Collegian 09.18.2025

‘Remembered here’: College trustee dies at 75

By Christina Lewis Assistant Editor

John Ervin Pearson, a former member of Hillsdale’s board of trustees, died Aug. 30 at age 75 after a 10-year battle with prostate cancer.

“He was a very loving, generous man who loved his family very much, and was a very wise businessman and went out of his way to do nice things for people,” said Pearson’s daughter, Heidi Becker ’97.

Shortly after Becker graduated from Hillsdale, her father joined the college’s board of trustees.

“He always believed in the foundation of Hillsdale and what they stood for,” Becker said.

Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn said Pearson was especially important to him

because he was part of the search committee that brought Arnn to the college 25 years ago. “Of course, I have the most vivid memories of the search committee meeting, and some of the best concern John,” Arnn said in an email. “He asked incisive questions. How did I learn to manage? What would be the heart of my strategy? Did I think I could do it?”

A resident of Ann Arbor, Pearson took his family on many adventures, as he loved traveling, according to Becker. They went to a safari in Kenya, a cruise through Turkey and the Greek Isles, and they visited Italy and the U.K. numerous times.

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Senior class gift honors Emmy Sigtryggsson

The Legacy Board establishes a scholarship in her name

By Moira Gleason Executive Editor

The 2026 senior class gift will honor the memory of Emerson “Emmy” Sigtryggsson by establishing a scholarship in her name, the Legacy Board announced Sept. 11.

“When we were asked what sets our class apart from others, many of us thought about Emmy and the impact she had on us,” senior and Legacy Board member MaryEllen Petersen said in her remarks at the unveiling ceremony. “That’s why we chose to create a memorial scholarship in her name. A scholarship is more than money. It’s an opportunity.”

A physics major and member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, Sigtryggsson died Sept. 8, 2024, shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer. The Emerson Sigtryggsson Memorial Scholarship will offer financial aid to an enrolled Hillsdale student who is facing an unexpected financial hardship, such as an illness in the family, that threatens his or her ability to return to the college.

Sigtryggsson’s parents attended the dinner at which the Legacy Board announced the class gift.

“Few positives come from the death of someone so young,” Sigtryggsson’s moth-

er Kirsten Lindstrom told The Collegian. “Emerson was a true people person, and we commend the Class of 2026 for using her tragedy to positively

in this manner.”

The Legacy Board has raised over $1,300 and aims to raise $10,000 by the end of the academic year to fund one or more

impact others in similar situations. We are grateful to the students for honoring her memory

Visiting professor spends summer in Israeli bomb shelters

By Sophia Bryant Assistant Editor

Piercing sirens broke the silence of a warm Israeli night as Iran fired missiles into the country. Michael Weingrad and his wife Tara Helfman joined local Israelis, volunteers, and tourists in rushing to bomb shelters every night. Although they would spend as long as 90 minutes crammed into a shelter, people were generally good-natured.

“I’m now a connoisseur of bomb shelters,” Weingrad said in a Sept. 5 panel discussion, “Why Travel to Israel.” Weingrad, a visiting professor of Jewish studies who arrived at Hillsdale in January 2025 at college President Larry Arnn’s invitation, has been traveling to Israel every year for more than 30 years. Helfman flew into Jerusalem on June 12 for what was supposed to be a five-day visit.

In the weeks before Helfman arrived, the Houthis, a terrorist group in northwest Yemen, fired missiles into Israel almost nightly. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted the missiles before anyone had time to get out of bed to a bomb shelter, according to Weingrad.

“It almost became fairly normal,” said Weingrad, who teaches courses titled “Fantasy Literature and Religious Imagination” and “Film and the Four Loves.”

The night Helfman arrived, sirens went off. She jumped out of bed, but Weingrad told her to relax, because the

Houthi missile would be shot down before they got out the front door.

“And suddenly our phones start ringing,” Weingrad said. “And I look at the phone, I’m like, ‘This is not a one-off Houthi missile.’ It was the beginning of the war. It said everybody has 10 minutes to get to bomb shelters and expect

panel discussion. Helfman’s five-day trip to Israel turned into a threeweek stay. Her family in Israel have a reinforced bomb shelter in their house that doubles as a coat closet.

“It was wonderful,” Weingrad said. “Just being in these different places with all kinds of people, religious and sec -

to be there for a while.”

For the next 10 days during Israel’s 12-Day War with Iran, which lasted from June 13 to 24, the couple went to a bomb shelter periodically, usually twice a night.

“Watching people come in in their bathrobes at five in the morning, but with humor and with real gentle compassion for everyone in the room, no matter the background — it was really extraordinary,” Weingrad said during the

ular, Jews and Arabs, Israelis and guest workers from India and Asia, cute dogs, babies, tourists, and everyone just kind of pulling together and passing the time. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. And at one point, I just looked around and I just thought, Iran is crazy. Hamas is crazy, if they ever think they’re going to beat this people. These people love life, they’re going to live life no matter what. It felt like a

privilege to be there.”

The couple went for a walk a few days into the war with Iran. They went to one of Weingrad’s favorite spots in Jerusalem, the Monastery of the Cross in West Jerusalem.

“It’s a monastery built where the tree of the cross grew, and it’s a beautiful Eastern Orthodox church inside,” Weingrad said. “And it’s just a gorgeous place. I wasn’t sure if it would be open during the war, but I knocked and they were letting people in.”

The Israelis did not know what to expect during the bombing and did not dare expect help from another country, according to Weingrad.

“The operation on the Israeli side was unbelievable,” Weingrad said. “I mean, people were clearly on the ground for a long time operating in Iran. And the stories that we’ll probably never know are probably some of the most brave and heroic and accomplished things in all of military and intelligence history.”

Weingrad said it was “gratifying” when the Trump administration made the strike on Iran.

“Having America, having my country, come through at the end to finish the job, was just really wonderful,” Weingrad said. “And just there was so much relief and gratitude from the Israelis that I talked to.”

scholarships. While the majority of the funding will come from the class of 2026, anyone

can contribute to the scholarship fund through the link on the Legacy Board’s Instagram page, according to Kaeleigh Di Cello ’24, the young alumni programs coordinator.

“Emmy was not the first person at Hillsdale College who needed time away from the semester for an illness, nor will she be the last,” Petersen said. “There are also students every year whose families are impacted by serious illnesses. Our hope for the scholarship is that even though their families are impacted, their schooling won’t be.”

The Legacy Board each year suggests a senior class gift it thinks would represent the graduating class and benefit the student body in future generations, Di Cello said. Often, the board chooses from a list of pre-approved projects that the college has already planned.

Creating something new requires the additional work of securing the college’s approval. But Petersen said as soon as the idea was raised in meetings over the summer, the board members quickly agreed they wanted to honor Sigtryggsson.

See Sigtryggsson A2

Idaho church starts Hillsdale outreach

By Charles Hickey Collegian Reporter

For the last three weeks, dozens of Hillsdale residents and college students have gathered in the Dow Hotel and Conference Center to attend an outreach service launched by an Idaho church.

The service, currently in search of a permanent home, is a part of an effort to establish a new branch of Christ Church — a Reformed Calvinist church located in Moscow, Idaho, and a founding member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Benjamin Merkle, president of New Saint Andrew’s College and a Christ Church member, said in an email that the church is launching this service to support Reformed students attending Hillsdale College.

“Over the last several years,

we see more and more kids coming from CREC churches and from classical Christian schools heading to Hillsdale. So we wanted to support that trend by launching this service,” Merkle said. “Our goal is to eventually convert this service into a church plant.”

Merkle said the outreach service is open to all — not just CREC members.

“We invite students and community members to visit any Sunday,” he said. “Distinctives of CREC worship services are a blend of Reformed preaching, liturgical covenant renewal worship, and weekly Lord’s Supper.”

Sophomore Brandon Meeks said he appreciates the core message the CREC promotes.

Mock trial senior places at top national competition

By Elijah Guevara Assistant Editor

Senior Patrick McDonald

advanced to the finals in a national mock trial championship over the summer and placed second overall alongside Abby Davis ’25.

Trial by Combat, a prestigious, annual, 1-on-1 collegiate national championship hosted annually by Drexel University School of Law and UCLA School of Law, invites 16 competitors nationwide to participate.

“I was thrilled with how we placed,” McDonald said.

“Competing in semi-finals and finals felt unreal.”

The tournament’s format prioritized creativity and quick thinking, according to McDonald.

“The case problem dropped less than 24 hours before the first round, meaning we had to prepare eight trial exams — statements and witness examinations — in one day,” McDonald said.

McDonald competed in four preliminary rounds, twice as a witness and twice as an attorney, before advancing to the semi-finals and finals. He eventually lost in the final

round to Rory Banfalvi from the University of Toronto.

McDonald said while it was difficult, it was also exciting, and he enjoyed the challenge.

“I will never forget staying up past 2 a.m. practicing public speaking with my coach, Jonathan Church, and my second chair Abby Davis,” McDonald said. “It was exhausting but also invigorating, and certainly an uncommon kind of fun.”

The rigorous application process for Trial by Combat required McDonald to compete against eight other attorneys for one of the last spots in the national competition, according to senior Chloe Noller, a member of the team.

“Part of me thought we could have lost in the very first round of the play-in tournament back in April, so everything after that was a blessing,” McDonald said.

Noller said watching McDonald compete was a great experience because of how he could draw in the audience.

“No matter what he does, he’s a thrilling competitor to watch,” Noller said. “You know, with only 24 hours of prep, you would not have known that he executed his cross-examinations and his closings and his openings with

such skill.”

Junior Brennan Berryhill competed for Hillsdale in Rookie Rumble, a mock trial tournament for rising sophomores and juniors, which was held over Zoom.

Berryhill said Hillsdale’s 11-member team achieved the highest honorable place outside of the top 10 teams, finishing essentially in 11th place out of 64 teams.

“We got our case packet in early July, only 2 1/2 weeks before the competition, so it was a really quick turnaround time before we competed over Zoom,” Berryhill said.

Berryhill said Hillsdale’s team scored 2-2 in the first round, 4-0 in the second round, 3.5-0.5 in the third (three wins and one tie), and lost 0-4 in the fourth round against a team from Princeton University.

One of the challenges of Rookie Rumble was competing in a virtual courtroom for the first time, according to Berryhill.

“When you’re over Zoom, your camera is kind of constricted, so you just have to be a lot more clear about sight lines,” Berryhill said. “For example, if you’re an attorney, you can really only see the

shoulders up, so you have a lot less of a range of dynamic motion.”

Berryhill said since being remote made the team feel disconnected at times, they made efforts in the week before to practice together virtually.

“We just hung out in Zoom rooms all the time and practiced together to kind of simulate that feeling of being almost in a tournament hotel,” Berryhill said.

Junior Ty Tomasoski, who also competed in Rookie Rumble, said he was impressed

“How everyone did, especially all the attorneys who had to memorize all the case law and sort of drill the stipulations and the facts of multiple different affidavits in their brains for cross-examinations, it was really impressive to see how much work people put in to figure out a 70-page packet in three weeks,” Tomasoski said.

Drummond lecture focuses on persecution and martyrdom

By Logan Lyter Collegian Freelancer

The West is unaware of the threat of Christian persecution in the Middle East, Rev. Benedict Kiely said in Christ Chapel on Sept. 12.

His lecture, titled “The Persecution of ChristiansBackground, Paradox and the Meaning of Martyrdom,” was part of the Drummond Lecture Series.

“The lack of knowledge of the reality of persecution of Christians, both historically and, more importantly, in the present, is perhaps the greatest problem we deal with,” Kiely said. “Wherever I go, so often, it’s not a coincidence. People tell me they know nothing of this issue, largely because of the lack of coverage in the mainstream media.”

According to Open Doors, an organization that raises awareness about persecuted Christians around the world, 4,476 Christians were killed in 2024. In Nigeria alone, 3,100 Christians were killed. An additional 4,744 Christians were detained or imprisoned for their faith.

Kiely also remarked on the apparent disinterest on

this subject in the West. He said while churches address many subjects, such as climate change, persecution is often forgotten.

“If I went to a bishop and said, ‘Bishop, would you like me to talk to you about global warming?’ he’d be all over me. ‘Oh, come in, we’ll have the whole chapel.’ But if I say I want to talk about the persecuted Christians, ‘no thanks,’” Kiely said.

Kiely, a priest of the Catholic Church, started advocating for persecuted Christians in the Middle East in 2014, according to his website. He has written for publications such as National Review, the European Conservative, and the Catholic Herald and has spoken on radio and at international gatherings.

Kiely spoke about the history of Christian persecution, explaining that church history is full of “periods of calm interrupted by periods of persecution.” While the West may be living in a time of relative peace, persecution will come sooner or later, according to Kiely.

Kiely then spoke of the paradox of persecution, where churches tend to thrive the most when persecuted the

most. More Christians were martyred under the regimes of Nazism and communism than in any previous century, yet the church flourished, Kiely said.

Persecution continued into the 21st century, but its pri-

its simplicity, Kiely said. At its core, Islam is a Christian heresy: a denial of the Incarnation.

“You have certain things you must do as a Muslim: you must pray five times a day, obey Ramadan, a few oth -

mary vehicle has changed, according to Kiely. The rise of Islam, especially in the West, corresponds to a rise in Christian persecution.

The power of Islam lies in

er things. And that’s almost it. It is incredibly, basically, simple. There’s no theological controversy,” Kiely said.

The growing popularity of Islam is coupled with a grow-

College begins scooter registration program

By Matthew Tolbert Web & Puzzle Editor

Campus Security is now encouraging students to register scooters with the school as more students zip to classes on two wheels.

Security noticed an uptick in the number of scooters and expanded its voluntary bike registration program to provide students with options for recovering missing scooters, according to Director of Security John Wilmer.

“We have that as an option, and that is just for us to help you,” Wilmer said. “No one records their information. You have a TV, a VCR, DVD player, Blu-Ray, and we never record our serial numbers off that.” Registration solves this problem, making it simpler to

recover missing property, according to Wilmer.

“We can check our lost and found if it’s been reported to us, or I can just take the numbers from them, look it up in the system, say those belong to our students, and then we can get them back to the owners,” Wilmer said.

“Our policy isn’t that you must register. It’s an option you have free of charge.”

Security operates the program as a free and voluntary service to students, Wilmer claimed.

“Our policy isn’t that you must register,” Wilmer said. “It’s an option you have free of

charge. By registering, we’re just going to record your serial number, make, and model. Then we provide them with a small sticker. That way, if a scooter is found with or without a sticker, security can check their database to find the rightful owner.”

Wilmer noted that voluntary registration has already helped many students recover missing bicycles, sometimes even before they were reported missing. In one case Wilmer recalled, the City of Hillsdale Police Department worked with security to return registered property.

“In the last couple years, I did have an incident where they had a bicycle,” Wilmer said. “They gave me the sticker. We looked it up, and sure enough, it was one of our bikes. It had not been officially reported stolen, but we had it.”

Now, the program opens this option to scooters as well.

Resident Life sent an email earlier this month stating that all scooters were required to be registered with the school, but a revised policy was sent out on Sept.12. Now, the college strongly encourages all scooters to be registered with the school for security reasons, according to Dean of Men Aaron Petersen.

“Now that I know there’s no cost, that’s definitely something I’ll look at,” sophomore Shae Ruddy said. “I just felt like there was no need for it. I didn’t know there was a benefit to me.”

ing hostility towards Christianity in the West, according to Kiely.

“A post-Christian West, a world that exhibits hostility to and prejudice against Christian religion, is utterly unable to comprehend the threat of militant Islam; benevolent buffoons talk of an ecumenical dialogue, which is rather hard to do when your head has been severed from your body,” Kiely said.

