Author: Hanna Young

(Defiance, OH). Happy Spooky Season DC! IT is that time of the year again. The time where we enjoy apple cider, sweet treats, and scary nights. But have you ever simply asked where this event has came from? Why do people dress up as things that are supposed to be scary, and why is everything pumpkin or apple based? I am here to try and solve some of these mysteries, and I also went around campus and asked a few friends what their thoughts were on Halloween and the origin of it!

According to the History channel, Halloween has roots that date back all the way to the older Europeans! This was back all the way in the eighth century! It surprisingly used to be celebrated on November 1st, not October 31st like we commonly do in America.

This holiday was a chance for them to celebrate a new year, and pay tribute to the dead, because it was the day they believed that those who had died over the year returned to earth on this specific day. Creepy! During this day, they burned crops and dressed up in order to praise the gods, as well as sacrificing animals.

Then, the Romans brought All Saints Day from May 13th to November 1st, from the ideas brought to them by the other Europeans. They also had bonfires, costumes, and sacrifices!

Once brought to America, it started out as neighbors following European traditions, throwing a party, and telling stories of the dead. Then, later during the 19th century, Americans began to dress up, and go from door to door asking for food or money, which is now what is known as trick or treat!

It was not until the 1920’s when the holiday began  to be directed at the younger generation, due to the vandalism and crime by the older generation. This is where the Halloween that we know today came from, where children go door to door, asking for candy, and dressing up as spooky ghouls and ghosts. Another fun fact, Halloween is the most expensive holiday in America, right behind the obvious one, Christmas.

So as I said, I went around campus and was able to ask two people on their thoughts on Halloween, and where it came from. Sophomore Jessi Davis had this to say, “I honestly do not know where Halloween came from, but I love candy so I don’t mind.” Senior Cody Nelson also had this to say, “I feel that Halloween came from South America. I love the holiday because I enjoy candy and the scary movies.”

So there you have it DC. A little background on Halloween and what some of the fellow campus mates think about Halloween. If you have any questions, or any comments about the article, feel free to contact me! Happy Halloween!

Written by Zac Bires

The Defiance College volleyball team entertained Anderson University on Wednesday evening, October 25th, for their last regular season home game and Senior Night. The Yellow Jackets won in four hard fought sets, improving their record 5-3 in HCAC play.

The Jackets started the first set strong with a serving ace from Marissa Windau and back to back kills from Senior, Danielle Robbins. The Ravens rallied together a string of kills to take the lead over Defiance and held it, until the Jackets were able to string together their own set of kills combined with Anderson errors. Defiance won set one 25-22. Set two started with a battle between the teams. The Yellow Jackets were able to pull ahead and run with a lead, winning 25-18. In set three, Defiance came out with a 9-3 advantage over the Ravens. That quickly turned around when Anderson was able to take advantage of multiple Jacket error and put up some kills for themselves. Anderson won the third set 19-25. Defiance came out on top in the fourth set, recording multiple kills and benefiting from Raven errors. Anderson was quickly able to catch up though, and tied the game at 15. The Jackets then fell behind 16-20. After a few errors from the Anderson side and a kill from Morgan Porter, the game was tied again at 21. More kills from the Ravens lifted their lead to 24-21 over the Jackets. Defiance battled and was able to rally enough points the win the fourth set 26-24.

Marissa Windau led the offensive side of the game for the Jackets with 8 kills, while Jessi Davis was right behind with 7 kills on the night. Windau also had 5 service for the Yellow Jackets. The defense was led by Senior, Jaidyn Patridge, with 21 digs, while Windau had 13. Emma Seitz also recorded 5 blocks against the Raven’s offense. When asked about the game, senior libero, Jaidyn Patridge, said, “I think we got better every set we played, we knew it was a must win game and there was a lot on the line for a good seed in the tournament.” The Jackets travel to Rose-Hulman for their last regular season game on Saturday, October 28th. “For preparing for the next game, we need to execute the game plan early and make sure that we’re on our A game. We have to stay consistent and just play clean volleyball.” explained Patridge. Being a senior, this was Patridge’s last regular season game in the Weaner Center. “It felt bittersweet to play my last regular season game in the Weaner. I wanted to leave it all out on the court!” Defiance has one regular season game left against Rose-Hulman. The results of this game will determine tournament placement for the Yellow Jackets.

