Collegian 04.16.2026

College to host ‘All-American Hometown Celebration’

By Christina Lewis Assistant Editor

A live bald eagle, Founding Father reenactors, and a Freedom Truck mobile museum are coming to Hillsdale College April 23-25 to commemorate America’s 250th birthday.

The All-American Hometown Celebration will feature a bald eagle near the Thomas Jefferson statue that people can learn more about and take pictures with, Vice President for Student Affairs Diane Philipp said. Visitors can also see performances by a professional fife and drum corp on Sunday and historic reenactors all three days, including George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Frederick Douglass.

“Visitors may also enjoy our petting zoo to celebrate American farmers and a craft station to celebrate American art,” Philipp

said in an email. “We have a replica of the Liberty Bell and a lot of fun Freedom 250 merchandise for sale. Food trucks will also be available on Saturday for our visitors.”

The Liberty Bell exhibit will be open on Thursday and Friday from 12:45-5 p.m. Military and first responders will get early access to the Freedom Truck from 12:30-12:45 p.m. on those days. The college is also working closely with the community of Hillsdale, Philipp said.

“On Friday evening, Hillsdale County National Bank, Hillsdale Hospital, and Hillsdale Renaissance are sponsoring a free professional rodeo at the Hillsdale Fairgrounds Grand Stands produced by ProEdge Arena,” Philipp said. “On Saturday, the community is hosting a car show and farmer’s market at the courthouse.”

City planners greenlight

Culver’s in Hillsdale

By Alessia Sandala City News Editor

Culver’s received approval for its proposed location across the street from Meijer following a decision by the city’s planning commission April 15.

The site plan for the proposed Culver’s, which would be located at 3741 W. Carleton Rd., was submitted March 25.

See Culver’s A7

Big City Plowboys to headline CHP

Runaround, Backspace, and Jett Cruz will also play

By Ellie Fromm News Editor

The Big City Plowboys, a cover band, will perform at Centralhallapalooza on April 25.

“We’ve had a lot of discussion as a team about what would appeal to the most students and still be within our allotted budget for the CHP artist,” said Ingrid Dornbirer, director of student activities board. “We figured it may be a popular choice to bring in a cover band, since students are guaranteed to know more songs. The SAB team really prioritizes the student body and strives to do what the people want.”

The group is Atlanta’s “goto band for college parties and weddings,” according to its

by The Killers, and “Springsteen”

by Eric Church.

In recent years, CHP has featured professional bands such as Back Country Boys and HARBOUR. Dornbirer said she believes a cover band will allow students to become more engaged in the performance, because they will be familiar with the songs.

The Big City Plowboys fit the event’s theme of “CHParty in the USA,” according to junior and Student Activities Board Media Team Lead Gabriel Beckwith.

He and Dornbirer said they hope the band will play songs by Wallen and Chris Stapleton, and “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith.

Saint Anthony’s welcomes most converts in 25 years

By Ellie Fromm News Editor

They both said they would never become Catholic at Hillsdale. This Easter Vigil, on April 4, senior Emma Kate Mellors and junior Josh Mistry sat in the same pew, waiting to be confirmed Catholic at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church as two members of the largest class in 25 years, according to Jacob Coonradt ’18, Saint Anthony’s director of parish life.

“I’ve talked about Catholicism since sophomore year,

Softball goes 3-1 during weekend in Ohio

By Blake Schaper Collegian Freelancer

The Hillsdale College softball team won three out of its four games in Ohio this week, beating Malone University April 11 twice and Ohio Dominican University April 12. Hillsdale is now fifth place in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, standing 23-16 overall and 11-5 in the G-MAC.

The first game against

Malone University was a 10-inning game that ended in a 5-3 victory. Malone tied Hillsdale in the sixth inning by scoring two runs, and the teams went back and forth until Hillsdale broke through with two runs in the top of the 10th with senior Emma Sather as the tiebreaking runner on second base.

Head coach Kyle Gross said Malone University has improved every year, and its strong No. 1 pitcher made it

difficult for the Chargers to score runs.

“Their idea was to shut down our No. 1 pitcher and be able to score runs,” Gross said. “Our pitching did well, and we were in a 10-inning battle with them, with both starting pitchers pitching all the way. That game could have gone either way. We had our backs against the wall, but our mentality going in was that he had to win. Thankfully, it went in our favor.”

The second game against Malone was another 5-4 win. Hillsdale was able to score four runs in the sixth inning, turning the game against Malone. Senior Taylor Lewis hit one home run and one RBI, and senior Anna Chellman had two RBIs in this game. Gross attributes this victory in a large part to freshman pitcher Katie Jonas.

See Softball A9

‘The dogs are off their leashes’: Simpson to smackdown

By Caroline Kurt Opinions Editor

Bitter your professor gave you a C? Watch him fight your classmates, MMA-style!

Simpson Residence will host its annual “Simpson Smackdown” April 18 at 8 p.m. in the dormitory’s back courtyard with free admission, free concessions, and spoof betting. An all-star cast of student wrestlers and mystery professors will battle for campus glory.

“Expect the biggest plot twist you’ve seen yet,” said senior and Simpson co-Head Resident As-

sistant Jonathan Williams. “To those who have attended this event in the past, come this year and you’ll see this saga come to a close in its third and final installment.”

According to Williams, Smackdown is a combination of scripting and improvisation.

“It’s being written as it’s being performed,” Williams said. “We rehearse and plan but there’s nothing like watching it all happen. The nature of it is you just have to kind of wing it.”

By Christian Papillon Assistant Editor

Hillsdale College GPAs have risen more than onetenth of a point over the last decade, according to data from the Provost’s Office.

The average GPA for men and women was 3.46 for the fall 2025 semester, which is a decrease from its peak of 3.53 in the spring 2020 semester, but an increase from 10 years ago, in the fall 2015 semester, when the average was 3.33.

While GPAs have remained steady in the past five years, rising from 3.43 in fall 2020 to 3.46 in fall 2025, they have trended upward in the last 20 years. The average GPA in the fall 2006 semester, for example, was 3.16.

“There are some practical reasons we may be seeing GPAs rise,” Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers said.

“Students are coming in better prepared in many cases, and there are more academic supports available to help them succeed. There is also a

and last year I went to date party with Josh,” Mellors said. “We were talking about it. This was when I was thinking that I just didn’t want to convert at Hillsdale because of all the pressure and whatnot. I remember I was like, ‘Josh, I know I’m going to do this, I just can’t do it here. It’ll be like two years in the future.’ And so it was really nice at Easter Vigil because he was sitting right next to me because of our last names.”

greater awareness among students of how grades impact future opportunities, which can drive discipline in their work.”

Grade inflation is, however, prevalent at other institutions, according to a recent article by the Washington Post.

Two-thirds of all grades at Harvard College were A’s, and another 18% were A-, according to a Washington Post article, There are a variety of reasons that could be contributing to an increase in grades, according to Director of Institutional Research Joshua Trojniak.

“I think we are getting a better caliber of student,” Trojniak said. “Is that what is leading to the inflation? It is a bit more difficult to determine that.”

New program offers faith-based internships to Hillsdale students

By Daniel Johnson Collegian Reporter

Young people in Hillsdale will have the opportunity to intern with local churches and nonprofits this summer through the Titus Initiative, a nine-week program launching this year.

A board of community leaders is starting the program with the goal of equipping young Christians aged 18-25 to “walk in the good works God prepared for them” through an internship program focused on meeting needs in the Hillsdale community, according to the Titus Initiative website.

Director of Helping Hands Pregnancy Resource Center

Bryce Asberg ’21 is leading the program alongside Associate Dean of Men Jeffery Rogers, Pastor of Hillsdale First Presbyterian Church Rev. Scott Cress, and alumnus Chandler Ryd ’18.

The goal of the program is to help Christian young people discover their purpose while meeting community needs, according to Asberg.

“What thrills your heart?”

Asberg said. “I’m talking about good, meaningful things that you delight in doing. What are those things? And then how does that overlap with the needs of your community?”

Asberg said applicants for the program must meet a simple criteria.

“We’re looking for Christian young adults who are serious in their faith and desire to serve the Lord and the community he has placed them in,” Asberg said.

He said the initiative could potentially partner with many different organizations, including the Celebrate Recovery addiction recovery program, Love INC., Countryside Bible

Church, and Helping Hands Pregnancy Resource Center, but many of the details are being developed as the program launches this summer.

“This is a pilot program for us,” Asberg said. “We’re building the ship as we fly. What we’re doing is we’re taking the fellows that we have for this year and developing opportunities for them based on the people that we have.”

Asberg said the program will include weekly reading and writing assignments, weekly dinners, and 25 hours a week interning with a community organization, with a focus on developing the whole person.

“We want to provide an opportunity for Christian young adults to gain an understanding and an appreciation for the kind of person God created them to be,” Asberg said.

The program, named after

the biblical book of Titus, draws its inspiration from Scripture, he said.

“‘For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,’” Asberg said, quoting Ephesians 2:10. “The idea is that the good works we have to do are already made. God has already planned them out, and he has made them for us personally. It becomes a process of discovery, not invention.”

According to Asberg, part of the vision of the program is to help Christian young people find a unity between fulfilling work and helping needs in the community.

“We shouldn’t spend our lives as Christians doing things that by themselves make us miserable,” Asberg said. “When you’re serving where God wants you to be, when you are doing

the kinds of works he has prepared for you, often your heart just sings.”

Rogers said the program will offer students an opportunity to slow down and focus on grounding their identity and discovering their purpose.

“The challenge is that many young people never slow down long enough or are never guided well enough to discern what those works are,” Rogers said. “They drift or they chase what the world says will satisfy them.

The Titus Initiative is important because it is intentional about helping students understand who they are in Christ first, and then from that identity, step into their God-given mission. When identity is rooted in Christ, purpose becomes clear.”

Five students are currently signed up for the program: seniors Stephen Zhu, Joy Li, and Hannah Wong, and sophomore

Anna Kate Mureen and freshman Ben Krager. Zhu said he’s joining the program to learn how to serve a local church better.

“I’ve really benefited from all the teachers at Countryside,” Zhu said. “I’ve learned so much about God and how to serve other people. I want to get more training in doing that and would like to, in the future, be someone who could do the same for others.”

According to Asberg, the Initiative still has an open spot for its 2026 session.

“We may have room for another young man for this summer’s fellowship,” Asberg said. “If anyone is interested he can reach out by email.”

Those interested in joining or supporting the Titus Initiative can contact HillsdaleTitusInitiative@gmail.com.

Q&A with class of 2026 Most Outstanding Woman and Man

By Charlee Amason Collegian Freelancer

Seniors Ashley Poole and Kevin Pynes were selected as Outstanding Woman and Man of the class of 2026.

Q. What made you decide to attend Hillsdale?

Poole: I have two sets of cousins who went here, so I knew the community would be good, that the classes would be challenging, and that I would get a lot out of it. I came from a large public high school in Houston of 3,000 students. I was looking for academic rigor, but also rigorous friendship — getting to grow as a friend and a leader, while growing in humble service.

Pynes: I had four siblings who came to Hillsdale, and I really admired the college when I was little. I have wanted to attend since I was 8 years old. By my senior year of high school, however, I wasn’t so keen on college anymore; I almost didn’t

apply. My parents talked me into applying, but even then, when I was accepted, I was planning on going to either the University of Notre Dame or the University of Nebraska. At the last minute, I had a really important conversation with someone who was really close to me. They just convinced me that the reasons I wasn’t going to Hillsdale were pretty bad. But God, in his providence, led me here.

Q. College President Larry Arnn suggests that all people should spend their life closely studying three books and one person. What three books would you choose and who would that person be?

Poole: “On Duties” by Cicero, “Crime and Punishment” by Dostoevsky, and finally, Frederick Douglass’ memoir. Frederick Douglass would also be the person. He teaches us a lot about our founding: its shortcomings, its glories, the things we should love about it, and the things we should critique and wrestle with. I appreciate his model of advocacy: forgiveness and commitment to joining together in human brotherhood despite racial or religious differences.

Associate Vice President of Admissions Zachary Miller said the college’s applicant pool has grown in recent years, leading to an increase in the academic profile of incoming students.

“We’ve seen an increase in

Pynes: “Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoevsky because it has some of the most strikingly beautiful passages in any work of literature. Secondly, “King Lear” — it’s Shakespeare’s best

the ACT average from a 29 in 2015 to a 31 in 2025, and an increase in the high school GPA from a 3.81 to a 3.94,” Miller said. “While we can’t say for sure that this is the cause of the college GPA rising, I do think it’s worth noting.”

Trojniak said one reason

play, and he is the best writer in our language. Finally, maybe some work by Chaucer. As far as the person, it’d have to be Michael Chekhov. Nephew of Anton Chekhov, he was in the second generation of acting teachers ever, and he ended up developing a moral and systematic way of acting. It’s more artistic, and more beautiful. Additionally, he’s just a fascinating person in general. Chekhov ran from communism, so he was Russian, and he taught a lot of American actors. He has had quite the influence, since his method is what people know in American theater.

Q. Who did you hope to become when you were a freshman and how has that changed?

Poole: I was very ambitious — I still am, but in a different way. During freshman year, I looked at all the things Hillsdale had to offer, and envisioned how they served me and my goals. I was challenged by my freshman and sophomore years through peer-to-peer mentorship. A lot of my friends pushed me by asking: what are you placing your identity in? What does it mean to get a good grade? What does it mean to do well on a mock trial team? Why are you doing what you’re doing? Who are you accomplishing it for? By participating in activities like Chi Omega, my local church, and WHIP, I saw a lot of selfless leaders, which changed my vision of leadership. I stopped saying yes to things I thought law schools would like, and started doing what I actually loved and ful-

could be that professors are giving out easier grades than before, but there is no clear pattern.

“You could argue a new professor wants to give out good grades to get good evaluations so they can get tenure,” Trojniak said. “It’s a little cynical, but it

filled me, but also served those around me.

Pynes: When I regretfully arrived on campus, I was expecting to really hate it here, thinking that I’d suffer through this school, get my basic classes done, and then transfer elsewhere. But within a week, I grew to really love this place. I was in Simpson, and I landed with a really good group of friends right away. In some ways, it has been as I expected. In other ways, it’s been very different. I was going to major in physics, but I ended up majoring in English and minoring in German.

Q. What was your reaction being named Outstanding Senior Woman or Man?

Poole: I was very surprised and quite shocked. What was really special is that three of the people that were nominated alongside me are among my best friends. I wasn’t feeling entitled to the position, and all of them are such wonderful people and have grown me in so many different ways. I was really surprised, excited, and honored. I ran back into the President’s Office and gave my friend a hug.

