Author: Hanna Young

Some of you may be wondering what there is to do in Defiance on these snow-covered winter days.  Well, this upcoming weekend has a lot of exciting events planned.

One event you can be involved with is the Student Veterans of America Organization. They are putting together Thanksgiving care packages for veterans. The organization is asking for donations of perishable food items and/or cash donations. They would like the care packages to have everything to make a full dinner and will include a voucher that can be turned into Jacob’s Meats for a turkey. They are asking for items such as dehydrated instant potato flakes, canned milk, canned vegetables, cake mixes, and canned cranberry sauce. Donations can be taken to Defiance Hall 105 no later than Friday, November 22nd. Their goal is 12 complete dinners. So get out and get shopping!

The community is invited to the Elks Lodge #147 for Bingo Night happening on Friday, November 22, 2019. Doors open at 6:00 pm and Bingo starts at 7:00 pm. Some prizes are 32″ tv, gift cards, home decor, and miscellaneous gift baskets.  Come out for a cheap night of fun and win prizes. There will also be a bake sale. The Elks lodge is located at 1760 Jefferson Ave in Defiance.

Another event going on this weekend is the Intramural Turkey Shootout. It was supposed to take place this weekend on Sunday, November 17th, but it was moved back to next weekend on November 24th due to meeting conflicts. If you are interested in participating, all you need to do is turn in a team roster by Friday, November 22nd.

If that’s not enough of basketball, the men’s basketball team takes on Kent State – Tuscarawas on Friday, November 22nd at 5:30 pm at Thomas Moore. Then on  Saturday, November 23rd at 1 pm, they will compete against Akron-Wayne Warriors in the Conner Classic Tournament.

Women’s basketball also plays on the 23rd against the St. Mary Belles at 1 pm in Notre Dame, Indiana.

In other sports news, wrestling faces Baldwin Wallace away on Saturday, November 23rd. These games may be away, but you should definitely check out their live stream if you can’t make it. Go yellow jackets!!

On Friday, November 22nd from 7:30-9 pm, the Young People’s Theatre is presenting the Wizard of Oz. It will be held at the Stroede Center for the Arts. Tickets are $5 at the door and the performance will have you thinking “I’m not in Defiance anymore.” For more info, visit their page here:  http://www.defiancearts.org/upcomingevents.html

Written by: Jordan Furko

The Defiance College Women’s Volleyball team has officially wrapped up the 2018-2019 season. The Yellow Jackets fell 3-2 in the opening round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN) on November 6th, 2019.

The Yellow Jackets opened their season by playing in 3 different non-conference tournaments. First off, the team traveled to Capital University (Columbus, OH) to play in the Pam Briggs Classic. Here, the team went up against four different schools. The Yellow Jackets left this tournament with wins over Lawerence University (Appleton, WI), tournament host, Capital University, and St. John Fisher College (Rochester, NY).

Following the Pam Briggs Classic, the Yellow Jackets traveled to the Penn State Behrend Tournament in Erie, Pennsylvania. The Yellow Jackets faced off against a total of four other Division III teams bringing home wins over tournament host, Penn St. Behrend (Erie, PA), Bethany College (Bethany, West Virginia), and Fredonia State University (Fredonia, NY).

Wrapping up non-conference tournament play, the Yellow Jackets traveled to Ohio Wesleyan University (Delaware, OH), where they faced off against three more Division III schools. The Yellow Jackets brought home two wins over Wilmington College (Wilmington, OH) and tournament host, Ohio Wesleyan University. Following tournament play, the Jackets battled against five other non-conference schools, picking up three more wins.

Moving into the regular season, the Yellow Jackets finished the season with an overall record of 17-12. The team finished with a conference record of 5-4, taking 5th place in the HCAC Women’s Volleyball Standings. Victories include 3-0 win over Manchester University (Manchester, IN), 3-2 win over Franklin College (Franklin, IN), 3-0 over Anderson (Anderson, IN), 3-2 win over HCAC rival, Bluffton University (Bluffton, OH), and a 3-0 win over Mount Saint Joseph University (Cincinnati, OH) on Senior Day.

Alongside taking 5th place in the HCAC Women’s Volleyball Standings, several members of the team placed in individual statistics. Sophomore Delaney Monin, finished 5th in Kills per Set averaging 3.28. Monin also finished the season with a total of 364 Kills, ranking 3rd in the conference. Junior Morgan Porter, finished 2nd in the conference with Digs per Set, averaging 6.20. Porter finished the season with 688 Digs. Brianna Wheeler and Abigail Cronin both ranked in Service Aces per Set. Wheeler took first with 0.52, and Cronin took 5th with 0.41. Wheeler also finished the season averaging 9.14 Assists per Set. Topping off individual statistics is Freshman Mackenzie Umbaugh. Umbaugh ranked first overall in the Conference in Solo Blocks.

