Best and brightest Seniors, standouts selected for annual honors
Man of the Year
Sportsman of the Year
Woman of the Year
Sportsman of the Year
Sportswoman of the Year
Collegian
The Friday, May 5, 2017
Vol. 102, No. 20
The Grove City College Student Newspaper
Powell is prof of year
Molly Wicker News Editor
Analysis of Deer Dispersal Patterns through Mitochondria DNA Sequence Analysis.” The students examined the DNA of whitetailed deer in order to find the maternal lineages and nucleotide diversity of certain herds. Their research revealed low migration patterns between deer in Dayton Ohio Metro Parks and high migration patterns among deer in Mercer County, Pa. The Penn State Beh-
Dr. Scott Powell, professor of Marketing, was named the 2017 Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Poressor of the Year at a ceremony in Harbison Chapel on May 4. “I was truly surprised, honored, and humbled to be selected because there are so many bright and talPOWELL ented faculty here,” said Powell in an interview prior to the announcement. “I am grateful for this award because it suggests what I am passionate about (teaching marketing from a Christian perspective) is making an impact.” A Business Management major, Powell graduated from Anderson University (Indiana) in 1986. He earned his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and 1990. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Fall School of Business at Anderson University. His dissertation was entitled “True Colors or Chameleons? Materialism, Well-being, Religious Orientation and the Purchase of Christian Products.” Over the twenty years that Powell has been with Grove City, he has taught such courses as Principles of Marketing, Marketing Research, Retail Management, Consumer Behavior and Advertising. “Because I believe in the mission of the College, I am appreciative of the supportive environment here,” said Powell. “The students are great.” As a professor of marketing, Powell is a member of the American Marketing Association, Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, and Delta Mu Delta National Business Honor Society. He has presented his research across the country. His areas of expertise include emotional intelligence, individual-
RESEARCH 2
POWELL 2
ANDREW STEIN
“The Next Chapter” is being performed today and tomorrow in the Grove City College Arena as part of GCC’s Family Weekend festivities.
Dancing into spring
Lizzy Borcherding Entertainment Editor
Grove City College’s Spring Dance Company will be hosting their annual student choreographed showcase in the PLC Arena today at 8 p.m. and tomorrow at 1 p.m. This year’s theme? The Next Chapter. The theme this year was chosen because this is the first year the Spring Dance Company is not combined with Spring Court, making it a new chapter in the Spring Dance Company’s history. “Each dance is inspired by a book, including Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, James Bond and classic fairytales,” said Maria Dunsworth, senior communications and BARS major.
Family Weekend marks the 60th anniversary of All-College Sing. See p. 6 for more. With a total of 56 dancers of various skill levels, these GCC students are taking on 14 different dances. Each number has been rehearsed for an hour per week all semester long, but during tech week the dancers spend several hours per day in the theater, according to Tiffany Seitz senior Entrepreneur-
ship major and Communication minor. She also added that different dances are practiced in the studio for about 13 hours per week. When asked about her favorite part of performing, Dunsworth said, “After working so hard and analyzing evDANCE 2
ANDREW STEIN
This year’s Spring Dance performance includes 56 dancers with various different skill levels taking on a total of 14 dances. Dozens of hours of practice have gone into making the performance flawless.
Bio students present research
Molly Wicker News Editor
Grove City College students picked up awards at the Penn State Behrend Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference on April 22. Michelle Chu’ 18 and Ellen Upton ’18, under the guidance of biology professor Dr. Devin Stauff, won first place in the Microbiology Group for their poster “Complementary Genetic Screens Reveal Inactivating and Constitutively Activat-
ing Mutations in TwoComponent Systems of Bacillus anthracis.” The project explored the effects of two-component systems (TCS) among certain types of bacteria with the aim of identifying certain mutations. The results of their research will solidify the role of TCS in future experiments. Alex Metzger ’17 won the second-place award in the microbiology session for his oral presentation, entitled “Targocil, a Wall Teichoic Acid Synthesis Inhibitor, Activates the DesK-DesR Two-Component Sys-
tem of Bacillus anthracis.” Under the guidance of Stauff, Metzger researched the pathogenic bacterium Bacillus anthracis, in which he seeks to elucidate the identity and function of sensor systems that regulate cell membrane fluidity. Other Grove City College biology students, under the guidance of biology professor Dr. Frederic Brenner, presented their work at the conference. Benjamin Rittenhouse ‘19, Daniel Rittenhouse ‘19 and Kate-
lyn Hess ’17, presented a poster entitled “Genetic Diversity of Brook Trout Populations in the West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed.” Their research studied the degree to which acidic discharge from abandoned mine drainage isolates and limits the genetic diversity of Eastern Brook Trout, the only fish species native to Pennsylvania. Brendan McCreath ‘17, Catherine Hammes ‘19, Juliana Irwin ’19 and Samuel Henson ‘19 gave an oral presentation entitled “Genetic
The Collegian
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May 5, 2017
A banner year for publishing
Molly Wicker News Editor
Several professors across diverse disciplines have had a banner year in publishing. Four professors from the Biblical and Religious Studies, History and Philosophy departments have published books or have signed contracts for forthcoming publications. Dr. Paul Kemeny, professor of Biblical and Religious Studies and Assistant Dean of the Calderwood School, signed a contract with Oxford University Press to publish a book about protestant efforts to regulate morality in the late 19th and 20th century. The book is slated for publication in January 2018. In his research for the
project, Kemeny was the beneficiary several noteworthy grants, particularly those from the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Religion, the Massachusetts Historical Society and the American Historical Association. In the classroom, Kemeny’s focus is on contemporary American religion, world religions and the civilization core. Dr. Gary Scott Smith, professor of History, published a book “Suffer the Children: How We Can Improve the Lives of the World’s Impoverished Children” this year. He is the author of several other books including “God and Politics: Four Views on the Reformation of Civil Govern-
ment” and “Religion in the Oval Office: The Religious Lives of American Presidents.” Together, Drs. Kemeny and Smith signed a contract to publish a “Handbook on Presbyterian Studies” with Oxford University Press. Kemeny and Smith will edit the book, which will include entries by established scholars from all theological traditions, including Benhardt Y. Quarshie, the Rector of AkrofiChristallar Institute of Theology in Ghana; Gordon Mikoski, Professor of Christian Education at Princeton Theological Seminary; and Ivor J. Davidson, Professor of Systematic and Historic Theology at the King’s College in New York City. Dr. Gillis Harp, an-
other history professor, is in the middle of working on his third book, “American Protestants and Conservative Politics: A History,” also published by Oxford University Press. “Obtaining an advance contract with OUP was so encouraging as I began this project and it has helped me focus my energies on such a major task extended over several years,” said Harp in an email. “The research is always very rewarding . . . it also ensures that I keep up with the published work in my field and that really enriches my classes here at GCC.” In the philosophy department, both Dr. Christopher Franklin and Dr. Ryan West signed contracts for
ANDREW STEIN
With the days getting nicer, students of Grove City College are enjoying the beautiful campus that they call home. There are a great many places to relax and enjoy the sun, including the Quad.
Anderson publishes research in bio journal
Molly Wicker News Editor
Dr. Erik Anderson, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the College, has published four major papers in the past year. The first paper, entitled “Ontogenetic changes in larval swimming and orientation of pre-competent sea urchin Arbacia punctulata in turbulence” was published in the Journal of Experimental Biology in May 2016. The article was also selected as a feature article in the May 2016 issue. Anderson completed the research for the piece while on sabbatical at Harvard University and through collaborations with scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Anderson’s research focuses on how natural turbulence in the ocean can impact plankton dispersal at different stages of their development. In this case, he
RESEARCH rend-Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference provides an opportunity for students to present their research and creative accomplishment results in a public set-
looked at sea urchin larvae. The health of many ocean species depends on the proper dispersal of their larvae over the range of suitable habitat. Understanding what controls dispersal helps scientists to properly manage the ocean’s natural resources. This is his second featured article in the journal. His work in biomimetic robotics has been on the cover of the journal (2007). The second paper, entitled “Theoretical and computational fluid dynamics of an attached remora (Echeneis naucrates)” was published in the October 2016 issue of Zoology. Through collaborations with scientists at Georgia Tech, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and WHOI, Anderson studied the hydrodynamic aspects of remora, a specific type of fish that have suction cups on their heads, allowing them to attach to other creatures. The work was part of a larger effort that focused on the development of aquatic animal tags modeled after
remora. Anderson continued his research on proper animal tagging with student Spencer Garborg ’15. Together, the two had a paper, entitled “From the track to the ocean: Using flow control to improve marine bio-logging tags for cetaceans,” published in the February 2017 issue of PLOS ONE. Their work included collaborators from the University of Illinois, the United States Naval Academy, the University of St. Andrews (UK), the University of Aarhus (Denmark), Duke, WHOI and the University of Michigan. The pair also worked with Michael Moore, who is considered to be one of the top marine mammal experts in the world. His final paper, “Light stimulates swimming behavior of larval eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in turbulent flow,” is slated for publication in an upcoming issue of Marine Ecology Progress Series, studies the factors that underline the dispersal of larval organisms, espe-
cially in the economically and ecologically vital eastern oyster, whose population has dropped precipitously in the Chesapeake Bay. Much of Anderson’s research is done in his lab on campus with equipment purchased through the Jewell, McKenzie and Moore Fund, which was awarded to him in 2014. His research and scientific contributions have been instrumental in drawing attention to the College’s STEM program, as well as given Grove City College students the research experience they need to key internships and gain acceptance into some of the best graduate programs in the country. Alumni of the Anderson lab have interned at Harvard, WHOI, Vanderbilt and the University of Alabama. Many have also gone onto do graduate work at Princeton University, MIT, WHOI, Boston University, CERN Penn State and the University of Florida.
ting. Many students use this regional conference to practice their presentations prior to presenting them in a national or international setting. Students present their results either by poster or by oral presentation.
DANCE
you normally show.” She also said the friendships she formed with her dance group. James Bond, has been a special memory. Seitz addsed that “So many busy students from a multiplicity of disciplines across the academic schools have poured their heart and
erything that has to be improved for 3 months, it feels good to let go and just dance it out. Dancing is acting and it is a lot fun, but also really difficult to discover and reveal a different part of yourself than
forthcoming books. Dr. Franklin’s upcoming book, “A Minimal Libertarianism: Free Will and the Promise of Reduction,” is slated for publication later this year by Oxford University Press. His work was selected for review by the Gothenburg Responsibility Project run by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. “I argue that human freedom consists of two dimensions,” said Franklin, whose work focuses on metaphysics, philosophy of action and mind and philosophy of religion. “The first dimension consists in the powers of reflective self-control: powers to reflect on, evaluate and modify our fundamental desires, aims or purposes. The second dimension
is the freedom to exercise these powers in variety of different ways.” Dr. Ryan West, along with his co-editor Christian B. Miller (Wake Forest University), recently signed a contract with Oxford University Press to produce an edited volume entitled “Integrity, Honesty, and Truth Seeking.” The book will be an interdisciplinary study that brings together scholars from philosophy, theology, psychology, education, history, law and communication and rhetorical studies to “explore the conceptual contours of the virtues mentioned in the title, as well as their application in various important area of human life and the manner of their cultivation.”
POWELL
ations, researched and interviewed prospective faculty members, and assisted the Dean with curricular improvements. “Looking back, I can clearly see how each of my disparate life experiences helped prepare me for where I am now,” said Powell. “My path was not a random one, but one that was divinely guided…without me even realizing it. As Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” Powell serves as an academic advisor to thirty-five marketing majors, an advisor to the Grove City chapter of the American Marketing Association, a consultant to the Grove City Admissions Office, a Community Living Standards evaluator for the AEX and Alpha Sigma housing groups and Alpha Sigma fraternity and a judge for the Freshman Talent Show. He and his wife have two daughters and live in the Grove City area. The Professor of the Year was initiated in 2000 by the Omicron Delta Kapa campus leadership honorary and is sponsored by the Grove City College Alumni Association. Past winners include Dr. Charles Kriley (2016), Dr. H. Collin Messer (2015), Dr. Constance Nichols (2014), Dr. Paul Kemeny (2013), Dr. Erik Anderson (2012), Dr. Mark Graham (2011), Betsy (Boak ’77) Craig (2010), Dr. Eric Potter (2009), Dr. David Jones (2008), Larry Fleming (2007), Dr. Ralph Carlson ’62 (2006), Dr. James Bibza (2005), Richard Leo (2004), Dr. James Dixon (2003), Dr. Timothy Homan (2002), Dr. John Sparks ’66 (2001) and Dr. Gary Smith ’72 (2000).
ism, motivational considerations, and product downsizing. Powell’s path to Grove City was one that he did not expect. “When I was younger, I would never have guessed that I would become a professor,” he explained in his acceptance speech in Thursday’s chapel. “In high school, I enjoyed drawing and drafting and I wanted to be an architect. Later, I started college as a graphic design major, then switched to computer science, and ended up graduating with a degree in business management. From furniture retailing to college administration to marketing professor…I have taken an unusual path.” Before becoming a member of the Business Department, Dr. Powell was involved in other administrative roles on campus. For nearly ten years, he served as an Admissions Marketing Coordinator, working to develop, implement and track response to comprehensive multimedia admissions strategies for the College. He also served as the Assistant to the President from 1991 to 2005, under former Presidents Jerry H. Combee, John H. Moore, and Richard G. Jewell ‘67. While in that position, he oversaw daily operations of the President’s Office, planned and organized two presidential inaugurations, and oversaw the details of Baccalaureate and Commencement programs. Prior to his role in the President’s Office, he was the Assistant to the Dean of the College, where he compiled and analyzed faculty evalusoul into this show and we want as many people to come and see it as possible.” Tiffany Seitz and Caroline Coulter are the senior and junior head choreographers, and the dancers were advised by faculty member Kevin Garvey. Performances will
take place Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. Dunsworth assured, “It’s a really great show and we have all worked very hard to make it beautiful.” “Come to see a great show and support your friends!” she added.
