Ensemble News
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by REBECCA KIELBASA
Editor If you are a Tiffin University student or faculty member, Dean Herdlick should be a familiar name to you. You may see him walking the student center, hosting raffles, taking students to the movies, or even emceeing bingo night, but these are just a few of the things Dean Herdlick does. Dean Michael Herdlick, 51, has been Dean of Students at Tiffin University since 2012. He started at the university as a full time math professor, then served as the schools faculty adviser for the NCAA, and spent five years in the office of institutional advancement. Being the Dean of Student at any university is no easy feat, but Dean Herdlick could have fooled us. In the journey to understand his position, his co-workers and the students had only good words to say. When asked to describe the Dean of Students position he described himself as the “chief student advocate” for all issues students face, including financial, illness, disagreements with coaches, and conflict. Herdlick also explained that his job is to “immerse himself in the life of the students” to figure out what the students need and get it, because “the students make the school.” A day in the life of Dean Herdlick will include meetings with the Student Affairs staff to try and decipher what will be affecting the students in the near future. Herdlick will also be seen walking through the lower lobby of Gillmor interacting with students and spreading as much joy as he can. While this is only one line of his job description, Dean Herdlick takes it with pride. Student Melissa Trzpis commented on Dean Herdlick's presence on campus in the eyes of the general student population saying, “Dean's persona is magnetic and inviting, and if he had a visible aura, it would shine brighter than the sun” and “a day does not go by where he can't be found at least once to spread joy or help a student in need.” It is not just the students Dean Herdlick looks after, but the staff as well. Nicholas La Torre, Assistant Director of Student Conduct, said “Before I even had the chance to meet Dean Herdlick in person, he had already helped me over the phone with a moving concern I had coming to campus.” La Torre and Dean Herlick work closely together in the Student Affairs Office on many tasks. Dean Herdlick gains the respect of his co-workers because “He would never ask anyone to do something he would not be willing to do himself or has done himself. He chooses to model leadership, especially around his staff, so that we never have to question what our main priorities are -- our students” La Torre said. This pair has often been seen passing out ice cream in the TU van during the particularly hot days on campus as well. If there is a secret to being successful in the dean position, Herdlick believes being a good listener, being observant, and having the ability to have the hard conversations, “Don’t walk through the students but walk with them,” he said. There are times when being the Dean is not all fun, particularly in student conduct cases, where he will have to step in “challenging students when necessary.” He also “will step in to handle interaction with students who may not have had positive experiences due to their behavior” according to La Torre. Becoming the Dean was quite the journey for Herdlick, starting back when he went to school for a bachelor's degree in mathematics and general science, then moved on to get a master’s degree in mathematics. As for career, Herdlick was not anticipating entering the higher education career and was honestly unsure what he wanted to do but thought about insurance consulting, potentially teaching, and even interviewed with the CIA a couple of times. Dean Herdlick’s first job out of college was as a quality assurance officer for a private science laboratory firm, and eventually he moved up to Vice President of that firm. When asked about changing careers or moving on from Dean of Students, Herdlick says he would like to be Dean of Students as long as everyone thinks he is good at it or until he burns out. To enhance the Dean position, he would love to take students on more field trips and to continue joint efforts with the facilities department. Student affairs has absorbed the facilities department as of 2019, so Dean Herdlick also serves as the director of facilities. Resident Assistant Haleigh Hubbell has worked with Dean Herdlick on maintenance issues and offered comments on how having the Dean streamline the process with facilities affects the process, “I would say I work with maintenance two to three times a month. Having Dean Herdlick helps communicate to maintenance what important issues housing needs to be done.” Not many students truly understand what Dean Herdlick truly does from them. Hubbell said, “ I think becoming an RA gives you more of an insight of how much work goes into creating a successful student life on campus.” It is safe to say that Dean Herlick is a pivotal part of the TU campus, and we could never fully understand everything he does for the students and staff.
