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Hillsdale

October 2012

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Contents
Volume xiv, Issue i, october 2012

Conservative Features
3 Drones- Friend or Foe? by James Inwood
The robot apocalypse is coming. What would George Washington do?
5 Math: The Only Liberal Art by Sam Ryskamp
The classical liberal arts were firmly grounded in mathematics, but at Hillsdale the
subject often falls by the wayside. Ryskamp campaigns for a renewed emphasis on
mathematics because of its utility and inherent beauty.
7 Defense Spending and the Destruction of Liberty by Devin Creed
America is spending hundreds of billions on defense in spite of the massive federal
deficit. Creed argues for a paleoconservative approach to foreign policy like that
espoused by many of the Founders.
9 Romney Ryan 2012 by Kelsey Drapkin
Romney might not be Reagan, but hes a nice guy. Drapkin explains why it took
conservatives so long to support him, and how Ryans early interest in Randian
philosphy may not be such a bad thing.
11 The Frenemy Dilemma by Spencer Amaral
The Forums resident libertarian on how America is like a middle-school girl.

Campus Features

13 Alumni Where are they now? by Corrie Beth Hendon


2012 alumni Adam and Samantha Nasser journey to South Korea to teach English.
14 Professors iPod by Anna Shoffner
Become a better economist: find out what Dr. Wolfram is jamming to this semester.
15 Campus Smackdown: Lets Debate vs. Lets Chat by Chelsey Schmid
Are you disillusioned with debate? Youre not alone. Hillsdale students weigh in
on the respective merits of arguing and fleeing in terror.
17 Stepping Outside the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis Dymer by Matt OSullivan
C.S. Lewis only published narrative poem, influenced by his struggles with
Christianity.
21 Politics of the Playground by Andy Reuss
When Congress recesses, what sports do they play? Parliamentary games.
Reuss explains all this and more in a humor piece about D.C.s schoolchildren,
politicians.
22: Spotlight on Fraternity Rush by Nate McBride
Fraternity recruitment will be less of a rush this year: it will last a month instead of
the traditional week. Greek authorities weigh in on the change.

With Extra
Vitamins &
Minerals!

Staff

Editor-in-Chief
Wes Wright
Staff Writers
Spencer Amaral
Mike Giles
Corrie Beth Hendon
Nate McBride
Savannah Tibbetts
Chelsey Schimid
Associate Editor
Corrie Beth Hendon
Copy Editor
Chelsey Schmid
Editors
Mike Giles
Rebekah Lindstrom
Caleb Eatough
Photographers
Sheridan Markatos
Laurie Barnes
Shaun Lichti
Design and Layout
Lauren Wierenga
Nathan Wilson
Business Manager
Ryne Bessemer
Advertisement
Manager
Nate McBride

Letter from
the Editor-in-Chief
Condescending Wonka is destroying the American
conservative movement. It is slowly undermining the rock
on which our country is built, making moot the work of the
Founding Fathers.
For those unacquainted with memes, Condescending
Wonka is a still photograph from a 1971 movie based
on Roald Dahls Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In it,
a bemused Gene Wilder stares into the distance, flanked
by sarcastic sentences in white bubble letters critiquing
everything from politics to Hillsdating. New versions
can be created in moments on web sites like quickmeme.
com. The speed with which they can be produced and
their intensely mocking tone make them useful weapons
in internet arguments, to the detriment of
public discourse.
To be fair, few people go on Facebook
to philosophize or debate. When such
occasions arise, however, they quickly
deteriorate into ad hominem assaults and
brutal meme battles. All too often, actual
discussion of ideas is lost in the mad effort
to win the argument and portray oneself as
humorous.
This form of discourse can lead to one of the problems
Plato describes in the Pheado: misology, hating and
reviling reasoned discussion. The Facebook Generation is
growing up in an atmosphere in which the most common
methods of argumentation are out-of-context sound bites
and sleazy meme attacks. Reasoned political discussion
is virtually impossible on the internet (pun most certainly
intended) and on television, where a debate consists
of candidates reciting talking points and yelling at the
moderator. Why would people like reasoned discussion if
it always devolved into mindless lampoon?
One aspect of The Hillsdale Forums mission is to

Mission Statement
The Hillsdale Forum is an independent, student-run Conservative magazine at Hillsdale College. The Forum, in support of
the mission statement of Hillsdale College, exists to promote a
return to limited government as outlined in the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution. We publish Conservative
opinion, editorials, and campus news. The Forum is a vehicle to
bring the discussion and thought of the intelligent students and
professors at the heart of the Conservative movement beyond the
classroom and beyond Hillsdales campus.

counteract this descent into misology, for [t]here is


no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable
discourse. A forum in both name and function, it provides
a place for students to engage in rational discourse without
the threat of Willy Wonka peering over our proverbial
shoulder.
Freshmen: The Forum is Hillsdales magazine of
conservative political thought. Founded in 2003 as a
newspaper partnered with the College Republicans, it
has since become independent of that organization and
is now entirely student-run. Last year, Rachael Wierenga
changed the format from a newspaper to a full-color
magazine. The Forum is divided into two sections:
Conservative Features, a collection of student
essays on conservative political philosophy
and the liberal arts, and Campus Features,
which highlights individuals and topics of
student interest. This issue contains everything
from George Washington to basketball, from
fraternity rush to C.S. Lewis.
Reasoned discussion is required if
Hillsdalians are to successfully pursue Truth.
As this editions Campus Smackdown section suggests,
some students have become disillusioned with debate
a precursor to the misology discussed by Plato. Without
dialectic, debate, and discussion, one risks being trapped
in ones own views. Truth outside of ones beliefs cannot
be attained in such a situation. Discussion of classically
liberal ideas on which most Hillsdale students agree
is less likely to disillusion or to incite anger than is
antithetical, impassioned debate. The Forum should be a
comfortable milieu in which conservatives can more fully
develop their ideas and pursue Truth.
Interested in rejecting the meme culture and promoting
the conservative cause? Has a professors lecture led you
to better understand your beliefs? Like taking pictures of
Hillsdales frozen tundra? Have a razor wit and a penchant
for lambasting liberals? Can you meet deadlines? Let
us know. We are always searching for contributors, and
fancy magazines always look nice on a rsum. We hope
to publish at least three more issues this year. Look for
the next before Winter Break. In the meantime, beware of
Insanity Wolves and Socially Awkward Penguins.

