"We won by enough, and that's all that counts," says former governor. Hilldale county GOP candidate wins county primary with 43. Percent of the vote. The original contractor failed to put a reinforcement piece on the curved part of the pipe. President obama received the last 5 percent of the county's votes.
"We won by enough, and that's all that counts," says former governor. Hilldale county GOP candidate wins county primary with 43. Percent of the vote. The original contractor failed to put a reinforcement piece on the curved part of the pipe. President obama received the last 5 percent of the county's votes.
"We won by enough, and that's all that counts," says former governor. Hilldale county GOP candidate wins county primary with 43. Percent of the vote. The original contractor failed to put a reinforcement piece on the curved part of the pipe. President obama received the last 5 percent of the county's votes.
Center have been a thorn in the side of the college ad- ministration since steam frst seeped out through the open manhole at the start of the 2011 fall semester. Mending that damaged pipe has proved to be a diIfcult task. After a failed attempt to discover the source of the leak with sonar, the contrac- tor dug up the entire length of pipe behind the Dow Center. He discovered that the joints where the pipe turned a corner had been installed incorrectly, and the resulting weakness left the pipes susceptible to corro- sion. More than 10 years after the pipes were installed, water Irom outside fnally eroded away the protective coating, resulting in the steam leak. The original contractor, whose name the college did not reveal for legal reasons, failed to put a reinforcement piece called a boot on the curved part of the pipe, and this caused the weakness. Larry Stonitsch, president of Rovanco Piping Systems the company that provided the materials for the pipes instal- The Republican primary has come and gone for Hillsdale County. GOP candidate Rick Santo- rum, while second in the state, won the county with 43.6 percent of the vote. Hillsdales votes accounted for 2,269 of the nearly 380,000 votes Santorum received in the state enough to make opponent Mitt Romney sweat but not enough to make the former Michigander lose. We didnt win by a lot, but we won by enough, and thats all that counts, the former Mas- sachussetts governor said in his victory speech Tuesday night. Romney won Michigans pri- mary after receiving just less than 410,000 votes, or 41.1 percent. Former Sen. Santorum followed with 37.9 percent. Rep. Ron Paul and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich were a distant third and Iourth, fnishing with 11.6 and 6.5 percent, respectively. Romney placed second in the county primary with 32.9 percent. Paul was third with 15.0 percent and Gingrich fourth with 5.6 percent. President Barack Obama, run- ning uncontensted on the Demo- cratic ticket, received the last 5 percent of Hillsdale Countys votes. I was 95 percent sure Romney was going to win in Michigan, said Gary Wolfram, professor of political economy and Hillsdale City resident. Wolfram served as a policy GOP hopeful Mitt Romneys supporters rallied in Michigan on Tuesday, barely giving him the victory over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Rep. Ron Paul and former Speaker of the House Newt Gin- grich trailed in third and fourth. Not so at Hillsdale College. Over 50 percent of the 184 students polled at Hillsdale Col- lege said they supported Ron Paul, while he received less than 12 percent of the vote in Michi- gans primary. Sophomore Spencer Amaral said he believes that so many students support Paul because he understands and expresses the principles taught at Hillsdale. We should understand why hes the best candidate and the best statesman, Amaral said. He is the only one we should support now that we know what we know. Romney supporter sopho- more Michael Koziara, however, believes saying Hillsdale students should support a particular candi- date is presumptuous and that all of the Republican candidates are proponents of a limited, Con- stitutional government. Keep in mind, Koziara said, that Hillsdales own Dr. Wol- fram has voiced support for Gov. Romney because of Mitts strong understanding of free-market economics and business. Some students are concerned that Paul supporters will hamper the Republican party. Koziara worries that, if Paul loses the primary, some staunch Paul supporters will detract from the support of the GOP presidential Vol. 135, Issue 18 - 1 March 2012 Michigans oldest college newspaper www.hillsdalecollegian.com A5 In Spaces... A5 A8 B4 TWITTER.COM/ HDALECOLLEGIAN FACEBOOK.COM/ HILLSDALECOLLEGIAN Caleb Whitmer Copy Editor Abi Wood Copy Editor Track Magic: The Gathering Bomb scare at Davis See A4 In Sports.. In City News... Pipe erosion blamed for leak See A2 Santorum takes Hillsdale County Student poll favors Ron Paul (Joe Buth/Collegian) See A2 Romney (1713) Santorum (2269) Paul (781) Gingrich (290) Obama (286) Other (49) Romney (9) Santorum (45) Paul (95) Gingrich (4) Other/Undecided (49) Merry players See B1 Romney barely wins Michigan primary (Joelle Lucas/Collegian) (Joe Buth/Collegian) See A8 CHARGERS PLOUGH AHEAD Hillsdale Colleges mens basketball team advanced in the GLIAC tournament last night in their 74-71 win over Ashland University. The Chargers will play their next game in the tournament on Saturday against Michigan Tech University. Sally Nelson Web Editor A tour bus covered with a picture of GOP presidential can- didate Rick Santorum came to Hillsdale Saturday, Feb. 25, but the candidate was not aboard. Instead, the bus came to Hill- sdale College to campaign for Santorum, and is aIfliated with CatholicVote.org and the Susan B. Anthony List, said Marilyn Musgrave, a former representa- tive from Colorado. Musgrave, now vice president of government affairs for the SBA List, said the bus came to Hillsdale to get the vote out for Santorum ahead of Michigans Feb. 28 primary. From about 12:30 to 2 p.m., the bus was parked between Lane and Kendall halls and students were invited on board to hear more about the candi- date and receive stickers and campaign information. About 75 students came, including fresh- men Shelly Peters and Rebecca Robison. They said they heard about the bus from senior Laura Wegmann, who alerted students eating in the Grewcock Student Union during lunch. I think it shows how po- litically active our college is, Peters said. In the past, SBA has used the bus to campaign for Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. 'At frst, it was great to be able to get on the bus and then I realized I was sitting on the bus with a former congresswoman, sophomore Alex Anderson said. It was also great to learn the history of the bus that both Mi- chelle Bachman and Sarah Palin used for their campaigns. Hillsdale was the ninth stop of the day for the bus, which was staffed by representatives from other national pro-life groups including Campaign For Working Families, Culture War Victory Fund, Eagle Forum, and Let Freedom Ring. We all know about Hillsdale and the students and thought that it was very important to come here, Musgrave said. We loved this and were hoping for a lot of students. It has been a really good turnout. adviser for Romneys campaign. Over the past month, Wolfram has written op-ed pieces, felded questions on Romneys tax policy for the national media, and helped the campaign frame policy issues for Michigan voters. He was even thanked by Mitt Romneys wife, Anne Romney, in Tuesday nights vic- tory rally. My wife pointed out I was the only non-politician to be thanked, he said. The Romney campaign asked Wolfram to help with the Michigan primary after he defended Romneys conserva- tism in his weekly column for Detroit News opinion blog, The Michigan View, in January. Anne had called me months ago and Id just sort of gotten a little bit busy and forgotten about it, Wolfram said. I wasnt thinking about getting that in- volved, but then it became more obvious to me that Romney was the best candidate and I should do something about it. Senior Johnny Burtka, who described himself uninformed politically, got involved with the Romney campaign too, but for a different reason. With the primary coming up, I felt like I should go out and fnd out more, he said. On Monday, Burtka and four other Hillsdale students drove to a Romney rally held just outside of Albion, Mich. They helped pass out signs for the campaign. The rally itself was good, Burtka said. He seemed to focus more on Obama than the other Republican candidates. Burtka said Romney seemed to be trying to talk himself up as a Michigan guy. Kid Rock songs were played as the candidate took the stage and Romney told the crowd he had gone to high school in Michigan and how he met and married his wife here. At the end of the speech, Burtka said he and the other students got to shake hands with him. Although Romney won the popular vote, of Michigans 14 congressional districts, Santorum won eight. CNN reported Wednesday, Feb. 29 that each candidate received half of Michigans 30 delegates. Overall, I think the people [of Hillsdale County] made it pretty clear who they like: Rick Santorum, said Park Hayes 67, former city clerk and long-time Hillsdale resident. Hayes said he doesnt have a favorite candidate. He said he thought all the candidates had a lot to work on. I think Romney has a lot of work to do, but I think Wash- ington has a lot of work to do, and especially Congress, Hayes said. So far they have not shown they have the fortitude to do what they have to do. Voter dissatisfaction with the GOP candidates has been a theme of the 2012 primary. That was what got Wolfram writing on Romney in the frst place. He said he didnt like voters or the medias miscon- ception of Romney as a non- conservative. I have that column and when things start to irritate me, Ill write about it, he said. Sophomore and Hillsdale resident Ethan Gehrke is irritated too, except hes irritated at Mitt Romney. Gehrke attributed Santorums success to his connection to blue collar voters. The truth is the working class is tired of rich guys, Geh- rke said. People of the working class like to be stared in the eye and told the truth. That is what Santorum did in Iowa and I think thats why he won [in Hillsdale County]. Wolfram said he believes Romney will be the Republican nominee. [T]he problem is, by making him spend money from this point forward, and the Republicans trying to spend all this money on the nomination process, its all money that cant be spent on the general [election], Wolfram said. It would I think be our best interest to get behind him. The next primary will be held in the state of Washington on March 3, followed by primaries in 10 states on March 7, Super Tuesday. candidate in the fall. Im fearful of a repeat of history, Koziara said. The general election in 2000 was so close that had liberal votes for third parties like the Green Party gone to Gore as they otherwise would [have] Gore would have won Florida and the presidency. Second to Paul, Santorum received about one-fourth of the support from students. Sopho- mores Melika Willoughby and Brianna Walden actively support Santorum because of what they consider his proven leadership with social issues and strong understanding of economics. I was a Santorum fan back before it was cool, Walden said with a laugh. Santorum is the only candi- date that articulates principled beliefs without simply slamming Obama or toeing the party line. He made me sit up and listen, Willoughby said. Santorum is able to articulate the political philosophy and reasons why behind the policies he purports. Walden chalked up Michigan as a victory for Santorum though Romney technically won since he received so much of the vote despite Romneys close ties here. It would have been nice if he had won, Walden said. But Santorum was outspent six to one. Its amazing he did so well in a state [Romney] grew up in. Junior Katy Bachelder disagreed because she believes Romney won the media. The headline is that Mitt won. The delegate technical- ity is not as important because Santorum lost the news cycle, Bachelder said. In stark contrast to Romneys 41 percent of Michigan voters, only nine of the 184 students expressed support for the former governor of Massachusetts. But student supporters Koziara and Bachelder believe that Romney could beat Obama in the general election. There is no other candidate with as much business experi- ence, Koziara said. I think he has the ability to turn the economy around with a win in November. Bachelder said that Rom- neys increasing conservatism is positive in response to the accu- sation that Romney 'fip-fops. When someone comes clos- er to what I believe, I consider it a victory, not something worth assailing, she said. That Mitt moved to the right is an asset, not a liability. Walden, though, remains unconvinced that Romney truly upholds conservative values. If we want to elect a candidate to beat Obama, why would we nominate someone like Obama? We should go with someone who has a complete contrast to Obama, Walden said. Romney supporters ex- pressed concern with San- torums attempts to attract Democrats. I was concerned with Santo- rum and his last-minute tactics, Koziara said. Santorum is try- ing to run as the true conser- vative, and his move to attract liberal votes may bite him in the long run. Bachelder said that Republi- cans should take the Democrats voting for Santorum as warning signs. The Democrats that are vot- ing for Santorum demonstrate that they are scared of Romney. The Democrats are trying to get the Republican party to play into the hands of chaos, Bachelder said. Santorum supporters shouldnt be thrilled about it. Walden considers both candidates viable opponents to Obama, though. Hillsdale students remained consistent with Michigan trends towards Newt Gingrich. Only four of those polled expressed support for Gingrich. Unlike the more political students on campus, 31 students responded as either non-political or undecided. A few wrote in names, from Gary Johnson to John F. Kennedy to Louis the XIV. Im supporting Elizabeth NEWS 1 March 2012 A2 www.hillsdalecollegian.com Sarah Anne Voyles Collegian Reporter Pro-life advocates stump for Santorum ! COUNTY From A1 ! COLLEGE From A1 CatholicVote.org and the Susan B. Anthony List brought a bus to rally support for GOP hopeful Rick Santorum on Saturday, Feb. 25. (Sarah Anne Voyles/Collegian) (Shannon Odell/Collegian) When junior Danielle Simpsons roommate got sick last year in Benzing Residence she couldnt use the toilet, take a shower, or even wash her hands. Thats because stu- dents say the water supply in Benzing shuts off every night, sometimes for several hours. My roommate had the stomach fu at night and we had no water in the bathroom at all. Sorry for the gross stories but its true and gross, she said. Several Benzing residents have reported a problem with the water pressure in Benzing during early morning hours, usually between 2 and 4 a.m. Administrators say there is nothing unusual about the dorms water system. Water is never shut off to any part of campus during oc- cupied times in the residences unless it is necessary to do so for repairs or construction, said Timothy Wells, energy education specialist. The exception is when irrigation systems get turned off during the winter. Some students think it may have something to do with the water softener. The water softener in Benz- ing must regenerate every 24 hours, said senior Sarah Fiore, the dorms head resident as- sistant for the past three years. Fiore said regeneration takes one hour usually between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. every night. During that hour, women only have access to the water already in the pipes since the water softener pulls the rest of the water out of the system. This is normal operat- ing procedure for this type of softener, Fiore said. We tell the girls at the beginning of the year and it has never been a big issue. Girls plan around it. The water softener has been in Benzing for the past eight years, ever since House Director Sue Abel took over, Fiore said. The loss of water pressure