Hi-Five to Pete Davidson for yet another eventful weekend in the tabloids. Not sure what we are missing, but Wabash men might have to take a pointer or two.
”Overcoming Barriers”: First-Generation Success
First-generation students face different barriers to success from their non-first-generation peers. Accessing opportunities, managing expectations, and matching the language of academia can be a challenge. And these barriers prevent many students from realizing all of their opportunities.
“There is a coded language in institutions of higher education,” said Ben Bullock ‘23, a first-generation student from the United Kingdom. “Without access to these different codes, it can be really tricky for first-generation students to benefit fully from everything Wabash offers.”
Acknowledging the difficulties they face, Wabash has tried to support first-gen students in myriad ways — from official programming to fostering a sense of community.
“Coming to Wabash as a first-generation college student was definitely a challenge, but my professors, peers, and mentors never lowered their expectations of me,” said Bryce McCullough ‘23, a first-gen student from Greensburg, IN. “The resources and opportunities here have enabled me to be successful,” said McCullough. “I am thankful to Wabash for being a place where first-generation college students like myself can overcome barriers to thrive.”
“I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through my first semester at Wabash without the support I received from the WLAIP faculty.”
Ben Sampsell ‘24
WLAIP, the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program, is aimed at equalizing the disparity between majority and non-majority students. The summer program prepares incoming students for success at and beyond Wabash. Students in the program receive their first college credits and connect with professors and classmates, establishing networks vital to student success.
Incoming students are eligible for WLAIP if they fit at least two of three categories: first-generation students, students of color, and pell-eligible students. Dean Todd McDorman, Acting Dean of the College and Professor of Rhetoric, described the program’s success at retaining underrepresented students.
“Through the first three graduating cohorts, we have a lot of good signs of success,” said McDorman. “One of the things we’ve sought to do in that program is to close the gap between first-generation college students and non-first-generation college students. Recent analyses… have shown that students who were eligible for WLAIP and went through the program are persisting [at Wabash] 18 percentage points higher than students who are eligible, but not enrolled in the program.” Dr. Robert Horton, Faculty Coordinator for Retention and Professor of Psychology, contextualized the program’s success.
“It’s the biggest effect of a program like this that I’ve ever seen,” said Horton. “There are some attitudinal responses from surveys that shed light on why it is that my WLAIP guys are more likely to retain and graduate. They feel more connected to each other. They tend to do some things in class. They’re a little less likely to miss class, less likely to be late, and a little less likely to not do homework. They’re more likely to feel connected to the College as compared to this relevant comparison group. So that gives us a little bit of light on why that might happen.”
Those success stories are more than mere statistics — they are crucial victories for successful Wabash men. Ben Sampsell ‘24, a first-gen student from Mexico, said, “I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through my first semester at Wabash without the support I received from the WLAIP faculty. The transition to college is hard for almost any high school student, but coming from the southernmost part of Mexico my case was different from the outset. WLAIP gave me the tools and friendships that have allowed me to transition from a traditional Mexican school system into the liberal arts.”
Due to the program’s success, Wabash received a $1 million grant last year from the Lilly Endowment to fund WLAIP for three more years.
But first-gen students face additional challenges even after they graduate from college. In a 2021 study, researchers from Michigan State, Iowa, and Minnesota found that first-generation students face increased barriers in the job market when compared with non-first-generation students with the same degree from the same school.
One of the causes of this disparity is a gap in access to opportunities outside the classroom. Nationwide, first-generation students are less likely to participate in internships, extracurriculars, and research opportunities than their non-first-generation counterparts. And these opportunities matter in the job market. The National Association of Colleges and Employers found that college graduates who had internships were 90 percent more likely to receive a job offer than college graduates who did not.
WLAIP also addresses that internship access disparity. After the initial WLAIP summer, the program connects students with paid research and internship opportunities. If a student in the program wishes to accept an unpaid internship, they can receive a $3,200 stipend to make that opportunity possible. This generous funding levels the playing field, making unpaid internships, which often provide essential professional experience, available to more students — regardless of financial background. Dr. Horton explained that around 90 percent of WLAIP students participate in an internship connected or funded through the program.
McDorman described several other programs that, though they may not exclusively benefit first-generation students, improve first-generation student retention and access to campus resources. The Writing Center and the Quantitative Skills Center provide all students opportunities to improve their classroom skills, learning from other successful students. And last summer, the College began a summer course program to help students behind in credits get back on track. For underrepresented students, who are less likely to enter Wabash with transferable credits from college prep courses, the Wabash summer course program provides an opportunity to level the playing field.
“Being a first-generation college student is important to me … it gives me hope that my experience is not a rare one for the next generation.”
Bryce McCullough ‘23
Dr. Zachery Koppelmann, Director of the Writing Center, described the role of the Writing Center in supporting first-generation students.
