Collegian 9.7.2023

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Q&A: Victor Davis Hanson shares secret to reliability

By Isaac Green News editor

Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Buske distinguished fellow in history at Hillsdale, and the author of almost 30 books.

Who won the recent Republican presidential debate?

Certain people are kind of boilerplate and detract from the debate because they don't have a realistic chance. Essentially, they're down now to four candidates. Ramaswamy,

DeSantis, Haley, and maybe Pence. Of those four, Haley improved herself just by her optics. DeSantis did what he had to do, and that was be viable. Tim Scott, I think he's not been able to translate his inspirational personal story and an effective blueprint of what he'd actually do. Mike Pence, I think, was the loser of that debate. I don't think he helped himself at all. Ramaswamy for the first 10 minutes was impressive with his rhetoric and his confidence and his apparent mastery of the facts, but after a while, he kind of became

grating with his bullying and back and forth.

What do you think about Trump’s absence from the debate?

It was very effective the first time, but he can't do that every time. In other words, he can’t time a Tucker interview, it's gonna get stale. You can do that one time. So he's either going to have to re-enter the debates, or he's going to have to come up with alternate venues that give him face time or playtime.

Do you have a piece of wisdom to share with Hills-

dale students?

I always tried to have a professional code, and by that I meant if I said I was going to be somewhere, I was there. If I said I was going to teach, no matter what, I taught. I've been writing two columns a week since 2002. I haven't missed one yet. I think I've had seven major operations in that period, but my attitude was I have to do the job. If you do that enough, you get a reputation of reliability. Second, I've always had the idea that whether we know it or not, even in the humanities, there

is a competitive nature. There are so many days, so many hours in a day, and I have average or above average intelligence. I feel that if I spend a lot of time writing and reading, there's not going to be too many people who work harder than I do. So, work very hard, have a professional ethos, and you will be surprised by the windows of opportunity that open. When you aren’t working, how do you spend your time?

I have a farm of 43 acres, so I usually do yard work or work on some of the old buildings.

College films old-fashioned commercial on campus

By Lauren Scott City News e ditor

Hillsdale College filmed a new commercial on campus this week featuring a horse and buggy.

“We’ve created scenes that range in time from the 1800s to the present as a reminder that the steadfast mission of the college has always been to develop the minds and improve the hearts of its students,” said Mark Waters, director of visual media.

Waters said the commercial, which features the Honor Code, focuses on the importance of character at the college. It will air on Fox News this fall and will be posted on all Hillsdale College social media channels, including YouTube.

The present-day scenes feature current students, while the

people in the historical scenes are actors from Michigan and Ohio, Waters said.

Aide to the Dean of Men Rita Conrad sent an email to all male dorms on Aug. 17 asking for student applications to be in the commercial.

“Throughout the commercial, transitions will occur between the college’s modern-day students all the way back to its beginning, the 1800s,” the casting email said.

Professor of Biology Anthony Swinehart said he is involved in locating, preparing, and placing some historical science equipment and specimens on a set built to re-enact a photo of former professor Daniel Fisk and one of his classrooms in 1885.

“Fisk was the father of the sciences at Hillsdale and namesake of our museum,” Swine-

hart said.

The college is working with Distant Moon, a production company that helps Hillsdale film online courses, according to Waters.

The horses involved in the filming belong to local residents

Barney and Teresa Traylor, who allow people in Hillsdale County to use their carriage and horses for events.

Junior Gavin Listro said he saw part of the Sept. 4 filming.

“It was cool to see the people with the costumes and

fake mustaches,” Listro said. “I thought it would be very hot in those three-piece suits, and I felt bad for the girl I saw because her dress looked super heavy and layered. I love the idea though, and I’m excited to see the finished product.”

We have some electricians that are wiring and rewiring, and I help them, and then I have to check on the renter, and so I do things on the weekends that they don't do. And then I have a place way up high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, so I go up there. How often do you write? I have one syndicated column a week and one larger column for American Greatness, and then I write three articles for my website. I'm writing about 5,000 words a week, and I'm usually working on a book on weekends.

Chaplain founds Student Ministries Board

By Gray Turner CollegiaN FreelaNCer

Beginning this semester, a new ministry group will provide student-led, interdenominational ministry opportunities to students on campus.

The Student Ministries Board, assembled by College Chaplain Adam Rick, hopes to unite students across campus with the goal of worshiping Jesus together regardless of denominational or theological backgrounds.

Hillsdale Pi Beta Phi wins third-best chapter in country

By Erin Osborne CollegiaN reporter

Hillsdale College is home to the third-best chapter of the sorority Pi Beta Phi, following its competition for the Balfour Cup in July.

“Every year Pi Phi nationals chooses the Balfour Cup award, which is given to the most outstanding and excellent chapter,” chapter president and senior Hannah Allen said.

“It’s a tradition that we have to be an excellent chapter, and it is beautiful to think about that tradition and that connection.”

The Michigan Alpha chapter of Pi Beta Phi has received first runner up several times, Allen said. This year, the Balfour Cup winner was Missouri Alpha from the University of Missouri, followed by Arizona Alpha from the University of Arizona. “The criteria are based off of a lot of things. That includes how well the executive council leads the chapter as well as the health of the chapter and the events that the chapter puts on, like our programming,” Allen said. “A lot of our events are very intuitive to our chapter.

They’re things that we just do and don’t even think about.”

Allen said academics are central to their success with the Balfour Cup.

“We have a long history of winning the college scholarship cup or having the highest GPA among sororities on campus,” Allen said. “We also host certain career programming, finance, and member experience events. We just hosted a brunch for all of our members this weekend. We are a high achieving chapter that puts on a lot of successful programming.”

The Balfour Cup is also

based upon participation in philanthropy. Pi Beta Phi’s charity is Read>Lead>Achieve, a sorority-run nonprofit focused on improving children’s literacy rates through book donations and classroom volunteering.

“We consistently do a lot of work for philanthropy, and host a lot of events that are very successful throughout the year,” Allen said. “For example, we go into grade schools and read to children. That plays into our philanthropy as well as our service.”

Sororities apply regionally for the Balfour Cup through monthly chapter evaluations the executive council members fill out.

“Some of the questions on the evaluations pertain to staying within budget, retaining members, raising money for philanthropy, fulfilling roles as a chapter of Pi Phi, being active with your alumnae, being active on campus and in the community, and the health of the chapter as a whole,” said Maggie Carriker, vice president of finance and housing.

The Balfour Cup is determined through regional nomination.

“People in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio chapters are under a region,” Allen said. “We’re in region two, and our regional directors chose us as the top chapter in our region and therefore nominated us for the Balfour Cup.”

Delegates Carriker and Vice President of Risk Management Emily Hardy went to the Pi Beta Phi convention in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 6. The semiannual convention stresses leadership training and personal development, according to Carriker. This year, more than 800 delegates attended.

“At the convention, we had no idea that we were even in the running for the Balfour Cup, and it was a total surprise when our name was announced,” Carriker said.

For Hardy, the Balfour Cup was a reflection of the hard work of the chapter.

“I was exceedingly proud of our chapter and their demonstration of sincere friendship, integrity, and servant leadership,” Hardy said. “I am very proud to be a part of this chapter and cannot wait to see the things we accomplish in the future on campus and off campus.”

“There is no ministry on campus that is committed to ecumenical Christian action,” Rick said. “I wanted to create a forum where we could dream up ministry opportunities that were intentionally inclusive. As a consequence of which, I really wanted my team to be ecumenical.”

Rick picked four upperclassmen students of various faith backgrounds for the team: senior Ingrid Dornbirer and juniors Alex Schrauben and Nathan Stanish, all three of whom attend College Baptist Church, and sophomore Andrew Winter, who attends St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church.

“I’m really excited about my team,” Rick said. “They are all eager for a genuinely unifying ministry on campus. I think they all feel the burden of our divisions and, without denying our differences, they want to try to minister Christ to people anyway.”

Winter said he hopes to bring Christians of varying denominations together in a supportive and welcoming environment.

See

The college hired actors from Michigan and Ohio to film the commercial. CourTE sy | a n T hony s win E harT

Juniors Maggie Carriker and Emily Hardy pose with awards. CourTE sy | Maggi E Carrik E r

Career Services helps students identify strengths

By Christina Lewis Collegian Repo R te R

Taking a Clifton Strengths test is like putting on tennis shoes before a race.

Not only does the test provide a good jumpstart, but it also allows you to run the race longer, according to Career Services Program Manager and Internship Coordinator Roma Rogers.

During Career Services’ Taking Inventory of Your Strengths and Career Interests event, students learned the importance of identifying their strengths and taking note of their career interests.

Rogers and Freshmen Programming and Mentoring Coordinator Taylor Bennett facilitated the event and encouraged group discussion and participation. Students received a code in their email to

take the test on their own time and scheduled a meeting with a career coach to go over their Clifton strengths test results.

Being able to articulate one’s Clifton strengths and utilizing examples of one’s strengths in action is a great tool to have in an interview, Bennett said.

Finding one’s Clifton strengths does not directly result in finding one’s career path, Rogers said. “The Clifton strengths test gives students an outline on where they need to be,” Rogers said. “When students are studying, they know what they need to study more. The Clifton strengths test is like a personal outline of what areas you thrive in and what areas still need refinement.”

According to Rogers, there are limitations to the test.

One’s top strengths from

the test may change depending on what one is currently focusing on in life, Rogers said.

“If you finished all your calculus classes and you're really focusing on your creative classes as a college student, then those creative strengths will come to the surface in your test,” Rogers said. Your Clifton strengths test result does not factor the strengths that you have in your backpocket, Rogers said.

“You have your favorite pair of sandals and your favorite pair of boots. You're not going to want your favorite pair of sandals during the winter time and you're not going to wear your favorite boots toward the summertime, but they're still available and you're going to put them on when necessary,” Rogers said. “In the same way, what comes to the surface in the Clifton

Campus gears up for Concert on the Quad

strengths test is what's necessary and what you're working on now.”

Sophomore Ethan Bourgeois said that he came to the event to strengthen himself for his role in Catholic Society.

“Just because your strengths are in one area does not mean that that's what you have to set out to do in your life. However, it can give you direction and it can show you where to go,” Bourgeois said. “I thought that was interesting and cool, because it's not setting you on this direct path. It's open to a lot of different possibilities.”

Freshman Xavia Valverde said she looks forward to seeing her Clifton strengths test results.

“I'm hoping to be able to better make decisions academically moving forward in the year and better structure my time,” Valverde said.

Kehoe speaker addresses intersection of Christianity and entrepreneurship

By Sophia Mandt Collegian F R eelan C e R

Being a Christian requires a different approach to success according to Taffa Jefferson, former NFL Player and CEO and founder of Amada Senior Care.

Jefferson gave a presentation on Tuesday in the Hoynack Room about being a Christian in today's cultural environment as part of the Kehoe Executive Speaker Series.

“What makes a business run by a Christian unique is that it’s really driven out of your passion to serve others,” Jefferson said. “If you pursue your ministry and you're will-

ing to work for free, there's a good chance you’re going to be successful in whatever endeavor you decide.”

Jefferson started his company in 1997. He attributed his success to treating employees fairly under good management, healthy competition, and a willingness to take risks.

“You have to be incredibly assertive,” Jefferson said. “Don’t be afraid of failures and embarrassment.”

Jefferson discussed the importance of culture in the workplace. He said Hillsdale College is an example of a culture with deep core values.

“One of the things that I focus on in companies is if you

are a good value match for us culture-wise,” Jefferson said. “Maybe it won’t be a good fit, right? And that’s okay.”

Jefferson said he believes it’s important for a company to know its “DNA,” the driving values that make up the company's goals. Amada Senior Care’s values are based on Christianity and a desire to serve others, Jefferson said, adding that he praises God for his company's success.

Jefferson gave a brief explanation of the purpose of Amada Senior Care, which is to “serve seniors that are in need.” This is accomplished through at-home care, or by directing the family to assisted

living or memory care should that be a better fit.

“I would make sure to check my pride at the door because a business is really about serving other people, it's not about the money, it really isn’t, and that’s why I opened earlier with follow your passion and do what you want to do that you can do for free, because you want to make sure your work is rewarding,” Jefferson said.

He said Amada’s core values are compassion, maturity, competitiveness, urgency, and diligence. Jefferson said that while an entrepreneur should have humility, there should also be a sense of confidence.

“Surround yourself with like-minded individuals,” Jefferson said. “Always try to be with others that are far more successful. Constantly learn and be inquisitive.”

Senior Kiley Hatch, member of the Kehoe Entrepreneurship Program discussed how a wide variety of non-business majors are part of the program.

Part of the group’s responsibilities include attending seminars such as Taffa Jefferson’s presentation as part of the Kehoe Executive Speaker Series.

“I’m a theater major,” Hatch said. “My friends are art and English majors. The thing we have in common is that we all have started or want to start a business.”

had a space to come together.”

“Ecumenical ministry is knee-hobble from the start,” Winter said. “There’s differences between Christians, really sad differences, sometimes violent differences, and thankfully at Hillsdale, we have from the getgo a very good atmosphere in which to grow the ecumenical ministry.“

Winter expressed his excitement and concerns for the program as the sole Catholic representative on the board.

“My goal for the board is to increase the listening capacity of diverse denominations,” Winter said. “We know what we believe, we know what our boundaries are, and that is the first step to loving each other better. And then the big goal is praying together in the end.”

Schrauben said she wants to see unity among Christians on campus.

“I have met so many people here who believe different things than me, but I know when we talk that we are talking about the same God,” Schrauben said. “It’s always been such a shame to me that we haven’t

Dornbirer said she shares the same desire to create unity on campus.

“We want to foster more spaces in the Hillsdale community for people to share their faith and be gathered in a place simply to share their faith stories and walk in faith together,” Dornbirer said.

The Student Ministries Board plans to host numerous events throughout the semester to facilitate multi-denominational spaces on campus. In addition to the preexisting Sunday evening Evensong worship at 6 p.m., the board will host a night of contemporary worship called EvenPraise at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 in the Christ Chapel. On Oct. 11, they will host a night of testimonies in the Formal Lounge.

“My hope is to promote Christian charity and mutual understanding on campus, and to really communicate to the campus community that the college is invested in spiritual formation and growth in Jesus,” Rick said. “A lot of what we are focusing on in our ministry here is not the doctrine, but my interest is more in Christian life,

Christian formation, Christian testimonials, opportunities to come together and sing hymns, and stuff like that.”

In addition to hosting events, the board hopes to create an environment that is safe and welcoming for Christians from a wide range of theological knowledge.

“We assume that everyone here is theologically educated,” Schrauben said. “And then we all feel incredibly insecure because we all think that everyone knows what they are talking about.”

Schrauben said she hopes to create an environment that is welcoming to all Christians, regardless of their personal stage in their walk with Christ.

