Author: Hanna Young

Written by: Emily Vargo

These last two years have been particularly hard for everyone, and lately, the last couple of months, the news has been nothing but the “bearer of bad news.” We all need a little something to make us smile in tough times of darkness.

Today we are going to talk about four good stories that happened this week. All accounts were found on https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/category/news/ where you can find many more good news stories that are updated every day.

The first one occurred on September 20, 2021. A Chinese city built a food court for migrating elephants. The food court spans the size of 670,000 square meters or around 165 acres. This was done to help the elephants and help the local farmers protect their crops from hungry and tired elephants looking for a meal.

The following story is a positive one about the number of rhinos that have been declining more and more in recent years. However, the numbers now show that several species and subspecies of rare rhinoceros populations are rising. Their population number went from 100 to 3,700!

Our third story occurred on September 23, 2021. A study found that golden-mantled squirrels show four personality traits that are close to human characteristics. The traits are boldness, aggressiveness, activity level, and sociability. These squirrels are common across the western US and parts of Canada.

The next positive story is about scientists who solved a 900-year-old mystery. There are stories and logs about “guest stars.” These bright stars that were suddenly seen in the sky went dim and were never seen again. One star from 1181 has been a mystery to scientists until now. The UK, Spain, Hungary, and France collaborated together to solve this mystery.

This team of astronomers figured out that the star was a “rare, incredibly energetic supernova explosions from either massive stars or special, interacting binary systems that seed the Galaxy with heavy elements like iron and leaving behind neutron stars, pulsars, black holes, and a gaseous remnant like the Crab nebula.”

Even though life can get tough, there are always positive and interesting things that happen.

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

Hello, my name is Elizabeth Patrick and I am currently a freshman at Defiance College. During the past couple of months, I’ve enjoyed getting to know new people and making new friends from all across the world.

While in high school, I learned that by being involved there are many more opportunities that can happen. For example, attending fun events and making life-long memories would not have been possible if it would not be for being involved.

In high school, I was very involved in my school’s organizations and extracurricular activities. The activities that I was involved in include: National Honor Society, Student Government, Leadership, FFA, Ruriteen, 4-H, Junior Fair Board, pep band, marching band, concert band, bowling, swimming, and softball.

By being involved in these different activities, I was able to experience events that would not have been made possible if it would not have been for being in these activities.

Some of these events included: playing the national anthem at Cleveland Indians baseball games, going to NYC with the band and choir, and attending the National FFA Convention.

During my senior year of high school, I looked at a variety of different colleges including Heidelberg, Bluffton, Defiance, and Ohio Northern.

When I came to Defiance as a junior and attended a prospect softball camp, I immediately fell in love with the campus.

I truly liked the size of the campus, having all the stores and restaurants within a few minutes, the family atmosphere, and having the opportunity to pursue my dream of playing softball at the collegiate level.

Defiance also had so many activities, clubs, events, and sports that I could be involved with and make new friends and memories.

After meeting with all the different faculty, softball coaches, and touring the campus, I decided that Defiance College would be the perfect fit for me for the next four years.

At Defiance College, I am double majoring in Early Childhood Education and Special Education. Working with younger students and making a positive difference in their life has always been a dream and goal of mine and at DC, I volunteered as a pen pal for a McMaster project for the Local Independence Education Center Learning Community.

Also, I am involved in the Honors Program, Service Leadership Program, CRU (Campus Crusade for Crist), Catholics on Campus, and I write for The Defender.

By being involved in the Service Leadership Program, and the Honors Program, I am looking forward to meeting new people and attending fun events to help my community.

While being a part of these different clubs and organizations, I am also a member of the softball team.

As a result of being on the softball team, I have had the opportunity of immediately having a group of girls that I know and can rely on. By being on the softball team, I was able to work at Mudhens games and a concert selling concessions.

By being involved in several clubs and groups, I have truly enjoyed my experience so far here at Defiance College and cannot wait to see what the future holds for me.

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

Andy Jesus Ramirez is also known as AJ, is a current senior here at Defiance College. AJ is a very active student on the Defiance College campus. He is involved in an internship and participates in a variety of different clubs and organizations.