The Collegian
May 5, 2017
Page 3
Man and Woman of the Year
Awarded annually by Omicron Delta Kappa to the students who, by their own record and in the opinion of most of their fellow students and the faculty, have contributed significanly to the College during their college careers. Man of the Year:
Woman of the Year:
Jordan Coiro
Maddie Van Dyke
The SGA senior class president, Jordan Coiro has held leadership positions in the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Student-Faculty Review Committee, the Recognition Convocation, the Religious Activities Committee and ODK, where he has served as vice president. He has also served as an RA, a Mechanical Engineering Machine Shop Assistant, independent researcher in Biofluid Dynamics and a mentor in the Mentor Project. He has received the ODK Freshman Leadership Award and the Kring Leadership Award.
A biology major, Maddie Van Dyke has been a member of both the swim and track and field teams at GCC, in addition to founding the mentoring program Women of Faith. She also participated in the Crimson and White Society, and was a Physician Assistant Ambassador for the Pre-Health Society. Van Dyke served on a team that experimented with cancer cells and presented its findings at Penn State Behrend Sigma Xi Undergraduate Research Conference. She is a also part of Mortar Board.
Finalists Ryan Buchalter
Emily El Sanadi
Business Management major Ryan Buchalter is a four-year letterwinner for the Track and Field team, where he has served as captain and Bible study leader. He has also served on the Co-Rec and Religious Committee for Orientation Board, as well as the president, vice president, treasurer and head of advertising and social media for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Emily ElSanadi, an Economics major, has been involved in the Law Society, where she was treasurer, as well as the Harbison chapel staff. Sanadi was also a presenter at the Austrian Student Scholars Conference. In addition to ODK, she is a member of the Omnicron Delta Epsilon and Pi Gamma Mu honoraries. Last fall, she was a recipient of the Morledge, Hodge, Michaelian Christian Servant Award.
James Leach
Molly Gallant
Electrical Engineering major James Leach currently serves on the Student Government Association as Student Body President. He has been a member of the Alpha Epsilon Chi men’s housing group since freshman year and was on Orientation Board’s Social Committee for three years.
Mechanical Engineering major Molly Gallant is the captain of the swim team, where she has competed since she was a freshman. She has also served as a physics tutor and teaching assistant, an Outreach Committee member for Orientation Board, and a team leader for the Turbulence Tank senior design team. She has served as treasurer for ODK.
Amanda Hutzelman
Zachary Pitcher
Biochemistry major Amanda Hutzelman has competed on the swim team for four years, two of them as a team captain. She has served as secretary and president of the Pre-Health Society, as well as a tutor and teaching assistant in chemistry. She was a copresenter for the for various research presentations, including the Hopeman Student Research Seminar Series.
Zachary Pitcher, who is graduating with a double major in Business Management and Biblical and Religious Studies, is the co-founder and president of the Student Mission Fellowship. He has also served as an RA for three years.
Lee Wishing IV
Sarah Markley
Accounting and Finance major Lee Wishing IV has served as a Young Life leader and as the director of operations for Orientation Board. He has also been an accounting tutor, in addition to his involvement in the Sophomore Servant Leadership Program. Finally, Wishing has been the president, chaplain and treasurer of the Nu Lambda Phi fraternity.
Sarah Markley has a double major in History and French, as well as a minor in International Studies. She has served as a teaching assistant in both French and history, as well as a CSO student assistant, a team leader for ICO Rhode Island, a treasurer for the French Club and a fundraising chair for the Theta Alpha Pi Sorority. She is a member of ODK, as well as the Mortar Board, Pi Gamma Mu, Alpha Mu Gamma and Pi Alpha Theta honoraries.
Dale Reese
Kaylee Strawhun
An Accounting and Finance major with a Spanish minor, Dale Reese, has served as captain of the men’s soccer team, where he has competed for four years. He has also participated in the Crimson and White Society, the Investment Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Reese was the lead student for organizing Faculty Follies, and has served as the president of ODK.
Elementary Education major Kaylee Strawhun has served a co-leader for ICO Jamaica, a vocalist for Thursday morning chapel services, a member of the Religious Committee for Orientation Board and a student ambassador and mentor. She is a member of ODK, Kappa Delta Pi and Lambda Epsilon Delta, and has served as vice president for the Fellowship of Christian Educators.
Spring academic awards Frederick Kring Leadership Award Clare Clifton
Allen Crombie Prize Sarah Taylor
Hilda Adam Kring Award Kathleen McAlister Bechtell Award Abigail Cleveland
J.P. Hassler Award Samuel Erk Ross Foster Scholarship Fund Zachary Pitcher
Business Department Sr. Excellence Award Nicholas Betz
Institute of Management Accts Joi Calia
Philip Carpenter, Sr. Math Award Natalie Blandino
Kappa Delta Pi Award Derek Witmer
Elinor Caruthers French Prize Lillian Cloke
Kemikos Award Emily Tharnish
Franklin Ketler Math Award Natalie Blandino, Grace Presner and Devon Powley Jonathan B. Ladd Award Grace Hermesmann Lambda Epsilon Delta Award Haley Simpson David McKillop Scholarship Yun Fei Tan Thelma Baltz Morrow Award Bethany Haughey, Virginia Flanders and Molly Wicker
Dr. John T. Shaw Memorial Matthew Genzink
James D. Thorne Education Award Karli Feaster
Shockey Graduate Scholarship Award Laura Smith
Dawes Prof. Engineering Award Timothy Wolfe
Pi Alpha Theta History Prize Samuel Leach
Permelia Baldwin Shoemaker Melissa Lueken and David Finch
Richard Leo Scholarship Daniel Seiter
PICPA Excellance in Acct. Award Lilly Lenes
Robert H. Sisler Memorial Award Ethan Paszko
Senior Biology Award Abigail Cleveland
Swezey/Janicki Prize Alex Metzger
Music Education Award Claire DeArmitt Edward and Sara Naegele Award Brittney Kelosky and Matthew Genzink
Syd McCormick Memorial Award Katy Gibson and Sarah Prosser Andrew S. Korim Family Heritage Endowment Theodore Stangebye and Matthew Genzink
Life
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May 5, 2017
Seybold book hits shelves Michael Martin Contributing Writer
BRIAN FERRIS
The Tap One-Act Festival is returning to the Little Theatre of the Pew Fine Arts Center for Family Weekend.
TAP One-Acts back on the stage
Victoria O’Brien Staff Writer
It’s that time of year again -- Tau Alpha Pi (TAP), Grove City College’s Theater Honorary, is sponsoring the Spring TAP One-Act Festival. The show is debuting during Parents’ Weekend, taking place through tomorrow in the Little Theatre located in the Pew Fine Arts Center. This year’s One-Act Festival is comprised of four different plays, all of which are comedies. Senior Communication and Visual Arts major Rachel Criswell, is the director of “Stuffings.” Criswell said, “I hope that the audience takes away that your dream is your dream, and if other people think it is stupid then they do not love you enough to un-
derstand that you can have your own crazy dreams.” The play portrays the power struggle between work and love. Gladys is a full-time assistant in Edgar’s taxidermy shop. Both individuals are ecstatic over the fortune taxidermy has awarded them– that being the arrival of a moosehead for stuffing. However, Gladys’ fiancé, George, finds the business of taxidermy repulsive and offers her an ultimatum to choose between her career and their future together. Will Gladys choose her vocation over George? Robert Davis, senior Communication and Visual Arts major, is staring in “Blind Date” directed by Virginia Flanders and Emmy Larison. Davis said, “My character’s name is Ted
and Hannah Meredith is playing Marcia. The play is about quite literally a blind date that takes an interesting turn.” During the course of the date, Ted and Marcia are disgusted by each other’s appearances as well as quirky behaviors. However, as time moves on, both individuals are shocked at how much they share in common. The short romantic comedy was originally performed at the 13th St. Repertory Theater in New York City, The Mountain Stage Company in Hendersonville, North Carolina and the Boston Playhouse Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts. “There Shall Be No Bottom,” directed by Jake Sziraky and Jonathan Fisher, showcases a drawing room drama
where three actors and a stage manager tragically attempt to organize a production. “Mark Levine’s Surprise,” directed by Lindsay Sier, arouses similar comedic humor through the main character Peter, who can only see two minutes into the future. His supernatural ability eventually drives his date insane and provides the audience with a comical dialogue. Admission to the Spring TAP One-Act Festival is free and students can reserve their tickets on myGCC under the “events” tab. Dan Slozat, One Act coordinator, states that although the Little Theater seats 180 individuals, every show always sells out. Students are not going to want to miss out on a night full of laughter and entertainment.
Grover Life An occasional satirical feature exploring the quirks of life at Grove City College
Wolf Creek fed up with engaged Grovers Long-time Grove City resident Wolf Creek opted for an exclusive interview with the Collegian this past week claiming it “needed to voice some complaints.” Naturally, our editors jumped at the opportunity. “I have to get this off my chest,” said the body of water. “I’m getting really sick and tired of these ritualistic humans doing their little pseudo-marriage-baptisms in me like they own me.” JOE SETYON “I don’t ask for much. A couple ‘creek- After decades of Grovers being plunged into its body, Wolf Creek is fed up. ings’ a year is fine. a week without any When asked why it a wedding invitation? If you guys give me notice. And they don’t had not brought its Hundreds of couples a heads up, I will be even shower beforeconcerns to the athave celebrated their more than happy to hand! My bottom tention of the College love in my currents, accommodate your feeders are working sooner, Wolf Creek but I’ve never been lovebirds. While I’ve overtime just to clean replied, “Honestly, asked to celebrate a never married myself, up all the extra filth I’ve been trying to get single one of their big I have the utmost a hold of Hardesty for days! I would RSVP. I respect for the institu- you guys get in here! I had one guy cut his years. I can never get would buy them sometion. But this time of head on my rocks the through to the office.” thing nice off their year, Grovers really other day. Do you un“And one more registry. For goodness’ overstay their welthing,” said the frussake, these college come. I’ve got humans derstand the seriousness of blood-borne trated pool. “Would it grads need all the help tossed in me two, be too much to ask for they can get!” sometimes three times pathogens?”
Grove City College’s Dr. Kevin S. Seybold, professor of Psychology has recently released his new book, “Questions in the Psychology of Religion.” The book examines the interactions of contemporary psychology with religion. In his book, Seybold shows how religious experiences such as behavior, thoughts and emotions are partially determined by natural physical processes resulting in the empirical methods used in psychological science. These methods, used to identify the natural mechanisms that influence why people act, think and feel can provide important insights into religion. Seybold also tackles big theological questions through the lens of psychology, like why humans are moral creatures, whether religious experiences are different from our everyday experiences, whether the brain is involved in experiencing God, whether we have (or need) a soul and how evolutionary theory can be useful in understanding the origin of religion and religious beliefs. Another intriguing subject explored is the psychology behind conflicting sides of the political spectrum. The book considers why liberals differ widely in the way they think and process information than conservatives and the possible genetic, biological and psychological mechanisms that underlie these differences and how they contribute to the polarization that is seen in much of contemporary American culture and society in controversial issues such as abortion, the death penalty, gun control and homosexuality. Additionally, the book contemplates why Christians have divided political views. “Psychology, especially cognitive psychology, can provide some insights into why people make the decisions and adopt the opinions they do,” Seybold explained. “These same psychological processes can also be used to help understand why ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’ Christians who read the same Bible can come to such divergent views
WIPF AND STOCK
on caring for the environment, immigration, etc.” Seybold said that he hopes to show readers the importance of a collaboration between religion and science. “The ability to see ways that science and religion, both very important in our culture, can work together instead of seeing them as fundamentally incompatible or in conflict, a view, unfortunately, that many people hold.” “Questions in the Psychology of Religion” has received acclaim from its numerous critics. Peter C. Hill, editor of Journal of Psychology and Christianity and professor of psychology at Biola University praised its willingness to take on difficult moral and theological questions and consider what can be learned of religion from evolutionary theory, cognitive science, and neuroscience. “Neither a theological apologetic nor critique, Seybold convincingly provides a look at religious faith that many Christians quite simply have not considered before,” he said. Seybold’s book isn’t only for professors and scholars. Instead, it is written with non-specialists in mind. According to Heather Looy, a psychology professor at The King’s University “Seybold not only guides readers through the research, he also provides tools for a thoughtful critique, enabling readers to take seriously both the science and their faith.” “Questions in the Psychology of Religion” is the second book written by Seybold and among numerous other published academic works. It is published by Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers and available for order online at wipfandstock.com.