“I think because we feel insecure, people don’t show up, because they feel like they don’t have a place,” Schrauben said. “I think that having things that are intended to bring multiple groups together might actually make a safer space for people who wouldn’t normally show up to things to start showing up to things. We are trying to come toward mutual effort and understanding.”

By Linnea Shively a ssistant e dito R

Concert on the Quad will turn the grass outside of Christ Chapel into a live music venue tomorrow evening from 6 to 10 p.m.

According to junior Josiah Jagoda, Student Activities Board event team lead, the concert will feature a variety of solo and group student musicians. SAB determined the lineup on a first come, first served basis.

“We want to encourage people who are interested in music to come out and perform and give them a chance to show off their skills,” Jagoda said.

To accompany the live music, SAB will serve doughnuts and coffee from Checker Records, Jagoda said. SAB will also provide some lawn chairs and blankets.

“Vibe-wise, I like when people sit in the grass,” Jagoda said. “If you want to bring a blanket, I encourage it.”

Junior Donny McArdle will perform for his third consecutive year. According to McArdle, he originally resisted signing up his freshman year but decided to participate and now enjoys playing live concerts.

“It was the last day you could fill out the form and I thought, ‘surely they’d filled it

already,’” McArdle said. “The next day I got an email saying ‘you made the cut,’ and so then I had to do it, but it was a lot of fun. After that, it’s been a thing I do every year.”

This year, McArdle’s set will look different than past years, and he will he perform with an electric rather than an acoustic guitar.

“This will probably be the most original songs I’ve done in a set,” McArdle said. “I’ve also decided to combine one of them with one of my favorite songs by Paul McCartney.”

Jagoda said Concert on the Quad is different from other SAB music events because it is a space for performance without competition.

“It allows students a chance to break into the music scene,” Jagoda said. “Having your friends be there watching you perform is a special experience. It’s different because it’s low key and relaxed.”

McArdle said it’s worth stopping by Concert on the Quad to hear what other people are playing.

“It’s fun to be around and listen to other people,” McArdle said. “A lot of people will go up and do covers. I also think it’s interesting when people go up and share something they made. It’s a chill little party.”

SMB from A1

Junior Donny McArdle plays at last year's Concert on the Quad. Courtesy | s tudent AC tivities Bo A rd

Taffa Jefferson was an offensive lineman in the NFL. Courtesy | sA r A Gillet

The Student Ministries Board meets in Chaplain Adam Rick's Office. Courtesy | i n G rid d orn B irer

Professor of government speaks on Cicero, vocation

By Evalyn Homoelle Senior r eporter

Associate Dean Matthew

Mehan encouraged students to follow their natural calling using Cicero’s four components of vocation during Career Services’ event “Cicero’s ‘On Duties’: On One’s Natural Vocation” on Aug. 30.

“You should study Cicero not just for his fancy rhetoric, but for his rhetorical philosophy, which is far more profound and full of some of the great treasures of Western thought and of humanity,” Mehan said.

Mehan is an assistant professor of government at the Hillsdale College Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C. and teaches Cicero at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Cicero’s work is especially important to the American experiment, Mehan argued.

“Cicero’s ‘On Duties’ is foundational to our civilization,” he said. “It is a book deeply known and deeply relied upon by our Founding Fathers for the construction of our way of life, our Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence.”

Mehan argued “On Duties” is part of Cicero’s larger dialogue on republican self-government and the virtues necessary for it like temperance and moderation.

“If you want to get temperance and moderation, what you really need to think about is the fitting, the proper, and the decorous,” Mehan said. “That's where this discussion about finding the fitting vocation for your life's work fits in.”

Mehan said Cicero argues in Book I of “On Duties” that discovering what calling to pursue in life is “the most difficult problem in the world.”

According to Mehan, Cicero outlines four considerations for deciding one’s career: universal human nature, particular nature (based upon individual talents and weaknesses, family, location, wealth), circumstance (referred to by Cicero as “fortune” or “chance”), and deliberate choice.

“What you need to do is think about these four characters,” Mehan said. “Then, once you've thought about them, put them before your imagination

and polish images of the most fitting, decorous, professional model rather than merely taking up whatever profession by happenstance or what you found enjoyable.”

Mehan said this intentional shaping of the most fitting profession can help avoid two other pitfalls Cicero identifies in choosing a career: passively opting for the “manners and customs” of one’s family or drifting into “the current of popular opinion” and the latest sensation.

“Play according to your nature, play the role that you've been given,” Mehan said. “At the end of the day, that's what you're asking to find.”

Senior Emily Jones took Mehan’s Continental Literature course on WHIP and said she found the lecture on Cicero especially helpful as she begins to plan for life after college.

“Dr. Mehan’s talk about stressing the importance of doing what is in our individual nature and allowing mentorship and guidance to shape what that may look like resonated with me,” Jones said. “This lecture confirmed that we as humans are capable of many things, but we are called to do those things in which our talents, character, and virtue align.”

Mehan distinguished between one’s natural vocation, what he called “what your nature has asked you to do according to the nature of your human activity in life,” and one’s higher, supernatural lifelong calling, like that of a religious leader or parent.

Although, he argued, God has formed each individual’s nature so that discovering what He has called them to do professionally is a type of supernatural calling in and of itself.

“When you're thinking about what you should do professionally, you are actually trying to figure out what sort of particular nature, what character, what role were you given by God that you are to play to the fullest?” he said. “This is a little better than ‘What are you good at?’”

Freshman Daniel Sturdy said he had never studied Cicero but felt Mehan’s advice gave him a sense of direction as he begins his time at Hillsdale.

“Listening to and trusting what God has instilled in you is of the highest importance,” Sturdy said. “I am going to carry the idea of natural talent with me throughout my freshman year as I look towards my future.”

Sophomore Alya MacManaway said she came to

Mehan’s lecture because she is always interested in hearing different perspectives on how to build a fulfilling life.

“I’d never thought through the choices I’ve made in my life from this perspective,” MacManaway said.

Although it is ideal to find a profession that properly fits one’s nature, Mehan said students might have to choose the next-best option, in which case Cicero advises one to do “as little impropriety as possible.”

“Find your nature and do it,” Mehan said. “Avoid vice. Seek perfection. But be realistic about what you do.”

Mehan argued Hillsdale College students have the privilege of taking four years to seriously consider their gifts and callings, and encouraged them to use their college years to purposefully seek out their vocations.

“If you know you have gone through a solid deliberative process and that you've made a solid decision with conscience, you will be happier than someone who's simply pursuing a fun job,” Mehan said. “Think deeply and fully about this because it is not just your happiness that's at stake, but many other people's, and frankly, the good of the country.”

Graduate students share career advice

By Emma Verrigni Collegian reporter

Finding a first job after graduation is not a race according to Sara Kemeny, a graduate student at Hillsdale College’s Graduate School of Classical Education.

Five of Hillsdale’s doctorate and master’s students discussed postgraduate career and education advice with undergraduate students at a brainstorming workshop hosted by Career Services on Sept. 4.

Speakers included Jose Arevalo, Nicholas Callaghan, Kemeny, Samuel Lair, and Rebecca Schwartz, who represented Hillsdale’s Graduate School of Classical Education and the Van Andel School of Government.

The speakers discussed what factors students should take into account when considering graduate school.

Lair said students should pursue a graduate school that is a good fit, instead of fixating on the school’s prestige or rankings.

“The advice I would offer you guys is to find a fit and do your research,” Lair said. “Take your time, it’s not a race.”

Speakers discussed whether students should consider working or entering graduate school after college.

Lair advised students to consider whether the career path they have interest in will require a master’s or a doctorate down the road.

“If you have an idea of what you want to do, look at all of the avenues that you can move up in that realm and what the glass ceilings are,” Lair said. “There are careers where you can just get by with a bachelor's degree, and you're not going to hit a glass ceiling.”

Some speakers advised stu-

Hillsdale professor assumes duties as president of health advisory board

By Sophia Mandt Collegian Freelan C er Hillsdale

College Profes -

dents to find a job or internship in their field of interest, especially if they plan to attend graduate school, to decide which career path is a good fit for them.

Callaghan said students should view graduate school as a time to improve their resumes by finding a job or internship.

“When you’re in grad school, you're still trying to maximize your resume,” Callaghan said. “The grind doesn't really stop at any point.”

Arevalo advised students interested in law school to pursue a paralegal internship.

“I know a lot of people who have done paralegal internships, and, seeing the way lawyers live their lives, decide they are better off doing something else,” Arevalo said.

Career Services program manager Roma Rogers said she decided to host the workshop after she noticed multiple students approaching her with questions about their postgraduate plans.

“I hope students who attended this discussion gained some insight into the considerations one ought to have before committing to graduate studies,” Arevalo said.

Kemeny said she hopes students will take their time when it comes to making a decision about graduate school.

Sophomore Katie Crain said she realized that it is important to find a school for post-graduate education that aligns with her values.

“It is important to know why you're choosing the school that you are for your graduate degree; does it align with your values, and will it ultimately aid in the person you want to continue to grow into and not just your career,” Crain said. “That is what matters most.”

College to host first research conference in the visual arts

By Lillian Ferrell Collegian Freelan C er

ning registration to collecting the call for proposals for different presentations at that conference alongside organizing the social events and meals.”

sor

of Chemistry Christopher Hamilton has assumed duties as president of the Central Association of Advisors for the Health Professions.

CAAHP is a group for health professional advisers from universities throughout the central region, which includes schools from 12 states in the Midwest. The group also provides professional development opportunities and conferences every other year.

“In my role, it’s my job to oversee the board as a whole and to plan the board meetings throughout the year and make the plans for the organization as a whole,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said that being part of CAAHP makes him better at his job as a professor and adviser for Hillsdale.

Even though what he does for CAAHP focuses on advising instead of research, Hamilton said there is some overlap with his duties as a professor because both positions allow him to connect students with medical schools. He said that being a member of the association also allows him to be one of the first to know about changes in health professions and better prepare his students for the medical field.

Hamilton went to the first national meeting for CAAHP in 2012. “I was able to meet and connect with many people early,” he said. “Michigan has a lot of advisers that like to help other advisers.”

Hamilton said he wanted to give back by working to thank the advisers that had helped him. He began assisting the regional planning team in 2015. A year later he joined the board, and continued to become more involved as he rose to the position of president.

Hamilton said one of his duties on the board is to plan conferences for CAAHP. The group provides grants each year to present data and projects on the effectiveness of health professions advising. This information is then presented at conferences or published in journals.

Valerie Bennett, former president of CAAHP, said she remembers working with Hamilton during his previous years on the board.

“In his role as vice president for the last two years, he was really the person in charge of planning our 2023 conference,” Bennett said. “He did a fantastic job of leading the conference planning team and doing everything from putting together the website and run-

Laura Hetzler, CAAHP secretary, has also spent many years working alongside Hamilton. She helped plan a regional conference with Hamilton and said he does a great job building community.

“He is laid back and always

there to answer questions and provide support,” Hetzler said.

According to Hamilton, being involved in CAAHP is worth the substantial time commitment.

“My department was very generous and let me have a light teaching load,” Hamilton said. “I’m definitely thankful to have a department who is considerate and values what this role brings to our students.”

This academic year, Hillsdale College is hosting its first Undergraduate Research Conference in the Visual Arts.

Organized by Assistant Professor of Art Christina Chakalova, the conference will be open to all students, regardless of major, from colleges across the country. Students can participate by joining the conference committee or entering a paper or presentation, with the top research project earning a monetary prize.

Those who wish to write a paper must produce an approximately 250-word abstract on a theme within the field of visual art.

Students interested in joining the conference committee are expected to choose a theme, respond to the committee’s application, and invite a keynote speaker involved in the arts to campus.

“Students can be on the lookout for our ‘call for papers,’ which we hope to circulate by the end of this month or in early October at the latest,” Chakalova said. “If students desire to be on the committee, there is still a chance, and they should email me as soon as possible.”

Committee members will read abstracts submitted between September and January, vote for the best

research project, and attend the art conference in March. They will meet twice each semester to finalize details for the conference and choose the winning research project.

Chakalova said the program gives students experience in organizational skills in addition to delving into an area of artistic research that piques their interest.

“The goal is to allow students to get involved in an enriching academic experience over which they have almost full control,” Chakalova said. “I will guide and mentor them, but this is really for the students to organize and plan.”

Junior Kara Miller, who will be submitting a paper, said the conference is unique because students can select from a broad array of themes ranging from art history to creative uses of art mediums.

“I’m looking forward to the creative liberty that will provide, and I hope to do research on a piece that I haven’t studied closely before,” Miller said.

Senior Anna Julia Bassols said that the competition will help Hillsdale students connect with peers from other academic institutions.

“Those connections are valuable, especially for students considering graduate school or careers in art history,” Bassols said.

Professor Matthew Mehan teaches classes at Hillsdale's Washington, D.C. campus Courtesy | Hillsdale a r CH ives

Christopher Hamilton is a professor of chemistry at Hillsdale College. Courtesy | Hillsdale a r CH ives

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Editor-in-Chief | Elizabeth Troutman

Associate Editor | Logan Washburn

Senior Editor | Maddy Welsh

Design Editor | Ally Hall

Digital Editor | Elyse Apel

News Editor | Isaac Green

Opinions Editor | Claire Gaudet

City News Editor | Lauren Scott

Sports Editor | Olivia Pero

Culture Editor | Jillian Parks

Features Editor | Michael Bachmann

Science & Tech Editor | Olivia Hajicek

Political Correspondent | Micah Hart

Social Media Manager | Cassandra DeVries

Circulation Managers | Sydney Green & Emma Verrigni

Ad Manager | Nathan Stanish

Photography Editor | Claire Gaudet

Assistant Editors | Moira Gleason | Carly Moran| Kamden Mulder |

Thomas McKenna | Jane Kitchen | Linnea Shively | Michaela Estruth |

SK Sisk | Alex Deimel | Beth Crawford

Faculty Advisers | John J. Miller | Maria Servold

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

Not everyone at Hillsdale is rich, don’t remind them

Politics, religion, and money — these are the things my mother tells me not to talk about in polite company. I’d be shocked if any of us could get through a day at this school without talking about politics and religion, but there’s no reason to bring up money as much as some people do here. Between scholarships, career opportunities, and the wealthy backgrounds of some of Hillsdale’s more upper-crust students, people

here love to brag about their immense good fortune.

Here’s the problem: I’m not rich. In fact, most people here aren’t. Not everyone got a full-ride for acing the SAT or worked for Goldman Sachs this summer.

In reality, a lot of us are struggling to make the investment in a normal-sized trash can for our room because $11.99 is pretty pricey.

The absolute worst of the worst, however, are the stu -

dents who talk about their folks’ money. These accolades aren’t even their own. They’re just reaping the benefits.

If you’ve said something like “I have a $500 monthly allowance,” or “My dad had to take the cards away from me after my Sephora week,” you know who you are, and you deserve to be put in time out.