Islam has seemingly joined forces with the political Left, leading to events such as the anti-Israel protests, according to Kiely. He said this “marriage” of Islam and the Left is made possible by their mutual hatred of the cross. They are against everything Christianity is for and will always work to deny the truth, according to Kiely.

“Many of you young people will be asked at some point in your career to do things which are against the faith,” Kiely said. “This is the point. Will you be martyrs for the truth? These are the clouds of witnesses who’ve always been for the church a source of inspiration and encouragement. The one thing necessary that the martyrs give us is the courage both

While many classes choose to add something physical to campus, the class of 2026 wanted to steer away from additional construction projects on campus, according to senior and Legacy Board Member Adeline Kaufman.

The past two senior class gifts have funded physical structures: a glass conservatory from the class of 2024 and a fire pit from the class of 2025.

“We wanted to think outside of the box and do something a little bit more creative and a little bit more personal,” Kaufman said.

The board believed seniors would resonate with the gift honoring their friend and would be more supportive of a gift that could make a significant difference for a few students, Kaufman said.

to persevere and to be joyful in the strength of the Holy Spirit; lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.”

Robert Whalen, a sophomore at Hillsdale Academy, felt the lecture was a vital reminder of life outside the West.

“I thought it was really necessary for this day and age,” said Whalen. “In our time, we don’t hear much about that. We’re very much in a safe spot, we don’t see much of that. I think it’s good for us to hear about that. So I think it’s easy for us to forget that persecution is still happening in the world, especially in our easy lives.”

James Shotwell, a firstyear student at the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education program, said this is a message he does not hear often enough.

“I feel like it’s not talked about very often, like, why have I never heard a sermon on this?” Shotwell said. “Where is the leadership talking about something? This is pressing and real.”

“This feels like a more tangible way to give back to a few specific students,” she said.

Even if current members of the senior class did not know Sigtryggsson, Petersen said, they know someone who knew her and feel her absence on campus.

“By establishing this scholarship in Emmy’s memory, we hope to carry forward her spirit of generosity, joy, and compassion so that future students can have some relief in difficult times,” Petersen said. “This scholarship ensures her legacy isn’t just something we talk about today with the students of our own class. It’s something that will have the opportunity to change the lives of students who have yet to walk onto campus.”

‘Profound Climbing’: CEO gives leadership guidance

By Anna Northcutt Collegian Reporter

Robert Alt almost died on the way down from the summit of Mt. Everest in May, he told students in his lecture on Sept. 11.

Many back home feared he would join the hundreds of frozen corpses scattered over the top of the mountain, Alt said.

After beginning their descent from the summit, climbers normally stop for only a few minute’s rest at camp four before continuing down to camp two to spend the night. This is because camp four is still in the “death zone,” above 26,000 feet.

Still, at the time of Alt’s summiting, hurricane-force winds were pushing his guide and him five or six paces at a time down a path that at many places was only eighteen inches wide. After reaching camp four, they decided to hunker down and continue their descent in the morning.

“Any stay in the death zone is normally ill advised,” Alt said. “But it ended up being the right call.”

After reaching the bottom safely, the president and CEO of the Buckeye Institute drew lessons from his experiences about goals, suffering, partnership, and summits, encapsulated in his mountaineering-inspired philosophy, “Profound Climbing.”

In his talk at Hillsdale, Alt explained how Hillsdale students could use the methods he had learned to overcome their own Everests in life. Alt first emphasized the importance of persevering through hardship.

“Now, as for me, I managed to avoid getting the upper respiratory infection until the worst possible time,” Alt said. “It was only on the final pass, the time

Pearson from A1

“He was a great father and a great grandfather to his grandchildren, and he was a great guy. He was very appreciated and loved,” Becker said.

When Pearson was a boy, he had a horse that he loved and cared for when he was in middle school and high school, Becker said.

“He was from Arizona, that’s where he was raised, until he moved to Michigan when he was in his early 20s,” Becker said. “So he spent a lot of time in Arizona hiking and being on the mountains and living life out there.”

Pearson briefly worked for Guttmann in Germany before starting to work as a salesman for Ervin Industries, which makes metal products, in 1975, Becker said. He served as CEO and President for 39 of the 50 years he worked for the company.

Former board of trustees member Bill Brodbeck served with Pearson and recalled traveling on Pearson’s corporate jet when the college was in the process of finding a new president.

“As a board member, he was a solid member,” Brodbeck said. “He participated, was active, came from a strong business background, and had good sensitivities to various things. As a person, as a friend, he was a fun guy, a smart guy, fun to be around and so on, and he loved Hillsdale.”

Becker said she thinks her dad would like to be remembered for loving his family and loving to travel and spending time at his lake house in Charlevoix.

“He loved to have people over and have dinners and fine things in life like filets and wine and all that stuff,” Becker said. “He was just that kind of nice guy.” Pearson served on the board from 1998 to 2008.

“We are sorry for the loss his family endures and feel the weight of it ourselves,” Arnn said. “John will be remembered here.”

of the mountain where I was going for the summit push, when I got the upper respiratory infection.”

Alt said he considered turning back, but eventually decided to forge ahead.

“Just a few short hours before we began the summit climb, I got to where I could breathe through one nostril, and I said, ‘That’s probably good enough,’” Alt said.

Respiratory infections were not the only roadblocks Alt faced, he said. Hurricane-force winds, gastro-intestrinal issues, and the Khumbu cough caused by Everest’s dry mountain air that can break a climber’s ribs seemed determined to hamper Alt’s ascension.

“If you only climbed when you felt really well, you would never summit,”Alt said.

Alt also emphasized the importance of the rigorous training he underwent before ever setting foot on the mountain.

The day he was most proud of was not when he summited Mount Everest, but rather when he attended a conference where he was in meetings from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m, according to Alt. After that, he had to hit the gym for four hours. He went to bed around 2 a.m., only to wake up at 5 a.m. for a three-hour conditioning workout.

“When I went through the Khumba Icefall the first time, I can tell you that had I not done that level of training, I would not have been able to succeed,” Alt said. “Being able to endure that suffering before I got on the mountain was necessary for success.”

Alt compared this to people working to pass a piece of legislation or drastically change the culture without being willing to back up their claims with carefully gathered data.

“We need to do the work and demonstrate why it matters to the average man, woman, and child impacted by the policy,” Alt said. “It goes to the old adage, you can’t beat something with nothing.”

Alt also emphasized the importance of choosing the right people to climb with. Mountaineers rope together for safety, ideally staying far enough apart that the connecting rope will be slightly taut. That way, if one climber falls into a crevice covered by snow, the person behind him will serve as an anchor.

Although this sounds simple enough, in reality, novice mountaineers often struggle to stay the correct length behind the person in front of them, according to Alt.

“I climbed at one point with a legendary climber known as Tuck,” Alt said. “He actually has a rock named after him on Everest, he’s climbed so many times, and he said anytime he climbs with a new climber, he figured that they were trying to kill him.”

Alt congratulated Hillsdale students on choosing a school with such good fellow climbers but advised them also to keep this in mind when considering life after college.

“There’s something to, ‘You’re only as strong as the weakest climber on your rope block,’” Alt said.

House Director of Sohn and Ministry Associate in the Chaplain’s Office Carly Boerema ’23 said she appreciated Alt’s emphasis on internal fortitude and the joy that comes from accomplishing hard things, as well as his admonition to choose good fellow-climbers.

“It’s really important to think about, ‘Who are we walking every day with through life, and are they helping us up the

mountain, or are they pulling us backwards?’” Boerema said. “Who are we tethered to, and who are we choosing to trust, and who are we looking to lead us is really important.”

Nate Stewart ’95, a friend of Alt, said he also enjoyed the lecture. Although this was his second time hearing about Alt’s adventures, he still found it inspiring.

“It’s a challenge, and it was motivating to me to think about that and what challenges, what goals would I want to set for myself, even at 50 years old,” Stewart said. “I have begun to apply that, and watching my good friend do it at the same age is encouraging.”

Alt closed his lecture with a distinction between summits and goals. Reaching the summit of Everest, he said, should never be the goal, because far more climbers die on the way down than the way up.

A climber who gives everything in his tank to reach the top won’t be able to get back down, Alt said. Sherpas cannot carry dead bodies down the mountain, causing the plethora of frozen corpses scattered over the top of Everest. They also cannot carry live bodies.

“If you get to the summit, you’ve got to be able to walk yourself down,” Alt said.

In life, Alt said people often confuse summits — such as getting into a prestigious graduate program or landing the perfect job — with goals.

“They should be something that answers your own fundamental ‘why?’ questions,” Alt said, “And thereby be goals that don’t just get you to the summit, but ones that complete the entire mission and return you back home safely again.”

Alumnus speaks on importance of athletics in the liberal arts

By Elaine Kutas Sports Editor

Varsity athletics is an art similar to a classical liberal art, said Trey Brock ’18 on Sept. 16.

In his talk, titled “The Sweatiest of the Liberal Arts,” Brock said he used his experience as a collegiate athlete, as well as his liberal arts background at Hillsdale, to propel him into the deeper study of how sports can shape a person into a well-formed human.

“The more you understand who you are as a person and the more you understand the sport you play, you will become a better person,” Brock said.

“You can see objective truth in athletics more so than in the other arts.”

Brock played wide receiver for the football team at Hillsdale and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in sports management and psychology. He holds the school record for career receptions, career receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He pursued a master’s degree in theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary and said he is currently studying for his doctorate at Christendom College to deepen his knowledge about the relationship theology and philosophy has with sports.

professor of leadership studies, was one of Brock’s teachers during his undergraduate studies and worked closely with him on the football team. Jennings said that when students learn that athletics is about more than only competing, it will shape the way all students develop virtue and discipline in the classroom.

“Athletics serves the cause of education,” Jennings said. “This liberal arts education is about being led to God and becoming the person God created you to be.”

Brock included his faith in his studies of athletics, and he said that morals and virtues are essential to the develop-

should reflect the formation of their souls.

“We have a will, which is another high power of our soul,” Brock said. “Our will is ordered towards applying that truth to our actions. If I have a bad state of my soul, and the way that I act as a result of that, if I have a good state of myself, I’m pursuing truth.”

Brock said he sees that natural virtues are developed just by the nature of playing sports, but he thinks that, currently, sports are not being played in a way that fosters these virtues. The current way of playing — involving extreme competitiveness and humiliating the opponent — divorces sports from morals, something Brock said is contrary to the reason people should play sports.

“You can see objective truth in athletics more so than in the other arts.”

ment of a good athlete. His current studies also include ancient and modern philosophers, notably Plato and his writings about gymnastics, or sports, being used for the improvement of the soul.

Brock defined athleticism as the at-ease perfection of bodily potential in competition or sports and said the cultivation of this virtue helps the development of the soul.

College remembers 50th anniversary of Vietnam

By Samantha Mandel Collegian Freelancer

Historians discussed the legacy of the Vietnam War in a two-day conference.

Hillsdale College hosted the conference, titled “The Vietnam War at 50,” on Sept. 12-13. The event, organized by the college’s Military History and Strategy Department, brought together scholars and veterans to reflect on the conflict’s legacy and commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.

The conference opened with Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair of Military History, who delivered a chronological history of the war. Paul Rahe, professor of history, organized the conference. Rahe said that Moyar’s lecture was unique because it featured sources from North Vietnam.

“Before he got to work on this, people wrote histories almost entirely through American sources — and they weren’t very good,” Rahe said. “He had the moxie to get hold of North Vietnamese sources, which are plentiful because they were very happy about having won the war.”

The following lecture, given by Marine veteran and former Assistant Secretary of Defense Francis “Bing” West, criticized civilian leadership for mismanaging the conflict.

A powerful moment came on the second day, when retired Maj. Gen. Viet Luong told his story of fleeing Saigon as a child in 1975, according to Rahe.

“It may not have been the most informative lecture, but

War

it was the most moving,” Rahe said. “You got a sense of his family’s history — their flight from the North in 1954, his father’s service as an officer, and then of his own work in the U.S. Army.”

Professor of History David Stewart agreed, noting the emotional impact on the audience.

“Luong talked about being 8 years old, trying to get out of the country, being on the runway while the North Vietnamese were shelling, and watching people die as he tried to get on a helicopter,” Stewart said. “It’s really hard not to be affected by that.” The conference concluded with a lecture over Zoom from Victor Davis Hanson, Wayne and Marcia Buske distinguished fellow in history at Hillsdale, on the political and cultural consequences of the war.

“Victor Davis Hanson is one of the world’s leading military historians,” Moyar said. “Particularly trenchant was his commentary on the transformation of the Democrats from the party of intervention to the party of isolationism.”

Attendance topped 150 people, including many Vietnam veterans, whose questions shaped the discussion, according to Rahe. One of the most common questions that attendees asked was how lessons from Vietnam apply today, particularly to the war in Ukraine, according to Stewart.

“Again and again, people wanted to know: What did we learn in Vietnam that could help us now?” Stewart said.

Symposium to celebrate the Council of Nicea

By Adriana Azarian Assistant Editor

A two-day symposium will honor the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea Sept 26-27.

“Reformation & Tradition” will take place in the Hoynak Room in the Dow Center.

Westminster Theological Seminary and Hillsdale College’s English, history, and philosophy and theology departments will sponsor the symposium, which will feature 15 lectures on the Nicene Creed, Trinitarian theology, and Christology in 16th-century Christian thought.

“Reformation theology is essential to the identity of, well, all Western churches, including Roman Catholicism, because there’s a Catholic reformation in the 16th century, too,” said Mickey Mattox, professor of theology.

Junior Inez McNichols, a swimmer for Hillsdale, said that she was interested in the talk after hearing Brock talk in Jennings’ Leadership and Excellence for athletes class. McNichols said she hopes to implement Brock’s philosophy into her own performance as an athlete.

Every art is driven by science, Brock said, just as how music and art are driven by math. Athletics are driven by five sciences: anthropology, kinesiology, aesthetics, ethics, and moral theology, according to Brock.

“God gave us athletics, so we must learn how to play sports well,” Brock said.

Peter Jennings, associate

“Our soul is the form of our body,” Brock said. “Our soul directs all of our actions. Our body doesn’t just move on its own. So, having cultivated the virtue of athleticism is what I would say has its roots in some soul, deep inspiration.”

Brock also takes inspiration from Pope Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, which teaches that the way humans use their bodies

“I think the thing that inspires me the most is remembering that all these sports and the things we do are gifts, and all these talents and skills that we have are ways in which to develop and to better yourself,” McNichols said. “Ultimately, they’re like the gifts that God’s given us, like we’re meant to give back to him and to be the absolute best we can be.”

“And there remains a lot of really robust interest in Reformation theology, and I think rightly so.”

Mattox will be giving a lecture titled “Martin Luther’s Doctrine of Trinity.”

The symposium will include speakers from Westminster Theological Seminary, the University of Cambridge, the University of Notre Dame, and Calvin University. In addition to Mattox, Assistant Professor of Theology Don Westblade, Associate Professor of Theology Cody Strecker, Associate Professor of History Matthew Gaetano, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics Joshua Benjamins, Assistant Professor of English Patrick Timmis, and Associate Professor of Music Derek Stauff will speak during the symposium. Westblade will be speaking on “The Gospel Roots of Nicene Orthodoxy.” He said he will argue for the Council of Nicea’s faithfulness to the Gospel of Mark concerning

Christ’s divinity and humanity. He said the symposium will address the ties between the Protestant Reformation and Nicene theology.

“Rome’s traditions tend to go back to the Lateran councils of the High Middle Ages, and the Reformation says there’s a longer tradition that takes us back to Nicea and the ante-Nicene fathers, and we recover that that’s the source of our Reformation,” Westblade said. “So the Reformation sort of prides itself on having a longer tradition than Rome has and wants to celebrate that.”

