Collegian 10.26.2023 by The Hillsdale Collegian

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Vol. 147 Issue 9 – October 26, 2023

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Hillsdale alumnus appointed next solicitor general in Ohio By Emily Schutte Collegian Reporter The 11th Solicitor General newly appointed in Ohio is a Hillsdale College alumnus, Elliot Gaiser ’12. Appointed by Attorney General Dave Yost, Gaiser is set to begin his appointment on Nov. 20. “Elliot is a great son of Ohio,” said John J. Miller, director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. “He always wanted to go back to Ohio and be in that community as a leader. And he talked about politics and serving in high public office, and now he’s back and doing that.” David Azerrad, an assistant professor and research fellow at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship, mentored Gaiser during his internship with the Heritage Foundation in 2013. “The three things that stand out about Elliot is that he has a sharp, clear mind,” Azerrad said. “Second is he’s really a young man of impeccable character. And third, he’s the kind of conservative who’s willing to do the right thing and fight for the right issues, even if they’re unpopular with the New York Times and the elites.” Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Gaiser said his experience as a speech and debate student in high school began his development of valuable skills for becoming a lawyer.

“It helped me learn how to research and write because you’re writing arguments in advance,” Gaiser said. “You’re reading a lot of material that’s pretty complicated for high schoolers, not just news articles, but research reports.” Gaiser said the speech studies program inspired him to become a double major in political economy and rhetoric and public address. During his time at Hillsdale, he wrote and edited for The Collegian, which he said helped him progress in the arts of storytelling and persuasion. “When you write a brief as a lawyer, you’re making an argument, but you’re also telling a story,” he said. “There’s a narrative component to all persuasion. Human beings are narrative creatures; we tell ourselves stories, and we interpret the world through not just logic, but also narrative. And so learning the structure of a good narrative rooted in the facts was essential.” Gaiser, who was opinions editor for The Collegian during the 2011-2012 school year, said he loved the conversations the page started around campus. “I really wanted the opinions page to be a place where students on campus could talk to each other about issues out in the world and also on campus,” Gaiser said. “My favorite thing was going to Saga at noon on Thursday after The Collegian came out and overhearing students in the line debating the subjects that had been printed in the opinions

page.” After graduation, Gaiser attended law school at University of Chicago. Gaiser clerked for Judge Edith H. Jones on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals; served as an appellate attorney for Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher LLP; a clerk for Judge Neomi Rao on the D.C. Circuit; and an appellate attorney at Boyden Gray PLLC. Gaiser also served as a U.S. Supreme Court clerk for Associate Justice Samuel Alito and is currently an associate at Jones Day’s Columbus Office. Each of these positions have, according to Gaiser, provided him with a range of judiciary experience such as building a reputation in D.C., working with federal appeals for Judge Jones, and handling administrative law for Judge Rao. As Ben Flowers, current solicitor general of Ohio, prepared to retire, Gaiser decided to interview for the position. “I interviewed with the attorney general and others in his office. When the attorney general offered me the job, I was just so excited about it, I could barely contain myself,” Gaiser said. “There’s really nothing that sounds more attractive and invigorating than the awesome responsibility of being able to stand up in court and say, ‘this is Elliot Gaiser for the state of Ohio.’” Gaiser said since the American legal system requires due process, people have a right to a notice of claims against them

Elliot Gaiser ’12 served as a U.S. Supreme Court clerk for Associate Justice Samuel Alito. Courtesy | Linkedin

and a right to be heard. Dissatisfied parties have a right to appeal to the intermediary Court of Appeals. “Those opportunities extend not just to the initial hearing, which is in the trial level,” Gaiser said. “It also includes intermediate appellate review, and usually discretionary review by the Supreme Court of Ohio or the Supreme Court of the United States. And so appeals begin once the trial concludes.” As the solicitor general, Gaiser said he will be respon-

sible for representing the state when it has an appeal. Azerrad is hopeful that as solicitor general, Gaiser will be a strong public defender. “If he’s going to genuinely represent the interests of Ohioans,” Azerrad said, “he will run up against the establishment, against the Democratic establishment, the Republican establishment, the media, the intellectual establishment. And I trust that Elliot will have the courage to defend the interests of Ohioans.”

As Gaiser prepares to begin his new appointment, he stands firm in the role of a defender of justice. “I think a lot about the verse in the book of Amos, the biblical prophet, which was paraphrased and quoted by Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Let justice roll down like a mighty flood,’” Gaiser said. “I think that lawyers at their best, when they live up to their ethical standards and have the highest character and integrity, assist in the deliverance of justice. They help justice roll down.”

Provost office creates new Keefer House project delays raise questions about its future Logan Washburn since 2005. But CL Real Estate meet the new deadline despite tion in 2021. Institutional Review Board ByAssociate Editor entered a purchase agreement challenges with the building’s The MEDC is a state agenthat its purpose at Hillsdale won’t necessarily be the same as those at larger institutions. The provost’s office has “If you go up to Ann Arestablished the Institution- bor, you’ve got research labs al Review Board to oversee working on the latest cancer projects that include human treatments,” Negus said. “You participants. know, ‘sign this thing here “Its purpose is fairly sim- that says you understand the ple — it’s to assure adherence risk and you’re willing to give to ethical standards at any re- it a try, and we’ll put you in a search project that uses hu- trial group and report on the man subjects,” said Samuel results.’ That’s what IRBs do Negus, director of program at big research institutions, review and accreditation at and at some small colleges Hillsdale College. like this, where on a much The IRB will be concerned smaller scale, research of that with research on partype goes on. But no ticipants outside research of that the campus’s type happens administrahere.” tive jurisI n diction Hillsbut cond a l e’s ducted case, the by colIRB will lege fach av e a u lt y or special students, Ian Church is a member of the new responsiNegus said. Institutional Review Board. bility to “ I f i t’s Courtesy | Hillsdale College Archives o v e r s e e on campus, res e arch within the campus comthat could elicit psychologmunity, then the instructor ically intrusive or overly perof record for that course is sonal questions from particconsidered sufficient to over- ipants. see that,” Negus said. “If you “If a student doing a rewant to go downtown and search project for their senior start asking people stuff on thesis wants to conduct a surthe street, or you want to go vey asking about traumatic over to a local school and do experiences in childhood and some interventions with kids how that shapes the way peoin a classroom, that would ple behave later in life, they have to go in front of the could ask questions that are IRB.” pretty personal,” Negus said. Negus made clear that IRBs might be involved in a See IRB A2 wide range of research, and By Jackson Casey Collegian Freelancer

The company behind the Keefer House Hotel renovation has extended its estimated completion date — again — to next summer. The project began with a city agreement in 2018 and was supposed to finish by 2020. “I had personal gentlemanly guarantees this property would be done this fall, no more excuses. I took those guarantees seriously,” Mayor Adam Stockford said. “I would bet a Frosty it won’t be done in spring of next year, or any time next year for that matter.” The historic Keefer House Hotel, built in 1885, has sat vacant in downtown Hillsdale

in 2018 through Keefer House LLC, planning to finish restoring the 34-room hotel — including a restaurant, bar, and retail and event spaces — by November 2020. CL Real Estate has extended the project’s deadline repeatedly, most recently to “early summer 2024,” according to Andrew Gelzer, chairman of the Tax Increment Finance Authority, a board that redirects tax dollars that would normally go to the state toward local projects. Gelzer, also the chief operating officer of H.J. Gelzer and Son Inc. and general manager of Gelzer’s Hardware, said he thinks the project is on track to

structural integrity. “The world threw all sorts of delays and roadblocks at them, which they have stuck through and overcome,” Gelzer said. “While it’s taken a lot longer than any of us ever wanted – myself included, and CL Real Estate and Keefer House LLC – they’re on track.” The Keefer project’s construction cost for CL Real Estate has reached close to $9.3 million, with the total cost reaching $15 million, according to a Sept. 28 memo from the company obtained by The Collegian. The project also secured a $2 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corpora-

cy that uses taxpayer dollars to subsidize economic development. CL Real Estate Development Associate Brant Cohen ’18 said in an email that the Keefer is a “challenging but worthy project.” “When completed, its economic and transformational impact on Hillsdale will be tremendous,” Cohen said. “Projects of this complexity are not easy to pull off, but we remain steadfast in our commitment to the city that we will open this hotel.

See Keefer A6

College responds to lawsuit about sexual assault procedures By Elizabeth Troutman Editor-in-chief Accusations made against Hillsdale College in a federal lawsuit filed yesterday mischaracterize Hillsdale’s culture, sexual assault policies, and procedures, according to a statement from the college and first released to The Collegian. “Hillsdale College takes the safety of its students very seriously and strives to educate students about sexual assault, answer frequently asked questions about sexual assault, and detail the procedures for contacting appropriate persons at the college, Hillsdale Hospital, and Hillsdale City Police,” the news release reads. “Hillsdale also, however, understands the importance of maintaining the

rights of the accused as the process of investigation and remediation is carried out.” Two women, a current junior and a former member of the class of 2024 who has since transferred, claim in the lawsuit that students at Hillsdale face “an unusually high risk of sexual assault.” Both say they were raped by peers at Hillsdale but were “met not with support, but with sham investigations, arbitrary decisions, and punishments” after reporting it to the college. “When they reported their rapes to Hillsdale, seeking support and accountability, they instead faced phony investigations, retaliation, and blame for being raped,” the lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of

Michigan says. The lawsuit is seeking certification as a class action. The suit says Hillsdale has a “deficient” sexual misconduct policy which leaves students “vulnerable to sexual assault from their peers.” The college statement said Hillsdale “promptly and thoroughly investigates” all sexual assault allegations, including the ones detailed in the lawsuit. “Hillsdale also offers assistance to the alleged victim and implements necessary interim measures, whether supportive or protective,” the statement reads. Hillsdale’s sexual misconduct policy, published on its website, “prohibits retaliation against any person who, in good faith, reports sexual

misconduct, participates in an investigation or sanction for sexual misconduct, or otherwise assists in combating sexual misconduct on the Hillsdale College campus.” The news release said the college has established procedures for dealing with misconduct allegations outlined in resources provided to all students. “Over the past decade, Hillsdale College has worked with expert third parties to ensure its policies and procedures regarding investigations of sexual assault are exceptional with respect to ascertaining the true nature of the alleged incident,” the statement reads, “while also protecting the rights and reputation of both the accused and the alleged victim.”

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Hal Brands speaks on history, military strategy Students enjoy spooky fall poems at Penny’s for ‘Profs and Poetry’ By Alessia Sandala Collegian Freelancer

No nation can create a lasting society without the proper implementation of strategy, said Hal Brands in a lecture on his book “The New Makers of Modern Strategy” at a luncheon hosted by the Center for Military History and Grand Strategy Oct.17. “Nobody can do very well for very long without it,” Brands said. “And so the practice of strategy has been the subject of unending debate and redefinition over the years, even some of our most talented leaders have struggled with the dilemmas strategy poses.” Brands spoke on the relationship between history and strategy, as well as its importance to the future of the United States. Students and guests attended a lunch, a lecture, Q&A session, book signing, and a dessert reception. “The book showed how immersion in history in particular, produces a better, stronger intellectual engagement with the dynamics of war and peace,” Brands said. “In doing so, it helped establish strategic studies in a modern academic field, one that was rooted in the idea that you can use the past for insight into present problems.” Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger distinguished professor of global affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He said today is the perfect

By Megan Li Collegian Freelancer

Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger distinguished professor of global affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Alessia Sandala | Collegian

time to redefine strategy in order to better understand it. Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris chair of military history at Hillsdale College, said he plans to incorporate the book into his classes due to its significance. “I am going to be using it in a course, and it’s one of the most influential books that will be published this year,” Moyar said. Edward Gutiérrez, director of the Center for Military History and Grand Strategy, said the center lectures seek to prepare citizens with an understanding of the reality of war. “The center’s mission is for everyone, which includes students, faculty, staff, guests, and the wider public because we post all events on the Center’s website,” Gutiérrez said. The program began recently at Hillsdale College in Sep-

tember of 2022. However, its events now attract many students and other guests. “We went to the first lecture and became very interested and decided to support it,” said Jacqueline Blood, a friend of the college. Gutiérrez said the lecture series reflects the core characteristics of the center. “The lecture series represents one of the center’s cornerstones,” Gutiérrez said. “It is our ongoing event where we strive to bring brilliant minds — such as Dr. Brands — to engage with the past, which aids us in navigating America’s present and future.” The lecture by Brands followed the Center for Military History and Grand Strategy’s annual conference held earlier this year. The conference focused on war in Afghanistan and is the first of several lec-

tures which will occur later this year. “The program is still in its early stages,” Moyar said. “We had a conference last month regarding Afghanistan and then this event. We are still figuring out exactly which direction we are going to go but so far it’s mostly been events like the one with Dr. Brands.” Gutiérrez said he believes the Center for Military History and Grand Strategy will become a part of the solution in reuniting strategy and history. “Too few of us employ strategic level historic-driven analysis as a guide for understanding the human condition,” Gutiérrez said. “It is an honor to host scholars such as Dr. Brands due to his essential message — we have abandoned historical and strategic thought at our peril.”

Mock trial posts winning record to start fall season

Returner team Scary Decisis poses for a photo at Pennsylvania State University. Courtesy | Chloe Noller

By Zachary Chen Collegian Freelancer All three of the Hillsdale College Mock Trial teams returned from fall break with winning records after early fall season tournaments. Scary Decisis, a team of returning Mock Trial members, and De Novo, Hillsdale’s new member Mock Trial team, competed in the first tournament of their fall season at Pennsylvania State University over the weekend. Rekt Judicata, another veteran Hillsdale team, competed at its second tournament of the fall season in Cleveland, Ohio, the week before fall break. According to sophomore Chloe Noller, a member of Scary Decisis and the mock

IRB from A1 “You could have a participant disclose information of a deeply sensitive nature, like childhood acts of abuse. Those are the kinds of questions that an IRB seeks to evaluate and to see whether the human subject research that will be done carries a level of risk of harm or disclosure of sensitive personal information.” The college previously experimented with a similar style of oversight, but the lack of a clear need to institute a

trial media director, Hillsdale teams finished the tournament with winning records and four individual awards. Senior Abby Davis and junior Natalie LeBlanc both won outstanding attorney awards with perfect ranks, and seniors Justin Lee and Konrad Verbaarschott received outstanding witness awards. LeBlanc and Lee, captains of De Novo, said 70 percent of the attendees at the Penn State tournament had been at last year’s national championships. Both captains said they are proud of their team’s winning record against tough competition. “The field was definitely going to be more difficult,” LeBlanc said. “I’m proud of how the team competed.”

LeBlanc also said the tournament was a good introduction for team members who are new to Hillsdale College Mock Trial. “Going to the first tournament was really a moment for us to bond and for them to see what mock trial is all about,’” LeBlanc said. Lee said the team spent an unusually long time preparing – 10 hours on the drive to Penn State and at their hotel the night before – which helped them do well. “That is not normal for new member teams in their first tournament,” Lee said. “I think we have a lot of really bright competitors who are coming through here.” Senior Caleb Sampson, one of the captains of Rekt Judicata,

concrete structure led to its falling out of use. “When we were first asked by our accreditors about what happened to the ‘IRB 1.0’ that we made a trial run with a couple years ago, I responded with a memo,” Negus said. “We already have a pretty robust faculty statement of ethics that, informally and formally, we hold faculty to, and I think they can be trusted to not pursue dubious research policies.” Ian Church, associate professor of philosophy and IRB

member, said that a strong faculty is crucial for success and integrity within the research process. “These are people who might have been involved with IRBs in the past, are involved with research, or are at some level familiar with this kind of project,” Church said. “I’ve had quite a bit of involvement with IRBs at other institutions by creating research projects responding to IRBs, so I know what kind of feedback IRBs can typically give.”

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said the Cleveland tournament went well for the team. According to Sampson, Rekt Judicata faced off against teams from the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University. “We had a five win, three loss winning record,” Sampson said. “We were very excited because this was our first winning record as a team.” According to Sampson, one notable moment from the tournament was when his teammate, sophomore Valerie Check, was cross examining a witness from the University of Michigan team. “Valerie was cross examining a former nationals competitor and did a very good job cross examining the witness to get the facts we needed for our case,” Sampson said. According to Noller, Hillsdale’s Mock Trial team placed second in the national tournament last year. Noller said that the mock trial teams are preparing energetically in the hopes of competing for the national championships again this year. “We’re really dialed in – we’re really working hard to make sure we can get there again,” Noller said. “Judging by the work everyone’s putting in, it’s going to be a really great season. I’m very excited for it.” Senior Hannah Neukom, a psychology major, said she found the IRB’s oversight process to be thorough and beneficial for her own research efforts. “I didn’t realize how many safeguards you have to put in just to protect yourself legally and protect your participants,” Neukom said. “At the end, we actually have to ask, ‘do you still want to participate?’ We can’t just say, ‘oh, sign the form.’ So you have to be very specific in how you’re going about getting consent.”

