Collegian 11.21.2024

F ootball F inishes with winning record

By Alex Deimel Senior Reporter

The Hillsdale football team beat the Ohio Dominican University Panthers 28-6 on Saturday, capping a five-game win streak to close head coach Nate Shreffler’s first year and overcome a 1-5 start to the season.

The Chargers won their final game the same way they won each of their last five wins:

a heavy emphasis on running the ball, and stopping the opposition from doing so. Senior wide receiver Logan VanEnkevort finished his final season on a strong note with his fourth straight game with more than 100 rushing yards, totaling 118 rushing yards on 29 carries.

this season would go, but it was gritty. Having another dominant performance this past Saturday to mark the end of a solid winning streak was something to be happy about.”

The Chargers finish their season with a 6-5 overall record, 6-3 Great Midwest Athletic Conference record, and a five-game win streak.

Alumnus voted acting city mayor

By Thomas McKenna, Alessia Sandala & Skye Graham City News Editor, Assistant Editor & Collegian Reporter

Ward 4 councilman Josh-

ua Paladino will become acting mayor of Hillsdale when Mayor Adam Stockford resigns Dec. 2, following a vote by the City Council on Monday night.

man Paladino on his election to the position of Mayor Pro Tem,” Morrissey said Paladino said he knew at least five members of the council would vote against Morrisey, The Collegian reported Nov. 7.

“I was extremely proud of how this season ended,” VanEnkevort said. “It may not have been flashy or how we thought

College names new VP of marketing

By Michaela Estruth Senior Editor

A new vice president of marketing will come to Hillsdale College in January, College President Larry Arnn announced at fall convocation Nov. 14.

“The VP of marketing is responsible for promoting the mission of the college and finding new people to learn with the college,” Kyle Murnen, chief staff officer to the president, said in an email.

Jonathan Hall, who will fill the marketing position, currently resides in Stevensville, Michigan. He has served as chief marketing officer at Chief Outsiders, SharkNinja, and Whirlpool Corporation, he said in an email. Hall founded and now owns Core Power Marketing, a marketing strategy business. He is a former military officer in the Army and served two combat deployments.

Hall said an executive recruiter informed him of the Hillsdale marketing position opening this summer, and that the college’s mission parallels the Army’s service he so admired.

“After meeting so many great people and learning about the mission it felt like a ‘calling’ to me that harkened back to the service-oriented purpose I experienced when I served in the Army,” Hall said. “I am so excited about the potential for this brand to become the ‘most trusted’ education brand in America and beyond. The foundations the brand has been built on since 1844 are real and have the potential to do so much good in the world, for tens of millions of people.”

Hall also worked for Kraft Foods and taught as an adjunct professor for MBA programs at the University of Notre Dame and Rice University.

“I am passionate about helping, teaching, and learning from students,” he said.

Hall said he hopes to involve students and the college community in marketing and is focused on developing relationships at the college.

“Perhaps there is an opportunity to deeply include students in the process of modernizing the brand to become the most trusted education brand in America,” Hall said.

Hall said he is familiar with Hillsdale College through various friends and Imprimis, which he has been reading since 2007.

Hall is currently working part time for Hillsdale and will begin his full-time position at the beginning of January, according to Murnen.

The former Vice President of Marketing Bill Gray now serves as vice president for institutional advancement alongside Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement John Cervini.

“The role affords me the chance to serve and support the college’s mission by building strong relationships with our donors, both individually and at scale, and the opportunity to learn from a true fundraising legend, John Cervini, who has served in the role for 50 years,” Gray said. “It’s similar in that a love for the college, an understanding of its programs and how they fit together, and a true desire to see the college grow and thrive is vital.”

Thanks to VanEnkevort and running backs senior Kyle Riffel

and sophomore Zach Tetler, the Chargers finished at the top of the G-MAC with 1,795 rushing yards as a team this year, and tied with the Walsh University Cavaliers for first in rushing touchdowns with 20 as a unit.

VanEnkevort finished fourth overall in the G-MAC in rushing yards with 765 yards, while playing two games less than the top three players.

Paladino — who earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees from Hillsdale College — defeated Ward 2 Councilman Will Morrisey in a 5-4 vote to become the city’s mayor pro tem. Paladino will serve as acting mayor until the current mayoral term expires in 2026, according to City Attorney Tom Thompson.

Morrisey, a former politics professor at the college, held the second-in-command position for six years until Paladino replaced him Monday night.

“I congratulate Council -

“Morrisey declared and no one else did, so I did,” Paladino said. “Morrisey is a good man, a good teacher. But we’re just looking for a new generation of leadership and some new ideas for city government.”

Paladino currently teaches American politics at the college and for its online dual enrollment program while also working as a political research analyst. While at Hillsdale, Paladino served as the Opinions Editor for The Collegian in 2018, his senior year. Paladino was elected to the city council in 2022. Paladino and his wife, Brigette ’18, married in 2019 and have two kids.

See Mayor A7

Students premiere documentary on the man who saved Hillsdale

By Ty Ruddy Assistant Editor

When Hillsdale College almost went broke in the 1950s, a college alumnus and local businessman donated $20,000 a month to keep the college afloat, which is the equivalent of about $200,000 per month in today’s dollars.

On Nov. 19, students in the documentary filmmaking class premiered “The Pharmacist Who Saved Hillsdale College: How Spike Hennessy Wrote Liberty’s Life-Saving Prescription.”

The 25-minute film begins with Hennessy’s time at Hillsdale College, during which he joined the cheer squad, The Collegian, and the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. After graduating in 1928, he took over his father’s local pharmacy, Hennessy’s Drug Store.

Founding Fest to bring the holidays

By Elizabeth Crawford Senior Reporter

Founding Fest will celebrate Hillsdale College’s 180th anniversary with alpacas, a chocolate fountain, and campfires in the empty lot across the Townhouses on West Street Dec. 7. 1844 Society will host the event from 5-9 p.m. In its fifth year, the event seeks to bring together students, faculty, staff, and alumni, Associate Director of Alumni Relations Braden VanDyke said in an email.

Due to the construction of the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education, VanDyke said they moved the location of Founding Fest.

“I wanted to keep the event relatively close to campus while affording both accessibil-

ity and proper spacing for our needs,” VanDyke said. “We determined with the college that the lot across from the Townhouses would serve our needs well in that endeavor.”

VanDyke said the event will begin with remarks from College President Larry Arnn and Penny Arnn, followed by the lighting of a Christmas tree.

“The choir will lead the crowd in some Christmas carols,” VanDyke said. “Then we’ll have more fan favorites — ornament making, winter market vendors, campfires and s’mores, hot chocolate and chili bars, mulled wine, yard games, and of course, alpacas.”

Young Alumni Programs

Coordinator Kaeleigh DiCello said having alpacas at the event is fun and matches the Christmas theme of the event.

“People have loved them every year, so they have become a well-loved tradition,” DiCello said.

In addition to chili bars and alpacas, Founding Fest coffee mugs will be back this year, according to VanDyke.

“Since they feature a more winter, forest, and evergreen design, I anticipate they’ll be popular to use year round,” VanDyke said.

Senior Anna Perrone said she enjoys seeing professors who come to the event with their families and enjoy fellowship with students.

“It’s always nice to add to your collection of mugs too,” Perrone said.

Senior Clare Oldenburg said she has been making Christmas ornaments at the event every year since her

freshman year and tries to have her friends sign the ornament.

“Founding Fest is always a fun and cozy event that I look forward to every winter, especially the chocolate fountain,” Oldenburg said.

DiCello said the alumni office is looking forward to hosting the event.

“I encourage everybody to come out, and we expect it’s going to be fun at this new location,” DiCello said.

VanDyke said the alumni office is grateful to host this event.

“It has become a unique college tradition that pulls all of campus together, whether that be students, faculty, staff and alumni,” VanDyke said. “It reminds us of the enduring partnership we participate in.”

Adjunct Instructor of Documentary Journalism Buddy Moorehouse said he first heard

Hennessy’s story during research for the film “The Price of Independence,” which the class produced in 2023.

Junior Ella Rose Klein, senior Alexandra Comus, senior Makenna Banbury, junior Hana Connelly, and senior Isaac Green (left to right) watch their documentary screening in Plaster Auditorium.

Ty Ruddy | Collegian

See Football A10

Sophomore receiver Shea Ruddy makes a catch for the Chargers against Ohio Dominican.

Courtesy | Nicole McCray, Acorn Studios

‘Saga’ opens doors for student study hours

By Dave Bellet Collegian Freelancer

In anticipation of plans to close parts of Mossey Library for construction, the Knorr Family Dining Room has opened its doors for study after 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays.

During these times, students can enter through the doors at the foot of the central staircase. Metz staff will allow free passage throughout the large space downstairs, popularly known as “Saga,” excluding the cafeteria and the reserved space behind the glass doors.

“I just think the less amount of people you can have everywhere, the better,” said freshman Jonathan Dyce.

With many spaces on campus filling up quickly, some students like freshman Elle Ritchey have found it hard to find a space for effective study.

“If I wanted to study with people and also get work done, I would go to Saga,” said Ritchey.

Ritchey said she loves the idea of using the round table for group study and the long tables and booths for spread out study with plenty of room.

“Studying in Saga is great for eating and studying in the same period of time,” freshman Pia Chappello said.

She said she would like to combine her study session and dinner into one space, by eating, cleaning up after herself, and using her same spot to study.

“The union needs more space because the space around AJ’s is almost always packed,” senior Matt Byrne said.

According to Metz Operation Manager Tammy Cole, the college expects to remodel parts of the library soon. Because of this, Hillsdale admin-

istrators have asked the Metz staff to open the space earlier this school year for an easy transition to a life on campus without full access to the library.

Cole said after the library construction ends, the space will continue to stay open if students use and enjoy the space.

She said all students should clean up after studying so the space is ready for breakfast the next morning.

“When our morning crew comes in and they see clutter all over the floor and on the tables, they instantly know someone didn’t do their job,” Cole said.

Ritchey said she knows that studying in Saga comes with many downsides. Saga will be far away from printers, chargers, and important books for research, she said. The environment will be echoing with AJ’s order numbers and

ping-pong ball bounces from upstairs without a division between heaven, purgatory, and hell.

Ritchey said she never studies with headphones and prefers not to read in noisy and talkative locations.

“I think Saga would be a great place for math homework,” Ritchey said.

As finals approach, Cole encourages students to study in Saga when they can.

“Hopefully the students can get adapted to this and have the ability to use more space,” Cole said.

Speaker advocates for unity on the Eucharist

By Gemma Flores Collegian Reporter

Transubstantiation can unite Christians, not divide them, author and theologian Brett Salkeld said in a lecture Nov. 18.

Hillsdale College Catholic Society hosted Salkeld’s talk, “Transubstantiation and Christian Unity.” Salkeld has written several books, including “Transubstantiation: Theology, History, and Christian Unity” in 2019, and serves as an Archdiocesan Theologian for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina. The lecture attracted Catholic and Protestant students alike, leaving few empty seats in a basement Lane Hall classroom.

Mock trial team wraps up season with fourth-place finish

By Zachary Chen Assistant Editor

The fall mock trial season drew to a close for veteran team Kangaroo Court with their fourth-place finish at the University of South Carolina Soda City Trials Invitational last weekend.

Kangaroo Court went up against the University of South Carolina, Georgia Tech University, the University of Florida, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, according to junior and mock trial media liaison Chloe Noller and junior Nathan Emslie. The Hillsdale team swept its first round 2-0, then defeated Georgia Tech 1.5-0.5, before

Gray said his new institutional advancement position allows him to engage with donors on an individual basis.

“Hillsdale’s donors are some of the best, most generous people I’ve had the chance to meet, and I’m looking forward to getting to know even more of them,” Gray said.

Gray said he met Hall during his visit to campus for an interview.

“I was looking for someone that had a strong marketing background with experience building and expanding well-known brands, as well as a collaborative, open-minded person who would be able to fit into Hillsdale’s culture,” Gray said.

Gray said the VP of marketing must lead well and support other departments through marketing strategy, planning, and execution, with the goal of increasing

splitting ballots 1-1 in both the third and fourth rounds of the tournament.

Junior Patrick McDonald won an 18-rank individual Attorney Award at the tournament, according to Noller and Emslie.

“He’s always outstanding — whenever he gets up to deliver a closing statement or a cross examination, it’s always like a bolt of energy,” Emslie said. “It’s a lot of fun. So he just did his normal thing, which is being excellent.”

Noller said it has been good to see the team’s development over the course of the season.

“We faced some really good opponents and really stood strong against them,” Noller

the college’s audience and reception. He said the VP must understand the college’s mission, be a good learner, and a good listener.

“The VP of marketing must possess an ability to translate the college’s brand to audiences in a way that helps create deeper relationships, fosters community among them, and ideally generates commerce that will help the college ‘secure the conditions of its own survival and independence,’” Gray said.

Murnen said Hall fits the character and qualifications the college wants.

“A good VP of marketing needs to love the mission of the college, be a great teammate and problem solver, and be relentless and creative in marketing the college,” Murnen said. “Jon really possesses these attributes, and we’re very excited for him to join the college.”

said. “It’s been fun to see our freshman on the team just really blossom in her character. And then for the sophomores, this is their first time on a returner team — to see them really dig into their roles and have fun with it and grow in their own skill and confidence is really fun.”

Emslie pointed out several performances from the weekend as particularly noteworthy.

“Chloe Noller attorneyed for only her second and third rounds ever this weekend, and she did amazing, even getting sustained objections,” Emslie said in an email. “Phoebe Warren improved throughout the whole season and did a great

Doc from A1

“The documentary was about the battle for financial independence and included in the middle was a throwaway line by Scott Phillips, whose dad was the president here in the 1950s, about a local businessman who kept the lights on for Hillsdale in 1953 when the college was outright broke,” Moorehouse said. “That was Spike Hennessy, and if it weren’t for him, who knows what this place would be. I knew we had to tell the story.”

The film will be posted on YouTube in the near future, Moorehouse said.

Junior Hana Connelly and senior Makenna Banbury wrote the script for the film. Connelly said finding intriguing stories is half the job of a documentary filmmaker.

“There is always a deeper story to be told,” Connelly said. “We all learned through this class that when you dive down those rabbit holes, you

job on a team full of returners even though she was a freshman, and Victoria Rossmiller was excellent on both direct and cross examination both rounds, surpassing all of her previous performances as a witness.”

Noller said the close of the season has left the team with resolve for the spring.

“While it was a great run, I think all of us have just been given fire to work harder and just get even better for the spring,” Noller said. “I think there were some results that we were a little bit unsatisfied with across the tournaments. So I think that it’s giving us the fire to really push harder and practice more and, for the spring season, to really come out and succeed and do what we know we can do. So I think the skill is there, the hard work is there. And I think it’s all about our confidence.”

Emslie also said the team is in a good place for the next semester’s mock trial season.

“We’re about where we want to be, in the sense that we’re not yet spring prepped, we’re not at AMTA season level preparation, but we’re keeping up with really good programs, and we didn’t get swept by a single opponent throughout the fall,” Emslie said. “So we were always in the fight, and we kept it competitive with a lot of really good programs, which is where we want to be at the season because we want to be competitive with them, or even beating them when the springtime comes.”

find some amazing things.”

Each student in the class also screened a short film of his or her choice from the semester.

Senior Gavin Listro, who co-directed the feature film, screened a short film about Orson Welles’ radio production of “War of the Worlds” from 1938. The film landed Listro a full-time job after graduation, according to Moorehouse.

Other students produced short films on Hillsdale College alumni and current students.

Senior and co-director of the feature Isaac Green told the story of senior Greg Whalen, a veteran and musician who released his first EP in August.

Senior Jillian Parks featured junior Alex and senior Kayla Cho, a sibling duo who run Choba Boba, a boba business on campus.

Junior Ella Rose Klein researched the Dickerson Gymnasium, which appeared on

“He said transubstantiation might not be the best way to articulate it, but at least it’s an honest attempt at trying to say something really important: that Christ is really there,” Salkeld said.

The key to this debate, Salkeld said, is using the proper terms when describing Christ’s presence. Rather than making the mistake of using words like “physically” or “literally,” Salkeld advised using language more in line with what the Catholic Church actually says.

“If you read the Catechism on this and other sources in Catholic doctrine, it will use the language ‘really, truly, and substantially,’” Salkeld said.

“Dr. Salkeld’s work can help Catholics understand their own faith better, and it can help Protestants and others from developing a false understanding of that teaching,” said Professor of Theology Mickey Mattox. “I think he very much managed to do both those things. The event was a resounding success.”

Salkeld began his lecture by addressing its somewhat paradoxical title. He asked how transubstantiation can unify Christianity when it is the very thing that Protestant reformers rebelled against.

“You would almost think those two things can’t go together, right? Transubstantiation would be one of those things that is the opposite of Christian unity,” Salkeld said. “I try to make the case in the book that it need not be so.”

According to Salkeld, it is deceptively easy for Catholics to fall into heresy just by using the wrong word to describe Christ’s presence in the Eucharist.

Salkeld recounted a meeting he had with a mentor while he was in college. While discussing the Eucharist, Salkeld said Christ is physically present in it. His professor called this statement heretical.

“I thought, ‘Well, isn’t that interesting?’” Salkeld said. “If saying Christ is physically present isn’t the best way to talk about the Catholic position, I thought, then I’ve been in some arguments that I need to retrace.”