Write for The Collegian Are you interested in writing for The Collegian? The Collegian provides excellent opportunities for students who are interested in journalism careers, in writing and in exploring campus events and issues. All sections welcome new writers. Email the Collegian at collegian@gcc.edu.
The Collegian
May 5, 2017
Page 5
Different paths lead to varied post-grad plans
Marley Kropp Staff Writer
Commencement is a few weeks away. Everyone is working on finding a job or making other post-graduation plans. It can be easy to stress about finding a job. Three Grove City College seniors with after-graduation plans shared their stories to show that everyone’s path is different. Last October, senior Marketing major Katie Knight found out about a position at Master’s Craft, a wholesale hardwood flooring company in Kansas City, K.S. Knight decided to interview to be a Creative Marketing Assistant when she found out that Master’s Craft representatives were visiting Grove City for the Career Fair.
Knight did not know much about the company or the position before the first interview. However, after two interviews and a visit to the Master’s Craft office in Kansas City, Knight received a job offer. She promptly accepted the position. “You shouldn’t pigeon-hole yourself,” said Knight. “Don’t let the thought of not knowing what you want to do consume you. Just try it.” Knight, who is from Greensburg, P.A., will relocate to Kansas City after graduation. “I’ve lived in western P.A. forever, so it’s a little unreal,” Knight said. “I haven’t made any decisions about an apartment or roommate, but so many things have been working out with connections there.”
Not everyone’s job search starts so early in the academic year or is such a long process. Senior Mathematics major Rachael Gehman submitted her application for a job in late February to a company she had found last summer. Gehman received a call in early March that she had an interview at Dunbar, Bender, and Zapf, a retirement planning and actuarial consulting firm in Pittsburgh. Gehman traveled to the office for an interview in mid-March, and she accepted an offer to be a Benefits Analyst Assistant a week later. Like Knight, Gehman will relocate for her job. Gehman is from Lancaster, P.A., and will move to Pittsburgh. “I’m excited and scared,” said Gehman.
GROVE CITY COLLEGE
After graduation in 15 days, Grovers will be taking different paths as they start new chapters of their lives. “I’ll know some people in Pittsburgh, and it’s closer to Lancaster than Grove City is, but it’s still a big move.” Not everyone follows the route to a traditional job immediately after graduation. Senior sociology major Jordan Good will participate in the Blue Ridge Fellows program, a Christian leadership development program for recent graduates. Good submitted her application in midDecember and had an interview in mid-January. She accepted the position as a Fellow in
Roanoke, Virginia, before the spring semester. “I’m excited to meet the other Fellows,” said Good, “but that also makes me sad that I’ll leave things here at college.” Good is from Charlottesville, V.A., so she will relocate three hours from home to be a Fellow. Good will take a seminary class and work at a part-time, paid internship during the week. However, she still has to find an internship for the coming year. She would like to work for
a nonprofit or in the social work field. She had an interview with the Boys and Girls Club in Roanoke, but she is waiting to see if funding is available to create a position for her. Knight, Gehman and Good made their aftergraduation plans in light of very different opportunities. Seniors and anyone else looking for jobs can follow Knight’s advice. “Even if you’re unsure about an opportunity, go for it. You won’t know unless you put yourself out there.”
Family matters for Presenting PeeWee Packs students and parents Maddy Moser
Daniel Huff
Staff Writer
Contributing Writer Grove City College Entrepreneurship majors Hannah Vaccaro and Ross Harrington have been receiving national acclaim for PeeWee Packs, a toilet training aid that they have successfully pitched at competitions throughout the Midwest. The two began working together at the beginning of this semester and boldly applied for the e-Fest National Business Plan Competition in Minneapolis. Of over 160 teams that applied, they were chosen in the top 25 and given the opportunity to present before an esteemed panel of judges including Best Buy CEO Richard Schulze. In the end, they placed in the top five, just outside of the prize money, but they received expert advice as well as interest from a variety of investors and professionals. After this major competition, they entered PeeWee Packs into the Allegheny College Big Idea Competition on April 28-29. “For this competition each team is given 20 minutes to present their product and then there is 10 minutes of Q&A. For the Q&A they really try to ask tough questions and test your knowledge,” said Harrington. He and Vaccaro earned third place and $1,500. The actual product itself is an ingenious toilet training tool for children that has been adjusted and perfected since Harrington devel-
ANDREW STEIN
Vaccaro and Harrington invented PeeWee Packs. oped the idea as a freshman. “Essentially, the product is a biodegradable, septic-safe, flushable sheet about the size and consistency of a playing card, which changes color and exposes shapes or designs upon initial contact with urine,” said Vaccaro.It is meant to help parents in the process of potty-training. Having watched their older siblings raise children, both Harrington and Vaccaro understand the problem and hope that PeeWee Packs can make the process easier and more enjoyable for both parents and children. At this point, PeeWee Packs does not yet have a prototype, but Harrington and Vaccaro are putting a great deal of time and effort into getting the finished product on store shelves. Most of the other products that they have competed against already have products in stores and even sales data, which makes the success of PeeWee Packs even more impressive. They plan to spend a good deal of both their prize money and their summers moving PeeWee Packs forward. The next steps for both of them are to get a
prototype product, to get investors’ support, and to advertise and get stores interested in hopes of having sales in the near future. Vaccaro, a junior, will spend the summer working on it and may continue to compete in competitions her senior year, and Harrington, a senior, will now put his full effort into creating this product. “This is our full-time job all summer,” said Vaccaro, who actually turned down internship opportunities to work on making this product a reality. PeeWee Packs is an incredibly promising product, but it is made even more so by the tireless work ethics and ingenuity of these two students. Neither of them have even walked for graduation and yet both of them are well on their way to achieving the goal of so many entrepreneurs. Their next competition is actually Grove City’s very own Wolverine Venture Battle which occurs today at 1 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall. It is open to the public so those interested can go see the real presentation of what may one day be a major business.
Every fall, millions of undergraduates pack their bags and head to a university far away from dear mom and dad. They have total freedom, vast independence and an opportunity to make many life-altering choices for themselves. However, for some students, heading to college means meeting mom or dad in the classroom come Monday morning. At Grove City College, it is not uncommon for professors and faculty’s children to attend the College, or even take their parent’s classes. Though not every college student would enjoy learning from Professor Mom or Dad, many of GCC faculty children say it is a huge benefit of attending the College. Professor Richard Kocur (’87) and his daughter, current sophomore Claire Kocur, both have positive opinions of their classroom experience together. Professor Kocur was hired as an adjunct professor in 2009 while also working full time in marketing at Glaxo SmithKline. In 2015, he became a full-time professor teaching sales, digital marketing, business analytics and business policy. Claire, a communication major with a minor in marketing, took one of her father’s classes this past spring. “I’m definitely biased, but I think my dad is really interesting to listen to,” said Claire. Claire plans to take more of her father’s classes in the coming semesters.
Claire is not the only Kocur to attend Grove City College. Her older brothers, Richie (’14) and Tom (’16) were also Wolverines. The Kocur children have all played varsity soccer or ran track at GCC, which was one of the major reasons Claire chose to attend. Knowing she wanted to continue her soccer career, Claire was familiar with the soccer program due to her older brothers’ involvement. It was also a perk to know her parents would be able to support her at almost every game. “The greatest benefit to me has been the chance to continue a close relationship with my children,” said Professor Kocur. Professor Kocur has enjoyed getting meals in the dining halls with his children, seeing them at campus events and cheering for them in the stands at games and meets. Another Grove City College family is that of Mr. Lee Wishing III (’83), the Assistant to the President for Student Recruiting and Strategic Initiatives and Administrative Director of the Center for Vision and Values. Wishing’s four children, Lee (senior), Sarah (junior), Mary (freshman) and John (dual-enrolled), followed in their father’s footsteps to attend his alma mater. Though the Wishings get to see their father regularly, Wishing commented that is not the only benefit of having his children at Grove City College. “They are learning from what I believe is the finest group of Christian faculty in the
nation. It has been my vision, and life’s work really—since each of my children were born—to put them in a positon to benefit from everything a college like Grove City could provide,” said Wishing. Sarah Wishing, a communication major with minors in studio art and Internet entrepreneurship, has greatly enjoyed her college experience with her siblings. This past spring, Mary Wishing joined Sarah’s sorority and the two of them have gotten to bond over their shared traditions. Sarah also mentioned that having older brother Lee on campus gave her a sense of security. He looked out for her during her freshman year to make sure she was adjusting smoothly to the college environment. “I love seeing them around and it’s nice to know we can all relate and check in on one another,” Sarah said of her siblings and father. Wishing’s children may not have him as a professor, but with an office right on campus they are able to visit at any time. His passion for Grove City College is easily felt and has been passed down to each of his children throughout the years. There is no doubt that Grove City College is in many ways a family school, with alumni’s children and siblings often attending. This Family Weekend all of us at Grove City College are celebrating our families, the support they offer us, and many of the unique attributes of the College that we love.
The Collegian
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May 5, 2017
Sisters buy beans Paige Kraynak Staff Writer
For a while, some students may have heard rumors that Beans on Broad was going out of business. Coffee addicts who love this little café, though, should make sure to thank the sisters Wendy and Shelley Best, who have recently bought it and are keeping it alive. They saw this as a great opportunity to give back to their fellow community. Wendy and Shelley grew up in the Grove City area and Wendy’s husband (and co-owner of Beans), Drew, graduated from GCC with an entrepreneur degree. Shelley went to Westminster College as her sister, Wendy, went to beauty school to become a hairdresser. When the sisters first visited the small café, they immediately fell in love with the building and the atmosphere. They did not want to take away the calm, relaxing space where college students and local families could all come together. They were excited to start this project and see where it would lead them. The previous owner, Micaela Vrabel, created the atmosphere out of a hardware store. Micaela bought it and turned it into the comfortable, fun coffee place that Grovers love today. Shelley and Wendy are not planning on changing it up either. They actually plan to only work on some of the maintenance and remodel the apartments upstairs. The actual coffee shop will not change. The sisters are looking for suggestions and feedback so they can make adjustments that meet the community’s requests. The coffee shop will continue to run the same way as it had before. The vision Wendy, Shelley and Drew have is to continue to serve the community as well as support their local suppliers. Previous owner Micaela’s family also owned Hal’s Coffee, where Beans on Broad got their coffee beans. They are going to continue to work together. Shelley told The Collegian that she can’t thank her staff enough for all their hard work. According to her, the baristas have been eager to work regardless of the change around them. They have helped the new owners adjust as well. It has not been easy for them, but Shelley appreciates all the hard work and motivation her team has. Wendy, Shelley and Drew are eager to get to know their customers and get suggestions. For students who still have their Gala tickets, there is a 10 percent coupon to Beans on the back, so make sure to stop by, say hi and thank them for keeping Beans on Broad alive.
ROBERT AUDIA
Tomorrow, Greek and independent groups will star in All-College Sing. Pictured above iare the Thetas performing their song in 2016.
60 years of college singing Kelleigh Huber Life Editor
Sixty years later, AllCollege Sing is combining over 20 groups to perform Saturday night in the PLC Arena at 7 p.m. Groups will gather together for a song and dance that might just take home the trophy. For some groups, the event is the signal of the end of a long semester of practices and memorization. Faculty chairs Heather Barton and Barbra Munnell are excited to see the hard work of the groups pay off.
“The most exciting part of All College Sing for me is when I get to see each group’s final performance during the competition. They’ve worked hard the entire semester, and to see everything come together for them is truly enjoyable,” Barton said. With a mixture of singing, choreography, and general entertainment value, Barton noted that all three are important to success. “I think that the groups that are on point in all three categories tend to have a better shot at winning. The judges are going to
ROBERT AUDIA
All-College Sing has been a Family Weekend tradition at GCC for 60 years. Both Greek and independent groups practice for months before the ultimate performance. notice if you’re singing great, but your choreography is a mess and you look miserable; if your choreography works but your singing is off and you don’t seem to be having fun; or if you’re having a blast, but your choreography is uncoordinated and your singing is all
over the place,” Barton said. In addition to each fraternity and sorority, the men’s housing groups as well as a women’s independent group will be participating. Regardless of membership or costumes, Barton hopes that each group will show off
their hard work and will enjoy themselves in the process. “I don’t really have specific things that I hope to see from the individual groups, but the one thing that I really hope that I see from all of the groups is that they’re having fun,” she said.
