Collegian 2.29.2024

Quad construction to begin next week for at least two years

By Elizabeth Troutman & Jacob Beckwith Editor-in-chiEf & collEgian rEportEr

Construction on the north quad will begin March 9, as the college breaks ground on the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Education, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.

A fence will surround the construction site for at least two years, with an expected

completion in March 2026, Péwé said.

“By the time students return from spring break, [the quad] will be fenced up to protect students, staff, faculty, and visitors from any construction,” Péwé said. “Everything south of the fountain for the most part will not be available.”

During construction, a gate at the south end of the library between Central and Delp halls will be closed at times to allow for deliveries by construction

vehicles, Director of Facilities Dave Billington said in an all-campus email.

“Do not open the gate when it is closed,” Billington said. “Construction personnel will open the gate when it is safe to pass through.”

Senior Operations Manager Tim Wells added that even when deliveries occur, the plan is to get students across with minimal delays.

“The bulk of the excavation should happen in the next sev-

eral months, which will be before students return at the end of August,” Wells said. “Construction activities, however, will continue throughout the duration of the project.”

The building will feature two stories with high ceilings, 17 faculty offices, a number of different sized classrooms with a total of 290 seats, and a big entry rotunda with a view of the quad.

“Even though we call it the masters of classical education

Campus reacts to Trump’s victory in Michigan primary

By Jackson Casey coll E gian f r EE lanc E r

Former president Donald Trump cruised to victory over Nikki Haley in Michigan’s presidential primary election this week. As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, Trump received 68.1% of the vote while Haley took only 26.6%. “Uncommitted” votes and those cast for other candidates only made up about 5%.

Freshman Bradley Haley said he felt the primary confirmed the public’s expectations about the electoral environment this cycle.

“At this point, everyone is bracing themselves for a Trump-versus-Biden showdown in November,” Haley said. “Trump’s victory in the Michigan primary wasn’t a

surprise, and serves as another reminder that he has a decisive hold on the Republican voting base.”

President Joe Biden won Michigan’s Democratic primary with 81.1% of the vote, but 13.2% of voters — more than 100,000 total — cast “uncommitted” ballots.

Haley said the success of the protest vote is evidence of extensive disunity among progressives.

“It was interesting to see Democrats voting against Biden by voting ‘uncommitted.’ Considering the enormously unified cultural and political push in the 2016 and 2020 elections to elect Biden, it’s intriguing that factions of the left-wing are not toeing the line of support for Biden,” Haley said. “It’s interesting to see

factions that are more loyal to the victim-victimizer narrative than to any prominent member of their party.”

Senior and College Democrats President Avery Noel said he disagrees, and that he thinks Biden still holds some degree of authority over the party.

“While there was a strong showing from ‘uncommitted’ organized by progressives seeking to shift president Biden’s policy on Israel and Palestine, the president still received huge vote totals and an overwhelming percentage of the vote,” Noel said.

Noel also said he thinks this primary signals more trouble ahead for Trump than it does for Biden.

“It seems as though Trump has a huge problem within his own party with that selection

of Haley voters that will refuse to vote for him,” Noel said. “I saw one poll which indicated that 59% of her supporters who consider themselves Republicans won’t vote for him in the general, which would seem to indicate there’s somewhere between 15-20% of Republican voters who won’t plug their noses this time around.”

A mid-January poll conducted in part by NBC News found more than half of Haley’s likely Iowa caucus supporters would not support Trump in the general election.

Trump performed best in rural counties. He took 76.3% of the vote in Hillsdale County, as opposed to 50.2% in Washtenaw County, where Ann Arbor is the county seat.

See Primary A2

County support for Trump outpaces state

By Thomas McKenna Sport S Editor

Former president Donald Trump won Michigan’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, carrying 76.3% of the votes in Hillsdale County and 68.3% statewide.

Nikki Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor, took second with

18.4% in Hillsdale County and 26.6% statewide. The Michigan primary victory was Trump’s fifth of his primary sweep, following Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. “Michigan gave President Trump his strongest victory of the primary season so far,” said state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Coldwater. “Hillsdale County came out particularly strong for him.”

The difference signals the pro-Trump bent of Hillsdale County, said state Sen. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe. The former president outperformed President Joe Biden in 2020 with 73% of the vote to Biden’s 25%. “Hillsdale is all-in on President Trump,” Bellino said. “With numbers like this, it’s pretty apparent Hillsdale wasn’t buying what Mrs. Haley was selling.”

Trump won 12 of the 55 delegates up for grabs in Michigan, while Haley won four. The remaining 39 delegates will be awarded at the state convention on March 2 in Grand Rapids, where Trump is expected to have a strong showing, according to Politico.

building, or the Diana Spencer Building,” Péwé said, “it is still going to be utilized for the entire campus — undergraduates throughout the day, and then in the evening, it will mostly switch over to graduate classes.”

The Margaret Thatcher statue will remain in its current location, while the Ronald Reagan statue will be temporarily moved to the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Center, according to Péwé. After construction finishes, Reagan will be relocated to a more prominent spot on campus.

“For now we’re going to put him out there at Halter where he’s safe and seen and appreciated,” Péwé said.

But more construction could extend the quad’s closure, as the college hopes to add on to the library, construct a classical portico, and build a new welcome center once funding is available.

Wells added that keeping certain construction trades in Hillsdale and staggering the projects could maximize efficiency and would help to avoid disrupting the quad multiple times with construction activities.

But regardless of the length of the total project, Wells

doesn’t expect classes to be disrupted.

“Central Hall and Strosacker should serve as a partial sound barrier, so the noise from construction should have a lessened effect on the classrooms,” Wells said.

Péwé said some student leaders met with the deans this week to discuss other possible green spaces for students to enjoy. The goal is to have new green spaces available by the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

“We’re looking at the East Lawn, and certainly, when we get the pavilion over the summer, [across from] Broadlawn,” he said. “That green space will be flattened out and irrigated. It’ll take a while for the grass to come in nicely, but that will be another space.”

The college is also considering adding fire pits, Adirondack chairs, and maybe even some new structures for students to enjoy during the years of construction on the quad.

“I will definitely miss the sunny afternoons out on the quad,” junior Michael Angelbeck said. “But I’m excited to see how other spaces will be developed and used after spring break.”

solved at least one problem and scored at least 9 points. According to David Gaebler, associate professor of mathematics, most Hillsdale participants have not solved any problems.

The Putnam is a six-hour long exam, taken in two sessions, held on the first Saturday of December at institutions around the country. It consists of 12 math problems, worth up to 10 points each.

Students are ranked both nationally and statewide on individual and team scores. Hillsdale College ranked third in Michigan below Michigan State University and the University of Michigan with a team score of 66 points, breaking the school team’s record set in 2018 of 39 points.

Freshman Andrew Schmidt

surpassed the previous individual school record of 18 points set by Ben Becker ’21 in 2017, with a score of 41, ranking 176th nationally out of almost 4,000 participants. All six students who participated in the competition

“In the past during a typical year at Hillsdale we would have three or four people compete,” Gaebler said. “Maybe one person got 10 points or one problem, but most people walked away with a zero. This year all six participants got a problem, which is something to have fireworks about.” Schmidt said he was thrilled to solve four problems on the exam.

“I was hoping to lock in one problem in both sessions,” Schmidt said. “That was my ‘I’ll be happy with that’ goal. And then to get two per session was my audacious goal. So I was really happy when I hit my audacious goal, and then I was super excited to get the score and to have it on paper.”

College finishes phase 1 of construction on visual media center

By Adriana Azarian Collegian r eporter

Construction on the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center is complete, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.

The building at the intersection of Fayette and Union streets, next to the Stanton Center for American Classical Education, will serve Hillsdale’s visual media team in the production of online courses, K-12 outreach, and commercials. With the new space, the team can create a variety of simulated settings and block outside noise, according to Director of Visual Media and Marketing Mark Waters.

“With the opening of the new Sajak Media Center, the

college has the space, the equipment, and the team in place to expand its teaching outreach to millions even more effectively,” said Bill Gray, vice president of institutional advancement.

Construction of the visual media center began last summer. The second building phase, the construction of surrounding office spaces does not yet have a start date, according to Péwé.

The visual media team previously used a small studio in the basement of the Knorr Student Center that lacked soundproofing and accommodated only one set at a time, according to Executive Director of Online Learning Jeremiah Regan. “The center will also allow

online learning and the visual arts team to have several sets available simultaneously, which means we can develop a more aggressive film schedule and produce more high-quality courses,” Regan said.

Waters said Hillsdale’s visual media team will begin producing projects in the visual media center in mid-March, once it acquires and installs necessary materials.

“There is still work to be done before we begin producing content,” Waters said. “We are now in the process of purchasing additional production equipment, constructing storage shelves, installing a lighting grid, and moving into the space.”

Waters said the visual media team is currently develop-

ing new ways of producing educational content in the visual media center to reach a greater audience.

Sajak, longtime “Wheel of Fortune” game show host and current chairman of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees, is the namesake of the new media center. He will also be the class of 2024 commencement speaker.

“We’re so grateful to Mr. Sajak and all of the other donors who helped make this new studio a reality, and I look forward to seeing what sort of online courses, K-12 model lessons, and other creative, educational content the marketing, external affairs, and K-12 teams create in the years to come,” Gray said.

Hillsdale College Debate Team competes at Western Washington University

Freshman Ryan Rodell and sophomore Ben Brown represented Hillsdale College debate at an online tournament hosted by Western Washington University this weekend, finishing with a record of three wins and two losses.

The CARD-style team debated nuclear policy between Ukraine and Russia against the University of Oregon, Ar-

Gaebler said Schmidt’s achievement demonstrates exceptional talent.

“Andrew individually is on a whole different level,” Gaebler said. “He’s in the top 200 nationally. Most of the people ahead of him are from Harvard, MIT. So he’s at a kind of elite level. His score could go up in future years.”

According to Schmidt, math problems on the Putnam are notoriously difficult.

“It’s really hard,” Schmidt said. “You don’t take it if you don’t want it to be hard. In math class, you can coast by and write down theorems without actually understanding them, but the Putnam involves playing around with theorems and trying to prove them, which

izona State University, Weber State University, and Western Washington University, according to Rodell.

Two Hillsdale parliamentary-style debate teams also competed against Marshall University, Tulane University, and Kansas Wesleyan University in a separate online parliamentary-style tournament hosted by Bowling Green State University Feb. 24.

CARD stands for Collegiate Advocacy Research De-

is like research in a condensed format.”

Gaebler said the students who took the Putnam think differently from most math students.

“They are all very good at taking classes but also something extra,” Gaebler said. “Being good at class doesn’t always translate to being good at the Putnam. They tend to have a lot of bursting curiosity about everything around them, the sort of person who thinks about math problems in their spare time and in most cases have been doing that for a while.”

Schmidt said he has had this kind of curiosity about math since he was young. “I’ve always liked math,” Schmidt said. “When I was little, math was my favorite

bate, according to Director of Forensics and Debate Kirstin Kiledal.

“In CARD, you have a lot more time to prepare, and you pretty much have unlimited time for the round,” Rodell said.

While CARD-style competitions allow competitors more time to prepare arguments, parliamentary tournaments require competitors to prepare arguments on the spot and speak extempora -

subject. I would do things for fun that were mathy. When I was young, I had a really hard time falling asleep, so I would do math every evening to calm myself down.”

Schmidt said the key to solving Putnam problems is constantly writing with your pencil.

“You have to go in with the mindset of ‘I’m going to look at this problem and I am going to think to myself, that looks really hard. I have no idea how to solve that,’” Schmidt said. “You always want to be engaging with a problem in some way, even if it doesn’t feel like you’re making progress.”

Junior Jonah Murray was the runner-up among Hillsdale students, scoring a total of 13 points. He said he solves Putnam problems by attempting

Student Activities Board to host Midnight Market

By Lillian Ferrell Collegian Freelan C er

The

Student

Activities Board will host its first Midnight Market from 10 p.m. to midnight in the Hoynack Room this Friday. The Midnight Market is the spring semester equivalent to fall’s Makers Market during which students set up an array of booths to sell baked goods and crafts.

“We’re really hoping students who have any creative ideas or things to sell, even if it isn’t traditional, sign up and show up,” SAB events lead junior Abby Richardson said.

Attendees can expect a broad array of goods for purchase, guaranteeing something for everyone, SAB events team member and senior Gabby Lewis said.

“It will be kind of like

Parisian, artsy vibes, like a night market in Europe,” Lewis said. “We have quite a few people signed up to sell things from ties to beeswax skin and hair care.”

Despite being similar to SAB’s Makers Market in the fall semester, Richardson said students can look forward to some unique aspects of the Midnight Market.

“I think the feel of the event will be different than any kind of student market we’ve put on, and we’re having live music and a tea bar which will be so fun,” Richardson said.

Students interested in selling items at the Midnight Market can reach out to SAB members directly or access the link to their online Google form sign-up sheet via the most recent Student Activities Office newsletter.

neously, senior Victoria Kelly said. The parliamentary teams debated a new topic each round in the tournament.

Kelly said she and senior Jonah Apel scored zero out of three preliminary rounds.

“It’s not typical for us,” Kelly said. “But that’s OK.”

Sophomores Malia Thibado and Mark den Hollander scored zero out of two preliminary rounds, according to Kelly.

Kelly and Apel had one bye round, in which they did not compete against any team. Thibado and den Hollander had two bye rounds.

The Hillsdale debate team will next compete in person at the Pi Kappa Delta national tournament at Glendale Community College in Phoenix from March 7-11, according to Kiledal.

Kelly said she is looking forward to working with Rodell for the first time in the upcoming tournament.

“Ryan has a level of technical experience in debate that I really admire,” Kelly said. “I hope that by working with him I can pick up some of that nuance and really bring crispness to my own arguments.”

Kiledal said she is proud of how the team members have adjusted to challenges through the year.

“They have worked extremely hard this year adapting to a new coach, a new debate form, and rebuilding a successful team culture and structure,” Kiledal said. “I am so proud of each of them and of the team as a whole.”

different methods until he finds one that works.

“I try to approach a problem and look for anything that would get me closer to solving the problem,” Murray said. “They are often just looking for things to simplify.”

Murray said students addicted to problem-solving should take the exam.

“If you like attempting problems for six hours and probably not getting anywhere, then it would be great,” Murray said. Schmidt compared tackling the Putnam to playing sports.

