetings. Prayer before public meetings recently has become a subject of national debate. Most notably, the 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision Greece v. Galloway ruled that opening a meeting with a prayer did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

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Van Andel awards first Ph.D. degrees By | Alexis Nester Collegian Reporter Seniors Drew Lieske, Kie Kababik, and Jordan Hintz receive awards at this weekend’s national competition. Amanda Klug | Courtesy

Shotgun sports team wins fifth Division III national title in a row By | Calli Townsend Collegian Freelancer The Hillsdale College Shotgun Sports team earned its fifth consecutive Division III national title last week. The team sent nine people to compete in San Antonio, Texas, in the Association of College Unions International Collegiate Clay Target Championships from March 26-31. “It’s incredibly stressful and a relief at the same time,” junior Emanuel Boyer said. “It’s sort of a marathon. You shoot at least one event Follow @HDaleCollegian

every day.” Seniors Jordan Hintz and Drew Lieske were able to overcome this stress to earn All-American designations of 16th and 3rd respectively. This was Lieske’s fourth All-American title. All-Americans are not divided into divisions, but rather earned by scoring the highest in the top 20 of all competitors, from all four divisions. The top 20 highest scores compiled from all six events earn the All-American honor. More than 800 shooters competed. Hintz and Lieske’s per-

formances contributed to the team’s success. The team took first place in five of the six competitions, with an almost perfect score of 493 points in the American Skeet competition. Lieske led the team in the sporting clays, super sporting, and international skeet competitions. Hintz led the team in the international trap and American skeet competitions. Senior Kie Kababik also led the team in the American trap competition.

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The Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship is planning to present diplomas to Hillsdale College’s first two doctorate recipients this May. Kathleen Thompson and Nathan Gill will graduate with a doctor of philosophy in politics. Besides honorary degrees that Hillsdale has presented, these are the first two doctorates granted in the 174-year history of Hillsdale College. Thompson, wife and mother of two with another on the way, completed her undergraduate work in English and politics at Texas’ University of Dallas, which boasts a similar liberal arts curriculum to Hillsdale. She entered the Van Andel Graduate School in 2012. Her studies focus on politics at the local and state levels and her doctoral thesis discusses the role of progressivism in home economics. “The graduate school just started up when I entered, and it was the only one that focused not only on educating

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Nathan Gill entered graduate school in 2013 and studied natural rights and social contract theory. Bruce Wykes | Courtesy

graduate students to become professors and join academia, but also educating for real politics,” Thompson said. “I was interested in the action-oriented aspect of Hillsdale’s program.” Gill earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey and a master’s in politics from Regent University in Viriginia. He

Kathleen Thompson began graduate in 2012 and studied the role of progressivisim in home economics. Bruce Wykes | Courtesy

entered the graduate school in 2013. His research interests include the understanding of natural rights and social contract theory and their link to present-day progressivism. He said he has accepted a teaching position at a liberal arts college. In order to earn their doctorates, Gill and Thompson

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Students attend grassroots organization seminar By | Christopher Gauthier Collegian Freelancer In terms of grassroots, the 1789 Alliance has it covered. Sophomores Weston Boardman and Jack McPherson represented the Hillsdale chapter of Citizens for Self-Governance, an organization that promotes the idea of a Convention of States, at a 1789 Alliance summit March 22-24 in Kansas City, Missouri. Boardman and McPherson joined three other interns in attending the summit, sharing ideas and comparing tactics with other grassroots political organizations from around the country. The 1789 Alliance was founded to help local grassroots organizations connect and share strategies. It was especially helpful, Boardman said, to gain tips about social media and internet advertising from a group called Reclaim New York. The interns were able to contribute to the summit with their knowledge

of fundraising. “Everyone there wanted to see each other succeed,” Boardman said. “Overall, it was really inspiring.” Boardman was hired as

“Interacting with the head of an organization that has 3.2 million volunteers. You’re not going to get that anywhere else. ” the intern coordinator for Convention of States in December, and he hired his first four interns this December.

He said he works to make the internship program a unique experience. “Interacting with the head of an organization that has 3.2 million volunteers, you’re not going to get that anywhere else,” Boardman said. McPherson, one of Boardman’s interns, said he has enjoyed the experience. “It’s been nothing but a pleasure,” McPherson said, adding that the summit made him much more optimistic about the future of politics. “The experience was awesome. I was really encouraged.” The interns also made a positive impression on grassroots leaders from around the nation, according to Andrew Kerr, president of the 1789 Alliance. “A lot of the groups that were there enjoyed speaking with everybody from Hillsdale,” Kerr said. “I think that they were really well-represented at our gathering.” Some of the groups repre-

Representatives from Citizens for Self-Governance (top row) interns James Neslon, Chase Ray, and Corey Rogan, as well as Hillsdale sophomore Jack McPherson, and (bottom row) President Mark Meckler and Hillsdale sophomore Weston Boardman all attended the 1789 Alliance summit in March. Weston Boardman | Courtesy

sented included Convention of States Action, Empower Texans, Reclaim New York,

and Principles of Liberty. “I’m definitely optimistic about the future,” Kerr said. “I

think that grassroots-oriented organizations will play a big role in that.”

Norton challenges the students to use their networks, their knowledge, any means at their disposal, to trade the trinkets for something worthwhile to them. His only rule: don’t lie. Eby won the challenge this year, turning her candy into a $403 value. She drew a diagram of the many negotiations it took for her to arrive at the end, and it took up almost a whole sheet of notebook paper. She traded for everything from food to a guided tour, landing assets such as wine, a piece of commissioned artwork, 30 minutes of puppy time in the student union, and a group trip to Central Hall. Eby said she was proba-

bly overcompensating, but it worked out well. “I really got into this. I was kind of terrified because I was like, ‘I’m going to do awful on this,’ so I think I just really overcompensated. And I tried really hard, and I did a lot better than I thought I was going to,” she said. “I talked to like every person I know and tried to trade something to them. I used social media to advertise.” Norton has been teaching negotiations classes for almost 30 years, but he said he’s still learning too. “It is has been 27 years since my first negotiation class, and I realize that I still have much to learn and im-

prove upon,” he said. “I hope that students come away more confident in their negotiating skills and looking for opportunities to achieve great results for themselves, their families and the organizations they care most about.” Rachel Solomito ’17, who also took the class, said she would recommend it to other students. “This is a normal part of life, people negotiate all the time,” she said. “Even relationships with other people, there’s a soft negotiation there. It’s everywhere, and I think it’s probably good to take the class to be exposed to the fact that it is everywhere.”

Negotiations class pushes students to hone bargaining skills By | Madeline Fry Culture Editor At the polar ends of a spectrum, there are two types of negotiators: the Turkish rug merchant and the Italian mob boss. Vice President and General Counsel Robert Norton recommends that you be neither. “You should be somewhere in the middle,” said senior Anna Eby, who’s taking Norton’s negotiations class this semester. She said she thought she was too “nice” to be a negotiator, but she’s learning that the best negotiators add value — both for themselves and for the other parties. Norton has taught the

two-credit negotiation class at Hillsdale for a few years now, and he said his goal is to teach students a skill even most lawyers are missing. “I decided to teach it because I believe it is an essential skill that few people ever receive any training in,” Norton said in an email. “Only a fraction of practicing attorneys ever receive any training in it. It was less than 10 percent the last time that I heard a statistic.” Eby said she took the class because she thought of herself as a bad negotiator. “I kind of went into the class thinking that I was an awful negotiator because my view of negotiations was that

just kind of like, ‘I’ll give you 10 dollars for this.’ ‘No, 15.’ ‘No, 12.’ Then you finally agree at something in the middle,” Eby said. “I’m finding out that it’s much more about what kind of value you can add to people and how you can create value for yourself. And everybody’s happier in the end.” For the first assignment of the semester, Norton asks students to take a small item and trade it for something more valuable. Last semester, it was glow-in-the-dark fish bait. This semester, it was Valentine’s chocolate and Starbursts. “It wasn’t even good chocolate either,” Eby said. “It was shaped like a dog.”

Students get sneak peek at College Park townhouses By | Madeleine Jepsen Science & Tech Editor Students had a chance to see inside the new College Park townhouses on N. West Street at the College Park Barbecue event held March 29. The event featured brief tours of the units available for rent as well as barbecue and other foods catered by Saucy Dog’s Barbeque. Door prizes were also available, including an Echo Dot, bluetooth headphones, $100 cash, and a copy of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.” Trevor Duke ’08, property manager for Thomas A. Duke Properties, led the tours through the building site.

Duke said construction is on schedule and the apartment units will be available for students to rent starting in the fall semester. Duke said the units will be fully furnished and each bedroom will have its own bathroom and shower, and each unit has its own laundry. “The units will have a modern look to them,” Duke said. “We’re eager to fill the place up, and it’s coming along great.” Duke said four of the units are still available for purchase from donors to rent out as student housing. Emma Kendro ‘16, who assisted giving the tours, said she thought the price was worth it, considering the quality of the units,

the close location, and the included utilities, internet, and furnishing. “I think they’re a lot nicer than other options on campus,” Kendro said. “They do come with a lot of amenities. When I lived off campus, it was a cool house but a little run-down, and I tried to piece together hand-me-down furniture. I think living here would be a total upgrade.” Overall, attendees said the units looked nice. “I think I need a raise and I’d like to move in tomorrow,” Olds Residence house director Linda Gravel joked. “I like the layouts and all the room. It’s going to be really nice.”

Although construction of the College Park townhouses on N. West Street are not quite complete yet, students had the chance to tour them on March 29. Madeleine Jepsen | Collegian

Van Andel

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completed the extensive list of core classes. These include studies in ancient to modern political philosophy, including Xenophon, Machiavelli, and Churchill, as well as two foreign languages. They both completed their dissertations successfully in March. Ronald Pestritto, graduate school dean and professor of politics, taught both Gill and Thompson in numerous classes throughout their four years in graduate school.

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According to Pestritto, College President Larry Arnn envisioned starting a graduate school at the college since he began in 2000. Thanks to the generous donations of the Van Andel family and a fundraising campaign in 2010, the vision became reality in 2012 after the two-year accreditation process. The first cohort of students, including Thompson, began their post-graduate work in the fall 2012. “There are a lot of people that should feel some satisfaction from seeing this moment at the college,”

Pestritto said. “It’s true that I have been involved in it, but it is the work from a lot of different people. It really has pulled resources from all parts of the college.” Pestritto said he believes the Van Andel Graduate School will graduate two to three doctoral students per year. “The most rewarding thing about the Ph.D. program at Hillsdale is being able to have six years reading the great books and becoming familiar with them,” Thompson said. “It was an enormous privilege.”

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If you want to find out more about how to contribute to The Collegian through writing, photography, or videography, please contact Breana Noble at bnoble1@hillsdale.edu.

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In brief:

Eleonore Stump to speak Friday By | Emma Cummins Collegian Reporter Professor Eleonore Stump will be coming to campus on April 6 to speak on “Guilt and Forgiveness” and “What We Care About: The Desires of the Heart” in Phillips Auditorium. The former topic will concern the conflicting views of forgiveness in “The Sunflower: On the Possibility and Limits of Forgiveness” by Simon Wiesenthal, while the latter will concern Thomas Aquinas’ theodicy. The religion and philosophy department will host the speaker. Stump is a leading expert on Thomas Aquinas, medieval philosophy, and philosophy of religion. She holds the Robert J. Henle Chair in philosophy at Saint Louis University, is an honorary professor at Wuhan University and the Logos Institute at the University of St. Andrews. Stump also serves as a professorial fellow at the Australian Catholic University and a patron of the Aquinas Institute in BlackFriars Hall at Oxford University. Assistant Professor of Philosophy Ian Church worked with Stump for two years at Saint Louis University and was instrumental in organizing the event. “Beyond the quality of her work, I truly appreciate and value her character as a person,” Church said in an email. “She is exceptionally kind, generous, and caring. She has a heart for those who are suffering in this world, and I think that thoughtfulness and sincerity comes through in all that she does.”

SAB to hold Amazing Race contest

After watching several of Stump’s lectures online, sophomore Gabriel Listro plans on attending the event. Stump’s method is particularly attractive to Listro. “She uses wonderfully tangible examples to explain her very complex concepts,” Listro said. “I find her philosophy very interesting and well-thought-out, but her concepts are very hard

“She uses wonderfully tangible examples to explain her very complex concepts.” for me to understand unless I pay close attention. That is why her examples are so enlightening. They tie the abstract into the physical in a manner that changes how I view the actual.” The subject matter of the evening is particularly relevant to students on Hillsdale campus, according to Church. “Between her areas of expertise and the topics of her talks — the problem of suffering, guilt, and forgiveness, etc. — I’d say she is firing on all Hillsdale cylinders!” Church said. “How we personally engage with and process suffering and how we understand guilt and forgiveness are fundamental topics to the human experience.”

The new conveyor belt has helped smooth the pile up of dishes. Joe Pappalardo | Collegian

New belt eases dish congestion By | Joe Pappalardo Senior Writer Students and college employees are still adjusting to the new blue conveyor belt in the Knorr Dining Room. Hillsdale College replaced the old dishwasher and conveyor belt at the beginning of this semester. According to staff, the upgrade brings both new benefits and problems to the cafeteria. “Though the system works steadily, we typically have issues on the student end due to dishes piling up,” Marketing Manager William Persson ‘17 said. Persson, along with other staff members, confirmed that the diner traffic at the end of lunch has been tough to alleviate. Nearby lunch staff often have to step in to manage the piles of dishes left by students heading to 1 p.m. classes. “The best thing a student can do is to not stack dishes too high,” Persson said. “Just wait for a second for a clear spot on the conveyor belt to set your dish down.” One way Bon Appétit is diverting traffic is the new Café

Fresco in Kendall Hall. The grab ‘n’ go food stop offers quick meal options in exchange for dining hall swipes. On its first day, March 26, 85 students purchased food from the Kendall cafe, with nearly 160 showing up the following day. According to General Manager Dave Apthorpe, the café should reduce the lines at both the cafeteria entrance and the dish station. “We may have to shift more staff to the dish room at crunch time,” the manager said. Despite traffic issues, particularly at lunch time, the new dish washing machine is a welcome improvement, according to Apthorpe. When the Grewcock Student Union opened in 2007, the cafeteria was run on a “tray system,” but Apthorpe said the transition to a trayless dining room paved the way for the new machine. With the old machine, he explained, “a lot of functions hadn’t been working for a while.” “The maintenance crew was tired of trying to patch it together,” Apthorpe said.

Cashier Elizabeth “Ms. Liz” Maynard said that maintenance men have come in to work on the new machine multiple times, but it is a “better system.” The dish room staff had to adjust to the new equipment, lunch time rush, and unreturned dishes. The new conveyor belt does not revolve endlessly like the old one, forcing staff to do dishes quickly and immediately. “The cup situation made it hard because they had less and had to keep running them through,” Maynard said regarding the shortage of plastic coffee cups in the cafeteria. While the machine runs well, it no longer lets trays fit through the conveyor belt’s opening. According to Maynard, elderly guests use trays to eat and have to be directed away from the dish station to set them above the garbage cans instead. The new dishwasher also has functions that Bon Appétit plans to activate in the future. It has the capability to be self-cleaning, according to Apthorpe.

Trump nominates ’76 alumnus Student Fed gives $3,500 to SAB Farr for U. S. District Court By | Stefan Kleinhenz Collegian Reporter President Donald Trump has nominated constitutional lawyer and Hillsdale College alumnus Thomas Farr ‘76 for a position on the bench of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The U.S. Senate must approve Farr before he can take the bench. Nominations to the post have faced scrutiny in the past, leaving the seat vacant for more than a decade. Trump’s nomination of Farr in July is no exception, though Hillsdale professors defended Farr’s character and merits. “He’s a good Christian man,” said John Willson, history professor emeritus at Hillsdale College and a friend of Farr. “To him, it’s a very simple thing to live this life as well as you can and as hard as you can and to be as fearless as you can in defending those things. He’s a good man, he’s humble, and he really is fearless in his defense of things he considers to be true and right and good.” Farr graduated from Hillsdale co-salutatorian with a degree in history and political economy. While at Hillsdale, he served as The Collegian’s sports editor in 1975. He then received a Masters of Laws from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a Juris Doctor from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Farr currently serves as a shareholder in Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., one of the largest labor and employment law firms in the country. The NAACP, some Democrats, and the Congressional Black Caucus actively have opposed Farr’s nomination for his involvement North

Carolina’s voter ID laws and previous political affiliations. “To our dismay, Thomas Farr, a nominee with ties to segregation and voter suppression, eased his way through the Senate Judiciary Committee on a vote along party lines and now stands a Senate vote away from a lifetime judicial appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in an opinion piece published by The Hill in December 2017. Farr declined to comment to The Collegian. The White House and Justice Department have asked that he not do interviews at this time. President George W. Bush in 2006 and 2007 also nominated Farr to the bench in North Carolina’s Eastern District. The Senate Judiciary Committee, however, did not take action on the nomination, and he did not receive a hearing. For years, the Eastern District of North Carolina has received criticism for its representation. Blacks account for nearly 27 percent of the district population, though the U.S. Senate has not approved a black judge for the position. Former President Barack Obama nominated a black judge in 2016. Republican Sen. Richard Burr from North Carolina, however, blocked the nomination by refusing to submit the “blue slip” required from the home state’s senator to get a judicial nomination on the Senate floor. Burr at the time claimed he made a deal with Obama in regards to judicial appointments that was not upheld. Burr has defended Farr against the allegations.

Farr’s opponents criticize him for his involvement in passage of the voter ID laws in North Carolina. He also served as the legal counsel to then-Sen. Jesse Helms, R-North Carolina. Under President George H.W. Bush, the Justice Department filed voting-rights charges against the Helms campaign when more than 100,000 postcards were mailed to mostly black voters, indicating that they were ineligible to vote and might be subject to arrest if they attempted to do so. Willson said Farr had nothing to do with the postcards or the strategy that was behind it. “He did not know until well after the fact that any of it had happened, and when he found out, he was horrified,” Willson said. “There is no direct evidence of any kind, not written, not spoken, no credible charges, nothing that connects Tom Farr with them.” Willson said he believes Farr’s record speaks for itself. He added that Farr received the highest recommendation from the American Bar Association, as well as the highest possible recommendations from every legal organization that has evaluated his work. “There is no question about his legal integrity, there is no question about his ability, it never has been,” Willson said. “No one argues that.” College President Larry Arnn agreed with Willson: “I know that Tom is a gentleman, a distinguished attorney, and a devout Christian. I have never heard him say anything remotely to imply racism or dishonesty. Such charges are common in political debate.”

Saudi Arabia opens first movie theater AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. is going to open the first movie theater in Saudi Arabia in 35 years later this month. The lifting of the country’s theater ban is a result of many cultural reforms and initiatives that seek to diminish the country’s -Compiled by Brooke Conrad oil-dependence.