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by REBECCA KIELBASA
Staff writer “My job is 24/7- 365. Period,” says the Norwalk chief of police when he shared what it takes to be a police officer and personal experiences with the Tiffin University Criminal Justice Club. Chief Mike Conney has worked for the Norwalk Police Department for 30 years, after serving four years in the United States Marines. Chief Conney shared his experiences and life lessons with students to help them gain knowledge about police work. Throughout the presentation Conney provided us several pieces of wisdom:
Chief Conney shared that police officers are meant to be servants and that sometimes the work they do does not bring them joy, such as having to give both his own mother and sisters citations while on duty. Police work can be incredibly rewarding, but also it is difficult emotionally, he said. by BRANDON UTLEY
Co-editor Imagine this. A teenage boy growing up in small-town Northeast Ohio, in a high school where there are more tractors and pickup trucks than there are iPhones. This boy often struggled to fit in with the “popular crowd,” not because he was not cool enough just because he was interested in different things. The popular crowd liked football and country music, while the young man loved musical theater and reality TV. That boy was me. Do not get me wrong, my high school experience was great but liking musical theater when I was growing up was always considered a taboo. People who enjoyed musicals were always stereotyped as dramatic, over-the-top, or gay. But has this opinion changed. “The genre itself is so wide that it’s intimidating,” said TU sophomore Becca Keilbasa. “I think people generally find them strange until they listen to them for the first time because until you understand the story the music is out of context and a bit strange.” Tiffin University music director Aly Horn stated, “I used to find that people would stereotype those that have an interest in musicals and you either were totally into them, or you were definitely opposed.” With Broadway taking a turn from the classic style of shows, such as The Sound of Music, Cats, and Hello, Dolly! to a new contemporary sound with shows, such as Hamilton, Be More Chill, and Legally Blonde, is musical theater becoming cool? by BRANDON UTLEY
Co-editor While juggling 15 credit hours, extra curricular activities, and multiple jobs finding time to make or find a healthy meal is nearly impossible. Second only to those cumulative final exams, one of the most difficult challenges college students face is how to battle away hunger? The caf? Fast food? The pack of ramen they forgot they dropped under their bed last week? Putting aside the debate over the quality of the dining hall food (see my article “In defense of the cafeteria: Picky eater finds appreciation for the caf”), the place that students choose to eat depends on their busy schedules, their particular taste in food, and more importantly their bank account. With the prices of the meal plan options rising, how are people who cannot afford them or choose not to get them eating. Senior Tyler Slavens lives in his fraternity house on campus, which includes a full kitchen. “Normally I eat fast food between classes, but if I have enough time I cook in my house,” he said. by EMILY JONES
Special to The Tystenac Bettering the Olympic Games and its athletes' lives would be a top priority for many of the athletes who visited Tiffin University during the last full week of October. Tiffin University is in its 35th year of the breakfast panel “Good Morning World.” During the program on October 25th, Matt Mitten began by thanking Bonnie Tiell for her work organizing the events throughout the week. Mitten had the 10 Olympians and Paralympians in attendance introduce themselves and briefly speak about the sport(s) they competed (or qualified to compete) in and the Olympic(s) they participated in. When introduced, many spoke of the honor they had felt walking into the opening ceremonies and what it meant to them to have represented their countries. The hour was full of questions and answers, but two of the questions sparked similar answers among the athletes. Mitten asked them to imagine they were president of the International Olympic Committee and tell everyone what their top priorities would be in regard to reform. The issue most of the athletes chose to discuss was post-competition education. Liston Bochette III said, “Let’s take care of the athletes. When you walk into the stadium, everybody loves you. When you walk out of that stadium, it’s a cold reality. People forget [about you] very quickly.” He went on to talk about, as others did, the issue of not having healthcare or many types of insurance. The second answer many of the Olympians agreed upon was to Mitten’s question about their favorite experience during the games. Most everyone had answers such as “meeting new people” and “experiencing different cultures.” A few of the athletes relayed what an honor it was to carry their country’s flag during the opening ceremonies. Acceptance and aid to athletes were common themes in their answers, as they have experienced the games first hand. It is a common belief that the games and its contestants could be improved by having long-term goals and purposes, thus improving the nations they represent. by SHENIAH LANIER
