Collegian 2.15.2024

Passages trip canceled for May

By Elyse Apel digitAl editor

By Logan Washburn Associ Ate e ditor

Local officials across Michigan recently lost the ability to deny green energy projects, prompting a referendum seeking to restore local control.

“We use local zoning regulations to protect our land use future, to preserve our rural way of life,” Lenawee County Commissioner Kevon Martis said. “Now that’s been stripped away.”

When Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed SB 271 into law last November, she set ambitious climate goals for the state’s utilities. And HB 5120, approved the same day, took power over green energy projects away from communities and gave it to the Michigan Public Service Commission.

So Martis helped start Citizens for Local Choice in December, a ballot initiative aiming to restore local control over green energy projects. He said officials approved the initiative’s language Jan. 19. The group is beginning to circulate the petition, according to

By Maddy Welsh s enior e ditor

Hillsdale Academy’s senior class ranked fourth nationally based on its collective Classical Learning Test scores after taking the test in the 2022-23 academic year.

“It’s not the end-all-beall,” Hillsdale Academy

Headmaster Mike Roberts ’98 said. “But it’s a nice assurance that this classical education approach that we have, the Hillsdale College Program Guide and curriculum that we follow, is producing results with our students and our teachers that are rivaling any other school in the country.”

The Classical Learning Test is a standardized test designed to suit the knowledge and training of classically educated students. According to its website, it’s an “alternative to the SAT and ACT” and is composed of three sections: verbal reasoning, grammar and writing, and quantitative reasoning with an optional essay section.

WWTV, and it needs at least 356,958 signatures to reach the ballot this November.

Hillsdale County residents have pushed back against wind farms multiple times in the past, with voters denying a wind farm in Reading and officials later approving a wind farm in Wheatland Township.

But according to Jason Hayes, director of energy and environmental policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the new law eliminates communities’ ability to refuse such projects. He said wind and solar projects may return to the area, even where they may have been blocked in the past, as the state pursues its climate goals.

“I don’t believe that these green energy projects, whether they be windmills or solar, will be able to provide adequate, reliable, affordable energy that we have been able to produce in this country through power plants fueled by coal, gas, or nuclear,” Hillsdale County Commissioner Brent Leininger said.

Amid the continuing conflict in Israel, Passages canceled a student trip planned for May.

Paul Rahe, professor of history and a trip organizer, said there is no way to ensure the safety of students with the current situation.

“Israel is a small place. Rockets are being fired by Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis,” Rahe said. “The students will be in danger when they drive or are driven to and from the airport in this country, and there will be risks in Israel – greater than in the past.”

The trip is sponsored by the Philos Project and the Museum of the Bible Foundation. Since 2015, Passages trips have taken hundreds of Hillsdale College students to Israel, visiting sites such as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Sea of Galilee.

This is not the first time the trip has been canceled because of the war. A planned trip in December was canceled.

The May trip to Israel, which was first advertised to students last week, offered a discounted ticket and more spots. Passages replaced the May trip with opportunities

for students to travel to Washington, D.C.

“This summer, Passages will also be offering educational and advocacy experiences that take place in Washington, D.C., a bit closer to home,” a statement from Passages read. “These three-day experiences will feature exclusive access to the Museum of the Bible, offer participants the opportunity to delve into updated context on the conflict in Israel, and tour the Holocaust Memorial Museum.”

Senior Fernando Bravo said that even though the trip is canceled, he hopes all Hillsdale students remember how important it is to support Israel.

“It is important to support our brothers and sisters in Israel as we are bonded to each other through our Hebraic roots,” Bravo said. “Israel has always been a light to the world from biblical times, so as Christians, it is important that we always seek the wellbeing of its people.”

Passages is also planning to offer trips to Israel for those hoping to serve.

“With advocacy for the challenges being faced by Israel in mind, Passages will host a few solidarity and service-centric trips to Israel,” Passages said in a statement. “These will

not follow the traditional Passages itinerary, but they will be centered around community service, giving back to the most severely affected citizens of the Jewish state, and advocacy efforts that will leave an impact long after your return to the United States.”

Passages said in a statement that the security of students is critical and the trip is postponed “until we can guarantee that you will receive the traditional Passages experience.”

It is unclear how long that might be.

Since the war broke out on Oct. 7, at least 30,000 Palestinians and Israelis have died, according to the BBC. According to the Wall Street Journal, six Americans are among the 130 hostages still held captive in Gaza.

Rahe said he thinks Israel will continue to fight until Hamas is gone.

“The Israelis seem to have things in hand. I do not mean that the war is over. That may take some time,” Rahe said. “But the Israelis seem intent on wiping out Hamas no matter the cost, and I suspect that they will succeed. Their efforts may set off a larger war, but I doubt that they will.”

By Elizabeth Crawford

A nt e ditor

Assist

skills are developed through an education that centers itself on worthy content and sound reasoning.”

Roberts said Hillsdale Academy requires testing for all students — eleventh graders take the CLT, tenth graders take the CLT 10, eighth graders take the CLT 8, and elementary students take the CLT 3-6.

“We do not do this in place of the ACT and the SAT,” Roberts said. “We still take those tests, but it gives our students another option to take a standardized test that probably is closer to the type of education they’ve been receiving. It’s going to be actually more of an apples-to-apples type of comparison to the types of things that they’re studying on a daily and weekly basis.”

tional honor.” Apel said the rankings are a benchmark of the school’s success.

“To see our students perform at such a high level reflects both the students’ diligence in pursuit of their education as well as the commitment of our faculty to pursue excellence in teaching,” Apel said. “Formal assessments are never the full picture of an education, but it’s incredibly exciting to see our students knock it out of the park.”

The current senior class took the CLT last year as eleventh graders, and Roberts said 21 of them have been accept-

ed to Hillsdale College. Hillsdale is among more than 250 colleges that accept the test. Most are private schools, but all state schools in Florida accept it, too, including University of Florida, Florida State University, and University of Central Florida.

“There are certain types of things we want to see — college acceptance, preparedness, who the kid becomes — and then some of these test scores are pretty neat too,” Roberts said.

Good test scores, while encouraging for students and teachers, are not the Academy’s primary goal, Roberts said.

“Right now our focus is that the CLT is a test that we’re going to take in every grade that it’s offered and it’s going to provide us a piece of information that will help us do our job better, but it’s not the end-all-be-all,” he said. Roberts said the Academy does not “teach to a test.”

“Whether it’s an AP test or whether it’s the SAT or the ACT, as those types of tests change, then if you’re trying to chase those results and that was the end-all-be-all, then whoever’s making up those tests is driving your curriculum,” he said. “So we’ve kind of pushed back against that.”

Grade-point averages at Hillsdale College have risen over the last 20 years, from about 3.1 in the fall of 2003 to about 3.4 last semester, according to Director of Institutional Research Joshua Trojniak.

“When asking a question like ‘Is there grade inflation?’ Well yes, there is,” Trojniak said. “Even at Hillsdale, that’s a thing. The follow-up question would be ‘Why?’ which is a much more difficult question to answer, because there is a lot that goes into it.”

College President Larry Arnn said if Hillsdale seems more resistant to grade inflation than other schools, it is because grades provide a marker on how well the college seeks the truth.

“Many colleges are weak these days and they do not want to disappoint the students for fear they will leave,” Arnn said in an email. “The strongest colleges are welcoming students into an elite world, and they want to make them feel elite whether they teach them anything or not.”

Yale University made headlines last year when an economics professor showed 58% of the grades it awarded in the 2022-23 school year were As and 20% were A-minuses, for a mean GPA of 3.7. A decade earlier, the mean GPA at Yale was 3.6. Harvard University released its own report on grade inflation in 2021.

“To perform well on a test like the CLT is a satisfying experience for our students because they know it closely aligns with the aims of classical education,” Assistant Headmaster Julie Apel said. “A thoughtfully written assessment like the CLT says something about what a well-educated student ought to know and what kinds of

The CLT released its rankings based on the 2022-23 academic year in January 2024 and recognized the top 20 school-wide performances on the CLT, the CLT 10, and the CLT 8. Hillsdale Academy ranked fourth for the CLT and second for the CLT 8.

“The schools across our country that take the CLT are way above average compared to national norms,” said David Diener, professor of education and member of the board of academic advisers for the CLT. “So, Hillsdale Academy’s presence on these top CLT rankings is an excep-

“The percentage of A-range grades given to college students in the 2020-21 academic year was 79 percent, compared to 60 percent a decade earlier,” Harvard Crimson staff reporters Rahed Hamid and Elias Schigall wrote. “Mean grades on a four-point scale were 3.80 in the 2020-21 academic year, up from 3.41 in 2002-03.”

Associate Vice President of Curriculum David Whalen said Hillsdale has not experienced grade inflation to the extent most institutions have, nor does it have a grading rubric to prevent grade inflation.

“To the best of my knowledge, the provost does not have a grading rubric other than the information about grading and grades printed in the college catalog,” Whalen said. Grade point averages are rising, data shows Facing

Michigan’s oldest college newspaper

Students celebrate

Lunar New Year with food and festivities

Students celebrated Lunar New

Sophomore Jihye Kim, who coordinated the event, said she wanted it to be an opportunity for community and fellowship rather than a focus on food alone.

“I really hope that people get to meet other people that they haven’t had as much of a chance to talk to and become friends,” Kim said.

Campus celebrations for Lunar New Year and the fall Harvest “Chuseok” Festival started as a gathering of friends who wanted to make and eat Asian food together, according to Kim.

“My freshman year first semester, my roommate happened to be Chinese, and we found a bunch of different Asians,” Kim said. “So we got together to make Asian food to remind ourselves of home. Then we brought our non-Asian friends along to share with them our culture, and it just kind of grew from there.”

Sophomore Kate Sumarli, one of the cooks for the Lunar New Year event, was part of the first food gathering in the fall semester of her freshman year.

“It was just kind of spontaneous, and then it eventually built up to this,” Sumarli said.

The number of attendees grew from about four to six people to 40 or more last semester, according to Kim.

“Over time, since the college is so tiny, we met a lot of different people interested in Asian food and culture,” Kim said.

Sophomore Turner Callaghan was one of those people.

“I was there when we first started doing it,” Callaghan said. “We just started bringing food for each other, I suppose: inviting friends, giving some to people that came by. I like making food with my friends — that’s about it.”

Callaghan said a dish he usually makes with his friends to bring to the potluck is a Japanese dessert called hanami dango. Other dishes made by various student cooks include dumplings, banh mi or Vietnamese sandwiches, yakisoba or Japanese stir-fried noodles, tteok mandu gguk or Korean rice cake soup, and yakbap or Korean sweet rice.

President’s Ball to bring Hogwarts to Hillsdale

By Alexandra Comus Collegian Repo R te R

Magic will be in the air this weekend at President’s Ball.

The Harry Potter Yule Ball themed dance, hosted by the Student Activities Board, will take place this Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Searle Center from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Swing dancing starts at 8:30 p.m., and there will be chicken tenders, macaroons, and live music.

“It’s loosely inspired from ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’ so it will have dark

academia aesthetics,” junior and SAB promotions officer

John Schaefer said. Schaefer said he believes the theme will be popular this year.

“It will have a lot of light blue and gold tones, and we will be serving mocktails at the event,” Schaefer said. He also said chicken tenders and photo booths, staples of college dances, will return.

“Students can look forward to an exciting art piece, which Hillsdale has outsourced,” Schaefer said.

SAB will host promotional activities in the Grewcock Student Union leading up to President’s Ball, according to Schaefer.

“Students can look forward to three promotional events in the student union before the ball, in which we will be giving away Harry Potter-themed goods,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer said the Harry Potter series can be helpful if students lack ideas for what types of dress to wear to the ball.

“I think students should be excited, and should look to the Harry Potter movies and typical ball gown-type vision boards for inspiration when it comes to attire,” Schaefer said.

Sophomore Lydia Colby said she looks forward to attending this year.

“I’m super excited for President’s Ball this year,” Colby said. “I wasn’t able to go last year, but I’ve heard it’s a lot of fun, so I can’t wait to see what it’s like.”

Memorization Club hosts debut event

By Jamie Parsons Collegian RepoRteR

Students and professors recited Tennyson and Tolkien in the first official meeting of the Memorization Club in January.

reciting. He said he would be happy to recite another passage if invited to another recitation.

The Memorization Club became an official club when it was approved by the Student Federation earlier this semester.

and faculty to recite selections from both poems and prose. The club will provide snacks.

“These people do a good job cooking,” Sumarli said. “It’s always fun cooking. The cooks spend a lot of time making authentic dishes, and I think it really shows when all these people come and flock to this event.”

Kim said enjoying Asian cuisine with friends is important to her. “I grew up in Mali, West Africa,” Kim said. “I’m Korean-American, but I wasn’t really around a lot of other Koreans and I couldn’t eat a lot of Korean food just because of where we lived and the resources we had access to. So when I came to America, I was really excited to be around Americans, but also around other people who appreciated Asian food.”

In order to prepare for the event, Kim sent out a signup email to gauge the amount of cooks and attendees, who are usually charged $10 toward purchases for the event. She then went to the H Mart in Detroit with a group of friends to buy ingredients.

Kim said this year had better quality food than the earliest gatherings, where members were eating instant ramen.

“Overall, this was probably our best one,” Kim said. “In the past, we had a lot of logistical or administrative issues. Some people were cooking while other people were eating. Sometimes, some of the food wasn’t ready yet, but this time we got a lot of food, a lot of really high quality food, and we were able to all bring it basically on time.”

Sumarli said she loves the consistent joy of gathering with friends for good food.

“It’s always the same,” Sumarli said. “It’s always excellent. I encourage people to come if they like the food and even make stuff if they want.”

Kim said she loves the close community these events bring to fruition.

“It makes me really happy to see people get together and enjoy their time, enjoy the food, meet other people,” Kim said. “It’s really nice being around people who have a similar background — having grown up in Africa, I didn’t really have that chance. Just being able to hang out with all kinds of people and having those kinds of opportunities. I just really like how other people enjoy it. It makes me happy to see that.”

“We hope that the Memorization Club will inspire students to take small steps to pursue memorization and recitation, thereby connecting their memory to community,” sophomore Miriam Ritchey, president of the club, said. “We believe that memory can flourish when it is connected to community.”

Associate Professor of English Dwight Lindley and senior Julianna Undseth were among those who recited during the first meeting. Lindley, who recited Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses,” said he loves memorizing and

Grades from A1

GPAs at Hillsdale peaked when the pandemic struck in the 2020 spring semester, averaging 3.53.

“There was a definite drop in the quality of student performance, and there was a definite drop in professors’ expectations,” Whalen said.

But there could be other causes of grade inflation besides COVID, such as a higher quality of students or GPA padding, Trojniak said.

“Grade inflation is happening, maybe we figure out why, but the follow up to that would be why does it matter?” Trojniak said.

Arnn attributed grade inflation at Hillsdale to an uptick in the quality of students.

“A faculty member, here to be unnamed, who may be the hardest grader among us, is giving somewhat higher grades than he used to,” Arnn said. “If you ask him about it, he will say that he never gives a grade, that students earn them. So long as this is the cause of higher grades, we do

“I am of the belief that there are several ways you can have knowledge,” Lindley said. “You can have it in books and the internet where you know where to get it, but having something inside of you is a superior way of knowing it. I think we should bring beautiful things into our life and memorization is a way of doing that.”