Teachers walk out to protest lack of funding Thousands of teachers in Tennessee and Oklahoma walked off the job on Monday, in protest of cuts to pay, benefits, and school funding. The movement began in West Virginia earlier this year.

things to know from this week

By | Emma Cummins Collegian Reporter Student Federation passed a motion to give $3,500 to the Student Activities Board for food and catering costs at Centralhallapalooza. At last year’s CHP, SAB ran out of food two hours into the six-hour event, so it requested $4,000 from the federation to ensure there will not be a repeat of last year. The total cost of CHP comes out to $33,000. The federation does not normally give funds to SAB, since it is not a student club. Proposals from outside organizations require a monthlong analysis by the finance committee and require a two-thirds vote to pass. Recreational team leader senior Branden Bisher said he felt this partnership could serve to create a better experience for students; food at the event is a great attraction for many students. “We believe that we share a common goal with Student Federation, and that is to serve the student body as best as we can,” Bisher said. “In going to the federation, we hoped to form a partnership in order to provide

students with the best CHP experience possible.” The federation approved a disbursement of $3,500 to SAB. Treasurer and senior Charles Adams gave the reasoning behind this decision in the meeting. “Based on the unusually light funding requests to Student Federation this semester, the Finance Committee unanimously recommends $3,500 for CHP,” Adams said. “However, the Finance Committee recognizes this is as an exceptional circumstance and advises the SAB to do everything in its power to avoid asking the federation for funds in the future.” Junior and Federation President Natalie Meckel also noted that the federation’s position at this time in the semester played a role in the decision. The Federation is in a unique position financially this semester with unanticipated funds left over from spring spending proposals that fell through, Meckel said. The Finance Committee is confident they can support SAB without hurting other student organizations for which funds are intended.

Pontiac haunted house to open for Friday the 13th Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontic, Michigan, plans to open its doors on April 13 in celebration of Friday the 13th. Erebus is one of Michigan’s largest haunted houses and a major attraction during the Halloween season. General admission costs $28.

Palestinians demonstrate on Gaza border Tens of thousands of Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza demonstrated on the Israeli border last Friday, calling for a return to their homes in what is now Israel. At least 15 Palestinians died and over 1,000 were injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers.

By | Isabella Redjai Collegian Reporter This weekend, the Student Activities Board will present a special “Hillsdale Edition” of The Amazing Race, leading students and their teams through a variety of locations and clues across campus and downtown Hillsdale. The Amazing Race teams will meet at the Roche Sports Complex on April 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. The Amazing Race is most commonly known for its popular television series, where individuals travel the world to complete challenges. For the “Amazing Race: Hillsdale Edition,” 10 teams, comprised of five students each, will explore 10 unique locations associated with their own challenge and clues leading them to their next spot. “The scavenger hunt will be around the community, both off and on campus, as we partner with local businesses,” Director of Student Activities Ashlyn Landherr said. “Locals wanted to get involved so we found ways to incorporate them into the Amazing Race.” A special prize will be offered to the winning team, but both the end location and prize remain secret, according to Landherr. As sign-ups are already full, SAB says fellow students are welcome to join and watch their friends as they complete challenges. “We have chosen places that perfectly encapsulate our town and the businesses that make it unique,” SAB member and sophomore Mollie Dill said. “We hope that this will inspire students to go out and experience their town and all of the wonderful things it has to offer.”

Roche charges $5 for parking

By | Joe Pappalardo Senior Writer Parking in the Roche Sports Complex lot costs $5 for more than just football events this year, according to Director of Athletics Don Brubacher. Nevertheless, parking will still be free when athletic events are not in session. Now students and visitors will have to pay the $5 fee during most volleyball, basketball, and indoor track and field meets. While this is new for specific sports, the college has charged for parking at athletic events in the past. “Parking fees for football games have been in place for as long as anyone can remember, it seems,” Brubacher said in an email. Linda Gravel, House Director of Olds Residence, said she will still park in the Roche lot regardless of the fees. She is one of the staff members who regularly drives to college games to support the student athletes. “It’s my understanding the monies benefit the sports teams,” she said in an email. “Usually staff doesn’t have to pay, but I do because of this.” Staff, including students on security duty, are exempt from the parking fee. Hillsdale residents, students, and visitors should be prepared to pay at any college athletic events. Woman dead after injuring 3 at YouTube headquarters A woman walked into YouTube headquarters with a gun on Tuesday and injured 3 people before killing herself. Her father told officials she was angry with YouTube when they stopped paying her for her videos.

A4 April 5, 2018

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The Weekly: Thank you Bon Appétit for Café Fresco (517) 607-2415

Disney princesses must teach good values and morals By | Chandler Lasch Web Editor “Have courage, and be kind” was Ella’s motto in the 2015 Disney film “Cinderella.” Not “have an abortion and don’t appropriate other people’s cultures.” But if Planned Parenthood has its way, Disney princesses will be a lot more involved in modern social justice and political causes, and little girls will learn very different lessons. Instead of demanding new “woke” princesses, we should focus on letting Disney princesses teach children good values based on universal principles. A Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood branch faced backlash for a since-deleted tweet from March 27 that read, “We need a disney [sic] princess who’s had an abortion.” The tweet also demanded a princess who is an undocumented immigrant, one who is a union worker, and yet another who is transgender (unless they meant this should all be the same princess). In response, Joanna Rothkopf wrote on the women’s blog Jezebel that statiscally, two of the 11 official Disney princesses have had abortions and “aren’t telling you about it because of a national culture of shame and misogyny!!!” Jena Greene wrote in the Daily Caller that statistically, about half of these princess would be pro-life and half would have voted for Donald Trump. It’s not clear why either writer wants to apply statistics about modern American women to fictional characters whose stories take place all over the world and throughout time, from China in the Han dynasty to 1912 New Orleans (not to mention the fictional kingdoms of Agrabah and Atlantica). Planned Parenthood based its gross statement in part on a tweet from comedian Sofie Hagen, which said, “We need a fat Disney princess.” Hagen is not the only one who has (sincerely) called for an overweight princess. Last December, the Independent, a British online newspaper, published an article about two advocates who also have demanded a fat princess in an Instagram post. But in addition to focusing on the weights and political opinions of princesses, some have placed a greater emphasis on the cultures of the stories than the actual characters. Last October, Cosmopolitan

published an article with the headline, “Maybe Don’t Dress Your Kid Up As Moana This Halloween?” “Moana” tells the story of a young girl who sailed across a dangerous ocean to save her island. She’s an excellent example of courage, and when we view her simply as a Polynesian princess, we lose sight of the good values she exemplifies. Unfortunately, that’s just what Cosmopolitan did. “It’s on you to teach your kid not to be racially insensitive,” the piece argues. “There’s no better time than when a kid is in their formative years to teach them that it’s not OK to mock other people’s cultures.” Cosmopolitan doesn’t seem to realize that children dress up as their heroes as a sign of admiration, not mockery, as if wearing a grass skirt and bandeau top is making fun of Polynesian culture. Each of Disney’s princess films teaches lessons about the importance of good character. In “The Princess and the Frog,” Tiana recognizes that hard work is important for reaching her goals. Belle sacrifices her freedom for her father, and helps her captor find redemption in “Beauty and the Beast.” Pocahontas and Mulan risk their lives for their loved ones, as does Anna in “Frozen.” Children should be encouraged to think about how they can be virtuous in their lives, just like the princesses. Senior Andrea Wallace portrays princesses and other beloved heroines at children’s events, and her job often includes explaining how princesses can serve as examples of good character. “We see every princess as an example of goodness, truth, and beauty, who discovers and grows these characteristics through her unique story,” Wallace said. “I think it is important to appeal to universal themes so that princesses can continue to belong to everyone, not just polarized political groups.” The world doesn’t need a Disney princess who has had an abortion, who voted for Trump, or who is overweight. We don’t need opportunists to exploit Disney’s popularity for their own causes. We need people who are courageous and kind, just like the princesses.

“We don’t need opportunists to exploit Disney’s popularity for their own causes.”

Chandler Lasch is a senior studying history.

The opinion of The Collegian editorial staff

For many students with busy schedules, the new lunch option in Kendall Hall, Café Fresco, has been a welcome reprieve. As students, we often complain about issues on our campus. Although these complaints are sometimes valid, a solution can be hard to come by. Bon Appétit Management Co. addressed some of our complaints in the form of Café Fresco, and we all ought to thank them for it. There are around 1,000-

1,200 students who go to the Knorr Dining Hall on any given weekday for lunch, said William Persson ’17, Bon Appétit’s marketing manager at Hillsdale. Café Fresco, in its first five days open, has averaged around 200 students per lunch period. For students dreading the long lines during the mass migration to the dining hall after 11 a.m. classes release, Café Fresco offers a short wait, but plenty of options. There are even dining hall cookies

available for dessert. Although the grab ’n’ go option is a nice alternative to a dining hall rush hour, Persson said Café Fresco has also reached a whole new demographic: the students with a hectic class schedule who would normally skip lunch altogether. “There’s definitely some transfer from the dining hall, but it’s not like we’re losing 200 people from the dining hall,” Persson said. “We’re reaching a different audience

of people.” Café Fresco also serves as an option for people on block meal plans to double-swipe and grab food for later, if they don’t have time to get dinner. It’s easy to complain and get angry when nothing is done about a legitimate issue on campus. Bon Appétit made it easier to get a nutritious lunch in the midst of our busy schedules, and we should acknowledge the hard work that made it possible.

Conserve classic rock, but keep discovering contemporary music How music-sharing bridged an intergenerational music divide By | Sutton Dunwoodie Collegian Reporter While I was helping my dad hang light fixtures in our new house years ago, he let me play music while we worked. When we had listened to about half of the Black Keys song I put on, he turned to me very solemnly and said, “Son, turn this off.” This is the most common reaction that people who idolize classic rock have when they hear modern rock music. My dad belongs to an entire generation that turned to the the classic rock station after being frightened by the rage of 90’s grunge rock and the general depravity of hip-hop. Now these rock purists cannot listen to anything made after Use Your Illusion II. When I was young, my dad constantly played and talked about songs from his childhood. I quickly became able to identify songs written 40 years before I was born and name albums that were released before the cassette era. For a while, all was good. It could not last. When I entered high school, my taste in music

became more influenced by friends than my family. I left the world of Zeppelin, Hagar, and Queen to enter the world of Hozier, Kaleo, and Gary Clark Jr. I naturally introduced my father to some of this new music. He summarily rejected anything that wasn’t classic and created a division between music that was his and music that was mine. I never divided music based on when it was created. Music streaming allowed me to create playlists that seamlessly blended the old with the new. My dad primarily listened to music he had purchased, and that allowed him to avoid new rock like the plague. My story is hardly unique. In every small town and suburb across this great land there are middle-aged dads who listen to their classic rock stations and pretend no good music has been produced in the last three decades. The classic rock stations employ a variety of conniving methods in order to keep their listeners from exploring any modern rock. The most shocking is the shameless attempt to make listeners feel nostalgic on a daily basis.

Sirius XM’s 80s on 8 is an 80s hits station. It is hosted by original MTV VJs who discuss artists that haven’t made new music in a generation and give away tickets to bands whose members were eligible for AARP membership 10 years ago. Listening to his childhood celebrities on the radio excites my dad enough for him to mention that he remembers the original VJs every time we get in the car. 80s on 8 and other stations strive to make it seem like 1980 was just last week, and not 38 years ago. By glorifying “the classics” and disparaging the modern, these stations are conditioning listeners to reject anything that isn’t old and famous. Good music is good music — it doesn’t matter when it was made. Our generation would be doing a disservice to the older one if we didn’t at least try to expose them to the some of the highlights of a new age in rock. Music should not be relegated to second class status because of its age. I have found that music streaming services are the most effective tool in bringing new music to old people.

Since my dad began streaming his music, he has been much more open to experimenting with new artists. Why shouldn’t he be? A month of Spotify premium costs less than a meal at El Cerritos, and it costs the same amount to listen to 1 artist all the time or 1,000 different ones. With the exception of a 3 month period where he only listened to Ariana Grande, the music he listens to now comes from a greater variety of artists, and he is genuinely excited when he discovers new ones. We can talk about music without contention again. I was privileged to get to bond with my dad over rock music twice. Once when I opened his ears, and once when he opened mine. I will remember those moments forever. Even if the task seems daunting, trying to bring rock to the older generation is worthwhile. They gave that precious gift to us. We should pass that gift back to them. Sutton Dunwoodie is a sophomore studying political economy.

Repealing the Second Amendment won’t make schools safe for students A response to Justice John Paul Stevens’ call to repeal the Second Amendment By | Razi Lane Special to The Collegian Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with the evil purpose to murder the innocent. His killing spree prematurely ended the futures of seventeen Americans, forever changed the lives of their families, and deprived our world of bright young men and women. The progressive response to this tragedy peaked in a New York Times op-ed by retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, which demands, in addition to gun control measures, a repeal of the Second Amendment. Describing gun control activists, Stevens wrote of their shared mission to “minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society.” To this end, he advocated banning civilian ownership of semi-automatic weapons, raising the purchasing age from 18 to 21, and establishing comprehensive backgrounds checks. While safe schools is a noble intention, and one shared by most Americans, Stevens’ prescriptions fail to advance it. A semi-automatic weapons ban would punish law-abiding American citizens and not the criminals who threaten them. Its advocates misunderstand criminals who, through underground trading, invariably acquire means to terrorize others, with or without firearms. The claim that a ban on semi-automatics would reduce criminal access to guns

is therefore questionable. A similar program, Faculty However, even if true, it and Administrator Safedoes not justify the cost of ty Training & Emergency placing lawful citizens at a dis- Response, offers free firearm advantage when confronted safety training to competent with an active shooter. Fireschool officials; FASTER arms are only as dangerous empowers honest faculty to as their protect operators. themselves Stevens’ and their proposal students. renders With the Ameriavailabilicans more ty of such vulnerable programs, by deprivlaw-abiding ing them citizens of the best should not technology be afraid for their of guns — protection. criminals Citizens should be. should alStevens’ ways have case for a clear gun control tactical culminates advantage Former Supreme Court Justice John in a radical over their Paul Stevens called for a repeal of call for the assailants, the Second Amendment in an op-ed. Second never vice Wikimedia Commons Amendversa. ment’s With his proposal to raise repeal. Stevens framed his the legal age to purchase a argument in opposition to firearm, Stevens stereotyped D.C. v. Heller, the 2008 case all 18- to 20-year-olds into a that recertified the individforsaken group. Yet, most 18ual’s constitutional right to to 20-year olds are not would- keep firearms in the home for be criminals. purposes of self-defense. Rather than surrender their Notwithstanding the potential, America should Supreme Court’s vindication invest in its youth through of the Second Amendment education and training. This in Heller, Stevens’ proposal approach has been adopted by would jeopardize the safety Aegis Academy, a self-defense of everyday Americans. The program founded by veterans right to keep and bear arms of America’s Special Forces, is critically important for citin southern California. The izens who find themselves in Academy has developed a life or death situations that recourse for introducing young quire immediate action before people to firearms for purpos- law enforcement arrives. es of self-defense. If gun control not only fails

to mitigate, but often exacerbates, threats, what are the solutions? First, the FBI should follow up on red flags. On January 5th, 2018 the New York Times reported that a woman from Stoneman Douglas High School called the FBI tip line to report the suspicious behavior of Nikolas Cruz and her fear that he “was going to explode.” Calls like hers should never be ignored. Secondly, serious efforts should be made to secure American schools. In addition to a preemptive response by law enforcement, Steven Bucci, a retired Army Green Beret, proposes limited points of entry for public schools and the fortification of classrooms. Thirdly, the government should require the presence of two armed security guards for every public school, like in most government buildings, and identification of all visitors upon entry. Finally, as advocated by The Heritage Foundation, our country should “ensure that a concealed-carry permit granted by any state is given full faith and credit by all other states and by the federal government in national parks and other national lands.” Justice Stevens’ gun control agenda, though well-intentioned, would fail to create safer schools and communities. Firearms are as much designed to deter as they are to kill. They are tools that, when handled responsibly by good people, can save lives. Razi Lane is a senior studying politics.

Opinions Symbolic speech is ambiguous, but it deserves protection

April 5, 2018 A5

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By | Tara Ung Special to The Collegian

Jonesville’s Udder Side ice cream shop took some heat for a cinnamon-flavored soft serve that it sold under the name “Red Indian” last month. Some Hillsdale County residents complained that the name was offensive and insensitive and should be changed, while others didn’t see it as a big deal, given that it was just ice cream. Eventually, the uproar died down, the town moved on to other affairs, and Udder Side left the name as is. Offensive or otherwise, whether intended or not, it was well within its freedom of speech to use that term. This incident, however, highlights an issue with freedom of speech that is not fully verbal: ambiguity. Names, titles, sayings, and even slogans can be so used and overused that the intended meaning is no longer a cohesive, commonly understood message. It depends on the background, education, and context of those who speak and those who hear. With an ice cream flavor, it

is not immediately clear if the owners used the name simply because it describes the color of the ice cream, or if it does have a racial slur connected to it. In order to find out, we’d have to ask them. This issue is present all around us. If you drive from Hillsdale’s campus out to the I-69 on-ramp in Coldwater, you’ll pass at least three houses flying some version of the Dixie flag, now so commonly understood as the flag of the Confederacy. Sometimes they are paired with some other form of high-flying symbols, sometimes it’s just the one flag. I’ve always been confused by the persistence of confederate flags in modern culture, given the moral payload they bear (regardless of what you think about states’ rights) and I’m doubly confused by their presence in Michigan — a decidedly northern, union state. To be clear, I fully support the freedom of these citizens to express their opinions through symbolic speech such as flying a flag. Just like naming a flavor of ice cream “Red Indian,” it’s not salacious or overtly violent, so they

have the full force of the First Amendment behind their right to fly a confederate flag. As Hillsdale’s own Dr. Carrington likes to say, it’s “legal, but stupid.” Once again, the more

that region and time period has been vilified in modern culture? Or are they actually racist and want to go back to the days of southern slavery? Probably not the latter but who knows! That flag could

Symbols such as the Confederate flag have different meanings to different people, so determining the intended message is difficult, senior Tara Ung argues. FLickr

nuanced problem with these flags is that they don’t clearly convey what their owners are trying to say. Are they anti-federal government, believing wholeheartedly in states’ rights? Do they like Southern culture and don’t like how

say any of those things — and their owners will never get a chance to explain what they mean to the random driver who catches a sight of their flag from U.S. 12. When we try to say something without words — or

even if we’re not specific enough with our words — we risk ambiguity and even a miscarriage of our message. This is because symbolic speech depends upon the way the audience receives the symbol and the particular experiences of individuals. For instance, when I was in middle school, a good friend of mine purchased a belt-buckle adorned with the Dixie flag for her brother. Being embroiled in the eighth-grade throes of the states’ rights, slavery, secession arguments, I raged at her about how insensitive it was. She was taken aback by my vehemence but otherwise nonplussed. Her apathy confused me a bit, but I got over it and forgot about the incident. Until this last weekend. I visited her over the Easter weekend and asked her about it. Recalling the incident she wondered aloud as to how she could have missed the implications. As a young, caucasian preteen growing up in rural Illinois, however, she wasn’t thinking about the connotations that a confederate flag could bring up. Her family

loved the show “Dukes of Hazzard” which featured a car called the “General Lee,” emblazoned with a confederate flag, but it was otherwise unconnected with the Civil War. So she thought it was a cute gift, reminiscent of this show that her family loved. Because I happened to be learning about the Civil War at the time, I saw something very different. It is important to be able to fly a flag in support of a movement, and that absolutely should be protected as speech. It is also important that ice cream shops be allowed to name their flavors without the government breathing down their necks about it. Before utilizing a symbol, name, or slogan in place of clear speech, however, it is important to consider how that symbol will be received. Does the symbol generally say what you’re wanting to convey? Are you willing to deal with the fallout that might come as a result of the inherent ambiguity? Because you may never be given the chance to clarify. Tara Ung is a senior studying Latin.

