Applications to the college are down about 5% from last year's record numbers according to the Director of Admissions. So far over 1,950 applications have been received, about 100 fewer than the same time last year. However, the Director expects the total will be close to last year's final count of 2,200 once late transcripts and letters of recommendation are received. The dip is attributed to missing the U.S. News and World Report listing due to an administrative error, the lack of a national ad campaign run last year, and increased competition from other schools.
Applications to the college are down about 5% from last year's record numbers according to the Director of Admissions. So far over 1,950 applications have been received, about 100 fewer than the same time last year. However, the Director expects the total will be close to last year's final count of 2,200 once late transcripts and letters of recommendation are received. The dip is attributed to missing the U.S. News and World Report listing due to an administrative error, the lack of a national ad campaign run last year, and increased competition from other schools.
Applications to the college are down about 5% from last year's record numbers according to the Director of Admissions. So far over 1,950 applications have been received, about 100 fewer than the same time last year. However, the Director expects the total will be close to last year's final count of 2,200 once late transcripts and letters of recommendation are received. The dip is attributed to missing the U.S. News and World Report listing due to an administrative error, the lack of a national ad campaign run last year, and increased competition from other schools.
years record numbers. Director of Admissions Jeff Lantis and his team have pro- cessed over 1,950 applications so far, about 100 fewer than this time last year. But by the time late tran- scripts and letters of recco- mendation arrive, Lantis said he expects the total number of applications to be close to last year`s fnal count oI about 2,200. Lantis attributed the dip to three main factors. I dont want to give U.S. News and World Report much credit, but we missed the listing this year [due to] a paperwork glitch with an organization that supplies info to U.S. News, so our absence there may have had an im- pact, he said. The national ad campaign that was run last GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum backed out of Hillsdale Colleges Constitu- tional Symposium last Saturday night, 48 hours before it was scheduled to start. Santorums decision came after a frenzied week of student and administrative efforts to put together Hillsdale`s frst forum for presidential hopefuls, including hours of phone calls, sleepless nights, and thousands of dollars of sunk costs for the schools administration. We laid the groundwork for something really great and we almost did it, said Elliot Gaiser, Collegian opinions editor and Constitution Symposium Chair. The event drew cooperation from Central Hall to Benzing Hall and back, at a time when al- most all upper-level administra- tive staff were in California for a National Leadership Seminar. I wish people would know just how close we came to doing a thing that CNN and state party chairmen couldnt do, Gaiser said. If anything, its shown me that people our age can move the world if we set our minds to it. The story of the event includes candidates campaigns suggesting dozens of different dates, days of radio silence, calls to staffer upon staffer and senior state politicos, and ulti- mately, Santorums withdrawal. The Plan Gaiser said he considered the idea of a presidential forum for months beIore getting aIfrma- tion from college administrators. The green light came after Hillsdale President Larry Arnn cornered Gaiser in Saga, Inc, at the beginning of February, three weeks before the Feb. 28 Michi- gan primary. Dr. Arnn looks over at me and says, Dyou think you can do this? I say, I can gosh darn try, and Dr. Arnn says, I think were going to try this, Gaiser said. That week, Gaiser and senior Mike Morrison, juniors Katy Bachelder and Sarah Anne Voyles, and sophomores Melika Willoughby and Brianna Walden formed a Hillsdale Constitutional Symposium Executive Commit- tee under administrative point- person Production Assistant Victoria Bergen 11. The six of us would walk up to the president`s oIfce, Victoria would join us, we were greeted by Natalie Mock all of us graduates or students from the past two years. We walked into Dr. Arnn`s oIfce and sat down at his table and worked from the oIfce oI Dr. Arnn, Willoughby said, laughing. Provost David Whalen said the administrations position on the event was established from the outset. He said the college asked that each candidate be invited to speak and the event disrupt campus life as little as Vol. 135, Issue 15 - 23 Feb. 2012 Michigans oldest college newspaper www.hillsdalecollegian.com A8 In Spaces... A5 A5 B4 TWITTER.COM/ HDALECOLLEGIAN FACEBOOK.COM/ HILLSDALECOLLEGIAN Student syposium sidelined by withdrawal Marieke van der Vaart Editor-in-Chief Student Sculptor Alumnus Filmmaker Pink Wave In Arts.. In Sports... Patrick Timmis News Editor Admissions applications down Rule number 24 of George Washingtons Rules of Civil- ity and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation states: 'Superfuous Comments and all Affectation of Cer- emony are to be avoided, yet where due they are not to be Neglected. Partygoers took those in- structions to heart at the Kirby Center for Constitutional Stud- ies and Citizenships celebra- tion of Washingtons Birthday on Feb. 20. In 1879, an act of Congress implemented the frst Iederal holiday to honor an American citizen. Today, it celebrates the service oI all the nation`s frst citizens. 'The very oIfce Washing- ton held owed its existence to him, said David Bobb, the Kirby Centers director, in a toast. He is indispensable; however, he never acted as though he was indispensable, and for that we honor him tonight. Other participants echoed Bobbs tribute to Washingtons humility. When asked what quality he most admired in the nation`s frst prresident, author Michael Zak pointed to his restraint. He could have been a Cromwell, but he chose not to, Zak said. Others said they draw personal inspiration from his example. A clinical psychologist from New Jersey praised Washing- ton for his steady model as a Iather fgure to his young country. A local college stu- dent joked that the standard of Kirby Center celebrates presidents Emily Reagan Collegian Freelancer See A3 See A4 See A2 Santorum skips out 'LJLWDOFDPSXVVXUYH\VFRQWDLQVHFXULW\DZV Student voting for Outstand- ing Senior Man and Woman closed on Sunday night, but sources told The Collegian that the voting website might have skewed the results by allowing for discrepancy in the outcome. It just goes to show that our school is not on the cutting edge of technology, said a student ITS employee who asked to remain anonymous. And as much as we would like to think that this is Hillsdale College, you know were all still human just as fawed as the next person. The student said the online voting process through Survey Monkey, a voting website, has two major glitches: the site does not require ID verifcation, and by clearing the Internet History cache, people could clear their cookie or tracking fle, allowing them to vote again. Anyone could vote, and they could vote as many times as they want, the student said. I do know that some juniors voted, and I defnitely tried to see if it would let me vote twice. It didnt ask you who you are; just clear your cache, and vote again. An email containing the link to vote was sent only to students with senior standing all 568 of them but that allowed recipients who are not gradu- ating this spring to still vote or forward the email to other juniors, sophomores, and fresh- men to vote. One junior student with senior standing said he voted anyway. I think they just looked at how many credits I had and included me in the senior class email because of that. I voted because I sensed the voting system was fawed with me getting an email and all. It was mischievous of me, and I probably shouldnt have done it. Director of Career Ser- vices Joanna Wiseley, the advisor to the class of 2012, said that she and the of- fcers decided to switch the voting to Survey Monkey this year and pay for the service. The college also used Survey Monkey to select the winner for the senior class T- shirt design competition. Senior Design Editor Bonnie Cofer the winner of the competition said she noticed the polling site allowed for repeated voting. I think its unfair and that bothers me. I dont feel like it was a fair win, Cofer said. The fact that I know the system was abused in that instance, makes me concerned that similar things might have happened in other voting processes with the same website. I wish that they would either go back to voting on paper ballots or use an online system that required you to sign in. With the system they are us- ing now, they are just asking for someone to abuse it. Wiseley said she understood that others could vote if they received the link, but she hoped it would not come to that. Nev- ertheless, she did not see any discrepancies in the results. There are 374 members of the senior class and 305 votes were submitted. I did not notice anything out of the ordinary, Wiseley said. There were way less responses than there were members of the class. The voting was re- ally even. It was a really good cross-section and the numbers were really well dispersed. So it would indicate to me that there was not a conspiracy. The bottom line is it is just the top three and I think they are all great candidates, and the fac- ulty makes the fnal decision. Wiseley was not able to view who voted, but she was able to see the IP address of each vote. Although she said she did not see repeat votes, the senior oIfcers may decide to return to ballot voting. Maybe we will do a ballot, Wiseley said. We just thought we would get more response if we didnt do it at the Grewcock Student Union and polled who- ever came to lunch that day. I just didnt like that. [The issue] is on our agenda for our next senior oIfcer meeting and their recommendation is that they will take it forward to the next class, the class of 2013. Seniors Nate Jebb, James Manion, Clint Westbrook, and Ryon Wiska represent the men there are four nominees because Wiseley did not see a good breaking point in the results. Seniors Brittany Baldwin, Dina Farhat, and Kelsey Shunk were nominated for the women. Emily Shelton Collegian Freelancer With the system they are using now, they are just asking for someone to abuse it. Senior Bonnie Cofer Basketball wins GLIAC title See A8 (Sally Nelson/Collegian) (Sally Nelson/Collegian) (Sally Nelson/Collegian) There was more than the normal assortment of students in A.J.s Caf at 9 p.m. on Monday. There were still the groups of laughing students gathered around tables, not even pretend- ing to study; the stone-faced couples separated by glowing laptop screens, pretending to study; the students sitting by themselves, pretending to text as they waited for their friends. But this last Monday, Presi- dents Day, the normal A.J.s patrons were joined by the read- ing day crowd. That included two separate games of Settlers of Catan, two tables of card games, a professor meeting students, and an infux of students who celebrated their three-day weekend by not doing any reading. Sophomores Sam Stone- burner, Haley Pelissier, and John Walsh, as well as a friend of Stoneburners from his home- town, just fnished their game and packed the board games pieces back into its box. This was kind of an historic moment for [Haley], Stone- burner said. She beat the people who taught her to play and, in some cases, the people who taught them to play. Stoneburner said he woke up at 8 a.m. to do Greek homework and practice for a chemistry presentation he had to give on Tuesday. I knew if I wanted to play two games of Catan I needed to wake up early, he said. That was worth waking up for me. He had gotten a group together to play a game after lunch. Who won earlier? Pelissier asked. Brandon. Sometimes that kid is cra- zy, Stoneburner said, chuckling. Pelissier woke up early to do homework as well, but two hours later than Stoneburner. After an afternoon of theater rehearsal, she ate dinner and then sat down to a three hours of simultaneous Catan and home- work. She said she had enjoyed the reading day. Couldnt have come at a better time, she said.
Walsh had gotten up and was talking in a hushed voice to a Catan player from the other table. Hey! Are you giving her advice? Stoneburner asked. No, Walsh replied. Im just telling her what she did wrong. While Stoneburner and com- pany were playing Catan, senior Mel Caton was just returning from a weekend trip to Florida. After classes on Friday, Caton and her sister drove down to Fort Wayne, Ind. and got on a plane in this tiny little airport in the middle of nowhere with one gate. I think it was like 70 degrees all three days we were down there, she said. The weather report said it was supposed to rain everyday which was the most depressing thing ever but we ended up having fun the whole time, and it rained for like an hour. The sisters spent their week- end just enjoying Florida. It was really great. I though it was a little funny they called it a reading day because I dont know about you, but I didnt really need a reading day at this point of the semester. Caton said she did a grand total of 25 pages of homework reading over the weekend. Back in A.J.s, sophomore Emily Schutz sat on the other side of the caf. She, along with a friend, was waiting to see Provost David Whalen, sitting at a nearby table, for her Victorian and Modern Literature class. Do you think we should get closer? she asked her friend, as another student sat down across from Whalen. It sounded like theyd been waiting there a while. Schutz, sitting with an open English literature anthology in front of her, had spent the day writing a paper shed put off all weekend. However, she took a break long enough to take a walk with her friend and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. I kept telling myself, Its February 20, its February 20, she said. Her thoughts on the reading day? Best idea theyve ever had, she said. Outside the Grewcock Stu- dent Union, a group of students built a fre in one oI the pits set up by the Student Activities Board. Crammed together on the non-smoky side oI the fre circle, junior Jack Hummel turned to the rest of the group. This is like the time Sarah stole my seat, Hummel said. I thought we were past that, Sports Editor Sarah Leit- ner said. I will never get past that. It will defne my college expe- rience, he replied, his face scrunching up into a mock tears as the group laughed. Junior Elizabeth Anne Odell was supposed to work at 9 a.m. Monday but accidentally slept in until 9:25. She eventually made it to the library for work. I worked from 10:22 to 11:22, if that makes any differ- ence, she said. What did she do with the rest of her weekend? After a pause, she said: I asked everyone what they did with their long weekend. Its all the rage. 'Well we kindled the fames of love, Hummel said, gestur- ing to junior Caroline Forsythe. You have to kindle them from time to time. Junior Trent Kramer said he though the reading day was good for the students. I think its good because a lot of people get to go home, get to see their family, he said. Also, people get to sleep in a little and get some rest. The conversation continued around the fre. Dental hygiene is the pur- pose of reading day, Forsythe said, who claimed shed brushed her teeth four times that day. Did anyone else know its Presidents Day? asked junior Chris Waters. Kramer said he was pretty sure Monday was the one-year anniversary of the 2011 ice storm that cancelled class for the day. That was so good for every- one, he said. I think it keeps you going, Waters said. It really does, Kramer agreed. It gives the weekend room to breathe, Waters said. Sophomore Anika Top started her shift behind at the desk in the student union at 9 p.m. She pointed to a neat row of Harry Potter movies lining the edge of her desk. 'I have fve, six, and seven. Im here until 3 a.m., she said. Shed woken up Monday morning at 7:30 a.m., which she described as ungodly. She and friends travelled up to Ann Arbor for the day where she studied in a coffee shop and ran some errands at the mall. She returned to campus in the evening. I grabbed some movies, did some reading, and now Im sitting at my desk pretending to read, and watching movies, she said. It was a nice break. By midnight, A.J.s had thinned out. Gone were the groups of laughing students, the stony-faced couples, and the awkward loners. Both Catan boards were cleaned up and the card players were gone. Whalen fnally leIt at 11:30 p.m., exactly an hour aIter his A.J.