Wind turbine installed atop roof of Dennis

By William Duffee

Students and faculty erected a wind turbine on top of Dennis Hall last weekend, a symbol of Earlham’s efforts toward sustainability spinning above campus for all to see.

The wind turbine is a development of the Hardware Interfacing Project (HIP), a student group in the computer science department that has been working on forms of alternative energy production.

The wind turbine is grid-tied, meaning it feeds the power it generates into Dennis’ electrical grid. Though the turbine doesn’t generate a large amount of power, it is nonetheless a source of alternative energy.

“It’s a small percentage of the building’s power,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Charlie Peck, the faculty advisor for HIP. “The meter, in effect, never spins backwards, but it slows down.”

The turbine’s peak capacity of energy production is 1.5 kilowatts per hour, but HIP is unsure of how much the turbine will actually generate.

“What we’re going to do is take close readings over a couple of weeks, compare those to the wind data that we have for those same couple of weeks, and then see what relationship they have to each other before we make any big predictions,” Peck said.

“Once we get a year’s worth of data, that will give us a pretty good idea,” said sophomore Ben Smith, a member of HIP.

Though this specific turbine has only been in the making since the fall, Peck and HIP have been working on related projects for much longer.

According to Peck, about five years ago he and Professor of Mathematics Mic Jackson received funding from an anonymous donor to work on sustainable energy projects. Together, the two designed a proposal to incorporate wind and solar energy into Earlham’s energy usage.

They subsequently installed solar panels on the roof of Dennis, which have “been producing a noticeable part of the building’s energy for the last four or five years,” according to Jackson.

Though they would have then worked on harnessing wind energy at Earlham, the technology had not advanced enough to use turbines on campus.

“The wind turbines that were available five years ago were too noisy, too much vibration, and too much of a dynamic load for this roof to handle,” said Jackson.

At the same time, officials said wind power was not possible.

“When we first began this … the common opinion was that this part of Indiana didn’t have enough wind [to generate power],” Jackson said. “Charlie [Peck] and students put in a … wind velocity measuring device on top of Denis seven or eight years ago, and their data has proven that we’ve got sufficient wind.”

With these results, and as technology advanced, the two professors and HIP invested in a small turbine at Miller Farm, and more recently the turbine on Dennis, which is more powerful than Miller Farm’s.

These turbines are part of a larger scheme for sustainable energy at Earlham — a scheme in which HIP plans to play a large role.

The group is looking at three more locations for turbines, which are Earlham and Wilson Halls, as well as another on Dennis. These would be easier to install, compared to the current turbine, according to Smith.

“If we were to put up more, it’d be much quicker, just because we’ve got stuff figured out; we’ve got the people collected,” he said.

However, HIP currently lacks the funds for these turbines, as their two main sources — the anonymous donation and last year’s senior gift — are running dry. Nonetheless, the group is looking at the big picture.

“Our vision for Earlham is a whole lot more. This is just getting our foot in the door, trying to get people both aware that wind energy is a real possibility here and we need more,” Jackson said. “We’d love a few years down the road to see commercialgrade wind towers … south of campus.”

“It turns out that in rough numbers, the college owns enough land in a place that has favorable-enough wind patterns that we could probably produce about two-thirds of the electricity of the campus,” Peck said.

However, Peck noted that current government regulations would not permit instituting the technology to produce and store that energy.

“The legislative, bureaucratic mechanisms in place in the state like Indiana right now are not such that that is possible,” he said.

While Jackson and Peck may be eyeing such projects and plans for the future, both emphasized energy conservation over sustainable energy production.

“Conservation is the first and most important thing you can do,” Peck said.

“The energy conservation side of it is a whole lot more important and more easily dealt with than energy production,” Jackson added. “Energy production is always going to be expensive.”

In order to further the conservation aspect on campus, HIP, Jackson and Peck’s next project will involve monitoring the usage of energy in individual buildings — the entire campus is currently measured on one meter — beginning with Dennis, Warren and Wilson. The group has plans to present the amount of energy used on displays at each building, in the hopes that such displays will encourage students to cut back on individual energy consumption.

In the meantime, HIP, Jackson and Peck hope that their efforts speak to the Earlham community as a whole.

