Author: Hanna Young

By: Alexandra Bevins

Dr. Anita Foeman, an alumna of Defiance College, presented a lecture considering “Identity in the Age of Ancestral DNA” on Thursday, September 21st in the Schomburg Auditorium. The event was well attended by Defiance College students and members of the community. President Mankey and Mayor McCann introduced the speaker. While at Defiance College, Dr. Foeman was a member of the debate team and studied communications, graduating in 1976. Dr. Foeman provided insight into the evolution of the field of genetics and considered how the mass production of DNA testing has affected personal and familial identity narratives. She noted that she was interested in combining the emerging field of genetic research with research ideas regarding identity construction. 

Dr. Foeman chronicled the evolution of DNA testing from its inception to modern practices. She noted that when she began, few labs conducted genetic testing, and results indicated a person’s ancestral origins broadly, whereas today, millions of individuals participate in personalized testing through private companies such as Ancestry and receive precise information regarding their ancestors’ geographic and ethnic origins. She noted that technology advances personal understandings of identity as individuals can better understand their family stories after genetic testing. She described how our modern genetic pool is more diverse due to advancements in transportation as people groups are less confined by space and travel more than previous generations. Dr. Foeman recounted several cases where individuals were surprised that they had different genetic makeup than they initially thought. However, they often embraced these stories as elements of a rich and complex family history. Dr. Foeman closed by noting that “we have more than one identity” and genetic research is one way of exploring and conveying unique personal and familial histories. 

By: Jessica Reynolds

I would like to introduce you to Dr. Bowers. This is her first year at Defiance College, she started as the Assistant Professor of English in the fall of 2023. She also assumed the position of the advisor of The Defender. She is originally from Defiance. It has been a dream of hers to work at a small liberal arts college, which is why she decided to accept the position here at DC. Prior to working at Defiance College, she worked at Kent State as the Associate Professor of English. Dr. Bowers is most excited about working with the students. She stated that “the students are enthusiastic and are involved in many things on campus.” 

Dr. Bowers got both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English at Bowling Green State University. Then she went on with her education and got her PhD in English from Texas A&M University. Her favorite class to teach at Defiance College is American Literature, but her favorite area to teach in is Literature Theory and Criticism. 

Dr. Bowers mentioned during the interview that her mother and grandfather made the most impact on her growing up. Her mother was a single mother that raised both her and her brother. Dr. Bowers stated that her mother “showed her women can be on their own and can do anything.” She also stated that her grandfather is “the best person she has even known and he is a survivor.” Some best pieces of advice that Dr. Bowers has received is “It costs nothing to be kind” and “The universe gives us answers to questions we don’t know we asked.”

Dr. Bowers favorite superhero is the winter soldier and her favorite season is autumn. When Dr. Bowers was asked the question on her favorite place she has been on vacation, she stated “anyplace I go with my best friend. My best friend lives in Houston and it is always a good time when we are together.” Something cool that Dr. Bowers did over the summer was she moved to Defiance and bought a house. She was very proud to state that she helped build her fence in her backyard by hand and also built a deck. Dr. Bowers was also eager to state that Styx and Oxbow, her two dogs, are the two most important things to her. 

Dr. Bowers office can be located in Shauffler 122.

By: Mallory Timbrook

We all know DC has a very sports-centric community of students, but only some of our students participate in sports. Regarding clubs, DC has very few that don’t revolve around competitive athletics. I think that needs to change. Defiance College has an immensely diverse combination of students. Why shouldn’t we have diverse clubs so every student can belong somewhere?

Students attend college to pursue higher education, but in the four years they are learning about their future careers, they are also learning about themselves. No one knows who they are at eighteen, but college is the perfect environment to discover more about yourself. With the diverse population at DC, students learn more about themselves but don’t always have clubs to intermingle with like-minded peers. The best way for students to find others with similar interests is through clubs.

Students could find clubs that appeal to their interests and then share their interests with others who understand. Larger colleges and universities in Ohio offer a multitude of clubs and groups for students to try new things and pursue their passions with their peers. Why shouldn’t DC have the same opportunities? Within the last month, I have heard students talking about what kind of clubs they would like. Some of the responses were walking club, hiking club, Harry Potter book club, romance book club, and so many more. Why should the students who aren’t athletic be excluded from the family-like atmosphere that comes with being a member of a team?   

A campus involvement fair (think of that one scene in Pitch Perfect) would be a great way for DC to appeal to a diverse multitude of students. Students could walk around learning about our school’s different clubs and groups. Let students find themselves and their passions by providing ways for them to explore their interests with like-minded students safely.

By: Kaiya Albert

Being a transfer student is quite common nowadays. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, around one-third of college students transfer schools before earning their degree. So many factors play a role in this decision. Such factors can include better academics, athletics, family reasons, and other personal agendas. There are many students who have even transferred schools more than once. 

