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The program is looking for students who want to connect to the Baldwin Wallace community while helping other communities in need. It provides students with the opportunity, during school breaks, to travel, get involved in student leadership opportunities, see social justice topics in other parts of the country and bring back those experiences to Baldwin Wallace. 

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Alternative Breaks, a program founded by Break Away, the national Alternative Breaks association for colleges and universities, in 1991, is a student-focused national effort towards positive change and volunteerism across colleges in America.  

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Director of the David & Frances Brain Center for Community Engagement, Christy Walkuski, organizes the Alternative Break trips for Baldwin Wallace alongside Student Director Sara Carter and their higher education intern, Cassidy Wagner, a BW masters student. 

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“I led a virtual trip last fall, after attending Alternative Break trips since freshman year,” Carter said. “It was interesting, engaging, and I learned a lot from that valuable experience. I was inspired to get more involved by the program and play an active role in helping more communities.” 

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The upcoming service opportunities, which will occur over the coming weekend and winter breaks, look to provide students opportunities to submerge themselves into new communities while focusing on one specific social justice issue. The trips are a non-traditional approach to school breaks for students interested in volunteering, social justice and challenging themselves. 

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This semester, there are three upcoming break trips, Out of the Darkness: Suicide Prevention; Empowering Youth: Connecting in Community to Create Change, and Triumph and Trust Toward the Future.  

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Although applications are no longer open for these programs this semester, there will be more opportunities next semester. 

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The first upcoming trip: Out of the Darkness: Suicide Prevention will partner with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to teach participants about suicide and participate in bonding activities, discussions, and the Out of the Darkness Cleveland Walk. 

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One of the Winter Break trips – Empowering Youth: Connecting in Community to Create Change – will focus on offering opportunities to Latino youth, adults, immigrants, seasonal workers, and advocacy for local families. Students attending this trip will work with this community through educational programs and cultural connections.   

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The other Winter Break trip – Triumph and Trust Toward the Future – will provide insights into policy impacting youth and social services. This trip will allow students to make in-person connections and work with community leaders, children, and young adults. 

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“It is a great way to connect with new people, travel to a new location, and immerse yourself in a new community,” Walkuski said. 

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Baldwin Wallace’s Alternative Break program has been nationally recognized, including winning the 2018 National Alternative Break Program of the year through Break Away. 

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These breaks feature a mystery location to refocus applicants on the cause and social justice issue rather than the location.  

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Some of the past trips have been visiting a San Antonio food bank, Working with Common Ground Relief in New Orleans, and a trip working on a Waco Texas farm with World Hunger Relief Inc. 

The nationally acclaimed Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music has welcomed live performances back to campus. On the steps outside the Boesel Musical Arts Center, the Baldwin Wallace Opera program performed the Italian Opera, Alcina, from October 11th through the 14th.  

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Alcina is an Italian opera that tells the story of an enchantress who lures knights to her island. Alcina lures Ruggerio to her island, a knight whose betrothed, Bradamante comes to rescue him.  

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The program took place in the outdoor area in front of The Boesel Musical Arts Center to allow for the performance to take place without the restrictions of masks to guarantee they would have no production issues with covid breakouts. This change from performing on a stage to working outside allowed for some interesting uses of space. The projection designer utilized the side of the building to display projections to enhance the show to stand in place of having a traditional set. The show also used subtitles projected onto the Boesel Music Center to understand the Italian opera better.  

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Olivia Helman, who played Alcina for the shows on October 12th and the 14th, is a Junior at Baldwin Wallace who is majoring in vocal performance and music history. Helman said: “I was not used to playing the seductive enchantress. It was interesting because it is a different type completely outside the realm of what I was used to. I enjoyed finding ways to relate to her as a character.” 

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Helman described the process of preparing for the show as very fast-tracked, the entire show coming together in about a month. Helman noted that in the vocal performance major, you are required to take four semesters of diction, including English, French, German, and Italian. These required courses allowed cast members to quickly handle the music and lyrics despite being in a different language.  

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For Helman, this was the first time she had performed opera live; “it was a very surreal experience, I had never done this in any capacity except virtual.” This being the first time the Opera program has taken the stage in a few years; this show was quite the undertaking and is a sign of more events coming back to Baldwin Wallace in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual Baldwin Wallace Social Change Summit, held this past MLK weekend, is a conference-style event where speakers from different areas within the realm of activism come together with students to teach about activism. The event stresses the importance of being educated on social issues while sharing firsthand experiences.  

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The event seeks to provide students tips and skills to help them utilize their voices to bring about positive change on campus and help them initiate change within the surrounding world and throughout their future careers. 

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This year the event, held completely virtual due to the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, featured a keynote speaker and seven different breakout sessions. These sessions included speakers with a wide variety of experiences within activism, including disability rights, gender, food insecurity, LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, climate change, and information on steps to help students initiate social change. These breakout sessions provided students with firsthand experiences and information on specific topics which may interest them. 

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This year’s keynote speaker, Ken Schneck, professor, and director of BW’s leadership in higher education program, has spent many years working in activism within the college environment. Schneck teaches classes on development theory, race, class, gender, and college leadership while also utilizing his voice throughout many mediums.  

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One project Schneck is involved in is The Buckeye Flame. This Ohio-based LGBTQ+ newsletter seeks to share important stories, experiences, and information on the current goings-on within Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community.  

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During Schneck’s keynote speech, he provided some essential advice and actual steps students can take to advance their activism journey. He stressed the importance of having goals and utilizing your time to make a sincere effort towards change.  

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“If you see things that have a sense of inequality, you have a responsibility to make a change, start on campus,” urged Schneck. 

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Schneck stressed the importance of acting with a sense of urgency, understanding from his personal experiences that change requires determination and is fueled on this earnestness. He also seeks to help students, who are not always given the opportunity to lead the discussion and get more involved in prominent issues. He describes students as having “off the charts power that is mainly unrealized.” 

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A big part of this event for Schneck is helping students understand the value of their voice. 

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 “Baldwin Wallace is an amazing place where students can make changes and lift unrepresented voices,” Schneck said. 

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Schneck stressed the importance for each student to take steps towards change and use their voices to talk about issues and use their positions to help lift others in the process. Student director for the Social Change Summit and senior public health major Gennette Saciri found this hit home. 

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Saciri explained how multiple influences in her life have inspired her to be more involved in her community. Saciri believes that understanding the experiences of those around her will help her become a well-rounded individual and a better medical professional. 

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Saciri understands that social justice is integral to the job of a medical professional and sees the Social Change Summit as the perfect low-stakes event to get interested students more involved in activism.  

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“Health can stem from social issues, so knowing a person wholistically can help treat patients better,” said Saciri.  

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The Social Change Summit provides a format for interested students to get involved in any capacity. Many students joined the project as change leaders. Others simply attended the event to better understand issues within our community and what role they can play in doing something about it.  A new club has arrived at Baldwin Wallace, and they kicked off their career with a valentine’s ceramic sale at Strosacker Hall. The Clay Club, which is in the final steps of becoming an official student organization, has invited students to give ceramics a try in a low-stakes, supportive environment. 

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Over the last few weeks, students have joined the club in the Kleist Center ceramics studio to learn the basics of ceramics and create some Valentine-themed pieces to prepare for their first student ceramics sale, which took place on Friday, Feb. 11. 