“[A] primary goal is to make people aware that it’s not hard to do. My hope is that students who graduate from Earlham in the coming years will see [alternative energy and conservation] as something to be part of their own lifestyle,” Jackson said. “Maybe they can do solar panels, wind energy, other alternative energy forms to reduce energy demand from this country … that’s maybe the most important thing that might come out of this.”

Earth week raises awareness, supports local food

By William Duffee

Students are digging deeper into their awareness about environmental issues through Earth Week, a weeklong series of events surrounding Earth Day on April 22.

Earlham Environmental Action Coalition (EEAC) is sponsoring the celebrations that, according to sophomore EEAC member Clara Lippert, “promote sustainability and environmental awareness.”

The celebratory week began on Sunday with a bird walk, and has since included a screening of the film “Fresh,” a trip to the local farmers’ market, a senator call-in session and, in celebration of Earth Day yesterday, a party and open mic at the student-run coffee shop.

Earth Week continues through Sunday, with a “Critical Mass” bike ride today, Farm Day at Miller Farm tomorrow, and a 100-mile radius potluck at Miller Farm on Sunday.

The goal of the week is to “be more aware in general,” said Lippert. “There’s lots of things that we take for granted in our daily lives.”

In addition to general environmental awareness, EEAC organized the week with a particular emphasis on local foods.

“Buying local food is really good for creating local economies: oftentimes small farmers use much more sustainable methods … than large-scale, industrial agriculture,” said junior Carmen Black, co-convenor of EEAC. “Buying local is something that students can do when they’re purchasing their own foods … [It is] something that’s hard to do as a student, but can be done.” Former biology professor Bill Buskirk, who led the Sunday morning bird watch, appreciated the effort to focus on the earth.

“I have a lot of respect for the students who organize [the week] for the college,” he said. “I think it’s always an important thing for us to take that extra time and think about the Earth that we share with other organisms, as well as other people.”

Black said that Earth Week has not been a big event at Earlham inn recent years, but that EEAC hopes to change that.

“We’d like to keep expanding what we’re doing, and bring more people into it. Right now we’re a pretty small core group, but a lot of people attend our events,” she said. “Clearly, environmental awareness is important to Earlham students, but it’s sometimes hard to get people activated to do things.”

Black also mentioned that EEAC intentionally organized some of the events in cooperation with the student-run coffee shop because of its efforts to be environmentally sustainable.

“They’re aligned with the same kind of initiatives as we are,” she said.

Earlham’s Bike Co-op has also contributed by sponsoring the bike ride to the farmers’ market on Tuesday, as well as the Critical Mass bike ride today.

A “Critical Mass” is an organized bike ride that aims “to make a point about the use of bike traffic, in the way a lot of [car drivers] are angry about seeing a biker on the road, because there are more cars than bikers,” Black said. The Bike Co-op holds Critical Mass once a month, weather permitting.

Critical Mass begins today at the Bike Co-op at 4 p.m. and will include a barbeque grill afterward.

Farm Day at Miller Farm begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow — a shuttle will be available in front of the old security office. The 100-mile radius potluck at Miller Farm will be at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Earth Day began in 1970 as a teach-in on environmental issues. Former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson initiated the first Earth Day, around which the Earth Week Committee of Philadelphia organized the first Earth Week.

Earth Week typically begins on April 16 and culminates on April 22, but EEAC opted to observe the week as a calendar week in order to utilize two weekends.

Seniors continue to raise money for gift

By Aleta Cox

Though graduating seniors may be financially stretched thin, they still face the task of raising more money for the Senior Gift, which an event at Miller Farm set out to do last Friday, April 16.

The Senior Gift Committee (SGC) co-sponsored the event, with the Bike Co-Op, the Earlham Environmental Action Coalition and the Environmental Responsibility Committee teaming up to hold the potluck/ fundraising event this year, once again at Miller Farm, due to its popularity last year, as well as its applicability to the cause.

The event featured a potluck beginning at 5:30 p.m., with bands The Funkaholics, Mermaid on a Mountain Top, and Caw! Caw! playing shows beginning at 7 p.m. Displays were set up by SGC and some of the cosponsors of the event, showcasing information on sustainability and environmental responsibility.

The farm hosted around 65- 70 students, despite the weather being cold and windy that day. With a matching gift from Joe Lopez in the Admissions Office, the fundraising event collected a total of $106.