This revelation prompted Salkeld to research further into the history of the transubstantiation debate.

According to Salkeld, Martin Luther firmly believed in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Hillsdale’s campus in the early 20th century and was Michigan’s first college gymnasium.

Junior Alexandra Comus told the story of Bion J. Arnold, an alumnus who developed the third rail for the subway system in New York City.

Banbury and Connelly collaborated on a film that remembered the 1985 NAIA Division I national champion Hillsdale College football team.

Banbury and Connelly interviewed Mark Baker, the kicker of the 1985 football team who now volunteers as the kicking coach for Charger football.

“There’s so much to learn about storytelling from documentary filmmaking,” Banbury said. “It’s a challenge to figure out how the pieces fit together but rewarding when the project comes to life.”

The feature-length film followed Hennessy’s journey with Hillsdale as a member of the board of trustees, an

Another important aspect of understanding transubstantiation, according to Salkeld, is knowing where the action comes from.

“The act of worship in the Eucharist is, first and foremost, Christ’s action,” Salkeld said. “It is Christ’s worship of the Father that we are brought into. The whole point is that we couldn’t do it ourselves.”

Transubstantiation, according to Salkeld, is God’s gift to humans so that they may be brought into Christ’s worship of God.

“We couldn’t worship properly,” Salkeld said. “Our attempts at this are always flawed and falter. It has to be a gift from beyond us that makes this Eucharistic worship possible.”

Salkeld said his emphasis on transubstantiation being an act of God, not man, is important to unite Catholics and Protestants around the Eucharist.

“Because of the emphasis on faith alone, you don’t save yourself, right?’” Salked said. “God is the actor here, and so there’s the Catholic conviction. And real presence actually maps quite nicely onto a central Protestant conviction.”

Sophomore Robert Keeton, a Lutheran, attended Salkeld’s talk.

“I was interested to come,” Keeton said. “Maybe transubstantiation doesn’t mean what we think it means.”

Transubstantiation properly understood, according to Salkeld, is in line with a lot of traditional Protestant theology. When Catholics and Protestants can agree on the real presence in the Eucharist, they can unite in Christian fellowship.

“We need to affirm the same faith, but not the same theology,” Salkeld said.

adviser to the president, and an ambassador for the college.

“We found out that Muddy Waters brought Spike with him to negotiate the 1955 Tangerine Bowl appearance,” Moorehouse said. “The NAIA said the Dales couldn’t play unless they left their four black players back home, so Hennessy and Waters declined the invitation after a unanimous vote by the team. That’s consistent with the man we know from the rest of the story.”

The premiere attracted Hillsdale College students, alumni, faculty, and local residents.

Pat Marcher said she moved to Hillsdale when her husband worked for Hennessy in the 1970s. She said the documentary captured Hennessy’s generous spirit.

“Spike was an exceptional man,” Marcher said. “The students honored him with an exceptional film.”

VP from A1

Mock trial returning team, Kangaroo Court, poses at the University of South Carolina.

Courtesy | Chloe Noller

Panelists talk on endurance sports

By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter

Aspiring ultramarathon runners and long-distance bikers should develop training routines and good nutrition habits to prepare their bodies for the extreme sports, according to panelists at a talk hosted by the Outdoor Adventures Club Nov. 13.

Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele, Chairwoman and Associate Professor of Chemistry Courtney Meyet, running coach Loretta Tobolske-Horn, and graduate student Turner Korotzer spoke on their experiences and gave advice for students interested in extreme sports.

According to Anna Coln, president of the Outdoor Adventures Club, the club’s goal is to show students the benefits of these activities.

“The Outdoor Adventure Club provides opportunities for students to explore and enjoy the outdoors while building community with other students and developing character through physical challenge,” Coln said. “This semester, our events focus on giving students opportunities to explore the outdoors in ways they have not previously experienced.”

Steele has completed 63 ultramarathons as well as a handful of triathlons. Any race longer than the traditional 26.2 miles qualifies as an ultramarathon.

He said he was first drawn to running in high school after reading a book on outdoor activities, which eventually led to him running an ultramarathon before ever running a marathon.

“I think that’s what got me through graduate school,” Steele said. “Because I learned that it doesn’t matter how tired you are — you just keep going.”

Meyet has completed numerous Ironman races, triathlons, and competed in the World Cycling Championship. After graduate school, Meyet said she was struggling with high cholesterol and blood pressure, so she began walking. Soon she began running, then cycling, and in October, she competed in the World Cycling Championship in Belgium.

“I couldn’t even run a lap around the track without having to walk,” Meyet said. “But you see somebody doing a longer distance and you think, ‘Oh I can try that,’ and you keep going longer and longer, and before you know it, you are one of those crazy people doing those ultra-distances.”

Tobolske-Horn coaches ul-

tramarathon runners, and has competed in many 24-hour races and ultramarathons.

Tobolske-Horn said she began running after reading a book on running, leading to her first marathon, and just like the other panelists, she never stopped.

“I ran my first marathon when my kids were in high school, and they supported me and watched me run, and as I crossed the finish line, I thought to myself, ‘Well, how much farther can I go?’”Tobolske-Horn said. “So from there, it just spiraled into ultras.”

In July, Korotzer ran his first ultramarathon — the Beaverhead Endurance run, a 55-kilometer race that traverses mountains in Idaho and Montana, according to the race’s website. Korotzer said he began running because of his love for the outdoors, his admiration for those who completed hard tasks, and his desire to join them.

“I just thought it would be one of those things that I should see if I could do it,” he said. “It was a big question if I could, but it turns out I can. So that’s why I did it.”

Steele told students to focus on balancing training intensity to complete ultramarathons, while emphasizing strength training, stretching, and recovery to maintain your body over long distances.

Meyet encouraged students to work with a coach to develop a structured training plan that balances speed work, endurance, and ample recovery, as overtraining can lead to serious setbacks.

Tobolske-Horn recommended incorporating specific strength and mobility training tailored to the demands of your target race, as well as listening closely to your body to adjust your training plan as needed.

Korotzer said to run ultramarathons, one must make sure to prioritize strengthening smaller stabilizer muscles through exercises like single-leg work, as neglecting this can lead to issues during the latter stages of a race.

Junior Nathaniel Osborne said he enjoyed the talk and said he learned a lot about training tips and methods from the panelists.

“I learned about the training — like other forms of running, the training becomes more race-oriented throughout the season, but in this case, that means increasing distance and decreasing the intensity of your workout as you get closer to race day, which really is the reverse of what you do in shorter events,” Osborne said.

Honor tradition but live in the present, Yost says

By Gemma Flores Collegian reporter

Hillsdale students are in a unique position to confront tradition, Assistant Professor of Medieval History Charles Yost said at fall convocation in Christ Chapel on Nov. 14.

Named Professor of the Year by the class of 2024, Yost gave the keynote address.

Yost said Hillsdale culture reveres tradition, and students can become too comfortable with this stereotype. This opens up the door for a different temptation, Yost said.

“This is the danger of turning tradition into a hollow idol,” Yost said. “This sort of disposition toward tradition, a blind affirmation of what has gone before simply because it’s gone before, risks emptying the tradition of vitality.”

Part of learning from the

wisdom of the past, Yost said, is learning and growing from the mistakes of the past. Yost cautioned the audience against copying exactly what their ancestors did.

“Where veneration of the past becomes mere nostalgia, it risks becoming idolatry,” Yost said. “The inspiration we receive from our ancestors might become mere LARPing. You know, live-action role playing.”

Yost said, as a historian, he sometimes desires to return to the era of his study.

“Not a day goes by when I don’t feel some admiration for the Roman Empire or for medieval Christendom and feel some grief at their passing,” Yost said.

According to Yost, people overlook the Middle Ages especially, mistakenly writing them off as backward.

“To the contrary, what leaps off of page after page of the writings of the medievals is a pulsing sense of the radical newness of their times,” Yost said.

This radical newness, Yost said, is the medieval scholar’s understanding that the solutions ancient scholars put forth would not work on the new problems that medievals were encountering daily.

“In the medieval experience, past wisdom was a necessary resource, though not sufficient per se,” Yost said. “The wisdom of the ancestors was a well from which the makers of medieval civilization drew strength in order to build, not to sit idle.”

Yost said the proper attitude to have toward the wisdom of our ancestors is an understanding of both their failures and their triumphs to

inspire innovation.

Assistant Professor of English Cameron Moore said he found Yost’s speech inspiring.

“Dr. Yost’s lecture was a rousing and persuasive call to appreciate the Middle Ages as a model for our own living engagement with the tradition to which we have all dedicated ourselves,” Moore said.

Senior Gwen Thompson said many seniors grieve that they are leaving a place where they are constantly encouraged to live in accordance with a higher standard of values.

“Part of that is having the right attitude toward tradition,” Thompson said. “Dr. Yost gave us a medieval model that’s still useful: thoughtful respect for tradition without blind embrace.”

Read The Collegian before the worms do

By Ameera Wilson Collegian reporter

They didn’t eat the classic dirt ‘n worms dessert, but students dug their hands into real dirt and worms at a composting workshop hosted by the Hillsdale’s Conservation District and the Hillsdale College Conservation Club Nov. 16.

Hillsdale Conservation District Manager Ashe May taught the workshop, showing students how to create a stacked vermicomposting bin as well as the bin’s benefits and uses.

“Vermicomposting is a form of composting that uses worms as the binary driving factor of decomposition,” May said.

May explained the method of creating the composting bin and demonstrated the process of layering materials. For materials, May used dirt, leaves that students collected from Slayton Arboretum, and shredded Collegian newspapers.

Throughout the demo, May emphasized the importance of the balance of browns and greens in a composting bin.

“Your balance is going to be approximately 60-70% browns, and the rest is greens,” May said. “It’s important to maintain this balance of the greens and browns, and if you start stinking up the place, something’s wrong.”

May said “greens” refer to food scraps and green foliage while the term “browns” refer to things like dirt, leaves, and newspapers. Generally, May said, people should avoid using meat or dairy.

“When I was middle or high school, my dad started a compost pile in our backyard,” said junior and President of the Conservation Club Caitlyn Justice. “He was super into it

and always talking about his browns and greens so it was really cool to know the background information.”

During the workshop, May built an example composting bin, which she gave to club Vice President Will Deaton.

“When the opportunity was presented that we could actually build one here, I was totally on board with that,” Deaton said.

According to May, balancing the browns and greens is not the only vital ratio when it comes to composting.

“Water is incredibly important because if your worms are

too dry, they can’t do their job. But if they’re too wet, they die,” May said. She said part of the method to keep this balance is drilling holes into the compost bin allowing for excess liquids to drain.

“When you’re either constructing a bin or putting one in place you want to make sure that there is enough drainage,” May said.

According to May, composting is a process that requires the correct environment to be effective, including the right amount of material and water.

“I didn’t really know any-

thing about compost and I didn’t think of moisture as being a big deal,” junior and club treasurer Penelope Campbell said. May’s tutorial included the type of worms one should use in their first composting attempt.

“Red Wigglers are the ideal ones for this,” May said. “They compost really fast. You just start with a few of them, and it will take a little bit of time for them to fill out and establish in a bin. But once the conditions stay right for them, they will start multiplying and you will have an active colony.”

Architecture club to start on campus

By Christian Papillon Collegian reporter

Three students are starting a new architecture club on campus.

Freshmen Lily Northon, Finn Rowan, and Seth Vasquez Estrada are co-founders of the club, which will promote the appreciation of architecture, as well as exploring future careers in the field.

Vasquez Estrada said he discovered that others were also interested in an architecture club during orientation.

“I was surprised there wasn’t one,” Vasquez Estrada said. “The idea kind of brewed in my mind for a while.”

Vasquez Estrada reached out to Northon and Rowan, with whom he shared classes, and decided to start the club.

“I was thinking of who to ask first and Lily, who was in both my physics and my calculus class, was also interested in architecture,” Vasquez Estrada

said. “I decided to approach her first about it, and it turns out she had the exact same idea.”

Vasquez Estrada said the club had an opportunity to tour the construction site for the new classical education building.

by, and there’s lots of great architecture there,” Northon said.

“Detroit has lots of great Art Deco architecture.”

Rowan said the club’s visits would be discussed during the weekly meetings. ings,

classical architectural elements of them.”

According to Northon, the club plans to take trips to nearby cities to study and admire its architecture.

“Chicago is relatively close

talk about different styles of architecture and match our visits so after we talked about it, we could actually see it,” Rowan said.

Vasquez Estrada said the club does not have to travel far

to study great architecture.

“There’s lots of good architecture in Hillsdale as well, so we can start small and move from there,” he said.

Rowan said he appreciates the opportunity to create an outlet for students who are interested in architecture even if the college does not offer an architecture program.

According to Northon, the club plans to present to the Student Federation at a future meeting and hopes to table at The Re-Source next semester.

“We’re looking not only for those interested in architecture appreciation, but also those interested in future networking to learn about architecture as a profession,” Northon said. “I think we’re filling a gap on campus. We’ve met so many people who are interested in architecture. Our club can provide a chance for people to learn about and appreciate it.”

Hillsdale announces new GW & Churchill Fellows

Miriam Ahern

Grace Canlas

Jackson Casey

Livia Dodd

Lillian Ferrell

Leonard Fritz

Jon Hovance

Josiah Jones

Gabriella Lovins

Alex Mooney

Hayden Stolzenberg

Lillyanne White

The two three-year fellowships prepare students for a career in the public square through studies focused on the American founding documents and leading statesmen.

Junior Caitlyn Justice composts The Collegian in the Arb. Ameera Wilson | Collegian

Duncan Stroik, professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame, designed Christ Chapel for the college. Courtesy | Christa Green

Opinions

The Collegian Weekly

The opinion of the Collegian editorial staff

Give

us more turkey time

Editor-in-Chief | Jillian Parks

Managing Editor | Isaac Green

Senior Editor | Michaela Estruth

Outreach Director | Olivia Pero

Design Editor | Ally Hall News Editor | Moira Gleason

Opinions Editor | Caroline Kurt City News Editor | Thomas McKenna

Sports Editor | Jacob Beckwith

Culture Editor | Colman Rowan

Features Editor | Kamden Mulder

Social Media Assistant | Sam Otting

Circulation Manager | Lauren Bixler

Assistant Editors | Megan Li | Tayte Christensen | Catherine Maxwell | Alessia Sandala | Zachary Chen | Eleanor Whitaker | Anna Broussard | Ellie Fromm | Ty Ruddy Ad Manager | Nathan Stanish

Editor | Matthew Tolbert Illustrator | Maggie O’Connor

Advisers | John J. Miller | Maria Servold

You need friends

By Caroline Kurt Opinions Editor

It’s cuffing season, but your friends shouldn’t suffer for it.

When you begin a new romantic relationship, it’s easy to leave your old friendships in the dust. After all, you’re now spending all your time on Miss or Mr. Perfect. It’s hard to see where other friendships could even fit into your new schedule.

But not only does this pattern breed resentment among your friends, it deeply harms you and your relationship. Underlying this is the assumption that a boyfriend or girlfriend is a better version of a same-sex best friend — that you need one or the other, but not really both. In doing so, we equate our need for platonic friendships with that for romantic relationships and ultimately marriage.

Though it may feel like a girlfriend or boyfriend can replace the love your samesex friendships give you, that’s just not true. We’ve all experienced the joy of being “with the girls” or “with the guys” — there are certain conversation topics and types of humor that can only live in a same-sex context. Women can affirm and guide one another in a way a man cannot, and vice-versa.

I was lucky to grow up in a community created by my parents’ many friendships. It was almost too much to keep track of as a kid: dozens and dozens of families and adults were introduced to me as “Mom’s friends from…” or “Dad’s friends from…” Clearly, my parents had worked to nurture and sustain friendships made both before and after their marriage.

When my mother passed away suddenly in 2022, these friends rallied around our family with astonishing speed and generosity. Their support lasted long after the funeral and is a major reason my family is thriving today.

Had my parents seen samesex friendships as an inferior good, I doubt I’d have relationships with friends from every era of my parents’ lives, even as a college student.

Though marriage is the highest human relationship, we are all made for a rich

When Thanksgiving break begins after Tuesday’s classes end and concludes with the following Sunday’s sunset, students do not have enough time to enjoy the holiday — an issue that would be resolved if Hillsdale extended the break to include a full week off of class.

Out of 1,563 Hillsdale students, 73% of those come from out of state, representing every state and Washington, D.C., as well as 14 foreign countries. That means 1,140 students are crossing state lines to go home for the holiday. The time it takes to drive or fly eats into precious

family time.

The length of this break mirrors most high school Thanksgiving holidays — although Hillsdale Academy begins its break with a halfday this Friday — though high schoolers are not traveling across the country, boarding planes, or enduring 10-plus hour car rides to indulge in conversation and pumpkin pie.

As if time isn’t enough of a barrier, the costs associated with Thanksgiving travel can be insurmountable for some families, especially the closer to Thursday you fly. According to NerdWallet, a per -

sonal finance company, the best times to travel home for Thanksgiving are the Saturday and Monday before, both days that college students are currently required to stay on campus, per the academic calendar.

Some professors cancel classes on their own for the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, and students frequently skip their last classes anyway. But some professor inevitably schedules an exam during a Tuesday 3 p.m. class, which complicates the decision-making even more.

Extending Thanksgiving

break to a full week solves these problems. While we’d have to start school earlier or extend it later, the two extra days would make a miniscule difference in August or December, but entirely change the holiday in November. Let’s amend the academic calendar and send more students home for Thanksgiving. Families should be breaking bread, not breaking traditions, and spend the entire week enjoying unity on this quintessential American holiday.