I’m happy that we have such an economically diverse student body, and I myself have benefitted from the very gen-

erous pockets of the Financial Aid Office, but none of this is anyone else’s business.

To my knowledge, there’s no invite-only, secret society for wealthy children on this campus — so there’s no reason to be talking about your Jeep Cherokee birthday present in A.J.’s.

Claire Gaudet is a senior studying rhetoric and media and journalism.

Why you should celebrate V-J Day

By Alessia Sandala Collegian freelanCer

Sept. 2, 1945 — the Japanese officially surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. World War II, the deadliest conflict in human history, finally came to a close.

Seventy-eight years later, Victory Over Japan Day is a date typically forgotten by Americans and overshadowed by controversy. At its core, however, V-J Day is a true celebration of life and freedom that deserves to be remembered by a grateful nation.

For Americans, the fight against the Japanese began on Dec. 7, 1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked. The campaign in the Pacific theater grew into a long and intense struggle as America and her allies battled for islands under Japanese control.

After years of fighting, President Harry S. Truman approved the use of two atomic bombs to force Imperial Japan into agreeing to the terms of surrender, laid out in the Potsdam Declaration, on Aug. 14, 1945. America erupted into celebration at the mere sound of surrender, despite it not yet being formally declared.

Nineteen days later, victory was official as the Japanese delegation conventionally surrendered, and additional celebrations broke out across America. The period of death that engulfed the world was officially complete, and Vic-

tory Over Japan Day became a symbol of hope and a culmination of what millions of people died to achieve.

The importance and joy of V-J Day is often obscured by criticism of the way the war ended, in the form of two atomic blasts previously unseen by man. The dropping of the atomic bombs is thought by some to have been a senseless and cruel act, only carried out to demonstrate America’s new weapon to the world.

Despite the criticism of the decision to use nuclear weapons to bring about Japan’s defeat, the weapon ultimately spared millions of American and Japanese lives that would have been lost if America was forced to invade the island of Japan. According to one Japanese propaganda slogan, “the sooner the Americans come, the better… 100 million die proudly.”

Japanese custom forbid surrender, and suicide was common amongst defeated Japanese soldiers. So it was imperative the Imperial Japanese government accept the terms of surrender in order to avoid what would have been a massacre on both sides of the battle.

Today, V-J Day tends to be forgotten. There were no fierce battles on Sept. 2 that could be adapted into a summer blockbuster like so many other American holidays. Rather, it was a celebration of true freedom and peace.

Despite its lack of “action,” countless lives were dramatically altered on V-J Day. The end of the war meant families were able to be reunited with the loved ones they had not seen since they were shipped off, which may have been years earlier. After V-J Day, more than 3 million members of the American armed forces returned to their homes over the course of a year.

Over the course of World War II, Japan held more than 27,000 American prisoners of war in horrific work camps where disease, starvation, torture, and murder were commonplace. Prisoners in these camps faced near certain death as the war began to draw to a close.

The signing of the surrender agreement on V-J Day also allowed the American military to implement plans, such as Operation Swift Mercy, to ensure the survival of all remaining American POWs until they could be evacuated and return home to their loved ones.

Louis Zamperini, the subject of Laura Hillenbrand’s book,

“Unbroken,” and the movie adaptation, was captured after his bomber crashed into the Pacific and was tormented by a guard he knew as the “Bird” for years. V-J Day saved Zamperini’s life as he was finally released and the guards fled to avoid punishment for the war crimes they had committed.

For many men like Zamperini, V-J Day ensured their survival and ended the suffering they encountered while imprisoned by the Japanese.

When describing how those who had fought more than the six years of war felt

about the end of the war, historian David Miller wrote “there was an immense sense of relief,” in his book, “The Story of World War II.” The feeling of consolation and joy should not be one left behind 78 years ago, but one that continues to live on as we treasure the sacrifices that were made so that all Americans could live a life of freedom.

V-J Day should be widely discussed across America each year. You should have discussions with parents, teachers, and friends about what the date means to them or explain

why each and every American should know about V-J Day. While there are only a small number of World War II veterans remaining, talk to those you know. Honor the men and women who have passed, by reading and sharing their stories with the people around you. This generation can not allow the legacy of those who safeguarded our way of life to slip into the long forgotten caverns of the past.

Venture outside the core, take a classics class

By Zachary Chen Collegian freelanCer

Every Hillsdale student should take a classics course because the relics of the Greco-Roman world provides us with the guidelines for a life of nobility and glory.

As Hillsdale students, however, we are constantly presented with patterns of examples from disciplines as diverse as chemistry, music, and English. Each of us must complete at least two English and two history courses covering the Western Tradition. Why would anyone spend extra time and credits on the Greeks and Romans?

Certainly not because they are practical. Many of us have been told to take a course in Latin or Greek because it will help us learn medical, legal, or practical vocabulary, which is abecedarian nonsense. Would

you learn French solely for the purpose of ordering at French restaurants?

The classics department, however, does not simply comprise Latin, Greek, and Hebrew language courses: studying the classics will involve you in art, epic, philosophy, politics, and theology.

Many of us believe the classics are valuable because they are the foundation of the Western Tradition. This may be true, but there still are more compelling reasons to take a classics class. While theology students will need Greek to read the New Testament and rhetoric students can greatly benefit from the study of Cicero, these reasons for studying the classics are ultimately not what leads a student to love and learn from a classics course. This is because the value of the classics,and the liberal arts more broadly,

cannot be defined in pragmatic, utilitarian terms.

No, the reason everyone ought to take a classics course is because the classics direct us toward the “kalon” — the beautiful or the noble — through the examples of the great ancients. The primary goal of studying the classics is not to acquire skills. It is to deeply ponder fundamental human questions through the lens of authors and heroes who are dedicated to honor, homecoming, valor, and beauty.

As Titus Livius argues in the preface to his history “Ab Urbe Condita,” the value of considering the past is that it provides examples to be emulated or avoided. According to Livius, you should contemplate the precedents of history “that you may take from them for yourself and your nation what to imitate, and what you

ought to shun as base in beginning and end.” Studying the classics directs one toward a heroic life through careful consideration of heroes.

When we read books like Homer’s “Iliad,” Xenophon’s “Anabasis,” or Plutarch’s “Lives,” we are forced to consider individual men who may or may not deserve our approbation: inspiring leaders and courageous heroes are sketched side-by-side with cowardly curmudgeons and simpering traitors.

The classical authors are educators and the characters in their writings must be considered carefully if we are to derive benefit from them. Since the figures encountered in the classics are flawed models, we must work to separate their good qualities from their base inclinations. Reading the classics requires actively seeking and pondering what might

be worthy of imitation.

It is worthwhile, however. Erasmus tells his readers in his “Enchiridion” that carefully reading the classics is an education which prepares the student to live well with others:

“If you, taking the example of the bee, flying round about by the gardens of old authors, shall sip only the wholesome and sweet nectar (the poison refused and left behind), your mind shall be a great deal better appareled and armed for the communal life or conversation in which we live with one another in honest manner.”

Through reading in the “gardens of old authors,” we are given the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of Hector, Aeschylus, or Aristotle, who relentlessly ask us to consider the nature of glory, justice, and goodness. Seeking answers

to these questions imbues the mind with a habitual vision of greatness — a daily attempt to pursue the beautiful and the noble which informs our daily life and relationships with others.

So I urge you: be a bee and take a classics course. Fly about the gardens of the classics department, sipping the nectar of those examples worthy of imitation and refusing the poison of those things that are base in beginning and end. Learn Latin or Greek, read Homer and Aeschylus, ponder Aeneas’ “pietas,’’ carefully contrast Cicero and Catilina, for in so doing you will find dishonor to shun and mightiness to admire.

Zachary Chen is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Alessia Sandala is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Hawaii’s 55th Signal Repair Company drinking beer to celebrate Japan’s surrender. Claire Gaudet | Colle G ian

McIntyre is back-Intyre

By Moira Gleason AssistA nt Editor

As I get used to reaching up without accidentally punching the ceiling light in my room, I find myself thinking back to freshman year and agreeing with Fyodor Dostoevsky’s sentiment, “Low ceilings and tiny rooms cramp the soul and the mind.”

Olds Residence has its charms, but you don’t need to live in a fire trap with one door to have culture in your dorm.

As an Olds girl turned Mac resident assistant, I’ve experienced the best and the worst of both dorms. McIntyre Residence is better.

Preparing for freshman year, I requested that bunker — lovingly known as Olds — on the promise of camaraderie in exchange for air conditioning, exterior windows, and personal space.

“It’s the community,” my tour guide told me.

McIntyre, everyone said, was for the freshmen who wanted to go out every weekend and didn’t care about making friends in the dorm.

That may have been true of McIntyre in the past, but the McIntyre I know has a better culture than what I experienced in Olds.

The dorm’s layout and mix of athletes and non-athletes means that building community requires intentionality. That makes it all the more beautiful. Nobody has to see anybody in McIntyre, but they still choose to. If you walked through McIntyre last Saturday night, you would have found residents watching movies and talking on the couches, cooking dinner for one another in the kitchens, and playing board games in the lobbies.

The most activity I saw in the Olds lobby on any given evening was the RA eating cereal while sitting desk, a girl

frantically highlighting her Western Heritage reader, and that Olds Boy on the couch waiting for his Hillsdate.

While being an Olds girl invites a list of assumptions about who you are as a person, McIntyre women must depend on their own character to establish themselves on campus.

Freshmen in McIntyre don’t depend solely on their dorm for their identity. They live independently, develop social lives for themselves beyond the dorm, and cultivate male friendships. If part of the college’s mission is to help the student rise to self-governance, students should have the independence within the residence halls to make decisions about how they invest their time. They can learn to be outgoing, well-adjusted adults in the process.

Not to mention, it’s hard to complain about more showers and toilets and higher ceilings. Facilities aren’t everything, but

Olds never left

By Caroline Kurt CollEgiAn rEportEr

they’re not nothing.

Since McIntyre offers natural light and more than three square feet of floor space, I want to spend time there studying and relaxing. I’m happy to come back to my room at the end of the day. I’ll forgo the no-AC badge of honor for a space that offers suite-style bathrooms, functional kitchens, and the ability to get onto my bed without being an Olympic gymnast.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned living in both dorms, it’s that they serve different purposes and different demographics of women. McIntyre offers a strong dorm community if you choose to invest yourself in it, but also allows independence.

McIntyre isn’t Olds. It’s not supposed to be.

Moira Gleason is a sophmore studying English and journalism.

Olds Residence may look like an abandoned 7-Eleven, but it’s the best freshman women’s dorm.

Sure, the fire alarm went off six times last year — or was it more? We stopped counting.

Yes, one of those times was at 3 a.m., and all 80 of us stumbled outside in pajamas and with bedhead.

And if it were to ignite, it would become the largest human sacrifice in Michigan history. No one today could build a dorm with only one exterior door and no exterior windows aside from the lobby and still meet fire code.

Yet because of not in spite of — these glaring inadequacies, Olds has a charm and a community unparalleled by McIntyre Residence.

What Olds lacks in safety, aesthetics, and amenities, it makes up for in the things that really matter, the things worth reminiscing about with old classmates years after graduation. The identity of Olds is built on enduring friendships, joy, and sisterhood.

Senior Helen Schlueter, a former Olds resident, said almost all her deepest friendships at Hillsdale were formed in Olds.

“From my friend Margaret randomly joining my sit-up routine while brushing her teeth, to the epic Olds flag football team, Olds forged a bond that far surpasses the one whirl of freshman year,” Schlueter said.

Olds’ community bathrooms and single entrance foster a strong sense of sisterhood among freshmen and resident assistants. Whether they see one another every day sitting desk, brushing their teeth, or making popcorn, Olds women develop enduring, intentional relationships. Bonds that begin down the hall grow into deep friendships founded upon shared faith, values, and memories.

Junior Michaela Estruth, head RA of Olds, said she looks back on her time as a freshman in Olds as one of building friendships.

To Estruth, the community bathrooms (which McIntyre lacks) provide a natural setting for the conversations and laughter that build the tightknit community of Olds.

“I was absolutely terrified of communal bathrooms freshman year,” Estruth said. “But

a few months in, I was brushing my teeth and washing my face next to some of my closest friends. Even now as an RA, I look forward to those conversations that happen at 1 a.m., or the faint ‘morning!’ after having just woken up.”

The quirks of Olds give it charm. The building bears the marks of generations of student residents. Framed pictures on the wall date back to 1960, the year the dorm was built. Freshmen quickly bond over Olds’ infamous lack of air conditioning and its tiny rooms with low ceilings.

“Olds has given me an affection for the kind of inefficiency which only comes from old, well-used things” Schlueter said.

Olds’ quirkiness makes it memorable. Olds women will always have stories to tell about their time together.

Last year, my friends and I dragged our mattresses, sheets and all, to one of the interior courtyards and slept beneath the stars. We woke the next morning to birdsong and dewy blankets, and laughed as we lugged our beds back inside before running off to class.

“My freshman year, my roommate and I bonded over a very elaborate three-part step to opening our stubborn door: turn the handle to the left, hold for three seconds, say a prayer and then force forward,” Schlueter said. “Then we bonded over climbing in through the window when the door finally refused to budge.”

Olds culture instills a loyalty in freshmen that remains for many years. Annual events like Mock Rock, Olds Glow, and dorm bonding during orientation draw large numbers of former Olds residents whose spirit remains strong.

Estruth said she already sees sisterhood taking shape among the current freshmen.

“I’m honored and humbled to live with such sweet women,” Estruth said. “We are hardly two weeks in but I can tell these girls are embracing the community and living up to the legacy.”

The Class of 2027, like so many before, will soon find there’s nothing like late-night life talks and even later-night false fire alarms to bond with the women who will be forever friends.

Caroline Kurt is a sophomore studying English and journalism.

Modern art is ugly and inaccessible

By Maddy Welsh sE nior E ditor

One of the ugliest paintings on the art market sold for $179.4 million in 2015.

The painting is “Girl Before a Mirror” and the painter is Pablo Picasso. He’s a household name, and many consider him one of the great painters of the 20th century. He helped invent cubism, a style of art characterized by geometric shapes and multiple perspectives.

But Picasso represents a shift toward elitism in modern art that has separated painter, painting, and patron from each other in a manner antithetical to the purpose of art — experiencing beauty in a way that informs a person about the world.

Take “Girl Before a Mirror.” It’s a 1932, cubist, oil painting depicting a garbled image of a young woman looking at herself in a mirror. The colors and shapes conflict, causing spatial confusion and jarring visuals.

It’s unclear exactly how the woman’s body is positioned in space and her anatomical

proportions are exaggerated to the point of the grotesque. She has an oval face, a single sad tuft of yellow hair, a slouched form, and blank eyes.