Tales of a townie
The purrfect places for pets
Sarah Wishing
on the way! Agway has fish, hamsters, bunnies, birds, lizards, pet food and supplies, and so much more. I got my beta fish Calypso here at the beginning of last fall, and it’s so great to have a beautiful little fish to take care of! With his food, he only cost me about $10. It literally costs less than two Starbucks drinks to get yourself a little pet for your room! Agway also has a lot of cute little plants and succulents too. This is such a great store if you’re looking for plants or animals very nearby!
Contributing Writer
Hi, if we don’t know each other yet, I’m Sarah Wishing. I have lived in Grove City, Pa all my life and one thing I hear all too often from college students is that there is nothing to do here. While sometimes it is true that you have to get creative to find things to do, there is a surprising amount of fun activities within an hour’s drive of campus that you might not already know about. I started this series to inform people who are not from Grove City on entertainment activities because sometimes it’s important to get off campus and explore. In this column, I will be discussing adventures to visit animals. I love animals so much and I think it’s such a fun way to unwind by visiting and playing with cute and crazy creatures. Grove City Agway & Pets Location: 111 Breckenridge St, Grove City, Pa 16127 Distance from Campus:
SARAH WISHING
Grove City and the surrounding area includes many great places to find an animal to hold. 2.3 miles Length of Drive: 8 minutes I think Agway is a great little pet store! It is closer to campus than
Walmart, and Taco Bell too, so if you need to get crunch wraps or toothpaste (or both?) you can stop by Agway and pet some bunnies
Harbor Pet Center Location: 7338 Market St, Boardman, OH 44512 Distance from Campus: 47.2 miles Length of Drive: 54 minutes Harbor Pet Center is a much bigger, fancier and more interactive pet store than Agway. The main reason why I love this pet store is because they have puppies, and you’re allowed to play with them! I believe you have to
have a friend with you in order to get them out of their Plexiglas cages, but it is completely free to play with them for however long you like. This is a great place for a fun date. There is a Five Guys and other good places to eat nearby too so you can get amazing burgers after as well. Living Treasures Animal Park Location: 268 Fox Rd, New Castle, Pa 16101 Distance from Campus: 22.5 miles Length of Drive: 28 minutes Living Treasures is an actual zoo just under half an hour away from campus. If you like exotic animals and petting zoos and don’t want to drive all the way to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (which is also an amazing place but a bit more of a drive) then this is the place to go! I hope this will be helpful if you’re an animal lover like me! Visiting one of these places might be the perfect way to destress during the craziness of finals.
Entertainment
May 5, 2017
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Retiring Konzen’s last ‘Requiem’
Sarah Gibbs Staff Writer
Students, faculty, and members of the community gathered in Harbison Chapel last Sunday afternoon to hear the chants and refrains of Duruflé’s “Requiem”’ Forty-three members of the Chapel Choir, forty-two members of the Touring Choir and Dr. Richard Konzen (Professor of Music and an organist) joined their voices and talents to perform the 70-year old funeral mass. Maurice Duruflé wrote this “Requiem” in the 1940s, laboring for six years to get the perfect combination of liturgy, harmony and plainsong. Duruflé was a famous composer and organist. Born in France in 1902, his parents noticed his talent for music at a young age. At the age of 10, his parents sent him to study music at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School. Later he attended the Paris Conservatoire. Duruflé mastered piano, organ, composition, improvisation, music theory and harmony. He was an organist at Notre Dame de Louviers and St-Etienne-duMont. This “Requiem” is
his most widely-known work and an appropriate choice for the last performance of organist Dr. Richard Konzen. Dr. Richard Konzen has taught at Grove City for 25 years and is the Assistant Chair of the Music Department. He earned his Bachelor of Music at DePauw University, a Master of Music and a Master of Musical Arts from Yale University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from Yale University. Dr. Konzen is also the organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Youngstown, Ohio. Dr. Konzen is retiring at the end of the year. He says he is looking forward to fishing, working on a few musical projects, and travelling. Dr. Katherine Mueller, assistant professor of music, directed the choirs. Attendees remarked that the afternoon storms added a touch of atmosphere and even lent a few claps of thunder to appropriate junctions in the song. At the end, the visitors streamed out of the pews and through the doors, students stopping by the chapel staff to get their chapel credit and visitors trying to avoid the rain as they made their way to their
ANDREW STEIN
Dr. Richard Konzen has taught at Grove City COllege for 25 years. Friday’s performance on the organ was his final one before he retires at the end of the year. cars. But each left with a greater appreciation for the intricacy of music and for the grace of God and the believer’s victory in death. “O Lord Jesus Christ, King of glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of hell and from the deep pit;… that Michael, the holy standard-bearer, bring them into the holy light, which Thou once didst promise to Abraham and his seed.”
GCC
The Grove City College Chapel and Touring choirs performed on Sunday, April 30, with the accompaniment of Dr. Konzen.
‘Dulcy and Red’ is an impressive feat
Colin Freyvogel Contributing Writer
As someone who witnessed Jacob Vince Sziraky’s descent into the madness while producing a feature-length film using student actors on a complete lack of budget while balancing a semester’s load of work, I can comfortably say that the product “Dulcy and Red” was worth every late night and fallen tear. The theme of the tension between immediacy and abstraction is always worth attending to, especially when framed through a narrative lens. Those who attend Grove City College or who live in the surrounding area will certainly find true delight in the sets, from a surreal stroll through Harbison where sirens call, to SAC pancakes eaten on a dorm-room bed, to the familiar faces of the cast. Jacob Sziraky stars as Donald Richmond, a bestselling serial romance novelist in New York who is also technically an RD at the local college, but barely considers his job there to be anything more than free housing. He sleeps in and eats out and writes when inspired; his inspiration coming in the form of deadlines from his boss Elaine (Kylie Twiest) and dreams from his muse, Dulcinea (Alexa Adams). Elaine, recognizing Donald’s complete lack of lust for life, brings him an intern asking to be called Red (Katie Hess) who adores his work and who Elaine hopes can inspire Donald to begin writing his manuscripts before the week of their due date.
JAKE SZIRAKY
Months of hard work paid off for Jake Sziraky’s, whose film “Dulcy and Red” premiered last Sunday. While Donald is fiercely opposed to the idea of an intern, he and Red quickly grow close as she shares her fiction with him and he comes to enjoy having her nearby. The drama revolves
around Donald’s choice and interactions between (as the title suggests) Dulcy and Red. Donald begins to realize that he’s living a double life, as his interactions with Red prevent him from giving himself to Dulcinea.
His inability to be inspired by his muse affects his work, while his interactions with Red affect his life. He tries to live this bifurcated reality, but quickly realizes that to choose one is to forsake the other. Donald’s decision is ultimately one that’s been asked for millennia: is abstract or concrete more valuable? Red is messy, imperfect: she comes crying to him one night after her house is robbed, mascara smearing and teary eyed and lost. Dulcy is everything Donald could want in a woman: caring, attentive, and always there for him. She listens to his stories, tells him how brilliant they are and inspires him to write more. Red is physical and capable of leaving. Dulcy is with him whenever he can rest his head. Red is tangible. Dulcy is ideal. Plenty of people have persuasively argued over which it is better to be. Donald’s choice is thus one of both tangible and ideological consequence: choose his ideal woman and keep his tangible job, or choose the tangible and lose his ideal job? The movie makes a compelling argument for its choice, and it is ultimately the right choice to make, regardless of how much it hurts. The cinematography is more of a servant to its budget than a slave. While there are obviously decisions made for budget reasons, they rarely affect the quality of the movie overall. The soundtrack (composed by Jared Grace) has only a handful of melodies, but they
are all employed well to intonate the scenes with the proper atmosphere. Having familiar campus locations show up as sets in the movie is magical for someone who attends the school in a way that it will never be to an outsider, and in that sense it is a work of love for the school as much as the art of cinema. Apart from the set, the characters and their interactions are full of genuine emotion. While many of the scenes are rough, especially audiowise (all of the original recorded audio needed to be scrapped and re-done), the rough edges add character far more often than they detract from the film. That isn’t to say the film is flawless: At one point, a line of audio just up and left. Red’s only sin seems to be that she’s corporeal; as a character, she is certainly not one-dimensional, but it’s often difficult to see why Donald has such a hard time making his choice. One of the scenes seems gratuitous and doesn’t seem to tell the audience anything they didn’t already know. These are not damning sins by any stretch of the imagination, however. It’s an excellent film, made even more impressive by the fact that it’s Scissor Rock and Key Studio’s first feature-length piece. “Dulcy and Red” will be showing in Sticht Lecture Hall May 9 at 6 p.m. It is certainly worth your time to go and see a budding filmmaker’s first, and excellent, voyage into the realm of the big screen.
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Through the Lens
May 5, 2017
The Gala astounds Event organizers advertised it as the dance not to be missed, and they were not wrong. The biannual formal dance did not disappoint. On April 29, the IM rooms were transformed, as white curtains dressed the walls and black leather couches spread across the floor. Lights were hung all around the room, taking the participants from 2017 Grove City NYC in the 1950s and back. Ballroom dancers spun their partners around the dance floor, and the attendees bounced up and down to the beat of the Bachelor Boys. For non-dancnig attendees, the Gala featured card games and pool tables, where friends gathered around and enjoyed each other’s company.
Karen Postupac
Photos by Micah Wenger and Becca Shaffer
May 5, 2017
Through the Lens
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Entertainment
May 5, 2017
Forefront Festival gets bigger and better
Nicolas Giorgi Staff Writer TREEBEARD BROWN FACEBOOK
Treebeard Brown will play at Beans tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Treebeard Brown comes to town
Lizzy Borcherding Entertainment Editor
Tomorrow at 7 p.m., Beans on Broad will be hosting Treebeard Brown for a musical performance. This local band was founded in 2005 by a group of Grove City High School teachers and graduates. Their music is inspired by Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Grateful Dead and the Avett Brothers, and is considered to be a mix of folk, Appalachian and rock. Their band is made up of Vince Anastasia and Bruce Irvin on guitar, Ken Isles on percussion, Pat McElroy on bass, Rich Samsa on mandolin and concertina and Jack Ogden on banjo. Each member contributes to vocals. While the band mostly plays covers, they also perform songs written by Anastasia and Samsa. McElroy explained that “Everyone in the band at one point or another has been involved in writing music, either solo or with other groups. As a band we haven’t delved into writing stuff together.” When asked about how the band got their
name, McElroy said, “The band’s first performance was a benefit concert for our colleague, Brian Brown and his wife, Jodi, whose then toddler son, Jacob Treebeard Brown, had been diagnosed with an immune deficiency disorder and was in need of a bone marrow transplant, resulting in a long time away from work and home for them.” The members of the band also share a love for J.R.R. Tolkien and his character, Treebeard, from “Lord of the Rings.” It was only natural for them to choose the name Treebeard Brown. The band makes regular appearances at both Beans on Broad and the Broad Street Grille, as well as Coney Island and the North Country Brewery in Slippery Rock. “Besides that we go wherever music needs to be played,” McElroy said. Treebeard Brown will also be performing at the Harmony Inn in Harmony, Pa on May 31, and again on June 9 for Strawberry Days in Grove City.
Christian art has a bad reputation; it’s revered as cliché and pandering to many inside and outside of its core audience. As Christians, this needs to change. Makoto Fujimura himself sees Christian art as a negative title, because “Christian is a noun, not an adjective.” Fortunately, there are those in this world looking to draw people away from their negative attitudes about Christian art. This past weekend, the second annual Forefront Festival and Conference was hosted in Rochester, New York by Grove City College alumns Richard Christman and Nate Mancini. The Forefront Festival and Conference is an all-day, Christiancentered event that focuses on the arts and how Christians can have a greater stake in the arts in a secular world. The all-day conference featured performers, academics and visual artists from all around the country that qualify themselves as “Christian artists.” In addition to the many performances and speakers, local baristas set up shop in the lobby of the church hosting the event, and food trucks sporting authentic Mexican food and gourmet macaroni and cheese parked outside to provide dinner for the patrons. The event was split into two portions, a
FOREFRONT FACEBOOK
The Gray Havens were one of the main attractions at the Forefront Festival. conference portion and a festival portion. The conference portion focused heavily on how Christians can approach art more aptly, avoiding the undesirable stereotypes of Christian artists. Dr. Benjamin Myers, English and Literature professor at Oklahoma Baptist University, spoke heavily about how Christian artists should stray away from sentimentality towards Christ in their work, because it practically says nothing. This sentiment was shared in the workshops following the beginning talks and interviews. The most interesting act was between a couple of best friends, a tap dancer and a hammer dulcimer player. After having met decades ago in a New York City apartment, the two became very close, and have been performing
together on certain occasions. The tap dancer, Andrew Nemr, a TED fellow, spoke about his long-time passion of tap dance and how through persistence, he became one of, if not, the best tap dancer in the world. Max ZT, the hammer dulcimer player, offered insight about how his instrument requires learning the rules of language such that one can play it in an improvisational manner. He compared it heavily to English, where we learn the rules growing up, then you just speak the language and forget the rules. The two performers, then, improvised together. The other speakers and performers in the conference were Isaac Deitz, a film director who has worked on a plethora of digital films, including a significant number of music vid-
eos; Barry Cooper, an Englishman that was a stand-up comedian, owned a theatre company for a number of years, and now earns his income by being an evangelist; Aaron Locklear and his percussion troupe from Rochester; and Didrik Söderström, the procurer of Project Hnossa. The event came to a close at 8 p.m. after a performance by the Gray Havens, playing songs from their newest album, “Ghost of a King.” The location of the next Forefront Festival is yet to be determined. There is potential that, in the upcoming year, it might be moved back to Pittsburgh, as it was last year; this, however, is uncertain. What is certain is that the next Forefront Festival and Conference will continue to become even bigger and even better.