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Students gathered in the Penny’s coffee shop to read and discuss haunted fall poems with Associate Professor of English Elizabeth Fredricks Oct. 13. Fredericks and junior Alydia Ullman, the event organizer, said the inspiration behind the event was a desire to enjoy more modern poetry. “I know a lot of what we do here at Hillsdale is older material,” Fredericks said. “Sometimes students go, ‘I love poetry, but I don’t feel like I necessarily know a lot of what’s current,’ and this is a great way to bring some recent poetry and remind people that great books are still being written, which is delightful.” Ullman said she wanted to apply the classical curriculum of Hillsdale College to modern works. “It’s important to know what people in our day and age are writing and saying and thinking and then asking, ‘How can we add to that with our liberal arts backgrounds?’” Ullman said. Fredericks assembled the poems read during the event, and said she wanted to add a dash of intrigue to the fall theme. “We wanted something that felt like, ‘What would hit people in the moment that we’re in?’” Fredricks said. “It’s starting to actually feel like fall so we all want to start taking it all in. Yes, we want hot cider and delicious soup. And we want spooky poems that make us shiver, or at least things that bring autumn even more vividly to mind.” The selection of poems ranged from reminiscences of autumn beauty to stories of otherworldly monsters, and Fredericks led the discussions from “lighter” to “deeper” works. She said she wanted the event to inspire delight in poetry on its own, using the word “hedonistic” to describe her approach. “Poetry can just be for pleasure as well,” she told the attendees at the beginning of the event. After the reading of each poem, attendees took turns expressing their opinions before Fredericks added to

their analysis. Some of the poems read include “Low Barometer” by Robert Bridges, “November Guest” by Robert Frost, and “At Roane Head” by Robin Robertson. Ullman said she loved the turnout for the event. “I was so excited to see so many people I didn’t know there,” she said. Fredericks said she enjoyed the participation of the attendees, which led to a fruitful discussion of each poem. “There was a lot of conversation to pass around, and the people were really interested and engaged,” Fredericks said. “I was very happy with it — people coming on a Friday afternoon, when they’re tired, for poetry.” Freshman Alessia Sandala said she was looking forward to this kind of casual setting coming into the event. “I never really liked poetry prior to my senior year in high school, when one of my teachers led us to do a lot of different activities with poetry and really changed my view on it,” Sandala said. “So I wanted to explore poetry more just for fun rather than inside the classroom.” Sophomore attendee Olivia Finch said she especially enjoys Fredericks’s style of poetry analysis. “Before class, Dr. Fredricks often does a little poem that she puts on the slide,” Finch said. “She’s really, really good at explaining poetry. I wanted to go to the event, partially for spooky poems and partially for Dr. Fredericks. I like when I can just feel low key with my professors.” Ullman and Fredericks said when they first started talking about Profs and Poetry, they discussed wanting to make it a series, with more events this semester and next semester. Sandala said she liked that the event made her feel more appreciative of the season she was in. “When I walked out of Penny’s, I felt renewed in fall,” Sandala said. “Everything smelled like fall, and I could just see the leaves better. Instead of just a dreary, cloudy day, it felt like a beautiful autumn day.”

Associate Professor of English Elizabeth Fredericks (left) leads the poetry discussion at Penny’s. Megan Li | Collegian

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Visiting writer speaks on History professor publishes book on grand strategy Alexandra Comus war from the years 418 to 413 the novel as secular art ByCollegian reporter B.C. By Moira Gleason Assistant Editor The novel is one of the great resistors of secularism, precisely because it is a secular art, author Christopher Beha said in a lecture hosted by the English department’s Visiting Writers Program. In his lecture on Oct. 17, “The Statues in the Temple: Notes on the Novel as a Secular Art,” the former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Magazine framed the novel as a secular art which, by turning the reader’s attention toward the imminent, illustrates the insufficiencies of the secular life when separated from the transcendent. Secularism, Beha said, is the elevation of ordinary human flourishing as the only and highest possible good. “It is remarkable how many great novels concern the quixotic theme of the character who makes a botch of secular life because they try to make a romance of it,” Beha said. “In each case the novelist himself set out to write a mockery of these romantic themes, and in each case wound up writing in spite of himself a portrait of tragic heroism which suggested that attempting to live according to these elevated values was one of the few routes to real dignity in the secularized world.” Beha resigned this October from his position as editor-in-chief of Harper’s Magazine, the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. He is the author of several books, and his most recent novel “The Index of Self-Destructive Acts” was nominated for the 2020 National Book Award. In his lecture, Beha drew a distinction between the secular and the religious, but said they are complementary rather than opposed. “The secular is that realm of human life and behavior that concerns itself with the here and now, that which is present within the natural order of things,” Beha said. “The greatest good of this secular realm is ordinary human flourishing.” The distinction between the religious and the secular is not one of essence, Beha said, but of orientation. While the secular involves what is imminent, the religious orients man toward the transcendent and the pursuit of higher goods. According to Beha, Christian tradition honors the secular, the realm of ordinary human flourishing, but places it in its proper relation to the higher transcendent goods. “Herein lies the origin of the concept of the secular not as something hostile to the religious but as something complementary to it, that must be kept in a certain balance,” Beha said. The majority of Christians, Beha said, live a secular life concerned with ordinary human flourishing but remain oriented toward the divine through devotional practice. Turning to art, Beha used the image of Constantine, who stripped pagan temples from across the Roman Empire of their religious statues in order to decorate Constantinople. While in the pagan temple, these statues were understood as a kind of religious art that mediated between the people and the gods. “When we call the statues religious or devotional artwork don’t simply mean that they are depictions of the divine,” Beha said. “In some very real sense, the divine is not just their subject but their intended audience. In another sense, of course, they are meant to stand in for the god question.” When Constantine removed these statues from the temple and placed them out in the street, they became mere-

ly decorative, secularized, and lost their power to mediate with the divine. Christian religious art can also be stripped of its meaning like the statues taken out of the temple, Beha said, when considered only for its beauty rather than its true role, which is to orient the viewer toward the divine. According to Beha, the novel as an secular art form does not rely on religious context to give it meaning because it developed alongside the modern age. “It is not a statue in the temple, nor is it a statue that has been ripped from the temple and given a decorative function,” Beha said. “Whatever meaning it is going to have must be brought with it. It must build a temple around itself.” The novel cannot be taken out of the temple because it was never in the temple in the first place, he said. According to Beha, great novelists like Miguel de Cervantes, James Joyce, and Marcel Proust attend to the experience of secular life in their work, but by doing so indirectly reveal the need for the transcendent. “One of the themes of ‘Don Quixote’ is the tragic insufficiency of the secular when it is made to stand on its own rather than to serve as a complement to the transcendent,” Beha said. “The approach is comic ironic, but again the effect is the expression of profound dissatisfaction with the secular when taken in isolation.” Beha said Christians can and should approach the novel as a secular art that truthfully represents the imminent. “These authors, none of whom would be described as religious believers in a straightforward fashion, have committed themselves to the secular art,” Beha said. “But the religious believer who’s smart enough to recognize the intimate relationship between the secular and the transcendent will find powerful companions here.” Quoting George Steiner, Beha said we live in the long Saturday between the cross and the resurrection, and it is from this human experience of waiting that secular art has arisen. “An art that speaks consistently of this experience of waiting is a way of passing the time,” Beha said. “That sounds deflating, but I mean it in the most elevated sense. For this time – this ordinary, secular time – it must indeed pass.” Sophomore Jonathan Williams said he appreciated Beha’s perspective on how Christians should engage with the novel on its own terms as secular art. “I was definitely interested in his emphasis on how Christians engage with art that’s not necessarily religious and balancing how we aim to recognize truth and meaning there,” Williams said. “You can’t have truth without the Christological perspective, but also can’t aim to force that on to the work itself.” Associate Professor of English Benedict Whalen said he found Beha’s argument and characterization of the novel compelling and an important argument for students to grapple with as they approach literature. “I loved Beha’s emphasis upon the fact that fiction is not simply an ornamental way of conveying a philosophy or theology,” Whalen said. “Beha stressed that the novel is representative — the novelist looks hard at the world, and represents what he sees to the reader. This position respects the integrity of literature as a mimetic and representational art, not reducing it to a delivery system for philosophy.”

The Spartans defeated the Athenians in the Peloponnesian War in part because their grand strategy involved using the Syracusans in a proxy war, Professor of History Paul Rahe argues in a new book published in September. “Sparta’s Sicilian Proxy War” is the fifth volume in a series that Rahe is writing on Spartan grand strategy. “Grand strategy differs from strategy,” Rahe said. “Strategies aim at something narrow. Grand strategy is a broader policy pursued by statesmen that includes diplomacy, military power, economic development, and intelligence. It is something for the long run.” Rahe said the grand strategy concerning world powers has not shifted, since countries are still concerned with the same fundamental needs that they have had throughout history. What has changed is the technology, and strategists need to adjust to it. “Nobody’s really written on Greek antiquity with an eye to these questions – thinking long term,” Rahe said. “What are their security needs, what kind of political regime do they have, and what kinds of imperatives grow out of that regime?” The book covers the moments in the Peloponnesian

“His book is sure to help the reader of Thucydides better understand the seldom-spoken Spartan side of the Peloponnesian War,” said Luke Sherman, a graduate student. Sparta was agrarian, with elements of democracy inside the aristocracy, and Rahe said it depended on the labor of a subject people who were sometimes rebellious. “Sparta is a power that wants to defend what it’s got, and the strategy it developed in the sixth century was to form an alliance within the Peloponnesus that would keep the Argives out, the Helots down, and the Spartans in the position that they were in,” he said. “Athens, on the other hand, was a democracy, which meant the poor had the majority of the votes, and as a consequence of the Persian Wars, it had become a naval power that depended on resources from the cities it protected from Persia.” Rahe said that because of its relationship with other groups it was protecting, Athens was an expansionist empire, and that the Spartans wanted to rein them in once the Persians were less of a threat. For a while, Rahe said, Athens and Sparta were at an impasse because of the different conditions each military excelled in.

Paul Rahe is a professor of history at Hillsdale College. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Archives

“The sea power can’t defeat the land power very easily; the land power can’t defeat the sea power very easily, and it goes on and on,” Rahe said. “What the books do is that they look at the origins of the Spartan formation of a grand strategy by trial and error,” Rahe said that the Spartan use of Syracuse as a proxy in the Peloponnesian War has implications for modern proxy wars, such as the war in Ukraine. “Spartans are absolutely essential for an understanding of

what happened in Sicily, and it’s pertinent to us. Proxy wars have not been studied much,” Rahe said. “The main question to pay attention to is whether we can achieve our ends at an acceptable cost, and in recent times, the question has often been no.” Sophomore Katrina Sumarli said she enjoys his teaching style. “Dr. Rahe teaches history as if he were weaving an intricate tale,” Sumarlie said. “He transports you to a world long past.

Science professors react to growing AI concerns By Sydney Green circulation Manager Precautions regarding artificial intelligence usage have been left to Hillsdale science professors’ discretion. Some have introduced more inclass writing while others have included statements in their syllabi addressing AI usage. Chairwoman and Associate Professor of Chemistry Courtney Meyet said the chemistry department has no policy statement yet on AI, but some professors are adjusting their assignments to make cheating more difficult. “Many of our faculty members have dropped our normal writing requirement or essay requirement for CHM-101 and have adopted different assignments,” Meyet said. “I will still include some writing assignments, but I’ll design them in a way where I will know that they will not be able to use ChatGPT effectively. They have to show evidence of their research, specific sources they used, and actually show me that they know how to use them.”

Associate Professor of Biology Andrew Russell said he provides daily reading questions for his students to hand write. This doesn’t eliminate the problem of AI usage, but it creates another obstacle for the students. “The only real change that I’ve made is just incorporating an additional statement in the syllabus that explicitly states that using AI to generate something is considered plagiarism,” Russell said. Concerns regarding ChatGPT usage in chemistry are smaller because there is less emphasis on actual writing, according to Meyet. “I don’t think we have to worry about it as much, we do have lab reports and more writing for when our upperclassmen submit their thesis,” Meyet said. “But we are working one-on-one with them on that thesis the whole way through, so it would be unlikely but noticeable if they did use it.” Russell also said use of AI programs, such as ChatGPT, is not a significant concern in his department because of the lack of writing involved in science.

“I will incorporate essays on tests, but that’s in-class writing where students don’t have an opportunity to look something up and generate it through AI,” Russell said. Though it does raise concern regarding academic honesty, the scientific advancement that AI offers is undeniable, according to Russell. “One of the limits to the scientific method is that we can only test the hypotheses that we actually think of,” Russell said. “If you have AI, that can actually help to design experiments and generate ideas that we haven’t even thought of yet. Then, the only limitation is the algorithms that it uses.” Meyet said rather than ignoring AI, students should be taught how to use it as a tool. “We are aware that the quantity of students using it may increase with time and we shouldn’t ignore the fact that it is being used by students,” Meyet said. “It is something that we are going to have to learn to live with and rather than fight it we should learn how to work with it. However, we should

Students gathered in the Mauck Solarium for SAB event Bops ‘n Boba on Oct. 17. Erik Teder | Student ACtivities Board

be careful to not neglect our own curiosity and ability to think independently.” According to Assistant Professor of Physics Michael Tripepi, the usefulness of AI is limited to only explaining what things work, not how things work. “What we are interested in with physics is really understanding how the natural world works, how you have a physical system in front of you, and how it operates,” Tripepi said. “AI is really good at predicting what a system will do or giving a function that tells how a system will evolve but fails at really explaining how that works.” Rather than encouraging independent development, AI causes the frequent user to depend on its responses, according to Tripepi. “My biggest concern is that we will let AI take over our lives where we will no longer be active individuals just letting the computer decide,” Tripepi said. “We learn to let something else decide for us rather than us being agents and participants in making our decisions.”

A4 October 26, 2023

Opinions (517) 607-2415

Deepen friendships over Parents Weekend By Michaela Estruth Features Editor Parents Weekend is the perfect time for your friends to get to know you better than ever before. Friends at Hillsdale know you apart from your parents and family. They likely have never seen your interactions with your family, which form essential parts of your identity that often lie dormant in college. Use Parents Weekend not merely as an escape into this comfortable identity but as a time to share these aspects of your life with your Hillsdale friends. In his song, “Old Friends,” Ben Rector expresses the nostalgic sentiment we all feel toward the friends who grew up with us: childhood friends, church friends, high school friends. The friends who share and know parts of you that are often foreign, or at least unknown, here at Hillsdale. These friends know your hometown, know your parents, your siblings, even your pets — the little parts of you that you took for granted until coming to college where all of that is unknown. As Rector says, “There’s nothing like old friends.” But of course, one of the greatest blessings of Hillsdale College is the new friends you make. They are friends who live life with you for four years and watch you grow and mature. They sit with you through the late tears and laughs. They watch you pursue your passions and mature into a young man or woman. In a way, they know you better than anyone in these four years.

But they don’t know your parents or family. They likely haven’t seen your hometown or hung out in your basement. And meeting the family is crucial and revelatory, even apart from romantic relationships. Your friends will know and understand you better after having spent just a few hours with your family. The same is true for your parents. They don’t know your friends except by name and face in those three pictures you’ve sent your mom. A person’s friends say a lot about who that person is. So, parents will learn more about their kid just by spending a few hours with his friends. Watching friendship in action will bring such joy to your parents. It will also change future calls and stories with your mom or dad. They won’t interrupt and say, “now which one is that again?” Instead, they will know names, faces, and personalities which will make them appreciate that funny story you share all the more. If your parents are coming this weekend, have them adopt your friends, too. Invite friends to join you for lunch or dinner. Share that part of your life with your people here. And if you’re an orphan this weekend, take time to be with a friend’s family. You’ll be surprised at how much you learn through observation. You still may never see their back porch or basement, but at least you’ve met the parents.

Michaela Estruth is a junior studying history and journalism.