Undseth recited “Mythopoeia” by J.R.R. Tolkien at the event.

“To be able to pull out this poem I memorized at any time is really fun because then I can share that beauty with people,” Undseth said. “I don’t have to go on my computer and pull it up, I can just say it in any circumstance.”

not mind them rising.”

Arnn also pointed out that grades improve between freshman and senior years.

“We think that means they are learning, which is the whole point,” Arnn said. Trojniak said that there is even improvement in GPA between the freshmen’s fall and spring semester. Whalen also said student evaluations might be a cause for grade inflation.

“There are arguments that student evaluations kicked off grade inflation,” Whalen said. “There are arguments that grade inflation is a function of faculty disinclination to do the granular, difficult work of making fine distinctions between levels and categories of performance.”

Chairman and Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele also said in an email that student evaluations have affected grade inflation. “There has been research showing that if an instructor wants to ensure high scores on student evaluations, the surest way is to give high

Last year, Ritchey hosted a few personal recitations in the Heritage Room where she and a few of her friends recited Psalms and poetry. Ritchey decided to start a club when other students said they were interested in participating.

“My recitations freshman year were personally planned and run because there was no club for the kind of events I wanted to host,” Ritchey said. “So several friends and I formed the Memorization Club with the goal to connect our memory with the community around us.”

The Memorization Club plans to host another recitation March 27. It is open to all of campus and invites students

grades and to communicate this in advance to students,” he wrote.

Arnn also attributed rampant grade inflation to a general collapse in standards, saying many call these standards racist.

Professor of Politics Thomas West said grade inflation has been happening for the entirety of his 50-year career.

“Perhaps the deepest cause is the post-1960s view of justice: promoting the well-being of the ‘disadvantaged,’ in this case by shying away from dishonoring people when they fail,” West said. “Low grades just seem mean.”

Stuart Rojstaczer, a former professor at Duke University and creator of GradeInflation. com, attributes grade inflation to a shift in higher education, which turned students and their families into consumers.

“Students are paying more for a product every year, and increasingly they want to get the reward of a good grade for their purchase,” Rojstaczer wrote. “Administrators and college leaders agree with

Undseth said she hopes club meetings will help keep members accountable for memorization.

“One of the biggest struggles about memorization is the fact that it is very self-regulating,” Undseth said. “It is very tedious, and so it’s hard for you to make yourself do it.”

Ritchey and Undseth both said they hope the Memorization Club will be a positive community on campus.

“If more people know that people are doing it, it will give them the confidence to try it themselves,” Undseth said. “So

I hope that the club can inspire people to memorize, keep each other accountable for memorizing, and also encourage people too.”

these demands because the customer is always right. In this culture, professors are not only compelled to grade easier, but also to water down course content. Both intellectual rigor and grading standards have weakened.”

Whalen said if the purpose of getting an education is to get a good job, then students should select schools which make it easy for them to have great GPAs.

“But if the purpose of education has something to do with your humanity, or being a person, then maybe a better quality education is what counts,” Whalen said.

Arnn acknowledged that grades could become a substitute for human achievement.

“This is a vice that afflicts every area of human areas,” Arnn said. “We try to guard against it in the college the same way one guards against it in his own soul. One cannot guarantee success, but one can vindicate himself by laboring hard to deserve success.”

By Megan Li Collegian Repo R te R

Year with a potluck of Asian food in Mauck Solarium last week.

Students gathered in the Mauck Solarium to celebrate the Lunar New Year last week. Megan Li | Co LL egian

The mean GPA at Hillsdale College has risen since the fall semester of 2003. Courtesy | Joshua t ro J niak

Suites hosts ‘Shark Tank’ style competition for dorm events

By Tayte Christensen Collegian Repo R te R

Three dorms will host new events this semester thanks to funding provided by the Suites Residence Shark Tank competition.

Sohn Residence won first place and $500 for a vintage carnival, Simpson Residence $300 for a WWE-style event, and $200 went toward a Koon Residence wing-eating contest on Super Bowl Sunday.

Representatives from nine residences pitched their dorm event ideas to a board of five “sharks,” consisting of five Suites resident assistants in Plaster Auditorium on Feb. 4.

A crowd watched as the sharks reacted to each presentation and chose three winners.

“I wasn’t expecting a lot of people there,” junior and Sohn resident assistant Grace McNeill said. “I didn’t really know what to expect. I just thought we were going to show up in Plaster and I expected there to be five guys in there and we would try to convince them.” Suites house director and senior Chris Dick said the idea for this event came following the Suites’ event in the fall, Hillsdale Hoedown.

“I was thinking after the Hillsdale Hoedown, and we had had our partnership with the Bloc — Mauck and Benzing — and I was like ‘This is really fun to partner with a bunch of these dorms,’” Dick said. “‘What if we had an opportunity for some of these smaller dorms to compete for the chance to win a partnership with us?’”

While the Shark Tank event served as the Suites’ philanthropy event, he said the event allows the Suites to work with dorms to bring out the best in both parties.

“This allows us to be able to use our greatest asset, which is money, and then dorms their greatest asset: their own residents,” he said.

The money given out at the event comes from the Suites’ event budget from the year, which they did not fully use themselves, according to Dick. “Residence halls are given $10 a resident, so every semester the Suites gets $1190,” he said. “We’re carrying over some money from last semester and combining it with the funds for this semester so it allows us flexibility.”

Sohn’s vintage carnival event will feature live student music, a dunk tank, and carnival games, according to their presentation at the Shark Tank.

“Everything in our presentation will be in there,” McNeill said. “We’re going to have a dunk tank, and we’re going to get the Suites to barbecue for us, so that’s a selling point.”

McNeill and sophomore resident assistant Veronica Fogo presented the judges with popcorn and a brief taste of the live music that will take place at the carnival.

The carnival will occur in mid-to-late-April on the patio space between Sohn and Kirn residences, according to Fogo.

“It’s never been used before, so we’re breaking it in,” she said.

McNeill and Fogo said they are excited for campus to see more of Sohn’s community and culture through this event.

“It will hopefully bring a lot of campus together,” Fogo said. “I think a lot of people are interested in Sohn and seeing what we’re all about.”

Simpson’s second-place winning presentation featured a glimpse into what the event, Simpson Smackdown, would look like, and had several wrestlers storming the stage mid-presentation, said sophomore resident assistant Marc Ayers. “We knew we wanted to make this presentation memorable,” Ayers said. “We thought the best way to do that is to give a small taste of what Simpson Smackdown is going to be all about.”

During the presentation, the wrestlers broke a plastic table, which according to Ayers, is just a glimpse into the drama that will take place at Simpson Smackdown.

“We had one of our buddies go buy the cheapest table he could find at Walmart, trusting that we would be able to break it,” Ayers said. “We had never practiced breaking that table before.”

Although the men of Simpson were hoping to win first at Shark Tank, Ayers said they are excited to partner with the Suites to put on the event.

“We were hoping that we would get first but, you know, this is kind of like a fairly light-hearted event,” Ayers said. “It was something that we weren’t going to be heartbroken if we didn’t get first. But we knew that going in that we had a solid idea that we were going to be competitive.”

The event, which will take place in late April, will feature mostly Simpson men, along with Chris Dick from the Suites, according to Simpson RA Jonathan Williams. He also said Simpson is currently taking volunteers

from any professor who might want to compete in the event.

Koon’s wing eating contest took place on Sunday during the halftime of the Super Bowl. Freshman Seth Doer won, eating 27 wings in 10 minutes, with junior Isaac Doughty only one behind.

Koon resident assistant and junior Garrett Goolsby presented at the Shark Tank event and said once he heard about the Suites’ event, he wanted the dorm to participate.

“As soon as I heard that the Suites were going to be giving money, I started to think about things,” he said. “Because Koon’s budget is pretty small and I was like, ‘OK, this could be a chance to do something a little bit bigger.’”

During his presentation, he placed a mug with the word “alms” in the center of the stage and said he employed some acting skills.

“My whole plan was to seem a little bit awkward, a little bit uncomfortable,” Goolsby said. “I’m not a great actor, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to kind of sell the bit. But you know, I think it worked, and I think the people thought it was funny.”

Goolsby said he is thankful for the money provided by the Suites for an event that otherwise would not have happened with Koon’s much smaller budget.

Fernando Bravo, senior and head RA of the Suites said he is excited for the three events to acquaint Suites residents with the rest of campus.

“With the events themselves, and the Shark Tank event, part of the motivation is to get Suites guys to interact with other dorms, given that most of them are athletes or just people who are already involved in other parts of campus,” he said.

The events sponsored by the

Suites will provide an opportunity for Suites men to acquaint themselves with campus, and vice-versa, according to Bravo. “When we do an event with another dorm that gives them an opportunity to not only eat good food as normal with that big of a budget, but also to meet new people, which are things that probably wouldn’t happen if we just chose to host an event all by ourselves,” Bravo said. McNeill said she is excited for more people to experience Sohn’s dorm culture through the carnival, and that she is thankful for the funds provided by the Shark Tank event that makes this possible.

“It was really cool to see how invested the other dorms could get into Sohn’s dorm culture,” she said. “Because the only relationships our dorm has with upper-class dorms is only what we’ve established this year, so it was cool to see how many people from other dorms came up and congratulated us afterwards and said they’re going to attend the carnival. People seem really into it.”

Williams said he is excited for the opportunity to partner with the Suites and for the events that will take place.

“The Suites guys are great and we’re happy that they’re helping other teams out,” Williams said. “I think they made great picks, and if they have any more money lying around in the future, we’ll be back.”

Dick said he is excited to put on – and participate in – the upcoming events. “We look forward to partnering with Sohn and Simpson to create events that serve the needs of the Suites guys and then all of campus,” he said. “I now need to figure out my wrestling character for Simpson Smackdown.”

Professors perform for students at Faculty Revue

By Tayte Christensen Collegian RepoRteR

The kids stole the show at the annual Faculty Revue, according to junior and Student Activities Board member Abby Richardson.

In a new segment based on the game show “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader,” Assistant Professor of History Jason Gehrke, and Assistant Professors of Theology Jonathan Mumme and Jordan Wales competed against their children in trivia and minute to win it for a packed Plaster Auditorium.

“I loved watching the professors interact with their kids and seeing whether they competed with them or helped them or let them win,” SAB creative lead and junior Joy Hanes said.

The evening also included stand-up comedy from Associate Professor of English Jason Peters, pictionary with Assistant Professor of Art Christina Chakalova and Associate Professor of Art Julio Suarez, a story hour with Associate Professor of Philosophy Ian Church, and a family music act with Professor of Philosophy and Religion Nathan Schlueter and three of his children.

Juniors Caleb Bigler and Donny McArdle served as emcees for the event.

“My favorite act was absolutely Drs. Mumme, Wales, and Gehrke with their kids. The concept was hilarious to have them face off against their kids,” Bigler said. “The professors were great sports about Donny and I belittling them, and I hope they were happy to see their kids get to have some fun at the college.”

Sophomore Paige Lettow attended the event and said she appreciated Schlueter’s musical performance, which featured bluegrass music played with three of his children: Mary,

Abdu Murray speaks on conversion to Christianity

By Skye Graham Collegian RepoRteR

It can be difficult to accept something as fact, even if it logically makes sense, Abdu Murray told the Aletheia Apologetics club Friday.

“You hold an opinion in an open hand,” Murray said. “But a conviction is held in a closed fist. You hold it tight to yourself to keep it safe.”

A former Muslim who converted to Christianity, Murray is the founder of Embrace the Truth, an organization dedicated to apologetics and spreading the Christian faith.

Murray grew up in a Muslim family near Detroit, Michigan. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan. He still lives in the Detroit area with his wife and family.

Murray has written a number of books, including “More than a White Man’s Religion,” “Saving Truth,” and “Grand Central Question.” Murray now speaks to college students about the arguments that led him to convert from Islam to Christianity.

Murray detailed his conversion process, which he said took nine years.

“I got all the answers within the first two years,” he said. “I spent the other seven coming to terms with it.”

Murray explained what he found most compelling while debating Islam with his friends from other faiths. He said he found contradictions in the Quran regarding the truth of the Bible.

“If the Quran says the Bible is right and the Bible is wrong, the Quran ends up being wrong, too,” Murray said.

“If the Quran says the Bible is right and the Bible is right, then the Quran is wrong because the Bible contradicts it.”

Murray also discussed the Trinity and how it differs from Islamic teachings.

“Many people shy away from the Trinity. But it was one of the things that made me convinced of Christianity,” he said. “Muslims believe that God is the greatest being, and also that God is loving. Without the Trinity, God would need to bring humans into the world for him to be loving. With the Trinity, the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Holy Spirit.”

Students who attended this event had different takeaways regarding what they found important about the talk.

“It was fascinating to see how Mr. Murray was able to take the tenets of the Islamic faith and the text of the Quran and use them to contradict conventional Muslim theology and support the Christian faith,” freshman Matthew Tolbert said. “I was especially pleased to see someone actually explain the doctrine of the Trinity and provided a purely philosophical argument that such a God would be greater, because he could fully practice love, than a strictly unitary God.”

Sophomore Lukas Becker said he was struck by how genuine Abdu was.

“I had never heard of a way to use the doctrine of the Trinity as an evangelical tool until Mr. Murray presented one,” Becker said. “Islam is an important worldview here in Michigan, and we need to be equipped to speak with Muslims. We’re excited to continue learning ways to be ambassadors for Christ this semester.”

Visiting musicians to play Baroque concert with historic instruments

By Alexandra Comus Collegian Repo R te R

Two professional musicians will play in a baroque concert with historic instruments in Christ Chapel Monday.

Harpsichordist Lillian Gordis and gambist Jérôme Hantaï will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, François Couperin, and Marin Marais at 8 p.m.

in the middle of the bow, and different parts of the bow will create vastly different sounds,” Ruhling said.

Tacke said the duo sonatas on the program were composed specifically to be performed by the viola da gamba.

Emil, and Karol. “I’ve never had Dr. Schlueter for a class before, but I’ve had Emil in a class, and their music came out of nowhere,” she said. “I’m glad that they stuck with acoustic music and that they didn’t have a track underneath it.”

Bigler said his favorite part of the night came from the trivia segment.

“My favorite moment of the night was probably when we were trying to usher all the kids off stage, but they all wanted a chance to say something into the microphone,” Bigler said. “Dr. Gehrke’s son Michael grabbed the mic out of my hands and screamed, ‘J.J. McCarthy is the greatest quarterback in the country!’ It was so cute and so funny, and that was the hardest I laughed the whole night.”

Hanes said SAB was pleased with the number of people who attended the event.

“The crowd turnout was amazing and exactly what SAB was hoping for,” she said. “We estimated having about 300 people so it filled the auditorium nicely. Aside from numbers, the crowd was very lively which made the event all the more fun.”