“When you go into a sports game, you’re going in wanting to win, but knowing it’s definitely not a guarantee,” Schmidt said. “You want that mindset of ‘this is a very formidable opponent.’ And then just play around with the numbers.”

Student fed discusses plans to improve campus green spaces

By Tayte Christensen Collegian reporter

The Student Federation discussed plans to implement student feedback in improving green space during upcoming construction on campus at its meeting Feb. 22.

Sophomore and Student Federation president Jacob Beckwith said the federation will take action in the following weeks.

“We’ll be thinking about how to utilize green spaces on campus in the coming weeks,” he said. “With the north quad being shut down going into spring break, that’s going to be a huge point of conversation.”

The federation’s campus improvement committee tabled last week to ask students for their campus improvement ideas and collected 275 recommendations, according to Beckwith.

“We want student ideas and we’re going to be trying to implement those things,” he said.

Beckwith said the committee will discuss which ideas to implement and will make a decision in the weeks to come.

The meeting also saw the swearing-in of junior Justus Hume, who filled one of two available junior independent representative seats.

“My plan for being on student fed is to make sure people have the means to do things that will better the culture of our campus,” Hume said.

Hume said from his previous experience in Club Rugby he knows it can be hard to get funding, and he doesn’t want others to have to go through the same process.

“Seeing how hard it has been for Club Rugby to get money over the past few years,

Primary from A1

Haley only trailed Trump by about five points in Washtenaw, demonstrating her stronger appeal in more suburban and affluent areas.

Freshman Ryan Rodell said he thinks Haley will drop out once her continued losses begin to seriously impact her brand.

“Once it starts being actively harmful to her, like what we saw with DeSantis — his polls as a governor were being hurt by his campaigning against Trump,” Rodell said. “Once that starts happening to Haley, I think she’ll drop out.”

I just want to make sure anyone else who has great ideas gets the means to accomplish them,” he said.

The federation also granted $350 to the new Hymn Singing Club at the meeting.

Sophomore and Hymn Club president Stephen Zhou said in his presentation to the federation that funds will go toward 10 new hymnals, binders for music, and a speaker to play piano tracks for singers.

“We are really going to help students grow spiritually by saying these hymns are more than just words and music — they express truths about God and we can really learn and grow spiritually from that,” Zhou said.

The club, which started informally last semester, meets weekly on Sundays from 7-9 p.m. and is open to all of campus. Beckwith said he appreciates that the club is looking to dive deeper into hymns.

“One of the things that makes this club unique is that they’re wanting to study the hymns, not just sing them,” he said. “They want to learn about the history of the hymns.”

Beckwith also said he is excited for the hymn club to build roots on campus and wants others like it to follow.

“We really want to support clubs who are putting on events or having open meetings for all of campus,” he said. “So no matter what the group is, if they’re trying to do something that anyone on campus can go to and try out or be a part of, we want to support that.”

Rodell said he believes internal divisions might harm Biden in the general election.

“I doubt that the progressives will be able to handle the zeitgeist and redirect it to make Biden appealing as a candidate of the future, because he’s really seen by most Americans as an artifact of the regime,” he said.

Daniel O’Toole, assistant professor of politics, said Trump’s success in the upcoming general itself is the only remaining variable.

“It went exactly as expected,” O’Toole said. “The question remains, though, as to whether the regime will allow Trump to win.”

The Hillsdale College Debate Team poses for a photo on campus last semester. Courtesy | e mma Kate m ellors

Math from A1

By Emma Verrigni Collegian reporter

Business department develops the Center for Commerce and Freedom

By Michaela Estruth AssistAnt Editor

The Economics, Business, and Accounting department is developing the Center for Commerce and Freedom, offering an annual conference, fellowship program, public lectures, and a publication paper series, aimed to promote Hillsdale College’s approach to education in business and economics, according to Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele.

Hillsdale also plans to hire two additional professors in business and to offer a post-doctoral position for a Hillsdale graduate with a Ph.D. in economics or business, according to Steele.

“Hillsdale has a unique approach to education and is promoting vital ideas that are being neglected by other schools,” Steele said. “EBA has a particular contribution here — entrepreneurship and commerce are how free people provide for themselves and others.

I think many people in business and in education are disturbed by current trends and want an

alternative. We will provide it.”

Steele said the center will develop two fellowships, the Ben Franklin Fellowship and the CCF Fellowship. The Ben Franklin Fellowship will be open to Hillsdale students of any major and includes a year of lectures on business, commerce, and economics, culminating with a trip to a commercial city for tours of business and economic institutions. The CCF Fellowship will provide scholarships for students who work events for the center. Steele said Hillsdale is unique among many business schools which promote woke policies focused on social engineering rather than capitalist markets.

Associate Professor of Management and Marketing Ronald Rivas, who began teaching at Hillsdale in the fall, said the modern approach to business and marketing lacks the historical perspective of the purpose of the firm. For Rivas, a firm produces a product to help consumers flourish.

This classical view of the market adopts Aristotelian philosophy of the end goa]l of

happiness in its perception of leadership and society, Rivas said.

“Classical education of the institution of business can create a better future,” Rivas said.

“The prevalent model of adding more restrictions to create an ethical system misconceives the firm’s proper role. All these forces of government centralization and interference distract companies from helping individuals to flourish, and the overall result is decline.”

Steele said the study of business at a liberal arts college is not a disconnect but rather a perfect integration of the two fields.

“Some people seem not to understand that economics and business are also wrestling with difficult intellectual questions, and that the study of these subjects is a worthy intellectual pursuit by itself,” Steele said. “We think people need to understand these kinds of things if they are really to be liberally educated for self-government.”

Senior Luke Hollister said his study of economics at Hillsdale has trained him to find important truths in financial doc-

uments and business strategies just as with great books.

“Because economics studies what people do, they are a fitting complement to the humanities, which often study why people do what they do,” Hollister said. “Some great philosopher once said that the liberal arts train students to be ‘highly skilled hunters of truth.’ I’m glad that Hillsdale trains its hunters holistically.”

For Steele, the hope is the center will elevate Hillsdale’s business program reputation by strengthening the department and offering access for all Hillsdale students to lectures on important topics.

Senior Charles Frazee, who is studying financial management, also said he hopes the center will grow Hillsdale’s business department.

“The CCF is a great initiative that will hopefully open the doors to a lot more students not just at their time here at Hillsdale, but as they go beyond and go to grad school or to the various firms they begin to work at,” Frazee said. “Hiring in more professors so the department staff is not over-

worked will allow for each of the various classes to benefit from receiving more attention. Additionally, having a program like the CCF will improve the legitimacy of Hillsdale’s business program.” The CCF’s first conference will be April 5 on Hillsdale’s campus. The day will feature speakers and panels addressing business in the woke era, with a dinner, followed by a closing speech from Veron Smith, Nobel Prize laureate in economics.

“I would encourage students to participate in the center because, in the real world, going to Hillsdale College won’t always be the only merit needed to get a job,” Frazee said. “It can help, but it also can be a detriment. Having a solidified business program that creates new opportunities for students will be majorly beneficial when looking to enter the job force.” Rivas said he thinks Hillsdale’s CCF holds potential for great enterprise and inspiration as a drop that breaks the dam.

“I feel that there is a tide coming up,” Rivas said. “I’m happy that I’m in the right place at the right time.”

Hillsdale Mock Trial teams place first and second at regionals

By Zachary Chen collEgiAn rEportEr

Two Hillsdale College Mock

Trial teams placed first and second at the regional tournament over the weekend and took their next step toward competing for the national championship.

Mock trial teams A and B will advance to the Opening Round Championship Series in March, the tournament leading up to the National Mock Trial Tournament.

Teams A and B finished with scores of 8-0 and 7-1, according to Justin Lee, senior and captain of team A. Lee said this is the first time Hillsdale’s program has taken both first and second place at a regional tournament.

Team A swept the entire tournament with scores of 2-0, defeating Ohio State University team C, Ohio University team A, Ohio University team B, and University of Cincinnati team A without dropping a single ballot, according to Lee and junior Njomeza Pema. Additionally, two members of team A won outstanding attorney awards, with Lee winning a 20-rank award for his perfect score and Pema earning an 18rank award.

“I’m really grateful that we swept,” Pema said. “That was an incredible surprise, but a surprise nonetheless, because there were definitely some rounds that I could have seen going either way.”

Pema said the team performed well throughout the tournament and it improved over the course of the weekend.

Bowling club gears up for events at lanes

By Olivia Hajicek s ci E nc E & tE ch Editor Hillsdale College Club

Bowling is officially ready to roll, with plans for three events this semester where students can bowl for free while learning how to improve their technique.

The Student Federation approved the club’s budget on Feb. 15. Junior Kirsten Lopez, the club’s president, said they plan to hold a tournament at the end of the semester.

The club partnered with Campus Rec for a bowling tournament earlier this month.

“It was pretty much all financed by Campus Rec and their budget, but we were able to get publicity with that on the shared Instagram post, and we had about 30 competitors show up,” Lopez said.

Junior Kaeleigh Otting, the club’s vice president, said the turnout showed there is interest in the club on campus.

She said they ultimately hope to do a monthly bowling event open to all of campus as well as club-specific events for students who may be interested in forming a league.

“We want them to be able to learn how to bowl, get better at bowling, and also be able to compete,” Otting said.

Senior Lauren Gergens, the club’s secretary and a certified level 1 United States Bowling Congress coach, said she will be there to help students who would like to improve their technique. “Most people don’t want to bowl because they think they’re bad,” Gergens said.

“But if you have that element of, ‘Hey, there’s someone here who’s willing to teach you, so that you can actually get better,’ I think that’ll really draw people in.”

Lee said that he was proud of team A’s performance. “8-0 speaks for itself,” Lee said. “We pulled it together and we performed well.”

Lee also said he had spent Saturday night with sophomore Patrick McDonald and junior Abby Davis preparing cleaner responses for the next day.

“I think it was our objection responses in the fourth round, the very last round,” Lee said. “Patrick had a particularly good response to a very, very difficult objection that he ended up winning, so I’m very proud of him, and the

“We definitely put in our hardest work, but especially the first day I think we were still trying to get our feet in the water,” Pema said. “By the time we got to the second day of competition, I think we were all in and we performed even better than we’d done the day prior.”

work that we were able to do in that time.”

Hillsdale College team B swept University of Kentucky Team C, Penn State team A, and Eastern Michigan University team A with scores of 2-0 and split ballots for a score of 1-1 against Carnegie Mellon Team A.

According to Noller, sophomore Nathan Emslie won his first outstanding attorney award after his cross examinations at the tournament.

“We’re so proud of him,” Noller said. “He’s on the prosecution, and his cross, especially in the fourth round, was excellent.”

Members of team A and team B said they are looking forward to preparations for competing at the Opening Round Championship Series in a few weeks. According to Noller and Lee, the American Mock Trial Association will require teams to make a few case changes after regionals.

“Going into ORCS, the American Mock Trial Association always changes up a few things, so they’ve given us a new witness,” Lee said. “There are just some minor tweaks, so we’ll have to adjust our material accordingly and then get ourselves back up to polish with everything else.”

Pema said discipline and

hard work outweigh talent in competition.

“I think that we have built a really good positive culture of encouraging each other to work without making it toxic, and of just enjoying the work while we do it,” she said.

Noller said the teams would focus on honing their performance in order to compete their best at ORCS.

“We’re really looking to make sure that we’re getting all our bases covered for everything and then just being really clean and really polished,” Noller said. “I think it’s going to come down to polish and performance at ORCS, because these are really good teams.”

Gergens said she hopes the club, which will hold events at Hillside Lanes, will help build relationships among Hillsdale students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.

“It’s a very social sport, so it allows for people to talk on and off the lanes and really get to know each other and sort of have some level of competition,” Gergens said. “But the emphasis isn’t necessarily on winning but having fun, having a good time, and allowing an opportunity outside of classes to hang out with friends.”

Otting said students interested in joining the club can message them on Instagram at hdalecollege_clubbowling.

Film and Production Club to premiere student films

By Zachary Chen collEgiAn rEportEr

The Film and Production Club will premiere two 10-minute student films in the TV lounge this Friday, according to club president and junior Joshua Burnett.

“The Act-Shun,” a comedy, and “A Peculiar Set of Stairs,” a psychological thriller, feature an all-student cast and production team. According

to Burnett, the films first entered pre-production in the fall of 2023 and were shot around the end of October. “We’ve had probably about 20 students either in cast or crew between the two of them,” Burnett said. The club will show the first film at 6:30 p.m. followed by a short Q&A. The other film will play at 7 p.m.

In addition to hosting movie nights, talks, and dis -

cussions, the club also offers workshops on camera work, sound, and editing to help students develop the skills required to produce films.

“There’s both the appreciation of film as an artistic medium and also the actual handson doing it,” Burnett said. “We try to do both.”

In addition to Friday’s premieres, the Film and Production Club also released the mockumentary “What is a

Fundie?” last semester. “It’s also really cool to see what your fellow students can do with very little budget,” Burnett said. “I’m actually pretty impressed with students who actually haven’t spent that much time doing this who have been able to pull off some pretty cool stuff.”

Sophomore Joseph Johnson, writer and director of “A Peculiar Set of Stairs,” described his film as a psy -

chological thriller about a professor on his long walk home after a day of teaching. Johnson said he thinks students will be able to relate to the film.

“During finals, we’re all up late studying and that long walk home is sometimes a lonely one, an interesting one,” Johnson said. “I think it’ll come close to the heart. And it’s enjoyable. We’ve got an original score, we’ve got

great actors.” Burnett encouraged students to come check out the films on Friday. According to Burnett, most of the cast and crew for the films will be at the premiere, and the film club will provide snacks. “It’s right there,” Burnett said. “After dinner just sit there for a few minutes, grab a snack, and see what your fellow students have been able to do.”

The mock trial A and B teams celebrate after taking the top two ranks at their regional tournament. Courtesy | Chloe Noller

The decline of the British monarchy

By Francesca Cella Collegian FreelanCer

The often romanticized monarchy of Britain is slowly losing its significance.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, comments circulated about the deteriorating English monarchy. Now, with King Charles III receiving cancer treatment and Princess Kate Middleton recovering from abdominal surgery, both are avoiding the public eye, rendering the throne weaker than ever.