Students for Self-Governance advocate for Article V Convention of the States By | Weston Boardman Special to the Collegian The size and scope of the federal government has far exceeded what the Founders intended. Crazy. I know. “We the People” have witnessed the intense proliferation of the federal government. The problems of constant budget deficits, over-regulation, cancerous bureaucracy, and idle politicians require a solution that has never been successfully used before. We need a revolution to recommit ourselves to federalism. There exists only one solution big enough to solve the problem: calling an Article V Convention of the States. Article V delineates the two methods of proposing amendments. Only Congress has proposed amendments to the Constitution in the past. The second way to propose amendments, however, is the game-changer for returning power back to the states and the people. When the Constitution was being written, Col. George Mason spearheaded an effort to ensure a safeguard for state powers in case the federal government ever radically and consistently overstepped its bounds. This effort gave rise to the second manner in

which amendments are proposed: “On the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states,” Congress “shall call a convention for proposing amendments.” Herein lies the solution to the federal government Goliath. The process is simple. First, two-thirds of the states (34/50) must pass resolutions or applications with identical operative language requesting that Congress calls a Convention of the States for the purpose of proposing amendments to the Constitution under certain constraints. Historical precedent allows one state-one vote at the convention, to prevent control by large states. States can send as many or as few commissioners, but every state is equal at an Article V Convention of the States. Commissioners can write and discuss proposals within the constraints written in the applications. To propose an amendment for ratification, a simple majority vote is required. Congress then decides if the amendments will be ratified by three-fourths (38/50) of the states by state legislatures or by state conventions. This reclamation of power requires a unified, national movement. Citizens for Self-Governance, led by President Mark Meckler, is leading the charge in the nation with the Convention of States Project. The project is a

national movement seeking to remedy our broken structure of government by grassroots lobbying in each state for an Article V Convention of the States. Since the COS Project was launched in late August 2013, twelve states have passed the identical resolution requesting a convention to propose amendments that “impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.” I suspect there may be a few objections, but allow me to put to rest any myths that the “anti-constitutional” crowd likes to throw around. First and foremost, this is not a “Constitutional Convention”. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was an act of the states initiated by Virginia. The states called the conventions and Congress was merely notified out of respect. It was not a “runaway convention” under Article XIII of the Articles of Confederation because it was not called under that document. This is the premier opposition point used as a fear-mongering tactic directed at state legislators. This new Convention of the States seeks to be called under the authority of the Constitution. It cannot throw away the Constitution or amend it outside of the areas

Smoking harms students By | Pearce Pomerleau Special to The Collegian It is unusual to find an opinion that runs against the grain at Hillsdale College, and rarer still to find one that does so coherently. Two weeks ago, however, I came across one in The Collegian, written by a brave woman named Jordyn Pair, and concisely titled “Stop smoking outside the library.” She made her case for respect, consideration, and health and criticized a practice that has dismayed me since my first day on this campus. Jordyn, I applaud you, and though we don’t know each other, we are now friends. However, nature apparently abhors a step in the right direction, so senior Brendan Clarey ambled to the defense of asthma and throat cancer in the following week’s Collegian with an article titled, “Smokefree spaces lead to safe spaces.” Strength rejoices in the challenge, I suppose. Now, to address the arguments pointby-point would serve only to highlight a cacophony of political platitudes, so I’ll skip to his conclusion instead. He writes, “If we push smokers away from the library because

it makes us uncomfortable, we’re that much closer to pushing away our freedoms and the things that challenge us for the sake of our comfort — a mistake far more dangerous than secondhand smoke.” For those of you who may not know, when one buys a pack of cigarettes, the box comes coated in warning labels mandated by the federal government. They don’t read, “Surgeon general’s warning: Smoking may make those around you uncomfortable.” They read, “Surgeon general’s warning: Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy.” Comfort is not what’s on the line here. This is about toxic fumes (I’m not being hyperbolic here) that frequently waft through the most traversed path on campus, and a growing desire among Hillsdale’s students to pass without inhaling them. Anyone who argues otherwise is being ignorant and insensitive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some interesting statistics that clarify the situation. From 2005 to 2009, secondhand

smoke contributed to 170,000 deaths by heart disease. During the same period, secondhand smoke contributed to 36,500 deaths through lung cancer. The CDC estimated that 2,500,000 people have died from complications related to secondhand smoke in the last five decades. For these millions of people, proximity to cigarette smoking was far more than a matter of discomfort. For Clarey to equate smoke-free zones to the so called “safe-spaces” in some universities is a gold medal-winning logical long jump. He says that when we ask to walk to lunch through unpolluted air, it is comparable to banning offensive speech and the “public exchange of ideas.” I resent that implication. One of my original motivations for enrolling at Hillsdale was the promise of open debate and discussion; at no point, however, did I sign up for a public exchange of carcinogens. Let’s start taking seriously the health of our fellow students. Pearce Pomerleau is a junior studying economics.

listed in the state applications according to Supreme Court rulings and the precedent of past interstate conventions. Now, even though this future convention could not become a runaway convention, let us say for argument’s sake that it does. You would still need 38 states to ratify any amendments proposed. Do you really think that there are not 13 states in the Union that would deny ratification of amendments that would subvert the Constitution? Do you really think that say, a repeal of the 2nd Amendment or the 1st Amendment, would be approved by 38 of the 50 states? Second, “electing good people” to office is no longer effective. Since 2010, radical turnover has happened in the House of Representatives, Senate and the Executive Branch but absolutely nothing has changed. We need to continue to elect liberty-minded public servants to state and federal offices; but that is not enough. Former Senator Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, explained to me that he worked to elect ten “good conservatives” at the Senate Conservatives Fund, but in the end the swamp swallowed eight of them. Everyday, the federal courts grow more powerful and biased, while elected representatives neuter themselves

and pass difficult decisions to either the courts or the unelected bureaucrats who labor to consolidate their power. If that is not enough, a Republican-controlled Congress, Senate and President just passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill. The Founders constructed the Constitution the best way they could to restrain power-seeking tendencies. The problem is ultimately not the people in office. Corrupt people over time have broken the structure of government. Every election cycle, men and women are elected to serve in Washington, D.C., and we fall for the same, old “meritocracy” shtick. Washington has failed time and time again to reduce the federal government, even with the clear mandate the people sent to the Republican Party this previous election cycle. This quid pro quo of promised government shrinkage for votes is a charade that we can defeat by using our final check for self-governance found in Article V. Third, from history we know that constitutional amendments work—the Constitution has been amended seventeen times since the Bill of Rights, including the ratification and subsequent repeal of the Prohibition Amendment. The United States has adopted amendments for four reasons: to correct drafting

errors, to resolve constitutional disputes, to respond to changing conditions, and to correct and forestall government abuse. Amendments are effectual and powerful expressions of the national will. The civil society and federal government do obey constitutional amendments They have worked and will work. The new Citizens for Self-Governance Club at Hillsdale is working to promote the Article V solution and empower students to be a part of history. My co-president, Lucy Meckler, and I seek to promote the principles of self-governance not just in education, but in action. The club has already brought DeMint, the former president of The Heritage Foundation. We offer opportunities for internships in lobbying and the local legislative process. Come to our weekly meetings in the Formal Lounge, Thursdays at 6 p.m. If you are ready to be part of the solution, we invite you to join our revolution. Thomas Jefferson said, “Every generation needs a new revolution” This is ours. Weston Boardman is a sophomore studying economics. Boardman is the co-president of Hillsdale’s chapter of Students for Self-Governance.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, When someone requests that students not smoke in a particular location, comparing such a request to a “safe space,” as a columnist did last week, is absurd. Not only is such a request against smoking perfectly reasonable, but the dismissal of the request as a “safe space” ironically resembles the “safe space” argument more than the request itself. Surely the columnist would not deny that citizens have the right to protest public nuisances. Laws against breach of the peace have been part of English and American common law for centuries, often augmented by laws against offenses such as public drunkenness and excessive noise. Smoking is legal on campus and probably will remain so, but legality does not constitute immunity from mild criticism. There are no rules preventing a mariachi band from rehearsing in A.J.’s Café every weeknight, but one could justifiably complain about the nuisance resulting from that. Is that “preferential realism,” as the columnist called it? No,

that is simply common decency, as is a request that students not smoke in a heavily traveled and confined space. The columnist’s description of “preferential realism” includes several examples of denying unpleasant facts, such as election results or the final judgment. Apparently this means that having students

“Smoking is legal on campus and probably will remain so, but legality does not constitute immunity from mild criticism.” smoke outside the library is a certain, unchangeable fact that can be equated to theology or history, and those who ask that smokers not indulge in that particular location are trying to “conform reality to their preferences.” According to this logic,

I can never ask someone to move who is unintentionally blocking a hallway, since reality is telling me that they must stay there indefinitely. Such a conclusion is of course ludicrous. By referring to the previous column as a “safe space,” the columnist is partaking in the same logic that he is decrying. The reality is that some students find smoke in that location to be a nuisance and have made a reasonable request, but the columnist refuses to entertain this idea because his preferences don’t agree. With his reasoning, since it is comfortable for smokers to smoke outside the library, we ought not to disturb them. Ironically, dismissing the argument because it impedes on others’ comfort and because it makes people uncomfortable is precisely what the columnist accuses others of doing, namely, “trying to conform reality to their preferences.” Surely there are better responses to the original column than comparing it to a “safe space.” Tom Ryskamp is a junior studying accounting and music.

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A6 April 4, 2018

The Finish Line Family Restaurant reopened March 23 after closing temporarily for renovations. Nic Rowan | Collegian

The Finish Line renovates interior, reopens diner By | Anne Ziegler Collegian Freelancer Although the Finish Line Family Restaurant still is serving its classic favorite options, the restaurant recently reopened after major renovations. The Finish Line reopened on March 23, ater closing temporarily. The restaurant’s owner, Lisa Slade, said the renovations were necessary. It has been fifteen years since the restaurant’s last renovation. The walls, floors, and seating were worn out and in need of replacement. “We needed to refresh things, make them look new again,” Slade said. “We got new floors, ceilings, new booths, and lights. We added new heating and cooling. It just needed to get done.” Slade said that the renovations have created a different atmosphere in the restaurant. “We’ve had many, many compliments from customers,” she said. “The ambience

is brighter, fresher. It feels more welcoming.” The menu is still the same across breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Slade said.

of option for breakfast, the restaurant has 16 flavors of ice cream. Patrons can try several of those flavors with its Caution 2 – a towering seven

“The ambience is brighter, fresher. It feels more welcoming.” The restaurant has 11 types of sandwiches, from the classic Reuben served with its 1000 Island Dressing to the Grand Monte Cristo for $5.29: turkey, ham, American and Swiss cheese all served on an egg dipped bakery bread and then grilled. Sophomore Maria Forsythe said she likes going to the Finish Line for Saturday morning brunch with friends. “They have a lot of good options for breakfast,” she said. “It’s good for college students, because it’s not super expensive.” In addition to a plethora

scoops of ice cream with assorted toppings. But The Finish Line is not just known for their food and ice cream. It is a restaurant prized for its community. “People are really chatty there,” Forsythe said. Whether drawing older folks for breakfast or a family for dinner, The Finish Line draws Hillsdale’s community together around delicious food, Forsythe said. “I think it’s important for Hillsdale students to be part of the community, and not just stay on campus,” Forsythe said.

People eat food at the newly renovated Finish Line Fanily Restaurant. Nic Rowan | Collegian

Fundraisers from the big chair

Local businesses organize chair-themed silent auction for charity By | Calli Townsend Collegian Freelancer A family of bears will soon appear along the Baw Beese walking trail as part of a month-long fundraiser for the Heritage Association. Hillsdale Chair Affair, a silent auction, is looking to raise money for the Heritage Association’s newest project to place the statue of the bear family along the trail. The auction will last from May 9 to June 9. “There will be statues of a mama bear and her two cubs on the Baw Beese walking trail for kids to give bear hugs to and take pictures with,” said Connie Sexton, a member of the Hillsdale Heritage Association. Heather Tritchka, a local artists and 1998 Hillsdale College alumna, is sculpting the bear statues. According

the the Heritage Association Facebook page, $92,440 is needed to complete this project, and the association is more than halfway to reaching its goal. With about 40 businesses verbally committed to designing and donating chairs to auction, there will be many to choose from. These specially designed and painted chairs will be placed either outside or inside local business. Their pictures will be placed on the Heritage Association Facebook page, which is wherepeople can make their bids. On June 9, the bid sheets will be taken to businesses for people to make final bids there. “We are designing a chair for the auction. We are looking forward to making something fun and creative,” Danielle Brock, owner of Small Town Sweet Boutique

said. “We have not settled on a design yet, but it will definitely be something bright and cheerful like our store.” Darci Gaff has begun designing a chair for her store, Modern Revival, as well. “This year I think I’m going to do a flying chair with big tin wings so when the wind blows the wings it will look like it’s flying,” Gaff said. There will also be a large chair made on behalf of the Heritage Association. “We contracted a craftsman to build a 9-foot by 8-foot adirondack chair to display for a month. It’ll be somewhere downtown,” Sexton said. “I’m really excited about it and I hope it will go well.” Not only will the Hillsdale Chair Affair benefit the Heritage Association’s bear project, but it will help people advertise their businesses and

bring people out to visit the local shops, along with promoting Art Around Town. As the silent auction ends on June 9, the second annual Art Around Town fundraiser will begin. Art Around Town is a day long event that encourages the community to visit downtown and support local artists. Money made at this event also is donated towards the Heritage Association. “Art Around Town was scheduled, but I wanted to do something more,” Sexton said. So she sat down to brainstorm with friend, Darci Gaff, who gave her the idea for “Chair Affair.” “I did this about 10 years ago in Steuben County, Indiana. We did it for our literary coalition. It was pretty successful,” Gaff said. “I thought maybe it’s time to revive the Chair Affair.”

Prayer from A1

In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that prayers before meetings are permissible, so long as they are in keeping with “tradition and do not coerce participation by non-adherents.” Kennedy specified that prayers only become impermissible when they “denigrate nonbelievers or religious minorities, threaten damnation, or preach conversion.” Additionally, prayers are not permissible if they favor one faith over another. Finnegan’s prayer before the April 4 meeting consisted of a non-sectarian petition to God that he guide the city council, watch over the City of Hillsdale, and continue to bless it with prosperity. Finnegan told The Collegian that as pastor and as a former EMT in Branch County, he has always felt a calling to mix his public service and ministry. Although lack of vocal public interest has kept him from leading council meetings in prayer since 2010, Finnegan said he recently has felt the Lord pulling him back

to city council. “I’m very humbled to be accepted to come up there praying,” Finnegan said. “I think it is a great step to moving our country back toward God.” Hillsdale resident Dennis Wainscott — who also serves as a pastor — spoke in favor of prayer before meetings as well as in schools, saying that prayer teaches the public and the youth to respect each other by acknowledging God’s presence in their lives. “It at least brings back a sense of solitude and decency into our society,” Wainscott said. “The Constitution teaches us about our inalienable rights and to be treated with moral value and equal values are some of those.” Wainscott said as a member of committees open to the public, such as The Hillsdale Justice Project (which begins its meetings with a moment of silence), he hopes that other committees will begin their meetings with prayer, too. “Prayer is legal, and I believe we need more of it,” he said.

AT&T to operate new cell tower in Hillsdale in the next nine months By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief

Construction for a new cellphone tower is set to break ground this month, weather permitting. AT&T is building a new tower where Fayette Street meets the Baw Beese Trail to extend coverage to a halfmile radius dead zone, which includes Hillsdale College’s campus. The telecommunications company is looking to break ground some time this month and hopes it will be up and operational in nine months, according to Alan Beeker, the City of Hillsdale’s zoning administrator. “We are currently working to make additional upgrades to better support our customers in the Hillsdale area, including Hillsdale College,” AT&T Michigan spokeswoman Teresa Mask said in

an email. “We’re constantly evaluating the needs of our network to meet demand and provide a great experience.” AT&T is leasing the property from the city, according to Beeker. Payments for that will begin soon. Bill Zeiser, a city councilman and a graduate student at Hillsdale College, said he hopes the extended coverage will provide adequate means for communication in the city. He said he has heard from residents who were unable to contact emergency services because there was no signal. Zeiser said he needed to purchase a microcell — a small box that functions as a miniature cellphone tower — to receive phone calls for work in his own home. “It’s frustrating to me that in my own home and in my own neighbor, I don’t get any reception,” Zeiser said. “It’s ridiculous that this day in age

that AT&T, one of the most major service providers, has such significant dead zones. These days, we rely more and more on these devices. I think this will be a big improvement.” Hillsdale College students expressed excitement for the new tower, noting that AT&T’s service on campus is

Collegian. “If I have calls, very rarely can I stay in one spot without losing the call.” Beeker explained that in order for construction to begin, the frost must disappear and the mud must dry up. “The weather is not being cooperative right now,” Beeker said, but added, “There are a hundred of things that can

“These days, we rely more and more on these devices. I think this will be a big improvement.” not up to par as other providers. Senior Maria Thiesen said she cannot call her mom from inside the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house, though other students with different providers can. “It’s terrible,” she told The

slow down or temporarily stall construction. I don’t foresee that. Most of this is pretty this is like any other tower they put up.” City council approved the construction of the tower in May, despite some concerns from the city’s planning

committee and community members about its location. “Infrastructure is not pretty, but cellphone towers are so ubiquitous now, you won’t notice,” Zeiser said. “The fact is that we need these towers, and they need to go somewhere.” Beeker said the chosen location is one of two that meets AT&T’s requirements, city zoning ordinances, and the Federal Communications Commission’s rules against building towers in a floodplain. The second possible location was to combine AT&T’s tower with that of the WCSR radio station. The only place to build the tower on WCSR’s property, however, was where its current tower stands. Tearing that down would put WCSR off the air for six to nine months, Beeker said. “It was immediately ruled out,” he said. “Logistics would not allow for the construction

of the new tower while the old tower existed.” The location where Fayette meets the trail was the only option, Beeker said. Building the tower there does conflict with the city’s master plan, which looks to make the property along the Baw Beese Trail and St. Joseph River space for parks and recreational activity. Historically, though, the city has reserved that space for industrial and commercial purposes because the railroad runs parallel to the trail and river, Beeker said. In addition to provide more cell phone coverage to AT&T customers, the tower will have rental space for more equipment in the future. “Whenever you expand a business to grow their outreach, you’re improving a business,” Beeker said. “If you improve a business, that’s a bonus to the city.”

City News

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April 4, 2018 A7

Local business owners petition to rename Uran Street By | Nic Rowan City News Editor

Several business owners have asked the City of Hillsdale to rename Uran Street in the city’s industrial park, citing a common mispronunciation as their cause of discontent. “We don’t really know where the name Uran came from,” said Hillsdale Terminal Vice President of Engineering John Condon. “But we do know that we don’t like a lot of people mispronouncing it ‘urine.’” Uran Street’s name originates from Denver Uran, a farmer who lived on Hallet Road in the first half of the 20th century. The name is pronounced “U-ran.” Condon said he wanted the city to rename the street to something more upbeat, perhaps relating the street to the businesses in the industrial park. He mentioned this desire to City Councilman Matt Bell, who brought up the issue at a April 4 meeting.

“Given the status of his community leadership, we could talk about it and come up with some options,” Bell said of Condon’s request. Bell added that changing the street’s name might be good for the face of the city’s business image. “It opens up a little can of worms, but let’s not let a little work scare us away from our improving our industrial park, so that when people come in it, they’ll kinda know what we’re about,” he said. City Councilman Bruce Sharp disagreed, saying that since the city does not how much changing a street name could cost, it would be unwise to take on a project like this when there are pressing issues for the city, like the state of many of the roads. Sharp also said that changing the street name could cause even more confusion among local residents. “I know where Uran Street is,” he said. “Many of the guys

in the fire department know where Uran Street is. You start changing the names and people are going to be asking, ‘Where’s that street again?’” Sharp also said discontent over street names is not a city issue, and that if business owners have a problem with so small a street like Uran, they should attempt to solve the problem themselves. “It’s just a name — just like that little thing we had in Jonesville over the ice cream place,” he said. Mayor Adam Stockford said that Condon was not the only business owner on Uran Street annoyed with the street’s name. According to Stockford, several other business owners had complained to him about the name because people frequently mispronounce it “urine.” “We don’t want to use a lot of city resources on something like this, but if this was something that was initiated by the business owners, then that’s something different,” he said.