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Devil’s Advocate with Claire Gaudet Instead of complaining about it, write for the Collegian If you hate the Collegian opinions page, I’ve got good news for you. I was drifting around the porch of a Manning Street party house two weekends ago when a student — whom I’ve met before — asked if I was Claire Gaudet. I said I was, to which he responded that I was incredibly stupid and had terrible takes. This took me aback because I’ve only ever been complimented, and everyone finds me charming and hilarious. But after much thought,

I came to the conclusion that some people have different opinions than I do. Wouldn’t it be great if they had some sort of outlet where they could express themselves? Oh wait, they do! I’ve never understood the rationale behind complaining about The Collegian every week while also not writing for it. If you think there are no good political opinions in here, that the campus takes are cringe, or that the story topics are boring, then send me what you’d like to read. I’d

take story ideas, full articles, letters to the editor — you name it. It’s just that easy. In fact, I’m begging you to. I almost assigned a piece on air conditioning the other week — I’m running out of steam. We have such a diverse, intelligent, and genuinely strange student body, and I want to hear more from you than surprise complaints at parties. This extends past opinions, too. I would have loved some diversity in sports writers when I was editing that

section last year. I’m sure the other editors would welcome the help, especially from those who hate their pieces week after week. So, try it out. Stand and deliver. Be better at writing than we are. After all, this is the perfect opportunity to prove the prevailing, Hillsdalian opinion that journalism is both stupid and easy. Claire Gaudet is a senior studying rhetoric and journalism.

The Haunting of Hillsdale House By John J. Miller Faculty Adviser

everything dies. Shakespeare offers a glimpse in “Hamlet,” on the ramparts of Elsinore, where a ghost appears at midnight

The most famous haunted house in literature is about six miles from “The Haunting of Hill House” cover. Hillsdale. At least that’s where Courtesy | Target Shirley Jackson puts it in “The Haunting of Hill House,” her 1959 novel of ghosts and ghostbusters. A character sends driving instructions to Eleanor Vance, so she can travel to Hill House: “You will come to the small village of Hillsdale.” Even in the fictional Hillsdale, it’s the people: “I am making these directions so detailed because it is inadvisable to stop in Hillsdale to ask your way. The people there are rude to strangers and openly hostile to anyone inquiring about Hill House.” It’s also a dump: “a tangled, disorderly mess of dirty houses and crooked streets.” This creepy village unsettles Eleanor. “I will not spend long in Hillsdale,” she thinks to herself. Here in the real Hillsdale, we stick around. Most students spend years. Faculty and staff can with a disturbing message. spend careers. It becomes In “The Fall of the House of home. Usher,” Edgar Allan Poe reHaunted houses threaten veals a structure with “empus because they upset the ty eye-like windows” and idea of home. Rather than the weirdness within. In a place of warmth and com- “The Shining,” readers and fort, a haunted house is a site movie-watchers check in to of darkness and dread. the Overlook Hotel, Stephen Tis the season for enjoy- King’s resort of madness and ing the haunted houses of terror. literature, as days shorten, Jackson’s haunted house, nights lengthen, tempera- near the fictional Hillsdale, tures drop, leaves fall, and is among the most menac-

ing: “It was a house without kindness, never meant to be lived in, not a fit place for people or love or hope. Exorcism cannot alter the

countenance of a house; Hill House would stay as it was until it was destroyed.” The main characters decide to move in. What could go wrong? Jackson’s book inspired one of my own recent adventures. After a couple of days last month at the college’s Blake Center in Connecticut, my wife and I drove to Vermont. Our destinations included Ben-

nington, a town with a good brewery, an excellent museum, and the grave of the poet Robert Frost. Just beyond lies North Bennington, where Jackson lived and wrote for most of her adult life, until her death in 1965. We gazed upon her two residences, which did not look haunted. We also visited the market where she shopped for groceries. I bought a bag of coffee beans. Eleanor does something similar in the novel: “I will stop in Hillsdale for a minute, just for a cup of coffee, because I cannot bear to have my long trip end so soon.” After a waitress at a diner pours a cup, Eleanor asks a question: “Do you like it here?” “It’s all right,” says the girl. “Not much to do.” Just when you’re thinking that perhaps the two Hillsdales are the same, a character in the story speaks up: “People leave this town,” he says. “They don’t come here.” In the story, his words are a warning. In the real Hillsdale, of course, people come and go all the time. They may be the ghosts of Hillsdale’s haunted future. John J. Miller is the director of the Dow Journalism Program.

Explore different opinions about the war in Israel By Erin Osborne Collegian Reporter

Americans are blessed not to live in a war zone, but we should still be aware of conflicts on the other side of the world. We must pay attention to what is happening between Israel and Hamas. America is a microcosm of the world, filled with immigrants from many backgrounds. One cannot ignore what happens on the other side of the world just because it does not take place in America. International conflicts have local repercussions, in-

cluding riots on university campuses, increased aggression in cities, and social media campaigns. Consider, for example, the pro-Palestinian walkouts at Princeton, NYU, or Columbia, in the past week. Alternatively, consider pro-Israeli demonstrations at Capitol Hill. Americans are also more directly involved in the conflict than one might originally assume. In addition to the hostage crisis in Gaza, hundreds of American Israeli Defense Forces reserve members traveled to Israel in the past two weeks, risking their own lives in the conflict.

Fur thermore, as the American people necessarily seek to understand a critical conflict in a tumultuous region, nothing is more important than finding accurate information. As the conflict grows between Israel and Hamas, articles and reports saturate the media. The Wall Street Journal alone has published more than 940 articles on Israel and Hamas since the outbreak of fighting Oct. 7. In times of crisis, it is difficult to discern the truth from propaganda. Current events provide a hopefully accurate report of the present, but that

is not a guarantee. The blind fog of war limits the knowledge of journalists just as it limits the abilities of the military. Take, for example, the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital bombing in Gaza on Oct. 17. Initial reports claimed that the hospital was bombed by Israel and that as many as 500 people died. More recent assessments, like the one conducted by the National Security Council, indicate that the explosion was the result of a Palestinian rocket, and the Wall Street Journal now reports that an estimated maximum of 300 people died.

This goes to show just how volatile the situation is, but also serves as a reminder to Americans. Journalists want to convey information to the public, but they are limited in their ability to verify that information. By reading a variety of sources, Americans can better grasp what actually happened, even if they don’t like what every source reports. Americans should also try to understand the context of the conflict. It is easy to heroize and demonize the sides of any conflict, and the decades-old Israel-Hamas conflict is very complicated.

That said, if Americans fail to understand the context, then they will never understand the conflict. Take some time to study the history of Israeli-Palestinian relations, whether through the Council on Foreign Relations’s Conflict Tracker, or another source. Look at the first Arab-Israeli War of 1948, the Oslo Accords, and the Abraham Accords, just to name a few key landmarks in Israeli-Palestinian history. Examining the context of the Israeli-Hamas conflict will allow Americans to better judge the current events portrayed in the media.

Opinions

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October 26, 2023 A5

A Professor’s Opinion

Compiled by Alessia Sandala

“What’s worse: finals or midterms?” Gary Wolfram, Economics

Mardi Billman, Chemistry

“The hardest time for me to be a professor is the two weeks I spend grading the two midterms. I have between 90 and 100 students, and I give essay exams because I want my students to be able to explain a correct answer, not just recognize a right answer. So it takes a good deal of time and effort to get them graded within a week.”

“Midterms are difficult because you all look so stressed and sad. Finals are nice because of the finality of it, and once it’s finished, it’s finished.”

Elizabeth Fredericks, English

Jon Balsbaugh, Education

Jason Gehrke, History

Mark Moyar, History

“Midterms are more difficult because grading starts to pile up, and all of my students look tired. Finals are much better because everything is more relaxed.”

“I haven’t experienced finals week as a professor, but I think midterms will end up being harder because there is still another half of the semester to get through.”

“Finals week is definitely better than midterms because all I have to do is talk about history with my friends.”

“I’d say midterm season is more difficult because you still have a lot of other things going on. You may have papers to grade, and you are also preparing for your next classes. At finals time most of that has subsided and extracurriculars and other things have stopped.”

RFK Jr: 2024’s electoral wild card War isn’t a cause By Jackson Casey Collegian Freelancer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s now-independent bid for the White House in 2024 promises to add even more uncertainty to a close race. His candidacy could throw a major wrench — for both Republicans and Democrats — into what current trends indicate would otherwise be a rematch between former president Donald Trump and incumbent, President Joe Biden. Even though Kennedy comes from a Democratic political dynasty, his candidacy could end up drawing more voters away from Trump’s base than from Biden’s. Polling data shows that he boasts a much higher favorability among Republicans than among members of his own party. Polls aggregated by FiveThirtyEight in July found that 51% of Republicans favor Kennedy, while only 23% do not. More Democrats, on the other hand, view Kennedy unfavorably: 36% see him favorably, while 4% have negative views of him. It would be in Kennedy’s best interest to campaign on a mix of left and right-leaning proposals should he wish to coalesce

an even mixture of Democratic and Republican voters’ support. Those favorability polls show, though, that he has done a much better job of attracting support from traditionally red circles. His caution against the COVID-19 vaccine and pandemic hysteria, advocacy for ending extensive American military involvement overseas, and opposition to the perceived establishment all seem to fit the Trump-era GOP more than Democratic politics. While third-party and independent candidates haven’t traditionally garnered extensive support among the American public, our current political circumstances leave Kennedy with the perfect opportunity to buck that trend. Trump and Biden are about equally unfavorable to most Americans, and it’s been that way for some time. Other polls aggregated by FiveThirtyEight measure each candidate’s favorability at around 40 percentage points for mid-October, with both also being around 15 points more unfavorable than favorable. Kennedy’s favorability isn’t much different from either mainstream candidate—it currently rests around 43% — but unlike

Trump and Biden, he commands a net favorability of almost 10 points rather than being underwater. Those statistics reveal that Americans as a whole aren’t confident in either presumptive nominee, and that lukewarm enthusiasm could boost Kennedy’s popularity as a third choice more than would otherwise be impossible. While he was still a candidate in the Democratic primary, Kennedy polled at around 20%. Although he could never win the primary given those margins, they were still impressive against a Democratic incumbent. Similar polls, this time placing Kennedy in a general election field, show that he could nearly take the same fifth of the popular vote. A Reuters/Ipsos survey released on Oct. 6 found that Kennedy would take around 14 % of the vote in a three-way race. Trump and Biden would win similar margins in the low-thirties. This data shows that a three-way race might not especially diminish either major candidate’s performance over the other, but that’s if it were held today. Both the Trump and Biden campaigns now have the opportunity to paint Kennedy

dissimilar from themselves, with this tactic serving to consolidate their own bases and also split their opposition. Whichever campaign has more success in this regard could turn the Kennedy ticket into nothing but a spoiler for their opponent. Given Republicans’ much higher approval of Kennedy than Democrats, it would be in the Republican party’s best interest to double down on highlighting the ways in which Kennedy’s views contrast conservative principles. His flip-flopping stances on abortion, liberal environmentalist views, and recent support for reparations all oppose values that most Republicans would expect their own party’s candidate to hold. Trump, assuming he’ll be the GOP’s 2024 nominee, must tout his administration’s conservative accomplishments just as much as he campaigns on the populist ideals he happens to share with Kennedy. There is only room for one outsider, and Republicans should make it a priority to show the American people that Kennedy is not that man.

Jackson Casey is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

Redeem the Halloween of our childhoods By Ameera Wilson Collegian Reporter

But then, unfortunately, I grew up. And I see a very different side of the holiday. Now Halloween isn’t the same. Costumes have to be sexy, parties need to have

Halloween is almost here, and when this classic spooky holiday arrives, student celebrations should include more wholesome fun and less revealing devil costumes. Halloween, in the innocence of my youth, was one of the most fun times of the year. I would dress up as anything ranging from a princess to a gunslinging cowboy. My family would group with our cousins and wander the safe neighborhoods begging at doors for candy. After walking through the dark, we Children celebrate Halloween. would gather at my Courtesy | Adobe Stock grandmother’s house and swap candy. One Reese’s for six Twizzlers, any beer, and decor must be gory. takers? It was there I first Why is it that we feel the learned how to bargain, as need to demonstrate our well as how to get thoroughly adulthood through nastiness ripped off. and debauchery? The day was fun. It was A risqué witch outfit isn’t spooky. And it was filled with appropriate just because it’s candy. Halloween weekend.

Getting drunk is not a sign of maturity. Making a mature choice means not doing something simply because everyone else is doing it. The modern world seems

to have an unhealthy obsession with darkness. The costumes filling the stores unfortunately show a love for the dark parts of halloween: the witches, the demons, the ghouls. However, can we really say that celebrating the dark

lines up with Hillsdale’s principles? So this Halloween season, I plan to enjoy the genuinely good parts of fall: listening to the leaves crunch beneath my feet on the way to class, wearing my sweaters and coats, and eating and drinking everything and anything pumpkin flavored. And on Halloween itself, there’s not anything wrong with a costume or a party. But keep it mature. Don’t try to prove your age by falling into what our culture considers the “grownup” way of celebrating. Ask why you’re doing something, whether it’s actually good, and if you are representing yourself and this college the way you should. The easiest way to do this is to exchange your beer for some candy, and that revealing costume for a wholesome cowboy suit. Ameera Wilson is a sophomore studying the liberal arts.

for antisemitism By Micah Hart Political CorrespondEnt

What happened in Israel is not about Palestine. Every innocent life lost on both the Israeli and Palestinian fronts is tragic. Right now, however, is not the time to discuss socalled territorial disputes. Whether or not you agree with the current lay of the land is a different story. Israel is a nation and deserves every right to nationhood. Whatever the case may be, right now, it is time to focus on the horrific attacks perpetrated by a terrorist organization, Hamas, and the blatant antisemitism infiltrating politics, culture, and social media. When Hamas executed a surprise attack on Oct. 7 against Israel, citizens and governments from around the world watched in horror, yet some barely acknowledged it before moving on to pro-Palestine rhetoric. “I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib said in an Oct. 8 press release. “The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.” Innocent people continue to fall victim to violence in the region. One of the most notable and sparking significant divisions occurred when a blast hit a hospital in Gaza. Some, like Tlaib, continue to blame Israel, while others, such as her party’s leader, President Joe Biden, with the help of the National Security Council, said Israel did not cause the hospital blast. Even amid these assessments, some like Tlaib remain adamant in their beliefs. “This debate should not distract us from the urgent need for a ceasefire to save innocent civilian lives,” Tlaib said in a press release. What this debate shouldn’t do is call for a ceasefire. Tlaib is out of line with both her rhetoric and policies. This only ends in one of two ways:

Israel defeats Hamas and sends them to the ash heap of history, or Hamas wins, destroys Israel, and leads to greater danger both in the Middle East and abroad. A win for Hamas is not a win for Palestine. This war is more than just a physical one. The ideological battle engulfing this situation is just as significant as the actual war being fought. The London police said Friday they had recorded a 1,353% increase in antisemitic offences this month compared to the same period last year, while they recorded a 140% increase in Islamophobic offences in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel, according to Reuters. We must never be so arrogant to think that history cannot repeat itself. The events that took place 78 years ago, in which 6 million Jews were killed by the Nazis, must remain at the fronts of our minds and hearts. One death was too many. We can never let something so heinous and cruel wreak havoc on our earth again. Antisemitism remains a dangerous concern. University students continue to post in support of freeing Palestine, celebrities like climate activist Greta Thunberg are rallying for the same, and members of congress are echoing these sentiments. We should never tolerate antisemitism, remaining vigilant against remarks like those against our Jewish brothers and sisters. In the same regard, we must protect against anti-Muslim hate as well. War both divides and unites. It divides two sides against each other in a battle for victory, but it unites in the sense of bringing people together. People from all different nations came together to “stand with Israel” and show unwavering support. From government buildings lit blue, to supportive messages on Twitter, and generous support from governments, war brings people together. There is a lot of hate in the world, and it must not go unnoticed, but there is also a lot of good in it too. Israel will get through this, but it will take all of us doing our part to ensure that Israel wins, Hamas goes to the coffin, and that as many innocent lives as possible on both sides are saved. Micah Hart is a junior studying politics and journalism.