generally affects the rooms on diIIerent foors at slightly staggered times throughout the regeneration process. Fiore said maintenance has assured her the system is working correctly. She has only received two oIfcial complaints in her time as head RA and both were submitted last year. She has not heard any complaints this year. Benzing RA sophomore Morgan Linden said she has heard several complaints from women about the lack of water pressure at night. Even if water is not technically shut off, the effect is the same. I know [the water] doesnt get turned off, but seriously, it pretty much does, she said. Ive had times where not more than a few drops of water would come out of the drinking fountain or a faucet. A shower is a near impossibil- ity after 1:45 or 2-ish. Sophomore Rebekah Lindstrom said, Our water [in Benzing] often turns off at night around 2 or 3 in the morning. As illustrated by Simpsons story, this seems to have been a problem for women last year as well. Last year in Benzing the water would sometimes be turned off completely during the night for a few hours and it was terrible, junior Cath- erine Feeney said. I couldnt brush teeth, use the bathroom, or get a drink of water. Fiore said there are two future options: to get a new water-softening system, or to change the time of the daily regeneration. Maintenance can adjust the time for the regen- eration but Fiore said there is no reason. We havent had enough complaints to justify calling maintenance to change the time, Fiore said. She said pushing the regeneration time back any later in the morning would start interfering with athletes who get up early for morning practices. The girls work around it, Fiore said. Every building has its little quirks. High and dry: Emily Johnston Senior Reporter BENZING RESIDENTS FACE NIGHTLY WATER WOES (Elena Salvatore/Collegian) In the past 100 years, mil- lions of people have died in genocides worldwide. Hillsdale Colleges In- ternational Club is hosting Genocide: A Campus-Wide Dialogue from March 5 to 9 to help students ponder genocide beyond just its immorality and examine its causes and effects. Its a way to talk about and understand what actually goes wrong that allows for genocide. We are not trying to establish that genocide is wrong, said junior and International Club president Daniel Teal. We want to ask, Where do cultures and governments get off-track to where their philosophy of the human person allows for the killing of millions? The event will include guest speakers David Rawson, a former U.S. ambassador to Rwanda and a dvisiting profes- sor of politics, Professor of HIstory Brad Birzer, and former Europe correspondent Barbara Elliott. The club will also host a showing of Hotel Rwanda. There has to be a common thread from Rwanda to Armenia to the Soviet Union to Cambo- dia and so on, Teal said. Vice president of the Interna- tional Club, senior Kelsey Fox, said that they are not prioritiz- ing specifc genocides but rather intend to show that genocide is the primary fact of the 20th century. The club will raise money for the Kigali Memorial Centre in Rwanda through a silent auction of art and cultural items. Items include paintings, photos, signed books, and more. We hope to raise several thousand dollars from students and parents which will be used for providing education for vic- tims of the Rwandan genocide and for the Centres project of burying the bodies found in mass unmarked graves, still being discovered throughout Rwanda today, Teal said. The center works to educate youth in Rwanda who cannot remember the slaughter in 1994 or were born after it happened. A study from 2006 showed that approximately 60 percent of Rwandan youth still display genocidal tendencies, Fox said. They dont have the ID. cards, but there is still an aware- ness of the distinction between the Hutus and Tutsis, Fox said, referring to the Rwandan tribes involved in the tragedy. The week-long dialogue stemmed from an idea Teal proposed to Fox and others in the club over a year ago. Daniel told me about his idea to do a one-day event in remembrance of the Armenian genocide. I wanted to bring Rwanda into the event, Fox said. It evolved into a week- long event. The events will be held in Phillips Auditorium. NEWS A3 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com DEBATE WINS BIG AT BOWLING GREEN MOCKTRIAL MISSES NATS Coming back to campus with very unusual trophies a brain on a platter and a gravestone the Hillsdale College debate team sur- passed its expectations this weekend at Bowling Green State Universitys Night of the Living Dead-themed tournament. With topics including whether the United States government should contain the outbreak of zombies, the prevention of nuclear pro- liferation, weapons sales to Taiwan to Medicare, the team had to think metaphorically in order to have success at the tournament. Our team did not dress up, and neither did most of the other competitors, but the host schools team and staff did, said debate coach Matthew Doggett, assistant professor of speech. It was a very fun and in- teresting tournament. It really challenged our team members to think outside of the box. The tournament was a swing, meaning there were two separate competitions on Saturday and Sunday both. On Saturday, Feb. 25, the team won second place in overall debate sweepstakes. Senior Elliot Gaiser took sec- ond in open Lincoln-Douglas debate. Junior Bryan Brooks and his partner, sophomore Ian Hanchett, also took second in open parliamentary debate. On Sunday, Feb. 26, the team placed frst in debate sweepstakes. Hillsdale constituted three of the four semifnalists in Lincoln- Douglas. Brooks, Hanchett, and sophomore Jonathan Slonim closed out the round by winning frst, second, and third place. When they close out they just give us the awards be- cause two members from the same team cannot compete against one another, Doggett said. It doesnt matter who gets frst, as long as some- one from Hillsdale gets it, of course. Gaiser and his partner, sophomore Lauren Holt, won frst place in open parlia- mentary debate. This was their frst overall win in open parliamentary this year. It was encouraging to fnally see results in the out-rounds of that form of debate, Holt said. 'This is the frst time that Lauren and I have won a tournament for Hillsdale, Gaiser said. Shes only a sophomore, so the league had better look out. The tournament did not award speaker points. Despite the farcical theme, several factors made this tour- nament challenging. The topics in parliamen- tary debate were very broad, meaning that when we were on the negative, we would often have to adapt in-round, Brooks said. Also, Grove City College was at the tour- nament, and they have a very strong debate team. Brooks and Hanchett faced the Grove City team four out of their six rounds throughout the Saturday tournament and won three of the four. In addition to these chal- lenges, many of the judges had little or no collegiate debate experience and some had never seen an academic debate before, Brooks said. This made it challenging for us because we are used to judges who debated in college and are used to the activity and the regular jargon that goes with it, Brooks said. Just as some of the judges were facing new debate expe- riences, so were junior Alex Graf and sophomore Harris Wells. GraI competed Ior the frst time in International Public Debate Association-style de- bate and won second place. Wells had never seen a Lincoln-Douglas debate be- fore Sunday and had not read the evidence until Saturday night. Lincoln-Douglas has a steep learning curve, espe- cially when you jump in at the end of the season because everyone already has a lot of knowledge on the topic, which made it hard for Harris to jump in with no experience in this format, Brooks said. However, Harris improved so much that by the end of the tournament he was able to compete with one of the top debaters from Otterbein University. Wells has decided to join the team in its next tour- nament in two weeks at Michigan State University undeterred by the unusual experience of debating at a zombie-themed tournament. Some of the resolutions were funny, but they were still easy to understand and debate about, Holt said. They really left us a lot of room to be creative and have fun. Its nice to have a week- end like this one. I really did have a total blast.
The Hillsdale College mock trial team traveled to South Bend, Ind. last weekend to compete in the American Mock Trial As- sociations regional tourna- ment at the University of Notre Dame. The team won three of its match-ups, but lost five, some by a very close mar- gin, and did not advance to the national tournament. The team struggled with the dif- ficult schedule it was given. We had the highest com- bined strength score at the competition, meaning that we had the hardest sched- ule of any team there, said sophomore Evan Gage, who gave closing arguments at the trial. Freshman Philip Hammer- sley agreed. The competition was very tough. We faced some really good teams. There was no room for error [be- cause] all the teams were top-notch. The team started hot, win- ning against the University of Chicago and performing well against Loyola Uni- versity. But then it came up against Northwood Universi- ty, the top-ranked team that went on to win 8-0. The margin by which we lost to [Northwood] was in- credibly small. We did very well, Gage said. Though they did not move on to regionals, the team members were pleased with their performance. We were always on the brink of winning, but we could never quite get there, freshman Katie Kinell said. Im really proud of every- one, though. Each person put a lot of effort in. Gage echoed these senti- ments. Regardless of the fact that we didnt qualify, we had people who did a fantas- tic job in certain parts of the trial, he said. Some of the new members performed to the best of their ability. Now that this season is over, the team is looking to next year with high hopes. We knew that this year would be a building year, Gage said. Instead of hav- ing an A team with more experienced people and a B team with new members, we split up all the sophomores to work with all of the fresh- men. Now we have a huge group of students who are well-qualified. At the com- petition, we ended up seeing the foundation of a national team. University of Chicago, Northwood, Notre Dame well take em down. I have no doubt. Freshman Sam Ryskamp agreed. This is only our second year, and we could hang with some good teams, he said. Next year, well have an opportunity to do some big things and make some noise. Samantha Scorzo Collegian Freelancer Sally Nelson Web Editor Evan Brune Collegian Freelancer DEFEATED BY SCHEDULE, TEAM GOES 3-5 Intl Club to sponsor Genocide Awareness Week EVERETT FINALISTS ANNOUNCED On Feb. 24, 19 contestants vied for the oppor- lur|ly lo corpele |r lre lra| rourd ol l|||sda|e Co||ege's EdWard Everell 0ralory Corpel|l|or. 'Tre corpel|l|or Werl rea||y We|| ard We rad a greal lurroul, ar adv|sor lor lre speecr deparlrerl sa|d. 'Tre speecres |oo|ed prelly slrorg ard everyore's do|rg a rea||y good joo. Tr|s year's lra| corpel|l|or |rc|udes a prev|ous Everell 0ralory W|rrer, ser|or T. E|||ol 0a|ser; lWo prev|ous lra||sls, ser|or 3ararlra Nasser ard jur|or ArdreW 0y|sla|; ard a lorrer rurrer-up, ser|or Trevor Ardersor. Tr|s |s ser|or 8|a|e Fau||er's lrsl year lra|- |rg, as We|| as jur|or J||| 8ucco|a's, Wro Was rared as lr|s year's a|lerrale. Co||ege Pres|derl Larry Arrr ard V|cr|gar ous|ressrar 0or Tocco W||| oolr judge lre lra| corpel|l|or Trursday, Varcr 8, Wrer lve cor- leslarls W||| corlerd lor lre S3,000 grard pr|ze. Tre lr|rd judge ras yel lo oe rared oy lre speech department said. -Tory Cooney 2012-13 CCA TOPICS RELEASED l|||sda|e Co||ege slu- derls W||| oe ao|e lo Walcr '8r|dge over lre R|ver KWa|, ard |earr aooul lre Arg|o-3axor ep|c '8eoWu|l lor cred|l rexl academic year. Tre l|r ard ep|c are parl ol lWo Cerler lor Cor- slrucl|ve A|lerral|ves lop|cs arrourced lor 2012-2013. Tre CCAs W||| exar|re ep|c poelry, l|rs lror lre wor|d war ll era, 3uprere Court cases, and the ledera| |rcore lax rale. Jur|or Asr|ey Logar, lead ol 3luderl 3lall lor Exlerra| Alla|rs, sa|d lre se|ecl|or prov|des opl|ors lor a|| sluderls. 'l rea||y apprec|ale lre rarge ol lop|cs ollered oy the Center for Construc- l|ve A|lerral|ves, Logar sa|d.wrelrer you're |r- terested in art or econom- |cs, lrere's sorelr|rg lor everyore. -Marieke van der Vaart Author and journalist John Derbyshire will give two talks in Phillips Auditorium next week sponsored by the Dow Journalism Program and the Math Depart- ment. On Tuesday, March 6 at 8 p.m. he will discuss his book, We are Doomed, Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism. On Wednesday, March 7 at noon, he will talk about his popular writings in mathematics. (Sally Nelson/Collegian) Two hundred seventy-one stu- dents applied to live off-campus next year, about the same number as last year, according to thedean oI women`s oIfce. Every year men and women apply to live in private houses. The number who are approved depends on the size of the incom- ing and graduating classes. 'We like to fll up all oI the beds on campus before students move off campus, said Dean of Women Diane Philipp. 'Which depends on how many people are leaving and how many are coming in. That means that 1,010 beds must be flled beIore students can live off campus: 425 for men and 585 Ior women. The majority of the men who applied for off-campus housing will receive approval, said As- sociate Dean oI Men JeII Rogers. The exact percentage could be as high as 90 percent but there will be no oIfcial numbers until the end oI the month, he said. Staff Assistant for Admissions Margaret Braman said that the admissions department has yet to complete processing regular decision applications, which have just come in. Acceptance letters will go out to the class of 2016 on April 1, giving the dean`s oIfce an idea of how many students will be coming in to fll the beds that off-campus hopefuls currently occupy. We let seniors with 90 credit hours or more know frst, Philipp said. 'Some will decide that they want to stay on campus, so well be giving more women ap- proval on a daily basis. Even if you don`t get it in the frst round, theres a good chance youll still get approval.
Off-campus appeal Both students who currently live off-campus and those who aspire to do so next year cite off- campus community as a major draw Ior making the move. Its easier to entertain and you can be very intentional about forming these communities, said sophomore Anika Top, who plans to live oII campus next year. My current room is big enough for me and thats about it. It`ll be nice having a kitchen table, too. Theres a handful of houses that re- ally enjoy bring- ing younger students to their homes as just another place to hang out, Philipp said. It gives them a broader bit of independence. I get this idea of living off campus, said Rogers, who likened the experience to his living off base while in the Navy. Its like, Hey, Im doing this myselI. I am in charge oI my liIe.` But with that come huge responsibilities and tons of things you have to be cognizant of, Rogers said.'Like paying rent.
7KHEHQHWV This introduction to the real world is good preparation for life post-Hillsdale, said Rogers and Philipp. It prepares you for what youre ultimately going to do when you cant go running back to momma and daddy, Rogers said. Why not start preparing for adulthood now? Topp said. 'I mean, bills? That will be excit- ing. Moving off campus can also foster good relationships with the community at large, as it gives students the opportunity to serve as good ambassadors to the greater Hillsdale community, Rogers said. I miss the seniors sometimes, though, Philipp said. 'Those who move off campus are lost, a little, to the rest of the on-campus community, though not entirely. But it is part of life and part of the college experience, said the deans. You can say Hey, we lived out in town in a place called Hill- sdale in a far, far, away land and here are our experiences, Rog- ers said. 'It`s making memories At least it will be for some of this year`s 271 applicants.