Wes Wright

DroneS: Friend or
When Americas leading statesmen met to
frame a new constitution for the young republic,
they hoped to transform their ideas and principles
into a framework of law. Not all of them got their
way, however. Elbridge Gerry proposed that the
Constitution limit standing armies to five thousand
men. George Washington applauded the motion,
but added that they should consider limiting invading armies to three thousand men. The convention
laughed the motion out of consideration.
Washington was in many ways the original
conservative. During the Revolution, he had worked
tirelessly to defend traditional American liberties
and dedicated himself to keeping the Colonies unified. He also worked to keep the radicals in check,
from liberals who dogmatically opposed any governmental action to nationalists who dreamt of a global
mercantilist power. The Washington who ridiculed
Gerrys motion also believed that an excessive
military establishment could impinge upon personal
freedom. He hoped to maintain the military America
needed and nothing more.

Fast forward to 2012: rows of musketmen
have been replaced by unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) armed with everything from advanced
detection equipment to high-explosive missiles. The
issue divides Democrats and Republicans alike; even
conservatives have no unified position. To some,
drone warfare is part of a hallowed military establishment that must be never questioned. For others,
the UAV is a terrifying encroachment of big government. Those who leap to either conclusion may well
be die-hard nationalists or liberals. A conservative,
however, must apply George Washingtons test: Is
it potentially dangerous and/or necessary to selfgovernment?

First: Are drones a threat to American liberty?

Sadly, the answer is yes. Any policy grants
the government power, which in the hands of a cabal
is a threat to liberty especially when it involves an
exclusive claim on blowing things into little pieces.
Further, the modern drone is not like a welfare check
or a fancy new tank. It has incredible, almost inconceivable destructive potential.


The drone supports a myriad of aerial capabilities. The military and police can outfit it with
a wider array of weapons, surveillance equipment,
and other devices than any helicopter or fighter
plane. Flying lower and more slowly, its precision with these tools surpasses most other aircraft,
watching individual rooms or targeting particular
people for annihilation. Its small profile and quiet
propulsion make the drone almost unnoticeable.

Drones are also incredibly cost efficient.
Uncle Sam can buy thirty Predator drones for the
price of one F-22 fighter, forty for an AC-130
aerial gunship, and 250 for a single B-2 bomber.
In addition, there is no need to risk skilled flight
crews, and it is fair easier to train remote operators
than pilots. A few drones can cover more area than
an AC-130 at lower cost and to greater effect.
Will Americas humane and democratic government use this power against its citizens? Everyone
Left and Right, Occupier and Tea Partier has
witnessed the willingness of government to use
violence against dangerous dissidents. Drones
have already claimed American victims: Anwar
and Abdul-Rahman al-Awlaki and Kamal Derwish, jihadi sympathizers killed by drone strikes
in Yemen, were not saved by their United States
citizenship. Law enforcement use of UAVs for
surveillance purposes has already begun in American cities.

The greatest danger, however, lies in a
drones stealth. Unlike the siege at Waco or the
clashes in Oakland, a UAV flying overhead is
inconspicuous. Pakistanis have reported that one
does not know a drone is around until a missile
strikes. This is a deadly problem because Americans are oblivious to any problem not shoved in
their face by the 24-hour-media. Consider our
budget deficit: until right-wing commentators and
politicians discovered how useful the issue was,
nobody cared. Frankly, Americans would revel
in their limitless freedom even if drones watched
their every move. Our apathy towards the deaths
of innocents at the hands of Americas militarized
police force indicates that drones could murder our
compatriots without inciting protest.

foe of liberty?

By: James Inwood


On to the second part of the test: might
drones be crucial to our national defense? They
have obvious potential: everything a drone can do
to Americans can be done to jihadists. But potential and actuality are separate questions. So, is the
United States making such productive use of this
weapon that it is absolutely necessary?

Today, the United States uses drones primarily for reconnaissance and precision airstrikes in the
Middle East, especially Pakistan and Yemen. These
strikes can kill jihadis, civilians, or both. Whats the
ratio? Generally, locals think that
most drone strikes kill the innocent. Most sources say that one or
two civilians die for every militant
neutralized. The CIA, on the other
hand, claims that a series of strikes
which killed over 600 militants
resulted in absolutely no collateral
damage.
The ratio that really matters,
though, is how much this campaign helps or hurts America. To
the extent that drone strikes kill
Taliban or Al Qaeda members, they
are good and helpful. On the other
hand, they serve as a propaganda
windfall for terrorists, which is a
problem. The New America Foundation reports that drone strikes
have killed between one and three
thousand militants, but the local
population perceives the cost to
innocent life and local sovereignty as
excessive. The government of Pakistan has publically asked the United States to end the campaign.

These perceptions may be false, even
ridiculous in some cases. But this war is an ideological one, in which those same perceptions draw the
battle lines. Middle-Easterners who see the jihadists
as monsters will aid the US in their defeat, but those
who see America as the murderous party will align
themselves with the enemy, contributing opinions,

Heritage & First Principles

money, or rifles. The immediate family of a target


often turns to militancy in response to the death
of one they consider innocent. To justify itself,
the drone campaign would have to kill as many
militants as it creates an unlikely prospect.

Ultimately, the use of drones is a detriment
to American foreign policy. The United States
could solve this problem with a massive propaganda campaign or by abandoning the hearts-andminds doctrine, but these options are politically
impossible. The US must either abandon the drone

program altogether or replace it with something


better suited to the present conflict.

Like President Washington, conservatives
should be wary of an expansive military. That said,
the shifting realities of geopolitics may someday
make UAVs an integral part of Americas defense.
Until then, however, we should not offer one iota
of tolerance for a program that unnecessarily endangers our liberty.

James Inwood is a junior studying the liberal arts


4

By Sam Ryskamp

Im going to go out on a limb and say that, as a Hillsdale College student and avid Forum reader, you probably came here to study the liberal arts. Perusing the diverse institutions of higher education, you discovered that there is no better place to partake in the classical, Greco-Roman pursuit of
the liberal arts than Hillsdale. Now that youre a student, your schedule is brimming with classes in
the Western and American heritage, rhetoric, economics, natural and social sciences, philosophy, music, and the U.S. Constitution. Soon youll march proudly across the stage, clutching a freshly printed
degree that evidences your completion of the most rigorous liberal arts education in America. But if
youre like the majority of Hillsdale students, you will receive that degree despite having utterly ignored the entire field of mathematics, the subject that lies at the center of a traditional liberal arts
education.

Plato inscribed these words above the door of the


Academy: Let no one ignorant of geometry enter.