King Charles and Princess Kate were both absent at a memorial service this week for the late King Constantine of Greece due to their current medical conditions. However, Prince William of Wales, husband of Catherine, or Kate, Princess of Wales, also canceled his attendance due to a “personal matter.”

The primary members of the family attending the memorial were the disgraced Prince Andrew and Queen Camilla, who was involved in an affair with King Charles when he was married to his first wife, Princess Diana.

Of course, holding positions of royalty does not disqualify the royal family from undergoing human ailments, nor do such ailments mar their noble office. But the fact that England’s only royal representatives at an internationally attended event were family members of the crown viewed in some disgrace for their past conduct seems to symbolize a decline in English monarchy.

Since the Glorious Revolution, the British monarchy has gradually lost its power to Parliament and has become more of a representative of the U.K. than an actual country-leading office. Even the official “royal.uk” website states, “Although The Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important role in the life of the nation.” It further says, “The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride.”

Queen Elizabeth brought a bit of a revival to the monarchy due to her young ascent to the

throne at age 25 and her 70-year reign in which she won over the hearts of many with her charm. In fact, if you enter some of the homes of her loyal subjects, you are bound to see Elizabethan paraphernalia plastered about.

This loyalty was endearing when given to a darling old woman always seen in a brightly colored hat with a smile on her face. When Elizabeth was queen, the monarchy certainly served its purpose as a source of patriotic inspiration.

But is the time of the English monarchy drawing to an end?

With King Charles battling cancer, talk of the next heir to the throne has already begun. If he were to die, Prince William and his wife Princess Kate would be crowned king and queen of England.

King Charles seems to be a passing specter who will neither draw near to replacing Elizabeth nor make a great difference in British history. Will Prince William and Princess Kate be able to rebuild the royal reputation established by Elizabeth?

While Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle have shown a disinterest in their royal connections by leaving the royal family, William and Kate seem to have filled their roles and begun rebuilding the Elizabethan legacy.

If the sole value of the English monarchy is to serve as a representative of national pride, the king and queen of England must be people worth being proud of, even more so than in ruling times.

William and Kate have the potential to uphold the throne by making appearances at political and social gatherings and by living an idyllic British lifestyle with their three adorable children. However, the future of the throne looks dim because, after a few uninspiring monarchs, the purpose of the monarch will quite literally be that of a figurehead.

Devil’s Advocate with Claire Gaudet

Both parties should participate in wedding plans

a wedding has made me realize a lot about my relationship — namely that it’s better than everyone else’s.

I’m kidding. But I have noticed that my planning is going a little differently from that of some of my friends: Most of their fiancés either have no say in anything or are completely disinterested in the details of the wedding day.

Men plan dates and romantic gestures all the time — at least they should — so what makes wedding planning any different?

My first thought is that they

might be scared of their bridesto-be… which seems like a larger issue. But a wedding is the union of two people into one, meaning both should be involved. Sure, it took a little longer for Jacob and I to land on the color scheme we wanted since there were two opinions instead of one. But he talked me down from my orange and pink ledge, and that’s a good thing. And planning a wedding is a lot of stressful footwork on top of school and — in my case — finding a job. It seems insane to deny the free labor of anyone,

let alone your future spouse.

The other thing that seems to be holding men back is their lack of interest in their wedding day. They just planned a proposal, they can’t be bothered, it’s the bride’s day, wedding planning seems too fruity, etc.

I don’t trust it. “Yes, dear,” isn’t the level of enthusiasm I want in a partner.

Maybe my fiancé is just fruitier than some of these guys, but I would never have been able to plan this wedding without him, nor would I want to. The only reason we’re keeping the stupid

thing on the books is because of our combined efforts and its sacramental status. Otherwise, we’d both be ready to elope. I don’t know how some of you are doing it alone, but you might not need to. If you’re met with intense opposition from your partner — either your future husband or wife — you might have some deeper stuff to figure out than what flavor cake you’ll be eating.

Claire Gaudet is a senior studying rhetoric and journalism.

What’s ChatGPT good for inside of the classroom?

By Zachery Chen Collegian FreelanCer

My first significant interaction with ChatGPT occurred about two years ago, when I asked it to generate a modern worship song based on the first seven lines of the “Aeneid,” and it spat out a chorus about Aeneas beginning “But he had faith / He had hope / He knew he had a higher goal.”

After I finished crying, I decided that generative artificial intelligence was better left out of discussions of classics or liturgy. Freshman orientation at Hillsdale only served to confirm this conviction: the English professors made it quite clear that AI was to have no role in my writing, whether in brainstorming or in the process of essay composition itself.

As a student of classical languages and literature, I more or less concur with the English department. I personally don’t have a use for ChatGPT, as I’m perfectly capable of doing my own translations and composition, and I am rather bored by the fact that you can coax an AI into generating senseless but amusing responses to leading questions.

Recently, however, I had a conversation about AI with

Ian Church, an associate professor of philosophy. He pointed out that generative AI is now a part of our world and it’s not going away any time soon. Thus, for Church, it’s worth investigating precisely how one might go about using ChatGPT as a tool in the classroom. He informed me of a recent article by Justin Weinberg about a philosophy professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota who proposes using generative AI as an “interactive course tutor” to check students’ responses to homework assignments, as a tool for producing new assignments and homework, and as an always-available resource for answering students’ questions about practical aspects of his courses.

Church also proposed a number of other potential uses for generative AI — it could play the research assistant, act as a tutor, or even serve as a sounding board off of which to bounce ideas.

All in all, AI has the potential to be a positive good in our classroom, English department moratoriums notwithstanding. That said, I’m not completely convinced that AI should be used in humanities classrooms, no matter how useful

it might be. Are the humanities antithetical to unhuman AI? In considering the question, I’d like to present an analogy.

Imagine, if you will, the first time people began writing down epics, say Homer’s “Iliad,” circa 750 B.C. Prior to this, poetry had been exclusively spoken, making human memory a critical element of the performance of epic. Now, this newfangled writing will do away with the need for a prodigious memory. Who needs to memorize nearly 16,000 lines when you can simply read them aloud? But by losing the memorization component, are we running the risk of throwing away a fundamentally human aspect of ourselves?

To put these questions another way, why brainstorm yourself or write an essay when you can get a bot to do it for you? Are we willing to risk the atrophy of the ability to write well, a fundamentally human endeavor?

In some ways, my hypothetical writing naysayers in the 8th century B.C. were probably correct: writing does relieve the average person of the daily necessity of memorization by dint of its permanence. I, for one, do not feel the need to mem-

orize things I know I can find later in a book. (For instance, I didn’t memorize the name of the book in which I first came across the idea of writing being potentially adversarial to memory, although I have a sneaking suspicion that it was Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows.”)

But, in more important ways the imaginary opponents of writing were wrong. The existence of writing has not robbed the human memory of its significance. Instead, paradoxically, it has become a means by which memory is rendered nearly permanent. If we follow the logic of the analogy, perhaps we can hope for unprecedented benefits from AI as well.

Questions will remain regardless of AI’s ultimate impact. Is AI good for our classrooms? Can we reconcile human creativity and logos-less logic? And could this essay — yes, the opinion piece you’re reading right now — have been generated by an AI? I’ll leave the answers to those algor—er, writers more eloquent than I.

Zachary Chen is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

The professors do it: dress nicely up the hill

By Michaela Estruth asistant editor

Sweatpants and sweatshirts are unattractive and unprofessional.

It’s tempting to prioritize dressing for warmth and comfort in mid-winter. It’s so much easier to roll out of bed, throw on comfy clothes, and head up the hill for another mundane day.

But should we really convey laziness and apathy to our professors, fellow students, and ourselves?

Dressing up for class is a good and necessary practice because it conveys professionalism and seriousness about our education.

Dressing up doesn’t have to mean business professional attire every day. A range from presentable to business casual is a good aim.

Class is a time for learning and participation, not for lounging and passivity. Loungewear implies flippancy, lack of motivation, and disinterest. Instead, our exterior presentation should communicate seriousness, ambition, and engagement.

“Our exterior is a reflection of our interior,” junior Hannah Arends said. “We are not just souls, but body and

soul. It glorifies God to dress in a way that reflects our dignity as God’s children.”

is good preparation for the professional world because adults don’t wear sweatpants to work.

Students are paying lots of money for a Hillsdale education. Investing thousands of dollars in something that you then show little care or appre-

Many professors dress up daily, wearing either button-down shirts, a tie, and a suit jacket, or skirts and dresses. Imagine if a professor entered a classroom in sweats. It would probably induce some snickers and confusion. Students would become less engaged because their professor would be communicating that the material up for discussion that day isn’t important. If our professors dress well for the discipline, students should too.

Dressing well in college

ciation for is inconsistent and could be a waste of dollars.

Presenting a respectable outward appearance induces a positive attitude in students. Forcing ourselves to do the harder thing and put on a nice outfit also forces a better attitude for the day.

I often joke “fake it till you make it” if I’m complimented on an outfit, and there is

some truth to that. Even if I don’t feel like putting on a nice outfit to wear up the hill all day, it makes me appear eager and committed, which changes my initial negative attitude toward the day. In 2015, the Association for Psychological Science released a study titled, “When Clothing Style Influences Cognitive Style.”

“The formality of clothing might not only influence the way others perceive a person, and how people perceive themselves, but could influence decision making in important ways through its influence on processing style,” researchers said.

Your outfits aren’t just communicating to others — they are communicating to yourself. And one day, you may even look forward to dressing up. Presenting yourself at your best creates confidence and assertion.

You may be surprised at your lifted spirits if you dress up for class. Suddenly, the wind and snow are less suffocating, and spring break is right around the corner.

Michaela Estruth is a junior studying history and journalism.

Estruth poses with friends after class in their best attire.

Michaela e struth | c ollegian

A Professor’s Opinion

Michael

Compiled by Megan Li

“What do you wish you did more of when you were younger?”

Clark,

Economics

“Outdoor activities — appreciating nature, getting away from everything, disc golfing, hiking, canoeing. Not crazy active outdoor activity, and it’s context-providing.”

Jon Balsbaugh,

Education

“Spend more time developing an art as a way of creating beauty.”

Allison Postell, Philosophy

“Read and expose myself to the discipline of thinking well about important subjects.”

Andrew Russell, Biology

“Reading because I’ve never been an avid reader, especially not when I was younger, so I think it’s taken me some time in my adult life to try to catch up with that. I would definitely change how much I read as a kid, as a teenager, to improve what I already know today.”

No uterus, but we need your opinion

By Alexandra Hall Design eDitor

Miles Smith IV, History

“I wish I would have spent more time at the pool. I was a lifeguard, and I didn’t start lifeguarding until I was 20. That was one of the best jobs I ever had—super easy, and you feel good. I was pretty healthy when I did it so I wish I just would have started doing that when I was 16 instead of in my 20s.”

Maria Servold, Journalism

“I feel like I only recently started making things for the sake of making things. I wish I would have spent more time being creative.”

Have kids no matter your income bracket

By Lauren Bixler Collegian Freelan C er

about misconduct. But it has to happen. You don’t have to like the women involved or be related to them to care. But you do have to treat them as humans. That begins with not hurling insults.

“Men hold a lot of power, whether that’s in male-dominated administrations at a college or in national politics. If we push them out of the conversation, we limit what actual change is possible. ”

My first reaction to a male classmate who made a dismissive comment about sexual assault involved a fantasy about inflicting a minor act of violence against him. But after a brief conversation, I realized that he had never felt what it was like to be unsafe with another person — to be violated or exploited in a way so personal it alters your life. It showed me that men need to be included in discussions about assault, even when their input may be initially ignorant. The “no uterus, no opinion” line, which originates from the American sitcom “Friends” seems alluring to weaponize when men throw about stupid comments in a classroom. But the truth is that we need men in these conversations. Men hold a lot of power, whether that’s in male-dominated administrations at a college or in national politics. If we push them out of the conversation, we limit what actual change is possible. Without their support, movements get reduced to women complaining and assault gets watered down to poor decisions.

Commentary like my classmate’s makes women exclude men from conversations about sexual assault and harassment. It’s hard to hear lines about how the women were dressed, who was “deserving” of what, and the supposedly angelic young men whose lives are being upturned, and then welcome a level-headed conversation

When men only talk to other men, comments can spiral out of control and become even more malicious. And when they leave the locker room or the bar, those comments can have real-world consequences for women coming forward with their stories. It is much harder to make haphazard fashion or character critiques when women are present and share their own experiences.

When it comes to assault and harassment, women usually find solace in one another. Through female relationships women acknowledge, work through, and build connections with others regarding this shared trauma.

And often, it is with individuals you’d least expect — a creepy family member, a trusted, “hip” teacher, an older ex-boyfriend, or a friend gone sour. A relationship someone may consider safe quickly becomes the abuse women have been taught to fear since puberty. Despite years of expectation or trepidation, nothing matches the isolating nature of having a personal boundary violated or shattered.

Men should not be shut out of discourse surrounding sexual assault, but regarding situations in which women are made to be victims, specifically of crimes like sexual assault, it is first and foremost an opportunity for men to listen. It is a chance for men to hear what women are thinking about the situation at hand and how their own experiences relate to those of local or national focus.

Women don’t owe anyone their stories. But their perspectives on assault and the cultural effects of it are invaluable, and when shared can welcome men into a conversation in which they are not enemies, but allies.

Alexandra Hall is a junior studying rhetoric and biology.

Many of us at Hillsdale are used to hearing about students’ families with five or more children. However, this reality is becoming increasingly rare across newer generations of young adults who can barely afford to live on their own.

According to Hillary Hoffower’s 2022 Business Insider article, “Birth rates and fertility rates have been steadily declining for the past eight years. Today, people of childbearing age, many of whom are millennials, are delaying having children.”

She further wrote that — aside from increasing costs of having children — political uncertainty is a significant factor affecting people’s desire to bring children into the world. What will happen if the birth rate continues to decline? This is an issue, but the solution to the baby crisis is not simply telling adults to “have more children.” We need a practical answer.

With the current pressure of rising inflation costs across the nation, many are reconsidering the decision to have children, afraid of the financial burdens a child would bring about. Various articles have lately emerged to support this idea. In the Daily Mail, Nicola Frapwell wrote about her and her husband’s financial situation and how it is not enough to support a child with the lifestyle they desire. Though they are from the U.K., their issues are common to many across the United States.