Special to The Tystenac On Sept. 5, 1972, Palestinian terrorists belonging to the political group Black September invaded the Israeli apartments in the Olympic Village at Munich, West Germany. According to official Olympic reports, the incident resulted in the deaths of 11 members of the Israeli team as well as five Palestinians and one police officer. “It was unbelievable for everyone there and for the whole world,” said Yan Boutmy as he sat on a panel discussing threat assessment at the Olympics during Tiffin University’s Elite Sport and Culture Week. Boutmy said he fenced for the Netherlands in the Olympic Games in 1964 and 1968 and was in Munich in 1972. “I didn’t know if the Games would continue,” he said. What happened in Munich was not a stand-alone event. In July of 1996, a bomb exploded in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park. According to The New York Times, the incident resulted in one death and 111 injuries. “It was a difficult moment,” said Sebastian Keitel, who represented Chile in the 200-meter dash that year. Keitel said one of his fellow teammates was injured in the blast.  by MATT ADAMS
Staff Writer October is domestic violence month, a month to raise awareness to defeat the issue, a month to mourn the victims and a month to help survivors. Sigma Delta Sigma hosted a candlelight vigil on Friday, October 9, 2018, in Hayes courtyard to raise awareness, a cause the Deltas built their sorority around. It was a somber night filled with light as survivors told their stories of domestic violence or of other survivors they knew in their lives. Individuals can be impacted indirectly when they see a loved one suffering from domestic abuse, such as a mom or sibling. In most cases when an individual such as a mom is a victim and their child sees the pain, it is because a mom will protect their children from the same pain. In other cases, it is because moms or aunts or siblings do not how to escape the pain. Survivors told their stories on Friday night was a way of ensuring other individuals that they are not alone in the battle to stop domestic violence, that they too know what it feels like to be hurt and betrayed by ones you love as you can feel alone and abandoned. These Survivors’ stories were meant to encourage people to see what the abuse is and prevent them from feeling that same pain. It is not easy for individuals to talk in front of a crowd and remember their stories, as they are trying to forget. The Deltas take pride in their efforts to stop the rising cases of domestic abuse, some of the organization's members came forth and told their story to help others overcome their stories. These individuals have suffered a lot to help others not feel what they did, to not feel what it is like to be sexually abused by a relative or to feel like one of your parents has abused you because they do not love. These cases can take a toll on an individual and leave them paralyzed to their environment. If you have suffered from the effects of domestic violence, or still are going through domestic abuse please do not hold your story back. There are institutions on campus that are here to help with the effects caused by abuse, do not be afraid to talk to someone about your story. Abuse is an issue that can affect any individual and you are not alone, there are millions of people that have experienced a similar story to yours. It just does not affect children, women, the elderly, men it is capable of affecting everyone. I have suffered from domestic abuse, you are not alone. by MADISON DOSS
Special to The Tystenac Young culinary artist Brittany Holbrook is not only a student-athlete at Tiffin University, but her passion for cooking has had an unexpected twist since her time at college started. Some college students are worried about gaining weight when they eat; however, Holbrook's concerns stem from regulating her diet for health reasons. Holbrook said she has helped her family in the kitchen ever since she could remember but ignited her passion for cooking at the age of 19 during her sophomore year of college. Not only did Holbrook have to find new ways to fend for herself on her own, but after diagnosed with celiac disease, Holbrook needed to do even more research on how to express herself in the kitchen. Celiac disease creates a gluten intolerance on a person’s body which essentially rejects any gluten ingested. This has made Holbrook conscious of every little detail when planning her meals such as checking the spices, broth, gravy and every other ingredient for