Chairman and Associate Professor of Music Daniel Tacke said the instruments they play alter the performance and sound of the pieces in various ways. “The gamba is a rather special instrument, quite different from our modern cello,” he said. “It has frets like a lute and additional strings, so complex double-stops are a regular feature of the repertoire, and its tone is very resonant. This complements the incisive tone of the harpsichord in a very particular way, and the delicate balance of sonority is something that Gordis and Hantaï are especially focused on in their duo playing.”

Visiting Assistant Professor of Music History Michael Ruhling said the use of the viola da gamba will create a different sound quality than if the piece were performed with modern instruments.

“The viola da gamba sits on the lap, as opposed to the viola da braccio, which would be on the shoulder,” Ruhling said.

“The biggest differences I think you’ll notice are that the sound is softer and not as bright.”

Ruhling said the bow shape is different from modern bows.

“This creates a natural mezzo di voce, where there is an intensification of the sound

“Marais was himself an expert gambist, and wrote extensively for the instrument, taking full advantage of its technical resources with a beautiful, expressive style,” Tacke said. “Couperin’s piece is also a fantastic example of the nuanced gestural language and formality of French baroque repertoire.”

Tacke said the Bach piece is written differently from the other two compositions.

“The harpsichord part is obbligato — that is, fully composed as an integral part of the musical counterpoint, rather than improvised by the performer as with the Marais and Couperin,” Tacke said.

Tacke said Bach’s mastery of the keyboard enables a sort of dialogue between the instruments.

“It also serves as the basis for some stylistic surprises in the solo keyboard partita that Gordis will be playing,” Tacke said.

This concert is a rare opportunity for Hillsdale, according to Tacke, because Gordis and Hantaï are among the best players focused on baroque style and performance.

“Imagine something along the lines of classical repertoire played with the immediacy and spontaneity of folk music,” Tacke said, “brought to life through the specialized instruments but also the very personal voices of the musicians who speak through them.”

Juniors Caleb Bigler and Donny McArdle (left to right) served as emcees at Faculty Revue last week. Courtesy | s tudent AC tivities Bo A rd

Junior Dravyn Spies, seniors Chris Dick and Fernando Bravo, and juniors Taylor Chen and Nathan Stanish (left to right) pose for a photo at the event. Courtesy | Chris d i C k

Opinions

Devil’s Advocate with Claire Gaudet

Tick it from me: Lyme Disease is no laughing matter

“I think I might be schizophrenic.”

I called my parents to tell them that September of my sophomore year. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever said.

I’d been sleeping 15 hours a day so I wouldn’t have to see anything or anyone. When I was awake, I suffered from constant panic attacks and was routinely cutting small areas on my body to make sure I was full of blood and not motor oil — I had gotten pretty into simulation theory. I couldn’t remember anything, including: What I had been taught in classes, what cup of coffee I was on, and the entire month of August.

At the same time, my body was completely shutting down.

How to fool the prospies

By Caroline Kurt assistant editoR

It’s a pleasant Tuesday afternoon, and A.J.’s latte in hand, you’ve just settled in the Heritage Room with a stack of research articles. Time to knock out a couple pages of that essay. You’re just turning on your favorite study playlist when the inevitable happens — a prospie tour enters the room.

Suddenly a zoo animal on display, you scramble to remember how to match the marketing materials you pored over in high school. You’re studious, conservative, and intellectual… right?

Here are 10 ways to look like a Hillsdale student, lest the prospies find you out.

Frown at your laptop and sit up straight. You’re obviously concentrating on the greatest intellectual concerns of the 21st century: Better look like it. Forget about the “C” you got in eighth grade acting. Your expression totally looks natural.

Smooth your hair. They always pick attractive students for brochures. That grown-out haircut is not doing you any favors.

Take a long, profoundly meditative sip of latte.

Shoot — you just dribbled coffee on your crewneck. Quick, cover it up, whispering “self-government” to yourself as you cast a furtive

glance in the prospies’ direction.

Accidentally make eye contact with a prospie. Dive into a research article with a little too much haste.

Realize your Bluetooth earbuds didn’t connect and you’ve been playing the “Lord of the Rings” soundtrack for the whole Heritage Room to hear. You hate those jerks who do that. Pause your music with ferocity.

Glance around and notice how many exhausted seniors are casting disapproving looks in your direction. And the prospies definitely noticed. Whatever.

Take a deep breath and return to the research article. Read the same paragraph six times before you remember to concentrate.

Type a paragraph on your Harry-Styles-stickered laptop, gazing off into the distance between sentences. Then realize you spelled your own name wrong in that email you sent to your new faculty adviser. Well, guess it’s time to switch majors again.

Remember once more to frown intellectually, just in time for the prospie tour to leave the Heritage Room. You totally fooled them… right?

Caroline Kurt is a sophomore studying English and journalism.

I had a triple tear duct infection in July that could only be treated with a thick ointment applied directly to the eyeball for three weeks. In early September, the Hillsdale Orthopedic Group pulled 56 milliliters of crystallizing fluid out of my knee. I developed a daily ritual of crying over my new belief that my mom didn’t exist, usually hard enough to make me vomit.

My parents and I decided that it was probably best for me to leave school for a little while.

But as I was preparing myself to tell my friends I was going home, I got a call from my orthopedist. They had analyzed the fluid from my knee and wanted me to come back in.

“Did you know you had Lyme disease?”

Nope.

Due to the deer population, Michigan is a hotbed of tickborne diseases including Lyme, alpha-gal syndrome, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. I didn’t know that.

As it turned out, I had Lyme for more than six months and never knew. The fatigue, the autoimmune problems, the dissociation and delusions that had been haunting me for months were explained in a sentence.

There’s a very little moral to this long story.

As it’s getting warmer, wear bug spray and look for ticks or marks on your lower legs. The Arboretum, Baw Beese Lake, and Hayden Park are all places to follow up with a quick tickcheck.

It sounds stupid, but it ruined my life for two years — and if that’s not convincing enough, alpha-gal syndrome makes you allergic to red meat.

Claire Gaudet is a senior studying rhetoric and journalism.

Knowing was only half the battle. I was on and off different medications for another year, culminating in a month of IV treatment. After that, there were semi-consistent symptoms for another six months with a likelihood to have episodes for the rest of my life.

LOTR fans are not terrorists

By Ameera Wilson Collegian RepoRteR

Picture a “Lord of the Rings” nerd. What did you see? A fundie with a bad bow tie? Someone carrying a fake sword and wearing plastic elf ears? Possibly a wizard cloak? Did your “Lord of the Rings” nerd have a bomb strapped to his chest? Blood on his hands? Neither did mine.

The British government disagrees. When it considers avid readers of the beloved series, it suspects extremism. Having the ”Lord of the Rings” on a bookshelf may be a sign of a potential rightwing terrorist.

Lol, what?

It’s true, terrorists themselves are a definite concern. After 9/11, governments needed to take measures to protect their own countries from similar devastations. The British formed Prevent in 2003 but it did not pick a fight with Tolkien until nearly 20 years later.

William Shawcross, who investigated the program, wrote that United Kingdom’s Prevent system had three main objectives: “to tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism, to safeguard and support those at risk of radicalisation through early intervention,

identifying them and offering support, and to enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.”

Initially the program dealt mostly with Islamic terrorism, but in recent years it has shifted focus onto right-wingers.

Its definition of “extremism” is extremely disturbing, as well as its theories on what causes “radicalization.”

It claims they should not read Locke’s “Two Treatises of Government.” Or Edmund Burke’s “Reflections on the Revolution in France” or books by Thomas Carlyle and Adam Smith.

It’s hard to identify what the most concerning thing about this situation is.

A first-world Western country is beginning a suspicious books list.

this shows the absolute disdain those in Prevent have for British citizens. It assumes an impressive amount of idiocy in a reader. Big Brother knows you have no discernment of your own, so we’re going to keep you away from all these bad ideas.

Wow.

Because J.R.R. Tolkien is not the only author they have determined to be dangerous. He’s in good company.

C.S. Lewis. Aldous Huxley. Joseph Conrad. Even George Orwell and his “1984.” All the best British people are on this list.

Reading these wise and skilled writers identifies those reading as “those at risk of radicalisation.” And it gets worse: Prevent recognizes a list of historical texts as suspicious as well. It tells citizens of England that they should not read Hobbes’ “Leviathan.”

They are focusing on potential right-wing extremists despite the fact that, as William Shawcross writes, “the facts clearly demonstrate that the most lethal threats in the last 20 years have come from Islamism.”

A government that does not want its people reading Orwell is a government that does not want an aware citizenry.

The books that they see as radical are books that portray good and evil, right and wrong, objective truth and falsehood.

What is dangerous about these ideas? And if the British government sees them as dangerous, what does that say about those running the nation?

Not only that, but even if the books were dangerous,

A government that does not want its people reading Tolkien is a government that wants a sterilized population that cannot recognize evil.

A government that does not want its people reading Locke, Hobbes, Lewis, and Burke is a government that does not want voters who can and will think.

“Lord of the Rings” does not make bombers. It is not a red flag pointing to a radical right extremist.

But thinking that it does is definitely a sign of radical left extremism.

It is not the books that need to go, but the Prevent report itself. Surely there’s a hobbit out there willing and ready to chuck it into Mt. Doom.

Ameera Wilson is a sophomore studying English and journalism.

Our generation is letting bandaid fixes make up for bad music

By Isaac Green news editoR

If you listen to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, you might notice there is a slight hiccup in the bass line near the beginning of the song. Thanks to modern technological developments, you won’t hear such minor flaws in 21st-century pop music. But you also won’t hear songs as good as “September” on the radio.

Music changed at the turn of the century. New software tools like Auto-Tune opened up a whole new world of sounds for producers to explore. At the same time, the most popular musical compositions began to shift their form. They became simpler, melodically and lyrically.

Many musicians have embraced these trends. But if they want to keep their jobs, they need to reverse course. Artificial intelligence could be the next hot

artist to dominate the charts, composing the same simple songs without the input of human artists. When record labels don’t need real people anymore, they won’t bother using them.

The only way to change the trajectory is to change the market by supporting artists who are breaking from what is trendy by crafting raw, authentic, and creative records and showcasing musical ability rather than mere proficiency with software. Records have become robotic. If an audio track deviates even slightly from the tempo, quantization can eliminate the error by moving each note into the precise place at which it belongs. If a vocal is flat or sharp, Auto-Tune can solve the imperfection by artificially adjusting the pitch. If a sound engineer can’t produce a sound naturally, he can dive into an endless catalog of effects.

These quality-improving tools can help. No one wants to hear a mistake in a song when there is an easy fix. But artists are letting these modern wonders make up for bad music. Imagine taking a novel with a bad plot, fixing all the spelling errors and grammatical mistakes, and then sending it to print. That is essentially what audio engineers are doing with today’s hottest hits.

Popular music is neater now than it was in the last century but it is also simpler — the melodies, the chord progressions, and the lyrics.

If you listen to the discographies of the most popular artists in the world, it is troubling that many of their songs can be played using four chords or less. Talented artists like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran dominate the charts but with music that often doesn’t showcase their talent.

They put out music that is

nice to play at parties or in convenience stores. The lyrics are basic but catchy and the melodies are simple but fun. You don’t need to pay attention to what is going on in the composition to appreciate what the artist wants to give you. This kind of art has its place in the world, but it’s nothing to admire, and we should expect more from the best of the best.

Now the combination of simplicity and artificial effects we have come to expect from these musicians will be all too easy for AI to replicate.

“At first the labels are gonna be like, ‘Oh this is great, we have this new source of revenue that we never knew was gonna exist,’ and the artists are gonna say the exact same thing,” predicted Rick Beato, a popular music expert on YouTube. “Until the record labels are saying, ‘well why do we even need to share the money with the

artists, we need to just create our own artists.’”

Programs like ChatGPT can already write simple lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions and the technology will only get better. AI has the tools to reproduce basic songs and since that’s what’s popular, people won’t think twice when it does.

But technology isn’t forcing us in this direction. We can enjoy all the benefits of modern production without sacrificing the beauty of the substance. We can have songs as well-composed as those from centuries gone by while still enjoying the surface-level repairs modern technology affords.

If that’s what we want, we have to start expecting more from musicians. We need to support artists who care as much about the song as they do about the production and we need to refuse to support those who do not.

There are many musicians

who don’t fit the modern mold. They use complex melodic structures and poetic lyrics to craft their compositions. Give them a listen — artists like The Brook & The Bluff, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Hozier.

If musicians like these become the standard for popular consumption, labels won’t have any choice but to keep the musician front and center — at least for the time being. Current AI is simply not capable of recreating the quality of music these artists are putting out.

As consumers, we can determine what is lucrative in the music industry. We can make sure the best music is still worth making. The muse should speak not through computer software, but through human beings.

Isaac Green is a junior studying philosophy, journalism, and German.

British government denounces popular novels. Courtesy | FaC ebook

A Professor’s Opinion

“What’s your favorite family recipe?”

Scot Bertram, Journalism Kelly Scott Franklin, English

“We have a Christmas cookie recipe called fudgy fruitcake drops. My mom made them when I was growing up, and I make them now, and don’t tell her, but I make them better. I haven’t found the recipe anywhere. The cookies are largely made of grape jelly, which is better than it sounds, chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, flour, cocoa, all sorts of ingredients. They’re bumpy, you only cook them for eight minutes because you’re just setting it, there’s not much rising in the oven. They’re kind of chewy.”

“Most people think they’ve had real chocolate chip cookies, but my wife got this recipe from someone who had the most deluxe chocolate chip cookie recipe. It has ground coffee, ground walnuts, and lemon juice in it. It has these unusual ingredients, and it’s another category of chocolate chip cookies. All other chocolate chip cookies pale in comparison to the greatness of this truly unique chocolate chip cookie.”

Nathan Schlueter, Philosophy

“My kids’ favorite is smoked salmon on the grill, but my personal favorite is the shrimp broil we do every summer: a massive quantity of corn on the cob, sausage, shrimp, crawfish, potatoes, jalapenos, spread out over a large wooden board on pedestals which we stand around and eat with cold beer and finish off with a cold jump into the pool.”

Mark Nussbaum, Chemistry

“My wife makes homemade bread all the time, so it’s been years and years and years since we’ve ever bought a loaf of bread at the grocery store. She has two different recipes that she makes all the time because she likes one kind better, and I like the other kind better. Her love language is food, so if somebody needs some love, she’ll give them a loaf of bread and some homemade strawberry jam. Those are some of my favorite things she makes. She makes rolls as well and all sorts of good stuff. She’s the queen of breads, I’d say.”

Compiled by Adriana Azarian

Miles Smith IV, History

“My mom would make this dish called chicken eleganté. It’s a spinach and sour cream center, and then you hammer out the chicken and fold it over itself and bake it like that. It’s just amazing.”

Brent Cline English

“Bouillabaisse: mussels, shrimp, fish, and scallops in a tomato-saffron broth. This is the one all the kids love, too.”

Support the Chargers by learning the Hillsdale College fight song

By Anna Leman Collegian FreelanCer

When Michigan University won the 2024 college football National Championship, “Hail to the Victors” rang across NRG Stadium in Houston. This past year, the Fighting Irish celebrated the 155th anniversary of “Victory March.” November saw Yale seal its victory over Harvard with a rousing performance of “Down the Field.”