`s oIfce hours were supposed to have ended. Only a few students were left sitting at the tables, most of them working on papers. The only noise in the union came from a group of students near the freplace, laughing hysterically as they passed around a smart- phone. Im not so well rested, Top said. But brain rested. NEWS 23 Feb. 2012 A2 www.hillsdalecollegian.com Caleb Whitmer Web Editor Campus bonds, rests on extra day A living hell: Students grapple with grad school apps Sarah Leitner Sports Letner Senior Kirsten Block has written countless papers and survived seven fnals weeks, but applying to graduate school has been a totally new challenge. Its a living hell, she said, laughing. For senior Catherine Sims, being accepted in the Ph.D. program in political theory at the University of Notre Dame means a sigh of relief. She said the program offers her the opportunity to look at ancient, medieval, and modern political theory, as well as take advan- tage of other departments such as philosophy. They have also offered her a stipend. Notre Dame was my No. 1 choice, Sims said. I love the school. I love the campus. Sims also traveled to Texas for an interview with Baylor University and had a phone interview with the Catholic University of America. Sims said she has been plan- ning on applying to doctorate programs after college since the beginning, though she joked that last semester she consid- ered creating a contingency plan. Its kind of a relief to have some options that way, she said. Sims said she plans to teach at the undergraduate level after earning her Ph.D. Very few people actu- ally get a Ph.D., said Joseph Garnjobst, associate professor of classical studies. Thats really for the people who are the most dedicated to it the people that cant think of do- ing anything else but getting a Ph.D. and then teaching at the collegiate level. Other seniors more recently made the decision to apply for graduate programs. Ive been thinking about it tentatively for a couple years now, Block said. It took a lot of contemplation and prayer this summer to decide its what I wanted to do. Block is looking into gradu- ate programs in classics, theol- ogy, and early Christian studies. It takes a lot of thought about what you want to study. And it takes a lot of reading to get an idea of what you want to study, she said. When you contact people in grad schools, you want to have read some- thing theyve written. The process of looking for a graduate program is much different from that of an under- graduate program, Block said. Because graduate studies are much more about who you will study with, she said she has not gone on many campus visits. Its not as much about the experience or the feel of the place as [is] undergrad, she said. While Blocks top choice would also be Notre Dame, she is also looking into programs at the University of Minnesota, the University of Kentucky, the Catholic University of America, Fordham University, and Bos- ton College. You get so excited about every institution, she said. Senior Trevor Anderson said hed had a vague idea that he would pursue further education, and now he is looking at theol- ogy and philosophy graduate programs. He settled on gradu- ate school at the beginning of this school year. When you get a degree in philosophy and religion, you either teach or work at Mc- Donalds, he said. Its all or nothing. Sims, Block, and Anderson all said their professors have played a major role throughout the process. My professors have been extremely helpful and support- ive, Sims said. Block said the amount of help she has received has been overwhelming. Ive had so many people help me, from how you go about looking for a school, to getting recommendations, to the way of presenting yourself in your personal statement, she said. Sims also said she feels that Hillsdale has several advantages that help students prepare for more schooling, such as the per- sonal attention students receive from professors. The classes here have a kind of rigor that will absolutely prepare students for graduate level work, she said. Garnjobst said the classics department has meetings every semester for students interested in majoring in classics. In these meetings, they ask the students if they are interested in studying classics at the graduate level. We try to map out these things so that they can have a schedule have an idea of whats out there, he said. There are several ways clas- sics students can explore their interest in graduate school, Garnjobst said. Students can read outside of class in the areas that interest them. The Latin program at Hillsdale Preparato- ry School also offers classroom experience. This offers students lesson planning, classroom mainte- nance, and grading experience. If you do [like teaching], thats great, Garnjobst said. If you dont, then youve learned a valuable lesson without actually having to go get a job. By the summer of junior year, Garnjobst said the depart- ment expects students to have taken their GRE. Students interested in going on to gradu- ate school also have opportuni- ties to write and publish book reviews. There are a lot of opportu- nities for students to do things that graduate students do. They present papers. They write book reviews, he said. So we are trying to get them to operate at the graduate level while at the undergraduate level. Garnjobst said the depart- ment also takes students to Ann Arbor to do research for papers that they write for different classes. If they thrive in that envi- ronment, thats a great sign for us because its easy to write letters of recommendation for people who are self-starters, self-motivated, thrive in that kind of environment, know how to do the research, and write great papers that get accepted to regional and national conven- tions, he said. Theyre essen- tially graduate students. Garnjobst acknowledged that graduate school is not for everyone. It isnt for people who think, I really enjoyed my Hillsdale experience, he said. Graduate school isnt just so they can keep the Hillsdale experience alive. Anderson said it is profes- sors like Garnjobst that have shown him, by example, that graduate school was something he wanted to pursue. I want to go to grad school because of professors like Jack- son and Westblade and Cole who have intellectual rigor, a heartfelt love for the truth, and a love for their students, Anderson said. I wouldnt be as excited about going to grad school if I wasnt so taken with that vision of life that they have. year was not as focused on admissions. [And] certainly the economy. That doesnt mean The Collegian wont run a smartest class ever head- line next year. Were pleased with the recruiting year, Lantis said. Were pleased with the quality of the applicant pool. We think that its bet- ter quality even though the quantity isnt the same. Lantis said the success of faculty and alumni, as well as the schools increased presence in D.C., contribute to Hillsdales improving reputation. Junior Crystal Marshall, the head student ambas- sador, said fall visitation numbers seemed higher than in the past, but have slowed down lately, leaving student ambassadors scraping for hours. She expects those numbers to pick up again in the spring. The college will send out its regular acceptance letters April 1, and Lantis said about 900 students will make the cut. Based on averages Irom the last fve years, he expects about 40 percent of accepted students to make a deposit in May. USNWR and other publi- cations use admissions rates as a gauge for colleges academic rigor, a practice Lantis called potentially misleading. Some schools will actually go out and recruit students for the express purpose of denying them admission, to lower their admit rate and look more favorable amongst the col- lege guides, he said. We dont have the time, inclina- tion, or manpower to want to create more unqualifed applications to review. We like having a more narrow group of applications that are highly qualifed. Admissions Counselor Shannon McCleary said her job includes re-educating prospectives about the col- lege itself. We have a lot of stu- dents who say, I will be the president of the United States, she said laugh- ing. Im like, Oh, the last student said that too. Guess youre gonna be running against each other. But even more students are afraid that since they arent politically active, they won`t ft in at Hillsdale. What I always try to encourage is, you dont have to be politically active, but we want you to be aware, McCleary said. And the way our education is set up, youre not just going to be aware about politics and current events, but youre going to be aware about a lot of different areas and felds. ! ADMISSIONS From A1 (Sally Nelson/Collegian) NEWS A3 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com Matt Spalding is the vice president of American Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He is a Claremont Mckenna College alumnus and former classmate of Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn. Spalding wrote We Still Hold These Truths, the book that gave the 2012 Conserva- tive Political Action conference its title. The Collegian sat down with Spalding to talk about what These Truths are, and the nature of different strains of conservatism. What are the principles you mention in your book that you call the core of civic life and education? I talk about equal rights, nature, consent principles of the Declaration of Independence to which I add property rights, religious liberty, the rule of law, Constitutionalism, independence, and it all culminates in self-gov- ernment. Theyre all interconnect- ed. They really work as a whole. So rather than talking merely about property rights, which is an economic argument, [I talk about] self-government. Theyre really intertwined in a deep and fundamental way, so you have to go through and explain that. How do libertarians and FRQVHUYDWLYHVPDQDJHWRQG common ground? The problem with looking at conservatives as groups is they all kind of have their own little philosophies. So libertarianism is really based on a very different philosophy its radical individu- alism in which the individual cre- ates their own sense of meaning. Its very narrow, and differ- ent philosophically. Its roots are very different than the roots of the American Founders. We want to point that out to them, but do it in a way that teaches them some- thing. They believe in limited government Constitutionalism, so you approach them that way. You have a common ground, and you want to draw them back to the Declaration and the Found- ing as a whole to show them that their understanding of limited government the protections of the individual fundamentally depend upon having an idea of what that individual is. Which brings up the question of human equality, and what is that equality? The narrower liber- tarian rights argument, which is actually good as far as it goes, is insuIfcient, at a certain point. It really demands a certain understanding of the moral meaning of the individual and their purpose. It cant be merely about your right to something, but also, What is happiness? You broaden it to the full discus- sion of the Founding, and you shift towards that. Their views of limited government ultimately depend upon the laws of nature and natures God. Its as simple as that. Now, does this solve every question about the role of religion in society and the debates were having? Of course not. Thats what politics is about. But, in a deeper fundamental way most people who are libertarians are not actually libertarians. What is GOP candidate Ron Pauls appeal to conservatives? The fact, I think, that Ron Paul is drawing a lot of attention, is not because of his full philoso- phy which, I think, most people dont actually buy but because hes hitting certain themes which I think are perfectly reasonable: that government is out of control, that we should get back to the Constitution. Even the argu- ment about sound money [is a] perfectly legitimate argument. We shouldnt misread that to think that somehow conservatives have accepted the full argument of lib- ertarianism. Limited government is perfectly consistent with our arguments about the Founding. How do progressives and conservatives differ on civics? The modern civics debate is really a debate between civics as knowledge in which civics is understood to be a part of a broader question about liberal education, where the content is meaningful and civic educa- tion in the modern sense, where its all about experience, experi- ential learning, getting out and doing things, becoming civically Q&A with Matt Spalding: Libertarianism and Founding ideals Tyler ONeil Collegian Freelancer WARM WINTER BLUES He thought he was think- ing ahead when he nailed the stakes into the loose dirt in front of the union two months ago. He was going to beat the Michigan freeze. But what was supposed to be an ice skating rink by now, in the words of senior Michael Peters, student director of mens residence life, is basically a pool. She gets to have a normal work day. She doesnt have to trudge through snow banks to get to her front door. And her crew doesnt have to clear any roads or lay any salt in addition to their tedious work routines. Its been a welcome bless- ing, said Vicky Phetteplace, superintendent of custodial services. Michigans warm winter, while a blessing to some, has posed challenges to others in the Hillsdale community. For Phetteplace, the lack of snow and ice has lessened the typi- cal stress and workload that winter usually brings. On a scale from one to 10 in terms of severity, I would rank the winter weve had so far as a four, Phetteplace said. Typically we have a full plate of job tasks and the adverse weather slows the maintenance teams down and adds to the normal workload, which is al- ready a lot. Like any job, you have to prioritize time. But our crew is fexible and always does a good job. Outside of Hillsdale, Michi- gan sporting events have also been impacted by the balmy winter. The Cheboygan Daily Tribune reported that due to lack of snow, the Indian River Sprint Dog Sled Race was canceled. In Mason Coun- try, Mich., Erin Lloyd of the Northern Michigan 9&10 New reported that the Michigan Ice Open, an ice fshing competi- tion, was also canceled. While Michigan is heading into its second warmest winter since 1932, many residents are hesitant to give up on the pos- sibility of more cold weather. For Peters, the weather hasnt created serious prob- lems, but has left many students disappointed about missing out on typical winter activities. While the ice skat- ing rink behind the Grewcock Student Union has yet to get as much use as in previous years, Peters remains optimistic. Were still anticipating a Hillsdale winter, so were going to keep the rink up and give it a shot, he said. If all else fails, well hold a pool party at the end of the year. Bailey Pritchett Collegian Freelancer NEW PARLI CHALLENGES FOR DEBATE Hillsdale College Debate Teams 10-hour trip to Truman State University was well worth it. In addition to setting a new record for Lincoln-Douglas debate, the Chargers team went 10 and six this weekend at The Missouri Association of Foren- sic Activities State Champion- ships last weekend. The team did not place overall, but that had to do with the small amount of entries we had, junior Ian Blodger said. Only four Hillsdale students competed. Blodger and Sophomore Bryan Brooks both made it to the elimination round in L-D. However, Brooks was matched with Blodger for the elimination round and since two team members cannot com- pete against one another and Blodger held the higher seat, he advanced to the next round. After advancing, Blodger took second place in the entire tour- nament. The outrounds were tough but they were really educational for me, Blodger said. I had to prepare in a different manner because the timing between the rounds was different. It was more similar to the timing in national competitions, so it was good practice. The team also competed in parliamentary debate, but none of the team members made the elimination round in this style. It was a very different style of parliamentary debate, sophomore Ian Hanchett said. We came across some very interesting rounds which we had to make up positions for on the fy. Brooks said that last weeks events prepared Hillsdale stu- dents for important tournaments coming up, includiwng the Pi Kappa Delta Competition and the National Forensics Associa- tion National Tournament in March and April respectively. In one of our parliamentary rounds, aIter the frst fve min- utes of our opponents speech, everything that we had prepared before the round was suddenly inapplicable. Ian and I, working together within two minutes, were able to prepare multiple positions, Brooks said. This is one of the hardest situations that a parliamentary debater can fnd himselI in because we have about two minutes to provide a reason why a well-researched and prepared case is a bad idea. Even though that was the only round we won, we feel that the tournament was success for us because we excelled in the most diIfcult position we could be