NEWS A4 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com ! KATES TAKE KATE OLSON Enraged about the engaged Dear Kate, I recently got engaged. While it`s nice to have fnally taken that big step, its very hard to be in the state of re- lationship limbo now. The next step is marriage, and until then I feel like weve plateaued! Meanwhile, Im swamped with wedding plans along with my school work. To make everything worse, my single friends dont offer much sym- pathy. How do I cope during this terrible waiting period? Thanks, Very Impatient Dear Impatient, LiIe is hard Ior everyone. Some people are poor, some people have bad health, others are just lonely. Fortunately for you, youre biggest problem is the stress of waiting and planning Ior the happiest day oI your liIe. I don`t under- stand you people. You`ve Iound your soulmate, you`ve got someone by your side who will stick with you in thick and thin, and yet you still want the rest of the world to cry with you when everything isnt just perfect for the two oI you. LiIe is never easy, I know that. I know that all oI your problems don`t vanish when you Iall in love. But stop rubbing your happiness in other peoples face and calling it misery! You`re just impatient. How spoiled are you when you have to complain about waiting a few months to get what you want. It`s like a child whining because Christmas doesn`t come soon enough. It`s annoying! We`re all happy Ior you. Now be happy Ior yourselI. And that goes Ior everyone in relationships, not just those of you who are en- gaged. Use the time oI waiting to practice discipline. There will be incredibly hard times during your marriage, no need to manuIacture some right now. You`re in college, you`re in love, youve got it all or at least youve got what counts: good friends, time to read good books, and a wonderful person by your side. Make up your mind about the fowers at your wedding (because thats your biggest issue to deal with) and ask your single friends about them for a change, rather than moaning about your own minuscule problems, like being engaged. STEADY NUMBER OF OFF-CAMPUS APPS GALLOWAY HOLDS VOLUNTEER COMPETITION In hopes to join the com- munity of Hillsdale and the college, Ben Holscher, a resident assistant on third-foor Galloway, came up with an idea, a friendly competition oI sorts. Since Feb. 9, the men oI Galloway Hall have been collect- ing. Not cans, not money, but volunteer hours. The entire dorm has been challenged to assemble more volunteer hours than the competing teams by April 17. Whoever has the most hours is awarded an all-expense-paid trip to Six Flags in Chicago. In order to be eligible for the amusement park excursion, each individual must log a minimum oI 12 hours. The three teams in the com- petition are divided by foors. The residents oI the frst foor oI Galloway and the loIt were added to the the teams of the top three foors. 'Smart money is on third foor to win, said sopho- more Sam Stoneburner, team second foor. Stoneburner logs his volunteer hours flling in as an assistant cook for the Equip Bible study. 'I work Ior two hours a week. That by itselI pulls my weight, said Stoneburner. The good will competition was conceived last summer in a brainstorming session to create dorm camaraderie. Holscher wanted the residents oI Gallo- way to grow both as men and as members oI the community. I have gradually learned that the community doesnt have a good perspective oI the college. They see students as privileged or selI-centered. And that`s a Ialse stereotype. Or at least it should be. We want Hillsdale County to be proud that they`re home to Hillsdale College, Holscher said. As of recently, a new rule has been added to the competition. If residents convince non- 'Gallowayans to participate in volunteering activities, the non-resident hours will count to whichever foor draIted the ad- ditional hands. I want it to get bigger, Holscher said. 'We want campus to get on board on this mission to help others. Junior Micah Speers has found that the competition has signifcantly raised volunteer participation among his Gallo- way peers. 'From what I hear, people are really enjoying their time. The time they spend volunteer- ing is not time wasted, Speers said. 'Lots oI guys on the third foor volunteer at the King`s Cupboard, do buddy reading, or volunteer at the humane society. At press time, Speers and his third-foor teammates logged 55 hours. Team Iourth foor has some plans on pulling ahead, as they are in last place. According to Ireshman Caleb Bowers, it is the best strategy to collect hours in a big sum rather than assembling hours in small amounts. 'This Saturday, Anthony Brooks is putting on a Rubiks cube competition where all proceeds are going to char- ity, Bowers said. 'G-4 has a very giving heart and attitude. We actually care about the community. And Six Flags. The big threat Ior 'G-4 is team second foor. According to Bowers, 'second foor is killing everyone volunteering-wise. Fourth-foor resident sophomore Michael Ragan, however, was not intimidated, Despite second foor`s lead, G-4 still has some secret plans to come ahead, Ragan said. But competition aside, stu- dents have realized the impact their hours have had on both the community and themselves as individuals. 'I noticed how much need there was once this started. Even iI everyone in Galloway was committed, we still wouldnt be able to Iulfll all oI the volun- teering needs in Hillsdale. It has really opened my eyes, Stone- burner said. Senior Brad Deitzen has been a regular in the volunteering for quite some time. Ever since the second semester of his freshman year, Deitzen has volunteered at Crossroad Farm, a church 15 minutes Irom campus. Twice a week, Deitzen will spend three hours working with middle school and high school youth groups. Ive grown a lot thanks to these kids. There is sometimes a disconnect between the college and the town. I want to get out there. The whole experience is really humbling, Deitzen said. As for the competitive element of this volunteer challenge, Deit- zen has also posed some interest, despite his indifference toward the grand prize. 'I don`t even like Six Flags. I don`t even like roller coasters. I just want to win it to win it, Deitzen said. Tory Cooney Collegian Freelancer OFF-CAMPUS APPLICATIONS Women Men Seniors 42 8 Juniors 63 32 Sophomores 12 77 Freshmen 0 36 Total 117 54 Bailey Pritchett Collegian Freelancer ! PIPES From A1 lation said the companys policy is to have men on-site during construction. 'The pipe supplier certifed that everything was installed properly, Vice President for Administration Rich Pw said. Stonitsch, however, said the responsibility to install the pipe correctly belonged to the contractor. Why it got installed im- properly is a bone of conten- tion now, he said. 'It`s not like everyone is pointing fn- gers. We just don`t know what happened. We don`t know iI he purposely cut corners or if he just didn`t know what to do. The original contractor no longer has a commercial plumbing license, and is thereIore unable to help fx the problem. Brian Runde, the vice presi- dent of engineering at Peter Basso Associates Inc. the engineering company respon- sible for the project 10 years ago said the company is reviewing a quote for pricing materials but that the project could take a few more months to complete. Pw said the engineering company had been very helpful in terms of providing engineer- ing assistance at a low cost. Though the administration is looking at quotes from mul- tiple pipe installation com- panies, it plans to stick with Peter Basso. Theyve been really good to work with, Pewe said. While the administration works out the kinks in the in- stallation process, the college has been renting a temporary boiler on a month-to-month basis. Pewe is hopeIul, saying he is ordering the new pieces of pipe and expecting the pipe to be mended in approximately 60 days. Pw said that despite the problems the pipe has caused, he does not regret installing it all those years ago. In the end [the pipe] replaced a failing boiler that would have been just as expen- sive to replace, he said. 'For 10-and-a-halI years oI signif- cant eIfciency, I don`t regret it. It`s still more cost eIIective to replace the pipe and we will still get signifcant beneft. Palace Caf owner Leslie Meredith used to take people into her house who didnt have anywhere else to go and tried to help them get back on their feet. But when the Palace Caf and both of its safes was broken into in January, she had a suspicion that one of the people she had taken in was to blame. They had come in and eaten the day before, she said. They had never come in to eat before. The morning after the two suspects unusual visit to the Palace, one of the waitresses who came in at 5:30 a.m. found the back door kicked in and both of the restaurants safes pried open. Meredith told the detective investigating the case her suspicions, and four people were arrested for the break-in after cashing in the money at Walmart, one of whom had been staying with Meredith. So it was an inside infor- mation thing, Meredith said. The Hillsdale Daily News reported that Corey Demots and Jordan Tracey were found to be guilty last week by the district court on one count of at- tempted breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny. The charges of safe breaking, breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny, and conspiracy to commit break- ing and entering were dropped as part of the plea bargains of paying restitution to the Palace Caf and testifying against co- defendants, Kyle Brewer and Michael Murray. Demots admitted to telling Brewer and Murray that the Palace Caf did not have cam- eras and disclosing the location of the safes. Brewer was arraigned on Feb. 29. All four will serve time in prison, which will be determined by their sentencing in April. Ive decided my homeless shelter is closed at my house, Meredith said. She said they have also in- stalled a camera at the caf, as well as a bigger, better safe and new reinforced doors. Meredith also said she no longer keeps cash on the premises. Its also affected my hir- ing, she said. I have to look at everyone differently now. Detective Brad Martin said this incident of breaking and entering was isolated, but since November, the city of Hillsdale has experienced around 11 break-ins. We believe that the residen- tial burglaries are all connected and all committed by one person, he said. The break-in at the Palace Caf, however, was an isolated incident. Martin said the burglaries that have been taking place at homes in the area have been for the purpose of stealing jewelry to sell for money. While 11 have taken place within the ju- risdiction of the Hillsdale City Police Department, there have been other incidents in Jones- ville and outside of Hillsdale city limits. Martin said that with the un- usual number of burglaries go- ing on, no one should hesitate to report suspicious behavior to the police. The best advice we can give is for people to be cautious and be aware of suspicious people, he said. The following is a list of calls compiled and reported by the Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department. Hillsdale City Police Feb. 28 A 22-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault. A $1,000 bond was posted. Feb. 26 A 29-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested on parole violation. No bond was allowed. Feb. 24 A 32-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault. A $1,000 bond was not posted. Feb. 22 A 33-year-old Albion man was arrested on a criminal bench warrant for driving with a suspended license. The man was sentenced to jail. Jonesville Police Department Feb. 22 An 18-year-old Jonesville man was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for assault and battery. A $1,000 bond was not posted. Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department Feb. 28 A 44-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for domestic violence. A $1,000 bond was posted. A 23-year-old Osseo woman was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for failure to report an accident and open intoxicants in a motor vehicle. A $1,000 bond was posted. A 26-year-old Fremont, Ind. man was arrested on a misdemeanor war- rant for disorderly person. A $500 bond was posted. A 19-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested on a felony warrant for home invasion and conspiracy to commit home invasion. A $100,000 bond was not posted. A 17-year-old Jerome boy was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license. A $2,000 bond was not posted. The Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department responded to one domestic assault, one harassing communication, two animal control oIfcer ac- tions, and one car-deer accident. Feb. 27 A 23-year-old Kentwood woman was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant for conspiracy to commit embezzlement. A $2,000 bond was posted. A 27-year-old Litchfeld woman was arrested on suspicion oI driving with a suspended license. A $2,000 bond was posted. The Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department responded to two car-deer accidents and two animal control oIfcer actions. Feb. 26 A 32-year-old Waldron man was arrested on suspicion of resisting and obstructing a police oIfcer and two counts oI domestic assault. No bond was allowed. A 22-year-old Hickory, N.C. man was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license. A $6,000 bond was posted. The Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department responded to one suspi- cious situation and two domestic assaults. Feb. 25 A 44-year-old Coldwater man was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery. A $1,000 bond was not posted. The Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department responded to two assaults and one breaking and entering call. Feb. 24 An 18-year-old Hillsdale man was arrested on a felony warrant for two counts of criminal sexual conduct and accosting children for immoral purposes. An $80,000 bond was not posted. The Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department responded to one larceny and Iour animal control oIfcer actions. Feb. 23 A 25-year-old Jonesville man was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license. A $2,000 bond was posted. Feb. 22 The Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department responded to two larcenies, one suspicious situation, and two car-deer accidents. Compiled by Sarah Leitner Theres a bomb threat at the middle school. Darcy Wert, mother of a sixth-grade boy, heard those words when she called Hills- dale High School on Feb. 23 to ask why her son had been sent there. The school was under lockdown. Davis Middle School of- fcials moved students to the high school around 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 23 after the school received a hand-written message saying that part of the building would blow up that morning, said Director of Public Safety Chris Gutowski. The Hillsdale Police and Fire Department arrived on the scene and searched the building. They found no evidence of a bomb and allowed students back into the middle school around 12:30 p.m. Police are working with school staff to match the handwriting on the note with students handwriting samples. Both the Hillsdale school dis- trict superintendent and police chief said they plan to prosecute the offender to the fullest extent. This is a serious offense that neither the police administra- tion nor the school are taking lightly, Gutowski said. After discovering the threatening note, Davis Mid- dle School Principal Jackie Wicikham immediately notifed Superintendent Shawn Vondra and the police. Vondra decided to move students to the high school, where they waited in the gym and had lunch. There wasnt validity to the concern, but you dont know that when youre in the middle of it, Vondra said. He sent out phone messages to parents informing them that the school had put a safety pre- caution in place. The messages did not, however, mention a bomb threat. Wert called the high school to fnd out what had happened and learned that the safety precau- tion actually was the result of a bomb threat. Then she rushed to pick up her son. When I got to the high school, I could tell that no one expected to see me there, but I said, No, my kid is coming home now, Wert said. Other parents said they sus- pected there was a bomb threat but had no way of knowing for sure. I can understand not want- ing to tell the kids at the time that there was a bomb threat, but the parents are still entitled to know whats going on at the school, Wert said. Vondra emphasized the importance of caution with information in such a sensitive situation. You need to provide info about where the children are and whats happening with them, but you dont want to miscom- municate information and you also dont want to cloud up an issue until you have all the facts down, he said. First priority was to tell parents that the chil- dren and staff would be moved to a different school and that their children are safe. OIfcers looked in lockers but did not check students bags. No dogs were used to search the school building We didnt crawl under any big objects, Gutowski said. We checked in trashcans and looked for something in plain view. Amanda Abbott, mother of a sixth-grader, questioned the reasoning behind grouping all the students together in the high school during a bomb threat, saying they would be one big target. I think they need to come up with a better plan because if there was some crazy maniac, they are just going to move all the kids together, Abbott said. I just dont think it is very safe. Vondra said the school handled the situation appropri- ately. Our schools have well- developed safety and security response plans, and that was clearly evident in the way that the staff and the students executed the plan timely and effectively, he said. Gutowski said there is no apparent connection between this incident and the November meth lab explosion a quarter of a mile away. The threat reminded many parents of the dangers their children face when they leave home. Its always scary send- ing your kid out, no matter if theyre going to school or down the street to a friends house, Abbott said. Its always in the back of your mind. CITY NEWS A5 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com MISSING MAN FOUND IN DEFIANCE, OHIO A larl, V|cr. ral|ve Was lourd |r 0elarce, 0r|o or Feo. 21 aller walking away from the Michindoh Ministries Conference Center in Hills- dale on the previous Saturday afternoon. Nathan Mick left his church retreat group without informing other mem- oers ol r|s |rlerl|ors, accord|rg lo sources al V|cr|rdor V|r|slr|es. Apparently, he has a history of doing this kind of thing, said Jeff Knoll, Director of Youth Programs at the Michindoh Conference Center. 