Written by Michaela Bauer

(Defiance, OH) Our Defiance College Yellow Jackets took the long road trip to Hanover last Saturday on October 21st to take on the Panthers. The Panthers had come into the match-up with an impressive record of 12-3 while being 7-1 in conference play. The Jackets took them on with a record of 1-12-1 with a record of 0-6-1 in conference play.

The impressive record did not scare the Jackets during the first half though, as they came out trying to prove that they can play with even the best teams in the conference. They started this off by playing very well the first half, putting 2 shots on frame, and scoring the first goal of the half. This was scored in the 35th minute by sophomore Kat Wicher, who it was her 2nd goal of the season, along with her 2nd goal in 2 games! The Jackets could not hold the Panthers scoreless for the half though, as Hanover found the back of the net with one of their shots on frame in the 44th minute, to tie the game at 1-1.

The Jackets came out the next half with the same type of mentality, but they could not hold on against Hanover’s tough offense. Hanover was able to put 21 shots on goal during the second half, and were able to make 5 of them find the back of the net. These happened in the 52, 57th, 59th, 68th, and 85th minutes. The final of this game was 6-1, as the Jackets did not have an answer for the Panthers in the second half, and could not put anything together for themselves.

After the game, we caught up with Freshman Megan Ortiz, and she had this to say, “Our team has come a long way this season. After facing other teams it is easy to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Our team’s greatest strength is our ability to interact as a family. When we step onto the field, we are linked emotionally as a common unit. Although we occasionally have a tough match, we attack the game as a family no matter what the outcome is we will always support each other through thick and thin.”

The Jackets travel to Anderson to take on the Ravens on 10/25 for a night game at 7PM. As always, Go Jackets!

Written by Zac Bires

Last year, the United States witnessed controversy in the form of Colin Kaepernick as he refused to stand for the National Anthem before NFL games. Originally, he sat and then, after speaking with a former Green Beret, he decided that taking a knee would be the best possible way to go ahead with his protest without disrespecting the military. Following the game of his original protest, Kaepernick claimed “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color”, giving explanation for his protest. The protest was started as a way to fight back against racial discrimination within the United States.

Recently, the men of the Defiance College football team have began to kneel during the national anthem prior to kickoff. Junior Jalin Nealy gave me an inside look as to why the boys were participating in the kneeling. Nealy stated that, “the individuals who kneel are expressing their right to express how they feel. Some of the guys kneel for different reasons, whether it’s for their own experiences or for the social injustice in the country. It’s no disrespect to our veterans or anyone who has served in our military. We love and appreciate our vets. We just are tired of not being seen or heard. We want equality in this country and we deserve it. We won’t stand up for a country who doesn’t stand up for what we believe in”.

The protests have become common within the sport of football. This past month, Gyree Durante was kicked off of his college football team after he decided to kneel during the coin toss and playing of the national anthem. The backup quarterback played for a private division 3 liberal arts school in Reading, Pennsylvania, Albright College. The football players of Albright had decided, as a team, to kneel during the coin toss but stand during the playing of the national anthem. Durante had broken the team rule and in turn, chose to kneel during the anthem. In the breaking of the team rule, Durante was removed from the team. He was the sole player from the team to kneel.

No professional members participating in these protests have been removed from their teams. No members of the Defiance College football team have been removed either.

Written by Jordan Osborne

(Defiance, OH) The Defiance College Yellow Jackets traveled to Rose Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana this past weekend. Defiance went in looking to turn around their conference play and get a start for the rest of the season, while the Rose Hulman Fighting Engineers came in trying to continue their strong conference start.

Defiance was 0-4 coming into this conference game, while Rose was 2-1-1, with a 5-7-1 record overall. The game started off in favor of Rose, who was able to find the back of the net in the 22nd minute, along with an additional goal that half in the 27th minute. Our Yellow Jackets could not find a goal of their own this half during with their 4 shots on goal.