put in. Sam Scorzo Collegian Freelancer Washington set a high bar for dating prospects. The Kirby Centers current initiatives include the First Principles on First Fridays Lecture Series, a live Constitu- tion Town Hall webcast, and an upcoming Constitution 101 online course that has al- ready registered over 100,000 participants from across the country. The course coincides with the publication of The U.S. Constitution: A Reader, a collection of 113 primary source documents developed for teaching Hillsdales core course on the Constitution. So with all this emphasis on the Constitution, it seemed natural to set an evening aside to pledge the man who made it possible. It was because he was born that America was born, said Eleesha Tucker, director of education for the Society of the Cincinnati. ! KIRBY From A1 (Sally Nelson/Collegian) (Sally Nelson/Collegian) (Sally Nelson/Collegian) Jon Paul Morosi, a national MLB writer for FOXSports.com, spoke at Hillsdale Col- leges sportswriting seminar this month. (Joe Buth/Collegian) NEWS A4 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com ! KATES TAKE KATE OLSON Reading Days Dear Kate, I have a question about love. Im a freshman and I think I met my soul mate this weekend. That reading day couldnt have come at a better time. We spent the day walking around hand-in-hand, cuddling in the Grewcock Student Union, watching movies, and playing video games. You said that our task here at Hillsdale Col- lege was to fnd our spouse, get married, and start producing little Lincoln look-a-likes. Well, Im doing the best I can. I wish we had more reading days to prance around campus with our Iriends, firt- ing with boys, and such. College is so much fun! Anyway, to my question: Do you think its possible to know youve found the one after only a day or two together? I just feel like this is meant to be. Sincerely, Head-in-the-clouds Dear Idiotic Freshman, Loans. Scholarships. Grants. Debt. Debt. More debt. Grace given by everyone from donors to your parents. Think about these words for a few moments. If you dont see a connection, I doubt my little column can help you. Now then, we need to have a discussion about proper reading skills. The only people on this campus that I advised to look for their husbands right now, even to the neglect of their school work, were senior women in their second semester who already know how to read! Secondly, allow me to inquire what a reading day might be for? Oh, I dont know, perhaps to read? Not only is a reading day in the middle of February somewhat... strange, but consider- ing that every Saturday is a reading day, the idea that you spent the day 'prancing and 'firting makes me want to throw up all of the carbs that I just wolfed down on account of Fat Tuesday. Please dont use these words to describe the actions which you substituted for reading. It makes me quite ill. Need I remind you yet again that you are here to study? As for your question, if I was crazy, out of my mind, and ready to be sent to an asylum, I might say something like this: Im sure youve found the one man who completes your being in that 18-year-old boy you met two days ago. I cant imagine someone more virtuous than a kid who spends eight hours straight playing video games every Saturday in the playground we call the union. Hold on to him, hes a keeper. Unfortunately for you, Im quite sane (in some sense of the word), and therefore must tell you the truth: your quaint, blossom- ing love will fade, wither, and die in a matter of weeks. Find a desk in the library (which, surprisingly enough, was created as a place of peace for proper students to use for study and not a social hall) and get to work! And fnally, Ior the millionth time, stop cuddling in the union. Just stop its not actually a playground. For reading, not love possible. Were not going to endorse a candidate, he said. He also emphasized that the structure of the event was im- portant if a political candidate spoke at Hillsdale, his address was to support the colleges goal of education, and not stage a rally. This is not going to be a campaign stop that presents another stump speech, Whalen said. The fact that this is an academic institution with an academic purpose was foremost in planning the event. After dozens of phone calls to each campaign, Walden put in more than 48 hours of phone calls alone, student organizers arrived at an impasse. We were at this stalemate position everyone said, Well come if Santorum comes, and Santorum said, Well come if other candidates come, Wil- loughby said. To add to the complication, administrators needed to place an order for sound and stage equip- ment to replace Hillsdales own technology, which was with staff out at the NLS in California. The night of Feb. 14, Gaiser said he got a call from adminis- trators. They were going to pull the plug unless students could get a solid confrmation by 8 p.m. that night. It was a no harm, no shame kind of deal, Gaiser said. Willoughby said the group understood the administrations deadline, but feared it would push Santorum to back out of the symposium. To say we were apprehensive would be a understatement. We had countless people praying, on campus, in our home states, she said. At 7:41 p.m. we got the email wed all been waiting for, saying that Sen. Santorum would like to attend Hillsdale Colleges symposium. We were ecstatic, she said. Santorum released a statement to The Collegian on Wednesday, Feb. 15. I am excited to again visit Hillsdale College and have the opportunity to address the im- portant issues facing our nation, Santorum said. I am excited to share my vision for a brighter America, and the life experiences that have helped shape those positions. The First Letdowns AIter the confrmation email, administrators placed orders for equipment. Bergen said they knew that the up-front deposits might be lost, but placed them anyway. We were committed from that point to spending whatever we needed to to offer the best event possible, she said. Gaiser said he drafted a press release to publicize the event, but administrators never published it. The frst disappointments came when representatives for candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich did not follow- through with their verbal com- mitments to come if Santorum confrmed. They were breaking their word to us, Willoughby said. We went back to them and said, We have a publicized commit- ment from Santorum that he is indeed coming and they told us No. That was frustrating. On the night of Feb. 15, The Hillsdale Collegian broke the story online, eventually get- ting picked up by GOP blogger Michelle Malkin and Newsmax, among others. Santorum Backs Out Less than 48 hours ahead of the Feb. 20 symposium, Santo- rum backed out of his commit- ment to come to Hillsdale. The morning of Feb. 18, a Santorum staffer emailed Hill- sdale Symposium members to expect an advance team. By that evening, Santorum was reported as having committed to an event at Hope College for Monday night, when he was supposed to be coming to Hillsdale. Students said they were not really shocked. Campaigns and the strategies that accompany them are a series of judgement calls, Willoughby said. To be honest, I cannot say that if I was in Santorums shoes, I would not have done the same thing. The school did not release a press release immediately. Gaiser said seeing visiting families at church, staying in Hillsdale to hear the candidate, was diIfcult. I had to smile and nod because I couldnt say, No, hes not coming. That was sad, Gaiser said. Round Two Whalen said the administra- tion did not give up on the event, but encouraged students to reschedule, making a reconverted effort to reach out to all candi- dates. Monday morning, Feb. 20, Romneys staff made a golden offer: he could come to Hillsdale on Friday, at 4 p.m. The Constitutional Committee could not believe the offer. When I got the phone call that Romney was waiting for our acceptance of his offer to come, I was honestly shocked, Willoughby said. I immediately started looking for the strings attached. It seemed too good to be true. In fact, the Romney campaign did have a stipulation: he would have to be the only candidate to speak. The college faced a conun- drum. Whalen said hosting a single candidate event at this late stage in the campaign would have two negative consequences. It looks like tacit endorse- ment or favoritism, Whalen said. And we cant realistically host a series of candidates and events without seriously disrupt- ing the campus, without interfer- ing with our own essential work. It became a logical nightmare that became insuperable. Monday night, Whalen called the students in. It was time to pull the plug. There was a concerted at- tempt to reschedule the earlier, intended candidate forum and it simply did not work. The Take-Away Every administrator working with the group said the student groups efforts were praisewor- thy. My hat is off to them, Wha- len said. Given the timing of the planning, the students worked on campus virtually unaided by administrators. Before the end of the week, students had spoken with congressmen, governors, former attorneys general and more. We, a scraggly group of students from Nowheresville, Michigan had been so closely interacting with the potential leaders of the free world, Wil- loughby said. That really was phenomenal. ! SANTORUM From A1 READING DAY AT THE REAGAN RANCH Just outside beautiful Santa Barbara, Calif., up a windy mountain road, and past a couple of old Secret Service stations, sophomore Harris Wells pulled up to a modest, adobe ranch house. Just looking at it, youd never suspect it belonged to President Ronald Reagan. During his presidency, the ranch was Reagans refuge from the White House. Wells had the opportunity to explore it on Feb. 18. Young Americas Foundation sponsored the tour as part of its conservative training seminar in Santa Barbara. They showed us where the Gorbachevs hung out when they visited the Reagan ranch, Wells said. We even saw the exact spot where Reagan signed the largest tax cut in the nations history. The tour gave him a greater appreciation for the political im- pact of the humble headquarters. It was just really cool seeing that this was an intricate part of the history of Reagan, the place where he went to contemplate a lot of his ideas and policies, Wells said. The Secret Service had the task of making this old ranch house a secure political facility. We got to see all the different Secret Service posts with moni- toring equipment and cryptic communication devices and see the panic phone by Reagans bed that was a direct line to the secret service, Wells said. A secret service that inciden- tally had surprising diIfculties securing the fve square mile ranch. One time a hiker got lost in the fog and ended up pitching a tent thirty yards away from Presi- dent Reagans house, Wells said. When the fog lifted the next morning, they saw that there is this renegade tent and stormed it. They detained the man before they realized he was actually just a poor lost camper. The Secret Service had a scare when Reagan unwittingly put the ranch security on red alert. Reagan stocked his pond with fsh and there was a crane that would always eat them, so one day he grabbed a gun and just started shooting at the crane, Wells said. But his security detail didnt know so they fipped out thinking it could be an intruder. Just seeing the personal stories like that and see- ing that he was just a regular guy was great. After getting past the old security posts, Wells got to ex- perience the more personal side oI the ranch, a home flled to the brim with Reagans books and littered with family photographs. I knew he had great policy, Wells said. But this side of him has opened my eyes. Reagan spent lots of time out- doors on the ranch, laying all the fencing for the property himself and working in his woodshed. Seeing his woodshed, you could see he emptied peanut but- ter jars and put nuts and bolts in them, Wells said. He was just a normal guy. My grandfather did the same thing. Reagans personal letters were another surprise, revealing thoughts and experiences beyond his political views and addresses. Reagan helped out a family with a special needs child and kept in touch with them through- out his presidency, Wells said. YAF provided Wells with a full travel scholarship for the trip. A tour of the Reagan ranch, par- ticipation in the training seminar and a hotel room a block from the beach in Santa Barbara only cost him $50 for meals. Fifty bucks to go to Califor- nia? Wells said. Ill take that any day of the week. The foundation trained him in dealing with professors and administrations hostile to conser- vative speakers and conservative student activism. We just had Steve Forbes in a CCA last semester, Wells said. It didnt completely apply, but it was still really interesting to get a different perspective on what its like at a more main- stream college. Regarding the ranch, Reagan once said, No place before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it does. Once Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimers, the fam- ily moved, and Nancy Reagan passed the property on to YAF. They now preserve the ranch and use it to achieve one of Reagans biggest goals: inspiring young conservatives. Visiting the Reagan ranch was spectacular, Wells said. I was aware of his political stances before, but as a person it was cer- tainly amazing to get the real side of him like that. I would highly recommend it. Casey Harper Collegian Freelancer (Courtesy of Aaron Wong) Within about a month, up to fve local teenagers could Iace sentencing Ior a sexting case that has drawn attention to Hills- dale Irom around the state. The story broke in Octo- ber when Hillsdale`s assistant county prosecutor began in- vestigating allegations that two underage women Irom Hillsdale High School sent sexually ex- plicit pictures oI themselves to an underage male student who attends Quincy High School. Megan Stiverson, the prosecutor, said that because oI statewide budget cuts, crime labs have a backlog that has delayed the case`s resolution. She said she expects to get results Irom the subpoena oI the phones` hardware and fnish the investigation within the next 30 days. She also said that the results oI the subpoena could implicate two more students in the crime. This isn`t the frst sexting case Stiverson has prosecuted. 'It`s not just a Hillsdale County problem, either, she said. 'It`s widespread, it`s throughout the state, and it`s throughout the country, too. She said that prosecuting these crimes, which may seem victimless, helps keep porno- graphic material Irom reaching pedophiles. 'II you take a picture, it`s there Iorever, and some oI this stuII comes back to haunt these kids, she said. It`s illegal to possess, distrib- ute, and manuIacture sexually explicit material containing minors which means that as soon as minors take sexually explicit photos oI themselves, they have broken the law, even iI they never send those pictures to anyone else. Stiverson said that she thinks the rate oI sexting has increased in part because growing num- bers oI high school students have cell phones. 'It`s a lot easier to firt with someone or enter some kind oI relationship iI you don`t have to look that person in the Iace, she said. In 2011, the T.I. Automotive Hillsdale plant added business and, more importantly, jobs. During the second halI oI 2011, T.I. added 29 jobs, in- creasing its business in Hills- dale by 55 percent. In addition to the new jobs, the plant ex- panded its foor space, moved in equipment Irom a Mexico plant, and renovated its parking lot. 'We got to fll up our plant, said Paula Miller, plant man- ager. 'Hillsdale is a great place to do business. The people have a great work ethic. T.I. Automotive is a global automobile parts manuIacturer based in Auburn Hills, Mich. The company owns several plants in the region and the Hillsdale plant, located at 200 Arch St., produces push rods and brake lines Ior the Detroit Three. The automobile industry was one oI the hardest hit during the 2008 recession and Miller said a lot oI T.I.`s manuIacturing was moved to Mexico during that time. Miller said the expansion oI the Hillsdale plant is a result oI what she called an 'adjust- ment oI capacity in all North America. That includes the movement oI some oI that lost manuIacturing back Irom Mexico, as well the closing oI other T.I. plants in the region. Because oI T.I.`s growth, the Hillsdale City Council approved a 12-year partial tax exemp- tion Ior the plant on Feb. 6. The exempted taxes amount to about $6,000 over the 12-year period. 'The improvements they`ve made to the plant are stunning, said councilwoman Mary Wol- Iram, who is also in the oIfce oI economic development Ior the city. 