These fight songs excite competitive energy and fierce enthusiasm in college students. They stand apart from processional alma maters as brassy hype marches meant to rally cheering fans and stir school spirit. Rooted in university tradition, they represent identity, legacy, and pride.

Hillsdale is among the finest of these colleges, equal in prominence, excellence, and heritage. So where is Hillsdale’s fight song? Where is our rallying call? It lays buried, lost in the decline of Charger pride over the past three decades. It’s time to bring it back.

Since their beginning in 1879, Hillsdale sports teams have carried many names — “the Hillsdales,” “the Dales,” “the Hilltoppers,” “the Blue and Whites,” and “the Baptist Boys.” This flux ended in 1968 when the students favored “Chargers” be their official name in a vote. According to the students, “Chargers” not only paid dual homage to the popular athletic lightning bolt emblem and a rearing warhorse but also captured the spirit of excellence and strength that Hillsdale cherished.

“Charge On!” embodies this mighty spirit of the “Chargers.” Its lyrics demand persevering in the fight, raising the score, and marching forward in truth. The lines call the students on and off the field to join their voices together in the battle against injustice:

“With honor our standard, justice our shield, and the love with in us, the Hillsdale students march afield… ’Till the unjust few are gone, the White and Blue march on!”

These rousing lines unite the fierce Charger spirit with Hillsdale’s core values of honor, justice, and love rooted in the Western lib-

Written by Michigan composer Jerry Bilik, Hillsdale’s official fight song “Charge On!” debuted at the homecoming football game in 1968. The Jackson High School marching band performed it before hundreds of cheering students and returning alumni. The fight song, along with the new warhorse mascot, ushered in the new team name “Chargers.”

eral arts Hillsdale teaches. In a simple marching song, “Charge On!” marries the athletic heritage of excellence with the academic legacy of virtue. It incarnates Hillsdale tradition.

“Charge On!” also unites generations of students, past and present. The 1968 homecoming introduced an era of energetic Charger pride. Decades of yearbooks illustrate loyal sport fans, busy athletic clubs, and a full embrace of Charger identity. Self-named Bleacher Creatures shouted original cheers from the stands while men’s bare chests spelled out “Chargers” in blue and white paint.

Unfortunately, much of this energy is lost on today’s campus. The stands are empty. Game schedules are forgotten. Few non-athletes can name Hillsdale’s biggest rival, know if the football team won its last game, or say the last time they attended a non-homecoming sports event, if they have at all. This apathy divorces us from our tradition of Charger pride. We no longer carry the banner our predecessors held high. For a school that cherishes tradition, this is a tragedy.

The disinterest also segregates our campus. There is no unity under the Charger name. Instead, there are upthe-hill Hillsdale students and down-the-hill Char-

ger athletes. Students call themselves “Hillsdalians” or “Hillsdale students,” not “Chargers.” This divide only feeds back into the vicious cycle of empty stands, lost interest, and forgotten legacy.

Reviving “Charge On!” will reunite us with each other and past generations of Chargers. It offers a banner under which all sides of campus have rallied before and can rally again. As the song says, “Sing on! In the chorus unite; Sing on, the Blue and the White.”

This unity doesn’t happen overnight. It takes gradual steps to build back Charger culture.

But it begins with playing “Charge On!” in the union, challenging friends to memorize the lyrics, and calling ourselves Chargers. It starts with getting a group together to attend a basketball game and singing along as the pep band plays our fight song. It spreads by getting to know the numerous athletes in our classrooms and teaching “Charge On!” during freshman orientation. Culture doesn’t change easily. But it’s worth it for the identity, the tradition, and the pride in our alma mater, Hillsdale College.

Anna Leman is a junior studying politics and ancient Greek.

Elise Stefanik is the best choice for Trump’s VP

By Jackson Casey Collegian FreelanCer

Former president Donald Trump is in all but name the GOP’s presumptive nominee for the general election. Soon, he will need a running mate, and his best option is House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

Stefanik, 39 years old and the mother of a 2-year-old son, has risen to prominence since former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming lost that leadership post. She is respected by both the caucus rank-and-file and Trump’s staunchest supporters. Stefanik has been vocally supportive of Trump’s past administration, and she’s actively campaigned on his behalf in crucial primary states. More recently, she has entered the political arena’s culture wars, in this

case, regarding antisemitism at elite colleges and universities. She grilled former Harvard University President Claudine Gay during a congressional hearing, pushing Gay to the point of resignation. By taking up and publicizing that fight, Stefanik proved she does not fear hot-button issues. Although the VP’s political repertoire is always important, a Trump pick’s assets might depend less on what he or she would add to the ticket than on whom the candidate would avoid upsetting. Neither moderate and independent voters nor the Trump base should feel particularly alienated by the choice. This primary has renewed tensions between those two groups, and the pool of contenders Trump could draw from without adding to that turbulence has shrunk as a result.

Plenty of Republican politicians have already crossed the line with Trump by opposing the direction of his populist movement. This is why former Vice President Mike Pence — with whom Trump had a very public split in the aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021 — could not realistically make a comeback.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is in the same boat. Being Trump’s only opponent left in the primary, some pundits have proposed that her presence on the ticket could demonstrate conservative unity and end the infighting between the populist and establishmentarian factions within the party. Her strong credentials and political prowess are compelling positives, but they simply do not outweigh the negative context of her campaign existing as opposition to Trump.

Although a show of unity would undoubtedly be a positive for today’s fractured right, it would only work if conservative voters could quickly forget (or forgive, depending on what kind of conservative they are) Trump’s attacks against Haley. The former president has made amends with foes on his side of the aisle plenty of times before, but it’s not clear that the façade of a rekindled friendship could translate to an effective partnership — especially when it’s one as crucial as the vice presidency. This primary is now a proxy for the ongoing ideological showdown within the GOP, and it would be counterintuitive to expect Republican voters to accept a sudden truce between the individuals whom they’ve come to see as inseparable from the ideas their bases of support espouse.

VP contenders that are already fully integrated into the MAGA brand wouldn’t be ideal on this ticket, either. Vivek Ramaswamy is perhaps the most relevant example of this. The charismatic businessman has already proven himself to be a capable orator and accentuator of Trump’s populism, and those traits would likely help the Trump campaign maximize base turnout in key swing states. Even so, his presence would not temper any of Trump’s emotional extremes that moderate Republicans find concerning. Although a Trump-Ramaswamy ticket would surely prove electrifying on the campaign trail, it could actively harm the sense of party unity that the prior options would seek to cultivate. Some kind of middle ground seems best, given the obvious drawbacks with each extreme.

Trump ought to choose someone who has an amicable relationship with the MAGA movement but who has not sought the spotlight quite as boldly as he himself does. Such a running mate would balance the ticket while still preserving the momentum Trump needs to get his base out to the polls. It is for those reasons that Elise Stefanik may be one of his strongest options. Her active support of Trump and MAGA has not gotten in the way of her other relationships within Congress and conservative politics. Her loyalty is not self-destructive, and that degree of allegiance might be for the best if conservatives want 2024 to be an election in which Republican voters demonstrate the same.

Jackson Casey is a freshman studying the liberal arts.

City News

Kimball Camp to host second-annual purse bingo

By Alessia Sandala Collegian Reporter

Kimball Camp will host its second annual purse bingo fundraiser on March 23 from 4 to 8 p.m.

“We had our first go at bingo last year and it was our most successful fund generating event last year,” said Tyler Tracy, CEO of Kimball Camp. “We raised almost $9,000.”

Tracy said purse bingo is important because it raises funds for the mission of the camp.

“We are a nonprofit that serves local youth to grow and develop social skills and resilience,” Tracy said. “The mission of the camp has been known in the community for a long time and we are hoping to

do enough fundraising to keep this mission alive.”

Purse bingo is a version of bingo that awards purses as prizes for winning rounds.

The camp’s purse bingo is expected to draw a large crowd. Tracy said he hopes the bingo will top last year’s proceeds.

“Last year we were only five people away from a full house, which is comfortably 150 people,” Tracy said, “so we are expecting to sell out this year.”

The money from the event is crucial to the camp’s continued success, said Don Shemel, the board chairman for Kimball Camp. “We need that money to help with our programming costs so we don’t have to raise prices to stay or come to the camp,” Shemel said.

The purse bingo will offer opportunities outside of bingo and package options for attend-

our local community partners put together,” Tracy said. “The basket raffle is where people

“Being outdoors with nature is better for the well being of a child and it decreases their anxiety and lets them relax.”

ees to win prizes. “We’ll be hosting a raffle after the bingo, where we’ll have different displays of baskets and items that some of

Share the Warmth of Hillsdale needs volunteers

By Sophia Mandt Collegian Reporter

Share the Warmth of Hillsdale County is looking for volunteers.

“We serve the unhoused community here in our county,” said Penny Meyers, executive director of Hillsdale’s chapter of the nonprofit Share the Warmth.

The warming center is a seasonal, nighttime-only emergency warming center, according to Meyers.

Meyers said the county chapter was started by Sozo Church of Hillsdale County, herself, and Kathy Beckwith.

According to its website, Share the Warmth is open from Nov. 1 to April 1 from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.

Meyers said the center is always in need of volunteers and donations.

“Monetary funds are always best because then we have the means to go purchase the items that we need,” she said.

Meyers said items like laundry, soap, deodorant, and feminine products are appreciated.

Meyers said it is surprising the amount of people who need help.

Volunteer Corinna Lewis said on average 14 people per day use the center, but the total number could be as high as 45 people.

“Another thing that has been really surprising this season are the families that have inquired about Share the Warmth,” Meyers said.

Meyers said more families

with small children are inquiring.

Lewis said that the most rewarding part of volunteering is seeing how appreciative everyone is of simply having a place to stay.

“Some of them just enjoy having conversations with people,” she said. “They’re just fun to talk to.”

Lewis said the center is in need of a permanent structure. She said the center wants to be open 12 months out of the year.

Hillsdale College freshman Samantha Otting said she thinks it is great the Hillsdale community has a warming center.

“I am glad families have a place to go to get warm during the winter,” she said.

can hope to win other prizes outside of the bingo. There are also packages that allow you different benefits with entry outside of general admission.

We have brown, silver, and gold packages.”

The purses for the event are donated by local businesses and often include items sold by the business.

“Donating a purse for the bingo is a great way for a business to be involved,” Tracy said. “Sometimes businesses with particular products want to make their business stand out even more by filling the purse with their products.”

Kimball Camp seeks to provide children with an environment where they can grow, away from the technology based society of today, Shemel said.

“Children today are spending four to seven minutes a day outside and they are spending seven and a half hours a day on

their screens,” Shemel said. “We know from over 400 studies that being outdoors with nature is better for the well-being of a child and it decreases their anxiety and lets them relax.”

Tracy said it is important to expand an outdoor experience to the family.

“We are also hoping to expand into serving the whole family,” Tracy said. “We are trying to expand our programs to have more events like the women’s retreat we have coming up.”

The second annual purse bingo will include purses of around a $400 value and food will be provided, according to Tracy.

Those interested can register through kimballcamp.com, according to Tracy.

Senior center to host women’s breakfast

The women’s breakfast is free admission.

By Sydney Green Circulation Manager

Hillsdale County Senior Services Center will hold a women’s breakfast at 9 a.m. on Feb. 21 at 385 W. Bacon

St. The breakfast will feature Greg Moore from Consumers Energy who will speak on how to lower energy costs in the state of Michigan.

Health and Wellness Coordinator and Hillsdale College alumnus Shane Spahr ’92, said the speaker will help provide the public with a deeper understanding of how Michigan gets its energy.

“I thought it would be nice for our seniors to understand from a legislative standpoint where our gover-

nor has pointed Michigan to purchase their energy,” Spahr said. “And then he will also look into different cost savings possibilities and what we are expecting for the future of our energies.”

Spahr said the breakfast is part of the lifelong learning activities program at the center which seeks to engage seniors through interactive events. Women’s breakfasts are held monthly with breaks during December and summer and feature different speakers on a variety of topics from the surrounding area. “We’ve had a number of local speakers and local leaders come in and talk about a variety of things like Medicare, Medicaid, open

enrollment, and insurance agencies.” Spahr said. “Anything that falls under lifelong learning I make sure is engaging, educational, and impactful.”

Executive Director Maggi Monroe said that the breakfasts are usually well-attended and are a good time of fellowship.

“I think that they do enjoy the breakfasts on top of having different community members come in and speak to them.” Monroe said. “It also provides an opportunity for socialization.”

Spahr said the event is not exclusive to seniors and is open for anyone woman to come. The breakfast is free to attend, but donations are encouraged.

Kimball Camp hosts family-friendly events. Courtesy | FaC ebook

Courtesy | FaC ebook

Hillsdale police officer Dustin Zimmerman pushed a citizen’s car that gave out while driving last week, according to Our Lives Matter’s Facebook page.

Zimmerman grew up in Hillsdale. Courtesy | FaC ebook

“Townships and counties had the authority to make final decisions on whether or not a new wind or solar development was going to be in a certain location,” Hayes said. “Now that has switched over to the state.”

Under SB 271, utilities must rely on green energy for 50% of their electricity by 2030, for 60% of their electricity by 2035, and for 100% of their electricity by 2040. They can purchase credits to help meet these goals until 2035.

Martis said he expected Democrats to push green energy policies after winning a

nance, or ESG. Hayes said since the governor appoints Michigan’s state commissioners, the agency tends to reflect the opinion of the current governor. He called the commissioners “some of the most powerful people in the state.”

Still, Helms said the state commission conducts itself openly and without bias.

“Commissioners take care to set aside personal biases and decide cases based on the evidentiary record in each case and compliance with Michigan law and regulation,” Helms said.

But Martis said he questions the process.

“Do we expect the communities will get a fair shake

majority in the state legislature in 2022.

“When they picked up both houses in the legislature, we started acting and organizing groups to oppose the legislation,” Martis said. “When we lost that battle, we said, ‘Well, you only have one card left to play, and that’s an initiative.’”

The state commission has not taken a position on the referendum and has no comment on the effort, according to Public Information Officer Matt Helms. But Helms said if the referendum were to pass, it would make it more difficult for the state to meet its green energy and climate goals.

“It would likely increase costs to meet the renewable energy goals outlined in the 2023 energy legislation by making it harder to find locations for wind, solar and other renewable energy developments,” Helms said. “For the same reason, it also would make it more difficult to add the necessary resources to maintain reliability.”

In an October testimony, state commission Chair Dan Scripps supported the legislation giving his group authority to approve local green energy projects. “Local siting and permitting limited the consideration of these newer, lower-cost renewable resources,” Scripps said in his testimony. “Local opposition blocking projects that are a key part of maintaining reliability, and forcing all of us to pay more for our electricity. That’s the status quo.”

The state commission is composed of three members, all of whom have worked for green energy companies or interest groups in the past. Scripps was a Democratic state representative, according to Ballotpedia, and worked for green energy groups including Advanced Energy Economy, according to LinkedIn. Commissioner Katherine Peretick worked for groups including wind turbine company Vestas Wind Systems, and commissioner Alessandra Carreon worked for green energy nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute and at Ford Motor Company where she implemented Environmental Social Gover-

60 turbines. Chicago-based green energy company Invenergy developed and built the wind farm, fighting for approval from Wheatland Township officials in 2018 and 2019, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential. Many residents opposed the project, and in 2020 some ran for office to stop the turbines.

