Michigan’s oldest college newspaper
Construction on student union façade to begin in November By Catherine Maxwell Assistant Editor Construction on the façade of the student union will begin in November as work on the new classical education building remains on schedule to finish in May 2026, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé. Bernice Grewcock donated the money for the Grewcock Student Union renovations, Péwé said. Renovations will begin as soon as micropiles, which are used to improve soil conditions for foundations, can be laid. Péwé said the construction will be divided into two phases and should be finished in April 2026. The plans involve building a stone portico and a copper roof with arcades topped with parapets running from Christ Chapel and Mossey Library. The designs also in-
clude decorative columns and replacements for the transom windows, doors, four large pendant lights, and surface stone. The tower of the student union will be rebuilt with brick and stone cornice and will also feature a copper roof. “The victory bell that was originally in Central Hall, which currently sits outside Central Hall, will be installed in the tower,” Péwé said. When Péwé spoke about the plans in March of this year, he said the project will unify the design of the campus. “We wanted to rethink the Grewcock façade so that it was more to scale with and complimentary to the chapel,” he said. Junior Makayla Hanna said she is interested to see how the new project will impact the remaining quad space and the chapel’s entrance. “It’ll be nice to have the
No more October surprises: Professors predict possible presidential election outcomes By Jackson Casey Collegian Reporter While most voters have made up their minds and the possibility of an October surprise is quickly vanishing, Hillsdale College professors said the presidential election is a tossup, depending on election integrity and narrow margins in the swing states. “The most likely swing states to flip to Trump seem to be, in descending order, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania,” Associate Professor of Politics Joseph Postell said. “If Trump wins Michigan and Wisconsin, my sense is that he also wins most of the above states. The campaigns are spending a lot of time in Michigan and Pennsylvania, which indicates the importance of those states to the outcome.” Of the swing states, the margin of the election likely depends on Pennsylvania, Postell said. “All roads seem to lead to Pennsylvania this year — it seems like neither candidate can win without Pennsylvania,” he said. “I could see the results diverging across the battleground Rust Belt states, where Michigan and Wisconsin go for Harris and Pennsylvania goes for Trump. It seems possible, but less likely, that the same divergence occurs with Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina.” Lecturer in Journalism and General Manager of WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM Scot Bertram also said he thinks the race will be closest in the Rust Belt. “It would not surprise me if Michigan and Wisconsin are two of the absolute closest states, and maybe they get split,” Bertram said. “You know, one goes one way, one goes the other way. But I don’t think it will be a one state race this time.” Among the swing states, Bertram said Nevada might be the least likely to flip. “Nevada is the ‘Great White Whale.’ It always teases and never delivers,” Bertram said.
“There are a lot of different dynamics happening in Nevada, with population centers and union support, and so I think Nevada will be too far out of reach again for Trump and the Republicans.” Bertram said he thinks the election will be incredibly close. “I don’t think it’ll be a blowout. I don’t think it will be a 300-electoral vote victory,” Bertram said. “But it could be close — 290, 291, I think, are realistic numbers.” According to Associate Professor of Politics Mark Kremer, the path to victory for Trump is simple. “As long as the Democrats don’t cheat, I think Trump will win the election,” Kremer said. Chris Netley, lecturer in sports studies, said the energy seems to be on former president Donald Trump’s side, noting the size of and enthusiasm for his recent rally in Manhattan. “There are not many performing artists that can sell out Madison Square Garden. And so it almost feels like now, it’s almost become cool to be conservative, which is weird,” Netley said. “Democrats used to be the rebel party against the status quo, but now because the Left wants to censor everything and take away everything, they’ve almost turned their party on its head.” Although under a week remains until the election, Postell said he believes the margins of the result — whatever it might be — are likely set in stone. “I don’t foresee any more ‘October surprises,’ especially planned ones, because so much early voting has already taken place in critical states,” Postell said. “Any major shake-ups might occur too late to change the outcome in close states. This is a new feature of presidential elections, so October surprises will now have to be ‘early October surprises.’”
See Election A3
www.hillsdalecollegian.com
Vol. 148 Issue 9 – October 31, 2024
student union match the other buildings aesthetically,” Hanna said. “But it feels like a lot of construction happening at the same time and in the same area.” Gerl Pish, a carpenter for Weigand Construction, said the Diana Davis Spencer Classical Education Building is proceeding smoothly. “Interior walls are going up and door frames are getting set,” Pish said. “We’re going to start setting windows soon.” Part of the construction process involves a mock-up window near the fence and across from the entrance to Mossey Library. “It was built for practice before moving to the actual building,” Péwé said. “After it was completed, the architect inspected it to determine if it was to their exact specifications.” Péwé said the model included every layer of the
walls, such as the structural steel, window, insulation, waterproofing, brick and stone. After completing the mockup, the architect found it close to the original specifications. “Generally the mason will need to make adjustments before they start putting brick and stone on the building,” Péwé said. “Brick just arrived so that mason work will start as soon as possible.” Péwé said crews will build similar models for other construction projects. Hanna said she finds the window humorous but believes it has an important purpose. “While it seems random and out of place given how far away the building is, it’s a good way to show visitors what the end result will look like,” Hanna said. “It’s a more tangible illustration than the images on the fence.”
