Hi-Five to a long-awaited break. So, that’s what it feels like to have two reading days back-to-back? Maybe we should start have many reading days together and call it a break! … Fall break?
Wabash Announces Arrival of the Stephenson Institute
Last year, President Feller announced the Wabash Public Policy Project, an initiative to support students who follow in a long tradition of Wabash men who have pursued public service. This year, Richard J. Stephenson ‘62 and his family took a giant step in that goal with their major gift to establish the Stephenson Institute for Classical Liberalism.
This past week, Wabash College announced a $10.6 Million gift to bring new opportunities to Wabash men interested in public policy. Last Friday, President Feller welcomed Stephenson and his family, which included Dr. Christopher ’87 and Shawn ’98 Stephenson for the unveiling of the Stephenson Institute for Classical Liberalism. More than 100 guests of the College joined President Feller at the Hotel Carmichael in Carmel, Indiana for the announcement.
The Washington Post’s George F. Will, one of America’s foremost political commentators, gave the celebration’s keynote entitled, “Why I (Still) Believe in Classical Liberalism”. In his time as a student at Wabash, Stephenson studied under legendary Wabash economics professor Ben Rogge. He said that Rogge introduced him to leading libertarian economic thinkers like Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises. After Wabash, Richard J. Stephenson has gone on to found the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Gateway for Cancer Research, and was awarded the Clarence A. Jackson Distinguished Career Achievement Award by the National Association of Wabash Men. For his work in promoting classical liberalism and entrepreneurial freedom, he’s been awarded the Hayek Lifetime Achievement Award from the Austrian Economics Center and Hayek Institute, and the Leonard E. Read Distinguished Alumni Award from the Foundation for Economic Education.
The Stephenson Institute will be a student-centered forum that asks important questions about personal responsibility, individual rights, freedom of speech, and the indispensability of freedom. President Feller said, “At a moment when people are questioning higher education’s commitment to open inquiry, the Stephenson family’s gift is a strong endorsement of Wabash College as an institution that continues to discuss and debate big ideas rather than ideology.”
Lewis McCrary, the acting director of the Stephenson Institute and Special Advisor to the President for Public Policy Opportunities described the Stephenson institute as another tool that the College will use to help students involved in public policy. When The Bachelor asked how WPPP is different from the Institute, he said, “that the Institute will specifically focus on certain areas related to free speech, open inquiry, look[ing] at how markets work and how they function”. The Institute will bring top-flight speakers to lecture on these issues. It will also continue to provide funds for students to do internships and other experiences that teach on that issue. Even last year, some students got an early benefit of the Stephenson Institute in the form of funds from Dr. Christopher Stephenson and his wife, Jamie. Bryce McCullough explained how those funds helped him have “one of the best experiences of [his] life—filled with networking and learning, including connecting with Wabash alumni living in the nation’s capital.” That experience was made possible by those funds which allowed him to live in Washington D.C. without food or rent costs hanging over its head.
The Stephenson Institute and the WPPP will both be used to provide students opportunities in public policy and governance. Funds will also be available to professors to accelerate their research projects, improve course offerings, and plan more student immersion trips. As a co-curricular initiative, the Stephenson Institute will be similar to the WabashX programs. Lewis McCrary said that he hopes the Stephenson Institute will be able to take students on trips like the PIE trips the CIBE and Career Services office runs.
McCrary explained one of the first major projects of the Stephenson Institute: finding its new home. The red house at the intersection of Grant Avenue and College Street is in the process of being renovated to become the home of the Stephenson Institute and the WDPD.
The Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative is currently housed in the armory and will move to that building when its renovation is complete. The Stephenson Institute has already scheduled its first major event. In November, author and political philosopher Kevin Vallier is visiting campus to speak on the topic of social trust from a classical liberal viewpoint. He’ll also be visiting some classes to continue speaking. Lewis McCrary said that the Stephenson Institute hopes to host events on police reform and land use reform this year.
Over the past few years, inside and outside of the classroom, Wabash has worked to create more opportunities for Wabash men interested in public policy, the law, and economics.
The Stephenson Institute will go on to serve Wabash men for future generations to come.
Inauguration of Feller Ushers in New Chapter for the College
‘We are one Wabash’: MXI & La Alianza Led Unity Tour
On October 12, 2021, over three hundred members of the Wabash community took part in a Unity Walk. The event was organized by Leo Warbington ’22. Other key organizers of the event included Allen Johnson Jr. ’23, Chairman of the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies (MXI), and Jonathan Silva-Melendez ’24, President of La Alianza: Unidos Por Sangre. The walk aimed to promote a welcoming culture for people of all backgrounds, as opposed to focusing on any one type of diversity, specifically.
Warbington came up with the idea for such an event this past Spring, as it felt necessary for the campus. However, when the day of the event came, it surpassed Warbington’s expectations, as hundreds of students – independent and Greek, faculty, staff, and community members joined in the walk. “It brought tears to my eyes,” Warbington said. “People are a lot more supportive and willing to have conversations as to why hate exists.” Life hit Warbington hard last semester and “when life hits you hard you gotta fight,” Warbington said. Also, that “we are here to better ourselves, and that accounts for more than academics and athletics.” With the Unity Walk bringing together more than three hundred people together, it is clear to see that Warbington’s message was received and that members of the College are willing to listen.
“It [the Unity Walk] was the first event where students were receptive,” Johnson said. “Members of the MXI want to start a conversation, and future events will allow that.”
Johnson saw it as further reinforcement of the belief that there is power in numbers, which was apparent in the turnout at the Unity Walk. “This is what I came to Wabash for,” said Johnson when asked about the overwhelming support and turnout from all breaths of the Wabash community.
Jonathan Silva-Melendez ’24, President of La Alianza, attended an MXI meeting and heard of the upcoming event, he wanted to involve his club and its members immediately.