Pynes: I was overcome. I literally almost fell over and had to grip the wall so as to catch myself. I was really honored, and it was very surreal. I felt like I was in a dream.

Q. What’re your plans for next year?

Poole: I will be a research associate at Consovoy McCarthy, a D.C. law firm. I’m really excited

does happen at institutions. You could also argue that once you have tenure, you don’t really care anymore, so you just give everyone good grades.”

Improved technology can play a role in better GPAs, according to Trojniak.

“Technology has changed

to learn from attorneys for two years and to invest in their mission. They’re doing work on some anti-exploitation cases, and my vision has always been defending victims of human trafficking.

Pynes: I’m applying to many regional theater companies. For example, Phoenix Theater Company, Sight and Sound, and Thumbcoast. My backup is to go work at a bakery back home while I apply.

Courtesy | Kevin Pynes

Q. What sort of legacy would you like to leave at Hillsdale?

Poole: As a freshman, I was really focused on titles — being a Truman Scholar or Outstanding Senior Woman, and being associated with different titles was what I strove for. Now, I think it’d be disappointing if people looked at me and only saw a title. Because, they don’t see all the hard choices, and mistakes that I have made: being a bad friend, and poor health decisions in the pursuit of a grade, an interview, or a victory in a Mock Trial tournament. I hope that people realize there is a cost we need to take into account when we’re trying to discern what to do. I also hope that people see I have a love for studying what it means to be a Hillsdale student in terms of our commitment to equality.

pretty significantly since I started college,” he said. “You have all this technology that makes it easier to do the nuts and bolts of studying and learning. You can quickly get summaries. Instead of sitting there making flashcards from cardstock, there’s an app that does it.”

Pynes: I hope I have encouraged others to start intentionally investing in the people that are investing in you. You don’t want to take for granted the amazing friendships that college is putting in your way. It’s never going to be an easier time to make friends with intelligent, like-minded people your own age, with similar interests, who are forced to spend time in this tiny commune in rural Michigan. This is your time to lean into that. The people are far more important than any of your classes. Furthermore, I hope that campus continues to see improvements in authentic Christianity. I’d hope we stop tolerating jokes that are casually racist, misogynist, sexist, or anti-Semitic. We’re supposed to have a meek and humble disposition in our words, just as Christ himself did. Even in the intellectual conversations that occur on campus, I hope we approach them more from a place of love, and not so much pride.

Rogers said students should focus on more important things than GPA.

“While those things matter, they are not the ultimate measure,” Rogers said. “The deeper question is who these students are becoming and where they stand in relation to the Lord.”

Documentary on ‘A Christmas Story’ Hillsdale alumnus debuts

By Hershey Hackberry Collegian Reporter

Students in the documentary filmmaking course premiered their film about the Hillsdale alumnus who directed the movie “A Christmas Story.”

“We went all over the country to tell this story,” Buddy Moorehouse, lecturer in journalism, said.

Eight women wrote, filmed, and edited “Bob Clark: A Christmas Story,” which played at the Plaster Auditorium on April 14. This class is offered every semester and taught by Moorehouse. He said that the topic of the documentary is chosen by both him and the class.

“I’m usually the one who makes the final decision about what it’s gonna be, but we always have a lot of conversations,” Moorehouse said. “Usually what we do is we have a

conversation with the previous class, saying, ‘What do you think next semester’s documentary should be?’ There’s a bunch of ideas floating around, and, in my head I’m thinking, OK, that would be a great one. Or that would be a great one. So, it’s just a matter of finding the right class to do it.”

The 30-minute documentary featured Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in the film; Jim Lucadam, Clark’s Hillsdale College roommate; Lyne Leavy, Clark’s former secretary; and Mary Sossong, his first wife.

“We broke news tonight, and until this documentary came out, nobody knew that Bob Clark had a wife from Hillsdale College,” Moorehouse said. “A girlfriend, Mary Sossong, who grew up here. And by the way, Mary is absolutely thrilled that we did this documentary.”

Bob Clark was the quarterback for the Chargers in 1960-

1963. He did not end up graduating and released his first film “She-Man” in 1967. After making “Porky’s” in 1981, he had the financial opportunity to start making “A Christmas Story.” The film started to gain massive traction 10 years before Clark died in a car accident in 2007.

Each student played a different role in the creation of this film. Sophomore and Director of Videography Grace Novak said she loved the many things she learned about Clark while making this film.

“My job was to get the footage of the current campus that we saw: the football practice and some of the campus interviews,” she said. “It was so fun to watch other students also be so surprised upon learning that Bob Clark went to Hillsdale. When we started this film, we knew that Bob was a student at Hillsdale, but we had no idea that he had married his college girlfriend, so it was kind of like detective work combined with editing and filming, and it was really such a fun process altogether. I’m so proud of all of us for how it came together.”

Senior Quinn Delamater flew to Boise, Idaho, to interview Billingsley for the documentary.

“Mr. Moorehouse was really good about putting us in positions that would play to our

strengths,” Delamater said. “So we all got to do things that maybe we would be extra excited about. I liked being able to do the narration since I also work at the radio station here, so I got to do a little bit of voice stuff. So it was definitely a very good, informative experience.”

Sophomore Savana Greb said she enjoyed the different experiences she was able to have while directing and editing the film.

“It’s just so weird where life takes you,” Greb said. “Like, one minute, you’re a kid watching ‘A Christmas Story,’ and the next minute, you’re shaking in your boots in front of the Christmas Story house at 2 a.m., and then the next minute, you’re flying to California to do an interview. It was a little crazy at times or hard to fit into my schedule, but I know that I’ll look back and be like, ‘OK, that was the prime of my life.’ So, I’m just really thankful to Mr. Moorehouse for the opportunity.”

Ian Petrella, who played Randy in the film, was excited for the premiere.

“He sent a video to the class wishing them well for the premiere and telling them to break a leg lamp,” Moorehouse said.

Students to pay tribute with Murph Challenge

By Henry Fliflet Circulation & Ad Manager

To honor fallen military personnel and increase campuswide wellness, participants in Total Fit’s Murph Challenge will take on a classic CrossFit workout that is notoriously difficult but adaptable for all fitness levels on Saturday, according to event organizer and Hillsdale Health and Wellness Center personal trainer, senior Charles Kennedy. The Murph Challenge will

scaling workouts. If you have any sort of desire to engage in physical activity and you like doing that with other people, then this workout is for you.” According to Kennedy, the Murph is all about shared effort.

“The cool thing about CrossFit is that no matter your experience or fitness level, it’s accessible,” Kennedy said. The event, now in its third year, usually draws between 20 and 40 participants. Kennedy said the atmosphere of encouragement and camaraderie

Professional reenactors will play the part of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln on Saturday and will both recite speeches and excerpts from speeches, performing every half hour, Philipp said. The Frederick Douglass actor will perform from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and Lincoln’s from 12-3 p.m.

Matthew Spalding, dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, helped design the Freedom Trucks, which are meant to be an updated version of the 1976 freedom train that celebrated the 200th anniversary of American independence. The truck will be located on the street in front of the college’s Civil War soldier statue.

“The Freedom Truck teaches about the ideas and events that gave rise to the American Revolution, focusing on the Declaration of Independence, the War for Independence, and then the events that gave rise

CHP from A1

Student bands Runaround, Backspace, and Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mamas will also perform at CHP after earning set times after their perfor mances at CHP showdown on April 10. Run around won CHP show down with 411 points, Backspace came in second with 227 points, and Jett Cruz came in third with 129

to the Constitution,” Spalding said in an email. “There is also a focus on the great individuals involved, as well as Lincoln and the Civil War and American heroes in service, culture, and innovation.”

Spalding worked with the White House America 250 Task

expand in size once parked to create a mobile museum for visitors.”

Junior Ava Jolley is in charge of organizing the Liberty Walk tour with live historic reenactment.

“Early in the process, I researched each of the figures

Force and wrote the narrative for the trucks, while Prager University did the videos and visuals for the interior of the trucks.

“The Freedom Truck coming to Hillsdale is one of six trucks traveling the nation,” Spalding said. “They are custom-made, heavy duty semitrucks that

By Sophia Bryant Assistant Editor

we will have on the tour and what they would have worn when they were the age that our statues depict,” Jolley said. “I sourced most of the costumes from professional reenactment companies, but have done alterations myself as my schedule allows.”

Jolley said the celebration gives students a chance to do something fun while they write their final papers.

“I hope people enjoy themselves, learn something new, and have a reinvigorated sense of community,” Jolley said. “I think Hillsdale is a great location for the event because of our deep sense of community and appreciation for America’s history.”

Philipp said College President Larry Arnn wanted to host a meaningful celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

“Dr. Arnn hoped to honor the sacrifices, ideals, and enduring spirit that have shaped our nation,” Philipp said. “Because of his love and deep appreciation for our country and its founding principles, he believed it was important to create something special, especially while students are still on campus this spring, so that we can come together to celebrate this milestone in American history.”

begin on Saturday, April 18, at 9 a.m. in the Founders Gym. Designed and named in honor of Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan, the workout consists of a one-mile run, followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 pushups, and 300 air squats,

is the best part of the event.

“It’s really fun seeing people working together and finishing together,” Kennedy said.

Sophomore Noah Abrudeanu, who participated in the Murph Challenge last year, said he is looking forward to this Saturday.

and concludes with another one-mile run.

“I understand that it’s a daunting task to complete this workout,” Kennedy said. “But I’m a certified CrossFit trainer and have a lot of experience

“Last time was brutal,” Abrudeanu said. “The squats almost killed me. I had to sort of hobble the last mile, but then at the very end I got my second wind back and was able to finish strong.”

Hillsdale’s campus in Washington, D.C., fully opened for classes, lectures, and events in early March after the completion of renovations that lasted two years.

Washington Operations, said in an email. “I am grateful for the many friends of the college and the team who worked hard to build a lasting legacy for Hillsdale in D.C. It is good, and it is a wonder to behold.”

Foundation lectures and other events are happening in the marvelous Cindy Van Andel Lecture Hall.”

“We have an agent who has

worked with us for years, through Babco Entertainment,” Dornbirer said in an email. “Once we expressed interest in a country cover band, our agent sent us artists who are available on our date and would be a good fit for the event. The Plowboys seem really excited to perform.”

“It takes many talented people, all pulling in the same direction, to complete a project intentionally designed to reflect the important work of teaching and learning that happens within these walls, in our nation’s capital,” Andrew Heim, executive director of

Renovations connected the Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship to the Steve and Amy Van Andel Graduate School of Government building.

“We are fully operational,” Heim said. “Classes are happening. Our AWC Family

A chapel, five seminar rooms, and 10 faculty and staff work spaces were added to the D.C. Campus.

“We have a beautiful little chapel, the Chapel of Divine Providence, which was dedicated in March and is open for students to pray and reflect,” Heim said. “We are back, and everything is moving full steam ahead.”

Construction on the townhouses adjacent to the D.C. Campus, which will be used for student housing, recently began, according to Heim.

“The townhouse renovation project is expected to be finished at the end of the summer,” Heim said.

Junior Olivia Eames, a student on the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program,

said evening undergraduate classes now take place in the Kirby Center.

“Since we all arrive to class in business attire, these classes feel professional, while the size of the room keeps them intimate and conversational,” Eames said in an email.

Eames said she is grateful for the space WHIP students have to study in seminar rooms.

“My particular favorite study spot is a nook at the front of the building with a window overlooking Massachusetts Avenue,” Eames said.

“It is a very happy and contemplative space, and perfect for sharing with a couple of good friends.”

Senior Rebekah George, a student on WHIP, said she has enjoyed attending events at the D.C. Campus and meeting professionals from different backgrounds and careers.

“The collective support they all have for Hillsdale and our mission is refreshing in a culture where political unity is hard to come by, especially on the right,” George said in an email.

Opinions

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Online : www.hillsdalecollegian.com

Editor in Chief | Thomas McKenna

Executive Editor | Moira Gleason

Design Editor | Anna Broussard

Senior Editor | Catherine Maxwell

News Editor | Ellie Fromm

Opinions Editor | Caroline Kurt

City News Editor | Alessia Sandala

Sports Editor | Elaine Kutas

Culture Editor | Ty Ruddy

Features Editor | Tayte Christensen

Social Media Manager | Skye Graham

Circulation & Ad Manager | Henry Fliflet

Assistant Editors | Christina Lewis | Sophia Bryant | Elijah

Guevara | Jayden Jelso | Adriana Azarian | Gemma Flores | Christian Papillon | Jamie Parsons | Francesca Cella | Grace Brennan

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The editors welcome Letters to the Editor but reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, length, and style. Letters should be 450 words or less and include your name and number. Send submissions to the Opinions Editor at ckurt@hillsdale.edu before Saturday at 3 p.m.

Take the red pill

Conspiracy theories aren’t that crazy

By Sophia Mandt Collegian Reporter

“The X-Files,” a science fiction TV series, reminds us that “the truth is out there,” but truth is hard to find amid government coverups and propaganda.

In the quest to separate truth from falsehoods, Americans should take conspiracy theories more seriously. After all, a conspiracy theory is simply the idea that secretive and powerful groups censor information harmful to their narrative.

Before the Jeffrey Epstein files were released, the idea that Epstein was involved in an elite network of prostitution and moneyed influence was often dismissed as just another conspiracy theory. Now, heavily redacted documents show that Epstein, at the very least, engaged in a secret social network, his connections ranging from current President Donald Trump to the former Prince Andrew.

from everyone else’s. The CIA was behind MK Ultra, a series of mind-altering, abusive experiments conducted during the 1950s and ’60s that sound like something out of a Nazi concentration camp. According to later journalistic and congressional investigations, the program hoped to find a way to erase memory and control the human mind as a combat tactic.

Some are simply absurd. But we must ask hard questions.

Many of the MK Ultra documents remain redacted and classified, but those released have revealed the use of the experimental psychedelic drug LSD and electroshock on unwitting participants — a reality that many might call a baseless conspiracy were it not thanks to the efforts of dogged investigators.

By Elaine Kutas Sports Editor

After spending their collegiate careers bearing the name of “Hillsdale College” on their jerseys across the nation at all levels of competition, senior student-athletes should have a chance to don the title of “Hillsdale Charger,” and for most, the title of “athlete,” one last time. Athletes deserve a cord to wear at graduation to represent their time competing as Chargers.

Graduates wear caps and gowns to physically represent their academic achievement. The same goes for the cords and stoles adorning the simple black gowns. These highlight campus involvement, honoraries, and academic accolades. They represent the higher goods that students have worked toward during their college years.

At Hillsdale, the valedictorian and salutatorian wear gold honor cords. The college policy

states that “honor cords worn by graduates signify membership in discipline-based organizations or academic honorary societies.” Students can purchase stoles and cords for their achievements, and many do. Members of campus sororities represent their sisterhood with specific stoles of their sorority’s color, and many student clubs will purchase cords to represent their involvement with that group. Charger athletes should too have the option of a uniform cord that represents their athletic career.