It’s unattractive. Many argue beauty is subjective and every person sees beauty in different ways and in different things. That’s a larger discussion to be had, but few are the persons who would walk into an art museum, catch sight of this painting, and rush toward it breathless and in awe. That’s perhaps a simple understanding of beauty, but a nearly universal one. Most have experienced laying eyes on something so beautiful it eliminated the capacity for speech.

Picasso’s famous works do not provoke that reaction in the average viewer. And that separation from the average viewer is precisely the problem. There are people with art degrees or shelves upon shelves of art history books in their home who may find themselves struck dumb at the sight of a Picasso. But the average man does not know what experts say about the

significance of Picasso’s work for Western art, or what the socio-political landscape of Picasso’s life looked like.

body, her sickly purple and yellow skin, and the dizzying shapes and colors in the background. It’s interesting,

not beautiful, and no academic explanation of what cubism did for the modern Western view of beauty will convince a casual visitor of the Museum of Modern Art otherwise.

The trouble with “Girl

Before a Mirror”is that no amount of academic expertise can make the background information of this painting rescue the visual. The subject of the painting is the 22-yearold woman with whom the 51-year-old Picasso secretly cheated on his wife for years.

Even if a critic were to argue this work is a commentary on the beauty of the female form or the complexity of a woman’s relationship with her appearance or any other such issue, the truth of the matter is that Picasso was inspired to paint this piece because he found a young woman more beautiful than the wife whom he had already committed to.

This matters because it illustrates that the true meaning of Picasso paintings like “Girl Before a Mirror” are only accessible to the elite, highly academic viewers of his works. The average viewer would likely never guess what in -

spired this piece and the complexity of the situation behind it. Many who reject a typical understanding of beauty argue art is just supposed to make you think deeply. But one can’t think deeply about something like “Girl Before a Mirror” if the true meaning is so elusive. Since Picasso set the art world aflame with cubism and other absurd styles, the disconnect between the viewer of a piece of art and the impact of the art has only grown wider. Think of the brutalist metal sculptures in downtown spaces or Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain” — a urinal marketed as a piece of art. People looking at these things might have some intelligent thoughts after the meaning is explained to them, but by sight alone, these works of “art” provide no beauty. Next time you find yourself scoffing at a pure blue canvas in a museum, thank Picasso.

Maddy Welsh is a senior studying history and journalism.

The average viewer just sees the woman’s deformed

perhaps. Maybe it’s intriguing or thought-provoking. But it’s

Picasso’s “Girl Before a Mirror.” Courtesy | PabloPi C asso.org

Caroline Kurt and Cecilia Jansen in Olds after 2022 Mock Rock. Caroline Kurt | Collegian

The 2023-24 McIntyre RA team. Moira g leason | Collegian

New ‘raw, real’ church to open in November City News

By Christina Lewis Collegian Reporter

A new church is coming to Hillsdale. Services at non-denominational Life Changing Church will begin Nov. 2, Pastor Brock Rohrer said. The church has locations in Edgerton, Ohio, and Angola, Indiana, according to its website.

Rohrer will serve as the church’s Hillsdale campus pastor. The exact location of the church in Hillsdale is yet to be announced. The church will be open to people of all ages and walks of life.

“When our lead pastor planted the first church back 20 years ago, his goal was to serve people who would never go into a regular church. The goal was to make it a church that anybody could come into and feel welcome,”

Rohrer said. “Our main thing is we want to serve seekers and build believers. We’re a church that’s raw, real, and loves you where you are. Anybody is welcome through our doors, and we’re gonna love them.”

Rohrer said the church aims to turn people toward Jesus.

“We really want to make sure people are biblically engaged and make sure that they are relationally accountable,”

Rohrer said. “We weren’t created to do life on our own, so we really want people plugged into the church community.”

When people walk into Life Changing Church, Rohrer said, they can expect to receive old-school hospitality treatment.

“We have people in the parking lot helping people find parking spots,” Rohrer

said. “We have people at the doors and we have people serving doughnuts and coffee and we have people helping you find a seat in the auditorium.”

eliminate distractions and we really want people to come in and feel like it’s kind of like a family.”

Senior Elizabeth Sible said she looks for biblically-sound

ery Sunday morning at Life Changing Church, Rohrer said.

“There are times where we will focus on a whole book of the Bible. A lot of times, it’s topically based, so we want to talk about sin issues or struggles,” Rohrer said. “The Bible is our blueprint that we’re using to guide us through those things.”

College Chaplain Rev. Adam Rick described how students can discern a biblical church.

that the Word of God is outdated and it’s old and it’s antiquated. I think it’s very relevant for us today. So we try to keep the sermon pretty relevant and super biblically based.”

Rohrer said another church in Hillsdale is a good thing.

The staff and volunteers at Life Changing Church strive to make everyone who walks in the door feel like they are expected, Rohrer said.

“We want it to be as comfortable a place as possible, so that people will hear God’s voice,” he said. “We want to

preaching within a church.

“The main thing is biblical leadership and preaching and then pouring into their congregation so that the congregation pours out to the community,” Sible said.

Attendees will hear biblically-based sermons ev-

“A biblical church is one where the Bible takes center stage, in the preaching, teaching, and culture of formation,” he said.

Rohrer said having biblically-relevant sermons is important.

“I want to be able to speak to people practically,” Rohrer said. “A lot of people think

“Every community could use more God-centered churches,” Rohrer said. “We literally want to join hands with other organizations in this community, and move the gospel forward. Church planting as a whole is so beneficial and so beautiful when it’s done right. We’re trying really hard to make sure that we’re doing it right.”

POLICE REPORT:

The Collegian compiled a list of recent arrests from the City of Hillsdale Police Department and the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office.

Sept. 1

Hillsdale City Police arrested a 42-yearold Hillsdale man for parole absconding, controlled substance possession, and assaulting a police officer. No bond was allowed.

Sept. 3

By Alessia Sandala Collegian Freelancer

A historic 1940s steam train will arrive in Hillsdale, hailing from Indiana, at 12 p.m. Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 with a three hour layover in the city each day.

Steam locomotive No. 765 will arrive on the train tracks across from the Hillsdale Brewing Company both days, said Heather Tritchka ‘98, senior admissions interviewer for Hillsdale College and a volunteer coordinator for city events.

“We also invite all the businesses to either be open or to bring down a booth and set something up, kind of in that area, so the people getting off the train have food options and merchandise that they can buy,” Tritchka said.

Sam Fry, marketing and development coordinator for the City of Hillsdale, said each inbound train typically draws between 400 and 500 people.

“For some, it is their first time visiting Hillsdale,” Fry said. “This presents a tremendous opportunity for our local businesses to capitalize on the influx of visitors and showcase Hillsdale’s unique offerings. These events are a significant boost to our local economy.”

Tritchka said the event will also feature food trucks to accommodate the expected crowd.

“The local businesses like Handmade, Hillsdale Brewing Company, Rough Draft, and Pub and Grub are absolutely slammed with custom-

Sept. 2

Hillsdale City Police arrested a 21-year-old Hillsdale man for operating while intoxicated. A $5,000 bond with 10% was allowed and posted.

Sept. 3

ers when the trains come into town,” Tritchka said. “That is why we also have a couple of food trucks so that everyone can find something to eat within a reasonable amount of time.”

Gianna Green, a communities manager with CL Real Estate and a member of the committee centered on coordinating train events.

This historic train ride is a part of an expansion by the Indiana Railway Experience in coordination with the Indiana Northeastern Railroad and Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, said Professor of Chemistry Mark Nussbaum, who volunteered at a previous train event in town.

“The company was looking for a new destination for their train rides and they thought they would try Hillsdale,” Tritchka said. “A few people from the city, mainly Gianna Green, Felicia Finch, and myself, were asked to put together a committee so that it would be a successful trip.”

Finch is co-owner of Hillsdale Brewing Company.

The Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 44-year-old Reading man for assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder by strangulation. No bond was allowed.

Hillsdale City Police arrested a 51-yearold Hillsdale man for domestic violence. A $20,000 bond with 10% allowed was not posted.

Sept. 2

Hillsdale City Police arrested a 36-yearold Hillsdale man for domestic violence and two counts of resisting an officer. No bond was allowed.

Sept. 4

Michigan State Police arrested a 26-yearold Jackson man for domestic assault. A $20,000 bond with 10% allowed was not posted.

The scoop: new company will

pick up dog poop for you

By Ameera Wilson Collegian Reporter

A new Hillsdale company will take care of your dog’s business.

Maumee, Ohio, for 24 years while balancing teaching high school and helping run a nonprofit, Farnham knows the difficulties of a busy schedule.

cannot take care of their pets themselves.

The Indiana Railway Experience is a not-for-profit organization focused on education and fundraising for the preservation of historical railroads, run by volunteers from the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Passengers on the train will embark on an “all-day excursion through the Indiana and Michigan countryside,” according to the Indiana Railway Experience website. The train will depart from Pleasant Lake, Indiana at 9:30 a.m., arrive in Hillsdale at 12 p.m., and depart at 3 p.m. to return to Indiana.

“It’s a fun block party for our community members to come down and enjoy,” said

Following the success of the first trip, the train company told the city they would bring more trains to Hillsdale, said Tritchka.

Kelly Lynch, the Vice President of the Fort Wayne Railroad, said the mission of Indiana Railway Experience is to preserve historic railroads and ensure the story is shared with as many people as possible.

An outbound train will also be departing from Hillsdale and traveling to Angola, Indiana on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15. Hillsdale residents can purchase tickets for the Michigan Fall Color Train at the Indiana Rail Experience website.

Local resident Kim Farnham started Poopdescoop six weeks ago. She said it’s a petwaste removal service to help pet owners with the monotonous daily chore of cleaning up after their pets.

Poopdescoop charges $15 for the company to come one day per week and clean up after one dog.

“I truly understand the love people have for their pets, although I believe that people are so busy in their day to day lives that any convenience to return precious time back into their day would be beneficial,” Farnham said. “While enjoying pets as companions, the task of keeping up a yard becomes more difficult as we age. This service would make a great gift for our elderly parents.”

Having run a salon in

Her poop-scooping company is meant to take the burden off owners who love their pets but lack the time or ability to clean up after them.

“It is perfect for older people with limited time and large yards, and it’s such a relief to know that the yard is clean,” said Pam Mattox, one of Poopdescoop’s customers.

Sophomore Madison Gilbert said the idea for the business is sweet and admires its goal of helping out those who

At the moment, Farnham is both the company’s proprietor and the only employee. However, she said she hopes to expand the business and hire other employees in the future.

“It’s a perfect job for most anyone that loves animals and likes to walk,” Farnham said.

The business is growing quickly due to local needs.

“We have been contacted by a local doggy day care as well as a nonprofit dog rescue. For these types of needs a different pricing scale is provided,” Farnham said.

“It only took a minute to see the advantages of having a regular service to do that chore,” Mattox said.

According to the company’s Facebook page, they “scoop that poop, so you don’t have to.”

“This presents a tremendous opportunity for our local businesses to capitalize on the influx of visitors and showcase Hillsdale’s unique offerings.”

The train arrived in Hillsdale last year bringing tourists. Courtesy | Mark Nussbaum

“When our lead pastor planted the first church back 20 years ago, his goal was to serve people who would never go into a regular church.”

Life Changing Church is non-denominational and welcomes ‘people of all ages and walks of life’

Historic steam train to bring tourists to Hillsdale

“This service would make a great gift for our elderly parents.”

Hillsdale Craft Supply to offer watercolor painting lesson

By Malia Thibado Collegian Freelancer

Hillsdale Craft Supply

will host a watercolor painting lesson at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, according to the business’s Facebook page.

Owner of Hillsdale Craft Supply Shelley Mangus combined her entrepreneurial endeavors with her passion for teaching. Mangus said these lessons are “a way for me to help the community and teach everyone about all the different things art has to offer.”

The $35 fee covers both registration and painting supplies.

This month, Sidnie Kubien, an instructor and painter who works at the art store, will lead a two-hour painting session, sharing tips and tricks while walking participants through their own art pieces.

Attendees will learn artistic skills while creating a scene depicting a road winding through the mountains, according to Kubien.

Kubien said she aims to offer a friendly environment where people can relax and freely use their imagination, and wants to show the community that watercolors are nothing to be afraid of.

Hillsdale Craft Supply also offers lessons on pottery, stitching, drawing, and other types of art. Watercolor in particular, according to Mangus, always seemed like a difficult style because of its technical aspects and many niche tools.

Those who wish to register for the event can visit the Hillsdale Craft Supply website or the Facebook page.

Third brewery-to-brewery hike to happen in October

By Logan Washburn Associate Editor

A local group is planning a brewery-to-brewery hike from Hillsdale to Jonesville.

The North Country Trail, Chief Baw Beese Chapter, is planning a brewery-to-brewery hike on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. from Hillsdale Brewing Company to Ramshackle Brewing Company in Jonesville, according to Ronni Scrivens, a member of the group who is helping organize the event.

“We hope to expose the North Country Trail and the wonderful groups and people involved with it, and grow the member numbers and promote local small business,” Scrivens said.

The hike, which will take participants for five miles along the North Country Trail,

will be dog friendly, according to a Facebook post. The trail runs from Vermont to North Dakota and cuts directly through Hillsdale.

“There are still so many people that don’t know what the North Country Trail is and that it goes right through our community,” Scrivens said. “We have two awesome breweries that not only have great beverages and food but have amazing atmospheres.”

Felicia Finch, co-owner of Hillsdale Brewing, said she hopes the event will encourage people to use the trail, build camaraderie with Ramshackle Brewing, and inform people about the businesses. She said the two breweries have a good working relationship.

“The more the merrier,” Finch said.

Zack Bigelow, co-owner of Ramshackle Brewing with his wife Jessy, said the business is dog friendly and plans to host live music the night of the hike. He said local breweries have to work together to compete with larger corporate breweries.

“We’re up against the big guys,” Bigelow said. “We all understand that. Let’s make Michigan the greatest beer state in the world.”

Bigelow said he and his wife have been members of the North Country Trail, Baw Beese Chapter, for close to 10 years. “We used to be avid hikers.” Bigelow said. “Running a brewery kind of takes away from time to go out in the woods and enjoy nature.”

‘Doggie daycare’ to open later this month

By Emma Verrigni Collegian Reporter

So chapter members decided to organize the brewery-to-brewery hike. This will be the group’s third such hike since Scrivens first suggested it before the COVID shutdowns.

“I mentioned at a meeting that I thought it would be fun to do, and I was given the green light to organize it,” Scrivens said.

The first hike, however, took place in October 2022, and attracted close to 30 people, according to Scrivens. When people said they wanted to do the hike more than annually, the group held its second hike in April and attracted up to 80 people, she said.

“We have one of the greatest trail systems in the United States,” Bigelow said. “Bring your hiking shoes and come on in.”