After the half, Defiance tried to come out with a flame, but it was not enough to stop the Fighting Engineers, who were able to add in one more goal in the 56th minute. Defiance held them in check for the rest of the game, making the final 3-0, and Defiance drops to 0-5 in conference.

After the game, sophomore Katie Settich had this to say, “Ever since the start of conference play, coach tells us we have to be “all in.” This past weekend, even though the outcome wasn’t in our favor, I truly believe we were all in. Players who made mistakes instantly turned it around. Players who do not usually step up stepped up. Wednesday is game 6 of conference play and you better believe we will be all in again!”

Defiance continues their conference play this upcoming Wednesday against Manchester! They would love the support and a good crowd. As always, wish a member of the team good luck and Go Jackets!

Written by Zac Bires

(Defiance, OH) Our Defiance College Yellow Jackets looked to turn their season around last Wednesday as they took on the Earlham Quakers from Earlham, Indiana. Earlham came into this match with a record of 5-7, while our lady’s had a record of 1-9.

This game was played in an element that either team has yet to be tested on this season, with the game being played in a light mist, while the field had already taken a downpour. The girls for both sides were slipping and sliding on the muddy pitch.

Earlham struck first, with a goal in the 22nd minute. Defiance could not have an answer of their own before Earlham was able to put another into the back of the net, in the 37th minute, followed by another quick one in the 39th. Our Lady Jackets attempted to fight back the whole half, but could not find the back of the net with their 9 shots on goal.

Defiance went into the half looking for an answer of their own, and came out confident that they would be able to put something together during the second half.

They played extremely well in the second half, putting another 8 shots on goal, and putting together several great runs. This was not enough to stop the Quakers though, as they were able to put together another great run and find the back of the net in the 86th minute.

The final was 4-0 in favor of the Quakers, and Defiance dropped to 1-10 on the season. After the game, we were able to catch up with Sarah Maderas, and she had this to say, “Against Earlham we have made improvements as a team and this loss is just another thing we need to learn from. We just have to keep moving forward and focus on the next game.”

Defiance travels to Rose Hulman to take on the Fighting Engineers this weekend. The game will be played on Saturday, at 1:30 PM. Do not be afraid to wish a member of the team good luck, and as always, Go Jackets!

Written by Zac Bires

The Defiance College volleyball team hosted Manchester University Wednesday evening, October 18th, during the annual Purple with a Purpose game. The Yellow Jackets won in three straight sets, improving their record 4-2 in HCAC play.

Defiance came out strong with a 10-3 advantage over Manchester. The Spartans were able to catch up to the Jackets after many kills and multiple Jacket service errors. Defiance was able to hold out and win set one 25-21. The Jackets started set two slow with a 8-14 deficit and stayed behind for most the set. After consecutive kills from different Jackets and a couple Spartan errors, Defiance was able to take set two 25-22. Set three was a battle back and forth between Defiance and Manchester. The Spartans came out with the lead, but the Jackets fought back to tie the game at 9 and 12. Defiance was able to push past Manchester and take set three to win the match.

Brooke Plummer lead the offense with a total of 11 kills, and Marissa Windau was right behind with 10 kills. Madison Hollis also had 2 service aces in the Yellow Jacket win. On the defensive side, Jaidyn Patridge led with 31 digs and Windau following with 11. After the game, senior co-captain, Sydney Unger, had to say, “This was a good win for us, sweeping them in three will give us the momentum we need for the last three games of conference.” The Yellow Jackets hit the road to Transylvania University on Saturday, October 21st, for a 2pm start.

Written by Michaela Bauer

The Defiance College volleyball team traveled to  Transylvania University on Saturday morning, October 21st for an early afternoon match-up. The Yellow Jackets lost in three straight sets, making their record 4-3 in HCAC play.

In set one, Defiance battled back and forth against Transylvania, tying the set at 4, 5, 6, and 7. The Pioneers steadily led the match for quite a while until the Jackets were able to come back and tie the set again at 20. Transylvania took the lead at that point and won the set 21-25. Defiance started set two playing right behind Transylvania, playing, at most, 4 points behind the Pioneers. Transylvania was able to break open the lead by taking advantage of Defiance errors and won 16-25. In set three, Yellow Jacket miscommunication and strong Transylvania offense was too much for Defiance, causing a 5-25 loss.

