Written by: Emily Vargo

April 4th, 2021 is a day known to some as the day the Easter bunny comes to give you an Easter basket, a day to go on Easter egg hunts, or for some a religious holiday. Easter has a variety of history and traditions.

The word Easter actually comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility Eostre or Eostre. The festival of Eostre took place around the spring equinox.

A tradition on Easter is to hunt for Easter eggs. Easter egg hunts date back to the pagan period. Besides participating in Easter egg hunts it is also a tradition to decorate eggs. This dates back to the pagan period as well but instead of decorating, eggs people would exchange eggs because eggs resemble fertility and birth. Over time this tradition turned into decorating eggs which we know today. 

An Easter icon that we all know today is the Easter bunny. There is no exact origin to the Easter bunny but historians think that since rabbits are in many cultures this led to the Easter bunny. In many cultures, rabbits are known as enthusiastic protectors. When baby bunnies arrive in the springtime it is associated with birth and renewal. It is believed that the Easter bunny was brought to American in the 1700s by German immigrants.

Besides Easter eggs and Easter bunnies being a huge tradition on Easter, food is another tradition that is common in many families and cultures. Many different cultures have different food but it really tends to depend on religion. Some cultures have lamb while others have ham and even some focus on deserts.

During the mid 19th century sweets started gaining popularity in Europe. Candy was a simple treat that brought a smile to children’s faces. It became so popular that candy started coming in shapes like eggs and rabbits. The famous jelly bean is a Middle Eastern delicacy from Turkey that came to use in the last 19th century but didn’t gain popularity until the 1930s. 

This year’s Easter may look a little different because of the pandemic but now you can tell your loved ones a little bit about how some of the traditions started.

Written by: AD Johnson

On March 29th, Governor DeWine announced the COVID vaccine was available to all Ohioans that were 16 years of age or older with no other requirements needed. Currently, most places require an appointment but all can be scheduled online and usually within a few days. They also schedule the second shot, if applicable, during the sign-up process. All the vaccines are free and safe. 

While the vaccine is not required for students at DC, it is recommended. Below is a list of places nearby for students who wish to get vaccinated. 

The closest pharmacy is Rite-aid. It is across the road to Biggby Coffee and ColdStone Creamery at 618 N. Clinton Street. Their website is https://www.riteaid.com/ and anyone 16 years older can schedule an appointment online. It is 0.3 miles and a 7-minute walk.

The next closest for students who live on campus is the pharmacy located inside Walmart. The store is located at 1804 N. Clinton Street and is 0.6 miles away from the college. It’s about a 15-minute walk. To register for a vaccine is https://www.walmart.com/cp/1228302?fbclid=IwAR2a-AFntjBs35T20hpPYqKo6zYKELea_SDnA0tdz925OWeoHF9YRkdcBEM

Another option that is close by is Walgreens. It is located at 1829 N. Clinton Street, a 0.7-mile walk at about 16 minutes. To schedule a COVID vaccine, go to their website https://www.walgreens.com/. 

Meijers is a little far being 1.2 miles and a 26-minute walk away but they are nearby and offer COVID vaccinations. They are located at 137 Elliot Road and can schedule an appointment at https://www.meijer.com/

To find other locations check the Good Rx website at https://www.goodrx.com/covid-19/where-to-get-covid-19-vaccine or the Ohio State COVID website offers more options. https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/dashboards/covid-19-vaccine/covid-19-vaccine-provider-dashboard

If you are not from the state and plan on getting the vaccine at home, visit the CDC website here – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/How-Do-I-Get-a-COVID-19-Vaccine.html to find a vaccine provider. 

Written by: MaKayah Long

Defiance College’s campus has undergone many changes since the college was first established in the mid-1880s. Many of the buildings and facilities on campus have an interesting history or unique features that students may not know about.