Here’s what happens to roadkill in Hillsdale

By Carly Moran Assistant Editor

Get ready for roadkill season.

Cars in Hillsdale County struck 628 deer between the hours of 3 and 9 p.m. in 2022, according to the Office of Highway Safety Planning. The OHSP explains that as the days grow shorter and deer begin to mate, the combination of poor visibility and increased dusk activity can become a hazardous combination.

“It seems that the deer in Hillsdale are exceptionally stupid, and that it‘s more dangerous to drive with them around,” senior Anna Julia Bassols said. “When they get hit, the roadkill on the side of the road is just nasty. Especially in the warm summer

Upcoming in the city:

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet and Sherry Anne will perform at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9 at the Gospel Barn. For more information, visit gospelbarn.com.

The Flannel Madness Speed Show is happening at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10 at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds. Call 517-9363766 for more information.

The Annual Homecoming Alumni Choir Concert is at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Christ Chapel. This event is open to the community.

The Madison Avenue Band will perform at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds.

The Hillsdale County Fair, located at the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds, will happen Sept. 24-30

months, it gets bloated and smells bad and makes your pleasant country drive pretty unpleasant.”

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed laws for roadkill removal, which differ based upon whether the animal dies within city limits. Within the city of Hillsdale, the Department of Public Services is responsible for clean up.

“The city’s Department of Public Services buries the animals according to state guidelines,” Hillsdale City Manager David Mackie said. “They don’t pick up many animals throughout the year.”

When an animal is struck by a car outside city limits, the rules are different. It is then the responsibility of the Hillsdale County Road Com-

mission or Michigan State Police, according to county road commissioner Mark Kline.

“Many times, sheriff‘s deputies or Michigan State Police at the scene of a car-deer accident will drag the carcass off to the side of the road or inform the road commission,” county road commissioner Mark Kline said. “Motorists can also call 911 and inform of a traffic hazard. The carcass is removed to an unpopulated area and left for decomposition or food for predators.”

According to the Bodies of Dead Animals Act, passed in 1982, Michigan residents can even harvest roadkill for consumption if given a salvage permit by county law enforcement. If the animal dies on private property, the

owner has the right to bury, burn, or compost the carcass, according to Michigan law.

“Many years ago, deer carcasses were buried at a common site, but with the size of the deer herd and the amount of road kills, this was not an economic or ecological practice,” Kline said. “The Michigan Department of Natural Resources approved this practice.”

In the case of a serious accident, motorists are advised to call 911. To prevent collisions, Consumer Reports advises drivers to use headlights beginning an hour before dusk, and scan the sides of the road in a sweeping motion, looking for horizontal objects or eyeshine.

A new doggy daycare in Hillsdale is expected to open this month, according to owner Jen Sprunger. ReTreat Doggie Daycare will be located at 1320 Steamburg Road in Hillsdale, south of town near Baw Beese Lake. The business is owned by Brock and Jen Sprunger, and managed by their daughter, Kennedy Chesney.

Sprunger said the family decided to open a doggy daycare after taking their dog to one. They noticed their dog seemed happy and cared for at the daycare, inspiring them to open their own business to do the same for other dogs.

“Our family has a huge love for dogs,” Sprunger said. “Growing up we have always had dogs. We are a busy family and always felt guilty leaving them home all day.”

The daycare will feature public dog-washing stations. These stations will work for dogs of every size, and will alleviate the trouble of struggling to find a pet supply store that washes dogs.

In the future, ReTreat also plans to provide dogboarding services after the business kicks off.

Senior Anna Grace Russel said that she would like to send her dog to ReTreat to spend time with other dogs, but it will come down to price.

“I’m pretty limited financially because I’m a college student and I’m already paying to have her babysat for several weekends a semester when I travel for the mock trial team,” Russel said. “My dog loves other dogs and she doesn’t get to see them as much since we don’t have a dog park in town, so I would love to send her there.”

Registered sex offender banned from campus

By Logan Washburn Associate Editor

Hillsdale College Security

banned registered sex offender Carey Charles Yacks from campus last week.

“There was no valid reason for Mr. Yacks to be on campus,” Director of Security and Emergency Management Joe Kellam said. “He walked onto campus and was harassing students.”

Students called security with concerns about Yacks on the evening of Aug. 28, according to Kellam. Yacks, 48, is a registered sex offender, according to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

The City of Hillsdale Police Department helped remove Yacks from campus because he was intoxicated and argumentative, according to Kellam. A photograph posted to Snapchat appears to show security and police officers detaining Yacks.

If Yacks returns to campus, he will be trespassing on college property.

“We responded at the request of college security and a trespass warning was given,” Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner said.

Freshman Fran Mangravite said she was sitting with her mom on the steps of Christ Chapel working on her lease

when she smelled marijuana and saw someone resembling Yacks close to 8 p.m.

“I thought he was giving weird vibes,” Mangravite said. “I was like, ‘He’s not a worker, he’s not a student, who is this guy?”

Junior Carly Moran said she was there with friends

close to the same time as Mangravite when she also saw someone resembling Yacks.

“I felt like someone was behind me so I turned around, and there was a strange man playing a video on his phone,” she said. “He almost reminded me of Mr. Clean.”

Senior Lindsey Cool said

she saw a man of a similar description near police cars in the driveway to the Mossey Library and the Grewcock Student Union. Yacks was convicted in Missouri for crimes involving children in 2007 and 2017, according to the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.

Police officers detained Yacks on campus last week. Courtesy Snapchat

A similar hike was organized between breweries last October. Courtesy | Ronni Scrivens

Brennan named head coach of women’s basketball

By Moira Gleason Assistant Editor

Brianna Brennan became the ninth head coach of the women’s basketball team in April after two seasons as the lead assistant coach for the Chargers.

“It was super nice to hear that someone familiar was going to be taking over the program,” senior forward Sydney Mills said. “All of us for the past two years loved coach Brie, and she has been a super positive light for everyone. I think she’s going to do a great job keeping a positive atmosphere and pushing us.”

Brennan graduated in 2017 from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she played three years of NCAA Division II basketball and two years of volleyball.

After teaching first and then second grade, Brennan returned to basketball in 2019 to coach as a graduate

assistant and earn her Master of Sports Administration at Eastern Illinois University.

“I love being in a position to mentor our athletes and help them become well rounded human beings,” Brennan said. “That's probably my favorite part, seeing the growth in our athletes as they navigate college and figure out what the rest of their life looks like.”

Hillsdale College Athletic Director John Tharp said Brennan’s character, as well as her experience with the team, made her the perfect candidate for the position.

“I witnessed firsthand her daily interactions that she had with her student athletes over the last two or three years,” Tharp said. “She is one of the best human beings that I’ve been around. That for me is the most important thing when you’re talking about coaching is you’re here to develop the minds and hearts, as we say, of student athletes.”

Action Shooting

Since she began coaching for Hillsdale in fall 2021, Brennan has helped lead the Chargers to a total of 30 wins in two seasons. Last season, the team advanced to the first round of the G-MAC Women’s Basketball Championship for the first time since 2018-2019.

Though four head coaches have led the Hillsdale women’s basketball program in the past 10 years, Tharp said he knows Brennan will bring continuity to the program and build upon its recent success.

“She knows basketball at a high level,” Tharp said. “I think she’s going to have the best interest in kids and try to give them the best experience here. I know she’ll build a program that we can all be proud of and that will inspire everyone that watches their team.”

Brennan said much of her passion for coaching stems from her own negative experiences with coaches while

playing basketball in college.

“I didn't have a great coaching experience, which led me to walk away from it,” Brennan said. “I love to be able to coach girls to give them the experience that I didn't quite get to have as a player.”

While she wants the team to compete at a high level every day and see more postseason basketball this year, Brennan said her first goal is for the players to build firm relationships with one another off the court so that they can push one another on the court.

“I want our girls prepared, ready to show up, ready to battle and get better every single day,” Brennan said. “The season is always going to be a journey and so how we go through this year is going to be huge, attacking it with a mindset where we know how to handle adversity and we rely on each other.”

Hillsdale beats Naval Academy in first collegiate USPSA match

By Olivia Pero Sports Editor

The Hillsdale action shooting team beat the United States Naval Academy in a match at the John Anthony Halter Shooting Sports Center Sept. 2.

It was the first ever collegiate United States Practical Shooting Association and level one action shooting match.

“There is no collegiate division in this new sport, USPSA,” junior Taylor Chen said. “So this weekend, we hosted the first collegiate USPSA match, which is pretty cool.”

Hillsdale won with a score of 2,245.59 points, while the Naval Academy had a score of 1,894.97 points. Hillsdale beat the Naval Academy by

Shotgun

350.62 points.

Fifty participants shot at the event, including Hillsdale action shooting team members, Naval Academy students, and the public.

All nine of the Hillsdale members who shot placed in the top 21 spots.

Senior Zechariah Steiger placed first with 678.75 points, junior Alexander Vietor placed third with 548.89 points, and senior Adam Bentley placed fourth with 519.12 points.

“For us as a team, this was our first match running and shooting,” Chen said. “What we were doing before was stationary shooting. There was no drawing from the holsters. It was just shooting in one spot and shooting at steel.”

The team has switched to

a new format of competition.

Athletes now draw their pistol from the holster at the sound of a timer and move through a course where they shoot at targets from different angles.

Chen said Hillsdale had to prove to the USPSA there was enough interest to host a collegiate match.

“We're just grateful that it went smoothly because it's like a proof of concept to the USPSA guys who were willing to give us a shot,” Chen said.

The Naval Academy reached out to Hillsdale about doing a match, Burlew said.

“We put it all together and decided to do USPSA because that's more exciting to watch — more interesting for

the spectators,” Burlew said.

The Naval Academy does not have a social media presence, so the team didn’t know what they were going up against, Chen said.

“There's always an intimidation factor. I mean, they're a military academy. When you think of the military, you associate guns with it,” Chen said.

Burlew said action shooting might appear to be out of control, but it’s actually very controlled. The goal of the running and shooting style of action shooting is to do basic marksmanship in the shortest amount of time possible.

The match lasted three hours.

“It ended up being pretty quick,” Burlew said. “Not too bad considering it was six

stages, and we had five flights and five squads.”

Sophomore Joseph Grohs said the Naval Academy students were very sportsmanlike.

“They were safe throughout the match, and they were super helpful,” Grohs said.

Chen said the Naval Academy students were also very professional and polite.

“We had fun and friendly competition,” Chen said.

After the match, Hillsdale and the Naval Academy had dinner at the AcuSport Grille, Burlew said.

“The Navy boys and the Hillsdale guys all intermingled, hung out, and talked shop for a little while,” Burlew said.

According to Burlew, a handful of students came to

watch the match.

“I suspect most of them have never seen anything like that, so that was something cool to showcase,” Burlew said.

While the team currently has 11 members, only nine of them shot at the match.

“The two that didn't shoot are freshmen who had just joined that week, so they had barely gotten any training,” Chen said. “We decided to let them watch and see what it's about. You don't really want to toss a new person into the deep end right away.”

The team will next shoot Sept. 9 in the Brooklyn Steel Challenge at the Brooklyn Gun Club in Brooklyn, Michigan.

Chargers open fall season with fundraiser

By Carly Moran Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale Charger Classic hosted 61 athletes for a charity shotgun competition on Aug. 26, and raised about $3,000 during the first fundraiser of the season for the college shotgun team.

The eighth annual National Sporting Clays Association tournament donated all proceeds toward the travel and admission fees of the shotgun team. Equipment for the tournament included 100 target sporting clays, 50 target super sporting, and 50 target fivestand competitions all raised money, with entry fees ranging between $35 to $70.

“The Halter Center is probably in the top five in the world as far as facilities go — it’s incredibly beneficial,” assistant coach Caitlin Royer said. “For the Hillsdale students on the shotgun team, this is their home range. This is their backyard for sure, and I think it’s definitely exciting for them.”

For many of the Hillsdale athletes, it served as a practice competition before the start of the season.

“I have been making some changes with my mechanics, and this was the first competition I was able to use them

in,” junior Josh Corbin said. “I always strive to shoot my best, but there wasn’t a lot on the line, so I wasn’t too worried about my outcome.”

The Charger Classic was the first event that included the entire team, and it was also the first travel fundraiser. The Island Lake Grand Prix, held Aug. 20, took place during freshman convocation, preventing the new athletes from joining the competition.

“I think having more members on the team is definitely going to be lots of fun, and very beneficial for the competition side of things,” Royer said. “We have a lot of new team members with different styles and areas of expertise in certain games.”

Madeline Corbin is one of three freshmen to join the team, but the first with a family connection. She said she was excited to join her brother in future competitions.

"I tried not to let Josh play into my decision to come here," Madeline said. "I'm in love with the campus. I love all my classes. I love the core curriculum and everything Hillsdale stands for, and in my opinion it has the best shotgun team, so you’re not going to turn that down. He's been a great older brother as far as just covering

things.”

Madeline said the difference between collegiate and high school competition comes down to how serious the athletes are.

“I feel like everybody on the collegiate team is a little more confident in themselves and can be more helpful for others,” Madeline said. “Say if you're struggling, they're more likely to speak up and give advice. Whereas I feel like the high school team relied on coaches a lot more for help.”

Madeline said she decided

line said. “It's a great opportunity. You can take it as far as you want to. You can even go to the Olympics if you want.” Multiple athletes scored highest overall in their respective divisions and even placed in multiple disciplines.

Josh Corbin placed highest overall in sporting clays, as well as first in the junior competition. Senior William Stuart earned second highest overall in sporting clays. Sophomore Jordan Sapp placed third highest overall in sporting clays, and junior Gavin Drill earned second in the junior B division of five-stand.

Madeline earned a second place position in both the AA and ladies divisions. Senior Ida Brown placed first in the A division, and third in the ladies division. Senior Jessica Strasser placed first in the ladies division of t-B3 sporting, sophomore Sophia Bultema placed first in the E division, and freshman Ava Downs earned first in the ladies division of five-stand.

to shoot competitively alongside her brother the summer after sixth grade, after growing tired of being on the sidelines for years.

“So many kids that shoot don't play other sports,” Made-

The Chargers’ next tournament is the NSCA Great Lakes Championship on the weekend of Sept. 9 at the Grand Blanc Huntsman’s Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

“You can take it as far as you want to. You can even go to the Olympics if you want.”

Brianna Brennan was promoted to head coach after two seasons with the Chargers. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletics Department

Leif Andersen aims down the range at the Charger Classic. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletics Department

Women's XC

Men's XC

Chargers kick off season with second place finish Mitchell leads Chargers to first place win in opening Deimer Classic meet

By Cassandra DeVries Social Media Manager

The Hillsdale women’s cross-country team placed second in the season-opening Diemer Classic Sept. 1. The NCAA Division III Calvin University Knights hosted the meet in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Knights won the meet, but Hillsdale athletes filled five of the top ten spots, with junior Liz Wamsley finishing first in the 4k with a time of 14:23 minutes. Last year, Wamsley earned All-American honors in indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and cross-country.