Local business owners have petitioned that the city council rename Uran street in the industrial park. Nic Rowan | Collegian

New businesses put pressure on public parking possibilities By | Hannah Niemeier Senior Writer Public parking in downtown Hillsdale is at a premium, after the January opening of the Hillsdale Brewing Company. Customers are encouraged to use the lots near the post office and next to the Great Wall Chinese restaurant, despite the new business’s proximity to two private lots and extra space near the railroad tracks on Hillsdale Street. “There is no parking on Hillsdale Street for the first block between Carleton and Monroe streets, and going north from there, there is no parking on the east side and limited parking on the west side,” Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner said. “So it’s a tight situation in that part of town, but there are three city parking lots in close proximity.” City zoning laws require downtown businesses to provide parking for patrons within 300 feet of their front door. The number of parking spaces is based on the square footage of the building. For the brewery and other businesses without their own lots, their proximity to public parking helps, Hillsdale Brewing Company manager Felicia Finch said. “Parking is always every-

one’s question,” Finch said. “Shortly after we opened, we put up the signs for the parking on Monroe Street. We are considered downtown, so we can use the public parking areas.” After early issues with brewery patrons parking in private lots, two neighboring businesses have increased signage on their lots to enforce this public parking ordinance. Troy Strane, general manager of the Indiana Northeastern railroad, which has offices across Hillsdale Street from the Brewing Company, also discouraged customers from parking too close to the tracks in the gravel between the tracks and the brewery. “The parking lot off Hillsdale Street north of the tracks across from the brewery, as well as that whole driveway leading up to our offices in the two-story red building, is all private property that we manage for the state of Michigan,” Strane said. “We have to be able to move our vehicles. When the brewery first opened, all of a sudden the lot was filling up with brewery customers.” The state of Michigan provided extra signage (in addition to extant No Trespassing signs) to discourage parking in areas the railroad uses for property storage. “We’re not trying to be

mean,” Strane said. “It’s just a liability thing. We can’t have people who have been drinking, in case something

happens. That would be the same for anyone who has private property.” Across the tracks on the same side of Hillsdale Street,

coffeehouse, residences of the apartments, and patrons of other businesses in the building. Hubbard, like Finch, has to

By | Nic Rowan City News Editor In the middle of a nationwide debate over violence in schools, last week Hillsdale County Sheriff Tim Parker threw his support behind The Michigan School Safety Reform Plan, a proposal designed to prevent violence in Michigan schools. “Additional steps can be taken to help keep our schools safe,” Parker said in a press release. “Our school systems are the feeder system to our future society. Ensuring that

students can learn and be safe should be a priority.” The plan — which a committee of Michigan law enforcement agents and education groups in Holt, Michigan, designed — calls for a $100 million grant program for security personnel and a $20 million grant program for school safety infrastructure. The plan also calls for grants so that more sheriff and police departments can work in school buildings and on school grounds and so that schools can hire more mental health professionals to iden-

tify problems in students at an early stage. Additionally, it asks that lawmakers improve

prevent violence. Parker’s support for the proposal comes on the heels

42 Union owner Marty Hubbard cited similar reasons for restricting her parking lot to patrons of the Rough Draft

A parking sign outside of the 42 Union building. Nic Rowan | Collegian

comply with city ordinances about parking space according to the size and function of her property. “According to the law, I have to provide spaces times two for every bedroom, so that’s 48 spaces,” Hubbard said. “Then there are 5 businesses that have clients and customers that must be legally provided for. I’m at full capacity, according to the city requirements.” On the south side of the Brewing Company, Phil Palmer, an owner of the Hillsdale Towing Company, which butts up against the brewery property, said his lot is not open to parking: “Our wreckers have to be able to get out of the garage at all hours of the night, and that’s why we don’t have parking around there.” But he said he hasn’t received any towing requests from the railroad. Hephner said the police department hasn’t gotten involved in parking issues with private lots. “If someone did call us, the lot owner has the responsibility to call the towing company, and the car would be towed at the vehicle owner’s expense,” Hephner said. But they could issue tickets if those parking between the brewery and the tracks caused a visibility issue in the railroad’s right of way, which

is 25 feet from the center of the tracks. Although the boundary of the brewery’s private property extends to the railroad tracks, Finch said she is careful to keep the lot uncongested: “The place I park is on our property. My employees park on Monroe Street. Sometimes they park on the gravel by the back door to unload food.” She said she has parked further from the front door of a business for less savory experiences: “If I park on Monroe and look at the brewery, it’s no further than I have to walk when I go to Wal-Mart or Meijer.” Hubbard said the closeness of downtown parking options hasn’t caused clashes between the businesses: “We share employees as well as customers. Collaboration is the new competition. The Finches are terrific people and good customers of Rough Draft. Kevin comes in almost everyday for coffee and cookies. Our staff eats next door regularly. We’re all in this risky business together and we have mutual respect for each other. I wish Hillsdale Brewery all the best and I want to support them in their endeavor wholeheartedly. If I had an extra parking lot I wasn’t using I’d happily share it with them.”

found a gun in a 13-year-old student’s bag and called the Hillsdale County Sheriff ’s Office to handle the situation. No one was injured, and the student was handed over into the county court system’s custody. The Pittsford gun threat was just one of the 41 threats of violence in Michigan public schools since the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, captured national public attention. Parker said in a press re-

lease that the national concern is at its heart a local issue and the state needs to be ready to handle it accordingly “Here in Hillsdale County we have had our own round of threats, violence and weapons brought into our schools,” he said. “These proposals by law enforcement, schools, and counseling organizations have a great potential to stem the tide of violence. It is my hope that the State of Michigan can come up with the needed funding to implement these programs.”

Sheriff Parker, state educators back Michigan School Safety Reform Plan “Our school systems are the feeder system to our future society. Ensuring that students can learn and be safe should be a priority.” the safety of school buildings and that schools enact measures to ensure mandatory reporting of threats to help

of a gun threat that forced Pittsford High/Middle School into a hard lockdown on March 14. School officials

A8 April 5, 2018

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Softball

Baseball saturday, mar.

Hillsdale

Upcoming

Cedarville

7 at Malone - 4:30 PM april

03 01

Hillsdale

monday, april

Cedarville

Hillsdale

Ohio Valley

friday, mar.

Hillsdale

Ohio Valley

02 00

Upcoming April 8 at Findlay - 12:00 PM at Findlay - 2:00 PM

Hillsdale

Ohio Valley

09 01

10 vs. Walsh - 3:30 PM vs Walsh - 5:30 PM april

10 01

Woman’s Tennis

Mar. 30 Hillsdale - 9 Ky. Wesleyan - 0

01 03

April 8 at Malone - 1:00 PM at Malone - 3:30 PM

19 07 Results

Hillsdale

2 Ohio Valley

Mar. 31 Hillsdale - 9 Cedarville - 0

Upcoming

April 7 vs. Alderson Broaddus 12:00 PM

Shotgun from A1

Senior Kie Kababik at this weekend's natonal competition. Amanda Klug | Courtesy

“I’ve made some of my best friends on the team and some great relationships. Being a part of a team is something I love, and being able to mix it with shooting is great,” Kababik said. “I’m glad I got to come to this college and do it.” Boyer also competed this weekend, scoring 99 points out of a possible 100 in the American skeet competition. He said the biggest challenge was having to maintain focus for seven hours a day, for six days. “When you finish competing, you start practicing for the next event,” Boyer said. To stay focused during

Men’s Tennis

Results

Mar. 31 Hillsdale - 8 vs. Cedarville - 1

competition, Boyer said he tries to distract himself during breaks by telling jokes and talking with teammates, while Hintz said he tries to remain focused for the entire day. “I keep myself from getting distracted by getting a song stuck in my head,” Hintz said. “The song changes, but during skeet it was ‘Location’ by Khalid.” As individual as this sport may be, each shooter works together to encourage and help teammates improve, the team members said. “Being able to shoot as a team is a really tremendous experience,” Boyer said. “This is one of the few times you actually get to shoot as a team.”

Senior Emanuel Boyer, sophomore Amanda Klug, junior Rylan Meares, sophomore Lucas Pieracini, and freshman Austin Coe at this weekend's national competition in San Antonio, Texas. Amanada Klug | Courtesy

Baseball from A10

to see Chargers being recognized for their performances over the past two seasons, his honor being the latest. Juniors Steven Ring and Colin Hites and sophomore Jacob Hoover all drove in a run in support of Kruse, giving the Chargers the 3-1 win. The Charger offense made itself known in game two, scoring 13 runs over the first three innings, eventually finishing the game with 19 runs on the board. Redshirt freshman Rob Zurawski and sophomore Dante Toppi each had three RBIs in the 19-7 win. Senior starter Phil Carey blanked the Yellow Jackets over the first four frames, before allowing a run in the fifth and finding a little trouble in the sixth, exiting the game with the Chargers ahead by a comfortable margin. On Sunday, The Chargers and the Fighting Scots faced off on the campus of Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. A cold day brought the Chargers their first-ever G-MAC loss, 3-1, although they outhit the Scots, 8-7. Despite taking the loss, sophomore Andrew Verbrugge was excellent in the effort, tossing a complete-game eight innings, allowing three earned on seven hits, striking out six. The strong starting pitching

on the weekend was more of the same for the Chargers, who are tied for the G-MAC lead with eight complete games this season. “It all starts with the guy in the middle of the diamond,”

“The North is going to beat up on each other a little bit. We just want to be the ones handing out the beatings.” Theisen said. “Our starting pitching has been outstanding and it has become the story of our first 12 games in conference.” Pitching coach Gordie Theisen attributes this to the mentality his pitchers are taking on the mound. “A lot of it is about their mental process and their willingness to play the game one pitch at a time,” he said. “They focus on the next pitch and they’re not going to let situations overwhelm them.” Ohio Valley opened the scoring in game two with a run in the bottom of the first, but sophomore starter

Kolton Rominski continued the pitching trend, coming back to throw the following five innings without allowing another run. Hillsdale trailed until Hoover scored on an error in the top of the third. After this, the Chargers took the lead in the fifth on an O’Hearn single, never again relinquishing, but instead pouring on the insurance runs, including a home run from Ring. Junior Dylan Lottinville put the exclamation point on the game with his first home run of the season in the seventh inning, bringing the game to its 10-1 final. Eric Theisen said his team is starting to settle into its roles. This is prominent in a group of hitters who like to call themselves the “top bottoms.” Made up of Toppi, Hoover, O’Hearn, and Hites — often the Chargers’ six, seven, eight, and nine hitters, in some order — the “top bottoms” take pride in serving as a type of top of the order in the bottom slots, according to O’Hearn. “We take pride in our speed and it’s kind of like a second top in that second half of the lineup,” O’Hearn said. “Our goal is to get on base, anyway, anyhow, and apply pressure by taking bags.” The team’s ability to contribute within such roles is going to be paramount this weekend, when it heads to Canton, Ohio, to face the

Malone Pioneers in a fourgame set. The Pioneers feature strong starting pitching, equaling the Chargers with eight complete games in

Upcoming

April 8 vs Davis & Elkins TBA

Freshmen shine for women’s track By | Anna Timmis Assistant Editor

The women’s track team finished in fourth place at the Cincinnati Outdoor Invite, its second meet of the outdoor season. At University of Cincinnati on Saturday, the distance runners, having sat out of the first outdoor meet, joined the rest of their. Taking the win in one event and coming in close in others, the Chargers competed hard against Division I teams. Freshmen Carmen Botha and Callie Townsend continue to set themselves apart, finishing second and third respectively in the 400 hurdles, accomplishing personal bests. Botha said while the wind may have affected their 100 hurdles, it didn’t hinder a decided victory in the 400 hurdles. “There was one girl that goes to Miami in Ohio and we were kind of worried about her, and then we ended up beating her so that was really cool,” she said. Botha said she would have liked to finished with an even better time. “I had a bit of a slow start going out, so my first two hundreds bit was a bit slow, but it ended out really well,” Botha said. “I mean I had a really good race, solid, race, so I’m happy with it.” With the opening season, and the change of events from indoor, distance athletes have more events to compete in. Senior team captain Andrea G-MAC play. Hillsdale can expect this sort of challenge to persist the rest of the season, as they head into North Division play.

Bodary and Senior Emily Southgate both ran in the 10k, Southgate’s first outdoor meet of the season, and first ever race in the event. “It’s a new event,” Southgate said. “And we didn’t approach it as a race, we just approached it as a workout, ending as a race. And I thought it went well for that.” She said that she got out of the race what she needed to. Though competing with Division I athletes, she said only about nine athletes competed in the event and she didn’t have trepidation about the race. As a distance runner, Southgate doesn’t race as often as her teammates in other events. The 10k, an outdoor-only event, takes more time to train for and recover from. Southgate said she would only race the event twice this season. Senior legacy team captain Rachael Tolsma took third in the hammer throw. Switching from weight throw to hammer has been an adjustment with a difference in technique, Tolsma said. “For me, outdoors is a whole different animal,” she said about transitioning from the indoor track season. “Really only shot put is the same.” She said that between the first meet and Saturday’s, they’ve shifted technique, with better results. Even when some members of the team didn’t reach their goals, Southgate said she’s excited about the team’s progress after seeing them compete well in Cincinnati.

“The North is going to beat up on each other a little bit,” Eric Theisen said. “We just want to be the ones handing out the beatings.”

Junior Steven Ring celebrates a double in a game earlier this season. Trish Verbrugge | Courtesy

The Masters By | Ryan Goff Collegian Freelancer

There’s a whole world out there. In the heat of the semester at Hillsdale, it can be easy to forget that. But while we are lost in our study of the western tradition, a dedicated group of people from across the world look to Augusta, Georgia, and get lost in “a tradition unlike any other.” The first week in April, every golfer knows, is appropriately called “Masters Week.” For those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to spend this week in Augusta, this looks a lot like the hysteria caused by the first few rounds of March Madness.The golfers among us will endlessly stream footage on their phones and laptops, scroll through the leaderboard, and become enchanted once more by green jackets and greener fairways. Every sport has its heroes, and golf is no different. This April, Tiger Woods makes his return to the Masters after missing the last two due to injury. The four-time Masters champion is in good form leading up to the event,

Sports MEN'S TENNIS TOPS CEDARVILLE

April 5, 2018 A9

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finishing tied for fifth at 10-under par at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and a tied-second 9-under par the week prior at the Valspar Championship. Also drawing attention, Rory McIlroy aims to complete a career grand slam by winning the Masters. Having won the other three major championships in his successful career, this one remains elusive, ever since having his best chance at victory slip away on the back nine in 2012. McIlroy won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 18-under par, and will likely have a strong finish this year at Augusta. For some, however, the best part of the Masters is the lack of predictability. The favorites rarely win comfortably. Inevitably, someone the commentators didn’t expect to do well shows up in the final few pairings on Saturday and Sunday. Everything that happens seems to be historical in some way. The first round of play begins Thursday morning, April 5, and concludes on Sunday, April 8. Watch it on CBS or streamed from Masters.com on someone’s phone in class.

Sophomore Charlie Adams wins third G-MAC Player of the Week

By | Scott McClallen Assistant Editor The Hillsdale men’s tennis team rolled over Cedarville University 8-1 on Saturday to move to a four-match win streak. The Chargers swept singles matches and took home two doubles wins. Sophomore Milan Mirkovic won No. 1 singles 6-0, 6-1. Sophomore Charlie Adams seized No. 2 singles 6-4, 6-1. Senior captain Dugan Delp was a No. 3 singles winner 6-4, 6-1. Junior John Ciraci won No. 4 singles 6-1, 6-1. Sophomore Michael Szabo defended No. 5 singles 6-3, 6-2. Freshman Gabe Katz won No. 6 singles, continuing his fifth consecutive singles win. Junior Justin Hyman and Adams took No. 1 doubles 8-4. Sophomore Julien Clouette and Mirkovic easily won No. 3 doubles 8-0. On Tuesday, Adams was named G-MAC’s men’s tennis Player of the Week for the third time this season. Adams is on a seven-match singles winning streak, and his doubles team with Hyman is ranked No. 46 in the NCAA. Head tennis coach Keith Turner said the Yellow Jackets improved since their last match.

“They came out and fought made some of the matches interesting,” Turner said. Turner said Delp and Mirkovic played well in singles. “Milan continued to play well,” Turner said. “No. 3 doubles quickly took care of business.” Clouette said the weather affected their performance, especially that of No. 2 doubles. “It was really cold and windy so it was tricky to play because the level of play kind of evens out so even if you’re much better than the guy, in the wind and tough conditions, anything can happen,” Clouette said. Turner said he crafted the Chargers schedule to prepare them to finish G-MAC competition strong. “I set up the schedule, so we’re supposed to play some good matches to get prepared for them,” Turner said. “That’s why I scheduled the Lewis match this week, which was canceled.” Clouette said the team couldn't get complacent. “We are facing two of the toughest teams in the conference,” Clouette said. “Even though we beat them earlier this season, it means nothing. We have to try to play as seriously as we can. But anything

Senior Dugan Delp and junior John Ciraci in a doubles match earlier this season. Scott McClallen | Collegian

can happen, especially since we are playing outside — you never know the conditions.” Clouette said the G-MAC tournament seed is decided by conference record, and predicted Hillsdale playing against Cedarville in the first round, and then either against Walsh or Findlay in the championship.

Hillsdale is 9-6 on the season and 5-0 in the G-MAC. The Chargers will face Davis & Elkins University on April 8. Turner said he’s using the short break to rest two injured players, Hyman and Ciraci, to face Walsh and Findlay on April 14 and 15.

second place in the hammer throw and fourth in the discus. “For me personally the meet went really well,” Chapek said. “I threw both hammer and discus. Hammer was OK, but it wasn’t what I expected. Discus I got really close to the provisional mark. That’s one of my goals this season to qualify in discus for NCAAs.” Thomsen took fourth in the pole vault and ninth in the

long jump to add to the list of top 10 finishes. “They were average marks for me,” Thomsen said of his performances. “Lately I haven’t been performing at the level I feel like I’m supposed to. But it was a good step in the right direction to get back on track.” The team will have another chance to improve on its performances this weekend at home during the Hillsdale Invitational.

Full squad comes together in strong men’s track showing By | Regan Meyer Collegian Freelancer With distance runners, sprinters, and field athletes all together for the first time this outdoor season, the Charger men delivered solid performances across the board. Head coach Andrew Towne said the team improved on its performance from the meet prior. “It was solid,” Towne said. “The weather was OK for us. We had some improved

things. It was definitely a better meet than last week.” The team traveled to the University of Cincinnati for the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational to take on the Bearcats as well as Miami of Ohio, Ball State, Xavier, and a few other mid-majors. The invite saw the Charger distance side compete for the first time this outdoor season. Towne said his athletes ran well, with a couple of top ten finishes in the distance races.