“We decided to set our goal this year at $8,500 and a total of 40 percent class participation. So far, we have raised a total of $7094.18 with 22 percent class participation,” said Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Mae Turley, SGC’s advisor.

Last year’s class donation “totaled $10,413.71 and 52% of the class participated,” according to the Senior Gift Web site.

The college established SGC to assist the Office of Institutional Advancement by serving as liaisons between the college and members of the senior class. Members of the committee are engaged in activities that encourage classmates to give back and help current students develop a better understanding of the institutional and financial needs of Earlham.

Members of the Senior Gift Committee help the college in securing gifts from their classmates to support a gift effort, as selected and voted on by the college and the committee. The nature of the gift must represent something that will benefit the college as a whole and support a budget-relieving effort such as student scholarships, selected activities, programs or equipment needs.

This year, senior class members voted and chose to continue supporting sustainable energies at Miller Farm, with the money they raised to continue contributing to the farm eventually being run by solar wind power. Last year’s senior class also chose this as their gift, which supported the installation of a wind turbine at the farm. This year’s senior class members also chose to raise money to contribute a bench on campus, to match the concrete 1910 bench near the swing at the Heart.

For those seniors who are short on cash, College Provost and Professor of Psychology Nelson Bingham has invited seniors, through e-mail, to participate in the Senior Survey, which donates money to the Senior Gift.

“It helps give the college information they need on graduating seniors, and with every senior who completes the survey, the college donates $5.00 to the Senior Gift Committee’s total,” said SGC member Keeley McAnnis-Entenman, senior. “This is such an easy way to give, and so far about 48 seniors have participated.”

Committee members will spend these last few weeks talking with peers, including non-seniors and faculty, to help reach their goal.

“With only $1,405.82 more dollars to raise and 23% more of the senior class to give, the possibility of reaching our goal is achievable if we work really hard these last few weeks,” said Turley.

SGC members will be tabling in Runyan for the rest of the semester. Donors may also stop by the Alumni and Student Development Offices and give money directly to Mae Turley.

Remodeling delays student café

By Emma Grygotis

Work on the student-run coffee shop continues, although remodeling complications have prevented the store from opening this semester as planned. While some questions remain unanswered, student leaders are now working on details from what type of coffee to serve to their vision for the shop’s role in the campus community.

Currently, the shop’s student organizers are planning a soft opening for the end of the current term. This will be a chance for the Earlham community to see the space and taste the coffee that will be sold once it opens officially next fall.

Once it opens, the shop will be entirely student-run. One of the current tasks at hand is organizing a staff of baristas who will receive free training and work on a volunteer basis.

Preparing the space for opening has also been a very involved process, involving weekly workdays from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday.

Senior Aaron Goldbeck, one of the original student organizers, said, “We’ve been doing a lot of work on the interior, we’ve thrown on a couple of new coats of paint … trying to undo a lot of superficial damages that’s been done to the structure, so it’s been looking really nice.”

The students still manage to enjoy the afternoon projects.

“We usually get a couple of pizzas down there and have fun,” said Goldbeck.

However, the progress has not been without trouble.

“Our goal was to open this semester, but [encountered] delays in construction — not related to student participation, but related to availability of supplies,” Goldbeck said.

Meanwhile, the organizers have been busy planning for the future.

“We’ve settled on serving Intelligentsia coffee, which is a roaster out of Chicago. They do organic and direct trade, which differs from fair trade, who often go through large wholesale distributors,” Goldbeck said.

“They have direct transactions with the actual growers, which is pretty cool.”

He then spoke further about the brewing system they plan to install.

“We’re going to be using a trendy new system for brewing the coffee called the ‘true brew system,’ which means that we’re going to be making the coffee by the cup,” Goldbeck said. “It’s going to be a slow drip system using ceramic Melitta’s to hold the filters.”

Freshman Mary Williams, convenor of the barista committee, explained that in spite of the focus on coffee, the shop will be a community location available for a broad range of uses.

“Coffee’s an excuse, but not really what it’s about,” she said.

Molly McCracken, assistant for institutional research and one of the minds behind the coffee shop, described her hopes for the coffee shop in terms of what it expects to give back the community.