The symposium will help attendees understand the significance of the Council of Nicaea, according to Westblade.

“People know the Nicene Creed, but they don’t know where it came from or why it’s there,” Westblade said. “But there’s a lot of importance, historically and theologically, to that council.”

The symposium will include a cocktail hour on Friday at 5 p.m. for drinks and discussion after the first three lectures. There will also be a worship service at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday in Christ Chapel followed by pastries and coffee. Lunch will be provided for those not on the meal plan. Attendees can register online for the symposium. Mattox said he intends to inspire mutual respect between Christians of different denominations.

“I think this symposium is a helpful event that hopefully will underscore the fact that at a professional and even ecclesial level, Protestants, Catholics, and others can get along very well and have a wide sphere of common interests and need to act on them,” Mattox said.

Opinions

Charlie Kirk became an icon of free speech and Christianity

Editor in Chief | Thomas McKenna

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before Saturday at 3 p.m.

Viral videos make us numb to violence

By Moira Gleason Executive Editor

By now, you’ve probably seen the gruesome video.

Moments after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s death, up-close videos of his shooting circulated on social media, plastered across every platform.

It’s the second video showing a graphic murder that has gone viral in the past month: Kirk’s shooting and the stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If you haven’t watched the videos, don’t. You will never forget what you see.

Most of those who saw the clips probably didn’t seek them out. The images rolled unannounced into Instagram and X feeds, weighted equally in the algorithm with the latest “The Summer I Turned Pretty” recap.

Those who shared the clips might have done so to bring awareness to an injustice and call for action.

But a glance at the comment section shows most of them have done little more than encourage conspiracy theories, celebration, and further calls for violence.

Zarutska’s family has publicly asked people to stop sharing the footage of her murder out of respect for her dignity and their grief.

Through a phone screen, it’s easy to see an image rather than a person. In this case, we risk forgetting we’re watching the last few moments of a person’s life.

When anyone with an X account can rewatch the violent deaths of a public figure and an innocent woman over and over again, violence becomes normal. I saw the videos of Kirk’s and Zarutska’s deaths so many times, I stopped flinching.

The more we saturate ourselves in violence

By Miles Smith IV Guest Writer

I did not know much about Charlie Kirk when his handlers asked me to do a quick spot on his show at the beginning of Lent this year. What I did know I was indifferent to; he was loud, partisan, and combative. Granted, most of the clips I had seen were nearly a decade old by the time I went on his show, but I had not paid much attention. Now I see this as evidence of the generational and political divide that separates Gen Z from elder millennials like myself.

But millions of people, particularly Americans on college campuses and those under 30 years old, had been paying attention to Kirk, and they knew what I did not: over a decade, Kirk had become one of the most effective conservative public polemicists in the United States, if not the world, and his presence on college campuses in particular was slowly making him into an icon not of partisan Republican politics, but of two things far more sacred: free speech and Christianity.

Kirk’s interest in free speech is what apparently led him to read something I wrote at Law & Liberty, the flagship journal of the classical liberal-leaning Liberty Fund. When I went on Kirk’s show in the spring of 2025, I expected to find a sort of idealogue. Instead I spoke to a thoughtful and intense man

through media, the more desensitized we become.

Virality incentivizes content creators to share violent videos, adding commentary or speculation. Social media users see the graphic images and scroll past without a second thought.

Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old who allegedly killed Kirk, was himself the product of a culture desensitized to violence and accustomed to blurring the line between online life and real life.

Engravings on bullet casings from the gun allegedly used to kill Kirk included allusions to video games, memes, and the lyrics of an Italian song “Bella Ciao,” an anthem for anti-fascists during World War II but featured more recently in the first-person shooter video game “Far Cry 6” and the Netflix series “Money Heist.”

The college dropout-turned-assassin didn’t pen a manifesto. He made a video game reference. Even if the engravings don’t reflect his motives in this attack, they reveal the kinds of media that formed him. This is popular culture at its most horrifying, up to its neck in violence. And we take it for granted. By watching and sharing the video, we participate in the same desensitization toward violence that built a culture in which a 22-year-old shoots an unarmed civilian he has never met and other 20-year-olds dance on the grave in the comment section.

Moira Gleason is a senior studying English.

who seemed genuinely interested in how free speech was understood over 250 years of American political experience. His questions were thoughtful and he never bristled or seemed bored with answers that didn’t conform to a partisan framework. Kirk’s politics certainly

most compelling aspects of the Trump coalition into spaces, particularly college campuses, that had metastasized into seminaries of the worst kind of totalitarian leftism.

For campus conservatives on left-leaning campuses, Kirk was a beacon and an evangelist

dovetailed with the New Right, but he remained in many ways a child of the gradual evolution of the conservative movement. He drew hard lines, particularly on questions of civil liberties and the treatment of Jews; because of this, Kirk uniquely carried the mantle of both Reagan-era conservatism and the

of good news: that conservative college students had not been forgotten. And in the days following Kirk’s assassination, it does not seem likely that his devotees will forget him. Fox News reports that Turning Point USA, Kirk’s organization, received 54,000 new requests to start Turning

Point USA chapters. Free speech and conservative politics undoubtedly formed the essential part of why college students found Kirk compelling, but in his later years Kirk seemed as interested in Christianity as he did politics. His X feed increasingly featured Bible verses without any associated political admonition. Strong as he was, Kirk seemed powerless to escape the hound of heaven that sociologists say is statistically chasing young Americans, and particularly young men, in the third decade of the 21st century. Kirk remained an Evangelical Christian but was married to a Roman Catholic even as he debated Roman Catholic friends such as Vice President JD Vance on what the latter called minor points of doctrine; but debate never became anger. Kirk was not a sectarian, and he increasingly talked religion instead of politics at TPUSA events on campuses and seemed increasingly aware that devotion to Christ was something different and prior to politics. For a man who was unknowingly facing eternity, that is a far greater comfort to those he leaves behind than any of his vaunted political achievements.

Miles Smith IV is an assistant professor of history.

Kirk let God triumph over politics

By Lewis Thune Assistant Editor

Perhaps the most popular among the scores of newly viral Charlie Kirk clips is his answer when asked what he’d tell a wounded man with 30 seconds to live.

“In 30 seconds you are going to meet eternal judgment, and there’s only one way that you can get bailed out of that. It’s not all the good things you did or the moral scorecard. It’s whether or not you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior,” Kirk said.

“That’s the only thing that’s gonna matter.”

We would do Kirk wrong to reduce the sum of his life to a renewed push for criminal justice, or political reckoning, or new victories against leftism. His 31 years on earth cannot be remembered for “we,” “us,” or “them.” It must be about those most important 30 seconds, about “him.” As Kirk wrote on social media a month ago, “It’s all about Jesus.”

When Charlie is laid to

rest on Sunday, the final and lasting message must be that America needs Jesus above all else. And this is not necessarily in concert with political reform, but potentially and very likely at its expense and that of literally every other message.

A society ruled by the people is only as good as the people. If we desire any real change to come of Kirk’s bodily death, we need to call the American populace out of its spiritual death. No political corollary can accomplish this. It is the shepherd alone, not a popular solution of the other 99 sheep, who brings the missing one home. Those 30 seconds cannot share a seat, much less take a backseat, to anything else. Our sole answer must be Christ, and Christ alone.

Many will call this an oversimplified solution, and it is. We cannot actually abstain from politics until Jesus is exalted across every corner of our country. But for American Christians, this attitude of “Christ alone” comes far

closer to how we should relate to our culture at present. To the degree the two are separable, we need far greater regard for the souls of our fellow men than the political issues of our country.

The best example is Charlie Kirk in his least viral moments, the ones in which he forfeited the political victories of virality for Christian humility. Instead of dismissing interlocutors who wished harm upon him and his family with vitriolic one-liners, Kirk said respectful goodbyes and prayed for them. Instead of screaming condemnations upon pornography actresses who mocked him, Kirk sat on a hostile podcast and humbly shared the Gospel with them. Instead of shaming American women for their shortcomings, Kirk encouraged them to emulate the virtues of the Virgin Mary.

Our culture’s idolatrous spirit saw this selfless Christian overshadowed by his own political practice. Brilliant as that practice was, it will continue to overshadow

the truest Kirk so long as we feed it. In the newly prominent sphere of conservative Christianity, we need people like Kirk to sideline political talent for Christian love. We need people like him to stand before a movement marked by “Jesus first” and respond inconveniently with “Jesus alone.” The god of political expedience cannot revive nor renew us — only the God of spiritual resurrection.

Charlie Kirk set a faithful example of a man zealous to see God glorified on college campuses and beyond. We would do better to emulate that than to launch any number of political skirmishes in his name. It is by Christ alone that Kirk now lives anew and eternal. If we truly desire the good of our nation, we must diminish our political ends and preach Christ in hopes of nothing less.

Lewis Thune is a senior studying politics.

Letter to the Editor

Hillsdale’s approach to Greek instruction makes sense

By Gavin Weaire Guest Writer

A Biblical Languages minor sounds like an excellent idea. At any rate, I think so. However, Blake Schaper’s opinion piece (“Tongues of fire: Hillsdale needs a Biblical Languages minor”; Sept. 11) in support of the idea does, alas, get some basic facts wrong. Biblical Greek is not grouped with “other Greek

dialects” when we teach it at Hillsdale. We teach it in the beginning sequence of Greek instruction alongside one other ancient Greek dialect, the Attic Greek of classical Athens. The “grammar and spelling” of Attic Greek and New Testament Greek do not, in fact, “differ greatly” from one another. They are extremely similar, especially in spelling. Which is not surprising, as Attic Greek was the predom-

inant influence on the koine Greek spoken in the Roman period.

It’s true enough that advanced students who go on to read the likes of Homer have to become familiar with the challenges of other dialects, and since it’s all ancient Greek, studying Attic and New Testament Greek prepares them for that. But as far as biblical Greek goes, you are reading New Testament Greek af -

ter three semesters of initial Greek instruction, and often much sooner.

It’s true that you can also read Plato, but I don’t know that I would call that a bad thing.

Gavin Weaire is a professor of classics.

Professors, don’t penalize sick students

Hillsdale’s current absence policy leaves room for abuse, but it doesn’t

Matthew Tolbert Web & Puzzle Editor

Hillsdale College rightly grants professors broad freedom to address student absences, including when students are sick. Yet freedom is not license, and professors should not use their liberty to craft policies that penalize students for illness.

Our college’s policy articulates our school’s longstanding commitment to professors’ academic freedom. According to the policy, professors “design attendance policies in alignment with the college’s emphasis on student engagement” and “are not required to modify their attendance or academic policies” to address non-disabling medical issues. In the administration’s view,

professors should set standards for their classes on all matters, including attendance. Since professors know their students, they are in the best position to tell if students are genuinely ill or perhaps simply trying to paper over one too many early-semester hangovers.

Given Hillsdale’s emphasis on professor-student relationships, this might make sense at first. Many professors at Hillsdale approach illness collegially without sacrificing high attendance standards by willingly excusing absences when health providers warn that a student is too ill to attend class.

However, others have more questionable policies. Some excuse absences at their discretion alone, without any mention of doctor’s notes. Other professors don’t penalize

students for missing classes but instead refuse to allow students to make up missed quizzes. Still others refuse to set a policy for illness at all — choosing to allow their students a certain number of absences with no questions asked — but apply large grade deductions for further absences, even those due to illness.

These policies incentivize students not to miss class. Especially in the humanities, discussing texts at length is fundamental to the work of learning. The more consistently students engage in these dialogues, the better the education will be for all present. This is why students should attend class, and why professors set attendance standards. Here we see the professor-student relationship in action: a partnership of con-

sistent commitment to the hard work of education.

Yet students fall ill. One may slip on the ice, break an arm, and spend the day getting a cast. Another may catch a flu strain carried by a student or professor from across the country, and even if he can physically pry himself from bed, he should refrain from attending class to prevent others from succumbing to the same fate. Neither of these students are necessarily uncommitted to the work of learning; they simply lack the capacity to show up to class. Their health has prevented them.

But if a single student is unlucky enough to fall ill or become injured multiple times during a semester, he can all too easily slip through the cracks of professors’ policies. He may

have to be that way

miss just enough pop quizzes that the professor dropping his lowest few can’t save him. He may exceed his professor’s cap of three absences per semester, turning a respectable B into a passable C.

While it may be that professors will choose to waive their policies when they believe the consequences are unwarranted, setting a policy ostensibly without exceptions only to make exceptions on the fly is ripe for accusations of abuse. The solution to policies with unfair ramifications is better policies, not discretion, and professors should keep this in mind while setting their attendance standards.

It wouldn’t be easy to create a uniform policy on campus concerning absences. Every class, every absence, every

illness, and every student are different, and the best way forward can vary between classes even for a single student in a single semester. That is why Hillsdale professors’ academic freedom is key. But professors must take care that they use that freedom well and don’t encourage unhealthy behavior. While the new articulation of college policy is a step in the right direction, by encouraging students and professors to work together to find the optimal approach for each situation, professors should follow the spirit of the policy — and the college — to make sure that their liberty does not become license.

Keep vaccine mandates Nix vaccine mandates

Florida’s vaccine repeal unnecessarily risks lives Current mandates violate constitutional rights

By Blake Schaper Collegian Freelancer

Florida Surgeon General

Joseph Ladapo announced earlier this month that he will work with Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove all vaccine requirements for school-age children and adults.

“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo said. “Who am I as a government — or anyone else — to tell you what you should put in your body?”

Ladapo said Sept. 3 he is instructing the state’s department of health to eliminate all vaccine mandates, many of which apply to Florida schoolchildren, the Wall Street Journal reported. Despite Ladapo’s and DeSantis’ good intentions, lifting all school vaccine mandates goes too far.

Vaccination is necessary in many circumstances to protect others’ natural rights and promote the general welfare. This has been the common position of many Americans until recent years, when vaccine skepticism gained more attention after the release of the COVID-19 shot.

Many anti-vaccination claims are not grounded in scientific evidence. For instance, the idea that vaccines cause autism emerged with British doctor Andrew Wakefield. A journalist in 2004 discovered that when Wakefield co-authored a study trying to link vaccination to a personality disorder, Wakefield was secretly receiving £400,000 from lawyers running a lawsuit against vaccine manufacturers. Additionally, the U.K. government discovered Wakefield was poised to make £28 million from his personal vaccine kits.

Later, a U.K. court found Wakefield guilty of misrepresenting evidence, skewing data with a small sample size, and subjecting child test subjects to invasive and harmful medical procedures. Studies this year have shown no demonstrable link between vaccines and conditions such as autism, asthma, autoimmune

diseases, or other conditions.

Yet people such as Wakefield have duped some onlookers into believing it is healthier to refrain from vaccination, period.

Proponents of DeSantis and Ladapo claim the Founding Fathers would oppose mandatory vaccinations. On the contrary, it was Benjamin Franklin who became one of the earliest advocates for vaccination after losing his 4-year-old son to smallpox.

“I long regretted bitterly and still regret that I had not given it to him by Inoculation,” Franklin wrote in his autobiography. “This I mention for the Sake of Parents who omit that Operation on the Supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a Child died under it.”

One of George Washington’s first orders as general was to curb a smallpox epidemic plaguing the American army by mandating soldiers get vaccinated. In a 1777 letter, Washington mandated that all soldiers who had not previously contracted smallpox be inoculated, even if they did not agree to vaccination when they enlisted. By immunizing American soldiers against smallpox, Washington kept them in fighting shape.