Hillsdale boasts more than 350 varsity athletes, according to the Athletics Department. That equals roughly 23% of students participating in varsity athletics. Sports are a part of education, and these athletes deserve recognition. In my own experience, being on the track team as a high jumper has taught me valuable lessons of sportsmanship and teamwork, resilience

through the physical and mental challenges of my sport, and humility to accept results, buckle down, and keep practicing. All of these virtues taught in sports translate to the classroom, fostering an education found outside of Lane and Kendall halls.

Student-athletes at the University of Notre Dame petitioned in 2014 for specific stoles recognizing their athletic achievements. After fundraising and working with their athletic department staff, the senior athletes scored big for the last time and donned their special stoles on graduation day.

The University of Mary Washington, a small liberal arts college in Virginia, provides cords for athletes who have competed in two or more seasons of their sport or stoles for four years of athletic participation. Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, also provides stoles for athletes. Hillsdale should join these oth-

Newly released files reveal Epstein’s connections with foreign policy figures within the Russian Kremlin, photos of sex-trafficked victims, and his own interest in transhumanism and eugenics — he supported “designer-baby” projects and even planned to “seed” children with his own DNA.

The revelation of Epstein’s vast social network is the latest in a history full of coverups, intrigue, and outrageous theories that turn out to be at least partially true.

Members of government and the elite have knowingly committed some of the most shocking things imaginable, and they have the resources to clean up the evidence.

Whistleblowers reveal illusory demagogues and secretive agencies that live by standards different

Those united against the dominant cultural narrative may end up walking a dangerous line between inquiry and madness. It isn’t easy to stay sane in a world full of injustice. But if journalists and researchers were not willing to dig past the surface and question the accepted narrative, the public wouldn’t know about Epstein’s crimes and the violence of MK Ultra.

Some conspiracy theories are simply absurd. But now that we have seen the Epstein files — exposing a network of powerful individuals mired in corruption, abuse, and lies — more people might doubt false narratives the elite uphold as reality. We must ask hard questions, even if many are unable to find the truth.

Sophia Mandt is a junior studying Sociology and Social Thought.

Give athletes graduation cords Take Petrakis’s Civil Rights class

By Hershey Hackberry Collegian Reporter

I never thought I’d see the day when I enjoyed taking an exam. Assistant Professor of Politics John Petrakis’s spring Civil Rights class proved me wrong. On the exam, Petrakis provides a scenario for a court case, the facts of the case, and the relevant statute. It’s up to the student to determine how the court would most likely rule. Essentially, the student becomes the judge, handing down a verdict and providing a justification based on precedent.

As an aspiring lawyer, I was in my element. I decided to take a class on civil rights with Petrakis for one of my politics major electives because I wanted to study

more modern political topics. My Hillsdale education has prepared me to read, write, and think like a lawyer, but aside from Professor of Philosophy and Religion Nathan Schlueter’s phenomenal “Law and Society” class, I had not done any in-depth analysis of American court cases. Sure, I knew from my Constitution 101 class that Marbury v. Madison established judicial precedent, but I had yet to take a class solely focused on understanding America through court cases.

Petrakis is from Montreal, Canada, and recently started teaching at Hillsdale. He’s energetic, engaging, and loves bunnies.

From free speech to property rights and affirmative action lawsuits, the class analyzes the precedent prior to each case,

the court’s ruling, and whether the Court came to the right conclusion. The readings for this class are primarily Supreme Court cases.

I recommend taking this class with friends, especially if you have some with differing political views. Petrakis gives you the ability to discuss and debate these legal issues, and my favorite class discussions involve my peers hashing out their opposing views.

For example, we covered Texas v. Johnson, the infamous court case that prohibited the criminalization of flag burning. Our class talked about whether there should be consequences for burning the American flag, and whether that burden should lay in the government’s hands. The majority of the class, like

er schools in recognizing its student-athletes’ commitment. Donning regalia isn’t just for the purpose of recognizing achievements and boasting the numerous accolades a student has received. The symbols of stoles and cords mimic representative symbols worn in regular life. My crucifix tells that I have faith; a wedding ring shows that a person has entered the covenant of marriage; a stole and cord represent academic achievement. All these symbols signal a person’s values, commitments, and interests. As students walk the stage wearing their regalia from all the corners of campus, student athletes can represent themselves as Chargers for a final time.

true Americans, believed that flag burning should be criminalized. A few of us were convinced that it violated First Amendment rights, which made for a great debate. We have also covered cases involving free speech laws as they relate to defamation, racial discrimination, and even abortion. Having taken this class, I can better appreciate the justice system because of the many interpretations the law could yield. When I think about the class discussions that I enjoyed the most at Hillsdale, the ones I had in this class always come to mind. If that isn’t a reason to try a class, I don’t know what is.

Hershey Hackberry is a junior studying politics.

Hillsdale shouldn’t invite women ‘priests’ to speak

By Zachary Chen Collegian Freelancer

Hillsdale College strayed from its stated mission by inviting Helen McGowan Orr to speak on campus April 14.

According to posters around campus advertising her Drummond Lecture on “Theosis,” Orr is a Cambridge-educated, Anglican “poet, priest, and singer.” She was entrusted with two benefices by the Bishop of Ely around 2021 and has since served as the vicar of Bassingbourn and Whaddon in England.

To be entirely clear, this op-ed does not question freedom of speech or advocate for gatekeeping women from public intellectual activity. This piece merely points out that Hillsdale’s decision to invite and advertise for Orr takes a stance on the Christian faith which is at variance with the Bible, the unanimous witness of the church through the ages, and thereby Hillsdale’s own mission statement.

Now, the freedom of a speaker to say what he or she wants in front of a crowd of college students is critical to a free and reasoned academic exchange of ideas. After Hillsdale made the decision to invite Orr, it became our job as students to hear her out politely.

But Hillsdale should not have invited Orr in the first place. Indeed, the college’s

mission statement seems to veto officially inviting — and thereby platforming — a woman who calls herself a priest as a speaker at all.

In our own words, “as a nonsectarian Christian institution, Hillsdale College maintains ‘by precept and example’ the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.” The Drummond Lecture series, which “presents faculty, staff, and students with lectures on faith, learning, and related issues of the day,” is a much larger affair than a student club’s or ministry’s invitation. Like it or not, Hillsdale’s advertisement for and choice of Orr constitutes a public, institutional endorsement of Orr’s claim to priesthood.

To invite a woman who claims the office of priest, and then to advertise for her as though she were a valid priest, is for Hillsdale to implicitly affirm — by example, if not explicitly by precept — the idea that women can really be priests and can hold priestly authority in the church.

But this is in direct contravention of the “immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith.” That is, it is a contravention if one assumes that “immemorial” means longer than a generous two centuries. To be fair to proponents of women’s ordination, examples of the institution date back to the misty days of the early

Church in 1814 or 1970.

The question of whether women are in some sense priests or ministers is not at stake here. All the baptized are, of course, a “royal priesthood” according to 1 Peter 2, but that is not at issue, except equivocally. Calling Orr a priest does much more than merely affirm her status as a servant of God — it asserts that she may lead the church.

Women have served God and his Church brilliantly throughout history: Just look at Deborah, Monica, Perpetua, Thérèse, or the Virgin Mary herself. Women have not, however, historically served God as ordained priests, nor have they been permitted to be the shepherds of God’s flock. Neither the Scriptures nor church tradition permits women to hold priestly authority in the church, whether they would go by “priest,” “minister,” or some other title.

The Apostle Paul rules out the possibility of women holding the offices of overseer and deacon in 1 Timothy 2-3 (“I do not permit a woman to teach”) and Titus 1 (which includes the qualification of being “the husband of one wife”). That teaching is historically confirmed by Christian confessions and practice: See, among many, the Lutheran Augsburg Confession and its Roman Catholic Confutation in 1530, or the 16th-century Reformed Belgic

Confession in its various permutations. The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that “only a man validly receives sacred ordination,” and Pope Francis, the predecessor to the current Bishop of Rome, firmly reiterated Rome’s opposition to ordaining women. Regardless of whether some Christian denominations — including Orr’s own — permit the ordination of women, Hillsdale should not implicitly affirm it. By precept, Hillsdale has announced to its students that women can be priests with dual benefices. By example, the college has affirmed a woman’s claim to the authority of teaching the Church. There are plenty of valid priests who could have delivered a lecture on theosis — pick any Eastern Orthodox pater you like — and there are likewise other, less official capacities in which Orr could have spoken at Hillsdale that would not have affirmed her unscriptural, untraditional, and ontologically incorrect claim to the holy ministry. Hillsdale aspires to be a guardian of tradition and to maintain the immemorial teachings and practices of the Christian faith. Platforming women pretending to be priests directly undercuts that mission.

Zachary Chen is a junior studying Greek and Latin.

Seniors answer: What would you have done differently at Hillsdale?

Thomas McKenna Editor in Chief

when I had the chance. Yes, I had some good reasons for wanting more than the basic text-and-call functions. As City News editor last year and head honcho this year, I’ve used my smartphone to text and email with sources, reporters, and other editors quickly. It can record interviews and take photos in the wild or run a quick Google search before you talk to the mayor. But when I wasn’t doing any of these very particular things, I should have found some alternative — a dumbphone, a restrictive app, or even just a phone-free Sunday. College is for deep work and deep thinking. When it’s time to read or write or even talk to a friend, we need focus. But even when we’re not doing anything, we need to be bored. Our best ideas — those shower thoughts — come when we’re doing nothing. But now I’m headed to the real world, and a full-time journalist needs a smartphone. Shucks.

Moira Gleason Executive Editor

could have called me a try-hard. I closed down the library at 1 a.m. every night, charted out a double major and double minor in my head, and thought my chances of gainful employment were toast when Dr. Lindley gave me a “C” on a Great Books paper. The work paid off, but I hated every moment. Then, some time during junior year, I got humbled and I fell in love. Not in a ring-by-spring kind of way, but with the work and the books and the people. That’s when I saw the gap between studying and living start to close. As I relaxed my expectations, ideas from class and office hours wove their way into my life and my friendships and my prayer. I still tried hard, but I laughed more. Looking back, the people I have

slightest unless it’s drawing me closer to God. The Lord has worked many miracles through my time at Hillsdale, which is why it’s so hard to come up with regrets. But I should never have been too busy for prayer.

Boomers

By Lewis Thune D.C. Correspondent

The end of the baby boomers’ 40-year reign is almost at hand. The scepter will presently fall to a young generation that is staggeringly unprepared to receive it. Since the foreshocks of succession first began to rattle American politics in the earlyto-mid-2010s, candidates and their parties began to pander to the youngest generation of American voters — the heirs apparent. “Pokémon Go to the polls” gave way to promises of H-1B elimination, rent control, graduate grants, student loan forgiveness, and the like.

Baby boomers have promised — disingenuously — to pass the torch in every election since 2008. All the while, they remained the largest age demographic by voting in ev-

Ty Ruddy Culture Editor

I didn’t travel enough during my time here. Outside of breaks and being home, I visited Ann Arbor twice and Detroit once. I once drove halfway to Swayzee, Indiana, before turning around. We are busy here at Hillsdale, but I wish I would have made more time for weekend side quests. I’d go to Chicago and Columbus for sure. And I would have liked a long weekend in D.C. As a lifelong Midwesterner, I give rural Michigan a hard time because there’s so little to do. I have only myself to blame because I never sought

I wish they weren’t. We’re only given four years of college, and they’re full of memories we’ll look back on with fondness, if we can remember them.

Christina Lewis Assistant Editor

I would change how I studied for tests. As a freshman, I was so focused on memorizing as much information as possible that I didn’t always take the time to understand it. Over time, I realized that making connections — between ideas, texts, and classes — was far more valuable than my ability to recall facts that I would forget right after my test. If I could go back, I would tell my freshman self to prioritize understanding. At the same time, I know I only learned this through trial and error, so I’m grateful that after more than 12 years in school, I finally know how to study well.

Adriana Azarian

Assistant Editor

I wish I’d made time for an art class. I always intended to take one once I had the time or my class schedule lined up just so, but that never happened. Let this be a lesson to the underclassmen: If you can help it, never become so busy you’re unable to take classes you enjoy or engage in the hobbies you love. I always liked sketching as an amateur in my spare time, and I think I would’ve appreciated making time for artistic guidance and non-academic work. But it’s OK, I’ll get to it after college eventually.

Christian Papillon Assistant Editor

Although I have few regrets about my time at Hillsdale, if I could start over, I would have gotten more involved in campus life sooner. During my first semester, I spent a large amount of my time in class or in my dorm. I did not realize how fleeting my

won’t run politics forever. Gen Z isn’t ready.

ery presidential election since 1988, and made up the largest age demographic in every United States Congress since 1991. The stalwarts of prior decades remain in authority to this day.

The result is that young voters play a central role in campaigns and elections while their actual policy preferences are never adopted — red states fail to deliver on school choice, blue states fall hilariously short on promises to vastly expand subsidized housing and public transportation. Young voters are left feeling betrayed and infantilized, hence today’s disillusionment and oozing generational resentment.

But this time, the foretold dethronement is real. The Baby Boomer generation began in 1946 — 80 years ago. The current life expectancy in the United States is 79 years. Like

all those before them and all those to follow, the influence of baby boomers will dissolve as the people themselves begin to die. The political reality is equally inescapable: As the boomers wane, discontented young voters will witness an aggressive political realignment. A tidal wave of collective dissatisfaction with the American republic that is already breaking will soon crash upon parties, states, and institutions nationwide.

Those feeling unrepresented in current American politics will be represented in full — and fast. Though the young will certainly mourn the dead, they’ll at last direct the living. And that is where young Americans will face a far greater matter. Their impending political preeminence is undeniable: For better or worse, the influence of baby boomers

in American politics will re cede to irrelevance in the next decade. The question now is whether young Americans can rule well.

Baby boomers have, for better or worse, wielded power in a remarkably dispassionate manner. They are the predominant equalizing force in contemporary politics: 34% Republican, 33% Independent, and 32% Democrat, according to Gallup. And with 62 boomers in the Senate, they are certainly the greatest moderating force. What’s more, they retain a level of civility in government that young people do not. These same young people once called that civility “the swamp,” but now simply call it complacency and corruption. No one fully knows the character that national politics will assume once it’s stripped of those niceties — not just

rum. Young voters seem all too pleased with those who conduct business via classless social media and podcast spats. If this is what young voters truly want — or what they’re willing to tolerate to get what they want — they’ll get a lightning-fast, extremely confrontational, and staggeringly unprofessional government. That’s like a fast food restaurant with compulsory power. Equally frightening is what will happen once this new government gives young voters what they want, whether or not it amounts to something more substantive than “do something.” Mass indignation, no matter how righteous, never actually subsides — especially when it receives what it nominally desires. History would be far less tragic if the

fourth time around. But after all, we’re hungry. What’s one more cycle in the McGovernment drive-thru?