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The objective of this sale is not only to get people interested in the club, but to encourage amateur artists to sell their art.  

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“It is important to sell art to teach us how to release self-judgment and grow as an artist,” said vice president and first-year Ciera Olive. 

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The Valentine’s sale highlighted the work done by students involved with the club and served as an opportunity to get the word out about the club to students who might not have heard about it yet. 

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Olive, alongside president of the club, Carissa Ferguson, and their academic advisor Assistant Professor Benjamin Lamber, formed the club to give students a place to express themselves creatively without any pressure. 

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“The main point of clay club is to create a nurturing environment to learn about clay and how to use it- allow networking, selling, and be able to help students get out there and sell their art if they want,” Ferguson said. 

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One primary goal of the club is to encourage all types of people to get involved in a creative pastime.  

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“There is a certain tactility of ceramics. It’s fun to get dirty with it. Ceramics is unpredictable; it loosens you up and is much more hands-on,” Ferguson said. 

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Both Olive and Ferguson are working to build on their skills and learn how to teach students in a comfortable yet effective way. The pair plan to attend a professional workshop in April and are looking for experts in the field to come and perform demonstrations for the club. 

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At a weekly meeting, students involved in the club expressed what intrigues them about the project. 

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“I have enjoyed ceramics for a long time and love having a place where studio art majors can make free things without the pressure,” said one student. Newly elected Student Body President Junior Elizabeth Cole and Vice President sophomore Matthew Perry celebrated their win in the recent student council elections with Baldwin Wallace’s 110th annual inauguration.  

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The duo beat competitors Emily Muench and Zaire-Hall Hamilton with 54% of student votes. 

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At the inauguration, they spoke about their new role as leaders and the changes they hope to bring about on campus.  

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“[Cole] and I came together with a couple of main goals to help improve communication on campus, improve accessibility for all students, to continue to work on diversity and inclusion, and dining services,” Perry said. 

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Cole and Perry hope to highlight inclusion for people with disabilities and different religious backgrounds in their new roles, as they have prioritized in their past roles in student government. 

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During the event, the issue of dining services was highlighted frequently, both by President Bob Helmer and Vice President for Student Affairs Timeka Rashid, with both noting the need for changes within the dining system in their speeches.  

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“I’m looking forward to the year ahead,” Helmer said. “We will work on communication, we will work on community, and we will work on dining, but we’ll do it together.”  

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Cole and Perry attribute their win to their campaign work, Instagram presence, displaying messages of support throughout campus, and their connection to various athletic teams on campus. 

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Cole and Perry said there has been a lot of notice and support from students, faculty, campus officials, and administrators, as well as employees congratulating the duo as they go about their days. They said they felt an amazing outpouring of support and received many messages of congratulations.  

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Cole attributes involvement in student government as inspiring her to get more involved on campus, including her decision to run for president.  

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“Being able to be in student government showed me how many changes I could make and how many lives I could impact,” Cole said.  For the first time since 1997, The Students for Environmental Action club has returned to Baldwin Wallace’s campus and has big plans for sustainability on campus. The club, led by sophomore Julia Gersey, president, and senior Amanda Crisler, vice president, relaunched last fall. The club has ambitions to significantly impact Baldwin Wallace’s campus sustainability.  

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Baldwin Wallace has recently recognized the club as an official organization, but they could not secure any funding for this academic year. Despite this setback, the club is still set on working towards its goals. The club is teaming up for Earth Week with the David & Frances Brain Center for Community Engagement and Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting pollinator health.  

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The club will be holding a service-oriented flower planting event held in Berea that will educate participants on pollinator health. This event will allow the club to perform service in the community, while simultaneously offering education to students interested in learning more about sustainability and its role on campus and in student life. 

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Beyond this event, SEA has goals to implement sustainable solutions to create a more environmentally friendly campus life at BW. The club wants to work towards reducing campus food waste, finding solutions for reusability in dining halls, and bringing more composting to campus.  

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“We want to promote and advocate for a cleaner campus where we can all live,” Crisler said.  This summer, students who receive the Federal Pell Grant will be able to take two free summer classes at Baldwin Wallace.  

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The Summer Tuition Incentive Grant Program summer program was created to help students keep up with their coursework or allow them to participate in programs such as study abroad, teaching assisting, or facilitate an internship. The program was first piloted in 2017.  

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The STING program is offered to Pell Grant recipients to take summer classes or 8 credit hours, which are normally offered at a discounted tuition cost of $525 per credit hour. The Pell Grant will cover the majority, if not all, tuition, and with additional grants, students can take extra classes over the summer without concern for the extra costs. 

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Financial Aid Counselor Laura Boswell describes the Pell Grant as “a federal grant that is need-based, determined when you file your FAFSA.”  

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Any class taken in the STING program is official and will count towards a student’s GPA. Additionally, summer housing is offered at $50 per week for students participating in this program. 

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Nancy Jirousek, senior director of transfer and military services, said that participating in the STING program will not only benefit students during the summer, but in the traditional fall-spring schedule as well. 

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“STING gives students flexibility in spreading out their classes, allows them to take a lighter fall and spring load,” Jirousek said. “So, you will be able to work harder on your classes if you can take less classes during one semester,”  

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The deadline for students to apply to and join this program is May 1. BW’s Financial Aid office is located in Bonds Hall and is open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.This earth week, students at Baldwin Wallace were encouraged to get more involved in sustainability on campus and their everyday lives. From April 19-23, students had the opportunity to participate in games, crafts, a bonfire and hikes in the Metroparks to learn more about sustainability. 

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Professor Jill Fleisher, associate dean for social sciences, guided the planning of the earth week events with her environmental sociology class to create a student planned, run and enjoyed earth week.  

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Committees of students, led by student coordinator Rowan Rindfleisch Huntley, a sophomore environmental science major, were required to contribute to one aspect of earth week. Some students organized events like the earth week carnival, some created games, a few played live music for the events and one group was responsible for promoting the events. 

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Baldwin Wallace is conveniently located near the Metroparks, providing students with a great place to get away from school and appreciate nature. Earth week embraced this by planning guided group hikes to encourage students to spend more time outside. 

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The purpose of holding earth week events was not only to educate students on the environment but also to bring students together during the busy time of the year for some fun and relaxing activities that highlighted the importance of environmental awareness. All the events focused on aspects of sustainability, nature or simple actions people can implement to create an eco-friendlier lifestyle.  

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“The goal is environmental education, to connect people with things they can do. The course I teach has a lot of macro ideas about how we make society more sustainable and how we combat climate change. The carnival is about what individual students can do,” said Fleisher. 

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Climate issues are systemic, and they cannot be solved simply by individuals implementing changes to their lives; however, it makes a difference and can direct us towards more significant changes. These activities lead students to see the connections between human and natural systems while building positive community actions and recognizing that macro-level changes are necessary to create lasting changes. 

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“Our environmental problems don’t start at the individual level, but we want to educate students to show them that they can live cleaner lives pretty easily by recycling, understanding your carbon footprint and finding ways to repurpose common items like plarn (yarn made from plastic),” said Huntley. 