'We`re thrilled to have this line oI work come back Irom Mexico. WolIram and Miller both attributed at least some oI the Hillsdale plant`s additions to the hard work ethic oI Hillsdale residents. Chris Kaltenback, a Concord resident, is a quality engineer at the Hillsdale plant and one oI the hires Irom last year. He was three months between jobs and described the current job market as 'pretty tough, pretty com- petitive. He considered himselI 'extremely Iortunate to have Iound work so quickly. 'Hillsdale County has been hit pretty bad Ior quite a Iew years, so anything that comes here is quite welcome, he said. While numbers are not as high as pre-2008, Miller said the auto industry is recovering. 'HopeIully they`ll continue |to recover|, but right now they`re strong, she said. 'Last year was a good year, and we`re still good in January this year. Kaltenback agreed with Miller, saying the auto industry is recovering but still hasn`t returned to pre-recession levels. 'So many people went out oI business, so many small busi- nesses Iolded, that inevitably they won`t all be able to come back, he said. Kaltenback said beIore the recession, unemployed quality engineers were able pick and choose where they wanted to work. Now? 'It`s not like that at all, he said. Unemployment in Hillsdale County has dropped to 9.5 percent Irom 12.1 percent at the close oI 2010, according to the latest report Irom the South Central Michigan Works data- base. This Iollows the national trend oI unemployment, which has dropped to 8.3 percent Irom 9.1 percent in 2010. The data, however, may not portray an accurate picture oI the job market in the Hillsdale area. Two services that deal with unemployment here are the Community Action Agency and South Central Michigan Works. South Central Michigan Works collects unemployment data on the Hillsdale and Jonesville areas and helps the unemployed fnd jobs, and the CAA works to promote selI-suIfciency among low-income or unemployed resi- dents oI the Hillsdale County area. Maxine Vanlerberg, director oI CAA, said that unemploy- ment statistics can be 'a little bit fctitious, since they do not keep track oI unemployed people who have given up look- ing Ior work. Those who have been 'on and oII work long enough simply drop oII the re- cord, making the statistics look overly optimistic. The CAA has seen an increase in the number oI low- income and unemployed clients coming through their doors seeking help with childcare, employment guidance, and tax assistance. 'I would say that we are serving about two times the number oI clients as fve years ago, Vanlerberg said. She said that one oI the main reasons Ior this is underemploy- ment, which remains a signif- cant problem Ior those who have Iound a job. 'A lot oI |people we see| had a really high-paying job, and are now getting maybe halI oI what they were being paid. They are way underemployed, Vanler- berg said. In Iact, a 2011 survey shows that nearly 13 percent oI their clients are underemployed, meaning they have a job, but are seeking more work. Dan Collins, a Hillsdale resi- dent, has been unemployed Ior a year. Finding a job in the area? 'Right now, it`s hard, Collins said. His wiIe, Sheila Collins, is underemployed. She has tired oI doing temp jobs, and said that Ior stability, even a steady Iactory job would do. 'I just want a permanent job, she said. When their children were growing up, the Collins did Iace unemployment, and they reminisce about the days when Hillsdale was in 'Iull bloom, beIore Iactories began closing. 'Back then, said Dan Col- lins, 'shops were opening right and leIt. Now they are closing right and leIt. Getting up in the morning without work is hard, he said. 'You worry about your bills, you worry about how to Ieed your Iamily, Dan said. The job situation sent them packing to Florida once, where they spent six months looking Ior work. They returned Ior Iamily reasons, as Sheila missed her grandchildren. 'I was so depressed, she said. The Collins looked at each other and laughed. 'We are getting too old Ior this, she said. 'We are pushing 55. When asked what keeps them going every day, Sheila answered, 'Prayer. Trying to keep Iaith. Keeping each other. Anthony Ruden is also unemployed and has turned in more than 50 copies oI his re- sume to employers, but with no response. Employers 'just aren`t looking, Ruden said, adding that the Michigan economy is not good. 'It`s not easy, Ruden said, 'You gotta fght Ior your work. Once, Ruden went to Fort Smith, Ark., where he Iound work driving a semi-truck. He came back to be with his Iamily. 'My Iamily is my thing, Ruden said. While the data might show a drop in unemployment across the nation and in Hillsdale County, residents are still suIIer- ing Irom a stagnant job mar- ket. The trends may show that people are giving up looking. AIter almost a year oI research, Municipal Analytics presented its fndings on the Ieasibility oI a city income tax to the Hillsdale City Council on Monday night. The council commissioned the Ann Arbor-based frm last April to determine iI a city income tax could be a viable option to pay Ior much-needed road renovation. The frm did not conduct the study to con- vince the council to adopt the tax but only to determine iI the tax could solve the city`s road problem. John Kaczor, the Iounder and principal consultant Ior Munici- pal Analytics, presented a Power Point presentation to the council at Monday`s meeting. The tax would aIIect both city residents and commuters. Commuters would be taxed halI oI the amount levied against residents. Residents could only be taxed up to 1 percent. Kaczor determined that the city`s almost 4,000-person work Iorce, in addition to the nearly 6,000 commuters, would gener- ate a net $1.1 million in income tax revenue every year. The city`s roads require $39 million worth oI attention $25 million Ior the local streets, as in residential roads, and $14 million Ior major streets, like Hillsdale Street. With only the income tax, the city would take 35 years to fx all the roads. As oI now, the city has no means to pay Ior road recon- struction outside oI taking money Irom the general Iund or acquiring grants Irom the state. Grants, however, are only avail- able Ior major streets, and iI the city were to continue its current practices, Kaczor said it would take 76 years Ior all the roads to be fxed. Property tax millages would, Kaczor said, probably be the best alternative to the income tax. However, the disadvantages oI a millage, he said, would be that the weight oI the tax would rest solely on Hillsdale residents` shoulders, rather than sharing some oI that burden with com- muters, as the income tax would. Also, he said, in comparison to the income tax, it would take 7.3 millages to generate $1.1 million. Over 20 years, it would take the city 13.25 millages to generate the needed $39 million. The council was generally Ia- vorable towards the tax. Mayor Doug Moon said that while people don`t like taxes, the city has run out oI options to deal with roads. 'On principal, people may not like the tax, he said, 'but by God, we can`t keep doing the same thing we`ve done Ior 40 years. The tax can only be adopted through a vote by the people oI Hillsdale. The council decided to table making a decision on whether to put the tax up Ior a vote until it can better gauge city residents` sentiment. Other news in the city gov- ernment this week: The Michigan primary will be held on Feb. 28. Not only will Hillsdale residents be deciding between their preIerred GOP candidate, Barack Obama, and an 'undecided bubble, but they will also be voting to elect a city clerk. Nominees are Amy Eng- land, Julie Kast, James Pruitt, and Adam StockIord. Contact City Hall at 517-437-6448, or go to the city`s website Ior Iurther voting inIormation. CITY NEWS A5 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com The Iollowing is a list oI calls compiled and reported by the Hillsdale County SheriII`s Department. Hillsdale City Police Feb. 17 A 22-year-old man was arrested on the 50 block oI Union Street in Hill- sdale on a Ielony warrant Ior saIe breaking, breaking and entering, and conspiracy to break and enter. A $125,000 bond was not posted. Feb. 15 A 26-year-old woman was arrested on the 3000 block oI Manorway Drive in Osseo on suspicion oI possessing marijuana. A $500 bond was posted. A 22-year-old man was arrested on the 11000 block oI Grass Lake Road in Hillsdale on suspicion oI possessing marijuana. A $500 bond was posted. A 25-year-old man was arrested on the 100 block oI HeathcliII Drive in Hillsdale on suspicion oI domestic violence. A $1,000 bond was posted. Michigan State Police Feb. 18 A 55-year-old man was arrested on the 10 block oI S. Saint Joe Street in Jonesville on suspicion oI disorderly conduct. A $500 bond was not posted. Feb. 17 A 35-year-old man was arrested on the 4000 block oI N. Highland Drive in Hillsdale on suspicion oI robbery and possession oI marijuana with intent to deliver. No bond was allowed. A 45-year-old man was arrested on the 3000 block oI Treat Highway in Adrian on a Ielony warrant Ior resisting and obstructing a police oIfcer. A $5,000 bond was posted. A 34-year-old man was arrested on the 2000 block oI Ardent Highway in Adrian on suspicion oI robbery and possession oI marijuana with intent to deliver. No bond was allowed. Hillsdale County Sheriffs Department Feb. 21 A 26-year-old man was arrested on the 1000 block oI E. Reading Road in Hillsdale on a misdemeanor warrant Ior disorderly person and on three criminal bench warrants Ior contempt oI court. No bond was al- lowed. The Hillsdale County SheriII`s Department responded to one suspicious situation and one animal control oIfcer action. Feb. 20 A 25-year-old man was arrested on the 11000 block oI Winfeld Road in Mosherville on a misdemeanor warrant Ior trespassing and hunting without a license. A $1,000 bond was not posted. The Hillsdale County SheriII`s Department responded to three animal control oIfcer actions, two civil disputes, one domestic violence call, and one car-deer accident. Feb. 19 The Hillsdale County SheriII`s Department responded to one suspicious situation, one missing person call, and one domestic violence call. Feb. 17 The Hillsdale County SheriII`s Department responded to two car-deer accidents, fve animal control oIfcer actions, and one assault. Feb. 16 The Hillsdale County SheriII`s Department responded to two break- ing and entering calls, two animal control oIfcer actions, one domestic violence call, one health saIety violation, two suspicious situations, and one harassing communication. Feb. 15 A 26-year-old man was arrested on the 1000 block oI S. Hillsdale Road in Hillsdale on a misdemeanor warrant Ior Iailure to stop aIter a colli- sion. A $500 bond was posted. A 23-year-old man was arrested on the 30 block oI Glendale Street in Hillsdale on a Ielony warrant Ior interIering with electronic communica- tions. A $2,500 bond was posted. -Compiled by Sarah Leitner Police Blotter Unemployment in Hillsdale County )LUPSUHVHQWVQGLQJVRQLQFRPHWD[ Samantha Gilman Collegian Reporter Caleb Whitmer Copy Editor Caleb Whitmer Copy Editor Sexting case proceeds Automotive plant adds 29 jobs, Council approves tax exemption Betsy Woodruff City News Editor OPINION 23 Feb. 2012 A6 www.hillsdalecollegian.com THE COLLEGIAN WEEKLY THE OPINION OF THE COLLEGIAN EDITORIAL STAFF 33 E. College St. Hillsdale, MI 49242 Newsroom: (517) 607-2897 Advertising: (517) 607-2684 Online: www.hillsdalecollegian.com Editor in Chief: Marieke van der Vaart News Editor: Patrick Timmis City News Editor: Betsy Woodruff Opinions Editor: T. Elliot Gaiser Sports Editor: Sarah Leitner Features Editor: Shannon Odell Arts Editor: Roxanne Turnbull Design Editor: Bonnie Cofer Design Assistant: Aaron Mortier Web Editor: Sally Nelson Ad Manager: Will Wegert Circulation Manager: Emmaline Epperson Copy Editors: Tory Cooney | Morgan Sweeney Caleb Whitmer | Abigail Wood Staff Reporters: Emily Johnston Phillip Morgan | Teddy Sawyer | Sarah Anne Voyles Photographers: Joe Buth | Shannon Odell Greg Barry | Bonnie Cofer | Schuyler Dugle | Chuck Grimmett | Joelle Lucus Illustrators: Dane Skorup Faculty Advisers: John J. Miller | Maria Servold The editors welcome Letters to the Editor but reserve the right to edit all submissions for clarity, length and style. Letters should be less 350 words or less and include your name and phone number. Please send submissions to collegian@hillsdale.edu before Sunday at 6 p.m. T his is a period of civil war. Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia, has won her frst victory against the evil William Shatner. With the aid of special effects, historical correspondence, and pure mythos, she will defeat the USS Enterprise and restore freedom to the galaxy You can say beam me up, Scotty, until youre blue in the face, but only the Milennium Falcons hyperspace jump inspired viewers to watch the original Star Wars movie from different parts of the theater, facing sideways, upside-down, and backwards. Star Trek is a convention Star Wars is a phenomenon. The musical themes of Star Wars characters have become cultural icons, like the Imperial March. Even the major theme of Star Trek cannot claim the wide appeal of this one musical trope. Passing over their superior dialogues and characters, the frst three episodes oI Star Wars still triumph over the frst series oI Star Trek. Star Trek`s phasers proved a neat sci-f innova- tion, but the lightsaber revolutionized hand-to-hand space combat. Shatner is right when he says that Star Wars borrowed the idea of hyperspace, but only Lucas effects fully expressed that idea. The original Star Trek jumps show vibration inside the ship, while in the jump of the Milennium Falcon, stars whiz past the audience and inspire a genuine thrill. But Jedi do not live on special effects alone. To come of age, Luke must face Darth Vader, his fa- ther, in an epic struggle of freedom against tyranny. Star Wars debuted in the middle of the Cold War. It takes no hyperspace jump to realize that the Empire corresponds to the USSR and the Death Star to Sputnik. Star Wars portrays the 20th century struggle pitting old notions of freedom against a form of ideological tyranny similar to Fascism, Nazism, and Communism. The dehumanization of the imperial stormtroopers fts with the subjection oI Europeans to Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. As Nazis followed strict orders, even killing Jews in concentration camps, so stormtroopers obey the Emperor, destroying the entire planet of Alderaan. In contrast to Star Wars historical depth, Star Treks original series employs philosophical themes wholesome in themselves which take on a leftist bent. Materialism, atheism, and socialism combine to render Star Trek an ideological critique of Star Wars. In the Star Trek universe, everything is mate- rial, technology replaces God, and the Federation government redistributes wealth. Star Treks philosophy mirrors the atheistic materialism behind the 20th century tyrannies while Star Wars emphasis on freedom deriving from an old religion corresponds to the struggle against these totalitarian regimes. Star Wars centers on the idea of the Force. Yes, the Force has elements of eastern mysti- cism. Yes, it is not technically a god. Yes, it has both good and evil and hints at a dualism reminiscent of Zoroastrianism. But the light side of this life force also corresponds to the old religion of the West, Christianity. The old religion strengthens the Rebellion and when corrupted the Empire. The Empires scientists scoff at Vaders old religion, and the rebels say, may the force be with you, recalling the Christian refrain, may God be with you. Hitler rose in the name of Christianity. Vader dominates using the dark side of the Force. The old religion of John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan united them against Communism. The Force enables Luke to destroy the Death Star and redeem his father. While Star Wars makes no mention of God, its narrative turns on Darth Vaders redemption. The Empire falls because Luke saves his father and his father kills the Emperor. Were the Emperor to have escaped before the second Death Star exploded, the civil war would have continued. Without Darth Vader, the Rebels could not have won. This redemption answers the backdrop of seem- ingly invincible evil. I have a bad feeling about this meets theres still good in him, and as Luke embraces the fact that Vader is his father, evil turns to good. Star Trek simply cannot rival this mythos. Dear Rick, We are trying to understand why you decided to ditch Hillsdale College on Feb. 20 and instead spoke at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Its not easy running for president no one can be in two places at once or please everyone. But you were the one who promised to come here. A group of dedicated students neglected their schoolwork and committed untold hours to making your visit possible. The college spent money for what would have been a big event, and invited people around the region to at- tend. The Collegian even broke the story of your visit on its spiffy new website. Then you canceled. Some would say that you Rick- rolled us. So much time and effort was wasted books not read, papers not