How will you manage this? Very simply. You need only score 24 or better on the math portion
of the ACT. Even though Hillsdale College has an average ACT score of 29, a 24 is enough to allow
you, a student supposedly pursuing a well-rounded education, to ignore the entire discipline of mathematics. In no other area are the requirements so meager. Can you imagine the outrage if the same
approach applied to History or English? Unfortunately, Hillsdale College, like many other American
educational institutions, has allowed the term liberal arts education to serve, at least partially, as a
get-out-of-math-free card. But if we look at history, we see that there are few subjects as central to the
liberal arts as mathematics.

Mathematics has been in the liberal arts since the beginning. We trace our current conception
of the liberal arts back to the medieval trivium and quadrivium, seven subjects that trained students
to become knowledgeable citizens during the middle ages. The trivium was composed of logic, grammar, and rhetoric, and served as the basic education. The first is a close cousin of math, so its fair to
count about one third of the trivium as mathematics. The quadrivium, on the other hand, was almost
purely mathematics. It was made up of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. Arithmetic and
Geometry are pure math classes. To medievals, however, music and astronomy were also essentially
applied math courses. Of the original seven liberal arts, five were math-relateda proportion that is
not reflected in the core curriculum.

But lets go back even further, to the original masterminds behind the liberal arts: the ancient
Greeks. No one can deny the influence of Euclid, Archimedes, and the Pythagoreans on mathematics. The ancient Greek most gung-ho about mathematics, however, was none other than Plato himself.
Tradition has it that Plato inscribed these words above the door of the Academy: Let no one ignorant
of geometry enter. Plato viewed math as the ideal liberal art. For him, mathematics was a method of
thinking, a tool for logically understanding the world in which we must first become proficient before we can tackle less objective topics. Socrates even went so far as to say that The understanding of
5

The Only Liberal Art

mathematics is necessary for a sound grasp of ethics.



The Greeks and medievals recognized that one of the foremost purposes of a liberal arts education
is learning how to think, and mathematics is one of the best ways to accomplish this goal. Math trains you
to rigorously structure your thoughts without interference from preconceived political or religious biases.
It forces you to recognize what is important, identify the larger principles involved, and then logically and
systematically work toward an objective conclusion. In this way, math helps you build a framework for
proper reasoning that can be applied to any subject. Plato stated in The Republic, Mathematics are necessary, because by the exactness of the method, we get a habit of using our minds to the best advantage.
That habit is the essential goal of a liberal arts education.

Mathematics is valuable not only in its ability to train the mind in rational thinking but also from a
purely historical standpoint. Its a telling fact that every culture, from the ancient Babylonians to the British Empire, has chosen to devote a significant portion of its leisure and its brightest minds to the study of
mathematics. A math course is a journey in the giant footsteps of Leibniz, Newton, Descartes, Da Vinci,
Einstein, and more. Throughout the ages, math displays remarkable continuity, free from major upheavals or interruptions. We still respect the work of the Pythagoreans, and our linear algebra textbooks even
include questions from 2000-year-old Chinese manuscripts. You would be hard-pressed to find another
discipline so universal and so continuous. Math is a cultural common denominator (yes, that is a math
pun), a universal language spoken by educated thinkers across time and geography. As such, it is a more
than worthy pursuit for the student of the liberal arts.

Finally, mathematics synthesizes the twin pursuits of utility and beauty. At technical and career
training schools, students sacrifice beauty for utility. At Hillsdale College, we tend toward the opposite.
But math does both. You may not have recognized the beauty of math in your high school algebra class,
but then again, you probably didnt see much beauty in your high school composition classes either. As
Aristotle himself said, The chief forms of beauty are order and symmetry and definiteness, which the
mathematical sciences demonstrate in a special degree. Math is also exceedingly practical. According to
Forbes Magazine, every single one of the fifteen most valuable college majors is highly math-intensive.
Employers have always appreciated transcripts with a healthy dose of calculus, especially since the growth
of the data-driven world. College is an opportunity to pursue what you love, and it is also a time of preparation to become a profitable member of society. Math reconciles these two goals like no other subject.

But if maths longstanding liberal arts tradition, its historical value, and its inherent beauty arent
enough to convince you, there must be another reason, and I think I know what it is. Its an unspoken, but
real inhibition: You just dont think youre good at math, and youre worried you could get a poor grade.
But whens the last time that stopped you, a Hillsdale College student, from pursuing a liberal arts education? Believe it or not, math is something youyes youcan learn. It might be difficult, but strength
rejoices in the challenge. As Ben Franklin once wrote, What science then can there be, more noble, more
excellent, more useful for men, more admirably high and demonstrative, than this of the mathematics?
I only ask that you dont allow the fear of a healthy challenge to prevent you from pursuing a true liberal
arts education.

Sam Ryskamp is a sophomore studying the liberal arts.


6

Defense Spending and the


Destruction of Liberty
Devin Creed
According to presidential hopeful Mitt Romney,
The idea of cutting our military commitment by a
trillion dollars over this decade is unthinkable and
devastating. Romney, like many Americans across the
political spectrum, believes that the United States has
a moral obligation to establish justice and democracy
throughout the world. He argues that America received
this duty because of her status as the worlds superpower
and her role as a pioneer and promoter of liberty.
This sentiment is a recent one in the United States
foreign policy community. Prominent Founding Fathers,
for instance, advocated noninterventionist international
relations and a small military. George Washington hoped
that America could be upon friendly terms with, but
independent of, all the nations of the earth. To share in
the broils of none. To fulfil our own engagements. In his
Farewell Address, he observed that Tis our true policy
to steer clear of permanent Alliances, with any portion
of the foreign world. By taking part in entangling
alliances with a host of countries, the United States has
ignored the advice of her first president. Such alliances
have driven America to war and propelled the nation
into conflicts that
do not directly
concern
her
national interests.

J o h n
Quincy Adams
also
discusses
the
problems
of policing the
world. In an 1821
speech he stated
that [America]
goes not abroad,
in search of
monsters
to
destroy. She is
the well-wisher
to the freedom

and independence of all. She is the champion and


vindicator only of her own. Furthermore, Adams
warned against fighting for the independence of others.
The United States well knows that by once enlisting
under other banners than her own, were they even the
banners of foreign independence, she would involve
herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars
of interest . . . which assume the colors and usurp the
standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her
policy would insensibly change from liberty to force.
There is little question now that America has
against the advice of her elder statesmen become
involved beyond the power of extrication. World
War II pulled the U.S. into the affairs of foreign
nations and helped the country attain superpower
status. Now, in the shadow of the Cold War, America
deposes monsters like Saddam Hussein and uses
overwhelming force to spread liberty around the
globe. By waging constant wars in the name of
freedom, the United States has undermined its effort
to serve as a beacon of liberty shining across the globe.