But Invenergy finished the turbines, and Consumers Energy bought the project for $250 million in 2019, according to MLive.

The Crescent Wind Farm appeared in the 2021 Fox Nation documentary “Blown Away: The People vs. Wind Power.” The documentary’s producer, alumnus Charles Couger ’12, interviewed Martis near the project.

“Never try to site a wind project within 30 miles of a Starbucks coffee shop,” Martis said in the documentary. “The demographic that’s willing to pay a premium price for quality coffee is the same demographic that typically has the education and financial wherewithal to resist irresponsible wind projects.”

The Crescent Wind Farm is close to 30 miles away from the nearest Starbucks in Jackson.

Couger said some farmers he had spoken with complained that wind developers often approach them with turbine contracts when commodity prices fall, though he was unsure if it happened in Hillsdale County.

and lease up people that will write the laws that will permit their project to go forward. Those people should recuse themselves because they have a financial interest in the outcome.”

But while one official had a turbine lease with Invenergy and others had family members with turbine leases, Stone said those officials excused themselves from the proceedings.

“We didn’t allow one member on our board who has windmills to have any vote whether a windmill should be approved or denied,” Stone said.

While the Crescent Wind Farm approval was heated, Stone said he was grateful for the process and thinks green energy companies would prefer to work with communities rather than the state commission.

“They started out with one setback, we came back with another setback, and we compromised. Compromise is extremely important to make sure both sides are happy,” Stone said. “If you don’t have that, then you’ve got some disgruntled people in an area where you’re forcing something they don’t want. This will not end well.”

The Hillsdale County Commission was not involved in approving the Crescent Wind Farm as it was a township issue at the time, according to Leininger.

rently possesses the authority to approve such projects, and the current turbines have taken up the capacity of the area’s electrical grid, according to Stone.

“They can only put so many kilowatts into a grid unless they update the grid, and it’s really expensive to do that,” Stone said. “If all the windmills are running, they’ve maxed out how much can be put on that grid.”

Stone said he supports returning local authority over such projects.

“These decisions are being made by politicians that live in urban areas where they know they’re not going to have a solar farm or windmill, so they don’t care. That’s what

Though Duke Energy withdrew from the project in late 2012 citing a lack of proper infrastructure, voters decided in a 2013 referendum against more permissive noise regulations that would have allowed turbines.

“We wanted to stop and not approve these changes that Duke wants,” Guertin said. “We won very handily.”

Guertin said he supports the referendum that would return authority over green energy projects from the state to communities. He said the state is trying to “stuff this down the throat” of areas that oppose green energy projects.

“It’s a free country, or it’s supposed to be,” Guertin said.

Guertin said he first became

there? No,” Martis said.

Martis said he initially had no opinion about turbines when he was a planning commissioner in Riga Township in eastern Lenawee County, but that changed when J.W. Great Lakes Wind LLC proposed a project in the area in 2009.

“We didn’t know what to think of it. Then our planning commission spent a couple of years researching it and wondering if we even had the ability to limit the scope or scale of the project,” Martis said. “We didn’t think it was fair to put those big devices next to peoples’ homes without their ability to negotiate.”

Martis said turbines can pose issues with constant noise and the blades casting flickering shadows. He said he had friends living 1,100 feet away from turbines who moved into their basement to escape the noise.

“Some people can’t sleep and are really tortured by it,” Martis said. “It’s not a natural noise. Some people report pressure in their ears and deep discomfort from living next to that noise; it’s annoying.”

Martis pushed against the Riga Township wind farm by helping form a group called the Interstate Informed Citizens Coalition. The group scored a victory in 2011 when local officials adopted a zoning ordinance lowering the noise limit and requiring a buffer zone between turbines and homes, according to The Daily Telegram in Adrian.

“We adopted regulations that permitted the project to go forward but required them to negotiate with each of the neighbors for a nuisance easement. The developers didn’t want to do that, so they left,” Martis said. “My phone has never stopped ringing since.”

Martis said he has now spoken against turbines in 10 states, offering his experience dealing with the issue as a township zoning administrator. Turbines came to southern Michigan with the Crescent Wind Farm in Hillsdale County’s Wheatland Township, which began generating electricity in 2021. The 166-megawatt project involves

“They approach the farmers and offer them a contract. It’s a legal document and therefore hard to read. You can hire a lawyer to go through it and explain it to you, but that’s going to cost a lot of money,” Couger said. “Farmers don’t typically go through that process, and they just sign it and are prohibited in their contract from criticizing it or disclosing the terms.”

Wheatland Township Supervisor David Stone said Invenergy began leasing land in the area before announcing its plans.

“We didn’t have any problems working with Invenergy. I mean, you’re talking about a company out of Chicago –they understand rural areas, but I don’t think they understand rural areas that well,” Stone said. “Nobody figured it was ever going to come in.”

“As this project does not produce food or fiber, I will not refer to it as a farm,” Leininger said.

Still, Leininger said, the Crescent Wind Farm generated additional property tax revenue for the county, which saw a revenue increase of more than $8.5 million from 2021 to 2022.

Stone said the township ended up trying to respect property rights, but banning turbines within 1,000 feet of an occupied dwelling.

“If somebody wanted a wind turbine on their land, then they should be entitled to have a wind turbine on their land. We wanted to just make sure that we put regulations on it,” Stone said. “Not that they make a lot of noise, but if they’re too close to a residential house, you’re going to hear them running because they tend to sound like an electric dryer.”

“Townships and counties had the authority to make final decisions on whether or not a new wind or solar development was going to be in a certain location. Now that has switched over to the state.”

Many Wheatland Township residents organized to oppose the project, making for contentious township meetings.

“I tried to play the devil’s advocate. I tried to be the one that would say ‘No, and this is why.’ I did a lot of research. I did a lot of studying,” Stone said. “I couldn’t find a reason to say no.”

Some citizens claimed some local officials had turbine leases with Invenergy creating a conflict of interest, and asked Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate the matter in 2019, according to the Hillsdale Daily News. Martis said financial incentives can sometimes play a role in the local approval process.

“Harvest the officials then you can harvest the wind,” Martis said. “They come in

Stone said some residents still complain about the noise, the flickering shadows from the blades, and the lights. But he said he rarely notices the turbines, and they have had little effect on local wildlife which the Michigan Department of Natural Resources monitors.

“I’m not concerned with windmills. We don’t have two-headed deer. We don’t have birds dying like crazy. The DNR comes out and checks on a lot of birds and bats,” Stone said. “I’m not going to say they don’t kill some birds. Of course they do, but your car is going to kill just as many.”

If another turbine project returned to the area, Stone said the township would work similarly to reach a compromise. But the state commission cur-

the Democrats are showing in Lansing,” Stone said. “They have proven they do not care about 90% of the state, they only care about their voter base.”

Professor of Economics

Gary Wolfram said wind turbines create a “negative externality” by imposing the costs of noise and disrupted views on nearby residents.

“Members of the state government, be they in the administrative or legislative branch, will not generally be affected by the negative externality and will not take this into consideration,” Wolfram said. “The government of the local community should be the one to approve or disapprove projects.”

Before Invenergy developed the Crescent Wind Farm, Duke Energy tried to install a wind farm near Reading in 2011. The proposed project would have encompassed 12,000 acres, but residents pushed back successfully and banned the turbines. Under the new laws, Hayes said, the state commission could override this local ordinance.

David Guertin said he and his wife, originally from a small town south of Chicago, bought a lake cottage in the area in 1972. He worked for Ford at that point, and some coworkers agreed to invest in land near Reading. They slowly bought more and more land over the years, and Guertin said Duke Energy took notice sometime between 2009 and 2010.

“The wind turbine guys called me, they wanted me to get involved and contract my land to put up wind turbines,” Guertin said. “I wasn’t really high on doing that, I’m more of a conservationist.”

Guertin said he often hunts for deer, ducks, geese, and pheasants on the property, and was concerned turbines would cause issues with the wildlife.

He began researching, and after speaking to other Reading Township residents with concerns, they formed an anti-turbine group called “Save Reading.” The group spoke at township meetings and organized opposition to the wind farm.

concerned about turbines after researching potential issues such as noise, flickering shadows, and even small ground vibrations.

“A lot of people end up selling their houses or can’t live in them,” Guertin said.

Ted Hartke of rural Vermilion County, Illinois, did just that.

Hartke said when Invenergy built the California Ridge Wind Farm around his 11-acre property near Fithian, he and the family left to escape the noise.

Invenergy finished construction on the wind farm in late 2012, and after the wind farm began operating, Hartke said his family began having “severe sleep deprivation” because of the noise in January 2013.

“We never complained or said anything negative about wind energy until we actually started experiencing these problems,” Hartke said.

Hartke said later that year, over Christmas weekend, they abandoned the home.

Hartke’s family lived in a double-wide trailer until they bought an older house in 2015, and they finally sold the home near the turbines in 2016.

“I’m extremely bitter,” Hartke said. “Try to help other communities avoid the same outcome.”

Stone said communities should be able to work out their own compromises with developers, finding a middle ground that works best for all involved. But he said the state taking away local authority makes any dialogue difficult.

“I was opposed to the state taking over in the first place because if we don’t control our own land in local communities, the state has no clue what a local community needs,” Stone said. “It’d be like us, down here in Hillsdale County, making a determination for property that’s in the U.P.”

The Collegian reached out to contacts with Invenergy, J.W. Great Lakes, and Duke Power, but did not hear back with comment in time for publication.

Sixty turbines were installed in Hillsdale County. Courtesy | FaC ebook

Many turbines are located near farms. Courtesy | FaC ebook

Sports

Men's Track and Field

Women's Track and Field

Dobrowlski, Haas earn qualifying marks at

By Joshua Mistry Collegian Reporter

Junior Cass Dobrowlski earned a NCAA DII provisional qualifying clearance in the high jump at GVSU while sophomore Ben Haas won the weight throw events at both meets, when the Hillsdale men’s track and field team competed in two large invitational meets, the GVSU Big Meet and the Tiffin Open Feb. 9-10.

The entire Chargers team ended the weekend with feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment heading into preparation for next week's annual home Tune-Up meet next Saturday Feb. 17, senior Drew Ransom said.

Ransom placed second in the 200 meter dash with a time of 22.81 at Tiffin.

GVSU, Tiffin University

By Anna Broussard Collegian Reporter

The

Hillsdale

ally fired up competing there,” Wamsley said.

On the track at GVSU, junior Ross Kuhn ran a personal best of 4:12.52 in the mile. In the 4x400 meter relay, senior Joseph Ritzer, senior Benu Meintjes, senior Sean Fagan and sophomore Colsen Conway placed eleventh with a season best time of 3:20.72. In the 5k, senior Alex Mitchell ran a season best time of 14:42.53, placing 20th in the toughest heat of the event.

Meintjes ran a 49.55 in the 400 meter dash at GVSU.

Meintjes said the Chargers will build off the confidence and success of this weekend heading into the conference championship season.

"Everybody had something positive to say about or to have pride in regarding their performances last weekend, and that’s all you can hope for," Ransom said. "Records and bests are great, but great morale is the key for us to find success at the end of the season."

Women's Tennis

"This weekend was good for the team as we got to see where we are at and got to see what we need to improve on before GMACs in two weeks,” Meintjes said. “I think overall the confidence is building as we are getting closer to peaking."

Ritzer also ran a personal best in the 400 meter dash with a time of 49.95 at GVSU.

"Going under 50 seconds in the 400 was huge! That is a big milestone in track and has been my goal since I arrived here," Ritzer said. "Doing so also puts me in a much better spot going into conference than I have ever been in before. I am excited for what lies ahead."

In the field, Haas won the weight throw at both meets with a mark of 21.41 meters at GVSU and 21.71 meters at Tiffin. Dobrowlski placed sixth in the high jump at GVSU earning a provisional qualifying mark.

At Tiffin on the track, senior Justin Doughty placed second in the 600 meter dash running a personal best of 1:31.31. Fagan also placed second in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.51, with Conway close behind placing third with a time of 8.55. Sophomore Emil Schleuter placed fifth in the mile running a personal best of 4:34.86.

In the field, sophomore Connor McCormick placed fifth in the pole vault with a mark of 4.61 meters.

"I've been trying to be more consistent this season. It is something I've struggled with, but it is getting better," McCormick said. "The meet this last weekend was an opportunity to focus on our technique. As a group, we feel like we are in a great place to perform at the conference meet."

The Chargers will next race at home in the annual Tune-Up meet on Feb. 17.

"I think the team is excited for this last two weeks before conference as this is the time where we get to fine-tune everything and are getting ready to perform at our best," Meintjes said.

Hillsdale drops fourth in a row, preps for road matches next week

By Isabella Helms Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale women’s tennis team lost 5-2 to the Michigan Technological University Huskies Feb. 10. The loss follows recent defeats against Eastern Michigan University, Purdue University Northwest, and Davenport University.

“It was definitely a tough match for the Chargers, but we are really looking forward to this weekend in Pennsylvania to hopefully get our first win and bounce back as a team,” freshman Isabella Spinazze said. “We all had really close, hard, and tough matches this weekend.”

The competition commenced with doubles where senior Melanie Zampardo and sophomore Megan Hackman secured a decisive 6-2 win against the Huskies at the No. 1 position. The Chargers also won the third doubles match as junior Elizabeth McGivern and senior Helana Formentin clinched a victory over Michigan Tech with a score of 6-3.

In singles play, Hillsdale athletes faced intense matches across all positions, freshman Ane Dannhauser said. “This weekend was a bit disappointing because we came so close, but we are definitely competing way better,” Dannhauser said. “My match was good. I feel like I'm getting back into the groove of things.”

Dannhauser was competing in her first match this season after being injured for the beginning of the spring semester.

After losing to the Huskies at the No. 1 singles position, Dannhauser took the second match for the Chargers 6-1, 6-3.

Not all matches ended in the Chargers’ favor, however. The third singles match featured McGivern pushing her opponent to a three-set match before falling 4-6, 6-4, 3-6.

Formentin’s match against the Huskies saw a promising start with a 6-1 win in the first set, but Michigan Tech won the next two sets 6-4, 6-4. Michigan Tech also won the

women’s track and field team traveled to Grand Valley State University over the weekend for one of the final meets leading up to G-MAC conference championships in two weeks.

The team successfully increased individual marks for provisional rankings according to the National Track and Field Ranking and Results website.

“We had several personal records set including one from Shura Ermakov,” senior all-American Liz Wamsley said.

Senior Shura Ermakov, who ran the open 400 meter dash, set a new personal record of 55.58 seconds and increased her own provisional rankings as a nationals qualifier ranking 20th in the NCAA DII conference.

“I think we have a good foundation moving into conference championships based on the past few weekends,” Ermakov said.

Wamsley ran her first 5k of the indoor season and placed fourth with a time of 16:30.65, just seconds from her personal record. Her current provisional ranking puts her fourteenth nationally.