gluten to make sure it won’t harm her body. She said even though celiac disease has been an obstacle for Holbrook to overcome, it has not changed her passion for cooking. Holbrook said she looks forward to coming home every day to her boyfriend Jared Polling and being able to cook and bond. “Cooking gives Jared and I something always to do together,” said Holbrook. Holbrook does not prefer just one style to use while cooking. She said loves trying new methods, recipes, and flavors to work with and is excited to find new healthy dishes. Holbrook said she will always choose a healthy, feel-good meal rather than greasy food any day. “I cringe at the sight of greasy or fried food,” she said. Cooking with her family and loved ones are special to her. She said she enjoys learning new things from them and teaching others their homemade cuisines. Holbrook acquires a lot of inspiration from her grandmother. She said she wants to strive to be like her grandmother so that people can crave dishes remade by Holbrook and carry on her legacy. When asked if she has ever thought to make cooking a part of her career, Holbrook denied the idea. “Cooking is something she can come home to and help her separate the bad days to make them a little less dreadful by cooking a warm-hearted meal,” said Holbrook. When it comes to baking, Brittany puts that on the “back burner.” She loves to bake but knows her cooking will always outdo her bakery. She said baking is fun because of all of the ingredients that can be thrown into it. Holbrook also said she adores creating all of the different baking smells. When questioned on how she would compare herself to her food, she thought of comforting. Holbrook sees her cuisine as a therapeutic outlet and describes herself as a loving, soothing and comforting person. If Holbrook could do anything to better her cooking, she recommended herself to keep trying new things and learning different methods from other chefs. Discovering new routines will also help her find new gluten-free dishes that she can grow to love. When finding new meals to make, Brittany’s primary source is browsing on social media, such as Pinterest and Instagram. Along with that, she said she likes watching food vlogs and reading food blogs. The person Holbrook tends to cook for and with the most is her boyfriend of seven years, Jared Polling. Polling said he saw a massive transformation in the past three years in Holbrook’s cooking since diagnosed with Celiac disease. He said his favorite dish of hers would have to be her croissant chicken meal. It includes baked croissants, chicken, pepper jack cheese and marinara sauce. Looking back at his favorite cooking memory with Holbrook, he said it was their first time making a full Thanksgiving dinner together. They had to learn how to cook a whole turkey in one day along with figuring out how to correctly season it and adding all of the side dishes too. Poling’s recommendation on how to better Holbrook’s cooking is, “be willing to ‘spice up’ her recipes.” However, Holbrook said spices are the most challenging thing to work in the kitchen. As Poling recalled, the worst dish Holbrook ever made for him had to be her black bean burgers because of the vegetarian taste. If Poling could request Holbrook to remake his favorite dish from his side of the family, it would be his mother’s old cheeseburger pot pie. Although Holbrook said she has done a lot of the cooking for Poling, Poling said he loves learning and has grown as a chef himself. They both said they will continue to grow and inspire each other in more unique dishes to come especially with the holiday season soon approaching.  by BRANDON UTLEY
Co-editor Last Thursday a slimy annual tradition at Tiffin University was honored. That tradition is Jell-O wrestling and this year's event, hosted by the Zeta Pi Beta sorority, went off with a bang and the colder weather did not stop them. The wrestlers put on a hilarious show of athleticism (as much as you can in a pool full of Jell-O). The event was supported with a slip-n-slide hosted by the Theta Eta Omicron fraternity, as well as a cookout hosted by the Phi Theta Pi fraternity. This event raised money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and was a true testament to the level of Greek unity Tiffin University hopes to achieve. If you weren’t there, you truly missed out. If you want to learn more about what you can do to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, contact a sister of Zeta Pi Beta. by JESSICA HOLLAN
Co-editor I found myself in a room surrounded by death. I stared up, overwhelmed by the floor to ceiling newspaper headlines. Plastered below each eye-catching slogan were pictures of the Twin Towers encased in smoke. “Bastards!” on San Francisco’s The Examiner was written in long, bold type and I continuously found myself drawn to that startlingly titled page, whose headline rested atop a photo of the World Trade Center ablaze from the impact. |