“My plan was to go out at a hard pace and hold steady for the whole race,” Wamsley said. “I wasn’t sure if there would be anyone to run with, so I had to rely on my watch and feel to pace myself.”

Wamsley’s fellow teammates anticipated her victory. “She’s one of the best runners in the country, and this was a pretty small meet,” sophomore Kayla Loescher said.

Golf

Hillsdale’s new roster is relatively young, and the Diemer Classic marked the first collegiate cross-country meet for six freshmen.

“It was exciting to see how well the newcomers raced at their first ever collegiate meet. That can definitely be daunting, but it seems like everyone handled it pretty well,” Wamsley said.

In the 4k, freshman Savannah Fraly finished in 6th at 15:21 minutes. Junior Vera Thompson finished in 7th with a time of 15:37 minutes. Freshman Megan Roberts finished 8th at 15:45 minutes, with freshman Anna Stirton coming in tenth at 15:48 minutes.

In addition to five top 10 finishers, freshman Eleanor Clark came in 12th at 16:00 minutes, and junior Brynn Edison followed closely behind, finishing in 13th place with a time of 16:08 minutes.

“I thought that our meet went pretty well overall,” Loescher said. “The freshmen all looked super strong, and I’m excited to see how they do this season.”

The Chargers said they saw the Diemer Classic as a

gauge to test where the team needs to improve as they prepare for bigger meets.

“This was meant to be an opener that would allow people to get back into it, practice the race mentally, and also test where our fitness is at,” Wamsley said.

The Chargers are already preparing for the G-MAC Conference Meet on Oct. 21, where they took second place to Cedarville University last year.

“I’m excited to see how we can apply what we learned this past Friday,” Loesher said.

The team’s next meet will be in Metro Detroit, Michigan, for the Wayne State University’s Warrior Challenge. Athletes will compete against other Midwest regional rivals, giving the Chargers an opportunity to survey their G-MAC competition.

Overall, Loescher said the Diemer Classic was a great start to the season.

“It was a lot of fun and nice to have a more low-key meet to get in the groove of things before we head to some bigger meets,” she said.

By Alex Deimel Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale men’s cross country team opened its season by taking first place at the Calvin University’s Diemer Classic in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Sept. 1.

The Chargers had four runners finish in the top five. They faced athletes from Calvin, a few Calvin cross country alumni, and Grand Rapids Community College. Hillsdale placed 25 points ahead of Calvin which finished second with 37.

Taking first place individually was junior Alex Mitchell, who made the 2022 All G-MAC Second Team. Mitchell kicked off his senior season with a 5k time of 15:15 minutes and a pace of 3:03 minutes per kilometer.

“The last couple of years, our first meet has been fairly rough, so to open with a pretty decisive win is super promising," Mitchell said, “The summer is always pretty tough with everyone running a lot of miles on their own, often in the heat and fitting it in before work, so being able to show our fitness after a long training block is always super rewarding.”

The other three Chargers in the leading pack finished third, fourth, and fifth. Junior Micah Vanderkooi took third place with a time of 15:20 minutes, while junior Ross Kuhn, competing for the first time since October of last season, finished fourth at 15:25 minutes. Following Kuhn was junior Richie Johnston who took fifth place with a time of 15:26 minutes.

“It feels great to be back. I was just excited to be able to compete again after an injury last year,” Kuhn said. “We knew that we had something special with this team and it was exciting to see all the hard work from the summer pay off in the race. This is just the beginning though, we have a long season and need to make sure we are primed and ready on Nov. 4.”

Johnston said this first race of the season went well from both an individual and team standpoint.

“It was great to be in a competitive environment again and to run alongside my boys,” Johnston said. “I ran a pretty big personal best, but I know there’s still more work to be done before championship season.”

The next Charger to cross the finish line was junior

Donny McArdle. He took 12th place overall with a time of 15:46 minutes.

Freshman Caleb Youngstedt followed McArdle and finished his first collegiate race at the 16:10 minute mark, which earned him 15th place overall.

Just one second after Youngstedt was senior Sean Hoeft, who kicked off his senior campaign with a 16:11 minute time, earning himself 16th place in the meet. Finishing after Hoeft was junior Caleb Oser, who took 18th place, finishing at the 16:16 minute mark.

Other Chargers competing in the Diemer Classic included sophomores Seth Jankowski, Mark Masaka, and Emil Schlueter. Schlueter was the first to finish of the three runners, earning 21st overall at the 16:31 minute mark. Jankowski and Masaka finished together, tying for 24th overall at 16:42 minutes.

The Chargers’ next meet will be the Warrior Challenge, which is hosted by the Wayne State University Warriors on Sept. 15. The following weekend, the team will head to Lansing Community College to compete in the Lansing Invitational Sept. 22.

Hillsdale to open season with Glenmoor Classic

By Thomas McKenna Assistant Editor

After losing a fifth-year senior and picking up three freshmen this summer, the Hillsdale men’s golf team will open its season next week in Canton, Ohio.

The Chargers will travel south to compete Sept. 11-12 in the Glenmoor Fall Classic. The team placed second in the tournament last season and shot only two strokes over the program’s record 54hole score.

“The tournament I’m looking forward to is Glen-

moor, if I get to play in it,”

sophomore Max Burns said.

“I remember that course being awesome, and obviously it was the first-ever college tournament I played in.” Hillsdale will play in four tournaments this fall, one fewer than it played last fall.

Head coach Matt Thompson, entering his fourth season at Hillsdale, said he made the change because he wants his players to be at their best for each tournament.

“I think just that much travel to tournaments was difficult,” Thompson said. “I want to make sure guys have

the time to decompress and get their academics in order so that they can travel to the tournament with a clear head.”

The Chargers ended last season on a disappointing note, finishing last out of 12 teams in April at the G-MAC championship tournament. The team also lost fifth-year senior Drew Gandy, who Thompson said is now coaching men’s and women’s golf for another G-MAC school, Northwood University.

“He was really getting into the ins and outs of coaching by the time he was done play-

ing,” Thompson said. “I think it's a great opportunity for him to get his feet wet in the world of coaching.”

The team picked up three freshmen in the offseason: Oliver Marshall, Ryan O’Rourke, and Robert Thompson.

“They’ve had great tournament experience that I think will serve them well as they make the transition to college golf,” coach Thompson said. “Robert and Oliver are pretty consistent players. Ryan is a tall, lanky kid and has a lot of power, can really hit the ball a long ways, and certainly has some really great potential —

a good junior player in his own right. We got a little bit of a mix of guys.”

Junior Filippo Reale said he is impressed by the freshmen.

“They’re good guys, they’ve settled themselves well into the team dynamics, and they’re good fun,” Reale said. “But most importantly, they’re going to be improving over the years. I’m happy for Hillsdale to have these guys.”

The players compete with each other to determine the team’s lineup before every tournament, with the top five qualifying to play the next

week.

“We’re figuring out who the best five players are,” Thompson said. “We're going to set the lineup and put the finishing touches on a couple of things, and then we'll be ready to go compete.”

Thompson said Wednesday, amid the team’s qualifying rounds, all three freshmen had a chance at playing in the lineup next week.

“It should be a combination of some good experience from the back and some younger guys who should be able to make their way in,” Thompson said.

Zac Tokie, FooTball Charger chatter

What’s the craziest thing you did as a child?

I almost cut my thumb off. I was whittling a walking stick, and I had my hand below where I was whittling. My hand slipped, and I almost cut my thumb off.

What’s your favorite movie and why?

Forrest Gump probably, just a great movie.

What’s something that’s on your bucket list?

To go duck hunting in either Canada or the Dakotas.

What’s your proudest moment as an athlete?

Receiving a scholarship to play football for Hillsdale.

What’s a cool fact about the place you’re from?

Traverse City is heaven on earth.

What do you like to do outside of football?

Duck Hunt.

What’s a food everyone should try?

A pasty. It’s an Upper Peninsula or northern Michigan thing, but they’re so good.

Compiled by Olivia Hajicek

Charger

Chargers lose to Indianapolis in opener Football

Charger offense takes the field against the Greyhounds.

Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletics Department

By Micah Hart

Political Correspondent

Senior tailback Michael Herzog scored two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win as the Chargers lost their first game of the season on Saturday 39-20 against the University of Indianapolis. The game was the first of three away games before the Chargers play their first home game Sept. 23, during Homecoming weekend.

The game started with a Charger touchdown, as Her-

zog put six on the scoreboard after a 13-yard run.

Herzog later scored the Chargers’ second touchdown of the night, putting the team in the lead 14-12 after a Greyhound’s scoring drive.

“The first half felt really good,” Herzog said. “I think we did a really good job as a team those first few drives. Those first few long drives in the first game definitely had an impact on the game.”

As the second quarter came to a close, however, the team started to struggle, with a turnover giving Indianap-

Men's Club Soccer

olis the chance to retake the lead, with a score of 15-14 going into halftime

The team, however, wasn’t able to put points up in the third quarter and failed to surpass the Greyhounds’ lead.

In the second half, the team missed two field goals and another turnover resulted in an Indianapolis touchdown.

In the fourth, the Chargers produced a 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown, but it wasn’t enough to give the Chargers an edge in the

game. One of the big challenges came from Indianapolis’ quarterback, head coach Keith Otterbein said.

“Their quarterback was a new starter so we didn't know much about him,” Otterbein said. “He was a pretty mobile kid, so kind of that dual threat guy, and he kept some plays alive with his feet, so that was a challenge for us.”

Despite this, Herzog was within reach of a career high, racking up 154 yards along with his two touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Garrit Aissen completed 20 passes in 32 attempts,for a total of 208 yards.

“I felt like our kids were ready, they were engaged. They didn't have big eyes and wonder what was going on in a pretty intense atmosphere,” Otterbein said. “But we certainly have to clean up the things that have a big effect on a football game.”

Aissen saw some positives in the game as well, also noting it takes a few mistakes to change a football game.

“We had a lot of young guys who stepped up and played really, really well,” Aissen said. “There were maybe two or three mistakes. Unfortunately in the game of football, that's all it takes, and Indy played an outstanding game. They just took advantage of those mistakes, and I

we're looking to do is play a full 60 minutes of football and execute the whole time, Aissen said.

think that's honestly what the difference was at the end.”

“We had a great start to this game. Now we just got to finish the game, so what

The Chargers remain on the road for a game this weekend against Michigan Technological University.

Herzog, who said he had his worst game last season against Michigan Tech, is ready to come back with more experience. He also said the Chargers’ strategy remains the same.

“They put a lot of guys in the box and their running defense is really good, so we're gonna have to do some things to beat them on the ground,” Herzog said. “But pretty much the same strategy: put some points on the board offensively.”

Hillsdale upsets Michigan State Spartans

By Hailei Browne Collegian Freelancer

Senior Brett Schaller and sophomore Dylan Hughes scored goals to lead the college men’s club soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, Sept. 2, in their first match of the season.

“They were probably the hardest opponent on our schedule,” said Schaller, who is vice president of the club team.

MSU boasts close to 150 freshmen try out for their team — a small army relative to Hillsdale’s 15 new players who tried out this season. Not only did they have a larger pool of talented players to build their team, but they have a history to back up their boasting. MSU went to nationals last year, making them ranked No. 1 in the bracket going into this season. Hillsdale was at the bottom of the bracket.

“It really was a David and Goliath scenario,” said sophomore Jacob Beckwith, president of the Hillsdale club soccer team.

Schaller was the first player to score a goal.

“The first emotion I felt was surprise — it was a shot from pretty far out and it was

really early on,” Schaller said. “Then, all I felt was massive excitement. Especially after the first goal, it started to become a lot more real.”

Beckwith said the team realized they could win the game when Schaller scored the first goal. Hughes put the Chargers up 2-0.

“It was a big upset going into halftime,” Hughes said. “We played a tight defense and held them off for the rest of the game.”

MSU was only able to score one goal in the final minutes of the second half.

“Jake Waldvogel, our goalkeeper, has done outstandingly,” Beckwith said. “He came in with confidence and poise at the beginning of the season and was a huge factor in our win for being consistent and making saves.”

Assistant coach Kyle Zimmer said the team stepped up and never stopped hustling.

“They never gave up, and they kept their heads in the game,” Zimmer said.

But even after an exhausting game on Saturday, the team’s weekend wasn’t over yet. They still had to make a quick turn around in order to finish off their double-header weekend and play against

Ferris State, another one of the team’s rivals, on Sunday.

“It was hot and everyone was tired, so they had to dig deep and stay in the game mentally, requiring a high

Zimmer said the team also did well with capitalizing on key moments.

“Jude Barton found himself with the ball outside the 18 and hit a laser into the

ter this first weekend of successful games.

Beckwith attributes the team’s success to the fans who came to support it. He said it was the largest attendance he

es and games and helps us focus in the time that we need to focus,” Schaller said. “With Ethan at the helm, that has really changed things.”

The Chargers will head

amount of discipline and focus,” Zimmer said.

According to Beckwith, the team’s strategy for playing in the game against Ferris was entirely different than the day before — this time it was a matter of constantly subbing players in and keeping guys running.

net,” Zimmer said.

Despite the players’ fatigue, they managed to pull through with the second success of the weekend — a 1-0 win against Ferris State.

Zimmer said he’s excited to see how the team carries its determination and spirit into the rest of the season af-

has ever seen at a club soccer event, and hearing everyone cheering is what gave the team the extra push to win.

Schaller and Zimmer both give credit to the team’s new head coach, Ethan Bodnar.

“This year, he brought calmness and leadership. He sets the right tone in practic-

to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face the Western Michigan University Broncos Sept. 9, and then they will host the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Sept. 16th.

“This team has got a lot of heart and they proved what they can do on the field this weekend,” Zimmer said.

“It really was a David and Goliath scenario.”

“Especially after the first goal, it started to become a lot more real.

“Those first few long drives in the first game definitely had an impact on the game.”

“I felt like our kids were ready, they were engaged. They didn't have big eyes and wonder what was going on.”

Chargers celebrate their victory against MSU. Cour tesy | Jacob Beckwith

C U L T U R E

New band ‘spits fire’ into the 2023-2024 campus music scene

By Madeline Welsh SenioR editoR

Each year, Phi Mu Alpha’s band has a new name and almost entirely new members. But it maintains tradition by acting as the fraternity’s foothold in Hillsdale’s live music scene.

Spike Jaeger and the Spitfires is the newest iteration of the music fraternity’s representative band. The fourpiece band made its debut at Welcome Party at the end of August.

“It’s usually senior members of the men’s music fraternity that are friends and close and great musicians,” senior Avery Miller said.