Think twice about organ donation

By Isabella Doer Senior Reporter

When I first became a licensed driver, checking the organ donor box seemed like a no-brainer.

later remarked, “It’s very scary to me now that these things are allowed to happen and there’s not more in place to protect donors.”

dangerously conflated.

network of relationships. Being in a relationship, whether brand-new or long-lasting, means you need same-sex friendships more than ever — and not just because there’s no guarantee you won’t break up with Mr. Perfect and find yourself alone. Friends play an essential role in any romantic relationship by calling out your blind spots, counseling you through hard seasons, and providing constant reality checks. Having deep and invested platonic friendships, particularly same-sex ones, puts you less at risk of idolizing your partner. They’re often able to gauge the quality of your partner with more objectivity than you’re capable of in the moment.

If all your confidantes express concerns about your new partner, that’s a sign that you should listen to them — not cut them off. And if your most trusted friends constantly express their approval of your partner, that’s a sign your relationship is headed in the right direction.

Dating works best in community. And for that, you need to invest more, not less, in your same-sex friendships. That’ll take some effort, especially in the whirlwind first months of dating. Show or tell your closest friends that even though you’re in a new season, their time and input still matters to you. Don’t try to crowd-source a relationship, but make it clear to your most trusted friends that you welcome their input, good or bad, on your new partner. And let your friends see that their value to you does not depend on your relationship status: your friendship was always about more than not feeling lonely without a romantic relationship.

Learning to do this now sets you up for a healthier marriage and the kind of rich family life so many of us want. When both husband and wife have strong same-sex friendships, their union is stronger for it, and their children have more models of how to form friendships of their own. So keep Saturdays for the girls.

I marked that option on my license, content with the idea that, even in death, I might be able to provide life. Recently, however, a troubling story surfaced that left me questioning the ethics of organ donation and the medical profession’s relationship with the dead — or, more disturbingly, the nearly dead.

Per an October National Public Radio story, Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover II, a 36-year-old man from Richmond, Kentucky, was declared brain-dead in 2021 following a drug overdose. Medical staff prepared him for organ donation surgery.

Natasha Miller, an organ preservationist assigned to Hoover’s case, told NPR she was preparing to do her job when nurses wheeled Hoover into the operating room and she realized “something wasn’t right.”

Hoover was moving, even visibly crying on the operating table, and yet the case coordinator allegedly pressured the team to proceed, even suggesting they “find another doctor” if necessary.

The situation became so alarming that the on-call surgeon refused to continue, and some staff, disturbed by what they witnessed, left their positions entirely. One preservationist, Nyckoletta Martin,

The most chilling part is that this wasn’t the first time Hoover showed signs of life. According to NPR, case notes revealed that he had woken up and thrashed on the table during a prior cardiac catheterization procedure, prompting doctors to sedate him before proceeding.

Only when his movements became unmistakable did they abandon the operation. Hoover’s family was told he would never make it home. Today, he’s alive, walking, and living three years post-incident. It would be more reassuring if Hoover’s story were a one-off nightmare. At a congressional hearing this September, however, transplant surgeon Dr. Robert Cannon described a similar incident outside Alabama to NPR.

As his team prepared for organ retrieval, the anesthesiologist noticed the patient taking an unassisted breath, yet an Organ Procurement Organization representative reportedly encouraged them to proceed. Cannon refused, fearing that removing organs in such circumstances might “murder a patient, ” according to an NPR article.

Given that such incidents have occurred repeatedly, it’s clear that a widespread misunderstanding persists about what “brain death” truly means — one in which “brain death” and “real death” are

The term “brain death” was introduced in the late 1960s by an ad hoc Harvard University committee as a way to navigate the ethical and practical challenges of life-support technology.

Brain death, according to Wikipedia, is meant to describe “the permanent, irreversible, and complete loss of brain function, which may include cessation of involuntary activity necessary to sustain life.”

In practical terms, a braindead patient shows no signs of consciousness, but their organs remain functional, providing a window of opportunity for transplantation.

Yet a 2008 article in The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that organs harvested from brain-dead individuals come from people who are technically still biologically alive. The article cautioned that the medical profession has gerrymandered the definition of death to fit the needs of organ donation, using it to provide what they call “misleading ethical cover.”

“The uncomfortable conclusion to be drawn from this literature is that although it may be perfectly ethical to remove vital organs for transplantation from patients who satisfy the diagnostic criteria of brain death, the reason it is ethical cannot be that we are convinced they are really dead,” wrote Dr. Robert D. Truog, a physician at Harvard Medical School, and Franklin G. Miller, a bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health.

It’s unsettling, to say the least, to think that definitions in matters of life and death have become flexible to fit the convenience of the organ procurement process. What’s more troubling is that the ethical grounding that once underpinned medical practice seems to be eroding. With each new layer of technological ability, it seems the ethical guidelines must evolve or else become hopelessly outdated, creating a troubling gap between medical power and moral responsibility. Unchecking that box on my license, then, is a choice driven by caution and a lack of trust in the ethical judgment behind these procedures. Most people don’t question the process: they sign on, assuming that death is death, and that their organs will be taken only when they are truly gone. But in a world where definitions shift to accommodate agendas — where “brain death” becomes “good enough” for death — an unchecked box seems like a prudent safeguard against being misclassified.

For now, I’m choosing caution. I’m unchecking that box, not because I don’t believe in the good organ donation can bring, but because in a system where definitions can be manipulated, my life — or death — should not hinge on a flexible interpretation of either.

English.

Letter to the Editor

Dancing is an athletic art, not an artistic sport

By Emma De Nooy Collegian Freelancer

In an article that appeared in the October 31st edition of the Collegian (“Dancing is an Artistic Sport”), Kathryn Vieceli makes the argument that we should recognize dance as a sport. An artistic sport, yes, but a sport nonetheless. But understanding dance as sport first and art second fundamentally misunderstands the essence of dance.

Dance can exist as a sport, but that is not its primary function. I don’t disagree with any of Kathryn’s claims as to the benefits of dance: Dancing is as intensive and beneficial as any sport. But coverage of dance rightly falls under the art and culture sections of newspapers and jour-

nals and it always should. Art is created for the sake of beauty and so is dance. While all sports — baseball, football, soccer, etc. — have beauty of their own, they were not created for the sake of beauty. Dance certainly deserves respect, but it deserves respect as the beautiful art form it is. Granting dance status as a sport is not a prerequisite for recognizing its inherent athleticism and excellence.

Dance is not an artistic sport — it is an art that is athletic. I think the problem with perceptions of dance is less that people don’t think dance is intense, physically demanding, or rigorous, but more that they don’t understand it. Most people get exposure to only certain visual and performing arts in their education. Maybe your class took a field trip to an art museum, and you proba-

bly read some plays in English class. Perhaps you participated in a school play, even if your role was only peasant number three. Dance, however, is vastly overlooked in education, even in a place like Hillsdale. If you can’t understand what you’re watching, it’s much harder to appreciate it and respect it as much as it might deserve. So yes, respect dance as an incredible athletic endeavor, respect it as an art. But in order for that to happen, it must start with education.

Emma De Nooy is a senior studying Rhetoric and Public Address and dance.

Illustrated by Maggie O’Connor, a sophomore studying art.

Isabella Doer is a senior studying

Caroline Kurt is a junior studying English.

Ladies, weightlifting’s for you too

Adriana Azarian Collegian Reporter

Ladies, being strong and muscular isn’t just for men. While it’s true men are naturally stronger and more muscular, God gave both men and women bodies capable of building muscle for different reasons. Men naturally have more strength to fight off threats, build great things, and hold doors open for women (that’s right). But just because men are inclined to be stronger doesn’t mean women shouldn’t seek to improve their strength as well.

Like our female ancestors, our lives demand a level of physical strength. Lifting weights isn’t for women to “be like men,” but to lean into God’s design for our bodies. Multiple studies have shown women who lift while pregnant reduce the risk of complications and build endurance for labor. Women can also lift to have strong bones, feel confident and handle their daily tasks, and maintain healthy metabolisms well into old age. They lift so they can carry their

children and grandchildren for long periods of time. Weightlifting is a form of self-care in order to better take care of loved ones. That is peak femininity.

Like high-impact workouts, lifting weights is good for longevity. A moderate weight lifting routine is also less stressful on the female body. Excessive cardio or high-intensity interval

muscle mass begins to decline in one’s 30s. Hillsdale offers many opportunities for women to improve strength and build muscle, from personal functional fitness training at the Health Center and strength training classes to the equipment in the Sports Complex and Founders Gym. Don’t be intimidated by the gym goers who can curl 50

training (HIIT) workouts over time can lower basal metabolic rate and potentially cause hormonal and fertility issues down the line. But just 30 minutes of weightlifting two to three times a week yields more significant results over time, like burning excess fat and building muscle even at rest.

Building the habit in one’s late teens and early twenties is much easier than waiting until

pound dumbbells. Everyone has their own personal goals (and they’re probably too focused to care how heavy your weights are).

Traditionally feminine exercises like Pilates and barre can be great parts of exercise routines. But don’t throw strength training aside because it’s “for the boys.”

Some women understandably worry strength training will

make them appear too masculine. A woman would need to do hours of training, significantly increase her caloric intake, and have high levels of testosterone to build muscles large enough for her figure to resemble a man’s. And isn’t it time we threw out the frail-as-can-be ideal for women’s bodies anyway?

Sometimes we can conflate traditional femininity with weakness. However, the oft-quoted Proverbs 31 tells of the ideal woman — and she is by no means a delicate flower. Rather, she is a physically active, productive member of her household. And she’s physically strong. Proverbs 31:17 reads, “she sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” Want to be a Proverbs 31 woman? Go grab some weights!

Adriana Azarian is a junior studying politics.

Illustrated by Maggie O’Connor, a sophomore studying art.

Trump wants the wrong loyalty

Recent cabinet picks reveal Trump prizes allegiance over merit

By Luke Miller Collegian Reporter

Republicans like to critique the Left for abandoning merit for the sake of diversity. They should be just as watchful their new president-elect does not abandon merit for the sake of personal loyalty.

President-elect Donald Trump has named several choices for top jobs in his next administration, but he ruled out two people who contributed to the successes of his first term.

“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” Trump posted on Truth Social Nov. 9.

Haley and Pompeo were both vital players in the first Trump administration, helping shape and implement the foreign policy of Trump’s first term.

In that term, America defeated ISIS, eliminating a major terrorist organization and liberating parts of Iraq and Syria from terrorist rule.

America did not engage in any new wars or create any new failed states around the world.

U.S. actions created peace in Israel, and it was the only administration in 30 years under which Russia did not invade another territory.

In the 2024 election, the vast majority of Americans listed foreign policy concerns like the border crisis and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine among their top priorities, according to pre-election polling from Gallup. America elected Trump to help address these issues and restore the foreign policy of his first term.

However, with Trump’s announcement that he would not bring back Haley and Pompeo, who filled two of the highest cabinet positions dealing with foreign policy, Americans might not get what they voted for.

If his first administration’s foreign policy was as successful as Trump claims it was, why shift away from the people who made that happen? The answer is simple. They did not bow at the altar of Trump, so he discarded them.

Donald Trump has the nasty habit of firing or bad mouthing anyone who disagrees with him in any way, even if they are on his team.

Haley served in Trump’s first cabinet as his U.N. ambassador, and Trump had nothing but glowing praises for her, saying in a 2018 interview Haley was “very special,” and “an incredible person who has done an incredible job.”

However, Haley committed the grave sins of condemning Trump’s rhetoric surround-

ing Jan. 6, 2021 and opposing him in the 2024 Republican primary.

Since then, Trump nicknamed her “bird-brain Nikki Haley” and announced she would not be welcome back.

Pompeo similarly served faithfully in Trump’s first cabinet as CIA director and then secretary of state, but he likewise condemned Trump for his conduct on Jan. 6 and for his mishandling of classified documents. Pompeo’s public statements were enough for his former boss to label him disloyal and bar him from his next administration.

While both Haley and Pompeo endorsed Trump at the Republican National Convention, the damage had been done. They had burned that bridge.

Trump has shown he is willing to fill his second cabinet with newly converted Democrats like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, so long as they pledge their loyalty to him. But lifelong Republicans who have the skills, experience, and records to prove they can shape an extremely successful and popular foreign policy are barred because they were not “loyal” enough.

Trump has based his recent nominations on this kind of loyalty. For example, Trump loyalist Marco Rubio has been nominated for secretary of state in spite of his massive

foreign policy disagreements with Trump in the 2016 primary. Either Rubio flipped on his principles, or he has sucked up to Trump in spite of their contradictory visions for American foreign policy. Rubio was rewarded for getting on board.

The type of loyalty Trump wants from his cabinet is not good for the country. It is the kind of loyalty that means holding back criticism even when warranted. It means pledging support to a person over principle.

Republicans cannot allow themselves to fall into the same trap the Left does by evaluating people on metrics other than merit. Now is the time to take a lesson from Democrats’ DEI project, which failed when it abandoned merit for diversity. If Trump continues to prioritize officials’ personal loyalty over effectiveness at advancing the conservative agenda, his administration may very well fail at fulfilling the promises that got him reelected.

The lesson young conservatives are learning from this is pledging their loyalty to the right person will get them further than standing up for conservative principles.

Luke Miller is a sophomore studying political economy.

Letter to the Editor

We lend politicians our votes: We don’t owe them our minds

By Christopher Martin Guest Writer

The Collegian should be proud of its thoughtful and principled editorial on November 14 (“The Weekly: What Happened to ‘Agree to Disagree?’”). If I may reinforce your point: tolerating — and even seeking — genuine political dialogue isn’t just the right thing to do. It makes us all better.

We all know by now that the broad Red (Republican/ Trump-supporting) and Blue (Democratic/Trump-opposing) coalitions live in different worlds of news and opinion. Sometimes that creates damaging blindspots. Take two examples from the Blue side. First, many Blue opinion elites

memory-holed the shameful, incompetent betrayal of our Afghan allies or blamed it all on Trump’s Doha agreement. Second, for years many of those same elites gaslit the American people about President Biden’s obvious mental decline, bringing political disaster on themselves and leaving the nation virtually leaderless at a dangerous time. It’s hard to know in advance where the Red opinion elite blindspots will be. One possibility, however, would be not really processing what cruelty “mass deportation” will inflict on millions of undocumented, but otherwise peaceable, immigrant families.

Some deep human need to feel safe within “our group” probably feeds blind-

spot dynamics. Among the like-minded you can criticize every sin of “those other guys” all day long, but saying anything critical about “us” feels like treason. But it really shouldn’t.

I humbly suggest that we all stop thinking of ourselves as the feudal minions of “our” politician or political party, bound to support all they do and say. For many, elections are tough binary choices. Blue voters don’t necessarily like, or bear collective responsibility for, everything Biden has done or Harris might have done. And Trump voters don’t necessarily like, or bear collective responsibility for, everything Trump has done or might yet do.

Political discussions might

4B: sex strike or sign of hope?

By Grace Novak Collegian Freelancer

While many of us here at Hillsdale have been celebrating Donald Trump’s win, some liberal women across the country are screaming, crying, and swearing off sex forever. You read that right. Following South Korea’s 4B movement, which takes its name from “bi,” the Korean word for “no,” some American women say they are boycotting four things: dating men, having sex with men, marrying men, and having children with men. Oh yeah: they’re also shaving their heads to make themselves less attractive to the guys in their life.

On its surface, this illogical feminist movement will accomplish virtually nothing besides providing dry amusement to the rest of the country. If bitter pop music, plunging marriage rates, extreme feminism and neo-masculinity movements mean anything though, it’s that gender relations in America are in crisis. Instead of solving the real sex-related issues in our country, the 4B movement is isolating the extremists. Rejecting natural aspects of womanhood will only further divide our nation. However, it may be exactly the dramatic wakeup call that these women need to a path of real improvement and gender solutions.

USA Today, NBC News, and countless other media organizations have been loudly proclaiming what we know to be true: Trump made significant gains with young male voters in this election. As NBC exit polls have shown, 49% of men aged 18–29 voted for Trump, as opposed to only 37% of women in that age group. Though many would see this as a positive change, some liberal women reacted to the gender divide in a drastic way.

One woman on TikTok posted a video of her stroking a cat with the caption, “Doing my part as an American woman by breaking up with my Republican boyfriend last night and officially joining the 4B movement.”

What 4B participants can’t see is the irony of their movement. For decades, conservatives have tried to tell abortion advocates that if women practice abstinence, that could mean fewer unintended pregnancies vulnerable to abortion. Daily Wire podcaster Brett Cooper reacted to the movement in a recent video in which she pointed out that these women are “not really realizing that is the solution to literally everyone’s problems. Less casual sex means fewer babies that you want to abort, happier women, healthier America.”

go differently if we keep this in mind: Disagreeing can help us by flagging our own blindspots. In the right environment, and with the right people, it might even give rise to an alternative group identity. Instead of feuding Capulets and Montagues, we might see ourselves as fellow citizens engaged in a common project: monitoring our common troublesome hired servants, the politicians. We wouldn’t fear to praise good actions, or criticize bad ones, done by any of them. We lent them our votes: We don’t owe them our minds.