“The first meet you just have to get going,” Towne said. “Very rarely is the first meet your best meet. But you need to be able to get out there and compete again. You need to see where you’re at. We’ve really stressed just competing this season and I think that went a little better this week than last week.” A few standout performances also came from the field with senior Daniel Chapek’s discus and sophomore

Ryan Thomsen’s pole vault and long jump. Towne said Chapek had a strong performance the week before and is continuing to improve. “Daniel Chapek was pretty solid the week before,” Towne said. “He didn’t throw as far in the hammer this week, but he threw a little farther in the discus. That was good. Daniel basically started the meet for us.” Chapek said discus went well for him, as he took

Women’s tennis pushes G-MAC win streak to three By | Breana Noble Editor-in-Chief

Freshman Hannah Cimpeanu serves in a match earlier this season. Breana Noble | Collegian

Two more sweeps by the women’s tennis team this weekend have left Hillsdale College 3-0 in its new conference without surrendering a single match point. “I think it’s just a nice way to be rewarded,” head coach Nikki Walbright said. “Everybody has contributed, and the girls have been working really hard. It’s a nice way to start the year.” High off being nationally ranked in Division II at No. 47 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association for the first time, the Chargers showed no mercy over Easter weekend, shutting out Kentucky Wesleyan University 9-0 on Friday and Cedarville University 9-0 on Saturday. The perfect weekend and its sixth win in a row leaves Hillsdale 8-4 overall. “The other teams have been really nice, have good sportsmanship, and we have good things to learn from them,” Walbright said. “Our girls are just better players, I think.” Despite traveling nearly

900 miles over two days, the Chargers managed to stay positive, energetic, and confident in game play, Walbright said. “I was proud the girls stayed focused, despite all of the time in the van,” she said. In Owensboro, Kentucky, on Friday, Hillsdale faced Kentucky Wesleyan, with the three singles courts dominating 6-0, 6-0. That came just after Hillsdale’s doubles teams garnered a total of 24 games to Kentucky’s five. “They did their job quickly and confidently,” Walbright said. “We looked like the better team.” In singles, sophomore Katie Bell at No. 2, junior Corinne Prost at No. 4, and junior Madeline Bissett at No. 6 all swept their competition. Prost said it is her teammates who push her in matches and practices. Knowing they’re there to support her drives her to stay focused through the final point, she said. “Our team strives to uphold the mindset, ‘How can I help my teammates improve?’ whether on the court or in the weight room,” she said. “I can thank my team for giving their personal best each day,

because that's where my success comes from.” At No. 1 singles, junior Halle Hyman won 6-1, 6-0. Freshman Hannah Cimpeanu at No. 2 won 6-0, 6-1, and sophomore Kamryn Matthews won 6-1, 1-1. Doubles play, however, had set the tone for the wins. Keeping up with previous weeks, Bissett and Matthews won 8-1 at No. 3 doubles. At No. 1, Bell and Prost won 8-2, while Cimpeanu and Hyman also were victorious 8-2 on court two. “All nine positions had awesome matches,” Walbright said. “Everybody was confident. We were very strong, top to bottom.” After dominating the Panthers, the Chargers traveled to Ohio to squash the Yellow Jackets on Saturday at Cedarville University’s Johnson-Murdoch Tennis Complex. Right away, Hillsdale proved itself on top. Bell and Prost at No. 1 doubles won 8-0. Cimpeanu and Hyman followed closely behind at No. 2, winning 8-2. At No. 3, Bissett and Matthews were victorious 8-4. The women kept up the energy into singles com-

petition. Cimpeanu at No. 2, Matthews at No. 5, and Bissett at No. 6 shut out their opponents 6-0, 6-0. Hyman at No. 1 took care of business, winning 6-3, 6-1. So did Bell at No. 3 with a 6-0, 6-2 win, and Prost at No. 4 won 6-2, 6-1. Walbright said both teams did keep the Chargers on their toes, testing their footwork and hustle to set the pace of the game and be quick to get each ball. Such activity along with doubles play and shot selection will be of focus over the next few weeks as G-MAC competition continues to ramp up. This weekend, the Chargers, who have been voted No. 1 in the conference by G-MAC coaches, face Alderson Broaddus University for the first time at noon on Saturday and Davis & Elkins College at 1 p.m. on Saturday at home. “It’s tough to know how it’ll go, because we’ve never played them,” Walbright said, “But we’re hoping to have similar results to this weekend. Still, we’re taking them seriously, and we’ll do our best.”

Charger Chatter: Gordie Theisen What’s your history in baseball?

Charger Athletics | Courtesy

Gordie Theisen is an assistant coach for the Hillsdale College baseball team.

Is baseball the best sport?

Well, I’m old. So I grew up playing, I was a high school teacher and coach for a few years and this is my 13th year as a college baseball coach. And when I played I was a catcher, though I played a lot of positions, I was mostly a catcher.

If you could coach or play any other sport, what would it be?

What is it like coaching with your son?

It's actually my daughter’s dog, my granddog. She’s a Pomeranian, about eight or nine pounds. So I get her two or three times a year for a few days or a week or something. She’s awesome. She’s five and a half.

It gets better every year and it's better when we’re playing well too. But there’s no doubt it's better than anybody could imagine.

When I was a high school teacher I coached football and basketball, so I would probably say, football. What about your dog?

Well, comparison is the thief of happiness. So I would say that one of the things that I like about baseball is that it is a true team sport. Because when the game is on the line at the end of the game, you can’t always have your best hitter at the plate or your best pitcher on the mound. You have to follow your batting order and your best pitcher might have pitched yesterday and is not available today. So it’s a true team sport. What's the most exciting game you’ve ever coached or played?

There’s been thousands of games so, no. I don’t think I could pick one out. Who is your favorite MLB team? Tigers. Heck yeah, the Tigers. I was born in Detroit. What’s your favorite kind of music? Country music. Especially new country and up and coming country artists. Right now probably Walker Hayes, Steve Moakler, and Kane Brown.

-Compiled by Abigail Liebing

Charger Charger Chatter Assistant baseball coach Gordie Theisen talks about coaching with his son, his favorite kind of music, and his love for the game. A9

APRIL 5, 2018

The Masters A tradition unlike any other begins this Thursday in Augusta, Georgia, with familiar faces and young blood gunning for the prized green jacket. A9

Outdoor track The men's and women's track teams competed at the University of Cincinnati over the weekend. Women's A8, Men's A9

Sophomores Chris Stewart (38) and Jake Hoover (7) greet sophomore Dante Toppi (14) after a home run in a game earlier this season. Trish Verburgge | Courtesy

BASEBALL ENTERS DIVISION PLAY FIRST IN G-MAC By | Stevan Bennett Jr. Sports Editor Twelve games into the G-MAC season, the Hillsdale College baseball team (14-15, 11-1 G-MAC) is the king of the North. After a 3-1 Easter weekend against the Cedarville Yellow Jackets (6-16, 2-8 G-MAC) and the Ohio Valley Fighting

Scots (11-18, 2-10 G-MAC), the Chargers sit atop the G-MAC North Division and the conference as a whole heading into divisional play. “Everyone has started to figure out what they can do to help the team win,” head coach Eric Theisen said. “Whether it be in the dugout, on the field, charts, scouting reports, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is figuring out, ‘Hey,

I can have an impact and I can help this team win.’” While Theisen and his players said they are happy with the 11-1 conference start, they said they were disappointed after their loss to Ohio Valley on Monday, something senior Ryan O’Hearn said is indicative of where the team is at. “If you told the team we would’ve been 11-1 to start

plate, and our defense was pretty much perfect all day. Our pitchers played good defense too.” The Charger bats came around in game two, starting out the first inning with three runs from Kish, Marra, and sophomore shortstop Sam Catron. “We’ve really struggled with putting runs together and getting people on and scoring them,” Taylor said. “Finally getting those runs will lead us into this weekend well.” Hillsdale put together two more three-run innings to end the game early in a 9-1 win. In the bottom of the third, a 2-RBI single from senior third baseman Kelsey Gockman scored Taylor and freshman outfielder Natalie Stepanenko, and then a single from San Juan brought Gockman home. “We were definitely more confident as a team and found that team mojo,” San Juan said. “It’s not that we didn’t have team chemistry before, but there was a hypeness that we hadn’t seen yet.” Although the Fighting Scots

managed a run in the top of the fifth, three more runs from San Juan, junior outfielder Carly Gouge, and Kish kept the game to five innings. In the circle, Weidinger secured her third win of the season during game two, striking out three batters and allowing three hits in five innings of work. “Dana came back after a rough away weekend and started the game strong with a lot of power,” Taylor said. The Chargers will face the University of Findlay Oilers (16-15, 6-0 G-MAC ) in a doubleheader this Sunday before returning for two more home games on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. against the Walsh University Cavaliers (13-11, 2-2 G-MAC). “We did really well this past weekend, and I think that’s going to give us a lot of confidence heading into this weekend,” San Juan said. “We’ll be facing stronger pitching, but now we know we can put the runs together.”

Softball sweeps home doubleheader vs. OVU By | Madeline Jepsen Science & Tech Editor Although it took a game for the bats to get warmed up, the Hillsdale softball team opened its first homestand of the season with a sweep of the Ohio Valley University Scots, improving to 4-2 in the G-MAC and 10-8 overall. “It was really a good day for us,” head coach Joe Abraham said. “At the start of the day, we weren’t even sure we were going to be able to play, but it ended up being a sunny day and we got two nice wins.” Game one against the Fighting Scots (2-20, 0-10 G-MAC) remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning, when freshman first baseman Emma Johnson managed a two-out, two-run single to score junior outfielder Katie Kish and junior second baseman Amanda Marra, both of whom drew walks earlier in the inning. “They had just changed pitchers, too, and that can be a really intimidating thing for freshmen especially,” sophomore catcher Sydney San Juan said. “She made it look so easy.” Johnson’s single ended up being the game winning hit as freshman pitcher Erin Hunt recorded her fifth win of the season, allowing only two hits and striking out eight in the 2-0 Charger victory. “We got fantastic pitching from both Erin Hunt and Dana Weidinger,” Abraham said. “They both just dominated. They threw strikes, they kept the pitch count down, and really gave us two good performances that we needed while our bats coming into the game were struggling.” Strong pitching performances were backed by equally strong defense across both games. “[Junior shortstop] Jessica Taylor played great at shortstop, and Amanda Marra had a good day at second base,” Abraham said. “Our catchers did really well behind the

Junior Katie Kish scores in the doubleheader agaisnt OVU. Madeline Jepsen | Collegian

G-MAC play, I think we would’ve been extremely happy,” O’Hearn said. “But after the loss there was a somber mood. I think it’s just because we’ve realized how good we are, and we’ve set really high expectations for ourselves.” These expectations are going to be tested in the coming weeks, as the Chargers turn their attention to G-MAC division opponents.

So far, North Division teams carry a 53-15 record over its South Division counterparts, a record which the Chargers contributed to against Cedarville. Game one of the doubleheader belonged to senior starter Will Kruse, who dominated the Yellow Jackets for all nine innings in a fashion which has become standard for him, allowing

only one unearned run on five hits. His 13 strikeouts earned him G-MAC North Division Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this week. “I’ve just been trying to trust my stuff… and know that it’s the hitter’s job to adjust to me, and I’m not going to adjust to him,” Kruse said. Kruse added that it’s nice

See baseball A8

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B1 April 5, 2018

Culture UNSPLASH

Steal me, sweet song: A singer’s path to finding her voice By | Mark Naida Assistant Editor Flying back from Boston after spring break, senior Susena Finegan remembered she was going to sing a solo in the orchestra’s performance of “Steal Me Sweet Thief,” an aria by Gian Carlo Menotti. After placing in January’s concerto competition, Susena will sing the song from “The Old Maid and the Thief ” along with the orchestra on May 10. On the plane, she took out her score, put her earbuds in, and played the song. Then, despite the tight quarters of the airplane, she began waving her arm in a conducting pattern. After a few moments, her neighbor turned to her and said, “Wow, are you a conductor?” It is a question that Susena scarcely believed anyone

would ask her four years ago. A graduate of Hillsdale High School, Susena participated in different school choirs, as well as the Hillsdale Arts Chorale, and sang solos of contemporary Christian music for her congregation growing up. But those experiences don’t make a complete musician, especially because until her freshman year, Susena had never had any private voice lessons. For her vocal audition to earn a scholarship to the college, she knew no appropriate repertoire. She had to learn arias in different languages. “There was a voice in there that I could hear, but it was tough getting it out,” Professor of Vocal Music Missy Osmond said. “Every once in a while it would come out and she would just about scare herself.”

Osmond and Susena admit there were problems in the beginning: sloppily intoned words, imprecise pitch, rhythmic inaccuracy. But they also agree those problems hardly exist these days. In one of her last rehearsals before her performance, Osmond, Susena, and senior accompanist Margaret Odell gather in Osmond’s office. Susena drops her music onto a piano and the trio decide to move the lesson to Conrad Recital Hall. Susena kicks her shoes off, drops her music folder on a stand a few feet away. She never opens it. Odell sits down at the piano and with a nod they launch together into the aria. All the doors are wide open, all the drawers are unlocked! He neither seems pleased or shocked. He eats and drinks and

Where did we get all these Snapchat filters? Over the past few years, art students have created geofilters that students have used all over campus By | Jordyn Pair News Editor Central Hall was one of the first to appear. Then one of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house. Then a Charger-blue pennant. It’s unclear exactly when Snapchat geofilters started showing up on Hillsdale College’s campus, but it’s still a fairly new phenomenon, with more being added each year. Bridget DeLapp ’17, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, designed and submitted one of the first filters to appear — a blue and white graphic of the sorority’s house. “We thought it would be a new, fun way to interact at our events,” DeLapp said. But getting it posted proved to be a hassle. “All sorts of things can get it rejected,” DeLapp said. “I submitted it probably 10 times with little, tiny tweaks.” DeLapp, an English and art major, said she submitted the filter largely without the sorority knowing, and when it was finally accepted she “freaked out and sent an allhouse email.” Senior Zane Miller said he also designed a campus fitler: the blue geofilter that appears in the Sage Center for the Arts. “I think I first saw the green clock tower filter my sophomore year, which inspired me to create a filter for Sage,” Miller said in an email. “I basically live in this building, why not make a filter to document my snaps from here?” Now, there are at least three college-specific geofilters, with several more specific ones scattered around campus. Two feature Central Hall, while one is a blue sports pennant. DeLapp said the process has grown slightly easier since she submitted her graphic. Now, it’s possible to design and submit a geofilter on Snapchat’s website, which is exactly what senior Charlie Yost did for a friend’s birthday party.

The first Hillsdale Snapchat filters appeared a few years ago. Madeline Fry | Collegian

“I wanted to get the word out there and let everybody know it was his birthday,” Yost said. “It probably took me 15 minutes.” Although it was free when DeLapp uploaded her filter, Snapchat has since monetized the process. It cost Yost roughly $15, between a $5 design and $10 activation fee. Still, he felt that it was worth it. “I think it was a huge success,” Yost said. “We had a lot of people at the party. I

think it helped get the word around.” Snapchat has also provided the option to design and upload animated lenses and filters, in addition to the geofilters. DeLapp’s geofilter is still up, but she said getting an indefinite filter is more difficult now. Her filter has maintained its popularity since its creation. “Girls still use it all the time,” she said.

sleeps, he talks of baseball and boxing, but that is all! She has known the aria for 8 months. The song has been memorized to the point where Susena hardly considers the lyrics. She feels the pulse of Odell’s accompaniment and sings with a mature vibrato with dramatic swells and pure floating tones that convey deep resentment, blind anger, and girlish love. Steal my lips, before they crumble to dust, Steal my heart, before death must, Steal my cheeks, before they’re sunk and decayed, Steal my breath, before it will fade. The final note resounds in the hall, then dissipates. Susena is at ease, slouched into a contrapposto. “Your rhythm was so good.

It was so good,” Odell said. “You didn’t second guess yourself, that’s the biggest thing.” Susena said she worried about conveying true emotions to the audience, but Osmond allayed her fears, urging the young singer to rely on her personal experiences and channel her emotions. “It is hard for a young singer who hasn’t had these experiences to emote about them,” Osmond said. “They can’t go inside of themselves to find that insecurity, that pain, that whatever that happens when you get your heart trounced on.” But she believes Susena, now 22 years old, has had experiences that help her perform the song. And the young singer agrees. “I haven’t really had to pretend because I can connect to it. I have felt the feelings:

anger, frustration, arrogance as I come to terms with my age. A senior like me can relate to that.” Osmond’s eyes lit up as she watched her student perform to an empty concert hall. “This voice is special, it can do anything. It can be huge, she can float a tone like nobody’s business,” she said. Susena will perform her senior recital “A Work in Progress” at 5 p.m. on Saturday. She said she chose the title because she feels she has developed her talents profoundly, but like all of us, she’s not there just yet. Then on May 10, Susena will share her gift, honed and polished over her time at Hillsdale, with a full crowd in Markel Auditorium. “God gave her a voice,” Osmond said. “She has now been able to do fabulous things with it.”

Culture

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

B2 April 5, 2018

‘Ready Player One’ is kind of cool and kind of boring By | Nic Rowan City News Editor “Ready Player One” may be the best movie of 2018 — but only if you transform your theater viewing into a multi-sensual experience. Here’s a short list of things my girlfriend Hannah and I did to keep ourselves from leaving the theater during this latest Steven Spielberg sci-fi trainwreck: 1. Engaged in a knuckle-biting thumb war 2. Re-learned binary code 3. Played a violent game of footsie that quickly became an all-out kick battle And that was only our strategy to keep from screaming. A grizzled old man in the back of theater opted to fall asleep. He snored so loudly — and so musically — that his own noises would wake him up. Each time this happened, he grunted to indicate he was sorry for disturbing the other moviegoers (Hannah, myself, and a two couples on a double date in the back of the theater). We forgave him. Actually, we cheered for him: Musical snoring beats the hodgepodge needle drops of Van Halen, Tears for Fears, and Twisted Sister that Spielberg kept throwing our way. But the movie. The movie. Based on Ernest Cline’s 2011 novel, “Ready Player One” is gutter post-modernity, a torrent of pop culture references that powerwashed our senses for two and a half hours. Minecraft. Batman. Alien. Aliens. Tron. Jurassic Park. All meaningless, of course. I counted 89 references to equally obscure and painfully obvious shards of pop culture from the 80s, 90s, and the early 2000s. Fear in a handful of dust kind of stuff. There was a plot, yes. It’s 2045 in Columbus, Ohio. Things are not too different — except about twenty years before, loser gamer nerdman James Halliday (Mark Rylance) created a virtual reality open world game system called the OASIS. Sick of a world that has become a giant Ohio — and justifiably so — everyone has decided to abandon life in the real world and live vicariously through Halliday’s system. “Reality is a bummer. Everyone is trying to escape,” the film’s basement dweller hero Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) tells us. But then Halliday dies, leaving behind a tripartite puzzle that involves a Wacky Races-style obstacle course to

a bronze key, a trip through the set of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” for a silver key, and finally a trek out on the ice to play the Atari game Adventure for a gold key. Put ’em all together and the winner gets a bunch of coins and control over the OASIS. Spielberg pits Wade and his motley cruë of VR gamers against Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), a cultural illiterate trying to take over the OASIS for financial gain. The odds are stacked against our heroes; they’re just kids and they don’t have the manpower to outgun Sorrento in the race for the OASIS. But because Wade is so culturally savvy (he knows that one “Citizen Kane” reference!), he has the knowledge to outwit Sorrento and breach the mind of the all-knowing Halliday, who designed his race so that only the nerdiest pop culture junkie could win. Kinda cool, kinda boring. Knowingly or not, Speilberg has created an inordinately long screed to people who have the experience, but miss the meaning. “Ready Player One” presents a world full of people who can quote movies or reference old commercials, for the sole purpose of knowing them. We see 30 years of pop culture flash before our eyes with no attempt to qualify why it even exists. When Hannah and I were sitting in the theater, this scared us. We hid behind our notebooks. But now, looking back, I think I understand. We didn’t see the movie in the optimal setting. When I was in highschool, I remember seeing the 2007 Will Smith movie, “Hancock,” over the course of several months. Every week or so, I would flip on the cable TV station FX, and the movie would be playing. I never saw it from start to finish, and I’m not even sure if I have seen the whole movie. But I believe I saw it properly. By seeing the movie in bits and pieces, I have a fragmented vision of what it means — and a self-endowed reflection on man’s imperfectability. “Hancock” is a movie about a shattered man unable to cope with the world. “Ready Player One” is about a shattered world unable to present any meaning to its viewers. I hope that one day I can turn on my TV and experience the latter in the same way I did the former. Broken, twisted, and utterly incomprehensible.