'll Wasr'l arylr|rg lral cou|d oe preverled. When the retreat leaders realized that Mick had left the group, group reroers |aurcred a searcr lor r|r ard corlacled lre aulror|l|es. V|c| ras a |earr|rg d|sao|||ly, oul d|d rol core lo lre crurcr relreal as part of a special needs group. 'we d|d rol |roW lral re rad a |earr|rg d|sao|||ly url|| aller lre lacl, said Knoll. Due to prior incidents, relatives of Mick were not concerned with the situation. The search was launched in an effort to ensure that he had not come into any harm. Evan Brune Police Blotter BOMB THREAT AT DAVIS BURGLARS CRACK SAFES AT PALACE CAF Casey Harper Collegian Freelancer Sarah Leitner Copy Editor Students at Davis Middle School were evacuated on Feb. 23 because of a bomb threat. (Greg Barry/The Collegian) HILLSDALE VOTERS CHOOSE NEW CITY CLERK The city of Hillsdale hasnt had a permanent city clerk since November of 2011. That changed on Tuesday. Julie Kast was elected to the city clerk position from a four- candidate feld with 297 votes. Also running were Amy Eng- land (209), James Pruitt (144), and Adam Stockford (126). The citys clerk troubles began last August when Parke Hayes announced he would not run for reelection due to health reasons. Unfortunately, Hayes name, running unopposed, had already been printed on ballots to be used for the the November 2011 election and it would cost too much to print more. The city de- cided to use the ballots and tried to inform city voters of Hayes decision. The election was held in November and after the votes were counted, Hayes had been reelected city clerk. Hillsdale City Council ap- pointed Michelle Lauren, direc- tor of the parks and recreation department, to interim city clerk at Nov. 14s meeting. I would advise candidates for city clerk to apply and circulate their petitions as soon as possible, Hayes said, after he swore in Lauren as his replacement. Since then, the city has been especially concerned with com- munication between the city government and city residents. In Feb. 9s meeting, the council even created a tempo- rary communications committee to try to update the citys com- munication capabilities. In a nutshell, technology has far surpassed the citys commu- nication capabilities, Watkins said at the meeting. Hayes said he was happy the city got four candidates for Tuesdays election. Caleb Whitmer Copy Editor S hould every awkward statement made by professors be posted on the Internet? Is everything thats said out loud around cam- pus fair game to be quoted and posted online? The Facebook group Overheard at Hillsdale College might make one think so. There are a number of hazards with the group, but if students are good stewards of it, it can be a positive and fun contribution to our culture. Overheard at Hillsdale College, for those of you who are not one of its 980 members, is a Facebook group where members can post quirky, funny, or awkward statements theyve heard around campus and in classrooms. Its impossible not to share a professors description of Britain as the ugly girl Thomas Jefferson could never have seen himself with or an explanation for their lateness by telling their students theyd give them an A iI they can fnd two clocks that tell the same time on campus. Although this is a great idea in theory be- cause whats better than publicizing someones candid reaction to reading William Byrds Se- cret Diary? There is absolutely no moderation or limitation on what someone can post. Newspaper reporters are required to ask you if its all right to quote you on that, but on Overheard, the expectation is that everyone can quote everything all the time. Obviously, a Facebook group isn`t as oIfcial as a newspa- per, but peoples opinions are still being made available to the public, sometimes without the persons knowledge. A private conversation that a stranger overhears can be instantly broadcast to two-thirds of the student body, as one freshman discovered when their disparaging remarks about Adam Smith showed up online after they being expressed aloud in the library. Usually people will quote particularly damag- ing or embarrassing tidbits anonymously, but there is no guarantee that this will always be the case. Additionally, as with any mass media platform that is unregulated, there is a certain amount of spam that manages to get itself posted. These include inane comments and obscene or vulgar remarks only restricted by the whim of the poster. Despite these concerns, however, I think the benefts oI Overheard Iar outweigh the draw- backs. For one, it does allow students to cap- ture those truly Hillsdalian moments: sublime discussion of the good, true, and beautiful, or complaints about the problems inherent in the ex- istence of Hillsdating and mega churches. There is a certain philosophical quirkiness to Hillsdale College that these conversational snapshots promote and the use of Overheard to share them can contribute to the growth and spread of that culture. When posting on Overheard at Hillsdale Col- lege, try to contribute with a sense of common decency and an eye to making it entertaining and good fun. Good, true, and beautiful may be too much to ask for, but at least keep it decent, vaguely true, and attractive. With my hands getting tired from typing, I will conclude. I suppose its time to pray that the hand cramp goes away. As a matter of fact, the other day I overheard that If theres a patron saint of writers cramp, it has to be Thomas Aqui- nas. So maybe he can help. OPINION 1 March 2012 A6 www.hillsdalecollegian.com THE COLLEGIAN WEEKLY THE OPINION OF THE COLLEGIAN EDITORIAL STAFF 33 E. College St. Hillsdale, MI 49242 Newsroom: (517) 607-2897 Advertising: (517) 607-2684 Online: www.hillsdalecollegian.com Editor in Chief: Marieke van der Vaart News Editor: Patrick Timmis City News Editor: Betsy Woodruff Opinions Editor: T. Elliot Gaiser Sports Editor: Sarah Leitner Features Editor: Shannon Odell Arts Editor: Roxanne Turnbull Design Editor: Bonnie Cofer Design Assistant: Aaron Mortier Web Editor: Sally Nelson Ad Manager: Will Wegert Circulation Manager: Emmaline Epperson Copy Editors: Tory Cooney | Morgan Sweeney Caleb Whitmer | Abigail Wood Staff Reporters: Emily Johnston Phillip Morgan | Teddy Sawyer | Sarah Anne Voyles Photographers: Joe Buth | Elena Salvatore Sarah Anne Boyles | Shannon Odell | Caleb Whitmer Greg Barry | Joelle Lucus Illustrators: Greg Carleson Faculty Advisers: John J. Miller | Maria Servold The editors welcome Letters to the Editor but reserve the right to edit all submissions for clarity, length and style. Letters should be less 350 words or less and include your name and phone number. Please send submissions to collegian@hillsdale.edu before Sunday at 6 p.m. Y oung Americans cannot afford four more years oI out-oI-control defcit spending brought about by the Bush and Obama administrations. That is why we cannot elect Mitt Romney. Youth unemployment is the highest among any demographic, hovering at around 17.4 percent. The policies of the Obama administration have left young people with massive student loan debt averaging around $26,000 per head and no job prospects to pay this off. Then there is the national debt. To pay it off, every man, woman, and child would have to pay around $47,000. Interest payments are currently budgeted, but at the rate Washington keeps spend- ing, interests rates will consume the entire budget in the future. Mitt Romney has proven that he can operate a business successfully, but our future demands a president who understands free market economics philosophically as well. He continues to run his campaign on the same capitalist rhetoric we have been hearing for the past few months, but Romneys political career thus far shows that he has neither the knowledge nor respect for the protection of capital- ism as a political leader. Does being a successful businessman automati- cally provide the knowledge for a proper free-mar- ket policy? No. Take Warren Buffett for instance. Buffett has an incredibly successful business career that made him as one of the wealthiest people in the world. But his support of higher taxes for the rich to change wealth distribution prove that Buffett has a lack of knowledge regarding the correct policies that have paved the way to his success in the free market. Romneys time as governor of Massachusetts proves that he is also out of touch with free market philosophy. Exhibit A: RomneyCare. Romney ushered in this legislation in 2005, individual mandate included, on the basis that it would provide cheaper health insur- ance while eliminating the free-rider problem. Its 2012 and Massachusetts has yet to see cheaper healthcare. In fact, RomneyCare has caused the cost of medicine and premiums to skyrocket. 60 percent of this burden fell on individuals and businesses. What was the predictable result? Price controls. Due to the large spike in healthcare costs, Romney- Care has led to government-imposed caps on HMO rates. According to the Beacon Hill Institute, These are, in effect, price controls that will dampen the incentive to provide services and lead to longer wait times and rationing of healthcare. Anyone with a free market philosophy knows that price controls bring about excess in demand for the product supplied in this case healthcare. Excess demand brings about one of two things: a forced hike in prices or a shortage of the product. Either way, the consumer takes the beating. Romneycare also brought about a net increase in government spending. An increase in government spending can only mean one thing: an increase in the tax burden for individuals. According to the Cato Institute: Half of RomneyCare`s new spending was fnanced by the federal government through the Medicaid program . which is fnanced through Iederal taxes, which fall on taxpayers in all 50 states. That means that when Romney fnanced halI oI RomneyCare`s new spending by pulling down more federal Medicaid dollars, he increased taxes on residents of all 50 states. For those who understand even basic econom- ics, taxes are the adversary to productivity. When money is taken out of the hands of individuals, there is less saving and investment. Businesses have less money to work with, decreasing productivity and job creation. The fact that Romney still defends both of these laws proves he is out of touch with free market policy. It is one thing to make mistakes, but Rom- ney`s continual justifcation Ior such policies earn him a failing grade in free-market economics. Exhibit B: raising the minimum wage. It comes to no surprise that after the implementation of price controls in RomneyCare that Mitt Romney would be in favor of raising the minimum wage each con- secutive year of his presidency. Just how bad do consumers have it when price controls are placed on the wage rate? Thomas Sow- ell, an economist and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, said, There is no excuse for not being aware of what a major social disaster the minimum- wage law has been for the young, the poor, and especially for young and poor blacks. Again, the economics is simple: when you create an excess demand for labor by raising the minimum wage, people dont get hired especially young people like ourselves. Essentially, the government is raising the wage higher than young, inexperienced labor is worth. In the end, we the consumers of labor pay the price of a higher unemployment rate, considering that unemployment is not ideal for paying off college debts. Those who are in support of Romney may believe that, over time, he has solidifed a more conservative political view. However, this coming election is crucial and we need someone who can articulate the conservative message eIfciently, not just pay it lip service. Charles Krauthammer puts it plainly: The idea that somehow we consign the poor to the safety net and we patch it, and depen- dency, is a liberal idea. It is not our [a conservative] idea. And Romney is a guy who came late to his new ideology and he still cant speak it very well. Romney is new to conservatism, but is known as the most electable candidate among his support- ers. So, you may be asking, if not Romney, then who? As political leaders, all three of the remaining candidates have proven through their actions to have solid conservative principles tangible legis- lation that proves strong conservative leadership. As Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich fought a strong democratic force in both the House and presidency. Through The Contract with America, he implemented legislation such as welfare reform and continuously balancing the budget. Rick Santorum has been a strong advocate of social conservatism, fghting Ior a precious child`s equal rights under the law and fghting to save the foundation of a strong family, the marriage cov- enant between a man and a woman. Ron Paul has the strongest budget plan of any candidate. He is the strongest advocate for the Con- stitution and returning America to the gold standard. These three candidates are not perfect, but they earn my respect by having the humility to admit when they have strayed away from conservative principles. Can that honestly be said about Mitt Romney as well? No. When questioned on the colorful array of positions he has taken on the most precious issues facing our country, he only tries to justify them. When truly pressed on these issues, he struggles to answer why he has fip-fopped so many times. In a Special Report interview on November 29 with Fox Newss Bret Baier, he was asked to explain his fip-fops on amnesty Ior illegal immigrants. He ap- peared extremely fustered. AIter the cameras were turned off, he complained. The moment was telling. This election will be won on solid principles liberal or conservative. I would rather have a fawed man with a political history who has repented from past mistakes and shows regard for conservative principles. Mitt Romney has only proven himself to be a political chameleon, conforming to the party that will get him elected he is not our conserva- tive candidate. T he newly-announced CCA topics are making us seniors a little bit jealous. I mean, we will always have the hugely controversial archi- tecture seminar and the week of one-sided arguments for Abraham Lincolns sainthood oh, dont get us wrong, we still like Honest Abe as much as the next Hillsdale College Freedom Walk pilgrim but we could use a little less hero-worship. Our CCA memories include lackluster singing per- formances, and who could forget Beyonc-gate? Next years topics, though, are on another plane. A one-credit week-long semi- nar about epics from the Aeneid to Beowulf? Sounds fascinating. Learning about The Divine Com- edy from premiere Dante scholar and translator Anthony Esolen? The special person in Moss Hall who planned that CCA, well, stu- dents are indebted to him. The week oI WWII-era flms also sounds like a treat. CCAs often become esoteric discussions of dry subjects, or po- lemics about conservative politics. For people outside Hillsdale, a week of conversations on the pos- sibility of absolute aestheticism is a rare treat. For Hillsdale students, not so much. We can commiserate with the administrative challenge of CCAs how can a series of talks deep- en the education of students and friends of the school? How can you dig deeply into a topic with two groups of audience members that have little in common besides physical proximity? Were not jealous of their job. So to the members of the CCA oIfce, thank you. Next year`s topics show a fresh perspective. They present an opportunity for a discussion that is less partisan and more poetic, less academic, and more artistic. They give us hope that theres more to conservatism than politics, that our beliefs are as broad as literature and as deep as history, and that our college can bring this broad interest to students and guests of the school alike. To the people in charge of next years CCAs, we who are about to graduate salute you. T heres a Facebook group called A Wrinkle in Time Sucks. Its ungrammatical descrip- tion states that, This book is boring. If your a teacher plz dont make your student read this. Another reviewer recommends that all those about to read the book should watch a documen- tary on the history of the ice cube tray instead. She deserves brownie points for creative imagery. These people of the Internet agree that A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine LEngle is bor- ing, confusing, and strange. But theyre wrong. A Wrinkle in Time, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is an excellent book. Its so good that Hillsdale College should start sending it to incoming fresh- man, making it the new book to read before com- ing to campus. It would give them a good sense of what life at Hillsdale is all about. It would also show them what professors do every day. We study Newtonian physics, ancient history, ecology, Baroque music, and Renaissance literature all because our professors think the subjects are important. Many of us complain about our studies at some point or another almost as much as these people who grumble about A Wrinkle in Time. We wonder why we must learn things that have no clear application to our future career plans. We will plead with professors to lighten our read- ing loads. In response, our professors laugh and say that we signed up for this. They point out that theyre not just teaching us about English, chemistry, or philosophy theyre teaching you us how to think, and they might actually be right. Like A Wrinkle in Time, a liberal arts edu- cation is more valuable than some would have you believe. The people from the Internet who dont like A Wrinkle in Time dont understand its pur- pose. Yes, the text has problems. The book brings up concepts, like Megs struggle with faith and reason, which young children cannot understand. When Charles cites Goethe, he proves hes far too smart for his age. Tesseracts are geometric concepts, not wormholes. The idea of a star turn- ing into a woman who then turns into a centaur is just plain weird. But theres a lot more to the book. Like a liberal arts education, A Wrinkle in Time brings up Shakespeare, communism, Einsteins theory of relativity, and much more. But the most important facet of the book teaches readers about what is good. Facing IT, a bodiless brain controlling a planet, Meg realizes that knowledge is more than memorized facts; its even more than the capacity to