“Those who showed up to the walk got to see the struggle of other students,” Silva said. The club is becoming more and more prominent as Wabash recruits bring more Spanish-speaking students and students with Latino American backgrounds. Knowing this, Silva is very active in representing the members of the Latino communities at Wabash.
“It’s hard being at a school where no one speaks your first language,” Silva said. Silva was thrilled to see the number of attendees like Warbington and Johnson, but it also showed him how ready Wabash is for change.
The MXI will be hosting their X-tacy: Poetry Slam event on November 6th in the Korb Classroom at 7 pm.
La Alianza will be hosting Dia De Los Muertos on November 1-2, as well as a future Spring event in the works where they will be cooking carne asada.
Opinion
How to Judge the Life of Sec. Colin Powell
In the wake of Former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s death, how do we best reflect on the lives of people who committed singular wrongs of enormous proportion? Colin Powell was one of the most extraordinary figures in American history. The son of Jamaican immigrants, he rose through the military to become a decorated general, a trailblazer for Black soldiers & Americans, and eventually to hold the military’s highest position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A devoted husband and father of three, he lived a remarkable life with a career marked by well executed and significant diplomatic and military endeavors — that is until Iraq.
In 2003, as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, Powell sat before the still wounded nation and a United Nations in trepidation over proposed military intervention in Iraq. Over an hour-long speech, Powell — a figure revered by Americans for his clarity, accomplishments, and dignity of purpose — paraded false intelligence that sold the country on an ill-conceived endeavor. In the years that followed, the number of weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq held constant at zero, while civilian and military deaths resulting from the conflict climbed to an estimated 400,000 people, a human loss of grossly tragic proportion.
How do we forgive such an action when the consequences are so grave? Can we venture to judge Secretary Powell by the totality or his life before and after Iraq when such a bludgeoning failure exists with it?
Powell was deeply skeptical of the intelligence and scrutinized it for days before giving his speech to the United Nations. In private meetings with the President and Vice President, he expressed these reservations. But despite those reservations, and Powell’s later eagerness to express that he had such, I feel this makes the eventual wrong worse not better. What is the power of Powell’s closed-door conviction when that same conviction was broadcast to mislead the world in favor of the Bush Administration’s belligerence? Everyone is better than the worse thing they’ve ever done. But Powell’s actions were not only an act of wrongdoing, they went against a better judgement he admitted, and later sought to prove, he had at the time.
James Baker, who served as Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff under Bush Senior, said of Powell’s Iraq War actions, “He’s the one guy who could have perhaps prevented this from happening.” According to testimonials from other involved in the decision, Baker’s presumption is correct.
But also at issue in our reflection on Powell’s life, is the unfair burden of having the power to make errors with such fatal consequences. While the worst mistake a professor or student could make might be neglecting their responsibilities, truancy, or plagiarism, the decisions our world leaders make each day have life or death consequences. While heart surgeons perform thousands of successful and lifesaving procedures, some will inevitably make mistakes that leads to the deaths of patients. Are singular lapses of better judgement – however consequential they may be – enough to critique a lifetime of good simply because the stakes of their decisions are higher? I don’t know the answer to that question, especially in the case of Colin Powell.
Despite an act which I believe to be a betrayal to humanity, he dedicated his life after the fact to atoning for his sin and sought to make the nation he loved a better place. He not only admitted his speech before the UN was wrong, but deeply and sincerely regretted it. He took bold political stances against his party, publicly advocated for the repeal of don’t ask don’t tell which expelled gay service members from the military unless they remained closeted, and endorsed several presidential candidates of the opposite party as his own.
Perhaps the most positive impact of Powell’s life is what he represented to millions of Americans. Congressman Jamaal Bowman, a stalwart progressive and critic of American intervention abroad, received enormous pushback for tweeting that as a black New Yorker he was inspired by Powell’s example. Some progressives argued that Powell’s UN speech was unforgivable, and that Bowman should be ashamed of looking to him as an idol. Bowman wrote, “As a Black man just trying to figure out the world, Colin Powell was an inspiration. He was from NYC, went to City College, and rose to the highest ranks of our nation. Sending love, strength and prayer to the family and friends of Secretary Powell. Rest in power sir.”
Forgiveness requires the bravery to admit wrongdoing, and to repent not with words, but with conviction and action. Colin Powell will not be judged by any singular act of good or wrong, but by the impact of a life that like most, was imperfect. It’s not for us to judge Sec. Powell, that lies with his maker. Regardless of his mistakes, our nation is better for his conviction and his example. That, of all things, will be what is mostly missed.
It’s Time for us All to Get A Hobby
Amid a generation obsessed with work and taking themselves too seriously, I can’t help but notice that along the road of selfrighteousness, hobbies have long since died off. I find that in the age of digital media, not only are people consumed with their work, but their work consumes them. Far too often, I have met with people informally and been unable to have a meaningful conversation because they were totally engrossed with identifying themselves as an occupation, not a person. Sorry, but being in finance is not a personality trait. In fact, it’s 9 PM on a Saturday, why are you still talking about work? Loving what you do is very important, but what you enjoy, what you care about, and your purpose are even more important. It is essential to know that you are more than your occupation.
The cultivation of hobbies starts from the parents during childhood. I suspect if, as a parent, the only hobby you have instilled into your child is getting good grades, that same field of thought will consume them throughout their adult life. If the most important passion you instill in your child is getting good grades, what will your child’s most important passion be after leaving school — in other words, for the next 70 years of his or her life? Take your kids to the Zoo. Go rock climbing. Travel. Try new things. Life is too precious to actually think that what you do for work reflects who you are, or as it seems today, what you are.