Nicola said, “The sad reality is, with nursery fees, our mortgage, utility bills, supermarket prices and endless household repairs and renovations, we simply cannot afford to have a baby. Not even on our combined income of £100,000 a year.”

There is merit to these financial concerns. The cost of living is exponentially increasing, especially in places like California, where the minimum wage continues to rise, making everything more expensive. Raising children is not without burden and financial cost, and can be nearly impossible for those in extreme poverty and single parenthood. However, a counterargument to this notion recently emerged on TikTok by Emma Hayes, or @eclairehayes, who argues that having children, and

many of them, is possible, even in Southern California for a middle-class family. For context, she was responding to another TikTok video claiming that “millennials are not able to afford children.” Hayes shared her perspective by using her family of 11 children as an example.

ternative viewpoint to the disheartening statement that millennials, in general, cannot afford to have children today, and I wanted to give hope to those of us who want to have kids, whether that be today or in the future,” Hayes said.

highest average student loan debt at $45,600.” In light of this, how can you expect adults to seek a life filled with family and children when they carry such financial burdens?

Following this discussion, an essential question must be asked: Is the economy the only thing to blame in the discussion of affordability, or do our choices throughout adulthood affect this as well?

For example, a lead -

“I want to point out that the amount of children that you can have, and honestly a lot of big life decisions, are just based on priorities,” Hayes said. “Whether that’s your career, where you live, or what kind of car you want to have, or how big your house is, all of those things are gonna play a part in how many children you can have.”

There has been a big push in Gen Z and Millennial families to stop having children for financial reasons.

Though children are indeed expensive to care for, we must ask if there are ways to mitigate costs and what defines one’s quality of life. Does being poor make someone lesser or less capable of a good life? Though not all parents can afford to buy their babies Patagonia jackets or Ugg slippers, that doesn’t mean other options aren’t available. Our society lives with more material wealth than any other nation in the past. We are constantly in want, though we have little to need. We need to know our options and not be blindsided by what the media is feeding us. And we must also consider what gives one’s life value and meaning. Is it living a life free of burden and struggle, spoiled with material goods, or is it struggling and growing alongside those who care about you? The strongest people in our society are not the ones who live carefree but the ones who have overcome adversity. If we feed people the notion that they are infertile because of their material status, our society will become weaker.

And lastly, for those who desire to build families in the future, an important question to ask is, what can we do now to prepare ourselves for a financially successful future? Understanding our nation’s socio-economic sphere and increasing your financial literacy will help prepare you for adult life. Also, look to those around you who have big families and ask for their perspective.

After receiving backlash in her comments section for these beliefs, Hayes responded by reasserting that her perspective does not address those in poverty and she is not undermining the difficulty of raising children. Ultimately, she wanted to offer an encouraging perspective for those who desire a future with children.

“The reason why I created that video is because I wanted to present an al-

ing financial killer among adults is student loans. Many people are convinced that expensive secondary education will determine their future income and success. But once these poor students reemerge into the world, many find that their degrees are worthless and will be forever bound to debt.

According to the Education Data Initiative, “The average federal student loan debt at $37,338 per borrower and private student loan debt averages $54,921 per borrower.”

Even more terrifying is the statistic, “Those aged between 50 to 61 have the

Having children should be a beautiful experience, and the hope is that people weigh the benefits as much as the costs. The costs, though they may be high at times, cannot fuel our entire conversation about having children. Consider what you value in life and how children fit into that picture. Consider what kind of life you want for them, then see where you fall on this issue.

Lauren Bixler is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Courtesy | unspalsh

City News

Families report symptoms similar to Quincy seizures

Officials are investigating the Jonesville reports as a separate matter

By Logan Washburn Associate Editor

As regional health officials continue to investigate the cause of seizures among students in Quincy, they have taken reports of similar symptoms in students attending Jonesville schools.

“We need to understand more about the calls we’ve gotten from Jonesville families,” said Rebecca Burns, health officer for the BranchHillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, in a Feb. 22 meeting. “We’re going to do some more checking.”

Burns said families from Jonesville Community Schools have reported symptoms similar to the seizures and tremors among students in Quincy Community Schools.

“At this point, we are not connecting the two together,” said Kris Dewey, public information officer for the BHSJ Community Health Agency. “In no way are we implicating Jonesville Schools in any way with what we have going on with Quincy Schools.”

Dewey said the agency is in the first stages of responding to individual reports, and its investigation is currently focusing on symptoms at Quincy Middle School and Quincy High School. Burns said it is still too early to tell how many students are experiencing these symptoms.

“I wouldn’t say at this time in Jonesville we’re actively involved in the same type of investigation,” Burns said.

Quincy parents initially reported symptoms such as seizures, tremors, tics, and twitches to the BHSJ Community Health Agency on Feb. 15, according to Burns. The agency began its investigation that day and has been searching for commonalities among affected students.

“It’s much too early to say that anything is the cause here,” Burns said.

Quincy Community Schools heard about the concerns Feb. 16, according to Superintendent Marc Kramer. He said the district conducted indoor air and water quality testing and expects to have results by March 1.

While students experiencing these symptoms share commonalities like living in

said out of an “abundance of caution,” the district contacted health officials.

“We’ve been in constant communication with Superintendent Kramer at Quincy Schools, and we’ve had communication also with William Poole at the City of Quincy who deals with their water supply”

Branch County and attending Quincy schools, Kramer said, there is not necessarily a connection between these conditions and the district. But he

“We’ve been in constant communication with Superintendent Kramer at Quincy Schools, and we’ve had communication also with William

Speed limits in Michigan celebrate 68th anniversary

By Olivia Pero Culture Editor

This February was the 68th anniversary of Michigan lawmakers instituting the state’s first speed limit.

Michigan lawmakers set highway speed limits to 65 mph during the day and 55 mph at night on Feb. 3, 1956. Before this, drivers were allowed to drive at speeds they deemed reasonable.

According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the speed limit on select freeways increased to 75 mph in 2017.

Greg McLogan ’88, co-historian of the Hillsdale College Alumni Association Board, said it is surprising people used to be able to drive as fast as they dared.

“For as long as there have been cars, people have wanted cars to go faster while lawmakers have tried to slow them down,” McLogan said. “I’d be curious if there were less accidents back then. Of course, there were a lot less cars on the road at that time.”

this is a residential street

Poole at the City of Quincy who deals with their water supply,” Burns said.

Officials walked through Quincy Middle School and Quincy High School Feb. 21 and said they did not find anything immediately concerning, Burns said.

The BHSJ Community Health Agency is working with the state to compile a survey it hopes to send to Quincy parents electronically to collect relevant health information, according to Burns. She said this could help determine the number of students experiencing these symptoms.

“If they would like to complete the survey, whether their student had symptoms or not, we would be interested in collecting any information families would be willing to share with us,” Burns said.

The agency has also been in contact with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, according to Burns.

“The investigation will

take time,” Burns said. “It would be very frightening to have a student with these types of neurological symptoms. So we understand and empathize with those families, and we are going to continue to work on an investigation that makes the most sense and is scientific, and try to come up with answers.”

Tom Matthew, vice chairman of the BHSJ Community Health Agency, said in the meeting the group should work with MDHHS, expedite the investigation, and contact state Sen. Jonathan Lindsey and state Rep. Andrew Fink.

Dewey said parents with concerns about their children’s health should seek guidance from their doctor, but the BHSJ Community Health Agency would be happy to speak with them.

“One of the district’s highest priorities is the health and safety of our students and staff,” Kramer said. “We wish positive health outcomes for our students and will fully cooperate in response to these concerns.”

Local health officials warn public as measles is confirmed in Michigan

By Logan Washburn Associate Editor

Area health officials are warning the public to prepare for measles due to several outbreaks in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.

There are currently no cases in Hillsdale, Branch, or St. Joseph counties, according to Kris Dewey, public information officer of the BHSJ Community Health Agency. She said it is unknown how quickly the infection might spread to the area.

and is confined to the household.

Symptoms of measles include a high fever, red eyes, runny nose, and cough, after which a patient develops a red rash that starts on the head and spreads to the rest of the body, according to Hazel. It often comes with eye pain and sensitivity to light.

Measles symptoms usually develop seven to 14 days after exposure, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

If the disease were to reach the local area, Dewey said the BHSJ Community Health Agency would follow its communicable disease protocols to work with affected individuals and any contacts they had while contagious.

“We would continue to encourage vaccination of individuals of all ages, focusing on the most vulnerable to serious illness, the unvaccinated, young children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised,” Dewey said.

Hillsdale Chief of Police Scott Hephner said in 1981 the city adopted by amended resolution #851 Traffic Control Order 1981-1, which ratified and authorized the placement and existence of traffic control devices to control the operation of motor vehicles in the city of Hillsdale.

County from A1

“This convention is for the elected delegates from every district,” Bellino said. “I have full faith and trust they will do the next right thing to keep our momentum going forward for the 2024 election.”

David Stone, acting chairman of America First Hillsdale Republicans, said he was concerned that only 21.6% of registered Republicans in Hillsdale County had voted in the primary, according to

“This included speed limit signs,” Hephner said. “Prior to and since, any street without speed limit signage is controlled by prima facie speed laws authorized by the Michigan Motor Vehicle Code 257.627 Act 300 of 1949.” Hephner said an example of

the county clerk’s office. “These are poor numbers,” Stone said. “We need more people to get more interested in our country and vote.” The former president’s resounding victory came as a judge appeared to resolve two months of infighting that has split the Michigan Republican Party, according to the Detroit News. Kent County Circuit Court Judge J. Joseph Rossi ruled Tuesday night that former Michigan GOP chair Kristina Karamo was legitimately removed by a Jan. 6 vote of the state party committee.

Professor of History Brad Birzer said the Jonesville police set up a radar to determine the average speed on Homer Road — Hillsdale Street in Jonesville.

“Once they figured out the average speed, they set the speed limit,” Birzer said. “I mentioned this in class as a great example of common law.”

Karamo had disputed that vote as “illegal” and “illegitimate,” according to CBS News, and still claimed to be the party’s rightful chair. But after the judge’s ruling, Karamo is now legally barred from presenting herself as chair of the Michigan GOP. Both the Republican National Committee and Trump have endorsed Pete Hoekstra, a former congressman and ambassador to the Netherlands, as chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, after the state committee voted him in on Jan. 6.

A new state party chairman

“Measles is one of the most highly infectious diseases,” said Heidi Hazel, director of personal health and disease prevention at the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, in a news release. “Anyone who has not had the disease, or who has not been fully immunized, is susceptible.” A new case of measles has emerged in Oakland County, Michigan, the state’s first outbreak since 2019, when a large number of cases spread in the same area, according to the Detroit Free Press. Cases have also been reported recently in Lake County, Indiana, and Montgomery County, Ohio. The BHSJ Community Health Agency is encouraging residents in the area to get the measles vaccine if they have not already.

“Measles is a vaccine-preventable respiratory infection that can have very serious complications, including secondary infections resulting in hospitalization, pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness, and even death,” Hazel said.

could affect the leadership of the Hillsdale County Republican Party. The Hillsdale GOP has been split into two groups since August 2022, when an “America First” faction blocked more than 61 Republican members from the county party’s convention.

In January, a Lenawee County judge ordered the party’s state committee, including Karamo, to pay more than $25,000 in fines when he found them in contempt of court, according to MLive. The judge said state party leaders and members of the “America First” faction failed

“Immunization is the best way to protect our families from the harmful consequences of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles,” Hazel said.

People typically receive the vaccine’s first dose at 12 months of age, and the second dose between ages 4 and 6, according to Hazel.

The disease can be contagious a few days before a rash develops, increasing the possibility of unknowing transmission to others, Hazel said.

According to the MDHHS, the Oakland County case likely came from international travel

to follow a prior ruling that the “America First” members were not the leaders of the county party. Both factions held conventions on Feb. 15 and elected a slate of delegates to send to the state convention in Grand Rapids on March 2. Hoekstra told The Collegian at the end of January he would choose between the two factions in three weeks, but has not yet recognized either.

Stone, leader of the “America First” faction, told The Collegian he “fully supports” the Kent County judge’s Tuesday ruling.

The MDHHS said residents concerned they have measles should call ahead before visiting a hospital so the facility can prepare to reduce exposure to others.

The BHSJ Community Health Agency is offering vaccinations at its offices in Branch County, Hillsdale County, and St. Joseph County, and said residents should call ahead to schedule. The Hillsdale County office can be reached at 517437-7395, extension 336.

“I urge our citizens to obtain vaccinations,” said Tom Matthew, vice chairman of the BHSJ Community Health Agency.

“Our dedicated staff are trained to answer any immunization questions.”

Brent Leininger,

January

“The delegates will have their say Saturday at the district conventions in Grand Rapids,”

who identified himself as chair of the HCRP executive committee, told The Collegian in

he does not anticipate conflict between the executive committee and Hoekstra.

Leininger said.

The first speed limit in Michigan was 65 mph. Courtesy | FaC ebook

Women's Track and Field

Ermakov, Klaserner break records

By Anna Broussard Collegian Reporter

The women’s track and field team broke school records and earned provisional rankings at the G-MAC conference championships at Ashland University over the weekend.

Multiple girls qualified for the upcoming NCAA Division II championships in March.

Among them were senior Liz Wamsley, senior Shura Ermakov, junior Averi Parker, senior Katie Sayles, and senior Katie Wedly.

Ermakov set a new school record and scored a personal best in the open 400 meter dash, the first woman in the college’s history to finish in under 55 seconds with a time of 54.76.

“I did win the 400m dash, and the hope is to make it in the top eight for All-American status in March,” she said.

Ermakov now ranks 13th in provisional rankings securing her spot in the NCAA Division II championships.

“Division II national qualifications usually take the top 18 on the provisional list,” Ermakov said.

In addition to Ermakov’s record, senior Louisa Klaserner broke the college’s previous record in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.65.

Klaserner took 22nd in provisional rankings, with Ermakov close behind at 26th. “A few of us were looking for some fast times, but I don’t know that breaking school records on the women’s side was expected at all,” Klaserner said.

Wamsley, took first place in both the 3,000m and 5,000m, ranking 41st provisionally for the 3,000m. She will compete in the 5,000m event in March.

“I am ranked 15th in the 3,000m race, so I will likely be running the 3,000m at nationals,” she said.