The Yellow Jackets plan on working hard in the offseason to prepare themselves for next season, hoping to finish higher in the conference and go further in the HCAC Tournament.

Written by Hailey Krawczyk 

On October 24th, Defiance College set up “A Night Without a Home” which had the biggest turnout to date.

“We’re appreciative of service leaders and you could tell the coaches had encouraged the athletic teams to attend,” Alesia Yakos-Brown, Associate Professor of Social Work at Defiance College, said. “This was probably the most students we’ve ever had.”

Yakos-Brown is the organizer of “A Night Without a Home”. “The main goal is to raise awareness for homelessness,” said Yakos-Brown. There were several events that were scheduled that evening, such as soup kitchen, tent city tours, opening remarks by President Richanne Mankey and Mayor Michael McCann, Q&A for formerly homeless, and trick or treat.

In a brochure provided by Yakos-Brown from PATH, Partnership Assistance to the Homeless elaborates more on what goals were. “A Night Without A Home provides an opportunity to discuss, think, and learn about homelessness through several interactive events and activities sponsored by The PATH Center of Northwestern Ohio Community.”

PATH talks about what the event did for the homeless. “Tents will be displayed on the front lawn of Defiance College’s campus to represent the homeless individuals and families who received emergency shelter services from The PATH Center.”

“You could fill five football stadiums with the homeless population of the United States.” Another fact that was provided was, “every year, 2.5 million children experience homelessness. That’s almost the entire population of Chicago.”

Written by: Seth Pearson

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I recently met with Barb Sedlock, Lead Librarian, and Coordinator of Metadata and Archives. She provided The Defender some neat photos of different fashions from the late 1800s to early 2000s for your viewing pleasure.  

To see more of these types of photos and other DC history-related content, head over to The Women’s Commission Gallery to look at the new exhibit called “115 Years of Service and Support – A Special Tribute to The Women’s Commission of Defiance College.” 

From October 11th till November 15th, DC students can visit The Women’s Commission Gallery to view “sampling of newspaper clippings, photographs, and documents” about the college.  

Teaming up with Barb Sedlock was Assistant Professor of Design Beverly Fanning. They combined forces to create this exhibit.  

The Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.,  and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Women’s Commission Gallery is located on the DC campus off Sessions Street. Entry through Dana Hall or the Art Gallery is recommended.  

All photos are Courtesy Defiance College Archives

Project 701’s Opp Shop is back this year and is ready to help anyone that needs to rent business casual or professional clothing for career fairs and job interviews.

Run by Ryleah Amspaugh, a Service Leader and Senior Criminal Justice and Psychology Major, the Opp Shop is focused on helping people “within our own campus as well as within our (broader) Defiance community.”

In the email, she claims that the Opp Shop has “Over 600 articles of business casual/professional clothing for students and community members to rent out for free.” Later she added. “We’ve got clothes, but also belts, shoes, ties, even hangers if you need those.”

As far as turnout goes, Amspaugh said that it varied. “In my Sophomore year, we only had about seven people I was aware of, but last year we had over 35.”

According to the page on Defiance.edu, the Opp Shop is also partnered with the Office of Career Development, giving people “Additional help with their resume and practice interviews.”

Amspaugh has some plans for the future of the Opp Shop, as well. “We want to start setting up some workshops sometime soon, like showing people how to dry clean, iron clothes, or tie a tie.”

The first meeting for the Opp Shop this year was October 1st at 8 pm in Dana Hall, and Amspaugh mentions that anyone can help out and that they are viable hours for Service Leaders in need of volunteer hours.

The Opp Shop falls under the umbrella of Project 701, which is described on Defiance.edu as “an exciting, student-run, nonprofit organization that is unique to Defiance. It is an extraordinary opportunity open to all DC students to learn how to develop a service or business directly related to your area of study.” Project 701 provides a framework for a project that could benefit the community, either for the Defiance College or the Defiance community, as a greater whole.

The Opp Shop works out of the basement of Dana Hall on the Defiance College campus and operates through scheduled meetings set up by email with Amspaugh at ramspaugh002@defiance.edu

Written by: Camrin Santchi

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What do you get when you mix three different artists and two different genres of music? The answer; The World War Joy Tour featuring Lennon Stella, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), and The Chainsmokers.

The concert was worth seeing. When the tour was first announced, there was skepticism, and an unsure sense of how combining two completely different genres of music with two different fan bases would work.

However, the energy in the arena was very present. All artists did a great job of engaging the audience, making the night one to remember.

The idea for the tour first came from The Chainsmokers, a popular-EDM (Electric Dance Music) production duo made up of members Andrew “Drew” Taggart and Alex Pall. The pair first rose to fame with the release of their first hit single, “#SELFIE.”