Sadly enough, modern technology has tricked an entire generation into thinking their life is very fulfilling. Most time that could be dedicated to hobbies is spent scrolling on Instagram, getting angry at Twitter, or watching Netflix. I’m sorry to break the news, but none of those things matter. But we think they do, and that could not be any further from the truth.
Here, I want to make the distinction between hobbies and pastimes. Hobbies are things you genuinely have an interest in and fulfill your ambition and passion. Pastimes simply, well, pass time. I encourage you to find what matters and fulfills you. Try new things, leave your comfort zone, and do not take yourself too seriously. Do not be afraid to try new and fun things no matter the occupation you choose. Do you know what you call a doctor that just left a square dance class? A doctor.
There are so many things to do in life, yet masses of society have fallen victim to the same cycle of repetition. Wake up, go to work, come home, have dinner, and watch TV until you fall asleep to do it all again the next day. Finally, the weekend! Now it’s time to go to the same bar, in the same city, with the same people to talk about the same stuff. Exciting! That might sound familiar, and it should, for those are the very same motions consuming a generation. There are 423 national parks, most museums are free or low cost, free community events happen all the time, and a walk in the park is free. Hobbies are not just for the rich. If COVID-19 gave us anything, it was free time. Sadly enough, most time was spent with pastimes and not hobbies.
Perhaps the reason for the wane in hobbies is due to the fashioning of what I will call “hustle culture”. More people are pursuing advanced degrees, entry-level jobs are ultra-competitive, and the inherent sense of competition accompanies all social media platforms. That being said, life is competitive, and hustle culture can easily consume anyone. Don’t get me wrong, I love to hustle just as much as the next guy, seriously. But I know my life is much more than a hustle. Despite how hard you hustle, you meet the same fate as the slowest moving creature I can think of: a sloth. Sloths, much like people, die one day. You can’t out hustle death.
I have never heard of anyone who looked back on their life and said their moments filled with the most joy came from their iPhone or Netflix. Most people on their deathbed don’t lament the fact that they could have spent more time at work. Because I promise you, life is only a short trip, and no one makes it out alive. I encourage you all to do the things that bring you true joy and cultivate passion, not just simply pass the time. Find what you like to do and do it. Time is limited and should be spent as such. We are here on earth to do more than work. As Mark Twain said, “The most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”
Evaluating the Reality of Keeping Wabash Unique
Fall “break” is over. Midterms are still going along. And, yes, Senior Seminar is always there to remind me of what awaits come January. A senior year like any other. Still, my daily life at Wabash is not unlike any other student. We all are Wabash men at the end of the day. Most of us aged 18-22 came to Crawfordsville for one reason or another. Some reasons are pretty straightforward; others involve great triumphs from prior failures that we will one day hear during a future Chapel Talk. One way or another, this College manages to balance the glory and allure of old and what is now necessary for the sustainability of the education of Wabash men for generations to come. Not every current student will accept that. And that is all right.
However, as I see myself sitting in the basement of the Armory or The Bachelor office like any other Wednesday, I cannot seem to brush an uneasiness out of my mind. Is every student doing what they can to make Wabash a better place than it was the first day they set foot on campus? Before looking to the future, allow me to reveal the curtain and take a step back.
For those who have not had the privilege of visiting our office, it is exactly what you would think it is for a building that is a little over 100 years old. Although, from time to time, you can learn a thing or two. One of those moments happened to me this week. I strolled through some issues of The Bachelor from last year all the way back to the 80s. A few laughs, a few deep sighs, and once in a while, something genuinely enlightening pops up.
In an opinion from 1995, a Sophomore named Luttrell Levingston ‘98 had an opinion piece titled “What Makes Wabash Unique.” Believe me, freshman, you are not the first, nor will you be the last class to hear about what separates Wabash from other institutions of higher learning. Some are more obvious than others, but others make this little place what it still represents for thousands of Wabash men.
After reading his beautiful, impressive opinion, there is one thing that he touches on that cannot escape my mind. He said, “When we entered this place, we were still boys struggling to find our way in the world. The people we met here, more than anything else, defined what kind of men we have become.”
I ask every current underclassman to pull aside an upperclassman in their house or someone you have had the pleasure of befriending. Ask them: is this a Wabash you feel confident and fulfilled leaving behind? Some will reply with a roll of their eyes and “Sure.” Others would probably go on a rant and blame everything on the administration.
I say that we are getting there, yet not everyone pulls the same weight. The COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid changes in student life over the last four years, the divide between fraternity men and independents, and a host of mercurial moments will prove to have lasting consequences during my remaining time here and for years to come. Those of us who knew the days of Wabash pre-COVID, do you think those around you are making a collective effort to make this place better for its future students, faculty, and community members? This concern is not foreign for the dozens of Seniors I have had this conversation or type of conversation with since coming back to campus this Fall.
It is easy for the older guys to critique the younger guys. However, this is not directed at the students who look at you sideways when you bring up Boat Races during Homecoming Week. This is not directed at the upperclassmen who came into this place knowing what it would take to be part of something bigger than themselves but have not. Maybe not even for the people who come off as successful or “living their best Wabash life,” but in reality could not care for this place once they receive that diploma in May. It is all of us.
Since the pandemic, the divide on campus between fraternity and independents presents a reason for long-term concern. This is the time to put that aside and move towards a greater purpose. The presence of groups like MXI, shOUT, and La Alianza is no longer just a building or group where you know one or two people. These are growing into staples of our Wabash community. In a pandemic that highlighted the growing divide in racial, religious, and sexual orientation prejudice in our country, our duty as Wabash men is to not fall into the mistakes that older generations and some current leaders make today. As the Unity Walk showcased last week, we are a stronger campus when we realize that the differences between us pale in comparison to the shared experiences and realizations we are afforded at Wabash. The opportunities to accept the unknown and grow through those around us.