think. Meg discovers that wisdom is the ability to love and thats what saves the day. At Hillsdale College, the goal of learning is to understand what is good. We read endlessly and judge conficting ideas. Sometimes, we Ieel like we have no idea what is right, but in the end we, like Meg, will learn to discern what is important. Some people see college as an assembly line. The workers only need to do one task at a time, with ruthless eIfciency, as the car rolls down the conveyor belt. Any more information would be wasteful and confusing. People at Hillsdale think differently. We believe that education should be more than learning a skill so you can make money. We think college is supposed to teach you what you need to know to live. It sounds sentimental, but we learn to think so we can learn to be a good people. Thats exactly what A Wrinkle in Time communicates. A Wrinkle in Time shows that life isnt an assembly line. Meg, Charles, and Calvin use all of their knowledge to pursue what is right. Freshmen will be expected to do that too, here at Hillsdale. They probably wont save the world with their wisdom when they leave, but they will become a better people, and that sounds pretty good to us. A WRINKLE IN EDUCATION ANYBODY BUT MITT Celia Bigelow Special to the Collegian Ethan Showler Special to the Collegian L ast semester, I was invited by a friend to watch the abortion documentary Bloodmoney in Phillips Auditorium. Having attended the March For Life protest in 2010, I was interested to see a good conservative case for the illegalization of abortion. Instead, I found a series of interviews almost exclusively about the evidence of a racist agenda in Planned Parenthood and the testimony from women that abortions have triggered post trau- matic stress disorder, suicidal depression, an inability to feel emotion, and other psychologically devastat- ing effects. I walked out after 20 minutes. Dont get me wrong, I agree with many of these claims. I agree that abortion hurts women, minorities, and families. However, by concentrating on these arguments, Bloodmoney essentially conceded the liberal case and ignored the fundamental issue at hand in the abortion debate: the defnition oI a human being. By focusing on testimonial evidence from women who have had abortions, Bloodmoney gave liberals ground. They conceded that the woman is the object of the debate, that the womans pain is the reason we should oppose abortion that the effect of abortion is evil, rather than the act of abortion itself. Conservatives should oppose abortion because they believe the unborn baby is a member of the human race and they should be bold enough to defne the child`s humanity. My dispute here is a matter of rhetorical means, not ends. Most pro-life citizens agree on the end: eliminate abortion in the United States. I simply want to see this brought about through arguments oI defnition rather than arguments based on consequences or circumstances, which are the liberals safe haven. Conservatives must primarily argue against the act of abortion instead of the effect because 1) it is more conservative and therefore more philosophically hon- est, and 2) it is more persuasive. According to Richard M. Weaver, the author of Ideas Have Consequences, there are two primary ways of arguing: Those who argue from conse- quence tend to go all out for action; they are the radicals. Those who prefer the argument from defnition, as Lincoln did, are conservatives in the legitimate sense of the word. He illustrates what I mean by liberal and con- servative. Liberals argue through the use of transient consequences and circumstances to scare one into action just as Bloodmoney did. But the conserva- tive argues by defning something`s nature, the way Lincoln defned slavery as wrong because slaves are humans, in order to rationally move one to action. The latter is the legitimate means for eliminating abortion, but the former is the liberals means for wasting money, time, and most importantly, life. This is the most philosophically honest approach because it deals with the skeleton in the closet that everyone knows about but is too afraid to address: the defnition oI 'man. OI all people, conservatives ought to take up this task oI defnition. Conservatives ought to be honest about their opposition to abor- tion, which does not primarily rest on the effects of maternal exploitation, racial inequality, or wherever the wind blows on Thursday. It rests on the natural and divine law, Thou shalt not kill. Conservatives should also argue against abortion via defnition because it is more persuasive. I think its safe to say that virtually everyone in the United States believes murder is wrong and should therefore be outlawed. Its written into our consciences. If conservatives can convince Americans that abortion is murder, then the case is won. The pro-choice advo- cate must defend the notion that the fetus perhaps the most terrifying word in the English language is not a human being. Otherwise, abortion is indubi- tably murder. If the pro-choice advocate cannot distinguish between a murderer killing a toddler with a gun and a doctor killing a fetus with saline solution, then the case is won. Abortion is murder and the honest citi- zen cannot support the practice. Conservatives must force the liberal into this corner. The problem is not that the pro-choice movement doesnt want to have this debate, the problem is that conservatives have folded their hand and decided to use the liberals cards instead. This neglect Ior the defnition oI man not only leads to men without chests and the abolition of natu- ral law, but the abolition of physical human beings. Blake Faulkner Special to the Collegian Rachel Cook Special to the Collegian OVERHEARD: ANONYMOUS ON BYRD ABOLITION OF HUMANS SPORTS A7 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com The women of the track teams Distance Medley Relay are running faster than any DMR team in the history of the school. Currently they are ranked sixth in the nation and on March 9 they will compete in the NCAA DII Championships in Mankato, Minn. But its not just hundreds of workouts and thousands of miles that are fueling the womens success this season. The three seniors on the team are engaged. Thats why were so fast, senior Chelsea Wackernagel said. We have guys to run for! I doubt other teams are stacked with brides, senior Amanda Putt said. The team consists of fresh- man Amy Kerst on the 1,200 leg and Wackernagel, senior Jen Shaffer, and Putt in the 400, 800, and 1,600 legs, respectively. The DMR team broke Hillsdale Colleges 2005 school record by 16 seconds. The four women ran a time of 11:43 at Grand Valley State Universitys Tune Up Meet on Feb. 17. They are all hardworking. They are all confdent, wom- ens head coach Andrew Towne said. A lot of times that equals success. Putt, Shaffer, and Wackerna- gel were part of the DMR last year, and almost broke Hills- dales record. We were so close last year. We fnally came together, Wackernagel said. We are all healthy and running well. Putt, who was forced to red-shirt her sophomore year because of an injury, agreed with Wackernagel. Weve caught glimpses of it, but now it`s fnally coming together, she said. In a relay, it doesnt work unless every one of us is on her A-game. Putt currently holds six school records if you count the DMR, she said including the 800-, 1500-, mile, 3000-, and 5000-meter run. She will be competing individually in the mile and 800 at nationals. Just behind Putt in the 800 is Shaffer who provisionally qualifed Ior nationals in the event. Wackernagel doubles as a 400-runner and pole vaulter. She will be competing individually at nationals in the latter. Last year, the 1200 leg opened up, and Kerst was re- cruited to run in the relay, Towne said. One thing about our team is that we have a lot of studs and not a lot depth, Towne said. The people we have to pick from are good. Kerst, the only freshman on the team, is from the Upper Pen- insula of Michigan. In her senior year, Kerst was the individual champion in the U.P. Finals, the Upper Peninsulas high school state meet, in both in the 1,600- and 800-meter run. She has a lot of natural abil- ity, Towne said. She is seeing how much ability she has. Though Kerst excels in the 800 and the 1,600, she was needed in the 1,200 leg. She is trying to learn the event, Towne said. The women train 46 weeks out of the year. A consistent training schedule allows the women to maintain endurance during the event, Towne said. In addition to running, Shaf- fer said she has chosen to take a heavy course load. She has class and homework from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. She then has practice starting at 3:15 p.m., which can go anywhere from two to four hours. On March 3, the womens team placed second at GLIACs, but did not improve on their time. On Mar. 9 and 10 the team will attend the NCAA Division II Championships in Mankato, Minn, where Towne said the may be able to break the record again. They will train as they have been but will decrease their mileage and increase the inten- sity of their workouts, Towne said. Towne said he believes that the girls can break the record again at the national champion- ships, even though Putt will not be running with them in order to focus on her individual events. Kerst will take her place in the 1,600 leg and freshman Shena Albaugh will run the 1,200. Experience helps. All these girls have been down this road before, he said. They under- stand what makes you work best. Between experience and good training, you have success. Next year, the DMR will have three empty slots. Towne said that recruiting has been and will be heavily emphasized in the next few years. Putt, Wackernagel, and Shaf- fer said that they hope the track program will continue to gain national prominence even after they have graduated. You cant coach what you dont have, and upperclassmen are hard to replace, Towne said. But we could be at this level at a continual and consistent basis. Maybe we dont break records, but we could be in the mix. Emmaline Epperson Collegian Reporter school-record time. The mens DMR team con- sisted of seniors Jeff Wysong, Michael Finch, and Jerry Perkins with freshman Matt Perkins closing on the 1,600. The mens team also broke the school DMR record earlier this season and were looking to drop their time to qualify for the NCAA DII National Champion- ships. They needed to beat both GVSU and Ashland University and run about fve seconds Iaster to qualify. Their previous fastest time was 10:04.54. Wysong took the lead in the frst lap. He tried to push the pace to make sure the races speed would be enough for the team to qualify if they won. Wysong handed the baton off from second place at the end of the 1,200. Finch and Jerry Perkins both maintained the teams second place spot. Our 400 leg did a fantastic job, Jerry Perkins said. He kept us right between Ashland and Grand Valley. In his own leg, Jerry Perkins had fallen into third when at 650 he found a couple more gears, went around Grand Valley, and pulled abreast with Ashland Uni- versitys runner at the exchange. The 1,600 leg was a fght between Hillsdale, GVSU, and Ashland. After falling into third, Matt Perkins kicked with a lap and half to go. He passed Ashland on the back stretch and fnished second with a split time of 4:13 and a team time of 10:05.00. It was a really fun race, re- ally competitive, Jerry Perkins said. 'We fnished higher than we were supposed to and we beat the top ranked team [Ash- land]. Notable performances from the women included junior Andy Yancho`s fIth place in the high jump (1.64 meters), Wacker- nagels fourth in both the 400 (58.95) and pole vault (3.80 me- ters), and the 4x400 relay teams third place fnish (3:59.26). The womens 4x400 con- sisted of Caldwell, Wackernagel, Caywood, and Schaffer, who also placed sixth in the 800. Putt, including her two frsts and the second place DMR, ac- counted for 28 of the womens 59.50 points. More often than not, Towne said, the production of our team this season started with Amanda Putt. He also praised junior Kayla Caldwell, who placed fIth in both the 200-meter dash (25.42) and pole vault (3.65 meters). He said the meet was something to build on. The key as we move forward is just adding more more quantity of the quality we al- ready have, Towne said. Forino pointed out that not just one section of the mens team was scoring points but all of them. The sprinters, distance runners, and feld event athletes scored 19, 23, and 11 points, respectively. Top performances from the men included three top-eight fn- ishes from sophomore Maurice Jones, a fIth Irom senior Nate English in the shot put (16.61 meters), and two broken school records: one from sophomore Matt RaIfn in the 60-meter hurdles (8.42) and the other from sophomore Justin Fawley in the heptathlon (4,935 points). The mens distance runners generated 12 points in just the mile alone. Wysong took third (4:13.94), senior Jacob Secor fourth (4:15.07), and freshman Matt Perkins eighth (4:16.88). RaIfn, whose school record time placed him sixth in the 60-hurdles, said he and fel- low sophomore Elliot Murphy have been pushing each other all season. Theyve traded the record back and forth and it was Murphy`s record RaIfn broke at the meet. Overall, RaIfn said he couldnt be happier with how the meet turned out. You have your struggles and kids who dont do as well as they wanted, RaIfn said, 'but the effort was great. ! TRACK From A8 Senior Amanda Putt reaches for the baton to kick off the final leg of the distance med- ley relay at the GLIAC championships last weekend. (Caleb Whitmer/Collegian) Visiting Lecturer of Biology Angie Pytel sat down with one of her advisees. What are you interested in doing activity-wise? she asked. Row, sophomore Jessica Youngstrom answered without hesitation. Pytel said she could tell Youngstrom was passionate about rowing. I said to her, Do you know its winter most of the time in Michigan? Pytel said, laughing. But Youngstrom was insistent on getting a rowing team on the Hillsdale College campus. I rowed in high school, and this was the only school I looked at that didnt have rowing, she said. I was really giving something up coming here. Though the rowing team is not an oIfcial club sport on campus, a group of both men and women are work- ing towards club approval Youngstrom is working with nine other girls interested in rowing, while sophomore Rob- ert Ramsey works with four other men. Youngstrom said even though they are not an oIfcial club, the still hold practices six times a week. Trying to coordinate schedules with 10 different people is a huge struggle, Youngstrom said. Its a big commitment. The women lift weights twice a week and workout on the ergometer, or rowing machine, twice a week. They do other team activities such as play basketball or run on the other two days. In the spring, the team will be able to practice on Baw Beese Lake with Youngstroms four-person sweeping boat. Were still working on team bonding, Youngstrom said. Most of us are from athletic backgrounds, so were just trying to workout different muscles and become friends. The mens and womens teams work out separately right now. Ramsey said the men are in the weight room three times a week. Though Ramsey said he has never rowed com- petitively, two of the men on the team have. Sophomore Tyler Herndon, a transfer from Oglethorpe University, studied abroad at Oxford University last semester and rowed on the team there. Its a huge deal over there, he said. It felt like something I should do while I was at Oxford. Herndon said his crew ended up getting to the fnals of the novice regatta at the end of the semester. Although Herndon had never competed on a rowing team before, he said it was something he re- ally enjoyed and something he would continue to enjoy at Hillsdale. Ramsey said he also looks forward to adding the club team on campus. I just thought it would be a fun sport, he said. I love boats. I love sailing. I thought it would go really well with the Hillsdale atmosphere. Rowing was a part of the Hillsdale atmosphere in the late 1800s. In fact, the row- ing team was one oI the frst nationally recognized teams to come out of the Hillsdale area. Four men, all Hillsdale Col- lege graduates, taught them- selves to row on Baw Beese Lake and in 1879 won the National American Amateur Rowing Championships. They went on to win again in 1880 and 1881. The colors the rowing team wore, royal blue and white, were adopted as the colleges colors, which were an aquama- rine blue at the time. Ramsey and Youngstrom said they had been tossing around the idea of starting a team since last year and fnally did this semester. Along with paperwork and by-laws, the students needs an academic advisor to begin competing as a club team. Youngstrom asked Pytel to help out, even though she has no background in rowing. Ive canoed. Ive kayaked. I would row my husband around Rockwell Lake, Pytel said, laughing. Ive played a lot of sports, and Im into exercise for sure. Though Pytel said she had some scheduling conficts and cannot commit to be the teams advisor, she said she is excited that Youngstrom is pursuing her interest in rowing. Right now, Youngstrom said she is content to build a core group and continue practicing. When spring comes, we can get out on the water, she said. Sarah Leitner Sports Editor ROWING TEAM LOOKS FOR CLUB STATUS Womens distance medley relay looks to nationals The womens rowing team practices six times a week lifting weights, using the ergometer, and playing other sports to stay in shape and get to know one an- other better. (Joe Buth/Collegian) ! MENS BBALL From A8 points, Washburns 15, and Ger- ber and Dezelski with 12 apiece. Throughout the game, both teams played scrappy, physical deIense. The oIfciating in the game caused heated complaints from the Ashland bench, and boos from the Hillsdale student section expressed the Chargers equal displeasure. Also last night, Northwood University fell to Wayne State 84-77, Grand Valley State Uni- versity lost 72-66 against No. 2 seed the University of Findlay, and Ferris State University bowed out against Michigan Tech, 71-59. Semifnals oI the tournament continue this Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., and wrap up with the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. Saturdays matchup against Michigan Tech will be the second matchup of the year against the Huskies. Hillsdale dominated Michigan Tech on Jan. 28 at home, winning the matchup 91-69. However, since that game the Huskies have won six of eight, including a win over Ferris State. The Chargers will seek to