According to history professor Elizabeth Fenn in her book “Pox Americana,” Washington’s vaccination was one of the core factors in America’s victory in the Revolutionary War.

Bioethical arguments against vaccination are more understandable. During COVID, gene-editing CRISPR technology was used along with compulsory untested vaccines. This is morally reprehensible, and even those in favor of vaccinations should advocate for more rigorous and long-term vaccine testing. However, many vaccinations Florida proposes to stop requiring, such as the polio and Measles-Mumps-Rubella shots, have been proven effective for more than 50 years, having been created and mandated since the 1960s and ’70s. There are also philosoph -

ical problems with Ladapo’s and Florida’s stance on bodily autonomy. Many people who argue for “my body, my choice” on vaccinations would agree that the same logic does not apply to abortion, suicide, or substance abuse. It is not moral for us to abuse our freedom so we pose a danger to our own or other’s lives.

Lifting these mandates will bring about more disease and potentially cost lives and money. For example, Romania and the U.K. have lifted measles vaccination requirements due to anti-vaccination controversy. In turn, confirmed measles cases skyrocketed in both countries from 2023 to 2024, twelvefold in the U.K. and sevenfold in Romania. These resulted in countless preventable hospitalizations and 25 deaths between the two countries.

To put Europe’s recent measles spike into perspective, all European cases in 2016 were the American equivalent of an average-size neighborhood. In just nine years, this has swelled to double the population of Santa Barbara, California. Florida has a population of 23.4 million. If the government lifts all these vaccinations in the middle of flu season, many children will miss school, suffer, or even die from preventable diseases.

Though DeSantis and Ladapo have reasonable concerns with some vaccinations, a state-wide, all-encompassing vaccine mandate lift is a mistake. With the findings we now have about vaccine safety and outbreak risk, it is all the more clear that Florida has a moral obligation to maintain its vaccine requirements. The planned Florida mandate has gone too far.

Blake Schaper is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

By Lucy Billings Collegian Freelancer

A vaccine mandate fundamentally violates the God-given rights men and women inherently possess, affirmed by the Constitution.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced their intention to end vaccine mandates for school-age children within the state. The declaration has since faced tremendous backlash from the medical community and skepticism from President Donald Trump. But not only is it completely within Florida’s right to pursue this, it is also the morally upright decision.

If the Florida legislature upholds their end of the agenda, Florida would be the first U.S. state to implement this policy. Traditionally, states follow federal guidelines regarding vaccines, but school mandates are ultimately the responsibility of states’ health departments.

An elimination of vaccine mandates does not entail a lack of availability of vaccines for those who want them, but provides freedom of choice. Religious exemptions already exist in most states, but some parents don’t know these exceptions exist. This is a matter of principle. Mandate and vaccine should remain separate terms.

It is consistent with the Constitution to support this measure. The Fifth Amendment protects the right to property, which also applies to one’s body.

“No person shall,” it reads, “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”

Agency over one’s own body and one’s children’s bodies is no exception to the application of liberty or property rights. This has been upheld in several legal cases throughout U.S. history.

McFall v. Shimp (1978) ruled that a man could not be legally compelled to donate bone marrow to save another man’s life. The judge ruled this

a violation of bodily autonomy.

“For our law to compel [the] defendant to submit to an intrusion of his body would change every concept and principle upon which our society is founded,” Judge Francis Flaherty wrote. “To do so would defeat the sanctity of the individual and would impose a rule which would know no limits, and one could not imagine where the line would be drawn.”

Other cases such as Winston v. Lee (1985), forbidding the state from retrieving a bullet from a suspect’s body without consent, and Union Pacific Railway Co. v. Botsford (1891), preventing the court from compelling a plaintiff to undergo a surgical examination, also defended decisions over our bodies as a constitutional human right.

If the Founding Fathers believed this, what should be made of George Washington’s decision to mandate inoculation for his troops against smallpox in February 1777?

The ethics of that decision are debatable, but it is important to note that the Continental Army was composed of volunteers. The same logic cannot apply to the general population of schoolchildren. Washington’s was a military decision.

Though these soldiers may not have explicitly agreed to vaccination, they made an initial decision to put themselves under the authority of Congress and their general.

We may not compromise individual rights to ensure a more disease-free society. The only time a citizen’s rights are justly impeded is when their exercise leads to the violation of someone else’s rights.

Parents’ decision for their children to abstain from any or all vaccinations, while it arguably increases the risk of disease for others, do not violate their rights. No one has the right to live in a society free from, or at low risk of, disease. This environment has been created by man. Rights must be inherent and bestowed by God.

During a recent interview with CNN reporter Jake Tap-

per, Ladapo commented on this distinction between the societal consequences of the decision and the real heart of the issue. Tapper asked Ladapo whether his department had done any analysis or projection on the rise of disease cases to be expected following the implementation of this policy.

“Absolutely not,” Ladapo said. “There is this conflation of the science and what is the right and wrong thing to do.” Later in the interview, Ladapo called the vaccine decision an issue of parental rights, questioning whether it was appropriate for the government — rather than parents — to decide what goes into kids’ bodies.

Many supporters of DeSantis and Ladapo’s push have expressed concerns with vaccines’ health risks outweighing their benefits. Pharmaceutical companies rake in billions every year from vaccine distributions with effectively no means of accountability due to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. The idea that parents should be made to pay companies for a vaccine they don’t want and be unable to hold that company accountable for injuries is outrageous. Government needs to respect parents’ God-given rights. This is not a medical or scientific issue. It is a moral and constitutional one. The government ought to wield its authority strictly to protect the rights of its citizens and never to trespass upon them.

Vaccine mandates, like any medical decisions made for an individual, by nature constitute a misuse of the government’s power. Any effort to repeal the mandates is commendable. The various provisions of this effort still have long journeys through legislative and administrative checkpoints. But if it succeeds in any measure, Florida will pave the way for other states to follow suit in granting schoolchildren and parents their constitutional rights.

Lucy Billings is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

City News

Hillsdale airport reveals new terminal at annual fly-in

By Alessia Sandala City News Editor

The Hillsdale Municipal Airport unveiled its new termi nal during the annual Patriots Day Fly-in Sept. 14.

“Modern facilities are always a welcome sight,” said new Airport Manager Travis Stebelton. “The new terminal brings Hillsdale into modern times, from 1963 to today, that’s a significant gap.”

Construction on the terminal began in June 2024. It is the culmination of for mer Airport Manager Ginger Moore’s hard work to improve the airport, according to Ward 3 Councilman Bob Flynn. Flynn said the airport’s new terminal highlights its growth and will make the airport a more integral part of the community.

“For the longest time it was a recreational airport,” Flynn said. “Private pilots would come out and use it, go flying around, take their family and friends, and that’s what it was for. But, there was a point in time when the folks at the airport and the folks with the City

of Hillsdale decided this could be so much more.”

Four-year-old Owen Rhoades took his first ride in a helicopter at the airport’s flyin. Kacey Rhoades, his mother, said she had never been to the airport, despite seeing planes flying overhead for years. “It is the first time we’ve been to the airport, and we live three miles down the road,” Kacey Rhoades said.

After finding out about the fly-in from a flyer while at work, Kacey Rhoades said attending and going for a flight was meant to be a surprise for her son.

“He was so excited that I had to tell him,” Kacey Rhoades said.

When considering whether to fly in an airplane or a helicopter, Kacey Rhoades said

Owen knew he wanted to go for a helicopter ride.

“My 4-year-old makes the decisions,” she said, adding that she had only ever flown com-

mercially when she was a kid, and never in a helicopter.

‘I thought it was amazing,” Kacey Rhoades said. “Seeing all the green and just how big

the land really is from up top, it makes you feel so small. It’s just amazing seeing all the places you go to and the same roads you drive on from up there.”

Residents weigh in on ‘road diet’ at forum

Without a quorum, citizens voiced concerns and support

By Sydney Green Collegian Reporter

With no quorum, a special city council meeting on Sept. 10 turned into a public forum on the proposed Broad Street “road diet,” where residents expressed their concerns and support for the project.

The discussion came after the city council approved a resolution committing $135,000 from the city toward the Michigan Department of Transportation-led infrastructure project Aug. 18. The plan will add bike lanes and slim down Broad Street from four to three lanes, with the middle lane serving as a left-hand turn lane.

In attendance were the three council members who voted against it in August — Matthew Bentley (Ward 2), Jacob Bruns (Ward 1), and Mayor Pro Tem Joshua Paladino — and Councilman Gary Wolfram (Ward 3), who voted for it. Supporters of the plan emphasized pedestrian safety and slower traffic through residential areas.

Broad Street resident Eric Coykendall described the dangers of living along the street.

“While most of you get to enjoy a neighborhood street, I get to enjoy, effectively, a speedway. I lost a dog to it,”

Coykendall said. “If we can narrow it and if we can slow it down, I think that can lead to better health and safety of our kids and our neighborhood.”

Hillsdale resident Elizabeth Schlueter, a mother of nine who initially opposed the plan but now

supports it, echoed these safety concerns.

“The design prioritizes pedestrians, walkability, business health, and safer driving over

payer dollars.”

But for resident Ginger Novak, the project is another plan for the city to take taxpayers’ money.

“While most of you get to enjoy a neighborhood street, I get to enjoy, effectively, a speedway. I lost a dog to it.”

volume and speed of traffic,” Schlueter said. “I don’t like bike lanes, but I’d like a buffer zone that allows me to open a car door without getting it sheared off by a truck. Peeking around a car to try and cross that street if you’re not at a crosswalk is a near-death sentence, especially with kids.”

Schlueter also emphasized the project’s 97% return on investment.

“I think it’s a good return on investment for the taxpayer,” Schlueter said. “It’s a good use and shepherding of my tax-

“I am not in favor of this,” Novak said. “Every time I take my eyes off the city council, they come up with a new way to pick my pocket. When you limit truck traffic on Broad Street, it’s going to go to Howell Street, and then the city council is going to charge us $5,000 in a special assessment to fix that road.”

The issue is expected to remain a focus in upcoming council meetings.

Keefer developers seek new extension

By Christina Lewis Assistant Editor

CL Real Estate requested an extension for the Keefer House Hotel project until Dec. 31 at the Hillsdale City Council meeting Tuesday.

The extension, if approved by the city council at its Oct. 6 meeting, would extend the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act, which provides property tax exemptions.

“I mean this when I say this, no one wants this hotel finished more and open more than myself, our company, and our owners,” said Brant Cohen, senior development associate at CL Real Estate. “To that end, we’ve remained present and committed to this project. Through every challenge, we’ve consistently met every obstacle with determination and perseverance.”

CL Real Estate acquired the property in 2018 for $60,000 and construction began in the fall of 2021.

Nick Fox, vice president of construction and development at CL Real Estate, said the company has overcome

many challenges.

“We’ve got good subcontractors, got a great new local plumber that has come in and really jumped into it,” Fox said. “Right now, we are on the tipping point of starting all of the finishes. Drywall is going to be starting at the end of this week and next week. We are waiting for one crucial in-wall mechanical and plumbing inspection. That will basically start that whole process of getting the rest of the drywall in, and then that’ll move right into all of the finishes.”

Ward 3 Councilman Gary Wolfram said he would “strongly support” an OPRA extension.

“Making a 34-room boutique hotel is going to really add to the value of the different buildings around downtown,” Wolfram said. “So that actually will probably improve the value of the properties and therefore bring in more tax revenue for the city.” Fox said CL Real Estate has all the materials and equipment, including the nightstands and mattresses.

State legislators debate cellphones in K-12 schools

By Christina Lewis Assistant Editor

As Lansing lawmakers debate smartphone use among K-12 students, Ted Davis, the superintendent of Hillsdale Community Schools, said he would “strongly support” additional restrictions at the state level.

“Every student in our district has access to a Chromebook, which provides all the tools they need for learning while also ensuring a safer, more controlled online environment through district internet filters,” Davis said in an email. “This setup allows us to meet students’ educational technology needs without the risks that come with unrestricted smartphone access.”

Rep. Mark Tisdel, a Republican who represents Rochester, introduced House Bill 4141 on Feb. 26. This was his second attempt to pass legislation that would limit students’ use of cellphones in classrooms.

The bill would prohibit smartphones in K-12 instruction time unless the teacher allows them for specific assign-

ments, according to Tisdel.

“The internet is the world’s single greatest entertainment medium, and it’s very difficult for teachers to compete,” Tisdel said. “If you do have that kind of distraction, even just an app notification going off, research shows that it can take five to 15 minutes for a student to recollect their attention back on the lesson that’s being presented in front of them.”

Davis said one of the most concerning issues with smartphones is their connection to social media.

“We see a clear link between social media use and discipline problems in our schools,” he said. “Reducing student access to smartphones during the school day would not only minimize distractions but also create a healthier, more focused learning environment.”

The bill would prohibit students in K-6th grade from taking out their phones for the entire day because they are not changing classes, Tisdel said. Students in 7th-12th grade could use their phones in the hallway, while changing classes, as long as they are not

taking out their phones during instruction time.

In Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2025 State of the State address, she called for bipartisan collaboration to limit phones in classrooms. Despite this, no Democrats voted for the bill.

“This defeat had nothing to do with the merits of the bill,” Tisdel said in a July 28 press release. “We tried working with Democrat lawmakers, made changes to accommodate their concerns, even used language provided by the governor’s office. We had an agreement with the governor and Senate Democrats, but the House Democrats decided to play games and vote no.”

Republican Rep. Jim DeSana, who was absent during the vote, said a statewide ban on cellphone use is not necessary because every school already has the power to limit students’ use of electronic devices.

“Every time we pass a law in Michigan, there’s costs associated with that,” said DeSana, who represents portions of Monroe and Wayne counties. “I’ve heard upwards of

$400,000 to $500,000 for every law we passed through, instituting, changing, publishing, recording, all that stuff. We don’t need more laws. We need less laws, and we just need to enforce the laws we have.”

Although DeSana agreed that students should not use electronic devices in schools, he said the bill would be an unnecessary law.

“We have way too many mandates in government, and another mandate, albeit maybe something good — we’re trying to create something good in the schools, but we’re doing it from a centralized location, a state government,” DeSana said. “And, whenever you follow that route, it tends to be a one-size-fits-all approach, and I just don’t think the state should be telling a school what to do. I’m even against the state telling a local school district anything. I think we should abolish the State Department of Education.”

Rep. Jennifer Wortz, a Republican who represents Hillsdale and Branch counties and part of Lenawee County, voted in favor of the bill and said she has “mixed feelings” about the

legislation.

“Schools have the capabilities, and they’re required under the law already, to have a cellphone policy,” Wortz said.

“Unfortunately, it’s a situation where a lot of superintendents and principals have told us, ‘It’d be really nice if you just ban them at the state level, it would make our job easier.’” Wortz said superintendents see the bill as a “safety net.”

“When you’re the superintendent of the district, it kind of falls on you and your school board to make those decisions,” Wortz said. “And if they’re not popular, then you take a lot of heat, whereas if that decision is made at the state level, and well, the state made that decision.”

If parents acted like parents and school boards and administrators worked locally to craft cellphone policies, then legislation at the state level would not be required, according to Wortz.

“Parents need to step up and be parents, and staff rely on the government to enforce rules that they should be en-

forcing as parents,” Wortz said. Assistant Professor of Education David Diener said classrooms are “sacred spaces” in which teachers and students together pursue the activities of learning and lives of wisdom and virtue.

“From practical issues like distractions and inappropriate content to more theoretical issues like the brain’s neurological development and the very nature of teaching and learning, student cellphones bring a host of unnecessary problems into the classroom while providing zero net educational benefit,” Diener said.

During Diener’s time as headmaster at classical Christian schools, he said students were not permitted to use cellphones during the school day.