“That meet is always a really intense and competitive environment, so people get re-

News

sixth singles match as Rittel was edged out in a three-set battle 1-6, 6-3, 0-1.

As the Chargers move forward, the forthcoming weekend presents several opportunities for the team to secure its first win of the season.

“This week in practice, we have really been working on how to come out on top of our upcoming matches,” Spinazze said.

The Chargers are slated to face off against Edinboro University Saturday at 4 p.m. The competition will continue the following day with a match against Mercyhurst University on Sunday at 3 p.m.

“We had a super tough match against Michigan tech last weekend,” Rittel said, “but overall the entire team competed so well and played their hearts out. It wasn’t all of our best tennis, but I am so proud of this team for still fighting hard and giving it their all.”

“This meet is mostly a chance to improve individual marks going into conference championships and to compete against some really fast people,” Wamsley said. “Conference will be the real test of where we stand as a team.”

As the Chargers look to G-MAC championships in the next two weeks, they are hosting the annual Hillsdale TuneUp meet on Saturday, which acts as the last effort to improve individual provisional rankings before the conference championships.

“This upcoming meet is defi-

"I think we have a good foundation moving into conference championships"

nitely a step in the right direction as far as getting good seed times for conferences and preparing to be in that really competitive mindset,” Wamsley said.

In addition to the improve-

ment on individual rankings for many women over the past weekend, the 400 meter relay team placed thirty-sixth in provisional rankings with the prospect to improve this at G-MAC championships.

“Although it did not go as well as the week before at Ashland, it just gives us a lot of reassurance that we could work on other things,” senior all-american Josee Hackman said.

The team made up of Ermakov, Hackman, junior Reese Dragovich, and sophomore Francesca Federici remained on the national qualifier list, but ranked lower than in weekends prior.

“Our provisional ranking did not improve from last weekend but we will run the relay again at conference championships,” Dragovich said.

As the team focuses on the next two weeks of training in preparation for G-MAC championships, the upcoming weekend meet will provide the opportunity to focus on setting the tone for individual races and expectations.

“This week was a good indicator of where people are at as we begin to taper for conferences,” Dragovich said. “We will head into conference looking to fine tune and recover well so we’re all ready to roll next week.”

Stadium to open in time for baseball's first home game Chargers set new PRs on the road

By Olivia Hajicek Science & Tech Editor

The Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium and Delp Baseball Field are on track to be finished in time for the first home game of the season on March 16.

The project is scheduled to finish by Feb. 28, according to Athletic Director John Tharp. He said the stadium will seat roughly 300 people and have the look and feel of an old ballpark stadium with modern features like video scoreboard, lights, and synthetic turf.

“I think it will be a fun place for people to watch,” Tharp said. “Especially when you get the lights up, it's got a Field of Dreams kind of feel — right here in the middle of small-town America is this great stadium.”

Tharp said that besides helping with baseball recruiting, the new stadium will benefit the community.

“It's a place that we're going to be able to use during the summertime for community support as well, so kids

could be playing baseball in the stadium,” Tharp said. “It’s just a great chance to include a variety of different people across Hillsdale County to come in and use the park.”

The college broke ground on the stadium in October of 2022.

“There won't be a nicer D2 facility for small colleges like ours out there,” said head baseball coach Tom Vessella. “We'll have lights. We'll have field turf. We won't have to worry about scheduling as much. We can get outside as much as we possibly can. I mean, it's endless.”

Senior Jaekob Sallee said he is most looking forward to having synthetic turf, which means Michigan weather will interfere less with their practices and games.

“It's going to be awesome. It's definitely a huge reason I'm coming back for my fifth year,” Sallee said. “It's gonna be huge for the program.”

Senior outfielder Joe Hardenbergh said he is excited to play their first game of the season in the new stadium.

“I mean, I've been here for

a long time, and for my final year in college, just to be able to play in a stadium like that — it's going to be incredible,” Hardenbergh said. “Just having our family and friends around too — it's always a great time, great atmosphere at the field, so I'm really excited.” Vessella said the new stadium will also include big league stadium seats, a concourse, a concession stand, and a video board for an actual game day experience.

“It's going to be as close as you would get to a professional experience as possible,” Vessella said. “It’s fantastic.” Hardenbergh said he hopes to have more fans come out for their games in the new stadium.

“We just love having people out to watch some games,” Hardenbergh said, “and it should be a great time, great field, and hopefully we can produce a product on the field that lives up to our stadium.”

Senior Justin Doughty ran a personal best in the 600m. Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

The Lenda and Glenda Hill Stadium will be completed before Hillsdale's first home game. Courtesy | Olivia Hajicek

Professor on the court: Moreno teaches squash class

By Sydney Green Circulation Manager

When Paul Moreno first played the game of squash in college, he immediately fell in love with the sport. Now the professor of history and dean of social sciences teaches his students squash in a class called "Aristotelian Racquets."

“I begged Dr. Arnn for years to convert one of our racquetball courts to a squash court,” Moreno said. “Then he finally came around and now I can teach a small class of students the game.”

The class is one-credit and meets twice a week on Monday and Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. The class has around eight students and no experience is required to enroll.

“I named it Aristotelian Racquets to emphasize that the end or telos of the game is health which is what we are after in this class,” Moreno said. “We of course want to have fun and learn how to win, but do not want to override the real purpose in it.”

Opinion

Originating in France in the 16th century, squash is a racquet sport that involves a

four-walled court and a small, hollow rubber ball. In the 19th century, England modified the game and it was later brought to the United States in the 1920s, gaining more popularity and spreading to other countries.

Moreno said the game of squash is similar to racquetball but requires more agility and holds key equipment differences.

“It’s really the original version of racquetball, the American version of squash,” Moreno said. “Major differences are that the court is smaller, racquets are smaller and longer, you can’t hit the ball off the ceiling, the ball is dead and smaller, so you really have to run for it, making it a better aerobic workout.”

Players usually play two at a time and take turns hitting the side, back, or front walls and must hit below the out line and above the tin that is near the bottom of the front wall.

The ball must bounce only once and players are allowed to move anywhere on the

“I have learned that chasing kids is one thing, but chasing after such a small ball is another."

court once they have served.

Freshman Nico Galindo, a student in the class, grew up in Colombia and started playing squash with his dad in his early teenage years. Galindo said he has enjoyed being able to continue improving his skills.

“I competed in squash for a couple of years at home,” Galindo said. “Coming here, I was looking for a way to stay

fit and found they had a class for it and it has been amazing being able to play again.”

Moreno started teaching the class in 2021 and said he plans on holding the class in the fall semester in the future. Moreno has his students play one another, holding games up to nine points and then switches them out. Requirements for the class are that the students wear eye protection and put forth a genuine effort in each session.

Professor of Mathematics David Murphy joined the class for fun with no experience and said that he has appreciated learning a new sport.

“I thought this would be a good way to stay active,” Murphy said. “I have been humbled by the skills of my opponents and have learned that chasing kids is one thing, but chasing after such a small ball is another.”

'Same old Lions' no longer: new hope for Detroit

By Colman Rowan Collegian Reporter

Though the Lions did not get the chance to take on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, fans can find some solace in knowing they were good. There is finally hope for the future.

Before this season, Lions fans were some of the saddest people out there. I can sympathize somewhat, being a fan of the Washington Commanders, who last won a playoff game when I was four years old.

But now the difference between the Lions and Commanders fans is that Detroit fans can see a future in sight.

So let’s not focus on the 32 years the Lions went without a playoff win, or the 67 they went without two playoff wins.

Pay little heed to the 2008 Detroit Lions who made history by being the only team to not win a single game in a season since the schedule was expanded in 1978.

Do not trash the Lions for their quarterback of 12 seasons winning the Super Bowl

as soon as he left Detroit.

And no, do not say “the Lions stink!” because they are among only four NFL teams who have never played in a Super Bowl. Also, just because they are the oldest of those four teams does not make them the worst team in NFL history.

Did you see the six-time Super Bowl champion Steelers and Patriots in the playoffs this year? No, they were not there. But Detroit was.

Did you see the Dolphins, the only team to have ever gone undefeated for the whole season and postseason, win a playoff game this year? No. But Detroit won two.

Did you see the so-called best team of the season, the Baltimore Ravens, in the divisional championship? No. But I saw Detroit.

As they led the San Francisco 49ers 24-7 at halftime in the NFC Championship, I thought I would see Detroit in the Super Bowl for the first time in their lifetime and mine.

Unfortunately the Lions blew it. But they are not taking that lightly. Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows the challenge and said he is staying humble.

“If we don’t have the same hunger and the same work,” Campbell said after the game, “which is a whole ‘nother thing once we get to the offseason, then we’ve got no shot of getting back here.”

Campbell knows the stakes, what the team has done, and what they will have to do.

Though defeated this year, Detroit fans get to have that new feeling of hope. The Lions will no longer be written off as a bad team — they are now contenders. They were No. 1 in the NFC and No. 2 overall, winning 12 of their 17 games.

Lions tight end Sam LaPorta scored the most touchdowns among tight ends this season, hitting the endzone with 10, which is twice as many as Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff was second-best in to -

tal yards and passed for the most yards in the postseason through the championship games.

The Lions had the thirdbest receiver in total yards — “sun god” Amon-Ra St. Brown — who had 1,515 yards and 10

touchdowns on the season.

David Montgomery tied for third place among running backs for most touchdowns in the season, taking 13 into the end zone.

The Lions had the thirdbest offense, according to Fox

Sports, and the 19th-best defense. At least the latter was still better than my Commanders, who were given that honorable last place among defenses.

People can hate on the Lions for being comically bad in years past — and justifiably so. Just three years ago they went 3-13-1. But they were undeniably good this year, and it was not just a fluke.

Next year, the Lions will still have to prove they can make a lasting legacy of greatness past just this year.

But this time when Detroit fans say “Hey, maybe the Lions will be good this year!” it is not just some self-deprecating joke or some illogical cope — it's real.

The Lions are young, healthy, talented, and finally motivated with past success.

Here’s to a new dynasty.

Here’s to the Detroit Lions.

Charger chatter

If you could add one thing to Hillsdale, Michigan what would it be?

I would want to add a T.J. Maxx, but for the sake of my bank account, it is probably for the best that we do not have one. A Costco would also be fantastic, and a major airport a bit closer would solve a lot of headaches.

When did you start playing?

When I was 11. Prior to that I was a competitive gymnast and competed for 4 years.

What is your favorite coffee spot in town?

If I was just picking up a coffee, Checker Records. When the weather is nice and we have sunshine, I love getting a coffee at Rough Draft and studying outside on the patio.

What's the best news you have ever received?

Last semester, I really wanted my little brother, Fritz, to come visit me, so the best news I've received was when my dad sent me pictures of Fritz's plane tickets.

Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department

Left to right: David Murphy, Paul Moreno, Junior Ethan Hoornstra, and Mark Moreno. Sydney Green | Collegian

Head coach Dan Campbell led the Detroit Lions to their first NFC Championship this year. Courtesy | Twitter

Charger Sports

Hillsdale starts season 2-1 on the road

By Ellie Fromm Collegian Reporter

Charger softball began its season last weekend in Tennessee at Tusculum University and Wheeling University, finishing with a record of 2-1.

The Chargers beat Tusculum 3-1 and played Wheeling twice on Sunday, winning the first game 6-2 and losing the second 9-2.

Senior Hailey Holtman, junior Hannah Hoverman, junior Emma Vis, senior McKenna Eichholz, sophomore Maggie Olaveson, and senior Grace Wallner scored runs last weekend.

Four games were canceled on Friday and Saturday due to rain. Initially, the Chargers were scheduled to play the Fairmont State University Falcons, LeesMcRae College Bobcats, and Tusculum University Pioneers for a total of five games. However, the Chargers played only the first game against the Pioneers on Friday.

Due to rain cancellations in Tennessee, the Wheeling University Cardinals offered to host the Chargers for two games on Sunday. Wheeling University is an NCAA Division II school in Wheeling, West Virginia. Un-

Women's Basketball

like the Chargers, who compete in the Great Midwest Athletics Conference, the Cardinals compete in the Mountain East Conference.

Head coach Kyle Gross said he is satisfied with the weekend results.

“Overall, given the circumstances, with rainouts and extra travel, it seemed to go pretty well for an opening weekend,” Gross said.

Junior Joni Russell agreed the weekend went well and said she is proud of how the team was able to step up to the challenge of schedule changes.

“We definitely did well at

adapting because we started off in Tennessee,” Russell said. “Despite all this, everyone was high-spirited and super positive and adapted really well.”

Freshman Sydney Davis picked up a hit in her first collegiate at-bat experience last weekend. She said she believes the team performed well and will go into the next few weeks focused.

“I think our energy and the bond between us was absolutely fantastic,” Davis said. “There’s just a few small technical things that we can improve upon just like any other team.”

Russell’s right hand was

Chargers grab fifth away win in a row

Mills dropped 42 points on the road last week

By Moira Gleason

Editor

Assistant

Senior Sydney Mills hit a buzzer-beater layup against Walsh University to secure a 51-49 road victory for the Hillsdale women’s basketball team Feb. 8. Two days later, the Chargers overpowered Lake Erie University for a 6952 road win.

“It was tight, but a win is a win, especially on the road, especially in February,” head coach Brianna Brennan said

about the Walsh game.

The two wins brought Hillsdale to 13-9 overall and 9-5 in the G-MAC, moving them up to the seventh spot in the G-MAC rankings. When Hillsdale got the ball with 12 seconds to go in a 49-49 contest against Walsh, junior Lauren McDonald got the ball to junior Kendall McCormick.

McCormick made a drive to the rim.

“Lauren made a great read out of it, found me, and I was

able to drive to the basket and sydney was in the perfect spot for the dump down pass,” McCormick said.

Blocked by Mills’ defender, McCormick found Mills in the lane for a bounce pass just in time, and Mills put the ball up as the clock ran out.

“Everyone was pretty excited,” Brennan said. “Coach Abbey was trying to hold the bench back from going out on the court.”

The Chargers led for the majority of the contest but struggled to gain a definite advantage, shooting only 35.6% from the floor and 13.6% from beyond the arc.

“We got some good looks, and we were running our offense well,” Brennan said. “The ball just wasn’t falling for us.”

The Chargers largest lead in the fourth quarter was eight points thanks to an initial 10-2 run in the first five minutes, but Walsh came back and answered basket for basket, tying the game in the final seconds leading up to Mills’ finishing play.

“The momentum was with us,” Mills said. “I thought we did a really good job of staying calm throughout the whole entire game leading up to the last few moments.”

Brennan said the team struggled on the defensive end, but it still held the Cavaliers to 32.3% from the floor and 5-for-27 in 3-point shooting.

“We were not the defensive team we’ve been all year, and it was very, very evident,” Brennan said. “Usually our defense fuels our offense, and usually we’re pretty locked in, and we just have a lot of success on the defensive end making other teams feel uncomfortable. And we did not do that.”

Mills led Hillsdale with 16 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in the contest.

Junior Lauren McDonald also

contributed with six points, two rebounds, and two assists, and redshirt freshman Sydney Pnacek had nine points and seven rebounds.