We who will inherit the country should use this peculiar moment to consider whether we’re prepared to get what we want. Otherwise, those disgruntled at the long-protracted passing of the crown will soon come to reminisce about when they got to blame everything on the boomers. Americans captured this attitude with the words, “This is what you asked for, heavy is the crown.” But then again, that was Linkin Park, and it hasn’t been cool since 2013.

City News

Coldwater denies Chick-fil-A design proposal

By Hershey Hackberry Collegian RepoRteR

Plans for a Chick-fil-A lo cation in Coldwater stalled as the Coldwater Zoning Board of Appeals denied the design proposal.

At its March 18 meeting, the zoning board reviewed an exception for the proposed layout of the Chick-fil-A that would be located at 396 East Chicago Street, 31 minutes from campus. The nearest Chick-fil-A is currently 41 minutes away, in Jackson. The layout was created by the PEA Group, a design company lo cated in the Midwest.

“We’ve gone through multi ple iterations on the site,” Les lie Accardo, the PEA Group representative for the Chickfil-A design, said at the meeting. “To find one that addresses staff concerns, traffic flow, delivery trucks, and ensure that our customers are able to navigate the site easily.”

According to the ZBA, this layout needed approval from them because it requires an

on that side, but a restaurant without a drive-through is a permitted use in this

planning commission to make sure that traffic and circulations and all that stuff, are being met with the ordinance. So we’ll continue to do that part

ond drive-through lane.

Getting an exception for the setback of a business is called a variance.

Accardo spoke at the meeting about why a variation was

being requested.

“One of the reasons we’re asking for the variance today is that we did hear some concerns from staff about traffic stacking, parking, accommodating all of Chick-fil-A’s uses, and really trying to maximize the amount of drive-through length that we can provide on the site,” Accardo said.

She said the variance would go to the flex lane of the drive-through, which is a second lane that is used during busier hours.

then funnel everyone down to a single lane and deliver the food in a single lane as you reach the delivery canopy.”

The members of the ZBA said they did not think this variance met the criteria required to justify approving

property conditions.

“A trapezoid is not that unusual a site,” he said. “It’s flat. It has access on all the sides. No, there’s nothing unique about it that would set it apart.”

After going through each prong, the ZBA members voted to deny the request for variance, requiring PGA Group to make a new design that meets zoning requirements.

“That’s one of the busiest corners in this town, one of the most dangerous.”

“They call it a flex lane, which is based on if they’re super busy,” Accardo said. “They’ll use both lanes for ordering and for food delivery. If they’re not quite as busy, they might just use only one lane for ordering or they might use two lanes as you enter. You would order and

this exception. The criteria, called the five prongs, are unique property condition variances needed for more than a financial gain, avoidance of substantial harm to neighboring properties without variance, special privilege, minimum variance necessary. ZBA Chair Gordan Swan said he did not feel the variance met the first prong: unique

“Every time that I’ve been around a Chick-fil-A restaurant, traffic is a problem, and that’s one of the busiest corners in this town, one of the most dangerous. I mean, people get killed there annually. I don’t know if getting a high-traffic thing there with this cantilever up near the sidewalk is such a good idea. It is close,” Swan said.

Rescue workers practice protocol in simulated plane crash

Civil Air Patrol rehearses emergency response at airport and Hayden Park

By Trinity Gentry Collegian RepoRteR

The cockpit of an airplane lies at the edge of the woods. K-9 bloodhounds sniff the wreckage in search of survivors. A victim arrives on a stretcher, carried by EMS and firefighters into the back of an ambulance. Other firefighters stand close at hand, ready for action while the K-9 unit enters the woods in search of any other survivors.

This wasn’t a real plane crash — it was the first responder training at Hillsdale Municipal Airport April 12. The event, called Operation Classical, was hosted by the

Hillsdale Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol Michigan Wing and instructed different branches of first responders on how to work together to find the victims of a simulated plane crash.

Lt. Col. Richard King, the Michigan wing director of Homeland Security who coordinates with local emergency services, agencies, and emergency management in Hillsdale county, oversaw the training. King said he was looking for smoothness and continuity throughout the exercise.

“We train quite often throughout the state in different locations,” King said. “We like to say we train how we fight. So, we look for airplanes that are lost and

missing persons, and the scenario that they have here involves a plane crash.”

Operation Classical revealed areas of weakness among the branches of first responders in coordinated emergency situations, according to Jason Lautermilch, the director of emergency management for Hillsdale County.

Lautermilch said this is the first exercise conducted by the Civil Air Patrol in this county. The fire and EMS agencies have not done a plane crash exercise like this before, he said.

“This is a good training opportunity for both sides, especially when it comes to working together to unify as one large group to address the situation,” Lautermilch said.

The difference between life and death in emergency situations can depend on how efficiently the team can coordinate. Efficiency requires preparation and repetition, according to Lautermilch.

“If you want people to be able to operate together on the day of the emergency, that

means that they need to train together before that day arrives,” Lautermilch said.

Small details and issues present themselves through the exercise, according to Lautermilch.

“So the agencies that are practicing are addressing some of those details,” Lautermilch said. “They are making adjustments as far as what departments or agencies are dispatched, how they are dispatched, and going over the roles and responsibilities that the different personnel or agencies have.”

Lautermilch said this event makes first responders more efficient in an actual emergency and teaches them who has what resources and who takes on which responsibilities.

The training on April 12 focused on the responders finding the plane crash survivors.

Mark Hawkins, the deputy fire chief of the Hillsdale City Fire Department, said the exercise is a great way to work with other emergency departments. The emergency scenario is also very applicable to real life scenarios, Hawkins said.

“It is actually a pretty good one, because we have a fuselage that we got to extricate somebody out of,” Hawkins

said. Russell Bicek, the assistant chief of the Hillsdale City Fire Department, said this training, like any training, always helps.

“This is the one where we learn and we ask questions,” Bicek said

Bicek described the steps in this emergency process, revealing a complex system that would be difficult to execute without preparation.

“We did have people go into the woods a little bit deeper, and then we had to provide manpower to get that victim that was ejected from the simulated crash onto a backboard and carried out through the woods,” Bicek said.

Noah Wollet, the field su-

pervisor and training officer of the Reading Emergency of Hillsdale County Michigian, said the training went well but showed him that more exercises like this need to take place.

“I think it was a very good learning experience of getting everybody together and working together,” Wollet said. “We don’t do it very often, so it is always fun and a good learning experience.”

Dallas Russell, the fire chief at North Adams Fire and Rescue, also sees the necessity of these training sessions.

“It is great to get the departments together and to train together,” Russell said. “That is something that does not

Great American Rodeo to bring gospel message to Hillsdale

By Sydney Green SenioR RepoRteR

The Great American Rodeo is coming to the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds April 24 at 7:30 p.m.

The event will be hosted by ProEdge Arena in partnership with groups hosting Freedom 250 activities happening in Hillsdale April 23-26. The event will feature bull riding, barrel racing and wild horse races.

“We are excited to bring the community the Great American Rodeo — it will definitely look like the old Wild West type of show,” said Carie Proctor, owner and operator of ProEdge Arena. “The wild horse race is something that fans love to watch, because it kind of takes them

back to the roots of what rodeo is all about.”

Proctor also said there will be food vendors, a performance by Christian music artist Dylan James, and the appearance of 17-time rodeo entertainer of the year Craig Miller. An autograph session with riders and performers is also planned. Alongside the rodeo, the organizers emphasize a Christian focus.

“Any opportunity that we have when we are in front of a crowd, we want to talk about Jesus,” Proctor said. “We are going to make sure we bring in the gospel in any way we can .”

That emphasis is shared by Western Days Ministries, which will host a free “Round ’Em Up Cowboy Bible Camp” 5-7

munities

ral and agricultural community,” said Sue Sowle, founder and board member of Western Days Ministries. “We put on bull ridings and barrel races and present the good news of Jesus at those.”

The Bible camp is designed as an interactive experience that connects rodeo activities to biblical themes.

“We design our camps as a walk-through experience, so we will set up five or so stations for people to walk through,” Sowle said. “We give them a cowboy story; this one will be about branding, where we will teach them how to brand and then talk about how that relates to Jesus.”

Sowle noted the camp is open to anyone.

“The Bible camp really isn’t just for kids,” Sowle said. “Our

intention is to leave the whole community better after we’ve been there than when we got there. We just want to sow hope in people.”

The rodeo is sponsored by Hillsdale Renaissance, County National Bank, and Hillsdale Hospital and is free to attend.

“This is normally an event that you would pay $20 to $30 per person to get into,” Proctor said. “The adrenaline, the fun, and the message is all free this time.”

Road work ahead: Future of street repair funding uncertain

By Gemma Flores AssistAnt Editor

Hillsdale’s plans to fund road repairs remain uncertain after the city council voted March 16 to repeal a previous policy requiring the use of special assessment districts.

SADs became Hillsdale’s primary source of road funding in February 2025 until the city made them an optional method last month. The funding tool designates dilapidated roads for repair and charges residents on that road up to $5,000 per parcel, with up to an additional $1,500 in interest for those opting for a payment plan.

Hillsdale residents on streets designated for repair by three SAD-funded projects rejected the proposals in February by gathering petitions. Due to pushback from residents, the council voted March 16 to make SADs an optional tool among many for funding road repairs rather than the mandated method.

The council tasked city staff with presenting new options for funding road repairs. One option city staff proposed was to narrow the scope of road

repairs. Instead of a full road reconstruction, city staff suggested removing and repaving the first few inches of asphalt.

“When we have a proposed project moving forward, the residents on the street or who live in that neighborhood can decide what type of project they want,” Assistant City Manager Sam Fry said. “What staff have proposed is an option that would allow us to pave the street from curb to curb, get people a nice, new, smooth driving surface, and we can do that without a special assessment district.”

Ward 2 Councilman

“I think the discussion still exists on keeping special assessment districts on the table,” Flynn said. “I personally think that it should still be an option. If there are neighbors out there on a street that come to the city and say, ‘Look, we’d be willing to pay for it,’ then I think we should be willing to pay for it.”

Bentley said he does not

of SADs: Oak Street, South Street and Arch Avenue and Industrial Avenue. This comes after the city announced that it expects to receive $51,000 less in road funding from the State of Michigan than originally planned.

“I hope we can get the roads done for the cost that is within the city’s budget this year,”

Ward 4 Councilman Robert

not listening,” Apel said. “While this recent policy change away from SADs is a step in the right direction, it’s unfortunate that it came only after consistent public opposition and many failed attempts by residents to be heard.”

Apel said the city staff’s proposed solution was not a permanent answer to Hillsdale’s road funding problem.

“The city council hasn’t really tackled the issue, and I don’t know that we will before the next election.”

Matthew Bentley said the citizens of Hillsdale deserve the credit for reversing SADs, not city staff or the city council.

“The city sat there as the people decided and organized themselves and ended SADs,” Bentley said. “The city council hasn’t really tackled the issue, and I don’t know that we will before the next election.”

Ward 3 Councilman and mayoral candidate Bob Flynn said the council’s discussion of how to move forward with road repair funding is ongoing.

think anyone will be in favor of participating in a special assessment district after the multiple rejections this year.

“It is very clear, all but unanimously among the people, that SADs aren’t coming back, not in their previous form anyway,” Bentley said. “There may be a place for them among the margins, but I’d be surprised.”

The City of Hillsdale plans to complete three road projects in 2026 without the use

Socha said. “Oak and South streets, especially. They’re in pretty rough condition.”

Elyse Apel ’24, a Hillsdale resident, helped lead efforts to block the three proposed SAD projects in March. She said the move away from special assessments is only the first step in both tackling the road funding issue and regaining the confidence of the citizens of Hillsdale.

“For a long time, city staff and our elected officials were

“The city’s current plan is a short-term fix rather than a long-term solution,” Apel said. “While I’m happy they are trying to fix some of our roads, it is still critically important to find real solutions—which might require budget cuts, reallocations, or reprioritization.”

Flynn said that, though it’s not a comprehensive solution, repaving the roads could help ease some of the immediate problems that run-down roads pose to drivers.

“I’m told that doing that should last a good 15 to 20 years,” Flynn said. “It won’t get rid of underlying problems if there are any, but at least it’ll smooth out your ride.”

According to Socha, City Manager David Mackie is working hard to secure funding for roads.

“Our city manager has done an exemplary job trying to find grants and other sources to pave the roads,” Socha said. “It’s a highly competitive process and model and it’s not something that is easy or can be counted on because there’s no guarantee when you apply for a grant. It makes it difficult to plan until the award has actually been guaranteed.”

Apel said that, although many citizens are still frustrated with the conversations around road funding, she’s optimistic about the future.

“I am glad the city decided to move forward with finding ways to actually use the money it’s budgeted to fix our roads,” Apel said. “Unfortunately, there is still a lot of frustration with the general attitude of city staff and some of our elected officials towards the public. I am hopeful this move away from SADs is a coursecorrection for our city.”

All llama, no drama at the county fairgrounds

The Michigan Llama Association hosted the Hobo Hootenanny Show last weekend

By Anna Northcutt

port

The first llama was shaved like a poodle. The next had hair so long it looked like a dirty mop. Located at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds, the Michigan Llama Association‘s Hobo Hootenanny Show featured 125 llamas competing in almost 80 classes Apr. 11.

The MLA hosted the show, and the Alpaca Llama Show Association and the International Llama Registry dual-sanctioned it, according to performance judge Cassandra Williams. The llamas were sorted into classes based on factors such as previous show experience, age, and physical characteristics such as hair length.

“MLA and ALSA are two national organizations, so the people here aren’t just from Michigan, they’re from all over,” Williams said.

Bob Minto, the show’s organizer, said he and his late wife started the show 34 years ago.

Culver’s from A1

“It’s always been what we call ‘hobo,’ that is, people don’t have to groom their animals,” he said. “Most shows from here on out, the animals will be groomed, and they will look quite different, but mid-April in Hillsdale could be a blizzard, so we just said, ‘Hey, let’s make it so that folks can walk out to the pasture that morning, throw the llamas in a trailer, and come to a show.’”

Llamas, a South American cousin to camels, are pack animals that graze in grassy areas and provide wool and transportation.

According to Minto, llama handlers appreciate the show’s laid-back attitude as they get warmed up for the show season without the usual stress of grooming their animals.