Take me as an example. I am currently attending my fourth college pursuing a major in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. My freshman year I attended a 4-year university in Wisconsin, similar to Defiance College. After being unsatisfied with the athletics program, I decided to return home to Rockford, IL to play basketball at the juco level. Due to COVD-19, the season was canceled and I stayed another year to play a full season in the hopes of obtaining an athletic scholarship. This landed me at Trinity International University playing for Coach Peay. Trinity shut all athletics down and I followed my coach to Defiance College to finish my bachelors degree. 

I was really impressed with the graduation to employment rate and career opportunities that Defiance has to offer, which was ultimately the deciding factor in my commitment here. Never did I think I would transfer this much in my college career. From personal experience, I’d say it’s definitely forced me to be adaptable and face adversity. I knew that Defiance was the right place for me because it was symbolic. Defiance is all about defying the odds. 

It isn’t always easy having to move around so much. However, it taught me to be resilient and defiant to say the least. Change forces us to grow. I was able to meet so many people and see so many different places along the way that made me grateful for my journey. Everyone’s path in education is different and unique to them. There are cons to transferring, mainly the concern about credits transferring over. However, with the help of the staff here at Defiance, I am on track to graduate next spring. I encourage those reading this to never be afraid of change. It can be a good thing if you allow it to be. 

September 1st marks the unofficial beginning of Halloween for many enthusiasts worldwide. While Halloween itself falls on October 31st, the anticipation and preparation for this spooktacular holiday often kicks off an entire month earlier. There are several compelling reasons why September 1st is embraced as the start of Halloween.

First and foremost, it signifies the arrival of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The ambiance becomes perfect for Halloween as the leaves change color and a chill fills the air. The cozy, eerie fall atmosphere sets the stage for haunted houses, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches.

Retailers also play a significant role in this early start, with stores beginning to stock Halloween decorations, costumes, and candies in early September. This ensures enthusiasts have ample time to plan their costumes and decorate their homes spooky.

Social media and pop culture contribute to the September 1st Halloween excitement as well. Many people share their excitement on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, showcasing their DIY Halloween decorations, costume ideas, and makeup tutorials. As these trends gain momentum, Halloween anticipation grows.

September 1st’s role as the unofficial start of Halloween serves as a harbinger of the autumn season, encourages early planning and preparation, and is fueled by a collective enthusiasm for the year’s spookiest holiday. It’s a date that allows Halloween enthusiasts to dive headfirst into the world of ghosts, ghouls, and goblins, ensuring that the spirit of Halloween is alive and well throughout the entire autumn season.

By: Caia Bevis

We all know what it’s like to be sitting on your phone in the dark at three in the morning, knowing very well that you should be sleeping… and you just can’t seem to put your phone down. That curiosity of what the next TikTok video may be or the next Instagram reel might hold is just so tantalizing that you can’t just go to sleep, even though you know that your alarm is going to go off in just a few short hours. It is going to take every ounce of willpower you don’t have to get out of bed. It is a constant struggle. So why do we do this?

According to an article posted by the Cleveland Clinic, doomscrolling stems from the idea that we as humans are naturally drawn to bad news, and when we find some small nugget of misery, we can’t help but research it until our eyeballs fall out of our heads (Gilmer, 2023). Why do you think true crime shows and podcasts are so popular?

So how do we stop doing it? The most effective method for me is something called localization (Gilmer, 2023). It works by plugging your phone in on the other side of the room when you go to bed so that you can’t reach it. Then you can go to sleep without the distraction of your phone and all the chirps and beeps and buzzes. Another bonus from doing this is that when your alarm goes off, you have to get out of bed to turn it off, so it forces you to get up and start your day.

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Works Cited

Gilmer, M. (2023, February 16). Everything you need to know about doomscrolling and how to avoid it. Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-doomscrolling-and-how-to-avoid-it/

By: Hanna Young

The Guest List, by New York Times Best Selling Author Lucy Foley was a predictable yet solid book. This book is set in a wedding venue on the very desolate island of Cormorant Island off the coast of Ireland. The wedding venue is called the Folley. 

Jules and Will are both very prominent people, Will being a TV show star and Jules the editor of her own start up magazine. They are getting married on a very desolate island in which the guests have to take a boat from the mainland to celebrate with the bride and groom. The plus-one, wedding planner, bride, bridesmaid, and best man all have very different feelings about the wedding and the other people that are there. Olivia, the bridesmaid, has a connection to another guest that no one knows about. Hannah, the plus-one’s husband is more deeply involved with one of the other women at the wedding. Johnno, the best man finds out a very important secret that someone else was hiding from him. Jules, the bride, is in love with Will, but does everyone at the wedding think they are a good match? Lastly, the wedding planner is there to keep the guests safe and happy. What happens though when the lights go out and someone is murdered. The plus-one, wedding planner, bride, bridesmaid, and best man all have a reason and a secret, but the real question is which one of them actually committed the murder. 

This book had a really slow start and I felt as though it took forever to get to the point. With what seemed like a hundred pages of background information and only one page of what happened on the wedding night I was really bored. The last 40 pages are the ones that kept my attention the best. I really enjoyed the ending of the book. 

Overall, I gave this book a 3/5. Mostly because of the slow start and the boringness of the first 200 plus pages. The book was good, it was just kinda boring to start with.