Galaxy ‘Guardians’ returning to the theaters Claire Rauf Staff Writer If there is anything predictable about summer, it’s that there are going to be a slew of movies released in theaters, both good and bad. Usually bad. Regardless, every year we continue to get our hopes up that, maybe this time, the movie won’t be that disappointing. Too often have we left the theater disgruntled about spending an exorbitant fee (even with a student discount and sneaking in snacks) for ninety minutes we could have spent for free when the film came out on DVD or Netflix. Summer 2017, however, seems to be an exception to this rule. Several superhero movies (“Wonder Woman,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2”) are coming out. Compared to superhero franchises in the past few years, reviewers and critics
MARVEL
The newest installment of “Guardians of the Galaxy” is must-see blockbuster, despite receiving some mixed reviews from critics. “Guardians” is one of multiple must-see films coming to theaters soon, including “Spiderman: Homecoming.” are already praising these movies for getting right what every other franchise keeps getting wrong. The original “Guardians of the Galaxy” set the bar high, and prereviews are everywhere from mixed to positive. It’s already looking to be one of the highest grossing films of the summer. Even if the second movie doesn’t live up to the hype of the first, it will still be worth seeing on the big screen just for the sheer artistry of the settings and special effects.
“Wonder Woman” has a glass ceiling to shatter in the superhero industry, which is dominated by male protagonists. Critics are careful to wait until the response to the film to make a judgment on the concept. Either it will succeed and we can expect an onslaught of women in leading roles, or it will fail miserably and Hollywood resumes the cliché of white male anti-heroes. A third superhero film set to air this summer is the newest in a long line of Spider-Man
films, but now everything is different. With “Homecoming,” we supposedly get to skip the origin story that’s still tragic but overly hashed out and go straight into the webslinging, action-packed Marvel universe. Hopefully it will help kick some dirt over the embarrassing grave of “Spider-Man 3.” There are several other adrenaline-packed action movies coming out this summer, from the next film in the “Alien” franchise to “The Mummy,” from a
King Arthur film to the next “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Like most of us who were thrilled with the original Pirates movies, Senior Abby Palaski is hopeful for the newest film to undo what the fourth installment did wrong. “Laying the first three as a love story in the beginning and then switching to an adventure with Jack Sparrow didn’t make much sense. It might be confusing to bring back all of the old characters after them being gone for so long. Yes, I will probably end up seeing it, but I’m still skeptical about how great it’s going to be. But I can’t wait for King Arthur – I’m all about those stories, too!” If you perhaps would prefer getting an adrenaline rush in another way, then make sure you see “It Comes At Night.” Imaginably the grittiest film to be released this summer, the psychological horror is
highly anticipated by viewers and positively reviewed by critics. Summer would not be complete without its share of comedies. “Snatched” is the latest Amy Schumer movie and continues the tradition of R-rated mother-daughter films released on Mother’s Day weekend. The reboot of “Baywatch” also comes out this summer, starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron in the iconic red one-piece swimsuits. While some may not find it worth it to pay money to see this film, the rest of us will gladly fork it over just to experience both Johnson and Efron frolicking in the surf on the big screen. Overall, this summer is already raising expectations when it comes to blockbuster films. For those lazy days when it’s too hot and there’s nothing to do, a movie is always a viable option.
The Collegian
May 5, 2017
Page 11
Minor prophet, major message
Ian Baker Staff Writer
“People of our generation memorize song lyrics so easily, it’s ridiculous; but for believers, we have trouble with memorizing Scripture, retaining it and applying it in our lives.” That is the focus Senior Biblical and Religious Studies major, Mark Capper, had as he set out on a musical mission. He wanted to provide a way for believers to memorize Scripture more easily through songs, particularly from Scriptures most often left untouched by the average American Christian. Thus, on one cold Sunday evening in January, he starting writing and his Habakkuk project was born. Entitled “Patient
Faith: Habakkuk’s Story,” Capper’s musical endeavor is a series of five songs encompassing the entire book of Habakkuk, one song for Chapter 1, and two each for Chapters 2 and 3. He based his songs mostly off the text of the ESV Bible, although he took some liberties in order to clarify, summarize, or explain certain passages, utilizing a study Bible’s annotations to accomplish this goal. He finally completed his project after working at it for nearly two months and it debuted at Alpha Sigma Unplugged. Capper said he was inspired to do Habakkuk for a few reasons. At three chapters long, it is a relatively short book, and he was familiar with it, having led a Bible study on the
book last year for his hall. He felt that the Church often sees Habakkuk and the other Minor Prophets as insignificant. “Although this project shouldn’t replace Scripture because I have taken some liberties with the text, hopefully it will encourage believers in their endeavors to know God’s Word better,” he reflected. The book of Habakkuk consists in a constant change of perspective between Habakkuk and the Lord, with the former crying out, and the latter answering. “Because it has this consistent back and forth, I thought these divisions would be interesting to explore in a musical format,” Capper said. While his focus was to help Christians
IAN BAKER
Senior Mark Capper is on a mission to to provide a way for Christians to memorize the Bible through song. memorize Scripture, Capper also expressed his desire for his songs to find appreciation even in non-Christian communities. “At the heart of it, I’m a musician trying to make excellent music, in this case telling a story about a prophet who comes to trust his God even in difficult times,” he said. Capper received in-
spiration for his project from the works of the famous Christian songwriter, Michael Card, in addition to other musicians who have recently begun writing songs based on the Psalms. In the future, he hopes that his songs will inspire others to write music for the Scriptures to rediscover the parts of the Bible that, like Habak-
kuk, are often brushed aside. His greatest wish is for people to be spiritually encouraged and invigorated to pursue Scripture through the medium of music. “This seems cliché, but my ultimate desire that this will be a tool used by the Lord to spread the Gospel and perhaps even become a new way to reach nonbelievers.”
Trotting the globe with John Batchelor
Grant Wishard Staff Writer
Every night, after the angry, daylight radio hosts have shouted themselves hoarse, John Batchelor, 68, looking and sounding the university professor part with his signature bowtie, takes to the airwaves from his New York studio. He wishes “a very good evening” to his guest and dives right in. From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., he delivers an intense, sophisticated, highly intellectual, globetrotting news report, coupled with deep, deep news analysis of a wide, wide range of topics, spanning whole disciplines as easily as time zones. Hollywood screenplay music gives the show an eerie, Orson Wells-feel. It’s not the warm glass of milk some late-night listeners might hope for, but a provocative listening experience that remains one of radio’s most stimulating niches. Take the title of his recent podcast -- would you stay up late to hear Batchelor explore such quirky topics as ‘finding pre-biotics in the tidal pools of Titan,’ or ‘how humans will survive mass extinction?’ (Answer: scatter, adapt, and remember) How about rising tensions in the South China Sea, or Israel – Africa relations? If you did stay up, could you keep up? The John Batchelor Show seems too smart, too global, too balanced to rule the radio’s blearier hours. Nevertheless, over 100,000 listeners download his podcast every day. Traditionally speaking, he remains the top-rated show in national talk radio for his time slot. He remains #1 in New York on WABC 77, as he has almost continuously for the past 12 years.
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John Batchelor has been a mainstay of late-night talk radio since 2001. When asked if he’s keeping count he says, “Oh no, I don’t think of it that way. I dominate here in New York – and if you can make it in New York, you can anywhere, right?” he grins. Indeed, podcasting, which Batchelor began three years ago, has allowed him to make it anywhere and everywhere, projecting to a global audience in 192 countries, and a national audience who can now listen to the latenight show whenever is convenient. On Audioboom, his new podcast provider, he boasts 25 million downloads. Batchelor first came on the air in 2001, the day after the 9/11 attacks. Coincidentally, he “happened to do a whole night’s worth of talking on this weirdo guy over on the other side of the planet called Osama Bin Laden,” Batchelor’s producer, Lee Mason, told The New York Times. Originally, he was only hired to remain on air until the Taliban leader was either killed or captured, but his show quickly became a mainstay. Today, Batchelor continues to watch the events of the post-9/11 world unfold, and all of the international events he covers, in some way, are a continuation of that grander narrative. Ultimately, it’s Batchelor himself who makes the show such
a success. He’s smart, really smart. You don’t have to know he graduated from Princeton and Union Theological Seminary, or know he reads five books a week, to recognize him as a true intellectual. Batchelor is an equally generous host. While most radio personalities shout and wail to draw a crowd, Batchelor yields the microphone to his guests. Experts in their field are given time to explain their work and demonstrate their expertise. “I’m reluctant to opine. If you’ve seen my style, you know I have an opinion, but I don’t like to press it. There’s too much to do, and I like other opinions,” he says. It’s this balance that has attracted countless experts to contribute to the show. There’s no chance for listeners to call-in. Instead, a deck of frequent contributors includes Mary Kissel and other editorial board members of the Wall Street Journal; U.S. ambassador John Bolton; Bill Roggio from the Long War Journal; Nobelists and senior academics, including Victor Hanson, from the Hoover Institution; Jim McTague from Barron’s; Senators and chairmen of House committees; political analysts from Katrina vandel Heuvel on the left to Monica Crowley on the right; and many
others. In addition to his own reporters scattered across the continents, Batchelor hears from authors, historians, intellectuals, and journalists, liberals and conservatives alike. On any given night he may consult nine different experts on nine different topics, whirling to face each with the same excitement. Such collaboration has made the John Batchelor Show a productive conversation, one that soars above ego and partisan politics. “I bring them all in,” he explains, “and what you get is this collective beehive of hard news analysis. You’re talking with people who are reading the people, creating this buzz over time.” He’s a self-described conservative. Though that may be misleading if you’ve ever dipped a toe into the world of Levin and Limbaugh. Actually, Batchelor would describe himself far more specifically. “I grew up in the 13th Congressional district and my political instincts are that of Montgomery County,” he says, whereas most people would say “I’m from Pa.” He sees in himself the influence of his father and grandfather, both Hoosier Republicans from Logansford, Indiana. At four years old he helped his father, a Republican ward leader, campaign for Eisenhower. There’s no agenda, but he believes the topics which interest him, and therefore the substance of his show, are a product of what he calls his “20th Century personality.” The show may sound ponderous, but adjusting for the meaty subject matter it’s a blistering chase. Creation in the early solar system’s magnetic field in
just under 11 minutes? Wow. “That’s how we do the show, matter-of-factly, in high speed,” he explains, “We go from topic to topic, bang, bang, bang.” He doesn’t have time to listen to other radio, and finds television unengaging. What inspires his show’s format? “Trailers for movies,” is the surprising answer, “The trailer for the new Star Trek movie, fabulous. That’s the movie to me. You get it, and it’s exciting. Bang, bang, bang, bang! It’s incoherent, but I love it.” His show has been jokingly described as “the BBC without accents,” and “NPR on drugs.” In his own words, “It’s a news analysis show. We ask ‘can we connect the dots?’ I’m working with the people working the front lines of history. I believe news is the first draft of history, and we’re looking at the first draft and asking ‘what the heck does that mean?’” In a former life, Batchelor wrote seven historical novels and a history of the Republican party. His fascination with the planet is that of the novelist. He sees an unfolding narrative where others see isolated events, and he doesn’t want to miss the next chapter. “What I remind myself is ‘I can only do it today,’ tomorrow the world turns and we’re in a new place in the cosmos, so I put the podcast up as a marker, as a global diary entry. I think of the show as a way of talking to the planet.” Recently, when the Taiwanese navy accidentally killed a Chinese fishing boat captain with a threemillion-dollar missile, Batchelor saw a plot twist in the South China Sea story he’s been reading for years. “The
difference between fiction writing and history is that history is not required to be logical,” he explains. Hollywood will always be secondary, he believes, because it lacks the illogic, the unpredictability that makes history feel raw to us. In other words, you can’t account for misfired missiles. As he often says on-air, “you can’t make this stuff up.” Batchelor’s enthusiasm is infectious. It’s this quality which makes his show refreshing, even in the moments it’s over your head. Batchelor discusses the aerodynamics of bird flight, ancient African mosaics, and the threat of Iran because he is anxious to learn more. He counts himself fortunate to be on the front line. “It is a joy to be in the mix at 68 and to not have been roped off as a wise man.” He’s working harder than ever and has no plans to slow down, “When they give you a starship, Grant, you fly it, right? They give you the Enterprise and you don’t take a vacation.” He broadcasts to a national and global audience 28 hours, 7 days a week, and aims to use every minute. Osama bin Laden is long dead, but the 9/11 plotline is only in its rising action. Batchelor is just the right observer to appreciate the vastness and complexity of our modern world. 15 years after its debut, the John Batchelor Show is well-worth revisiting. Through Podcasting and Twitter, Batchelor has made his 20th Century personality more accessible than ever before. Give it a try. Trot the globe with Batchelor, and see if you can keep up.
