Members of Backspace perform at Welcome Party on Tuesday night.
Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
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UIndy joins Construction continues as Spencer building opens G-MAC By Patrick Matteson Assistant Editor
By Matthew Tolbert Web & Puzzle Editor
The University of Indianapolis will join the Great Midwest Athletic Conference next year. “We’ve been working on UIndy for the last 10 years to come join us in the G-MAC,” Hillsdale College Director of Athletics John Tharp said. “We think it will be a great thing for the University of Indianapolis and for the G-MAC.” UIndy competed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference as one of the founding members in 1978. UIndy will officially become a member of the G-MAC on July 1, 2027. In a video interview, UIndy Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Kim Pate said the opportunity to join the G-MAC arrived in early April, and UIndy had to make a decision by the end of June. The move shifts the Greyhounds from a conference made up of schools in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, to one that includes schools in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. Pate credited the reduction of travel times in the G-MAC as a major influence on the decision. “The piece that everybody agreed on was the travel,” Pate said. “Travel has become taxing on our student athletes.”
The Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education Building is now open, providing lecture halls, seminar rooms, and office spaces for faculty from several departments, according to Chief Administrative Officer Richard Péwé. The opening of the classical education building is one of many summer construction and renovation projects, Péwé said. These projects also include reopenings in the Grewcock Student Union and renovations to the Knorr Student Center, which have caused several campus departments to relocate. The classical education building has 18 faculty offices, according to Provost Christopher VanOrman. Eight of the nine education professors chose to move to the new building, while the remaining 10 offices were offered to professors based on seniority. As a result, the building hosts professors from many disciplines. “I had a list of people who had requested to move, so I just went by pure seniority,” VanOrman said. “That’s how I got English, theology, some math, and computer science there.” The lower floor of the Knorr Student Center closed for construction in early August, prompting Career
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Services and the Writing Center to relocate to the fourth floor of Lane Hall. The audiovisual department moved to the Fowler Maintenance Building. Security should remain accessible in the same location on the lower floor of the Knorr Student Center, according to Péwé. The upper floor, containing the Old Snack Bar, closed in June. “We had to clear everybody out that was going to be in the way or too disrupted,” Péwé said. According to Péwé, the admissions office and the college bookstore will move into Knorr when renovations conclude in September 2027. “There’ll be a nice continuity between Searle events and visitors, and there’ll be a direct path from the Dow Hotel,” Péwé said. “You’ll be able to continue on into the bookstore, and then you’ll be able to go through the bookstore to the admissions office.” Péwé said he expects the first stage of the library renovation, which includes the circulation desk and front stairwell construction, to conclude in mid-to-late October. “The circulation space is totally different: there’s a higher ceiling, new wood, painted wood trim, and plaster ceilings,” Péwé said.
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Construction-era students to be honored By Elijah Guevara News Editor Hillsdale College will inscribe a low wall on the north quad with the names of the Class of 2026 and any other classes of students who experienced four years of the quad’s construction, according to College President Larry Arnn and Chief Administra-
Hillsdale admitted 20.88% of its applicants for the incoming class of 2030, according to Senior Director of Admissions Zachary Miller. The acceptance rate over the past four years has remained at around 20%. The roughly 370 students enter Hillsdale with an average 3.94 GPA and an average 31 ACT score, according to Miller. The freshman class, which is 52% female and 48% male, brought in students from 41 states as well as seven foreign countries, including China and Thailand.
“I’m really excited to see these students from across the world delight in the education we have here,” Associate Director of Admissions Benjamin Strickland said. While the acceptance rate of 20.88% remained on par with the college’s previous rates, it was not the most competitive year yet, with the class of 2029’s acceptance rate being 19.31%. The freshman yield rate fell to 58%, compared to last year’s yield rate of 61%, which indicates how many admitted students choose to enroll. “The yield rate tends to be between 57% and 61%,” Miller said. “So, it’s right in line with where we have been the last
four or five years.” Strickland said there are two key factors he’s watching for in potential students: ability and willingness. “We are able to see their grades, test scores, activities, and writing style to gauge their ability,” Strickland said. “But then we look to our interactions with them, like the interview, and what they write about and why they do the things they do and who they are for the willingness part. You can’t just be smart.” Evangeline Miller, a freshman from Arizona, said she chose Hillsdale College because of the education, family connections, and College President Larry Arnn’s insistence.
along with the names of the students. The wall will face the yet-to-be-reconstructed back entrance to Central Hall. Arnn presented visual renderings for the seat wall and plaque at the President’s Commencement Dinner on May 1, and he also announced the plans at the May 9 commencement ceremony. The plaque that will sit
will be inscribed along the entire length of the seat wall. “It is intended to be a place for students to sit and study or socialize with other students,” Péwé said in an email to The Collegian. “A professor could use it to teach a small class, and it will be a great backdrop for student activities.” With input from the College, the wall and landscap-
The wall presented by Arnn at the President’s Commencement Dinner. Courtesy | Mary Ann Powers
tive Officer Rich Péwé. “I thought up the idea of the recognition because I was proud of the students for not whining about the construction,” Arnn said in an email to The Collegian. “My hope is that the students that are recognized will be proud, come back often to sit on it, and remember not to whine in the future, too.” The wall, which will also serve as outdoor seating, will be built on the southern end of the north quad and feature an explanatory plaque,
Acceptance rate holds at around 20% for Class of 2030 By Trinity Gentry Assistant Editor
www.hillsdalecollegian.com
Vol. 150 Issue 1 – August 26, 2026
at the center of the seat wall reads: “The students named here attended Hillsdale College during the construction of this quad. Despite obstacles, the college operated beautifully during their time here. Complaints were rare. Achievements were common. The college records their names here in gratitude for their service.” Péwé said the semicircular, limestone seat wall will separate the grassy area of the north quad from surrounding walkways. Students’ names
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‘Somehow I won’: Furness beats pickleball pro By Sophia Bryant Features Editor The winner of one point in a singles match of pickleball determined the recipient
“First, because I knew the education would form me into the person God intends me to be, someone who can go and make a difference in my country,” she said. “Next, because my dad is an alumnus and told me about all the lifelong friends he made here. And lastly, Dr. Arnn told me if I didn’t come, I was stunting my intellectual growth.” What’s difficult about Hillsdale’s academic process is that it doesn’t focus on one area, but is holistic in nature, according to Zachary Miller. “I can tell you what we’re looking for is a student who is academically able but also who’s interested in learning,” Zachary Miller said. “But we also want students who are willing to contribute to the community and make it as vibrant as it has been.”
ing were designed by landscape architects from Hoerr Schaudt, which also helped plan the fire pits outside of Lane and Kendall halls. Imber Architects was also involved as the “master planner,” Péwé said. According to Péwé, the wall and walkways cannot start construction until the Central Hall addition, announced by Arnn last fall, is complete.
Furness played in the Paddletek 1-Point Challenge, a doubles tournament where teams competed for one point in a doubles match of pickleball. The challenge was
Furness and friends pose with the prize check. Courtesy | Nathan Furness
of $20,000. Senior Nathan Furness stood on the court, surrounded by crowded stands, and beat a professional pickleball player for the point and the prize. “I was like, ‘I’ll probably just lose at the singles point,’” Furness said. “I didn’t really think about it, and then somehow I won.”
a part of the Beer City Open, a large amateur pickleball tournament at Belknap Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, July 7-12. The Edward Jones Major League Pickleball Midseason tournament is played alongside the Beer City Open, according to Furness.
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