written, naps not taken. The college lost money, too. To prepare for your appearance, the administration began renting equipment. It looks like about $4,000 wont ever be recovered. That could have helped a fnancially distressed student pay for tuition. Perhaps the college should create a new scholarship fund worth $4,000. Lets call it the Rick Santorum Disappointment Scholarship. Then again, the recipient prob- ably wouldnt show up to collect. Apparently you had something better to do on Feb. 20. Maybe you satisfed a liIe-long dream oI seeing the greater Grand Rapids area. We hope you were charmed by Hopes cute Dutch kitsch they have a lot more tulips and wooden clogs there than we do. We understand the appeal. One last question though: Was it worth speaking to those 750 attendees? We had 2,000 people ready, so you must have been go- ing for quality over quantity. Hope that works out for you at the polls. Even then, were confused. If you are elected president, you will have to swear an oath to the Con- stitution. Every student here takes a whole course on this document. Were one of the only institutions of higher learning with such a requirement. We wanted to hear you talk about your commitment to it. But you stood us up. So, good luck on Feb. 28. Let us know if youre ever in the area again. Just kidding. I m starting to see more and more that the women around me expect too much from men or, worse, expect too little. We either want Prince Charming to ride up on his white horse and save us or we want to accept major faws in order to have a relationship. Both are skewed ideas of what a good relationship should be; yet they abound in the world as well as right here at Hillsdale. It would take a dissertation to explain the complexities of both views. So, for this article, it is necessary to focus on the latter view. Say a girl fnds a charming guy who expresses strong interest in her, only to immediately learn some faws that should not be a part oI the healthy loving relationship that she is seeking to start with this person. Maybe he just got out of a long-term relationship and, unsure if he is really okay, she has to decide if she wants to spend the most formative part of their relationship waiting for him to fess up and say he cant handle a relationship right now. Or perhaps this girl fnds ChieI Roger`s def- nition of a dog, charming personality, but with a character that makes Daniel Cleaver look like a saint. She knows hes no good, but the guy says he would do anything to win her love. The complexities that play into the decision to accept or reject either of these men abound, but the common thread is the simple fact that we feel, and rightly so, that we deserve love and affection. If a less-than-decent guy offers that to us right now, why wouldnt we wait for a decent one to come along? Ill tell you why. Two people well call them Bob and Bethany are dating. It is the frst relationship for both of them, not because theyre abnormal- ly unattractive, but because all of their previ- ous almost-relationships never came to fruition because they recognized deal-breaking faws and were smart enough to know that suffering through enough pain to write an award-winning album Heres looking at you, Adele was needless and unnecessary. They waited and waited Ior years. Cut to frst semester freshman year and Bob and Bethany fnally meet, fnding an equal in one another. Enough of this putting up with losers and hoping theyll change into what we want. We need to start setting more fre to the rain and stop trying to paint black horses white. Expecting more and waiting for it A SUPERIOR FORCE STAR TREK IS NOT THE EPIC YOU ARE LOOKING FOR Tyler ONeil Special to the Collegian Kelsey Drapkin Special to the Collegian D id you go to Google.com this Presidents Day? I did, and was quite surprised to fnd the normal Google logo on display. The search engine is known for the display of exciting graphics called doodles on holidays and famous birthdays, but seemed oddly plain and barren on a day I consider an occasion to celebrate. Their website says Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists. Are not George Washington and Abraham Lincoln pioneers of our country? It seems that, continuing with the idea of celebrating the lives of pioneers, those who founded or steered our country should be among the frst celebrated. In the week before Presidents Day, featured doodles included Valentines Day, Serbian Na- tional Day, Lithuanian Act of Independence, and Agniya Bartos 106th birthday. Have you even heard oI these last three days oI signifcance? And Presidents Day did not make that list? George Washingtons birthday has become little more than a shopping day to the average American citizen, who likely does not even know the ideals the day represents. As a fxture in our daily culture, Google has a prime opportunity to educate, an opportunity they have taken upon themselves as a responsibility. I know that, on more than one occasion, I have seen the Google doodle, clicked on it to see what it was about, and learned something interesting. I know many people who have a habit of doing this. Shouldnt Presidents Day, a day honoring the birthdays of two great presidents, get at least the same attention as these other days? Or could this be an attempt at forgetting our history as part of a left-leaning agenda? Google has been exposed in its ties to leftist ideals and revolutions, not the least of which include the arrest in Egypt of Wael Ghonim, a Google executive, for his instrumental role in the 2011 uprising. There have also been questions raised regarding the organizations and causes Google supports fnancially. I am not in any way calling for a boycott of Google due to possible left-leaning tendencies. I am under no illusion as to how much easier Google makes our life and what a highly useful tool it has become. But I am questioning those in charge of the company, asking if there was a rea- son behind the oversight of this national holiday. They claim The doodle selection process aims to celebrate interesting events and anniver- saries that refect Google`s personality and love of innovation. Their decision not to celebrate Presidents Day in the form of a doodle as they do for many other holidays and celebrations really does tell us a lot about Googles personality. It is a personality I am fnding more and more untrustworthy. A t Hillsdale College, we have erected statues of historical individuals to honor the prin- ciples and courage of those memorialized. Our most recent honoree is President Ronald Reagan, whose wonderful likeness was dedicated this past fall. The presence oI these statues is quite justifed; Lincoln, Churchill, Thatcher, and Reagan indeed, all the fgures sculpted had an immense historical impact. Their characters, principles, and actions continue to reverberate today. Despite their signifcance, however, we must be careIul not to 'worship these historic fgures. Con- servatives and other right-leaning minds were rightly put off by the nigh-religious enthusiasm generated by Candidate Obama and his cult-like followers. Such a high regard defes one oI the most important aspects of the conservative tradition: the fallibility of man. Yet conservatives cannot be said to be com- pletely blameless in this semi-idolatry. Ronald Reagan, a great leader in many respects, has taken on a status after his death that, by being fashioned into the distilled embodiment of all that is good and conservative, has rendered him politically perfect in retrospect. This status can be seen in virtually any debate of the current Republican Presidential candidates, where we can expect at least one question or response to invoke the memory and legacy of the Gipper. This is dangerous for at least two reasons. First, by making Reagan seem perfect in hindsight, one ignores the mistakes that not only make him human but also provide us with the ability to learn from him, just as we can learn from all of history. Second, it risks making bipartisan what ought to remain only a liberal fantasy: an abiding faith in the boundless wisdom and fnesse oI political leaders. Those who knew and worked closely with President Reagan would, I suspect, refect his likely discomfort with the invocation of his memory by the current set of candidates or Republican leaders. President Reagan would probably advise these candi- dates to stop talking about him and start focusing on providing leadership for our country into this century. Thus, it is the duty of conservatives to strike a delicate balance. Just as we must learn from history, and from the characters both good and bad of those who made it, we must also strive, unlike the Common Man of Bolts A Man For All Seasons to disparage completely neither the aspiration toward noble character nor those who have had it. Jack Butler Special to the Collegian Martha Ekdahl Special to the Collegian OVERLOOKING WASHINGTON GOOGLES PRESIDENTS DAY FLUB A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS? with an injury, and Charney said freshman Kadie Lowery couldnt get any shots out. Senior captain Chelsea Harri- son led the team with 17 points, which made her the fIth player in Hillsdales history to score more than 1,500 career points. Junior Lea Jones followed with 13. Together the girls combined for more than half the Chargers points but even that wasnt enough to secure the win. You cant rely on Lea and Chelsea to take 33 of your teams shots, Charney said. We didnt get consistent play on the perimeter and they made some big shots when they had to. The Chargers will either face TiIfn University or Michigan Technological University in the frst round oI the GLIAC tour- nament on Wednesday. The Chargers executed their offense extremely well in a close road win over Saginaw Vally State University on Sat- urday, 72-63. A clean and crisp zone offense cut down turnovers and propelled the Chargers to victory at Saginaw during the Cardinals last home game of the regular season. We talked about being smarter with the ball and our passes, senior captain Katie Bildner said. 'A lot oI times we just throw it without making ball fakes, and from watching flm, we saw that they go Ior shot fakes, so we needed to do that more to draw fouls. We worked hard at practicing this and executed. Harrison said by attacking the middle, the Chargers were able to penetrate Saginaw Val- leys zone and eventually beat it, which they didnt do well enough against TiIfn Univer- sity. Harrison`s NBA-range 3-pointer to close out the frst half gave the Chargers mo- mentum going into the second period, where they led with confdence Ior the majority Ior the rest of the game. The quickness and leadership of junior point guard Lea Jones was also key in the Charger domination of Saginaw Valley. The Chargers more disci- plined offensive approach began earlier than the Saginaw game. Last Thursday, the Chargers hosted Ohio Dominican Univer- sity for the seniors last home game at Hillsdale College. The Chargers beat the Panthers 67- 57 in a come-from-behind effort by Hillsdale. AIter trailing by two at the half, Hillsdale regrouped and reIocused to come out on top. In the locker room, the Chargers dedicated themselves to running the foor more and with higher intensity, which had worked against the Panthers the frst time around. AIter setting her career re- cord at ODU the previous week with a whopping 30 points, Chelsea Harrison put up 33 to break her record again. Even though we were down at halftime, we regained our composure and realized we needed to play our basketball. I didnt do anything differently, Harrison said. 'I just played and took advantage of what they gave us. We took advantage of their turnovers, boxed out better, and played better defense. 'I Ielt in both games we played very well in the last fve minutes to secure the wins, Charney said. Along with clutch late-game play, one of the key ingredients to victory for the Chargers at the ODU and SVSU games was a higher level of post play, which has been essential in the success Hillsdale has experienced dur- ing the last leg of the season. They have won nine out of their last 12 games. The last 12 games have been really fun, senior captain Liz Brannick said. We have been having really tough com- petitive practices and they are fnally paying oII Ior us. We will defnitely carry this energy into the post season. The loss of sophomore Marissa DeMott, a prominent three-point shooter, has forced other Chargers to step up, most noticeably Harrison, Bildner, Jones, and Lowery. However, the Chargers have learned that they cannot depend solely on outside shooting to prosper in the GLIAC. Their improved post play has propelled them to one of the top teams in the South Division. Brannick has helped lead this effort for the Chargers, with a career-high 20 point effort against Saginaw Valley. Sophomore Anglea Bisaro and Ireshmen Megan Fogt and Lo- vat have also contributed to the Chargers improved post play. One of the major things we have been doing is mak- ing the extra pass, looking for each other more, and executing inside-out along with stronger post feeds, Bildner said. Our post presence has been great, which is different from earlier when we were all about the threes. The Chargers will most likely be Iacing Michigan Technological University or TiIfn University on Wednes- day in the frst round oI the GLIAC tournament. Senior point guard Tyler Ger- bers basketball career began at the age of two. He soon moved on from the toy basketball hoop a gift from his grandfa- ther to the local biddy ball program. Hes been playing ever since. 'My parents kind oI pushed me. I really loved playing basketball, Gerber said. 'It`s something I wanted to continue on. Gerber began playing on an American Athletic Union basketball team in sixth grade. AAU gave him the opportunity to travel all over the nation and even to Italy. 'I pretty much did anything and everything basketball, he said. John Tharp, mens head basketball coach, frst discovered Gerber at a tournament in Las Vegas. 'I`ll never Iorget the way he competed. He was a ferce com- petitor, Tharp said. The way he led that team I was really fred up about him. Gerber received an oIIer Irom Tharp and the Hillsdale College basketball program soon after the tournament. Not long after that, he visited campus. When he, his mom, and dad arrived on campus, he had this great demeanor about him, Tharp said. Hes the best lis- tener I`ve ever been around. We were really blessed when he said he wanted to come here. In his Iour years playing Ior the Chargers basketball team, Gerber earned several accolades. The third-year starter was named GLIAC South Division Player oI the Week for the second time last month. He also became the 31st player in the colleges history to record 1,000 points in his career. Gerber said since he lacks in height, he had to make up for that in different ways, such as assists and stifing deIense. He has great anticipation skills. He has great feet, and hes very quick, Tharp said. What- ever he lacked in size he made up with how big his heart is. Tharp, the rest of the basket- ball coaching staII, and Ger- bers friends all have praise for Gerber`s character on and oII the court. Senior teammates Brad Guinane and John Bagge were in Gerber`s recruiting class and have played and lived with him all four years of school. Hes extremely smart on the court, Guinane said. 'He`s always making his teammates better. Hes a fantastic leader, Bagge added. Bagge and Guinane were roommates freshman year living in Simpson Residence, and Ger- ber was their suitemate. They have been friends ever since. 'It was pretty quick |becom- ing friends], Bagge said. We all had the same backgrounds and upbringing. It was really easy to get along. Bagge and Guinane said that being on the team and living to- gether all four years has created a lasting Iriendship with Gerber and the other men on the team. When were away for the summer, we pretty much talk to each other every day, Guinane said. We all get along very well. Were truly the best of Iriends, and I think that shows on the court and what we do for this school. Guinane also said that he be- lieves Gerber has impacted the basketball program for the next generation. 'I think Tyler would be a great example to follow for some of the young guys on our team for what hes done on the court and off, his leadership capabilities, and his qualities as a friend, he said. Tharp agreed that Gerber has led a great example for the other men on the team and said Gerber will be greatly missed when he graduates. 'He`s been terrifc. He`s been our leader our heart and soul, Tharp said. We have a lot of depth, a lot of guys stepping up. Tyler facilitates that. He likes that. He makes everyone around him better. Everything about him well miss. SPORTS A7 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com Tyler Gerber Track team looks forward to GLIACS The Hillsdale College mens and womens track teams traveled to Grand Valley State University to compete in one last meet before conference. Although Hillsdale rested some athletes in preparation for GLIACs, the athletes that did run at the GVSU Tune-Up meet were generally successful. 