The Chargers took third overall, behind Ashland University and University of Findlay.

“Taking third place was expected, and although we weren’t necessarily satisfied with it, it’s hard to win when we are working with a smaller team than Ashland or Findlay,” Ermakov said. Hillsdale’s success was an unexpected surprise with three record breaks and high provisional qualifiers, Wamsley said. Ermakov, Klaserner, and junior Neva Polo, who scored a record 3,482 points in the pentathlon, returned from G-MAC championships with school record titles.

“It was very exciting to witness Shura, Louisa, and Neva to be as successful as they were at conference. I think that definitely made the atmosphere at conference all the more fun and inspiring,” Wamsley said.

As the Chargers look ahead toward NCAA Division II championships in March, the focus is to recover from conference and prep those who qualified for nationals.

“The next two weeks will be training as usual with an emphasis on recovering from conference,” Wamsley said. “You just have to do the work and trust that all the preparation this season will pay off when the time comes.”

Women's Tennis Hillsdale bests Lake Superior State

By Isabella Helms Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale women’s tennis team secured a decisive 4-1 victory over Lake Superior State University on Feb. 24, but faced a narrow 4-3 defeat against Ferris State University on Feb. 25.

“Last weekend we had some pretty great matches,” junior Courtney Rittel said. “We’ve stayed strong and won the doubles point both days which will be crucial for us to continue as we get closer to the conference.”

Saturday’s match against Lake Superior saw the Chargers win itstheir second match of the season. In doubles, Senior Melanie Zampardo and sophomore Megan Hackman led the team with a 7-5 win at the No. 1 position, setting the tone for the day. Although the No. 2 doubles team was bested by the Lakers 4-6, the Chargers still clinched the doubles point, bolstered by a 6-1 victory from junior Elizabeth McGivern and senior Helana Formentin in the third doubles match. Ane Dannhauser led the charge in the first singles match with a 6-1, 6-4 win over the Lakers. Zampardo continued the winning streak in the second singles match, outdoing her opponent with 6-0, 6-3 victory. Marking Hillsdale’s third consecutive triumph in singles play, McGivern also outmanoeuvred the Lakers, with scores of 6-2, 3-6, 6-0.

The following day, Hillsdale took on Ferris State University in a match that proved to be a challenge for the Chargers.

“We almost beat Ferris State and their coach was having a heart attack by the end, but unfortunately ended up losing 4-3,” Dannhauser said. “This was one of the best matches we have had all season though, so it’s only going up from here.”

Starting off strong, Hillsdale secured the doubles point with a 7-5 win from Dannhauser and Rittel at the No. 2 spot, complemented by Formentin and McGivern’s 6-4 victory in the No. 3 doubles. “My match on Sunday was probably one of the hardest I have played in a long time, and I really thought my opponent was going to kill me at the beginning,” Dannhauser said. “We both had nearly five match points before I finally won, and I honestly couldn’t have done it without my teammates being there.”

In singles play, the Chargers did see victories from Dannhauser in the No. 1 singles and senior Julia Wagner at the No. 4 spot, yet the 6-1, 4-6, 6-7 win and 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 score respectively were not enough to turn the tide in their favor.

“Our match against Ferris was super promising knowing that we are right there with them and with one more match it would’ve been our win,” Wagner said. “I think we showed up ready to fight and made Ferris work for it. Everyone played the best tennis I’ve seen so far this year!”

In the midst of these matches, Dannhauser’s consistent performance did not go unnoticed. She was named the Women’s Tennis Player of the

Men's Track and Field

Haas wins second straight G-MAC

By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter

Junior Ben Haas won the weight throw at the G-MAC Indoor Championships in Ashland, Ohio Feb. 23-24, earning him the twenty-eighth best spot for DII and another provisional qualifying mark. Haas will move on to the NCAA DII Indoor Championships on March 8-9 in Pittsburg, Kansas. Haas also placed second in the shot put with a mark of 16.77 meters.

Junior Ross Kuhn ran a personal best in the mile, placing sixth with a time of 4:10.86.

“My training and buildup into this race were the best I have had yet in college and

really gave me the confidence to go out and compete against some of the best milers in the nation in Division II," Kuhn said. “This whole week my coach and I just talked about controlling what I can control, and the results will speak for themselves and that is what played out Saturday.”

On the track, senior Sean Fagan placed eighth in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.33 seconds. Senior Sean Hoeft placed fifth in the 800 meter with a time of 1:51.74, a provisional qualifying mark. Senior Alex Mitchell ran his collegiate best 3,000 meter, placing third with a time of 8:22.23. Fagan, Hoeft, seniors Joseph Ritzer and Benu Meintjes also placed

fifth in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:19.60.

"Coach White always talks about progress from year to year and this year at GMACs almost everyone on the distance side either ran a PR or scored higher than they have at previous GMAC championships," Kuhn said. "That just shows the work that we have been putting in all year is paying off!"

Meintjes also placed eighth in the 400 meter with a time of 49.24.

Week by the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, a notable first in her collegiate career.

The accolade came on the heels of a 3-1 week where she remained undefeated at No. 1 singles position.

In her No. 1 singles matches, Dannhauser not only delivered a decisive 6-1, 6-4 victory against Lake Superior State, but she also overcame a firstset deficit to win in a tiebreak against Ferris State. Notably, she also teamed up with Courtney Rittel at No. 2 doubles to clinch a key 7-5 win against the Bulldogs, contributing to Hillsdale’s doubles point.

“This weekend was definitely a step in the right direction for the team and myself,” Dannhauser said. “I honestly have no idea how the G-MAC award works, but I was super surprised and happy that I could contribute to the team’s success.”

With a current overall record of 2-5, the Chargers set their sights on upcoming matches against regional competitors Wayne State on March 1 and Saginaw Valley State on March 2.

“I feel like this last weekend was a really good step in the right direction for us,” Zampardo said. “We are really starting to come out on top of some of the really tough and competitive matches. I’ve seen improvement in different parts of the team every weekend and I’m excited to see how much more we can continue going up.”

“I was pleased at the way I performed Saturday,” Madeline Corbin said. “I feel like I've kept improving from this fall and I'm really excited for our competition in Missouri and then nationals in Texas.”

In men’s trap doubles, Josh Corbin tied with Johnson for first with 98/100 clays hit. Sophomore Leif Andersen followed close behind in third at 97/100 clays. In the women’s division, Madeline Corbin placed first with 93/100 clays, followed by Brown and Strasser tying for second at 89/100 clays.

“It was a good starting point to see where we are at our events and shows us what we might need to improve on before going to Texas or Arizona,” sophomore Sophia Bultema said. “Students from other colleges and students who are entry level come out to the event.”

In trap, the Hillsdale squad made a perfect score of 250/250. Senior William Stuart, junior Jonathan Calabrese, junior Kyle Fleck, Strasser, and Madeline Corbin all hit 50/50 clays. “We're getting to the point where we're not really trying to make big adjustments,” head coach Jordan Hintz said. “We’re not trying to

learn great, big new things, or implement new strategies necessarily.”

In skeet doubles, Josh Corbin placed first in the men’s division, with a perfect score of 50/50. Sophomore Jordan Sapp tied with Johnson for second with 48/50 targets. In the women’s division, Madeline Corbin placed first with 48/50, followed by Brown and freshman Ava Downs tying for second at 47/50 targets.

In the 5-Stand event, Fleck and junior Gavin Drill tied for first with a perfect 25/25 clays hit. Andersen, sophomore Davis Hay, and Johnson all tied for third with a 24/25 score. In the women’s division, Strasser and Downs tied for first at 21/25, while Madeline Corbin got third place with 20/25. Hintz said the team’s success at the invitational set a high standard looking toward nationals next month.

“We had a lot of athletes contribute, and we had a lot

“All the hard work had been done earlier and the last bit was just priming and getting ready to peak for the championship,” Meintjes said. “The hard work paid off as this was the meet we focused on and wanted to peak at - so almost everyone ran well and a lot of guys set personal or seasonal bests.”

Sophomore Nathaniel Osborne ran a personal best in the 5,000 meter with a time of 15:26.38.

”Besides this I haven't had a really super hard race since outdoor conferences last spring" Osborne said. “This was just great momentum, as the quality overall in the GMAC is getting really strong very quickly.”

Haas will be the only competitor representing Hillsdale in Kansas. The rest of the team will race next at the start of the outdoor track season in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on March 15-16 at the Alan Connie Shamrock Invitational.

“I think it was a good season. We got to see what we have to work on as well as some wonderful performances, and it is a solid base for the outdoor season,” Meintjes said.

of people put up really good scores even if they weren't top competitors,” Hintz said. “I’m just really, really proud of them, rising up to deal with the cold and help work the event. I’m just super excited to see what they're going to be able to do when the conditions are right and we're head-to-head against our closest competition.”

The Chargers will travel next to Columbia, Missouri to compete in the Association of College Unions International/ Scholastic Clay Target Program Spring Central Midwest Conference Championships March 1-3.

Half the team will then go to the USA Shooting Olympics trials in Tucson, Arizona March 11-17, and immediately following will go to the ACUI/SCTP Nationals in San Antonio, Texas March 18-23.

Senior Alex Mitchell ran a personal best in the 3,000 meter. Courtesy | David Nguyen

Shotgun from A10

Junior Ben Haas will compete at the NCAA DII Indoor Championships. Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department

Senior Louisa Klaserner broke the school's 60m hurdles record. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The 2023-24 Hillsdale Shotgun Team. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Men's Basketball

Chargers split last road games

By Alex Deimel Assistant Editor

The men’s basketball team split its last two road games of the season last week, first beating the Ohio Dominican Panthers 73-49, but then losing to the Findlay Oilers 73-69 on Saturday.

The Chargers took a threegame winning streak into Thursday’s matchup with the Panthers, and continued their dominant streak by outscoring Ohio Dominican 39-22 in the first half, and 34-27 in the second half.

The victory marked the third game this season in which Hillsdale has allowed fewer than 50 points. As a team, Hillsdale also finished with 11 total steals and 4 blocks, forcing 15 of the Panther turnovers.

Junior forward Joe Reuter led the Chargers once again in scoring, putting up 17 points and succeeding in eight of his 12 shot attempts. Reu -

Softball

ter also added five rebounds, four assists, five steals, and two blocks in his 35 minutes of play.

Sophomore guard Ashton Janowski also contributed to the Chargers offensive effort with 15 points, while senior center Eric Radisevic has 10 points and 1 rebound in 8 minutes off of the bench, making all five of his shot attempts. Hillsdale took its four-game win streak to Findlay, Ohio on Saturday to face the Oilers, but a second half collapse allowed Findlay to win by 4 points. The Chargers led by 13 points with 11 minutes left in the second half, but the Oilers rallied to win 73-69.

“We are looking to change how we defend the ball 1 vs 1.” Sophomore center C.J. Yarian said, “We struggled in the last 11 minutes of the second half to guard the ball.” Reuter became the 41st player in Hillsdale basketball history to surpass 1,000 career points, putting up 7 points and

6 rebounds. Reuter currently has 1,003 career points, including 397 this season. Reuter will have an opportunity to become No. 40 on the Chargers all time scoring list this Thursday, as he will only need 12 points to surpass Ray Papach, who played for Hillsdale from 1975-1977.

Senior guard Charles Woodhams led Hillsdale in scoring against the Oilers, putting up 17 points, making 6 of his 11 shots with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Woodhams is now averaging 12.8 points per game. Off of the bench, freshman guard Mikey McCollum continued his breakout season with 12 points, making 4 of his 7 shots, and marking the 9th game this year that the freshman has scored 10 or more points.

“We’ve got some work to do to get back to some basic things that we need to re-emphasize again,” head coach Keven Bradley said. “They’re

just too good offensively, and we’ve got too many good players for us not to be sharp defensively and do some of the things that we need to do fundamentally.” Hillsdale now sits at 17-9 on the year, with a 12-7 G-MAC record. The Chargers will have a chance to avenge their loss to the Oilers this Thursday as they take on Findlay at home at 7:30 p.m.

Hillsdale is currently in 5th place in the G-MAC basketball standings, and still has a chance to host a G-MAC tournament quarterfinal game if they can move ahead of the Ashland University Eagles, who are currently in 4th place. “This is where it all comes together,” Reuter said. “I think we’re just looking to be complete as a unit both offensively and defensively. We just need to do what we've been doing all season, just continuing to be better and pushing ourselves to be better every day.”

Hillsdale drops four of five in indoor tournament

By Ellie Fromm Collegian Reporter

The softball team lost four of five games over the weekend at the Rosemont Dome Invitational, an indoor tournament hosted by Lewis University in Chicago.

On Friday, the Chargers beat the Upper Iowa University Peacocks 4-0 but lost to the Purdue Northwest Lions 2-0. Continuing into the weekend, they lost to the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs 4-0, the Lewis University Flyers 2-0, and the Truman University Bulldogs 6-2. All the teams are NCAA Division II schools in the Midwest Region.

Head coach Kyle Gross said he thinks the team struggled with scoring runs despite playing well against tough opponents. He thinks the team could have picked up more wins but is content with the team’s performance and is pleased with the pitching from last weekend and the season overall.

“We competed well against some of our tougher opponents,” Gross said. “Our pitching was outstanding, as it has been. At times our hitting was there, we just did not score a lot of runs, but our energy, enthusiasm, and pitching was really good this weekend.”

Pitchers for the weekend included junior Joni Russell, senior Erin Kapteyn, and sophomore Mackenzi Maxson. These were Russell’s first games back after suffering a hand injury against Tusculum University on February 9. Senior Hailey Holtman, junior Emma Vis, sophomore Maggie Olaveson, Kapteyn, and senior McKkenna Eichholz scored runs.

Russell agreed that the team’s attitude and energy was high throughout the weekend. They did not let their outlook on the game become low. “Everyone’s pretty good at staying positive,” Russell said. “Even though we lose a game we know that we’re still good and we can still do good things in the future. We don’t let it drag us down.”

According to Gross, this week’s results won’t significantly impact the Charger’s regional standings. Their G-MAC standings will not be affected at all.

The teams in the Midwest Region are competitive, with some All-American pitchers and top 25 teams. Sophomore Taylor Lewis said she believes playing these teams will help the Chargers step up their game and rise to new levels of competitiveness within the G-MAC.