City News A6 October 26, 2023

Keefer from A1 CL Real Estate has pushed back the Keefer project’s deadline several times – once due to COVID-19 shutdowns, again until November 2022, again until November 2023, and now again until early summer 2024. TIFA bought the Keefer and Dawn Theater in a single deal for $410,000 in 2016. Gelzer said the Keefer was worth close to $275,000 at the time. TIFA agreed to sell the Keefer to CL Real Estate for $10,000 and dismiss the remaining balance under the premise that the company would finish the restoration on time, according to Gelzer. But the purchase took place in 2018 and CL Real Estate has not yet finished the Keefer restoration, so TIFA still owns the building. “If they disappeared, and this just became a forever project that would never finish, we would have a stick to hit them with,” Gelzer said. “Having said that, they have been very cooperative, communicative, and so it hasn’t been truly necessary. The delays that they ran into had been completely out of their control.” Stockford said TIFA could have taken the building back, but it would prefer CL Real Estate finishes the project. “We’re years into this,” Stockford said. Chris Bahash is the head jeweler at Hillsdale Jewelers, which is across the street from the Keefer. He said constant construction has been a nuisance, but he is “patiently optimistic.” “They’ve blocked off parking spaces and walking. It’s not been a good thing for downtown,” Bahash said. “If it is done, it should bring benefits, more so than a vacant building. But I’m not holding my breath on when it’s going to get finished.” Gelzer said while the Keefer project is a sacrifice for local businesses, both in terms of finances and the downtown atmosphere, he thinks it will benefit the community in the long term. “These projects are going to hugely increase the tax revenue base for the TIFA district,” Gelzer said. “While we don’t have much money right now, long term this will secure the revenue for TIFA, greatly improve and increase it, which will allow us to rapidly increase the amount of investment we can put back into Hillsdale.” Gelzer joined TIFA in 2014. He said when he first heard about the Keefer and Dawn Theater projects, he fought against investing TIFA funds, but has since changed his mind. “I wasn’t thinking long term,” Gelzer said. “The Keefer Hotel was the target, that was an anchor property. They could get investment, further economic development would happen.” TIFA had a $750,000 budget at the time it purchased the Keefer and the Dawn Theater, and members of the board felt comfortable with the fiscal commitment, according to Gelzer. At the time Dawn Theater construction began, the board had a total of $250,000 and a $1.4 million Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant for the Dawn Theater. The grant required TIFA to have more money on hand, so the board took out a $250,000 loan from the City of Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities, according to Gelzer. But unexpected complications in the Dawn Theater, where more than half of the roof supports became inverted over time, cost more than $500,000, Gelzer said. So TIFA took out another loan from Southern Michigan Bank and Trust. “TIFA essentially bankrupted itself in the process, a huge

disservice to our downtown businesses and past generations whose money went into the fund,” Stockford said. “For the record, it was several years ago, and the major drivers on the TIFA board of this project aren’t even serving anymore.” In total, these costs amounted to $410,000 for the purchase of the Keefer and the Dawn and $750,000 in loans, according to Gelzer.

Real Estate helped purchase supplies and fund interior improvements, Cohen said. “CL has employed full-time staff in the Dawn Theater the entire time there have been delays at the Keefer Hotel,” Gelzer said. “The whole business model for the Dawn Theater was dependent on that hotel.” The Dawn Theater serves as an event space, and will be used in conjunction with the hotel

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“I don’t wish to be a bully to CL, or an obstructionist on the project,” Stockford later said. “I just can’t reconcile the moral conundrum of raising taxes and fees on our residents and existing businesses, who truly carry this city on their back, while giving tax breaks to those who have repeatedly broken their promises.” Stockford said to the council he does not expect the Keefer

if you’re gonna be able to pull that off.” Sharp said the crew seemed too small to accomplish the necessary work in time, but he said he appreciated efforts to clean up the ground behind the Keefer, and would not vote against efforts to renovate the building. “I don’t know how you’re going to get it done with the deadline you’re giving us,” Sharp

project to reach completion by Aug. 1. “If we’re up here on Aug. 1 next year and it’s done, you guys can all look at me and say ‘I told you so,’” Stockford said. “But if we’re not, I’m going to look to you guys to maybe pound your fist a little bit.” Stockford said he and some city council members toured the property several weeks before and saw some activity, and said he appreciated the commitment to make more progress. But he said he walked by the building every day for months without seeing activity.

said. “I will support you guys, but if the work stops, I’m going to be out there too screaming, because that building sat lit up all these years and nothing’s been going on.” Gelzer also spoke at the meeting, in favor of extending the resolution. “It gives them the chance to get their feet under them to start earning back that money before they get slapped with a tax bill on a business that’s not ready to go out of the gate,” Gelzer later said. Cohen and new Vice President of Construction Man-

The Keefer House Hotel renovation project began in 2018. Logan Washburn | Collegian

To pay off these loans, TIFA has annually been sending close to $80,000 of its $100,000 budget to the BPU, according to Gelzer. This has left close to $20,000 remaining every year, but Gelzer said TIFA will finish paying back the BPU loan in the next several years. “It was purchasing the buildings they had the money on hand for, there were no fiscal gymnastics that had to happen,” Gelzer said. “To match and meet our commitments, we stretched ourselves as thin as we’ve ever been stretched.” TIFA currently has nothing

once it is completed. COVID-19 delayed the Dawn Theater project in 2020, but it finished in December 2021. TIFA still owns the building, though CL Real Estate is managing and renting the theater. “They have stuck to their commitment to Dawn Theater as soon as we got that open for them and tossed them the keys,” Gelzer said. Gelzer said once the Keefer project is complete, and both businesses are paying standard property taxes, the city will benefit from a large revenue stream.

Construction workers pour cement in the Keefer basement in early October. Courtesy | Brant Cohen

left in its budget for this fiscal year, which will restart in July 2024, according to Gelzer, though in November it will consider drawing from a $28,000 surplus. Gelzer said the board has been focused on responsibility with these remaining funds. TIFA often issues grants for facade improvements on local businesses, but it has not been able to in the first years of the project, according to Gelzer. But it has returned to issuing some of these grants, in the last two years distributing close to $7,000. While the city managed the Dawn Theater’s restoration, CL

The Hillsdale City Council passed an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act in 2019 to freeze property tax rates on the Keefer for 12 years, so CL Real Estate would not be responsible for paying higher tax rates immediately after the project reaches completion. When the city council met on Oct. 2, it voted 7-2 to extend the completion date on the city’s OPRA resolution to Aug. 1, 2024, to ensure the state would respect the rates until then. Stockford voted against the measure, and said he struggles to reconcile giving tax breaks to outside businesses while being strict on local residents.

“I appreciate you guys cleaning it back up, it looks really nice. Been waiting for that all summer,” Stockford said. “But you know, this is excuse after excuse after excuse after excuse after excuse, and I’m not going to lend my hand to that.” Councilman Bruce Sharp spoke in favor of extending the resolution, as it would be equally as expensive – if not more so – to let the Keefer collapse without any benefits of a renovated hotel. “I don’t want to see us just give up on it because we have them walk away. That building will just collapse,” Sharp said to the council. “I’m amazed

agement Nick Fox presented a progress update at the meeting. “I made some promises that you’re going to start seeing some action,” Fox said to the council. “We’re making some pretty good progress, and you’re going to continue to see that.” Fox said workers have recently been working on drainage, excavation, and reinforcement of the Keefer’s foundation. He also said workers would start construction on building’s the parking lot by spring. CL Real Estate has been providing the council quarterly progress updates in the last year, Cohen said in an email. He said the company would con-

tinue this, in addition to giving monthly updates going forward. According to a June 2021 update from Cohen to the city, obtained by The Collegian, workers found water under concrete in the Keefer’s basement, which could threaten the building’s integrity. At the time, workers had finished drying out the basement, waterproofing it, and were connecting more drainage. “At the start of construction, we emphasized that the nature of renovating historic buildings brings unexpected issues,” Cohen wrote in the update. “Our new projected timeline for completion is late spring 2024.” According to an Oct. 10 update from Cohen, also obtained by The Collegian, workers at that point had gotten permanent water pumps running, installed plumbing under the building’s slab, installed structural footings, and were preparing to pour concrete in the basement. While the concrete cures for several weeks, workers will “continue to work on preparing the site for the next phase” of installing initial framing and structural steel on upper floors. Cohen wrote in the update that CL Real Estate has remained “steadfast” in its commitment to finish the project, and appreciates the city’s support moving forward. “We are still here and committed to finishing this hotel and are making good progress,” Cohen said in an email. Cohan said in the update the company hired Fox to “double down on our commitment and finish this project.” Gelzer said the company tasking Fox with ensuring the project reaches completion is one of the main reasons he is confident in the project. CL Real Estate has suffered from similar delays elsewhere. The group announced in 2015 it would renew the historic Kaskaskia Hotel in La Salle, Illinois, according to Shaw Local News. But the La Salle City Council expressed frustration about delays in 2021, and the city obtained a search warrant in 2022 to ensure the building was still structurally sound. According to the company’s website, the project is still “in progress.” CL Real Estate is also working on restoring a LaSalle brewpub, but the project has seen delays and is still “in progress,” according to the company’s website. The company has a $3.5 million budget for that project. “Each one of our projects is entirely different with unique challenges, regardless of their similarities on the surface,” Cohen said in an email. “The only thing that remains the same across the board is our dedication to the mission of developing catalytic projects that will transform these communities economically.” Cohen said the company is still committed to bringing the Keefer project to completion. “We are not interested in rehashing the challenges we’ve faced; the community has heard it enough times and it only breeds pessimism,” Cohen said. “Our team is continually committed to this project.” Stockford said he wants to see the Keefer project reach completion, but wants to ensure the city holds all citizens and businesses to the same standard. “Someone in town has to speak for the residents over an out-of-state developer with a terrible track record,” Stockford said. “This all being said, I look forward to being proved wrong when I’m attending the grand opening of the Keefer this coming summer.” The Collegian requested a tour of the property, but Cohen said the company could not accommodate because the Keefer is an active construction site.

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Historic train comes back to Hillsdale

National auto workers strike minimally affects local businesses By Lauren Scott City News Editor

By Olivia Hajicek Science and Tech Editor Historic trains took visitors from across the Midwest on trips between Hillsdale and Indiana earlier this month to enjoy the fall scenery and local attractions. The trips featured a historic diesel locomotive in one direction and Nickel Plate Road steam locomotive No. 765 in the other, as well as passenger cars from the 1920s-1950s, according to the website for the Indiana Rail Experience. Sam Fry, the marketing and economic development coordinator for Hillsdale, said steam locomotive No. 765 is designated on the National Register of Historic Places. The trips are offered through the Indiana Rail Experience, a partnership between the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and the Indiana Northeastern Railroad. One couple, Chris and Leslie Corneau, came from more than two hours away in Shelby Township to ride the historic train from Hillsdale to Angola on Oct. 15. “It was just a fun day getaway for us,” Leslie Corneau said. This is the second year the Indiana Rail Experience has offered the trips but the first year they have included routes in both directions, according to Fry. Corneau said her favorite part of the Oct. 15 trip was the band on the train. “There was a clarinetist, a singer, a guy that played the washboard — that was pretty fun,” Corneau said. The trips on Oct. 14 and 15 boarded in Hillsdale and

departed for Angola, Indiana, and then returned to Hillsdale later in the day. The previous weekend, on Oct. 7 and 8, trips began in Pleasant Lake, Indiana and departed for Hillsdale. Heather Tritchka, a Hillsdale resident, said she went to see the train on Saturday, Oct. 7. “It was a little rainy and cool, but people still came out to see the train,” Tritchka said. “There was also an art show going on at Rough Draft that was well attended. A lot of people came out and looked at the train and supported the arts even on a rainy day.” Fry said there were a lot of things for people to do when they got off the train in Hillsdale. “We would bring in food trucks. We’d have local vendors. There was an art show at the Dawn Theater as well as one at Studio 42,” Fry said. He said he wants people to enjoy the historic nature of Hillsdale. “We were kind of the furthest west the train would go at one point, you know, in the 1800s, and so we have a very rich and storied rail history here in Hillsdale, and so we want folks to be able to check that out, appreciate that,” Fry said. Fry said people from many different states have taken the trips. “We’re really excited that they’re continuing to do this in year two and grow and expand, and we’re certainly going to make sure that we continue to partner with them in Hillsdale as they grow and move forward,” he said.

Local automotive businesses remain largely unaffected by the 42-day United Auto Workers strike, but some have concerns if the strike continues much longer. “If the strikes keep growing, I’m sure we will be affected more in the future,” said Angelica Losey-Shetenhelm, general manager at Martinrea International of Jonesville. “But fortunately, right now, we have had basically no impact.” Martinrea International is a diversified global automotive supplier. Since the strike began on Sept. 15, economic losses for the auto industry total more than $9.3 billion, according to Anderson Economic Group LLC. More than 40,000 union members working at Ford,

Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Wisniewski announced her candidacy for Hillsdale County Prosecutor on Sept. 28. She is currently running unopposed to succeed current county prosecutor Neal Brady, who said he will not seek re-election next year. Brady was first elected in 1996 to county prosecutor, with duties that include protecting the community by prosecuting those who violate the law. Wisniewski has worked for him for more than six years, and Brady endorsed her. “I have decided to term limit myself,” Brady said. Then he quoted British writer G.K. Chesterton: “The longer you look at something the less you’re able to see it.” Wisniewski, running as a Republican, said she is prepared for the job and is passionate about protecting residents, business owners, and community leaders in Hillsdale County. “The Office of Prosecutor must act in the best interests of the victims whom they

serve and the welfare of Hillsdale County at large,” said a press release by Wisniewski’s campaign committee. Wisniewski currently serves on the Child Abuse Prevention & Awareness Board, Child Death Review Team, School Justice Partnership, Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice and is a member of the Hillsdale County Exchange Club, according to the press release. “The years I have spent working with victims have made it clear that the prosecutor must be a strong advocate, particularly for those most vulnerable within our community, to ensure that truth and justice prevail,” Wisniewski said in the press release. Wisniewski was born and raised in Hillsdale County, graduated from Michigan State University College of Law in 2015, and decided to move back to Hillsdale County with her husband this year. “I love this place, I love being here, and I love my job,” Wisniewski said. “Ultimately, I want to do the best thing for our community, and that’s what I hope people take away

General Motors, and Stellantis are now on strike. When auto workers went on strike against Stellantis on Oct. 23, Martinrea of Jonesville was slightly affected, because Stellantis is a customer. Losey-Shetenhelm said out of the roughly 700 people that work at the Jonesville plant, only seven work on automotive parts for Stellantis. “In theory we would have to lay those people off, but we have enough other work for them to do right now so we’re not laying anybody off,” Losey-Shetenhelm said. The branch of Stellantis that went on strike is the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, the company’s Ram truck facility. This plant is the “largest plant and biggest moneymaker,” UAW said in an Oct. 23 statement.

Even with the strike expanding to include one of Martinrea’s customers, Losey-Shetenhelm said the branch is operating normally, but said there would be concern if workers went on strike at Chevrolet Silverado. “Our biggest customer is Silverado,” she said. “We supply three different plants for that. So if they went on strike, that’s the majority of our business.” Eric Hoffman, president and owner of Stillwell Ford in Hillsdale, said the strike will affect the business more in the future. “We have lacked a few shipments but most everything we had in the pipeline to get in the near future was already built,” he said. “So it will be affecting us but not quite yet.” Ken Joswiak, owner of Hillsdale General Motors Co., said his company has had trouble getting automotive parts, but the struggle is not new.

“Getting new parts is probably the biggest issue, which has been an issue since Covid, so that really hasn’t changed,” he said. Joswiak said GMC has been shipping cars that were built before the strike. As far as the future of the strike, Joswiak said it won’t concern him much longer. “We actually sold our franchise back to General Motors,” he said. “We will no longer be a GMC dealer at the end of November.” Hillsdale GMC will become Southern Michigan Motors, and will still provide the same products and services as before except sell new GMC vehicles, Joswiak said. “So no, I’m not concerned at all,” he said. “I’m really happy because we’re getting out.”

Historical society awards restored homes By Kamden Mulder Assistant Editor The Hillsdale County Historical Society honored four local Hillsdale residents for preserving their historic homes at an annual ceremony on Oct. 23. The society recognized Linda Aardema and Brian McGregor as well as Thomas and Celeste Kendall, for the historical architecture of their homes on South Broad Street and River Street. The Restoration, Beautification, and Preservation Award Ceremony was hosted at the Will Carleton Poorhouse. Michael Braman, chair of the Committee for Restoration, Preservation, and Beautification, said that it is a joy to see people in the community put time and money into their historical homes. “Each year we will do this and find homes that people put so much into restoring, not just for themselves, but for the history of Hillsdale,” Braman said. “People will see the homes on YouTube, and suddenly are driving to Hillsdale just to see it. It’s encouraging

Wisniewski runs for county prosecutor as Brady retires By Jillian Parks Culture Editor

October 26, 2023 A7

from the campaign. I want to do what’s best for our people and our county.” Wisniewski said her goals as county prosecutor are better communication with the public and with victims specifically and more case transparency. “I have worked closely with Jamie during my law enforcement career and find her to be an advocate for victims of crime, defender of justice, and a great leader,” Undersheriff Nathan Lambright said in the press release. The election will take place in November 2024, and candidates have until April 2024 to join the race. “Jamie is a driven, hardworking, fair, and confident prosecutor who works tirelessly on behalf of the people,” Brady said in a press release. “I selected her as a member of my prosecutorial team because of her outstanding reputation as an attorney and commitment to honoring the rule of law. As I transition into my next venture and retire as the prosecutor, there is no better person I could hope would assume this great office than Jamie Wisniewski.”

as someone who was born here to see things like that.” Aardema and McGregor attended the event to accept an award for their property, Broad Street Manor, which they have preserved and currently use as a bed and breakfast in Hillsdale. According to Linda Aardema, she and her husband Brian Mcgregor moved to Hillsdale after she sold her psychology practice in Birmingham, Michigan. The plan was to move to the northwest part of the lower peninsula to be with Aardema’s family, but the charm of Hillsdale drew them in. “My daughter suggested that maybe if I could name the bedrooms at the bed and breakfast after my sisters, they would like that, and they wouldn’t be so upset that I’m not moving back,” Aardema said. Kristine Stephenson, a Hillsdale resident, stayed at the Broad Street Manor to celebrate her 70th birthday. “It was a lovely experience. They have beautiful grounds. They worked so much on all of their plants and things.