These are just a couple of examples of how certain individuals and groups are fulfilling the promise we owe to those who came before, and in ways, we are falling into mediocrity.There is no better time to realize that we are part of something bigger than ourselves than the present. By prioritizing trust and accountability, we then can become the best version of what a Wabash man means in society today.
Cave Life
Detailing Prof. Horton’s Relation with the College While on Sabbatical
The liberal arts enable exploration beyond one’s field of study or expertise, in order to provide a fuller grasp of intersections between fields and a better command of useful skillsets that one would otherwise not get. This is true for students and professors alike, and Professor of Psychology Robert “Bobby” Horton stands as testament to that. His daily life involves working beyond Psychology, into community service, retention, and family life, building a harmonious and balanced life based on continuous improvement.
Horton is currently on sabbatical, working on assessing how the College can improve student retention and success, particularly focusing on lowincome, first-generation, and new majority students.
“I am leading an assessment of our WLAIP [Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program] that involves some interviews with WLAIP students, a quantitative analysis of the impact of the program, and hopefully some conversations with alums of the program,” Horton said. “I am [also] working on organizing a conference for small colleges that will happen in Indianapolis in the Spring, which will bring together schools that are doing interesting things to support first generation college students, low income students, and students of color. Places like Knox College, Berea College – maybe Albion -, and ourselves [will be able to] trade best practices and challenges with regards to the support of students from underserved populations. And then I’m working a little bit with our admissions folks and [those] at other schools to talk about strategies for recruiting students of color in particular.”
Horton’s work on underserved student retention and success stems from his wider involvement with freshman retention at the College. “So, Preston Bost [current Professor of Psychology] and Cheryl Hughes [current Professor of Philosophy] started the college’s focus on supporting students from underserved populations back in 2009, and, about the same time, I was heavily involved in the freshman program,” Horton said. “I think higher education focuses on the first year, at least partially because the largest percentage of students who leave college do so in or after their first year.” As a result of that overlap with Professors Bost and Hughes’ work, in 2015, upon the College receiving the first Mellon Grant to fund the WLAIP, Horton was named Co-Coordinator of the program based on his work in student retention.
Horton’s professional background is in Social and Personality Psychology, with a specific focus on nonpathological narcissism.
Though his work provides incredible insight into human behavior and student retention, Horton’s greatest professional satisfaction comes from teaching. “From about my second or third year in graduate school […] I realized I wanted to be in a primarily teaching institution,” Horton said. “I do love research, but I really enjoy the mentoring, and I love being in the classroom and guiding students. […] I guess I was sort of fascinated by that process of trying to craft experiences and activities and lessons and stories that would both pique interest and make material relevant and understandable to students,” Horton said.
However, Horton’s main takeaway from teaching has actually been learning and being able to explore topics beyond his field of expertise. “I learn new stuff every time I teach a class, even if it’s a class that I have taught [in the past],” Horton said.
His love for teaching and constant learning, combined with his own liberal arts background, helped Horton be a great fit for Wabash. During his undergraduate years at the University of Richmond, a liberal arts university of about 3000 students, Horton played soccer and was part of a fraternity himself. “[The University of Richmond] was like Wabash in the environment that they created,” Horton said. “It was very intellectual, we had all-college courses, we had lab science requirements. I got to interact with some of the faculty – not quite the way I think our students do. […] I think I’ve grown into Wabash in ways that go beyond just, hey, I was in a fraternity, I was an athlete.”
Horton’s involvement expands way beyond the classroom, through community service and family life. “I coach soccer [in the community] – under-11, under-13 teams typically,” Horton said. “My wife and I live just a few miles from [campus]. We have three kids, so that keeps us very busy. They all swim, and, so, we spend a lot of hours either carting them to swim practice or volunteering for the swim club in one form or another. I’m on the board at the Boys and Girls Club of Montgomery County, so I help run programs and support programs there.”
Still, with all these activities going on, Horton’s life is very much centered around his family. “I love my family, and there’s no set of people I would rather be around than my three kids and my wife, “Horton said. “We have a senior in high-school, who is going to be gone soon, so we’re trying to soak up as much time as we can with him.” In many ways, Horton’s family life and service to the Wabash and wider Montgomery County community represent the main forces that he balances in order to create a harmonious life, filled with experiences from which he can learn.
Knowling Hosts Fall Career Event
Podcast Review: My Dad Made a Porno
“The following podcast contains adult themes, sexual content, and strong language. Basically all the good stuff.” This message aptly forewarns each and every episode of the critically acclaimed podcast, My Dad Wrote A Porno. Hosted by Jamie Morton, the show is a table read of an amateur erotic novel entitled Belinda Blinked. The catch? The novel was written by Morton’s father, who goes by the sultry pen name of Rocky Flintstone. Joined in the reading are Morton’s best mates, Alice Levine and James Cooper, who generally hear the content for the first time as they read. With over 280 million downloads and six seasons, the unlikely comedy has been a smash hit.
Spurring Rocky Flintstone’s dabbling in erotic writing was the widely popular novel Fifty Shades of Gray written by E.L. James. While James’ work has been one of the most popularized series within the genre, Belinda Blinked as written doesn’t quite meet the same standard. Flintstone takes some real liberties when it comes to things like grammar, as well as his expressive, and at times questionable, descriptions of sexual acts. Luckily, these shortcomings feed Morton’s commentary to create a hilarious listening experience.
The podcast even received its own HBO special in 2019. That edition only features Morton and friends reading a selection of Belinda Blinked where Belinda attends a corporate retreat. Led by a woman named Natasha Biles, whom Flintstone describes as “the local female lifeboat member,” who wore a “comfortable yet sexy black leather trouser suit.” As a listener of the podcast, I especially enjoyed being able to see the facial expressions of each host, who, despite having read six seasons aloud already, still cringe at some of the scenes they read aloud.