Miller plays guitar for Spike Jaeger and is a veteran of the Phi Mu band, having played in last year’s James Bulleit and the Dirty Blondes. Beside him at the front of stage is junior Stephen Berntson, the vocalist and former frontman of Sean Connery Jr. On bass guitar is soph omore Luca Vitale. He’s the youngest member, but also Miller’s fellow veteran, having played a few shows with James Bulleit this past spring. Behind them all sits senior Carter McNish on drums.

There’s a semi-strict con vention for naming the Phi Mu band: it requires use of a first name and at least one reference to alcohol.

“Spike Jaeger was a runner up for last year and then this year everyone was like, ‘yeah that’s pretty good. Let’s keep that,’” Miller said.

Berntson and McNish joked about whether they should talk too much about the alcohol references in the band’s name.

“At Hillsdale, we’re all about tradition,” McNish said.

Spike Jaeger and the Spitfires references the German digestif Jägermeister and the spitfire, a cognac-based cocktail.

Another first name almost

won out over Spike, though.

“It was gonna be Chuck Jaeger, because Chuck Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier,” Berntson said.

Like fan favorite James Bulleit before it, Spike Jaeger plays crowd favorites across genres.

“Anything that the crowd can recognize and sing along to and dance along to, those are, like, the three main criteria,” Miller said. “Sometimes

Spike Jaeger and the Spitfires pulled it off with just Miller on guitar.

Vitale said it’s his favorite song to perform live.

“It’s a mix of high energy, accessibility, and it’s not the hardest song in the world, at least for me personally so I can have fun with it,” Vitale said. “It’s challenging enough where it’s fun but it’s so familiar and easy enough to where I can still dance around the stage.”

Market blooms with fresh finds

“We got to make it into something more like a pop rock cover,” Vitale said.

Berntson, McNish, and Vitale discussed their song tweaking techniques, but Miller grimaced.

“It makes Avery’s job hard,” Berntson said with a laugh.

While Vitale’s bass adds depth to each song and McNish keeps time, Miller’s electric guitar pulls the weight of establishing the melody alongside Berntson’s vocals. That’s a big ask for a song like “Summer,” according to

“A lot of songs, you hear the record, and you’re like, ‘There ain’t no way we’re pulling that off,’” Miller said.

He said it usually works out, though, and they come up with a cover that’s recognizable and entertaining to hear and watch.

All four said they agreed that the challenge of covering Calvin Harris or ABBA is what makes the band

“These are some of the best musicians in Phi Mu on these couches,” Vitale said. “We like to show off a little bit.”

McNish laughed.

“Just a teeny weeny bit of showing off,” he said.

By Linnea Shively aSSiStant edito

For the class of 2027, the Hillsdale County Farmers Market is opening doors to new friendships and a deeper commu nity.

Freshmen Sophia Miller and Maria Graziastroik, who live next door to each other in Olds Residence, met during orientation sessions but quickly started grabbing meals and attending mass together. Last Saturday morning, they visited the market together after mass.

With coffee from Jilly Beans in hand, they were some of the first arrivals.

“When we got there, some vendors were still setting up, so we did a couple of laps,” Miller said. “But I remember the first thing I saw was the stand of sourdough bread. I got so excited because it’s what I eat at home.”

Other items that caught their eye were earrings from Zoe Ray, cranberry mustard, and a cherry pie.

Market a staple in their schedule. Next weekend, they intend to invite more friends and try new foods.

“I heard the Amish have really good pastries and scones,” Graziastroik said. “So I want to get them next time.”

Miller and Graziastroik’s outing is nearly identical to a trip junior Monroe Beute made with friends as freshmen. After walking to Rough Draft, they toured the various stands and returned to Olds to taste test pastries and fresh peaches.

mance featured Pitbull’s “Fireball,” Greta Van Fleet’s “Safari Song,” and Berntson’s favorite, ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!”

But they opened with a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome To The Jungle” to coordinate with the event’s eponymous theme.

“We threw that song in like five days before because they did the theme drop,” Miller said.

Miller and Vitale played the song most recently with James Bulleit and the Dirty Blondes at Centralhallapalooza in April, but that band had had a second guitarist.

actually, you need to put your own spin on it because you don’t have the actual instruments to make the song,” Berntson said.

One such song was “Summer” by Calvin Harris, an electronic dance song mainly featuring synth, electric piano, electric drums, and bass guitar.

“That’s one of my favorite things about playing in a band is taking a song that one would listen to and be like, ‘ah, you can’t perform that live,’ and actually manufacturing it into a live song. It’s really fun.”

Vitale agreed.

Spike Jaeger and the Spitfires have more gigs already planned for this semester, including the opening act at Casablancapalooza,.

There’s a lot on Spike’s shoulders as the representative band of Phi Mu Alpha and the successor of the wildly popular James Bulleit. But it seems fans are happy.

“Spike Jaeger totally shredded. From the face melting riffs to the excellent song choices, all I can say is, ‘when I met you in the summer,’” freshman Jonah Swartz said, referencing the opening line from “Summer” by Calvin Harris. “I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean, but it’s legit.”

“We didn’t end up getting the cranberry mustard because I didn’t know what to do with it, but before fall break I’m definitely going to buy some and take it home to try,” Graziastroik said. “We kept saying that for Christmas or Parents Weekend we have to get paraphernalia for family.”

After returning to Olds, the friends gathered for a taste test of bread and pie in the lobby.

“We had a big taste test, which was so fun,” Miller said. “We cut up the pie and everyone had a little slice of pie and cut up the garlic sourdough loaf and toasted it.”

The duo is already planning to make the Farmers

Professors’ Picks: Dr. Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor

“The Lighthouse’s Tale,”

Nickel Creek - 2001

“Nickel Creek is just a really fun band, and you should definitely listen to their stuff. They’re a really talented group and the variety they play is pretty fun. ‘The Lighthouse’s Tale’ is a good story song as well as just delightful mandolin behind it and certainly moving, but also you can tell that the band really likes playing with each other, and I think it comes out in their music. I’ve seen them live a couple of times and they’re really fun in concert as well.”

“I and Thou,”

Martin Buber - 1937

“It’s a little bit philosophically dense and a bit difficult to work through, but it’s a beautiful description of how we relate to the world and of the importance of attending to the relationships in our lives. And not just relationships between people but relationships between things, relationships between us and God. It talks about two different kinds of relationships and gives us a vision for how we might be relational in our living. I think it’s a book that every time I go back and read it, I see new things through it.”

“Life is Beautiful” - 1997

“It’s a classic. It’s a two-part film. First it is a love story about marriage and early family life and then they are sent to a prison camp. So the second half of the story is very much a tragedy. But it’s about how this man is able to, through a persistent ability to see joy, savor joy, and see the beauty in life, is able to make those around him, especially his child, able to overcome just intensely tragic and horrific things through his vision for the world around him. You will cry and you will laugh, and I don’t know if there’s too many movies that can make you do both of those things at the same time. “

“As a freshman, I discovered that going to the Farmers Market is a great way to not only interact with the Hillsdale community but also cultivate my own friendships,” Beute said. “It’s so easy to reach out to a friend and ask if they’d like to get a coffee and check out the stands!”

Now, Beute’s purchases always include a bundle of flowers.

“I always buy fresh flowers because they help turn my room into a home,” Beute said.

For Miller and Graziastroik, talking to locals at the market and getting involved in campus events are turning Hillsdale into a new home away from home for them.

“Hillsdale College really wants students to get out into the community,” Miller said.

“I think the Farmers Market is a perfect way to do that.”

education

of

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

Gregg played for the Hillsdale College baseball team.

Courtesy | Jonathan Gregg

Spike Jaeger band members perform at Welcome Party. Courtesy | Student Activities Board

Superstar Stephen Berntson sings his heart out at Welcome Party. Courtesy | Student Activities Board

Shopper reaches for a farm fresh tomato.

Courtesy | Sophia Miller

C U L T U R E

Film club combines novel projects and classic taste

By Megan Li Collegian FreelanCer

For those that find themselves scrambling to see the newest Christopher Nolan films, raving about the Coen Brothers, or even simply appreciating the classics, the Hillsdale Film and Production Club offers a place for film enthusiasts to watch, discuss, and produce the newest blockbusters.

“It has sort of become a catch-all for everything on campus that’s related to films — not just for those who enjoy film, but also who enjoy how film is made,” said Jeffrey Hertel, assistant professor of German and the club’s faculty adviser. “It’s really just a place to appreciate film as an object of study.”

The club kicked off the year with its first meeting on Aug. 28, which began with discussing plans for the year and ended with a showing of the Coen Brothers’ “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

Discussions typically follow any film that the club watches, both during and outside of its meetings. Hertel recently led a discussion on the “Star Wars” prequels, and future plans include a possible “Barbie” panel.

“We want to have discussion of an idea in a film or the film itself,” Kjos

said.“‘What’s going on here? What was the intent? What was the end result?’”

According to Kjos, discussing films is one half of the club’s mission. The other half is to grow the production of films on campus.

“We want film to act as a

Monday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m in Lane Hall room 332.

“You have any idea, and then you contact one of us,” Kjos said. “There’s not a particular type of film. It’s just whatever is within our capacity.”

Last year, many different

a parody of The Daily Wire’s “What is a Woman?”

According to junior and Vice President Donny McArdle, such videos that poke fun at campus are well received.

“The funny thing is everyone on campus seems to

know.”

The club also plans to host production workshops where students can get hands-on experience creating and producing their own films.

“You might not think you’re the best film expert or you may not know about

Club Recommendations

Truman

-

“It has a powerful message about where to find meaning in life and how to escape the pits of despair.

I like movies that go towards the dark side of life, but then can also come out and still end on a positive note,. ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ does that better than any other movie ever made.”

way for various members of the student body to express ideas to create culture,” Kjos said.

The club will hear project ideas at a pitch meeting on

Gregory Alan Isakov provides listeners closest thing to a cure

By Alexandra Hall Design eDitor

Zoloft, Lexapro, Wellbutrin — they’ve made us pills to get through wintertime. But Gregory Alan Isakov disagrees in the title track of his first record in five years: “Appaloosa Bones.”

“They haven’t made no pill / To get us ’cross the wintertime / Tell time by the walls / Watch the shadows fall,” he sings.

Isakov doesn’t really exist in the same world as antidepressants. His songs make listeners feel like they’re in some sort of timeless sonic prairie, far away from everything bad in the world and yet still haunted by it. “Appaloosa Bones” is no different than his past five albums in creating this effect, and that’s the best thing about it.

Isakov rose to fame with his 2009 record “This Empty Northern Hemisphere” and the star single “Big Black Car,” which has found its way into every indie movie since then. The Boulder farmer spends most of the year on his land, his crops ending up on local tables, in nearby restaurants, and in soup kitchens. In the winter, he sets off on tours across the country, most of the time in familiar cities at venues who know him as a friend at this point.

“Appaloosa Bones” contains Isakov’s usual mix of melancholy and warmth. Tracks like “Silver Bell” and “One Day” uplift the album, Isakov’s somber vocals being elevated by his vibrant and layered instrumentals which always sound like they were recorded in the world’s most high-tech barn.

“One Day” is a perfect Isakov-ian lesson in the ebbs

clubs and residence halls competed when the club hosted a Super Bowl ad contest in the spring. The club also filmed a mockumentary called “What is a Fundie?,”

understand the joke,” McArdle said. “Usually we plan to do it during finals week when we show the stuff. It’s nice to just have that break and have a laugh with people you

cameras, whatever — that is where we’re supposed to help,” Kjos said. “From there, you might find, ‘Hey, this is something I really enjoy doing.’ At least at the very

end, you can look back and be like, ‘I made this quick 30-second video. It might not look like that much, but I had a lot of fun doing this with my friends, and this is something that I made.’”

Sophomore Joseph Johnson, an active member of the club, said he loves how the club gives him the freedom to tell a story.

“They allow you to say what you want, write what you want, and make something that’s your own,” he said. According to McArdle, Kjos, and Johnson, it is important to learn from the greats when developing your own style of filmmaking.

“Look at whatever your favorite movie is and think about why that’s your favorite,” McArdle said. “Be a sponge taking everything that you see that you like from other things.”

Hertel said he enjoys seeing people get together about something that matters to them.

“It really is the easiest way for people to observe something that is potentially of importance,” he said. “It’s an object that people can get together and talk about. That’s just something that we need these days for everyone who loves film, because who doesn’t?”

The soul behind the shot: Erik Teder’s photo philosophy

By Zachary Chen Collegian FreelanCer

and flows of the natural world, themes that ground most of his work. He notes that just as the seasons change, mountains will fall, fires will die out, and the rain will eventually bury him and his lover. The song sounds like a fairytale would, and yet is a lesson in mortality.

It is tracks like the second-tolast one on the album, “Sweet Heat Lightning,” that ground the project as a whole. With only two brief verses and a chorus, the song is unassuming in the dominant role it plays with the record. The first verse introduces grief with Isakov noting that his mother’s house is empty now, asking his partner to come and try to find him.

Much like life’s most unexpected moments, the chorus rings, “Sweet heat lightning falls / Blue crack of light and that’s all.”

“Sweet Heat Lightning” ends with an invitation to his partner to drive away with him and see what happens. It implies an exodus from youth and naivety being consoled by a new sense of love and hope for the future. This is what Isakov does best: illustrating melancholia while pulling the threads of hope that pull us forward.

“Appaloosa Bones” is yet another stellar album to add to Isakov’s discography. And although it is much of the same as his past releases, Isakov is one of those artists who you don’t want to dramatically change. It’s somber but forever hopeful, granting listeners yet another opportunity to sit with life as the terrain is shifting all around them. It doesn’t really matter which pills get us through wintertime, so long as there are songwriters like Isakov who are around to console us.

He’s bold, he’s blonde, and he brandishes a Sony A7 III.

In addition to being a musician, officer of Swing Club, and physics major, sophomore Erik Teder is a freelance photographer. Teder has served as a photographer for weddings, portraits, and The Collegian.

“To me, photography is always about capturing joy,” Teder said. “From the very beginning, it was always about finding joy in people I saw walking – or really anything I could find. That philosophy carried me through until now.”

Teder said he started taking pictures seriously as a high schooler during COVID-19 lockdowns.

“One of the reasons I started taking pictures over COVID-19 specifically is that everything was so sad,” he said.

According to Teder, he initially began by photographing landscapes but quickly moved into “people-oriented photography.”

“I really know the type of photography I want to do,” Teder said. “To me, people are the single most interesting entity on planet Earth. The things I can count on to always be different and always be changing and always be beautiful are people.”

Teder said he uses his photography to bring to light aspects of his subjects’ identities as well.

“I want people to see the soul beyond the medium,” Teder said. “If I take a picture of someone, I want them to go back afterwards and look at it and think, ‘Wow, there’s

an aspect of me that comes through that picture that’s almost beyond the ink or beyond the pixels.’”