Jessi Davis was the offensive leader for the Jackets with 6 kills, with sister Jenni and Marissa Windau right behind with 5 kills a piece. The defensive leader for the day was Abigail Cronin with 7 digs, and Marissa behind with 6 digs. “We definitely didn’t play to our best ability. The best thing we can do is learn from it. We still have a lot of season left with some big conference games. It’s far from over but we need to keep getting better and stick to the game plan” was what Junior co-captain Marissa Windau had to say. The Yellow Jackets will be back in action Wednesday evening, October  25th, for their Senior Night against Anderson University, at 7pm.

Written by Michaela Bauer

President Trump’s plan to build a border wall has caused a trickle-down effect on many other immigration programs or issues. DACA is a program that protects more than 800,000 undocumented youths. This program was created by former President Barack Obama to protect undocumented minors from immediate deportation. This program is available upon request for a period of two years, but does not give a lawful status to those illegal immigrants. With that said, the number of younger individuals immigrating to the United States or currently living in the U.S. may expect to see this program more difficult to be accepted into. According to Kaitlyn Schallhorn of Fox News, in order to request to be protected by DACA an individual, “must also have a high school diploma, GED certification, been honorably discharged from the military or still be in school. Recipients cannot have a criminal record”. This program was created to ensure the safety of the younger and innocent population that illegally immigrate to the United States.

As most people in the U.S. as well as people around the world know Trump has strong views on immigration. With this program in particular, he views DACA as “illegal amnesty”. His plan is to incorporate a stronger resistance to sanctuary cities. Currently, it is questionable as to what will come about on this topic. It has caused a rise in discussion with many surrounding this issue. Many politicians have strong comments about this issue ranging from one spectrum to another. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that this plan will create an “immigration system with integrity”. Whereas, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi claimed it, “fails to represent any attempt at compromise”. Hopefully, Trump can incorporate the past views of Obama in terms of protecting the younger population as well as blend his views on illegal immigration to create a program that resembles the beliefs of all.

I’m sure many students and faculty have their own opinions about Trump as well as the immigration issues. I interviewed one student on campus who discussed her personal beliefs regarding DACA and Trump’s plan to enforce stricter guidelines. Rebekah Groden, a junior here at DC, shared that this issue resonates with her personally as some of her family is from Puerto Rico. She stated that if Puerto Rico was not a U.S. territory that her grandpa would have been an “illegal immigrant.” This is turn would have affected her entire family. Rebekah also stated that, “Enforcing stricter guidelines for this program will only make things worse for children and that the they are innocent and could not control whether or not their family immigrated or not”. Therefore, she believes the children should not be punished for the issue of illegal immigration. It will be interesting to see how this program is changed or if it remains the same.

Written by Madysyn Creighton

The Defiance College volleyball team played at Hanover College Saturday evening, October 14th. The Yellow Jackets lost their first conference match in a row, making their record 3-2 in HCAC play.

The Yellow Jackets started slow against the Panthers, with a 3-12 deficit. They were able to play back and forth with Hanover at that point, but was never able to push past the Panthers. Defiance lost set one 16-25. Defiance unfortunately was not able to stop the Panther’s offense in set two or three. The Jackets never lost hope, but was not able to put up enough points to best Hanover. Defiance lost the last two sets of the night 13-25 and 12-25.

Morgan Porter led the night offensively with 5 kills. Jenni Davis and Brooke Plummer were right behind with 4 kills a piece. Defensively, Marissa Windau led the Jackets with Jaidyn Patridge not far behind with 8 and 6 digs respectively. Windau said, “ As a team, we never gave up. Which is a large step for us. Something we have really been working on is perseverance.” She also mentioned, “ To come back from the losses, all we can do is stick together and learn from each experience. No one likes losing, but it prepares us even better for next time.” The Defiance College volleyball team is back in action Wednesday night, October 18th, at 7pm. This will also be the volleyball team’s annual “Purple with a Purpose” game for awareness of Pancreatic Cancer.

Written by Michaela Bauer