It’s just a lovely place to walk through,” Stephenson said. “I can attest that they are a wonderful host and made the most memorable experience that I will remember my whole life.” The Kendalls, who also received an award for the preservation of their home, were unable to attend. Gene Letherer, the president of the HCHS, said that they have been hosting these award ceremonies for more than 20 years, highlighting anywhere from two to five historical buildings each year. Nominations for these awards are not exclusively held for homes in the community. “We’ve done businesses. In Pittsford we did DJ’s, because she worked on the original old Greek building. We did a barn out on Bacon Road,” Letherer said. The historical society accepts nominations anytime, but typically requests that they are submitted by September, Letherer said. All members of the community are able to submit nominations.

There is also a nomination ballot that people are able to fill out, and it details the criteria for judging. Letherer said the board of the historical society facilitates the judging process. The society offers three types of awards: restoration, preservation, and beautification. According to the HCHS, “Restored structures are those that use only the materials that were available at the time they were built. Preserved structures look like they were renovated with the same materials. And beautified structures are those that needed someone to see the possibilities of a building that went to seed.” Letherer said not all nominations are grand restoration projects, but rather some buildings are selected because they have a well-maintained yard, and that yard is a positive representation of the community. “I saw a barn that I think I’m going to nominate next year,” Letherer said. “It’s well taken care of, and boy, is that awesome.”

City council votes unanimously to ban pets from cemeteries By Alexandra Comus Collegian Reporter Due to citizens’ complaints about animals relieving themselves on the burial grounds, the Hillsdale City Council banned pets from cemeteries earlier this month. On Oct. 16, the council voted unanimously to prohibit pets from entering cemeteries in Hillsdale. In the time set aside for public comments, residents of Hillsdale expressed their support for the prohibition. Kim Tucker, a resident of Hillsdale, said she frequently encounters dog poop when she goes to the cemetery to visit her daughter’s remains. “I have seen people going to the back of the cemetery to let their dogs relieve themselves, because it is secluded,” she said. Tucker said some people visit the graveyard for the sole purpose of letting their animals out. “It’s not just people who go to walk their dogs, either,”

Tucker said. “I’ve witnessed people driving into the cemetery to let their dogs loose. They let them run wherever they want, and then they whistle for the dogs to come back before leaving.” Frank Engle, sexton at Oak Grove Cemetery, said dog owners have not been accountable for their pets in the cemeteries. “Dogs should not be allowed to run freely to defecate and urinate on burial grounds wherever they want,” Engle said. “People do not clean up after them, no matter if they are on or off-leash.” Richard Smith, a member of the cemetery board, said people should be more considerate for the families who have loved ones in the cemetery. “People go to cemeteries in order to respect the people there,” Smith said.“They don’t want to step over dog poop, and I’ve been to some funerals recently where I’ve had to do that.”

Smith said that allowing animals to relieve themselves in the cemetery was also disrespectful to the people who work there. “You can’t expect the sexton to go in there and clean up dog poop,” Smith said.“That’s not what he’s paid to do.” Engle said dogs have made his work as a sexton unnecessarily difficult. “I’ve been chased and almost bitten by dogs, and I’ve had to clean up after dogs before funerals,” Engle said. At the meeting, no one advocated for pets to be allowed in the graveyards. The council planned to deliberate in the future over the amount of money owners would be fined if they break the rule. “People who come to grieve after the loss of a loved one should not have to deal with seeing the disrespect of others in plain sight on the ground,” Engle said.

A8 October 26, 2023

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Sports Action Shooting

Hillsdale ends season with top 10 tournament placings By Carly Moran Assistant Editor The Hillsdale action shooting team had a fun end to the season at the Kent County Sportsman Club U.S. Practical Shooting Association tournament Oct. 21 in Ada, Michigan. Will Galsterer ’22 took fifth place, with a 90.16% accuracy rate in 110.02 seconds. Senior Zech Steiger followed in sixth place with 89.57% in 112.54 seconds, and senior Adam Bentley took seventh place with 87.35% in 104.89 seconds. The event was the final USPSA practice tournament before wrapping up for the winter months. Moving forward, junior Joseph Grohs said the team has many opportunities where he can see it growing quickly. “You got some kids that are just freshmen and sophomores,” Grohs said. “They're good, but give them another couple of years, get some more ammo in, and they're going to be absolute monsters at the

Swim

range.” One way the team looks to expand is through better equipment. “While we always walk away wishing we shot better, we were facing adults with $7,000 tricked-out competition specific guns with optics and lasers,” junior Taylor Chen said. The final event of the fall season was highlighted by heavy rains, making it harder to keep steady hands and trigger discipline. “We're outside, our fingers are cold,” Chen said. “Of course we can't wear too many jackets or gloves when we’re competing, so the cold and the rain make a very different shooting environment for us. Some of us have grown up in areas where cold and rain is pretty normal, but lots of the team is from California, Arizona, and Oregon.” The event allowed many upperclassmen to reflect on their shooting habits and what they need to adapt to in the spring. “My shooting has settled into a middle stage where it

ebbs and flows,” junior Sandy Vietor said. “Some days I see the sights well, and other days I'll walk away frustrated. Shooting USPSA matches from the summer into fall has forced me to adapt my shooting to many different target arrays and quickly make decisions midstage and mid-match.” Many of these experimental targets included moving components. One such target, when struck, would cause the second target to fly along a zip line. Each tournament also includes “classifiers,” or standardized stages, that allow athletes to get ranked nationally. “The staff at the Kent range were super awesome,” Grohs said. “It was pretty lowkey. It's a level one local match. They had a different setup than we usually have, so that was really good to see how people set up their stages.” Grohs said the shooting community has altered its approach since he first became involved long before attending Hillsdale.

“COVID was a blessing and a curse for the gun community because a lot of the old guard that used to chew people away, there's like none of them left,” Grohs said. “Now it’s like, ‘You want to shoot? Yes, that’s awesome, we want more people to shoot!’ There's been a huge shift in that attitude of the gun community.” Chen emphasized the positive attitude of the older competitors. “Although we compete at these matches as a team, we have the opportunity to mingle and build relationships with the other competitors,” Chen said. “Many are excited to see our generation competing in shooting sports and are quick to ask about Hillsdale and how they can be a part of what we are doing.” Grohs said attending Hillsdale has given him more opportunities to shoot than during his time in the military. “The military is hit or miss on how much you can do for shooting. I will say it was kind

of a rare occasion,” Grohs said. “So having three times a week to go out and shoot has been a huge relief from school. I've improved massively as a shooter in the last year.” Grohs said the team has made shooting much more accessible to the younger community. “Shooting sports have been traditionally a little bit less accessible, just because you have to have a gun, ammo, and you have to go to find a range,” Grohs said. “It’s not like going to the park to play volleyball every Saturday, but I think that’s started to change, especially with apps that can tell you where local matches are.” Many upperclassmen mentioned the benefits of mentoring younger athletes. “Now that I have more experience under my belt, I certainly mentor my younger teammates, and luckily that helps me grow as well,” Vietor said. “Being present for them to ask questions or just giving them some encouragement is my

style. I want them to be comfortable in their development, but if they need help they know I am right there for them.” Vietor said practice results can always look different than the matches themselves. “Generally, I left practice having pushed the envelope and then dialing back just enough to get meaningful reps in,” Vietor said. “Unfortunately, I was unable to produce the desired results in matches this month. I am still diagnosing what caused this. I reckon my head just wasn't where it needed to be.” Chen said good results always come down to practicing the basics. “Fundamentals are fundamentals,” Chen said. “When you see something moving, you just have to move at it faster. It just requires more on-your-feet thinking.”

Clifford earns Athlete of the Week, Chargers win meet

Senior Phoebe Johnston swims in the Blue-White Intrasquad meet in September. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

By Maddy Welsh Senior Editor Charger swim dominated its three dual meets at Bethel University Oct. 14 against Bethel, Ohio Northern Univer-

sity, and Aquinas College, with first place wins in nine of the 14 swimming events. “We had surprisingly good competition from some of the better Bethel swimmers,” head coach Kurt Kirner said. “We

had a real team effort with many of our athletes supporting the cause.” Junior Megan Clifford earned G-MAC athlete of the week for her four first place wins at the meet in the 100 and 200 yard butterfly, the 100 yard freestyle, and the 200 yard freestyle relay which she swam the last leg of. Her fellow All American Elise Mason swept the distance events, placing first in the 1650 and 500 yard freestyle. “Both Megan and Elise were ahead of last year’s times when they qualified for the NCAA Championship meet later in the season,” Kirner said. Kirner said he was impressed with the freshmen’s performance at their first collegiate meet. “We have much more depth

in our freshmen class than I originally anticipated,” he said. “They have taken well to both our training and drills which were showcased in their skills at the Bethel quad meet.” Freshmen Izzy Ondracek, Alyson Early, Irene Del Castro, Inez Mc Nichols, Callie Lucero, and junior transfer Lucia Richti all placed first, second, or third in all their events. “Our freshmen had a great debut,” senior and captain Caroline Holmes said. “I was really proud of how our team was able to push through a tough week of training and put together good races at the meet.” Holmes herself won the 200 backstroke and led off the winning 200 free relay. In the 100 back, she had a close second place finish with a time of

1:00.26 which she said she was happy with. “I think I’m faster at this point in the season than I was last year, which is always the goal,” she said. Kirner said that has been the general trend for the team. “We are ahead of where we were last season however we need to keep the training level high and the competitiveness challenging as we go through a grueling part of the season early on,” he said. “I feel we are up to the challenge as the practice attitude has been good and injuries minimal.” Ondracek said the same. “As a team, we all were very positive and successful in our placements and attitudes,” she said. “I think we are all looking strong, and when we get

to more competitive meets, in conference meets, we will be able to showcase our talent and rise to the occasion even more.” The team will compete next on Saturday, Oct. 28 at home. It’s the only home meet of the season as well as the team’s senior night. “This meet allows us to swim our ‘bread and butter’ events — races that play to our strengths and provide us with a better gauge as to how we are stacking up in the conference,” Kirner said. “We invite everyone to come and watch the Chargers light up the pool and maybe even score a pool record or two.”

Women's XC

Wamsley wins G-MAC Championship, Chargers take fourth By Cassandra DeVries Social media manager Junior Liz Wamsley won the 2023 G-MAC Championship in Canton, Ohio, Oct. 21. The Chargers finished fourth, only three points behind third place. Wamsley ran the 6K in 21:37:53 minutes, over 10 seconds ahead of her next competitor, and she became the first female to win an individual cross country conference title since 2017 when Hillsdale joined the G-MAC. “It's been four years in the making,” Wamsley said. “I barely missed it the last two

years, so it was really nice and exciting to be able to secure the win my last year here.” The race marked Wamsley’s fourth victory this season and her fourth G-MAC Championship as a Charger. She finished third in 2021 and second in 2022 when she also won All-American at the NCAA DII Championship. “We're hoping to send Liz off to nationals this year,” freshman Savannah Fraley said. “She’s doing incredible.” The Chargers finished ahead of Northwood University and Malone University. Returning champion Cedarville University finished first,

Walsh University finished second, and the University of Findlay finished third. “I'm very proud of how we did,” Wamsley said. “Especially since a lot of our team are freshmen. They are pulling out the stops consistently, and they're only going to get better from here. It’s a very encouraging step for them to take and gain championship experience.” Three freshmen Chargers placed in the championship. Fraley finished in 14th place in 23:05.08 minutes, Megan Roberts finished in 30th place in 24:02.21 minutes, Anna Stirton finished in 51st place

in 24:38.2 minutes, and Eleanor Clark finished in 55th place in 24:47.6 minutes. Fraley also won second-team All-G-MAC honors. “I hope she gains confidence from that; she should be very proud of her effort there,” Wamsley said. “She was very mentally tough on a tough course. I think she knew it was within her capabilities, but it’s one thing to know that and another to actually pull that off.” Junior Brynn Edison finished in 47th place in 24:30.8 minutes, and junior Vera Thompson finished in 61st place in 24:56.8 minutes.

“The course was a bit tricky and odd,” Wamsley said. “There was very uneven footing, and the ground was a little squishy from rain the night before. There were lots of loops with little rolling hills.” Thompson said she thought the uneven course gave Hillsdale an edge. “The terrain was pretty tough but good for us,” Thompson said. “It worked to our advantage, especially since we're used to training on hills and grass at Hayden Park. Coach has had us go on there specifically so we are more used to rough ground

or unstable footing.” Hillsdale will compete in the Midwest Regional Championship at Angel Mounds Historic Site in Evansville, Indiana, Nov. 4, where they hope to qualify for the 2023 NCAA DII Championships in Joplin, Missouri, Nov. 18. “Honestly, fourth place was a pleasant surprise,” Thompson said. “We were just a few points away from third place, so really close. It’ll give us confidence going on to regionals, our main focus right now.”

Men's XC

Hillsdale places sixth in Midwest championship By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter The Hillsdale men's cross country team placed sixth overall in the 2023 Great Midwest Men's Cross Country Championship after racing against all 14 members of the G-MAC Oct. 21. Senior Alex Mitchell placed third and junior Richie Johnston both tenth.

The conference championship was at Malone University in Canton, Ohio, at Pioneer Park. "The guys' team got sixth place," sophomore Nathaniel Osborne said. "Some people had really good races, and then other people just didn't have quite as good of a race." Even though the team overall did not place as high as they hoped, senior Alex Mitchell and junior Richie Johnston

both placed in the top ten. "Alex and Richie did really well, and the rest of us just didn't have much juice in our legs," junior Caleb Oser said. Heading toward the championships, the Chargers were looking to make a statement at the meet, Osborne said. "We were taking an aggressive approach, because we wanted to see how well we could do," Osborne said. Oser said the team was aim-

ing to win or place high, but unfortunately placed in sixth. "It was a hilly course and a muddy course, but also it was kind of poorly designed, with a lot of hairpin turns," Osborne said. The NCAA DII Midwest Regional Championship is on Nov. 4, followed by the NCAA DII National Championship on Nov. 18. According to the teams, depending on how the Chargers

perform at the Regional Championship, they might qualify for the National Championship for the first time since 2018. "It would be the first time as a team for a while for the guys," Osborne said. As the preparation for the regional and national championship ramps up, the team is confident in the plan, said Oser. "Coach does a great job preparing us to do well in the

10k and honestly I think we're ready to do very well," Osborne said. "We probably have a few things to work out, but this is definitely the best guys team we've had for several years now." According to Oser, the team has the potential to win, but has to perform better than this meet. "We have to run to our abilities, but I think we underperformed at this meet," Oser said.

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Volleyball

October 26, 2023 A9

Chargers beat Eagles, Panthers, fall to Oilers By Ty Ruddy Collegian Reporter The Hillsdale volleyball team played a full slate of games this past weekend, beating Ashland University and Ohio Dominican University in three sets apiece and falling to the University of Findlay in five Sunday. Hillsdale shut down the Ashland Eagles Oct. 20, a team to which they fell in the regular season last year. The first set saw Hillsdale take a 25-13 victory, and the second set held the same outcome as the Chargers overcame the Eagles 25-17. Set three mirrored the first with Hillsdale winning 25-13, and ending the day with a 3-0 win. Senior middle Hitter Megan Kolp led the team with nine kills in the three set shut

out. Junior middle hitter Maizie Brown led the defense with three blocks. Junior defensive specialist Amanda Hilliker’s three aces helped the Chargers offensively. “We showed up to the game focused on playing the match at our own pace, and that is exactly what we did,” said assistant coach Allyssa Van Wienen. “We served aggressively, passed the ball well, and ran our offense at a tempo dictated by us.” The Chargers maintained their pace into Saturday, beating Ohio Dominican University in three sets at home. The win marked the 600th win for Chargers’ head coach Chris Gravel. The Panthers gained ground in each set but never took enough to overcome the Chargers’ offensive onslaught. Hillsdale took the first set 25-

10 and the second set 25-15, outlasting the Panthers’ prowl in the third set and winning 25-20. Two players led the Chargers’ attack against the Panthers at home Saturday. Junior outside hitter Marilyn Popplewell and Brown contributed eight kills each. Brown also led defensively with four blocks. Junior libero Alli Wiese kept the ball alive defensively for the Chargers, recording 19 digs and Popplewell’s five service aces urged on the Chargers’ offensive strike. “Our serving stood out even more in our match against Ohio Dominican, and we were able to outlast them even when they made a run against us at the very end,” Van Wienen said. The weekend ended in a competitive loss to the Uni-

versity of Findlay. The match went to five sets. Hillsdale dropped the first of them 2830 and 21-25. They rallied in sets three and four, overcoming the Oilers in 25-20 and 25-14 victories, but Findlay clinched the match with a 15-9 win in the final set. The Chargers fought into the fifth set thanks to 17 kills from Popplewell and 33 digs from Wiese. “Credit is due to Findlay, they played an exceptional match against us,” Van Wienen said. “But we are back in the gym working hard for an opportunity to bounce back against our opponents this weekend.” The Chargers play again Oct. 27 at Kentucky Wesleyan College and Oct. 28 at Trevecca Nazarene University.