'I had people rest to give them a week off to get mentally prepared |Ior the conIerence meet], but those who did run set personal records, assistant coach Amanda Mirochna said. Sophomore Matt RaI- fn broke a school record not just once, but twice this past weekend. RaIfn took frst overall with a record breaking time of 8.38 in the 60-meter hurdles after running an 8.44 in prelims. Sophomore Elliot Murphy fn- ished second place at 8.52, the exact time of the record before it was broken. Senior Nate English also set a school record in the shot put after throwing 17.83 meters. This toss gave him second place in the meet and moved him up to fIth in the nation. Although he has yet to au- tomatically qualify, he is the highest provisionally qualifed thrower. The mens 4x400-meter relay team, made up of senior Michael Finch, sophomore Maurice Jones, senior Skylar Dooley and sophomore Jared Van Dyke, provisionally quali- fed at 3:18.06 and fnished second overall. Dooley won the 200-meter dash in 22.12, edging out four Grand Valley sprinters. High jumper sophomore Justin Fawley set the bar with a frst-place mark oI 1.96 meters. Juniors Kayla Caldwell and Adrianna Yancho both narrow- ly missed provisional quali- fying marks Caldwell was .2 off in the 200 and Yancho missed in the high jump by .04 meters. Senior Chelsea Wackernagel took second in the pole vault with a height of 3.62 meters. Senior Cat Nass provisionally qualifed and took Iourth in the weight throw with a toss of 17.74 meters. Head women`s coach An- drew Towne said that it is the time of year that everyones body is feeling good and they are excited Ior GLIACs. There will be a lot of en- ergy, senior Jeff Wysong said. 'It will be like running through a tunnel because the inside and outside of the track will be lined with people. One team that Towne hopes will be using the energy of con- ference to improve their time is the womens 4x400-meters team. Towne said they have already provisionally qualifed but will need to shed a few seconds in order to secure a chance at nationals. Roxanne Turnbull Arts Editor Sarah Anne Voyles Collegian Reporter When most families are hanging stockings, toboggan- ing, or downing eggnog, the Harrisons are shooting threes. Every Christmas Break senior shooting guard Chelsea Harrison and her older broth- ers, Dan and Bill, walk up the hill behind their house to a local schools gymnasium for their annual 3-point shoot-out. 'It`s a huge deal, Chelsea said. Harrison loves competi- tion. Growing up with athletic older brothers will do that to a person. Who usually wins? 'Me, she said Understandable. When it comes to pulling up from long range, Harrison is good. Two hundred-sixty times shes knocked down a three for the Chargers. Thats 27 more than any other Hillsdale player in history Shooting threes isnt the only part of Harrisons game, however. She drives, passes, and plays defense. Shes fourth in the confer- ence in points per game with 16.2, fIth in assists with 3.8, and grabs 4.2 rebounds per game. Amazingly she does it all without rest. Literally. She leads the conference in minutes played 38 minutes per game. But at the end of the day, its all about winning the GLIAC championship. Shes a warrior, head coach Claudette Charney said. Shes someone who leads, she pushes the team, shes competitive in practice. Shes earned her way since the day she walked on campus. Harrison, who captained her high school basketball and soccer teams in Lowell, Mich., knew all along she wanted to play college basket- ball. AIter a visit to Hillsdale College she fell in love with the program, despite how hard she would have to work for playing time. 'I knew they were an awe- some team, Harrison said. 'I knew I wasn`t going to start. I wanted to come off the bench and be a spark. Although she didn`t start her freshman year, she contributed immensely, and the team won the conference championship. Harrison also benefted Irom playing with All-American Katie Cezat 09. 'My job as a Ireshman was to get her the ball, Harrison said. When Harrison wasnt dumping the ball into the post for Cezat, she was learning from Cezats work ethic. She taught me hard work really does pay off, Har- rison said. 'II she wasn`t in the gym, shed be downstairs working out. To be a good college basketball player, you really need to work. Three years later, the roles have reversed. Harrison is the seasoned veteran and her younger teammates look up to her. She pushes us hard, junior point guard Leah Jones said. 'Playing with her, I`ve become a better player. With the regular season now over, and the team`s frst playoII game against Michi- gan Tech University next Wednesday, you can bet Har- rison will be pushing hard. We need to play every game like its our last, Har- rison said. We need to have swag. Phil Morgan Collegian Reporter Chelsea Harrison oI the team at this fnish oI the regular season. Senior Night was a great way to celebrate the accom- plishments of this team and Ior me to refect on the great Iriends I`ve made over the past few years, especially my fellow seniors, he said. Now its up to us keep focused and win the GLIAC tournament. As conIerence champions, Hillsdale will host this years GLIAC championships, with their frst game in the tourna- ment against the eighth seed, likely Grand Valley State Uni- versity or Ashland University, next Wednesday. The Chargers closed out the regular season with a 21-4 overall record and a 15-3 mark in conference play. In the race Ior an NCAA bid, the Chargers are also in a strong position as the regular season closes. They are placed third in the Midwest Regional rankings, along with two other GLIAC teams the University oI Find- lay at No. 7 and Ferris State at No. 9. Hillsdale needs to fnish the GLIAC tournament ranked in the top eight regionally in order to qualiIy Ior the NCAA tournament. Were excited to be playing at home, weve been great there all year, Eaton said. But we are still taking it one game at a time and a goal all year has been to win the GLIAC tourna- ment, so this momentum should really help us going forward. ! MENS BBALL From A8 ! WOMENS BBAL From A8 (Joe Buth/Collegian) (Joe Buth/Collegian) SENIOR CAGERS LEAD TEAMS ON, OFF THE COURT Hillsdale College mens basketball team wrapped up the regular season, and a GLIAC regular season championship, in spectacular fashion last night, defeating Ferris State University in overtime, 84-83, on a game- winning layup by senior forward Brad Guinane. The win caps off a very suc- cessful season for the Chargers. Since last Thursdays Senior Night win against Ohio Domini- can University, and Saturdays road victory at Saginaw Valley State University, the Chargers have locked up the best record in the conference. The Chargers jumped to a 25-8 lead to start the game, but the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the game, entering halftime down by only four. Ferris State shot a much better percentage in the second half, going from less than 40 percent to 45 percent. The Char- gers did shoot consistently well, but lost the turnover margin 14-11, and those extra few shots allowed the Bulldogs to stay within striking distance. Although Hillsdale also opened the second half strong, the Bulldogs chipped away at the lead and eventually were down fve with only seconds to play. A three-pointer and another jumper sent the game to overtime. In overtime, the Chargers allowed the Bulldogs to build a lead oI fve points. But aIter Guinane split a pair of free throws and senior forward Brent Eaton hit a three pointer, Hill- sdale drew to within one point with 1:12 to play. After a missed shot by Ferris State, Guinane hit his shot. It was just a rebound and put-back on a corner three, Guinane said. They had a chance to tie it up with an out-of-bounds play with three seconds left, but they missed. Guinane also grabbed the rebound on the Bulldogs last miss. Last nights win may have been the sweetest of all; during a phone interview with Guinane, he said, Its pretty tough to hear anything right now, the team is so excited about this win! Senior point guard Tyler Ger- ber also stressed the excitement Though the Hillsdale Col- lege womens basketball team lost last night to Ferris State University, 61-51, their previ- ous two wins guaranteed them a spot in the GLIAC tournament next week. The wins mean that we have secured a winning season (10-9 GLIAC, 14-12 overall) [and] participation in the tournament nine of the last 10 years, head coach Claudette Charney said. The loss to Ferris, the top team in the Northern Division, was Hillsdales only loss to a Northern Division team this season. Charney said the loss was due mostly to the absence of a third-perimeter player. Fresh- man Abbey Lovat was out Sports 23 Feb. 2012 ! AMANDA PUTT Senior Amanda Putt will be graduating with a biology de- gree in Mav and getting married in June. She holds hve school records and plans to continue her collegiate distance running career in graduate school. The Collegian sat down with her to discuss her work in Hillsdale and her plans for the future. What events do you run? Whats the longest youve ever run? Im a distance runner. I put in the miles day after day. The lon- gest Ive ever run is 13 miles my freshman year. I felt fantastic, but the next day it hurt a lot. But we work out anywhere up to four hours a day whether its just straight up running, swim- ming, lifting weights or work. Its a lot of different stuff. It would be a struggle if it wasnt for the team. That makes it so much more fun. My best friends are all there with me. <RXYHEURNHQYHUHFRUGV" Breaking these records has been pretty exciting. I started look- ing at the record boards last year and being like, Alright, maybe I can start to hit a few of them. I had all these goals that I want to get all these records, but it seemed kind of like a wish. But I started hitting them one after another. The 800 was a shock. I didnt expect that at all. Now were joking about cleaning off the record boards and trying to fgure out other ones that our team can get this year. Also, I have one in outdoor thats the 1500. And then in indoor I have the 800, the mile, the 3k, and the 5k. :KDWLV\RXUSURXGHVWPRPHQWDWKOHWLFDOO\" Honestly, one of my proudest moments is my freshman year oI high school. It was the frst time I qualifed Ior the state meet. I had to drop 17 seconds from my mile in one week and all my coaches were like, probably not this year. Good try. And then I had the race oI my liIe and it was the frst time I realized that maybe I am good at running, maybe this will go somewhere. When I got to college, it was exciting getting my frst All- American last year. That took a long time and a lot of injuries to get that. But I still think in high school that was one of the best things ever. Realizing, Alright, this is what I want to do Ior a while. :K\GLG\RXFKRRVHWRDWWHQG+LOOVGDOH" I did not want to come here at frst. Honestly, it was my last choice. It came down to the middle of May and I was trying to say No.` But fnancially, it was the best option. I loved the coaches, and I just didnt really know how to say no to them. Academically, I didnt know a lot about it. It seemed too close to home, it seemed too small. But both of those things are now some of my favorite parts about it. :KHUHDUH\RXJRLQJDIWHU+LOOVGDOH" Im not sure yet. Ive applied to several graduate schools for public health, and Ive been accepted to the University of Michi- gan, San Francisco, and the University of Texas. Im visiting a few over spring break and waiting to here back on others. Its up in the air right now. Im really interested in U of M right now. Its a great program. Its a great team. Its weird looking back as a se- nior now. Im not done running. Im going to run in grad school. That will be different. Im excited to run at the Division I level, but its going to be different. I would love to coach cross country at the collegiate level. But yet, Im still getting my masters in something because its a little more practical maybe. Id maybe like be starting a Iamily in about fve years, living someone more interesting than Hillsdale. Compiled by T. Elliot Gaiser (Caleb Whitmer/Collegian) WOMEN HEAD TO FIRST ROUND GLIACS 0HQWRKRVWUVWURXQGRI*/,$&WRXUQH\ Morgan Delp and Sarah Leitner Collegian Freelancer and Sports Editor Q & A David Gordon Collegian Freelancer ! See A7 Senior Brad Guinane looks for a teammate to pass to in last Thursdays home game against Ohio Do- minican University. The Chargers triumphed, 70-59. (Joe Buth/Collegian) STUDENTS SUPPORT PINK WAVE In addition to the mens and womens basketball victories over Ohio Dominican University last Thursday, the Student Athlete Ad- visory Committee had an equally triumphant evening. They raised more that $2,000 for Pink Wave, the breast cancer awareness initiative. We are happy with the support and grateful for the generosity we saw in one night, said senior Clara Leutheuser, president of SAAC. The money raised from T-shirt sales, two three-point contests, DQGUDIHVKHOSHGWKH6$$& raise double its goal of $1,000. Junior Emily Peltier, a member of SAAC, sold T-shirts at the game. It went really well, she said. We had a lot of student support and raised money for breast-can- cer awareness, which was great. I think its a good thing. Every year the students get behind it. Bailey Pritchett Junior Lea Jones and freshman Kadie Lowery pressure an Ohio Dominican player at last Thursdays game. The women defeated Ohio Dominican, 67-57. (Joe Buth/Collegian) ! See A7 Junior Alexandra (Sasha) Allen is working on a year-long sculpture project a statue of a man chasing after a wild gazelle using senior Luke Sanders as her model. Allen and Sanders are good friends who met at The Donnybrook, an off-campus house located behind Simpson Dormitory. When Allen started her project last semester, she knew she would need a human model and that Sanders was looking for job. He immediately accepted the position. Both have quirky senses of humor. Their friendship is full of insults and teasing, but its all in good fun. I call him gazelle boy, Allen said of Sanders. Inspired by his long neck and the time she saw him sniff- ing fowers, Allen originally wanted to sculpt him as half human, half gazelle. Associate Professor of Art Anthony Fru- dakis, her sculpture professor, persuaded her otherwise. Though the sculpture itself is nude, Allen made one thing clear about her model. He does not stand here nude, she said. He wears shorts. The sculpture looks as if he is beckoning after the gazelle. He is calling after his inner essence, Allen said. Sanders was not as thrilled with the pose merely because it required endurance to keep still. It was very agonizing, Sanders said. My arms were out in this yoga pose He talks as if he stands there for the whole two hours, Allen responded. He does take breaks. Although the sculpture is unfnished, Allen plans to add stylized lotus fowers beneath the man and gazelle for an ancient Minoan motif. Given Sanders wide shoulders and small waist (commonly seen in Minoan art), he proved to be an ideal model for her desired style. When sculpting, knowledge of the proper anatomy ratios is key. Much of the sculpture involves forming the skeletal and muscle structures. Hes weird-shaped, Allen said. There are all these ratios, and they are suppose to be per- fect. But Luke has small hands, a long neck, and long face. Sasha is harder on herself than she needs to be, Sanders said. She is a perfectionist and good at what she does. Allen will fnish the sculp- ture by the end of the semester. She sculpts using oil-based clay, which is strictly a model- ing and casting clay and cannot be fred. When completed, she will cover the sculpture with foil and plaster which can be fred. Allen hopes to enter her leaping gazelle piece into this years energy-themed art com- petition. The entire completed piece will also be in the Hills- dale College student art show. Though Allen has a passion for art, she is a history major with an art minor. 