Big Band to perform jazz this weekend By | Rowan Macwan Collegian Reporter

Hillsdale College’s Big Band will perform with guest drum soloist Jim Rupp at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7 in the Markel Auditorium in the Sage Center for the Arts. “This is the big finale of the year for the big band,” Director of Jazz Ensembles Chris McCourry said. “We have been working toward these concerts since the beginning of the year.” The Big Band will play a variety of music, according to senior Julia Hoyda, who is playing lead trumpet. “We’re not playing just standard swing charts. There are a lot of Latin pieces mixed in, and the whole program is a hodgepodge of styles within jazz,” Hoyda said. Rupp said his favorite song he will perform with the Big Band is “Pools.” “It’s a very sideways groove, and the [John] Fedchock arrangement is very creative,” he said. Rupp first played with

Hillsdale College in 2012 at the first annual Liberal Arts Jazz Festival. “I had a wonderful time with the band and faculty, and I’m looking forward to coming back this week,” he said. Rupp has played drums and percussion for 52 years, 39 of them professionally, spending many of those years traveling around the U.S. and internationally. The Big Band performers are relatively young this year, as only six members returned from last year. “I’m impressed by how fast we’ve grown and built back up to nearly the same level of repertoire,” Hoyda said. “Our first afterglow in the fall was the best afterglow the band has played in any of my four years.” Hoyda said the performers will continue to match the talent of past years this weekend. “There’s a lot to be expected from this group, both now and in the future,” Hoyda said. “We had big shoes to fill from last year but they fit pretty well, all thing considered.”

Eleonore Stump and the problem of pain By | Hannah Niemeier Senior Writer “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” It’s a good question, and philosopher Eleonore Stump thinks we misread God’s answer to Job’s questioning of his goodness. We often say, with Job’s friends, that God tells him to sit down and stop asking questions: “Just,” stoic Christian soldiers say, “suffer. Faith is dark; on this side of the veil, keep the faith.” But that only makes Job’s questions more pressing: “The question posed to religious belief by the problem of suffering is whether there is a morally sufficient reason for God to allow suffering,” Stump writes in “Wandering in Darkness,” a work of analytic philosophy and theology that, through the theodicy of Thomas Aquinas, wrestles with the question that is the greatest challenge to Christianity — and also its answer: If God is good, why do we suffer? Stump has spent much of her career developing medieval answers to the problem of evil in light of modern philosophy, psychology, and theology: “Even in the hardest of cases, then, on the Thomistic defense there is a point to the suffering; there is both flourishing and fulfillment of the heart’s desires.” How? This Friday, Stump will visit campus to address two questions that flow from Job’s theodicy questions, and ours: In her lecture “Guilt and Forgiveness,” at 4 p.m. in Phillips Auditorium, she will ask, through an analysis of Simon Wiesenthal’s “The Sunflower,” whether those who cause great suffering (here, the Holocaust) must always be forgiven. At 7:30 p.m., she will expand a theme from “Wandering in Darkness”: the “desires of the heart” that, when they are denied, cause Job’s descendants to challenge God’s goodness. “Dr. Stump is a leading expert on the work of Thomas Aquinas, medieval philosophy, and philosophy of religion,” said Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy Ian Church, who worked with Stump at Saint Louis University for two years on her project about intellectual humility. Her approach to the problem of evil through the lens of Christian philosophy

and Scripture is part of a recent resurrection of religious thinkers’ role in theodicies: “Eleonore is working out of an analytic, Thomist perspective,” Church said. “In the early 20th century, the philosophical climate was such that it was almost impossible to be a Christian philosopher who was read with interest in the secular academy; after the fall of logical positivism in the mid-20th century, the philosophical literature saw a renaissance of activity from Christian philosophers.” This revival reached Hillsdale’s campus long before the philosopher herself; last fall, students interrogated Stump’s theodicy in a Collegiate Scholars Program seminar on Stump’s “Wandering in Darkness,” taught by Assistant Professor of Philosophy Blake McAllister. In the work, Stump argues that the Biblical stories about the Israelites in the Old and New Testaments address the problem of suffering in great psychological depth through the literary mode, one that presents God’s personal relationship with his people, his desire for their growth, in Aquinas’s terms, of their understanding of the goodness of God and their desire for unity with him — precisely through their struggles with understanding and conforming themselves to his plan. “What I appreciated [about “Wandering”] was the organizational aspect — her systematic approach was a good framework. It’s not like I learned something that I was totally unaware of, but I was trying to understand things I have felt and seen in others,” sophomore Michelle Reid said. “Narrative is helpful because it’s not just the problem of evil in the abstract, but within the full context of the suffering. It’s easy to distance ourselves from the problem and talk about a theoretical genocide or rape, but outside the person’s narrative, we’re not talking about the same thing. We’re not dealing with the depths of the suffering.” Stump calls this a “second-person” approach; readers of Biblical narrative enter the place of a character and experience, through the story, their individual sufferings, discovering that the “desires of their hearts” (a Stumpian concept) are redeemed and glorified.

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“What does it take to redeem suffering — to defeat evil, as philosophers say?” Stump write in “Wandering.” “What looks perplexingly blank in the abstract has handholds for our thought when we think about the question in connection with a story … If, in the end, Mary Magdalene herself would prefer her life to the suffering in it, if she would be unwilling to lose what the loss of the suffering would take from her, then, for her, the suffering is surely redeemed.” Abraham’s test brings him more than he knew he wanted: a son, a nation, a certainty that he is a chosen man of God. Samson, after a life of rebellion, redeems his legacy in a gallows of his own fabrication. Mary of Bethany is elevated for her faith in anointing Jesus, and after: He treats the lowly woman as a special friend. Job receives a personal answer from a God whose power, he feared, overshadowed his love. God’s people flourish; they know God. Stump, then, expands on the core of Thomistic theodicy — that God’s love means sharing his goodness and bringing them into union with him; this is personal and orders each individual around the good — to ask how suffering can make sense in the hardest cases. What about unanswered prayers? What about people whose suffering breaks them? What about Job’s first family? In one of our last classes, we talked about how when Samson was in prison, he went through a change of heart. He was changed by his suffering,” Reid said. “That’s all well and good, but what about people who go through suffering without a change of heart? What causes someone to turn to God and someone else to turn away from him?” And in heaven? “Stump is not just trying to justify the sufferings of direct evil against people; she’s also trying to deal with the suffering that comes from losing heart’s desires: these things we want in this world and don’t always get,” junior Gill West said. On Stump’s model, these desires are “refolded” into their fullest desire — Christ — after death. They are given back. “You have a desire for a specific thing, like, ‘I want to go work at this company,’ and

then you never get the job at the company,” West said. You pray for a spouse; you die single. You lose a child. You lose your sight, your sanity. You are Job, and your family is chosen as a holocaust. “I’m still having trouble understanding how it is that desires that seem so attached to this world can be fulfilled in the same way that they were desired in this world,” West said of his reflections on the Stump seminar. “It seems not true that even when you’re in union with Christ, that specific desire is fulfilled even though you have all you could ever want in union with Christ.” There’s more to it than this — theodicy is larger than we are, but that doesn’t mean we shy away from questioning God, philosophy, religion, Job. And there are partial answers, ones that illuminate our lives. Reid invoked Stump’s discussion of shame and guilt as something oft felt, but never so well expressed: “Her definition of shame was so helpful in dealing with people who are experiencing it, whose shame makes them think, ‘I don’t deserve good things. People don’t want to be in union with me.’ And people who suffer from guilt think, ‘I’m bad because I’ve done bad things,’” she said. “Forgiveness is an answer there. You tell the person, ‘You are lovely, and you are worthy to be loved.’ This is what our souls crave, and as an individual interacting in a community, it’s a helpful way to love each other better.” Forgiveness, guilt, suffering, are insoluble in the abstract; approachable in the interpersonal. But, as will be clear in Stump’s Friday lectures about human limits in forgiving genocide, of consoling the desires of the heart, the cosmic plan is still obscure. The answer, as the foundations of the earth shake so violently, was best expressed in a wall carving at Auschwitz by an anonymous poet whose hard-earned theodicy now serves as the epigraph to “Wandering in Darkness”: “There is grace, though, and wonder, on the way. Only they are hard to see, hard to embrace, for those compelled to wander in darkness.”

Art show combines young, wild, and free By | Theresa Smith Collegian Freelancer Friendship and the primary colors are at the heart of the upcoming art show “Young, Wild, and Free,” which will display the artwork of seniors Rachael Reynolds, Emily Rinaldi, and Anna Zemaitaitis April 8-13 in the Daughtery Gallery. During an opening reception on April 8 from 6-8 p.m., the three seniors will present their work from their years as art majors. The labels of each piece will be color-coded with the primary colors — blue, yellow, and red — to match the theme “Young, Wild, and Free.” “We each picked a main theme color,” Reynolds said. “Anna is light blue, Emily is mustard yellow, and I am deep red.” Rinaldi said she thought the color theme fit perfectly. “Anna is young, I kind of have a crazy side, and Rachael is free,” she said. “She’s very independent, new, and modern.” Zemaitaitis said she is not the youngest of the three. “But I’m probably the most

naive one,” she said with a laugh. While they will display at least 25 works of art each, Reynolds, Rinaldi, and Zemaitaitis have their own unique focuses. Reynolds said the main theme of her art is nature, “both human and wildlife.” While she will display three sculptures, three paintings, and two drawings, Reynolds mainly focuses photography. Among the 21 photographs in her show, a photography project from the fall 2017 semester titled “Garden” is one she is proud to feature. To combine humanity and wildlife, Reynolds said all of the images in this project are portraits of individuals with “plants used as sculptural elements that are specific to the personality of the subjects.” Rinaldi will show paintings and drawings, but she is excited for the main portion of her show: photography. One of Rinaldi’s featured photographs from 2016 is a blackand-white photograph of a woman gazing out a window, “A Modern Cindy Sherman.” To create this photograph,

(Left to right) Seniors Anna Zemaitaitis, Emily Rinaldi, and Rachael Reynolds will present their senior art show Sunday. Rachael Reynolds | Courtesy

Rinaldi imitated the style and lighting Cindy Sherman’s photography. Zemaitaitis’ show includes drawings, paintings, and one sculpture. She is excited to feature her oil painting “October Beginning,” a scene from the Arboretum. Zemaitaitis said she enjoyed painting it for her oil painting class in the fall 2017 semester. “The art show is really

going to be a nice balance because Rachael and Emily will have a lot of photography, and I have zero photography,” Zemaitaitis said. The three seniors plan to intermix their works throughout the gallery for the show. “It will be just for one week,” Zemaitaitis said, “but it represents our whole career here at Hillsdale.”

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Science & Tech

Student examines link between ticks and disease By | Abigail Liebing Assistant Editor Ticks stopped bothering senior biology major Randi Block after she had to collect and crack them open for a year’s worth of research. Block studied the American dog tick as a carrier of rickettsia, a pathogenic bacteria that causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Even though she said ticks disgusted her at the beginning of the project, she still decided to follow Associate Professor of Biology Jeffrey VanZant’s suggestion to research them. “My original question was looking at the population of

deer ticks which carry Lyme disease and they were unknown whether they were present in Hillsdale County,” Block said. “I had all the primers to run stuff for Lyme disease detection, but we never actually found any deer ticks.” But after months of hard work, Block did discover that there are ticks carrying rickettsia in Hillsdale County and in Northern Michigan, where Hillsdale’s G.H. Gordon Biology Station is located. Although a majority of ticks carry a noninfectious form of rickettsia, Block looked for the presence of a

surface protein that is commonly found in ticks carrying an infectious form of rickettsia. “We found that in Hillsdale County, about 10.8 percent of ticks carry rickettsia, which means they can cause disease. I also did the same study up in Lake County, which is where we have our biostation, and up there it was about 7.2 percent,” Block said. In order to begin her search for rickettsia, she first had to collect hundreds of ticks. She began collecting them at the bio station and in Hillsdale County last summer. Block collected about 250

Senior Randi Block collected, measured, and analyzed approximately 250 ticks for her research project. Randi Block | Courtesy

dog ticks by dragging a piece of canvas through brush and grass for the ticks to grab on to. “Then you check your legs, because they are also all over you,” Block said. “So you get about half on the canvas, half on yourself, pluck them off, and stick them in ethanol.” During collection, Block had the help of sophomore Luke Woltanski in gathering the ticks, even though he said he was originally terrified of the critters. “I got to draw this big corduroy cloth all over these areas at the biostation,” Woltanski said. “We put our bodies on the line for it. There was one that Dr. Houghton had to pull out of the back of my head. He really got in there and in his effort to dig in under the tick’s mouthpiece, he rammed my head into the table. It was hilarious.” Block said she also quickly got over her aversion to ticks. “You get past a certain point where you are just covered with like 20 of them, and you don’t even care anymore, you just get them off,” Block said. After Woltanski helped Block collect all her ticks, sophomore Andrew Rademacher helped her with DNA sequencing in the lab. While working in the conservation genetics lab, Rademacher ended up playing a significant role in the ticks’ genetic analysis. Rademacher had to rep-

Senior Randi Block collected, measured, and analyzed approximately 250 ticks for her research project. Randi Block | Courtesy

licate and extract the DNA from the ticks so that Block could determine whether or not that particular tick carried the bacteria. “I would homogenize the ticks, so basically destroy it, and pull all the DNA out. Then from that DNA, I would take it and I would optimize for a system called PCR, which then replicates a single strand to an obscene amount,” Rademacher said. Based on the analysis, Block determined that some of the ticks containing the surface protein only contained an older form of rickettsia — not the rickettsia that causes spotted fever. It is unclear whether that older form of rickettsia can cause disease, Block said.

Optimization usually takes several months, but Rademacher was lucky and found effective PCR conditions in only two weeks. But even with this good luck, there was a lot of hard work he had to put in. “It smelled bad,” Rademacher said. “Ticks have a really weird smell, and they look alive no matter what you do. You poke them and even when they’re dead, they move. But it was fun.” Luckily neither Block, Woltanski, or Rademacher contracted any diseases after dealing with ticks for months. “I only got bit once,” Block said. “And the tick that bit me didn’t have rickettsia — I checked.”

Water regulations affect California conservation

Student presentation makes the case for deregulation, creation of water markets By | Madeleine Jepsen Science & Tech Editor Too often, governmental regulation forces a decision between the environment and the economy — but that doesn’t have to be the case, according to senior Katie Wright, who gave a lecture about California’s water regulation system March 29. Wright said the environment is considered a public good, since one person’s consumption doesn’t affect another’s consumption. “After all, if you don’t use it now, someone else will,” Wright said. “Even if your intention is to conserve, your efforts could be cancelled out by someone else.” In the Eastern United States, where water is plentiful, landowners are given water rights, but they don’t own the water itself. “That approach would be problematic for states like California, where any water use necessarily means that someone else is getting less,” Wright said. “This is why a different system evolved in the Western United States.” Instead, California uses a priority-based system that developed during the influx of miners during the California Gold Rush. “It is assumed that users will have access to different amounts of water during times of drought, and consequently, the issue that needs to be addressed is who gets the water, not how much,” Wright

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said. California’s use of prior appropriation, however, creates a problem of free-riding, which occurs when someone else can take part in a costly activity without having to pay the price, Wright said. She compared the problem of free-riding to borrowing swipes from

“Price may have motivated his decision, but conservation was the result.” a friend’s larger meal plan. “Rivalrous users have an incentive to free-ride off of non-rivalrous users, and it just so happens that non-rivalrous uses oftentimes promote conservation,” Wright said. “This does not incentivize environmental users to purchase a water share.” In California, the state currently uses a blend of prior appropriation and the command and control approach in which the state owns water rights and the California water board issues regulations. “Embedded in this approach is the assumption that only governments and experts know how to ration water effectively,” Wright said. “If left up to the individuals,

the only outcome would be unfair and detrimental to the environment. Consequently, the government intervenes to ration the water.” Economically, a lot is at stake during a drought. Reed Watson, executive director at the Property and Environment Research Center, estimated $900 million dollars were lost in crop revenues, $590 million in increased groundwater pumping costs, $350 million lost in dairy and livestock revenue, and more than 10,000 seasonal jobs were lost. “The implication of environmental scarcity reveals itself in our economy,” Wright said. “If this connection is so strong, why is it that legislation, especially in California, choose one without considering the other?” She cited California’s almond subsidies as an example of a regulation that encouraged the growth of a water-intensive crop. Wright said that since farmers must put their water to beneficial use in order to maintain their claim, conserving water is discouraged under the current system. “If farmers implement technology that conserves water, they’re not using their full water right and it could be taken away,” Wright said. “The result is that wasteful behavior is not mitigated, it is encouraged… Through intervention, California provides environmental quality as a public good, and doesn’t charge

Senior Katie Wright presented about California’s water regulations and their effect on conservation. Madeleine Jepsen | Collegian

citizens directly for protection of the environment.” As a result, individuals don’t realize the true cost of conservation and its value. As an alternative to the current system, Wright said water markets would promote water conservation — a system she said has demonstrated success in Australia. “In water markets, shareholders can freely trade and barter based on current scarcity,” Wright said. “Governments and nonprofits could purchase shares for municipal or environmental reasons, but they would be required to pay a price like everyone else…

No matter the environmental circumstance, shareholders receive compensation for their takings.” Wright said that this system promotes conservation of water since it becomes the most cost-effective practice. “Price may have motivated his decision, but conservation was the result,” she said. Wright also suggested the institution of water judges who can allow for efficient transfers of water shares between different parties — a more efficient alternative to California’s current bureaucratic transfer process. Transferable property rights

allow people to exchange their shares when they are most valuable, thereby promoting water conservation, Wright said. Conservation Club President senior Andrea Wallace said Wright’s presentation shed light on how real steps can be made to help conserve natural resources. “After hearing her talk last year on the privatization of endangered species, we really knew that we wanted her to give a talk for Conservation Club,” Wallace said. “Water conservation is a really important topic with very real implications.”

New type of drugs found to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Hubble Telescope uncovers galaxy without dark matter

Neuroscientists develop method to watch brain cells in real time

Bird’s eye protein contributes to ‘internal compass,’ study finds

A new class of antibiotics called retinoid antibiotics may give researchers and doctors a new tool in the fight against antibiotic-resistant infections such as MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study, published in Nature, outlines the retinoids’ effectiveness in killing a bacterial MRSA infection in mice. According to the study, the bacteria did not develop resistance to the new class of drugs after 100 days. Retinoids are in the same group of molecules as vitamin A and kill bacteria by disrupting activity in the cell membrane.

A collaboration involving multiple observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope has identified a galaxy missing most or all of the dark matter the researchers expected it to have, according to a report published in Nature. The researchers said this is the first time astronomers have found a galaxy lacking dark matter, and their discovery challenges the prevailing theories about galaxy formation. The galaxy, named NGC 1052-DF2, is approximately 65 light years from the Milky Way galaxy, and contains about 250 times less stars, according to the researchers.