Thoreau Wildlife Sanctuary

This 250-acre wildlife preserve was established in 1989 by the late Bill and Helen Diehl through the Diehl Family Foundation. Over two decades of work was required to transform the overworked farmland into the “historically natural” wildlife preserve that exists today. The Thoreau Wildlife Sanctuary, a mere 3 miles from campus, is now managed by Defiance College. Students and faculty at Defiance have utilized the area to study ecology, plant trees, and better learn about the indigenous species of the area. In 2020, the sanctuary was opened to the public for the first time. It features four trails, two ponds, and an educational building where small group classes are held. For more info check out their website at https://www.thoreauwildlifereserve.org/visit

Dana Basement

The Dana Hall basement is home to two on-campus organizations. The DC Players are an informal group of students who develop and produce plays and musicals here at Defiance College. The Dana basement is home to the actors’ dressing room, green room, and prop storage. The hallway was decorated by DC students and features art paying tribute to a few on-campus organizations such as Read @ DC and Project 701. The basement is also the home of the Opp Shop, an on-campus resource that lends professional clothes and accessories to Defiance College students and community members in need.

Weaner Community Center

The Weaner Center, previously the College Community Center, has been host to many high-profile guests over the years. The building has been the venue for performances from The Beach Boys, Duke Ellington, and John Denver. Comedian and civil rights activist Dick Gregory spoke in the center during a forum in 1968. It also functioned as a temporary cafeteria while the Enders Student Union was being renovated in the late ’60s.

McCann Center

In October 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Defiance College. The president of the college at the time, Kevin McCann, was a former biographer and speechwriter for Eisenhower. As a favor to McCann, Eisenhower agreed to stop by the college to speak briefly and lay the cornerstone for the new library. The Anthony Wayne Library and McCann Study Center would eventually become the McCann Center after the construction of the Pilgrim Library in the early ’90s. The cornerstone laid by President Eisenhower is still visible in Dean Marsalek’s office.

Written by: Amber Baldwin

It’s 2021 and there is still a wage gap between men and women. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, on average a woman makes $0.82 for every dollar a man makes.

With such disparity in numbers, white women have to work until March 24th to make the same amount that a man-made the previous year. This day is known as Equal Pay Day.

Asian-American women make $0.87 for every dollar a man makes and have to work until March 9. Black women have to work until September 3 because they make $0.63 for every dollar a man makes. Native American women make $0.60 for every dollar a man makes and have work until September 8. Latina women have to work until October 21 because they make $0.54 for every dollar a man makes.

Here’s the wage gap from an everyday perspective. Men are paid for a full 9 to 5 workday where women start working for free at 2:40 pm.

When the gender wage gap is looked at by age and not as a whole average a woman actually starts to make even less as she grows older. Women ages 45 and older make an average of $0.72 compared to every dollar a man makes. Women ages 30-44 make $0.81 and women ages 20-29 make $0.85 for every dollar a man makes.

Here are some simple things people can do to fight for equal pay.

1. Do Research
   a. Look into more statics about the gender wage gap- https://blog.dol.gov/2021/03/19/5-facts-about-the-state-of-the-gender-pay-gap or
   https://www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-gap
   b. Learn how to negotiate your own salary
   c. Learn about the successful women that you look up to
2. Post on social media
3. Have an event to teach others about the wage gap

As Vice President Kamala Harris said, “The burden of ensuring equal pay isn’t on women alone. It’s on all of us. And equal pay will benefit all of us too. Because when we lift up women, we lift up families, we lift up communities, and all of society is better off.”

Written by: Amber Baldwin

With it being Women’s History Month, it is important to celebrate the women who have played an important part in history. Here are some female singers who have made some amazing works of music.

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
Ella Fitzgerald, also known as “The First Lady of Song,” was a jazz singer who won 13 Grammy Awards and an abundance of other achievements in music. Her voice range was very broad, so she was able to sing a variety of different music types. Fitzgerald worked with many other jazz musicians like Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole. She also traveled all around the world doing concerts. By the end of her life, she had recorded over 200 albums and her last concert was at Carnegie Hall. It was also her 26th time performing there. To find out more about Fitzgerald, check out her website at http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/

Patsy Cline (1932-1963)
Patsy Cline was a country singer known for her songs “Walking After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces,” and “Crazy.” She was one of the first country music artists to be able to overlap into pop music and actually have it work out. In 1973 she was the first solo female artist to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Cher (1946-present)
Cher is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has sold over 100 million records around the world and that is on top of the 40 million records that were sold as Sonny & Cher. Many radio stations would not play her very first single “Ringo, I Love You” because her contralto voice was apparently too low and sounded like a man and the radio stations did not want people thinking the song was about homosexuality. Now the media calls her the “Goddess of Pop.”