'I didn`t fgure out I should be an art major until second se- mester of my sophomore year, so thats why Im a minor, she said. I never thought of art as a professional option. I knew I liked art, but never thought I was good enough at anything to make a job out of it. Surrounded by an artistic family, Allens sister-in-law, who also loves sculpting, inspired her to try the Sculpting 101 class last year. Allen enjoys sculpting; however, her real love is textile art. After gradu- ation, Allen is thinking about pursuing art school and culinary school. As for Sanders and his mod- eling career, he said: This has been a fun experience. Though Im open to the idea of model- ing, Im not actively pursuing it. But I defnitely would do it again. Sanders will be graduating this spring with a religion and philosophy degree and biology minor. tknopf@hillsdale.edu B1 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com Capturing motion in clay Taylor Knopf Collegian Freelancer As technology improves, the variety of artistic mediums widens considerably. Film is the 20th century art form, and it con- tinues to receive more interest as the years pass. Hillsdale College does not have a flm degree, but students still dabble in this medium, creating complex pieces. One such student is sophomore Greg Carlson, who is currently trying his hand at stop-action flm. Stop action is a Iorm oI flm where the director makes pup- pets and poses them, taking a series of pictures where each puppet is in a slightly different position. Each second of a stop- action movie is made up of 60 pictures. It gives you a lot of freedom because you can be the actor for all the different characters, but its also time-consuming, Carlson said. Carlson creates his own puppets, beginning with a wire armature and sculpting a char- acter around it with the help of fexible latex and a silicon mold. He paints them, does wigging and costuming, and also creates his own set. Stop action is a totally differ- ent style. I can see the possibili- ties in it that havent really been tapped into, Carlson said. Professor of Theatre James Brandon said hats off to Carl- son`s pursuit oI stop-action flms. He said the craft was considered archaic, like animation flms, but was worthy of respect. It takes patience and vision, Brandon said. Brandon said flm is a unique, larger-than-life medium. Film provides the ability to edit, un- like theater, where everything is live without a net. Brandon admits to liking popcorn movies, but he said there was defnitely a place Ior flm as a more serious art Iorm. We are such slaves to narra- tive. I like vibrant, experimental artists. I like movies that chal- lenge me, Brandon said. It is vital to see flm treated as an art rather than a popcorn circus. Junior Mark Keller created his most recent work oI flm in response to an assignment given in Brandons Movies As A Medium class. Brandon offered his students the option of either writing a ten-page paper for the fnal, or producing a ten-minute flm. Keller chose the flm, and, under his supervision, the project turned into a 20-minute flm, modeled after The Thing, a play written by Percival Wilde. The play has two roles, both of which were acted by Keller, although he had help from mul- tiple Iriends in the flming and production oI the flm. Keller said flm is a unique art in that it embodied all the arts. Not only photography and acting, but music composition, visual arts, and even editing the sequencing of images together contributed to the fnal product oI a flm. Film is the new opera, Keller said. Its the art form that takes all the arts and brings them together as a whole. awood@hillsdale.edu Film: bringing art forms together Abi Wood Copy Editor Amid paper and pencil, one of Hillsdale Colleges dedi- cated art students works toward his dream. In his work, junior Thomas Lundberg projects the hopes and aspirations of a decade-long hobby. Lundberg is going beyond the simple acknowledgement of his artistic talents and intends to pursue a career in the feld. It took a while to decide on an art major, but its what I should be doing for sure, Lun- dberg said. Drawing has been a hobby of mine since grade school. I understood things about fgures and animals that most kids dont notice. In deciding on a major, Lundberg was torn between economics and art. I chose art because its what I enjoy, Lundberg said. Im aware it might be hard to get a job but its still worth it. Son of Head Track Coach and Assistant Professor in PED Bill Lundberg, Tommy has lived in Hillsdale his whole life. The artistic streak also runs in the family. My sister was an art major, Tommy Lundberg said. Now she works at Anthropology designing displays. My dad was an art major before he switched to physical education. My grandmother was artistic as well. Tommy Lundberg began nurturing his talent in high school by incorporating a love of music into his drawings. I started out copying the album covers of bands I liked, especially Radiohead, Tommy Lundberg said. His interest soon spread to the copying of pop culture im- ages. I copied posters, concert posters from the 60s, famous works of art, Tommy Lundberg said. I once copied a page from the Watchmen comic book. It took me a whole week because of the high level of detail. In college Tommy Lundberg has made the transition from popular images to famous faces. His portraits boast the likeness- es of celebrities Brad Pitt, Jack Nicholson, Beyonc, Audrey Hepburn and other celebrities. Ive been working on por- traits for a while now, Tommy Lundberg said. Im working on a Bob Dylan still have a ways to go on that. Capturing a likeness is pretty diIfcult. The portraits I do for practice, to push myself further. Sometimes I draw things I see, in the union for instance. I get on these kicks of things I enjoy doing. Tommy Lundbergs work also has attracted the attention of his peers. Fellow art student and sophomore Joseph Craig at- tended Hillsdale Academy with Tommy Lundberg. Ive always thought Tommys work has been great, Craig said. In class I cant help but be jealous sometimes. Tommy Lundbergs love of album art gives him favorable disposition toward the seem- ingly soon-to-be-obsolete CD. I still like buying CDs from bands I appreciate; I dont want them to disappear, Tommy Lundberg said. Vinyl is great for the large album artwork. Thats something Im curious about doing some time. Tommy Lundberg already has begun to accept commis- sions for his work. My aunt asked me to do a portrait of her husband my uncle, he said. She paid me and it was a great deal. Another opportunity came as Tommy Lundberg began drawing buildings around cam- pus. Senior Sally Klarr saw a drawing Lundberg made of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house. I asked if he would agree to sell it to the sorority, Klarr said. With senior year fast ap- proaching, Tommy Lundberg has been giving more thought to a post -collegiate career. I have a friend of a friend who works for Def Jam records making album art, he said. So Im hoping to get my way in there. Right now its just a hobby of mine, but I would enjoy it being my job as well. hsmith@hillsdale.edu Passion for pop culture Hayden Smith Collegian Freelancer By Roxanne Turnbull and Abi Wood Senior Luke Sanders poses for junior Sasha Allen. Allen has been working on the sculp- ture for the entire school year. It represents the body in motion, and she will be entering the piece into a competition at the end of the year. (Joe Buth/Collegian) Junior Tommy Lundberg has a passion for transforming pop culture into drawings. Here he works on his sketch of deceased actor, James Dean. (Elena Salvatore/Collegian) Film is the new opera. Mark Keller, junior theatre major ARTS 23 Feb. 2012 B2 www.hillsdalecollegian.com ! IN FOCUS TORY COONEY WHAT QUALIFIES AS FINE ART ANYWAY? Are we even allowed to write about alcohol on the arts page? Weddings? What about facial hair? Each of these topics has dominated the arts page at some point or another, printed clear as day above the fold. But are they, strictly speaking, art? When most people with the beneft oI a classical educa- tion think of the word art, painting, sculpture, music, literature, or theater spring to mind. But not painting in the sense oI graIfti, or 'theater in the sense oI a Las Vegas burlesque show. Rather, art is considered the forms of these things that are done skillfully and point towards the good, the true, and the beautiful. Beauty for the sake of beauty. Interestingly enough, the Oxford English Dictionary only defnes art as 'skill in doing something, not even ap- plying the word to anything regarding an aesthetic prin- ciple until the eighth and ninth defnitions. So, in that case, graIfti certainly is an art as long as it is done well, along with mixing drinks, organizing a wedding, teaching a class, laying a brick, or grooming ones mustache. The idea that the arts, by defnition, 'are concerned with the beautiful and appeal to the faculty of taste inhibit many from appreciating such quotidian crafts as art. The phrase that matches the defnition that they may be looking Ior also provided by the OED is 'fne art. There is a defnite distinction between Bernini`s 'Da- vid, and Duchamps Fountain or the work of Alexander Calder. However, that is not to say that the modern is not art. Banksy is not Rembrant, but he doesnt have to be. There is art, and there is fne art. The appreciation oI the latter should not impede ones ability to perceive the former, even if it is something as simple as a well-crafted martini. vcooney@hillsdale.edu Cathy VanVoorhis is a native of Michigan with an eye for the rustic beauty of her home state. This is a very beautiful state, VanVoorhis said. 'We are fortunate to still have wetlands, Iorests, Great Lake shorelines, and family farms and orchards. VanVoorhis` exhibit, 'Land & Water: Seasons of Color, will be held in the Daughtrey Gallery in the Sage Center for the Arts at Hillsdale College from Feb. 25 through March 16, 2012. Some of her current work in- cludes a 10-foot wide painting for Art Prize, an art competition in Grand Rap- ids, Mich. This painting, A Walk Along the Beach, will be displayed at the Waters Build- ing, downtown Grand Rapids this fall. She did several smaller, practice paintings before beginning on such a huge project and also ad- mits that it was very challenging to adjust her painting style and color to a the larger surface. VanVoorhis` inspiration is not derived solely from Michigan, but all nature. VanVoorhis` paint- ings, with their rich colors and serene landscapes, give an inside look into the way she sees her surroundings. VanVoorhis experimented with many different types of art in college. She began with a Bachelor of Arts from Albion College. My experience of being an artist is richer because of the breadth of study at a liberal arts college, VanVoorhis said. VanVoorhis also spent some time studying abroad her sopho- more year. She originally went to France as a French major and was not very informed about art history. While she was in France, she visited many art museums. When I was in Paris, looking at Picasso and Matisse paintings, I had the revelation that I must be an artist, VanVoorhis said. After graduating Albion Col- lege, she took a detour from the fne arts track to earn her masters from Michi- gan State because of her fascina- tion with art history. After her M.A., She says she returned to her 'frst love of painting when she attended the University of Michigan for a M.F.A. More recently, Van- Voorhis attended Washtenaw Community College to earn a certifcate in graphic design. Her expertise is not limited to art, however, as she also has a Mas- ters in Philosophy. When asked about the connection between her art degree and her philoso- phy degree, she says, At the time, I just loved both subjects. It seemed like two dif- ferent directions, making things and reading/thinking about great questions. Now I would connect the two subjects as the same desire for meaning in life, VanVoorhis said. VanVoorhis is no stranger to Hillsdale College either. She had an exhibit here in 1993. Since then, The colors have gotten richer and more complex, Van- Voorhis said. Professor of Art Sam Knecht agrees with this statement about VanVoorhis` use oI color. The spirited technique she uses involves synthesizing broad patterns of tone and color gleaned from her subjects, Knecht says. Her paintings are crafted with a rich and complex palate that makes a muse of nature for all who look at them. Most of her work is oil, but she also dabbles occasionally in watercolor. Oil paint has many advan- tages: richness of color, slower drying time which allows blend- ing, and ease of revising your work, VanVoorhis says. Her work exudes a passion often lacking in landscapes. She said she was inspired in the art museums of France. I remember thinking that what they were doing was so important that it was worth de- voting my life to, even if I could only travel a small distance down this same path, she said. For more information, you can visit her website at: www. cathyvanvoorhis.com. hbrinks@hillsdale.edu Seasons of color come to campus Hannah Brinks Collegian Freelancer BE INSPIRED... ...by buying yourself a ticket to the Gotye concert coming to Detroits Pease Auditorium on April 2. Kim- bra is the opening act. If you dont recognize that name, then you probably havent heard the song, Somebody That I Used To Know. If you havent heard that song before, then you obviously live under a rock. Gotyes musical sound cannot be contained into one genre. Rarely do musicians experiment with so many different sounds as he did on his newest album, Making Mirrors. Seriously, treat yourself by going to this concert. It is surely going to be an entertaining show and a great way to spend a Mon- day night. Yes, I am suggest- ing you go out on a Monday. Why not? Its worth it. Roxanne Turnbull Arts Editor Cathy VanVoorhis will show her collection of landscape paintings this weekend in the Daughtrey Gallery in the Sage Center for the Arts. (Courtesy of Cathy VanVoorhis) THE FUTURE OF AN ART MAJOR Hillsdale Colleges art majors are thinking of new and creative ways to pursue their dreams while creating a lucrative future. The senior class of 2012 will graduate 16 art majors this year, and these students are considering every- thing from a small business to a foray into the political arena. Senior Natalie Knudsen already has an art business she runs on and off campus. She works on private or large scale projects and often personalized gifts. I have an arts business now and would like to grow it. I do T-shirt designing, air- brushing, and make plaques, Knudsen said. While the feld is seen as limited and, art majors tend to pursue other felds, students strive for a variety of options for their futures in the art world. I would also like to be an art therapist like if someone breaks their hand you can get fne motor skills back or use it [therapy] to express emo- tions, Knudsen said. There are graduate schools for art therapy, so Im going to look to those and experience therapy in general. The feld isn`t limited to professional artists and profes- sors, but reaches into many other felds such as therapy, technological advancement and politics. Im not going to be a professional artist, but I know I can use it in my professional life and within the conservative movement to help the aesthetic appeal, senior Laura Weg- mann said. Rather than pursue art as a career, she intends to use her background in art to help her work with the conservative movement and to improve their aesthetics. We really do a disservice to the truth if we cant package it in the most appealing way, Weg- mann said. As a move- ment weve failed to understand that ideas need to be made attrac- tive and we need to draw them in for better or for worse. Thats the way it is. Similarly, senior Bon- nie Cofer intends to improve her knowledge of graphic art through work experience and eventually use it to improve conservative aesthetics. I feel like the left, more liberal groups have a mo- nopoly on arts and aesthetics, but there are good conserva- tive organizations as well and I would like to work with them to update them and get them more branded, Cofer said. A lot of conservative groups have really poor aesthetics. I would like to work with them to improve them so theyll be taken more seriously. Before she can pursue competitive jobs in the graphic arts feld, CoIer hopes to strengthen her skills and add more to her portfolio. For senior Natalie Kerner, the frst goal out oI college is stability, which may involve putting goals in art on the back burner. I hope to become a profes- sional artist. Im not closed off to the idea of teach- ing, but teaching art is really complicated because you have to see it differently for each student, she said. For the frst couple oI years I`m probably going to teach, Ive contacted a couple of schools in Virginia, she said. One of her dreams is to go to an art school to study under Jacob Collins in New York and to be able to make a living off of portrait commissions, but for now her upcoming mar- riage and living comes frst. A select few, such as senior Nell O`Leary, apply to art schools and seek to further improve skill and technique to better prepare themselves for the professional arena. O`Leary is still waiting to hear back from her top-choice school, Studio in Camminati, but intends to work to hone her skills and make a name for herself in the Philadelphia area one way or the other. I heard about it from Dr. Knecht, he told me to check it out. Two years ago I checked out the high school program in the summer, she said. It was a week-long intensive program over the summer founded on the portrait. I went back the past summer for the advanced portrait and fgure drawing. I learned a lot and found I think it might be the place for me. Very similar to a masters program, the Studio in Cammi- nati is a very selective school which only accepts around 12 students each year and