A new technique that involves focusing different colors of light through a lens allows researchers to observe brain cells in mice models, according to a new report in Neuron. The technique allows researchers to study astrocytes, a star-shaped brain cell researchers said may play a role in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Huntington’s disease. The technique, which provides better magnification, has allowed researchers to observe the interaction between astrocytes and the junctions between neurons.

A newly identified protein in birds’ eyes may contribute to the bird’s ability to navigate during migration, according to studies published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface and Current Biology. The protein, called Cry4, is light-sensitive and can be found in the bird’s retina. The protein’s biophysical properties react to the earth’s magnetic field, thereby aiding the bird’s sense of direction. The researchers said their discovery marks the first time a single molecule responsible for the detection of magnetic fields has been identified in an animal.

Features

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Rosemary Pynes plans big for new women’s dorm By | Michael Lucchese Senior Writer Construction on the new residence hall for upperclasswomen may not even be completed yet, but that hasn’t stopped its house director-to-be Rosemary Pynes and the group of girls that will become its resident assistant team next year from setting ambitious goals for themselves. According to Rebekah Dell, associate dean of women, a new residence hall was necessary because Hillsdale College exceeded student capacity in currently existing on-campus residences. The administration determined that junior and senior women needed a new residence hall just for them. When the deans approached student leaders about what they thought would make a new residence hall fun to live in, they found what students really wanted was a building that could become more than just a place to sleep. They wanted a dorm that would become a community. “They have a twofold mission, as an RA team and as a residence hall,” Dell said. “First, to cultivate an excellent living environment for the residents. Second, to be a group of women who are invested in mentoring younger women and charging up the rest of campus.” For Pynes, a junior who currently serves as head RA of Olds Residence, that twofold mission is an opportunity for upperclasswomen to invest in the mission of the college and set an example for their younger peers of what it means to live in community. “Being off-campus can be a good environment for some people,” Pynes said. “But I think that some women move off campus and wind up slipping away from the wider Hillsdale community. Having women on campus is so important to make sure nobody becomes disconnected.” Everything about the new dorm — from the double-occupancy rooms to the coffee shop on the first floor — is specifically designed to foster exactly that kind of community. “So many of our students come from out-of-state, so we want the residence halls to

become a kind of home away from home for everyone,” Dell said. All residence halls that primarily house freshmen have adult house directors, but the deans said student house directors — such as Pynes — are great at fostering that sense of hospitality in upperclassmen dorms. “It’s a challenging leadership position, but Pynes exhibits a perfect marriage of responsibility and an ability to socially engage and communicate,” Dell said. “You need someone who you can rely on to get the job done, but also someone who will work well with others. Rosemary is very well-respected by her peers because of this, so we were very drawn to her when we were looking for a house director.”

nior] Shelby Bargenquast and I were walking through the student union and we bumped into one of the RAs we didn’t know very well, [now-senior] Claudia Sladick,” Pynes said. “She asked us to get a meal with her sometime, and that whole semester after we got that first meal, she was always checking in on us and I remember that relationship making me feel so loved.” Now, Pynes said that she hopes to bring that feeling to all of the young women in her care. She even said that her job as an RA isn’t something she has to carve time out of her busy schedule for — it’s the thing from which she has to carve time for other parts of her life, like academics and extracurriculars. “I’m so sad to graduate next year and give RAing

“Residence life gives you a chance to go back into [Plato’s] cave and help other people out, together.” A former Olds head RA, senior Emily Barnum, called Pynes “an absolute gem.” “She’s filled with such vibrant energy and love for other people, and she’s a wonderful woman of God,” Barnum said. “Rosemary is the best choice to be a house director. All the other dorms need to watch out — Simpson, she’s coming for your homecoming trophy!” Hannah Fleming ’17, another former Olds head RA, said that Pynes’s experience with Olds is part of what makes her so qualified for leading this new dorm. “I look up to Rosemary, even though I’m older than her. She carries a wisdom and a dignity well beyond her years,” Fleming said. “When she interviewed for her first RA position in Olds, she was shaking she was so nervous. I think it really showed just how much this job matters to her, and how much she cares.” Pynes pointed to an experience she had as a freshman in Olds as an example of why her job as an RA matters so much to her. “The second semester of my freshman year, [now-ju-

up, even though it’s one of the toughest things I’ve ever done,” Pynes said. “It has called strengths and virtues out of me I never even knew I had the capacity for. It’s the college experience I’ll talk about forever.” Annie Ingham, who will be the head RA of the new residence and currently works under Pynes as an RA in Olds said she sees residence life as one of the essential experiences of a liberal education. She pointed to a time that she and sophomore Michelle Reid stayed up late talking about Plato and philosophy. “I didn’t really know Michelle before she was on the Olds RA team with me this year. One night, she was sitting desk, and we wound up talking until four in the morning about what Plato meant by ‘coming out of the cave,’ and how Hillsdale’s doing that to us, Ingham said. “We’re just not able to do what we do without those kinds of discussions if we didn’t live in community with each other. The whole point of these things, after all, is learning how to love better. Residence life gives you a chance to go

vitae, letters of recommendation, teaching statement, transcripts, and — unique to Hillsdale — a response to the mission statement. “That mission statement response is something we all read and take very seriously because we want our faculty to buy into what the college is trying to do,” Maier said. Each department must take a list of candidates numbering in the hundreds and whittle it down to three or four candidates, whom the department invites to campus to interview in the spring. That’s when the hiring committee gets involved. Whalen and Maier appoint three people to the search committee from outside the hiring departments that represent each of the three divisions: natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. A search committee is made up of all full-time tenured or tenure-track members of the department who complement the dean of the division that the of the hiring department: Dean of Faculty Daniel Coupland, one member of the division not in the department, and two members from the other two divisions. “I think the fact that we require so many people outside of the department to be a part of the hiring team makes our process unique,” Maier said. When candidates come to campus, their schedules are booked for the duration of their two day visit. On top of interviews, they are required to teach a class, give a formal research presentation, and have lunch with students selected by the department, and lastly, an informal interview dinner with the committee. The candidate’s interviews usually consist of about

four 30-minute one-on-one interviews with members of the committee and about an hour-long interview with the provost and an hour-long interview with the president. John Willson, retired Hillsdale College History Professor Emeritus, was involved in the hiring process during his 30 years as a faculty member before his retirement in 2005. Willson said that there is an extra burden for hiring at Hillsdale because they aren’t just looking for credentials. “They look for certain commitments to both teaching and to the relationship of education to the broader culture and to the heritage and traditions of our common culture,” Willson said. At this point in the process, committee members, like Coupland, really get involved. Coupland has been on all eight of this year’s committees and said his role on the committee is to represent the college and the college’s interests. Coupland interviews each candidate individually and attends all of the teaching presentations and any other public events. He laughed that he hasn’t been able to attend all of the informal dinners — because that would be a lot of dinners away from his family. Coupland said during his interviews he keeps his own hiring experience in mind. He said the process is difficult due to the number of people the candidate meets with and the number of one-on-one conversations they have. “That’s intimidating, and I keep that in mind when I interview them,” Coupland said. “I try to be sensitive to the fact that it’s a grinding two day processes.” Coupland also tries to create small opportunities to engage in non-academic con-

back into that cave and help other people out, together.” Pynes said that she learned from the lives of Mother Teresa and St. Thérèse of Lisieux that people show love through the small things in life. In her mind, that is the guiding principle of an RA’s job — to strive to put the residents at the forefront of her mind, to pray for them, and to meet whatever needs they have. “Our lives aren’t made up of huge, glamorous actions. They’re made of little, small decisions,” Pynes said. “In residence life, that means doing things like decorating girls’ doors the first week of school, or doing the dirty dishes left over in the kitchen. That’s how you show people love.” Caroline Hennekes, a freshman transfer student who will serve as an RA and coffee shop manager in the new dorm, said that she fell in love with Hillsdale because of the way people like Pynes and Ingham think about their community lives. Hennekes said that one of the things she’s most excited to see about the new dorm is the way Pynes and others on the team will bring this attitude of servant-leadership to their work next year. “Seeing Rosemary step into all of her leadership roles has just been really inspiring,” Hennekes said. “She can pursue her studies with her whole heart, but also always makes time to be friends with anybody who need her. She’s really going to be an incredible student house director, because she’ll set the perfect tone.” Dean Dell said that she is very really inspired by the thoughtful way the new residence’s team has been approaching all the possibilities of a new building, and that she has the highest of hopes for their future. “I have been so impressed, but not surprised, by the quality of students that are taking on this charge to build something new and special for campus and how serious this new leadership role,” she said. “I think the world of Hillsdale students and what they’re capable of, and it’s very exciting to work with this particular group of women. They’re going to be a great addition to campus life and student culture.”

Hiring faculty the Hillsdale way By | Stefan Kleinhenz Collegian Freelancer

Students are not the only ones who endure the rigors of examination at Hillsdale College. For more than a year, the Hillsdale faculty has been consumed with the process of filling eight faculty openings for the upcoming academic year. This year’s committee looked to fill positions in psychology, politics, English, history, finance, biology, mathematics, and theater. Seven of the spots have been filled. In one case, two professors were hired in anticipation of a retirement in the finance department next year. The one search that is still ongoing is for an opening in the politics department. One candidate has already been interviewed and two more candidates will visit campus this month. Assistant to the Provost Mark Maier said this process is ordinarily completed by now, but this year there were some searches that stretched out. The process is extensive, taking the entire academic year prior to the professor’s first semester teaching. According to Maier, the administration is typically notified of a retirement or a need to search sometime between this time of year and the summer — about a year in advance. Maier said Provost David Whalen and the Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn meet every summer to review and approve departments asking to search for new faculty. Once they receive approval, the department chairs will advertise in journals and online beginning in the fall. Applications are typically open until December and they requires the usual curriculum

versations that allow him to get to know the candidate. “That said, we have two days to interact with this person so it shouldn’t just be all fluff,” Coupland said. “We want to get to the heart of the matter, and you need to be pointed in your questions at times.” Coupland said he is primarily interested in whether the candidate understands, supports, and is willing to teach the college’s mission. He also wants to see how the candidates gel with faculty members, and if they can interact with a wide variety of people. After all the candidates leave, the committee meets and ranks the candidates as a whole in order of preference. “It’s amazing how consensus will typically come out of those conversations,” Coupland said. The provost will then talk to the president on his thoughts and an offer will be made. “When you have eight searches, that’s 30 plus candidates on campus in a small window; it gets pretty crazy,” Maier said. Coupland said most day in the month of February consisted of one or two visits a day, but, “as long as you enjoy talking to people, it’s not going to be too bad.” Maier insisted that the college wants candidates to fit with Hillsdale’s mission. “The reality is that you want faculty who want to stay here for their entire career. We don’t want to turn over faculty every five years looking for new people. It’s not that they’re committed to stay here for the next 30 years of their life, but we hope that’s the case.”

Simpson residents and their dates pose in pirate garb. Shelby Bargenquast | Facebook

Non-Greeks get formals, too By | Isabella Redjai Collegian Freelancer As traditional formal dances for Greek houses draw near, campus dormitories and off-campus houses are imitating the events by putting on their own formals and date parties, while remaining true to their own cultures. On-campus residences Niedfeldt and Simpson put on a formal and date party, respectively, on Saturday, March 24. The Niedfeldt Formal, better known as “Niedformal,” began with the pledge of allegiance, followed by a three-course formal dinner complemented with jazz music, in the Searle Center. After an awards ceremony honoring each resident of Niedfeldt, residents and their dates enjoyed dancing. Junior Niedfeldt RA Samuel Cassels says that although Niedformal appears to be a new event for the dormitory, the event is actually rooted in a history from before his time as a resident advisor. “Niedformal happened before, but it’s been a long time. At least 10 years, I would think,” Cassels said. Since this year’s Niedformal was awards ceremony-themed, each resident of Niedfeldt received a personalized award for a unique attribute, being honored with this award after the dinner. Some awards given to the residents included “MostLikely-To-Burst-Out-inSong,” “Most-Likely-to-FixThings-with-Duct-Tape,” and resident Charlie Adams was awarded “Most-Likelyto-Not-Know-What-You’reTalking-About-When-YouSay-Central-Hall.” Mrs. Phyllis Niedfeldt fully funded the event, using it as means of teaching Niedfeldt residents etiquette. “I think that Mrs. Niedfeldt would be very happy,” Cassels said. “Mrs. Niedfeldt is a strong believer that guys can benefit from etiquette and a formal setting. For example, each resident had to bring a date to the formal.” Entering through the infamous doors of the Simpson dormitory lobby while encountering a black banner with a skull and crossbones that reads “Surrender the Booty,” as pineapples line the room, Simpson-ites and their dates entered into the realm of this year’s pirate-themed Simpson Date Party. “When I was a freshman, seniors said there were date parties in the past, simply for the sake of ‘kicks and giggles,’ and that’s why they restarted it,” sophomore RA Josh Bailey said. “The whole idea is to have a good time, and not be too serious.” Although Simpson date parties are viewed as a tradition of the dorm, prior to the spring of 2016, this event had not occurred for several years. In recent semesters, Simpson Date Party themes have included a thrift store-theme with bowling and a “GetJacked” workout-theme with laser tag. “The way it works is we will usually pick a theme and a fun activity, then have a small party afterwards for the Simpson residents and their dates,” Bailey said. “It’s great to bring in girls from other dorms, because most Simpson events are heavy on the guy-side.” The current Simpson RAs selected the pirate-theme due to the theme’s creative possibilities — namely, some

guests dressed as the traditional pirate, Peter Pan-inspired characters, and even “pirates” of videos. “Being on the RA team, we really try to find ways to get guys involved and create a distinct culture,” Bailey said. “Date parties are unique and great way to not only build Simpson culture but bring in people from outside Simpson.” At the corner of Manning and Fayette Street, and characterized by its off-white color, plastic flamingos strewn across the front lawn and glaring front porch lights, off-campus house “The Womb” celebrated its semiannual “Womb Formal.” The “Womb-mates” — a term that initially inspired the naming of the house — put together their first Womb Formal, where the 8 housemates cook a meal, invite dates, and dress formally, in the fall of 2016, during their junior year. Senior Dean Sinclair, who has lived in the Womb for nearly two years now, says that for the first Womb Formal, the “men-of-the-Womb” — another coined term for the housemates — and their dates ate dinner at Hillsdale Lanes, while everyone dressed in suits and dresses. “It originally was just us being silly. You weren’t allowed to bring your girlfriend, and it was just us trying to make a spectacle in public,” Sinclair said. The following semester, set in the Womb adorned with antique floral wallpaper, wood accents, and eclectic artifacts including vintage phones, large paper lanterns, and even pop art of Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, the the Womb-mates decided to enjoy a homecooked meal and formal activities in their house. “We got into the theme of making food ourselves, and setting up a long table in the living room,” Sinclair said. “This is when Womb Formal really became a genuine thing.” Sinclair, a former member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity who served as the fraternity social chair, came up with the idea from a formal he had once planned for the fraternity. “The Greeks are really on to something,” Sinclair said. “They really did provide some sort of inspiration, and the idea would have never occurred if Greek houses didn’t do it.” The main tradition surrounding Womb Formal is “toasts,” where initially every member of the Womb will make a toast to the fellow housemates, the Womb itself, and then his date. Afterwards, each date makes a toast to the Womb and to his date. They then end with the “long toast,” where one guest will make a personal toast to each person at the table. Sophomore Peter Takach, who will live off-campus in the Womb next year made a toast, said “I will not disappoint you gentlemen! I promise to carry on the tradition and legacy of the Womb!” The Womb, for the students that live off-campus in the house, means much more to them than merely a residence. They say they would consider it a “home,” and Womb Formal is a means of showing their appreciation for the house. “This house did change us, and in the future we won’t be able to live with friends like we do, now,” Sinclair said. “This won’t last forever.”

Features Living it U.P. in northern Michigan, almost Canada

www.hillsdalecollegian.com

By | Anna Timmis Assistant Editor To junior Michael Whitman and sophomore Hannah Hayes, Hillsdale isn’t that small. In the tiny towns of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, everyone knows everyone’s business. People don’t know it any other way. Whitman says he recalls visiting Milwaukee, his first time in a big city. “And it was just the wildest thing; It was the craziest thing,” he said. “For me the world was just a small town.” Whitman’s family history is rooted in the UP, with his ancestors first arriving in Michigan in the early 1800s. From just looking at his face, people from his mother’s town know he’s related to her. He said he might meet a family relation

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in any town he visits. He remembers that on a visit to Munising, a town on the coast of Lake Superior, he went for a boat ride to see shipwrecks. When his grandmother heard of the plan, she called up the owners — who she happened to be related to — and got Whitman free tickets. “And I looked at the girl behind the counter who was giving us the tickets and I’m like, ‘You’re totally a Swede, and we’re totally related,’” he said. Whitman noted the sense of community in his town. He said many of his friends share a long history and many relatives throughout the UP, not just a nuclear family. “It feels like an older world,” he said. For Whitman, an Escanaba native, and his neighbors, Lake Michigan is the center

of summer life. Escanaba sits at the north western tip of the lake, 111 miles from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Whitman said that the lake is the focal point of any activity. Living 10 blocks from the water, Whitman sails, scuba dives, and goes swimming sometimes three times a day. At any given time in high school, a different group of friends will always be at the park, he said. Forty-four miles east of Escanaba, Hayes has lived in Norway, a town of 3,000, her entire life. Her childhood home is nestled into the bottom of a hill on Main Street. In her small, tight-knit community, everyone is a friend to everyone else, Hayes said. She said that while it’s rural, they definitely have electricity. “It is kind of like a sheltered place where you feel safe,” she said.

Hillsdale’s house on the Hill By | Nicole Ault D.C. Correspondent At first, the rattling chandelier in Apartment C of the Hillsdale House dragged students from their rooms, wondering grouchily if this was an earthquake or the guys in Apartment D above. It was the latter: D’s residents tumbled apologetically down the steps to explain that junior Christian Yiu had just been doing his jumping jacks, and the group laughed off its annoyance and piled in doorways to chat, soon joined by the girls in Apartment B. They forgot about homework and talked for a long while. Annoying yet heartwarming, and often a result of the quirks of a house (like thin floorboards) and the people who live in it, moments like these define a home. Students in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program didn’t come to D.C. to be at home, not even at the Hillsdale House: They came for new experiences, for internships, for people they hadn’t met before. But with its odd architecture, incredible location, and unpredictable occupants, the Hillsdale House plays a defining role in a WHIP student’s experience. Donated to the college not long before Hillsdale’s Alan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Statesmanship opened in 2010, the 3,579-square-foot, three-story Hillsdale House is at full capacity with the 17 students who live there this spring. Built in 1900, it’s a tall house, with a turret, in a picturesque Capitol Hill neighborhood of brightly-colored townhomes. Redfin, a real-estate website, estimates the Hillsdale House’s worth at almost $2 million. A corner house, the four-apartment building welcomes daylight and street sounds, and it sprawls, full of sharp turns and steep staircases. Apartment B is two stories high, graced with a princess staircase. Apartment C is sandwiched between Apartment A, below, and D, above. (Between those three, there is a kind of a cold war fought with A’s late-night music, C’s early-morning thonking heels, and D’s heavy footsteps and jumping jacks.) After acquiring the house, the college renovated it significantly, Matt Morrell, operations manager at the Kirby Center, said. Hillsdale repainted the inside, installed tile flooring and air-conditioning units, and made other cosmetic changes. Every season (the house is used for Hillsdale students in the summer, too), the college has a few weeks to retouch it, keeping the walls their pleasant blue, the bathrooms clean, and the kitchen appliances functioning. Because the house is in a historic district, though, it can’t change the exterior, Morrell said.