Lewis said the teams they faced last weekend are stronger competition than others faced previously this season. However, these teams will prepare them for their upcoming conference play.

“We need to expect more from our conference this coming season because our conference has become a lot better,” Lewis said. “So playing the teams regionally is something that is going to help us in our upcoming conference season.”

In preparation for conference play, Gross said they

will focus on bringing runners home in practices, as well as hitting.

“We’re working on hitting with runners in scoring position, which seems to be an area we need to improve upon before conference time gets here,” Gross said.

Russell added that, in practice, the Chargers are focusing on accountability and technique.

“We have become slightly comfortable in certain aspects of the game, and he [Gross] has noticed that,” Russell said. “So this week in practice he has been focusing on pushing us to our limits and outside our comfort zones.”

This coming weekend, the Chargers will play four games. On Friday, they will play two games against the University of Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars, with two games on Saturday against the Quincy University Hawks. The Prairie Stars in Springfield, Illinois will host the games.

Baseball

Hillsdale takes first series win this spring

By Cassandra DeVries Social Media Manager

The baseball team won two out of three games against California, Pennsylvania, sweeping a doubleheader on Sunday, winning 7-1 and 4-1, but losing its Monday game 3-0.

“We had a lot of good starting pitchers playing that helped us win,” senior Joe Hardenbergh said. “We would have liked to win all three, but there were a lot of good things this weekend.”

lee hit his second home run of the day. Junior Zak Kent also made it home on a hit by Turner, causing Hillsdale to win 4-1 in the final inning. Hillsdale’s pitchers also performed well in the second game. Freshman Daniel Higdon went six innings with five strikeouts, two walks, and only five hits. Junior Devin Murray pitched two scoreless innings, and junior Andrew George struck out one and walked one in another.

What other sport do you think you would be good at?

Maybe fencing because I think I’m pretty shifty. I’d react pretty well to something coming at me and trying to stab me.

If you were the host of a radio show, what would you talk about?

I’d make myself stand out with some absurd, unpopular takes on sports. Nebraska is going to win the national championship next year in college football.

In the first game, senior Tommy MacLean pitched four innings, striking out two, walking one, and allowing one earned run. Junior Brandon Scott relieved MacLean and recorded his first career save, pitching three scoreless innings with one strikeout, two walks, and two hits conceded.

On Monday, Hillsdale’s defense kept the Vulcans to 3 runs but struggled to hit , losing 3-0.

Senior pitcher Daly Skees led the defense, going five innings with two strikeouts, two walks, and only one run.

“I just take it day by day, game by game, practice by practice, just seeing what I need to do better."

Freshman Rocco Tenuta hit a single to left field, allowing senior outfielder Danny Passinault to score. The Vulcans earned a run in the bottom of the third inning, but senior Jeff Landis hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning.

Hillsdale continued to shut out the Vulcans and scored four more runs, including a solo home run from senior catcher Jaekob Sallee

“Jaekob Sallee got the G-MAC player that week with some huge hits, like his big home run in the second game that helped us win,” Hardenbergh said. “He really stood out and had a great weekend.”

Hardenbergh hit a tworun home run (his third this season), and freshman Tyler Turner scored when the Vulcans attempted to pick off freshman Aaron Jasiak at first base.

In the second Sunday game, freshman Will Millard hit a solo home run, Tenuta put a man on base, and Sal -

“I had a pretty solid day but not as many strikeouts as I wanted,” Skees said. “My defense had a lot of pressure on them but they handled that very well. They did that pretty much all weekend. They play some really good defense behind us.”

Senior Drew Olssen also pitched two innings of scoreless, hitless relief for Hillsdale, and senior Chad Stevens struck out one batter in an inning of relief as well.

Despite the Monday loss, Skees said the team did well and will continue to improve.

“Our main focus is to make it to the G-MAC tournament, but I just take it day by day, game by game, practice by practice, just seeing what I need to do to get better,” Skees said. “Every day we head into practice to win the next match and to put ourselves in the best position to win that series or that game.”

The Chargers will play again on Friday when they will travel to play three Midwest Regional teams, Maryville University, McKendree University, and University of Missouri-St. Louis as they continue to prepare for G-MAC competition.

What is your favorite English dish?

English food isn’t very good, so I’d say my favorite English food is Indian food. When was the last time you did something that you were afraid to do?

I went ziplining in the mountains a year ago. That was pretty scary.

Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Charger Sports

Reuter hits 1000-point mark in three seasons

By Alex Deimel Assistant Editor

Two years after winning the G-MAC freshman of the year, junior forward Joe Reuter scored his 1,000 career point in a Charger uniform, joining the now 41-member 1,000-point club.

Reuter now has 1,003 total points in three seasons of Charger basketball. He has two more seasons of eligibility to attempt to climb the Charger all-time point-scoring leaderboard. For Reuter, however, basketball is not about the personal accolades.

“I just thought it was a cool milestone to hit, but there are bigger things than that,” Reuter said. “We’re focused on going out there and playing the game, so that's all that really matters.”

Reuter graduated from Chippewa Falls High School in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in 2021, just after signing to play for former head coach and current athletic director John Tharp at Hillsdale. Reuter’s only two suitors for collegiate basketball were Hillsdale and the Michigan Technological University Huskies.

“It was a cool milestone to hit, but there are bigger things than that.”

“I think being recruited by coach Tharp allowed me to see the importance of being a family and being connected and having that unity with all your teammates, and all your coaches,” Reuter said. “High school to college was completely different.”

Three years later, Reuter is the captain of that family. In his first year as captain, Reuter leads the Chargers in scoring with 15.3 points per game, and also leads in rebounds per game with 7.1, and assists per game with 2.8. Reuter has been a focal point in the Chargers 17-9 record this year and is known as

a prime example of proper work ethic to his teammates.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment for any player to score 1,000 points, especially only as a junior. It’s just a testament to all his work he’s put in throughout his career,” sophomore center C.J. Yarian said. “It’s been good to have him as a captain this year because he leads through his actions more than his voice and people follow that.”

Keven Bradley, who was an assistant coach under Tharp for three years before transitioning to the head coaching role, was a newcomer to the Hillsdale basketball program at the start of Reuter’s freshman year.

“Joe was one of our first recruits that we got to commit when I joined the staff here,” Bradley said. “I don't have enough time to talk about all the positive things that Joe does, but his most impressive quality is the professional approach that he takes day in and day out. He's very dedicated to his craft, and working on the things that he needs to work on to get better every single day.”

As much praise as Bradley has for Reuter, the junior forward has just as much for his head coach and the rest of the

coaching staff.

“I think one of the biggest impacts for me is they've set a high standard for me that they know is challenging to me, but it's not out of my reach,” Reuter said. “They don’t play favorites. And that's one of the key things in having success is treating everybody the same and ensuring the same level of competitiveness.”

The Chargers have one more regular season game left this year. In that game, Reuter will have the opportunity to climb the all-time point leaderboard, needing only 12 points to become No. 40 on the all-time list. Currently, Eric Allaire is the alltime program leader with 2,174 career points. However, for Reuter, it’s never about personal success.

“It’s a unique opportunity to have but it’s not something I’m super focused or worried about,” Reuter said. “But there are bigger things than that, and I’m going to focus on those.”

Swimming and

Chargers start spring season with victory

but our team handled it great and we put up some great scores.”

Shotgun Mason, Clifford to compete at nationals Swim

Hillsdale placed first out of all teams with a collective score of 1096/1125. Junior Josh Corbin (219/225) was the highest overall male competitor, freshman Luke Johnson (217/225) was second, and senior Jackson Sokel (214/225) was third.

In the women’s division, Madeline Corbin (211/225) was the highest overall female competitor, senior Jessica Strasser (205/225) was second, and senior Ida Brown (203/225) was third.

The college competed against Ferris State University, Grace College, Michigan State University, Olivet University, Purdue University, and the University of Michigan. High schoolers competed in a separate division.

Hillsdale beats Ohio Dominican in OT

Women's Basketball Mills became Hillsdale's all-time leading rebounder

By Moira Gleason Assistant Editor

Junior Lauren McDonald broke ankles in the final minutes on Feb. 22 to secure a 64-63 road win against Ohio Dominican University in overtime. Two days later, senior Sydney Mills became the women’s basketball all-time leading rebounder in a 61-57 loss to the University of Findlay on the road.

Hillsdale fell to 15-11 overall and 11-7 in G-MAC play after the weekend and sits at sixth place in the conference with two games remaining in the regular season.

Mills grabbed 27 rebounds in the two games and now totals of 1,155 rebounds in her career, moving past Sandy Skaisgir’s previous record of 1,146 set from 1987-1991.

“My parents have instilled in me that rebounding is always something you can control in basketball,” Mills said, “so huge shout out to them for instilling the mentality in me to always put in my best effort.”

Trailing Ohio Dominican by two with under a minute to play in regulation, Mills tied it up 55-55 with a put-back rebound. Both teams missed game-winning opportunities to send the contest into overtime.

“I was kind of joking with the girls, we had a chance to win it in regulation, but why not make it more exciting,” Brennan said. Hillsdale and Ohio Domin-

ican traded the lead back-andforth in overtime. The Panthers added two points from the free throw line to get a 63-62 edge with just 29 seconds on the clock.

One of the assistant coaches had noticed the defender guarding Lauren was not capable of defending her on the perimeter, according to Brennan.When McDonald got the ball with just under 20 seconds remaining in overtime, she crossed over her defender, sending her to the floor, and sank a game-winning shot in the paint.

“My parents have instilled in me that rebounding is always something you can control.”

20 points and also added five rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the contest. Mills led in rebounds with a 15 point, 17 rebound double-double. Konkle scored eight points and six rebounds, junior Caitlin Splain chipped in seven points, four rebounds and three steals, and freshman Savannah Smith added six points and four rebounds.

Hillsdale made a push in the fourth quarter but was unable to keep up with the Oilers in an off-shooting night on Saturday.

struggled on the boards as Findlay outrebounded Hillsdale 4131.

Konkle contributed a gamehigh 12 points for the Chargers, in addition to three rebounds, in only 12 minutes of play. Smith and Splain both added 11 points, and McDonald finished with eight points, four assists, and two steals.

Mills added four points and 10 rebounds in her record-breaking performance.

Becoming the all-time leading rebounder is testament to the work Mills has put into the program, Brennan said.

“We knew that Lauren could take her one-on-one,” Brennan said. “We brought everyone down to the baseline and then when the time hit, we just let her go to work.”

Brennan said the team struggled with turnovers against Ohio Dominican, totaling 21 for the night.

“ODU is very good at turning people over,” Brennan said. “They’re very bought in defensively to what they’re trying to do and they're not afraid to pressure anyone.” McDonald led the team with

The Chargers rallied in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Oilers 13-8, but it wasn’t enough to regain the lead. Splain hit a 3-pointer with 29 seconds to make it 58-57 and give Hillsdale a chance, but the Chargers were unable to tie it up as the Oilers went 3-for-3 from the free throw line down the stretch.

With 35% shooting percentage from the floor, Brennan said the team struggled with shot selection. “We think we can do a much better job taking higher percentage shots against them,” Brennan said. Brennan also said the team

“Rebounding is a skill, but it’s really heart and effort and hustle. You have to make the choice to rebound every single minute of every single game even when you’re tired and that’s what she does,” Brennan said. “It’s a record that I don’t think will be touched for a very, very long time.” Hillsdale heads into the last two games of the regular season at home, facing Findlay Feb. 29 and Ursuline University March 2.

Konkle said the team is ready for a rematch against Findlay.

“I think we have a much better idea of what type of offense they will run and how they will guard us,” Konkle said. “We're ready for their pressure and ready to defend all their ball screens better. We got out-rebounded the first game, which isn’t like us, so there will be more focus on grabbing rebounds too.”

Joe Reuter still has two years of eligibility remaining. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

C U L T U R E

Outfits reflect magic at Harry Potter-themed Yule Ball

By Alessia Sandala Collegian Freelancer

Hillsdale men and women dressed for an evening of magic. The 2024 President’s Ball, which Student Activities Board modeled after the Yule Ball in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” took place in the Searle Center Feb. 17.

While few students owned cloaks, they managed to dress on theme. Freshman Ava Jolley

said she chose her mid-length black satin dress for its adaptability. “I bought my dress for a friend’s wedding over break, but I wanted something that I can use for President’s Ball too because what college student has the time to go dress shopping twice for events in the span of a month,” Jolley said. Jolley said she felt like black satin was the way to go because it could work for both events: classy but not over the top.

Sophomore Chloe Noller observed that one color dominated the night. “There were a ton of black dresses,” Noller said. Freshman Olivia Eames, who wore a floor length red dress, said she noticed many other girls wore jewel tones. “It was interesting how many girls wore primary and bold colors such as maroon, deep blue, and bright yellow,” Eames said.

Senior Lucy Fernandes said she was lucky her green dress happened to go with the theme.

“I was pleasantly surprised though because the vintage quality of it seemed to fit the wintery, academic vibe of the Prez Ball theme,” Fernandes said.

Jolley said she was surprised to see how many men wore ties or bowties that matched the color and fabric of their dates’ dresses.

“I’m not sure how they had the time to do that or where they found the same material and color tie as the girl’s dress,” Jolley said. Jolley said she found her black satin dress was not only practical but matched the theme.

“I think black is fitting for a ball in general because it can go with any theme,” Jolley said. “If you think about the Hogwarts houses, I think Hufflepuff has black in it, and I’m a Hufflepuff, so it worked out perfectly.” Eames said she did not intend for her dress to match the theme.

“It almost appeared as if many of us coordinated with the Hogwarts theme. Although, from the girls I spoke with, it

was just a coincidence,” Eames said. “I did not plan my dress either. It was my dress from senior prom, and it just worked out that it’s the Gryffindor house color.”

Freshman Michael Bogumill said he wore a light blue suit with clouds for a different reason. “The suit is somewhat of a representation of being high up in the Rockies. It allowed me to bring a little taste of home to Hillsdale,” Bogumill said. “My Dad is also a pilot, so if you look closely, you can see that my belt is the same buckle that is used on planes.”

Senior Brianna Bertsch said she had already purchased her red dress before she knew the theme.

“Because of the dark red color, I wanted to represent the Gryffindor house of Hogwarts and even chose to wear gold feather earrings that were meant to resemble a griffin,” Bertsch said. “I think a lot of people did a similar thing where they made their dresses fit the theme more with accessories.”