The Chargers are on the road this weekend to play Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene. Courtesy | Reva Ludwig

Golf

Freshmen deliver top performances at Doc Spragg Invite By Thomas McKenna Assistant Editor

The Hillsdale men’s golf team finished its first-semester schedule with two tournaments straddling fall break, as the underclassmen once again shot the lowest of the Charger lineup. “We were certainly hoping the freshmen — a great class — were going to contribute and I think they have fit the bill,” head coach Matt Thompson said. “They’ve done a great job for us and they're hungry after getting that first win under their belts.”

The team won its first tournament since 2019 in September. At the Doc Spragg Invitational Oct. 16-17, the Chargers finished 11th out of 16 teams, with each of their lineup’s five players shooting within nine strokes of one another. The three freshmen delivered the top three performances for Hillsdale, with Oliver Marshall shooting 7371-74=218, Robert Thompson carding 73-70-76=219, and Ryan O’Rourke starting low with 69-77-76=222. Thompson said both he and the team performed well

on the first day, but that he performed worse on the second. “I just had too many mistakes,” Thompson said. “It was pretty disappointing coming back to campus after that final round.” Coach Thompson said the Chargers faced their fiercest competition of the fall at Doc Spragg, where top regional rivals Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, and University of Findlay battled at the top of the leaderboard. “It was a really good test to see how we match up against

some of the better teams in our region,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, we were on the wrong end of a pretty jumbled-up leaderboard.” Sophomore Max Burns went low in his second round, carding 81-69-74=224 in the tournament. Junior Charlie Belden scored 76-74-77=227 in his first starting-five appearance of the season. At the Findlay Fall Invite this week in Farmington, Pennsylvania, Hillsdale placed fifth out of nine teams as O’Rourke tied for third individually in the tournament with a 72-71-72=215 score.

Robert Thompson, Burns, and Marshall followed with scores of 224, 225, and 229, respectively. O’Rourke shot two eagles but said he lacked consistency this week. He shot three birdies, three bogeys, one double bogey, and one eagle in his final round. “I miss a three-foot part but I also make a 60-foot putt,” O’Rourke said. Junior Filippo Reale scored 77-84-85=246. The Chargers’ five-man lineup each week this fall has included Burns, Marshall, O’Rourke, and Thompson.

The fifth player has varied week-to-week, but Coach Thompson said he hopes this offseason will change that. “We have a lot of senior and upperclassmen experience on the roster as well,” Thompson said. “We’re trying to get through some injuries. We're hoping somebody will emerge in the spring and help us round out a really solid five. I think we'd be in a really good spot and a team to contend with this spring.”

Charger chatter Tyler Conrad, Tennis Compiled by Michaela Estruth

When did you get into

What would you do with

tennis?

$10,000?

When I was five.

Start a retirement account.

Where would you go

What's your best mem-

if you could travel any-

ory from a game?

where for one week?

G-MACs

2021

and

Melbourne, Australia,

watching Daniel Gilbert

to watch the Australian

clutch out a comeback

Open.

win against Tiffin to win us the championship.

Mountains

the

beach?

What’s your favorite

The beach because

post-game food?

it's more lively, fun, and

Panda Express.

warm.

If you could change your name what would

Describe your ideal

you change it to?

day.

Harry Houdini because

No classes, and playing

it's magic that I'm any

some pickleball and vid-

good at tennis.

eo games. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Charger

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A10 October 26, 2023

Football

Late stop propels Chargers win over Thomas More

Junior kicker Julian Lee kicks the ball in the Chargers' winning game against Kentucky Wesleyan College two weeks ago. Courtesy | Isabella Sheehan

By Alex Deimel Assistant Editor A late defensive stop on a two-point conversion gave the Hillsdale Charger football team its third win of the season over the Thomas More University Saints by 35-33 on Saturday, making them 3-1 in their last four games. The first half proved to be a very even matchup, with the

score staying at 21 apiece going into halftime. The Saints scored on a four yard run to go up 7-0 on their first possession, but senior quarterback Garrit Aissen found freshman receiver Shea Ruddy on a 33 yard pass to tie the game at 7-7 on the next drive. The score remained tied going into the second quarter, but Aissen found Ruddy again for a 28 yard score on the first play of the second quarter, giv-

ing the Chargers a 14-7 lead. “We did a much better job controlling the ball in this game than we have in the past.” Aissen said, “Especially in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.” Aissen finished the game with 217 passing yards, completing 17 of his 23 attempts with four touchdowns, tying his career high for touchdowns in one game. His two touchdown passes to Ruddy give the

freshman wide receiver four total on the year. Aissen also found sophomore Sam Lee for a 28 yard score before the end of the first half to tie the game once again at 21-21, and then junior Ty Willims on a 9-yard pass, giving Williams his first touchdown this season. “We’ve been preparing well as a team these past couple weeks.” Ruddy said, “Our game plans have been great.”

Senior running back Michael Herzog continued his touchdown streak with a late, 1-yard rush to give the Chargers a 35-21 lead in the third quarter. Herzog finished the day with only 75 rushing yards, his first game under 100 since September 23rd against the Findlay Oilers. “We kept our composure throughout the entire game against Thomas More and we

were able to capitalize on deep passes.” Herzog said. The Chargers held their 35-21 lead over the Saints for most of the fourth quarter, but a short rush from Saints quarterback Rae’Von Vaden put them within one score with under four minutes left. However, junior defensive lineman Hunter Sperling blocked the Saints extra point attempt, forcing them to have to attempt a two point conversion on their next score. Vaden would fumble the ball on the two-point attempt, sealing the victory for the Chargers. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Jacob Vance continued his incredible season, leading the Chargers in tackles with six solo tackles, including a sack to give him his second on the year, as well as a pass breakup. Vance now has 39 total tackles this year, which is the second most by any Charger. Senior defensive back Sam Zemis also contributed to the Chargers' defensive effort, catching his second interception of the year late in the first half. Zemis’ two interceptions is the most by a single player on the Chargers this year. After starting the season with four straight losses, the Chargers now find themselves at 3-5 this season, with all three wins coming against G-MAC opponents. They will look to continue their winning streak on Saturday at home at 2 p.m. against the Lake Erie College Storm, who are currently winless in conference play. “As for Lake Erie, we just need to play our game and let them make mistakes,” Herzog said. “They tend to make mistakes defensively and we need to take advantage of that I’m order to make big plays.”

Feature

Women's club soccer holds 2-2 season record By Tayte Christensen Collegian Reporter The Hillsdale’s women’s club soccer team looks to continue its winning tradition this season despite facing many setbacks so far this fall. “We've had four teams cancel on us for our home games, which are really huge for us because we have a bigger team than ever before,” sophomore team captain Sophie Fink said. “Last year we made it to the playoffs for the first time in school history, and we're looking to do it again, but we can't do that if we don't have these very important games at home.” The team has played four games so far, with a 2-2 record. Three of those games have been away, with the most recent one taking place on Oct. 6 in Ann Arbor, Michigan against the University of Michigan. Sophomore Sophie Schlegel said it was a difficult game. “That game was such a tough game against the U of M. It was super cold, wet, windy, and dark,” Schlegel said. “We started off slow but came out the second half so strong, and we worked together as a team really well.” While the game resulted in a 2-0 loss for Hillsdale, Schlegel said the team showed impressive teamwork. “We had them on their toes

and frustrated which was so great for us as a team,” Schlegel said. “We lost but ended up playing a great game.” Despite a few tough losses,

said. “It's so fun to squish into the huge white van as a team, and grabbing Chipotle afterwards isn’t too bad either.” Sophomore Eryn Bayer

field trip!’ ‘With Coach Ken? No way!’” The team added 11 freshmen to its roster this fall, which according to Fink, is

Bayer said this year’s freshman class helps embody the spirit developed by the team last year. “I think we were really

Last year's women's club soccer team poses for a team picture. Courtesy | Haley Strack

the players said away games and the travel that comes with them have been some of their favorite parts of the season so far. “My part of the season so far has probably been traveling,” freshman Katie Holford

said the team has bonded over the van rides with head coach Ken Koopmans who often is a wild driver. “With Coach Ken’s crazy driving, it feels like the Magic School Bus,” Bayer said. “‘Please let this be a normal

a remarkable number for the team. “The majority of the team is underclassmen, and there's only two upperclassmen on the team,” Fink said. “But it's really great, and it promises a great future for the program.”

close last season as a team, and I think that even though we've taken in a very big freshman class, that closeness thing has definitely continued and carried over,” Bayer said. Holford said this year’s freshman class makes up most

of the starting lineup, which has been a good experience for the freshmen. “It's so fun for all the other freshman girls and I to be out there together,” she said. Playing together has provided the freshman class with a great bonding experience, Holdford said. The team practices three times a week. Captains Fink and senior Brooke Timmerman work together with Koopmans beforehand to develop a plan, taking inventory from previous games and practices. “Brooke, Coach Ken, and I meet, and we just talk about what we need to work on based on games or what we noticed,” Fink said. “It ranges from anywhere between sprints to little scrimmages to shooting drills, passing drills, and stuff like that. Anything we just need to improve on.” The team will play against the University of Michigan again at home Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. Ultimately looking to repeat last season’s success, the women are looking forward to their remaining schedule, and they are excited to continue playing the sport they love and have loved for a long time, Fink said. “This is a program full of people who deeply love the sport,” Fink said.

C U L T U R E

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October 26, 2023 B1

The Von Trapp children line up. Courtesy | Facebook

Jonesville comes alive with ‘The Sound of Music’ By Moira Gleason Assistant Editor Hillsdale College alumni, staff, faculty members, and their families were among those who took the stage earlier this month in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music,” performed at the Sauk Theatre in Jonesville. Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird has directed the musical for the Sauk three times now alongside musical director Kristi Gautsche. He said this time around he tried to emphasize theme of political tensions in the story. According to Bird, this production was effective thanks to an exceptional cast, which included over 25 actors making their Sauk debut. “Every character is strong from the lead to the guys who don’t say a word,” Bird said. “I think that’s important. Everybody’s really just coming in and giving it 100%.” More than 15 members of the college community were involved in the production. “We get a lot of college employees and alumni, a lot of people who might have just graduated and haven’t left Hillsdale yet,” Bird said. Though the production was originally scheduled for the Sauk’s 2020 season, the show was postponed several times with auditions taking place in

August of this year. After just more poised and polished little a few weeks of rehearsal, the person than at home.” show opened on Oct. 12 to a full For some, like lead Gianna house and ran through Oct. 22. Green ’17, the musical was a Musicals at the Sauk typically taste of what family life with draw actors from the college children is like. Green said community, but Bird said this working with the children reshow in particular drew an un- minded her to look at theater usual number of families. with a fresh perspective. “It’s really fun for me to watch “It’s just been so nice to get to them watch each other,” Bird know them and to enjoy watchsaid. “I can’t remember a show ing them do theater, sometimes in my 25 years here that has had this many family groups.” Benjamin Springer, son of Hillsdale College Creative Director Bryan Springer ’94, played the role of Friedrich von Trapp alongside his sister Berdi, who played LieCast poses for photo on the Sauk stage. sel von Trapp. Courtesy | Facebook Springer said he had fun with his role and performing with his sister, but for the first time, and seeing sibling dynamics didn’t cease how they bring their joy and on stage. childlike innocence and wonder “She’s usually always on me to into a show,” she said. be doing everything I need to be Jessica Franklin, admissions doing,” Springer said. interviewer and wife of AssoAlumna Kris Johnson ’08, wife ciate Professor of English Kelof Adjunct Instructor of Music ly Franklin, said the rehearsal Aaron Johnson, played a nun in commitment was difficult bethe ensemble while her 7-year- cause it took her away from her old daughter Olive made her family at times, but it was made debut as Gretl von Trapp. worthwhile by the performance “I know what she’s like at home itself. and her personality, so it’s inter“Up until this point for me it’s esting to see a different Olive largely been a lot of work but fipersonality when she gets here,” nally being able to perform and Johnson said, “She’s a much give this gift to the audience re-

ally has been an exciting experience,” she said. “The opening night when I first walked out on stage with my fellow sisters and we’re getting ready to sing one of my favorite pieces, I actually started tearing up. I was just moved that I got to be a part of creating this beauty and giving it to the community here.” According to Bird, the themes of religion and family in the mu-

college, I came back to New York, and I went to our local parish. I asked to speak to one of the priests, and I said, “I may stop going to church and taking communion.” And he said, “Well, go ahead, and let me know how it goes.” I did not end up concluding that the kinds of questions that I had been taught to ask were not legitimate questions. The entire modern philosophical tradition from Descartes onward has been attempting to answer questions about the ultimate nature of reality, about the place of human beings within that order of reality, about the nature of human knowledge about reality, about how we ought to live, etc. There were atheistic answers to those questions, and I spent a long time working through those, but eventually I wound up being dissatisfied by the various answers that I found.

as complementary rather than opposed, I want to make an argument for why people who are religious believers would still want to practice the secular art and why it would be a

sical are timeless. “The Mother Abbess says when Maria is conflicted about whether she wants to be a nun and she’s falling in love with the Captain, ‘The love of a man and a woman is holy too,’” Bird said. “I think we’ve all had those moments in our lives where we’ve questioned if we’re doing the right thing. And not only are we doing the right thing, but how will it affect those around us?” According to Bird, the musical is politically relevant to audiences today. At one of the performances, Bird said, an audience

member told him the show made him think of his relatives in Israel who were having to hide from attacks. “‘This feels all too timely’ is what he said to me,” Bird said. “I thought, what an interesting time to do a show about families and having to leave your home because of the political unrest, while that’s literally happening right now in Israel.” But this is the role of theater, Bird said, to move people. “If we have people in the audience who are relating to it in a new way, I think we’re doing our job,” Bird said. Hillsdale local Jennifer Wagner, who played Mother Abbess, said the show is particularly effective because it moves people through music. Though the message of the play is dark at times, the musical keeps a light tone for the majority of the script. “What’s interesting is that they deliver their message through a lot of fantastic, upbeat, wonderful music,” Wagner said. “It seems to me that that reaches people deeper, that they’re more open to a new message, if they can just sit and enjoy themselves instead of being confronted with somebody who’s argumentative.” Director of Program Review and Accreditation Samuel

Negus, who played Baron Elberfeld, agreed that the show’s lasting relevance lies in the combination of entertaining music and a script that wrestles with important questions. “The pacing and construction of the story and the catchiness of the score are the work of two masters,” Negus said. “This was, I believe, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s last show together: they were at the culminating peak of their considerable powers. I don’t think musical theater is exactly high art. The genre is just fun and entertaining, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be excellent.” According to Franklin, the union of heavy themes and joyful music makes “The Sound of Music” an excellent piece of art that she was grateful to help perform. “In a way, ‘The Sound of Music’ is about the convergence of the grave and serious and the fun and joyful,” Franklin said. “Maria, through her love and the beauty of music, helps to restore joy to and reunite a grieving family; and the von Trapps’ singing is like a parting gift of beauty to a nation suffering the tragic loss of their identity and freedom. It’s an apropos theme for the rising violence across the globe right now: we need to keep creating good and beautiful things in the face of great evil and ugliness. I’m with Dostoevsky: ‘Beauty will save the

of those people who would not have been included in an epic, that’s another one of the purposes of the novel. I do think that one of the purposes of the novel is to find a way to orient us toward the transcendent even as we live our secular lives. There are many purposes, but I think that the fact that it doesn’t have a simple purpose is one of the things that defines the genre.

has always been my primary project. For most of my time at Harper’s, I was able to balance my writing with my work. And as I moved up the ranks of the magazine, it became more challenging because the job became bigger. The other thing that happened is I had kids. I had a family life. I just reached a point where I could not do all of these things at one time.

Why did you want to work at Harper’s magazine? How did you get the job? And then why did you leave?

Did you always want to be a journalist?