“As a professor at Hillsdale College, I am grateful that students recognize the importance of being fully present in class and focusing on the noble task of learning together,” Diener said.

County fair celebrates 175 years

By Carson Brower Collegian Freelancer

The Hillsdale County Fair will celebrate its 175th anniversary as the self-styled “Most Popular Fair on Earth” Sept. 21-27.

The festivities for this special anniversary kick off Sept. 21 with tractor pulls, Hillsdale resident and freshman Andrew Spiegel’s “favorite event.” This is the first time the fair has ever kicked off with the tractor pulls.

event requires tickets, which can be purchased online or at the door.

This year is the second year with the Pro Rodeo. The rodeo consists of eight events, including barrel racing, steer wrestling, breakaway roping, and bull riding. The rodeo will feature professional cowboys and cowgirls from across the state of Michigan.

with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

The fair will also feature rides, fair food, and carnival games. There will also be livestock exhibits where kids and parents alike will be able to learn from professionals about raising livestock and can pet the animals.

The fair will wrap up with a second TNT Demo Derby on Saturday night.

“They promise to be an electric start to an amazing week of celebrating the history of Hillsdale County.”

“They promise to be an electric start to an amazing week of celebrating the history of Hillsdale County,” Fair Manager Sabine Young said.

The festivities continue every day throughout the week, including a TNT Demo Derby, truck pulls, the TK Pro Rodeo, and a concert. Each

Later in the week, Tyler Farr will headline this year’s live music show alongside Jason Cross and Hayden Ladd in a show that can best be described as “pop country,” a modern twist on country music that has been growing increasingly more popular over the past couple of years. They will perform Sept. 26

Adult day passes cost $7 for those ages 12 and up and $2 for seniors ages 65 and up and can be purchased at the gate. Children 11 and under are admitted for free. For the featured event each night, tickets can be purchased separately either online or in person.

Hillsdale Hospital reacts to Medicaid reforms

The hospital launched a media campaign to support rural health care

By Eleanor DeGoffau Collegian Reporter

Hillsdale Hospital is anticipating budget cuts from the recently passed Medicaid reforms, but the hospital launched a media campaign to make sure other rural hospitals don’t suffer a worse fate.

Hillsdale Hospital debuted a publicity initiative called Rural Health Strong over the summer in response to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 4, a federal tax and spending law that contained federal spending cuts to Medicaid.

Krysten Newlon, director of communications and donor development at Hillsdale Hospital, said the hospital launched the campaign because the Medicaid cuts threaten to eliminate rural health jobs or close rural hospitals entirely.

“Because of these funding cuts, we have been advocating since February for rural health, trying to encourage our legislators and encourage our communities to speak out on behalf of rural health,” Newlon said.

Hillsdale Hospital is expecting a tighter budget once the cuts go into effect, according to Newlon, but the hospital will not close or shut down any services.

“We are going to have a very reduced rate of reimbursement, and that’s very concerning to us. It means that providing care will strain our budget more and more,” Newlon said. “We are working very hard to make sure that we don’t have to make any

“The church is very much into the traditional family,” Meeks said. “It heavily promotes living a solid, good, optimistic Christian life, the pursuit of glorifying God through our family and children, and trying to make a positive impact on the world.”

Meeks said students who are searching for a church should consider attending the outreach meetings.

cuts. We don’t want to lose any jobs. We don’t want to lose any services. We are very financially viable right now, and we are working very hard to stay that way.”

The hospital is primarily concerned by the new law’s upper limits on state provider taxes. These levies take in tax revenue from health care providers, like Hillsdale Hospital, but then return it to providers as Medicaid spending. Since the federal government partially reimburses states for each Medicaid dollar spent, higher provider tax revenue and expenditures trigger more federal funding.

Medicaid or Medicare, Newlon said.

“By cutting that money, the states are not able to provide stable funding for the hospitals that need it, and it affects us disproportionately,” Newlon said. “We are getting reimbursed by the government, by Medicaid, and Medicare. Overall, that budget basically controls whether or

across the U.S. They concluded these hospitals to be at risk of closing or cutting back services as a result of the Medicaid cuts in the OBBBA. Four hospitals on that list were from Michigan: Mt. Pleasant’s McLaren Central Michigan, Carson City Hospital, Aspirius Ontonagon Hospital, and Dowagiac’s Ascension Borgess-Lee Hospital.

“By cutting that money, the states are not able to provide stable funding for the hospitals that need it, and it affects us disproportionately.”

not we can care for our patients, along with a lot of other rural hospitals.”

But when provider tax limits are lowered under the new law, each state reports less in Medicaid spending, and thus receives less funding from the federal government.

According to Newlon, this law will decrease Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. Rural hospitals rely more on federal Medicaid funds than their urban counterparts due to their lower-income population, so they will feel most of this reduction. At Hillsdale Hospital, 70% of the patients admitted are either on

The OBBBA also adds a $50 billion rural health reconciliation package to be distributed to rural hospitals, with the goal of offsetting these losses. However, some experts, such as the Kaiser Family Foundation policy center, estimate that this will only cover a little more than one-third of the losses to rural hospitals.

On June 12, researchers from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released a list of more than 300 rural hospitals

“If you’re looking for a biblical, Calvinist, conservative teaching on the bible, a very good liturgy that encourages worship of God and confession of sins, and a community between the believers, I would definitely recommend this,” Meeks said.

However, other statistics show rural hospitals may not be severely affected by the cuts.

Abel Winn, associate professor of economics, said even for rural hospitals, Medicaid makes up a small percentage of a hospital’s revenue. A report by healthcare policy institute Chartis said Medicaid contributes 10% of a rural hospital’s revenue.

Winn said hospitals realistically will only experience a small cut in revenues.

“That doesn’t mean that this or that hospital is not going to be under significant stress, and there may be some hospitals that close,” Winn said. “But globally speaking, you’re talking about less than a 1% cut in profits. So I don’t think that it’s going to be earth-shaking in terms of the overall system. Since Medicaid pays so poorly already, it’s

been assisting Christ Church with the fledgling outreach. Dixon said these first few weeks have been a trial period.

“The goal is to take stock, see who might be suitable for deacons, who might be suitable for elders, see who could potentially be a part of this,” Dixon said. “Then we’ll move forward from there.”

Dixon said each service has attracted between 30 and 50 people.

“Depending on how many people we still have in a few weeks, we’re going to start gauging the possibility of putting a down payment on a building,” he said. “That’s still a ways out, but that’s the goal.”

Christ Church and the

a much smaller percentage of their actual income.”

According to a press release from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are also expected to be at risk from Medicaid cuts. Despite most of the residential patients being on Medicaid, the Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility does not anticipate funding cuts, according to Terry Esterline, the administrator at the assisted living facility.

“We’re a skilled nursing facility,” Esterline said. “We have 170 beds in our nursing home. We are not anticipating a big impact on skilled care. I think a lot of the concern is in acute care like hospital settings, especially in a rural area. They’re anticipating a larger impact than we would here at the nursing home.”

Esterline said HCMCF receives Medicaid funds on a per-patient basis, which is consistent across all patients, while Hillsdale Hospital relies on funds that vary widely from patient to patient. He said that because of this, the Medicaid cuts will not affect HCMCF significantly.

“The reimbursement system is entirely different,” Esterline said. “Where a hospital could depend more on private insurance and Medicaid for their reimbursement, our reimbursement is set up on a per-diem basis, so the state reimburses a nursing home a set amount per bed per day.”

CREC are also launching an outreach in Washington, D.C. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is a prominent member and a strong supporter. Meeks said the CREC’s political engagement distinguishes it from other denominations.

“If we make this positive impact on society, then eventually we can take back America and have it be mostly Christian again,” Meeks said. “I would say that’s one of the big pieces of what the CREC is going for from a purpose perspective.”

By Gemma Flores Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale City Council unanimously voted at its Sept. 15 meeting to move forward with new Special Assessment Districts for 2026.

A SAD designates dilapidated roads for repair and funds the repairs by charging residents in the district up to $5,000. The proposed SADs are on South Street from M-99 to South Norwood Avenue, Willow Street from Oak Street to Logan Street, and Lake Street from Willow Street to East Carleton Road. Residents in the district can override the council’s approval by collecting letters from a majority of property owners opposed to the special assessment. A group of citizens on Barry Street rejected the city’s special assessment in April 2025. The council would need to vote 7-1 to override these objections.

City Manager David Mackie also recommended the council decide on SADs for 2027 immediately, so that it could apply for Small Urban Program funding — money from the Michigan Department of Transportation for areas with populations between 5,000 and 49,998. The two options are sections of Oak Street and Reading Avenue, and whichever project is not selected will be deferred until 2030.

Director of Public Services Jason Blake asked the council to allow him and the city engineer to create plans and estimates to share with the council no later than January.

Mayor Pro Tem Joshua Paladino suggested gauging public opinion on the two streets before deciding. But without going ahead with the preliminary research for SADs, Mackie said, the council would not give accurate estimates for the cost of the projects to concerned citizens.

“You want to know if people support it, yet you can’t give them answers until you can do that work,” Mackie said. The council will vote on which street should be put forward for Small Urban funding at its next meeting on Oct. 6.

Sports

Chargers fill the podium at first home competition

By Daniel Johnson Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale shotgun team filled the podium in the Chargers Classic NCSA competition at the John Halter Shooting Center over the weekend.

The Chargers competed in three different sporting clays events Sept. 12-14, vying for the top spots in each.

“We had a lot of good scores spread across the entire team,” freshman Zach Hinze said. “I’d say overall it was a big success for everyone.”

Junior Luke Johnson won the 100 preliminary sporting clays event overall and in the junior division after hitting 99 out of 100 targets in the event on Friday. Freshman David Texas Ardis (97/100) placed third overall and second in the junior division Master Class.

Senior Jordan Sapp (95/100) in AA Class, senior Kyle Fleck (95/100) in A Class, and sophomore Taylor Dale (92/100) in B Class, won their classes in the same event.

“It was almost a perfect score on the first event,” Hinze said. “That was a really cool thing.”

In the Fiocchi Main Event on Saturday and Sunday, Ardis led the Chargers by shooting 177 out of 200 targets. Winning their divisions were sophomore Nathaniel Meloro (175/200) in A Class and junior Alex Hoffman (168/200) in B Class.

gers by shooting 90/100 targets, placing second overall. Winning their divisions were Hinze (84/100) in A Class and Hoffman (80/100) in B Class.

“I'd say overall it was a big success for everyone.”

In the Pacific Sporting Arms FITASC on Saturday and Sunday, Ardis again led the Char-

Sporting clays, the type of shooting involved in all three competitions, involves shooting at a variety of targets coming from different directions at different speeds without the shooter’s knowledge beforehand.

According to sophomore Marin McKinney, competing in sporting clays helps shotgun athletes from every discipline sharpen their skills.

“Sporting clays helps you in all different disciplines because it helps with your reaction time,”

a number from that range may appear multiple times or not at all.) The sixth row is an anagram of the sixth column, and the sum of the five values therein is given in the bottom-right triangle.

McKinney said. “It helps you figure out how to gauge speed with different targets and distances.” Hinze said the competition helped sharpen the team for the rest of the season.

“It definitely shows where we’re kind of lacking,” Hinze said. “So when we get to nationals next semester, we can be better prepared.”

According to head coach Jordan Hinze, the ultimate goal of this preparation is to continue the Hillsdale shotgun team’s legacy of excellence.

“This season, the ultimate goal is to win another team-high overall national championship,” coach Hinze said.

The shotgun team will host the Klix Memorial Sporting Clays Shoot this Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Halter Center.

Fantasy is for the knowers

By Lewis Thune Assistant Editor

In modern social media parlance, the fashionable way to say “you’re wrong” is the recycled 2010 putdown “you don’t know ball.” If you can’t understand the “knowing ball” phenomenon, you probably don’t understand the draw of fantasy football to the average fan. To say it another way, if you don’t “know ball,” you don’t know ball.

Fantasy football is an outgrowth of fandom — true fandom, not the oxymoronic “casual fandom” espoused by too many Americans. The English word “fan” is derived from the Latin “fanaticus” for a person belonging to a temple or shrine. And football, more than any other American sport, occupies the intersection of recreation and religion.

Football fans are religious. I’m not talking about Packers fans or Tennessee fans — every team has its own private fans, each a sect of the true fandom. I’m talking about the universal football fans: the type of people who hate artificial turf, love blitzing seven on third down, and lament the twilight of the fullback. The type who won’t miss a game no matter who’s playing because, teams-bedamned, it’s football.

We demonstrate our piety by understanding the game beyond what’s plainly apparent — by knowing ball. “You don’t know ball” is a stinging rebuke to any football fan, the Hillsdale equivalent of being called a heretic or schismatic.

Men's Tennis

Doubles from A10

Sophomore Rintaro Goda and freshman Jackson Clements also took the Chargers to the podium, battling their way to place third in Flight D with a 8-6 victory over a team from Findlay.

Head coach Keith Turner said he was impressed by his team’s improvement.

“Doubles as a whole was an improvement from last year,” Turner said.

Goda had an impressive run in Flight D singles, battling all the way to the final. He defeated Conner Nguyen of Findlay with a 6-0, 6-2 win and beat Cameron Davis of Findlay with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 10-5.

We nurse an apostolic desire to outdo one another in this discipline. It’s impressive to know that the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense is only elite because it’s paired with a strong rushing offense, or that University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning can’t meet Heisman expectations precisely because he’s under a premier playcaller, head coach Steve Sarkisian. But these bits of wisdom are insignificant in comparison to fantasy football, the ultimate expression of ball knowledge.

For those who don’t know, in fantasy football, the fan drafts a team of individual football players who score points based on their real-life statistical output on a week-by-week basis. Thus, a fantasy footballer must evaluate players based not only on individual talent, but on each week’s supporting cast and opponent.

Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris are two absolutely excellent running backs who nonetheless have very little fantasy value. This is because they both play for the Los Angeles Chargers, thereby limiting each other’s touches, which means less statistical output and fewer fantasy points. A better situated running back of lesser skill, like the Las Vegas Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty, is of much greater value to a fantasy owner. Similarly, dynamic wide receivers like the Chicago Bears’ DJ Moore are of little value when playing the San Francisco 49ers, whereas average pass-catchers like the Houston Texans’ Christian Kirk explode in worth when playing the Indianapolis Colts.

Despite a loss in the Flight D final, Papazov said Goda was playing exceptionally well.

“Watching him in the final was definitely something you would not want to miss,” Pa-

All this particular knowledge leads even to the development of fantasy principles: knowing ball about knowing ball. In football, winning teams lead games, and leading teams shorten games by running the ball. So in fantasy, a winning team’s average running back, like the Buffalo Bills’ James Cook, is as valuable as an average team’s great running back, like the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor. The same goes for losing team’s receivers: the Atlanta Falcons’ Drake London and the Cleveland Browns’ Jerry Jeudy are far worse football players than the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown, but since their teams often play from behind and must pass the ball, they’re generally better fantasy players.

Fantasy football is the single most accessible decider of who knows ball. It is a ruthless test and spiritual discipline for any professing football fan. That’s why most leagues, rather than rewarding the knowledgeable first-place finisher, instead draft a punishment for the posing last-place finisher.

Posers, as anyone knows, are better off recreating Travis Kelce’s GQ photoshoot. Barring a down year from Garrett Wilson on the New York Jets, I’m safe from that fate. But many “casual fans” foolish enough to play fantasy football with ball-knowers will suffer that and worse come the end of the season. Fantasy football is for the knowers. Play at your own risk. season. Fantasy football is for the knowers. Play at your own risk.