“Writing centers have historically served writers from less privileged backgrounds—including first-generation students,” said Koppelmann. “One of the challenges for first-generation students is that they lack the tradition of a college education, which often means they are more comfortable with less formal, more conversational speech. This is even more pronounced in their writing, which is where the Wabash College Writing Center plays a critical role.”
Taken together, Wabash’s programs strengthen a sense of community and support first-gen success. And along with that success comes crucial discussions about what it means to be a first-generation student.
“Being a first-generation college student is important to me because it means that with a lot of hard work and a good amount of help from my parents, teachers, coaches, and my community, I can achieve my goal of receiving a quality education to better my future,” said Bryce McCullough ‘23. “But more importantly, it gives me hope that my experience is not a rare one for the next generation.”
First-generation identity was personal for Dean McDorman, a first-generation student himself. McDorman initially planned to attend a community college, but a private college offered him a generous scholarship offer that expanded his opportunities.
“It probably isn’t an exaggeration to say that it changed my life and it just opened up so many possibilities for me,” he said. “And it’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about the things we do at Wabash for first-generation college students. I feel like I know firsthand how much difference the sort of education we can provide can make for them.”
McDorman isn’t alone — many Wabash faculty members were first-generation students.
“I think it is sometimes surprising to people [just] how many of our staff were the first in their families to graduate from college,” said Dr. Horton. “About 20% of our staff [is first-generation].” First-generation identity inevitably shapes a campus community. The fact that so many faculty members were first-generation impacts how Wabash continues to welcome and support first-gen students.
“I admire my colleagues who work so hard to make it so that students here don’t have to stumble through that,” said Dean McDorman. “I think it speaks a lot to the dedication that faculty and staff here have here. And it’s a large part of Wabash’s identity.”
On Monday, the College will celebrate first-generation students and faculty for the annual First-Generation College Celebration. First-gen students and faculty will receive a Wabash “First-Gen and Proud” t-shirt and are invited to gather on the mall.
Student Senate Postpones National Act
A Letter to the Editor: Ian Rollins ‘23
Despite contrary belief, Student Senate did not postpone National Act with Waka Flocka Flame to purposefully piss people off. There are several reasons as to why we felt it was necessary to postpone the event to next semester rather than proceed with our original plan, the night before Bell Game. I’d also like to add that my original announcement explained that while we hoped to schedule National Act for the night before Bell, the language of my announcement explicitly said we “were looking” to plan National Act on that date. We did not necessarily finalize the date within that original email. However, here are additional reasons explaining the decision to postpone.
Firstly, the “logistical issues” that we posed, in fact, were legitimate. Several members of the administration met with me prior to Fall Break to discuss this matter. Because we are hosting the Bell Game, the College needed to prioritize risk management and liability; more security personnel are needed than a typical Wabash football game and this created issues for us. There is only so much that we can do as students and effective risk-management for an artist like Waka Flocka, is not one of those areas. Thus, we needed to rely on the administration and Nick Gray to provide risk-management aspects such as extra security personnel, but I was told to proceed with caution because the administration would not be able to provide enough security to not breach Waka’s contract due to the Bell Game situation.
Additionally, Waka required 3 rental vehicles, 2016 or newer, and this would have been difficult to meet given the shortage of rental vehicles in the nation and especially Crawfordsville. In his “rider”, the specific requests within his contract, Waka asked for very specific staging, barriers, lighting, and a tunnel that connected him to his “private dressing room with a bathroom” to the stage without allowing students to see him until he got on stage. We did not realize the extent of his rider until 4 weeks into the planning process and at that point, it would have added a tremendous cost to an already expensive event.
Given the timing of the event, if we stuck with the original date, we would have had to pray that the weather cooperated. We did not have any access to a rain location if the Mall did not work out and this would have forced us to by extensive tenting, even if it ended up not raining. This alone could have cost Student Senate and the students an additional 25,000. Not to mention, we would have risked Waka showing up for 5 minutes, getting too cold, and bailing.
There have been sentiments going around campus that this decision was BS, that Student Leaders do not know what they are doing, that we purposefully cancelled National Act, that the administration does not want us to have any fun at this College. I would heavily push back on most, if not all, of these sentiments. The administration really did not force us to make any decision. They simply wanted us to think critically about the implications that would arise if we ended up pursuing the night before Monon. The decision was made after group discussion within Senate leaders as I explained to them that I would rather organize a well-planned, administration-supported, and weather-independent National Act to ensure that students can enjoy themselves knowing that National Act did not kill our entire budget and that the weather will be nicer. If people want to push back and claim that the weather did not matter because it was the night before Bell Game, so be it.
