Campus-wide efforts increase diversity

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Erin Brock
Editor-in-Chief

If Transylvania University does, in fact, exist in a “bubble,” then that bubble might soon burst, thanks to a new focus on making the school more diverse.

“While we may not be where we want to be with the diversity of our campus in a whole range of things, or even our awareness of what diversity is on our campus, as a campus we have a commitment to it that has been renewed over the last year or so,” said Dr. Carole Barnsley, co-leader of Sexual Awareness and Gender Education (SAGE), adviser to T-Unity and assistant professor of religion.

A prime example of this commitment was the hiring of Eduardo Nino-Moreno as director of campus diversity and inclusion four months ago. Nino-Moreno’s background includes over 20 years of experience working for the United Nations, which has given him a deep perspective on issues of diversity. He has already become a strong voice for change at Transy. He said real diversity goes beyond the parameters of race and religion.

“Everybody is part of diversity. I am diversity, you are diversity, she is diversity, he is diversity. … All of us bring something different to the table,” Nino-Moreno said.

President R. Owen Williams echoed that belief.

“I think of diversity as touching the lives of as many different kinds of people as we can make happen on our campus, and including the lives and perspectives of as many as is possible,” Williams said. “I think of diversity as being about religious inclusion, racial inclusion, geographic inclusion, international inclusion.”

In fact, international, geographic, religious, racial and cultural diversity are all areas that are being addressed by multiple groups on campus as part of the diversity focus.

Williams noted that less than 1 percent of Transy’s student population is from outside of the country, while other colleges with enrollment similar to Transy range from 2 percent (Centre College) to 10 percent (Grinnell College).

While 70 percent of Transy students study abroad, Williams believes that those experiences don’t bring enough diversity to the campus.

“Obviously it’s great that our students get away and experience the world through their own first-hand travel and education experiences outside of the United States, … but it’s not enough,” Williams said. “I want people to have a daily, ongoing exposure to international perspectives and cultures.”

Currently, students who call Transy home hail from such countries as Germany, China, Korea and Taiwan.

“Some of the best liberal arts colleges in this country have students on their campuses from as many as 50 other countries, and it would be great if we had that … kind of diversity,” Williams said.

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Admissions amps up enrollment

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Molly Crain
News Editor

With the new strategic enrollment plan in full swing, Transylvania University’s admissions office is starting to see an increase in numbers.

“After implementing an astounding 33 new admissions initiatives, the plan is already paying off,” said President R. Owen Williams in his New Year’s email update to the university. “With the early deadline for applications having just passed, we have 25 percent more applicants than ever before.”

As of Tuesday morning, applications are now up 26 percent, according to Brad Goan, vice president of enrollment and dean of admissions, with out-of-state applications up 54 percent and in-state applications up 17 percent.

“We need make sure the right number of those students come to Transylvania,” said Goan.

Concerning future goals for enrollment, Goan would like to see an incoming first-year class of 348 students.

“It would increase a little bit over the next five years,” Goan said. “If everything worked according to plan, we’d be looking (in) the fall of 2016 at enrollment that was just short of 1,300.”

At the beginning of the fall 2011 term, enrollment was down to a slim 1,029 students, 259 of them being first-years. A strikingly low number, 259 is 55 fewer than the class before it and 51 fewer than the class average over the past five years.

But why the sudden drop?

“The reason why we got banged up last year (was) because people chose to go to places with lower cost that didn’t have as much opportunities as we have,” said Goan. “One of the things we needed to do was better explain to the market that this was a real value.”

Efforts to ensure that potential students understand this “real value” are already being executed, such as the posting of various Transylvania advertisement videos online.

The most recent of these videos compares the personal Transylvania experience to that of attending a “Big-State College.” The next video to be posted will be about financial aid.

“This is a pretty aggressive plan,” said Goan. “To say that we are doing a hundred things, that’s not an exaggeration. … They add up.”

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Transy Choir goes coastal

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Holly Brown
A&E Editor

For some people, winter break means putting in long days of sleeping in and other tiresome activities that tend to happen in front of electronic screens. For the Transylvania Choir, however, it meant going on its annual tour.

Though the choir had planned to tour Europe in May, by October it was clear that the current state of the economy was going to prevent many of the participating students from affording the expense of an international trip.

Instead, the group chose a domestic tour, with performances Jan. 3-6 across four venues in Georgia and Florida and then a final concert at Transy Jan. 11.