In 1795, James Madison warned of the
consequences of such
a militaristic policy:
Of all the enemies
to public liberty war
is, perhaps, the most
to be dreaded because
it comprises and
develops the germ of
every other. War is
the parent of armies;
from these proceed
debts and taxes . . .
known instruments
for bringing the many
under the domination
of the few . . . . No
nation could preserve
its freedom in the
7

World Defense Spending (2012)

midst of continual warfare. Madisons


prediction is an eerily accurate description
of modern America. Extended foreign wars
have caused burgeoning debt and diminishing
personal freedoms. The new millennium
has seen an unprecedented expansion
of the military-industrial complex.

In fiscal year 2013, the United States
will spend $851 billion on defense and
security, approximately 22% of the budget.
The United States spends more on defense
than any other single area of expenditure.
According to the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute, the U.S. accounts
for 41% of the worlds military spending
and outspends the next highest spender,
China, by a factor of four. Even the next
fourteen countries combined fall short of
American expenditure on defense, and most
of those nations are allied with the U.S.
Such high levels of defense
spending beg the question whether the U.S. is making
untenable commitments to its military. A look at the
facts reveals that policing the world is an expansive and
expensive endeavor. The US has a military presence in
about 130 of the worlds 192 countries. A 2010 Department
of Defense report states that the US has 297,286 active
duty personnel in foreign countries, not including actual
combat deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe.
More than sixty years after World War II, the US maintains
over 53,000 troops in Germany, over 34,000 troops in
Japan, and over 9,000 troops in Italy. The usefulness of
these deployments is highly suspect and highly costly.
Statements
of
contemporary
legislators
concerning the apparent dangers of cutting defense
spending fly in the face of the American heritage.
When considered in the context of Americas monstrous
debt, such commitments seem still more irresponsible.
Debt has exceeded 100% of GDP, the magical barrier that

Russia 4.1%
United Kingdom
3.6%
France 3.6%

speaks doom to nations of lesser clout, such as Greece.


If the current state of affairs is not drastically changed,
America will default on her debt. If America cannot
curb the largest part of her budget defense how can
she expect to escape default? Surely, sensible cuts can
be made that do not threaten the defense of the nation.
If America continues down her current path
of exchanging liberty for force, she will not be able
to preserve the freedoms of her citizens. Madison
accurately predicted that debt and taxes would
result from extended militarization. The former
threatens to crush the American economy, a much
more pressing problem than outspending our closest
military rival by a factor of three instead of four.

Devin Creed is a sophomore studying Economics and History.

R R
omney

yan

2012

By Kelsey Drapkin

While visiting a V.A. hospital, a politician looked through the hospital ledger. Impressed with the
hospitals financial responsibility, he asked what they might lack in supplies or equipment. Milk, they
reported. The politician, uncomfortable with the heavy press coverage of his visit, jokingly responded
in his own awkward way that they should teach the patients how to milk cows. About a week later, the
milkman arrived at the hospital with 7,000 pints of milk, the exact amount the hospital needed. This delivery continued weekly for two years funded by an anonymous donor. Only when the milkman retired
did the identity of the donor become public: Mitt Romney.
Conservatives were looking for a bold, Reaganesque leader to spark an awakening of sorts that would
return America to its founding principles: a free-market society where personal responsibility and good
morals reign. Unfortunately, it has taken Romney much time to convince the public that he is that man. It was only after his selection of
Ryan for running mate and the first presidential debate that the public
was able to clearly identify his stances and philosophy.
To his credit, Romney was immensely successful in the private sector. He was an extremely competent businessman which allowed him
to accumulate much wealth. This activity is not to be frowned upon.
In a free society, the accumulation of wealth is the result of improving
other peoples lives; the only way to make money is to provide benefi-

Romney took a strong stance on the


extent of government: The role of government is to promote and protect the principles
of [The Declaration and Constitution].
cial services to others. Applying this definition, Romney was able to
improve many peoples lives through his work in the private sector.
In addition, his 2011 tax return shows that he gave nearly 30% of his
income to charities. Romneys philanthropic actions stem from his bePhoto by Gage Skidmore
lief that the service of good souls is more effective than the bureaucracy
of the state. As his charitable giving and business career indicate, Romney is a good-natured man andif
it is not an oxymorona good-natured politician.
But there are red flags in Romneys political past that may overshadow his executive experience and
benevolent nature. His Massachusetts healthcare legislation, Romneycare, became the blueprint for
the Affordable Care Act. Romney has promised to repeal Obamacare, an action conservatives across
America have supported since the bill passed.
While it is heartening to hear Romney promise to repeal Obamacare, he added the word replace to
this campaign promise. Rather than replacing Obamacare with legislation based on the same premise,
Romney should promote the idea of free market control in an insurance sector free from governmental
intervention. Meddling from Washington has been one of the primary causes of rising healthcare costs.
Romneys selection of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate excited many conservatives and

helped convince voters that Romney might be the leader for whom they had hoped. Ryans biggest
struggle has been his youthful experiments with Randian Objectivism, which liberals criticize as a heartless and immoral philosophy.
In an interview with Brit Hume of FOX News, Ryan pointed to Ayn Rands Atlas Shrugged as his
reason for interest in economics. He has, however, repeatedly said he disagrees with objectivism due
to its inherent atheism, but he does agree with Rands emphasis on how free enterprise and liberty trump
other socioeconomic systems.
Ryan makes a compelling argument for his partial acceptance of Rands philosophy:
Were coming close to a tipping point in America where
we might have a net majority of takers versus makers in
society, and that could become very dangerous if it sets in as
a permanent condition. Because what we will end up doing
is we will convert our safety net system which is necessary I believe to help people who cant help themselves, to
help people who are down on their luck get back onto their
feet into a hammock that ends up lulling people into lives
of dependency and complacency which drains them of their
incentive and the will to make the most of their lives.
While Ryan is clearly encouraging personal responsibility, he is not promoting isolation of man from society. A
safety net exists, but we expect our fellow man not to abuse
it. Society expects him to try to provide for himself, but if he
absolutely cannot, society will help get him back on his feet.
Discussions of the four major economic issues in the upcoming election Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare
should focus on these principles.
During the first presidential debate, Romney took a strong
stance on the extent of government: The role of government
is to promote and protect the principles of [The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution].
He systematically evaluated the line from the Declaration of Independence that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit of Happiness emphasizing that it is our Creator, not government, who grants these Rights and
who has allowed us to flourish in the freedom to which we have grown accustomed.
Americans need to remember that this is a country of opportunity, not guarantees. While all men are
created equal, equality before law does not require the imposition of uniform economic outcomes. To
ensure our countrys success, Romney and Ryan must champion the principles of personal responsibility,
drive, and hard work.