The Chargers established an eight-point halftime lead after trailing early on Saturday. Hillsdale then outscored Lake Erie 18-9 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach. Walsh made a push late but couldn’t overcome the deficit in time.

Brennan said the team offense was more chaotic than usual against Lake Erie, but the team was still able to share the ball.

“They were still finding the hot hand and hitting the open person, which is huge,” Brennan said. “That’s how you play team basketball.”

With 10 players adding points in the contest, Mills followed up her buzzer-beater performance with 26 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.

McCormick had a game high nine assists in the contest. Pnacek added another 11 points and three rebounds off the bench, and sophomore Emma Ruhlman had two 3-pointers in a career-high 10-point game.

Hillsdale will be at home this week, facing Cedarville University Feb. 15 and reigning G-MAC champion Ashland University Feb. 17.

“To prepare for Cedarville and Ashland we are really focusing on defense,” McCormick said. “We haven’t had our best defensive games the past couple of times, so that is the main focus. We are so excited for Ashland Saturday especially because it’s senior day.”

Brennan says the team is confident going up against the Ashland Eagles, who have a 13-game win streak.

“We’ve broken the Kentucky Wesleyan streak, we’ve broken the Walsh streak,” Brennan said. “Our mindset is let’s get this third streak here.”

struck from a line drive while playing Friday, leaving the Chargers two pitchers for the remainder of their games. Senior Erin Kapteyn and sophomore Mackenzie Maxson pitched for the Chargers on Sunday.

The Chargers are scheduled to play the weekend of Feb. 23 at the Lewis Dome Invitational in Rosemont, Illinois. Gross said he anticipates these games will be challenging.

In preparation for the upcoming games, the Chargers intend to train areas of weakness that Gross noticed this past weekend.

“We left a lot of runners on base, we hit well, but we got on base and failed to bring in runs,” Gross said. “So we’re working on finding ways to make sure we get runs in Louisville on base. We have to find a way to get runners around.”

Russell said the Chargers plan to add focus on accountability in upcoming practices.

“In practice right now we are working on, when you make a mistake, not blowing it off,” Russell said. “We’re trying to see our failures, our mistakes, and be aware of them to improve and not be nonchalant.”

Men's Basketball

Hillsdale splits with Walsh, Lake Erie

Junior Joe Reuter and the Hillsdale men’s basketball team split two G-MAC games on the road last week, losing to the Walsh Cavaliers on Thursday and beating the Lake Erie College Storm on Saturday to cap off a four-game road trip. The Chargers were once again without head coach Keven Bradley due to a private matter, and were led by assistant coaches Evan Morrissey and John Cheng.

Hillsdale held a 33-28 lead over the Cavaliers at halftime, but Walsh managed to outscore the Chargers 37-18 in the second half, leading to a final score of 65-51. The Chargers bounced back on Saturday, putting up 50 second half points to beat the Storm 89-71.

Reuter led the Chargers in points against both Walsh and Lake Erie, putting up 18 against Walsh, and then setting a new career-high with 30 against the Storm. The junior forward made 11 of his 19 shots from the field, and also led the Chargers with nine rebounds and six assists.

“It was definitely good to contribute in a way that helped the team win,” Reuter said “but I’m not too focused on the individual stat line and more so just doing my part to help the team win."

Reuter currently leads the Chargers with 16.8 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. In his third year he has started all 22 games for the Chargers and is 39 points shy of 1,000 career points in a Hillsdale uniform.

“Joe has stepped up his game lately and was a heavy contributor in a must win game for us against Lake Erie,” Morrissey said. “He’s a really good teammate. He holds himself to a very high standard, and also holds his teammates to that same standard.”

Sophomore guard Ashton Janowski also contributed to

the offensive effort against Walsh, putting up 16 points, while freshman guard Mikey McCollum had 11 points and 1 assist in 22 minutes off the bench.

Passing ended up being the key difference in the Walsh and Lake Erie games for the Chargers. After making only 11 team assists against the Cavaliers, the Chargers had 37 total assists on 33 team shot attempts against Lake Erie.

“Our biggest success from Lake Erie was our ability to move the ball and pick apart the defense,” Yarian said. “I thought Walsh was an OK game. We played really well in the first half, but slowed down in the second and became more stagnant with no ball movement.”

Even with Reuter’s career high, the Chargers saw heavy contributions from their bench players against Lake Erie. McWhinnie had eight points, four rebounds, and two steals along with his four assists in 18 minutes off the bench. Senior center Eric Radisevic also had eight points, making 4 of his 5 shot attempts, and McCollum seven points and seven rebounds.

“Moving the ball together with 27 total team assists on 33 baskets is something we're really proud of and speaks to the guys we got on the floor,” Morrissey said. “They want to play together. unselfish, selfless basketball.”

The Chargers will return to Potter Arena Thursday night at 7:30 against the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets, who the Chargers lost to in January. Hillsdale will play Saturday, against the Ashland University Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 17 at home for the first time this year. “Cedarville and Ashland will be good tests for us this week,” Yarian said “They are both top four teams in the conference and we are ready to prove we can get back up in the ranks.”

By Adriana Azarian Collegian Reporter

The women’s music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota will serenade loved ones and friends of students and staff for their annual Valentine Grams fundraiser.

Students and faculty can order over-the-phone singing telegrams from SAI for family, friends, professors, or that special someone for $3 in cash or Venmo, either at the SAI table in the Union or on Instagram @sai.hillsdale Feb. 12-14, ac-

cording to SAI president junior Emily Griffith. “It’s super fun for us to deliver,” Griffith said. “We meet in the music building and go through the list of recipients, and it’s exciting to see who’s going to pick up and whether we get to sing live or leave a message for them to find later.”

The SAI members will call the submitted phone numbers on Thursday, Feb.15, and serenade recipients. Patrons can choose to have SAI reveal their names to the recipient or remain anonymous.

“It’s not just for those on campus. Because it’s over the phone, it can go anywhere,” said junior Fiona Mulley, SAI program director and head of music. “As long as you give us the number, we’ll call.”

Griffith and Mulley said patrons can choose from “My Heart Will Go On,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “Thank You for Being a Friend,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Kiss Me,” “Lean on Me,” and “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

“It’s a great way for people to show their appreciation or

to even just be goofy,” Griffith said.

Junior Colin Joyce said he both sent and received singing telegrams from SAI last year. According to Joyce, his friends sent him five telegrams of the same song last year. “I remember last Valentine’s Day, I saw a call coming from an unknown caller, so I picked it up and was greeted by the lovely voice of Emily Griffith saying, ‘Hey this is SAI, this is your Singing Valentine.’ And then they sing to you, and it’s great,” Joyce said. “I would

highly recommend people putting around a hat and then bombing your friends’ phones with lots and lots of valentines because it’ll brighten their day and it’ll raise money.”

Junior Jacob Schulz said his friends pranked him last year with multiple singing telegrams of the song “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

“My friends just got together and bought seven or eight calls so that I would get Rick-rolled throughout the day,” he said. “They just wanted to torture me.”

According to Griffith, “Never Gonna Give You Up” is a popular song choice for students sending Valentine grams to professors who make up a large number of telegram recipients.

Valentine Grams is one of SAI’s oldest fundraisers, and all proceeds will support on-campus SAI events, Griffith said.

“It’s such an easy way to show appreciation and also to support music on campus,” Griffith said. “We are now up to 15 members and counting, so it’s a great way to support this growing group.”

By Tayte Christensen Collegian Reporter

The Hillsdale College Theatre Department will perform the musical “Bright Star” on Parents Weekend, with shows running Feb. 21-24.

Junior Kenda Showalter, stage manager for the production, said she’s excited for audiences to experience this unique musical. “It’s a musical, and it’s bluegrass music,” Showalter said. “It flashes between the 20s and the 40s and follows Alice, who has a baby as a teenager and has to place her child up for adoption.”

Family tensions rise and the story follows both the mother and the child, switching between decades and storylines to tell Alice’s story, according to Showalter.

The musical is under the direction of Tory Matsos, a lecturer of theatre at Hillsdale, with music directed by Tom Ryskamp, adjunct instructor of music at Hillsdale, and features bluegrass music and a variety of instruments, including violin, piano, mandolin, banjo, and an accordian, according to junior Ezra Blackwell. Blackwell said he started

learning accordion over Christmas break to perform in the show which will be his first musical ensemble outside of choir. “We got the music parts over break, and I got the accordion near the end of break,” he said. “So I had a week or two before I

no, so all the intervals I’m used to reaching for the piano are a bit different on the accordion,” Blackwell said. Blackwell said his part on the accordion is not too difficult and is within his playing ability despite having just learned.

came back to school to practice and learn the part.”

Blackwell, who also plays piano, said the accordion is challenging but also shares similarities to the piano. “The width of the keys is slightly smaller than the pia-

“Thankfully for me, it’s mostly just melody lines that are covering what the strings are already playing,” he said. “It just adds color.”

In “Bright Star,” the pit orchestra plays on the stage rather than underneath, which cast

member junior Heather Hobson said serves the storyline well. “The band is almost another character, and they’re very much a part of the story,” Hobson said. “When the orchestra is in the pit, it’s just like a beautiful soundtrack, but when they’re on stage, it’s like they’re a character.” Showalter said the music has a huge impact on the show and the storyline.

“There’s something about this music. It’s so beautiful, and it tells the story so well,” Showalter said. “There’s something about hearing it live. It’s so emotional. We’re so happy and so excited for everyone to experience it.” Matsos said the music and its unique genre contributes to the story.

“This musical features a bluegrass score, which is pretty unconventional for musical theater,” she said. “The music adds great character and depth to the story, but the most special aspect of this production is the great work of our students. This cast is tremendously talented, and they are doing a brilliant job telling this story.”

Hobson said the difficulty of the music has challenged her in not only her musical abilities, but also in her skills as an ac-

tress.

“I did not expect it to be quite as music heavy, and that’s been interesting for me from my acting side, and really having to integrate that,” she said. “This should be the case with any musical, but this music brings something to your character for sure.”

Hobson and Showalter, who lived in the same area during high school, both saw a Liberty University production of the show in high school and have loved the musical since then.

“Getting to see it again with a ton of my friends is so exciting,” Showalter said. “Getting to hear it and see it again live, but also getting to be there everyday throughout the rehearsal process, is so amazing.”

The emotions the music provokes will be a big takeaway for audience members, according to Blackwell. “There are moments where it’s really big, the music especially, and when the ensemble is singing, it’s really emotional,” Blackwell said. “I think bluegrass hits in that way. It’s very homegrown and to the heart. To me, it’s kind of like family, and the whole show is about relationships and responsibilities.”

Blackwell also said the variety of song styles in the production makes the music interesting to experience and allows for the sounds of different instruments to come through.

“The contrast of the love songs and sad songs to little saloon dance songs is so fun,” Blackwell said. “Because the orchestra is so unique, it allows for a lot of musical character, and I think that’s going to bring out all of the color the cast has to offer.”

The storyline is something Matsos said she is excited for audiences to see.

“I think audiences will be moved by the journey of the main characters,” Matsos said. “But I am most excited for audiences to come and celebrate the great work of our students.” Hobson and Showalter said they are excited for audiences to experience the show as they did a few years ago, and they hope it will have the same impact it had on them.

“It’s one of the most intentional musicals as a whole. Everything works and is there for a reason,” Hobson said. “The story is so beautiful and redemptive, and I’m really excited for audiences to know the story.”

Joe P: TikTok’s algorithm angel to perform in Ann Arbor

the track’s b-side

was right about yet another artist. After blowing up on the platform during the pandemic when the members of his initial project, Deal Casino, parted ways, Joe P has become another algorithm angel. His videos are simple and unassuming — yet another fluffy-haired indie kid in a basement. Sure, he can slaughter 15-second videos with highly specific lyricism and a four-chord safety net. But can Joe P survive the transfer of TikTok audience to live audience?

Apparently so, seeing as he’s heading out on his first headlining U.S. tour this spring. On Wednesday, Feb. 21, Joe P will perform at Ann Arbor’s The Blind Pig. Shortly after signing a deal with Neon Gold/Atlantic Records, Joe P released his debut EP “Emily Can’t Sing” in 2021. This EP features two of Joe P’s gems: “Leaves” and “Off My Mind,” the latter of which has amassed over 35 million streams on Spotify. In 2022, he followed this up with another EP, “French Blonde,” which featured originals alongside a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.”

In October of 2023, Joe P released “Glass House” and

Situationships are like knowingly walking around with your shoes untied and hoping you don’t trip. With no finite commitment agreements to tie up the laces of the pseudo-romantic relationship, you’re bound only by your delusion that your partner (who is not technically considered your partner) knows you’re both on the same page. This phenomenon is what singer-songwriter Joe P expertly conveys in “Don’t Wanna Love U.” The pre-chorus says it all, “You know, you won’t feel thе pain / When there’s nothing left to hurt / And it’s hard to drive away / When the bridge already

burned.”

Returning to a dynamic you know does not serve you is an experience most folks are unlucky enough to experience, and Joe P’s most recent tracks are an offering to both his past self and his audience. He’s a young voice in the indie scene, but he’s far from naive. Taking his time between releases, keeping his social media consistent and mundane, and working on longterm projects to fight against the speedy demands of the music industry, Joe P will be as big a name as Briston Maroney, The Backseat Lovers, and Peach Pit soon enough.

romance through crushing details, the latter is a much more

Cast members rehearse “Bright Star,” a bluegrass musical. Courtesy | Hillsdale Theatre Department

Joe P released “Don’t Wanna Love U” in October.

Courtesy | SoundCloud

C U L T U R E

Aria, concerto winners reflect on their journeys

By Caroline Kurt Assistant Editor

The winners of Hillsdale College’s 2024 Annual Student

Aria and Concerto competitions described a year-long process of practice before their success on Jan. 28.

Sophomore Elena Bull, junior Paul Sri, and seniors Janae Israel, Marie-Therese Romanos, and Emiliya Smyk won the chance to perform their piece with the Hillsdale College orchestra. Sophomore Zachary Rinas earned an honorable mention for his violin performance.

Unlike previous competitions, the panel of judges announced the winners directly after the competition. Twenty eight students competed in the event.

Bull and Sri will perform their pieces in the March 2 and 3 concerts in Markel Auditorium. Israel, Romanos, and Smyk will perform their pieces May 10 in the Christ Chapel with the orchestra.

Sri started piano lessons when he was six years old. His piano teacher at Hillsdale, Daniel Kuehler, recommended the first movement of Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor” to Sri for the concerto competition.

“My favorite part is the second theme. It’s one of the least flashy parts of the entire song, but for me, it’s the most emotion-laden part of the piece,” Sri said. “There’s a lot of chromaticism in the second theme. It tears at your heart strings.”

Like others, Sri prepared his piece over the course of a year, even practicing at the camp he worked at over the summer.

“I only had access to a piano once a week,” Sri said.

On the days he couldn’t

practice on a piano, Sri had to get creative.

“I would just open up the music and look at the part that I learned on the piano and then practice it on the table top,” Sri said. “Even though I wasn’t having access to a piano, I was able to get around that by doing some mental practice and listening to the song as often as possible, really filling my head with it.”