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There are many ways for students to get further involved with sustainability on campus. One of the ways is to participate in the Students for Environmental Action club. The club routinely meets to discuss sustainability on campus. The United States District Court in the Northern District of Ohio ruled that an online proctored exam taken by Aaron Ogletree, a student at Cleveland State University, breached his Fourth Amendment rights.  

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This case prevents schools from using room scans in the future; however, this does not include private universities, such as Baldwin Wallace University, as they are not subject to the same rules. 

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These exams required a virtual scan of students’ rooms and surroundings to prevent cheating; however, because they were baseless searches of an individual’s home, they were declared unconstitutional. 

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After Ogletree was asked to perform one such room scan, he refused via email, explaining that there were confidential documents on his desk that he would not have time to secure but inevitably submitted to the room scan when asked.  

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Ogletree said the 360-degree room scan of the students’ surroundings, including their homes and living spaces, was a direct violation of his Fourth Amendment protected rights. The room scans were visible to the professors and other students and were recorded and retained by a third-party vendor. 

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Cleveland State University has a testing policy that is meant to prevent cheating; however, the school only mandates that students have an updated ID photo within a database to prevent impersonations of students, a reportedly unenforced policy. The school leaves other preventative methods to the faculty member proctoring the exam. 

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Although it is left up to the faculty member, the two online proctoring tools that Cleveland State uses for their exams requires a room scan to prevent cheating, which includes using the individual’s computer webcam to scan the student’s surroundings for possible cheating materials, previously considered a widespread practice for many universities.  

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“All students, regardless of the course or instructor, are asked to do this (a room scan) as part of the check-in process,” Cleveland State’s testing services coordinator said to Ogletree. 

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Ogletree connected this room to his right to privacy outlined in the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Fourth Amendment defines this right as “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures…” 

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The Fourth Amendment protects the individual against the government and government acting agencies; however, the Supreme Court of the United States created an exception to this rule that applies to some private parties, such as teachers.  

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This exception defines teachers as representatives of the state, creating rules that limit educators’ ability to infringe on their students’ privacy. These rules are much less strict than those for traditional government agents. 

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For teachers to exercise their right to invade a student’s privacy, the search may be declared reasonable and follow a particular set of guidelines, i.e., the search must have been done with a reasonable belief that the search will turn up evidence that the individual is violating the law or a rule of the school.  

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Ogletree requested that the court prevent the university from continuing this behavior and an official statement by the court outlining the rights and responsibilities of each party involved (outlining students’ rights to privacy and the universities responsibility to uphold these rights).  

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The court found that the search was baseless and was done so without suspicion of any individual wrongdoing; therefore, the searches did not reach the requirements necessary for them to be constitutional and ruled in favor of Ogletree, declaring room scans to be unconstitutional searches that invade an individual’s privacy.  With this year’s ruling by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the precedent set by Roe v. Wade, people in Ohio face much uncertainty as to their options when it comes to considering the termination of a pregnancy. Some may find the only alternative option would be to venture to surrounding states for access. 

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The so-called “heartbeat bill” was signed into law by Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine in 2019, declaring the performing of an abortion once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, at six weeks, to be illegal to the extent of federal charges except in cases where it is necessary to prevent death.  On Sept. 14, an Ohio judge blocked an Ohio ban on abortion allowing abortions until pregnancy meets the 20-week mark, but this change is only temporary existing for only two weeks from the ruling.  

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The states surrounding Ohio offer a variety of abortion access laws that could give some options for those financially able to travel; one such state is Michigan. Michigan state law has had an abortion ban on the books since 1931, but the courts have ruled them unconstitutional so no authority can enforce the law. Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said that they will not enforce the ban.  

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Additionally, Nessel issued an executive order for agencies within Michigan to not work with those in other states wishing to prosecute out of state women that seek an abortion in Michigan. For some women, this provides a good option for those who can travel. From Berea, Ohio, it is around a two-hour drive to Michigan. 

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Indiana is another neighboring state which may provide Ohioans greater access under very limited circumstances. It recently passed a ban with exceptions for cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormality, or in cases where the mother’s life is at stake. (Ohio law bans most abortion with the only exception being to save the life of the mother.) 

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Pennsylvania is another possible option for women seeking abortions who can travel; although, they are limited at 24 weeks gestational age. Abortion access in Pennsylvania is not protected by law, and there are certain restrictions, such as requiring dissuading counseling from the state at least 24 hours prior to the procedure. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf has vetoed an outright ban proposed by the Republican-dominated legislature. Wolfe also issued an executive order to protect abortion providers and those seeking abortions from other states. 

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When the Dobbs decision created harsher abortion regulations across the country, two Ohio prosecutors signed a joint statement promising to not prosecute abortion-related crimes, but this does not guarantee access to abortion. 

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Abortion clinics, such as Cleveland’s sexual health clinic Preterm, are still following Ohio’s abortion bans since the physicians would be at risk of prosecution from Ohio’s Attorney General David Yost. 

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Although there are options for women seeking abortions in some neighboring states, most women do not know they are pregnant within the gestational limits set by most states. A report by the Center for Disease Control titled “Trends in Timing of Pregnancy Awareness Among US Women” declares that the average woman would not know she was pregnant until five weeks. 

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This varies amongst women, but it means that most women will not know they are pregnant within the appropriate time to get an abortion. This, in combination with the limits and laws placed on abortions, makes it incredibly difficult to get one. The Baldwin Wallace University Student Handbook covers a variety of policies including housing rules, academic honesty, alcohol and drug policies, discrimination policies and the behavior and considerations of the University should these policies be violated.  

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But how well do students – who are required to read the handbook – really know the policies they are agreeing to?   

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Here are a few of those policies in the 2022-23 edition of the student handbook: 

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Student Housing: There is a possible fine of $125 for failure to complete the housing check-in and check-out forms.  This year, the University now permits students who live in non-air-conditioned housing to bring their own portable floor air-conditioning unit if it falls within the requirements. In previous years, it was required that students who wished to have a personal air-conditioning unit needed a doctor’s note.

Alcohol Restrictions: First-year students who have not yet signed-off on the required alcohol education program could face possible repercussions. Students who fail to do so may be subject to fines of up to $150 and be required to participate in supplemental education programs or counseling. The most significant punishments for alcohol offenses include a $200 fine and a one-year suspension or expulsion from BW. 

Guests in Rooms: Regarding overnight guests, the University has altered the language from “same-sex guests” to simply “guests,” removing any gender-based restrictions in this year’s handbook. The guest policy has remained the same: guests may stay overnight for no more than three consecutive nights or six nights per month, barring approval from the hall director or area coordinator.