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Perspectives
The end of friendships? Rio Arias
Perspectives Editor While talking to my mom this week, she brought up some reading that she had done about social media. “Did you know that the I generation [us millennials] is more likely to have shallower relationships and feel alone because so much of their interaction is based off of social media? I also read that they’re more likely to struggle with their image because social platforms like Instagram a l l o w them to compare t h e m selves to the most idealistic versions of other people.” And at first, I was tempted to laugh and be like “mom, not everything you read is true”. I can definitely sense the fear in my mother when she brings this up, only because I spend a lot of time at home on my phone, and showing her pictures of other people on Facebook and Instagram. But the more I thought about it, I wondered what in my experience had made me think that these things could be true, and also false. At its core, social media was created to connect us all. I know people who have skyped their weddings to family members who couldn’t afford plane tickets, created a Facebook to share pictures of their children with
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relatives far away, or used apps like Twitter to keep up with the news and other important information as it is released. This has allowed for a huge change in our culture as we know it, because we’ve started to shape our interactions around information that can be shared with others publically. It also has created a new sense of knowledge about one another, making it far easier to stalk strangers online or get ahold of personal details about others. Other times it can be negative to shape our experiences around the sharing of information. Girls who retake photos until they have the most perfect image of themselves to post on the internet, or people who update their online profiles to show how perfect their life is can create a feeling that everyone’s life looks perfect from the outside. And because of how easy it is to get a glimpse of what it must be like to live the life of a stranger, or a celebrity we hardly know, my generation faces the
risk of feeling inferior. Or that everyone else must be having a good time except them. This can be particularly pressing during the dark moments in life. The ones where we’re falling apart, and insecure in ourselves or our relationships. And for someone like me who loves social media and has every form of it, my daily routine of scrolling through stranger’s lives for beauty tips and photos of my friends can make me feel like I might not be doing enough, or be the best college student or friend that I can be. Likewise, the sharing of information can also be good in these dark times. Funny pictures or memes, as well as articles dedicated to bonding readers over common struggles can let those are going through a hard time realize they are not alone. And when the circle of people sharing the same experiences as you is just bigger than your group chat or high school friends, and is expanded to include hundreds or thousands of people your age, it is easier to realize that it’s okay to not be okay all the time. And it is for this reason that I would argue awareness on issues of anxiety, and stress, and just having a bad day are particularly accepted and promoted among millennials. Because instead of calling a close friend or family member, my generation is taught to reach out to others they may not know, or to share something behind an inter-
net profile in order to start a discussion that will continue into reality. I cannot say whether or not the “I generation” has better or worse friendships due to social media. I’ve had my fair share of conversations with my family and friends where they tell me to get off my phone, or laugh at me for taking pictures of everything. I’m always the one to upload memories and tag friends in our adventures online, and keep in touch best with people via my phone. But I also know without social media and texting I would never have stayed as close to my high school friends as I did, and would not be able to be as instantly available for others as a phone call or personal date would demand. I know the importance of spending time in person with those you love, especially those who are family members, or friends that are loved. But I also know that through texting and using social media we are better equipped to share pictures and videos of what happens in our lives as it occurs, and for the first time are more aware of others around us. It may feel superficial at times, but it is mean to hold us together until we as people can finally do what social media intended us to do—relate to each other in person, not just over the phone.
May 5, 2017
To a future in journalism
Kelleigh Huber Life Editor Looking back on my goals to achieve as a Grove City College student, I’m not sure I would have placed myself so strongly in The Collegian environment. When I came my freshmen year, I had a desire to write in an outlet, but little did I know, I would write over 30 articles and spend numero u s hours editing those articles a n d others. More important than the sheer quantity of articles I have been involved with in the course of my time involved with The Collegian is the quality of the articles I have read by my peers, and the material behind them. Working on staff has provided an opportunity to further appreciate the school I chose four years ago. This year as Life Editor has caused me to learn more about Grove City and the talented individuals who go here. As some of those talented students are about to part ways, it is exciting to see how those futures will unfold. Grove City seniors are expanding their talents to different parts of the country, reaching Kansas,
Arizona, Texas and many other states. For me, The Collegian has been crucial in helping me to choose my career path for the upcoming years. It was the most formative experience I have had on this campus, for the community, the advice and the workload. It has prepared me for a career that is demanding, requires late nights, hard work and diligent fact-checking. Working with others who are as passionate about journalism as I have grown to be has been a constant encouragement. It’s been a source of laughs as well, especially at Joe. Through it all, it’s been great to work alongside my peers to inform campus about the events that matter most, and maybe some that you didn’t know you cared about before. Thank you to the seniors who have worked so hard to provide content for the paper during this school year. I hope you choose to pursue journalism in your future and you can take away many lessons from your time at The Collegian, like I can. The media is being attacked daily, but there is a noble role to take as Christian writers and editors. This doesn’t have to be partisan, but it does have to be truthful, accurate and our best work. I hope you choose to keep up writing, no matter what the capacity.
Letter to the Editor:
Response to ‘Campus Leftists’ article Last week, an article was published in the Collegian titled “Campus Leftists Show True Colors”, which drew attention to the clash of liberal and conservative ideologies. One of the fascinating aspects of opinion articles taking a side in a left vs. right battle, such as this one, is that everyone gets demonized. The left may call the right “homophobic and bigoted,” whereas the right might call the left “feeble-minded, leftist agitators.” Ultimately, this sort of language fails to promote any sort of productive discussion. It is important to remember that each person involved with the discussion is a human being – just as full of God’s image as everyone else. Through his writing, the author makes a reasonable point – it is easy to rant about something that goes against your own convictions. Some may point fingers at campus groups designated for liberal discussion because they encourage ranting, and though rants may not help with productive discussion, the point is to get a burden off your
shoulders. The Grove City Advocates for Inclusion and Acceptance (GAIA) provide such an outlet. Nonetheless, it is important to understand positions with which you disagree. Of course, no one should reject GCC’s traditional positions outright, but most students at the school have been learning about these concepts for years. Likewise, we should also learn why many individuals who have embraced that same conservative foundation for decades are becoming uncomfortable with its message. Few turn from traditional values on a whim - much thought, prayer and consideration goes into such a crucial choice. Through GAIA, there is a clear opportunity for individuals on and off campus to share their experiences with a community that understands and loves them, rather than attacking and hating them. To promote positive discussion, the group suggests the following standards for discourse: Be on topic and don’t spam the page. Respect the many differing views in
the group. Do not troll or “stir the pot.” Do not use slurs or misrepresent yourself in the group. Yet some believe these “extensive” rules restrict free speech. However, free speech does not mean that everyone has a right to be invited into every space. No one is permitted to “troll” or make light of discussion in the Facebook group, just as no one is permitted to stand up and start a shouting match in the middle of chapel. Those in the group have explored traditional thought on natural family structures and have not “averted our eyes.” GAIA promotes asking thoughtful questions to truly understand others as individuals. We would love to see similar discussions taking place on campus – but thus far, articles seem to put down their opponents rather than understand their position. Unfortunately, some believe that the group has “only nominal devotion to inclusion, diversity, and acceptance.” However, a brief look at past posts will show positive support, thoughtful discussion and diverse opin-
ions on many issues. The group isn’t composed of all democrats – many are moderate, republican, libertarian or something else without an explicit label. Those in the group are there because they recognize that the GCC community does an unsatisfactory job of supporting those who are not straight, white, evangelical Christians. Even with this perspective, there are still great threads noting positive aspects of GCC, especially many of our fantastic professors. To me, this shows an extraordinary amount of grace. I should briefly note that dedication to acceptance and inclusion does not mean every member agrees with same-sex marriage. Many GAIA members are happy with individuals practicing Biblical marriage but wish that the same individuals would not attack diverse family structures. We recognize that not everyone shares this belief and respect that many on campus choose a traditional family structure. Similarly, making this about a “war” is not
producing productive conversation. Throughout disagreement, it is important to show acceptance and hospitality towards those with whom you take offense. If this were already happening, GAIA would have little issue with the GCC community. Unfortunately, the amount of verbal mudslinging, unwillingness to listen and stigma against many liberal stances has prompted many individuals to speak out for those who have been belittled on campus. GAIA’s purpose is to provide inclusion, unity and love for the marginalized on campus, which may cause similar thoughts to be expressed in our conversations. And instead of protecting ourselves from conflicting viewpoints, the group is used to discuss alternative perspectives, much like Grove City College promotes conservative stances while engaging in conversation about other worldviews. As a group we also recognize that there are understanding individuals on campus, but are aware that many are not willing to give the stance
of GAIA a chance. To GAIA, the new course on traditional family structure is yet another similar thread among the similar threads already widespread in the college community, that keep our ideas at a distance. GAIA’s supposedly nominal stance on inclusion, diversity and acceptance hopes to promote diverse conversations and more support within the GCC community for those who have long yearned for an opportunity to outlet their feelings of marginalization. We believe that it is our Christian calling to be supportive, loving and hospitable to our friends and our enemies. So as long as the campus community continues using aggressive language in public debate and discussion of liberal thought is met with hostility on campus, we must take the stance that our community is only nominally supportive, loving and hospitable.
Noah Allen ’19
May 5, 2017
Perspectives
Page 13
In 2017, the news makes us dumb
Grant Wishard Staff Writer
If you, like Donald Trump, are trying to figure out “what’s going on,” and struggling to grasp the zeitgeist of these interesting times, you may want to consider reading “How the News Makes Us Dumb” by John C. Sommerville, professor of English history at the University of Florida. Though first published in 1999, Sommerville’s work remains a powerful critique of our media and may help us make sense of a tumultuous time. Modern people read news, lots of news, to understand the world around them. We believe n e w s papers, n e w s networks and news apps are essential to being intelligent and informed citizens. “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it,” right? Sommerville proposes that news, as an information business, has certain biases which give viewers a stilted impression of reality. Though he would agree the press leans politically left, Sommerville believes this is only one result of the media’s greatest, most fundamental prejudice: its everydayness.
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“You can’t have a news business unless you pretend that the news is daily. If publishers waited for something important to happen, they might be idle for weeks and their capital assets would get rusty. So they have convinced us that every day is worthy of the same attention,” he writes. Rather than reality itself, ‘news’ is simply the events that publishers think will interest their readers and get them to pay. The goal is not to make you smarter, but to keep you watching and reading. How does the news accomplish this? With words like disaster, crisis, and tragedy. Investigations are strung out
over weeks, and conflict is manufactured where none exists. News insists on brevity, simple charts, and us vs. them dichotomies, though real issues are far more nuanced. Even when gas is cheap and unemployment is low, why does the news always supply a depressing downside? Because worried customers will buy tomorrows issue. Sommerville goes so far as to say news has replaced religion as the place where people go to understand the difficulty of life. All this wouldn’t be so bad if we treated the news as the extremely limited source of information that it is, and
giving it a proportionally small amount of our time. True, a free press is needed to check the government’s power, but Sommerville says that doesn’t justify a constantly barking watchdog. Thankfully, there aren’t enough Watergates to justify a 24-hour news cycle. Truly important events with long-reaching implications happen rarely. What happened December 6, 1941, the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor? Nothing much, but if CNN were broadcasting they would have to persuade you otherwise. Sommerville believes that there is an opportunity cost to giving so much attention to the news. The time we invest in each article, news flash, and weekend briefing is time that we do not spend reading fiction or wellresearched history, or talking to the people around us (the way news used to spread). Sommerville says we have exchanged the myth of being informed for being wise, that is, seeing life in its widest context. “There is simply no way to be ‘informed’ in the sense that we imagine…Stopping this pretense would mark a gain in realism…We would be admitting that not one of us is God, and that would be a big blow to people who
thought that their news consumption made them effectively omniscient,” he writes. Though news is merely data without context, it has the addicting power to make us feel knowledgeable, though the true significance of even the most earth-shattering events won’t be unraveled for years. Even “that date which will live in infamy,” December 7, 1941, is best understood as the beginning of Japan’s defeat. Sommerville agrees with Phil Graham, onetime owner of the Washington Post, news is the first draft of history, but thinks that’s exactly why we should throw it out and wait for the final. The press has become a bigger, faster, stronger beast since 1999, and that’s making “How the News Makes Us Dumb” a better insight with age. If the world seems chaotic, perhaps it’s time to give up the news for good. If you must get your fix, Sommerville can help you identify news outlets that are less newsy. Why give up the news now, during such an interesting time in American politics? A single sentence, buried randomly in the book provides the answer, when nothing important is happening “the industry has a file of people who are always [cre-
ating] news, to whom they can switch when things are slow. They are valued for their proneness to accident. The list changes. When I started putting these thoughts together the list included Shirly MacLaine, Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi…and Donald Trump.” If one business has boomed since Donald Trump became president it’s the American press. Subscriptions to national publications, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, have risen substantially. Everything from magazines to non-profit digital publications have seen a bump in their business. The press has rallied together, and implored the public to protect the first amendment from their president-elect, at least, that’s the headline they’ve created. Of course, those who read Sommerville will know better – that Donald Trump and the media are perfect allies. The news business needs something to publish every hour of every day, and Trump makes powerful use of the attention they provide. Could it be that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the news? Think about it, this could be the last news article you ever read.