Outside of his actual writing, Flinstone takes the story through twists and turns that are both unexpected and seemingly bizarre. The very first explicit scene happens as Belinda interviews for a position at Steeles Pots & Pans. Even Flinstone’s naming of characters seems strange, featuring the likes of Mistress Sweetjuice and Alfonse Stirbacker. Through these oddities, the audience is continually reminded that this is an amateur self-published novel by a seemingly pretty average guy. We are then reminded that it is his son who is hosting the show, which makes it all the funnier.
For those skeptical about diving into a new show, I was also hesitant to throw My Dad Wrote A Porno on over one of my regulars. The only reason I seriously considered listening was that so many friends had recommended it. People from very different sections of my life seemed to have nothing but good things to say, so, when I had some dishes to do, I threw it on, got to scrubbing, and finished all thirteen episodes of series one by the end of the week!
Despite its name and subject matter, My Dad Wrote a Porno is a great addition to anyone’s podcast rotation. It can take a second to get past some of the more shocking moments of the show, but, once you do, it becomes less about the sex scenes and more a larger appreciation for the show as a whole. Whether you’ve got a stack of dirty dishes in front of you or are just looking for a good listen, give Belinda Blinked and My Dad Wrote a Porno a chance with an open mind. You won’t regret it.
Asian Studies Committee Hosts Bubble Tea Ceremony
Asian Flavored Fish and Noodle Stir-Fry
My Fall Break started last Wednesday afternoon because I did not have any classes. I was sitting in the Scholars Lounge in the Lilly Library which is my favorite place to relax. However, I had to leave soon because the library shut down earlier than the usual weekday time. I could understand because the staff also wanted to go on break too. Therefore, I went back to Martindale and read a Japanese book in the lobby.
My stomach rumbled around 5:45 pm which is the exact time I go to the Sparks Center to get dinner every afternoon. However, the building was quiet and the servery doors were closed. I thought that they were not ready to open. There were some other students who were waiting to get dinner too.
I was shocked to hear when a woman told us, “Sparks will be closed until next Sunday dinner time.” However, an even bigger shock came when I saw some of the football players I know holding Sparks boxes with one hand. I asked, “Why do you have it?” One of them replied, “Oh, they gave me dinner because I am on a football team.” Why did Sparks treat us differently? It is not fair! Him and I are both in the same grade and paid the exact same cost of room & board!
I looked inside of the box. It was just typical “Sparks food”, mashed white potato and roasted beef with pepper. Why did they not give me food? It is just a simple dish to cook! Moreover, I thought that the “special meal for the athlete” lacked a good balance of nutrition, but mainly consisted of animal fat and carbohydrates.
As an international student who does not have a driving license, I cannot go to a supermarket to buy food to cook. Although I have a bicycle, Kroger or Walmart is quite far for me. Also, I cannot carry bags; it is too dangerous to do. I could go to local restaurants because I have money, but that feels wasteful. So, I cooked various Japanese noodles for the next few days.
Then, on Saturday evening, I received a text from “Hawk” Richard Ricketts ’23 who invited me to cook dinner with him. We have started to get to know each other, as few students really care about food and like cooking. I know that many students are dissatisfied with the Sparks, but I cannot understand why they go to McDonald’s instead. Those are the same!
We strongly believe that we do not need to pay the cost for the Sparks because we are good at cooking. However, we still pay for it because of past students who fell into undernourishment and survived by eating frozen food heated by a microwave. They tried to “save” their money by sacrificing their health. Why don’t American students seriously think about what they eat daily? How did their mother raise them? Has not she ever expressed her love toward her children through food?
Both of us are lucky living in Martindale, having a clean lobby and a quite decent kitchen. If we were in the College Hall, how would we be able to survive? Anyways, when I entered Hawk’s room on the first floor, I found that he had abundant piles of food. He said that his mother always brings food for him weekly. He said that the biggest reason he does not eat at Sparks is because of the dietary restrictions caused by the different medications he has to take. It is easier for him to cook with food which his mother brings for him, instead of going to Sparks.
We were able to finish cooking and washing within an hour. We had a good teamwork sharing different roles in every moment to progress smoothly. I think cooking with Hawk was the best experience that I have done during my Fall Break while staying on campus.
The asparagus was so hard that I had to bite carefully. The bitterness poured out inside my mouth as I chewed more. Although I am a person who is fine eating vegetables, I do not like asparagus because it has its own bitterness that can destroy other taste. Personally, I prefer eating green onion because it is sweet and easy to chew. That is why it is used in various types of Japanese noodle cuisine. However, I think that the asparagus’ bitterness helped to prevent the dish from having an overly sweet taste of the sauces by neutralizing.
The mushroom comforted my tongue whenever I wanted to erase bitterness from its surface; I prefer sweet tasting food. Each mushroom contained the sauce that helped to mix with the food rather than sticking on the plate. Therefore, I ate the mushroom with other food at the same time to mix those inside my mouth.
It was my first time eating Thai noodles. I do not know how to express its texture because it is not firm like Udon noodles or soft to slip like Somen noodles (Japanese white vermicelli). The rice taste reminded me of eating Vietnamese noodles Pho. It was chewy and slightly thick to slurp the noodle, a way to express that I was enjoying it. I discovered that noodles in general can be eaten even without soup.
The salmon itself was so delicious that I thought simply grilling it with salt and butter was enough. However, Hawk came up with a wonderful idea to mix salmon with the noodles, which was quite gorgeous for one meal. Its pinkish color delights my heart as the season is changing to winter and the gray clouds cover the sky.