The administration members who helped at the start of the planning process are not responsible for the cancellation of a night before Bell Game National Act, I’ll own up to that responsibility. They simply helped me, and other members of Senate realize the nature of the obstacles that we would face if we attempted to pursue the night before Monon. Granted, we were not told about the logistical problems (lack of risk-management, security personnel) until we had already talked with Waka’s team (4 weeks’ worth of work and planning). However, I would not attribute this to anyone within the administration. The reason that we were not able to efficiently plan out National Act for this semester stems from a larger issue within Senate. I did not have the power to begin working on National Act until President Bass was inducted into Senate. Having no ability or time to put in work or plan-out a National Act for the Fall semester due to budget and policy limitations, leaves Senate leaders in a tight spot during the Fall semester and thus the reason that it many individuals feel like “there’s nothing to do on campus.”
Take my opinion however you want or come talk to me if you have serious problems about the decision. And for the record, the money that was allocated to fund National Act is not “gone.” It will simply rollover to next semester as we are looking to plan National Act sometime in April around Pan Hel.
News
“X-Tacy” Poetry Slam Returns After a Year Hiatus
This upcoming Saturday night, after a year hiatus, the MXI will host the X-Tacy Poetry Slam. Those who attend will be treated to a series of live poetry performances. Poetry can be dramatic as well as humorous depending on the performer. Each contestant will be evaluated by a panel of three judges which results in a winner at the end of the event. The Return of X-Tacy will happen on Saturday, November 6 in Korb Classroom within the Fine Arts Center at 7 PM. The event features the poetic work of diligent Wabash students both from past versions of the event as well as those who are new to campus.
“Poets perform magic,” said Dr. Pavlinich, Professor of English and one of the competition’s judges. “They disrupt assumptions, challenge conventions, and weave audiences into their art.” A past performer of the event, James Love, said “It was better than expected” in response to the expectations of past versions of the event during his time here. While poetry may have a prestigious idealization around it, new attendees will be shocked by what more modern poetry sounds like. Dr. Pavlincich said, “their words echo in our minds days after the event.”
The Wabash community has participated and has been the focus of this event in the past. In response to what it means to have the community be a part of the event, Love said, “It means a lot that the community is able to participate and watch poets perform their works.” This has been the chief focus of the event and this Saturday should be no different. Love is a current senior and last participated in the event his sophomore year. He said, “I’m planning on approaching this as a kind of ‘last hoorah’ to show off my poetry and overall, just to have fun and a really lowkey and chill event.” In response to what he will expect this Saturday at X-Tacy, Dr. Pavlinch said, “I can’t wait to see what our resident Wabash poets conjure.”
Joe Impicciche ‘80 – How his Liberal Arts Education Continues to Direct his Life
A liberal arts education opens the door to many professional pathways, including business, law school, public health school, and more. Sometimes, it can connect those multiple places in unexpected ways and lead down an exciting new path to inspire the next generations. Such was the career of Joe Impicciche ‘80, who pursued a law degree, then a Master of Healthcare Administration degree, and ultimately becoming the President and CEO of Ascension.
Impicciche came to Wabash as a Lilly Scholar from Crawfordsville High School. During his time here, he was part of the WNDY college radio station and played intramural sports. “Several factors influenced my decision [to come to Wabash],” Impicciche said. “For one, I grew up in Crawfordsville and was very familiar with the College’s excellent reputation. I also attended the OLAB summer program and had the opportunity to get to know several faculty members and experience how committed they were to their students. So when I began looking at schools, Wabash was already on the top of my list.”
Impicciche attributes his graduate school success, and then his later success as a lawyer in healthcare to his time at Wabash. “In many ways, Wabash was more impactful and intense, and certainly more formative,” Impicciche said. “I felt extremely well prepared for postgraduate studies. […] I am fairly certain if it weren’t for the caring and focused attention of several Wabash faculty members, I wouldn’t be who I am today. In addition to a myriad of other life lessons, they taught me the importance of being well-rounded and curious and to strive for excellence in everything you do.”
In fact, it was the legendary Wabash Professor Ed McLean H’08 that helped Impicciche settle on going to law school. “Dr. Ed McLean was a big influence on me,” Impicciche said. “He made me want to become a lawyer. So that’s why I went to law school. Later, after I had become a lawyer and joined a law firm that specialized in healthcare, I decided to pursue a Masters Degree in Health Administration. I believed having a deeper understanding of the healthcare industry would come in handy one day – and as it turned out, it certainly did!”
“Life is all about the journey. Don’t become so preoccupied with your career that you miss out on what’s really important.”