One man on X wrote, “Women are threatening to stop having casual sex and warning us they’ll start making sure their partner aligns with their values. How is the entire culture fixing itself from this one event? I can’t explain it.” Obviously this is an extreme statement, but he’s not entirely wrong. Once women start being more selective, their liberal male counterparts are going to have to rise to their healthier, higher standards.

Harrington encourages her readers to “cheer the 4B women on in their efforts — and cheer even more, when they ‘fail’ by falling in love.”

Of course, this isn’t the only way 4B could fail. One woman declared on X that she hopes for a “sharp decline in the American birth rate.” If millions of women really do choose to reject all men, we’re going to have some major societal issues on our hands. There would be a wide gap in the number of available men and women, only conservative-leaning families would be having children, the population would drop dramatically, and according to Brett Cooper, lesbianism would likely rise.

However, the probability that the movement will cause such implications is small. The 4B movement will likely affect the women themselves more dramatically than America as a whole. Yes, conservative men are the targets of this movement, but unless the popularity of 4B grows drastically among young women, it won’t be a major issue. There’s still hope for these 4B women and the country they inhabit. Women also went on a sex strike to protest the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022, but it didn’t last long. The 4B trend endured for years in South Korea before crossing the Pacific. But liberal and conservative commentators alike seem unconcerned about America’s iteration, predicting it will lose stamina quickly. Since this time around women are shaving their heads, we just might see pixie cuts start to trend next year instead. The decision to reject family life can only leave women lonelier and less fulfilled than ever before. Every woman has a maternal instinct, whether they acknowledge it or not. Male or female, we’re hardwired for love and connection. One TikToker is working to remedy this potential flaw in the 4B movement by encouraging 4B women to “cuddle with their girlfriends” whenever they feel lonely. Oh boy. To strike another blow, the movement has greatly irritated the online community of bald women suffering from conditions like alopecia or chemotherapy-treated cancer. These bald women are offended that 4B women are using baldness as a means to become less attractive and reject their femininity. Tara Bull, whose daughter is bald because of a medical condition, said on X, “Please stop shaving your head to make yourself ‘less attractive.’ The only people you’re hurting are other women and girls.

Kristen Clark, the founder of biblical womanhood platform Girl Defined, asked the question we’ve all been wondering: “Who is the one getting punished here?” In trying to prove a point about the sense of political abandonment they feel, 4B women ineptly harm men, other women, and themselves. If participants of the moment merely isolate themselves from naturally fulfilling romantic and family relationships, their sex strike will merely be a depressing joke. If instead its adherents learn from their practice of selectivity in sex that human relationships matter even more than they’d thought and enter the world renewed, the movement isn’t just a sex strike — it’s a sign of hope.

Writer Mary Harrington, a contributing editor at UnHerd, thinks that 4B may actually result in healthier marriages and real love instead of the hookups that have become so normalized in this culture. When women become more selective in their sexual choices, the only men they will date are those who value them for something more than sexual availability. Harrington writes that once these women stop looking for cheap love, real love will find them.

Christopher Martin is an associate professor of economics.

Grace Novak is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

City News

Camp Hope, Community Thrift face looming deadlines

Homeless shelter must show plans to meet building codes by January, city manager says

By Isabella Doer and Catherine Maxwell Senior Reporter and Assistant Editor

The City of Hillsdale gave a homeless shelter until Jan. 28 to secure funding or submit plans showing progress toward the construction of a permanent building, according to Melissa DesJardin, executive

director of Hillsdale Community Thrift and Camp Hope. “Camp Hope was always intended as a short-term solution, and it does not meet the zoning, use, and occupancy requirements established by local and state codes, which are in place to ensure the health, safety, and well-being for everyone in our community,” City Manager David Mackie

Ex-fire chief elected to Jonesville City Council

By Isaac Green Managing Editor

Two years after Jonesville City Manager Jeff Gray fired him from his position as fire chief, Dean Adair was elected to the Jonesville City Council Nov. 5, garnering the most votes of any candidate in a fiveway race for three seats.

Incumbent Andy Penrose and newcomer Annette Sands won the other two available seats. Mayor Gary Arno will retain his seat after running unopposed.

Adair said his goal is not to reawaken past grievances, but rather to make sure the council handles taxpayer dollars responsibly.

“It’s not a vendetta or a ‘get even’ type of thing,” Adair said. “It is just me being able to serve my community.”

Born and raised in Hillsdale County, Adair graduated from Jonesville High School before leaving his hometown to serve in the Navy. After returning to Jonesville and starting a family, Adair joined the fire department.

He served 20 of his 25 years as fire chief before Gray and then-Interim Public Safety Director Mike Lance removed him from the position in August of 2022.

“That’s OK, as long as it’s for the best of the community I’ll step aside if that’s what needs to be done, but I didn’t feel at the time that it was just or fair,” Adair said. “I’m a year and a half past that point now, and I decided, ‘Well, if I can’t serve my community in that fashion, then I can serve them in other ways.’”

With an election approaching, Adair said he thought that after 25 years of service to the city, he might be able to help resolve any issues that people in the community were having.

“I put my name in the hat,

told The Collegian in a statement.

At the same time, Hillsdale Community Thrift is facing a looming debt payment that was due at the end of September, but DesJardin said the landlords decided to grant her an extension.

“I have until the end of the year to pay them off — or at least be very close — meaning there better be a solid plan in motion,” she said. “If we can’t raise it, then we have to take out a loan.”

DesJardin said she opened Camp Hope in April 2023 as a temporary response to Hillsdale’s ordinance banning camping on public property. The shelter — a large tent behind the thrift store — currently provides beds and bathrooms to 23 individuals, including three minors. One is a 19-month-old baby.

The city’s 90-day notice puts Camp Hope at a crossroads. During the Nov. 18 city council meeting, DesJardin said she physically could not tear down the tent in January because of the cold.

“It’s literally anchored to the ground,” she said. “I’m not going to be able to take it down, so I will figure out a way to work with the city in whatever way I can.”

DesJardin said she still plans to work with the zoning and planning commissions to find transitional housing for the homeless.

Ward 4 Councilman Robert Socha said while he appre-

ciates DesJardin’s efforts, the city needs to stop ignoring the ordinance against camping.

“Recently I had members of our public safety, both police and fire, tell me that the tent is not in as good of a condition as what Missy described today,” Socha said. “They thought it was a fire hazard, and they thought that it was a danger.”

Socha said if the city keeps ignoring ordinances, others will try to take advantage of the relaxed rules. He added that the city has two ordinances against camping, one for city property and one for private property.

about weed, I made sure that there was indica on the property so that he’d be on the couch, so he more or less slept and ate,” she said. “I didn’t really want him to have any energy to walk around.”

She said although police have dropped people off at Camp Hope, the shelter is not attracting people from outside the county because of Hillsdale’s lack of resources.

A document of questions and concerns from Mackie and City Assessor Kim Thomas outlined the zoning and safety requirements Camp Hope must meet to move forward.

“Camp Hope was always intended as a short-term solution.”

DesJardin said Camp Hope has housed more than 200 individuals since April 2023 and never fewer than 11 at one time. Only five have come from outside Hillsdale County — one of whom was an illegal immigrant and gang member headed for Canada, DesJardin said. The City of Hillsdale Police Department removed the immigrant within three days of his arrival.

DesJardin said at Monday’s council meeting that she housed the other homeless individuals in her office and in her home while the gang member was at Camp Hope.

“I made sure he was well fed, and if y’all know anything

“We recognize that situations like this must be handled delicately, with respect for both the property owner and the individuals affected,” the document reads. “Throughout this process, we have sought to balance compassion with our duty to enforce local ordinances, and we believe the 90 days provided allowed sufficient time to address these concerns responsibly.”

DesJardin questioned whether the timeline allows her to address the needs of Hillsdale’s homeless population.

“It’s not out of nowhere, technically, because we all knew that Camp Hope was a temporary solution,” DesJardin said. “But we all thought that

with the task force and the city all being involved, this might be resolved by now.”

As winter approaches, DesJardin said she also fears the impact of a shutdown on the 23 residents who rely on Camp Hope for shelter and stability.

“Ninety days puts us in February,” DeJardin said. She said she has been working closely with city officials to help Camp Hope meet local zoning and safety standards.

“We’re doing everything we can, but there’s so much red tape,” DesJardin said. “And every day we spend trying to secure support is a day closer to winter.”

Josiah Lippincott, a graduate student and member of the mayor’s task force on homelessness, said he has issues with the city’s approach to enforcing local codes.

“Sometimes the code is ignored or massaged, as in Missy’s case, and other times it is ruthlessly enforced,” Lippincott said. “This arrangement makes me deeply uneasy.”

DesJardin said she believes the city’s resistance to supporting Camp Hope reflects a broader misconception about homelessness.

“There’s a perception that addressing homelessness will harm our city,” she said. “But if we don’t help, who will? This is about compassion and providing for those who need us most.”

and the election went well,” Adair said.

Despite his history with Adair, Gray said he anticipates everybody will approach the situation professionally to get the important work of the people done.

This work includes a $1.4 million street infrastructure project and renovations to the Klein Tool building in downtown Jonesville, according to Gray.

“I expect that we’re going to continue to deliver on those high levels of service and meet the needs of our constituents,” Gray said.

The City of Jonesville operates under a council-manager form of government where residents elect six council members and a mayor to the governing body. The council then hires a manager as the chief administrative officer, according to Gray.

“Typically in smaller government, you have folks that run for those positions, that have full-time jobs,” Gray said. “They bring in a professional manager to handle the day-today operations. They provide policy direction. The manager works closely with them to make sure that their policies are being implemented.”

Each council member serves a four-year term while the mayor serves a two-year term, and council elections are staggered so only three of the six seats can change at a time.

This arrangement provides some stability for the governing body, according to Gray.

Arno said he expects the new council members to bring a different perspective to the table.

“It doesn’t matter who is elected to the city council as long as that candidate is there to help make decisions for the best interest for all the Jonesville city residents,” Arno said.

Nov. 20.

By Christian Papillon Collegian Reporter

Gift cards, cash, and guns are all prizes in a Christmas raffle sponsored by the Greater Hillsdale Humane Society in its fifth annual 12 Days of Christmas, Plus 6 Raffle Dec. 6-23.

“This is one of our biggest fundraisers,” Shelter Director Joni Baker said. “Some people don‘t know that we are an independent nonprofit shelter, and the only income we have is from donations, surrender fees, and adoption fees.”

Profits from the raffle will go to provide care for the homeless dogs and cats of Hillsdale County.

The winning ticket number

will be the same as the numbers for the Michigan Evening Daily 3 Lottery.

Other prizes include gift cards to the Udder Side restaurant in Jonesville and a Blackstone grill.

Baker said it costs approxi-

Humane Society Student Contact Tiare Nicholas-Bublick said.

“It is an incredible opportunity to run the goal program and coordinate events involving the students and the shelters.”

“This is one of our biggest fundraisers.”

mately $300,000 per year to run the shelter.

“The Humane Society and shelter medicine as a whole has taught me to appreciate the resilience of animals,” senior and

According to Baker, the shelter, located off Hudson Road south of Hillsdale, can house 20 dogs and 60 cats at full capacity.

“We have a wonderful crew out here that does an amazing

job with the animals,” Baker said. “We take volunteers. You can come help clean, or if you just want to come walk a dog or hang out with the cats we need that, too. The more people the animals meet, the more socialized and adoptable they get. And we appreciate the help!”

In addition to the raffle, the Humane Society will be hosting a Pause with Paws event on Dec. 11, Hillsdale College’s Reading Day, where students will be able to meet, walk, and socialize with the shelter pets. “Our goal is to help as many animals as we possibly can and bring awareness to ‘adopt, don‘t shop,’” Baker said.

Ava-Marie Papillon illustrated the City News header.

Camp Hope, which provides beds and bathrooms, in September.

Isabella Doer | Collegian

The Cameron Christmas Train visited Hillsdale

Catherine Maxwell | Collegian

The voice of Hillsdale is back

Bob Flynn represents Ward 3 on city council

By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter

The voice of Hillsdale is back — and now he’s saying Hillsdale College must do more for the city it calls home.

“People I‘ve talked to have said it’s not fair that the college has all this money to buy homes and property to turn into nonprofits, because that‘s why we have to have special assessment districts to pay for our roads,” Flynn said.

Elected to the Hillsdale City Council for Ward 3 earlier this month, Bob Flynn hopes to improve the local economy.

“I would love to see our downtown thrive. When I was growing up, it was a very vibrant downtown,” Flynn said.

Flynn was a host on WCSR for 46 years until his retirement in March 2024.

“It was not a spur of the moment decision,” Flynn said. “I came to the conclusion that I’d like to give it a try and continue to support the city.”

Scot Bertram, director of WRFH Radio Free Hillsda -

Mayor from A1

At the Nov. 18 meeting, newly elected council members Jacob Bruns (Ward 1), Matthew Bentley (Ward 2), and Bob Flynn (Ward 3) were sworn in. Bruns is a Ph.D. student who moved to Hillsdale in 2020 to attend the college. Flynn worked as a host on WCSR for 46 years before his retirement in March.

Stockford announced he would resign at the council’s next meeting in two weeks because he is moving his family out of the city to a new house. Only eight members will sit on the city council for two years due to his resignation, unless the city holds a special election, Stockford said, creating a “4-4 council.”

“It can be a beautiful thing,” Stockford said at the meeting.

“It’s a lot of deadlock and a lot of stuff doesn’t get done. In government, that is lovely.”

Stockford told The Collegian the split is between the “young guys” — Paladino, Bruns, Bentley, and Robert Socha (Ward 4) — and the “old guys” — Morrisey, Flynn, Greg Stuchell (Ward 1), and Gary Wolfram (Ward 3).

“It’s pretty clear throughout the county from what I can see,” Stockford said. “The young guys want lower taxes, less interference in their personal lives, smaller government. The older ones are retired and well off, want to force taxes on the residents for ‘the greater good’ projects, cool with federal and state subsidies.”

The vote was taken by a secret ballot, in accordance with the city’s charter, and Paladino said he would like to change that charter provision.

The city attorney said there

to pay up to $5,000 to fund road repairs in the district — against residents in Ward 3 to help pay for a $6.5 million infrastructure project.

“I feel that the city has gone above and beyond for decades to be a good neighbor and to help when Hillsdale College has requests,” Flynn said.

The college recently made a deal with the city which will allow it to begin construction on the Dow Hotel and Conference Center expansion, with the city allowing the college to block off a portion of Galloway Drive and Summit Street.

le 101.7 FM and lecturer in journalism, said he thinks Flynn’s radio experience will help him in his new role.

“As a local radio host, Bob likely has become very familiar with the role of community sounding board,” Bertram said. “At the very least, he won’t be surprised to hear frequent opinions about what’s wrong, and sometimes even what’s right, in Hillsdale.”

“I came to the conclusion that I’d like to give it a try and continue to support the city.”

While the college has benefited greatly from the city over the last few decades, Flynn said, the city has levied SADs — which require each property owner in a district

is no provision for special election for the office of mayor.

“The charter says a midterm vacancy in the office of mayor is filled at the next regular state election,” Thompson said.

But Paladino said he is unsure whether the city will hold a special election, which could end his tenure before 2026.

“It might be two years,” Paladino said. “The charter said the ‘next regular election.’ I was interpreting that to mean we’re not going to call a May election if there’s nothing else on the ballot because it’s expensive to run an election. But in August or November we have an election, so putting an extra name on the ballot isn’t a difficulty.”

“The city is allowing them to build this large hotel, which I feel is much needed, but it’s like the college is just throwing us a $2 million check and saying, “Now, leave us alone. Don‘t bother us with anything.’ And I don’t think that’s fair,” Flynn said.

While the college has worked with the city to provide a $2 million endowment for general city services, Flynn said the college has rebuffed previous efforts by the city council to get the college to opt into a payment-in-lieuof-taxes program.

“The city council has asked at least twice that I know of over the decades for the college to participate in a PILOT payment program, in lieu of paying taxes, and the college has said, ‘No, thank you’,” Flynn said.

But Flynn said he is optimistic about the future for the relationship between the city and college, and grateful for what the college brings to the local economy.

“I love Hillsdale College. They employ a lot of people and have a lot of great facilities that people use,” Flynn said. “I’d like to see them incorporate more into the city and say, ‘Hey, let’s all work together to make the college and the city a great place to be’.”

or serving the role of mayor,” Paladino said. “You should have the legitimacy of having an election.”

But Paladino also said holding an election before 2026 still may not give the mayor the same legitimacy as a regularly elected one.

“One of the other problems with special elections is you get lower voter turnout,” Paladino said. “So then you still don’t quite have that legitimacy of a regular November election that people are aware of and know about.”

The council will meet Dec. 2, when Stockford submits his formal resignation letter and Paladino, the mayor pro tem, assumes the position of acting mayor.

“I don’t think we’ll have an elected mayor until 2026 as things currently stand.”

Paladino said this confusion could come from the interpretation of the term “regular election,” which could mean any election the city is holding but could also mean 2026. The city usually runs a primary narrowing the race to two mayoral candidates before a general election, Paladino said, and that could complicate a special election for mayor.

“I don’t think we’ll have an elected mayor until 2026 as things currently stand,” Paladino said.

If the council has the power to call a special election, Paladino said he might support one.

“I don’t like the idea of someone who’s an acting may-

Graduate student joins council

Jacob Bruns aims at crime, drugs, and SADs

By Lauren Bixler Circulation Manager

New Hillsdale City Council member and graduate student Jacob Bruns said he will employ a simple approach to his role as he serves for the next four years.