Usually, a salmon is dry and easy to crumble, which sometimes annoys me because it takes time by eating a pair of chopsticks. However, the sauce soaked the salmon well, which helped to maintain its shape and to have a rich taste besides salt and butter. I cannot understand why the Sparks do not provide any fish. The cliché “Because we are in the Midwest” cannot be a justified reason because I know that seafood is sold in Kroger.
I really appreciate that Hawk invited me to cook this together during the Fall Break. Or else, I would have forgotten that food is something that is enjoyable to cook and eat because of the Sparks’ shutdown. The next Break will be Thanksgiving, which will be longer, and I think the Sparks is going to shut down again. However, I am looking forward to cooking various food because I will be prepared for the next break.
Ingredients (For 2 People):
- Half a box of Thai Stir Fry Rice Noodles
- 1 Fresh Bundle of Asparagus
- 7 White Button Mushrooms
- 2 Fillets of Fresh Salmon
- 1/4 Cup of Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup of Soy Sauce
- 1/4 Cup of Oyster Sauce
- 1 Clove of Diced Garlic
- 1 Teaspoon of Onion powder
- 2 Teaspoons of Lemon Pepper
- 2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt
- 1 Tablespoon of Salad/Vegetable Seasoning
- Half a stick of Butter
How to Cook:
- Add all seasonings to taste on diced veggies.
- Adding oyster/soy/olive oil/butter as you stir.
- As veggies are cooking, boil noodles until ready.
- Then, drain noodles and add those to wellstirred
veggies on a frying pan. - Adding oyster/soy while stirring those until
noodles start to change color and sizzle. - Prior to stir frying noodles, prepare salmon by
coating with diced garlic, olive oil soy and oyster
sauce as well as desired dry spices. - After completing the stirring a frying pan and
cook the salmon well down, mix those by arranging
on a plate.
Students, Faculty Provide Feedback on Masking Policy
As students finish their first-week post-Fall break, a key question remains on campus: What is the mask policy? There is no definitive answer. As we have seen this semester alone, the College is willing to loosen and restrict the policy based on the surrounding Montgomery County data and input from students and faculty alike.
The survey sent out last week allowed for students and faculty to give their take on the mask policy and other questions gauging the reasons and effect of the mask policy on their experience at Wabash. For students, this was an opportunity to have the medium to directly communicate with the individuals making the final call on the matter. With it being a contentious issue for students throughout campus over the last two academic years, the survey saw nearly 300 students provide input.
According to Dr. Ann Taylor, Senior Associate Dean of the College, neighboring institutions like Earlham College, Kenyon University, and Denison University require full maskwearing in all buildings on campus.
As of the time this piece is published, masking in all classrooms and public facilities is required. With many students traveling off-campus, along with faculty constantly facing unknown exposure with unvaccinated children at their homes, the required masking fell in line with what we know and can predict.
Before the break, 100 COVID- 19 tests had been conducted per week, with zero positive tests over the last five weeks leading up to October 17th. Factoring in that 99% of faculty is vaccinated and 95% of students, these are favorable conditions for more loose restrictions on masking heading into the tail stretch of the semester.
According to the survey, many of the faculty members responded positively when asked how the implementation of the maskingoptional policy started in the classrooms, with only a handful of faculty saying otherwise. In general, the majority of faculty allowed for students to have the option to wear a mask if that made them more comfortable but did enforce it. While a little below half of the faculty required masking in all of their classes or masking in particular classes that they instructed.
The survey suggested students, for the most part, understand the reasoning behind why masking might be required and why it might not be required in classrooms. As one might expect, a small number of students disagree with wearing masks, but, overall, the College is heading into favorable conditions moving forward.
Sports
Football Falls to Wooster
Fighting Scots Hand Little Giants First Loss in Offensive Shootout
This past weekend, Wabash (5-1, 4-1 NCAC) suffered a heartbreaking defeat in a shootout game against the Wooster Fighting Scots (4-2, 3-2 NCAC). At a score of 44- 41 and in a game that saw 1170 yards between the two teams, this game was a display of offensive prowess.
The game started fast. Just four minutes into the game, Liam Thompson ’23 and Cooper Sullivan ’23 connected for the first of their three touchdowns in this game, putting Wabash up 7-0 early. Wooster responded fast, needing just over 4 minutes to score and even the game at 7-7 with just under seven minutes remaining. Just before the first quarter ended, Jacob Handley ’22 kicked a 41-yard field goal to put Wabash up 10-7 going into the second.
Mateo Renteria and the Fighting Scots got to work early in the second, scoring on a 15-yd run. Wooster missed the extra point, pushing the score to 13-10 just into the second. After a Wabash three-and-out, Wooster moved quickly for another Renteria touchdown, putting the Scots up 20-10 five minutes into the second quarter. Liam Thompson and Cooper Sullivan needed only four minutes to connect for the second time in the game, leaving the Little Giants down only 20-17. In just over five minutes, the Scots worked downfield for a rushing touchdown to extend their lead to ten, 27-17. Wabash had the final say in the half with a 39-yard field goal by Handley to cut Wooster’s lead to seven, 27-20.
Wooster began the second half with a strong drive that ended in a fumble recovered by Wabash’s Avery Epstein ’25 at the Wabash 3-yard line. Cade Campbell ’24 capped off that drive with a 37-yard rushing score, tying the game at 27 all. On the ensuing kickoff, Wooster’s Carter Warstler returned the kickoff 98 yards to put Wooster up 34-27. It took just two and a half minutes for Cooper Sullivan and Liam Thompson to tie the ball game on their third scoring connection of the game, re-tying the game at 34-34. Wooster and Wabash both had drives stall out at the end of the third quarter.