remain undefeated at home with a win against the No. 4 seed. Yesterdays matchup in the GLIAC will be key towards determining whether the Char- gers earn an NCAA berth. The Chargers rose to second in the updated Midwest Regional rank- ings released last week. Findlay was the only other GLIAC school in the top 7, while Wayne State and Ferris State slotted in at No. 9 and No. 10. A vic- tory in the GLIAC tournament would lock up an NCAA spot, but Hillsdale could still possibly make it into the tournament with a loss this weekend. Of course, the team wants to leave nothing to chance. This win was great to get the monkey off our back from last years loss, Eaton said. Now we just have to take it one game at a time this weekend, and try to win the tournament outright. (Joe Buth/Collegian) With seconds left in over- time and a 74-71 Charger lead, an Ashland University player dribbled at the top of the key looking for an opportunity to shoot. He settled at the left point outside the 3-point line and went up for the game-tying shot. But sophomore forward Tim Dezelski was there to block the shot, which was caught by senior point guard Tyler Gerber, who ran the remaining time off the clock by tossing the ball down the court and denying the Eagles another last shot oppor- tunity. It feels unreal right now, Dezelski said. This was huge for us to build momentum and work towards winning this tour- nament on our home court. The Hillsdale College mens basketball team will face Michi- gan Technological University in the semifnal round oI the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Chargers will host the remainder of the tournament. The Chargers were led down the stretch by the inside scoring of Dezelski and junior center Nick Washburn. Both were the primary targets of the Hillsdale offensive game plan down the stretch to take advantage of the Eagles smaller interior defense. It seemed like everything that they shot fell in the second half, senior point guard Tyler Gerber said. But we man- aged to execute offensively and defensively down the stretch and into overtime and we were able to exploit the size advan- tage that Tim had. In overtime, the Chargers managed to slow down the Eagles scoring. Ashland missed fve straight shots aIter the Iour- minute mark while Hillsdale chipped away at the lead. We just managed to make big stops down the stretch, senior forward Brent Eaton said. Dezelski hit the go-ahead layup with 2:15 to play in overtime to make it 72-71, and Washburn added an insurance basket with 1:23 to play on an assist from Dezelski. The Eagles shot an impres- sive 55 percent for the game, including 7 of 10 three-pointers in the second half, but fell short in overtime, making only one of six shots. The Charger defense forced 14 turnovers, against only fve given up by Hillsdales offense, which kept Hillsdale in the game despite shooting a lower percentage. The Chargers were led in scoring by Guinanes 16 The Chargers went down fghting last night, ending their season with a loss at TiIfn University in the quarterfnals oI the GLIAC tournament. The No. 3 seed Dragons oI TiIfn topped the No. 6 seeded Hillsdale, 68-58. Junior Lea Jones led the Chargers offensive effort with 12 points. Senior captain Chel- sea Harrison and sophomore Angela Bisaro each added 10. The Chargers held a slight lead Ior most oI the frst halI until the Dragons tied the game and went ahead with 2:26 left in the period on a pair of foul shots. Besides one more tie, Tif- fn led Ior the rest oI the game, but the Dragons couldnt put the Chargers away until the end of the game. We gave it all we had against TiIfn and played our hearts out, senior captain Katie Bildner said. Hillsdale scored more points in the paint than TiIfn (24 to 16), while TiIfn barely out-shot them Irom the 3-point line (4 to 3). For the most part, the teams were evenly matched, and it was a closely-fought game on both sides of the ball. However, one area in which the Chargers were obviously outplayed was points off turn- overs TiIfn scored a whopping 21 compared to Hillsdales six. The Dragons scored 15 points oII turnovers in the frst halI alone. We played our hearts out and we played extremely hard, but the biggest reason they won was that they converted. We scored more in the paint than they did, and neither team was great form the free throw line, but they converted turnovers into layups, head coach Clau- dette Charney said. I am so proud of how hard we played. It was a war and a very hard- fought battle up until the end. The Chargers also missed key foul shots when they were down by fve, six or seven points that could have changed the momentum of the game, Charney said. Hillsdale had a successful season, despite last nights tour- nament loss. They fnished tied for third place in a very com- petitive South Division. Despite losing starter sophomore guard Marissa DeMott to a knee injury a few weeks ago, the Charger women have improved and fought hard in the last leg of the season, 'We defnitely had some highlights, Charney said. Beating then-25th-ranked Michigan Tech at home was one that comes to mind right away. Going into this game we were without one of our starters [De- Mott]. We had a lot of freshman step up and contribute, which was a bright spot. The Chargers will graduate three starters in seniors Bildner, Liz Brannick, and Harrison. It will be hard to lose our seniors because they were part of a conference championship team [in 2009] and they will be hard to replace, Charney said. Likewise, it will not be easy for the seniors to leave their team and a memorable fnal season of basketball. It hurts to lose and hurts even more to end a 14-year ca- reer, Bildner said. But I ended it with an amazing group of girl that have become my family away from home. The future looks bright for Charger womens basketball. Jones will lead next years team with another new recruiting class. Three girls have already signed. WOMENS TOP FINISHERS: 1st, Amanda Putt, 800 (2:10.51) 1st, Amanda Putt, mile (4:57.28) 4th, Chelsea Wackernagel, 400 (58.95) 4th, Chelsea Wackernagel, pole vault (3.80 meters) 5th, Andy Yancho, high jump (1.64 meters) ! ELIZABETH BRANNICK Senior Li: Brannick is hnishing the last season of her col- legiate athletic career at the top of her game, having broken her career-high score twice in the past weeks. She sat down with The Collegian to discuss who inuenced her growing up, what her ex- perience at Hillsdale College was like, and how it feels to hnallv come to the end of this 'roller coaster` season. What are the biggest things in your mind as you come to the end of your career? With the season coming to an end and the tournament just around the corner, I never know how many more practices we will have, so I am really trying to enjoy every practice and enjoy time with my teammates. What have you most enjoyed during your time here at Hills- dale? Kappa has been my most enjoyable and rewarding experience here at Hillsdale. I have had so much fun being a part of Kappa. I truly dont know what I would do without my amazing Kappa sisters. :KDWKDV\RXUQDOVHDVRQEHHQOLNH" Very different from any other. It has been a bit of a roller coaster with my own personal playing experience going from starting, to not starting, to back starting again. I have grown more this season than any of my other past seasons. I feel that I have learned to have fun with basketball and to really enjoy my time on the court. :KDWLVWKHNH\WRVXFFHVVIRU\RXUWHDP" Executing the game plan each game. Every team in the GLIAC is very unique. We prepare every week putting in new offenses and defenses that will work best for the particular team we are playing. The games we have won we have executed the game plan. :KRKDVLQXHQFHG\RXPRVWDVDSOD\HUDQGDVDSHUVRQZKLOH at Hillsdale? My dad. He has so much passion and love for the game of basketball [that] he sometimes drives from Jackson to shoot with me on his lunch break. He has been my coach since I was in the third grade and he pushes me as a player and as a person to reach my full potential every day. :KDWZRXOG\RXVD\WRDIUHVKPDQMXVWHPEDUNLQJRQWKHMRXU- QH\\RXUHQLVKLQJ" I would tell them to get involved. Dont wait until you are a junior or senior to engage in campus activities. Hillsdale is so much more rewarding when you are involved in campus life. I would also tell them to enjoy every day on the court. Find something fun about practice. Our team is pretty hilarious so that really shouldnt be very hard. :KDWZDVLWOLNHWREHDW\RXUFDUHHUKLJKVFRUHWZLFHLQWZR ZHHNV" It was a fun experience. I feel like my team is really coming together. We are playing as a team and passing the ball really well. [Senior] Chelsea Harrison and I have developed really good chemistry on the court, and that is how I have been able to score. :KDWDUH\RXUH[SHFWDWLRQVRQ\RXUVHOIZKHQ\RXUHSOD\LQJ" Every game I want to beat the player I am guarding. I focus on grabbing more rebounds, and holding her to fewer points than I score. Compiled by Casey Harper 6hargers n|sh fourth, fth at CL|A6s :RPHQHQGVHDVRQLQ*/,$&TXDUWHUQDOV Morgan Delp Collegian Freelancer Senior Tyler Gerber looks for an open teammate in last nights game against Ashland University. The Chargers defeated the Eagles 74-71. (Joe Buth/Collegian) ! 8ee A7 The mens and womens track teams travelled to the University of Findlay this past weekend to compete in the GLIAC confer- ence meet. Grand Valley State Uni- versity won the meet for both the men and women, fnishing with 150.50 and 203.75 points, respectively. The Hillsdale men took fIth with 53 points behind 15 top-eight places. Eleven top- eight places totaled up to 59.50 points for the women. We placed much higher as a team than we were supposed to, senior Amanda Putt said. People got out there and shared support and encouragement for each other. Head mens coach Jeff Forino said he was pleased with the effort the Hillsdale athletes gave and especially praised the the Chargers who doubled and even tripled in events throughout the two-day meet. My only expectation was for us to try hard, to work as hard as we could, Forino said. They did a great job with that. Putt was one of the athletes to triple. She won the 800-meter run (2:10.51), the mile-run (4:57.28), and was part of the womens second place Distance Medley Relay team the same team that broke the Hillsdale DMR school record earlier this year. At the end of the meet, Putt was named GLIAC Female Runner of the Meet. [Putt] was incredibly im- pressive in the DMR, said head womens coach Andrew Towne. When she got the stick, she was not in a great spot. Freshman Amy Kerst led off the in the DMR on the 1,200 leg. Although she was sick, Kerst managed to run a 3:44 split a two second PR. Junior Becky Caywood (1:00) and senior Jen ShaIIer (2:19) ran the 400 and 800 legs. When Putt received the baton for the 1,600, she was in fourth place and 75 meters back from third. Putt moved her team into second place in the last 400 meters and crossed the line for a split of 4:42 and a team time of 11:44.51. After conversion, Putts 1,600 time was faster than her mile Sports 1 March 2012 Caleb Whitmer Copy Editor Q & A Chargers defeat Ashland in overtime David Gordon Collegian Freelancer (Courtesy of Elizabeth Brannick) ! 8ee A7 Hillsdale to face Michigan Tech in GLIAC semifinals at home MENS TOP FINISHERS: 2nd, Maurice Jones, 400 (48.33) 3rd, Jeff Wysong, mile (4:13.94) 4th, Justin Fawley, heptathlon (4,935) 5th, Nate English, shot put (16.61 meters) 6th, Matt Raffin, 60m hurdles (8.42) Get ready to immerse yourself in a play of sheer slapstick comedy this weekend as the Hillsdale College Tower Players perform William Shake- speares The Merry Wives of Windsor. The play is a story of twists and turns, as two plots unfold in the town of Windsor. Shakespeares tale follows Sir John Falstaff in his greedy en- deavors to seek out the love and affection of both Mistress Page and Mistress Ford eventually humili- ate him into regretting his plan of seduction. All the while, Mistress Pages daughter, Anne Page, is of marriageable age and courted by three suitors. The Tower Players will perform the feel-good show tonight through Sunday, drawing especially on the Waylon technique and concepts of Unre- hearsed Shakespeare, students said. With the aid of senior dramaturge Caitlyn Hub- bard, the director, Professor of Theatre George An- gell, Lecturer and Costume Design- B1 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com ! See B2 The Tower Players present: The Merry Wives of Windsor The Tower Players performs The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare this week. (Joe Buth/Collegian) Leslie Reyes Collegian Freelancer A spacious stage sweeps out to a sea of red chairs. A velvet curtain conceals fantastical realms and characters bolstered by the dedication of faces lurking in black folds behind the wings. For audience members, the theater is an es- cape. For players, it is home. Senior Caitlyn Hubbard will say goodbye to her home oI Iour years with her fnal perIormance in Markel Auditorium this Sunday. Its the last hurrah for a main stage go, Hub- bard said. This is the last time. Hubbard will play the role of John Rugby in the Tower Players production of The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare. Rugby is a clown character, a dunce, and a man. Playing a man can be challenging but fun, Hub- bard said. She also plays opposite her best friend, sophomore Kyra Moss. Moss also plays a male role: Peter Simple. We got to be men together, and that was so much fun, Moss said. Hubbard and Moss met while they attended high school at Hillsdale Academy. Moss was a sophomore and Hubbard was a junior. 'We were not Iriends at frst because I thought she was rude and blunt, and she thought I was weird and eccentric, Moss said. The two eventually became best friends the following summer, but they were involved in the theater together before then. Hubbard had just transferred to the Academy from a high school in Onsted, Mich. When she ar- rived in Hillsdale, she was disappointed to learn the school had no drama department. The school that I had come from, I was wait- ing to be in a high school position, so I could be a part of it. It was a really strong [theater] program. So I was like, WellIm just not going to give up on that. Im going to make my own, Hubbard said. And she did. I obtained a faculty adviser, [and] I chose the show. I had a class the whole frst semester and taught improv, basic acting skills, warm-ups and things like that, Hubbard said. Bye, Bye Birdie would be the frst musical Hubbard helped to put on at the Academy, and Moss worked as her stage manager. The show ran for only one night in the school gym. The music was also changed the night before the show premiered. Despite the obstacles, the Academy now has a theater program. The next year, a new director stepped in to work with the faculty adviser on a larger, grander show The Sound of Music. Hub- bard earned the role of the lead, Maria, and Moss was her stage manager yet again. The show ran for three nights and was performed in Hillsdale Colleges own Phillips Auditorium. It really legitimately came together, and the program is still going strong over at the Academy. Theyre doing Cole Porters Anything Goes this year, Hubbard said. Everyone still talks about The Sound of Music and how great that was. Hubbards passion for theater may have begun before her collegiate career, but her goals did not always include becoming an actress. She frst wanted to attend Michigan State University to row crew. After President Larry Arnn accosted her, however, she decided to come to Hillsdale. I was really passionate about it [theater]. Coming into college, I didnt ever think it could be a career choice, Hubbard said. After she completed her theater minor at the end of her sophomore year, Hubbard decided to pick up a theater major along with her econom- ics major. It was only last year that she decided to pursue acting professionally. I realized just how much I loved it [acting] and just how much I was not willing to give it up in the real world, Hubbard said. So here I am. Im graduating as a theater major. Hubbard has played seven different roles as a Tower Player with great memories of each, she said. One role in particular she said she looks back on with the most fondness: Pasquala in Fuente Ovejuna. This was the character she used as her senior project. It was actually not a role I was trying to get. I was trying to get the lead, but George [Angell] had decided to reverse cast, which is putting everyone in a role that is not their type cast, Hubbard said. He knew he was working with really talented people, and he wanted to give us a little push outside our comfort zone. Everyone really rose to the challenge. Hubbard said she did not initially like the character, but in an effort to master Pasquala, she created an extensive background story. The more Hubbard began to immerse herself into the role, the more she came to love Pasquala and playing her. 