“We want to be a student-run, non-hierarchical consensusbased, volunteer based, studentrun coffee shop,” she said. “But more importantly, a student and community space and a space that students can used for open mics, for club meetings, organizational meetings and a space to display artwork because there’s no space on campus where students can display their work if they’re not in a class … basically a student run space to shed the pressures and the barriers of the institutional center.”

Goldbeck has dedicated much of his Earlham career to getting the coffee shop up and running. As the semester draws to the close, however, he is passing things on to what he describes as “a core of really dedicated kids,” many of them freshmen who will be able to see the shop through to an established presence on campus.

Though he will not be around to see his project come to fruition, Goldbeck expressed relief at passing the baton on to others.

“After you dedicate a lot of time over four semesters to a project like this, you’ll have no problem with letting it go,” he said.

Students who want to get involved are invited to contact Williams at mwwilli09@earlham.edu.

Earlham, Richmond organize day of service to unite students with town

By Sasha Benderly-Kraft

Earlham students and Richmond community members will collaborate in a clean-up of the Starr, Vaile and Old Richmond neighborhoods tomorrow.

This event, the annual Earlham- Richmond Community Day of Service, marks the beginning of a series of neighborhood clean-ups happening in Richmond over the next month. Junior Hannah Hale Leifheit, one of two Earlham students who took on the task of organizing the event last year, has again taken the lead on the Earlham portion of organizing this year.

To Leifheit, the day represents a “reminder that we’re part of a community” — a way to bring Earlhamites and Richmondites together to do something positive for their shared space.

According to Leifheit, the original momentum for the event last year came from local government. She and fellow Earlham student Emily Ostroff ‘09, had been working with the mayor’s office as part of their work as Bonner Scholars. During the planning process of the event, Leifheit says the two students were approached about spearheading the Earlham side of the event.

“They realized that in order to get students out there, they needed a room to gather, maybe food, and transportation,” said Leifheit, “so it made sense to look for an Earlham connection.”

This year, with Ostroff graduated, Leifheit has taken on the main responsibility for organizing on campus, which she says fits naturally with her own volunteer background. Leifheit is a Bonner Scholar and formerly served on Earlham Student Government, both of which are key partners in the organizing process, along with the Earlham Volunteer Exchange.

Vice President of Community Relations Avis Stewart notes that students have mostly handled the work of organizing.

“If students want to be involved,” said Stewart, “Community Relations is interested in helping, but this event is mostly student-guided.”

Leifheit said the trash pick-up was chosen to improve the space the community occupies.

“The appearance and feel of a space really makes a community,” she said. “There are a lot of yards and lots with a lot of trash problems in the areas we’re working in, and by cleaning that up we improve the community for everyone. Plus it’s an easy thing that everyone can do in any amount — every little bit helps.” Speaking to the Methods of

Peacemaking class taught by Gypsy Swanger, director and professor of peace and global studies, Mayor Sally Hutton had high praise for the Community Day, particularly for the fact that it gets Earlham and Richmond people working side-by-side.

Leifheit agreed.

“It’s great to have Earlhamites and Richmond folks working toward a common goal,” she said.

“Having experience together lets us show each other who we really are.”

Leifheit’s biggest concern this year is getting Richmond community members to come out.

“Last year, we stuck trifold pamphlets in gates and mailboxes,” said Leifheit, “but this year we mostly put flyers in local establishments to integrate with community ties already in place.”

The organizers also put a public service announcement on local radio station G101.3 and an editorial in the Palladium-Item.

Stewart sees the day as a good way to get students into the world of service. To him, Earlham’s focus on community is a way of integrating the learning experience into everyday life.

“It’s vitally important to see people actually get involved with doing things, not just talking,” said Stewart. “It’s what lets us turn theory into practice.”

Stewart hopes that the spirit of cooperation built at events like this one will not only get students involved and keep them there, but also to foster acceptance of Earlham students in the community at large.

“The Earlham-Richmond relationship has really improved over the last few years,” he said, “but like any relationship, we need to nurture it.”

Leifheit believes that, as long as the current level of cooperation between students, student organizations, and the city continues as it currently is, that the event will grow in coming years.

“Hopefully, we will find ourselves in a place where Community Day will be an institution in its own right — it will be thought of like any other major student activity that people look forward to,” she said. “It should be a snapshot of a successful city.”