Kelsey Drapkin is a Sophomore studying Political Economy and Journalism


10

The Frenemy Dilemma*


By Spencer Amaral

ike any middle-school girl, America has BFFs and frenemies. Such relationships on the
part of a major power indicate that the United States also has the planning capacity of a
seventh-grader, but these strategies have been the basis of American grand strategy since
World War Two. It is high time to realize its inadequacy to address the threat of terrorism.
Mob bosses and foreign policy wonks always want others to do their dirty work when confronting an enemy. The problem is dealing with these allies-of-the-moment after they have accomplished their mission. American history is rife with examples of this frenemy problem.
The Soviet Union was a vital ally in WWII, keeping Hitler occupied on the Eastern Front and
paving the way to an eventual Allied victory. The USSR then became Public Enemy #1. America
spent the next 45 years locked in the Cold War, ducking under a doorjamb every five minutes and
interrogating filmmakers accused of promoting communism.
The U.S. then fought a proxy war against the Soviets, supporting those who stood up to socialist
superpower. The Mujahedeen, freedom fighters in Afghanistan, fiercely resisted Russian occupation for almost a decade, with the help of American weapons and funding. After the fall of the
USSR, the Mujahedeen became Al Qaeda and turned against the United States. The 1991World
Trade Center Bombing, the attack on the USS Cole, and the 9/11 attacks eventually forced America to follow Soviet tracks into Afghanistan. Eleven years later, the U.S. still struggles to do what
the USSR could not.
In the 1980s the United States backed Saddam Hussein, militarily and financially supporting
Iraqs war against Iran. In 1990, less than three years after that war ended, America fought Iraq
in the first Persian Gulf War. The sequel came out in 2003, but the U.S. never found the nuclear
MacGuffin that the Bush Administration used to justify the war.
Such precedent should not be taken lightly. America must realize that the enemy of its enemy is
not necessarily a friend. For how long will Congress keep sending taxpayer money to allies who
end up using their new resources and training against the United States? Once again, utilizing
Russia as an ally in the Second World War was a crucial aspect of the plan to defeat Nazi Germany.
But WWII will never happen again. The days of conventional warfare waged between world powers struggling at max capacity ended with the invention of nuclear weapons.
As long as America continues to intervene in the Middle East, it will be waging a war that its
military is not designed to fight. Though the U.S. has the best and most technologically advanced
fighting force in the world, it is being forced to fight on the terrorists terms, playing to their
strengths. America maintains the moral high ground while insurgents plant IEDs and take
* Frenemy is a portmanteau of friend and enemy. It refers to someone who is purportedly a
friend, but who is actually an enemy.
11

pot-shots in crowded cities, using non-combatants as human shields. It is up to Washington and


the Pentagon to utilize the troops in the most effective way possible. They can surely do better.
As Machiavelli points out in The Prince, the greatest mistake a new ruler can make after he has
secured a new region is to gain the enmity and hatred of the common man, who would normally
be uninterested in matters of power and politics. Today, the U.S. faces a similar issue. The longer
America fights in the Middle East to support regimes with whom it shares no common ideals,
and the more likely it is to gain the hatred of previously uninterested individuals. Anything from
propping up an unpopular government to a drone strike that kills can cause distrust and hatred of
the West. The end result is the creation of more enemies over time, in a culture capable of holding
grudges for thousands of years.
Some argue that American power ought to be used to support those fighting for common ideals.
Others respond with statistics about crushing debt and a war-weary public, seeing folly in the needless extension of the military on feel-good ventures not directly related to national security. But,
for the sake of argument, where are these good, liberty-loving people whose oppression the U.S. is
uniquely poised to remove? The Arab Spring did not arise from shared ideals, unless you consider
the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist Islamic groups with ties to Al Qaeda as manifestations of American-style democracy. Is there moral satisfaction in supporting pro-democracy regime change when the new regime is defiantly anti-American? The answer is an emphatic no.
The United States must change its grand strategy to better deal with a Middle-Eastern culture
that has embraced constant warfare and religious extremism for millennia. By adjusting to this
reality, America can better utilize the strengths and abilities of its military, protect the lives of its
servicemen, and keep the nation safe from terrorist and frenemy alike.

Spencer Amaral is a Junior studying Political Economy


12

Alumni...
Where are they now?
Adam and Samantha Nasser graduated from Hillsdale in
May 2012, were married a few days after graduation and are
currently teaching English in South Korea.
What made you decide to go overseas, and why Korea?
We initially thought coming to Korea after school would be a fun adventure before starting work in the real world and/or grad school. However, as
we got farther along into the process, we began to realize that this is the perfect
opportunity for a recent graduateway better than we initially thought. You
dont have to worry about interviewing with a bunch of companies, trying to find an
apartment, etc. Though the application process was very rigorous in the amount of
paperwork required, it actually seemed easier than the constant interview/waiting game that many of my friends
were going through our last semester.
What exactly does your job entail?
We work with EPIK (English Program in Korea), which is a government sponsored program to bring English
teachers to Korea. On a daily basis, we are either teaching or making lesson plans (I teach Kindergarden, 1st, 2nd,
5th and 6th, Adam teaches 4th, 5th and 6th). However, we have a lot of free time during the day, which is sweet
because we never have to take work home with ustheres always plenty of time at the office to get everything
done.
How do you think your Hillsdale education is going to be helpful/hurtful in the work you are doing?
I dont think that my Hillsdale education will be particularly helpful here - if anything, the idea of teaching English in isolation of other subjects goes against many of the ideas I learned at school. However, I think this is pretty
similar to teaching at most elementary schools in the US, except teachers are well respected and treated far better
here. Oh, there is one way college did prepare me for this job. Korean drinking culture is HUGE and on our first
faculty dinner, the vice-principle literally went around the tables and did a shot of Soju (a Korean drink that is like
watered down Vodka) with every single teacher. There is a lot of pressure to drink socially here and fortunately,
many of the Koreans are lightweights so we dont have a problem keeping up.
What do you miss about Hillsdale?
Hands down, I miss my friends and professors more than anything else at Hillsdale. Though there are plenty of
English teachers in Sokcho, where we live, its just not the same as the kinds of people I knew at Hillsdale.
Whats one thing you learned at Hillsdale that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
The things that will stick with me the most are great memories, not things I learned: nights with friends, the last
preference party I got to be a part of, my first hangover, our Calvin discussion group, joining a church, office hours
with professors full of great conversations, office hours with professors where I was terrified and stuttered the
whole time, failed exams, learning not to care about failed exams....you get the idea.
Any final thoughts youd like to add?
I really really think more graduating seniors should consider spending a year abroad teaching somewhere like Korea. There is no better way to experience a culture, while being allowed the freedom (both time and financial) to
explore other areas. For example, we get 3 weeks of paid winter vacation, which we will be spending in Italyan
opportunity we absolutely would not have had if Adam had started grad school and I had begun working.