Q&A with Visiting Writer Christopher Beha

Compiled by Jillian Parks Culture Editor Why did you want to visit Hillsdale? In my professional life, I often find myself in a position where I am a representative of religious belief within secular audiences and, at other times, I find myself as a representative of secular culture speaking to religious audiences. I am politically fairly progressive, and I feel very strongly that we ought to be able to move in different political environments as well. It’s disturbing to me that the church seems to be breaking down along the same political sectarian lines as the culture at large. So as someone who is fairly progressive, and spends most of my life in a more or less secular milieu, when I am invited by institutions that are not just religious institutions, but politically conservative institutions, I’m actually very eager to come. I take it as a good sign that I’m welcome here, and I want to honor that spirit by showing up and having conversations. Why did you leave the church and then come back? I think, at a certain point, the tradition that you come from and the values with which you were raised have to get put into question. If you can’t put them into question, then you can never really fully embrace them yourself. I was educated by Jesuit priests, who are actually very encouraging of asking these questions. When I was in

realm of life as it is oriented toward the transcendent, as it is oriented toward the fullness of time. It’s actually a very important innovation of Christian religion that both of these things matter. The emergence of what we now understand as secularism –

Your talk was on the novel as a secular art. What did you mean by that? The first thing I want to do in the talk is think about the concept of the secular as something that is complementary to, rather than opposed to, the concept of the religious. This is a very Christian and, in particular, a very Catholic idea. In the Catholic Church, priests who join orders are known as religious priests. Diocesan priests who do not join orders are known as secular priests, and that is because the secular is the realm of everyday human life. With the religious being, the

Beha delivered his talk on the novel as a secular art. Courtesy | Dutton Kearney

which says that ordinary human flourishing is the only good there is – that’s not secular, that is secularism. That period of time during which that emerges also happens to be the great period of the novel. In understanding the secular and the religious

mistake for them to try and make it something other than secular. What is the novel’s purpose? I think every great novel asks questions. The idea of the valor of everyday life and the novel as a remembrance

Harper’s is a magazine that I have read for a very long time. And one of the things about the magazine is that it has always been fairly heterodox and open to a lot of different views. It’s among the mainstream, secular, New York publications, and it had always been the one that, I think, was most open to writing that had an element of spiritual longing. I came to it by way of its publication of work by David Foster Wallace. In 2008, when I was in my late 20s and had already finished my first book, I applied to be an intern there, mostly to learn how to write for them, and I wound up getting hired out of internship as an assistant editor as a fact checker. I went from being an intern to an assistant editor to eventually the deputy executive editor and then the editor-in-chief of the magazine, and I worked there until just a couple of weeks ago. As for why I left, it’s very simple and straightforward. My writing

I had a very strong sense that writing was what I wanted to do from a very young age. But I wanted to be a fiction writer rather than a journalist. I spent my 20s writing a novel that will never be published. I started writing pretty seriously when I was maybe 16 years old, and I was in my 30s before my first piece of fiction was published. That’s just how long it takes. I did publish one nonfiction book in the meantime, but I knew I wanted to write fiction and I knew it would take me a while. And it was with that in mind that I accepted the job at Harper’s. I think some people who want to write fiction make the mistake of misunderstanding the time horizon. It’s not about carving out six months or a year for yourself. You need a sustainable life where you’re getting the work done, and then you let the work take however long it takes.

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C U L T U R E B2 October 26, 2023

Professors’ Picks: James M. Brandon, professor of theatre

From the minds of Hillsdale’s professors: the song, book, and movie everyone ought to know “Empire of the Clouds” on “The Book of Souls” by Iron Maiden - 2015 “Iron Maiden has been the soundtrack to my life since I first heard their music in 1986. What I appreciate about the band is that most of its songs are about history, literature, and film. Lead singer Bruce Dickinson, a pilot himself, penned this ode to the doomed R-101, the largest airship of its time. At a length of 18:01, Dickinson captures the epic scope present in the tragedy, and the song compares favorably to classics like Rush’s ‘2112’ and Maiden’s ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner.’ Piano music is rarely featured in heavy metal, and it frames the song, showing Iron Maiden could find new di-

rections after 40 years. Doctors discovered a cancerous tumor on Bruce’s tongue in 2015 and the band waited to release the album and tour until Bruce was healthy. Maiden has never played this song in concert, but I dream of hearing it someday. Up the Irons!””

speaks in a language known as Nadsat. Nadsat is a polyglot language consisting of London street slang and Russian. The reader is thrown into this with no context, and thus has to work to figure it all out. In this process, the reader is virtually forced to think like Alex. The book is horrifically violent, so read with care!”

“A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess - 1962 “I could have recommended Kubrick’s 1971 film, but the book is better. On its surface, the story is about the chaos of misspent youth, the overreach of government, and the presence of good and evil. What sets the book apart from the film is, ultimately, the possibility for humanity to

“Red Dawn” - 1984“ Brandon received his undergraduate degree in theatre/ speech and history from Eureka College in 1994. Courtesy | James Brandon

outgrow mistakes of the past. Burgess’ expressionistic style means we are forced to view the world through the eyes

of the protagonist. Alex is a deranged sociopath who just happens to love the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, and he

Students, faculty, Winston Churchill bond over cigars

Students and faculty explain what the international practice of cigar smoking looks like in rural Michigan By Quinn Delamater Collegian Reporter A general once told Winston Churchill, “I neither drink nor smoke and am a hundred percent fit,” to which Churchill replied, “I drink and smoke and am two hundred percent fit.” On campus, many professors and students seem to agree with the cigar-loving prime minister. Since its official unveiling in 2004, the Grewcock Student Union has boasted a statue of Churchill, a conservative icon and honored figure amongst Hillsdale students whose legacy and ideology is influential on campus. A noticeable feature is the cigar in Churchill’s hand. When sculptor Heather Tritchka ’98, worked on the design, College President Larry Arnn insisted she include the cigar. “When I was making the statue, there was a lot of back and forth with President Arnn about the elements he wanted to see,” Tritchka said. “He wanted the victory symbol included, as well as the cigar, and the glasses. So, the fingers make the victory symbol, while holding onto the cigar, and the other fingers are curled around the glasses, all in one hand.” Tritchka said she discovered Churchill’s affinity for cigars while conducting research for her artistic process. “Winston Churchill liked to chew and play with cigars, and there was a cigar in almost all of his pictures,” Tritchka said. “He wouldn’t generally smoke them, but he liked to have them. Instead of a fidget spinner, he had a cigar. So, I got a really big Churchill cigar, and had my husband smoke it down, and that’s the actual cigar in Churchill’s hand in the statue.” In the past, Assistant Professor of Physics Michael Tripepi, has been hosted by Tritchka and her husband, Greg Stuchell, in their home for an evening of cigars and bourbon. “Cigar smoking is a social activity to me,” Tripepi said. “Mr. Stuchell and I had a great conversation while smoking a couple of cigars. It’s very relaxing and I understand the appeal of it.” Throughout history, many conservative icons in addition to Churchill such as Rush

Limbaugh have been known to smoke cigars, in addition to Churchill. “I’m not sure if there is a direct link between cigar smoking and conservatism per se. In my opinion, a lot of it stems from a desire to cultivate leisure,” Tripepi said. “It takes a fair amount of time to get through a cigar so once it’s lit, you have to commit a good amount of time to burning through it, unless you’re incredibly wasteful and decide to toss a perfectly good cigar before it’s done. Leisure, for

and get into the culture.” Brandon said. To Brandon, partaking in smoking a cigar a few times a year is somewhat of a special event to him, the afterparty at Broadlawn being one of these events. “If I can get a good Cuban I’ll take it,” he said. Brandon said that there was once a cigar and wine shop in Hillsdale, David’s Dolce Vita, that he would visit once or twice a year with a circle of the faculty years ago, before the owner retired and the shop

A statue of Winston Churchill holding a cigar stands inside of the student union. Courtesy | twitter

example, in the form of good conversation, also takes time. The two activities seem to go hand in hand in that respect.” James Brandon, professor of theater, told of a special tradition from the end of each summer that started about 20 years ago at the faculty’s pre-opening dinner to the academic year. “At the end of the night, myself and a few others were talking with President Arnn, and someone suggested that we go over to Broadlawn for some cigars and bourbon,” Brandon said. “Larry thought that that was a wonderful idea. So, we did that, and it has grown into an official afterparty for the dinner.” Now, at the end of each dinner each year, Brandon encourages the guests to stop by President Arnn’s house to enjoy cigars, bourbon, and conversation. “It’s like a fine wine, you can really become an aficionado

closed. Not only do circles of the faculty at Hillsdale partake in cigar smoking as a social event, but students as well, especially the brothers of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Junior Andrew Klare said smoking cigars is a family tradition. “My great-grandpa did it, and my grandpa has done it. I guess I smoke cigars mainly because of my grandpa. And, everyone awesome in history smoked,” Klare said. “Why should I be afraid to smoke? Because the government tells me not to smoke? Because they put filters on my cigar that give me cancer and tell me it’s tobacco? I’m not a fan of that. Here, we have a reverence for our forefathers, and it gives a sense of tradition. It’s something that we can enjoy, not only because it takes the edge off and gives us a link to the past, but inspires us to be the

next bad*** generation, which is needed because everything is doomed right now.” Traditionally in history, those who smoke cigars are often regarded as being relative to those who are wealthy or who enjoy an indulgent lifestyle. Cigar smoking is commonly seen as a symbol associated with prestige, as noted by the Upscale Living Magazine. “My grandpa always told me, ‘Even if you’re smoking a seven or eight dollar cigar, you smoke that thing until it burns your fingertips because you worked hard for those seven or eight dollars.’ It’s not about status,” Klare said. Over the years, a fascination with cigar smoking has seeped into many corners of culture, not only at Hillsdale. Cigar consumption rates in America have increased by 85.2% in the years between 2000 and 2015, according to Truth Initiative, a nonprofit tobacco control organization. While Food and Drug Administration reports have shown negative effects of smoking cigars on the body, such as the warning of increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease, some believe it brings benefits as well, such as relaxation. “Having a cigar is great at Hillsdale because it’s one of the only things that keeps me sane on this campus,” said Alex Deimel, a senior and member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Additionally, Klare claims smoking a cigar while studying the liberal arts enhances the experience. “I think that they help bring out the beauty in the world around us,” Klare said. “I love a good cigar while reading some philosophy. Plato and Socrates are always better with tobacco.” Beyond studying philosophy, cigars may also pair well with celebrating a victor, according to Klare. “A graduation? You just defeated all of your enemies? You took back Constantinople? Light up a cigar,” Klare said. “Or, like in 2019 when Joe Burrow became a Heisman Trophy winner and LSU had a perfect season, that’s a perfect scenario to smoke. Sometimes, if you just need a contemplative moment of peace and quiet, you can light up a cigar too. But don’t rage smoke.”

“In this delightful, crowd-pleasing relic of the Cold War, John Milius appropriates decades of Soviet movies about revolution and resistance, and turns the tables. Here the dirty commies invade ’Merica, and a bunch of high school kids take to the mountains and form a resis-

tance. A gaggle of young 1980s heartthrobs (Patrick Swayze! Charlie Sheen! Jennifer Grey!) are balanced out by brilliant performances from Powers Boothe, Ron O’Neal, and Harry Dean Stanton. You may think that you are dramatic, but you’ll NEVER be as dramatic as Stanton screaming “AVENGE ME!” from behind the gates of a Soviet re-education camp to his two sons. SPOILER ALERT, this movie is basically Generation X’s version of “Star Wars: Rogue One,” so don’t get too attached to any of the characters! Also, NO ONE SHOULD EVER WATCH THE 2012 REMAKE. It’s so bad that it almost made the Mayan prophecy come true. Wolverines!” Compiled by Sophia Mandt Collegian Freelancer

Students to perform annual opera workshop By Olivia Pero Sports editor Two opera workshop performances will take place in McNamara Rehearsal Hall in the Howard Music Building Oct. 28 The first performance will be free admission at 2 p.m. Those interested in attending can find tickets at boxoffice@hillsdale.edu. The second performance will be at 5:30 p.m. and requires paid admission. It will be a shorter performance held in collaboration with the wine tasting event. Tickets for the second performance are $45 and can be purchased at HillsdaleEvent.com/ parentwkndFA23. “The theme of this production is love and loss, so all humans can relate to the theme,” Instructor of Voice Kristen Matson said. The cast includes 25 Hillsdale students who will perform scenes from various operas in English, French, German, and Italian, Matson said. The singers will perform in a scaled-down setting with minimal costumes, sets, and piano accompaniment. Rather than performing one large opera, Matson said the scenes are mainly short ensemble pieces, so there will be many duets and some trios. “We always like to start off with a chorus or a large scene, so we have all of our singers in our first and last scenes to sort of bookend the workshop,” Matson said. The two chorus scenes include “The Champagne Chorus” from Die Fledermaus and “Habanera” from Carmen, Artist and Teacher of Music-Voice Emily Douglass said. “Some of the scenes will present familiar music that most audience members will recognize,” Douglass said. A short synopsis of the scenes will be provided before the workshop, Matson said. “Although, you can understand quite a bit from action and body language even if it’s in a foreign language,” Matson said. Matson said auditions for the opera workshop were held the first week of school. “Once casting was complete, we began weekly rehearsals that were scheduled around the students’

schedules,” Douglass said. “Since the program is comprised primarily of scenes featuring a few students at time, we met with each scene separately throughout the week.” Douglass and Matson are co-directors of the workshop. There will be three piano accompanists: faculty accompanist Thomas Ryskamp and senior student accompanists Henry Hansen and Ethan Rohrbach. Hansen said a piano accompanist must always strike the balance between being invisible to the audience and immediately present for the performers. “You want the music to sound good and the singers to always know where they are musically, but you also don’t want to take attention away from the performance,” Hansen said. “If the audience notices you or what you’re doing as a pianist you’ve kind of failed.” Ryskamp said some of the scenes the students are singing are quite complex. “For example, with the scene from La Bohème, by the end of it all seven characters are singing independent lines at once,” Rsykamp said. Matson said the goal of the opera workshop is to make opera approachable and enjoyable for the audience. “A lot of the scenes are comedic, so that’s a nice way to get your foot in the door if you’ve never experienced opera before,” Matson said. Matson said there will be a mix of female and male singers. “We finally have enough tenors — sometimes it’s hard to find enough high male voices,” Matson said. Douglass said opera requires a unique set of skills including singing, acting, stage presence, and language proficiency. “Preparing scenes from different operas, time periods, and composers allows students to explore various aspects of the genre,” Douglass said. “Opera is a powerful form of artistic expression, and participating in these performances allows students to engage with and convey complex emotions and stories through music and drama.”

Features

October 26, 2023

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The Oak Grove Cemetery sits on 38 acres and contains more than 9,000 graves. Michaela Estruth | Collegian

Cemeteries display the circle of life

Professor leads tour through gravestones and mausoleums at Hillsdale’s Oak Grove Cemetery By Michael Bachmann and Sydney Green Features editor and Circulation Manager For a 19th-century American, cemeteries were associated with Halloween — they were a part of everyday life, according to Bradley Birzer, the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies. Birzer, who lives across the street from the Oak Grove Cemetery on Montgomery Street, led a tour of the cemetery on Oct. 16 in cooperation with Phi Alpha Theta, the history honorary. “I appreciated the further history of Hillsdale that Dr. Birzer was able to provide,” said senior Lily Maciejewski, who attended the tour. “I thought it was fascinating that he was able to tell the difference between different kinds of gravestones and the different classes buried there.” According to Birzer, cemeteries reveal a lot about the cultures that built them.