'You have to fnd a justifcation for her actions, for her words. To be able to identify with her, to use a faade within yourself, to become her, have that empty palate there that becomes her and shines out of you, Hubbard said. I ended up just really coming to love her and love myself as her. As Hubbard prepares to step onto the stage oI Markel Ior the fnal time, as all senior theater majors eventually do, her proIessors and peers refect on her impact as an actress, person, and friend. Professor of Theater James Brandon taught Hubbard in her frst theater class at Hillsdale and cast her in her frst play, 'Biederman and the Fire- bugs. Shes very driven, he said. Its not just that she knows what shes doing, she knows why shes doing it. I like Caitlyn quite a bit. Shes very not a kid wise beyond her years. Hubbards drive and spirit is leading her toward good things in her future. She is apply- ing to the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago for an intensive theater internship. She has also obtained a summer job teaching drama at an all-girls camp. From the Theatre Department faculty and to the friends she has made within the program, Hub- bard says she is grateful for the challenging and rewarding experiences she has been given perform- ing as a Tower Player. When youre vulnerable on the stage, when youre portraying a true character, when youre having a living moment on the stage, its you, she said. Its not some name youve given yourself temporarily. It is you, your moment, and your emotional roller coaster that is being put on display for everyone to see. Its just really personal, and I never would have gotten that opportunity anywhere else. rturnbull@hillsdale.edu THE FINAL ACT Senior Caitlyn Hubbard reflects on her journey as an actress while preparing for her final role with the Tower Players Roxanne Turnbull Arts Editor TOWER ARTS (Courtesy of Caitlyn Hubbard) 1 March 2012 B2 www.hillsdalecollegian.com ! IN FOCUS STEVE CASAI When I locked the front doors to the old Dawn Theatre in Hillsdale on March 29, 1982, I hoped I had remembered to do all my usher responsibilities. I was in a rush. I wanted to watch on TV the end of the Academy Awards; I wanted to see if Chari- ots of Fire, my favorite movie, would win the Oscar for Best Picture. The movie tells the true story of two runners who prepare for and compete in the 1924 Summer Olympics. One of the run- ners, Eric Liddell, is a Christian who runs for the glory of God. I believe that God made me for a purpose. For China [to serve as a missionary], Liddell says to his sister, Jennie, in one scene. But he also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure. I was fortunate. I turned on the TV right before the award for Best Picture was announced. I knew Chariots of Fire deserved to win, but I was unsure if it would do so. It faced tough competition, such as Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Reds. A scene in Chariots of Fire shows Liddell running in a race. As he draws even with the lead runner, that runner elbows Liddell, causing him to stumble on the grass and fall down. He gets up immediately, starts running again, and remarkably wins the race. If Chariots of Fire was going to win, I thought, it would have to be a come-from-behind victory, too. The 54th Academy Awards showed a clip of each nomi- nee. I was surprised that the flmmakers oI 'Chariots oI Fire did not show what I thought was the best scene: the scene in which the British Olympic Committee tries to convince Liddell that he should violate his conscience by running in the 100-meter trials on Sunday, though Liddell thought it was wrong to run on Sunday. Instead, the flmmakers showed various scenes oI the movie, especially the running scenes, while Vangelis beautiful theme song was playing. Using this kind of clip was different and effective. When it was announced that Chariots of Fire won the award for Best Picture, I was overjoyed. I might have been just as happy as Liddell was when he won the 400 meters in the 1924 Olympics, the race he ran instead of the 100 meters. Chariots of Fire lost its next and last race. Many Chris- tians, including me, thought that the movie would inspire Hol- lywood to make more flms about Christian heroes. That Iailed to happen. I had continued to work at the Dawn until it closed down in December 1996. I cannot remember one movie that showed a Christian in a positive light. Apparently, Hollywood regarded 'Chariots oI Fire as a fuke. Still, the flm won the hearts oI many moviegoers. A lot oI us had never heard of Liddell until we saw the movie. After I saw Chariots of Fire, I read three books: The Flying Scotsman, a biography about Liddell; The Disciplines of the Christian Life, by Liddell; and Chariots of Fire: A True Story. These books are still in my library. I also had the privilege of working at the Dawn when we showed Chariots of Fire. I was grateful to the manager when she gave me the movies poster. The night Chariots of Fire won the Oscar for Best Pic- ture will remain one of the happiest moments in my life. For 37 years, the DePauw Undergraduate Honors Confer- ence in Communication and Theater has been gathering students of extraordinary talent to its campus for a conference. For the frst time in its seven years competing, 100 percent of the Hillsdale applicants were accepted. Out of only 36 students chosen for the entire conference, Hillsdale accounts Ior fve this year. The conference is an annual event intended to bring students of theater together to learn from talented and successful icons of the industry and to share their own research with one another. Sophomore Anne Peterson, ju- niors Trevor Freudenburg, Mark Keller and Catherine Shikla and senior Lauren Hughes were all selected this year. The [DePauw Conference] is simply the place where some of the best undergraduate re- search in the felds oI theater and communication from across the nation is acknowledged, James Brandon, professor of theater and communication said. The conference allows the students to work closely with mentors in the feld who help them to develop as researchers and writers. The conference is considered a prestigious honor for students of theater, Brandon said. The conference is also particularly useful for students interested in graduate school, and previous attendees to this event have made important con- nections for their own graduate education, he said. The students will be sepa- rated into three groups of twelve in order to present their research, and will be able to work closely with other advance students and with professors and profession- als. Each year the students enrolled in a theater history class write a research paper on a topic of their choice, from Greek drama to medieval drama. From these, the best are sent to the conference for consideration. Im not sure of the format as to how and when we will be presenting, but I am really interested to see what happens, Hughes said. I thought it would be a good idea to research Eastern styles because we focus mostly in the West. The conference itself is for the beneft oI those interested in the theater arts and who are accepted, but the high rate of acceptance is a testament to the strength of the department as well. Our students who attend DePauws conference are typi- cally practitioners: they work on campus as actors, designers, directors, stage mangers, etc. But graduates from a BA program in Theater should also be, frst and foremost, excellent academic stu- dents of the art, Brandon said. Our success at being selected to present at this conference shows that we take this aspect of theat- rical education seriously, which I view as an important marker for our program overall. On average, three people from Hillsdale go to the confer- ence, Peterson said. It was unusual when three out of four [of the applicants] went, so its extraordinary when fve out oI fve were chosen, Peterson said. One of the major draws the conference has is the profession- al speakers brought in to speak. Every year they bring in some big theater presenter, lec- turer or professor to talk to us, Freudenburg said. Last year one was Philip Auslander. As a whole, the acceptance indicates the success of the de- partment, especially for a perfect success rate in a competitive organization. I would really like to give a shout out to James Brandon for being a great professor and tak- ing the time to give his opinion and help us master our papers, Hughes said. tsawyer1@hillsdale.edu Students triumph in conference selection Teddy Sawyer Collegian Reporter For the first time ever five out of five outstanding theater history papers were chosen to compete at a conference. (Joe Buth/Collegian) Hillsdale College students and Iaculty helped fll the air oI Albion Colleges chapel with music Feb. 25 at the frst annual Liberal Arts Jazz Festival. Senior jazz singer Erin OLuanaigh and senior drummer Alexander Cothran both walked away with Outstanding Soloist awards. It was very humbling, and honestly quite a surprise, Cothran said. I didnt feel as though I had played particularly well that day, but apparently the adjudicators felt differently. The jazz fest clinicians honored only four students with outstanding awards. The two other award recipients were both from Adrian College. As part of their awards, OLuanaigh and Cothran played with the professionals in a concert Saturday night after din- ner. The Hillcats played Blue Monk, a standard jazz tune, with the clinicians and the awarded students, OLuanaigh said. It was an outstanding concert, Teacher of Music Chris McCourry said. The group traded 4s, a standard improvisation technique where musicians take turns improvising four-measure-long solos. Its a conversation through jazz, OLuanaigh said. Earlier in the day, student bands and combos performed in clinics. Clinics lasted from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Three clinicians Jonathon Gewirtz, David Jensen, and Jim Rupp gave construc- tive comments and advice after each group fnished playing. Their comments were really insightful and helpful, OLuanaigh said. Im anxious to apply what they said to my singing. In addition to the clinics, the professional musicians offered master classes, giving individual attention to each student. I have been to the high- profle University oI Michigan jazz festival twice now and have never really enjoyed it, Cothran said. I had a much better time at the Liberal Arts Jazz Festival, and I feel as though Ive learned much more from it. Even with the success of the festival this year, there is still room for improvement. Next year, Id like to see even more bands there from local colleges, OLuanaigh said. Cothran said the festival ran smoothly. Though he said he did not see any glaring problems that were not attributed to a brand new event, he would have liked the scheduling to have worked out differently. Some of the scheduling was a little unfortunate, as there were times that I was playing in one location when a band I wanted to hear was playing in another, Cothran said. Such things are generally unavoidable when youre scheduling eight to ten different bands to play in the span of four or so hours. Despite this, OLuanaigh and Cothran both said they enjoyed the experience. They could all play circles around me if they so chose, which makes one want to make sure that youre playing your best, Cothran said. Then there was also the fact that Jim Rupp, who had adjudicated my bands that day and is undisputedly one of the worlds best jazz drum- mers, was sitting immediately behind me while I was playing, which defnitely added a certain level of nervousness to the per- formance that kept me sharp. During the jazz fest, Rupp also gave Cothran a pair of drum sticks. The festival was a great success, McCourry said. The bar has been set high for next year. ejohnston@hillsdale.edu Two students awarded at new jazz festival 39.3 million. Thats the number of people who tuned in to watch ABCs broadcast of the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 26. Two weeks ago, the Gram- mys captivated 39.9 million, making history by beating out the Oscars Ior the frst time. The critical reaction to the Oscars these last few years has consistently been negative, and this year wasnt expected to be any better. Eddie Murphy dropped out of hosting duties, causing the shows producers to hand the position to Billy Crystal for the ninth time. Its true Crys- tal has proved successful in the past, but many felt the choice a bit bland. Bland it was. Such a state- ment is a compliment, for I was expecting boredom or incre- dulity. In fact, viewership was actually up four percent this year over last. Themed as a celebration of the history of cinema, the Oscars is supposed to be uplifting. Instead, the nostalgia lent an air of mourning to the proceedings, almost as if the Academy was preparing for the death of the flm industry itselI. Indeed, 2011 saw the lowest movie attendance since 1995, and the Academy voters revealed their yearning for the glory days of Hollywood in their nominations for Best Picture. All but one oI the nine flms nomi- nated had its setting in the past. In Iact, the two flms to garner the most awards Sunday were Hugo and The Artist. Both flms were explicitly about flm making in the 1920s and 1930s. Unwilling to take chances on original flm ideas, the studios stick to big-budget spectacles. The endless glut of comic book adaptations and sequels has slowly begun to repel audiences from theaters. Through their increasing dependence on fran- chise movies they are killing the goose that laid the golden egg. We live in an era of sen- sationalism. The Grammys, Emmys, and even the Tonys have fallen under the same spell that turned the Super Bowl from a sporting event into a entertain- ment behemoth. The Academy needs to de- cide what it wants to be either great entertainment or a source of respectable authority. The Gram- mys have chosen the frst and to great success. The Academy Awards should choose the latter. Meanwhile, the Oscars have disastrously chosen the middle path in an attempt to retain the honor of the award despite low- ering class. Not spectacle-driven enough for the masses and not serious enough for the cinephiles, the ceremonies of recent years only draw viewers through sheer inertia. For a time, a single popular flm was nominated Ior Best Picture in order to appease the masses. Lately things changed after the outcry following the 2008 ceremony, when the intensely popular Dark Knight lost out to the lukewarm Slum- dog Millionaire. The Academy resolved to expand the number of possible nominations to 10, and, in the process, cheapened the value of the nomination while simul- taneously making it diIfcult Ior viewers to attend every flm before the awards. Meanwhile, other critics of the Academy, like myself, lament the lack of ambition in most of the nominated flms. Historically the academy has displayed a ten- dency to award Best Picture to 'saIe flms such as 'The King`s Speech. Is the existence of the Academy Awards proftable to the advancement of art and culture? Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued against the existence of such academies, whether they be for the arts or the sciences. In his opinion organizations meant to promote art or science instead tend to stife creativity. Academies are often dominated by the mediocre men opposed to change. When choices like this years The Artist are rewarded in place of wonderfully ambi- tious flms like 'The Tree oI Life, I feel as if the Academy is slowly tossing aside its rel- evance. hsmith@hillsdale.edu The Oscars are in decline Emily Johnston Senior Reporter Hayden Smith Collegian Freelancer er Bryan Simmons, and Techni- cal Director Dave GriIfths, this years cast transformed into the characters of Shakespeares The Merry Wives of Windsor. The drama will be up close and personal, consistent with the interactive manner in which the play was written. Dont get freaked out if someone takes your hand or screams to your face or sits next to you, junior Mark Keller said. Shakespeares comedies have entertained millions of people with his clever word play, love scenes, complex plots, and many forms of mistaken identity. Merry Wives is one of Shake- speares more light-hearted plays. It continues the trilogy of Falstaff, who is also the knight in both plays of Henry IV. It is ridiculous I mean, the things that happen in this play are just insane, said soph- omore Katherine Denton, who plays the role of Anne Page. I crack up at scenes I have seen probably seven or eight times now and every time I am in tears just watching these scenes. The play was said to have been written under the order of Queen Elizabeth, who wanted a performance which included Falstaff. Some scholars think that Shakespeare wrote the play in two weeks to celebrate the inauguration of knights into the Order of the Garter. It is almost sickening how ingenious he was, said fresh- man Aaron Pomerantz, who plays the role of Master Fenton. The Order of the Garter was established in 1348 by Edward III and is the oldest British orders of chivalry. The order consists of 24 knights, a king and a prince. The Knight of the Garter was not an inherited title, but a title earned with acts of valor and held until death. You could call Falstaff a protagonist of this play. That doesnt mean he is the good guy. You are not rooting for him be- cause of what he is doing you are just rooting for him because he is fun, said junior Stephan Godleski, the plays Sir John Falstaff. Bad things happen to Falstaff and to the other charac- ters, but in the end everything always works out. It is the love triangles and the natural greed that drive many of the characters within Windsor to resort to practical jokes in order to put people in their place. Shakespeares comedy, in this play, comes at the expense of the characters, Pomerantz said. You arent laughing be- cause the characters are so witty and they say such brilliant things You are sitting there going My god these people are so stupid. Shakespeares use of the English language in this play is clever and delightful, twisting and convoluting communication between characters. It is among Shakespeares most diIfcult plays in terms oI language, Angell said. It has a number of things that are subject matter that are not familiar to modern audiences. Almost every character in the play either mis- uses English or makes mistakes with it. The Merry Wives of Wind- sor combines the misuse of language and thick accents to showcase how versatile and delightful the English language can be. This is demonstrated by Sir Hugh Evans the Welsh priest, Caius the French Doctor, Master Slender who speaks nonsense throughout the play. The Elizabethan society was largely xenophobic, Hubbard said. The foreign characters get made fun of a lot and they dont know what is going on because they dont know what words mean and they are tricked into thinking that what is being said to them is compliment. Another important aspect of the plays production is the costuming. In the Elizabethan era, classes were distinguished through fashion from the rich- ness in the fabric to the size of a citizens ruff, or gathered collar. All were subject to the Elizabethan Sumptuary Laws. People who broke these clothing guidelines were fned or even sentenced to death. Recreating Elizabethan fash- ion, Bryan E. Simmons, ecturer in theatre and costume designer, conjured a beautiful array of various costumes from the rich to the poor for the The Merry Wives of Windsor. It is interesting sometimes I will walk away from rehearsal without a fat suit on, just in my normal people clothes, and I will have my chin up and I will have a little bit of swag in my step. Just becoming him is a lot of fun. And there are a lot of things that I will never do, but we are on stage so I can do it, Godleski said. Godleski said Simmons was an amazing costume master, able to manipulate materials in new and creative ways. Sim- mons elaborate designs force actors to get further into their characters. I really like costumes because for me, at least with this show, it is almost half the character, Keller said. It always takes effort and energy to put on a theatrical production, and the colleges production of The Merry Wives of Windsor is no exception. Look for excitement, humour, and intricacy when you attend this