Conversation starter or harmful exposure? Madison Stout Staff Writer
Suicide isn’t sexy, it’s an epidemic. In April, Netflix released a new hit TV show “13 Reasons Why” based off of Jay Asher’s novel. Since the premiere, many teenagers and young adults have binge watched the show which follows Clay Jensen and other high school students as they deal with the suicide of their fellow classmate Hannah. While I believe the producers and directors had good intentions in creating this show, realistically many of their decisions are more harmful than they are helpful. Suicide a l o n g with some of the other content matter “13 Reasons Why” portrays is often not talked about in schools, resulting in a lack of education and resources to help those in need. The producers wanted to use this series as a conversation starter to bring to the surface very real struggles teenagers deal with on a daily basis. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that suicide is the second leading cause of death for people from the ages of ten to 24. “13 Reasons Why”
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succeeded in getting people to talk. The producers included a follow-up suggested to watchers called “Behind the Reasons,” a discussion between actors, producers, and specialists about the more mature subject matter the show portrays. Despite their efforts in aiding in suicide awareness and prevention, there are multiple poor decisions that were made. Primarily the choice to include, in its entirety, Hannah’s suicide. Dr. Koplewicz, from the Child Mind Institute commented on “13 Reasons Why” saying, “This show should be pulled off air immediately. Teenage suicide is contagious, and we know that when teens watch suicide they are more likely to attempt
it.” Producers of the show invited Stanford psychiatrist Rona Hu, MD to help shape the script in order to “retain the books plot without romanticizing suicide, since such portrayals can contribute to suicide contagion.” Yet they still made the decision to show the physical act of Hannah’s suicide. The scene was not needed to get the point across and honestly is a “how to” for anyone who decides to end their life. The show is rated TVMA which suggests parental guidance or permission for teenagers under 18. Due to the popularity of the show, teens are watching “13 Reasons Why” by themselves on their phones or tablets without pa-
rental knowledge. With the accessibility of the show many teens are watching and processing this difficult subject matter alone. Schools have sent home letters to make parents aware of this shows existence and suggest to watch it with their child and talk through some of the tough issues. Another issue with the show is its unrealistic depiction of suicide. Hannah is severally bullied by “slut shamming” because of a picture and a list that ranked girls attractiveness. As a high school female, her reputation was ruined because of lies and the repercussions weren’t pretty. Hannah is a representation of an individual who struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts, but
her equivalent of a suicide note is not only unrealistic but psychopathic as well. She records 13 cassette tapes, each one dedicated to a person and a part of her journey which leads to her suicide. Realistically, family and friends of suicide victims rarely know the reasons why their loved one committed suicide, which is why it is such a selfish act. It leaves a hole in their hearts without any reasons as to why. Hannah is also manipulative and uses suicide as a method of revenge. She wants her listeners to feel the same pain she experienced and the effects on them as a result, are detrimental. Clay throughout the entire season deals with nightmares and visions of Hannah and comes
to contemplate suicide. Other characters turn to substance abuse to ignore their problems and one student attempts suicide. The tapes blame 13 other people for Hannah’s problems putting the fault on them for her suicide. Those people are guilty, of their lack of taking responsibility for their actions and/or because of their part in bullying Hannah. They are not guilty however, for her suicide. Hannah made the decision to end her life, no one else. For those who struggle with depression and or have ever contemplated suicide, this show is not one I recommend. As someone who has dealt with similar struggles, this show resurfaced some old thoughts and memories. While I watched it and was not triggered to act in a harmful way toward myself or others, I can see the potential effect it can have on individuals. I don’t hate this show, nor do I think it is terrible. I do disagree with some of the decisions made by the directors and writers, but I support the goal to get people talking about struggles teenagers and others face. I hope that this opens up conversations between families and friends and lets people who do struggle get the help they need.
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Perspectives
May 5, 2017
Farewells from the Editors: I came to The Collegian newsroom for the first time at the end of my sophomore year. Now, years later, it’s a strange feeling putting together my final issue. This paper is easily one of the best parts of my time at Grove City College, second, of course, to finding my wife. And for those reasons I’m glad I stayed. The first time I came up to the newsroom, I knew it was something I could become a part of. My first two years of GCC left me disillusioned and cynical, and the paper seemed like a place where I could find a meaningful project. Working at the paper felt to me like listening to The Ramones or The White Stripes. It was fast paced, often angry and lacked a superficial shine that brings about so many bad vibes. It felt authentic. It’s a job we feel matters and we are always trying to improve. You may not know this, but GCC has no journalism major or minor. While the school does offer a class on the basics, I never took it so the entirety of my journalism education at Grove City happened outside the classroom. My time at the paper taught me how to report, write, edit, design, use Adobe CC programs and toe the line of propriety in an op-ed. It also opened up internships, programs and job opportunities to me. It has been wonderful to see our paper improve throughout the years under the tutelage of our staff adviser Nick Hildebrand. He has provided us with endless encouragement, brownies (Hey, what happened to the brownies Nick?) and knowledge from his years of newspaper experience. He has spent countless hours teaching us how to better report, write, design, take pictures and any of the other skills needed to put
out a newspaper every week. He has always encouraged us to shape the paper as we wanted insofar as our publisher would allow. Flip through a few back issues and the freedom we have been afforded should be evident. For me, the paper was where students of all attitudes and vibrations could find meaningful work, as long as they could put in the time and effort. The students (and advisor) I’ve worked with are some of the hardest working, dedicated people I’ve met at this school. There’s a lot I regret of course: errors I’ve made as a writer or editor, stories I missed, countless hours wasted on a finished website never to be permitted to be published despite assurances to the contrary (yeah still mad about that one). But in the end, the struggles are what made my experience at The Collegian better every year. We did our best and worked as hard as we could knowing the only feedback we could expect is criticism of errors (much deserved) or over perceived slights (less deserved). We worked hard to overcome our limitations and to get better every year, as editors passed on improvements and innovations to the next generation of staffers. If it wasn’t for the paper there’s no way I’d be graduating from Grove City this year. It gave me a meaningful project and a vocation that I plan to pursue for the rest of my life.
Caleb Harshberger Editor in Chief
I would be lying if I said that I had not spent some considerable time parsing through the archives of Collegians past as I search for the appropriate words for this final column. Past editors of this publication have left a variety of departing statements, each with their own unique flavors. Now, I can add my own. This past year has possibly been my busiest at Grove City College. Whether I’ve been frantically searching for art, hurriedly writing stories on production night, trying repeatedly to learn the design software or harassing section editors to get their stories in on time, there is always something more that can be done. I have counted down the days until breaks between issues, yet when they come, I have found myself itching to get back to work. The point is, The Collegian is hard work, but it is in every way worth it. I started working for this newspaper as a clueless freshman who just wanted some sports writing experience to put on a resume. I could not have dreamed of how important this newspaper would become to me. That’s why, every Friday morning, I am filled with anticipation to see the pages in print, even though I have already looked over them a thousand times before in production. I have taken pride in every single piece that we print, even when it is met with criticism. I think there is reason to be proud. Of course, no newspaper is perfect, and The Collegian drives that point home every single week. But still, we have done real investigative journalism in this past year. We have not shied away from controversy, and we have taken objective looks at multiple crucial issues that affect the students on this campus. Our reporters ef-
fectively covered two once-in-a-lifetime events: the 2016 presidential election and the announcement of Mike Pence as Grove City’s 2017 commencement speaker. We provided a board where students could sound off on whatever was on their mind in the Perspectives section. In a day and age that where this country and this campus is increasingly divided, we allowed both sides to say their part. I am proud of the legacy that this year’s Collegian will leave, because I know that our work will live on forever. Years from now, future Grovers, and perhaps future editors, will wonder how their campus’s newspaper covered Trump vs. Clinton, and they will read what we wrote during one of the craziest election seasons ever. They will wonder what it was like when Mike Pence was announced as a speaker at Grove City, and they will see how our campus responded. But I will admit that upon graduating, I am going to miss this newspaper and every little job that helps it go to print every week. I will miss late nights toiling in the Tower, only to return the next morning to make additional changes. I will miss the cold pizza and the terrible coffee. Most of all, I will miss the amazing people that made The Collegian such an amazing place to work at. Still, I know that it is time to move on, and I have complete confidence in next year’s editorial staff to lead The Collegian to new heights. I look forward to visiting Grove City at
Homecoming and picking up a newspaper that has evolved beyond my wildest dreams. One day, maybe I won’t even need to come back to campus, but will be able to check out Collegian. gcc.edu to read up on all the latest happenings at my soon-to-be alma mater. So, what more is there to say? Perhaps I should devote some room to thanking this year’s phenomenal staff for a job well-done. This newspaper would not even come close to being published every week without the hard work of our section editors, designers, photographers and of course, writers. Perhaps I should use this space to express my gratitude to our staff adviser, Nick Hildebrand. His enthusiasm and steady guidance is invaluable to this paper. More importantly, though, he has helped me to understand what the job of a journalist really entails. Perhaps I should mention the departing Editor in Chief, Caleb Harshberger, who taught me the ropes of this job, and whose excellent company has made The Collegian a pleasure to work at. Perhaps I should say a few words about our fantastic Design Chief, Karen Postupac, who both worked tirelessly to make The Collegian great and tolerated me. With her leading The Collegian next year, this newspaper is in great hands. Perhaps I should thank our readers, because without you, there would be no newspaper. Thanks for the memories, Collegian. You know I’ll be keeping tabs.
Joe Setyon Managing Editor
If you told me that I would be the Editor in Chief of The Collegian my junior year at Grove City, I would have laughed at you. Despite my hesitant demeanor in the first few weeks of designing, I became immersed in the work and part of the staff. From the first issue to even now, I impatiently wait for Friday mornings, hoping that the front page art turned out alright. In the last two years, I have fallen in love with the newspaper. I have found a community of people that push the limits of thought and belief. Especially this year, Caleb and Joe have shown me what true passion looks like in this job. They breathe journalism and their enthusaism is contagious. If it is even possible, staff adviser Nick Hildebrand radiates his love for journalism even more so. Having worked in the newspaper business longer than I have been alive, Nick has been an irreplacable part of our team. I can honestly say that I would not be assuming this position if I did not have Nick here to guide me. The Collegian has been an unexpected part of my college career but is also easily the best part of my time here at Grove City thus far. As this year comes to a close, my nerves for next year are already growing. By the grace of our God and the wisdom of those before me, I hope to lead in a way that will develop the Collegian further and will ultimately glorify God.
Karen Postupac
Editor in Chief-Elect
Collegian staffers earn respect through hard work Nick Hildebrand Staff Adviser It has been my great pleasure to serve as staff adviser to The Collegian, the student newspaper of Grove City College. Every year a new team of editors and writers and designers and photographers takes up residence in the tower of Crawford Hall, a high-ceiling chamber with stainedglass windows where, I like to say, the magic happens. Every year they leave their mark on The Collegian, always building something new and contributing to the ongoing legacy of student journalism at Grove
City College. As a former newspaperman, I’m cynical by nature. But most Wednesdays throughout the academic year, my cynicism fails me when I climb the stairs
to the Tower and walk into The Collegian office to see how things are going on production night. Invariably there are students – sometimes just one – hunched
over keyboards, putting together that week’s issue. They’ve been laboring for hours and days on this project. All their best-laid plans have fallen apart. They are missing pieces all over the place. How are they ever going to get this paper out? And every week they answer that question by doing the work – real, hard work – that needs to be done. They ask questions. They find answers. They talk constantly or are silent in concentration. Pizza is eaten. Political, philosophical, religious, sociological and linguistic debates heat up and cool off as the work allows. Stories
are edited. Pages are designed. Headlines are written. Photos and ads are placed. Holes are filled. By the end of the night, the job is done. They’ve made a newspaper. It’s amazing – and inspirational. This year’s editorial staff – Caleb, Joe, Karen, Kelleigh, Brad, Rio, Molly, Lizzy and Nate, who left us in December – did their jobs. If that’s all I could say about them, that would be enough. But they ended up, in the face of some challenges and even more criticism, putting in some of the best work I’ve ever seen on The Collegian. By accident, design and destiny, they had a great
news year and made the most of it. I will miss them. I will miss their sense of purpose in The Collegian’s overarching mission to inform, engage and entertain the campus community while developing their skills and talents in a vocation that’s critical to the health of a free society. I will miss their commitment to serving you, the readers, with degrees of skill and professionalism that belie their experience, with the purest of motives and with a joy that I hope they can maintain as they make their way outside these hallowed halls of higher education.