Pets: With pets, the University narrowed the definition for the type of pets allowed in a room, concluding that a frog is not a “fish.” The handbook defines a fish as “an animal with a skull and backbone that has gills throughout life and whose limbs, if any, are in the shape of fins.” Kristen Brewer, the assistant director of resident life and housing, said the definition was narrowed because, in past years, some students have tried to pass off amphibians for fish.  Brewer said the handbook is updated frequently, sometimes in response to new situations and other times for expanding safety concerns.  “Our policies are put in place for safety and the way you should live in a community,” Brewer said. “It is pretty consistent with other institutions I have worked at in the past.” Candidates: Rep. Tim Ryan (Democrat) vs. J.D. Vance (Republican)

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J.D. Vance, a Republican, and Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat, are running for the senate to replace current Republican Senator Rob Portman who will be retiring at the end of 2022. In an October survey conducted by Baldwin Wallace University Community Research Institute, while still within the margin of error, Ryan was in a 4-point lead over Vance. However, in a more recent poll conducted by Cygnal, Vance maintained a 5-point lead over Ryan. Vance said at a debate on Oct. 17 that he agrees with Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposal for a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, and has not explicitly said he supports any exceptions other than when the mother’s life is in danger. On the other hand, Ryan said he supports codifying the protections established under Roe v. Wade, which protected abortion access until viability. Vance also said he would not vote to codify same-sex marriage, but said that gay marriage is “the law of the land,” a fact that he does not want to change. However, Vance has made controversial comments on other LGBTQ+ issues, including transgender students in schools. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Vance argued that some young students are being indoctrinated and pushed into being transgender because – referring to teachers – a “crazy lunatic is pushing this on them.” On Ryan’s campaign website, he said he supports legislation to make schools have rules that ban bullying or harassment on the basis of gender identity. –Simon Skoutas, Managing Editor

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Governor of Ohio

Candidates: Nan Whaley (Democrat) vs. Gov. Mike DeWine* (Republican) 

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Republican Mike DeWine is so far slated to easily overcome Democrat Nan Whaley, former mayor of Dayton, in the Ohio governor’s race. DeWine has been Governor of Ohio since 2019 and notably supported gun control legislation that eases firearm restrictions, as well as signing a controversial law that allowed the arming of school employees. DeWine believes that the background check systems are missing important details such as past convictions, active protection orders and open warrants. He also supports increased penalties for illegal gun possession. Whaley wants to repeal these laws and increase background checks and other gun control measures. She also has made codifying abortion access a centerpiece of her campaign, in contrast with DeWine, who as governor signed a six-week abortion ban into law. Whaley has championed education reforms like increasing funding for Ohio’s colleges, supporting programs that provide universal schooling to young children and reducing the cost burden of childcare for parents. In addition to the law allowing school districts to optionally arm teachers, DeWine has increased spending for school security for the purposes of protection against attacks, while still maintaining his positions on gun control.

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Whaley has also criticized DeWine for signing a state budget that included a clause allowing healthcare workers, hospitals and health insurance companies to refuse to cover or provide medical services to individuals based on personal or religious beliefs, including refusing service to LGBTQ+ individuals. –Hannah Wetmore, Managing Editor

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Ohio Secretary of State

Candidates: Chelsea Clark (Democrat) vs. Frank LaRose* (Republican) vs. Terpsehore Maras (Independent)

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The Ohio secretary of state is responsible for administering election laws, reviewing ballot initiatives and overseeing the election process. Being the first election for the post since the 2020 presidential election, allegations of election fraud have been an issue in this race. Two of the three candidates in the race, incumbent Republican Frank LaRose and independent Terpsehore Maras, have publicly questioned the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s victory. (Former President Donald Trump’s own former Attorney General, Bill Barr, and other government authorities have repeatedly maintained that there was no widespread voter fraud.) Maras, a podcast host with ties to the QAnon conspiracy movement, endured a court battle over whether she had sufficient signatures to appear on the ballot but was cleared to run by the Ohio Supreme Court. She has repeatedly pushed the premise that there was fraud in the 2020 election, prioritizing “restoring election integrity” on her campaign website. LaRose himself, who has overseen Ohio’s voting processes as Secretary of State since 2019, claimed that he believes there were “shenanigans” in the 2020 election. LaRose worked in the Ohio state legislature for two terms as a senator before becoming secretary of state. The Democratic candidate, Chelsea Clark, says on her campaign donation website that she will “fight like hell against the G.O.P. who are actively sabotaging our voter rights.” Her campaign has vowed to end voter suppression, expand early voting, institute same-day voter registration and protect against foreign meddling in elections. –Chris Moran, Staff Writer

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U.S. House of Representatives District 7

Candidates: Matthew Diemer (Democrat) vs. Max Miller (Republican) 

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Riding the wave of former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Max Miller of Shaker Heights cruised to victory in the June Republican primary for Ohio’s 7th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The recently redrawn congressional district, which includes western and southern parts of Cuyahoga County, saw the seat open following the retirement of Bob Gibbs, one of the few Republican representatives to vote in favor of Trump’s second impeachment in 2021. Trump casts a shadow over the race: Miller served in the former president’s White House administration and was subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot – something Miller’s opponent, Democrat Matthew Diemer, has been quick to point out. Last July, Politico reported allegations that Miller was physically abusive to his ex-girlfriend and fellow former White House aid, Stephanie Grisham. Miller has denied the accusations. Miller holds a multi-point lead over Diemer in recent polls, with data-driven news outlet FiveThirtyEight projecting an easy Republican victory. –Justin McMullen, Executive Editor

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Ballot Initiative: Issue 2

Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution to bar non-U.S. citizens from voting in local elections if they are not legally approved to vote in state elections. The issue was proposed out of a joint resolution of the General Assembly following a 2019 referendum approved by the voters of the Village of Yellow Springs in Greene County allowing noncitizens to vote in their local elections so long as they were residents. (Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, stopped the referendum from taking effect by ordering Greene County to deny voter registration forms from non-citizens and has been a proponent of Issue 2.) Berea’s charter already requires voters in municipal elections to be citizens. In an issue argument certified by proponents said that “allowing noncitizens to vote degrades the value of United States citizenship and is poor public policy.” Critics have argued that if passed, the amendment could take away 17-year-olds’ right to vote in primary elections. Critics also accused the issue of being backed by out-of-state special interests and took issue with the requirement that citizens register to vote 30 days before the election, which they say is sooner than any other state’s requirements. –Skoutas

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The Local Angle

Issue 5: Cleveland Metroparks tax levy renewal

The Cleveland Metroparks tax levy, an increase of 27 cents for each $100 of property valuation, is a replacement tax to maintain the Cleveland Metropolitan Parks District including the Zoo. The purpose of the tax is to conserve the national resources of the parks. Funds would be allocated to maintain, repair, and improve the parks as well as to plan, acquire, develop, protect, and promote the use of existing and future lands for facilities. –Wetmore

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Issue 5: Berea tax levy renewal

Issue 22 concerns a tax levy renewal to fund improvements to the Berea water plant, which processes the city’s drinking water, and updates to other areas of the city’s water system. Berea’s finance director Andrea Morris said to Cleveland.com that “the current cost to a homeowner based on a home value of $100,000 is $42.80 and is expected to remain around the same amount with the renewal.” If approved, the tax will be renewed for five years. The last time the tax levy was on the ballot was in 2017 when voters approved its renewal by a 2,953 to 970 margin. The levy was first approved by voters in 2007. –Skoutas

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Ohio House of Representatives District 17

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State Representative Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) speaks with students at a College Republicans event on Oct. 6. (Simon Skoutas)

Candidates: Troy Greenfield (Democrat) vs. Rep. Tom Patton* (Republican)