Shakespearean masterpiece. And it is a whole hullabaloo of fun, Hubbard said. lreyes@hillsdale.edu ! MERRY WIVES From B1 Drawn by Greg Carlson REMEMBERING MOMENTS OF OSCARS PASSED Lee Cole now works alongside the professors who first inspired him SPACES B3 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com In Their Eyes Emily Johnston Collegian Reporter A fter the Hillsdale College Honors Program Retreat in August 2000, incoming freshman Lee Cole was in a bad car accident. He spent the next week at the Fort Wayne hospital. Junior Kelly Heinz 02, president of the honors program, visited Cole in the hospital and helped keep him con- nected to campus, the honors program, and classes while he recovered. When Cole came back to campus three weeks later, they went for a long, late-night walk and ended up by the eagle statue around 3 a.m. Inertia ran its course after that, Cole said. I obviously didnt show much respect for our differences in class and station, since we were dating by October. Four years later, on July 2, 2004, Cole proposed to Heinz by the eagle statue. Cole married Heinz exactly one year later and this past fall Cole returned to his alma mater after accepting a posi- tion in the philosophy department. Student to Professor Cole, instructor of philosophy, matriculated in the fall of 2000 the same year President Larry Arnn became Hillsdale Colleges twelfth president. Cole graduated in the spring of 2004 with a bachelor of science in mathematics and philosophy. He received his masters degree in philoso- phy at Villanova University. Last year, while researching at Notre Dame University, Cole received a sur- prising, but welcome, email from the Dean of Humanities, Thomas Burke. I opened my inbox early one frosty February morning and nearly spit my coffee out, Cole said. After several interviews and much counsel from friends and family, he returned this fall to teach at Hillsdale. He said his best memories as a stu- dent involve his wife, Kelly. I largely have in mind many cold, wandering walks at night that involved us conversing, getting to know one another, he said. Then and Now Cole said he does not miss the old buildings. Im teaching in buildings that didnt exist eight years ago, and many of the rooms in which I attended lectures have been destroyed, he said. There is a bit less mustiness in the air these days, which is probably a favor- able change. Much important learning happened there, but few tears were shed in the architectural community, Im sure. There are subtler differences Cole said he noticed as well, especially in the students. On the whole, the students are per- haps a bit bolder and more self-assured than they were a decade ago al- though this assessment applies more to their demeanor outside the classroom than in it, he said. Current students seem to display more confdence in being on campus, Cole said. At the freshman ice-cream social he attended, Cole said the students seemed smarter, more put together. The types and groups of students do have family resemblances to types and groups of students from when I was a student, he said. Although Id say that students used to dress in a slightly more conservative manner (although generally not as smartly) and were a bit more timid outside the classroom. Perhaps social networking has helped current students bond and form camaraderie, Cole said. Some things, like Hillsdating, have not changed, although Cole said the name did not exist when he was a student. Quirky dating rituals have always been a part of this campus, Cole said. There were strange dating practices when I was a student but I tried not to participate in those, I like to avoid ambiguity. Comfortable Challenges These slight changes have not signifcantly aIIected Cole`s transition from student to teacher. On the whole, the transition from being a student here to being a fac- ulty member has been quite seamless and natural, he said. I dont in any way still feel like a student despite being surrounded by so many of my own teachers but there is a common thread of co-naturality with the culture here that links my two sets of experi- ences. So there is none of the uncanny unfamiliar familiarity that sometimes accompanies a return to a previous time or place in ones life. Cole said the ease of his transition from student to teacher surpassed his expectations. Strangely enough, theres nothing really unnatural about being co-work- ers with my former professors, he said. Ive always tried to be deferen- tial, so calling Dr. Connor by his frst name was understandably odd the frst time, but theyve all been generous about treating me as a colleague. Cole said being a Hillsdale student has helped him to be a better Hillsdale teacher. Im obviously aware of the campus culture, he said. Already knowing the defning end oI a Hillsdale educa- tion has been tremendously valuable. There are still challenges to being a new, full-time, college-level professor. Its always easy to become a bit obsessive about helping your students learn, Cole said. 'And it`s diIfcult not to feel an added sense of invest- ment in Hillsdale students, in a way I wouldnt quite feel invested in, say, Ferris State students. I was a Hillsdale student, too, so I want them to receive what I received, and if possible, even more. The students here are generally quite dynamic and, on the whole, more interested in serious issues. Cole said he needs to remember that Hillsdale students, just like other college students, are young adults who Iace challenges and diIfculties and can not always live up to undue expecta- tions. He reconciled himself to this fact immediately upon receiving his frst round of essays. Back Home I dont think of my time at Hills- dale as a collection of favorite memo- ries so much as an entire period of intense formation that, while rather trying at the time, constitutes with the hindsight of a few years a rich and happy period of my life apart from which Id be a different person, he said. Of course, much of the richness of this period also follows from the many deep friendships that I forged with others, and these relationships continue to this day, in effect, preserv- ing our connection to the college. One such lasting friendship exists between Cole and Assistant Profes- sor of History Matthew Gaetano. The two were friends as undergraduates, through their time at graduate school, and even still as colleagues working on the same foor oI Delp Hall. I love the school, and I suppose I never completely felt like I left Hill- sdale behind, Cole said. For schol- arly reasons, family reasons, social and personal reasons, even spiritual reasons, teaching at Hillsdale is in my estimation a fairly enviable station. So as for whether Im glad to be back: ab- solutely. Unequivocally. Yes. I feel very fortunate for having the opportunity to teach here. ejohnston@hillsdale.edu
Junior Ian Blodger plays Magic: The Gathering at Battlegrounds, a store in downtown Hill- sdale that holds Magic tournaments, and provides a place for enthusiasts to gather to meet fellow players and compete with one another. (Elena Salvatore/Collegian) I met Blodger on Friday at Battlegrounds, a store in downtown Hillsdale devoted to the game. Richard Garfeld, a math Ph.D., invented the game in the 90s. Since then, its become a worldwide phenomenon. Every Friday night, devotees gather around the world Ior oIfcially sanctioned Friday Night Magic tournaments, one of which Battlegrounds hosts. Some of the tournaments have huge prizes. Sheila Fox, the stores owner, said the best players make a living off their winnings. In Hillsdale, players compete for store credit and more Magic cards. Its like the chess of card games, said Blodger The game teaches players about strategy, math, and everyday life, he said. And sometimes, it changes their lives. Harley Lundahl, one of the competitors in the tournament, said coming to Battlegrounds to play Magic helped him turn his life around and fnd a stable job. Lundahl moved to Hillsdale about a year ago to live with his parents after losing his job. Because he has agoraphobia, he had trouble keeping steady work and faced crippling anxi- ety when he left his home. But he loved Magic: The Gathering, and frst came to Battlegrounds to play it six months ago. For Lundahl, that changed everything. 'This was the frst place I started coming out to, where I could come out and be around people who are a little bit more like me, instead of feeling out of place everywhere else I went, he said. So that really helped me out when I moved into town. By coming to the weekly tournaments, he made friends and met his current boss. Now Lundahl works as a graphic designer. Beforehand, I didnt go out, I didnt do anything, just because I couldnt, he said. So it was almost like a savior. For others, the game is just a distraction. Luke Sanders, a senior, said his friend Evan Williams 11 introduced him to Magic. I would sometimes get back and have all my work done and its before twelve oclock, and think, thank God, Im going to go to bed on time, Sanders said. Evan would just be sitting here and he would seemingly from nowhere just pull out the deck and start shuIfing, and hed just get this look. And Id say, okay. And then Iast Iorward fve hours, and we played like 10 sets and then just, wheres all the time gone? Id think, oh God, I got class in four hours. On Jan. 28, Sanders set a personal record when he spent seven hours playing in a tourna- ment at Battlegrounds. It began at 11 a.m. and he didnt get out in time for dinner at Saga. By the time he left, the storefront windows had fogged over completely. And I just remember thinking to myself that there are a lot of sweating people in this room, he said. For some players, the game becomes a cancer, he said. Its really addictive. So I had to learn how to play. After getting back from Battlegrounds, I went to the house EleIson and Sanders share Ior my frst and only lesson. Heres what I picked up: Players build their own decks of about 60 cards. Each card is one oI fve colors (black, white, red, green, and blue) and features a detailed image of the character or land it repre- sents. Different characters have different pow- ers, I think, and gain power by being played in tandem with land, or mana, cards. Each player begins the game with 20 lives, and the game ends when one of the players loses all of his (or, occasionally, her) lives. But its actually a lot more confusing than that, I think. You can get a card thats called a planeswalker, Elefson said, and it acts as its own player. So you can play a card and its your ally, and it has these different abilities which you can control. Essentially, its just a puppet. But it has its own life. When he said that, I thought I understood what was going on. In retrospect, though, I have no idea what any of that means. Its complicated, he said. I dont know if you have to worry about that. So I decided not to. I doubt Ill ever under- stand what the little pictures around the edges of the cards symbolize, or why a seemingly normal guy like Sanders would play this game instead of sleeping, or how a pile of cards on a plastic table in a store downtown can be either a savior or a cancer. But, as Elefson reassured me, I dont have to. After all, its Magic. bwoodruff@hillsdale.edu ! GAMES From B4 Instructor of Philosophy Lee Cole with Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn at Coles graduation in 2004. Cole returned to Hillsdale this year as a professor. (Courtesy of Lee Cole) SPACES B4 1 March 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com E X E R C I S E I N DI S G U I S E Sharon Barrett Collegian Freelancer F reshman Emma Langston, who leads a Zumba dance class on campus every Wednesday, loves sharing the art of dance and the art oI ftness with Iellow students. Zumba brings a little of that South-American sun. It brightens up the middle oI my week, she said. Zumba (pronounced 'ZOOM-bah) is a dance Iorm created by Alberto 'Beto Perez, a native oI Colombia. It incorporates movements drawn Irom salsa, merengue, reggaeton, and a Colombian dance known as cumbia. Langston said Zumba is an easy and effec- tive workout because it uses intermittent cardio exercises to burn calories. In contrast to interval training, intermittent training raises and lowers the heart rate repeatedly over a short time span. Because of this, Langston calls Zumba exer- cise in disguise. The class, started this semester by Hillsdales new Health and Wellness Club, drew about 50 participants the frst week, but the number dropped to about 25 on Ash Wednesday. Now in her Iourth week oI teaching the class, Langston estimates attendance is about 40 students. 'People can come anytime, even iI they can only stay Ior 15 minutes, Langston said. 'It`s so relaxed. I try to create a party atmosphere, with the music blaring and the lights down a little. The room is packed. The class meets in Curtiss Dining Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Langston said she explains dance moves before class, but expects dancers to get creative. 'It`s easy to add your own fair. II you want to get out there and bust your own move, do it! she said. To encourage dancers to keep moving, Langs- ton tries not to talk while teaching. 'I use non-verbal cues: pointing my fngers, nodding my head, tapping my leg, to keep the energy going, she said. 'Zumba is all about Ieel- ing the music. When you hear a certain part oI the song repeat, you repeat that pattern of move- ments. Langston said most of her students have no dance experience, but come from a wide variety oI ftness backgrounds, ranging Irom athletes who want a switch-up from their regular routine to students who like to work out with Iriends to increase their motivation. Langston tries to get to know all her students, who represent a variety of class years, especially seniors. Senior Brittany Baldwin, who has attended the class since it began, learned about it when she met Langston and saw the posters around campus. Baldwin had previous experience with Zumba, but said she has improved since taking the class. 'It is a Iun break Irom studying and a Iun way to get exercise, Baldwin said. Zumbas Latin dance roots help improve coor- dination. 'It`s all about moving the hips, Baldwin said. Baldwin recommended anyone interested in learning Zumba should take the class. Emma is energetic and she is really good at showing us how to do it. She makes it look so natural, she said. While Langston and Baldwin agreed that they enjoy having the class with all girls, Langston said if there is interest, the Health and Wellness Club will consider offering a Zumba class tailored for male students in the Iuture. Langston said she misses taking Zumba classes back in her hometown oI Orlando, Fla. where most of her Zumba instructors were of Latin ancestry. Langston decided to start a Zumba class when she arrived on campus as a Ireshman. 'There were no group ftness exercise classes oIIered, and I saw a need, she said. 'I went and talked to the administration, and Iound out other people had done the same thing. So we started the Health and Wellness Club. It was great timing. The Health and Wellness Club is a team eIIort. Some of us teach, and others help with adver- tising, Langston said. 'We Ielt a need to create a mentality oI ftness on campus. It not only pro- vides an outlet, but helps keep people accountable. It gets them excited, is a great way to meet people, and oIIers something Ior everyone at any level. Langston has a passion for teaching, and taught ballet as a side job in high school. At Hillsdale, she is a member oI the Tower Dancers. 'I really do love the perIorming arts. Dance plus ftness is a great combo, she said. Teaching Zumba allows her to continue sharing her passions and interests with others. 'I love that I have been able to keep dance in my liIe. But I don`t want to keep it to myselI, she said. Langston has a track record oI spotting needs and coming up with solutions. In high school, she volunteered with an organization called Restore Hope Orlando, which offered an after-school karate class Ior inner-city children. Noticing that the girls were not exactly exuberant about karate, Langston asked iI she could start a ballet class Ior them. 'I enjoyed teaching them discipline and structure while giving them the chance to explore artistically. This was an opportunity those girls had never had. It allowed them to learn to love something outside of school, and gave them some- thing to work towards, she said. While Langston loves to dance, she plans to major in history and politics with the goal of at- tending law school. 'Till junior year, I thought I would be a proIes- sional dancer. But that wasn`t where God was calling me, she said. 'So I switched my Iocus to academics. It was in the summer oI her junior year that Langston discovered her passion Ior law. 'I had always pictured myselI at the ballet barre, but instead I will end up beIore the legal bar, she said. 'With the interests and skill sets God has given me, that`s where I`m called. sbarrett@hillsdale.edu Freshman Emma Langston combines her love for dance with fitness in her weekly Zumba class CARD MAGICIANS Store downtown provides a haven for game enthusiasts O n Friday, Feb. 24, I called my friend ju- nior Ryan EleIson and said 10 words that just a few days earlier, I never imagined I would say: Will you teach me how to play Magic: The Gathering? He laughed nervously, paused, and asked, 'Are you sure you want to learn? I`d asked myselI the same question. Though I`ve had my fair share of garden-variety nerdy experiences (watching all three original Star Wars mov- ies in one day, mastering Mario Kart Ior Nintendo 64, debating in high school, etc.), I`d never Iaced geekiness oI this magni- tude and that`s no mistake. I`m horrible at math, haven`t ever made a cohesive strategy about anything, and have the memorization abilities oI a gold- fsh. I don`t play Iantasy-themed strategy games, ever. But Magic: The Gathering is more than a game. It`s an investment, a language, and an addiction. And over the last 12 months, its wormed its way into the schedules of a growing number of Hillsdale students and taken over an entire build- ing downtown. 'It is nerdy, said junior Ian Blodger. 'It is very nerdy. I don`t necessarily think that`s a bad thing. Betsy Woodruff Opinions Editor ! See GAMES, B3 (Elena Salvatore/Collegian) Freshman Emma Langston leads her Wednesday night Zumba class in front of aproximately 40 students. Participants say the class is a welcome break in the middle of the week. Zumba is a form of excersise involving Latin dance that students say is as fun as it is a good workout. (Shannon Odell/Collegian)