In addition, Minto said about halfway through the day, the show will recognize a Hobo Hootenanny king and queen, awarded to whichever handler sported the most authentically hobo outfit.

“We bought the crowns at Hobby Lobby, and one of the gals made the sashes,” Minto said. “It’s sort of a big deal, but it’s sort of funny, too. For 20 minutes, we all take a break and get a laugh, and then it’s back to the show.”

Williams said llamas often get a bad rap, because they can spit and kick, but the stereotype isn’t necessarily deserved.

“Especially the llamas here, the ones that are used to being shown, they’re so friendly,” Williams said. “If somebody just walks up to a

llama, nine times out of 10, they will not spit at you.”

Twenty-four year old Megan Fruits, who has been showing llamas since she was 4, said all llamas may compete in three different types of classes: showmanship, halter, and performance.

“Showmanship is based off the person. It’s how well you as a showman can show off your animal to the best of its advantages and to kind of mask the disadvantages,” she said. “Halter is purely judged off of the llama’s conformation.”

ver’s is the latest in a series of new businesses that have recently come to Hillsdale, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Aldi, and Meijer.

ley-Horn of Michigan — a consulting firm on the project — said the building will be south of Aldi and include a wraparound drive-through with two lanes.

“We’ve been in coordination with Aldi,” Smith said.

“This is their property technically, that we’re purchasing it from.”

Culver’s is a Wisconsin-based fast-food chain known for its ButterBurgers and frozen custard, with locations across 26 states.

The project is still awaiting approval on

permits from the Michigan Department of Transportation, according to Hillsdale Zoning Administrator Olivia Smith.

“I think it’s just a matter of getting the documents in a row and then signing off on it,” Olivia Smith said. “So they were pretty much giving it a greenlight on their end.”

Junior Holly Pickett

said she grew up eating at Culver’s and is looking forward to having a

Meanwhile, performance, Fruits said, consists of three different categories: pack, obstacles, and public relations.

“Pack is where we put a pack on the llama’s back, and they carry it through the course,” she said. “It’s supposed to simulate what they would see if they were on a trail, because they are good pack animals. Obstacles is just your baseline stuff like jumps and backing stairs. PR stands for public relations, so that’s if you’re out in the public walking through doors, being by balloons, having somebody pet your animal, and stuff like that.”

While Fruits has shown llamas for years, other attendees at the show competed for the first time or participated more casually through their local 4-H program.

Contestant Karen Hall said she started out showing llamas as part of 4-H growing up and stuck with it afterward.

“It’s a great place to start,” she said. “They give you a

piece of home in Hillsdale.

“Hillsdale needs a Culver’s so my friends and I can save on gas money when going to Culver’s,” Pickett said.

“Because we have on multiple occasions driven to Coldwater with Culver’s being the sole purpose.”

The addition of a Culver’s would make Hillsdale feel even more Midwestern, according to freshman Nora Shull.

“I think Culver’s is a

quintessential part of the Midwestern experience and as a Michigan native I have grown up eating their burgers and custard,” Shull said. Pickett said that one item on the menu is always part of her order. “I always get their fries,” Pickett said. “I think they’re my favorite fast food fries.”

more trained animal and help you through the ropes.” Williams said she also started showing llamas through 4-H.

“My best friend since second grade was doing llamas, and I went out to the farm with her one day, and I just fell in love with them,” Williams said. “They’re like big dogs.”

After becoming certified as a judge last year, the MLA Hobo Hootenanny Show was Williams’ first show to judge. So far, she said, it had been a great experience.

“The llama community is a lot different from other livestock communities,” Williams said. “Everybody here is like a big family, so just smiles all over the barn, and everybody’s really sweet.”

CORRECTION

A previous Collegian article (“Family homes under construction,” April 2) incorrectly stated that the City of Hillsdale gave $15 million to the Three Meadows North housing development. The city did not provide any funding for the project.

Men's Tennis SportS

Two wins continue streak

By Patrick Matteson Collegian Freelancer

The men’s tennis team beat Kentucky Wesleyan University April 10 and Thomas More University April 11, improving to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play.

After the wins, head coach Keith Turner said the Chargers handled this stretch of their schedule well.

“We’re doing a good job of taking care of business during an easier time of our schedule,” Turner said.

Sophomore Ryan Papazov and junior Ellis Klanduch opened the match against Kentucky Wesleyan with a 6-0 win on doubles court No. 1. Sophomore Samuel Plys and freshman Jackson Clements lost on doubles court No. 2, but sophomores Rintaro Goda and Alex Cordero Lopez pulled out a 7-5 win on court No. 3 to claim the doubles point and push the Chargers to a 1-0 lead.

Kentucky Wesleyan evened the match at 1-1 after Papazov lost 6-1, 6-1 on singles court No. 1, but the Chargers did not give the Panthers any momentum. Hillsdale would go on to claim the next five singles matches, winning the overall match.

The Chargers did not drop a set on court Nos. 2-5, and on court No. 2, Plys won 6-0, 6-0. Klanduch, Cordero Lopez, Goda, and Clements each added a singles win to their individual records for the season.

“It’s amazing to see the team playing incredibly well these last few weeks, espe -

Games

cially when we’ve trained our tails off preparing for our conference matches,” Goda said.

“Being able to see your team improve is genuinely the best, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Hillsdale took to the Mary Jane Delp outdoor courts April 11 against the Saints of Thomas More University.

Klanduch and fellow junior Henry Hammond started play on doubles court No. 1, The lost bles

the work I’ve been putting in is translating to matches,” Cordero Lopez said. “These wins are really important for our confidence moving forward.”

After winning the first set 6-3, Goda dropped the second set 6-2. He went on to win the tiebreaker 10-5 to earn Hillsdale’s sixth and final point of the match. He credited his focus and reset in the tiebreaker.

Club Feature

Club swimming

By Elizabeth Caneday Collegian Freelancer

a 6-1 win on court No. 3 from Plys and Goda earned Hillsdale the lone doubles point.

In singles play, Hillsdale won the first five matches. Plys, Klanduch, Hammond, and Cordero Lopez each won in two sets, and Goda went to a third set tiebreak on court No. 5.

“Alex continues to play great in singles, and Ellis and Sam played one of their best matches of the year,” Turner said.

“I feel that my level is where I want it to be, and

“I told myself to keep the second set in the past and focus on every point in the tiebreak,” Goda said. “Coach Turner was on my court and encouraged me to keep pushing and he reassured me that I was going to pull through.”

Goda won all four of his matches over the

“These matches were really important in securing our spot in the conference tournament, and I am really happy with the tennis I was able to produce,” Goda said.

Clements lost 7-6, 6-4 on court No. 6, but Hillsdale had already clinched the overall win.

“The win against Thomas More was impressive as we were short-handed,” Turner said. “I was very proud of the effort.”

The Chargers look to stretch their win streak to five as they travel to North Canton, Ohio to take on Walsh University April 18. Hillsdale sits at fifth place in G-MAC standings with a chance to move into fourth heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

Senior Makayla Hanna swam a college personal best time of 1:12.30 in the women’s 100 breaststroke and competed in three other races at the 2026 Collegiate Club Swimming National Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, April 10-12.

Out of approximately 1,600 other swimmers at nationals, Hanna was the only Hillsdale student. She qualified for and competed in the 100 breast stroke, 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:41.76, 100 individ ual medley with a time of 1:07.10, and 50 breaststroke with a time of 33.74.

“I raced a lot in three days — Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” Hanna said. “I raced the 200 breaststroke and the 100 individual medley on Saturday, back to back. It was kind of wild. They were five minutes apart. It was a super quick turnaround.”

arrived at Hillsdale, she began focusing solely on orchestra, though she continued swimming on her own.

“Orchestra and swimming were both good for their times,” Hanna said. “I think it was nice to have a break from swimming and it was nice to do or- chestra. I

the details of Hanna’s trip to Greensboro. He said Hanna’s performance represents Hillsdale’s high level of intercollegiate competition.

“Makayla has been one of the strongest competitors on the club swim team since she helped start the club two years ago,” Perkins said. “Her leadership and motivation have been key to establishing swimming as a club sport here at Hillsdale.”

Hanna, vice president of club swimming, qualified for nationals in the 2024-2025 season but said that she was unable to compete due to a lack of space in the field.

“I unfortunately didn’t get to go last year, which was really devastating,” Hanna said. “I really worked for that.”

Thanks to encouragement from her mentors, Hanna said she decided to swim one more season.

Hanna said she has been swimming competitively since she was 7 years old. When she

When Hanna was a sophomore, four freshmen — Finn Fleischer, Dylan Glover, Nick Rutkoski, and Hayden Stolzenberg — founded Hillsdale’s swim club, and Hanna joined.

“It had been two years since I competed, so it was kind of surreal to go back to that,” Hanna said. “The longest break I had from competing was a few months, ever.”

Ryan Perkins, director of campus recreation and club sports, helped coordinate

Carly Boerema, house director of Sohn, said she had never seen Hanna swim before she went as a chaperone on the trip.

“I was so impressed with her ability to compete with some of the best college swimmers in the nation,” Boerema said. “She has worked so hard to get here and has shown such determination and commitment. After the disappointment of missing last year’s nationals despite her qualifying, supporting Makayla in this opportunity was a joy.”

Reflecting on her experience at Hillsdale, Hanna said she was grateful for her unique journey to club swim nationals.

“It’s been a really long time coming,” Hanna said. “I didn’t necessarily swim as fast as I did in high school, but I also have very different circumstances now. I’m running around doing lots of different things, and I basically coached myself for these two years.”

‘I

work to see your smile’

By Evelyn Shurtliff Collegian Freelancer

The man who sits at the front desk of the Roche Sports Complex from opening until 10 a.m. on weekday mornings welcomes everyone with a smile, sweet compliment, or a friendly bit of wisdom in hopes of winning a smile in return.

“I work to see your smile,” 90-year-old Jerry Miller said. “That’s the story of my life. I love people. I’ve always worked with people. I’ve had state chairmanships of junior chamber of commerce and I’ve been all over the country. I’ve met people from around the world. I’ve got a telephone book at home about three inches thick. Open it up and you’ll find numbers from all over the world of business associates and people I’ve met. People in Mexico, in Monterey. My life has taken me all around, but I come back to that front desk. And you.” Miller has worked at the desk since 2012, brightening students’ day by letting his own simple joy radiate into their lives.

“Walk through that door even at 7 o’clock in the morning and it will strike you how joyful he is,” junior Elizabeth Schlueter said. “He always made my day, and even before I knew his name, he would say hello or make a kind comment, or simply say, ‘See you tomorrow.’ And he does that to every single person who walks in, not just the people he already knows.” Miller was born and raised on a farm in Saline, about an hour’s drive east of Hillsdale. When his grandfather died, Miller said he spent a lot of time helping his grandmother and one day wandered down to her neighbors house because he was fascinated by their tractor. The family then gave him a job driving the tractor.

“I spent all my time with them and they were so good to me,” Miller said. “They gave me opportunities to do things and to learn, but they demanded something from me too. They put a trust in me, and there were moments when I wasn’t worthy of it. But they never stopped. They never gave up on me. They never gave up on presenting me with new chal-

lenges. They presented me with hard work, but they taught me that how you deal with people is important.”

In many ways, Miller’s life is like a story in an old film. He met his wife, Karen, at a high school dance their junior year and asked her to dance. After that, he says, “we never stopped dancing.”

When Miller married Karen in 1955, they moved to Tecumseh, Michigan. Miller worked for a trucking company, traveling across the U.S.. While working for a Ford dealer out of Coldwater, Michigan, Miller decided to move to that area and send his daughters to the Reading Community Schools, just southwest of Hillsdale. While in Reading, Miller and

ple and every part of it right from the word go, and it has just blossomed from there. It’s been a wonderful ride, these past 14 years.”

Miller says Hillsdale is a great blessing to him, but students say he is a blessing to them each day.

Senior Aidan Kowatch said he always loves being able to see Jerry when he walks through the double doors.

“He always has a quick little one-liner for you whenever you walk through the door,’” Kowatch said. “He always brings a lot of energy, especially in the mornings when the football guys and several other sports teams have to wake up really early to get to workouts. Sometimes you feel like you’re

his wife bought an old party store and turned it into a convenience store called ‘Miller’s Main Stop’ in the ’70s.

When Miller retired, he and Karen moved closer to Hillsdale and eventually, Miller heard through a friend that the Splex was looking for staff at the front desk.

“It was probably one of the greatest things that happened to me down the road in life, having this opportunity to come to Hillsdale College and work this particular job that I fell in love with,” Miller said. “I fell in love with the young peo-

dragging a bit, but there is Jerry with a big smile on his face and you can see that he really loves what he is doing and that he simply loves life. Just seeing that, sharing a smile or a little interaction, just exchanging a few words with him can set your day off on the right foot.”

Miller said that during his 14 years of working at the Splex, one interaction has still stood out to him as a formative experience.

“I used to tell the football boys ‘don’t forget to call your mom. Tell her you love her,’” Jerry said. “It backfired on me

Charger

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Shapeshifting, so I could turn into anything that I needed in that particular moment. If I need to get somewhere fast, or if I need to fly somewhere, I can be a bird. And if I need to get really small and get in a tiny space, I could be an insect.

If you could eat any meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I would do a Mediterranean spread with gyro, tabbouleh, hummus and pita. I could eat that every single day.

What’s your favorite place you’ve visited?

England. I went with a friend to visit another friend, and it was the coolest trip. We went on lots of hikes, saw lots of nature, and also explored the city.

one day though. I said that to one boy walking by, and he mumbled something about not having a mom and walked out the door. He didn’t turn around and I didn’t have a chance to walk myself out of a bad situation. So one day I got up and reached across to shake hands with him and I said, ‘My friend, I’ve lost my grandmothers, I’ve lost my mother, I’ve lost my daughter and I’ve lost my wife. I share your pain and I want you to be happy. Please be happy. Please let me be a part of you being happy. It’s a great loss but we must go forward.’ And he and I, it took us quite a while, but we became good friends.”

Jerry doesn’t sit at the desk to monitor that you swipe your ID as you walk in or make sure you’re not stealing something as you walk out. Instead, as most students have learned, he sits there because he wants to make sure you’re worth it — to show you kindness and tell you, “Hey, be happy today!” or “Happy Thursday morning, sweet pea.” He will tell you, “By the way, your smile is a real killer” and you’ll light up even more because every time you pass him, you will walk away richer.

“No one ever gave up on me,” Miller said. “Whatever I wanted to do, they would help me. They made it possible for me to learn from them like a son. So that’s why I can’t give up on the students. I want them to enjoy all the things that I enjoyed, however different they are and however different the world is. I want them to be able to walk where they want to walk and explore what they want to explore and I want to see them to appreciate their opportunity to do that and to respect it.”