Freshman Lydia Boone said students wore dresses they already had, rather than buy special Yule Ball outfits.

“It was kind of hard to be on theme unless you wore a cloak or something,” Boone said.

Jolly said she thought Hillsdale students represented the theme well considering it was announced after everyone returned from Christmas break.

“I was really surprised at how many people were able to be on the theme seeing as we were already at Hillsdale before the theme was announced,” Jolley said. “There were guys with red ties for Gryffindor or girls with green dresses for Slytherin.”

Despite the weather, Jolley said she appreciated a break from casual clothing.

“Usually we’re just stressing about getting to class when we wake up 20 minutes before. Sometimes that means you wear sweatpants for four days in a row,” Jolley said. “It was fun to see all of my friends dressed up.” Freshman Hijiri Cramer said the weather made dressing up more difficult.

“Function is superior to form,” Cramer said. “I believed that a blisteringly cold night like the Saturday of President’s Ball should have warranted warmer dresses. I now have an illness due to the impracticality of my President’s Ball gown.”

Modeling in Hillsdale: life as a live model

By Malia Thibado Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale College art department employs live models for upper-level studio classes like drawing, oil painting, and sculpture.

Senior Josefina Cuddeback is a live model for the art department. “I think it has transformed the way I see myself,” Cuddeback said.

Art professors recruit models through word-ofmouth, poster advertising, and Handshake — an app many students use to find on-campus jobs and events. According to Julio Suarez, chairman and associate professor of the art department, the student employees attend the studio classes twice a week and model for the three-hour classes with five to ten minute breaks every 20 minutes.

Anyone looking for a job qualifies to be a model, Suarez said. The art department is always looking for a range of body types to study. Suarez said he believes the hardest part of modeling is posing. According to Suarez, some students have had issues with the poses being physically strenuous to maintain.

Upper level art classes have seven to 12 student artists and a professor who work with the model to find a dynamic yet sustainable pose.

In longer sessions, Suarez

said the process is usually very organic with only a little guidance.

“I try not to pose them too much because we all have our own unique postures,” Suarez said. “Those are the most interesting poses, the ones models do naturally.” Cuddeback said she began modeling in the fall of her sophomore year when a friend suggested it. She has continued to model as long as her academic schedule has allowed it.

Anna Bassols, a senior art major, said she has worked with many live models in both the classroom and in individual projects.

“You really appreciate all the beautiful qualities of a person,” Bassols said. “Art is visual problem solving and understanding. You’re looking at the subject without bias or preconceived notions and really just honing in on their actual form.”

Bassols said she has experienced major improvements in drawing skills that would not be possible without live models.

“Studying from life is something that you can’t compare,” Bassols said. “You can see it when people are working on their pieces. There’s not really a substitute.”

Bassols described the difference between working with live models instead of photographs and statues.

“When you’re studying something that’s in front of you, it’s completely different from studying a picture,” Bassols said. “There’s something you can’t always put your finger on. Even the way they move, the way they hold themselves somehow does get reflected into the piece you’re creating.”

Although she was nervous at first, Cuddeback said she has grown to appreciate the artistic process and the students who render her in different mediums and styles.

“At first you feel very self-conscious because everyone is looking at you very

“You’re looking at the subject without bias or preconceived notions and really just honing in on their actual form.”

closely and specifically,” Cuddeback said. “But then you realize it’s not personal. It’s very

“It was really good practice for me to see myself through other people’s eyes.”

much treating it as a specific type of skill development exercise.”

Both Cuddeback and Bassols commented on the professional relationship between the model and the artists. When the novelty of having or being a model wears off, the classroom atmosphere becomes relaxing, they said. Suarez said he allows his models to listen to audiobooks or music during sessions. “Most models, once they do it, really like it. It’s relaxing to be still and quiet for a time,” Suarez said. Cuddeback said she has always deeply appreciated art, but she does not personally have the technical skills to render pieces in the lifelike way she admires. “I had a part in this beautiful process of being in the realistic portrait of life,” Cuddeback said. She also said she believes the technical approach the

students take when using her as a model has changed her own perception of herself.

“I’m less self-conscious,”

Cuddeback said. “It was really good practice for me to see myself through other people’s

eyes. It’s easy to be self-deprecating about yourself, but it’s different when you get to see yourself in a medium that’s inherently beautiful.”

Left to right: Freshmen Megan Li, Xavia Valverde, Faith Senne, Mikayla Manna, Ava Jolley, and Alessia Sandala pose for a photo at President’s Ball. Courtesy | Student Activities Board

Senior Gillian Ruche drew a red charcoal portrait of Cuddeback. Courtesy | Josefina Cuddeback

CU L T U R E

Beyoncé’s newest releases could ruin country music

By Tayte Christensen Collegian Reporter

These days, every high-profile Instagrammer and their mom has made a reel using Beyoncé’s new “Texas Hold ’Em” as the track. The song, which Beyoncé released Feb. 11, is catchy on its face, so it’s understandable why it has become so popular.

Beyoncé’s most recent releases — country songs “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages” — have climbed the charts since their release.

“Texas Hold ’Em” has sat at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and “16 Carriages” sits at number 38 as of this week. They mark Beyoncé’s second attempt to jump from her typical world of R&B and hip-hop into the country universe, following a 2016 single off her album “Lemonade.”

Today’s standards for what makes music country have drastically changed since the genre’s peak in the ’90s. By today’s country standards, some find Beyoncé’s songs to be top-notch, but they are mediocre at best.

“Texas Hold ’Em,” a tribute to Beyoncé’s Texas upbringing, features a promising folk-like guitar and banjo intro. Things go downhill from there.

Beyoncé spends the entire song begging her partner to dance with her and douse her in alcohol.

The song is frankly mind-numbing. There is little variety in rhythm and melody, and every verse feels the same. The same bass drum kick persists through all verses and choruses, ultimately making the song monotonous.

The song’s outro is especially confusing. It’s as if Beyoncé couldn’t decide what genre to end the song with. She toys around with country, pop, and some awkward spoken word, but there is no compelling synthesis between the three. It leaves the listener utterly puzzled and probably disgusted, which sums up the song in general.

Her second and less popular song, “16 Carriages,” emotionally involves listeners with a much friendlier, more understandable message.

Beyoncé sings of the pains of growing up — especially as a young adult in the music industry — and the relationship changes that occur between parents and children. First she mourns her own childhood and relationship with her parents before singing about her life and children in the present day.

“It’s been thirty-eight summers, and I’m not in my bed…

/ Goin’ so hard, now I miss my kids / Overworked and overwhelmed… / Still workin’ all my life, you know,” Beyoncé sings.

There is intense meaning behind the words Beyoncé sings as she effectively connects with the listener through emotional appeal.

Despite that, “16 Carriages” is not a country song. Yes, there is acoustic guitar and maybe a hint of country twang in the very beginning, but it’s not consistent throughout the song. The initial country sound melts away, replaced by a pop-like beat. At its end, it sounds more like angsty pop music more than anything else.

To her credit, Beyoncé has a phenomenal voice. It’s a shame to see her waste it on frivolous “country” songs. Rather than delving into country music, she should use her talent in her own genre. Needless to say, Beyoncé’s country music will never belong in the bars of downtown Nashville.

For those interested in real country music, the likes of Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, or Luke Combs would be a serious upgrade. For a women-in-country alternative, there are the Chicks, Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood – heck, even Taylor Swift’s

country is an improvement. If Beyoncé’s latest tracks are what our society deems good country music, be scared for the future of country music in America. Forget the “tornado in my city,” as Beyoncé sings

in “Texas Hold ’Em,” there could be a tornado coming for country music.

Season two of ‘Love on the Spectrum’ premiered, and I’m hooked

By Carly Moran Assistant Editor

I was initially a skeptical viewer of the Emmy-award winning Netflix series. A reality TV show about people with autism dating: It sounded like an exploitative nightmare. Yet, I found myself surprised.

“Love on the Spectrum” presents the struggles of dating we all experience, neurotypical or not, within a calm editing style. Too often Hollywood portrays dating as transactional, as purely sexual. “Love on the Spectrum” instead focuses on asking deal breaker questions, creating boundaries, and making sacrifices. The show is a breath of fresh air.

“Sometimes there are people who have critical things to say about the series. But we really try,” director and producer Cian O’Clery said to Netflix. “We do have people on the spectrum as part of our team. That’s important to us.”

The director hired multiple people with autism as a part of the production team in order to ensure a respectful portrayal of the disability and low-stimulation date environments for the actors. “We wanted to see a breadth of people, with some people that have low-support needs and some people that have high-support needs,” O’Clery said. “For us, that was the most important thing, representing that, so that people don’t make assumptions about

someone just because of a diagnosis.”

The show features people ages 18 to 63 from places like Southern California, Chicago, and South Carolina. Stars from last season include couple Abbey and David, animator Dani, sword enthusiast James, and San Franciscan Steve. Newcomers to the season include Connor, who goes to a speed dating café, Journey, who was recently diagnosed with autism, and Tanner, who works at his family hotel in Clemson, South Carolina. O’Cleary and his team have created a mutually beneficial production for both general viewers and the autistic community. Rather than infantilize the actors, the show

seeks to educate the audience on the daily lives of people on the autism spectrum while respecting actors’ privacy. Tanner, for example, highlights the importance of training programs like ClemsonLIFE, where he is a student.

Viewers can appreciate the honesty and transparency of the couples, whether it’s Abbey and David singing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”, James admitting he doesn’t want children, or Tanner proclaiming his love for Christ.

The show gives space for the actors’ families and friends to come forward and share their hopes for their loved ones. Many express relief in seeing them date, and hope for “normalcy” while also recognizing that “normalcy” is a hard to

define thing for people on the spectrum.

“Love on the Spectrum” was the first reality TV show that left me feeling happier after watching it. The candidness,

disability education, and return of a positive cast make it a worthy study break this midterms season.

Professors’ Picks: Dave Stewart, professor of history

From the minds of Hillsdale’s professors: the song, book, and movie everyone ought to know

“El Meu Avi” (1991) by Los Manolos

Several professors actually told me not to answer this question because I have such poor taste in music. Ignoring them, I’ll choose Los Manolos’ rendition of “El Meu Avi.” It is a traditional Catalan sea shanty about a grandfather leaving his small town to fight in the Spanish-American War. I still recall vividly attending a live performance on a gorgeous summer evening during a small coastal village’s annual festival. The song, the conversations, the people, the food — perhaps the most perfect day I’ve ever had.

“Markings” (1963) by Dag Hammarskjöld

This introspective diary of the U.N. secretary-general from Sweden was published posthumously. Hammarskjöld reflected on his struggles with religious doubt as well as his uncertainty about his own motives, abilities, and actions.

“Anna and the King” (1999), dir. Andy Tennant

“Anna and the King” is a 1999 re-telling of the relationship between the King of Siam and an English governess. The film raised serious questions about family, honor, and duty. Surprisingly for a mainstream Hollywood film, the characters subordinated their personal desires to their social, familial, and religious obligations, as well as rejecting shallow “loveconquers-all” tropes.

A yearbook photo of Stewart his senior year of college browsing a book sale in Boston. Courtesy | Dave Stewart

Beyoncé’s single “Texas Hold ’Em” hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Courtesy | Variety

“Love on the Spectrum” couple David and Abbey often sing “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” Courtesy | Netflix

FEATURES

Fleeing from the front lines

Student missionary discusses the Ukrainian-Russian War

By Jamie Parson

Snowflakes trickled down in Kyiv, laying a white blanket over the city. The capital had grown cold from the harsh winds and the chilling tension with Russia. Freshman Josiah Jones slept soundly, unawakened by war forming in the distance.

For Josiah, this could describe any winter day in Ukraine. Tensions existed prior to his family’s move to the country in 2018 for missionary work, but in February 2022, war broke out.

“Have a good weekend,” Josiah said to his friends before heading home.

It was a Friday afternoon in late January and he had finished his day at Kyiv Christian Academy. He would not see many of his classmates again.

The following day, the U.S. embassy recommended all Americans leave Ukraine by the end of the month. The news came as a shock to his family, Josiah said. His dad, Ron Jones, said the family would often discuss the possibility of evacuation, but none of them thought it would really happen.

The Jones family frantically put everything they could find into suitcases, booked flights, and prepared to move out of the country. The following week, the family was on a plane back to the U.S.

“It was just a shock. Everything I knew, everybody I knew, was gone in three days,”

Josiah said. “There were some friends I never saw again.”

While living in Ukraine, Josiah was a full-time student, and would often accompany his father on trips to rural villages.

Josiah said many rural areas in Ukraine have been forgotten and have no churches. His father trained Ukrainian pastors as small business owners so they could move to rural

and developed a connection to the country. Ron said the family felt God tugging on their hearts in 2017 to return full time.

“The opportunity to live in a different culture and see things in a non-Western perspective is very valuable,” Ron said. “That was incredibly important to Josiah.”

Josiah said he was struck by Ukraine’s poverty.

“It was just a shock. Everything I knew, everybody I knew, was gone in three days.”

areas, start a business, and be financially self-sufficient.

“He would come along to provide extra help,” Josiah said. “It was good to have him there, and I think he learned a lot.”

Josiah said he attended an international school and made lots of friends from all over the world. The school was a mixture of missionary, military, and diplomatic kids. His other friends, mostly Ukrainians, came from church and his dad’s missionary work.

Since he was 8, Josiah has been involved in missionary work, living in different countries throughout the Middle East, such as Dubai. His father made short-term missionary trips to Ukraine prior to 2018

“Ukraine is plagued with poverty and corruption as a result of it being under a horrible communist system during the Soviet Union,” Josiah said. “The ripple effects of that are still felt throughout the country.”

As a result Ukraine has turned to the West in hopes that they can establish a more democratic system, Josiah said. Ever since the invasion, Western values in Ukraine have only increased in popularity, Josiah said, and citizens fear Russia’s opposition to democracy.

“They want to squash democracy, and if you look at it geographically where they are moving out of Ukraine is the first blockade,” said senior Emiliya Smyk, whose family is Ukrainian. “People throughout

the world look at Ukraine and they say, ‘ah well Ukraine failed after the Soviet Union.’ No, Ukraine has struggled again and again to maintain its democracy.”