According to Teder, his photographic magnum opus was his high school capstone project.

“One of the projects I’m most proud of was my senior capstone for high school, on the subject of leisure, the Greek sense of ‘scholē,’ and learning,” Teder said. “That’s the project I had the most artistic and creative vision for.”

Teder combined 12 interviews on the subject of “scholē” with black and white photographs of the individuals he interviewed.

Platon, a British photographer whose work is marked by a simple, authentic style, had a particular influence on Teder’s photography, Teder said.

“I was proud of that because it combined my love of photography with exploring a genre I hadn’t worked a lot in, and a medium that I hadn’t worked a lot in,” Teder said.

Teder also uses his skills to capture important moments in the lives of his friends. Last summer, he shot a wedding for junior Michayla Kinney.

According to Kinney, Teder captured the best moments of the wedding.

“He did great,” Kinney said. “He was very confident and competent and organized and he kept things moving really well. We have awesome, awesome wedding photos.”

Sophomore Aidan Christian, a friend of Teder, points out how Teder invests energy and imagination into composing portraits.

“I think that Erik does a great job of personalizing the subjects of his photos, really

getting to know them and choosing the mood and angle and lighting for his photos based on who the per son is,” Chris tian said.

Christian enjoys Teder’s photography because it skillfully and faithfully portrays those around him.

“Erik really wants to make sure that each person is represented perfectly by their portrait and I think that is what’s great about his work,” Chris tian said.

Teder’s photography can be found on Instagram or on his webpage, getphotosbyerik. com.

“What I want to do is give people the opportunity to be them selves in front of a cam era, whether they know I’m there or not,” Teder said.

“It’s always about honesty and truth in service to beauty.”

Kjos

Jeffrey

Hertel“It’s

a chance to see how people communicate purely visually, which is absolutely amazing to see…it’s about everything and nothing at the same time.”

Joseph Johnson“If

you want a movie that captures truth and beauty and justice while also showing true evil and how you can fight against that, but also succumb to that—‘No Country For Old Men.’”

A walk on the wild side: exotic petting zoo opens

By Lauren Scott City News Editor

After following a dirt road with signs pointing me toward Nature’s Creek Zoo, I arrived at a house that looked more like a farm than a petting zoo. Looking for a place to purchase tickets, I knocked on the door.

“We’re here for the zoo,” I said.

Owner Peggy Evola answered the door. She then gave me a tour of the zoo just south of Frontier, which features 200 animals from several countries including Brazil, India, and Mexico.

Despite its impressive array of animals, Nature’s Creek isn’t your ordinary zoo. It’s in Evola’s 35-acre backyard. Camels graze across from the swimming pool. Come winter, its garage will be a heated shelter for the animals.

“For the fall, we’re getting a hay wagon ready,” Evola said. “We’re gonna take you through the pasture and let you feed the animals right out of the wagon.”

Nature’s Creek Zoo opened Sept. 1, but its roots go back to 1998 when Evola and her husband Richard started a pet store. It soon grew into a traveling exhibit as the couple brought their animals to fairs and festivals in Michigan.

But now they are staying in one place: Hillsdale county.

“We’d be gone a week at a time and then finally we found this place, and I said, ‘I’m tired of traveling,’” Evola said.

Evola bought the current property in 2015 and turned an empty hay field into Nature’s Creek Zoo

“We kept collecting poles and used fences,” Evola said. “People would say, ‘Oh, I have a fence. If you take it down, we’ll let you have it for free.’ We worked our butts off to get where we are. It’s been a long haul.”

Evola said they get their animals from many different places, including as rescues.

the zoo can travel to schools, according to Evola.

The zoo is home to ringtail lemurs from Madagascar, Valais, sheep from Switzerland, and black swans from Australia. It even has a baby alligator that children can hold.

When the little lemurs climbed the walls of their home, it brought back childhood memories of the television show “Zaboomafoo.”

I wondered if lemurs were friendly animals like the Kratt Brothers convinced me they were, and Evola was reassuring.

“Talk about sweet,” she said. “They are all over me — just adorable.”

Across from the lemurs reside the Sulcata tortoises, living in their home that looks like a giant sandbox. Evola said people are welcome to pet their shells but not their heads.

“I tell everybody we are a rescue with no questions asked,” she said. “The only stipulation I have is you call first and let me know you’re coming.”

Evola said her love for children inspired her to open the zoo.

“We’re trying to be educational for the schools,” she said. “We take animals out and let you actually make contact and pet them.”

Nature’s Creek Zoo will allow pre-k schools to book appointments at the zoo, or

“Not that they would bite you,” she said. “It’s just if you had your hand on the head and they draw in their shell, it pulls you in too, and I don’t want you to get pinched.”

Evola said she hopes the zoo will be a place for the community to gather, but if not, she and her husband will still enjoy the animals.

“People will say, “Isn’t it time to reap some kind of benefit?’ Well, we’ll see. If not, it’ll just be for us.”

Catching up with the cohort

First class of education graduate students reflects on the program’s inaugural year

By Jane Kitchen Assistant editor

For some people, four years at Hillsdale are not enough, so they add two more.

Last fall, 11 students, including eight who attended Hillsdale for undergraduate, made Hillsdale history as part of the inaugural cohort of the Diana Davis Spencer Graduate School of Classical Education.

“I never would have known it was the program’s first year if I hadn’t been told, because everything ran very smoothly. It was a great year,” said Rebecca Willis ’18, who spent four years teaching before returning to Hillsdale to pursue her Master of Arts degree.

Willis had heard rumors of the classical education program for years, and, like many members of the school’s first cohort, learned applications were open by word-of-mouth.

In fact, while visiting friends in Hillsdale, she attended a basketball game and ran into Dean of Master’s in Classical Education Daniel Coupland. He confirmed the school was finally starting up.

Willis attributes her interest in education to her father, who was principal of the Christian school she and her siblings attended.

“I kind of feel like I grew up in school, reading books in the school library until my dad was ready to take us home,” Willis said. “So it feels very

homey to me. It feels kind of like an extension of my family.”

Lauren Blunt ’20, another Hillsdale alumna and member of the program’s first class, said the time she spent teaching in the classroom sparked her interest in graduate school.

“I realized there’s a lot that I don’t know about the roots of classical education or why I’m doing a lot of the things that I’m doing,” Blunt said. “I knew that I loved it, but I wanted to know why I loved it.”

Ben Boyle ’20, a fellow member of the program’s first class, said his hands-on experience at a classical school in Austin led him to seek a deeper understanding of the concepts behind his teaching.

“I wanted to have more of a theoretical, philosophical view of what the project of classical education is supposed to look like,” he said.

Several members of the program said they were initially worried about acclimating to the rigor of graduate level work at Hillsdale but found it was well worth the effort.

“I don’t think I’m unique in saying that my love of classical educawtion increased at least tenfold even just in the first few weeks,” Blunt said.

Willis said the difficulty of her coursework didn’t stop her from enjoying it.

“It was such a joy to do that amount of great work, not only because the things we were reading were worthy of my attention, worthy of my study,

worthy of my affections, but because the professors were really excellent,” Willis said.

Greg Bradford ’17 said he appreciated the faculty.

“A big thing for me was learning how to read for a graduate class,” said Bradford, another member of the cohort. “I got into a rhythm as the year progressed, and the professors themselves were really helpful in terms of teaching us how to be graduate students.”

Blunt said her professors were an invaluable resource, especially when she was struggling with coursework.

“I think the most fruitful conversations I had with my professors about papers or class or anything else I was thinking happened when I came to them humbly and said, ‘I’m stressed I don’t know what I’m doing.’” Blunt said.

Members of the initial cohort all took the same classes during the first year of the program, which they said led them to develop a strong sense of camaraderie. Classes included, Education in America, History of Liberal Education, Humane Letters, and Philosophy of Education. The future home of the graduate school is still under construction, so they attended seminars on the fourth floor of Kendall Hall.

“It was very much a cooperative endeavor,” Willis said. “For two years, this group of

people had to rely on each other intellectually, spiritually, and materially.”

Bradford said the students made an intentional effort to socialize outside the classroom.

“You’re basically doing life together for two years, so it’s good to know each other beyond just, ‘What did you think of the reading?’” Bradford said.

The graduate students said they bonded during last year’s black out when Michael Herringshaw, a student whose power was quickly restored,

invited the rest of the cohort to stay at his house. His family offered them food, heat, and running water.

“There was something very humbling about showing up looking disgusting — I hadn’t showered, I hadn’t eaten — and having this friend who I struggled through class with suddenly open up his home,” Blunt said. “It was very human.”

Now that they have entered their second year, the students no longer take the same classes. Their education is tailored

to their individual aspirations, whether that be working in policy, administration, or the classroom.

Though they spend less time together, the students said they would advise future cohorts to focus on building relationships.

“Look for opportunities to flesh out the ideas and the abstract concepts that you’re learning in class by spending time with your friends, spending time with professors, and reading,” Willis said.

The graduate students will continue to study in the Kendall Hall seminar rooms until the new graduate school is completed.

Courtesy | Lauren Blunt

“We take animals out and let you actually make contact and pet them.”

All photos courtesy Lauren Scott | Collegian

The Bengal cat was bred from wild Asian Leopards and domestic house cats.

born with albinism, like this porcupine.

Each ring-tailed lemur has exactly 13 alternating black and white bands on its tail.

Sifakas are among the largest lemurs in the world, growing up to 20 inches from head to tail.

Remembering Prestley Blake’s recipe for success Features

By Elizabeth Crawford Assistant editor

Stewart Prestley Blake’s rules for life were simple: don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t bed hop, work hard, and have dessert with every meal.

While his stepdaughter Susan Abello doesn’t recommend following Blake’s eating habits, she attributes his success as a father, friend, business owner, and philanthropist to these core principles.

Blake, who died in 2021 at the age of 106, was a shrewd businessman — but he was also accustomed to the sweet things in life. He co-founded Friendly Ice Cream shop in 1935 and grew the store into a restaurant chain along the East Coast. After he retired, he constructed a replica of Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, in Somers, Connecticut, which he donated to Hillsdale College in 2019.

“He was all about ethics,” Abello said. “If he shook your hand and said, ‘This is the way it’s gonna be,’ that’s the way it was. He never went back on his word.”

Blake and his brother Curtis dropped out of college during the Great Depression to do the impossible — start a business. The brothers borrowed $547 from their parents to open up an ice cream shop in Springfield, Massachusetts. They were nearly 21 years old, still too

young to sign a lease for a storefront, but their mother, who pushed them to start the business, signed it for them.

“Their mom had seen the guy with one of those portable freezers selling ice cream cones, and they got the idea that they could make their own ice cream, so they did,” Abello said. “They bought that ice cream machine, started doing that, and then one thing led to another.”

Friendly’s was born, though the first store was just called Friendly. It wasn’t until 1988, after Blake had sold the company, that the “s” was added.

On their first day of business, the brothers made just $27.61, selling each ice cream cone for a nickel. By 1940, they had churned out 23,000 gallons of ice cream, scooped $8,000 worth of cones, and expanded to a second location.

“He definitely learned from his childhood that anything’s possible if you make it happen,” Abello said.

After closing its doors during World War II, Curtis and Prestley reopened the shop when the war ended. After nearly 40 years of successful business, the brothers sold Friendly’s in 1979 to the Hershey Company for $169 million. Adjusting for inflation, The New York Times estimates the

price would be roughly $620 million today. At the time of the sale, the company had expanded to over 500 locations.

Before Blake sold Friendly’s, he married Abello’s mom, Helen, whose first husband died when Abello was 16.

“When he married my mom, he asked me to call him ‘Dad,’ and I didn’t have a dad so I was happy to do so,” Abello said. “My father died when I was 16 — he died of cancer and he had cancer the last few years of his life. I knew Pres since I was born, my dad worked for him — he was vice president of personnel at Friendly’s ice cream. Pres was always part of our life. He stepped in after my dad died and started taking care of my mom right away.”

Far from retiring after he sold his company, Blake kept himself busy yachting up the Gambia River in Africa, riding around in his Rolls Royces, and, of course, building a replica of Monticello.

What caused Blake to build Monticello is unclear, his stepdaughter said.

“Dad gets this idea that he wants to build Monticello, and we all go, ‘Oh my god, that’s such a weird idea,’” Abello said. “I admit I don’t have the vision, but Pres had the vision and he loved that building.”

Abello said she had always loved Hillsdale after hearing its advertisements on Rush

Limbaugh’s radio program and persuaded her stepfather to donate to the school.

“Hillsdale’s mission and Pres’ mission went hand in hand,” Abello said. “He had been giving money to all the local colleges for his whole adult life, but when he heard of Hillsdale it was very late in his life after Monticello was built. He recognized that that’s where he should focus because of what was happening in the country.”

Blake sold the mansion to a friend for $2 million — only to buy it back and donate it to Hillsdale after giving College President Larry Arnn a tour of the property.

“He took Larry over to see Monticello, and I guess between the two of them Larry said, ‘I want this,’’’ Abello said. “Pres probably said, ‘I know you do and I am going to get it for you.’”

The Blake Center’s Executive Director Labin Duke said Monticello’s first floor hosts events, while the second floor contains four suites where guest speakers stay. On the property, there is a patio that straddles the Connecticut and Massachusetts state line.

“It’s a lot of fun to host a party on the state line,” Duke said.

Since starting operations last year, the Monticello estate has hosted several events for the town, as well as dinners and retreats featuring Hillsdale professors.

Wayne Dumas, Blake’s property manager, said Blake loved giving tours of the property in his 1988 Rolls Royce Silver Spur, which he customized to be windowless with a leather roof.

“He was the only person who could drive, not look at the road, and take his hands off the wheel while giving a narrative on the object at hand,” Dumas said.

Abello said her stepfather’s love of Rolls Royces began when he was a little boy growing up in Springfield, where the car company built its chassis. At one point, he owned 24 — the largest collection in the world.

“He was a little boy and he’d watch those cars speed around the streets and he probably

thought, ‘I want one of those,’” Abello said.

One of the first purchases that Blake and Curtis made after starting their business was a new delivery car — a 1936 Ford Phaeton that the brothers bought with a small down payment and $25 a month until the car was paid off.

At the end of the day, hard work and coffee flavored ice cream are Blake’s recipe for success.

“Coffee was also his mother’s favorite flavor and she made the syrup for it at their home by grinding up the coffee grounds when they first started,” Abello said. “They worked on getting the flavor strong enough until it was perfect.”

An employee packs ice cream in the Friendly factory.

Blake rode aboard PanAm’s flight around the world in 1976.

Blake standing in front of the first Friendly store in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Blake brothers with Alton E Gleason, the first customer to order a Friendly hamburger.

Prestley Blake, right, with his brother Curtis in 1985 outside the ice cream shop they founded in 1935 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Courtesy | Associated Press

Photos courtesy Michael Bachmann | Collegian