Miller said he wants to give students an opportunity to see the joy, goodness, and beauty of the world as he serves the college.

“Of all the places I’ve been and all the people I know, all the excitements, all the disappointments, it comes back to you tomorrow morning when you come through the door,” Miller said. “That’s my life. You are my life.”

Softball

“Even though she is still a freshman and there’s been a lot of pressure on her, she has done really well and she’s somebody that we plan to rely on,” Gross said. “Katie’s a down ball pitcher and has good velocity. When she has control, she can really paint the corners and be in command. And that’s one of the things that had been inconsistent, but was really good this weekend.”

Hillsdale lost their first game against Ohio Dominican University 5-4. Though Hillsdale tied Ohio Dominican at the top of the seventh inning, Ohio Dominican scored another run, winning the game. Gross said that weak offense led to the game’s defeat.

“That game was kind of marred with a lot of mistakes, both physical like errors on plays and also just some lapses in running bases,” Gross said. “Senior Mackenzie Maxson threw another really good game, well enough to win. We just couldn't overcome their offense.”

The next game against Ohio Dominican was a 3-1 victory for Hillsdale. Lewis said that offense was able to readjust to Ohio Dominican, winning runs while Jonas and sophomore pitcher Grace Harris were able to maintain good pitching defense.

“Offensively, Ohio Dominican relied on bunting a lot more to get girls on and move them over,” Lewis said. “In this second game we adjusted

Chatter

our defense by expecting the bunts more often. Our at-bats changed because we had an idea of what pitches to protect against in the box.”

Sophomore Ronnie Craft gained four baserunning runs throughout the whole game, and freshman Cayla Contreras declared her the MVP of the weekend.

“Craft gets on in big, crucial situations, and has helped us get the points we need to narrowly win these games,” Contreras said. “She always keeps fighting in each game, no matter how bleak the situation is, setting the example for the rest of the team.”

Gross said the Chargers were able to shore up their pitching game this weekend, allowing them to break their four-loss streak. However, he was disappointed in losing the one game against Ohio Dominican.

“I think the preparation this week with our pitching staff was pivotal,” Gross said. “Our pitchers did a complete turnaround from last games, due to the scrimmages and extra training we did. Right now, we're going to work on a little bit of trying to cut out mistakes. Mistakes are going to happen, but, you know, because I feel we should have been able to win all four games this weekend.”

The Chargers will face Thomas More University and Kentucky Wesleyan College at home April 18 and 19.

What’s something you like about tennis?

Tennis is a sport that encompasses all sorts of aspects. It has a physical component. But it’s a very mental game in between each point. It encompasses a lot of different things into one sport.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

When I have to rush to get somewhere, or do something. I like giving myself time.

Favorite class you took at Hillsdale?

I really liked biomechanics and Exercise Physiology: the way the body works, and the way the body moves, and all the systems to make different things work.

Melanie Zampardo, women's tennis coach

C harger S port S

Women's Tennis

Senior day brings weekend sweep

By Sophia Bryant Assistant Editor

The women’s tennis team defeated Kentucky Wesleyan College 7-0 and defeated Thomas More University 6-1 April 10-11 at home, lifting its season record to 10-8 and its conference record to 4-3.

“It’s easy to fall to the level of the competition you’re playing, and we did not do that at all,” head coach Melanie Zampardo said.

“We played real ly good ten nis, and we got the job done really quickly and efficiently.”

The team celebrated seniors Megan Hackman and Bella Spinazze during and after the match against Kentucky Wesleyan. Around 50 people attended the celebration, according to Zampardo.

team so much, and it has truly been the most special four years. Hillsdale is unlike any other school, and I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to be surrounded by such amazing women over all my years.”

Spinazze beat Kentucky Wesleyan 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. Kentucky Wesleyan only had five players, so Spinazze’s match was the only one in the building

“She was the only one out there,” Zampardo said. “And to have her entire family there, and then the whole team and everyone just watching her, cheering her on, and supporting her, that felt really special, too.”

“It’s gonna hurt to see them go because every single day for all four years, they’ve just come in and given their best, and they’ve inspired others to do their best,” Zampardo said.

Hackman and Spinazze played together at No. 2 doubles, defeating Kentucky Wesleyan 6-0.

“It is bittersweet,” Hackman said. “I will miss this

The following day, junior Ané Dannhauser and sophomore Briana Rees beat Thomas More 6-1 at No. 1 doubles. Freshmen Dimitra Papastavrou and Esther Sura beat Thomas More 6-1 at No. 3 doubles.

At No. 5 singles, Papastavrou beat Thomas More 6-2, 6-2.

The Chargers will travel to Ohio to face Ursuline College April 17 and No. 49 ranked Walsh University April 18.

Track and Field

Figman leads comeback against No. 15

By Christian Papillon Assistant Editor

Sophomore Jake Figman delivered a walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning after hitting a game-tying pinch-hit RBI double in the seventh to lead the Hillsdale baseball team to an 11-10 victory over No. 15-ranked Wayne State University April 14. The Chargers season record now stands at 17-19.

“I’m just so proud of our guys,” head coach Tom Vessella said. “It’s easy to just give up when you fall be hind so

only thing you can do is chip away until you have a big inning and that’s exactly what they did. They didn’t stop.”

Entering the bottom of the seventh inning down 104, the Chargers rallied to tie the game, capped off by Figman’s double. Freshman Drew Law, who came in to pitch in the seventh, retired all nine Wayne State batters he faced to help set up the game-winning rally.

Earlier in the week, the team took three out of four games against Lake Erie ColMidland, Ohio April 11-12.

“Our starting really stepped up this weekend,” Vessella said. “All four starters gave us quality starts that put us in a position to win all four

After losing the first game on Saturday 2-1, the Chargers

won the second game 9-4 later in the day thanks to key hits from sophomores Gaard Swenson and Will Lehman, and junior Aaron Jasiak.

“Against Lake Erie, we did a much better job at clutch pitching and defense,” Swenson said. “There were many times when Erie had runners in scoring position with less than two outs, and they could not score any runs.”

Swenson said the team had a mental reset after the first game.

“One of our seniors, Tyler Turner, got all the guys together and really motivated us to play hard and to play loose,” Swenson said. “This significantly helped the tension we may have felt from losing a few games in a row and really set us up for success.”

The Chargers won the first game on Sunday 5-1 thanks to a five-inning start from senior Patrick MacLean and three

scoreless innings from sophomore Josh Novak. Novak kept the Chargers in a 1-1 tie before they broke through for four runs in the eighth inning.

“Pat MacLean had his first start of the season and he looked really good,” Novak said. “We’ve probably rounded out our rotation.” Novak said he enjoys pitching in high-leverage situations.

“I like it because you take the preparation more seriously,” Novak said. “I don’t know if it’s like that for everyone, but I’ve enjoyed being able to pitch back-to-back days and pitch in the seventh, eighth, or ninth innings.”

The Chargers will play a series at home against the University of Findlay April 17-20 before travelling to Detroit for another game against Wayne State April 21.

Blustery weather challenges success

By Elijah Guevara Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale men’s golf team battled cold and windy weather at the Ken Partridge Invitational last week in Indiana, finishing 13th out of 18 teams with a 903, April 5-7.

Junior Robert Thompson earned his sixth top-10 finish of the season, scoring 4-over par. But, the inclement weather hurt the team’s overall performance, according to head coach Luke Kelly.

“The weather made staying mentally tough very import-

ant,” Kelly said. “I thought we did that in the beginning, but faltered in our mental toughness toward the end of the tournament.”

Junior Oliver Marshall described the conditions as “brutal.”

“The weather was very cold and windy for both days,” Marshall said. “I personally didn’t handle it that well, and I think the team could have done a better job as well.”

Kelly said the invitational shed light on some areas for improvement for the team.

“The team can improve

around and on the greens,” Kelly said. “They also are working toward coming together and holding each other more accountable in their preparation.”

Marshall said he hopes to see the team start pulling wins at the 2026 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championship, April 20-22.

“We have had some good individual performances, but haven’t been able to put it all together as a team in the spring yet,” Marshall said.

“I’m looking forward to a

chance to do that at G-MACs next week.”

Kelly said while the team has a two-week break between the Ken Partridge Invite and the start of G-MACs, they have been using it to their advantage to prepare and practice.

“We have a real shot at coming out on top at the conference championship,” Kelly said. “I think the preparation this week is important to set us up with the best chance of winning.”

Chargers shatter school and personal records

By Francesca Cella Assistant Editor

Weight throwers junior Amelia Lutz and senior Ben Haas broke school records in shot put and hammer throw, respectively, at the Al Owens Invitational hosted by Grand Valley State University April 10-11.

Lutz won the shot put with a mark of 16.27 meters and broke the former Charger record of 15.54, set by ’23 Nikita Maines in 2022. Her throw set the second-best mark in both the Great Midwest Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II. Lutz’s mark is just short of her 16.42 meter mark that holds the indoor school record.

“I ended up throwing 16.27, so it was only 20 centimeters

off of my indoor record, but I feel way more confident in my skill and all the work we’ve put in,” Lutz said. “I feel like I can actually perform relaxed and I think that’s really going to help. We’ve seen a lot of indicators of a big mark coming, so I’m hoping that I can just relax and enjoy the moment, and I feel like that’s when I do my best.”

Lutz also won discus throw and set a new personal best with a mark of 45.86 meters. She took third in the invite section of hammer with a personal best of 53.36 meters. Junior Olivia Newsome came in fifth in the invite section with a mark of 50.50 meters, and junior Regan Wight took second in the hammer open with a throw of 47.59 meters.

Haas is the defending NCAA

DII hammer throw champion and took third with a personal best throw of 67.36 meters. He broke his own school record of 67.21 meters set in 2025. Haas also took fourth in shot put with a mark of 17.01 meters.

Freshman Dominic Scharer came in ninth in the invite hammer throw with a mark of 57.02 meters, and junior Dimitry Ermakov took fourth in the open hammer throw competition with a personal best of 55.86 meters. Ermakov said he was happy about his score and enjoyed the meet.

“To me at least, meets are where you get to showcase all of the hard work you’ve put in,” Ermakov said. “But it’s also where you get the blood boiling. I love meets, because it’s where you get to go crazy with

it. I don’t normally scream or anything, but at meets I can go ballistic. That’s why I have a lot of fun, because I’m like a totally different person.”

In shot put, sophomore Yahli Salzman set an outdoor personal best and took fifth with a mark of 14.81 meters. Junior Jackson Childress came in 10th in discus with a throw of 46.56 meters.

On track, seniors Francesca Federici, Lucy Minning, Anna Lamoreaux, and freshman Anna Roessner ran the 4x100 meter in 46.33 and came in second. Federici broke her personal record in the 100-meter with a time of 12.31, and Roessner took fourth in the 400-meter in 57.39.

Freshman Jack Polizzi came in seventh in the 400m

in 49.56, followed by junior Zealand Tarrant in 11th with a time of 50.31.

Junior Eleanor Clark finished eighth in the 1500-meter with a personal best of 4:43.74, followed by junior Savannah Fraley in 12th with a time of 4:46.56. Freshmen John Richardson and Henry Thuet set personal bests in the 1500 placing seventh and 18th with times of 3:56.56 and 3:49.80, respectively, followed by freshmen Jefferson Regitz, who took 19th with a time of 3:59.95.

In pole vault, senior Connor McCormick came in seventh with a clearance of 4.52 meters. Freshman Luan Kummle took sixth in long jump with a collegiate best of 6.68 meters. He said he’s hoping to breach the seven meter barrier.

“A lot of times you’re able to achieve it but you just don’t know it, and once you’ve seen that it’s possible, that unlocks the ability to do it again,” Kummle said. “I just have to do it once, I think, and then I can do it again.” At the Outdoor Mid-Week Multi April 8-9, sophomore Baelyn Zitzmann was runner-up in the heptathlon, with a personal best score of 4,486. Freshman Bristol Whitley followed in third with a score of 4.168, and sophomore Aubrie Wilson marked a score of 3.656.

The Chargers will host the 56th annual GINA Relays April 16-18 in Hayden Park.

Hillsdale Tower Players direct one-act shows

By Gianna Lodice Collegian reporter

Hillsdale Tower Players took the stage at the Quilhot Blackbox Theatre April 9 through 12 to perform in the club’s biannual Festival of Short Plays.

The series of one-act plays offered stories ranging in variety both in style and mood, and time period and theme. The four plays were “The Girl Who Cannot Be Hurt,” directed by junior Maggie Saffian; “Trifles,” directed by junior Sophia Miller; “The Death of the Hired Man,” directed by senior Joshua Burnett; and “The Gift of the Magi,” directed by senior Yaozhu (Charlie) Cheng.

According to Burnett, directing a play is a course requirement for the theater department’s Advanced Projects in Directing course, which follows the prerequisite Basic Directing for the Theatre course offered in the fall.

“The one-act plays should be educational and also an opportunity for artistic expression for the directors, the actors, and for the audience,” Burnett said.

Saffian staged “The Girl Who Cannot Be Hurt” with actors dressed in black, switching in and out of props to play different characters. Only the main character, named Girl (freshman Grace Gardner), remained in her character for the whole act.

“My favorite of the four plays was ‘The Girl Who Cannot Be Hurt,’” said freshman Jessica Church, who attended the performances. “I thought the idea of the entire ensemble playing multiple characters was very interesting, and the play seemed to almost have a poetic element to it.”

The style of performance in “The Girl Who Cannot Be Hurt” was also enhanced by the Blackbox performance space, with the audience sharing the same floor as the performers. The darkness of the space and outfits also offered a satisfying contrast with Saffian’s lighting choices.

“Having the plays performed in such a small area with the audience so close to the actors was an interesting artistic choice,” Church said.

Set in the early 20th-century farmhouse kitchen of John Wright, a man who has just been murdered, “Trifles” tells the story of investigations surrounding Mr. Wright’s untimely death. His wife is the prime suspect in the crime. The story particularly focuses on Mrs. Peters (sophomore Nora Shull) and Mrs. Hale (freshman Anna Coyle), two women from the town who are interested to find out whether Mrs. Wright killed her husband — and what motivated her if she did.

“It was a dark murder mys-

tery-type situation,” said sophomore Aubrie Wilson, an actor in “The Gift of the Magi.” Wilson said Shull and Coyle were great as the distressed townswomen in “Trifles”

In the program for the event, Burnett said that “The Death of the Hired Man” was adapted from a Robert Frost poem of the same name.

“I was drawn to these characters and the universal struggles they face: life, death, and how to live in community,” Burnett said.

With just four characters, the play tells the story of a wandering old man named Silas, who returns year after year to the New England farmhouse of married couple Warren and Mary seeking work. Warren has repeatedly taken Silas on, despite the man’s rapid aging and inefficiency. The play reveals the tragedy of Silas’ loneliness.