Andy went to a high school in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. While in high school, he also attended a vocational school in Groveport, Ohio, where he studied Programming and Software Development for two years. He also took a wide variety of college credit plus courses, which helped him when he changed his major multiple times.

At first, he was double majoring in Digital Forensic Science and Criminal Justice. Then shifted paths and is currently majoring in Communication Studies while minoring in Art Studio, Music with a Vocal Concentration and Writing.

After completing his undergraduate studies, he would like to attend graduate school for a master’s in Media and Journalism with a concentration in Journalism education and a graduate minor in Race, Gender, and Social Justice. His end goal is to be a journalist educator by day and a photojournalist at night. He also has an interest in becoming a professional meme-ster, whichever one comes first.

Andy is involved in a wide variety of different clubs and organizations here at Defiance College. These clubs include Alpha Phi Omega, which he is an Associate of this fraternity, Service Leaders, DC F1RST Generation Program, CAB, Student Life Residence Assistance, and McMasters School For Advancing Humanity. As a McMasters Scholar, Andy and his peers are working on research to utilize against food insecurity.

He also plans to assist with the restoration of the campus greenhouse while creating podcasts to keep Defiance College, The PATH Center, and the Defiance community updated on the progress and provide some educational content to implement daily.

While being involved in all of these clubs and organizations, AJ is also busy with an internship. With this internship, he will be helping permanent legal residents to study for their citizenship tests.

One interesting fact about AJ is that he would also like to adopt a kitten or two and travel to the other side of the world just for emotional fulfillment.

When AJ is not working on an assignment, reading, or creating Social Media content for the Defiance College Tik Tok page, @defiancecollege, you will find him walking around campus with his camera bag. He enjoys taking pictures of extraordinary moments or experiences. He also enjoys watching YouTube videos, learning a foreign language, or listening to the latest single on Spotify while wearing his headphones.

One of his favorite items to buy from the Hive is a large Jacket Mocha with extra whipped cream.

Lastly, some interesting astrology information about AJ is that he is an Aquarius sun, Leo Moon, and Leo Rising.

Below are some pictures AJ created and shared with the Defender.

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Written by: Emily Vargo

For all of those who love pepperoni on their pizza, this is a day for you. September 20, 2021, is National Pepperoni Pizza Day. The most popular topping on pizza is pepperoni. For DC students who live on or near campus, a few great places within walking distance to get pizzas are Pizza Hut and Marco’s. A little farther away are Fired Stone Tavern and Jersey’s.

In June of 1889, Raffaele Esposito created the first-ever pizza. The Queen of Italy inspired Esposito to make the first-ever pizza, and her name was Margherita of Savoy. Esposito made the first-ever round dough delicacy topped with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella to represent the colors of the Italian flag and to honor the queen.

Now the modern-day pizza has as many toppings on it as your heart desires. Besides having as many toppings as you want on your pizza, you can now have different styles of pizza. The different types of pizza are Neapolitan, Chicago, New York, Sicilian, Greek, California, Detroit, and St. Louis style pizza. Even though that seems like there are too many to choose from, there are many more.

Now not only do you have styles of pizza, but you also have different types of pizza crust. The types of crust are stuffed, cracked, flatbread, cheese crust, and thick crust. Since pizza is so popular, it has two national days.

February 9th and September 20th are the days we celebrate National Pepperoni Pizza Day. If you are a lover of pepperoni pizza or just a lover of pizza, make sure on the 20th you grab yourself a slice to celebrate the day.

Written by: Amber Baldwin

It’s been almost one month since the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been FDA approved. I received my first COVID-19 vaccine, which was the Pfizer vaccine, in April and then received my second shot in May. Many people in my family have also gotten a COVID-19 vaccine, including my grandparents, my aunt, two of my uncles, and my sister.

The reason why I got the vaccine was, of course, for protection, but it was also for my family. My grandma is very high risk because she is older and has a heart pump. If I would get COVID-19, not know it, and then pass it to her, I would feel so awful. It would just be terrible. I’m very grateful that none of my grandparents have had COVID-19.