13 13

Interview by Corrie Beth Hendon

Professors

iPod
By: Anna Shoffner

Dr. Gary Wolframs Political Economy class is on the bucket-list of


many Hillsdale students. Wolframs weekly installments of Band
pick of the week and Classic album of the week add further
delight to interesting and insightful discussion of events. He also
shamelessly promotes his son Wyatts band, Mileo (see mileo.
bandcamp.com). If you missed out on Political Economy this semester, never fear! The Hillsdale Forum is here to provide you with
Dr. Wolframs musical recommendations:

Must-hear Bands:
The Rolling Stones
Fleetwood Mac
Eric Clapton
Van Morrison
Bob Dylan
Mumford and Sons
The Who
Flogging Molly

Best Country Bands:

Two Albums Every Hillsdale Student


Should Listen To:

Favorite One-Hit Wonders:


Suds in the Bucket, by Sara Evans

Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks

Dirty Water, by the Standells

The Rolling Stones, High Tide and Green

All on the Watchtower, by The Paperboys

Waylon Jennings
Hank Williams, Jr.

14

VS
Lets Chat

Jennifer Shadle, Sophomore

Why do you personally dislike serious debates?


It isnt so much the seriousness of the debate. . .as the intensity. . . . I recognize that many
people like heated banter, but I am not one of those people. When I am pulled into a debate, its rather like being placed in front of car with smoke pouring out from under the
hood and being told to fix it. I am equally capable of handling both situations. As in, not at
all. Therefore, I attempt to avoid them as much as possible. Debates, that is. Cars are kind of
a necessity in modern society.
What is your least favorite debate topic to listen to?
Catholicism vs Protestantism; however, that might just be because that is the most common. Scratch that. My least favorite debate topic is who was the better Joker, Heath Ledger
or Jack Nicholson. I mean, really. It isnt even a contest.
Can you recommend any tactics for those wanting to steer their Saga companions
away from debates?
If they feel that the conversation is about to pass the point of no return. . . well, desperate
times call for desperate measures. . .
Tell them a funny story related (or unrelated) to the topic
Sing; obscure Broadway show-tunes work very well for me, but pick your poison
Hold your awkward balloons (awkward turtle works as well). Trust me, at some point
someone will ask you something along the lines of what are you doing?
However,. . ..these rarely, if ever, work. Honestly, youd be better off staring into space
dreaming of being the twelfth Doctor or the newest member of the Avengers.

15
15

Compiled by Chelsey Schmid

VS
Spencer Amaral, Junior

Lets Debate

Why do you think its important to discuss political and religious topics?
First and foremost, because political and religious argumentation are what make Hillsdale
special. Take that away, and were no different from any state school. But on a side note,
many consider religion and politics essential factors in the central inquiry of a liberal arts
student: How one ought to live.
In what situations should one refrain from arguing over topics?
When you start receiving threats of violence from disinterested by-standers, you are either
doing something wrong, or among unfavorable company. Either way, just let it go.
What is your favorite thing to argue about?
Whatever it takes to make neo-cons mad. Which is easily done.
From where do you draw inspiration for your debating style?
On a serious note: George Washington, who exemplified good motivations and overriding ethics. You have to approach any discussion assuming your opponent means well, and is
not necessarily evil. The best way for you to show love and care for them is by sharing your
deepest convictions, by providing factual evidence and sound logic in a sincere manner. Its
a difficult standard to always live up to, --especially amid a heated debate-- but a sound one
to aim for.

Photos by Shaun Lichti

16 16

Stepping outside the

Wardrobe: A review

Hillsdale students adore C.S. Lewis. Most students
Lewis for two reasons. First, Lewis wrote it during
first heard The Chronicles of Narnia in between the
essays of the Federalist while they were still in the
womb. At the age of three, these wannabe-Narnians
chased the family pet crying, Aslan is on the move!
By fourteen, they are refuting the last vestiges of
atheism by posting quotes from
Mere Christianity on Facebook.
At college, they seek the
prince or princess with whom
they will have four children
in the hallowed boy-girl-boygirl alternation and bend the
laws of nature to their will.
Perhaps the above is
hyperbole. Regardless, Hillsdale
gets excited about C.S. Lewis.
They pore over the Chronicles
and peruse Lewis nonfictional
greats like Mere Christianity
and The Abolition of Man. Yet
many readers even those who
call themselves triple-A fans
(Avid Aslan Aficionados)
never step outside the Wardrobe
to delve into some of his richest
and, arguably, greatest works.
Dymer, one of Lewis four narrative poems, hides
in a little box of treasures overshadowed by his major
works. The idea for Dymer came to [him] when he
was seventeen: a man who, on some mysterious bride
begets a monster: which monster, as soon as it has
killed its father, becomes a god. He first published
the poem in 1926 under the pseudonym Clive
Hamilton and then republished it under his own name
in 1950. As he wrote the poem, Lewis stood locked
in his intellectual wrestling match with Christianity.
As such, the little nine-canto narrative poem gives
readers a view of Lewis unseen in his other books.
Dymer offers the reader a keen perspective on

his early years as an author, years in which he sought


to stake his claim as a poet. Although we know
him best for his fiction and prose, poetry marked
Lewis beginnings. Some critics dub Dymer his
supreme effort at writing narrative poetry, that kind
of poetry by which he hoped
to achieve poetic acclaim.
Lewis resisted the poetic style
of his day, writing in a manner
akin to that of Historys poetic
giants. His structure of choice
is the rhyme royal, or Chaucer
Stanza: seven lines of iambic
pentameter in an ababbcc rhyme
pattern. By writing in this
style, he joins a history rooted
in great English poetry the
rhyme royal was the standard
English stanza to use for serious
verse until the late sixteenth
century. Because his poetry
goes against the tides of his day
and the fact that Lewis tried to
root it in the styles of classical
literature, Dymer offers plenty
for both the seasoned English
major and the freshman muddling through The
Odyssey, The Divine Comedy, and Paradise Lost.
Second, Dymer refines our view of C.S. Lewis
himself. Hillsdale students should be careful not
to make a god or thirteenth disciple of Lewis. The
epistles do not include letters intercepted from the
correspondence of two demons, and the Lion of
Judah is not named Aslan. As Petrarch wrote during
his dealings with the Scholastic Aristotelians in
the 1300s: I certainly believed that Aristotle was
a great man who knew much, but he was human
and could well be ignorant of some things, even of
a great many things. Like most of Lewis works,