Campus voters favor Trump for president
Graphics show voluntary survey responses from 52 faculty and staff members (top) and 111 students (bottom). Courtesy | Collegian Staff
Protestants nail it again with a 2-0 shut out Guest speaker sheds light on ‘we win, they lose’ strategy By Tayte Christensen Assistant Editor
Junior Peyton Hutchinson plays for the Protestant team in El Clasico. Courtesy | Carissa Nisly
By Elizabeth Putlock Collegian Reporter The Protestants triumphed over the Catholics 2-0 in Campus Rec’s annual “El Clasico” soccer game Oct. 27, preserving their title as champions for a second year. “It’s just incredible to see the most amount of people you’ll ever see at a soccer game,” said sophomore Nathan Furness, who led the Protestant team. “It’s especially amazing considering it’s been 180 minutes of game play throughout two years with zero goals from the Catholics.” A sea of students, though divided by clothing color and doctrinal beliefs, united at Hayden Park’s turf field Oct. 27 to cheer on their fellow Christians.
“I love the fact that we can do this, and it’s all in good fun,” Protestant freshman Maya Miller said. “Everyone’s just having a good time, and they’re trash talking each other, but it’s your best friend just across the Reformation aisle.” The game carried high stakes, according to head coach of the Protestant team sophomore Peter Gilchrist. “As much as we like to argue and everything, this is where the theological debates really hit the road,” Gilchrist said. “Whenever you’re having that discussion with that one fundie in your class, or those discussions with your roommate late at night about theology, this is really where you get to see, truly, what the
underlying metal of the people who believe each one is.” Both teams successfully defended their goals for the first half of the game. Catholics gained morale with an appearance of the “pope” at halftime. A shouting crowd of Catholics in their maroon sweatshirts split to make an aisle way for the “pope”— junior Aidan Christian in a pope costume. According to junior Patrick Hamilton, the procession included a lap around the field. “The pope had to make his grand entrance, so we did a quick lap in a golf cart around the field,” Hamilton said. “We did a big entrance onto the field. He made a declaration.”
See El Clasico A3
Radio, journalism students earn top college broadcasting awards By Isaac Green Managing Editor Six Hillsdale students finished in first place in two categories at the annual national College Broadcasters Inc. Awards last weekend in Seattle. Seniors Alex Deimel and Erin Osborne, junior Ty Ruddy, Logan Washburn ’24, and former student Jane Kitchen won first in Best Documentary for their video production “The Prison Games,” which
the group filmed and assembled under the direction of Buddy Moorehouse, adjunct instructor of documentary journalism. Senior Lauren Smyth also took first in Best Newscast or Sportscast for her show “Lauren Smyth News.” “It’s pretty incredible to receive an award like this, and it means a lot simply because the award recognizes the effort Mr. Moorehouse puts into the class and his students,” Deimel said. “It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes planning and
you want to get as much content filmed as possible so you have multiple options to work with.” The CBI awards recognize the best in students television/ video and radio/audio production, according to Scot Bertram, general manager at WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Professionals and student media advisers judge the submissions that come in from across the country.
See CBI A2
Ronald Reagan achieved the impossible when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, William Inboden said in a speech Oct. 28. “What a decade earlier had seemed ridiculously implausible, almost even a lunatic fantasy of bringing the Soviet Union to a peaceful collapse, to a negotiated surrender, Reagan had brought aright,” said Inboden, who credited Reagan’s success to strategic thinking, bold leadership, and a positive relationship with Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Inboden is the author of “The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, The Cold War, and the World on the Brink,” as well as director of the Alexander Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education and professor of history at the University of Florida. The Hillsdale College Center for Military History and Strategy hosted Inboden’s speech, titled “Ronald Reagan: Cold Warrior and Peacemaker.” From the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and continuing through the poor reputations of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon in the 1960s and 1970s, the American presidency was in a weak position when Reagan took office, according to Inboden. He said the insecurities surrounding the institution of the American presidency before Reagan took power influenced American morale. “If the presidency is broken, there’s no hope of a president being able to restore the country, to strengthen power and dynamism and hope again,” Inboden said.
See Reagan A2