Josiah said when he and his family left Ukraine, they felt a whirlwind of emotions. However, three weeks later Russia began to drop bombs in Ukraine and the Jones thought it was inappropriate to grieve over their situation.

“The invasion hit and we had nothing to feel sorry about,” Josiah said. “Our house isn’t burnt down, at least we have safety here.”

For four years, Ukraine was a home to Josiah. As a former resident and Christian, he feels obligated to help out the country.

“It’s such a horrible thing — millions of people are still dying,” Josiah said. “There is so much rebuilding that has to be done, it is just colossal, and I don’t think we understand how big of a deal it is.”

Josiah is currently involved in humanitarian work and sends supplies and evacuation routes to Ukrainians. Josiah said he plans to return to Ukraine to help and see his friends again.

“Ukraine holds such a special place in my heart,” Josiah said. “Those people cared so well for me during the four years that I was there. I feel like I have a duty to give back to them for all that they have done for me.”

Across state-lines: Hillsdale hosts hundred-year auction

By Lauren Bixler Collegian Freelancer

Rows of rabbits sit under a white tent on the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds. Residents peruse the cages, searching for the perfect purchase. At 10 a.m. sharp, an auctioneer’s voice fills the room, and the bidding begins. “First item we have a dozen fresh brown eggs from a local free-range chicken. We’ll start the bidding at $2.00. Do I hear a $2.50? $2.50, $3? We’ve got three dollars, do I have a $3.50?” And so on the bidding goes.

Every Saturday morning at the fairgrounds, the Hillsdale Auction and Flea Market offers poultry, rabbit, and large livestock auctions, as well as flea market vendors.

Guy and Deb Russell are the current owners of the auction.

According to Deb, the couple first began working for the auc-

tion in 2013 and took over the company in 2016. “It has been confirmed that the market existed by 1913, but we have found some documents that suggest the auction could have started as early as 1905,” Deb said.

According to Deb, residents sell the goods and livestock provided at the auction, but these sellers are not all from the Hillsdale area. “There are both in-state and out-of-state sellers, as well as visitors. Since we are near a state border, we often have visitors from bordering states,” Deb said. “On Facebook we have 20,000 followers who await information on what the upcoming goods are for the week.” Deb said the auction has survived for more than 100 years because of the community’s support. “The market and auction are only successful because of the

enormous amount of people that have come together,” she said.

Dario Gonzales, a Hillsdale resident and owner of Gonzales Services, said he often attends the flea market and auction.

“I come here every week for a nice breakfast and sometimes to purchase livestock for my land.” Spanglers Stock Yard Restaurant serves breakfast on the auction grounds. On winter mornings, the warmth of the indoors is a comforting reprieve from the weather.

The main event took place in a large auction barn. Filled with the squawking of chickens and bleating of goats, the barn houses a variety of livestock for purchase via auction. Bleachers full of people raise their auction numbers as they compete for goods.

Although the auction of livestock and other miscellaneous goods are the main event, there

QUICK HITS: Melissa Knecht

By Malia Thibado Collegian Reporter

In this Quick Hits, Professor of Music Melissa Knecht talks habits, pets, and apples.

What is the most important aspect of teaching violin for you?

I love the journey of taking a student through the technical and musical process, to facilitate his or her own musical ideas as he or she ultimately touches the lives of others through performance.

What is your favorite piece?

Why?

Among my favorite pieces is the Beethoven Violin Concerto. It demands a cultured sound and deep musical sensitivity that stands apart from other virtuosic string repertoire.

Who is your favorite composer?

Selecting a favorite composer is difficult for me. I guess it would have to be Beethoven because of his elegant sophistication or Brahms because of his rich melodic ideas and ability to make it all come together on a string instrument.

If you had to teach any other instrument aside from strings, which one would you choose? Piano may be my second choice. But I would need to replace my decades of string training and experience with piano before I would be a capable teacher.

If you taught any subject other than music, what would it be? Perhaps acting, with years of training and experience.

Do you prefer teaching or performing?

Apples and oranges — I love both teaching and performing equally, depending on my given situation.

What is your student pet peeve?

I love all my students. But it can be slightly challenging for

me, as a teacher, when a student comes to me with many technical problems and wants to play difficult music rather than working on technique to support the music.

Where is your favorite place to travel? Italy.

What are some hobbies outside of music?

Running. I have very little time left in my life for hobbies as a musician, mother, wife, and professor.

What is your favorite food?

Why?

Apples are my favorite food because of childhood memories of my grandmother always peeling one for me when I visited. She peeled the apple in one long continuous loop.

Do you have any advice for music students?

How dare you influence the quality of your life by the irrational whims of others.

What is an impactful memory from your childhood?

I remember attending Interlochen Music Camp as a child and realizing that I wanted to surround myself with music as a life profession.

Do you have any music puns?

As a violist, I have heard many. Here is one classic: What’s the similarity between lighting and a violist’s fingers? They never strike the same place twice.

What do you see yourself doing fifteen years in the future?

My goal is to be alive and kicking!

Can you sum up your life philosophy in one sentence? Success favors the prepared mind.

Do you have any pets?

The only pet we have had in our family is a pug named Figgy Pudding.

is also an assortment of products for sale outside the auction barn. Deb said the flea market tends to draw in crowds for its variety of selections. Sometimes private residents sell baked goods and snacks, antiques, and clothing.

Freshman Kyra Goetsch said the event reminded her of how her mother described her childhood. “My mom used to tell me stories of going to live auctions in the South with her grandfather,” Goetsch said. “When I heard the quick voice of the auctioneer, I was able to reminisce in my mother’s memory. Going to the auction connected me to my past but also to the traditions of a new community.” Goetsch said she hopes the flea market will encourage other students to invest in Hillsdale’s community.

s Collegian Reporter

Jones and his family fled Ukraine in early 2022 after living in the country for four years. Courtesy | Josiah Jones

FEATURES

Classicists take on the Big Apple with spoken Latin

By Colman Rowan Collegian Reporter

After hours of driving through a snowstorm, passing time with conversations in Latin and listening to Latin audiobooks, members of the Mensa Latina club of Hillsdale arrived in New York City, ready to participate in a spoken Latin conference.

The Paideia Institute at Fordham University hosted the conference, titled “Living Latin in New York City” from Feb. 16-18. It featured talks spoken in Latin, Greek, and English, all based on the theme “Technology in Antiquity.”

Sophomore David Cathel said he really enjoyed speaking Latin the whole weekend.

“I think the Paideia Institute points us toward, perhaps, a more comprehensive pedagogical model, which I think is great. I hope their plan succeeds,” he said.

Associate Professor of Classics Patricia Aeschliman said they arrived in Manhattan much later than they had intended.

“We wanted to give the students an immersive experience,” Aeschliman said, “so we decided that we would speak Latin for the full 10 hour car ride. I think they enjoyed it.

The group listened to an app that has audiobooks in spoken Latin once it got late. “We listened to the letters of Pliny, then we listened to the letters of Cicero, and then we listened to the letters of Seneca. So we were really on an epistolary journey at that time.”

Despite the added time from the snow and the late night arrival that led to a lack of sleep, Aeschliman said the car ride turned out well.

“That was actually one of the most fun parts, just spending time with each other getting to know each other in Latin in the car,” she said.

The conference itself featured some of what Aeschliman called the country’s, if not the world’s, best Latinists.

The list of speakers included University of Kentucky professors Terence Tunberg and Milena Minkova, who are part

of the United States’ only fully immersive Latin program.

Additionally, YouTuber Lucius Ranieri spoke. Renieri runs the channel “Scorpio Martianus” which has many miscellaneous videos mostly spoken in Latin.

Greek speakers was Christophe Rico who founded the Jerusalem based Polis Institute,

spoken elements into their classes, professors, college students. There were also people who were just interested in the language. And that’s just amazing to me.”

Interest in Latin has persisted in the modern age, though the language is far from its natural element, according to Tully.

“The people who speak Latin try at length to use Latin roots and make words out of those roots.”

one of the foremost institutions in the revival of ancient Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

The conference was mostly teachers, junior Matthew Tully said, but many kinds of Latin speakers of all levels of proficiency were present.

“There were all kinds of people there,” Tully said. “High schoolers, teachers who were looking to introduce some

“The people who speak Latin try at length to use Latin roots and make words that mean new things out of those roots,” Tully said.

This has caused some problems for Latin’s vocabulary, which has had to adapt to technological changes, Tully said.

“There’s a great example of this from the people who

translate things into Latin for the Pope,” Tully said. “They have a word for “tweet.” And the word for tweet is breviloquentis which means something like a short saying.”

This vocabulary obstacle was overcome by the Latinists at the conference, as Aeshchliman noted.

“There are not essentially agreed upon ways to speak about those things,” Aeschliman said. “But it is a good question because when talking about a space shuttle or a specific program within NASA, there aren’t really agreed upon terms for these in Latin. So the speaker kind of made them up. So he just explained what the program was called and he gave it a Latin name, but others might have given it a different Latin name.”

For the whole weekend, the members of the Mensa Latina club never stopped speaking in Latin even outside the conference.

“We were at this fancy Italian restaurant and we’re just speaking Latin to each other and it was just a normal con-

versation,” Cathel said. “It’s always mind blowing to be able to do that.”

The conference attendees subdivided into groups based on experience.

“They put everyone in a group depending on how much experience they have with Latin and with spoken Latin,” Aeschliman said. “So whether you’re at an intermediate reading level or a beginning speaking level, you’ll be put with people who are similar in abilities, and they go to different sessions together and then you get to choose talks that you attend.”

Cathel said the conference imporved his spoken Latin skills.

“We were having a discussion about what’s true and what’s not true in respect to this academic talk, just like we would English,” Cathel said. “And you know, when you do that, it’s really hard to say that a language is dead.”

Gerald Miller shares his story beyond the Splex desk

By Malia Thibado Collegian Reporter

When you walk through the doors of the Roche Sports Complex, Gerald “Gerry” Miller greets you with a smile and maybe a teasing remark.

At the age of 88, Miller has worked as a receptionist for Hillsdale College for more than 10 years and does not plan on stopping any time soon, he said.

“I am so thankful to have had this experience here to cap off my life,” Miller said. “I love this college.”

Born on Feb. 5, 1936, Miller was the older of two boys in a farming family who lived in Adrian, Michigan. He began his own career in farming at age 7, working at his grandmother and neighbors’ farms where he worked over weekends and summers. He said the time spent working on his neighbor’s farm, learning from the work and the people shaped the way he perceives the world, even today.

By the time he was 19 and stopped working for his neighbors, Miller had met his wife, Karen Swanston. They met in

the summer of 1953 and were married for 66 years until her death in 2021.

“I asked if she wanted to dance, she said yes, and we never stopped dancing,” Miller said. “She was the inspiration and strength. No man ever had a better partner.”

After graduating high school, Miller volunteered for the Michigan National Guard at the 46th Signal Company in Ypsilanti for three years before he and his wife moved to start their family.

The young couple settled in Macon, Michigan, where they had four children, all girls.

“We spent all the time we could find with all the girls going through school. They were our major focus,” Miller said. “We always had a house full of children visiting our house.”

Miller worked for a ball bearing manufacturer and trucking company from the ’50s to the ’70s while simultaneously owning his own farm.

Additionally, he was a part of the Junior Chamber of Congress in Tecumseh, Michigan, where he was awarded as an outstanding young farmer before he aged out at 35. Throughout their years, the

Miller family moved from Macon to Tecumseh, to Britton, to Coldwater, and Reading. Along the way, they sold their farm, opened a convenience store, closed it, opened another, and sold that one for a substantial amount.

By 1991, the Millers both retired.

“We decided maybe we’re just going to slow down and enjoy life with each other because we’ve worked hard and the girls are doing well,” Miller said.

They would only stay for about 10 days before traveling back to Michigan, he added, because they missed home so much.

“I asked if she wanted to dance, she said yes, and we never stopped dancing.”

Miller said he and his wife enjoyed the retired life. They spent a lot of time volunteering at their church, doing odd jobs, and occasionally vacationing to South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley.

“It was just wonderful. Karen and I could just jump on a plane and just be gone,” Miller said.

Miller became a member of the Masonic order where he said he was afforded many opportunities to grow as a person and help others. “Boy oh boy, what a trip through life that generated for me,” Miller said. “It brought me in front of people all whom I so deeply would like to emulate with my life. It furnished something else that we could use to give back to life and give back to the community.”

Miller said both he and his wife had a passion for children, which led to them volunteering for Shriners Children Chicago.

Miller began volunteering and driving buses for Shriners across the country, ferrying

families in need to children’s hospitals.

One time, he said, while he was driving a Shriners bus, he noticed an exhausted young woman with two children. When he reached a stop along the way to the hospital, he bought her and all the other mothers on the bus bouquets of carnations.

“A dollar and a quarter — we spend more than that on coffee,” Miller said. “Doing that doesn’t make me big. It’s the person that I’m after.”

While recounting these memories, he became overcome with emotions.

“I’ve had children in my arms from Romania and Scotland, children who’ve needed help,” Miller said. “God directed me there.”

Miller said he believes his purpose in this life is to serve others as they have served him. He said he has done his best with the opportunities that God has given him.

While he still occasionally drives Shriners buses, Miller said he doesn’t travel much anymore. For awhile in the 2000s, he peddled waffle mix to customers throughout southern Michigan before he

turned 75 and was advised to retire again.

Through one of his local customers, Miller found out about the job opportunity at Hillsdale. He now works at the Roche Sports Complex every morning from 6 to 10 a.m., where he has made many lifelong friends with students. Senior Micah Wooddell exercised regularly at the Splex last year.

“Jerry always has a smile and encouraging words. He’s a great guy,” Wooddell said.

Miller said his goal these days is to bring smiles to students’ faces and help them in any way he can.

Sophomore Jihye Kim said he sometimes played Johnny Cash in the mornings and always greet her in a friendly manner.

“I still love my church, I still love my Masonic program, I still love the Shriners program, I still love this college,” Miller said. “My life is good, and I have no regrets. If He is willing, I’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

The Mensa Latina club of Hillsdale spoke Latin in Times Square. Courtesy | Patricia Aeschliman Freshman Zachary Chen, sophomore David Cathal, and juniors Henry Ahrabi and Nathaniel Privitt pose in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Courtesy | Patricia Aeschliman