17

of CS Lewis narrative
Poem Dymer
Dymer offers a puzzling story full of meaning, but it
serves as a reminder that he did not always churn out
dazzling prose laced with Christian symbolism that
brings the high and divine down to the layman. The
meaning of the story does not come easily. Though it
is always difficult to pin down the exact meaning of
a story, when an author says of his work, Every one
may allegorise it or psychoanalyse it as he pleases:
and if I did so myself my interpretations would have
no more authority than anyone elses, one can be
sure that serious interpretation will require great care.
Indeed, in Dymer Lewis crafts a patchwork quilt that
strings together the greatest of themes: anarchy and
authoritarianism, dreams and disillusionment, love and
lust, destiny and downfall. The jam-packed feel of the
poem has drawn much criticism: Taken as a whole,
Dymer fails. Considered episode by episode, there is a
checkered pattern of failures and successes. In other
words, say such detractors, Dymers quilt has its pretty
patches, but the blanket as a whole is ugly to behold.
But not all quilts weave the particulars into one
clear image. The most meaningful quilts are often
not made of the finest fabric but the scraps of t-shirts
emblazoned with prints from summer camp and the
frayed corner of a childhood blanket. Such quilts
do not meld into one unified idea they tell a story.
Lewis narrative poem is a deeply personal quilt of
old t-shirts from the philosophical places he had been.
Thus, Dymer captures a glimpse of Lewis quest
for joy and his struggle with Christianity. Dymers
feeling of some fear of being found, / Some hope to
find he knew not what may serve as an expression
of Lewis own soul. This looming fear and faint hope
makes Dymer become more than a loosely related
series of themes connected only by the binding of
the pages. It is a vivid account of the search for
meaning everyone endures. Viewed this way, the

frantic transition between themes becomes a powerful


portrayal of lifes great chase. In that chase, one
sometimes runs from what one wanted all along, in
the manner of Lewis. Thus, when Dymer ponders the
nature of joyCan it all die like this? . . . Joy flickers
on / The razor-edge of the present and is gone we
can see Lewis still waiting to be surprised by Joy.

1. C.S. Lewis, Dymer, in Narrative Poems, ed. Walter Hooper (New


York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1969), 3.
2. The C.S. Lewis Readers Encyclopedia, Ed. Jeffrey D. Schultz and
John G. West Jr. (Grand Rapids: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), 144.
3. Jack Myers and Don. C. Wukasch, Dictionary of Poetic Terms
(Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2003), 55.
4. Francesco Petrarca, On His Own Ignorance and That of Many
Others, in Western Heritage Reader, ed. Hillsdale College History Faculty
(Hillsdale: Hillsdale College Press, 2010), 524.
5. Lewis, 3.
6. Chad Walsh, The Literary Legacy of C.S. Lewis (New York: Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich, 1979), 46.
7. Lewis, II.4.3-4.
8. Lewis, V.10.5-6.

Matt OSullivan is a Sophomore studying the liberal arts.

18

Dan Reynolds

Hunk

Hillsdales

Year: freshman
Major: ...the liberal arts?
Hometown: Beverly Hills,
MIchigan
What is your favorite personal asset?

HumorIm always trying to keep it light. I havent met a girl who doesnt like humor.
Also, gotta keep the hair lookin goodcondition more than you shampoo.

If you had to marry somebody from a novel, who would it be and why?

I wish I had read more recently. Ive been stuck reading books from Great Books, and
I wouldnt want to marry anybody from Great Books. But maybe Hermione Granger
shes a witch, and shes down with me being a muggle.

Describe your dream girl in terms of a motorized vehicle.


Shelby Cobra GT-500its American, handmade, awesome, and when you
look at it youre like Thats a Shelby cobralike, whoa.

Assuming you will actually settle down with one of the thousands upon thousands of desperate
girls throwing rocks at your window every night, how many kids do you aspire to have one day?
Howd you guys know about that? Probably two or three. Three would
be a compromise.

What is more romantica heart-shaped box of chocolates or a heart shaped necklace?


I never did the classic stuff. I gave one girl a teddy bear, and I sprayed my
cologne on itit worked pretty well.

How do you feel about dates in Saga?


I would casually go get a meal with a girl, but I would never go out of my
way as a first date and say Oh, wanna catch a date at Saga? First of all, I
wouldnt even be able to swipe the girl in because Im on the wrong meal
plan. And secondly, 90% of the time all Im doing in Saga is complaining
about the food so I would probably be a bad date.
a. Assuming one lucky guy got to take you into Saga one day, what would be
the appropriate meal (if any) to do so and why?
Assuming I was forced into doing it, I would probably just get some pizza because
its basically the only thing thats consistently good.

b. Would you carry her plate?


humor

I think thats a little muchI mean, I already have my hands full with my plate
17
and my drinkIm not a waiter, I cant hold two plates and two drinks.

19

Hottie

and

Compiled by
Savanah Tibbetts

t
Victoria Zajac

of the month

Year: Frosh. Major: Undecided


Hometown: Toledo, OH

W hat is your favorite personal asset?


Probably my really tiny baby ears that dont allow me to have more than two piercings.
If you had to marry somebody from a novel, who would it be and why?

Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Purely so I could say that my husband is Mr.
Darcyyou have to say it with the accent.

Describe your dream guy in terms of a motorized vehicle.


A Vespa.

Assuming you will actually settle down with one of the thousands upon thousands of desperate guys
throwing rocks at your window every night, how many kids do you aspire to have one day?
A solid 12 to 24. Theyre just gonna roll out. But realistically like, 5.
What is more romantica heart-shaped box of chocolates or a heart shaped necklace?
A heart shaped box of necklaces.

How do you feel about dates in Saga?


I dont like to eat in Sagaeven by myself. Itd be like going on
a date with an audience.

a. Assuming one lucky guy got to take you into Saga one day, what would be
the appropriate meal (if any) to do so and why?
I feel like Taco Tuesday is always an event. But Fish Friday is kinda similar to a night
on the town. Pulling out all the stops for Fish Friday.

b. Would you expect him to carry your plate?


No, absolutely notbecause Im usually eating while I walk to the table.
Especially if there are French fries involved.

Describe yourself as a Crayola Crayon.


Its that one crayon that looks blue in the box but draws purple and confuses
everyone. Its a different experience for each person.

