Defiance, OH: Is Candy More Important Than a Presidential Candidate?

Backgroud: Defiance, OH was just featured in the Washington Post under the section Campaign 2012. The auto bailout affected this small town, centered around a GM plant, which is still experiencing the economic downturn. It also affected the political atmosphere there, which is located in a predominantly red area in a (perhaps the) key swing state.

Here is the link: GM is alive in Defiance, OH. But Obama's hopes here may not be.

And here is an accompanying picture slideshow and video of Defiance, OH:
Portrait of a small town in a swing state.

Here is a piece also published in the Washington Post about Gov. Romney's visit to Defiance: Mayor: Mitt Romney to visit Defiance, Ohio.

There is an uproar in my hometown of Defiance, Ohio, because Mitt Romney is making a campaign trail stop there, this Thursday (10/25/12). One might assume it's because Defiance is a predominantly blue area -- but it's not, it's actually a historically red portion of the state.

The reason for the uproar is actually a little embarrassing to me: it's because trick-or-treat has to be moved due to Romney's visit. Defiance has always had trick-or-treat earlier -- not actually on Halloween. I understand some parents have to take time off of work and reschedule their nightly plans to take their kids out. But in the grand scheme of things is moving it to Tuesday really a big deal?

It saddens and hugely disappoints me that some people in my hometown are more concerned with a night to get candy rather than having a presidential candidate stop in Defiance. I don't care which way you lean - this is a huge part of history in the making! No matter what political perspetive one may have, this election is important.

I hope that parents see the value in taking their children to see Romney speak and learning about the importance of exercising your right to vote, whether you plan to vote for Romney, Obama, Gary Johnson, or whatever candidate you choose -- or have chosen.

When those kids become adults they can look back on the experience and be thankful. I know we all can think of  an experience we didn't appreciate at the time, but then realize the importance of it when looking back.

Defiance is a small middle-of-nowhere town with a population of 17,000 -- literally inbetween cornfields. We should be proud a presidential candidate is visiting our community -- I know I am, even if I don't necessarily agree with a lot of what Romney has to say.

Is candy more important than this election? Some people in Defiance seem to think so. People always complain how nothing happens in Defiance -- and when something big finally does, some people still complain.

Story Ideas

Students at Wittenberg recently returned from fall break -- while some R&R benefited many students, it still hasn't completely helped with the stress of mid-semester. Based off of this, I've been thinking of a few story ideas:

1. Scheduling - maybe one of my least favorite parts about Wittenberg (and possibly yours, too). I never seem to be able to fit in all the classes I need and/or want. I could possibly explore this story idea by talking to the Registrar and finding out how much trouble students actually have in getting into classes and/or taking ones they need. Also, I could talk to some students about classes they feel Wittenberg should offer but aren't - especially within certain departments, and if there are departments missing at Wittenberg students feel we really should have.

2. Habitat for Humanity - Mid-fall semester means it's about time to start applying for the alternative spring breaks offered for spring of 2013. I could talk to the habitat officers about places they are considering going to build and to students who have gone on past trips. Are there advantages/disadvantages (if there are any!) of going on one of these trips? -- especially in comparison to going on a typical college spring break ( like Daytona Beach). This may be too far in advance, but I personally think it is relevant because applications are due soon and if students don't know about it, they won't apply and therefore couldn't go!

3. Reaction piece to Dr. Cornell West - I could talk to some professors and students about their reactions to West's radical approach to preaching/thinking about injustice and how to conquer it. I went to this and it was unlike anything I've ever heard.

4. Piece on LCWS (Lutheran College Washington Semester) - I did this program, so I don't know if it'd be a conflict of interest. Especially with election season, I think it'd be interesting explore what life is like as a student/intern in Washington. A common misconception is that you have to be a poli sci major to do this alternative semester -- the answer is no! It was my favorite semester so far and I learned so much about the professional world and about myself. Like study abroad, I think interning is one of the best experiences a college kid can do in order to get out of his/her college bubble -- and we all know a Witt bubble definitely exists.

Having Natty Light, We Pass It On To Others

Drinking. Oh, where to begin with this one? I could take multiple different avenues here, but I’ll stick correlate two relevant topics in this blog: drinking and the upcoming election.

I know that as a whole, Wittenberg students are sick of hearing about the election, are sick of politics, are sick of the YouTube political ads; the list goes on. Our class found that there is an aversion to politics at Wittenberg – so how do you make politics more appealing? Why, just add alcohol!