Joe Impicciche ‘80
Though his career path has been unique, it very much helped prepare him to get started with Ascension when it was formed. “I was a practicing lawyer for approximately 18 years and had the opportunity to do work for a number of health care clients, including at the time St. Vincent Hospital (now Ascension St. Vincent) in Indianapolis and its owner, the Daughters of Charity National Health System,” Impicciche said. “When Ascension was formed as the result of the merger of the Daughters of Charity Health System and the Sisters of St. Joseph Health System, one of my law partners became Ascension’s first General Counsel, and I was fortunate to serve as one of its outside lawyers. A few years later, my law partner retired from the role, and I was asked to succeed him.” In July 2019, Impicciche became the President and CEO of the very same hospital network, after almost two decades of service to the company.
In many ways, one of the key takeaways from Impicciche’s career is that life is a journey – a lesson that Impicciche himself had to learn. “Years ago I took my family to Hawaii and we spent a day ‘on the road to Hana,’ which is a long stretch of country roads that wind through Maui,” Impicciche said. “What I remember most about this experience was how singularly focused I was on reaching the destination and how disappointed I was when Hana turned out to be just another small, Hawaiian town. I completely missed the point of the experience! The road to Hana isn’t about the destination; it’s about the journey. That would be my best advice: life is all about the journey. Don’t become so preoccupied with your career that you miss out on what’s really important.
Opinion
Capital Punishment: How the Death Penalty Hinders Justice
Justice for Julius Jones. Innocence among death row inmates is an overlooked tragedy in society. Cases such as Walter McMillan, the subject of Bryan Stevenson’s moving memoir Just Mercy, depicts such a case where an innocent man underwent unfair trials and appeals. Furthermore, he was subjected to imprisonment for years before being found innocent. Regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexuality, the death penalty effects individuals and families to an unimaginable degree. That being said, African Americans face other obstacles: judicial bias and racial integrity. The Bureau of Justice statistics reports a ghastly 650 death sentences since 2010, not including this year’s sentences. The death penalty is an ineffective deterrent of crime, inhumane, and morally questionable.
The National Academy of Science reports that 4.1% of death row inmates are actually innocent. Additionally, in many cases new evidence becomes available that suggests innocence AFTER execution. While 4.1% may seem low, the cost is high. The Death Penalty Information Center reports 2,500 humans currently on death row. Following the NAC statistic, this adds up to 102.5 innocent people. That is 102.5 living, breathing human beings facing death. If the idea of over 100 innocent people’s deaths is not concerning, I question your humanity. When a court sentences a person to death, it takes the risk of ending an innocent life. Humans make errors. Is the death of 102.5 innocent people a cost we should be willing to take to correctly convict 2,400? How do we navigate the innocent versus the guilty? How do we console the families of innocent people who we have killed? We can’t. There lies a single issue with the death penalty. It has a high margin of error, with the cost being life. Due to this, the death penalty is an ineffective way to deter crime. It punishes innocent people. Additionally, people who murder or rape have motive to do so. The consequence of death will not deter most people from acting upon emotions such as anger, hatred, and vengeance. If there is a will, there is a way.
The 8th Amendment protects an individual’s right to cruel or unusual punishment. However, 27 states still permit usage of the death penalty. Methods of execution include lethal injection, gas chambers, firing squad, hanging, and electrocution. The Death Penalty Information Center also reports that there have been almost 300 botched executions where an inmate has either caught fire, been strangled, or has been administered the wrong dosage of an injection. Botched lethal injection has been linked to symptoms of pulmonary edema which equates to drowning. These botched executions, pain caused by them, and the conviction of death in itself are cruel. They lead to inhumane treatment of people, some of which are innocent.
I have previously opinionated my pro-life stance through my article Choice Misconceptions about “Her Body, Her Choice.” It is important to understand that my pro-life stance extends to all life, not just unborn babies. A moral dilemma occurs when we choose to end a life. In ending a life, we effectively decide that the right to life does not exist. If a man kills and rapes a woman, has he violated her rights? Of course, he has! He has defiled her body and denied her right to life. Should the offender pay with his life? That is the big question. Answering an evil act with another evil act will not change the past. Instead, it just ends the life of another human. A life sentence however, forces the convicted party to remain without freedom. It provides ample time for reflection and regret. Is the guilt felt by one who convicts murder not a punishment itself, let alone the inability to leave a small cell for life? Today’s security and technology is more than capable of containing prisoners and leaves society with very little threat.