“The role of city council is first and foremost to serve the citizens — to ensure the city is safe and the citizens are protected from violence and hard drug usage,” Bruns said. “We should provide basic services like road repair without burdening the citizens with excess taxes for additional projects.”

Originally from Holland, Michigan, Bruns moved to Hillsdale in 2020 after graduating from University of Dallas and then working as a teacher in Arizona.

“The whole time I wanted to return to Michigan,” Bruns said. “I had various opportunities, one of which was to be a graduate student here at Hillsdale, so here we are.”

Bruns lives in the City of Hillsdale with his wife and four children. Bruns will continue teaching humanities and American history at Jackson College as an adjunct professor and pursue his Ph.D. at the Hillsda-

first in all decisions we make, not corporate interests, not college interests, no interests,” Paladino said. “The primary purpose is protecting the residents who live here, and that means a clean, safe, affordable, and beautiful city.”

He also said his other main priorities are ending special assessment districts, establishing transitional housing for homeless people away from downtown, and expanding the overcrowded county jail.

Stockford called Morrisey and Paladino “two of my favorite people” as the council prepared to vote.

“Both of you have supported me through multiple elections,” Stockford said. “Both of you have had my back.”

Before the council voted in a mayor pro tem, Stockford gave the council some advice.

le College Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship.

Shortly after arriving, Bruns became involved in local politics.

“I got hit with a special assessment district soon after moving in,” Bruns said. “I’ve got a young family, and then I became a grad student, so getting hit with a $5,000 bill to get the road fixed was tough. That sort of sucked me in, seeing there are actual consequences to decisions made in the city council for people and for my neighbors.”

Bruns said although the Michigan climate is unfriendly to roads due to constant freezing and thawing cycles, the city should prevent the roads from falling further behind without special assessments on residents.

“The city taxes are maxed out, so they turned to the special assessments because they cannot legally tax the people of the City of Hillsdale any more than they’re already taxing them,” Bruns said.

Instead, he said the city needs to cut the budget’s nonessential spending to take the financial burden of special assessments off of Hillsdale residents. For example, he said

the Dial-a-Ride transportation in Hillsdale is a big annual net loss, as well as upcoming spending on the Hillsdale airport.

“In the end, you don’t have to come up with that much money to stop special assessments,” Bruns said. “They bring in about $150,000 a year on average. So if you can find $150,000 in the budget, then you end them.”

Bruns said another important issue for the city council is homelessness and drug use. He served on the Homelessness Task Force, a group appointed by the mayor in 2023 to diagnose the local homelessness situation and give a recommendation to the city council about further action.

“We met periodically until the task force was dissolved, and what I gathered from some of our interviews with various local officials is that the methamphetamines and, more especially, fentanyl problems have gotten really bad in this county in the last 15 years,” Bruns said. He added that Hillsdale can hardly do anything about the underlying issue of drug use because it involves communities outside the city. Drugs cross the country from the southern border and through big cities and depositories until they reach Hillsdale County. He said the solution will take time, but the city can be more stern on known drug users.

City Councilman Will Morrissey said he looks forward to working with Bruns.

“Mr. Bruns has been my colleague on the Hillsdale City Planning Commission for some time now,” Morrissey said. “He has been a thoughtful and conscientious participant in our meetings.”

Professor of Politics Mickey Craig said he encourages students to get involved in politics and supports them when they run for office.

“He’s such a wonderful guy, and I consider him one of our top students in the grad program,” Craig said.

‘Nutcracker’ coming to Dawn Sunday afternoon

By Michaela Estruth Senior Editor

Hillsdale’s Dawn Theater will premiere “Scenes from the Nutcracker” Sunday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m.

free, but Wolfram said tickets must be reserved. Email marybwolfram@gmail.com or call 810-844-1396 to reserve a ticket.

As acting mayor, Paladino said he will ask the Board of Public Utilities to remove fluoride from the city water supply.

“I would like to act on that immediately based on all the evidence that we’re seeing of neural developmental disabilities, arthritis, etcetera,” Paladino said. “That’ll be number one. Then after that we’ve got to get structural things managed and get committee assignments.”

One of Paladino’s long-term priorities is reforming the city charter, which he said has some provisions that conflict with state law.

“The purpose of city politics should be to put the residents, the citizens of Hillsdale,

“It’s always been my dream that we saw more young families moving to Hillsdale,” Stockford said. “That’s something in the past few years we’ve seen a lot of. We’ve got young guys who just got elected to council. But I see this strain in the community saying that these young people are bad or that they’re right wing extremists. It’s very disheartening for me to see because these young men that are starting to get involved in government are the future of this community.”

Stockford also offered advice to the Hillsdale community as a whole, advising that people practice civility and respect for the town and the community.

“The last thing I want to say to the people of this town is don’t cannibalize this community,” Stockford said. “This is a good community.”

“We will have an abridged version of the Nutcracker,” Chair of Friends of the Dawn Theater Mary Wolfram said. Ballet Chelsea will present the ballet, but seven students from Hillsdale Tower Dancers will perform in the “Tea” and “Marzipan” numbers. This is the Tower Dancers’ first time performing with Ballet Chelsea, according to Assistant Professor of Dance Holly Hobbs.

Sophomore Moriah Mitchell will perform as a Chinese Tea dancer. She said she has been dancing in productions of “The Nutcracker” since she was 11.

“I have never done this specific part before, but I’ve seen many different versions of it,” Mitchell said. “I love dancing this role because it has high energy.”

Mitchell said her dream is to dance professionally after graduation and is thankful for the opportunity to dance with Ballet Chelsea.

The only performance is the Sunday matinee, Wolfram said. Admission is

“Last year was our first performance of ‘Scenes from the Nutcracker,’” Wolfram said. “We are happy to be able to present it again this year thanks to a grant from the Hillsdale County Community Foundation, along with support from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.” Sophomore Ariel McDowell will dance as a Marzipan demi-soloist and said her favorite part of the performance is the “piqué fouetté arabesque.” McDowell said she is grateful to perform, especially since she missed her last performance of “The Nutcracker” due to COVID-19 exposure in 2020.

“I’m so excited to perform with Ballet Chelsea. They are so great to give us a chance to dance with them,” McDowell said. “‘The Nutcracker’ is just the epitome of delightful, as either a dancer or an audience member. The music is gorgeous, and the dancing is tremendously fun.”

Bob Flynn smiles behind the mic at the WCSR station in March. Lauren Scott | Collegian

Jacob Bruns and his family. Courtesy | Jacob Bruns

Swimming

Chargers best Lewis with final relay on senior day

By Ty Ruddy Assistant Editor

Charger swimming split

a double-dual meet at home

Nov. 16 at home, losing to Findlay University and beating Lewis University on senior day.

Senior Megan Clifford continued her dominant season in the 200-yard butterfly. Her time of 2:05.05 earned her Hillsdale’s only individual title on the day. She also placed second in the 100-yard butterfly. Clifford said senior day gave her a chance to reflect on her time swimming at Hillsdale.

“My teammates inspire me every day to do everything I can with positivity and intention and push me to be my best self in every regard,” she said.

For points, the Chargers relied on podium finishes from multiple swimmers across the meet. Sophomore Inez McNichols contributed with a third place finish in the 100yard butterfly. A pair of freshmen and a pair of seniors also helped the Chargers with podium finishes. Freshman Ella

Games

Difficulty:

Each row and column contains 2 each of A, B, and C.

The numbers around the border indicate the number of "pairs" of consecutive identical letters that appear in the row or column.

Hint: For a row or column with two pairs, the letter in the second position is always part of a pair.

Noughts & Crosses

Difficulty:

The numbers around the border indicate the length of the longest runs of consecutive noughts or crosses in that row, column, or secondary diagonal (a zero means that symbol does not appear).

Shafer placed third in the 200yard butterfly and freshman Matilyn Wilhelmsen placed second in the 200-yard breaststroke and third in the 1000yard freestyle. Senior Joanna Burnham was the runner up in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.88 and senior Elise Mason rounded out the 500-yard freestyle podium with a time of 5:18.77.

The win over Lewis University came on the last event of the meet. The 200-yard relay team of Clifford, Schafer, senior Lucia Ruchti, and freshman Kathryn Vieceli placed third with a time of 1:40.02. Their podium finish turned a 4-point deficit into a 6-point lead over Lewis.

McNichols said the meet at home was the best one for the Chargers so far this season.

“I think the atmosphere this weekend was positive and competitive, which is great as we are looking towards our tough weekend ahead,” McNichols said.

The Chargers will compete in the Don Kimble Invite from Nov. 22– Nov. 24 in East Kentwood, MI.

Alphabet Minidoku

Frisbee

Hillsdale club frisbee travels to Dallas

By Cassandra DeVries Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale College Ultimate Frisbee Club flew to the University of Dallas and defeated its club team 12-11 this past weekend.

Senior Greg Moreno, club president, grew up playing frisbee with one of the Dallas players.

“My best friend growing up, who I learned how to play frisbee alongside, goes to the University of Dallas,” Moreno said. “We always have talked about having our teams play each other, but living across the country makes it hard.”

Moreno said in the spring of 2022 the two teams met in St. Louis to play.

“It was super fun last time. Everyone loved it, and it was a really memorable weekend when we did it that way,” Moreno said. “But this time we wanted to go all the way down there and get to be on their campus.”

Moreno said it took some convincing, but Hillsdale sent 16 players on the trip.

“We had a full roster and it was so cool to see everyone who was willing to give

11/14 Puzzle Solutions

up a precious weekend to take such a trek down to Texas,” junior Ineka Pastermack said.

Each of the players contributed to the cost of the trip, and they flew Spirit with only backpacks to make the trip more affordable.

The teams played one official game and then split up the teams.

“We played one real showcase game with our two teams against each other,” Pastermack said. “But then for the rest of the afternoon, we scrambled people up, and that's when you could tell it was really fun and just a friendly environment.”

Junior Ineka Pastermack said she enjoyed playing against a smaller liberal arts school instead of the large state schools the club usually plays.

“It was fun to meet some similar students and kindred spirits,” Pastermack said.

The Dallas team took care of transportation for the Hillsdale team and hosted them in several team members’ apartments and houses.

John Dougherty, the president of the Dallas team,

said he was impressed with the leadership of Hillsdale’s team.

“Greg and Gabe [Dobrozsi] are awesome captains, leaders of the team, both on and off the field,” Dougherty said. “We are really glad it worked out.”

Pastermack said the Hillsdale team had a memorable weekend and loved the trip.

Sports Opinion

“It was such an amazing

time and just a great bonding experience for the whole team,” Pastermak said.

Dougherty agreed.

“The game on Saturday was fabulous, and I'd say both teams played really well,” Dougherty said. “I think Saturday was the most fun I ever had playing frisbee.”

Don’t sell on the Chiefs… yet

By Lewis Thune Collegian Reporter

The defending back-toback National Football League champions made their way to upstate New York on Sunday for another edition of what is already the NFL’s best recent rivalries.

When the Kansas City Chiefs bested the Buffalo Bills in the 2020-21 regular season, and again in the ensuing conference championship, they established themselves as the American Football Conference’s top dog. Undaunted, the Bills exacted their revenge in the 2021-22 regular season, with a dominant three-score win over the Chiefs. But when the two met that postseason, the Chiefs achieved mythic status: 45 yards in 10 seconds, 25 points in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter, an overtime coin toss to rule them all, and Travis Kelce’s walk-off touchdown in the back corner of the endzone.

In the 2022-23 season, the Bills bested the Chiefs 20-17 in their one meeting, although Kansas City ended up winning the Super Bowl that year. In the 2023-24 season, Buffalo dispatched of the Chiefs once again, only to fall to those very same Chiefs by a score of 2724 a month later in the play-

from A10

Brennan said in spite of the loss, there are still positives the team can take from the game.

Battleships

“We know that defense will always be a controllable for us, so we locked in and did a great job executing our defensive game plan versus Saginaw,” Brennan said. “Saginaw was by far our best defensive performance this season. We were very connected throughout each defensive possession. It was exciting to see us play such tough defense throughout the game. Even though we lost, we still learned a lot from it and will use it as momentum to carry us into this week.”

The Chargers never led after halftime, but they never trailed

offs. Kansas City went on to win their second consecutive Super Bowl.

Sunday’s matchup between two of the AFC’s founding franchises was another great entry in the series. Viewers received another duel between two juggernauts with two premier quarterbacks and two feature fanbases. Buffalo managed the 30-21 victory, saddling the nine-win Chiefs with their first loss of the season. While the Bills proved the top dogs aren’t invincible, they also proved the Chiefs have reason to be confident.

Now is not the time to sell on the Chiefs three-peat. They’ve entered the second half of the season remarkably healthy, with only two starters temporarily inactive. Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is slowly returning to form after an underwhelming start. The Kansas City defense, fresh off one of the best single seasons in NFL history last year, is only getting better.

With a promising young receiver like Xavier Worthy under the wing of the veteran pass-catcher DeAndre Hopkins, the Chiefs receiving corps is playoff-ready. Tight end Travis Kelce, though aging, is still an elite route runner, giving Kansas City lategame options out wide. The

by more than eight points.

Sophomore forward Savannah Smith said the team has taken big steps forward over the past two games.

“Wednesday was not as good of a defensive game as we would have liked,” Smith said. “We definitely turned it around Friday and played our best defensive game this season so far. In general, from our Wednesday game to our Friday game we made a big jump in team chemistry and executing our game plan.”

Sophomore guard Annalise Pietrzyk agreed that the team defense was working well against Saginaw Valley.

“We just put together a defensively solid game,” Pietrzyk said. “We’re looking forward to putting together a good of-

postseason will likely bring the Chiefs’ best targets at wide receiver back from long-term inactivity: the elite youngster Rashee Rice and the speedy Marquise Brown are both expected to have recovered from their respective surgeries come late January. Greatest of all, the Chiefs carry the unteachable intangible: experience. That is how they have been able to send the Bills packing in all three consecutive playoff matchups . With Andy Reid at coach and veteran Chiefs on the offensive and defensive lines, Kansas City isn’t likely to be upset by a newcomer. In the postseason, it’s going to take a team that can match their poise in order to beat them. The Bills could be that team, but given the recent history between the two, there’s no reason to believe the Chiefs won’t rebound. Over the past five years, the Chiefs have distinguished themselves from the rest of the NFL as uniquely strong, and the Bills are right there beside them. Yes, the Bills deserve recognition for their win on Sunday, and Bills fans have every right to be excited — but don’t lose sight of the Chiefs. They’re more than capable of winning it all — again.

fensive and defensive performance at the same time.” Smith led the Chargers with 17 points against Saginaw Valley and Pietrzyk scored a career-high 15 points.

“Another thing that stood out has been Annalise's efficiency from the field in the past two games,” Brennan said. “She shot 2-3 vs. Lake State from the 3-point line and 4-9 against Saginaw to equate to 50% from the 3. That is a very impressive stat and she is just scratching the surface of the success she will have in order to help our team be its best.” The Chargers will travel to Romeoville, Illinois, for a game against Lewis University Nov. 23 to close out their stretch of non-conference play.

Bball

Senior Gabe Dobrozsi carries a frisbee. Courtesy | Ineka Pastermack

Vasiliki Paplomata travels from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Hillsdale

By Elizabeth Putlock Collegian Reporter

Sophomore Vasiliki Paplomata had never left the house without a jacket before she traveled more than 5,000 miles from Greece to study as student-athlete at Hillsdale College.

Paplomata, known as “Vas” on the court, hails from Thessaloniki, Greece, a 20-minute drive from the coast of the Thermaic Gulf.

“Where I’m from, it’s not exactly like what you’ve seen on TikTok, with the white and blue houses, but it’s still very beautiful,” she said.

Paplomata started playing volleyball when she was seven years old. Following in the footsteps of her older sister, Paplomata never questioned which sport she should play.

“In Greece, we usually only

play one sport,” she said. “You usually choose your sport from a young age, so it made sense for me to play volleyball because my sister also played volleyball.”

Paplomata was a top youth volleyball player in her age group in Greece, according to the Hillsdale Chargers Athletics website. She represented her country at the U16 Volleyball European Championships and the European Volleyball Confederation in 2019, and earned a spot on the U18 Greek National Team in 2021.

Paplomata was also a “strong student with a variety of academic accomplishments,” according to her profile on the Hillsdale Chargers Athletics website.

Paplomata said she wanted to combine academics and a competitive volleyball environment in college, which is

Sports Opinion

not something she could do in Greece. Colleges in Greece do not offer athletic programs, according to Paplomata.

She said the idea of going to America for college and volleyball came from some high school teammates who ended up in the U.S. for volleyball.

“I was like, ‘Why not do it? It’s a great experience, and when am I going to be able to turn my life upside down just for fun?’” Paplomata said.

Head coach Chris Gravel said he first noticed Paplomata on a recruiting website, where he saw her highlight video and then reached out to her over email.

“You could tell that she treated her teammates around her really well, and she was making good decisions,” Gravel said. “When we had the phone interview with her, she was really sharp, really understood servant leadership, and that’s what we teach a lot here. We decided that she would be a good fit and asked her to come.”

Paplomata said the language barrier made it difficult for her on the court when she first arrived in Hillsdale in August 2023.

“I was kind of like an alien that came from a different planet,” she said. “That’s how I felt.”

Gravel said that the language barrier was a challenge for the whole team at first.