The Earlham-Richmond Community Day is tomorrow, April 17. It will begin with a breakfast in Runyan Center’s Hancock room at 8 a.m., and buses will transport students to the clean-up locations at 9 a.m., where the city will be providing dumpsters. The day will culminate in a barbecue for all participants at the Elizabeth Starr Academy at noon.

Donors find blood drive positive

Earlham hosts first annual Research Conference

By Jonas Shellhammer

Earlham’s first Annual Research Conference (ARC) began last Friday evening, and continued until 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. In total, 20 student-led presentations were held, not counting those who only participated in the two poster sessions that also were part of the program.

Around 1 p.m. last Saturday, while the sun and a cool breeze attracted a mass of students to the Heart, three Earlhamites elected to stay inside. They were just one of the groups that participated in the ARC, an event that some hope will become a mainstay here on campus.

The idea for the event emerged in January 2009, when Assistant Professor of English Joann Quinones put together a proposal in consultation with Academic Dean Greg Mahler.

“It would be really valuable for Earlham to have a place where students can present their research to the community,” said Quinones. She also remarked that, since there is so much research going on at Earlham College, it would be good to have one single annual event where people could learn more about it.

The three students that decided to stay inside last Saturday, then, did so in favor of their presentations.

Senior history major Ian Cross presented “The Creation of the Image of the Scottish Highlander and the Army of the British Empire,” a modified version of his senior thesis. While the ARC might seem fairly formal, Cross’ presentation was relaxed, and included pictures of kilt-bearing Scottish warriors drawn by Cross as a child. The presentation also included little-known facts, one of which was that the kilt was invented by an English Quaker in 1727.

Junior history major Isaac May entitled his presentation “The Domestic Battlefield: Film and the Changing Nature of American Homecomings from War.” May argued that new war-based films use the military to reinforce traditional family structures, and commented on how he wants films to not celebrate masculine-dominated families in the future.

“I thought it [ARC] went really well, and it’s also really well organized,” said May.

May also stated that he was happy with the turnout of non-presenting students. For the 1-2:30 p.m. session in Landrum Bolling Center room 211 on Saturday, a total of 17 people were in the audience.

Cross was “was actually really pleasantly surprised” at the attendance. At the beginning of the 1 p.m. session, he thought it looked like the only people in the audience would be the faculty involved and the presenting students.

“I think it speaks to the interest or commitment of students on campus to this sort of thing,” he said.

Freshman Charlie Umhau, undeclared major, was the last to present, and covered a topic that originally piqued his curiosity in high school: Zouave uniforms used in the American Civil War. Umhau mentioned that he has had a lifelong interest in the Civil War, and has participated in several reenactments. For his presentation, he even donned a Union uniform of his own.

As it is right now, senior research projects and Ford-Knight presentations are held at various different times during the academic year, which Quinones thinks might be difficult for people to keep track of.

Trio travels to New York, advocates to former senators on LGBT rights

By William Duffee

Today, three Earlham students will return from presenting their support of a legislative bill in front of former U.S. Senators in New York City.

The students, freshman Conor Hall and juniors Hannah Hale Leifheit and Mary Jones, participated in the 2010 Debating for Democracy National Conference, which comprised workshops and legislative hearings on public policy issues.

The three students presented a five-minute introduction about the Employment Non- Discrimination Act of 2009 (ENDA) and then responded to questions for 15 minutes by a legislative committee, which included former U.S. senators Nancy Kassebaum Baker (RKan.), Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) and Harris Wofford (D-Pa.). An audience, including college presidents, provosts, journalists and social entrepreneurs, was also present.

The 103rd Congress first proposed ENDA, a bill that would prohibit employer discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in 1994. Every subsequent Congress, with the exception of the 109th, has introduced a version of the bill.

One of the most controversial aspects of the current bill, proposed by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is the inclusion of transgender employees, which Leifheit, Jones and Hall support.

The bulk of the conference occurred on Thursday, with the legislative hearings beginning at 3:30 p.m. and continuing until 6 p.m. The conference officially concludes today at 2 p.m.

At the conference, Leifheit, Jones and Hall joined five other teams of presenting participants. After the legislative hearings, a panel of judges selected a winning team, who received $3,000 to create an advocacy campaign for their public policy issue. The other teams will each receive $500 for their own issues. However, this decision came too late for the Word to report.