“In the 19th century, death was absolutely a part of life,” Birzer said. “Visiting the cemetery was something that you did all the time. You were meant to think about your own mortality and was very much a part of the culture.” Cemeteries were designed as beautiful places for families to visit their loved ones and enjoy walks. One particular grave in the cemetery with Greek columns and a bench, would have been designed specifically for visitors to picnic or read a book, Birzer said. “It was not unusual to have a family portrait taken at the grave when a family member died,” Birzer said. Birzer has been giving a tour of the graves every fall since he and his family moved across from the cemetery in 2007. While he usually takes his classes to the cemetery, for the past two years he has given the tour with the history honorary. Birzer said his favorite grave belongs to Robert McDougall, a corporal in the Union Army

who fought with General George Armstrong Custer on the third day of Gettysburg. “That’s probably my favorite place to go,” Birzer said. “I love going over there and thinking about that guy in that cavalry battle.” The cemetery was founded in 1859 by the Oak Grove Cemetery Association as a resting place for soldiers and those killed in the service of the United States Army. More than 300 Civil War veterans are buried at the cemetery, as well as many residents who were involved with the college, including Hillsdale College founder Ransom Dunn and Civil War veteran and alumnus George A. Slayton, for whom the Slayton Arboretum is named. “The most famous family buried in the cemetery would be the Robards,” Birzer said. “Jason Robards was a very famous actor in the ’60s and ’70s and his family is buried here.” Many of the tombstones at the cemetery were provided by

the Woodsman, a fraternal organization that was popular in town. Birzer said you can tell which gravestones were purchased by the Woodman since they all use the same font. “During the 19th century, 80 percent of Americans belonged to these fraternal organizations,” Birzer said. “All of those groups would provide death benefits so when a male died, the fraternal order would pay for the funeral and they would have insurance benefits for the window.” Although Birzer said he has always found the cemetery peaceful, a former student claims to have had a supernatural experience one night. “I had a student — who now writes for National Review now — and he had a good friend who claimed he was walking in the cemetery when he heard a carriage go by,” Birzer said. Earlier this fall, several students went to the cemetery to tell ghost stories after Assistant Professor of Psychology

Jared Parker gave his Intro to Psychology class an unusual assignment — to listen to a scary story at night among the gravestones. Freshman McKenzie Ventrella accompanied a friend in the class to the cemetery in late September. They arrived at midnight and listened to “The Mogollon Monster,” a folk tale about a creature known as Arizona’s Bigfoot. “I was already sketched out when we were sitting in the dark,” Ventrella said. “Then the story started and I actually became scared; I kept shining my flashlight around to make sure no one would come out from behind.” Once the narrator started describing the smell of blood in the air, Ventrella said she had had her fill of fright and ran back to the car. “The narrator started slowly describing blood as this metallic weird smell in the air,” Ventrella said. “I was kind of freaked out at that point and ran back to the car.”

Even though Birzer said 19-centur y Americans wouldn’t have been scared by a cemetery, they did have some macabre superstitions. “One of the greatest fears was that you would be in a coma and they would just think you were dead. And so in 19th-century graves, they would often put in graves breathing tubes and also bells so if someone were to wake up, they would be able to signal,” Birzer said. Still, Birzer said cemeteries used to be more about somber symbolism than they are today. “We have these 19th-century people who clearly want their lives to look really prominent and nice but also their deaths. I think that is different from where we are now. We are a culture that hates death, but I think they had a very healthy understanding of death.”

Hillsdale students bring Disney fairy tales to life By Adriana Azarian Collegian Reporter Princes and princesses act elegantly, speak eloquently, and command a room effortlessly. And a Liberty Prince or Princess does all this while answering children’s darndest questions. Student volunteer group Liberty Princess brings Disney characters to children’s special events in and around Hillsdale, including birthdays, tea parties, and father-daughter dances. Members wear the costumes of Disney princes and princesses, dancing, singing, and giving a royal experience to children in the community. “A lot of kids don’t get the option to go to Disneyland or see a real princess, so we have the opportunity to do that for them,” senior and president of Liberty Princess Lydia Hilton said. “We get to bring that magic that we’ve seen on screens and make it a lot more real to them.” Alumna Gianna Green ’17 said she founded Liberty Princess in 2015 to inspire and give children magical experiences. “I saw the need for a performing character company in town that not only acted as princesses, but could be positive role models for young women and young men in town,” Green said. Green said she still assists Liberty Princess by advising current members and caring for their costumes.

According to Hilton, volunteers try to portray the characters as authentically as possible, never entering or exiting their cars or using phones in front of the children. Volunteers wear their character’s movie costumes and familiarize themselves with the characters’ background story and songs. “I really never did makeup before being a part of this, and now I own fake eyelashes and all sorts of colors of eyeshadow,” sophomore and vice president of Liberty Princess Meredith VanDerWeide said. “Every princess has her own

based on the party host’s requests and the preferences and personalities of each volunteer. “Near the end of last semester, I got to be Anna a lot of times and I enjoyed that because she has a spunky personality,” VanDerWeide said. “I really enjoy being able to let loose and be funny and silly and make kids laugh.” Hilton said the group entertains children of all ages, often eliciting a range of reactions. “When you get the really little kids, they have this tendency to get very intimidated, whereas, when you get the 5-to-7-year-

“I had a ring of little girls standing around me staring in absolute awe as I’m singing, and that was really sweet.” very distinct makeup look, and the makeup is very excessive to match the very bright and overthe-top nature of the dresses and wigs.” Sophomore Abi Laiming said the group’s volunteers prepare for events and get into their characters together. “It’s just a good, fun community time as we get ready together and drive to our events,” Laiming said. “We always have Disney songs blasting and do karaoke together. That’s one of my favorite parts.” Hilton said she assigns Disney princesses to volunteers

old range, that’s the prime time when they really want to play and their imaginations are absolutely alive and they’ll ask you all kinds of questions,” Hilton said. “Normally the 9-to-12year-old range is very dangerous because they’re just old enough to know something’s off, but they don’t have that stance in reality to really know that.” Hilton recalled a skeptical boy who tried to verify her identity as Rapunzel by looking under her wig. “There’s no coming back from that,” she said.

While the group is composed mostly of women, Liberty Princess has one Liberty Prince — junior Nathan Stanish. Often playing the Prince from “Beauty and the Beast,” Stanish said his character dances with the girls and supports the other princesses in their conversations. “Admittedly, not very many people are excited to see the prince compared to how excited they are to see a princess — that’s just the fact,” Stanish said. “But every now and then, you’ll have little boys dragged along with their family and it’s nice for them to see another guy there.” VanDerWeide said her favorite memory while volunteering was encouraging a group of shy girls to dance at a father-daughter dance. “We were actually able to help those girls get out of their shell and become more confident because a princess was dancing with them,” VanDerWeide said. “I had a ring of little girls standing around me staring in absolute awe as I’m singing, and that was really sweet.” Stanish said Liberty Princess gives volunteers the opportunity to make children’s days and to give them care and attention. “We get to be a loving influence in someone’s life by virtue of just being a college student, but even more so when you get to be a character like that,” Stanish said. “You matter to them because of that.”

Junior Erin Osborne, sophomores Laiming and VanDerWeidi, and freshman Olivia Tritchka-Stuchell pose as Disney princesses. Nathan Stanish | Collegian

Stanish, the club’s only prince, dresses up as Prince Charming, alongside Hilton and Lillianna More. Nathan Stanish | Collegian

B4 www.hillsdalecollegian.com

October 26, 2023

F E A T U R E S

From cap and gown to homemaker?

Students offer opinions on the tradwife stereotype and Christian conservative counter-culture By Carly Moran Assistant Editor Ring by spring, honeymoon baby, woman in the kitchen – Hillsdale students often toss around these joking phrases. While generally considered more religious and conservative, many Hillsdale women would not affirm these stereotypes, saying the issue is far more nuanced than often presented by other students. One of the most recent trends to stem from the conservative internet bog is the “tradwife movement,” a collection of internet memes and mommy vlogs highlighting — or demeaning — a traditional housewife role. “I think it has a very negative connotation,” senior Sabrina Sherman said. “I joke around with my friends that I do my best to be a tradwife. However, that has a specific definition to me. It is really tailored and doesn’t include the bad aspects of it.” Sherman, a young wife and mother, plans on having a career after a few children. “In my personal life, the division of labor mostly falls under the traditional understandings of female roles,” Sherman said. “When I think of the negative aspects of the tradwife culture, it doesn’t take into account people’s unique differences, skills, talents and personal preferences.” When she was a sophomore at college, Sherman found herself unexpectedly pregnant, which led her to redefine what it means to be a traditional wife who also works. “When I was making my plans for college, I had such strict goals for what my future would be like, but now my timeline has kind of gotten a little tossed up,” Sherman said. “I am doing my best to strive toward goals and personal improvement, but we stumble and that’s okay.” Kaeleigh Otting, a junior in a long-term relationship, said she often feels a culture of campus judgment around dating and marriage. “A lot of people here assume that if you don’t graduate with a ring on your finger, then you

didn’t really do Hillsdale Col- to model yourself after is that trend is becoming so popular Idstein is studying history lege correctly,” Otting said. “I deep care and respect for God. is because society is cyclical. with the goal of being a musesee a lot of women who have That floods out into how you Maybe there was a reason why um curator on the East Coast this idea of what a guy wants, interact with your husband, this was the way that things or abroad. She is in a long-term but less of what a wife should your family members, or kids.” were pretty much always done.” relationship of four-and-a-half be in a Christian sense.” Sherman said it’s all about While senior Emma De Nooy years with her boyfriend and Otting said she hopes to get balance. Miller got married this past does not plan on getting marmarried and become a mother “I always joke about the In- summer, she said she doesn’t ried until a few years after colafter graduation. If she cannot dustrial Revolution and its see herself as a tradwife. She ex- lege. stay home or work remotely, consequences,” Sherman said. plained the difference between “I’m definitely not a tradshe plans to go into marketing “We have all these different la- being viewed as a tradwife ver- wife,” Idstein said. “I’m not or law. bor-saving devices, so now for sus identifying as one. planning on having kids until “I think of the meme with the first time women have the “I think a lot of people think about 30. I’m not an atheist, I’m the blonde girl I’m a tradwife merely because not religious, not agnostic. I’m and the blue I got married when I was 20,” just removed. I kind of throw sundress with De Nooy Miller said. “A lot around the term ‘irreligious’ the flowers on of my close friends, especially sometimes.” it,” Otting said. the married ones, would say, While Idstein said gender “I think that ‘No, she’s not really a tradwife roles exist for a reason, she said it’s the glorifibecause she’s very feminist in they can sometimes become cation of what some of the ways she thinks. stifling and cited the “Barbie” men get out of movie as a cultural a subservient example. wife and not “I was really exin the biblical cited for the ‘Barsense. It comes bie’ movie because from a place of it was an example arrogance and of women embracselfishness.” ing their femininBeing a stayity, but I walked De Nooy Miller and her husband at-home mom out of that theater were married this August. should be done just feeling so awCourtesy | Emma for the chilful about women De Nooy Miller dren, not the — how it feels to husband, Otbe one,” Idstein ting said. s aid. “Women “I don’t care have their strugif my husband gles, absolutely. wants a homeBut, I think that Idstein dances cooked meal every time he by victimizing us with her boycomes home,” Otting said. “I so much in the friend. Courtesy | care that my children are raised media, it just feels Abby Idstein in a home where a parent is out of touch.” present when needed.” Idstein emphaOtting said by caricaturing sized the imporhomemaking, it loses some of tance of men and its value. women recogniz“You are not going to get reFor example, ing their shared experiences spect if you don’t demand some she took both in order to combat gender inform of it,” Otting said. “I think her and her equality. Sherman poses with her son and that women on this campus husband’s last “I think we’re on a path to husband. don’t demand enough respect names. ’ ” getting better,” Idstein said. “I Courtesy | Sabrina Sherman as far as what they can do, eiOther wom- do like seeing women embracther within a career field or in en, such as ing their femininity again. I the home. I think one way camjunior Abby see a lot of that just on social pus culture could change is to Idstein, had media and in movies, too. But understand that being a subsernever even for men, I think that we’re still vient housewife does not mean opportunity to get their tradi- heard of tradwives until they kind of in that phase where what the internet, what guys on tional roles done quickly and got to campus. we’re bringing men down when campus, and even what some then have other things to work “I had absolutely not heard of we shouldn’t be.” faculty thinks that it means.” on.” the term until coming to HillsDe Nooy Miller said she has Otting argued the true defiShe said the sexual revolu- dale,” Idstein said. “I think of a a self-proclaimed hatred for nition of a good wife can be tion came about as a response woman in the ’50s in an apron gender roles. learned from the Virgin Mary, to these opportunities, but may cooking dinner. Based on what “I really hate gender roles,” and not young men online. have taken it too far. I’ve observed at Hillsdale, the De Nooy Miller said. “I think “She is subservient to God, “Now we can have more nu- husband and wife are not on though, that there’s that aspect lived her life for Christ,” Otting ances,” Sherman said. “I think equal levels. I feel like it’s more of me that has to finally admit, said. “I think what you have the reason why the tradwife of a derogatory term.” gender roles exist for a reason.

QUICK HITS with David Diener

Diener’s favorite snack is chips and salsa. Courtesy | Hillsdale College

By Megan Li Collegian Freelancer In this Quick Hits, Assistant Professor of Education David Diener talks breakfast, philosophy, and fiction. What are some random things that you are good at?

Woodworking. I worked as a carpenter for many years. I’m a musician. My dad was a music teacher. I played music my whole life, sung in choirs, and I play a variety of instruments. I have a private pilot’s license. I’ve contracted houses. I put myself through graduate school by working as a construction

contractor and did home renovations, remodels, additions, custom cabinetry, all kinds of stuff.

pher, so I love literature, but I find poetry difficult. I’m currently reading an anthology of poems.

What are some things people would never guess about you? I had long hair pulled back in a ponytail for seven years when I lived in South America. I learned Morse code as a child to get my ham radio license. I love Jane Austen novels — I don’t know if people would guess that or not.

Favorite breakfast food? Egg sandwiches or omelets with jalapenos — must have jalapenos, the spicier the better.

If you could have dinner with any Bible character, who would it be and why? King David. Scripture describes him as a man after God’s own heart, and yet, we know that he was not perfect. He’s an interesting character to me because he was a shepherd, he was a poet, he was a king, he was a warrior. Who are your favorite fictional characters? Levin in “Anna Karenina” and Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables.” What is something you wish you did more of? Read poetry. I’m a philoso-

SAT, ACT, CLT, or none of the above? CLT. I’m on the board of academic advisers for the CLT and have been involved in that company from the time it was founded. I’m invested in that and think they’re doing good work for education. Favorite philosopher? I’m going to cheat and say two. My first one is Plato, because I love teaching and reading Plato since he’s so foundational for the Western tradition and raises so many important questions. The other one is Søren Kierkegaard. I wrote my dissertation on Kierkegaard, and I find him to be a fascinating figure living in a time of philosophical change. And as an early existentialist and Christian philosopher, he’s very interesting to read. He has complicated ideas that can be difficult to understand, but he’s very intriguing.

What is the best decision a parent can make about their child’s education? To recognize that every approach to education is teleological — every approach has a goal for what a child should become. Parents need to be intentional about educating their children in a way that aligns with their goals or vision of what they want their child to become. What is something you would do if you knew you could not fail? Fulfill the Great Commission. What is the best thing you’ve eaten in Saga? I really enjoy the salad bar. I think it’s a really great salad bar with a lot of options. What is your favorite Bible verse? Romans 12:21. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” What is your favorite season in Hillsdale? Fall. I love the changing colors, the crisp, cool air — it’s great. If you could go to any concert from any artist, alive or dead, who would it be?

I’m pretty confrontational, a little bit more aggressive, which tends to be more of a male attribute.” Before dating her husband, De Nooy Miller said she was more worried about adhering to gender roles. “I stupidly thought that I had to never ask a guy to dance. Yet, my husband thought it was really attractive that I am a girl that knows what she wants, that whose not playing games,” she said. A large portion of roles comes down to preference and God-given talent within a marriage, according to De Nooy Miller. She said her own goal is to have an active career as a dance instructor after raising young children. “You should ask, ‘What are the gifts God has endowed me with?’ I think God gives us gifts in order for us to glorify him best,” she said. “I don’t think that he gives men and women gifts based solely on gender.” Senior Shannon Golden got married last summer and plans to work in healthcare after graduation. She says she partly identifies with the term tradwife, depending on the definition. She hadn’t heard much about the term except through conservative-leaning news outlets. “I believe Jack’s the head of our household, but he’s also supposed to love and give himself up for me,” Golden said. “I wouldn’t say we follow it when it comes to division of labor, because right now we’re both full-time students so it’s not physically possible for me to do all of the housework.” Golden said the most important takeaway for marriage is not about gender roles but rather sacrifice, a necessity for both husband and wife. “Love is a choice that you have to make every single day as you choose to sacrifice yourself to the other person,” Golden said. “I think if you think of love as something you solely feel, then your marriage or your relationship is going to be lacking because you’re waiting for an emotional response that is never going to be there 100% of the time.”

Rich Mullins. Sadly, I was supposed to see Rich Mullins in concert my freshman year of college, and he died. He was in a car accident and died a month before I was supposed to see him in concert. What is your favorite place you’ve traveled? Florence, Italy. There is so much history and culture and art and architecture packed in an incredibly small geographical area. And you can walk around and feel like history is just literally falling out of the walls at you. What is your idea of a perfect weekend? To be in the woods in the mountains with my wife and a stack of good books. Is this where you thought you’d be when you were a high schooler? When I was in high school, I thought that I was going to be a pastor. I fell in love with teaching when I was a missionary in Bogotá, Colombia, and realized that I wanted to work in education. I wanted to teach because teaching involves a kind of pastoral work with students and intellectual engagement.