Wilson said she enjoyed junior Josh Underwood’s performance as the old man Silas in “The Death of the Hired Man,” joking that not every performance landed well.

“But, it got a bit awkward during the Sunday show when all the really old alumni came to watch the play,” Wilson said.

Based on the famous short story by O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi” concluded the Festival of Short Plays with a warm-hearted Christmastime story. Newlyweds Jim and Della look to buy each other a special holiday gift even though money is tight. Cheng, the director, described the main characters as “foolish yet profoundly sincere,” revealing something about the “very essence of gifts.” Jim and Della summon the strength of all their money, love, and thought — and perhaps go to extreme lengths — to find the perfect items for each other, though the reward for doing so ends up being more valuable than any gift.

Church encouraged the Hillsdale community to look out for the Festival of Short Plays the next time it is offered.

“I recommend that people go see the festival of short plays because they’re all very well made and are intriguing to watch,” Church said. “It is nice to see what fellow students have been putting so much time into.”

Being a Tower Player, Wilson offered some insight into the fruits of putting so much time even into small performances such as these.

“What’s the point of having plays in general? Theatre is a way to make sense of life,” Wilson said. “It’s also a way to laugh at life when life doesn’t make sense. And finally, theatre can be a good representation of life. After all, as the great play nerd Shakespeare said, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’”

Runaround showed up at CHP Showdown

By Gianna Lodice Collegian reporter

Familiar multicolored lights, the hallmark of Hillsdale Student Activities Board events, pierced the night sky April 10 as the crowd sang and danced to Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” and ABBA’s “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.”

Centralhallapalooza Showdown was held at the Phi Sig pavilion for the first time. The annual battle pits Hillsdale’s most endeavouring student bands against each other to musically duke it out for a chance to perform at the year-ending Centralhallapalooza. This year’s winning band is Runaround.

CHP Showdown presented a lineup of new variety and talent in addition to tried-andtrue campus favorites. The top three bands voted by students — Runaround, Backspace, and Jett Cruz and the Bahama Mamas — all fell into the latter category.

Despite this, senior and Runaround frontman Daniel Doyle said the newcomers present promise for the future of the Hillsdale music scene.

This year’s Showdown was Runaround’s third and final performance at the event, as the bandmates will be taking the stage for graduation next month.

“You’ve got bands like Plas-

tic Frog Bank that are pretty good, and they’re new upand-coming, and a lot of the guys that are underclassmen or juniors, so they’ll be around for a little while,” Doyle said. “There’s also movement and shaking within band members and what bands are around, which is really good, I think, and healthy.”

This year’s lineup also featured a country band, GoodTime, which diverged from the usual entourage of rock bands.

“I was just excited to get the opportunity to play at CHP Showdown because there’s usually not a country band,” said junior Amelia King, lead singer and guitarist for GoodTime. “It is great to have this opportunity to play country music for my friends and the people on this campus, and I just love playing it, so any opportunity that I get to do that is really exciting.”

Junior Martha Kennedy, a member of SAB’s creative team, is thankful for her position to help plan and staff at CHP Showdown.

“It’s super fun getting to plan this for SAB,” Kennedy said. “I love working the event, because you get to see so many students come and vote for all of the bands that they think are super talented. It’s super competitive, because they’re all vying for a spot in CHP and so everyone is at their best performance, which means that

we have a wonderful show for the night.” Doyle also had some thoughts on the decision to switch to the Phi Sig pavilion from the event’s traditional location, in the beloved Old Snack Bar. Without the Old Snack Bar’s brick walls, Doyle said, his voice felt louder, which was fun.

“CHP had been in the OSB all of my years here up until now, but I know it used to be at Grange Hall or sometimes the fairgrounds building,” Doyle said. “So it’s been in different locations, but I appreciated it at the OSB. But at Phi Sig I think the sound was able to dissipate and go out of the tent faster, which made it easier for the sound techs, because they don’t have all the sound waves bouncing back.”

The improved acoustics, the outdoor setting offered by the pavilion, and the great lineup of bands helped make this year’s Showdown a success, according to Doyle. For Runaround, another guarantor of their win was using their 20-minute time slot to play a set of fan-favorite songs.

Senior Ezra Phillips, Runaround’s bassist, said the band has a well-tested formula for success by now.

“Normally we would talk about set lists, get together, and practice at least twice before the show,” Phillips said. “At this

point, we have enough chemistry as a band that we don’t need to rehearse as much. So we basically slapped down a set list, practiced once, and then got up on stage, and it went really well.”

Doyle agreed.

“Our songs were ones we’ve played before, and we knew they were well-liked songs,” he said. “We didn’t try to do anything fancy.”

For those bands thinking ahead to next year’s Showdown in hopes of gaining a prestigious place among those Hillsdale artists who have played at CHP, assembling a successful CHP Showdown set list seems to be the key.

Phillips advised new bands to go home and practice over the summer — and find the sweet spot between crowd-pleasers and band picks.

“I would say one of the number one things that’s made us really successful has been being willing to gauge the difference between what we want to play and what people want to hear, because there are some bands that play only what people want to hear, and they don’t have quite as much energy,” Phillips said. “So if you can kind of find that sweet spot in the middle, the stuff that you love to play, and mix it with the stuff that the crowd loves the most, that’s the best spot.”

C U L T U R E

Friends in Japan and the Edmund Fitzgerald feature in final art show

By Faith Miller Collegian RepoRteR

Five senior art majors will put their artwork on display in their exhibition “Through Your Eyes” April 17 to 21.

Claire Bowers, Abigail Palubinskas, Rin Schlueter, Michelle Soukup, and Carolyn Spangler have each chosen 20 to 25 pieces that they created in the past four years to display at the art show. The exhibit is in the Daughtrey Art Gallery in the Sage Fine Arts Building with a reception to begin the show on April 17 at 6 p.m.

Palubinskas’ current favorite piece on display is a painting she created just last week. She said she often favors her most recent pieces.

“I did a portrait of my best friend when she went to Japan, she got all done up in this incredible wig, and she got a professional photo shoot done,” Palubinskas said. “She just looks unreal. So I asked her if I could

paint a portrait of her from those photos, and it’s been my favorite one so far.”

Over half of the paintings Palubinskas will display are from the past year, including at least seven from this semester.

“You’re not learning as much as a senior. You’re more honing and distilling your skills,” Pulabinskas said. “So everything that I’ve made this year, I’ve really enjoyed.”

Soukup said her most meaningful piece is a carbon and white chalk portrait of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a ship that sank on Lake Superior. Last summer, Soukup attended a 50th anniversary memorial for the sinking. It’s about evoking a feeling, the essence of what’s happening,” Soukup said. “So for the ships, I tried to make them look very grand, even the Fitzgerald. I tried to depict it as strong and proud, because she did have a really grand history, and it unfortunately ended very tragically. I just like being able to use art to

tell people about stories and keep memories alive.”

Palubinskas said as she has grown as an artist at Hillsdale, the art major has taught her humility and integrity. Her display will include a sketch book she began in 2023 to show the growth she has had as an artist.

“People can see, this is when I started to be an art major, and this is when maybe I wasn’t at my peak or this was me learning,” Palubinskas said. “So even though those things are really hard to show and share, because I don’t think they’re the best, I think it’s important for people to see that art is a lot more than just what’s on the wall. It’s all the work that you don’t see as well.”

Palubinskas decided to be an art major after taking Drawing 1, where she learned about the weight of art, and the conversation that it creates over many years.

“When someone looks at what I’ve created, it’s no longer something that I hold my own,” Palu-

binskas said. “It’s a conversation and a memory between the two of us, and it’s one that I’ll never

understand completely. I want them to take whatever they want. My goal is to create something

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make Hillsdale a match!

By Blake Schaper

Collegian FReelanCeR

More than 80 single Hillsdalians will mingle at off-campus Halfway House April 25, searching for the perfect match.

Seniors Adriana Azarian, Maria Birzer, Clare Horvath, Erika Kyba, Annika Monson, and Meredith VanDerWeide will host the inaugural Halfway House Matchmaking Party. Invited guests filled out an application, and the women matched couples based on similar responses to silly questions like: “What sorority/fraternity do you belong to in spirit?” “Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?” “Martin Luther or John Calvin?” and “What is your favorite brand of toothpaste?”

“Our goal for the matchmaking party is to have a fun, silly, and casual time,” Horvath said. Horvath, the unofficial event planner for Halfway House, worked with Azarian to come up with the questionnaire.

“The big get-to-know you question we had was ‘What literary character would you be?’” Horvath said. “That really told us how people view themselves and what they value.” Attendees will first meet their least compatible match. Then they will be assigned to their best match to play yard games, partner charades, or dance.

“In the dining room, there will be supplies to make friendship bracelets if you decide to friendzone each other,” VanDerWeide said.

The event started as a way for the Halfway House women to raise money for a wedding present for Birzer, who will marry Ben Papez ’25 this summer.

“I think it was either me or Annika who suggested that we could matchmake people,” Horvath said. “Meredith, being her very professional self, is able to actually make things happen, so she said, ‘Yes, let’s do this.’”

VanDerWeide said they sent an email to 175 of their acquaintances who they knew were single, inviting them to apply for the party and asking them to share the email with their friends.

“If you are single, rejoice!”

VanDerWeide said in the email.

“You are in good company. There are over 100 people re -

ceiving this email who are also single (by all appearances).”

They set the entry fee at $3 per person to help fund the wedding gift.

“What better way to support them in their love story than by also helping you begin yours?” the email said.

When the application closed April 8, the “Matchmaking Council” had received a total of 94 applicants.

The ratio broke down to 60% women, 40% men. Sophomores comprise the biggest class representation, and the top three residents represented are Whitley, Galloway, and Olds.

The Matchmaking Council took its job seriously. They crowded onto the couch in the Halfway House living room last

Let’s continue the discussion about percussion

By Lilly Faye Kraemer Collegian RepoRteR

Complex syncopation and irregular rhythms from marimbas and trash cans reverberated in MacNamara Rehearsal Hall.

The Hillsdale College Percussion Ensemble played its annual spring concert April 11 featuring contemporary composers. Audience members tapped their toes while listening to dramatic rhythms and tonal sounds created by the ensemble.

The concert, titled “Beauty and the BEAT,” emphasized melodies coming from rhythmic patterns, according to Ethan Williams, a sophomore and Hillsdale Percussion Ensemble member.

“Everything in the program has a very intense beat to it,” said Stacey Jones-Garrison, artist and teacher of music in percussion studies. “There is a multitude of percussion sounds and combinations represented in the music.”

One piece, “Head Talk,” incorporated random objects such as a whisk and plastic wrap as instruments. Ensemble members acted out the playfulness and chaos of thoughts going through the head.

“‘Head Talk” brings out the rhythm part of percussion, which makes it really fun because the piece is supposed to be a theatrical kind of rhythmic mix,” Williams said. “The fun thing about percussion is you can kind of make your own instruments, and improvise.”

While “Head Talk” depicted obscure rhythmic patterns, “Lux Aurumque,” slowed the pace of the program and brought peace to the audience through its ton-

al harmonies, sophomore Paul Heil said.

Acclaimed composer Eric Whitacre, known for his landmark chorale pieces, composed “Lux Aurumque” for a choir. The ensemble played its arrangement of the piece with marimbas, creating dissonant sounds similar to a choir, according to Jones-Garrison.

“In all the years I’ve been here, we’ve never played a marimba chorale,” Jones-Garrison said. “It’s a new sound, using marimbas instead of voice,

Then, they had a low E marimba, a low F marimba, and then finally, a low C. Now, we have a grand marimba with five octaves.”

The first piece of the concert featured four marimbas, snare drums, a vibraphone, bells, bongos, a grand piano and kratales, which reflects the evolution of percussion ensembles, Williams said.

“The ensemble only has six full members, and three of them are first-time percussionists who play piano,” Jones-Garrison said.

which is exciting because it’s one of the most beautiful sounds. It’s haunting and organ-like.”

Percussion ensembles began in the 1930s, and grew in popularity by the ’90s, according to Jones-Garrison. As the ensembles evolved, so did the instruments.

“The marimba went through a lot of changes,” Guest Percussionist Mark Douglass said.

“They had a low E first so they could use the guitar music because there was no literature.

“I showed them how they could drum on the piano with different percussive instruments because they are laid out in the same format as a piano. It’s a matter of getting them to move their wrists correctly and slightly changing their technique.”

The pianists reflected their musical skills through melodic pieces on rhythmic instruments, and transitioned to trickier syncopation patterns in other works Jones-Garrison announced to the audience.

Jones-Garrison said that last year’s theme was world percussion, so they emphasized Caribbean music with the steel drums.

“Every single culture has their own percussion in their folk music,” she said. “As this element was being drawn in, everybody became inspired by the ethnic sounds.”

Along with instruments adopted from various cultures, the ensemble surprised the audience with objects with no musical heritage until the contemporary movement: trash cans, buckets, brooms and cleaning supplies.

“Sweep Dreams” used these household objects, creating an unexpected and groovy ending to the program.

Another piece, “White Pines,” featured a long marimba solo at the beginning played by Jones-Garrison. The composer, Michael Burritt, will give a concert at Hillsdale in the fall. The piece highlights the versatility of percussion instruments.

“‘White Pines’ incorporates all different kinds of sounds and noises into a percussion ensemble, because it allows for a certain flexibility that a lot of other instruments don’t have,” Williams said. “You can’t whistle while playing the violin, that doesn’t happen.”

Overall, “Beauty and the BEAT” captured the harmonious capabilities of the traditionally rhythmic instruments featured in the program.

“Because we’re performing these songs on melodic percussion instruments a lot of times, the chords make it sound just beautiful,” Jones-Garrison said. “I hope the audience found the concert fun, joyful and energetic.”

weekend to decide matches.

“We put a guy’s profile on the TV screen, because the guys are the limiting factors,” VanDerWeide said. “And then each of us had multiple pages of girl profiles. Every time I present a guy, each person comes up with the best girl from their pile. And then we discuss what is the best match.”

Monson said the matchmakers had some fun “eureka” moments when considering matches.

“There was one match that was so funny. Meredith said, ‘Well, this guy likes this unique brand of toothpaste.’ And Clare added, ‘Oh my gosh, I have someone with that brand,’” Monson said. “And Clare just went down the whole list of

from A1

A major draw of Smackdown is the mystery faculty cast, Williams said.

“Though we are keeping most of our faculty and professor cameos a secret, I can promise that this year’s guests are people who most of the students on campus know,” Williams said. “If you’re trying to figure out who is in it and you’re trying to think of which professors would most likely do a thing like this, you’re asking the wrong question.”