Dr. Gary Anderson, professor of music and director of choral ensembles, always coordinates tours with contacts suggested by the alumni office, and this year it recommended a cluster of alumni in Florida.

The Transylvania Choir toured Florida and Georgia during the last week of winter break. They performed in four venues, but still had time left over for some fun activities.

“That turned out to be not only a great deal of fun for us, frankly, because we went to Fort Myers, Fla.,” said Anderson, “but we connected with a lot of alumni, which made it, as a university tour, really worthwhile, too.”

Though Anderson had chosen the concert’s repertoire last summer with a European audience in mind, the same selections worked well for a domestic tour. The concert included several pieces by European composers, followed by a few songs from Transy Boys a Cappella (TBA), and ended with a section of American folk songs and spirituals.

The tour is undoubtedly an enjoyable experience for the choir, but Anderson also emphasized its role in promoting the university. Each of the concerts was attended by alumni, and many high school students were introduced to Transy through the concerts, as well.

“For me one of the best experiences was singing at the high school in Brandon, Fla., because the students were so excited to host us,” said sophomore choir member Rachel Norris. “After the concert, several students came up to me and said that they would now be looking at Transy as a possible school.”

“It turned out to be a terrific, terrific tour, even though we put it together really quickly. We connected to alumni, we connected to students. … Our folks had a ball,” Anderson said.

This year’s tour follows a long-standing tradition for the Transy Choir; with the exception of a single year, the choir has made an annual tour since the 1940s.

While Anderson has yet to determine when the choir will next plan a tour to Europe, he expects to reach a decision on the issue at some point this May term.

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New club shoots its way onto scene

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Abby Ferguson
Sports Editor

Over the past year Transylvania has continued to expand, from new programs and new athletic fields to more club teams. As of Nov. 7, Transy has a new trap and skeet club.

Trap and skeet are just two of the three disciplines in competitive clay pigeon shooting, the third of which is sporting clays. Clay pigeon shooting is the art of shooting a clay target (the “pigeon”) in the air with a shotgun.

The idea for the club came after first-year John DeReamer discussed it with a friend at Hampden-Sydney College who is on his school’s shotgun team.

“After talking to him about his club I thought it would be a great program for Transy,” said DeReamer. “I owe a lot of thanks to the (National Rifle Association) and (the University of Kentucky’s) shotgun team president, Daniel Birkenhauer, who helped our club become legitimate in the collegiate community.”

DeReamer has only been involved with shooting for three years, but the club has members of all levels.

“I haven’t been shooting as long as some of the other guys, but most shooters in collegiate clubs start in college or high school,” said DeReamer. “It is easy to pick up, and it can get quite addicting. … (The club) was formed with the goals of introducing new students to the sport, promoting gun safety and providing a competitive environment for experienced shooters to compete with other colleges. It is a great way for students to shoot in an organized manner.”

After DeReamer confronted senior Anderson Salinas, a fellow shooter, he decided it was time to get back into the game.

“Since I had gotten to college I hadn’t shot as much as I used to in high school and middle school, and had never competed before. So the idea appealed to me as a way to get back into shooting and try a new sport,” said Salinas.

Salinas enjoys the competitive and social nature of trap and skeet.

“Every Thursday we go out, and while we all are trying to beat each other and improve our skills, it’s also a very welcoming environment where we coach each other and try to make everyone a better shooter,” Salinas said.

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Martin finds calling in coaching

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Abby Ferguson
Sports Editor

Life takes all of us on different paths not knowing where we may end up. These paths help create an understanding of where we are meant to be.

Before Transy, assistant coach Matthew Martin spent time on staff at Furman University and the University of Cincinnati.

For Matthew Martin, assistant coach for the men’s basketball and golf teams, his paths led him to Transylvania. Before Martin ended up at Transy, he attended Furman University, where he was a practice player and manager for the basketball team. He left after a year to follow his coach to the University of Cincinnati. After spending one year there, where he continued to work as a student manager, he transferred to Transy to finish his college career.

While Martin was attending Transy, the golf team won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference all three years and finished in the top 20 at the NCAA tournament each year. Martin also made the PING All-Great Lakes Region team his junior and senior years and was named a Cleveland Golf and Srixon All-American Scholar as a senior.

After graduating in 2010, Martin followed in the footsteps of his mother, father, brother and uncle by becoming a coach.

“I always thought coaching would be something I would want to do,” said Martin. “My parents (and family) are great resources, and now I know that coaching and teaching is all I want to do.”