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Ohio House of Representatives District 17 encompasses Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, Fairview Park, Strongsville and a portion of Cleveland. The race in this newly drawn district pits incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Patton against Democrat Troy Greenfield to determine the district’s next representative for the state House. Patton has served two terms in the Ohio Senate and three terms in the Ohio House for a total of 12 years of experience in the statewide legislature. In an event hosted by Baldwin Wallace College Republicans, Patton efforted to set himself apart from other Republicans, boasting of his endorsements from labor unions. He also highlighted that despite his anti-abortion views, he did not vote for the “heartbeat bill,” which restricted abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, even for those who are victims of rape or incest. Greenfield, an educator and business owner, has taken more liberal stances on abortion and gun rights on her campaign website. Greenfield has campaigned against abortion restrictions, and a section of her website regarding gun laws states, “We cannot allow our state to be overcome by guns in the hands of unsafe and untrained individuals.” –Moran

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Cuyahoga County Executive

Candidates: Chris Ronayne (Democrat) vs. Lee Wingart (Republican)

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Republican Lee Weingart and Democrat Chris Ronayne are running for Cuyahoga County Executive. Cuyahoga County was found by the Plain Dealer to be the most reliably Democratic of all Ohio counties in the past six presidential elections. Armond Buddish, a Democrat and current County Executive, has held the seat since 2015. The position, with a four-year term and no term limits, was created 12 years ago following a corruption scandal involving former county commissioner Jimmy Dimora. As part of Weingart’s campaign, he has advocated freezing all property taxes for senior citizens and instituting a new countywide municipality that would collect a unified income tax – which would shut down the Regional Income Tax Agency. At a debate hosted by the City Club of Cleveland, Weingart argued for his proposed Community Health Equity Fund that would be funded by a voluntary property tax on hospitals that currently do not pay property tax. Plans for Cuyahoga County’s new jail have recently been put on hold until a new executive is in place. Ronayne wants to renovate the existing jail and consider a new site for a facility whereas Weingart is in favor of building smaller jails to replace the aging facility. –Skoutas

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It’s not too late to make your plans to vote in the midterm elections. Whether you’re voting in person or absentee, The Exponent has an online guide to all the last-minute steps you may need to make your voice heard this November. Click here or go to bwexponent.com/midterms

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Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of Ohio secretary of state candidate Terpsehore Maras. It is Maras, not Mahas. The Exponent regrets the error.Whether you are happily single, in a relationship, or dating, there are plenty of opportunities to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the Baldwin Wallace campus. Even though the holiday falls on a Tuesday, students are finding unique ways to celebrate with loved ones, and some student organizations are utilizing the holiday to raise money. 

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Mando Hodges, a sophomore theatre acting and directing major, and his group of single friends are planning on celebrating the holiday with each other.  

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Although Hodges is a self-proclaimed “very strong hater when it comes to Valentine’s Day,” he still sees the importance of taking the time to celebrate the people you care about.  

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“As long as you don’t spend Valentine’s Day alone, you know, [with] a couple of friends, I feel like it’s still worth it,” Hodges said.  

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The group planned an outing to best enjoy the day.  

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“Maybe we’ll go to Olive Garden or something. We might go to top golf. We’ll just go wherever the car takes us in the moment,” Hodges said.  

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Hodges also explained how being single on Valentine’s Day, to him, is the best way to avoid any possible rejection or spending the day with someone you may eventually break up with anyway.  

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Other students on campus have taken the opposite approach.  

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Delilah Hartlage, a sophomore dance major with a minor in arts management, embraced the spirit of Valentine’s Day and planned a romantic day with her girlfriend. Hartlage finds Valentine’s Day to be a good opportunity to show her appreciation to her partner as well as have some fun celebrating.  

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“I really like Valentine’s Day; I think it’s really cute. I think it’s fun to celebrate even if you are not in a relationship,” Hartlage said.  

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Typically for Valentine’s Day, she gets together with friends and watches a ballet, but this year she plans on spending some time with her girlfriend. 

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The couple attended “Heartbreakers,” a Valentine’s Day-themed cabaret put on by BWU Prism the weekend before Valentine’s Day. The couple also planned on painting blank vinyl records to decorate their rooms with.  

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“She’s like my rock,” Hartlage said, describing her partner Alison Woodhouse, a sophomore theater dance and movement major. “She really helps me when my mental health is bad. She’ll be like ‘Great! You’re going to get up. We’re going to dance around. We’re going to clean up a little bit.’ It’s like she really knows how to cheer me up.” 

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Other groups on campus took the opportunity to raise funds with the holiday. Phi Kappa Tau, a fraternity on campus, had carnations available in the Union for students to purchase that would be delivered by them to the dorms or housing near campus.  

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PKT sold the carnations for $3 to raise money for the SeriousFun Children’s Network, an organization made up of 30 camps and programs for seriously ill children. The organization offers free events and camp experiences to ill children and their family members. 

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“The carnation is actually known as a very romantic flower that grows around Valentine’s Day, and it’s actually the fraternity’s flower,” Mike Delsanter, a sophomore nursing major and PKT’s philanthropy chair, said. “It’s a really good way for community outreach for us as well as raising money for philanthropy, but also is a good way to do a little [good] on campus.” Female students at BW have made a great effort to cultivate supportive and welcoming spaces where women can come together and help each other in their collegiate and post-college career paths. Such efforts include the newly founded Women of Knowlton Club, which focuses on underrepresented groups within the field of STEM, and a pilot professional development program for sophomore women in collaboration with the David and Frances Brain Center for Community Engagement.   

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“[The goal of the Women of Knowlton club is] to take some women who are part of the organization and going to high schools, mostly underfunded high schools, or women-only high schools to help do STEM-based tutoring to encourage girls,” said Kyla Koos, a sophomore physics and applied math double major and the club’s founder.  

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Although Koos witnesses a lot of strong female leadership across campus, she sees the importance of having a STEM-based, woman-focused club in a male-dominated field at BW.   

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“I have some days where I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m going to do great.’ But then there are some days where there’s a male student in my class or male advisor who’s been like, a little not nice to me recently or degrading, or I’m not doing as well as some of my classmates,” Koos said.  

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Koos explained that she sometimes wonders if she should switch her majors, but having female support around her can help build her confidence.   

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Woman of Knowlton is not the only new BW program looking to carve out a space for female-identifying students to connect and grow with one another. Sophomore communications studies major Bella Doyle, started a program for sophomore women as her Brain Center fellowship project.  

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Sophomore Alyson Hand, an arts management and entrepreneurship major, is participating in the sophomore women’s program. After completing the interview process, Hand was matched up with an alumna and mentor whom she meets with once a month.   

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“We have so many strong professors and teachers and other faculty and staff that are willing to help us, and I like to call it girl power,” Hand said. “We all kind of work together even if it’s not even talked about, I think that’s something really special BW has, and I haven’t seen it at a lot of other schools.”  

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BW’s faculty and staff also feature many strong female leaders who each play a distinct role on campus. One such leader is Denise Kohn, associate dean of humanities and English professor. In addition to being a strong leader and female role model, she recognizes the significant amount of other faculty and staff who are strong examples of female leadership on campus.  