The recent debate between the two candidates for presidency, Obama and Romney, really hit home at Witt. No, not because of politics –but because it happened to fall on a Witt Wednesday.

Many students here made the debate into a drinking game for some comic relief. Okay, so maybe it’s not the most “appropriate” or “mature” way to engage in some active political conscientiousness, but I think we should take what we can get –at least people are watching!

Even I sipped a cold Sam Adams Oktoberfest while watching the debate. All I have to say is this: Mr. Moderator, you got walked on. Actually, you got stampeded on. And overall: Romney=1 and Obama=0. Hopefully we can still keep Big Bird, though.

Here is one game that was played:

Dr. Allan, wanna grab a brewski?

The thing I have to say about Wittenberg is this: it’s rare a student has to take a bad class. Sure there are some bad classes, but mainly it’s because of the way the professor teaches it/them.

Having said that, though, I think the professors at Wittenberg really set it apart from other schools. The professors I have had really have taken the time to get to know me on an individual basis, and we’ve formed a relationship beyond the instructor-student relationship.

One comes to mind: Dr. James Allan, political science professor.

I have a profound interest in all things Irish, and as a poli sci major, that includes Irish politics. He is Scottish (and yes, he has a glorious accent – maybe one of the reasons I started to like him in the first place) but knows a lot about the British Isles and Ireland. I chose to do my Methods poli sci paper on religious affiliation and views on Nationalism in Northern Ireland. The idea came from my experience abroad in Ireland and the history of the sectarian divide there.

He sat down with me to help me find sources/evidence and generate a really interesting research question that turned into a 35 page paper –which was eventually published in this edition of Levitas, Wittenberg’s political science journal. I am humbled to have been published as an undergraduate and now, as a co-editor of the journal, I hope to submit another piece before I graduate in 2013.

Dr. Allan helped me find my passion in comparative politics and last semester, in Washington, DC, I was able to intern at the Embassy of Ireland as press and information assistant. I don’t think that would’ve been possible if he hadn’t taken the time to help me discover an area in political science that I didn’t hate (aka American politics – I’m just as sick of this election business as you are).

Methods was, ironically, my favorite and least favorite class –simultaneously. It SUCKED to work on a paper all semester long, work with computer data and recode variables to come up with statistical tables to then back it up with all sorts of literature. This class made me question my abilities/knowledge as a poli sci major and caused many sleepless nights.

But –it was worth it. In the end, it actually made me solidify my decision to major in poli sci, and I really started to believe in myself as a researcher. It pushed me like no other class I had taken at Witt before, and I came to truly appreciate the field I was studying. It was not just academics pontificating about politics; it was real-life, fascinating research. I felt like I, a lowly junior, made a significant contribution on this topic. Thus, the means definitely justified the ends.

Moreover, I came to appreciate Dr. Allan as a person. He has a very dry, self-deprecating humor which I appreciate very much. Dr. Allan is a cool, normal guy and I don’t view of him as my professor –I view him as someone I’d want to go grab a beer with, who just so happens to be my professor.

The Avett Brothers: in Harmony with Humility

First off, I need to let you know that in no way do I think I can write a blog post that does justice to this duo of brothers.

As a music connoisseur (of some sort), I believe that the Avett Brothers -two humble brothers/musicians from North Carolina- are changing the Americana/folk music scene; not just because of their power ballads, but because of their personalities as well. Perhaps even moreso because of their personalities. (Speaking of the folk scene, let me note that they were around way before Mumford & Sons -if we're talking actual music style here).

I am so put off musicians these days, who seem to always strive for glory or try to do the next “weird” thing to get himself/herself noticed (hint: Lady Gaga). 

But not Scott and Seth Avett. 

I could go into details about how their music is unlike anything I had heard before, how it makes me feel like they connect to a listener like me on a much deeper level. They are not just musicians; they are poets. 

Instead of taking up blog room, read about them/more of their background HERE.

I think the beginning of the article says it all for me:

 “Halfway down the driveway to the Avett family farm in Concord, Scott Avett slows his truck to a stop. His father, Jim, watches as the 36-year-old jumps out, grabs some bales of hay from the side of the road and tosses them into a trailer. Scott wasn't asked to help out. That's just the way he is. Since he was a kid, he's pitched in until all the work is done — just like he's doing on this hot day earlier this summer.

The difference is that today, Scott Avett is a rock star — he doesn't really have to load hay into trailers or work construction in the sun. And yet his willingness — no, his compulsion — to do so is part of the work ethic that's helped catapult him and his fellow Avett Brothers into one of the country's strongest live acts. But the Avetts are now more than just a great live band.”