A recent case exemplifies the issues with the death penalty. Julius Jones is an African American man accused of murder in Oklahoma. He has been on death row for over 19 years of his life. Jones’ execution has been scheduled for November 18th, just under two weeks away. Witnesses, racial bias, and incorrect testimony have all played a role in this case and have led Oklahoma officials to be uncertain of the guiltiness of Jones. The Innocence Project states 4 main reasons the Jones trial is inaccurate. Jones has an alibi, being home with family members yet his lawyers never mentioned this fact. Additionally, eyewitness reports state the killer had 1-2 inches of hair, while Jones was bald. The original jury consisted of 11/12 white people with one juror calling Jones the N-word and saying he should be shot. Finally, 3 sworn affidavits of inmates say Jones confessed to them, yet Jones had never met the other inmates. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board voted 3-1 in September to reduce sentencing to life in prison with parole due to the uncertainty of the validity of the prosecution. However, the Governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, has not acted upon this recommendation. What does this mean? If November 18th comes around without the governor addressing concerns, Jones will be put to death as a likely innocent man. Even today, we as society find it accept able to put someone to death in an uncertain case. Although I fully oppose the death penalty, should it be continued, the least we can do is be absolutely confident the defendant is, in fact, guilty.
As a pro-life advocate, I cannot condemn anyone deserving of death, no matter how horrendous their actions may be. As a citizen, I cannot find any reasonable value in ending another human’s life when alternative measures can be made. As a human, I cannot risk the cost of ending a human’s life when there is a chance that they are innocent. That’s exactly what slave traders and sex traffickers do. You can’t put a value on a human being’s life.
Has the GOP Figured Out How to Win Post Trump?
If you’re unaware, there were elections nationwide this week. They presented the first opportunity for a referendum on President Biden and his agenda and they offered a chance for the people to see what the Republican Party has to offer in the post-Trump era. In two shock election results, Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin defeated former Governor Terry McCauliffe in a race for the VA Governorship and Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican, barely lost in an incredibly close race to defeat incumbent Governor Phil Murphy. These are the most shocking Republican showings of this election cycle, but the rest of the Virginia executive suite, another race in New Jersey, and elections in deep blue cities like Minneapolis, Buffalo, and Seattle are showing a changed political reality after 10 months of President Biden.
Just a year ago, Former President Trump lost the election for a second term in office by an electoral college score of 306 – 232, the same margin by which he defeated Fmr. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After months of questioning the result of an election and an insurrection at the Capitol, President Biden took office in January. After quickly passing another COVID relief bill to send another $1400 to Americans, President Biden’s agenda has faced its greatest enemy yet: the United States Congress. The House and Senate cannot seem to get on the same page on passing Biden’s infrastructure bill or his social spending package, which would focus on climate change, the Child Tax Credit, and increasing the IRS’ budget so they can go after rich tax dodgers. Progressives in the House want the spending package to be bigger and done first, but moderate Democrats in the Senate want the infrastructure package before they work on the Reconciliation package.
Political analysts speculated on the role that Congress’ inability to play nice with each other would have. Turns out, this logjam in passing Biden’s agenda played a major role in the elections this week. With no Democratic achievements to run on, Terry McCauliffe spent a significant portion of his campaign comparing Glenn Youngkin to F mr. President Trump. However, Governor-Elect Youngkin spent the last months and weeks of his campaign distancing himself from Trump and repackaging conservative social issues like critical race theory and school choice as simple issues of education rather than running on a brazen campaign of social issues. McCauliffe attacked Younkin on this issue, but made a (possible fatal) miscue when he said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach,” at a debate at the end of September.
Pundits spent Tuesday night speculating what led to Y oungkin to a victory. Some claimed that Democrats need to run more progressive candidates, others claimed that Democrats need to run more conservative candidates, and others said that this is just proof that suburban white women are closet racists who fell for Y oungkin’s tricks of using CRT to talk about race. Many blamed Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for stymieing Biden’s agenda. I want to point to the Y ounkin campaign and how they ran on these controversial issues. Turns out that Democrats cannot run on a campaign against Trump when Trump is not on the ticket.
Youngkin is going to have a statehouse that he can work with. Republicans took control of the VA House of Delegates by a margin of 52- 48. The VA Senate is held by Democrats 21-19, but one of those Democrats votes with Republicans often. With a new Republican Lieutenant Governor in Winsome Sear s, Youngkin has a real chance of enacting his agenda in Virginia.
We saw GOP success in another state that Biden won in 2020: New Jersey. Jack Ciattarelli narrowly lost to incumbent Phil Murphy. Ciattarelli ran a normal “old-GOP” campaign focused on tax cuts and cutting regulation. President Biden won New Jersey by 16 points. The fact that a Republican came even close to winning this race is an embarrassment for Dems nationwide.
In Buffalo, Democratic Socialist candidate India Walton lost to a writein campaign by four-term incumbent Byron Brown. In Minneapolis, a movement to remove the current police department and replace it with a Department of Public Safety failed. In other shocking news, a Republican won the race for City Attorney in Seattle.
The name of this piece is “Has the GOP Figured Out How to Win Post Trump?”. I don’t know about that, but if anything is clear from this week’s elections, it’s that if Democrats in Congress want to be in the majority in 2023, they need to find a way to work together to pass Biden’s agenda. The last time a Republican won the governorship in Virginia, Democrats lost 63 seats in the House of Representatives. Unless the Democrats want to see a Speaker McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader McConnell that would totally block any and all of the Biden agenda, they need to get it together.