signif- cantly increases the likelihood of an artists art career being a success. While not each student may be pursing a career in into the feld oI art, they will all use the skills they have learned in their Hillsdale art classes to further their careers and for personal enjoyment. I think its all about pro- moting yourself and its hard for artists to get that mindset, Knudsen said. Be brave! Be bold! tsawyer1@hillsdale.edu Teddy Sawyer Collegian Reporter Handheld cameras can be used to document virtu- ally anything in todays world: weddings, sporting events, or (in the case of this movie) city- wide mayhem brought on by psychokinetic powers. Shot in the found-footage style popularized by such pictures as The Blair Witch Project and 'Cloverfeld, Chronicle offers a fresh and interesting take on a superhero origins movie. At the start oI the flm, we are introduced to high school senior Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), the angst-flled social pariah with an ailing mother and an abusive alcoholic father. As a way to document his fa- thers violent behavior, Andrew buys a camera and begins to flm everything that he does. His best friend and cousin Matt Garetty (Alex Russell) is concerned with Andrews anti- social need to flm everything and convinces him to attend a party. While at the party, Andrew and Matt, along with popular class president hopeful Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan), discover a glowing meteorite in a shadowy cave. The camera shuts off, and we are then shown footage from three weeks later of the boys developing strange telekinetic powers. What starts as harmless shenanigans turns into mass destruction as Andrews prob- lems at home and school begin to mount and he embraces his darker side. Chronicle does what many Iound-Iootage flms have not done in the past. Thanks to the efforts of up and coming screenwriter Max Landis (son of Animal House director John Landis) and director Josh Trank, the movie offers much in the way of character devel- opment. We sympathize with Andrews social frustrations, we applaud when his powers gain him popularity, and we are horrifed when he lets his anger get the best of him. The char- acters of Matt and Steve also are developed well, adding both humor and serious introspec- tion to the flm. While the cinematogra- phy in other found-footage movies is often shaky and nausea-inducing, Chronicle succeeds in having impressive camera work. Andrews ability to levitate the camera, and the flm-making by video blogger Casey (Ashley Hinshaw) al- lows for different angles that is important in lending a change in perspective. While a few plot holes and a somewhat over-the-top ending holds the movie back, Chronicle was surprisingly well-made and a flm worth seeing. rthompson@hillsdale.edu Richard Thompson Collegian Freelancer Chronicle: A Review Premiere Theatre Hillsdale Chronicle (PG-13) Ghost Rider: Spirit oI Vengeance (PG-13) Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG) Joyful Noise (PG-13) Safe House (R) The Vow (PG-13) The Woman in Black (PG-13) This Means War (PG-13) Coldwater Cinemas Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace 3D (PG) In Theaters (Courtesy of Cathy VanVoorhis) I think its all about promoting yourself...Be brave! Be bold! Natalie Knudsen, senior D eforce: to take away property from its rightful owner by force. Andrew Rodney 05 chose to use De- force as the title of his documentary, which shows the disintegration of Detroit, Mich., and the hardships faced by those living in the inner cities. I wanted something that contained Detroit but had a deeper meaning, Rodney said. The rightful owners of property in Detroit have had it taken away from them by a variety of sources. Rodney majored in accounting at Hillsdale but also studied politics, history, fnancial analysis, and economics. After graduating, he moved to New York and began producing flm. AIter a Iew years, how- ever, he moved back to his home: Detroit. With his experience in flm-making and his pas- sion for the recovery of Detroit, Rodney decided to make a short flm to draw attention to the issues in the city. One night it struck me that it was a story that needs to be told, he said. While Rodney did not direct the flm, he wrote the initial script, conducted interviews, managed the fnances, and researched heavily. The crew of Deforce tried to choose Detroit residents who had high character. Rodneys favorite interview is of Lupe Birdman, who was a University of Michigan anthropology student. He went to the inner city and lived with juvenile students, document- ing their lives. Deforce also highlights Detroits drug war vio- lence. Rodney documented that 50 to 70 percent of the violence has some relation to drugs. 'Drugs are the fnancial resources oI the under- ground economy. It fuels the violence, Rodney said. Through research, Rodney also discovered that since 1969 there have been more than 21,000 mur- ders in Detroit. Its probably double the city of Hillsdale wiped off the map, he said. Rodney does not seek to gain recognition from the flm or advance his career. Instead, he seeks to raise awareness about Detroit and break stereotypes about people in the city. Were are just a voice in the wilderness trying to get more people to realize what is not being talked about and how bad it is, Rodney said. I hope that more people see it and more actions will be taken. Rodney sees his Hillsdale roots become apparent when he examines the justice system. He attributes the violence and destruction in Detroit to a broken system, rather than just socioeconomic conditions. Going to Hillsdale, one thing that upsets me is that you hear a lot about economic oppression and government intervention and how its so problematic. You hear a lot of anger and fury about how bad it is, Rodney said. But you dont see conservatives interacting in the places that are the worst. Gary Wolfram, professor of economics, helped Rodney after the production process. Rodney was a family friend through the Mackinaw Center for Pub- lic Policy, as well as Wolframs student in Economics 105. Rodney sent Wolfram Deforce to show to both students and faculty at Hillsdale. I said, Wow this is really good. Do you mind if I send it out? Wolfram said. After receiving the video, Wolfram gave it to many people in Detroit who he believed had infu- ence over public policy, including Dennis Muchmore, Rick Snyders Chief of Staff, and Howard Morris, a member of the Michigan Strategic Fund Board. Wolfram hopes that spreading the video will cause a discussion of Detroits issues. What do they say? A pictures worth a thousand words, he said. You hear there are 100,000 aban- doned homes. But if you watch the video and you see two or three blocks of abandoned homes, it has a greater impact. eepperson@hillsdale.edu at Hillsdale this semester. The students are assigned a re- search project for the semester and will learn how to market the site and increase its user base. Seniors Nikki Yancho, Will Wegert, and Jeff Scarpelli will design a survey that will give them information about the sites customers, competitors, and perceptions of the market. From that, they will make rec- ommendations to Stomps. After completing this class, I will be able to tell prospective employers about a useful skill set I know theo- retically, but have also con- ducted for a real-world client, Yancho said. Stomps and Carson have been largely gathering this type of feedback as well as re- search to oIfcially launch the application. Carson said along with the staggering amount of research they have been doing, funding has also been a chal- lenge. Not initially having a huge fnancial backer proved to be the largest challenge to starting the site, he said. And the development of the application itself has proved to be an obstacle. While Ive largely taught myself how to design, develop, and maintain a website, I have very little programming knowledge, Stomps said. We fnally had a breakthrough in the spring of 2011, and our application was accepted by a team of students from Rose- Hulman Institute of Technol- ogy in Indiana to develop the website application. The group of students, who turned out to be a group of Delt Sigs, has been working with the site since the begin- ning of the school year. The hope for the future is to have a nationwide site broken down into states and possibly even further, Carson said. But as of right now, its baby steps. sleitner@hillsdale.edu Professor of History Mark Kalthoffs memories of history, science, and free throws A fresh view of an old problem SPACES B3 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com In Their Eyes Sharon Barrett Collegian Freelancer W hen Professor of History Mark Kalthoff 84 came to Hillsdale College from Dayton, Ohio in 1979 on an athletic scholarship, his liIe consisted oI fve things. I ate, slept, went to class, studied, and played basketball, he said. Since then, the college has been a huge part of Kalthoffs life. During his frst year, he met Christy Jones 83, a fellow athlete who played volleyball, ran track, and would later become his wife. They were engaged New Years Eve of his senior year. In 1987, aIter KalthoII had fnished graduate school, the couple returned to Hillsdale. Christy Kalthoff served as Director oI Admissions until their frst child was born in 1989, the same year Mark Kalthoff was hired as a history professor. 'I missed class the frst day oI my Hillsdale teaching career because I was in the hospital with my wife, he said. Mark Kalthoff said he and his wife, who have home schooled their fve children, consider the college com- munity, like an extended family. Kalthoffs second daughter Rachel Kalthoff is now a senior at Hillsdale, his oldest daughter takes classes part- time, and his youngest daughter Phoebe Kalthoff will enter as a freshman next fall. Its great [having them here], he said. I get to see them around campus. Sometimes they take a class with me. Even Mark Kalthoffs twelve-year- old son is active on campus this semes- ter, performing in the Tower Players production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. Many of Mark Kalthoffs under- graduate memories were built with his fellow basketball team members making long bus trips to the Upper Peninsula for a game, or catching study breaks between practices. He served as president of the Inter- Varsity Hillsdale Christian Fellowship chapter and lived for two years in an off-campus house owned by former Professor of English James Juroe. It stood next to the Kappa Kappa Gamma house, adjacent to what is now the Howard Music Building parking lot. In the 1980s, Hillsdales Greek life boasted six fraternities and four so- rorities. Although he did not go Greek, Mark KalthoII said about fIty percent of male students were in fraternities. Since the legal drinking age had been lowered in the 1970s, parties with alcohol even midweek parties were common on campus. By contrast, Mark Kalthoff said todays students are less likely to come here for free beer. He believes the proportion of academ- ically-talented, committed students has greatly increased since the 1980s. While he believes the school has maintained its emphasis on athlet- ics from his days as a student, Mark Kalthoff is proud of his team. We [the basketball team] were the best team in college history. We won 28 games, he said. Mark Kalthoffs wife majored in history and economics, while Mark Kalthoff graduated with a triple major. I came here in love with math and science, and along the way I fell in love with history, he said. He then studied the history and phi- losophy of science at Indiana Univer- sity, obtaining his M.A. in 1987 and his Ph.D. in 1998. Mark Kalthoff takes particular inter- est in the intersection between science and religion. 'Both felds seek |to answer| the biggest questions, he said. How did it all begin? What went wrong? How can you fx it? How will it all end? At a 1992 Center for Constructive Alternatives on science and religion, Mark Kalthoff was featured as the keynote speaker. Mark Kalthoff enjoys teaching at a liberal arts college. I dont have to be a specialist, he said. These are human questions that thoughtful human beings should be wrestling with. Liberal education is teasing out those connections rather than drawing boundaries. Mark Kalthoff also sees the value of liberal education in how it prepares students to make a difference in the world. My students are going to go on, get married, have kids, and be teachers, pastors, and civic leaders, he said. Mark Kalthoff is modest about his role in inspiring his students. They are amazing people, he said. I try to get out of the way and let them do what they are good at. At the same time, Mark Kalthoff considers his students a part of his and his familys life even after they gradu- ate. One of the most rewarding things is to see these people come back to tell me about how their time at Hillsdale made it possible to do what they are doing, he said. sbarrett@hillsdale.edu
Emmaline Epperson Collegian Reporter (Courtesy of Mark Kalthoff) Hillsdale graduate Andrew Rodney uses his passion and his lens to explore and reveal economic depression in Detroit ! COMPARE From B4 Two frames from Andrew Rodneys documentary depict the poverty and economic depression of Detroit. His documentary seeks to reveal the struggles and violence in the city. (Courtesy of Andrew Rodney) SPACES B4 23 Feb. 2012 www.hillsdalecollegian.com C OMPA R E T HE C A N DI DAT E S Sarah Leitner Sports Editor J ason Stomps 10 came downstairs on the morning of the November 2010 elec- tions to his dad reading an article in the newspaper comparing the views of each local candidate. I thought to myself, This is no way to pre- pare to vote for those that will be representing you at the political level, Stomps said. Not only were the candidates missing a lot of impor- tant information, but there tends to be a lot of bias in the media, especially when its just the candidates themselves providing the answers. That very same day, Stomps registered the website CompareMyCandidates.com. The site currently provides information about the upcoming presidential election for voters in Michigan. The web application that will com- pare voters local candidates side-by-side is on track to launch in June. The ultimate goal for CompareMyCan- didates.com is to become the primary, non- partisan, unbiased source of information for voters across the country, Stomps said. Well be rolling out our platform to other states across the nation in the coming years. Stomps graduated from Hillsdale College in May 2010 with the frst graphic design minor given by the college, and a major in marketing management. Upon graduation from Hillsdale I played the typical job-hunting game that many of us do and many of you will but after a handful of interviews, I realized that there just wasnt anything available that I truly wanted to do at the time, Stomps said. Stomps already had his business Coldfre Promotions up and running a business he started while still in school in 2009. I knew that continuing with that would pro- vide me with a near-ideal situation, he said. Coldfre Promotions is an agency that works with businesses throughout Michigan and parts of the Midwest to help them with their market- ing efforts. While this is Stomps primary job, he is also an assistant track and feld coach at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Pontiac, Mich., and the president of his homeowners association. To be quite frank, Im married to my work, he said. Its been an insane amount of work, putting in countless 70-plus hour work-weeks between my two businesses and my other com- mitments, but I love every minute of it. Stomps brought on Kyle Carson 11, one of his Delta Sigma Phi fraternity brothers at Hills- dale, to help with CompareMyCandidates.com. Carson, a 2011 graduate, majored in biology at Hillsdale. It seems to be on the other end of the spec- trum from politics, but I always enjoyed it, Carson said. I couldnt get over how I felt this idea could help streamline the research process, as well as ease the data load for voters. While Stomps could not bring Carson on right away, he saw that Carsons enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit would beneft the site. Stomps and Carson are also working with three students in the marketing research course Being able to express yourself with clothing is a beautiful, wonderful thing. Hillsdale graduate creates a comprehensive website to provide information to voters nationwide Compiled by Rachel Hofer; photographs by Mel Caton CAMPUS CHIC I like being told that I look German. Style Icons: Karen Gillan, Carey Mulligan, Matt Smith, and Kate Middleton Designers: Issa London and Burberry Rachel Heider Messy Chic or Schick Sophomore German Major Lima, Ohio Outt Details: Shirt- ried, Sweater- Her uncles from the time he served in the German Army, Pants- PacSun, Boots-T.J. Maxx, Watch- Fossil riing is cheap and Im poor and I nd that the clothes are a lot better made. ! See SPACES, B3 (Courtesy of Jason Stomps)