Dasi, an opponent from Walsh, with a score of 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-3. The match went to two tiebreakers.

pazov said. Plys agreed with Papazov. “He played high-quality tennis and fought hard every point,” said Plys. Plys triumphed over Joan

“It had been a while since I played a proper match against a player of that caliber, and I was happy that I found a way to stay on top,” Plys said. Papazov said he has high hopes for the upcoming season.

“It’s going to be an exciting year,” Papazov said. “Lots of fun, lots of lessons, probably a few tears, a little bit of blood, and a hell of a lot of

next

is

Cross Country

Runners excel at MSU Invitational

By Anna Stirton Collegian Reporter

The men’s and women’s cross country teams put forth an impressive showing Sept. 12 at the Michigan State University Spartan Invitational.

The men’s team placed eighth and the women’s team 10th in a competitive field of Division I programs and multiple Big Ten schools.

While this was the second race for both the men and women, it was the first time each team raced their respective typical collegiate cross country distances, 8k for the men and 6k for the women.

Junior Eleanor Clark said she and her teammates went into this meet prepared to race hard and test themselves.

“It’s really good to have some success with a bigger field, as compared to the home meet last week,” Clark said.

“We had a lot of PRs on the team.” One of those PRs was earned by sophomore Allison Kuzma, who scored 18th individually in 21:02.3, smashing her previous personal best by more than 30 seconds and executing the fastest time by Hillsdale women’s XC since 2023.

placed 92nd with a time of 25:37.8, followed by senior Nathaniel Osborne taking 97th in 25:45.7. Two freshmen finished out the scoring runners in their first collegiate 8k with John Richardson taking 98th in 25:46.2 and Jefferson Regitz placing 121st in 26:22.8 Osborne commented on how he believes the main strength of the team this year lies in the depth of the team and their ability to keep each other accountable.

“We’re a really deep team, and so learning to run as a pack and to help our teammates out is really going to be our opportunity to shine as a team this year,” Osborne said.

“They controlled their emotions, paid attention to the details of the race, and didn't let a big environment distract them from running for one another.”

Junior Savannah Fraley and Clark took the 106th and 107th places, crossing the line in 22.48.2 and 22:48.7 respectively. Freshman Grace Tykocki took 151st in 24:01.9 and fellow freshman Caroline Roberts finished 171st in 24:46.6.

Senior Gabe Phillips led the men’s side scoring 33rd overall in a time of 24:37.4, achieving a personal best and the fastest 8k time by a Hillsdale runner since 2019. Junior Caleb Youngstedt

“Keeping our top group close together, and getting those times down into a competitive spot for conference and regionals is the goal.”

Head coach R.P. White also emphasised this vital aspect of teamwork. He noted that while individuals on both teams demonstrated tremendous athletic performances, their collective ability to execute race strategy as a group was even more impressive.

“They controlled their emotions, paid attention to the details of the race, and didn’t let a big environment distract them from running for one another,” White said. “That kind of maturity and composure will serve them extremely well later in the season.

Charger cross country will continue training this week, looking forward to its next meet at the Siena Heights Invite in Adrian, Michigan, Sept. 26.

Club Sports Feature

Ultimate Frisbee aims for nationals

By Francesca Cella Collegian Reporter

The Ultimate Frisbee club is increasing the rigor of its program by adding weekly lifts and resistance training in hopes of returning to the USA Ultimate Division III College Championships.

“We want to be getting faster, stronger, and healthier with better athletes, and we want to try to win some games in the spring and go back to nationals,” senior and team captain Jake Hamilton said.

The team qualified for nationals in the spring for the first time in club history. At the championships, the team caused two upsets, helping them to move up in the rankings and finish in the 13th rank in the division.

“We were the lowest seed, so any win is an upset,” Hamilton said. “I think the general opinion was that we were in by a fluke. Nobody knew about us. It was our first time at nationals. It’s just because the Great Lakes region happened to get a second bid. But we beat Berry and Franciscan, which were both ranked a lot higher than us going into the tournament.”

The team held its own as the only co-ed team in the championships, according to sophomore Maggie Phillips.

“We were the only mixed team,” Phillips said. “And the girls played. We didn’t just watch.”

Hamilton said the team builds its strategy for the advantage of the women on the field.

“We play a lot of zone defenses so we’re not having a girl guard a guy,” Hamilton said. “With a zone defense, you can guard areas rather than people, and that means you don’t have to match the physicality necessarily, you just have to be smart.”

all the time –– I’m just not fast enough, or whatever ––so I just have to keep going and work a little harder next time. It has spawned some fun rivalries, like who can better the other person, or who can

“One of our former captains, Gabe Dobrozi, said you should ‘nemesize’ your teammates,” Lo said. “What he meant by that is that you find somebody who you admire and you think is a really

players are competitive with each other, they also have a very tight-knit community.

“The way our team operates is like a family -– a really big family,” Phillips said. “We started building friendship and now we’ll hang out outside of frisbee. One of my favorite things we do is to have a meal together after every practice, so we’re eating together twice a week.”

Just as every family develops crazy traditions, Hamilton said the team has started the practice of wearing colorful, baggy sag pants to build team spirit.

“Everybody’s just kind of embraced contributing in whatever shape they can, even if that just means showing up and wearing a crazy outfit,” Hamilton said Lo said the team leaders set a high standard for dedication to the sport, particularly junior and club president Ineka Pastermack, who dislocated her knee at the beginning of the semester.

Phillips said playing frisbee demands a lot of hard work.

“You give everything you’ve got,” Phillips said. “When you’re on the field, you’re giving 110%, otherwise you’re not on the field. I get beaten

get the last word at this point.” Sophomore Daniel Lo said the team leaders encourage competition within the team.

strong player, and then you just find a way to beat them in everything.” Phillips said although the

Charger Chatter

What’s the most random item currently in your backpack or bag?

A little bag of tea bags and honey packets in case i ever feel like a cup of tea.

If you had to design a new holiday, what would it celebrate?

I’m not a huge fan of these cold Michigan winters, so I would design a holiday for the first day it hits 80 degrees.

Which fast-food chain would you trust to cater your wedding?

Chick-fil-A is the only right answer for this one, or Chipotle if they would give free guac.

“She injured herself pretty badly, and it was a huge hit,” Lo said. “It felt like it could be a setback –– the team culture’s not going to be as good, and we’re missing our president. But straight out of her injury, literally the next practice, she just shows up with crutches and a knee brace and is like, ‘Hey guys! What’s up?’”

Both Lo and Phillips said they are playing frisbee because their resident assistants brought them to practices freshman year.

“I just started showing up to practices, and then I started making friends, and Ineka especially wouldn’t let me stop coming,” Phillips said. “She just kept bringing me to practice and making sure I was there. And then I went to the games, and I went to the tournaments, and I didn’t stop.” Phillips said the frisbee team’s success last season was not a one-time occurrence.

“We’re not just throwing a disc around,” Phillips said. “We’re really good, and we’re going to continue to be really good. We’re not going anywhere.”

What’s the strangest hill you’re willing to die on?

The old lady at the beginning of the movie Ratatouille is also the mother of Anton Ego, the food critic.

What’s your most unnecessary but beloved possession?

I’m a huge fan of keeping memorabilia from everywhere: concert tickets, boarding passes, receipts, anything. And I’ve always planned on starting a cute junk journal.

What’s your least favorite mode of transportation?

I’ve never ridden in a taxi, but I think I would much rather drive myself than have a stranger drive.

Kayla Mullin, Action Shooting

Compiled by Cassandra DeVries

Charger Sports

Football

Chargers fall to Michigan Tech in home opener

By Christian Papillon Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale College football team suffered its first loss of the season, 34-21, in its home opener against the Michigan Tech Huskies Sept. 13, moving them to 1-1 on the season.

Head coach Nate Shreffler said despite the loss, there were still positives to take from the game.

“We kept fighting until the end,” Shreffler said. “Defensively, we had a big 4th down stop on one drive and a goal line stand on another that created a turnover late in the game.”

Men's Tennis

The Chargers scored on their opening drive when sophomore quarterback Colin McKernan found sophomore receiver Andrew Konieczny in the endzone for a 25-yard touchdown pass.

“Our first drive of the game was,

in my opinion, our best drive of the season,” sophomore receiver Ryan Skura said. “Our whole offense came together, and everyone was making plays and that looked great.”

Michigan Tech responded by scoring 21 unanswered points to lead 21-7 with four minutes left in the first half.

The Chargers scored a quick touchdown on the next drive when junior receiver Shea Ruddy connected with Skura on a surprise play for a 70-yard touchdown pass. It was Ruddy’s first passing touchdown of his collegiate career.

“It was pretty cool to throw a touchdown pass,” Ruddy said. “It is something I’ve wanted to do in college since I got here so I completed that goal. I haven’t thrown in-game since high school, which made it a fun play.”

Skura said he also enjoyed the play.

“We’ve had that play since last year,” Skura said. “This week we really emphasized and ran it a couple times in

Doubles dominate Chargers go 1-2

By Fara Newell Collegian Freelancer

Hillsdale men’s tennis doubles teams went headto-head in the Flight A final in the season-opening home invitational Sept. 13-14.

The invitational included the University of Findlay, Walsh University, and Lawrence Technological University.

Sophomore team Ryan Papazov and Sam Plys took the Chargers to victory in Flight A, defeating Walsh 8-2, Findlay 8-5, and Hillsdale’s pairing of sophomore Alex Cordero Lopez and freshman Patrick Cretu 8-4 in the final match.

“We were able to communicate very well and were able to play consistently for the whole tournament,” Plys said.

Cordero Lopez and Cretu won their matches against Findlay 8-4 and Walsh 8-5, but lost the Flight A final against teammates Papazov and Plys.

Papazov said the intrasquad match was a battle.

“Every point was well fought for and very tiring, long, and difficult,” Papazov said.

By Grace Brennan Assistant Editor

Charger volleyball won one out of three games in the Grand Rapids Downtown Classic in Allendale, Michigan, Sept. 12 and 13.

The Chargers split matches Sept. 12, winning 3-0 against Wheeling University, and losing 3-1 against University of Central Missouri. The Chargers lost 3-0 to host Grand Valley State University Sept. 13.

The Chargers started the series with a three-set victory against Wheeling, winning 25-20 in the first set, 25-22 in the second set, and pulling through with a 25-15 win in the last set.

Six Chargers finished with four or more kills against Wheeling. Sophomore Jenna Southland led the match with 11 kills, three blocks, and one ace.

“Overall our game against Wheeling went well,” Southland said. “We really trusted each other to put the ball away when we got the opportunity.”

Sophomore Caroline Lanicek said the team played with a lot of energy against Wheeling.

“We came out with lots of energy and worked to maintain it the entire game,” Lanicek said. “The court and bench were constantly communicating, and we focused on exposing their defense.”

Head coach Chris Gravel

said this was the best the team has played this season.

“Friday, we demonstrated a high level of determination and resilience,” Gravel said.

“It was the most consistent day of competition so far this season.”

On Saturday, the Chargers had a slower start, losing their third game of the weekend.

“Saturday’s match was a different story,” Gravel said.

“We were unable to maintain our level of toughness demonstrated on the previous day of competition.”

Southland said the team plans to take what they learned from this weekend and bring it into their practices.

“This week at practice we will work hard and soak up the feeling of this weekend so we can use it as motivation and fuel for our upcoming games,” Southland said.

According to Gravel, the team will strengthen physically and mentally to prepare for their next games.

“This week we will continue to strengthen our toughness with focused, intentional practices at a high-level difficulty both physically and mentally,” Gravel said.

The Chargers will have their next games Sept. 19 and 20 as they start in-conference games at home. They will

practice, so I was hoping it would get called. When it did, I was excited and ready to go because I knew it would work.”

After forcing a turnover on downs from the Huskies, the Chargers marched the ball all the way to the Michigan Tech 19-yard line until a McKernan interception ended the half.

McKernan and Skura combined for a touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter, but a failed onside kick sealed the game for the Huskies.

Shreffler said the team will look to improve on both offense and defense as they head into conference play.

“The obvious thing for both sides of the ball is that we need to execute better on 3rd downs,” Shreffler said. “Michigan Tech dominated the time of possession and did a good job finishing drives. We didn’t

convert 3rd downs very well on offense and we squandered a couple scoring opportunities. Pre-snap penalties were also very costly and are an area we must improve.”

Hillsdale will open conference play on the road against Ashland University Sept. 20.

The teams will compete for the Traveling Trophy, an award given to the winner of the rivalry game. Hillsdale’s last win against Ashland came in the 2022 season.

Culture

A day in the life of the Hillsdale Homestead

By Lauren Bixler AssistA nt Editor

For those who hold fast to the irresponsible sleep schedule of a college student, 7 a.m. is an ungodly hour to begin one’s day. But the roosters at the Hillsdale Homestead are crowing, and they need feeding.

Less than 10 minutes away from campus sits a small plot of land, where 200 chickens peck about their coops, a hoard of honeybees swarm in their beehive, and a variety of veggies and herbs grow in the garden. The morning sun was just peeking out of the clouds as my roommate and I drove down the unpaved road that led to the homestead. After driving around the site of former Glei’s Orchards and Greenhouses we moseyed our way over to a greenhouse, where we found sophomore Liz Williams carrying a 50-pound bag of feed into the chicken coop.

After Glei’s closed in the spring of 2023, Hillsdale College bought part of the land and set aside space for the homestead, which is currently led by the Director of Club Sports and Campus Recreation Ryan Perkins. He officially began the homestead in the summer of 2024, and a year later, the farm continues to expand beyond its humble beginnings. Perkins said he envisions student leaders tending to the homestead as it grows.

“The lead team consists of students who are interested in learning the process themselves. They don’t have extensive experience in the farming world, but they are really eager to learn, and really eager to make the farm a great place,” Perkins said.

Williams, a shift leader for the morning, let me shadow her morning chores. First, we refilled the water and feed for the chickens. There were chickens at all stages of devel-

opment — from nugget-sized chicks, to slightly more adolescent chicks, to maternal hens, to alpha roosters. We went into the coop area inside the greenhouse, which separates the different stages of chickenhood.

Do not be fooled — though they may look different, they certainly smell the same. A friendly, barn-like stench fills the greenhouse, but you get used to it after a while.

As Williams went to refill their feed buckets, the chickens surrounded her in little hordes, fighting over the feed in front of them. The gentle but plentiful chirps of the chicks filled the room, and though rowdy, they were nothing but adorable. After feeding the chickens, Williams led us to the garden, to which I would return later for an afternoon shift.

As simple as the morning shift may seem, it can be difficult work, especially in the winter months. And for the early mornings alone, it can be

tough, according to Williams.

“I’m kind of crazy by attempting to get ready for the day before going to the farm, so I’m up around 6 a.m. when I go to the farm. But every time I make it, it is normally the best part of my day,” Williams said.

“The average person — the ones I’m normally jealous of at this time in the morning — are asleep, but I’m doing work. And in a way, it is the most beautiful and rewarding thing ever.”

For those who are especially night-inclined, mornings are just one of three daily shifts for which students can volunteer. Depending on the day of the week, afternoon shifts start at either 1 or 2 p.m. This time is accessible to most students, but for those who cannot make this shift or the morning, there’s also an evening shift 30 minutes prior to sunset. Perkins referred to the closing shift as the “security team” as they check the grounds for holes or other indicators of unsavory creatures. Without this scouting, chickens could become prey to raccoons and other vicious vermin, making this task perfect for students with a serious and watchful eye. For those who desire a more entertaining farm experience, the gardening-focused afternoon shift has much to offer.