Cave Life
Professor Michele Pittard: Embracing Change
Entering into her 20th year at the College and off the heels of her fourth Chapel Talk last week titled, “Get Curious, Make Do, and Feed the Fish,” Professor Michele Pittard continues to act as an inspiring, integral part of the Wabash faculty. Along with being Associate Professor of Educational Studies, Pittard also acts as the faculty’s Director of the Secondary Licensure Program.
Pittard grew up in a family full of teachers, and so from a young age, there was always a feeling that teaching is what lay ahead, but that almost changed. “I kind of knew I wanted to be a teacher and then during my undergraduate education [at Butler University], I moved away from it and towards English,” said Pittard. “I did an internship with publishing and editing, but discovered I did not like it that much. I went back to college, received my teaching certification, and was fully prepared and content in being a high school English teacher.” Almost 25 years later, that is clearly not the case. After pursuing her Master’s degree and Ph.D. at Purdue, Pittard’s work with undergraduate students reunited her love and appreciation for the in-classroom element of the profession. “Many men at Wabash are too often fixed on what they want to do post-Wabash, but for me I was the opposite. It is meaningful to me to be curious about challenging myself through different career paths, and that is how I got to where I am today,” said Pittard.
One would think that with being part of the same community for two decades, the daily nuances and drive would wane, but that is the exact opposite of how Pittard sees her situation. “It is the commitment of the students that come into my courses each semester, and being able to adapt over time that keeps it fresh for me,” said Pittard.
Along with the combination of committed students and always finding new ways to change her courses while maintaining their integrity, the individuals around her every day push her to continue to learn. “I enjoy working with all of my colleagues. At times, it still feels like I am the new, insecure professor, but now being a seasoned professor and being able to be a mentor, it is a complete flip, and I enjoy it,” said Pittard.
Being part of the fabric of the College since 2002 grants Pittard the ability to reflect and admire some of the inner workings that have remained steady over the years. “I have always appreciated the significance of student involvement and student leadership on campus … we are starting up a Dean [of the College] search, and in previous searches and my work with previous committees, I am fortunate to be part of a place that cherishes and takes seriously the input of its students,” said Pittard.
After living in the Lafayette area for 32 years, she and her husband have now relocated to the Carmel area, as they are now empty-nesters with their three children starting their own lives and families elsewhere. Up until recently, much of her life away from the College had revolved around her children’s education, activities, and different leadership positions held within the Lafayette School Corporation.
“Until my move to Carmel, I have only lived within a 50-mile radius of Wabash … now I have the ability to play golf, as my backyard is connected to the neighborhood golf course,” said Pittard. “My husband and I are also Butler alumni, so living so close to many of our friends during our time there, we are able to reconnect and share with them the connection we have with Wabash.”
Pittard’s impact on the experience of many students only seems to strengthen by the day, and it is clear that her motivation for her students and herself is doing the same. This year marks her twentieth at Wabash.
Wabash Celebrates Día de los Muertos
Makeup Workshop Hosted by Theater Department
The Wabash Community found many ways to celebrate and prepare for Halloween this year, one of which was through the Theater Departments Stage Makeup workshop last Thursday, October 28. Held in the basement Experimental Theater of the Fine Arts Center, the workshop was led by Allison Jones, a Costume Designer & Technician who dabbles in horror and gore often.
She covered all types of techniques to replicate realistic bruises, cuts, and other gruesome stage makeup components that might complement many Halloween costumes. Andrea Bear, Wabash’s Theater Department Costume Designer, participated in the workshop.
“There was a good turnout for the event, with a mixture of students, faculty, and family members,” said Bear. “Everyone was excited and at times disturbed, by the realistic nature of the makeup techniques.”
Jones showed the workshop techniques ranging from quick and easy accents to more detailed and labor-intensive pieces. Jones demonstrated using materials from your local store to more expensive specialty materials to carefully craft the perfect Halloween costume.
“One of the main focuses of Allison’s workshop was safety. You can have a lot of fun, and do many cool things with makeup, but safety should be your first priority,” said Bear.
The Theater Department recently announced that Jones will be joining the Department as an Interim Costume Designer. Jones will design the costumes for the Spring The 39 Steps production and will be leading two other workshops in the future.
PIE Trips Return with Chicago PIE
Professional Immersion Experience trips, known as PIE trips, provide Wabash students the opportunity to meet alumni professionals and gain a competitive edge in applying for internships and jobs. Due to COVID, recent PIE trips have been held virtually. But this January, in-person PIE trips are back — with the return of the Chicago PIE trip.