By: Emily Vargo

If you are a lover of music, you may know this infamous name. Once you learn about him, you will never forget about him.

September 5, 1946, Farrokh Bulsara was born in the British territory of India. Now, you have probably never heard that name, but Farrokh Bulsara started going by  Freddie Mercury later in life. Mercury was born in Stone Town in the British protectorate of Zanzibar in India.

Fun fact: He was born with four extra front teeth, which helped with various vocal ranges. While having a range of vocals, he also took piano lessons since he was 7. Even though he was born in India, he was a British citizen and his family eventually immigrated to England.

When Mercury was in England, he graduated with a degree in graphic arts and design. After he achieved his degree, Mercury joined a few bands. The bands came and went, but finally, one stuck, and this one would be one most people would know, called Queen.

Freddie Mercury used his degree and designed the band’s logo. The logo is known as the “Queen’s crest” and is made up of a combination of the band members’ zodiac signs, which are Two Lions (Leo), a crab (cancer), and two fairies (Virgo). 

Another fun fact about Freddie Mercury is that his speaking voice naturally fell into the baritone range, but when singing, it was in the tenor range. Those who specialize in music say he was selling his voice and owned it.

Besides his voice and his background in design, Mercury also wrote songs from some of Queen’s top Albums like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Killer Queen”, “Somebody to Love” and so many more. He would involve many ranges of genres and styles in his writing. 

Freddie Mercury did have a solo career where he produced two albums. Even though his career was not as successful as when he was with Queen, he debuted in the top 10 of the UK Music Charts. His Two albums were “Mr. Bad Guy” and “Barcelona”.

Unfortunately, Freddie Mercury passed away on November 24, 1991, due to bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. Queen and Freddie Mercury’s work is still admired today worldwide and enjoyed by many.  

By: Hanna Young

We Used to Live Here, by UK #1 Best Selling Kindle Author Daniel Hurst kept me on my toes the whole book. This book was set in the UK. The family in this book just moved into a new home, that they were planning to remodel.

The Burgess family moves into a bigger, outdated home which they had decided they were going to remodel, but when Stephanie finds something behind the wallpaper in one of the rooms she starts to wonder about it. Then a couple that had previously owned the house stopped by unannounced one day and asked if they could take a walk around the house and take a trip down memory lane. Once they leave, the Burgess family finds out some very interesting information and Stephanie launches herself into her own investigation of the house. A hidden wall with troubling messages only adds fuel to the fire and she continues to search for answers to what seems to be a very troubling past. All of the evidence that she has compiled leads her to the worrying discovery that it could be linked to a crime from the past that is still unsolved. 

This book starts off a little slow in my opinion, but the ending is worth it. I am still reeling over what happened at the end of the book. I really enjoyed this book and the major plot twist that was found at the end. I do believe that there almost needs to be a second book to elaborate a little more on the ending of the book.

Overall, I give this book a 4/5. I can not get over the ending, but the slow beginning kind of knocked the rating. I really did enjoy the book though.

By: Mallory Timbrook

I’m unsure if an “Amazon Addict” support group exists, but I need one. I treat my Amazon app like a form of social media. It is definitely not healthy, but there are worse things. As I was browsing Amazon this week looking for clothes, kitchen items, and skincare products I didn’t need, a thought popped into my head. 

“Mal, do you remember when you saw that snail mucin skincare serum a million years ago on TikTok? You should 100% spend all your money and buy it!”

Surprise, surprise, I bought it. Thankfully, I did not spend all my money; the serum cost less than $16. My package arrived two days later; thank you Prime shipping. The second Alexa announced my package had arrived I sprinted upstairs faster than Usain Bolt. I ripped open the package like a five-year-old on Christmas Day, then ran to the bathroom to wash my face (a clean face is a necessity when testing any skincare product). Once my face was clean, it was time to try. 

The first thing I noticed was how sturdy the bottle was. Usually, skincare bottles in the less than $20 price range are fragile and super sketchy, but not this one. The next thing I noticed was the words on the bottle being in Korean, but I had prepared for this and did some pre-testing Googling to read the instructions. Now that I was informed, I ripped off the lid and pumped the serum onto my palm. I was not a fan of the nozzle on the pump. It was too short, and I had difficulty making sure the product landed on my hand and not down the side of the bottle. Once I finally had enough product on my palm (around four pumps), it was time to Rock n’ Roll. I liked how easily the serum applied to my entire face. Sometimes, with a thicker serum, the product pills on the skin and doesn’t sink in very well. This was not the case with the Snail Mucin. Once my face and neck were evenly covered, I applied my usual moisturizer and went to bed. The following morning, when I looked at my skin, I could already see how much of a difference the serum made. My skin was glowy, smooth, and hydrated. I looked like I had slept for more than five hours (thank God). For my fellow dry-skin peeps, I recommend 11/10. The description for the product says the serum can help with acne, fine lines, and dehydrated skin. I most definitely agree. The COSRX Snail Mucin Essence is worth a try for anyone, regardless of age. The results are noticeable and impressive after only one night. Give it a shot.