Girls Generation
This all-girls K-pop group began in 2007. They are also Billboard’s “Top K-pop Girl Group of the Past Decade” and they are also the first Asian girl group to have five music videos on YouTube with over 100 million views on each video. Not only are they known for their music, but they are also known for their fashion statements. The group went on a break in 2017 so that the members could gain more experience in the entertainment field individually. They all still support each other.

Written by: Emily Vargo

March 17 is a special day for some people and a day you don’t want to forget to wear green. To some, this is a cultural celebration, a religious celebration, or a fun holiday that they celebrate with friends. This special day is called St. Patrick’s Day!

This year there are some exciting things happening on campus on March 17. The cafeteria will be serving a delicious Jiggs dinner for lunch. For those who are not familiar with this meal, it consists of salted beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and turnips all boiled in a large pot. Some recipes will vary but they are all wonderful.

The Campus Catholics are hosting a free event open to everyone from 1-3 pm on the 17th in the McCann Center. Everyone can stop by and pick out a St. Patrick’s day themed treat of their choice. There will be cookies and shakes! You can also play a St. Patty’s day trivia game and take a picture at the St. Patrick’s Day photo wall.

St. Patrick’s day celebrates the death of St. Partick who passed away in the fifth century. He is credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland and explaining the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) by using a shamrock also known as a three leaf clover.

St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated as a feast since the ninth or tenth century. On March 17, 1601, in St. Augustine, Florida the first ever St. Patrick’s day parade was celebrated but for the most part, it was not celebrated everywhere. Over time, however, St. Patrick’s Day increased in celebration in the United States.

Irish Americans gain more acceptance in 1948 when President Harry S.Truman attended a St. Patrick’s day parade in New York City. Now St. Patrick’s day is celebrated all around the world and enjoyed by millions of people.

Don’t forget to wear green for good luck on this upcoming St. Patrick’s Day!

Written by: Emily Vargo

March 14 is a special day. It is a holiday for scientists, mathematicians, and all of those who have a love for science across the globe. It is an exciting mathematical day where we get to celebrate the awesomeness of pi and anything round since pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter or 3.14….

An amazing pi-incidence is that Albert Einstein’s birthday is on pi day and this year, on pi day, will mark the third anniversary of Stephen Hawking’s death.

Many people celebrate by making and/or eating pie and memorizing as many digits as pi as they can. The website, https://holidappy.com/holidays/25-Best-Ways-to-Celebrate-Pi-Day-314 list some different and interesting ways to celebrate pi day such as writing a pi-ku or other pi related poems, running or walking distances of 3.14, or watching math related movies like Good Will Hunting.

I asked a few students what Pi day means to them. 

Coi a freshman said, “Pi day is the greatest most legendary day of all time where you count 3.1415 and so on… as well as eating as much pie as you can”. 

A student who wants to stay anonymous states they thought it was “a day that revolves around a number that contains everything to our universe.” 

The first ever pi day celebration took place at a San Francisco-based interactive science museum which featured a parade and eating fruit pies. Each year the festivals drew increasingly larger crowds that eventually in 2009, the U.S. The House of Representatives passed legislation to make Pi day a national holiday. To find out more, check out the Pi Day website https://www.piday.org/

Pi is an irrational, transcendental number that continues on indefinitely. In order to use pi in problem solving, the number is abbreviated to the first three numbers which are 3.14 or the fraction of 22/7. Since the mid-18 century, the symbol of pi, which was taken from the first letter of the Greek word  “periphery” and “perimeter.”  (meaning circumference) is used in formulas to successfully calculate problems.

Many admiral scientists have toiled over pi, calculated over the digits, and have applied it to countless areas of mathematics. The Ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes is the most commonly credited to being the first person to accurately calculate the estimated number of pi. 

Today with the help of modern day technology, pi has been calculated to 31 trillion digits but you only need the first 39 to perform all possible calculations with virtually no error. Pi occurs in many different forms like circumference, area of a circle, cylinder, sphere, cone, the volume of a cylinder, the surface area of a sphere, the volume of a sphere, and that’s just a few to name. So for this pi day enjoy all things round and have some pie with friends and family.