The upcoming Chicago PIE trip will run from January 3-5. Though only three days long, the trip is jam-packed. In addition to numerous group events and a two-day externship, students will end the program at a dinner with the Wabash Club of Chicago, creating an excellent networking opportunity.
This trip, focusing on finance, law, business, and entrepreneurship, is open to all students, regardless of class year or major. The program’s focus allows students, in true liberal arts fashion, to explore career paths that cannot be observed in the classroom. It is true professional immersion.
Through the built-in time for externship placements, students have the opportunity to extern with a number of organizations, including Motorola Solutions, Driehaus Capital Management LLC, and others.
Reed Mathis ‘22 participated in the previous Chicago PIE trip — just a month before the COVID-19 pandemic. Mathis externed with Michael Dockendorf ‘72 and Tim Trela ‘72 at The Peakstone Group, a middle market investment banking firm. Reed described the impact of the trip.
“The insight on the Chicago business landscape and investment banking was immense,” said Mathis. “This was the first time I got to see the Wabash network off-campus in action, and it provided a glimpse at some of the ways I needed to mature and adapt in order to be as successful as I hope to be post-graduation.”
Like all PIE trips, meals, hotels, and transportation expenses are covered by Career Services. Students only need to cover incidental expenses.
Interested students should apply on Handshake by 11:59pm on Nov. 17th.
Sports
Offense Shines at Kenyon
Football Ends Two-Game Skid, Posts 59 Points in Much-Needed Win
Last Saturday, October 30, the Wabash College Little Giants (6-2; 5-2 NCAC) brought home a 59-34 victory over the Kenyon Lords (2-6; 2-5 NCAC) in their last away game of the regular season, continuing a winning streak against the Lords dating back to 1947. Though impressive, the Little Giants have no room to rest, as they prepare to tackle the Wittenberg Tigers (5-3; 5-2 NCAC) tomorrow at home.
The Little Giants dominated Kenyon in every aspect of the game, from First Downs, to Total Yards, to Rushed Yards, and more. The game began with a “very exciting first half with a lot of scoring,” Don Morel, Head Football Coach, said. “Then, at halftime, we just made some adjustments. Our defense played very well in the second half, and we got super offensive performances out of Liam Thompson ‘24, Derek Allen ‘24, Cooper Sullivan ‘23, and Donovan Snyder ‘24 that led us to victory at Kenyon.”
Every game is a lesson in and of itself, and the Little Giants continue to always improve with each game for the next, in a crescendo ending with the Monon Bell Classic and the playoffs. “We can improve everywhere on this football team,” Morel said. “We played much better in special teams versus Kenyon. To beat Wittenberg, you’ve got to be great in all three phases of the game: kicking, defense, and offense. So, obviously, we need to continue to improve on defense, we can’t have turnovers on offense, and we need to play solid on special teams.”
Wittenberg is a much tougher rival than Kenyon. Wabash’s record against them is a tapestry of wins and losses that almost balance each other out. Thankfully, home turf advantage usually does play into which team wins, and Wabash has no more away games for the regular season.
“After playing five of our eight games on the road, it’s gonna be great to be home for the last two,” Morel said.
However, every game is as much psychological as it is physical. With most of the student body anxiously awaiting the Monon Bell Classic against the DePauw University Tigers, there are plenty of distractions the team faces from their game against Wittenberg. However, the players have strategies in place to overcome them. “We just take it one game at a time,” Morel said. “So, we haven’t even started thinking about the Bell game. I mean, I can tell you from past experience that it’s a huge distraction. […] Our primary goal around here this week is to beat Wittenberg.”
Still, the Little Giant football team has many overarching goals for every season. “Our number one goal forever at Wabash College has been to win the Bell game,” Morel said. “That’s our number one goal, and we still have an opportunity to do that. Our number two goal is to win the conference. Now, we have two conference losses, so what’s going to happen for us to do that is out of our control, so we don’t worry about that. But we have a great chance to finish 8-2 and win the Bell game.”
Tomorrow, November 6, at 1 p.m., the Little Giants will face the Wittenberg Tigers at home, at Little Giant Stadium, for the last game before the Monon Bell Classic.
Wabash Moves to 6-2
Little Giants Grab Momentum Ahead of Final Two Games
XC 4th at NCAC Champs
Redpack Looks Ahead to NCAA DIII Great Lakes Regional
The course was at the Clark County fairgrounds in Springfield, Ohio. The course is a relatively new course, but it was still well marked and designed well. However, the course took a beating in the days leading up the meet because of rainy weather. There were several spots on the course with standing water and slippery mud that slowed down the field from front to back.