Even though I am fully vaccinated, I still make sure to wear my mask around my grandparents and everywhere I go. I just wish other people were more considerate of it like that.

People keep complaining about having to wear masks, having to social distance, not being able to do certain activities, yet they do not do anything to change it. They just keep complaining. They will not wear masks, will not socially distance themselves, and will not get the vaccine. All of which is just making it worst. It’s so frustrating.

My youngest sister is ten, and it took four days of public school for her to get COVID-19. That led to my mom and dad getting it too. It’s scary to have your family all sick with a deadly disease that could have been prevented.

When I found out she tested positive, a part of me couldn’t believe it. The other part of me knew it would happen at some point since the school administration decided not to have a mask mandate nor vaccine requirements, nor testing.

My other sister and I showed no symptoms and have tested negative. We are both fully vaccinated.

Please correctly wear a mask, wash your hands, sanitize, and go get vaccinated. Just think what could happen if people truly cared about others, whether they know them or not. Maybe try caring about other people instead of complaining about yourselves, and COVID-19 will eventually be a thing of the past.

Written by: Amber Baldwin

Join the English Department on September 22 from 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. for their second gathering of English Tea.

Depending on the weather this will either take place at the Schauffler Hall patio or the lobby in Schauffler Hall.

This time Lucas O’Connor, a Hollywood writer, will be attending from California through Google Meet.

O’Connor was a story editor, executive story editor, and writer for the CBS series Person of Interest. He also co-produced and wrote for the AppleTV+ series Home Before Dark.

If you are thinking about attending, please contact Dr. Engel at sengel@defiance.edu to RSVP. There will be snacks and beverages.

Also, if you can’t attend in person, but wanted to be there, let Dr. Engel know too. He can send you the link when it gets closer to September 22.

English tea is supposed to be a time where people who are English majors or minors, and other friends of the English Department can come together, hang out, and talk about anything relating to English or bigfoot or Whiffenpoofs. It’s a good time for all.

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick 

The significance of this event is to recognize all who have become citizens of the United States who benefit from the rights granted by the constitution.

To recognize the occasion, Defiance College will celebrate Constitution Day on Friday, September 17, 2021, from 11:00 am-1:00 pm.

At this celebration, located in the quad behind Serrick, there will be various departments, clubs, organizations, and athletic teams set up with different tables.

Even though there are various organizations, the main focus will be on constitutional issues surrounding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day commemorates the formation and signing of the United States Constitution. The Constitution was written by James Madison and signed by a group of men who gathered in a closed meeting room.

Benjamin Franklin made the motion to sign the document in his last great speech. On September 17, 1787, this event took place in Philadelphia. Beginning in 1956, Constitution Week was established; however, in 2005, Congress changed it to be annually celebrated on September 17.

One interesting fact is that five signatories signed the Constitution but did not serve in the Continental or Confederation Congress. They were Richard Bassett of Delaware, John Blair of Virginia, David Brearly of New Jersey, Jacob Broom of Delaware, and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina.

The United States Constitution has 4,400 words; it is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world.

Oftentimes, people believe that Thomas Jefferson signed the Constitution, but he did not. Thomas was in France during the Convention, where he served as the U.S. minister.

To read the entire constitution or find out more info, visit The Constitution Center website here: https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/full-text.

Hope to see you there for a fun-filled experience as we celebrate the signing of the United States Constitution!!

Written by: Emily Vargo

If you are a chocolate lover or a milkshake lover, or both, this is the day you will enjoy.

September 12, 2021, is a fun day for many but may not be well known. On this day, it is National Chocolate Milkshake Day.

On National Chocolate Milkshake Day, you have to celebrate by getting a chocolate milkshake. Places you can get a chocolate milkshake nearby are Eric’s Ice Cream Factory, Cold Stone Creamery, Frisch’s Big Boy, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Arby’s. A little farther away from campus, there is Bud’s Restaurant and Dairy Queen.

When we look back in time, the term milkshake first appeared in print in 1885. During this time period, a milkshake was very different than what we know today. It was an alcoholic beverage with eggs, whisky, and other ingredients like eggnog. By the 1900s, pharmacies actually served this drink with your choice of chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla syrup. Very soon after this, people began to ask for ice cream to be put in or come with the drink.