The conference is organized by Project Pericles, an organization “that encourages and facilitates commitments by colleges and universities to include social responsibility and participatory citizenship,” according to its web site.

The students’ chance to attend the conference began at the beginning of the semester, when Vice President of Community Relations Avis Stewart sent an e-mail to faculty asking for the names of students who “embody civic engagement,” Leifheit said.

Leifheit’s and Jones’ names came up, and Stewart proposed an idea to them.

Project Pericles, which invited Earlham to join its ranks this past summer, was asking for students to write letters to elected officials about a public policy issue. A selection committee chose the six best letters.

The writers of the best six then presented their letter to the conference’s legislative committee. In addition to those writers, the other letter-writers from the winner’s school presented the case as well.

“Both [Leifheit’s and Jones’ letters] would have been in the top six,” Stewart said, “but you can only have one representative from a college.”

Project Pericles selected Jones’ letter about ENDA to Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) of Indiana’s sixth congressional district.

Because Earlham only had two representatives, Project Pericles permitted a third member of the group.

Hall, whose name had appeared often in response to Stewart’s e-mail, then joined Leifheit and Jones to present a case in support of ENDA.

Since early semester break, when Project Pericles informed them that they would be presenting, the three have been researching all aspects of ENDA.

“What we’ve been spending a lot of time doing … is just trying to find every possible way you could come at it, and then build up a bulletproof argument to counter that,” Hall said last weekend. “It’s been a challenge, but it’s also been kind of fun. It’s kind of like a puzzle, just putting together every piece so that we have a really strong argument.”

The group was “preparing for the worst,” Hall said, in anticipation of the experience. 

Jones agreed.

“We don’t really know how intense it is, since Earlham’s never gone before,” she said.

All three agreed that they were excited about the opportunity.

“It’s a pretty incredible opportunity that not a lot of people get, to try to effect some change,” Hall said.

Stewart felt that this opportunity demonstrates the three students’ involvement in the community, as well as Earlham’s dedication to civic engagement.

“This really is an honor for them to be going and being able to give this presentation,” he said. “It speaks to the quality of the student body and it also speaks to the quality of the education … that our teaching faculty are providing for our students.”

Project Pericles was founded in 1999 by philanthropist Eugene M. Lang, and now includes 27 institutions of education. Colleges and universities can only join through invitation.

Stewart said he hopes that Leifheit’s, Jones’ and Hall’s participation in Debating for Democracy would demonstrate how fruitful Earlham’s connection with Project Pericles can be.

“[For] students who are obviously involved and want to become even more involved, hopefully we can use Project Pericles to help,” he said. “This just gives us another very good avenue for our students to pursue.”

‘Othello’ opens with guest pro

By Mamus Ngeseyan

This evening, an eclectic cast of a guest actor, students, Earlham faculty and members of the Richmond community will come together to present the Earlham Theatre Company’s (ETC) production of “Othello, the Moor of Venice” in Wilkinson Theatre. Guest Actor Kyle Haden stars as Othello.

Director Lynne Perkins- Socey describes Othello as an “examination and exploration of what happens when the seeds of jealousy are planted within us.”

The idea of performing the play at Earlham spawned from a casual conversation between Professor of Theatre Arts Michael White, who also plays the role of Desdemona’s father on stage, and Assistant Professor of English Nathaniel Eastman.

White said, “We talked about what a great play [Othello] was because it is not done that often, and the fact that it could be a Ford/Knight project.”

ETC held auditions earlier this semester, bringing together a diverse group of individuals with varying levels of experience in acting.

White said that ETC chose an outside actor for the lead role of Othello because a student who could play role was not available at the time.

Haden, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., has acted in over 17 Shakespeare plays and various films.

White noted that it was important to find “someone who knows what it would be like working with students, who could teach the students, who is older.”

Perkins-Socey has faced some obstacles, such as working around students’ busy schedules, the light board malfunctioning and the set being three of four weeks behind. However, the production has overcome these challenges and is ready for the performances.

“Lynne and Kyle have helped a lot to produce a play whose action is so well portrayed and defined that the audience loses themselves in the personalities of the characters as they watch,” White said.

For senior Nick Husted, theatre and politics double major, this production counts as his senior project. Husted plays the role of Iago, a villain who blurs the line between evil and justifiable anger.