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“I can think of Tamika Rashid, Erica Walker, Susan Van Horst and Beth Heiser in the Conservatory; vice provost Dr. Lisa Henderson and Jill Fisher in social science. I feel really fortunate to work with so many incredible leaders who are women on this campus,” Kohn said. Baldwin Wallace University often boasts its close relationship with the Berea Police Department, and while some students see the strong police presence on campus as a sign of safety, some students have expressed to The Exponent that it may have the opposite effect.   

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One such student is Declan Shields, a sophomore international student studying abroad from England, who said that he experienced a change of environment in moving from a university where they only have security guards, and where police officers don’t carry guns.  

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“It just feels a lot more aggressive,” Shields said. “It feels like they’re watching you, even if you’re not doing anything wrong.”  

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Shields was unaware of any particular arrangement between the school and the local police department but noticed its heavy presence on campus.  

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Shields also said that the access police have to the residence halls and BW buildings only adds to his discomfort.   

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“To be honest, seeing police officers patrol the campus makes me feel on edge and not actually safer,” Shields said.   

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Gary Black, director of Safety and Security, said that the BPD performs various functions for the University.  

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“[BPD is] here a lot, they work in addition to their normal patrols, but they do extra things too. They work sporting events, special details and other stuff in addition to to their normal patrols” Black said.   

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According to Black, the close relationship allows campus safety and security the opportunity to communicate with the Berea PD quickly in case of emergencies.   

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“If we have a person on campus that might be exhibiting mental health issues, intoxicated people, trespassers, or any number of situations, we [will] call [BPD],” Black said.  

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Black said that the BW campus is a “safe place” and those things do not happen often, but he sees the relationship between the police and Safety and Security as an opportunity to improve campus safety. When an issue does come up, there are benefits to having a quick connection to the police, Black said.  

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Other students such Maya Norman, the Black Girls Rock chair of the Black Student Alliance campus organization, said that while the close relationship between BW and the Berea PD is strange, they ultimately do not mind it.  

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“When I think of the Berea Police or Safety and Security, it’s more like ‘Who’s giving me this parking ticket?’ rather than, ‘These people are going to help me with my safety,’” Norman said.  

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Norman said that she finds that the extra security officers deal mostly with trivial matters but can provide a little extra comfort and piece of mind. However, she  said that a strong police presence at nighttime can prompt slight unease.   

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“When I’m in rehearsals or in my dorm building, especially late at night during rehersalts, it is weird to see them walking through there,” Norman said.   

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Norman said seeing the police makes her wonder what is wrong or why they are there, but beyond that, she does not have many interactions with the police on campus.  

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In addition to the safety benefits, Berea Chief of Police Dan Clarke believes that the strong relationship with the BW campus gives them the opportunity to get to know the students in the community and work on different programs with the school.  

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Clarke said he had the opportunity to work on the MLK week programing with Erika Walker Smith and Xaiver Harkness and consistently works closely with President Bob Helmer.   

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“I think I’ve learned that maybe I can’t affect change on a federal level, or the state level, but I think communities are where it starts,” Clarke said.On Sept. 23, the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Executive Committee endorsed multiple issues for the upcoming Nov. 7 general election, including Issue 2, which aims to legalize cannabis in Ohio and apply regulations that would treat marijuana the same as alcohol.   

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The initiative will “legalize and regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and sale of marijuana and marijuana products to adults ages 21 and up…” as well as “home grow for adults ages 21 and up with a limit of six plants per person and 12 plants per residence.”  

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The law however will allow landlords and employers to still prohibit the use of cannabis for their residents and employees.  

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This initiative is supported by The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol who have contributed 4.62 million dollars to the initiative in fundraising.  

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The spokesperson of CRMLA, Tom Haren, spoke at the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting asking them to endorse the Issue 2 ballot initiative and canvas on their behalf to increase public support for the vote on Nov. 7.   

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“We already have a very successful medical marijuana program that has changed the lives of thousands of Ohioans, but too many people still don’t have access to medical marijuana… for instance, veterans suffering from PTSD,” Haren said. 

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Haren said that there would be many benefits for the economy if marijuana was legalized, which he said would bring over 400 million dollars of revenue to the state of Ohio, each year.  

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Haren said that he wants to put that money back into the community through a social equity and jobs fund and renewal of the local host community fund. In addition to funding the community, they also propose an increase in funding for addiction and drug abuse treatment programs.  

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Although some members present at the committee meeting were against the official endorsement of the issue the committee ultimately voted to endorse the measure and support the initiative both in name as well as in devotion to resources towards canvassing for public support on the issue.  

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As for public support, Forbes recently reported that 59% of registered Ohio voters supported the ballot measure and less than a third, 32%, responded saying they did not support the initiative, with only 9% declaring themselves undecided on the issue.   

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In addition to this proposal, there were two other initiatives supported by the Cuyahoga County Democratic Patry Executive Board including a tax that would increase funding for Cuyahoga Community College and an amendment to Ohio’s constitution, Issue 1, which would enshrine the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions”.  

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This would include rights to abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and continuing pregnancy decisions. This bill would still allow restrictions on fetal vitality by the state to a degree but only when it does not harm the pregnant patient’s life.  

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These proposal’s failed precursor, Issue 1 in the Aug. 8 special election, would have made the passage of these ballot initiatives much more difficult, as it would have required ballot initiatives to receive a 60% supermajority to amend the Ohio constitution as opposed to the 50% of the votes. 

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The Local Angle

*Denotes Incumbent

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Berea Municipal Court Judge

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Candidates: Michele Lynch vs. Sean Kilbane

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As presiding Judge Mark Comstock, the longest-serving judge of the Berea Municipal Court, enters retirement, voters will decide between Sean Kilbane and Michele Lynch to serve as the Municipal Court Judge over Berea, Brook Park, Middleburg Heights, Olmsted Township, Olmsted Falls, the Metroparks and the Ohio State Highway Patrol for the next six years. One of the major issues facing the court is budgetary issues. Kilbane said that while the Berea Municipal Court serves many localities, the fiscal responsibility often falls on the Berea community. Comstock said he wants the court to modernize, and both Lynch and Kilbane seek to find ways to improve fiscal efficiency through modernization. They both wish to maintain safety in the area, and Lynch said that focusing on mental health issues, substance abuse and preventing recidivism are all ways she hopes will protect the community. Kilbane has been working in law since 2014, and Lynch has worked in the profession for almost 25 years. Kilbane is currently an Assistant Prosecuting attorney in the Criminal Division’s Major Trial Unit, and Lynch now works as an attorney for the Chapter 13 trustees office who handles bankruptcy cases. Kilbane has worked in criminal law throughout his time, and Lynch has worked in criminal and civil litigation, which she said will serve her well in the diverse functions of the court

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Clerk of Municipal Court

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Candidates: Johanna Hamrick vs. Joseph DeMio vs. Micahel

Gammella

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The Clerk of Courts handles the court’s business functions, and voters can vote between Joseph DeMio, Michael Gammellaor Johanna Hamrick as the Clerk of Court for the next six years. DeMio is currently the Councilman at Large for the city of Strongsville and has over 25 years of experience in the court system, working as a bailiff for over 20 years. DeMio said that his plan for the budget issue is to work more closely with the State Attorney General to take the burden off of the city. DeMio also said he wants to find ways for the court to improve collections through modernizations and different payment plans. Gammella is the former mayor of Brook Park and former Union President of the United Auto Workers Local 1250. Gammella said that he hopes to bring in some help to address the budget issue and said that he has experience in crisis management. Gammella said he has experience serving the community and hopes to bring his experience to a more modern court. Hamrick is the President and Senior Management Executive of CSI Holding, a business located in Berea and the Business Development Director of VFB, a veterans non-profit organization. Hamrick said that her business experience will help her as Clerk of Court. Hamrick said that with people retiring and working on collections, implementing fees and various other methods, she could improve the budget.