Just five seconds into the fourth, Wooster’s Renteria passed for his fourth total touchdown of the game to give the Scots the advantage 41-34. After a three and out by each team, Liam Thompson scored his fourth touchdown of the game on a rush, leaving the game tied with little more than ten minutes remaining. With just over eight minutes left in the game, Wooster’s Sebestyen Balassy kicked the go-ahead field goal to put the Scots up 44-41. Wabash’s offense marched to the Wooster 22-yard line to give Jacob Handley the chance at a game-tying 39-yard field goal. Handley made the kick, but Wooster’s Head Coach Frank Colaprete called timeout just before the snap, icing Handley. On the next attempt, Handley missed the kick wide left, leaving 51 seconds on the clock. Wooster’s final drive took 26 seconds off the clock, leaving Wabash with no timeouts and 80 yards to go. Liam Thompson’s hail mary attempt hit the turf on the final play, ending the game.
The Wabash offense had an incredible day rushing for 391 yards and passing for 279. That total of 670 yards is just 41 short of a college record 711 yards in a game. Cooper Sullivan led the receiving attack with nine catches, 101 yards, and three touchdowns. Donovan Snyder ’24 ran for 220 yards. Cade Campbell added 104 yards and a touchdown. The defense, on the other hand, had a rough day, giving up 408 yards in the air and 474 total in the loss. The fumble recovery by Epstein and two sacks by LB Seth Buresh ’22 were bright spots for the Little Giants Defense. Special teams has been a weakness of the Little Giants and special teams miscues played a critical role in the game. The kick return for a touchdown and the missed field goals created a 10 point swing in Wooster’s favor. Jacob Handley is 3/7 on the year for field goals with one blocked kick.
Wabash will look to bounce back in a tough game against Ohio Wesleyan (5-2, 4-2 NCAC). The Battling Bishops were held scoreless against DePauw for 55 minutes in their second loss in three weeks. Ohio Wesleyan has struggled against NCAC competition, and Wabash’s explosive offense will look to take advantage. Wabash and OWU, both coming off losses, matchup in Delaware, Ohio this Saturday at 2 p.m.
Little Giants 2nd in NCAC
Wabash Trails DePauw in Standings, Still Controls Own Destiny
XC Battles at Oberlin
Little Giants Finish 16th out of 35, Look Ahead to NCAC Championships
The Redpack competed at the Oberlin Interregional Rumble this past Saturday against a field of thirtyfive Division III opponents. The Little Giants finished 16th out of the 35 total teams.
The course consisted of one main lap that the racers repeated three times with minor variations on each loop. The lap is approximately 1.5 miles. Half the loop is wood chip path and the other half is short cut grass. The course was in great condition when the team previewed the course on Friday night. However, the Greater Cleveland Area experienced torrential downpours all Friday night into Saturday morning. These downpours turned the wood chip path into a thick soup of uneven mud and wood chips that grabbed at the runners’ shoes as they attempted to navigate the path. The other half of the course was left largely unharmed.
The damage was done and every squad in the race recorded poor times. In these conditions, it was almost impossible for racers to establish a consistent rhythm and pass and extremely difficult to hold pace in a crowded field on the wood chip path.
Coach Tyler McCreary said, “Our biggest strength is our 1-5 pack, which the course conditions blew up.” Despite slow times, the Redpack put together a solid effort at the meet. The squad ran a sub-one minute spread for their scoring runners, a trend that will help them later in the season. At previous meets, the spread was closer to 30 seconds.
Ethan Pine ’22 finished 62nd in a time of 27:13, Brayden Curnutt ’25 finished 65th in a time of 27:19, Clarke Criddell ’22 finished 108th in a time of 28:03, Drake Hayes ’24 finished 118th in a time of 28:09, and Ian Dickey ’22 finished 123rd in a time of 28:13. Coach McCreary was also impressed with Jacob “J-Bone” Sitzman ’25 and Joe Barnett ’24, who both earned a conference roster position from the open race.
Coach McCreary said, “Ethan Pine and Brayden Curnutt both had great performances that left us in a good spot for the day.”
The team notably lost to conference opponents Allegheny College, Denison University, and Oberlin College. This result will likely place the team fifth in the pre-conference rankings. “Oberlin, Denison, and Allegheny will all be good competition at the Conference meet.” All of these teams have impressive front runners and a larger spread between their one and five pack.
At the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Meet on Saturday, October 30, the team will look to use their mid-pack depth to their advantage. Wittenberg University will host the meet in Springfield, Ohio.
“The team has been looking forward to the conference meet all year,” McCreary said. “We’ve had a couple of misses at previous meets due to bad performances or conditions. But we are looking to compete well in the conference meet.”
Unlike the Oberlin meet which had 35 teams, the conference meet will only have nine teams. This gives teams with a quick front runner less advantage due to the nature of scoring in cross country (low score wins, top five finishers receive points equal to their place). In a race with 90 runners, a first place finish carries less weight than in a race with 500 runners. Therefore, the Redpack will be looking to use their strong core to their advantage. “The makeup of the team, without a major front runner, but with a fantastic core, will put us in good condition for a smaller meet like at a conference. […] Depauw will be difficult to beat , but we are looking at some beatable teams in Denison, Oberlin, and Allegheny.”
Soccer Rebounds vs. Witt
Wabash Recovers After 2OT Loss, Pushes for NCAC Playoff Berth
It was a sore and disappointing weekend for the Little Giants as they fell 2-1 in double overtime against No. 22-ranked and conference-leading Kenyon College (11-1-1, 6-0 NCAC). A first-half goal from Coledon Johnson ’23 was not enough for the win as the Lords clawed their way back into the game, eventually scoring the winner in the second period of overtime. However, on Tuesday night Wabash (10-4-1, 3-2- 1 NCAC) got their season back on track with a 3-0 away victory at Wittenberg (6-6-3, 1-4-1 NCAC).