“The most enjoyable part of this has been getting to know everybody and working with Kyle, who is amazing to watch act,” Husted said. “You should expect a really cool and inventive way of producing a classic play.”

Senior Angela DeGarmo, make-up director of the play, expected a positive reception.

“I think people will be impressed by how passionate our actors are,” she said.

Junior Sarah Waddle plays the role of Desdemona, a young daughter of a politician in Venice who falls in love with Othello.

Waddle describes the entire production as a “very intense play.”

“I know the term ‘intense’ gets thrown around often, but this production is an exception,” Waddle said, adding, “Some of the scenes could get Shakespeare steamy, and for some of you who may not know what that means, you should come and find out.”

Perkins-Socey thought the audience can expect much from the play.

“It’s a tale of passion, sex, sword-fighting and drinking — it’s Shakespeare,” she said.

The Earlham Theatre Department performs “Othello, the Moor of Venice” tonight and tomorrow, and Friday, April 16 and Saturday, April 17. All performances are at 7:30 p.m. in Wilkinson Theatre.

Robbery fails, tests emergency response

By Gabriel Middaugh

An man attempted to steal money from the Domino’s Pizza at 515 National Rd. West, near the Earlham College campus, last Saturday, March 27 at approximately 8:50 p.m. No one was injured and no money was stolen, but the assailant is still at large.

Samantha Perry, an employee who was working Saturday night, recounted what happened.

Perry said that the manager of Domino’s was on the phone with a customer when the robber walked into the store. She greeted the man as if he was any customer.

After asking what she could do for him, the man looked up, had his shirt held up over his mouth and then mumbled something that she could not understand. Perry said she “thought that the man was sick and was trying not to breathe on anyone.”

The third employee, a delivery driver, had walked into the store around the same time and saw Perry having trouble communicating with this man.

“I kept asking what he was saying. Then I saw he had his hand covered up by his jacket. It looked like he might have been holding a gun.”

Before the delivery driver noticed what was going on he asked the robber if he had an order to pick up.

The man then said, “Give me all your money.”

“We both just froze,” Perry said.

At that point the manager entered the situation, refusing to give the man any money and telling him to leave the store. The man stayed put.

“My manager told me to dial 911, but I couldn’t,” Perry said. “I’m not getting shot to dial 911.”

After she refused to call, the manager pretended to call the police and the man left Domino’s without anyone getting harmed. In addition to employees’ continued safety, the store’s registers were untouched.

After what Perry said was 15 minutes, the manager called his district manager, who instructed him to call the police. The police arrived only a few minutes later.

Perry and her co-workers remained at the store for the rest of the night. She said she was so “scared and numb” that when she “tried talking to customers [she] just couldn’t.”

No one was hurt, and the robber did not react in a hostile way when he was not given the money.

After arriving at the scene, police notified Earlham, at which point the college sent automated alerts to students’ cell phones at 9:05 p.m. Messages were delivered via text message and e-mail no later then 9:06 p.m.

The description of the man through the school’s alert system differed a little from how Perry described him by two details. She said the man had a large mark on his nose that “looked like a scratch” and she described him wearing a “rain jacket” instead of a flannel shirt, as said in the school alerts.

Groups who were gathered at campus houses for Saturday night parties were making a large effort to instruct those roaming outside to pay attention to their surroundings and stay indoors when possible.

Some people were trying to make light of the situation by taking pictures of every student with flannel on, whether they were male or not. Nonetheless, the overall attitude was to take the event seriously and to look out for one another.

The local police continue to patrol the area and look for someone who fits the description. Despite Saturday’s event, Domino’s Pizza is still in business.

The e-mail sent by Nelson Bingham and the Alert Notification System read: “An armed robbery occurred at approximately 8:50 p.m. tonight, Saturday, March 27, at Domino’s Pizza located near Earlham’s Campus. The white male suspect fled on foot, heading west. He was wearing a light colored flannel shirt, ball cap, and had medium length hair. You are advised to stay indoors until further notice. All campus residents are advised to keep your doors and windows locked.”

As of Sunday morning, students were advised through automated phone-calls that, “It is believed that the suspect involved in the attempted armed robbery of Domino’s Pizza earlier this evening is now out of the area. You should remain alert, travel in groups, and remember to keep your windows and doors locked.”

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