Junior Angel Jimenez will reprise his role as the wrestler “El Bandito.”

“Smackdown is a decent investment. We practice and prepare multiple days a week, up to two weeks before the event,” Jimenez said. “The biggest challenge thus far has been getting all the right tattoos for El Bandito. He is very particular.”

According to junior Jack Baldwin, one of the “Towering Twins,” Simpson resident assistants have been busy building the ring and promoting the event.

“The wrestling is pretty easy and comes naturally for guys,” Baldwin said. “No challenges so far — just a couple bruises.”

Junior Storm Drexler, one of the announcers, said this year’s smackdown will be the best one yet.

“The fights are more exciting, with tested fighters and winners from previous years up against each other and new blood rearing to hop into the ring,” Drexler said.

Other combatants will include junior Luke “Towering Twin” Jones and freshmen Russel “Fettuccine Fred” Mangiapane and Blaine “The Amazing Human Spider” Connelly.

“Most of our fighters are currently wrapping intense year-

questions — peanut butter, salsa, almost every single one matched. There was another guy who said that he liked curling, and then a girl specifically mentioned that she enjoys watching curling. So that was also a match.” Horvath said she hopes matchmaking party will bring together people from various cliques to mingle with each other and to find common interest or even love.

“Many people feel like they can’t find their match at Hillsdale because they feel like they know everyone and nobody has stood out as a potential boyfriend or girlfriend,” Horvath said. “Hopefully, this event can show people that there are a lot more people to meet.”

long training programs, although some have been slacking off, relying on superior weight, height, or wit to propel them to victory,” Drexler said.

According to Jimenez, the stakes this year are higher than ever, especially for the fight between Chair and Professor of English Justin “Ghost Dog” Jackson and last year’s champion, junior Luke “Raging Bull” Waters.

“That matchup will have by far the most animosity and should shake up to be the most riveting fight of the night,” Jimenez said. “I heard that Dr. Jackson has been poking the Bull in class, and I don’t think that’s going to work out very well for him come fight night, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Jackson has it out for Waters, Drexler said.

“All year long we at Simpson Residence have been holding them back,” Drexler said. “But this weekend, the dogs are off their leashes. For one of them, embarrassing defeat awaits. For the other, eternal glory. The only way to see who comes out on top is to be at Simpson Smackdown!” According to Jackson, his daughters will be giving him cornrows for the event, something he hasn’t worn since his basketball days. He said he assumes he’ll get hurt, but so will Waters.

“Luke’s a man at this point, though a beardless one — sad! He knows all sorts of MMA stuff, but this isn’t Brazilian Jiujitsu, so I don’t have to get on the mat for him,” Jackson said. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. I assume Luke will be as kind to me as I am to his papers. I would respect nothing less.”

By Sydney Green Senior Reporter

F eatures

After Nancy died, the house was too quiet.

For 57 years, Jack Moyer had awakened to the sound of her voice, but that stopped suddenly six years ago. In less than 12 hours, sepsis took his wife, the woman he had loved since he was 15.

Moyer met Nancy in Hillsdale, Michigan, where he was born and raised. He attended Hillsdale College and graduated in 1964 with a degree in physical education. Jobs and family would take him away from the place he had always called home, but his wife’s passing in 2019 was the catalyst for an unexpected calling back to the small town. “It was so quick,” Moyer said.

“I had no clue how this had happened; it was unreal.”

For a time, Moyer tried to fill the void with the small rituals of routine: morning coffee, a round of golf, and church on Sunday. But even there, Nancy’s absence hung in the air.

“All of a sudden, she’s just not there,” Moyer said. “I had lost a part of me.”

Jack remembered a friend asking him if he was angry that God had taken his wife from him.

“I’m not angry,” Moyer recalled saying to his friend. “I miss her, but I’m thankful that I know she’s in heaven because Jesus was her Lord and Savior. God’s got a plan, and I don’t know what it is, but that’s OK.”

That plan took shape over the next year. It became clear one morning when he was doing what he always did — reading Scripture and praying at his kitchen table.

“I was doing my devotions one morning,” Moyer said, “Then I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me and saying, ‘I want you to go back to Hillsdale and work with the college students.’” It had been decades since Moyer had lived in Hills-

dale. After earning his master’s degree in education administration from Michigan State University in 1973, he spent years in Ohio as a teacher and principal before moving into insurance and financial services to make enough money to put his kids through college. Later, he returned to education — first as a principal at a charter school, then as director of North Carolina’s charter schools — before retiring with Nancy for good at age 70 in North Carolina.

For Moyer, it only seemed right that his next chapter would circle back to the place where it all began.

“In 2020, I packed up my car, got in and drove to Hillsdale,” Moyer said. “God called, and I came.”

Today, Moyer lives in a home on Riverdale Street, just minutes from Hillsdale’s campus, a house he says is God’s house. Over the years, Moyer has remodeled the home, and every change has been made with intention: a spacious living room where students gather for Bible studies, extra bedrooms for visiting alumni or students needing a place to stay and a kitchen always stocked with coffee, snacks and ice cream.

Caleb Bigler ’25, who now works for the Admissions Office, grew close with Moyer when he first came to college.

“I met Jack 5 years ago, during my freshman year when I first started going to Athletes InterVarsity,” Bigler said. “He noticed that I was new and sat by me for the first few weeks I went until I had made some other friends. He was one of the first friends I

made at Hillsdale who wasn’t on the cross country team.”

Moyer has made his house a home for many.

“My mission was to be here and to serve the students and their families as much as I could,” Moyer said. “I wanted this to be a house of fellowship. It’s been a big job, but the most wonderful job I’ve ever had.”

Moyer, who attends College Baptist Church, is now a familiar name around Hillsdale College. Coaches, students, and ministry leaders know him as a steady source of wisdom and prayer. More than a hundred students receive his daily email devotions, which contain a scripture verse and message about the passage. Students can be added to his email list by contacting him at jomoyer2@gmail.com.

“I don’t know the exact number,” Moyer laughed. “It’s over 100 for sure; I’ve got five address books now.”

Senior Olyvia Beckwith noted that Moyer always pays attention to how God works in people’s lives.

“He’s always telling stories,” Beckwith said. “I think one of the most inspiring things about him is the way that he treasures his memories. He’s always talking about God's faithfulness and how he has seen it through his life and through the lives of others.”

For Moyer, everything he does is rooted in one thing:

“It’s love,” Moyer said simply when asked why hospitality matters so much to him. “God’s love is so strong. His love is unfailing, that’s what Scripture tells us. And he’s given me, through

grace, the love to do that. I am third — God is one, others are two, and I am third. So I just give God all the glory. I love the students. I care about them. I pray for them. Every day is a blessing.”

Moyer’s life was shaped by a lifetime of service.

“If God gives you a gift, you’re to use it, not lose it,” Moyer said. “It’s not for me. It’s what I can do for Him. If I can encourage students, and use what I’ve gone through to help others, then that’s what I should be doing.”

Moyer often reflects on how Nancy shared that same heart for

mentorship.

“She loved the same as I do — mentoring young people — and we did it our whole lives,” Moyer said. “She was incredible, and I miss that part of it. But it doesn’t mean you stop living.” Each morning, Moyer begins his day with Psalm 118:24. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

“It doesn’t say have a pity party,” Moyer said with a smile. “So that’s what I try to do — and love people. It’s fun. Every day is a blessing.”

Features

Conversions to Catholicism are at a high nationwide, according to the New York Times, with the Diocese of Lansing — of which St. Anthony’s is a part — welcoming 940 new Catholics at Easter Vigil, its highest number since 2006, according to Jeremy Priest, the Diocese of Lansing’s director of worship and chair of discipleship formation. The Archdiocese of Detroit confirmed 1,428 new Catholics, the largest number in 21 years, according to the New York Times. The Diocese of Grand Rapids welcomed 541 people to the church this year, the highest number since 2011, according to a press release from the diocese. Saint Anthony’s received 31 new Catholics at Easter Vigil and is preparing to receive two more at Pentecost, according to Coonradt.

“This might be one of the reasons why people are looking at the increase in Catholic conversions: because for the Catholic and Orthodox Church specifically, it’s a real

effort to join the church,” Coonradt said. “There’s usually a year or longer approach, as opposed to a lot of other Protestant churches where I think you can just go to church and say ‘I’m going to this church now.’”

Coonradt said Saint Anthony’s has welcomed 172 adult conversions since 2020, with 88%, or 152, of them being 30 years old or younger. Recently, about 70-80% of Saint Anthony’s adult converts are Hillsdale College students or non-students who are affiliated with the college, according to Coonradt.

“It is worth noting that Hillsdale College’s approach to religious liberty, intellectual dialogue, and ecumenism fosters a culture and community that is intentionally devoted to the pursuit of truth,” Coonradt said in an email. “Young people of all religious backgrounds on Hillsdale's campus are actively practicing a Christian faith, and the discourse that flows from Hillsdale's education invites a search for truth and meaning that has led young people to become involved in local churches throughout the county.”

Those wanting to join the

Catholic Church must complete the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, which teaches adults about the Church and prepares them for the sacraments.

“OCIA is normally a yearlong process,” Coonradt said. “Certian people come in much sooner if they have the disposition or certain dispensations, like maybe they’ve been looking into it on their own. They’ve really done their research.”

Mistry’s first Hillsdale encounter with Catholicism was three years ago with his then-new-neighbor in Galloway Residence, current-senior Thomas McKenna. Mistry had recently moved into the dormitory, and during his first time in McKenna’s room, McKenna used a whiteboard to draw a diagram to explain the relationship of the Catholic Church, truth, the Bible, the magisterium, and sacred tradition.

“I was trying to say ‘sola scriptura.’ We argued for like four hours about that,” Mistry said. “At the end of the argument he said, ‘Josh, you’re going to be Catholic before you graduate Hillsdale.’ I was like, ‘I swear I will never be

Catholic. I will die before I become Catholic.’ And then we stormed off, and that was the first time we ever hung out. He’s my best friend.”

It took Mistry a few years before he decided to go all-in on Catholicism, but when he did, McKenna was there.

“The moment I decided to become Catholic, I was standing at the top of Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral looking over the city,” Mistry said. “We’d just got done praying a rosary in the cathedral, in adoration or something like that. And I remember looking out, and Thomas was laughing behind me. I turned around and was like, ‘What?’ But he wouldn’t tell me what he was laughing about. Then I looked out for a few more minutes. I finally turned around and said, ‘I think I want to become Catholic.’”

McKenna was Mistry’s confirmation sponsor.

Coonradt, a convert to Catholicism himself, said he thinks adult conversions to Catholicism are increasing because of the pain people experience in the secular world and their inability to justify or find meaning in it.

“They’re growing up in di-

Quick Hits•

vorced households, growing up in places where worship of the faith is either lukewarm or not done at all, and I think people are thoroughly disillusioned with what the modern world has offered them thus far,” Coonradt said. “So they’re eager to look for some sort of meaning, some sort of purpose.”

Mellors, a Texas native, said she never knew a practicing Catholic before coming to Hillsdale, which she said led to many misconceptions and preconceived notions about the faith tradition. She said her newly-Catholic friends seeded her curiosity in the Church.

“By Easter of my sophomore year, every Protestant in that friend group besides me was coming into the Church, and their sponsors were our Catholic friends in the group, which was kind of funny,” Mellors said. “All sophomore year, our conversations became very theological and those friends who were going to get confirmed, since they were new to it, were asking a lot of questions. So I kind of got to ask questions, or at least hear different answers to questions that I didn’t even know I had.”

Through these questions,

and friends inviting her to mass, she began to observe the Catholic Church.

“I think when you see people you know and really respect so passionate about something, and you see how much their faith is changing their lives, and that that faith happened in the Catholic Church, it softened my heart toward it,” Mellors said. “It made me think, ‘OK, maybe there is something legitimate here.’”

Mellors said she found beauty in the Catholic Church, and that it offered things she noticed were lacking in the world.

“I think a lot of people, especially in our generation, are looking for purpose and meaning, but are also looking for beauty,” she said. “I feel like people naturally seek what is beautiful and what is good. That has been really stripped in a lot of ways in modern society — it’s become very disordered. Whenever I talk to people, what’s really driving them to the Church is this beauty, reverence, and this history of pursuing what is good and what is true.”

Compiled by Anna Broussard Design Editor

In this Quick Hits, WRFH 101.7 FM General Manager Scot Bertram talks conspiracy theories, a Kansas City vacation, and the Chicago Bears’ lack of a Super Bowl win in this century.

What is your favorite part of the radio station?

The microphones? Honestly, my favorite part is getting to know our students, finding out what they are interested in and passionate about, and turning those motivations into unique and entertaining content. It’s immensely gratifying to help students achieve their goals and improve as journalists and communicators.

If you could have any job, what would it be, and why?

I don’t want any job but the one I have now. In an alternate universe, however, maybe I could take over for Lorne Michaels as

executive producer of “Saturday Night Live.”

What is your dream destination to travel?

My wife makes fun of me for this, but it’s Kansas City. I want to attend a White Sox vs. Royals game at Kauffman Stadium, visit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and eat Kansas City–style barbecue at every meal.

What would your 7-year-old self tell you today?

Wait, the Bears still have not won another Super Bowl yet?

What is your craziest story from college?

to bring The Upright Citizens Brigade to campus for a performance. Understand, this was not a touring company or

on Comedy Central, featuring Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Matt Besser well before they were famous. We

the performance hall. It all was a blast.

Back in 2000, I led the effort by members of our campus humor magazine, “The Kindling,”

students taking improv classes. These were the founding members of UCB who had a show

picked them up from the airport, spent the day with all four around town, and nearly filled

What is your favorite Hillsdale College sport to watch?

You’ll see me and my son at all sorts of activities, but I think baseball probably is our favorite to watch.

What is your favorite conspiracy theory?

I don’t actually believe it, but my favorite conspiracy theory is that Michael Jordan did not voluntarily retire from the NBA in 1993, but was secretly suspended by the league for 18 months due to his serious gambling issues/ losses, using his season in baseball’s minor leagues as a cover story.

What is the best movie ever made?

I reject the premise of your

questions and replace it with a baker’s dozen list of perfect films everyone should see: “Airplane!,” “Back to the Future,” “Broadcast News,” “Chinatown,” “Double Indemnity,” “The Godfather,” “Groundhog Day,” “Rear Window,” “Rushmore,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “The Sting,” “Thief,” and “The Thing.”

What is a skill you wish you had learned earlier in life? I wish I would have learned to play an instrument early in life. I did take piano lessons for a couple years and then quit. I really wanted to be a drummer, but at this point would settle for bass or guitar. I’m just not sure where to find the time.

If you had to listen to only one album for the rest of your life, what would it be? The Black Crowes, “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion.”