            Last night I saw them in concert at an outdoor pavilion in Indianapolis. The whole concert was great, but the last act really moved me. Seth Avett announced he would like to invite his father, Jim, on stage to sing with the band. With Jim’s arms around his two successful sons, they ended the concert with The Salvation Song (link to song). 

Here are some of the lyrics:

“And I would give up everything 

And if you were to come up clean 

And see you shine so bright in a world of woe 

And they may pay us off in fame 

But that is not why we came 

And if it compromises truth then we will go 

We came for salvation 

We came for family 

We came for all that's good that's how we'll walk away 

We came to break the bad 

We came to cheer the sad 

We came to leave behind the world a better way.”

And that’s just what the Avett Brothers are doing.

The Avett Brothers are honest-to-God musicians; they make you want to be a better person but make you feel like it’s okay that you’re not there yet.

Give a few of their songs a listen and you’ll know what I mean –trust me. And why not start now?

music video: I And Love and You by The Avett Brothers.

Blogging ≠ Journalism

Blogging may be taking away from what you’re trying to do right at this moment: be a journalist (or at least write like one to pass this introductory class).

Don’t get me wrong –blogging is a great way to express yourself as a writer and it’s frankly more fun to write a blog than an academic paper or piece for a newspaper (refer to Erin Harte’s blog).

However, the trouble I have with blogging is that audiences are using them as a journalistic source. Now, I’m sure you know the difference between an objective, journalistic piece and a blog about an opinion on a topic that someone considers “newsworthy” –but does the average internet surfer?

Inaccurate facts; rumors; complete bias –these are only some of the issues that blogs can cause. Anyone can be a blogger but not everyone can be a journalist (and a good one, at that).

Journalism is a refined practice; one that takes literal practice, along with research and objectivity. A blog, more often than not, is not done as carefully. In fact, I’m not basing this blog off of anything other than my opinion whereas if I was publishing this in The Torch, I would probably base my piece off some researched facts about journalism v. blogging. Even then, it wouldn’t be based off of my opinion because it can’t be –precisely because it’s journalism.

Besides, I can go back and edit whatever I'm telling you right now and completely change this blog. However, once I publish a journalistic piece, what's done is done.

To end this, here I have included a NYT article that goes more in depth about blogging v. journalism:

Are All Bloggers Journalists?

Cartoon: 

It's okay to let your Ass hang out - just keep your Elephant in

In my (un)professional opinion, I believe most students at Wittenberg are actually right-leaning but the faculty is left-leaning. However, I think this gets lost in the overall assumption that Wittenberg, as a whole, is a liberal campus.

Just looking around, one observes the liberal propaganda around campus: Obama stickers on water bottles, Democratic bumper stickers on cars, and liberal posters on professors’ doors. I am all for the First Amendment and think it’s great that students are able to voice their political views. Moreover, I think it is even better students take the time to be aware of the issues going on outside of the Witt bubble. But is it okay for professors to show their political bias, whichever way they lean?

You all heard it in class when Mac opened up the Watergate discussion with “Nixon sucks.” (Sorry to pick on you Mac, but I have to use this). Mac teaches us to get to know the facts, disseminate hard news to the audience, and above all, be objective and don’t show bias. However a journalism professor told us Nixon sucks. I’m not saying Nixon didn’t suck, I’m just asking – is this okay in the classroom?

I’m doing my story on the political atmosphere on campus and already got two really good quotes:

“Teaching American National Government should teach about that, not about how Republicans are idiots and Democrats are awesome, “ said junior Rob Metry.

On a similar note, junior poli sci major Ann Ultsch said, “Just because it’s an entry level class doesn’t mean that you can teach/grade it with bias, not matter which way you lean to influence your students. It can deter students from entering the field.”

I think those who identify as liberal, including most professors, are more vocal about it. Maybe we just don’t hear about conservative students and they just aren’t as vocal. After all, it can be quite intimidating to bring up a conservative argument in class if you know the professor is liberal and don’t want your view to be considered “wrong” – or maybe “right” in this case (okay, bad joke).

A bystander may see a few liberal posters and hear a few very liberal arguments in class, but I think it’s mostly the professors that give Wittenberg that more liberal feel. Now, I realize most college campuses are liberal to begin with – but what about its students? I’ll leave you to think about that question. This also will be my effective cliffhanger, for I’m trying to find out that answer myself with my semester-long story.