Sri returned to campus in the fall having learned five pages of his piece.

“It was really helpful to have that momentum built,” Sri said. “The rest of it came together through consistency and discipline throughout the semester. I have probably been more disciplined with this piece than I’ve been with any of my piano pieces so far in college, and it did pay off.”

Sri’s father and two younger sisters made the trip from Colorado to see him perform.

“That was honestly one of the highlights of the entire experience,” Sri said. “That probably meant more to me than winning the competition.”

Bull began playing the flute ten years ago in her fourth grade band.

“I went to the little music shop in my town and tried all the instruments,” Bull said. “I don’t know why I picked the flute. It was a Holy Spirit thing.”

Bull performed the first movement of Carl Nielson’s “Flute Concerto.” She first learned the piece in high school but revisited it in April 2023 when deciding what to prepare for the 2024 concerto competition.

“I’m glad I chose a piece that I love,” Bull said. “It’s such a blessing to be able to get to know a piece that intimately.”

Bull performed a piano reduction of the concerto for the competition. Her mother, a pianist, learned part of the piece over winter break to help Bull practice.

Bull said it will be fun to play with the orchestra.

“It seemed like a really nice full-circle moment because I started this piece in high school, and now I’ll actually play it as it was originally written,” Bull said.

Bull has two weeks before her concert to prepare the piece as it was written to be performed with an orchestra.

Romanos, a soprano, has been singing since she was 12. For the aria competition, she chose to perform Mozart’s “Batti, Batti, O Bel Masetto” from the opera “Don Giovanni” and Massenet’s “Je suis encore tuit étourdie” from the opera “Manon.” Smyk, a mezzo-soprano, said she has been involved with music since childhood, starting with the piano and double bass in a Ukrainian folk group.

“I learned how to sing pretty much through family members,” Smyk said. “We would all sit around singing Ukrainian folk songs.”

Now a music major, Smyk plans to pursue opera after her time at Hillsdale.

Smyk chose to sing Bizet’s “Pres des remparts de Séville” from “Carmen” and SaintSaens’s “Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix” from “Samson et Dalila.” Smyk said she enjoyed the acting in both pieces.

Smyk said she learned the judges would have sheet music for her piece, adding another layer of rigor to the competition.

“I’ve performed before and completely faked my French,” Smyk said. “But they had the

sheet music, so you had to get every word right.”

According to Smyk, years of work went into her success.

“It took hours and hours of practice, locking myself in a practice room, singing in the car as I’m driving, singing to myself while I clean my room,” Smyk said. “I never ever set myself up thinking I’m going to win.”

Israel began playing the trumpet in fifth grade. After researching her options, Israel chose to play Arutunian’s “Concerto for Trumpet.”

“There’s not a ton of great trumpet concertos. A lot of them are pretty esoteric,” Israel said. “This piece has really great contrasting melodies and a really beautiful lyrical section. I also tried to pick a piece that was going to be fun for the orchestra to play.”

Israel said she worked on the concerto for over a year, first learning the technical aspects of the piece before memorizing and perfecting it.

“Both my parents are professional musicians, so that’s cool,” Israel said. “But it’s not so cool when you’re trying to learn a piece and they’re upstairs. My mom came into my room and she was like, ‘You can’t play it that fast. You might as well put that trumpet back in the box because it doesn’t sound very good. Play it slower.’”

Israel said she didn’t expect to win the competition.

Unlike Sri and Bull, Israel will be performing with the aria winners in May, her last concert at Hillsdale College.

“The main concert is going to be so good. We’re playing a piece called the “Pines of Rome” [Respighi], and I love that piece,” Israel said. “I’m definitely going to be sobbing at the end.”

Fashion flops at Grammys this year

By Elizabeth Crawford Collegian Reporter

The 2024 Grammys flopped — fashion-wise at least. Between the bland neutral colors, unflattering metallic fabrics, and Miley Cyrus’s hair, there have been better demonstrations of fashion at Hollywood awards shows.

Gen Z and millennials’ obsession with neutrals showed on the red carpet. White and black dominated, as if designers “Grammy-fied” the white and cream shades of the sad, beige mom TikTok aesthetic.

Content creator and fashion critic HauteLeMode, other-

wise known as Luke Meagher, also said the fashion at the Grammys was underwhelming.

Taylor Swift would have stunned in her white Schiaparelli corset dress with black gloves, for instance, if she had styled her hair differently and dropped the necklaces.

But her hair didn’t match the drama of the outfit, and her necklaces distracted from the clean lines of her dress.

The metallic gold and silver dresses were another fashion faux pas at the Grammys this year. Singer Dua Lipa, model Alessandra Ambrosio, and others graced the red carpet in dresses with metallic fabrics.

“The Grammy is this beautiful, weird, crazy, over-thetop experience usually, and then at the same time you have nice moments that come in and they are more classic and clean, but overall there was not that fun, wonderful, wacky, DIY-crafitness, nor was there a whole lot of beautiful, clean, classic styles that made one say, ‘Oh! Amazing!’” Meagher said. White and black are classic colors, and if the designer incorporates them into a dress that fits well with the celebrity’s body type, then white and black can yield that classic and clean look. But in most cases at the Grammys, the black and white looks were not memorable.

Professors’ Picks: Anna Vincenzi,

assistant professor of Modern European History

“Murder in the City” (2009) and “February Seven” (2012) by The Avett Brothers

I confess that I am musically quite ignorant, but while I make dinner I often end up listening to The Avett Brothers. Many of their songs are stories, and very personal and sincere ones. “Murder in the City” and “February Seven” are probably my favorites.

“The End of the Affair” (1951) by Graham Greene

“The End of the Affair” by Graham Greene, which is essentially a story about how the depth of human desires can become the path for man’s encounter with God. Very much on the same theme, I’ve also recently finished “Brideshead Revisited” and loved it.

“Joyeaux Noel” (2005) directed by Christian Carion

As a teenager, I pretty much learned English by watching and re-watching “Notting Hill” — such a good romantic comedy. But I’d now say that an even better movie is “Joyeaux Noel” — a movie about rediscovering the humanity of a political enemy in the midst of dehumanizing propaganda.

From

the minds of Hillsdale’s

But the looks underwhelmed — they were neither flattering nor memorable.

Miley Cyrus’ hair was the most memorable part of the Grammys. Heralding back to the 1980s, Cyrus’s hair was long, curled, and teased — which according to news outlets and tabloids such as the BBC and Cosmopolitan — was a nod to her godmother Dolly Parton.

But Cyrus’ hair should not have been the most memorable part of fashion at the Grammys, and yet it was.

One can only hope that the next big fashion event of the year, the MET, will be better.

professors: the

song, book, and movie everyone ought to know

Compiled by Evalyn Homoelle Collegian Reporter

Sri’s father and two younger sisters traveled from Colorado to listen to his performance. Courtesy | Paul Sri Bull first started playing the flute in her fourth grade band. Courtesy | Elena Bull

Cyrus’ Grammys hairstyle immitated her godmother Dolly Parton’s hairstyle. Courtesy | The Independent

Vincenzi defends her college thesis. Courtesy | Anna Vincenzi

FEATURES

From the saddle to the dark room

Professor shares her life on a family farm and captures the joys of rural living in her art

By Caroline Kurt Assistant Editor

When Roxanne Kaufman was just six, in 1991, a new foal was born on her family farm in Edon, Ohio. “She fell in love with that foal,” said Barbara Fogel, who calls her daughter Rox. “She said, ‘I want that colt, Mama.’ And I said, ‘Honey, he’s young, and you’re young.’”

“I don’t care. I want him,” Kaufman told her mother.

“She stood her ground, and we relented,” Fogel said. “She did a lot of the training herself. He was a handful, but she went ahead and showed him and worked with him and did real well with him.”

Fogel was impressed with her daughter’s tenacity.

“It really surprised me because she was so young and she’d gotten thrown off,” Fogel said. “He was quite a handful, but she stayed right with it.”

The same drive, sensitivity, and love for creation stayed with Kaufman, now in her fourth year as visiting assistant professor of art at Hillsdale College. She splits her time between the college and her farms: one, which she works with her family, and one which she owns herself. When not caring for her horses or romping the woods with her son, Brogan, Kaufman teaches photography and design to her students, specializing in dark-room photography.

In her office above Markel Auditorium, Kaufman hangs some of her best work: medita-

Take

By Christina Lewis Collegian reporter

For senior Emilie Moneyhon, last year’s Intervarsity mission trip was a spiritual reset.

“We spend so much time in college doing things for ourselves,” Moneyhon said. “It’s so crazy to be in this environment where everything you’re doing is for the sake of other people. It was an environment that was filled with so much love and so much peace.”

Last year, a group of Hillsdale students chose to spend their spring break in Hillsdale, visiting the county jail, evan-

tive, black-and-white photographs of the rural Midwest. There are portraits of her animals and of her pastors. One of her favorites, she says, is a shot of her son when he was younger, standing by the side of a barn. Wearing frayed cutoff jeans and cowboy boots, Brogan puts his hands on his hips in a sweetly solemn pose.

“I love rural America,” Kaufman said. “For the first time in our history, more people live in city limits than in rural settings. I have this deep connection to farm life.”

A Midwest native, Kaufman grew up on her family’s horse farm in Ohio, where they raised Morgan horses from 1976 to 2014. Kaufman and her older sister, Victoria, competed in different equestrian disciplines.

Kaufman received her first camera as a Christmas present in eight-grade. “From there, she blossomed,” Fogel said. “It didn’t take me long to know what she was after.”

Growing up on a farm fueled Kaufman’s passion for homesteading.

“I genuinely love to work with the earth and to grow things and to understand how to use them to their fullest capacity,” Kaufman said. “That gardening part came from my dad.”

Kaufman wanted the same life for her 11-year-old son: one with adventures just out the back door. She bought a farm north of Quincy, Mich-

gelizing at a mall, and helping elderly members of the community with yard work.

“Our hope is to equip people and not just let them go on the trip blindly,” senior Elizabeth Sible said. “We don’t send people out if they’re not trained because if they aren’t, they could do damage.”

Moneyhon described the learning curve students faced while on the trip.

“If you really want to be impactful in God’s kingdom, you have to give up some of your comfort in your own desires and wills,” she said. Sible said she learned how to see people through God’s eyes.

igan in 2012, renovating and cleaning the house and barns.

“I wanted my son to live a life where he spent his days growing things and playing and being outside,” Kaufman said. “He always has something to do without a lot of effort.”

Kaufman’s day begins before 5 a.m. every morning.

“I do devotionals, maybe work out a little, and then it’s out to the barn,” Kaufman said. “You just get into this routine where, even though we have 27 animals on our farm, it’s not work. I truly love it.”

Kaufman describes the rhythm of farm life as one of joy and heartache. Brogan, Kaufman says, has learned a lot about life and death.

“He’s buried his beloved chicken that got killed by a raccoon,” she said. “We’ve had chickens born on the farm, donkeys born on the farm.”

Farm life has given her family a special resilience, Kaufman says.

“I always say, there’s gym tough and then there’s farm tough,” Kaufman said. “Farm tough is not only physically strong but mentally and emotionally strong. You have this deep regard for life from beginning to end.”

Though they live six miles from any of Brogan’s friends, Kaufman says her son has plenty of animal companions: chickens, rabbits, a turkey, a goat. She talks about her son constantly, always with a smile in her eyes.

“When all of his friends are over, I love the showcase of mas-

culinity that happens,” Kaufman said.

When Brogan and his friends play games like ghosts in the graveyard, Kaufman joins the fun.

“I will hide in places where they can’t see me, but I can hear their whole conversation,” Kaufman said. “One time he was with Pascal Whalen and he’s like, ‘Come on, bro. Let’s just be men. Let’s just be men and go out into the dark. It’ll be fine.’”

A tomboy herself, Kaufman enjoys being a boy mom. “They’re just full of adventure and simplicity,” Kaufman said, “but also protective. There’s no drama.”

Following in his family’s footsteps, Brogan started showing miniature donkeys when he was three. Among other events, he competes and has won prizes in “coon jumping” with his mule, Digger, in which prizes are awarded to the animals who can clear the highest

hurdle from a standing position.

Fogel sees the way her daughter has raised Brogan with the same whimsy she possessed as a child.

“Sometimes she was almost magical because she would be outside playing by herself and she was just totally content, even when she was alone,” Fogel said. “And she’s still that way. She takes her son with her and they go on adventures. They go back along the streams and they watch for deer. It stayed right with her — she never outgrew that.”

Kaufman credits her professional success to her parents.

After she attended Goddard College in Vermont for her master’s, Kaufmann returned to the Midwest to teach art. “I’ve always been kind of a homebody, so to speak, and I loved the pastoral lifestyle,” Kaufman said. “I have a really strong faith, and when you have a really strong faith you kind of intuitively follow along with God’s

plan and it works. I graduated with my master’s degree and I had an adjunct position right away. I never went one semester without teaching.”

After alternating between Hillsdale, Spring Arbor University, Trine University, and Jackson College, Kaufman found a more permanent position at Hillsdale College.

Junior Abigail Cool, who has taken Kaufman for Design and photography classes, admires Kaufman’s intentionality, authenticity, and energy. “She is so content with the life she’s built,” Cool said. “It’s very refreshing to hear someone talking about how much they love their life and home.”

“The trip transformed my heart and opened my eyes to see how God values and loves people and wants to use his people to help reach those that do not know Him or are just simply in need to experience Christ’s love,” Sible said. She said she learned how to let go of control and surrender both herself and her day to God.

“You’ll grow so much closer to the Lord and they’ll grow in love for his people,” Sible said. “It’s kind of just like a transformative process. Because you’re dying to yourself every single day. The day ahead of you is not your plan at all.”

Moneyhon described the challenges of evangelization.

“All we can do is just plant the seed and you’re not going to see it come to fruition, but it was still very powerful to see how grateful people were for the help,” Moneyhon said.

Sophomore Eden Ryan wrote a song from her experience on the trip based on John 14:23.

“The verse talks about us loving like Christ and how Christ and the Father will come to us and make their home within us,” Ryan said. “There was a devotion that Father Rick gave about us being an outpouring of him. So I mixed those two ideas together.”

Ryan said Christians share a supernatural love that binds them together. “The people in a different country don’t need Jesus more than the people in your own town,” Ryan said.

Sophomore Rebekah Preston also said her understanding of God’s love deepened on the trip.

“I think God really taught me how to love other people well, without judging them and realize that it’s not my job to judge,” Preston said. “It’s just my job to be his hands and feet and to love others.”

Sophomore Jihye Kim said she and her peers left the mis-

sion trip with an urgency to share the gospel with others.

“We want to keep running the race and not just slack off,” Kim said.

Students should prayerfully consider going on the mission trip since they are in the prime of their life and are called to go and make disciples, Sible said.

“If you can’t go on this spring break mission trip, I would encourage you to look for an opportunity within your church to learn how to disciple others or share the good news.” Sible said. “We should always have an eye for the lost and a heart for the lost.”

Kaufman pats her mule, Digger, while horses, Dixie and Teal, look on. Courtesy | Roxanne Kaufman

Brogan began showing miniature donkeys when he was three.

Courtesy | Roxanne Kaufman