I returned to the homestead on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Perkins showed me to my task for the hour, which was to pick dead vines off tomato plants. He explained that pruning allows the plant to focus its energy on new growth. Though tedious, it was peaceful — the chickens were chirping, the cicadas singing their usual song, and the air had a comforting weightlessness. For people like me who grew up in the throes of suburbia, it was refreshing.

Lydia Jackson, a sophomore

and afternoon shift leader, said she shares that sentiment.

“It’s all new to me. I grew up in Hillsdale Township, so I never had within the city limits any sort of interaction with gardening or caring for plants in the ground,” Jackson said.

“So we’re all kind of learning together, and that’s very much the culture of Hillsdale Homestead right now.” Perkins said the mission of the homestead reflects that of the college in a practical way.

“It’s in line with the college’s mission of shaping the hearts and minds of its students. I think one of the best ways to develop character is through the manual labor that we do on the farm,” Perkins said. “There’s a certain sort of patience, humility, and perseverance that you learn through farming and planting your own food and watching it grow for months before you harvest it.”

Professors’ Picks: Benedict Whalen

Associate Professor of English

I listen to this while grading papers, and it saves me from despair. Only someone who really loves Bach could play jazz like this.

It is very difficult to write about a saint without being corny or preachy (those are technical literary terms), but Vodolazkin does it. Read and pray with this novel.

“Tender Mercies” (1983)

The late, great Peter Lawler described it as the most Christian movie ever made. Robert Duvall, great music, and mercy. What’s not to like?

The mission of the homestead is embedded into the experience, and it can have a place in any student’s life. Williams said she had no idea what she got herself into with the homestead, but its peacefulness should be the final word.

“It is responsibility for the lives of hundreds of chickens. It is hard work. It is freezing temperatures at ungodly hours of the day. It is heavy bags of feed. It is constantly having a muddy minivan,” Williams said. “But it is also the early morning cuddles. The chickens running up to you in the morning. It is the grounding to the earth and God that I get every time I’m out there. It is the sheer awe of what can be accomplished in just a year of budget farming. It is those beautiful, beautiful sunrises that welcome me to the day. It is the most peaceful, gorgeous place on earth.”

C U L T U R

Keep the flame: Hearthkeepers Club stokes creativity

By Daniel Johnson Coll E gian rE port E r

When academics block creativity, students can now turn to a new club on campus. The Hearthkeepers are dedicated to creating art that glorifies God and encouraging the artists that make it. The club can be found in the Knorr Dining Hall every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m.

According to club president and junior Brennan Berryhill, the club’s origins arose from a bunch of friends talking about what they love.

“The idea started the spring of my freshman year, when a group of myself and some of my friends had impromptu discussions about projects we were working on,” Berryhill said. “We asked some questions about the relationship between our art and our faith, and we all enjoyed the discussions, so we decided to try making it a structured, official club the next year.”

The group, now a probationary club approved by

the Student Federation last October, aims to both create art and encourage those who make it.

“We’re a club of creative Christians, drawing on the tradition of the Inklings,” Berryhill said. “Our mission is twofold: We aim to make our work more honoring to God through weekly discussions about topics we should think through as Christian artists, and we encourage each other to make time for creative work.”

According to club treasurer and junior Aryn Tomasetti, the club is meant to be a haven for creative people in the midst of the rigors of college life.

an intensely academic environment,” Tomasetti said. “I joined because it’s just so great

free-form Socratic discussions on various topics. “We’ll have a set of discus-

“There’s a camaraderie of people who want to create and make space for that in

Bieber’s ‘Swag II’ wastes our time

By Anna Broussard dES ign Editor

Justin Bieber’s “SWAG II,” the sequel to his summer album “SWAG,” offers little more character than the uninspiring title would suggest. The 23 additional tracks to the original fail to achieve anything markedly unique or enjoyable. It’s like listening to a broken record.

With 44 songs in total, each song on the double album is short, lyrically limited, and sounds the same as the track before with some slight differences. An unimpressive two-hour album can be listened to in a sitting, but by doing so you run the risk of a total waste of time.

It is safe to say Bieber’s additional tracks in “SWAG II” will put you to sleep as quickly as one of these two minute songs.

While some songs stand out for their collaborations

derwhelming to say the least. Granted there are a few good odes, presumably to his wife Hailey Bieber, which have the potential to add something sweet. “I THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL” and “MOTHER IN YOU” contain some sweet sentiments, with Tems providing barely audible backup vocals on the former. Both remain lyrically limited. Other tracks prove unforgettable, and not in the good way. On the track “EYE CANDY” Bieber sings, “Eye candy, eye candy/ ’Cause you taste so sweet, uh/ When you’re looking at me, uh,” which is astoundingly bad, although the beat resembles an overplayed R&B song, which manages to be catchy enough to regrettably linger in a listener’s head.

Another song which deserves the same warning label for a tune that will make you accidentally hum it without thinking is “DON’T WANNA,” featuring Bakar. The lyrics which seem to repeat the same “I don’t want to give a f***/ I know what it should be/ I don’t wanna mess this up,/ I don’t want you to leave,” repeat endlessly until the next track mercifully begins.

with musical artists such as Tems, Bakar, Hurricane Chris, Lil B, and Eddie Benjamin, the distinctive voices are the only unique elements on these tracks.

Beginning with one of the least impressive tracks: “POPPIN’ MY S***” features Hurricane Chris with a whopping one lyric line sung by Bieber. “Mm, lil’ mama wanna be right beside me/ Lil’ mama wanna be just like me/ I’m poppin’ my s***, poppin’ my s***,” Bieber sings with lyrical creativity — clearly. The song’s redeemable quality comes from Hurricane Chris’ portion, although he raps some Bieber promotional lines, as if to trick us that the album isn’t terrible. He raps, “Once I hit, you gon’ get hooked and ain’t gon’ never leave me/ Got some friends and they all love Justin Bieber.” Bieber’s attempt to diversify his musical portfolio is un-

Overall “SWAG II,” if picked apart track by track, could be fine. And it might just be meant for a listener looking for a catchy and repetitive tune. But really the album’s only distinctive quality is that Bieber himself created it, and for the longtime Bieber fan it could be worth the listen, as his last full album was released in 2021. Yet in the four years since an album release, Bieber is not innovative with sound or creative with his lyrics, and he provides little evidence to suggest “SWAG II” took up much of that time.

The hopeful Belieber might find something redeeming in this 44-track album, but one must dig deep for any worthwhile takeaways over the course of two hours and 11 minutes. Finally, a word of caution: if you find yourself with some time, by all means give the album a listen, but it is time you won’t get back and a listen that most definitely won’t enhance your music taste.

to sit around a table with people who understand the importance of doing it.”

Tomasetti said the club meetings mostly consist of

sion questions,” Tomasetti said. “But tangents and blatant disregard for the prepared material are encouraged.”

According to Tomasetti, the

club also holds special events. This semester, it will host a poetry night Oct. 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Phi Sig Pavilion.

“We’re going to have a poetry bonfire, which is where you can come read poetry out loud that you’ve written, recite poetry, and read poems that you really like, that inspire you,” Tomasetti said.

According to Tomasetti, the club’s discussions and work are grounded in Christian faith.

“It’s specifically a Christian club,” Tomasetti said. “That’s required for membership, because we’ll talk about why the Imago Dei matters in being a co-creator in some ways.”

Tomasetti added that the Hearthkeepers prioritize actually creating things, instead of just talking about them.

“Membership requires sharing your work at least once a semester,” Tomasetti said. Tomasetti said, the club’s name is closely tied to its vision of creating in the Christian tradition.

“We’re defending what’s true and beautiful about the home and the place of rest that you need to create,” Tomasetti said. “That’s why it’s called Hearthkeepers.”

According to sophomore Sophia Finch, Hearthkeepers is open to creators of any kind.

“We enjoy the company of people of all interests and skill levels, some of whom are just getting started with thinking about where creative work fits into their lives,” Finch said. “If you are at all interested in what we do, there is no reason to hold back from joining us.”

Disney should explore hidden gems

By Jake Waldvogel Coll E gian Fr EE

Disney’s recent reliance on live action remakes for financial success has opened a void of creativity in their recent animated films. Rather than continue this string of plain repetitions, Disney should look to films that were undervalued in their original release, such as “Treasure Planet.”

On Mar. 21, Disney released a live action remake of its original 1937 staple, “Snow White,” to significant box office failure. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed a mere $205 million worldwide in response to its $250 million budget.

But the fight to succeed in a joyless cash grab was not over.

In May, Disney soared over the peak of highest grossing films in 2025, releasing its live action “Lilo and Stitch” to a billion dollar response from domestic and international box offices. Not only did the film become the first in 2025 to break the billion dollar box office threshold, it surpassed “The Smurfs” (2011) and “The Lion King” (2019) to become the highest grossing animated-to-live-action film of all time.

This financial success, while sweet and gratifying for Disney, poses a dangerous threat to the future of cinema. Success in pure translation of animation to live action promotes the repetition of such remakes, undermining the studio’s incentive to produce original animated features.

Since 2015, Walt Disney Productions has released at least one live action remake every year. In that same span, excluding sequels, Walt Disney Animation Studios has released only six animated features, the performance of which has steadily declined since the 2016 releases of “Zootopia” and “Moana.”

The studio’s last two original releases, “Wish” (2023) and “Strange World” (2022), were both box office failures, the latter considered among the greatest box office bombs in modern times.

However, not every remake need be made in vain, so long as an opposite attitude is taken toward choosing which films to re-envision.Where Disney chooses to dig up beloved gems and ride the high of their nostalgic popularity, the company could instead grant old failures a new chance, creating

a need to grace their remakes with originality to get audiences engaged.

In 2002, when “Lilo and Stitch” was shown in theatres for the first time, Disney also released what was at that time the most expensive box office flop in the company’s history, “Treasure Planet.”

Though it chalked up to a seething failure financially, the film was simultaneously praised by critics and nominated for several awards, including the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.

The film’s blend of hand drawn animation and CGI also resulted in a stunning visual experience, and the film is given an ethereal outer space setting, elements which could both be benefitted by a remake with live action CGI.

Based on the 1883 Robert Louis Stevenson novel “Treasure Island,” the 2002 release itself is an example of an original

story remade as a creative adaptation. A live action remake could present the same possibility of drawing the story into a new medium without piggybacking off of the qualities that made it popular in the first place. Whereas Disney’s current remake picks are created in pure repetition and safety from original appeal, a “Treasure Planet” remake could give better cause for CGI and give the film a second chance to impress its audience.

Save tradition: Skycone your friends

By Elaine Kutas SportS Editor

Sounds of chatter and clattering utensils ring through the dining hall as students enjoy a break from class with some lunch. Tables are at maximum capacity, and some students share chairs with friends. Everyone expects this to be a normal and uneventful part of the day until a soft-serve ice cream cone falls from the balcony above and smacks onto the table.

“Skyconing,” as it is called at Hillsdale, is just what it sounds like: students take ice cream cones from the dining hall, walk up to the balcony in the student union, and drop the ice cream onto a table below. There have been many controversies about skyconing and whether it should be stopped, but because of its history, some students think it should be preserved.

Junior Max Cote learned about the history of skyconing from his older siblings who attended Hillsdale while Cote was still at Hillsdale Academy. He said Hillsdale culture would not be the same without skyconing.

“I first heard about it like 10 years ago,” Cote said. “It’s been here for a while. My older brother started college here in 2015, and I remember him telling me stories about it, and when I was in middle school, I thought it sounded so funny.”

Cote emphasized the importance of skyconing friends for fun, not to get back at someone you’re mad at or to target an unknowing suspect. Sophomore Charlie Taylor said the tradition of skyconing is a fun way for students to resolve disagreements in a lighthearted manner.

“I think skyconing is kind of an essential part of Hillsdale’s culture,” Taylor said. “I think it’s completely harmless.”

Both Cote and Taylor said that while the act of skyconing can be fun and harmless, students need to take ownership of the mess.

“I think it’s been a long-standing tradition that if you get skyconed, you clean it up,” Cote said. “The whole point is for the dining hall workers not to have to clean up unnecessary messes, and it’s not hard to throw some napkins on the

cone and clean it up.”

Senior Jonathan Williams understands the culture of skyconing and the potential for fun that it can have, but he said he sees some problems with it fostering tension between dorms or friend groups.

“I think there is important history to it, and it’s just a matter of it being done in the right way,” Williams said. “If it’s being done to friends, and you can show that it’s you doing it to your friend, and it’s a little joke, that’s good. But there is something to the culture of dropping it on a rival dorm or a rival fraternity and then just fleeing the scene that’s a little bit problematic to campus and creates tension.”

Williams said that rivalries on campus have been one of his favorite aspects of Hillsdale culture, and as Simpson Residence head resident assistant, he knows that rivalries build culture if done the right way.

“Done the right way, I think skyconing and other pranks can actually build the rivalry and build the dorm culture, but also build unity among campus if it’s

done out of love and respect and friendship and trying to create this rivalry in the spirit of building up both camps,” Williams said. “It’s when the rivalry and pranking come out of true malicious intent, true hatred, or trying to make another dorm into something lesser or inferior, that divides and isn’t a healthy campus culture.”

All three men said they think the history behind skyconing warrants the preservation of this prank.

“I think it’s something that we should preserve,” Cote said. Williams emphasized the importance of students signing the honor code and promising to self-govern, and if students choose to participate in skyconing, they must be willing to face the consequences and take ownership of their actions.

“I think that my advice would be don’t drop sky cones on faculty, don’t do it to people that you don’t know,” Williams said. “Make sure that it’s all in good fun and the people you are going to drop an ice cream cone on know you and will receive it in good fun.”

FEATURES

Alumni to revive works of Anglican theologian

By Jamie Parsons Assistant Editor

When Hillsdale alumnus Josiah Leinbach ’20 learned about a 16th-century book written by Anglican theologian William Whitaker, he invited fellow college alumni and affiliates to participate in a project to revive the widely overlooked text.

Whitaker wrote his book, “A Disputation of Holy Scripture,” in the wake of the Catholic response to the Reformation. It is a Protestant critique against the Catholic position on the Bible. In the book, Whitaker addresses various Catholic apologists, but focuses on Cardinal Robert Bellarmine’s defense of the Council of Trent.

“The monumental nature of the treatise and the fact that it was so influential in its own day and on through now,” Leinbach said. “It’s a real shame that there hadn’t been additions since 1849.”

Whitaker’s book was translated from Latin to English in 1849 and remained untouched until July 2023, when Leinbach began a project to modernize it. Leinbach partnered with Prolego Press, an Anglican publishing house, to release the new edition in May.

Nolan Ryan ’20, Hillsdale alumnus and co-editor on the project, said the book used to be standard reading in Protestant seminaries. Ryan added however, that a new movement called Protestant Retrieval seeks to return back to Scripture, back to the works of the original reformers, and back to the second and third generations of reformers.

“William Whitaker fits in that space,” said Ryan, who was editor-in-chief of The Collegian from 2019-2020. “He is in that later generation of reformers who’s picking up the work that

a Calvin and a Luther did, and continuing that work but also ensuring that those same principles, those same ideas of the church, salvation, the Bible, are still being taught and proclaimed.”

Ryan said the team wanted to revise the Reformation-era book to get it into the hands of Christians, believing it would help create a historically informed and therefore healthy discussion between Christians of different beliefs.

“I think some of our hopes were that if you want to be informed historically in our discussions and our debates, let’s bring one more source into that ongoing conversation, and let’s make that more accessible not just to academics and theologians but to the people in the pews,” Ryan said.

what Whitaker was doing.

“It was a lot of fun to go into the library and get on the internet and try to find these really obscure things that I never heard of before,” Wilkinson said. “So I learned a lot of names of church fathers that I didn’t know.”