Despite coming into Saturday’s contest unbeaten in conference play, Kenyon looked flaccid in the first half. Wabash knocked the ball around nicely and Johnson was unlucky when the linesman ruled his 12th-minute opportunity offside. The Little Giant defense thoroughly frustrated the Kenyon front line, with Cristian Aleman ’22 and Quinn Leous ’23 doing notably well at the back.
The opening goal came near the end of the period. Wabash whipped in a corner kick to the front post, but nobody could quite get a foot on it. The ball bobbled around for a few seconds before falling at the feet of Johnson who fired into the bottom right-hand corner to put the Little Giants a goal up. At the half, Wabash led 1-0.
But Kenyon were certainly not going to take a defeat lying down, and in the second half the tide shifted in their favor. The Little Giants were unable to attempt a single shot in the second period as the Lords thoroughly dominated possession. Wabash goalkeeper Michael Bertram ’23 was called on several times to make important stops, but he could do nothing about Johan Johannsson’s 58th minute header from a Kenyon free kick to level the match.
With the score at the end of regulation time at 1-1, the game headed to overtime. In the added period, Kenyon’s stamina shone through as the Little Giants attempted to stumble to the finish line. While nothing much happened in the first period, Kenyon were very clearly on top. It was, then, only a matter of time before the Lords scored the winner, as they did in the 102nd minute. Once again from a free kick, Wabash allowed Sebastian Gaese space enough to get a shot away and win the game for Kenyon.
The mood among the Wabash camp after the game was solemn, but midfielder Adam Berg ’22 tried to see the positives. “We need to take the disappointment we’re feeling after the loss today and move onto the next game,” said Berg. “If we don’t, we won’t be here in November [for the playoffs]. That’s a feeling none of us want to have.
“One takeaway from today is that sticking to the game plan pays off. We knew that Kenyon likes to push men forward and that the counterattack was on, so when we won the ball and got the first pass, we were able to expose their center backs. That ultimately led to our goal, but it’s unfortunate we gave up two on set pieces. We’re getting the chances, we’re getting shots on goal, and it’s just about capitalizing on those chances. So, I’m confident that if we can continue doing what we’re doing, we don’t have to change anything. If we keep looking at the next game the goals will come.”
It wouldn’t be long before Wabash got another chance to prove themselves, and they did not disappoint. Travelling to Wittenberg on Tuesday night, the team no doubt had Saturday’s disappointment in mind. However, if sticking to the game plan was what this team needed, they more than exceeded themselves as they trounced home to a 3-0 victory.
The Little Giants looked in control the entire game and pulled off six shots in the opening thirty minutes, but to no avail. The scoring finally opened on the 31st minute when midfielder Jerry Little ’24 bagged his first career goal from a Johnson assist. The Tigers offered no response, and the Little Giants went into the half a goal to the good. The second half was much of the same with Wabash completely outplaying the deflated Wittenberg. The star of the second period was undoubtedly Tim Herring ’22 who, at the 66th and 73rd minute mark, scored a brace that made the final score Wabash 3-0 Wittenberg.
Looking ahead to Wabash’s upcoming fixtures, the team tomorrow travels to Delaware, Ohio to face off against Ohio Wesleyan University (11- 1-2, 5-1 NCAC). The Battling Bishops are currently second in the conference standings, five points ahead of Wabash who sits in fourth place. A rivalry matchup versus DePauw (9-6-0, 3-3 NCAC) still looms for Wabash. The Tigers visit Fischer Field on October 27 with the match kicking off at 4 p.m. in front of what should be a bumper crowd.
Player Profile: Temores ’22
Isaac Temores Looks to Lead Swimming and Diving to Success
The Wabash swimming and diving team boasts many leaders around campus. One of them is Isaac Temores ’22, a LaPorte, Indiana native majoring in Psychology and minoring in French. He is currently the President of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, the head lifeguard at the Natatorium, and a member of the French Club and the JED Campus Team – which serves to better mental health at Wabash College.
Temores landed at Wabash through one of his high school swimming teammates. “In high school, I had no idea what or where Wabash college was,” Temores said. “The only idea that I had of it was that it was all-male and that my high school teammate committed to Wabash for swimming. The next year, when he was a freshman here and I was a senior in high school, he invited me out for a recruiting visit and I fell in love with the place during that same visit. I was just going to take the ‘normal’ route of college by just going to Purdue or IU, but I felt that Wabash was the right place for me. It was also the only college to give me an offer to swim for them so I took it up and the rest is history.”
In fact the most influential person in Temores’ Wabash career was the very person who recruited him to Wabash, Ben Klimczak ’21. “He committed my junior year of high school and was the one who suggested I take a visit,” Temores said. “When I came on that visit, he also gave me a tour of Delt, which led to me getting a bid, accepting the bid, and eventually becoming president. Without Ben, I would not have come to Wabash, nor joined Delt, so a huge thanks to him.”
Temores has had many opportunities to create wonderful memories during his time at the College. “I have several favorite memories from my Wabash swimming career, but my favorite has to be the NCAC championship meet my sophomore year,” Temores said. “Going into a meet, we knew we had to be on our A-game to beat D*****. On top of that, I had a disappointing season my freshman year, so I went into that meet with some extra motivation for sure. On the last day of the meet, we ended up whooping on D***** by more than 200 points, which is a lot in terms of swimming. Along with that, I set personal bests in all my events and even broke a school record.”
When he’s not in the swimming pool or the classroom, during the few times he finds some free time, Temores enjoys making music, lifting, and watching sports.
“After Wabash, I plan on attending Ball State University for my Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology,” Temores said. “I’d like to become a sports psychologist and work for a professional sports team like the Colts and Pacers.”
Until then, Temores will be able to reap the benefits of his work at Wabash as he enjoys his senior year and final swimming season. Temores will serve as one of the captains for the team throughout the 2021-2022 season.