In 1922 the electric mixer was invented. One day at a Walgreens in Chicago, an employee put two scoops of ice cream in the chocolate drink and mixed it with the electric mixer. After making that drink, it became very popular very quickly, thus making the chocolate milkshake we know and love today.

Written by: Amber Baldwin

For the second year in a row Defiance College will be having an Academic and Organization Fair. It will be happening on Wednesday, September 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

It will be in the same location as last year which is in the Quad or between the Pilgrim Library and the Serrick Campus Center.

Going to this fair is a great way to meet new people on campus and learn more about what Defiance College has to offer. There will be sororities, fraternities, clubs, departments, sports, and services offered by the college. It is a fun time to check out all the wonderful opportunities offered by Defiance College.

The following departments and organizations listed below will be attending the fair.

Alpha Xi Delta
APO
Art & Design
Association of Computing Machinery-ACM
Athletics
Autism Studies
BASA
CAB & Intramurals
Catholics on Campus
Computer Science/Digital Forensics-HTCIA Free the slaves ACM/DCPC
Counseling Center
Criminal Justice
CRU
DC First, DC Pass
DC Pride
English/Defender/Progeny
Exercise Science
Institute for Career Readiness and Lifelong Learning
Institute for Pre-Health & Wellness Studies
Local ICE McMaster
McMaster/Service Leaders
Music
Natural Sciences
OIR
Project Pink
RallyCap Sports
SAAC
Science Club
Social Work
Student Ambassadors & Telecounseling
Student Senate
Student Support Services
Student Veterans of America
Swarm Shop
Teacher Education
History
Welcome table

Written by: Emily Vargo

Today we all have the right to vote and the right to run for a political office no matter what our race or gender is. Now think back to 1872. The only people who could vote or run for office were white men. However, it was the first time ever that a woman ran for President of the United States. This woman was named, Victoria Woodhull.

On September 23, 1838, Woodhall was born in Homer, Ohio. She was the seventh of ten siblings. Her father was a con man and not a very good guy. He abused and sexually assaulted Woodhull during her childhood. Woodhull was very intelligent growing up but only had three years of formal education. When Woodhull was 14 she met Canning Woodhull who was 28 years old. They divorced years later and she remarried Colonel James Harvey Blood. However, she kept Woodhull as her last name.

In 1870 Woodhull opened a brokerage firm on Wall Street with her sister, Tennessee Celeste, making them the first female stockbrokers. On May 14, 1870, Woodhull and her sister founded a newspaper called “The Woodhull and Clafin’s Weekly”.

The main purpose of the newspapers was to support Woodhull for her run for president. For the next six years, they published main topics about feminism. During this time anything that dealt with feminism was very taboo but they didn’t care. They wanted to share their thoughts with everyone and try to seek change.

On April 2, 1870, Woodhull sent a letter to the editor of the New York Herald announcing her run for the candidacy of the United States of America. Then the Equal Rights Party nominated Woodhull for The president of The United States of America on May 10, 1872.

On June 6, 1872, Woodhull’s nomination was ratified at the convention which makes her the first-ever female candidate to run for The President of the United States of America.

Woodhull’s Vice President candidate was Frederick Douglass. This however brought much controversy at the time most people wanted different races to be separated. Woodhull was very open about her beliefs in free love. While running for president she received a multitude of attacks in the media about supporting free love.

Woodhull decided to write an article about the double standards a Reverend was committing but it ended up backfiring on her. The day the article was published Woodhull, her husband, and her sister were arrested due to the content of the article. This all happened in November a couple of days before the election. It was later known that the arrest was made to stop Woodhull from voting in the election. The arrest led to Woodhull not receiving any electoral votes.

Woodhull tried a couple of times, later on, to run for president but she struggled with receiving nominations. Even though Woodhull never became president she carved out a huge path for women by showing the country that women could do more than just be a housewife.

Woodhull’s life was filled with a great amount of controversy but she refused to conform to the expected stereotype for women in the late 1800’s. She paved the way for future women to make their own mark in history.