But the college can repaint it. One morning this spring, a little commotion stirred among the WHIP occupants when painters started propping ladders against the outside walls, which are well-endowed with large windows. The disruption paid off: Yellow-green when students moved in in January, the exterior is now a pleasant gray with white trim. Ceilings in the house are high, and everything hangs on the walls in proportion to them. So rather than noticing the high ceilings, you notice that you mostly see your forehead in the bathroom mirror, or you can’t reach the kitchen cabinets without a stepladder. It’s mystifying (until you find out, as Morrell said, that this was common for Victorian-era city rowhomes), and rather humbling. For proximity to famous people and places, the house could hardly be in a better place. At least one U.S. senator lives around the block; congressmen frequent the restaurants down the street. A 20-minute morning jog easily winds past the Supreme Court and Capitol grounds to the National Mall, or down the bowery streets of Capitol Hill neighborhoods and Eastern Market. On a rainy Saturday, there are too many museums within walking distance to choose from. You can get anywhere in the world from here without a car: A short walk from the house to Union Station will connect you with a train to any of three international airports. For all the excitement its location brings, the Hillsdale House wouldn’t be much without its inhabitants. The size of WHIP groups varies between semesters; at 21, this spring’s group is the second-largest ever, said Program Associate Bert Hasler ’15. Four students board in housing owned by the Heritage Foundation down the street. Sometimes, living with so many people is tough –– tougher than in a dorm, because the floors are thin and the rooms are on top of each other. Boys don’t know how to tread lightly up the steps. The later it gets, the louder girls laugh. There are never quite enough chairs or mugs or WiFi bandwidth to go around. They have mice, collectively named Gus Gus, and they blame each other for them. (Noting that keeping up with everyone’s level of cleanliness is one of the more difficult aspects of maintaining the house, Morrell does send cleaners in to supplement students’ housekeeping habits). But overall, the crowd brings good cheer. On a recent snow day (they exist down here in the snow-wary mid-Atlantic), everyone ate brunch together around Apartment D’s kitchen table,

then regathered for a pizza dinner that evening. On St. Patrick’s Day, the group congregated for corned beef and soda bread. When junior WHIP student Ryan Murphy won election to class president, they crowded into Apartment C late that night to celebrate with a proper toast, in their pajamas. Apartments have their own traditions, too. C’s residents take turns cooking and eat Sunday dinners together. The guys in D watch Korean dramas and play a board game called Diplomacy. “I’ve played more board games since coming here than I’ve ever played in my life,” Yiu marveled. And there’s the group chat, at first an awkward formality reserved for sincere questions about mandatory events, but which quickly loosened into a source of genuine bonding. WHIP students share mice advice, e.g., glue traps catch more human toes than rodents. They commiserate over homework assignments. They trade kitchen supplies and organize Uber rides and offer up the leftover cheese from last night’s lecture at the Kirby Center (they consume a lot of cheese and peanut butter, which maybe explains the mice more than anything). Though WHIP students scatter across the city to their internships every day, there’s an identity and even a security in the group at the house. Much is unfamiliar and challenging: full-time internships, evening classes, the Metro system. The city demands professional performance, their most confident selves, and that’s good. But home is where you can be yourself at your worst and your best, laughing over funny moments and crying over hard ones (there are lots of both when you’re young in an adult world). It’s humbling and encouraging, keeping us down to earth and reminding us that we’re not defined by the work they do each day. That’s why the Hillsdale House such a crucial part of WHIP. Lugging my bags around the corner of the Hillsdale House as I returned from Easter break with family, it occurred to me that this house was a warm place to come back to, a good transition before work the next morning. A couple guys waved welcome back and offered to help with bags. Girlfriends in Apartment B asked all about the weekend. My roommates were genuinely glad to all be back together again. And because we’re in D.C., one of them even handed out elegant wooden eggs from the White House Easter Egg Roll. In the end, what makes the Hillsdale House good and memorable isn’t so different from what students love about the campus they left for a semester: It’s the people.

Students in Washington, D.C., who live in the Hillsdale House gather for a St. Patrick’s Day feast. Nicole Ault | Collegian

The closest “big city” is Green Bay, Wisconsin, a 90-minute drive. Hayes, her brother, and their friends didn’t have a mall or a bustling downtown, they played in the woods. A game she made up with her friends was “Magic Treehouse,” after the children’s book. In high school, they starting hanging out at the Walmart parking lot. A popular spot for UP teens, Walmart was never a social spot for Hayes’ friend, sophomore Emily Skwarek. She and her friends would go to the Somerset Mall in Troy, with more than 180 stores. Growing up in Metro Detroit, Skwarek said that she didn’t know all of her neighbors. “We had friends from our school but they lived further away,” she said. “So it wasn’t like you’d just go out on the street and hang out with your

House from B6

an was stripping this railing, and I would come by to see him before I went to work at the college. I would come by at lunch, and I would come by after work. How far had Brian gone? Not far. I said, ‘Brian, you’re killing me.’ He said, ‘Bob, you’ve got to protect this railing. It’s got to be done a certain way, and it has to have a certain wax finish.’ I said, ‘Just do it. Just get the railing done.’ He would slowly be moving down the stairs.” Cox was not the only major aid to the Nortons in the remodeling process. President Larry Arnn’s daughter, Alice ’11, came to the rescue for the architectural aspect of the project. “She took this on as a project of love for me. She gets job offers all over the world; she’s very good at what she does,” Norton said. “She designed some of the things to make sure they were right. She would tell me, ‘No, no, it’s got to be just the right proportions.’ She bought a little book from the turn of the century to show me. Everything was to scale. If you made something too tall or too wide, it ruined the whole effect.” The front entryway had been stripped of everything save for grey vinyl, so she also redesigned that part of the house. One unique aspect of the house is the way in which the basement was designed. “The house is built in an unusual way: The basement walls are really thick,” Norton said. “They’ve got granite, brick, and stone. George Stump, the mason for the college, had never seen that

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in February, he and Maddie have lived full-time on the Black Horse. And now they have a reward for their hard work: they’re on their way to the Bahamas. On Wednesday, they anchored off Key Biscayne, near Miami. But like the time they first sailed the Black Horse home, maritime life hasn’t been all sun and sandy beaches. “Our windlass is on the fritz,” Maddie says, “so we just lowered our 60-pound anchor and 60 feet of chain by hand.” The broken windlass, which helps lower the anchor (when it works), is one of many hiccups they’ve had to deal with recently. Maher says he and Maddie almost ran out of clean water last week. “One aspect she needs to be very good at is making sure we have enough water,” Maher said. “The individual who has this position is referred to as the water king. And that carries a great deal of authority. The water king might have to say no showers today. We were probably close this morning.” The next day Maddie posted a photo of the two of them on Instagram with a caption about smiling despite the shower ration. She ended the post, as she often does, with the hashtag #maritimemaddie, a nickname MaryMargaret’s husband, Derek Spiteri, gave her last fall.

friends. So I kinda wish that was the case for me.” Hayes agreed that she’s glad she grew up separated from the world. “I would go hiking with my friends, she said. “In the winter sometimes, I would go on winter picnics. So we would go to frozen waterfalls with blankets and hot chocolate.” True Michiganders, Whitman and Hayes don’t head indoors for the winter. “I actually think I prefer waterfalls when they’re frozen,” Hayes said. Hayes competed in skiing throughout high school, spending every weekend on the slopes. In a nearby town on Iron Mountain is the biggest wooden ski jump in the U.S., a tourist attraction during the winter months. “The racers come from Europe to do the jump there,”

she said. Here in Hillsdale, Whitman misses pasties, the delicious meat and potato hash enveloped in a flakey crust. “I eat like three or four pasties a week,” he said, adding that he may ask his mom to send a box of the superfood to school. That and the lake. “There’s no lake, and I want my lake,” he said. Hayes said she plans to always have a place in the U.P., loving the family-focused traditions, like the Fourth of July, when she and her friends sit on the railroad tracks to watch fireworks. “It’s just a slower way of life,” she said. “It’s nice to go out and look at the stars.”

before. Maybe because the same guys who built the local factory built the house like that. They built it like a factory.” After Deal died, the house was eventually bought and converted into a home and school for special education boys, according to JoAnne Miller, a board member of the Hillsdale Historical County Historical Society. Norton happened upon a connection to a former resident of the boys’ home. He told the story of an elderly couple who literally appeared on his doorstep one day. He saw a car parked in the driveway at an angle, and an elderly woman on the front porch. She said her brother used to live at the house, and she and her husband were out driving and wished to see the house. Meanwhile, Norton said, her husband pulled out of the driveway, made a wide turn into traffic, and nearly caused an accident as cars skidded around him to avoid a collision. When the husband rejoined his wife and Norton, the homeowner showed them around. The couple, two nonagenarians from Ohio, said that the state would take away their licenses soon, so they wanted to tour some places they’d been before, including her brother’s home, while they still could. She said that her brother was last in the house in 1952, and that now, the house looks completely different. “Before that,” Norton said, “I heard about someone whose brother had spent a little time here in

1971, so that was my gauge that it was a boys’ home in 1971, but when she said 1952, I had to reshape my thinking. She said at that time five boys were living here. I didn’t find out if her brother had polio or not because I heard that was true in some of the cases.” Norton also met someone whose grandfather worked for Deal. They told Norton he used to enter the house and get his paycheck. “He would enter and go into the room on the right,” he said. “We take it that our current billiard room must have been the office.” The third floor of the house is the ballroom, which includes the original electric wires from the 20th century. The Nortons added a bar to the room, built from the old pews of a historic Jonesville church. Hosmer found this interesting and amusing. “I feel like probably a hundred years’ worth of parishioners are rolling over in their graves knowing that their church pews have been used for a bar,” Hosmer said with a smile. “But it’s really great. They incorporated historical Jonesville items altogether in the house.” The Nortons have opened their home to visiting donors and various college-sponsored events, including College Republicans meetings. “We thought we would use the house for the college, too, so that was the rationale as to why we weren’t totally crazy to do this renovation,” Norton said.

“At Thanksgiving he just started called me Maritime Maddie, and it was just a nice acknowledgement that I’d moved and was picking up something different,” Maddie says. “What better way to keep family close than to use a hashtag that family thought of?” Maritime Maddie ends some days covered in bruises and engine oil. She just passed the exams for both a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s License and a 100 ton license, for helming large vessels. From boat maintenance to installing fiberglass, she’s learning the art of life on the water, something she’s loved since she was 10 years old. “Starting at a younger age, she always wanted to go down and sail,” MaryMargaret says. “My grandpa was very meticulous with his sailboat. We would go down to Le Cheval and the teak would have to be perfectly polished. My sister really grabbed onto that. As a kid, I didn’t really want to be polishing a boat for five hours, but she found this beauty in the sailboat.” A dozen years later, Papa Jack says they’re “having a ball” as he and Maddie navigate the open waters. “Her skills are developing at a rapid rate, as she has a very unique ability for mechanical understanding,” Maher says. “In addition to that, she’s a very good cook. Now that’s important when you’re at sea. She’s very good

with jambalaya.” When they’re on the boat for months on end, they’ll make meals with meat, packages of pasta and rice, a bread maker, and recipes from Maddie’s mom. If they run out of supplies, Maddie says, they can always go fishing. Even with the unique challenges that come from living on a yacht, including the occasional power struggle between the boat’s two navigators, Maddie says she wouldn’t want any other life. “I look back on my time at Hillsdale fondly. A friend keeps asking me if there’s any place I’d rather be. Every time I’m asked that, I can honestly say no,” Maddie says. “Because I know all my experiences, both my freshman year at Hillsdale and living in the community, have all lead me to this point and allowed me to excel at what I’m doing here.” Over a phone call, Papa Jack talks about Maddie’s seasickness again, teasing her while she protests in the background. But even though she can “be very scared at times,” she can also be very courageous, very brave. “I wouldn’t know what I’d be doing without her. It’s absolutely necessary that she remains on board,” Maher says. “She’s been offered opportunities for apprenticeships, but she says she wouldn’t want to be anyplace else — seasick or not.”

B6 April 5, 2018

Deal house is a step in the past By | Nolan Ryan Assistant Editor A local couple has recently finished renovating a historic home after 27 months of work. The house, built in 1901, has been designed to look as if a family has maintained the home for more than a century. Bob Norton, the general counsel for Hillsdale College, and his wife Kathy purchased and renovated the historic George Deal home in Jonesville. While the construction of the house was completed in 1905, it would have been lost were it not for the Nortons, though. “Kathy and I like antique things. We were convinced, or tricked, to take this house on as a project of love,” Norton said with a laugh. “It was going to become four apartments. It was up before the city council, and it had been a deadlock vote. We decided we had to save the house. I was sold on the idea; Kathy was not quite as quick to say yes. I think we went through it four times before she said, ‘Are you serious? Do you really want to do this?’” The beautiful home was built in the Federal Revival style, a classical architecture popular in the United States during the late 18th century into the early 19th century. The home also has Italianate influences, according to Norton. George Deal, the original owner of the house, and his father, Jacob, ran the Deal Buggy Company as partners. George decided

to begin manufacturing automobiles in addition to carriages, planning to compete with Michigan auto-manufacturers such as Henry Ford. “He was going to give Henry Ford a run for his money,” Norton said. “There’s a lot of debate that he could have. He had a network already, and he was known for quality. And we had a railroad here. He built the car. Everyone said it was innovative, a good car. It was reliable. Deal stuck to quality building.” The plan changed suddenly, however, when Deal came home from work one day, feeling unwell. The Deals consulted three doctors. Deal had an ear infection. The doctors operated on him while he lay on his kitchen table, but he died during the operation. Assistant Professor of Physics Paul Hosmer, a board member for the historical Grosvenor House across the street from the Deal home, found this story particularly interesting. “Personally, my favorite thing is the fact that George Barnum Deal died on the table in the kitchen,” he said. “I think that’s a really interesting story. I’m into ghost stories. We have a haunted storytelling at the Grosvenor House, and I thought of incorporating that story.” Deal’s company eventually went out of business in 1915. But his house still stands, thanks to the Nortons and the tireless work of contractors, carpenters, and architects. Entering the Deal house after the

Nortons’ renovations, feels like stepping into a time machine. “The grand hall was meant to make an impression,” Norton said. The hall boasts a beautiful stairway with an original stained-glass window and the original coal fireplace. The mantle above the fireplace includes intricate, detailed patterns which give it a Victorian-era feel. Most of the renovations are thanks to Brian Cox, a carpenter from Jackson. Norton praised Cox on his masterful work, noting how closely the new wood matches the old. “You could originally walk through the house and point out where it looked like new wood we got from Home Depot,” Norton said. “But Brian was great. He would take the wood out to the yard. He took wood and beat it with a chain. After he puts it up, nobody can tell where he did his work. There’s many pieces of wood in these rooms that Brian put up, but it’s hard to tell. Sometimes he put the third coat of paint on something, and he would make an intentional drip. It’s sort of like a stagecraft Hollywood worker, and you can’t tell what details they’re working on.” Cox also worked on the railing to the main staircase. It was painted with old lead paint which had a white battleship color, according to Norton. “Brian said, ‘Let me strip the railing. I don’t want you doing it, Bob,’” Norton said during a tour of his house. “Bri-

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The foyer of Hillsdale College’s General Counsel Robert and Kathy Norton’s home boasts a beautiful stained glass window. Nolan Ryan | Collegian

Clarification

A story in last week’s issue, “From programming computers to pursuing PhDs in the

humanities,” incorrectly implied that only three professors on campus had experience in computer programming. At least 10 faculty actively use computer programming in

Maddie Peter is The Water Queen By | Madeline Fry Culture Editor As the salmon-colored sun nestles the Florida skyline, Maddie Peter reclines on the bow of the Black Horse. Hotels and high-rises, burnished with pink-orange, fleck the coast of Clearwater Beach in front of her. Sometimes, on nights like this, dolphins glide among the boats docked at the ramp. From her place on her grandfather’s yacht — “our boat” as she calls it — Maddie says the water is calm and the evening is a “little chilly,” but she hasn’t packed many longsleeve shirts. When Maddie flew down to Florida with a one-way ticket in October, she only brought enough clothes for a week. Back then, she didn’t know the water would become her life. After her grandmother’s death last fall, Maddie flew south to be with her grandfather. He said he wanted to buy a boat.

“He gathered all my aunts and uncles together and said, ‘I’m selling the house and buying a boat,’” Maddie says. “My grandma’s last wish was for him to buy the boat he always wanted and to find someone to share it with.” So Maddie, who spent her freshman year at Hillsdale before working in town for a couple of years, stayed in Florida and started scrolling through the website YachtWorld until she found a boat in Galveston, Texas. A week later, she and her grandfather, John Maher, flew to check her out. Maher had given Maddie a few criteria: the boat must be between 50-60 feet (it was 62), feel comfortable, and have plenty of outdoor space. The boat they found, Maddie says, has two Detroit diesel engines and a “beautiful upper deck where you could really host a party if you wanted.” It was enough like love at first sight that the very next week, they flew back to pur-

chase the Black Horse and sail her home to Florida. During the nine-day trip through the Intercoastal Waterway from Galveston to Carmel, Maddie got seasick for the first (and, she says, “hopefully the last”) time. She has an excuse: the Black Horse got caught amid a storm so harsh it battered the yacht with 12-foot waves. Maddie and “Papa Jack” lost all power in the middle of one night, and they couldn’t contact the coast guard for several hours. MaryMargaret Spiteri, Maddie’s older sister and director of the college’s contact center, says Maddie embraces challenges like these. “The ocean has a mind of its own,” Spiteri says. “She likes the challenge.” Looking back on the incident now, Maddie is able to downplay the seasickness. “Sea sickness is really not that bad. You get through it,” she says. “Papa Jack? He does not get seasick.” Since Maher sold his house

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Maddie Peter, former Hillsdale student, now sails off the coast of Florida. Maddie Peter | Courtesy.

Campus Chic

research and in the classroom at Hillsdale. A story about how computer programming is used on campus is being planned for next week’s issue.

Kilian Trapp

Compiled by | Rowan Macwan Describe your fashion sense. We call it M-Style in Munich. What is M-Style? Urban. And form over function. Like it should always be aesthetically pleasing. I think it originally references the connection between Milan and Munich because they influence each other. Munich influences Milan? That’s why they call it the northernmost city in Italy. They are both influential fashion cities. In your travels, what is the most fashionable city you’ve visited? In general, London and

Milan, besides Munich. And Chicago wasn’t that bad. Who are your fashion icons? Yves Saint Laurent. Roman Polaski. When it comes to wearing a suit, David Bowie. He really knows how to wear a suit. Nothing else, though. Karl Lagerfeld for extravagance with grace. What do you think of fashion in Hillsdale? Honest opinion: I think Hillsdale is fashion-wise one of the more challenged places of the world. It’s very rural and old-fashioned with some notable exceptions.

How can Hillsdale learn more about fashion? Hillsdale is a liberal arts school, so I recommend reading Goethe, who writes a lot about color arrangement and fashion. What can Hillsdale students do to be more fashionable? I think the UN should ban brown dress shoes and short pants for men. (Men should never wear short pants outside the tennis court.) Don’t try to copy someone’s style. Don’t think you should wear certain clothes because of what you study. Like English majors smoking pipe and wearing patches on their elbows.

German exchange student Kilian Trapp. Rowan Macwan | Collegian