Since the release of “#SELFIE,” the duo has collaborated with several artists on hit singles such as “Closer” featuring Halsey and “Who Do You Love?” featuring Australian pop-rock, 4-piece, 5SOS. Following their collaboration with 5SOS, the duo planned to release their newest album, World War Joy. This sparked the idea of a tour in which, 5SOS and Lennon Stella became included. 5SOS became a co-headliner. Throughout the 41-show long tour, the duo continues to translate their act from DJs to live music performances.

The show kicked off with an opening artist, Lennon Stella. Stella’s genre is also EDM meaning that her performance was similar to The Chainsmokers. A drummer and a DJ joined Stella onstage as she jumped and jogged around, trying to get the audience engaged and warmed up for the rest of the night.

Visual aids were heavily present on the screens above her set, constantly flashing and changing colors for each song. Stella performed a total of 8 songs. She opened with “Breakaway,” a song off of her second EP, and concluded with “La Di Da,” a song that has been streamed over 75 million times on Spotify.

Following Stella’s performance, 5SOS took the stage, and the audience erupted.

A visual aid of each band member’s logos appeared on the screens throughout the arena. The group opened with their very first hit single, “She Looks So Perfect.” The atmosphere was loud and crazy; the audience got into their performance.

The members of 5SOS worked the stage extremely well, considering that they play their instruments. Drummer, Ashton Irwin, created a smooth transition from “She Looks So Perfect” to “More,” a fan favorite off of their latest album, “Youngblood.” The group performed a total of 16 songs, ending their performance with “Teeth,” “Want You Back,” and “Youngblood.”

The dimming of the lights and the display of the World War Joy logo on the big screens had signified the moment the audience had been waiting for: The Chainsmokers.

Drummer, Matt McGuire, took the stage holding torches. Smoke and warm-colored lighting engulfed the scene. Each member took their spots on stage and kicked off their set with “Takeaway,” a track featuring opener, Lennon Stella.

Concluding “Takeaway,” an EDM drum performance took the stage and then transitioned into 2015 hit, “Roses.” The performance included different pyro releases, drum solos, and smooth transitions.

Halfway through the set, the duo brought back out Luke Hemmings, the lead singer from 5SOS, to perform “Who Do You Love.” This onstage collaboration brought both groups of fans together, something that usually doesn’t happen.

The set concluded with “Closer” and a final onstage bow.

Written by: Hailey Krawczyk

Winter is coming.  

Justin Caballero, a junior marketing major, is from Tampa, Florida. “The coldest I’ve ever seen it (in Florida) is 30 degrees,” Caballero said.

“It was the hardest thing to overcome. I didn’t want to leave my room at all during the winter. I wasn’t prepared for the cold that Ohio has.” Caballero said.

There are students all around Defiance College that are new to the cold months in Ohio. Some people are from Florida, Texas, and Georgia.

Brian Robins, a freshman education major, is from Fort Worth, Texas. “Texas is hot, very hot, and dry, but it’s not very humid,” Robins said. “The lowest I’ve ever experienced in the wintertime is 20 degrees.”

In Ohio, the winters are far colder than in Texas. For example, according to accuweather.com, on January 31st, 2019, in Ohio, there was a high of two degrees and a low of -11 degree. In Fort Worth, Texas, it was a low of 38 degrees and a high of 55 degrees.

It can be challenging for people from the South to adjust to the Ohio weather, but there are some ways to make it through.

“I’m going to prepare by getting a lot of winter clothes soon and just bundling up,” Robins said.

“I called my mom and told her that I actually need a coat and boots, hoodies, and shoes are not going to cut it,” Caballero said. “She had to send me a whole care package with a coat and timberlands and long sleeves to get by.”

According to accuweather.com, the first day that we have a chance of seeing snow on November 20th. Good luck!

Written by: Seth Pearson

Defiance College Women’s Tennis team recently ended regular season play to Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) competitor, Mount St. Joe. Overall, Defiance College finished seventh in the HCAC. The Yellow Jackets finished with an overall record of 3-13 and a record of 2-6 in Conference play.  

Victories include a 6-3 performance over Lourdes University (Sylvania, OH), a 6-3 win over Manchester University (Manchester, IN), and a 9-0 win over Earlham College (Richmond, IN).  

Throughout the season, the team faced several challenges. According to Junior, AJ Brenemen, the biggest challenge of the season was “facing inexperienced” and “learning how to work with a different team dynamic,”  This season’s roster consisted of a freshman, sophomore, two juniors, and two seniors. Out of the six rostered players, only three athletes had actually played tennis before. The inexperience caused the team to turn their focus on learning how to compete within the competition in the HCAC.  

During practices, the Yellow Jackets focused on an abundance of skills. According to Freshman, Destiny Oshodin, “Practices were very fun. We worked on serving, hitting cross-court shops and down the lines, volleys, and overhead shots.” The Yellow Jackets also worked on learning how to keep the ball in play and practiced playing in doubles.  