May 5, 2017
Sports
2017 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
Sportsman of the Year Dale Reese (Co-Winner)
Dan Christiansen (Co-Winner)
Reese, the 2016 PAC Player of the Year, recorded 10 goals and nine assists from his midfielder position last fall. He led the conference with six game-winning goals, and his 29 total points ranked third in the conference, as did his 10 goals. Reese started all four years at Grove City and finished his career with 28 goals and 19 assists. He ranks second all-time in career assists and seventh in career goals. His 75 career points are the fifthmost in program history.
Christiansen earned the President’s Athletic Conference’s individual title and PAC Runner of the Year honors after posting a winning time of 26 minutes, 39 seconds. Christiansen is the 10th Grove City runner to claim PAC Runner of the Year honors and the first since Garrett Cichowitz won threestraight titles from 2008-2010. Christiansen finishes his career with five of the top eight 8K times in program history.
Sportsman of the Year nominees Andy Fritz
Austin Eckhardt
Four-year letterwinner and three-year starter who has developed into one of the top hitters and defensive catchers in the region. His sophomore year, Fritz ranked fourth in the nation in batting average for Division III baseball players (.473). As a junior, Fritz earned an ABCA Third Team All-Great Lakes Region selection, set a program single season doubles record, and led the team to an ECAC championship. Fritz currently boasts the program’s longest hitting streak at 27 games.
Eckhardt helped l e a d Grove City College’s men’s golf team to its first PAC Championship in 16 years and its first ever NCAA National Tournament berth. In 2016 he and the rest of the golf team were awarded the PAC’s Team Sportsmanship award, and for the past two years he has been placed on the PAC’s Academic Honor Roll.
Jeremy Kim Kim has been an integral part of the men’s varsity swim team during his decorated career, having been named MVP from 2013-2016. He is a four time PAC Champion in 200 Fly and ranks second in program history in that event. He is also the team record holder for the 500 Fr., and for the past two years he has been a team captain. Along with four varsity letters he also has been a First-Team All-PAC honoree for the past four years.
Nate Roberts A two-year starter and varsity letterwinner, Roberts has been a member of three PAC conference champion teams during his tenure as a Wolverine. During his last year on the tennis squad, Roberts was named senior co-captain, captured a second-place finish in second doubles with his partner freshman Edward Doyle, and took home a first-place victory at sixth singles in the PAC tournament.
Andrew Beckman In his third year as a Wolverine, B e c k man has already reached the milestone of becoming the alltime leader in single season and career blocks. This past year, he finished in the President’s Athletic Conference’s top 10 in points, rebounds, and assists. Beckman has been recognized for his leadership on and off the court by being named a team captain for three years while on the roster.
Brett Pinson Pinson is a threetime letterman winner for Grove City’s football team and r a n k s s i x t h overall in program history for both receiving yards (1,308) and receiving touchdowns (11). He is the recipient of three player of the week awards, as well as the junior Player of the Year Award winner and the Jim Cross Homecoming Award winner last year. He is a twotime All-PAC Honorable Mention.
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Sportswoman of the Year Jordyn White (Winner) White anchored the Grove City women’s soccer defense from her center back position this year, helping the Wolverines record nine shutouts and a combined 1.00 goals-against average this season. She also led the Wolverines with 10 assists, which is the highest total ever for a Grove City defender. White started all 23 matches this year and concluded her career as the program’s all-time leader with 90 appearances. Her 20 career assists rank seventh all-time at the College. White was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III All-Great Lakes Region First Team
Sportswoman of the Year nominees Maggie Manchester
Lexie Arkwright
Manchester has been a 2 year starter and letter winner for the Grove City women’s tennis team. She was a part of the PAC championship team in 2015, and also finished that same season at first in second singles. She finished her senior year as the PAC runner-up in 1st singles.
Arkwright, who was named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South First Team selection, led the PAC in scoring average (20.8), steals (109) and steals per game (4.0) this season. She led Grove City in field goal percentage (49.5) while finishing second on the team in three-point goals (36), assists (53), blocks (31) and rebound average (6.9). Arkwright earned First Team All-PAC honors following the season and captured the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Lydia Keiper Keiper has racked up numerous awards during her time at Grove City including PAC All- PAC First Team All- Conference honors from 20152016, and First Team All- Mideast Region honors in 2016. She was elected captain of the 2016 women’s cross-country team, and earned team MVP. She set new course record at Hood College XC Invitational 2016, and was on the 25th, 26th and 27th straight PAC team championship titles from 2013-2015
Rachel Watson Watson ended her senior placed third in the triple jump with a final distance of 33 feet, 8 inches. Throughout her career on the track and field team, she finished as the runner-up in the triple jump in PACs for the 2014 and 2015 outdoor season, and finished first in the 2015 PAC indoor championship. She is a four-year letterwinner.
Aimee Wootton Wooten finished off her career as a Wolverine with a fantastic senior season. Along with earning PAC pitcher of the week and ECAC Division 3 South Pitcher of the week honors, she threw the first seven-inning no hitter for a Grove City softball pitcher since 2002. She is a three-year letterwinner and starter, she did not play her sophomore year due to injury.
Leah Wilson W i l s o n served the women’s golf team in multiple leadership positions including senior captain and as a bible study leader. A consistent asset on the team, Wilson is a four year letter winner.
Anne Shirley Dassow The PAC Championships Most Valuable Performer, Dassow was seventh in the 100-yard butterfly (54.98) and sixth in the 200-yard butterfly (2:02.01), earning AllAmerica honors in both events at the Division III National Championships. Dassow is just the 13th Grove City women’s competitor to earn multiple career All-America honors. Additionally, she is the first Wolverine to earn multiple top-eight national finishes in individual events in the same year since 2004.
Alexis Schwartz Schwartz served as team captain for her senior year on the volleyball team. A four-year letter winner, she finished third on team in digs and played in every match her senior year.
Sports
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May 5, 2017
GROVE CITY COLLEGE ULTIMATE
The Grove City College ultimate Frisbee club team split in two due to the size of the squad. However, both teams ended up making their way to the finals, and GCC came out on top.
Ultimate victory for club Frisbee
Mike Hess
Contributing Writer The Grove City College ultimate Frisbee club team competed last Saturay on Thorn Field against Thiel College, Westminster College, Clarion University, Mercyhurst University and the local Grove City Garbage Men in tournament action. The tournament began with the Wolverines facing off against the Garbage men in preliminaries to determine the proper seeding for the tournament. After a long struggle for possession, the Garbage
Men held on to win by a score of 5-4. Grove City wasn’t done yet, however, and came back to win the next two preliminary matchups against Mercyhurst (13-2), and Clarion (8-0). However, due to severe thunderstorms, the tournament was delayed for an hour. The teams returned and got right into the main tournament, beginning with Grove City and Clarion. After losing and regaining possession, Grove City came out on top with an impressive score of 13-5 and moved on to the semi-final round.
The semi-finals featured a rematch of the Wolverines vs. the Garbage Men on one field, and Grove City vs. Westminster on the other. Due to Grove City’s ultimate Frisbee team being so large, the team was split into two teams (A and B), both of which made it to the semi-finals. Grove City came back warmed up and ready to take on the Garbage Men again and come out on top in the rematch. Both teams proved to be evenly matched once again, the score at halftime being 6-5 in favor of the Wolverines. Things began to turn
in Grove City’s favor, however, and the Wolverines edged out their local rivals with a score of 11-9, moving on to the final round. The final round ended up consisting of both Grove City teams (A and B). At the start of the game, the teams agreed to not take a half time and just play through. The B team decided to take a more offensive approach to counter the A team’s defensive strategy, but in the end, the A team came out on top with a score of 13-7, winning the tournament.
GROVE CITY COLLEGE ULTIMATE
The Grove City College ultimate Frisbee club team competed last Saturay in a tournament on Thorn Field.
Christiansen MVP as track Men’s tennis takes second team concludes year at PACs
Ryan Brunson Staff Writer
The Grove City College men’s and women’s indoor track teams competed last Friday and Saturday at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships (PAC) held at Geneva College. Out of the ten teams in the conference, the men’s team finished in fourth place with 97 team points, and the women’s team finished in third place with 115 points. Grove City also received the conference’s sportsmanship award, and senior Daniel Christiansen was awarded as the conference MVP for the men’s running events. Individually for the men, Grove City achieved a total of five first place finishes. Christiansen won the 10,000-meter with a time of 31:42.95, a Grove City record time. Christiansen also won the 5000-meter with a time of 15:20.48. Junior Drew Thibault won the 3000 steeplechase in 9:54.90, and fellow junior Quinton Reed won the javelin with a throw of 185 feet, making Reed a two-time conference champion in javelin. Finally, senior Mike Cole won the triple jump with a best leap of 45 feet, .05 inch. Other high-scoring achievements include senior Ryan Buchalter who placed second in
Michael Logie Contributing Writer
GCC
The Grove City College men’s and women’s indoor track teams competed last Friday and Saturday at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships. Daniel Christiansen was named MVP on the men’s side. the 400-meter with a second in the discus vault and also jumped time of 49.14. A pair with a best throw of for 33 feet 2.5 inches of fourth-place awards 115 feet, 3 inches, and in the triple jump. Sewere won by Chris- freshman Katlyn Ad- nior Katie Hess cleared tiansen and Thibault ams jumped for 34 feet, 16 feet, 0.25 inch for in the 1500 meter, with 8.25 inches in the triple the high jump, and in a time of 4:10.18, and jump. the 1600 meter relay, the 5000-meter with a Five Grove City wom- junior Melanie Wiztime of 15:37.24 respec- en took third place. orek, senior Lauren tively. Haiss took third in shot Pearce, senior Tabitha Grove City also put with a throw of 33 White and sophomore took three fifth-place feet, one inch and se- Elizabeth Donahoe finawards. Reed placed nior Rachel Watson ished with a combined fifth in the shot put placed third in the tri- time of 4:15.32. In the with a throw of 44 feet, ple jump with a jump 400-meter relay, fresh5.25 inches and se- of 33 feet, eight inch- man Rohanna Foote, nior Spencer Thurston es. Sophomore Emma Zilka, Pearce and Adplaced fifth in the high Thomas took third in ams finished in 51.20. jump, clearing five feet the discus with a throw Though the season and 9.75 inches. The of 113 feet, four inches is officially over for the 1600-meter relay team, and senior Jess Ro- men’s and women’s comprised of Buchalter, lando earned third in track and field teams, junior Quaide Simek, the javeli with a best select athletes will be freshman Michael Lo- throw of 114 feet, seven chosen to compete at gie, and junior Graham inches. Freshman Col- the Eastern Collegiate Allen, took fifth with a leen Zilka took third as Athletic Conference’s time of 3:27.45. well in the 100-meter (ECAC) Division III For the women ath- hurdles with a time of Outdoor Championletes, 21 Wolverines 16.42. ships. The two-day placed. Although none Fourth place went event will take place on finished in first, Grove to nine Grove City May 17 and 18 on Jerry City had two second- women. Senior Mela- Gavel Track at Westplace finishers. Junior nie Packard cleared 10 field State University. Margi Haiss finished feet, 4.75 inches in pole
The Wolverine men’s tennis team closed out their outstanding season this past weekend at Erie, Pa. Garnering 44 points, the Wolverines boasted a second place finish out of nine teams, second only to the Thomas More Saints. Their individual achievements include two players earning titles on Saturday in the conference championship. In the doubles category, seniors Jason Wichert and Andrew Iseminger paired up to secure the conference title in third doubles. Freshman Andrew Graber and junior Zack Sprunger teamed up for first doubles and collected a third-place finish over Saint Vincent. The dynamic duo, however, dropped a semifinal match against W&J’s Greg Smith and Micah Byrum. Freshman Edward Doyle and senior Nate Roberts captured a second-place finish in second doubles, coming up short against Thomas More in an 8-1 battle in the finals. Prior to his doubles win, Wichert finished first in fifth singles with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over his opponent Alex Hor-
vatis from Thiel in the quarterfinals. In the semi’s, Wichert again defeated Alex Greissinger from Geneva in 6-1 and 6-0 fashion. Wichert triumphed in the finals with two 6-4 victories over W&J’s Max Perilstein. Additionally, Nate Roberts took down Westminster’s Jon Clark at sixth singles in the quarterfinals, before going on to outplay both W&J’s Eric Kmett and Saint Vincent’s Tyler Brinton in that order. Doyle competed well, yet lost in his first singles match against Derek Kwok of Thomas More in a narrow 6-4, 6-3 contest. Sophomore Miguel Esteban Diaz claimed a runner-up position at fourth singles, falling short in the finals to Thomas More’s Sheldon Preisler. Junior Jon Fleet took home a fourth place finish in second singles for the Wolverines. “Being part of the tennis team, I’ve learned a lot about competing hard every day. Coach Buxton does a great job motivating his players to give their best, and to use each practice and match as an opportunity to get one percent better, ” Andrew Graber said.