“Although she spoke wonderful English, when it came to volleyball, it all moves so fast,” Gravel said. “She was interpreting in English and then translating to Greek, and then processing. So it took her a lit-

tle while to think quickly and to deal with her teammates and how fast it was played. But when she got past that, things got even better.”

A miscommunication with the recruiting agency was also an issue at first, but quickly became an opportunity for Paplomata to show that she could still deliver as a player, according to Gravel.

“The recruiting service said that she was 5’11” but she’s 5’9”,” Gravel said. “So I told her, ‘You owe me these other three inches in jump touch,’ and she kind of laughed and I said, ‘No, seriously.’ And she did it. She worked really hard, and she brought her jump up.”

Though she has experienced a few culture shocks, Paplomata said she’s getting used to how Americans live.

“My mom would never let me go outside without a jacket,” she said. “But Americans just go outside in a T-shirt and shorts. Their immune systems are much stronger than mine, but I think I’m getting used to it because I haven’t gotten sick this whole semester.”

Paplomata said one of the best parts about coming to Hillsdale is the people she has met.

“The community is just insane,” she said. “People here are actually willing to help. For example, the teachers that are responding to you on a Sunday night when they really don’t have to be doing that but they do it because they want to. I think that’s beautiful.”

One of her favorite memories comes from the current season, when a coach assigned a biking workout around the

woods at Hayden Park.

“I didn’t know how to ride a bike before I came here,” Paplomata said. “I learned how to ride a bike over the summer, but since coach knew that I couldn’t ride a bike really well, I knew he would make me do it at some point because he challenges us in every way he can.”

Paplomata’s teammate, freshman Caroline Lanicek, said that Paplomata is a support to her teammates.

“She’s always looking to engage with everybody, and to form better relationships with her teammates, especially the freshmen,” Lanicek said. “That’s something that I absolutely love about her.”

Lanicek shared a story of how her family traveled to Greece this summer where she met Paplomata for the first time.

“We were in the same work-

out group chat for volleyball that summer, so I texted her and I said that my family was going to Greece,” Lanicek said. Lanicek’s family was eight hours from where Paplomata lived, but Lanicek said Paplomata and her family made the drive to meet them for only a few hours.

“It really showed me the kind of person she was,” said Lanicek. “She always goes above and beyond to do things for the people around her and she brings light and joy into their day.”

Paplomata expressed gratitude for her time so far at Hillsdale.

“For some reason God put me on this team from the other side of the world, and I’m friends with these people who could be at any other college,” she said. “ But God put them in Hillsdale so that we could be together. Isn’t that insane?”

The Texas Longhorns will win the first twelve-team playoff

By Anna Broussard Assistant Editor

In 2005, the University of Texas Longhorns’ quarterback Vince Young led his team to win the Rose Bowl, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Now, nearly 20 years later, the nationally ranked number three Longhorns, with a record of 9-1, will reclaim their long-lost title. After years of disappointing seasons, the Longhorns finished their 2023 season with a 12-2 record, losing to the University of Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff. Now, in their inaugural season in the Southeastern Confer-

ence, all eyes are on Texas as playoffs draw near.

“Texas is my pick to win the national championship. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it,” College Gameday host Lee Corso said during Saturday’s broadcast.

Like Corso, many predict Texas has the potential and the momentum to win the national title. Currently ranked first in the SEC, Texas boasts the number one defense in the country.

With key offensive players such as quarterback Quin Ewers, running back Jayden Blue, and wide receiver Matthew Golden, Texas has built a strong foundation. Their aggressive defense has been a

deciding factor in many road victories this season, including wins over The University of Michigan Wolverines, Vanderbilt University Commodores, and The University of Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Texas defense, led by middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., defensive end Colin Simmons, and cornerback Jahdae Barron, has held opponents to an average of 249 yards per game, according to Fox Sports. This ranks them as the nation’s top defensive unit.

Despite their success, critics point to Texas’s occasional struggles with executing explosive offensive plays and injuries sustained by Ewers earlier in the season.

According to the website Burnt Orange Nation, Ewers, who transferred to Texas from Ohio State in 2021, has fostered a culture of maturity and experience among his teammates. As college football has become increasingly dependent on seasoned leadership, experienced players like Ewers add value to championship aspirations.

In recent years, top quarterbacks such as Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and Oregon’s Bo Nix, have shown how staying an extra year in college before heading to the National Football League can help bolster a team’s strength and title chances.

The 2024 season also introduced significant changes to both the conference structure and playoff format. In previous years, the College Football Playoff selection committee chose the top four teams nationwide. This season, the playoffs have expanded to a 12-team conference-wide bracket, benefitting Texas and other teams within the division.

Four automatic playoff spots will go to the winner of each conference — the SEC, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Twelve, and Big Ten. The remaining eight teams will be selected by a committee based on factors such as win-loss records, strength of

schedule, and overall performance throughout the season. With only one loss in conference, Texas is poised to enter the playoffs either as the SEC champion or as an atlarge selection. While many argue Texas has the capability to win the national title, the final outcome will ultimately be decided on the field.

The Longhorns’ 2005 Rose Bowl victory against the University of Southern California Trojans — ending their 25 game winning streak — remains one of college football’s most iconic games. Now, the 2024 Texas team looks to rival the greatness of Vince Young’s team.

Charger chatter

Landon VanBeek, FootBaLL

What’s one conspiracy theory you find weirdly fascinating—even if you’re not totally convinced?

Giant Sea Creatures out there we have yet to discover.

If you were given the power to make one ridiculous law that everyone must follow, what would it be?

No exams given on Friday or Monday.

Compiled by Isabella Doer

If you could invite any three people to Thanksgiving dinner, who would you choose?

Donald Trump, Joe Rogan, Theo Von—the three most entertaining people I could possibly share a meal with.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Decorating Christmas Cookies with family.

Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Sophomore Vasiliki Paplomata earned a spot on the U18 Greek National Team in 2021. Courtesy | Emma Purdy

Sophomore Vasiliki Paplomata winds up to serve. Courtesy | Emma Purdy

Charger Sports

By Kirsten Lopez Collegian Freelancer

Hillsdale extends winning streak with dominant performances

By Jacob Beckwith & Kirsten Lopez Sports Editor & Collegian Freelancer

Hillsdale College men’s basketball improved to 5-0 after victories over East-West University, Judson University, and Indiana University Northwest this past week. The Chargers played all three games at home, defeating East-West 105-46, Judson 81-53, and Indiana University Northwest 78-61.

In their matchup against East-West, the Chargers recorded six players with double digits in points, as they were able to get the offense firing on all cylinders, according to sophomore guard Mikey McCollum.

“Once one went in, the floodgates started to open,” McCollum said. “We got some easy layups and drive-and-kick threes, which really helped us pull away.”

Redshirt freshman Logan Beaston and sophomore Caleb Glaser both contributed 18 points, with McCollum not far behind at 17 points on the night. The Charger bench racked up 58 points by the end of the contest.

Sophomore quarterback Colin McKernan finished his first season as a starter with 1,455 total passing yards and 13 touchdowns. McKernan completed seven of his 14 passing attempts against Ohio Dominican, as well as a four-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy to extend the Hillsdale lead to 21-6 in the third quarter.

“The last game went really well,” McKernan said. “It was a great feeling to get that last win.”

Ruddy was awarded the Team MVP award at the annual football program banquet this past weekend.

Ruddy finished third overall in NCAA DII in all-purpose yards with 1,779, and fifth in “kick and punt” return yards with 820 total.

“It was nice to end the season with a win and give the seniors what they deserve,” Ruddy said. “The season overall wasn’t what we were working and hoping for, but we did some good things and finished with integrity.”

With 1,059 career receiving yards after two seasons, Ruddy is 615 yards away from making the team’s top 10 alltime receiving yards list, and needs only two touchdowns

Hillsdale outscored EastWest 49-13 in the first half alone, and finished with a commanding 59-point win.

Over the weekend, the Chargers faced Judson University and shot below 50% from beyond the arc for the first time this season.

Yet Hillsdale still stormed out to a 41-24 lead by halftime, and ultimately held Judson to just 53 points in a dominant defensive display.

“I think that despite us not shooting at a really high level like we usually do, we all did a really good job working each possession for good shots and

executed well on both sides of the ball,” Glaser said.

McCollum led the team with 20 points, and senior forward Joe Reuter added 17.

“Overall, I thought we played well, even considering that we didn’t get it going from three-point range,” Reuter said. “We still found other ways to score offensively, and that’s a testament to our depth and ability to be multi-dimensional.”

Last night, the Chargers defeated Indiana University Northwest, led by a 21-point effort for junior guard Ashton Janowski. Redshirt senior

Charles Woodhams added 14 points and McCollum had 13 points. Hillsdale was efficient, shooting 33-69 from the floor and giving up only 3 turnovers.

The Chargers will look to continue their streak as they gear up for a tougher opponent in the 3-1 Winona State University Warriors on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“Starting the season off 5-0 is nice and it’s a good feeling, but we still have a lot of work and a lot of season left ahead of us,” Reuter said. “We’re just focused on the process of getting better day in and day out.”

to make the all-time receiving touchdowns list.

Defensively, Ralph Miller Award Winner and sophomore linebacker Jacob Vance finished his season with 2.5 sacks in the win against Ohio Dominican as a part of his eight total tackles, padding his team-leading 57 total tackles this season. This is the second consecutive season Vance has won the Miller award for the most outstanding linebacker. Defensive linemen Hunter Sperling and Evan Bienick also contributed to the defensive effort with one sack each. Sperling finished the season with 5.5 sacks, as well as 9.5 tackles for loss, earningthe Joe Vijuk Defensive Lineman Award. Senior defensive back Vince Francescone won the Most Outstanding Defensive Back award for the second time in his career, finishing the year with two interceptions and seven pass breakups. The Chargers ended the 2024 season exactly how they finished in 2023 under now-retired head coach Keith Otterbein, riding a fivegame win streak after starting the year with a 1-5 record. Even with the win, the Chargers are not playoff or bowl eligible, but finished above the .500 mark for the second straight season.

By Christian Papillon Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale women’s basketball team fell to Wayne St. University 80-67 in a home game Wednesday night.

Sophomore Savannah Smith and seniors Kendall McCormick and Lauren MacDonald led the team with 15, 14, and 13 points respectively. The loss leaves the team with a record of 2-3 to start the season.

Last week, the Chargers won their first home game of the season against Lake Superior State University before falling to Saginaw Valley State University on the road two days later.

Both games were defensive contests, as the Chargers held Lake Superior to 37% shooting and Saginaw Valley to 34% shooting.

Against Lake Superior, the Chargers trailed by three points with 0:49 left in the third quarter. A jumper by McDonald closed the gap to one before the end of the quarter.

Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, a McDonald free throw and layup from

senior guard Caitlin Splain gave the Chargers a lead they would not relinquish.

Ten Chargers scored points against Lake Superior, with Splain leading the team with 17.

“One thing that we are very proud of in the past two games is the contribution from our whole roster,” head coach Brianna Brennan said. “We unfortunately got into foul trouble during both games which allowed many players to step

Volleyball beats Tiffin, advances to semifinals

By Ellie Fromm Assistant Editor

Charger volleyball swept the Tiffin University Dragons 3-0 on Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinal match. The Chargers hosted the match at Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena and 397 people were in attendance.

The Chargers, who were the top seed in the tournament, beat the eighth-seed Dragons in three sets, winning 25-23, 25-15, and 25-22.

“The first game was really close. We were clicking pretty well on set two, but game three we had to grind too,” head coach Chris Gravel said.

Top kill leaders for the Chargers were seniors Marilyn Popplewell with 14 kills, Lauren Passaglia with 11 kills, and Mazie Brown with 10 kills. Top dig leaders were senior Amanda Hilliker with 11 digs, Popplewell with nine digs, and redshirt sophomore Chloe Pierce with eight digs.

“We played with a lot of heart,” Gravel said. “You know, we have people playing injured. We have people that want to be in there that can't be, and they just come together as a team and get past that.”

early on in the match helped the team to spread out its offense early and score.

“We really want to have a ‘take care of business’ mindset and go in with lots of confidence to get the job done.”

On Friday the Chargers will face the University of Findlay Oilers at 5 p.m. at home in the G-MAC Tournament Semifinal match. The Oilers are currently the fourth seed. If the Chargers advance on Friday, they will play either the Walsh University Cavaliers or the Ohio Dominican University Panthers at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at home. This gives the Chargers the opportunity for their eighth-straight G-MAC Tournament title. According to a Hillsdale Chargers press release, this is the third match the Chargers and Oilers will play against each other this season, with the Chargers winning the first two matches.

“This is the second year in a row we've met up with this team in the semifinals,” Gravel said. “Last year, it was a phenomenal match. We're just always having a fun time. So I’m just excited and really proud of the team. Both people on the court and off the court.”

up, get more minutes and give max effort when we needed them to.”

The Chargers took advantage of offensive miscues from Lake Superior State, scoring 27 points off turnovers.

“It’s always fun playing at home,” Splain said. “I don’t think we played our best game, but we got the job done. We had to battle through a lot of things that weren’t going our way.”

Although the Chargers

outshot Saginaw Valley and held them to only 13% from beyond the arc, the Cardinals outrebounded Hillsdale 42-25 and dominated in the paint, scoring 28 points from close to the net as opposed to 16 points for the Chargers. Saginaw Valley also outperformed Hillsdale from the free throw line, shooting 81.3% from the line against the Chargers’ 69.2%.

Sophomore Chloe Pierce said establishing the middles

Senior Joe Reuter hangs from

Courtesy | Emma Purdy

Junior Payton Adkins squares off against a defender. Courtesy | Emma Purdy

Sophomore Mikey McCollum lines up for a three.

Ty Ruddy | Collegian

C U L T U R E

Students go ‘fishing’ on Manning Street

By Thomas McKenna City News Editor

“Hey you — yeah, you — come up here!”

That’s senior Maria Ritchie shouting down to the dark sidewalk from the string lightwrapped porch of Graceland, an off-campus house on Manning Street.

Who is she shouting at?

She doesn’t know. In the darkness of a Saturday night, Ritchie and her porch-swing pal, senior Stephen Berntson, can’t see who is walking

“Here’s how it works,” said Berntson, swinging with Ritchie while smoking a cigarette. “People are walking. They’ve been to a party. They’re maybe going to another party or going home. Maybe they don’t really know where to go. But we offer them a place, and we say, ‘Come here!’”

If a stranger in the darkness accepts the offer, they walk up to the porch. Only then does the Graceland porch see who they’ve caught.

“Sometimes people just

along Manning Street. But they call out to the unknown anyway, inviting a stranger to the Graceland porch. They are “Manning Fishing.”

come and go. They stop and say hi,” Ritchie said. “Sometimes, they stay for hours.”

Last Saturday night around 10:30 p.m., they caught junior

Jack Foley, who was celebrating his 21st birthday.

“I got caught with kindness,” Foley said. “A very pleasant surprise on my birthday.”

Foley said he knew most of the people calling him over.

“Oh my goodness, when it’s people we know, it’s the most joyous event,” Berntson said. “Because it’s like, ‘Hey, come to Graceland porch. We don’t know who you are.’ And then it’s somebody we know, and they run up to our porch, and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, stay a while.’”

The two seniors began to fish last year when Berntson lived at Graceland. Neither remembers exactly when the two first fished on Manning, but Ritchie thinks it was last fall. She remembers when the name for the activity was coined.

“It was a light bulb moment,” Ritchie said. “We realized that we were up here on this stationary spot, and the people on the sidewalk are moving along, and we can’t see them, but they can see us. So it’s a little bit like casting a lure in the darkness, kind of like fishing. So we called it ‘Manning Fishing,’ and it’s a good term. It’s a darn good term.”

Ritchie, Berntson, and others have continued the tradition now that Ritchie and other seniors in Chi Omega live in the house.

“I personally think the ‘Yeah, you,’ is one of the most important parts,” Ritchie said. “People don’t think you’re talking to them. But when you say, ‘Yeah, you,’ everybody’s heads spin toward the Graceland porch.”

Why fish from Graceland?

“The high vantage point,” Ritchie shouted from the swing as “Come On, Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners played on the crowded porch.

Graceland sits on top of a hill about 30 feet back from the unlit sidewalk. Those on the porch can spot but not identify those walking by, and those on the sidewalk can see who is calling.

“If we’re sitting on this bench swing, we are either pre-gaming or post-gaming,” Berntson said. “If it’s pre-gaming, you have some energy about you. You’re thinking, ‘What’s up? We’re going to the same place. If it’s post-gaming, it’s more mysterious because it’s, ‘Where were you?’ You could have been at any place. In fact, we learn a lot about what happened in the night by the people that we Manning-fish.”

porch, and we had a great conversation with him.”

The fishers of men don’t always catch students.

“We called up a random person who had a dog with them,” Berntson said. “It ended up being an old man who was clearly not a student, but he had such a cute dog, and he was such a friendly person. He brought his dog up to the

This pastime would probably not work at other schools, Berntson and Ritchie both agreed.

“It can only really exist in a high trust society like Hillsdale College where we all know each other,” Berntson said.

On Manning Street, students, mostly seniors living off campus, occupy the houses rolling down three blocks

from the Civil War statue to the bottom of the hill. The street’s community makes it feel like ‘one big dorm,’ Berntson said.

“We have a Manning group chat. We have trust. We all know each other because we’re typically the same class,” Berntson said. “If you’re hanging at a party on Manning Street, so many people are backing you up. You’re safe on Manning Street.”