The skills covered at practices allowed for the team to learn, grow, and implement them into gameplay. The grit and difficulty of practices and matches also led the team to learn how to face adversity. The Yellow Jackets kept on fighting through practices and matches. 

As the Fall 2019 season came to a close, the Yellow Jackets have already put a lot of thought into their goals for next season. The team is determined to bump their standings in the HCAC up to a top contender spot.  

Alongside improving their HCAC standings, the team is striving to make it to conference play. Conference play would possibly allow the team to win the conference.  

In addition to the team goals, there are also several personal player goals. These range from learning and improving upon different skills such as hitting, give their best effort towards practices and games, and winning more doubles and singles matches.  

With all of these goals, the Yellow Jackets will set themselves up for success for next season.  

Written by: Hailey Krawczyk  

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The Democratic Presidential debates happened last week in Westerville, Ohio, on the campus of Otterbein College.  This Democratic Presidential debate had 12 candidates that met the qualifications to participate – the most ever at one time on stage.  

They were: Former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, businessman Tom Steyer, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and businessman Andrew Yang 

During the debate, there were no formal questions concerning college-aged students, which was surprising as it was held on a college campus, and many of the 1500+ attendees were college students.  

However, During a question about the economy, Sanders and Warren agreed on free public college for everyone, whereas Mayor Pete agreed to “making college free for low- and middle-income students.”   

Warren and Sanders also spoke on student loan debt forgiveness.  

Sanders remarked, “you’ve got hundreds of thousands of kids who cannot afford to go to college, and millions struggling with the oppressive burden of student debt,” and he plans on “making public colleges and universities tuition fee and canceling student debt.”  

Warren’s plans, stated during the debate, are more expansive. She wants to “provide universal childcare for every baby in this country, age zero to five, universal pre-K for every child, raise the wages of every childcare worker and preschool teacher in America, provide for universal tuition-free college, put $50 billion into historically black colleges and universities… and [to] cancel  student loan debt for 95 percent of the people who have it.” 

Most questions focused on President Trump, the economy, gun laws, the opioid crisis, and women’s rights. Breaking up monopolies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook were also discussed.  

An unexpected question at the end of the debate was about Ellen and her unlikely friendship with former President George W. Bush.  

Anderson Cooper asked the candidates, “Last week, Ellen DeGeneres was criticized after she and former President George W. Bush were seen laughing together at a football game. Ellen defended their friendship, saying, we’re all different, and I think that we’ve forgotten that that’s OK that we’re all different. So, in that spirit, we’d like you to tell us about a friendship that you’ve had that would surprise us and what impact it’s had on you and your beliefs.” 

Most candidates came up with the name of a friend that was unexpected and discussed that friendship while a few spoke about general friendships and how important it is to create friendships with people who are different.  

Written By: April Johnson

In the past weeks, the media has been buzzing about a scandal between President Donald J Trump and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but has the Defiance College Campus been buzzing?  

 –No, not really.  

 Santana Villarreal, a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer aiming for his MBA, commented that “I never heard much about this scandal, I don’t follow politics.”  

 Nate Hall, a Junior Business and Education major, expressed surprise at this scandal. “I haven’t watched the news much, I’ve been focusing on other things.” He said, showing that students have not been paying attention to this scandal involving the U.S. and Ukraine.   

 The scandal began, according to a New York Times story printed in a May 1st edition, as “a foreign policy role Joseph R. Biden Jr. enthusiastically embraced during his vice presidency: browbeating Ukraine’s notoriously corrupt government to clean up its act”. 

 At one of his most memorable meetings with Ukraine’s government, during a trip to Kiev in March 2016, former Vice President Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in United States loan guarantees if Ukraine’s leaders did not dismiss the country’s top prosecutor, who had been accused of turning a blind eye to corruption in his own office and among the political elite.”  

 The prosecutor was dismissed, in the middle of several investigations. 

 However, there may have been an ulterior motive for Biden’s trips.  “Among those who had a stake in the outcome was Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden’s younger son, who at the time was on the board of an energy company (Burisma) owned by a Ukrainian oligarch who had been in the sights of the fired prosecutor general.”

As NBC has written, “there’s no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of either Biden.”  

 According to a press release from Biden’s team states, “…the conspiracy theory, which had long been conclusively debunked, has fallen apart even more.

On April 21st, a phone call involving President Trump putting pressure on then-President-elect Zelensky to reopen the investigation on Biden. The pressure involved the withholding of aid to Ukraine until such a time as the investigation into Biden is reopened.

This claim against the President was by an anonymous whistleblower who does not have first–hand detail of the call but rather heard about it after the fact. 

This is a complex issue including claims to begin the impeachment of
President Trump, but it doesn’t seem to have impacted students.

Written by: Camrin Santchi