Leinbach said he brought in four other Hillsdale alumni who were friends of his to help proofread the book.

“There were something like 2,500 footnotes in it, excluding biographical and scholarly annotations,” Leinbach said.

Other co-editors on the project included Hillsdale alumnus Andrew Simpson ’20 and senior Emma Wilkinson. The foreword is by Carl R. Trueman, a theologian at Grove City College.

Leinbach said the co-editors worked on making light textual updates to the wording and punctuation so the average person could read the book and not struggle with its archaic language. Leinbach also said they added citations to define technical terms, scholarly annotations, and footnote source citations for scholars and clergy to follow

Leinbach said he learned about the book while attending a conference for his diocese, the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word. One of the speakers at the event referenced the book, claiming that there are no new arguments in Rome regarding the authority of scripture that Whitaker has not addressed in some capacity in his book.

Leinbach said he later looked up the book and found there was no new version of it except for the reprint of the 19th-century translation, which inspired him to publish a modernized version of it.

“Most of everything in the last 400 years is largely derivative from Whitaker, and his contemporaries knew it,” Leinbach said. “He employed what was at the time a very new method of combining medieval scholastic philosophy and its analytical

approach with Renaissance humanism.”

Leinbach said he sent print copies of the modernized version of Whitaker’s disputation to the Assistant Professor of History Miles Smith IV and the Assistant Professor of Religion Don Westblade before sending it to the press so the professors could write book reviews. Leinbach added the reviews have not been published yet.

“That will be one of the means by which we are promoting it to the scholarly community,” Leinbach said. “Having professors at a reputable institution like Hillsdale read it, write reviews, and show to the academic world that, hey, these Hillsdale guys actually put out a work that you should seriously consider buying.”

Following the release of Whitaker’s disputation, Leinbach founded the Whitaker Fellowship, which gives students the opportunity to work on other republications of Anglican texts. The inaugural class of Whitaker fellows participated in a 16week course this summer.

“It was a fantastic experience. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is at all interested in that kind of thing,” Wilkinson, a Whitaker fellow, said.

In addition to the works in the Whitaker Fellowship, Leinbach said he is working with Prolego Press to republish Bishop Charles Petit Mcilvaine’s “The True Temple” and Edward Reynolds’s “Meditations on the Holy Sacrament of the Lord’s Last Supper” early next year.

“I think the idea is, let’s keep reclaiming these maybe forgotten works or works that may have gone out of style and that have a lot of rich material,” Ryan said. “Let’s reclaim them and bring them back into the conversation.”

Campus Character

DANIEL DOYLE

Compiled by Megan Li Features Editor

Daniel Doyle is a senior biochemistry major from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the senior class vice president, Events Team Lead for the Student Activities Board, and a member of men’s music fraternity Theta Epsilon, leadership honorary Omicron Delta Kappa, and secretary of the pre-med medical ethics group Hippocratic Society. He is the lead singer for student band Runaround, and participates in Chamber Choir, College Choir, and Opera Workshop.

What is a song you’ve had on repeat?

“Beneath Thy Compassion” by Apollo Five. Paul Mealor is the composer, and Apollo Five is the choir that’s performing it. I don’t even know how I found it, but it’s really beautiful.

What is your favorite class you have taken at Hillsdale?

As much as the class is really notorious for being incredibly difficult, I really, really loved Organic Chemistry. It’s definitely the hardest class I’ve taken, but it also was one of the most edifying classes I’ve taken. It really is like learning a language, and you find yourself at the end of that class being able to speak about certain things in ways you never would have been able to before. I also met a lot of really good people in that class.

Who has been your biggest inspiration in life?

Definitely my dad. He’s an ophthalmologist — eye surgeon — a great father to six kids, now six grandkids. Just a really good, faithful man.

What is your favorite song to sing with Runaround and a favorite song you haven’t performed with them yet?

“Careless Whispers” is my favorite to sing, and “Crazy Train” is my favorite to perform. I know that’s a pretentious distinction, but it is a real one. I

really hope to do an MCR song before we graduate (“Famous Last Words” or “Welcome to the Black Parade”).

What’s your go-to coffee order?

Dirty Chai. Yeah, I’m a caffeine addict.

What are some words of advice for freshmen?

Overbook your schedule with extracurriculars that excite you. I find that many people here are so afraid of being stretched thin, and as a result just stay out

Quick Hits with Peter Blum

In this Quick Hits, Peter Blum, professor of philosophy and culture and director of sociology and social thought, talks about Stephen King, his stuffed sloth, and folklore.

How do you describe what you teach?

I tend to emphasize reading difficult texts published in the last two to three centuries, and learning that they often don’t say exactly what the people who are dismissive of them think they say.

of any extracurricular commitment altogether. Do too much. It will be stressful at times, but you’ll surprise yourself with what you can accomplish, and you’ll be better for it.

If you could dream the same dream every night, what would it be?

I would dream that I could fly and have super strength. Every night I’ll stop the wrecking ball from taking down Donnybrook…and every time I wake, I will sigh with sadness.

What is something many people would never guess about you?

I sang under Martin Neary several times, who was the former Westminster Abbey choir director and directed the music for Princess Diana’s funeral.

What’s your favorite book quote?

“There should be priests to remind men that they will one day die. At certain strange epochs it is necessary to have another kind of priest, called poets, actually to remind men that they are not dead yet.” –G.K. Chesterton, “Manalive.” Shoutout Dr. Moore’s Great Books II Class.

What fictional universe do you want to get stuck in?

Alderaan. It’s literally Star Wars Rivendell. Enough said.

What’s something you wish more people understood about sociology?

That there are still a lot of sociologists who are not leftist ideologues, and who reject the idea that sociology is about politicizing students.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever overheard a student say?

Not exactly crazy. A student once told me: “I thought I was conservative, but then I came to Hillsdale, and the people here are, like, squirrels on crack!”

If you could have met Frank Zappa, what would you have told him?

I’m afraid that he would not be impressed by me at all. But if he would’ve listened, I would have told him that a lot of people would eventually recognize and appreciate him as a serious composer. That was mainly how he understood himself. I’d also mention that “Montana” is one of the best songs ever.

If you could live in any fictional universe, where would you live?

I think where I’m currently living is a fictional universe. And, I think the bad news is that it may be the best of all possible worlds.

What about AI?

AI is a danger and a controversy. It brings much benefit, but some critics say that it badly affects quality of writing and living. It continues to become more applicable, pervasive, and unpredictable. In sum, there are people who like AI and people who don’t. For moral guidance regarding the use of AI, click on the link, accept the user agreement, and have your credit card ready.

If Dr. Arnn were to ask you to add one great yet overlooked figure to the great Western canon, what would you tell him?

Stephen King. Because of “The Dark Tower.” (This is one of the many reasons why Dr. Arnn does not often ask for my advice.)

You suddenly gain the power to revive a Presocratic philosopher from the dead and hypnotize him to share with you the entirety of his philosophical thought. Who would you choose and why?

Probably Heraclitus. Because, you know, flux! And we could talk about the gods in my stove.

What was your favorite class that you took in college? Folklore. It was transformative in all sorts of subtle ways. I learned about urban legends before they were cool.

Do you have a favorite stuffed animal?

Yes, I have a rather large sloth. When I met him in Walmart, he introduced himself to me as “Amos Roth, the Mennonite Sloth.” He grew up in a strict Old-Order Mennonite community that left him with a lot of issues. He asked to come home with me, and I said, “Sure.” He tends to drink pretty heavily, but he’s a great conversationalist. He understands when I need to vent about organized religion.

F eatures

Weingrad from A1

Before the war with Iran started, Weingrad went to the Hebrew Book Week, an annual event in Israel where Israeli writers and publishers sell books in stalls. During the event, a siren went off, and an announcement said that there was an incoming missile from Yemen, fired by the Houthis, but it would be intercepted by Iron Dome.

“So standing there surrounded by all these book stalls and book-loving Israelis, and we look up and suddenly see this kind of little smoke ring in the sky as the missile got shot down by Iron Dome,” Weingrad said. “Everybody applauded, and everybody just went back to shopping for books. So I really think that you’ve got one side that’s lobbing missiles into civilian areas and another side that wants to buy books.”

Israelis live with joy and gratitude even during dangerous and difficult situations, according to Weingrad during the panel discussion.

Senior Tully Mitchell saw this firsthand during Hillsdale’s Passages trip to Israel. She said what struck her about

the Israeli friends she met were more concerned with not being able to go about daily life than they were with the attacks.

Mitchell said she got a text from a friend that read, “My city is getting bombed, lol, but I’m fine. Just sad because work got canceled today, and the gym was closed.’”

Weingrad said the way Israelis manage to have compassion for each other despite suffering is incredible. During a visit last summer, he was in a bookstore, and the woman who owned the store asked if she could leave him in the store while she ran an errand.

“Being left in a bookstore is paradise for me,” Weingrad said. “So I said, ‘Yeah, no problem.’”

The store owner left and was gone for 45 minutes.

“I am there with her phone, her handbag, and her store,” Weingrad said. “Like, she does not know me, but it’s a high-trust society. And she came back, she’d run into her dad, and of course, they had to sit down for a cup of coffee because it’s her dad, and I love that.”

Weingrad compared the trust in Israeli society to the trust at Hillsdale with the Honor Code.

“I have actually the same sort of jaw-dropping response where I’m going to the dining hall and the phones are on the tables,” Weingrad said. “I’m like, this is amazing. Don’t they know this is crazy, but it’s wonderful. It’s the way it should be, actually, and you know, maybe the lesson is that the wrong thing is how it is elsewhere and that Hillsdale and Israel have it right.”

Weingrad said the trust and community in Israel is incredible, given the diversity of the country.

“I don’t think there is a country on the planet, including America, that is as multicultural and diverse as Israel,” Weingrad said. “Because the 80% Jewish population of Israel has come from all over the world. So they’re from Morocco and Canada and Ethiopia and Australia and there are so many different traditions and languages and ethnicities.”

Weingrad described a Jerusalem shopping mall as a place where Arabs, orthodox Jews, and secular Israelis go about their business shopping together.

“It’s a little country under tremendous pressures, but it really figures out how to pull together and make the best of it,” Weingrad said.

Sophomore Yahli Salzman, president of the Jewish Mishpacha, has a personal connection to the conflict. Salzman’s brother is in the Israel Defense Forces and served during the conflicts with Hamas and Iran this summer.

“It was scary,” Salzman said. “That’s the way to put it — how my family felt with my brother being there. But every day is scary because we don’t know what’s going to happen the next day.”

Salzman has known Weingrad since he came to campus last semester. The Weingrads sponsored the first Jewish Mishpacha event of the semester, a Shabbat dinner.

“He and his wife are just really incredible, fantastic people,” Salzman said. “And in their short time, even being connected to us has done so much. And it’s just really great for us to have more Jewish professors on campus, more Jewish leadership.”

Weingrad hopes to see a Hillsdale in Jerusalem program at some point.

“I think Hillsdale would really learn a lot from, and be able to engage in very deep levels with Israel today,” Weingrad said.

Venezuelan senior journeys to faithful community in Hillsdale

By Elizabeth Caneday Collegian Freelancer

Senior Alba Padrón escaped communism in Venezuela twice before arriving at Hillsdale College.

“When I was 14, my family left the country because of crises caused by communism,” Padrón said. “Venezuela is currently under an awful communist regime. After a few years of electricity outages, lack of water, and difficulty buying food, we fled to the Dominican Republic, where I finished high school.”

Protests in Padrón’s hometown of Valencia, Venezuela, quickly became violent — she was unable to attend school for a time, and there was a shooting in her street. Leaving behind her beloved grandparents and school, they escaped to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

At the age of 16, Padrón became an exchange student in Vicenza, Italy. There, in a small community where no one had asked if she was Catholic, Padrón saw the faith in practice in ways she had never before seen. In Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, she felt that there could not be a God who cared for her family. In Italy, she saw ministries actively seeking to help.

“At 12 or 13, I was pretty much a hardened atheist, especially because I had seen real evil in the world,” Padrón said.

At a community Mass in

Vincenza, Padrón had a religious experience that changed her mind about Catholicism.

“I had it confirmed in my heart by the Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ was present in the Eucharist,” Padrón said. “Jesus asked me to follow him, and I said yes.”

In March 2020, when she was 18, Padrón returned to Venezuela — she wanted to see her grandparents, and she had paperwork to do. Right as she went back, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and she was trapped in the communist country which she had already escaped once.

“There was no way I could get out of the country for about nine months. I had planned to be there for a week, and I ended up being there for the better part of the year,” Padrón said.

With her grandparents, Padrón waited and watched as Venezuela dealt with the aftermath of the pandemic.

“Food scarcity was real. I got sick many times because of contaminated water, and I got COVID several times,” Padrón said. “It was a miserable time. I don’t think people can understand, in some ways, the depth of poverty and lack in that place that used to have much.”

Padrón tried to leave the country once but was not allowed because she did not have an American visa. Padrón’s goal was not to visit the United States, but to return

to her family in the Dominican Republic, which she had a permit to do.

“I thought I was never going to make it out,” Padrón said. “The Dominican Republic is not the United States of America, so there was no reason why they would require me to have an American visa. But they did not let me go, and I was escorted out of the airport by the military and left on the side of the road.”

Finally, after receiving a special visa from the Dominican Republic embassy, she was allowed to leave. According to

Padrón, she and the others on her flight were in the airport for nine hours without running water, food, or anywhere to sit. While she was leaving, she could not say that she was vacating Venezuela for good, or else she would not have been allowed to go.

“I was interviewed six times or something like that, and every time I had to say that I was going to visit my mom,” Padrón said. “I couldn’t say that I lived somewhere else, or else I wouldn’t get out of there.”

Once Padrón made it back

to the Dominican Republic, life mostly went back to normal.

“I had applied for a few colleges and got in, but scholarships weren’t good enough, so I missed out on all of those,” Padrón said. “And I started working full time.”

Padrón desired to attend a college because her goal was to become a teacher, so she needed a degree.

“I believe the first time that Alba said she wanted to be a teacher, she was 3 years old,” Padrón’s mother Zulmar said. “Every evening with her grandparents she would take a blackboard and a piece of chalk and launch into teaching vowels — there she not only showed her desire to educate, but also her great persistence and capacity to dream.”

Padrón said she worked as a nanny, then as a legal and medical translator. At 20 years old, she quit her job to “volunteer for Jesus” with a small Catholic ministry. For a few months, she helped with young adult retreats in southern Michigan, where she met Hillsdale students who encouraged her to apply.

After several failed applications to other institutions, Padrón said she was ready to give up. Then a friend from church drove her to Hillsdale. Her visit went well, so she decided to apply in the hope that it could work out.

During a trip to Poland in

2022, Padrón found out that she was accepted to Hillsdale College. She said she received a good scholarship, and Hillsdale helped her find a job.

“When I was a freshman, I was taking 17 academic credits and working 20 hours a week,” Padrón said. “So I got here, but it was not easy. And then there’s also the background work of moving to a different country. I don’t think most people need to know — or want to know — how hard it is.”

Padrón is pursuing a degree in philosophy and theology and said she has found a kind, caring community.

“That has really changed my outlook on other people,” Padrón said. “Sometimes, when your life gets messed up several times in a row, you’re like, ‘No one cares, and no one’s gonna listen to me.’ Here, my friends, professors, and mentors have always asked, ‘How can we help? We want to be here for you.’”

One of those people is Assistant Professor of Philosophy Allison Postell, who met Padrón during her first semester of freshman year.

“Alba has grown in the things she devotes her time to mastering: her faith, her studies, and her life skills,” Postell said. “She will serve and love others, whatever she ends up doing, and she has much to give.”