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Ward 1 Councilmember

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Candidates: Jonathan Montag vs. Leon Dozier Sr.*

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Leon Dozier Sr. and Jonathan Montag, running as the only opposition candidates for Berea’s City Council, would represent Ward 1 for the next two years. Ward 1 includes parts of Front St., Baldwin Wallace University and the Cleveland Brown’s training facility. Montag said he is running against the incumbent because he wants to improve communication between residents and the City Council, which he said has been lacking in the ward. Both candidates said that improving infrastructure in the area to help against flooding problems is a goal that they have. Both candidates also said that as Ward 1 houses the Browns training facility, they want to ensure that any new properties that the Browns purchase take the current residents into consideration

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Member of Board of Education

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Candidates: Steve Cika Jr. vs. Cori Farris* vs. Larry Gabbard vs. Katie Michal Candidates (to fill resigned seat): Rick Mackvs. Keith Simmons

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School boards carry out the functions of setting school policy and hiring the treasurer and superintendent. Cori Farris, Katie Michal and Rick Mack are a part of the Tri-City Ticket, symbolic of the Tri-City representation of Berea, Brook Park and Middleburgh Heights. Opposing candidates Steve Cika, Larry Gabbard and Keith Simmons are a part of the “vote4abetterbcsd” ticket, which stands for bringing about a better Berea City School District.

One of the recurring themes in school board

meetings in recent years is the politicized nature of the concerns expressed by parents and community members. The candidates who spoke to the Exponent all see the politicization of school board meetings as negative, but Gabbard said it is not just the politicization of the school board meetings but that there is possibly an indoctrinating ideology in the schools that does not provide space for dissenting opinions. On the campaign website for the “vote4abetterbcsd” platform, critical race theory is defined as a problem and the website says that “school curriculum has increasingly been infested with disastrous woke ideology. Our children are being ‘groomed’ by radical influencers without the parents’ knowledge.” However, Farris said the idea of indoctrination results from manufactured issues promoted by politicians. Among other school districts, Berea City Schools saw a decline in their

standardized test scores. Since in-person schooling, the school has begun climbing

again, but “vote4abetterbcsd,”along with members of the Tri-City ticket, said that they want the scores to keep trending upward.

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State-Wide Ballot Initiatives

Issue 1:

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Issue 1 is an amendment to Ohio’s constitution that

would enshrine the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” in the Ohio Constitution. This would include rights to abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and continuing pregnancy decisions. This bill would still allow restrictions on fetal viability by the state to a degree but only when it does not harm the pregnant patient’s life. If the amendment fails to pass, it is possible that in the future, abortion could be banned even in cases of rape, incest or risk.

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Issue 2:

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Issue 2 aims to legalize cannabis in Ohio and apply regulations on marijuana that would treat it the same as alcohol. The initiative will “legalize and regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and sale of marijuana and marijuana products to

adults ages 21 and up” as well as “home grow for adults ages 21 and up with a limit of six plants per person and 12 plants per residence.” However, the initiative

still allows employers and landlords to place limits on their employees and residents.

Representatives of the initiative say that it will have many benefits to the economy, such as over $400 million in revenue each year which will, in part, disperse throughout the community in a social equity and jobs fund along with funding for addiction and drug abuse treatment programs.

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Local Ballot Initiative

Issue 5:

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Issue 5 is a tax that would increase funding for Cuyahoga Community College. The issue would renew an existing property tax of 2.1 mills and usher in an increase of 0.4 mill for each $1 of taxable value to contribute towards operating costs for educational services. This means that per $100,000 of property taxes, the residents’ taxes would increase by $14 a year to support education funding.In response to the budget cuts for the academic year 2023-24, the administration is forced to reevaluate which courses, majors, minors and programs will continue to be offered next spring — a move which may place the courses students already registered for in the upcoming semester on the chopping block. 

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Although final decisions are pending, there are some ideas of what will no longer be offered in the future — mainly majors and minors that previously could be offered despite low enrollment numbers. However, now that there is less wiggle room in the budget, these programs may be cut. 

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Provost Stephen Stahl said Spanish, German, piano performance, sustainability, religion, philosophy and some business programs are examples of majors and minors that have low student enrollment numbers at this moment. 

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“There are a number of these programs… So the faculty are going to have to talk through what’s important to them to set up priorities,” Stahl said. 

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Nevertheless, students could find alternative pathways to completing the course requirements. 

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“One of the issues with the major [sustainability] already is that it is, perhaps, more complicated than a regular pathway… So unfortunately, students might have to get degree substitutions, but it’s nothing unusual to have to do that,” Stahl said.  

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Stahl also mentioned reevaluating the way in which majors, like sustainability, are offered on campus. 

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“It is hard to define what a mastery of the subject of sustainability is at the undergraduate level… Is it something better served as something students take within the context of a major? [Or]as a series of courses that form a certificate?” Stahl said. 

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In the long term, there will be some conversations about ways to increase enrollment across different programs, such as reducing core requirements and required credit hours per major to allow students’ schedules to be more flexible. This will provide room for a more comprehensive liberal arts education where students are taking courses by choice because they have an intellectual hunger for learning rather than checking boxes on the core, Stahl said. Meanwhile, some courses were already cut on campus. For example, Chinese 102, the sequential spring class to Chinese 101, was canceled next semester due to low enrollment.

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When deciding on which classes will be offered, the administration used to consider a class of six to be  sufficient; now, the threshold is 10. “For courses that are too low [in enrollment], they are going to have to be canceled,” Stahl said.

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Elanna Su, founder and president of the Asian Student Alliance, said that one of the driving forces of her matriculation at BW was the opportunity to learn the Chinese language as well as to connect with her Asian heritage through multicultural classes offered within the Asian Studies minor.  

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BW will offer an online section of Chinese 102 through the consortium they are part of, allowing students to take this particular class online at a different university with an accredited instructor.

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Su said she appreciated BW offering alternative options for her and her peers to continue learning Chinese; yet, this is an “insufficient response” to the situation. Su found that the “irreplaceable” part of the Chinese language courses was not just the educational content but the “personal experiences and culture” her professor brought to the classroom, one of the many things she loves about BW’s small and personal classes.

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“There are so many different backgrounds and walks of life, and the more you can expose yourself to those, the better you’ll understand other people and learn about other cultures and how people do things,” Su said.

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The University initially planned to cut Arabic 102 in spring 2024, too. However, after getting 12 peers interested in taking the Arabic language course, interested students were eventually able to register for the class, Alissa Hasrouni, sophomore marketing student, told The Exponent. Hasrouni said she collected signatures of student support and presented them to Provost Stahl, asking him to consider continuing to offer Arabic 102. 