Von Mises room lets students study amongst history

By Brian Knewtson Collegian Freelancer

The Ludwig Von Mises Room in Mossey Library was established to hold the personal library of Ludwig Von Mises, purchased by Hillsdale College, who escaped from the Nazis and emigrated to the United States during World War Two.

Von Mises was a 20th-century Austrian economist. Hillsdale’s relationship with him follows from the purchase of his library after his death, and the trip of a Hillsdale professor into Moscow to discover lost documents of one of Europe’s greatest economic thinkers.

Senior Economics major Geert Ensing said the Von Mises collection is an important part of Hillsdale’s conservative tradition in free market economics, drawing students to Hillsdale — including himself.

“The reason I came to Hillsdale College was actually to study Von Mises’ work. I found out about the library and I found out they taught courses on Austrian economics,” he said. “His work is kind of considered more heterodox; it’s not necessarily the orthodox mainstream economics that you’re taught at the undergrad level, but his work still permeates a lot of modern theory.”

Von Mises was an import-

ant figure in the Austrian School of economics, which stresses the importance of individual agency in economic theory, Ensing said.

“He really persisted on the importance of the free market of individual human action and agency and how those relate to foreign societes, to forming the way the modern day world works,” he said.

Von Mises’ story began in the early 20th century according to Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele.

“In World War I, he was in the artillery in the Austro-Hungarian empire, and of course then they lose, he comes back, and he’s a professor,” Steele said. “He’s not actually a professor at the University of Vienna, he was passed over basically because he was Jewish. There was a lot of antisemitism. He was a classical liberal and there was also a lot

of opposition to that at that point. A lot of people thought Marxism was the wave of the future.”

World War I drove Von Mises to look into the causes of war, and particularly how to

As the Nazi Party rose to power, Mises planned to flee to the west.

“Twenty-four hours after they left, the Nazis moved into Vienna. Within 24 hours of that, they raided his house. He

ered it in May 1945. Thus, according to Steele, even though it had been assumed lost by Von Mises, it was brought to Moscow and preserved.

prevent it, Steele said.

“He thought there were classical liberal solutions to that. He also wrote on the issue of socialism and did groundbreaking work there,” Steele said.

wasn’t there, but they seized his library and it was gone,” Steele said.

His library was brought to a Gestapo depot in Bohemia, where the Red Army recov -

Mises’s second library, collected in the United States, was acquired by Hillsdale.

“I believe it was purchased shortly after Dr. Mises’s death in 1974, and I believe it was a purchase from his widow. That’s been a little murky.” Library Director Maurine McCourry said.

According to McCourry, the collection is composed primarily of books. The collection consists of more than 2,500 items in 21 languages, including German, French and Hungarian.

“This was the collection that he built after he fled Nazi Austria,” Steele said.

The room also contains one of Mises’s own private working desks, purchased with the original collection in the 1970s. On the east side of

the room is a bust of Mises, sculpted by Heather Tritchka ’98, who also sculpted the statue of Winston Churchill in the Grewcock Student Union.

Former Hillsdale Professor of Economics, Richard Ebeling, and his wife, Anna, rediscovered Mises’s original Vienna library when they visited Moscow in 1996, according to McCourry.

“He and his wife went to Moscow to see the archives — the Russians had them,” McCourry said. “The Soviet Union actually allowed them to make photocopies.”

Among the papers Ebeling discovered were World War I military records, letters and postcards to family, as well as correspondence with Friederich Hayek. The papers photocopied by Ebeling were brought back to the library in Hillsdale.

Steele said that for students wanting to familiarize themselves with Von Mises, he recommends “Liberalism,” “Omnipotent Government,” and “Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth.”

“If you want the full experience you sign up for my Econ 413 class, and you read ‘Human Action,’” Steele said.“We work through it. It’s a complete course in economics, and in some ways it’s the best course I’ve ever taught in econ.”

Berntson and Ritchie throw a line in for some fish.

Thomas McKenna | COLLEGIAN

Foley approaches the fishers on his 21st birthday. Thomas McKenna | COLLEGIAN

Von Mises’ personal work desk (post 1942) in Mossey L ibrary. Colman Rowan | COLLEGIAN

Rahe makes Spartan history accessible to readers

By Zachary Chen Assistant Editor

“I feel just like a real scholar now,” I thought, snuggling into seat 29D with a paperback advance copy of Professor of History Paul A. Rahe’s “Sparta’s Third Attic War.” “Dr. Rahe should write these things more often.”

As the sixth and latest addition to a series on Spartan grand strategy, Rahe’s tome was surprisingly accessible. His prologue, “Sparta’s Enduring Strategic Dilemma,” proves to be an erudite, informative introduction to the military, political, social, and economic factors in the ancient Spartan regime leading up to the Third Attic War in the years 412-405 B.C. — the book’s focus.

Rahe gives a highly intelli-

gent — yet highly intelligible — crash course on Spartan and Greek history contextualizes the work before delving into the world of ancient Mediterranean politics with the Persian ruler Darius II. The book is interwoven with aptly chosen quotes from a variety of authors, ranging from Plutarch to Thucydides to Churchill. Rahe skillfully introduces and explains Greek terms, offices, and politics to create a work which is as edifying to the casual aficionado of Greek history as it is useful to a classics scholar.

“Sparta’s Third Attic War” touches upon a wealth of subject matter in the course of its narrative: Rahe deftly splices explanations of the Spartan order with discussions of Persian internal and foreign rela-

U2’s ‘Happiness’ previews album

By Lewis Thune Collegian Reporter

The rock band U2 unveiled a decent collection of three previously unreleased songs in a so-called “ghost album” titled “Happiness” on Oct. 24 — a sample of sorts for its upcoming full-length album on Nov. 29.

The Irish rock quartet first garnered attention in 1980 with “Boy” and emerged to worldwide prominence in ’87 with its magnum opus “The Joshua Tree,” headlined by hits such as “With or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.” They managed another impressive album in the aftermath with “Achtung Baby,” from which came the song “One.”

piness” pay homage to the band’s exploration into alternate genres post-1990. U2 attempted to blend their rock ‘n’ roll with alternative rock and electronic dance music in albums “Zooropa” in 1993 and “Pop” in 1997. The title track is distinctly funky: minor, rumbling, sporadic — nothing is quite right. The whole song sounds like a callback to the odd techno-style that U2 mastered as lead-ins to clean, organic rock hits like “Elevation” and “City of Blinding Lights.” So appropriately, “Happiness” leads into the most U2-sounding song on the album.

tions alongside recountings of the (often risqué) escapades of Alcibiades. One of these areas alone could provide subject matter enough for plenty of books himself.

The smooth-talking, wildly-popular, always-perfidious “Athenian with a Spartan name

whose services he happens to need most at a given time.

Rahe introduces a whole host of other fascinating players throughout history: Cyrus and Agis, Tissaphernes and Peisander, Darius II and Lysander. The feint and thrust of their blockades, sea battles,

“Dr. Rahe should write these things more often”

who had an interest in turning everything upside down,” as Rahe describes him, plays a key role throughout the events described in the book. He flits all about the world of the ancient Near East, chameleon-like, able to instantly adopt the customs and win the hearts of whichever polity

alliances, and other military and political maneuvers are judiciously interspersed. Rahe shares the background on everything: the reduced force of ancient shock cavalry due to a lack of stirrups, the eventual pairing of barbarian cavalry with the heavily armored Greek hoplite formation, and

even the saga of British explorer Tim Severin’s 1984 attempt to duplicate the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts from Volos to Georgia.

After Rahe’s prose narrative, about 140 pages of notes provide helpful references to primary and secondary sources for further study. The appendices are short and sweet — just about everything that one can ask for from an appendix.

In general, the style of Rahe’s prose is elaborate but eminently readable. The book is enjoyable to read as a story, not just as a collection of historical happenstances. By the time Rahe closes the volume with the surrender of Athens, the razing of the Long Walls, and the Athenians’ alliance with the Spartans, the reader is ready to draw a long breath

of satisfaction, not unlike that which follows the first steaming sip of coffee on a frosty morning, or perhaps a Sunday afternoon nap. So, whether you’re obsessed with the ancient world or you’ve developed a hankering for military history — if you’re one of those undaunted souls who can look on four-syllable-long patronymics and laugh — whenever you find yourself in the mood for a quiet evening with ancient grand strategy, military tactics, and filthy turncoats — if you’ve got a thing for occasional epigraphs from Yeats and Bob Dylan — give “Sparta’s Third Attic War” a whirl. After all, they say the third time’s a charm.

‘Divine Reflexivity’ redefines the gods

By Luke Waters Collegian Reporter

The Greek gods Dionysus and Hera embody the roles of worshiper and worshiped in a theological framework, said Mark McClay, professor of classics, in a lecture Nov. 14. McClay’s research, drawing inspiration from the work of scholar Kimberly Patton, challenges the conventional divide between deities and ritual participants, he said.

Patton’s book “Religion of the Gods: Ritual, Paradox, and Reflexivity” catalogs more than 200 examples of divine reflexivity, a complex Greek worldview in which gods are active participants in their own rites — able to both embody and direct the rituals meant to honor them.

gods simultaneously embody the roles of the worshiper and the worshiped, he said.

The first play he examined was “The Bacchae,” and the second, though only fragments, he believed to be “Aeschylus.”

“These are the only known tragedies in which a god appeared on the stage in disguise,” McClay said. “Both gods curiously disguise themselves as religious officials, and both scenarios involve really or potentially, a reflexive performance of rituals.”

Dionysus serves as one of the clearest examples of divine reflexivity, according to McClay.

type of handles. See the little stream of wine pouring down?” McClay said, referencing a picture of a pot.

“Greek tragic theater, with its potentially porous fictional barrier between the mythical and quotidian, enables powerful, creative variations on this theme. Dionysus reflexively performs rituals both as deity and participant.”

According to McClay, the focus on Dionysus in “The Bacchae” reveals the god’s paradoxical nature. In the play, he is shown both as a passive sufferer and as a director of events, controlling the narrative while remaining a central object of worship.

ia, particularly vase paintings that depict gods like Dionysus in dynamic, often contradictory roles.

Carl Young, chair of the classics department, said McClay’s work connected Greek art, vase paintings, and ritual to the tragedies that have shaped Western thought.

“He really brought out an important relationship between material culture, Greek art, vase paintings, Greek ritual, and what we see on the tragic stage,” Young said.

Senior Maya Toman expanded on this idea by focusing on Dionysus.

“U2 managed a respectable release as a fitting honor to one of its iconic albums”

After an attempt to re-invent themselves in the mid’90s, the musicians reclaimed their spot as the world’s premier rock-and-rollers in 2000 with the terrific album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” and punctuated the new millennium’s success with “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb” in 2004.

The back-to-back hits launched them into what became the highest-earning tour in music history. In the decade since, U2 released two disappointing albums and held a series of live performances at The Sphere Las Vegas.

Their most recent release,“Happiness,” gives U2 fans an idea of what to expect on Black Friday when the band releases “How to Re-assemble an Atomic Bomb” — a lineup of reworked songs that didn’t make the cut for the album “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.” While none of the three songs are nearly that caliber, the album as a whole encapsulates the band’s journey from 1987 to 2004, a journey down from the summit and then back up again.

The titular song “Hap -

“Country Mile” is the second song of the new releases, and it plays like an ode to the music of U2’s 2000 album “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” which recaptured the ’80s magic for a new era. “County Mile” is a pleasant-sounding and hopeful tune that replays all the bandmembers’ classic imprints — Bono’s poetic songwriting, Adam Clayton’s beautifully simple bass lines, The Edge’s captivating electric guitar, and a whole lot of Larry Mullen’s crash cymbals. This song presents the muted, mild side of U2 that makes them unique among rock bands.

“Picture of You (X+W)” is the final song, bearing an obvious resemblance to songs from “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.” It’s the same blend of U2’s early-1980s pure rock and mid-1990s experimental rock that characterized the 2004 album.

While it’s no “Vertigo” and certainly not as enjoyable as “Country Mile,” it is impressive, because it’s honest about the fact that it isn’t classic U2. The music, mirroring the lyrics, sounds messy and disorienting as a testament to the rapidly changing world of the early 2000s, as well as the change U2 itself underwent in two decades of fame.

Overall, U2 managed a respectable release as a fitting honor to one of its iconic albums. “Happiness” tells the story of the group’s adaptation and re-ascent after their first journey to the pinnacle of the music world. If nothing else, they’ve piqued fans’ interest for the upcoming conclusion of their atomic era.

McClay said in Greek religion, gods were not simply revered figures — they actively participated in sacred worship at times. This idea of divine reflexivity is where the

“In the play, he appears as both a disguised foreigner and a revered god, luring Theban women into worship in the wilderness,” he said.

McClay referenced older clay pots with depictions of the gods on them for further evidence of divine reflexivity.

“Dionysus has his own

Initially argued in Patton’s work, this portrayal sheds light on a deeper layer of Greek theology: the gods, while not forsaking their divine power, actively partake in the world they shape. McClay explained how the gods’ autonomy is portrayed in both Greek tragedy and memorabil-

“I really liked the idea that by being present in tragedy in disguise, Dionysus is able to be seen at once as a passive sufferer but also as the acting god who’s controlling things behind the scenes,” Toman said.

“We get to see him as both the actor and director at the same time.”

After 20 years, ‘National Treasure’ still inspires feelings of patriotism

By Colman Rowan Culture Editor

“The Declaration of Independence is not a bargaining chip, not to me,” Nicholas Cage says in the movie “National Treasure.”

When Ben Gates, Cage’s character, says this, he means the literal document. He holds the historical parchment so sacred that he claims he would never use it as collateral.

Walt Disney Pictures released the now-classic movie almost 20 years ago, on Nov. 19, 2004. American viewers still have affection for Cage’s over-the-top patriotism, the movie’s riveting treasure-hunting scenes, and of course, the ridiculous theft of the Declaration of Independence.

The film’s plot follows the adventures of Gates, the youngest of a long line of infamous treasure hunters. Along with Justin Bartha as Riley Poole and Sean Bean as Ian Howe, they unveil the secret of a century old clue leading to a Masonic treasure of immense worth. When Gates realizes continuing the hunt means stealing the Declaration of Independence, he refuses to assist further, and Howe turns on them.

Determined to steal the founding document for which he has little care or respect, Howe abandons Gates and Poole for dead.

This set up proposes one of the primary dilemmas of the movie: should Gates now steal

the declaration so Howe, a unabashedly bad man, does not get to it and the treasure first?

Like Plato’s philosopher king is to the throne, Gates, though reluctant, is the ideal candidate to steal the declaration. Like the good king with his subjects, Gates will give the declaration the respect it deserves even though theft — kingship — is an intrinsically bad thing. If he does not take it, the tyrant Howe will defile it.

With this setup, Gates draws a direct connection between him stealing the declaration, and the Founding Fathers fighting a war over its contents.

“Here’s to the men who did what was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right,” Gates toasts at the National Archives Gala to the woman, Abigail Chase played by Diane Kruger, who goes from obstacle to ally in Gates’ mission.

In one scene, Gates says to Chase about the treasure, “I want to know it’s not just something in my head or in my heart.”

He wants confirmation that this treasure exists and that his family is not crazy. He wants this more than actually having the wealth of treasure.

Like Gates, the Founding Fathers’ purposes were higher than just the material good of their pursuit — it was about proving the American experiment right. Like the Declaration of Independence, the treasure is the summation of the wealth of all the great Western nations.

The movie argues to justify the Revolutionary War and more specifically, the Declaration of Independence, both to itself and to the viewer.

In this scene, Gates sets up a comparison that can be followed throughout the whole movie: pursuing the treasure, and all the small crimes associated with finding it, is like pursuing the American experiment. Like the Founding Fathers, Gates wants the greatest treasure — the greatest government — ever.

This is in part because of the position in which Chase is situated. Gates says his toast at the archives to Chase, who is introduced as a German-born citizen. Chase, then, is who Gates is trying to prove his point to, thus her response to finding the treasure should reflect the movie’s opinion on the revolution.

Clearly Gates’ point got across to her.

Overall, the movie bleeds with patriotism. Gates has many speeches about America’s founding that are accompanied by inspiring music, his full name is Benjamin Franklin Gates, and at one point Gates stops when they are in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to look at the declaration’s map and he pauses to note the last time it was in the hall was when it was signed. The spirit of America, specifically through the lens of history, is palpable. It’s just the kind of movie for a Hillsdale student.

Gates’ father, played by Jon Voight, is hardened by the relentless and failed treasure-hunting of his family and has renounced the search. His refrain throughout the movie, “that will lead you to another clue,” is proven wrong.

Human history can strive and succeed using the clues of the past to assemble the treasure that is America. In the end, the hopeless and bitter sons of the Western Tradition, sick of the cyclical failure of government, are wrong and the truth of the American utopia prevails.

Initially, they go to her to try to get permission to look at the declaration so they do not have to steal it. Of course, she does not allow this, since the idea of it having a treasure map on the back is absurd. When they do steal it, she happens to get dragged along with them and is very opposed to their plan. As she realizes that Gates is correct, she is more and more intrigued and eventually starts helping them. By the very end, she and Gates are dating.

“Happiness” album cover. COURTESY | Instagram

“National Treasure” poster. COURTESY | Amazon

F E A T U R E S

Students reveal rituals of class registration

By Malia ibado COLLEGIAN REPORTER

What does watching the sun rise, slamming energy drinks, and the booming sounds of “Fergalicious” have in common?