On average, how many dates do you go on per month? I understand this could be
a pretty large number so a rough estimate is okay.
A rough estimate? I mean, I go on dates with my stuffed dinosaur every night
its a true story. 18
So the average per month is 30.

Politics of the Playground


By: Andy Reuss

Most of us were children once. Of those that


were, many played sports during recess. Whether it
was on the court, the field, or the diamond, we were
exposed to different kinds of people, different kinds
of players. The children we met playing sportsball
are very like the adults we know today. Tenacious
or docile, careful or careless, the broad spectrum of
man can be found on the playground. Politicians in
particular have barely strayed from their schoolyard
games: after all, how is their pouting, unfair play, or
time-wasting any different from that which occurs
on the blacktop? Politicians corrupt and honorable
alike parallel boyhood basketball stereotypes.
The first sort of kid is the bully. He is big, he is
strong, and he knows it. But hes not very athletic.
Hes just large, and uses his obtuse size to push
others around. The bully plays for the sake of feeling
included. He doesnt want to play by the rules, and
often cheats to win or pursue attention. There lies the
one redeeming thing about the bully: he can help win.
With size, the desire to garner attention, and size,
the bully can assist any team in winning. In politics,
the bully is the loudest and most obnoxious person
speaking. They desire attention and do whatever they
can to garner it (often making people want to smack
them in the process). Thankfully, the media acts as a
teacher, catching them saying things they would rather
others not hear. In contemporary politics, one might
think of a certain individual from Delaware: with his
classic technique of open mouth, insert foot, Joe
Biden plays the unathletic, undiplomatic bully to a T.
Next, we find the Ice Man. This kid is smooth,
from his trendy clothes to his on-court attitude. Hes
pretty good, and he knows it. This kid has been
playing basketball for years, goading himself with
visions of grandeur and greatness. While his talent is
unquestionable, his performance is lacking. He doesnt
share the ball. He doesnt always go for the right shot.
In many cases, his stubbornness and the resulting
lack of success turn his friends against him. Pride

gets in the way of his perception of error. While


this could also describe many politicians, only the
most gloriously erroneous can compare. What is the
problem? It doesnt matter. Is there even a problem?
It doesnt matter. Hes the one to do the job, for
better or for worse. And when he misses the layup
at the end of the fourth quarter, its probably just
the referees fault for not giving him enough time.
Sound familiar? President Obama likes to take the
shot, but doesnt like to admit it when he misses.
Finally, we have those kids who are good, know
theyre good, but still play as a team. Who doesnt
love the guy who can shoot just as well as he can
pass the ball to others? A true athlete and a winner,
the ideal schoolyard basketball player is the one with
whom everyone wants to play. He doesnt cheat,
but he does whatever else needs to be done to lead
his team to victory. This ability is the result of long
hours of practice, thought, and a pinch of natural
talent. Thankfully, politicians like this exist. The best
of them are called statesmen or leaders. Famous
or not, such politicians are essential to the America
of free-throws and backboards. They keep order
and preserve the rights of those they govern, much
like the star players drive the action and maintain
the fun of competition. With any luck, the dynamic
Romney-Ryan duo will fit this bill for our country.
The final parallel between playground
basketball and the political arena is choosing
teams. While the players themselves can vary,
it is our job to pick them. We captains have the
choice. To win, we must make the right one.

21

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Spotlight on...

RUSH

The Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) and the various fraternities on campus have elected to change Rush
Week to Rush Month for the 2012-13 academic year. The Dean of Men, the IFC president, and the president of ATO weigh in on the new fraternity rush process.

Dean Petersen

What do you see as the ultimate goal of the


Greek System?
The ultimate goal of the Greek Community
is to help the College fulfill its mission of
developing the minds and improving the
hearts of its students. I expect the fraternity
community to be a good example of the Colleges mission, not an escape from it. In sum,
the fraternity community is to be exemplary,
with each chapter thriving on our campus and
meeting or exceeding the standards of its own
national fraternity.
What led to the formation of the new rush
process?
I think most who are involved with fraternities today are aware of the current trends in
recruitment strategy. Open-recruitment is
common on campuses today, where men can
join a fraternity at any time, 365 days a year
(similar to mens service organizations like
Rotary or Kiwanas). Traditionally, there is
a one-week formal recruitment period. This
year, we used a hybrid of the two strategies
that are used on other campuses: a four-week
open recruitment period. This change allows
potential members to get a good look at the
respective houses so they can make a more
informed decision.
How will the new process benefit the Greek
System and those men looking at joining a
fraternity?
It allows for a more comfortable and thorough recruitment process and offers potential
members a more transparent look at each
house. By spending an entire month with the
active members, they get a better sense of
which house would fit them best.

Matt Delapp

What led to the formation the new rush


process?
This all started with an IFC alumni board
meeting that took place at the end of last
semester. In attendance were current IFC
members, multiple administrators including
Dean Petersen, and 4-5 alumni representatives from each fraternity. The main topic
of discussion was the declining numbers of
each house. Ultimately, we decided to modify
the rush process to make it more attractive to
potential new members and easier for rushees
to go through.
How will the new process benefit the
Greek System and those men looking at
joining a fraternity?
We felt that an open rush period would give
more men opportunities to rush; rushees
would feel a reduction in stress because there
is not the one week, intensive recruitment
phase like in the former process. Subsequently, we also felt that it gives the fraternities more time to get to know guys, and it
increases the incentive for each fraternity
to rush harder as competition is greatly
increased. Also, we saw the potential for a
rushee to persuade his friends to rush if he
was given a bid.
How do you think the system has worked
out thus far?
It is not a permanent system. In the coming
weeks and months, we are going to review
the negatives and positives and go from
there. I can say that thus far this is a vast
improvement from the former rush process.

22

Cody Eldredge

What led to the formation of the new rush


process?
The male Greek numbers had been declining; this new system is an attempt to try
something new.
How will it benefit the Greek System and
those men looking at joining a fraternity?
Instead of each fraternity putting on a show
for a week, they must now work to get
to know men over the course of an entire
month. This also allows the men interested
in joining the Greek system to make a more
educated decision on whether or not they
will join a fraternity. Possibly the most
important aspect of this is the quantity of
men this system is applicable to. There is
a saying quantity drives quality and this
makes sense in this instance. The more men
fraternities are able to recruit, the more selective they can be.
How do you think it has worked out thus
far?
Since this is the first time we have done this,
I cannot yet say how successful it will be.
However, I do not have anything negative
to say about it. In fact, it has allowed for
some positive changes to the IFC as far as an
improvement in functionality.

Hillsdale
in Photos
By Shaun Lichti

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