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“Especially with BW holding diversity really high, it’s saddening that they [the administration] are trying to get rid of a program that has so much power, beauty and culture… By scratching it [the Arabic language course] away, it prevents us from promoting diversity in our community,” Hasrouni said.

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Hasrouni said that at first, they simply sent emails to advocate, but the effort was in vain. “It felt like they [students interested in taking Arabic] are all getting fed back the same answer and it stops at that email,” Hasrouni said.

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“No one is taking that step forward to speak to somebody that has a fresh set of eyes.” Hasrouni said not enough movement was able to be made at the departmental level and hence she had to escalate her action to show the Provost what she and her classmates wanted. 

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Su said: “Even just this little fight [for Chinese 102] for the last few weeks… It feels draining. It feels we are constantly fighting to be recognized.”

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In an interview with The Exponent, Stahl recommended student advocacy. “Students need to speak up about their interest in programs… It’s been a long time since I was a college student. I understand the needs of students, but I don’t have a handle on what the wants are,” Stahl said. On Wednesday, there was a faculty forum to discuss upcoming changes to the curriculum decisions made to address the budget deficit of 18.5 million, as well as a presentation to the faculty from Interim Provost Tom Sutton. 

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Within the first five minutes of the meeting Senate President Kent Cleland addressed a suggestion of going into executive session. The governing faculty (full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty) then voted to go into an executive session, with Sutton as their guest. This means that any non-voting members were mandated to leave the room i.e. adjuncts, students and members of The Exponent staff present to report on the forum.  

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Sources present at the meeting, who have chosen to stay anonymous due to fear of retaliation and the issue’s sensitivity, provided The Exponent with information regarding the meeting and what was discussed. Key takeaways include information regarding faculty who will be let go in person, in the near future, due to the University budget cuts and two faculty/staff members who resigned in the last few days. These terminations will include a conversation on severance packages, placement services and coaching for faculty until new jobs are found for faculty.  

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“If we offer fewer sections due to the changed core, then that means likely fewer adjuncts will be teaching sections, but I don’t have any specifics at this point; they’re only just beginning to figure out course scheduling for the fall,” Sutton in a phone call with The Exponent after the forum. 

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The forum also discussed using an overloaded course schedule for professors and an intention to rely less heavily on adjunct staff. Professors will be asked to teach extra classes (increasing from three classes in the spring semester to four).  

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Additional changes include the eventual discontinuation of 15 unnamed majors and minors. 

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According to the faculty handbook, “elimination of the faculty member’s discipline as a program of study at the University” is one of only three ways in which tenured faculty members lose their protections from termination without due process.  

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Possible cuts could also depend on future enrollment classes, with projections being based on class sizes of 600, 650 and 700. The latter is the number needed to meet a balanced budget. The University expects to produce $17.1 million in savings as a result of these changes.

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As far as informing the faculty, students and the community at large, the administration plans to draft an email with the help of an outside organization to faculty first as a formality and then to students regarding these changes. They also claim that in the future there will be a website that will become the designated place for such information.  

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Much of the other information revealed in the meeting was budget trimming procedures to ensure the deficit is decreased and maintained. Such procedures include increased scrutiny of department spending, data-driven program proposal scrutiny, no new faculty positions and other various changes to save money. 

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Within the two proposals to the core curriculum, there will be no new courses for either model but instead the core will be decreased to include fewer class requirements, and the new core will only be implemented beginning in the fall 2024 semester for incoming first-year students. 

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Sutton said that as a result of the news of the larger-than-expected deficit only recently surfacing, these changes may have been different. 

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“We had a problem that was not discovered that grew larger and now we have to take what is definitely drastic action to fix it, but if we had started working on this or knew about it five years ago, some decisions would have been different which might have avoided some of what we’re talking about,” Sutton said. 

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 Last Edited Feb. 1, 2024.Black-owned business owners are set to showcase their entrepreneurship in the Student Activity Center on Friday from 3-4 p.m.  

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“Black entrepreneurship equals innovation. That’s what it is. So with this we’re helping Black vendors realize who they are and how they can label themselves as an entrepreneur and how they help educate our community,” said Daisjah Brown, junior political science student along with the founder and creative director of Buzzin’ Black Friday. 

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The event brings together Black-owned businesses and allows them to interact with students on campus through a vendor fair in the SAC. This year, over 15 Black-owned vendors will be in attendance, as well as a food truck, Blasian Fusion, for students to enjoy free food and raffle prizes such as gift baskets and gift cards. 

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 Brown created the event last year while working as a Brain Fellow for the Baldwin Wallace David and Frances Brain Center for Community Engagement and has continued the project with current brain fellow Noah Mowery, a junior double major in business management and human resources.  

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Some businesses set to attend the fair include a local barber, nail care vendors, lashes, skincare, juice, t-shirts, food, desserts, music and many other Black-owned businesses that offer a variety of products and services that students need but are not always visible to them.  

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Brown said that a key aspect she fought to preserve is a lack of fees for vendors and students. Instead, they are offering $100 honorariums for vendors to show up to support their attendance. 

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 Brown said that the event’s purpose is not to be performative but to highlight education on the history of Black entrepreneurship such as lesser-known Black entrepreneurs who invented commonly used tools and products such as the stoplight and peanut butter.  

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“We’re not having our vendor stop the event to speak about being a Black person owning a business in America. That’s not the case,” Brown said. “We’re having people go around and interact with different things.”  

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Brown said she faced hurdles in finding vendors matching the event’s intentions.  

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“It is so hard to sit and try to find a vendor that not only fits your event but just in general,” Brown said.  

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Additional resources that helped Brown prepare for the event were JumpStart and LaunchNet, who, in part, sponsored the event. JumpStart not only helped her create connections with businesses in the community but also provided funding for the food truck.  

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LaunchNet program manager Catie Lenahan said she worked closely with Brown and Mowery. 

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“It’s been really fun to work with both of them, just to see their leadership take place and see the work they are doing,” Lenahan said. “They both believe in this entrepreneurial initiative and that entrepreneurship is everywhere.” The first case of polio in 25 years has been confirmed in Gaza, where the disease has resurfaced due to severely damaged infrastructure, and limited access to clean water and proper sanitation.

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The ten month-long conflict has severely compromised Gaza’s healthcare system, leading to a sharp decline in childhood vaccinations, which has created the conditions for the outbreak.

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In response to several confirmed cases, including a baby left partially paralyzed, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies have mobilized a large-scale vaccination campaign. They aim to vaccinate more than 640,000 children under the age of 10. 

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Israel and Hamas agreed to a six-hour daily pause in fighting after a call for a humanitarian ceasefire by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, enabling WHO to launch a three-day plan to vaccinate 90% of the targeted children to keep the disease from spreading. As of midweek, over 187,000 children had been vaccinated, exceeding the initial goal of 157,000. 

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While the ceasefire offers a brief window for humanitarian work, the limited time frames continue to pose significant challenges. Given polio’s highly infectious nature, successful vaccination is essential to contain the disease. Failure to do so could result in a wider spread, both within Gaza and potentially beyond its borders into Israel and the broader Middle East. 

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Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for Gaza, praised the cooperation during the vaccination drive and expressed hope that this momentum will continue. Effective action now is critical, he said, not only to combat this polio outbreak but to prevent future health crises in the region.

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