It may sound like a crazy night on Manning Street, but it’s actually how several students prepare to register for classes.

Registration season begins when Douglas McArthur, Hillsdale College registrar, sends out the course catalog in a mass email, as he did on Oct. 29 this year. en the chaos begins.

Junior Tully Mitchell and her roommate, junior Alya MacManaway, invented a registration ritual in their fall freshman semester and they’ve kept it ever since.

“We’ll wake up before sunrise, grab whatever ca einated beverages we put in the fridge the night before, and march up the hill together while blasting 2000s club songs on my speaker,” Mitchell said. “It’s our favorite bonding tradition together.”

Senior Parker Reed said his friend group would sit on the couches in the Grewcock Student Union and compete to see who could register rst.

“It was almost like gambling,” Reed said. “It was really fun.”

Senior Seamus Welton said he has had the same routine since sophomore year.

“I wake up at 6:59 a.m., press the register button, then go back to sleep,” Welton said. “Sometimes I wander up and down the halls and listen to the weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Underclassmen say they cannot a ord to be so lackadaisical with registering. As seniors and juniors register, sophomores and freshmen watch in horror

as seats in their desired classes ll with upperclassmen.

Freshman Mary Anderson has already reshu ed three of her scheduled classes — her preferred biology class lled up during sophomore registration. Registration, she said, will be rough.

If her planned classes don’t pan out, Anderson said she will “cry, eat a lot of chocolate, and then gure out what to do.” is is in sharp contrast to seniors.

“ is year I’m a senior, so for the rst time ever, there’s no one registering before me. It makes me worry a lot less,” senior Katrin Surkan said.

Some students say registration is a game of strategy. Whether it’s class selection or meeting with a professor, many students have a plan.

“I’ll register for 24 or 25 credits so that I can choose which courses I want to keep and which I want to drop later,” junior Joseph Petullo said. “O en going in, my plan is not set in stone. Maybe I’m debating taking the class or if I want to audit it, but I want to be signed up.”

It’s easier, Petullo said, to drop the extra classes before the next semester starts than to petition a professor whose class you did not get in.

Freshman Daniel Ekstrom said he is going to focus on completing Hillsdale’s core curriculum before starting any major-speci c classes.

“I’m still a freshman,” Ekstrom said. “I might as well get all the core classes out of the way rst before getting to the upper level classes.”

Many classes, he said, like Principles of Accounting, require students to be sophomores. Many of the American

history classes also have American Heritage — which is a core class — as a prerequisite, so there is a mandated order to taking certain classes.

” ere are more empty sections for core classes, so if you don’t get into one, you have other options,” Ekstrom said.

Junior Levi Mendel said he began prioritizing politics classes during his second semester as a freshman based on advice he was given early on in his academic career.

“A professor told me to take a few major classes early so I would know whether I liked the major,” Mendel said. “I did, and it was good advice.”

Picking which professor to take is an important part of scheduling, Reed said. Students turn to friends, student chats, and Rate My Professor — a website where students can grade a professor and leave notes about the class — to assess the pros and cons of signing up for a speci c course.

Students o en choose professors for non-major classes based on a combination of three criteria: class di culty, whether it ts in their schedule, or whether the professor is entertaining.

Reed said he chose his American Heritage professor because he heard from other students that the professor did not assign a lot of homework and jokes around with students.

Some students have found ways to ensure they do not fail through a precise routine.

“I get my regular laptop, spare laptop, and my phone, sit in an AJ’s booth, plug them both in and open up and split screen on the laptop, hitting refresh on all of them, starting at 6:59:40,” sophomore Matthew Tolbert

said. “I keep hitting the register button.”

Tolbert said he has gotten into every class with this method.

Many students use a similar strategy, opening many tabs on their computers and using multiple electronic devices.

Reed said he previously used the Hillsdale Go app when it still worked.

“I think it used a di erent service because it wasn’t based in Hillsdale speci cally,” Reed said. “Enough people picked up on that, so it wasn’t as e ective.”

Sophomore Isabelle Ekstrom said she once knew a girl who registered using an XBox.

“It was connected to the ethernet,” Isabelle said, “She was sure to get every single section that she wanted.”

Ethernet, a type of internet connection o en used in schools, hospitals, and o ces, is more reliable, fast, and secure than traditional wireless networks. e combination of gaming console and ethernet connection was obviously successful for said student.

Even with these traditions, the most common experience of all is an apathetic senior class. Many seniors have lost the anxiety to register at 7 a.m. altogether.

“We can register any time before the juniors and still get into all the classes we want,” senior Eva Lindsay said. Reed said that, by now, he has nished most of his major classes and only needs a handful of 1-credits and minor classes to graduate.

“I’m about to graduate, so I’m basically chilling,” Reed said. “I clustered my academic classes in the middle years, so now I’m at the tail end.”

IYKYK: Anonymous ‘Jodel’ app captures campus

By Lewis une COLLEGIAN REPORTER

The little-known German social media app Jodel, pronounced like the Swiss style of singing, is a feature of Hillsdale student life, and has been for some time.

Jodel is a local, entirely anonymous social media app.

e site’s rules, which its administrators strictly enforce, ban the mention of names, addresses, or any related matters pertaining to private individuals. A post, or “jodel,” has to communicate to its audience without using these speci cs.

“If you jumped on Hillsdale Jodel with no context, nothing would make sense. You have to know the campus to know

Jodel,” junior Jonathan Williams said.

us, a passing Jodel post in Hillsdale might read, “Schiz playing at Graceland tonight” or, “Fundies don’t grasp that Purg is not Heaven” or even, “Anyone else think e Collegian’s Jodel feature by junior LT was terrible?”

Because Jodel communities are only accessible to local users and considerably small — especially when it is a German app with a worldwide total of 3 million monthly active users by its own reporting — the only people reading those messages are Hillsdale students. e app allows for Hillsdale students to connect and gauge public opinion. In the case of the musta-

chioed junior Ezra Phillips, Jodel was the epicenter of support for Simpson’s homecoming video, in which he portrayed the central character, “Captain Longstache.”

“While I didn’t appreciate the mustache jokes, I really loved the response to the Simpson homecoming video — it’s not just haters,” Phillips said.

Even though the posts address real issues, events, and people, anonymity takes away real-life consequences.

“It’s important to realize that Jodel isn’t real life, even more so than other platforms because it’s a wholly anonymous platform,” junior Paden Hughes said. “Self-censorship isn’t custom — naturally, people can give in to their worst tendencies.”

Jodel culture certainly has its vices, as any Jodeler will freely volunteer.

“As great as it can be, much of the experience isn’t wholesome,” Hughes said.

Because it’s so intentionally local and niche, it is all too easy to pile on when someone is derided.

“Jodel does have a tendency to just be a gossip platform. ose who truly enjoy it are the ones who use it sparingly,” junior Dominic Taranto said.

For Jodel’s enjoyers, it continues to be a way to share the common gags of Hillsdale in short, digestible, and humorous fashion.

“It’s not for everyone, but it’s funny in a very Hillsdale-distinct way,” Taranto said.

QUICK HITS with Blake McAllist

By Alessia Sandala ASSISTANT EDITOR

In this Quick Hits, Associate Professor of Philosophy Blake McAllister talks Disney movies, assumptions people make about him, and his dogs.

What makes you smile daily?

My 3-year-old asks me to act out the scene from “Beauty and the Beast” with her where Gaston asks Belle to marry him. When I pop the question, she yells “No!” at the top of her lungs.

What is the best movie you have seen in the past year?

As the father of a little girl who insists on being called “Belle,” I’ve basically just watched “Beauty and the Beast” every Friday for the last year. Fortunately, it’s one of the best movies of all time.

What’s one question you’re tired of being asked?

How did you become so handsome?

What do you wish to do more?

Win at chess.

What is something that makes you think “what if?”

What if I hadn’t gone to Pepperdine University where I accidentally stumbled upon philosophy?

What do strangers incorrectly assume about you? at I’m a freshman.

Who is your favorite character from a book?

King David. He’s so devoted to whatever, or really whoever, he sets his heart on, giving himself fully and with abandon. is leads to utter greatness and staggering failure, exultant triumph and bitter loss. He is the ultimate warrior poet.

What is your favorite part of being a professor at Hillsdale?

Besides getting paid to think, read, and talk with the like-minded about the things I find most fascinating and important in the whole world? I dunno — my o ce has three huge windows.

Do you have any pets?

A u y German shepherd named Reid (who used to come to class with me) and a golden dachshund named Wallace. My dad wrote a children’s book about them called “ e Adventures of Sheriff Shep and Deputy Docs.” ey save the children’s chestnuts from the menacing scabrats (squirrels).

If you could meet anyone from history, who would you meet and why?

Is it too cliché to say Jesus? If so, I’ll say St. Paul. I have some theological questions for him.

Christian Papillon contributed to this installment of Quick Hits.

Hymn Singing Club spreads gospel on campus, community

By Skye Graham COLLEGIAN REPORTER

Hundred-year-old songs echoed throughout the football stadium earlier this semester as a group of students chose to honor 9/11 and Hills-

dale firefighters by singing hymns.

“It was a really inspiring and solemn occasion,” said Conal Kerwin, a freshman who attended the tribute. “ e firefighters were so grateful and appreciative for us being

there and singing about God on such a solemn day.”

e event was one of many performances held by the Hillsdale College Hymn Singing Club, a student group dedicated to sharing their faith through Christian hymns.

Every Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m., the club gathers in the Howard Music Hall to study and sing hymns and practice for its upcoming performances.

“The goal of our club is to bring the gospel to people through music,” said junior Stephen Zhu, president of the Hymn Singing Club.

e club started a year ago as an informal group of students who gathered and sang hymns in their free time. is past spring, it became an ofcial student club a er being approved by the Student Federation.

The group dedicates the rst 30 minutes of every meeting to studying a different

hymn. Every week, one of the four board members presents the history, context, and spiritual signi cance of the hymn they are learning.

“It’s easy to sing nice music and not really think about what it means,” Zhu said. “But really, a good hymn will be full of scriptural truths that can help us draw closer to God.”

Junior Hannah Wong, vice president of the club, said the weekly hymn studies help them sing the hymns in a more truthful and honest way.

“We don’t just want to sing music,” Wong said.“We want to see that these hymns are coming from the truth and the word of God. ey have no meaning apart from what is written in the Bible.”

e club has studied many hymns, including “Amazing Grace,” “Be ou My Vision,” and “Jesus Loves Even Me.”

A er studying a hymn, the club spends the next half hour singing any hymns that people

request. Wong said the goal of this portion of the meeting is to focus on fellowship and praising God.

In the final half hour of their meetings, they practice hymns to perform for di erent organizations.

Most recently, the Hymn Singing Club performed at Bread of Life, a food pantry at Current Church in Hillsdale. At this performance, Zhu shared a passage from Isaiah 53 about Christ’s sacri ce.

“We wanted to encourage the people who were there,” Zhu said.“We don’t know how many of them are believers, but we want to encourage the believers and non-believers alike and put all the focus on God and what he has done for us.”

“The people who will be visiting the food pantry likely know the hymns we sing,” Wong said.“They probably know these hymns very well, but maybe have not thought about many of the words before. It’s a unique opportunity to share the gospel.”

The Hymn Singing Club has done many other public performances since the start of the semester. They have performed at Hillsdale Hospital, the Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility, and around campus. Kerwin said he believes music can be a powerful tool for sharing the gospel and upli ing believers. “I think when people see the beauty in music, they can also see the beauty in God’s creation,” Kerwin said.

Before they sing each hymn, one of the members gives a short presentation about what the hymn means and what it says about the gospel. Wong said they want to help people at the food pantry understand the spiritual meaning of famous hymns.

Blake McAllister around the age of 3.

Hymn Singing Club performs at Frank Muddy Waters Stadium. COURTESY | INSTAGRAM

The 150-year legacy of Winston Churchill lives on at Hillsdale

Hillsdale College boasts art, scholarship, hundreds of books in honor of British statesman committed to liberty, freedom

By Jillian Parks Editor-In-Chief

Winston Churchill is everywhere on campus: He has a statue in the Grewcock Student Union, he is the subject of artwork in the Searle and Dow centers, and a dozen students currently have fellowships named for him.

More than 400 unique, physical books on or by Churchill live in Mossey Library, from “Winston Churchill Painting on the French Riviera” to “Winston Churchill’s Illnesses 1886-1965” to “The Second World War,” a six-volume account that helped its author secure the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

The college’s Churchill Project promotes scholarship and “propagates a right understanding of his record,” according to its website.

culture criticism. The campus, however, honors him everyday and almost everywhere, including online.

The Churchill Project’s website publishes two articles per week — with 816 to date — in five departments: 292 general, 243 book reviews, 115 FAQs, 94 resource materials, 72 “Truths & Heresies,” many by undergraduate Churchill Fellows.

“Churchill Fellows carry on Churchill’s legacy of hope through study of Churchillian strategy, his ability to understand his opponent, and willingness to sacrifice and inspire others to sacrifice for the well-being of the community,” said Churchill Fellow and senior Keara Gentry.

Whether students take classes that assign his books and speeches, or they are actively working on projects to

am often asked. ‘Surely he has nothing to say to us today?’” Gilbert wrote in 1991. “Yet in my own work, as I open file after file of Churchill’s archive, from his entry into government in 1905 to his retirement in 1955, I am continually surprised by the truth of his assertions, the modernity of his thought, the originality of his mind, the constructiveness of his proposals, his humanity, and, most remarkable of all, his foresight.”

The project also puts out Grand Alliance, a periodical print digest of leading articles, and is currently working on an encyclopedia of his greatest words, “Churchill: Master of Language,” that is likely to be published in January.

“We helped build and contribute to a rapid response team of scholars worldwide who refute misrepresenta -

public,” from a list compiled by Arnn, who is the author “Churchill’s Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government,” published in 2015.

Tritchka and Arnn went back and forth about the statue’s elements, such as his laced leather shoes, his pocket watch on a chain, and his bottom button being undone.

“There are a lot of different sculptures of Churchill, and we wanted to show him more of an academic setting, so that it was more fitting for a college,” Tritchka said. “Dr. Arnn and I decided to put him at this lectern, because this is where he composed a lot of his speeches and his books, in front of this long lectern where he would walk back and forth and reference the books and then make notes.”

“In one word, I would describe Winston Churchill as hopeful. His speeches both during and out of war time recognize the gravity of the time while reminding that so long as goodness opposes evil, there is hope.”

On top of all that, College President Larry Arnn met his wife, Penny, when they both worked for Sir Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill, in the 1970s.

“His career is the longest and most consequential, and his writings are the most voluminous and serious of any modern statesman,” Arnn said. “Aristotle writes that to learn practical wisdom, one should look at those who have the reputation for having it. Then he names Pericles. The record we have of Winston is far larger than Pericles or any ancient.” Churchill, the prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, was born Nov. 30, 1874, which means the 150th anniversary of his birth falls on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.

Arnn used the occasion to write a tribute to Churchill that appears in the November issue of The New Criterion, a monthly journal of art and

disseminate his work, they reflect on the relevance of his words.

“In one word, I would describe Winston Churchill as hopeful. His speeches both during and out of war time recognize the gravity of the time while reminding that so long as goodness opposes evil, there is hope,” Gentry said.

“In reflecting upon the current state of the U.S. — we face wars abroad, economic uncertainty, and internal division — I can think of no greater message to the American people. I believe Churchill would urge us to dare to hope.”

The college has also published and keeps in print Churchill’s official biography by Randolph S. Churchill and Sir Martin Gilbert. It includes eight narrative and 23 document volumes. Gilbert wrote about the importance of studying Churchill for The Churchill Centre’s journal, Finest Hour.

“‘Why study Churchill?’ I

tions of Churchill’s words and deeds to the widest possible audience,” said Richard Langworth, a senior fellow of the Churchill Project .

“The Churchill Day Book,” another ongoing project of the Churchill Project, is an online reference to Churchill’s whereabouts and activities on each day of his life.

“Undaunted by the fact that we need to account for 33,000 days, we have already posted 1928, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1943 and 1944,” Langworth said. “And after all, 1874 to 1890 or so will be shorter.”

Since it was dedicated in 2004, the college has boasted a statue of Churchill. Sculpted by senior admissions interviewer Heather Tritchka ’98, the statute shows Churchill holding a cigar in a pose chosen by Gilbert. At his lectern are 17 books Churchill either liked, wrote, or referenced, such as “Lays of Ancient Rome” by Thomas Babington Macaulay and Plato’s “Re -

Black and white graphite drawings by Curtis Hooper line the Dow and Searle centers, as well as the library, offering another reminder of Churchill’s importance to the college.

“He has taught me and many others a lot about practical judgment, freedom, and justice, learning from history,” Arnn said. “His belief in freedom was oriented toward the highest expressions of it in thinking and art. These are good things to learn from a political man, because they show us how to behave as citizens and how to judge leadership.”

Churchill died on January 24, 1965, at the age of 90, meaning that less than two months after the sesquicentennial of his birth comes the 60th anniversary of his death.

Winston Churchill’s statue on Hillsdale’s Liberty Walk is located in the Grewcock Student Union.

All photos courtesy Olivia Pero | Collegian

Curtis Hooper’s graphite drawing of Churchill is located in the Dow Hotel.

A bust of Churchill was donated by Joseph E. Bavaria.

Hooper’s graphite piece of Churchill in Marrakesh, Morocco can be found in the Dow Hotel.