Martin is in his second year of coaching at Transy, where he is also the head coach for the men’s junior varsity basketball team. He has come to cherish the time spent with other coaches.

“There’s no better coach to work for than Brian Lane,” said Martin. “Every day brings a new challenge and adventure. I’ve learned so much about coaching, people and relationships, and just how to enjoy what you do. Assistant coach Nate Valentine has also taught me a great deal.”

Another influence in Martin’s life, both academically and with coaching, has been Don Lane.

“I was fortunate enough to have him as a professor for many of my classes and tried to absorb as much about coaching and teaching as I could,” said Martin. “He also knows how to teach, and I want to model my teaching style after his.”

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Students pioneer winter service trip

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Erica Clark
Campus Life Editor

While many spent the days after Christmas lounged on the couch recovering from festivities, a group of four Transylvania University students and one dean took the opportunity to give back in the Dominican Republic.

“I thought a week couldn’t make a difference,” said junior Will Bryant, one of the students to make the trip. “But living at an orphanage and getting to know the kids, you can put a face to poverty.”

In the Latin America and Caribbean region alone, there are over 9.4 million children who have been impacted by the loss of one or both parents. There are 8.8 million children who are malnourished, and about 40 million people lack reading and writing skills needed for daily life and work.

Joining Bryant were juniors Hannah Johnson and Natalie Jones and first-year Elizabeth Hardt, along with the group’s faculty adviser, Dr. Kathleen Jagger, associate vice president and associate dean of the college, whom Johnson described as “just one of the kids for the week, completely treating us as equals and trusting in our abilities to plan and facilitate.”

Since the summer, Johnson had wanted to do a service project during winter break. She looked for a reliable program to join, but soon had the idea to start an organization through the university.

After talking to Bryant, who had an experience in Cambodia the year before, both students met with Karen Anderson, coordinator of community service and civic engagement, who helped them through the process.

“We wanted to give people who couldn’t find a service opportunity on their own to have a good bonding experience,” said Johnson.

The group looked to travel to a place where Transy had some ties to make the group’s first trip run smoothly. Jagger had been to the Dominican Republic before, so they agreed that it was a good place to start.

Domincan Republic

While in the Dominican Republic, the group stayed in an all-boys orphanage where they had camps, promoted English and Spanish literacy, and had fun with the kids through arts, crafts and other means of recreation.

“The kids just wanted to read,” said Johnson. “They picked reading over games and crafts. I think people here (at Transy) take learning for granted. They just loved it there.”

Bryant, who was in charge of the recreation station, said many kids brought books to the station to read instead of play.

“They love Clifford and other animal books,” said Johnson.

Despite the language barrier, both described having the ability to communicate well, especially through nonverbal messages.

“We just wanted to communicate love,” said Bryant. “You can do that through actions.”

“You could tell it meant a lot to the kids,” Johnson said. “You could go all week without talking to one of them, but they could come give you a hug at the end.”

Johnson talked about the attachment to the kids she developed.

“It was impossible not to want to adopt one and give them a good life in America, but the goal was to help the kids learn to help themselves,” she said.

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Rambler calls for more TU opinions

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Lyman Stone
Opinion Editor

Recently, the opinion page has suffered from a dearth of writers. We need people with opinions who want to write about them.

The opinion page has gone through some changes this year. Beginning with the “What’s Right” and “What’s Left” columns, it has transitioned to include satire, “Cheers and Jeers” and a continuing presence of editorials, letters to the editor, guest columns, and other pieces.

Finding opinionated writers would seem to be an easy task at Transylvania. It should not be hard to find people with strong opinions and a capacity to express them on our campus. Unfortunately, that task has proved challenging for some time.

Of late, however, the Rambler staff has come to a realization: We weren’t asking the right people for opinions. Many students express strong opinions, implicit or explicit, every week. By participating in organizations, giving philanthropically and attending meetings, we express opinions. Indeed, campus organizations, be they Greek organizations, clubs, sports or officially sponsored groups, form a vital component of our community.

As such, The Rambler would like to extend an invitation, nay, a challenge, to all of our campus organizations: If your organization could recommend one change to how things are done at Transylvania, one change to official policy, or to institutional structure, or to curriculum, … what would it be? What does Transylvania need to change to be better?

We have extended an invitation to the leadership of several organizations already to write a piece, 500 words or less, about what should change at Transylvania. Next week, we will begin running those pieces.