Ethan Pine ‘22 received all-conference honors finishing in tenth place with a time of 26:53. Brayden Curnutt ‘25 also received all-conference honors finishing in eleventh place in a time of 26:56. Drake Hayes ‘24 finished twenty-fourth place in a time of 27:28. The sophomore has had a breakout season and is the most improved runner on the squad. Ian Dickey ‘22 finished in thirty-second place, and Hunter Wakefield ‘22 finished in thirty-fourth place.
Coach McCreary said, “We ended up fourth that day. If you asked the team at the beginning of the year that is not a result that we would have wanted.”
However, circumstances changed throughout the year. McCreary said, “As the year turned out with our team and with the other teams, that is we ended up on that day and we walked away feeling good about it.” The team lacked a consistent and dominant front runner during the season which hurt the team’s scoring in every meet. And the team experienced a few injuries that hurt their mid-pack depth.
“Ethan Pine ended up in tenth place and Brayden Curnutt finished in eleventh, both being second-team all-conference. It is great that we were able to have a freshman finish so far up,” McCreary said.
Also,”Sophomore Drake Hayes finished 23rd and had a huge day for us, and that helped us out a lot. […] Fourth place made sense for our team considering the [front-runners] that other teams had, and we came up short in our pack running on Saturday. But as a team we have some good things to take away for the returners next year,” McCreary said.
Next week the Redpack will race at the NCAA Regional starting at 11.00 a.m., two hours before the start of the Monon Bell game.
Coach McCreary said, “This will be our first time at Shelbyville this year and our first time racing there since 2018 in the Regional. Since it is a larger meet, we will give our pack some high objectives in the race to stay tight and put ourselves in a position to allow us to be successful and allow us to crack into the top ten or twelve in positioning.”
Soccer Falls in Playoffs
Wabash Loses 8-0 to Kenyon in NCAC Semifinals, Ends Season
The soccer season came to a sudden end on Wednesday afternoon as the Little Giants crashed out of the play-offs in a deflating 8-0 defeat at Kenyon College (15-1-1). While the Lords will now go on to play Denison (11-4-2) in the NCAC Tournament Final, Wabash (11-6-2) will look to re-group and come back stronger in the next campaign.
The Little Giants left it to the final weekend of the regular season to book their place in the play-offs. A 1-1 tie against Oberlin last Saturday was enough to secure a 4th place finish in the NCAC standings as well as a play-off semi-final spot.
Alexis Delgado ’23 scored the opening goal in the 20th minute to put Wabash ahead, but the Yeomen hit back and equalized in the second half. Two periods of overtime were not enough to separate the two sides; however, the result was immaterial.
Earlier in the day, Kenyon had beaten DePauw and prevented the Tigers catching up to Wabash in the standings, thus guaranteeing the Little Giants’ place in the post-season matches.
Yet in a cruel twist of fate, the very team that had helped Wabash into the play-offs now became their opponents. Kenyon came into the play-off semi-final on Wednesday afternoon 14th-ranked and top of the NCAC standings.
When the two sides met earlier in the season, Wabash were unlucky not to get anything out of the game. In that match, Coledon Johnson ’23 put the Little Giants ahead in the first half but failed to capitalize on their position, eventually losing 2-1 in overtime. Wabash, then, hoped for an equally tight contest for the play-off game.
However, the game was far from a close-fought affair, and it did not take long for Kenyon to make their mark. Five minutes after the kick-off, Nardiello-Smith set up Scott Upton to open the scoring. The Lords doubled the score on 28 minutes and added a third less than two minutes later through Burns and Hrafnkelsson respectively. At the break, Kenyon were well in control of the game and led 3-0.
The onslaught really started in the second period. By the 71st minute, the Lords had racked up an additional five goals, including two from Sam Carson and another from Hrafnkelsson. In all, Kenyon put in 33 shots, 18 of which were on target. By comparison, Wabash managed just three shots and only one on goal.
The final score of 8-0, then, was probably a fair reflection on one of Wabash’s most challenging games this entire season.
“I can see first-hand how far this team has come since my freshman year, but this is a humiliating reminder that we still have a long way to go,” said Johnson, this season’s top goal scorer. “Although we suffered a tough loss today, I can confidently say that the Wabash soccer program is stronger than it has ever been. We might not win an NCAC championship next year or the year after, but it’s important for us to pave the path for those in the future by maintaining our values as a team. Eventually our time will come. Altogether, this loss does not define us, but we will remember this loss, use it as fuel in the off-season, and come out next season fighting, because that’s what Wabash does.”
With their season now over, the Little Giants will hang up their boots for a while and reflect on what has been a mixed season.
Despite doing remarkably well to reach the NCAC Tournament, Wabash will have to improve their consistency if they wish to excel in future campaigns. Rest assured, though, when the team returns to training in the spring, Coach Keller and his team will be ready to work hard and build on the solid foundation he has dug this season.