In the meantime, if anyone has submissions you’d like to submit individually, you need only email them to rambler@transy.edu. The most innovative, viable and intriguing proposals will be published here.

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January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

by Andrew Williams

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‘Switch’ points out the path to change

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

We all have something we would like to change. It could be about ourselves or someone around us; it could be a policy at our school or place of work. It could be anything. The problem, though, is that change is hard. It’s more difficult and more terrifying than other things necessary to survival like food or air. Luckily for us, Chip and Dan Heath have written “Switch: How to Make a Change When Change Is Hard.”

If it sounds like a self-help book, that’s because it is one. However, it’s low on the weepy emotions and cheap gimmicks common to many books of this type. “Switch” is an intellectual look at how and why changes (like many New Year’s resolutions) fail and how to get around these problems.

The Heath brothers divide their findings into three sections, based on an unfortunately cheesy metaphor in which our emotional motivation is an elephant and our logical thinking is a human rider. The “elephant” must want to move in the same direction as the rider, or the rider will be powerless to keep it going in the long run. This is why it’s hard to resist a plate of cookies in front of you; the “rider” tires out and gives in to the “elephant’s” hunger.

The second section is about the rational mind, or the “rider.” The “rider” has to have a clear path and avoid confusion in order to direct the “elephant” to an ultimate destination. This is why vague ideas like “eat healthier” are difficult to keep to; there are innumerable definitions of this behavior. Something simpler like “switch to low-fat milk” is a much more attainable goal.

The third part of the book refers to the “path,” or the situation. As psychologists have been studying for decades, small changes to situations can alter behavior significantly. Making the path clearer and providing fewer distractions makes the change you are trying to effect much easier to accomplish. For instance, if you are trying to lose weight, not buying foods you know are triggers for overeating will help you because you will not have them around to eat.

It isn’t a perfect book. Some of the examples are very corporate and difficult to imagine applying to private life. Many of the “workshops” offered at the end of chapters are tedious and I confess I skipped them after the first few. Still, many of the stories in the book are inspiring and eye-opening.

I learned a lot about change and the human psyche from this book. Psychology buffs may already know a lot on this topic, but I think there is still much to be gained from the examples found within. Some are the results of interesting psychology experiments, but others come from real-life situations in companies, service organizations, or daily life.

This is a book all members of the 21st-century world community should become familiar with. It offers valuable insights into the things that hold us back and how we can push forward. Members of the Transylvania community can (and should) read it for free by borrowing it from our library.

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Goodfellas: An offer you can’t refuse

January 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

With one location that is a short walk away from campus and another that delivers the pizza to you, Goodfellas Pizzeria is a primo pizza joint that puts out some wonderful pizza pies.

I actually did not eat at this particular location but chose to have it delivered to campus, which is really convenient considering the weather lately. Their delivery service is very prompt; I was quite impressed with how soon my pizza arrived. And the fact that they will deliver until 3 a.m. is a real perk. Now let us get to the food.

When I eat pizza, one of the things that I look at first is the crust. An overly thick crust, for me, is honestly disgusting, unless the pizza is in Chicago style, in which case it is fine. Goodfellas has a really great thin crust. The bottom of it is perfectly crispy and then the actual crust part is chewy — which I love in a pizza.

Another thing that I love about their pizza is the sauce. Some places slather it on and it just becomes overwhelming and can make the crust soggy. Goodfellas puts the right amount of sauce on, enough that with every bite it makes an impact on the flavor profile, but not too much to where the sauce is all over your face.

The sauce is also very well seasoned and not too chunky. I am not a fan of chunky sauce; it is very out of place for a pizza. I want to get texture from the sauce, but I do not want to bite into a big chunk of tomato.

Finally, when I eat pizza I look at the toppings ratio, which is the amount of cheese in comparison to the amount of toppings. I do not want a pizza that has so much cheese that the crust gets weighed down by it, and the same idea goes with the amount of toppings. Pizza should not be weighed down by how much is on top of it, especially if you are prone to dropping food on your clothing, like I am.

Goodfellas has done a really nice job with this. There is enough cheese on it that you get the cheese stretch when you first take a bite, but the toppings do not weigh the pizza down enough to cause toppings like ham, pineapple and peppers to fall all over yourself and your plate.

I do not want to say that Goodfellas has the best pizza I have ever eaten because I have eaten pizza in Italy and nothing will ever compare to that. But I will say that if given the option between a chain restaurant and Goodfellas, I would, without a doubt, pick Goodfellas in a heartbeat.

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