9i果冻制作厂

Education, and Democracy On Campus

According to the Fair Election Center鈥檚 Campus Votes Project, young adults historically have voted at lower rates than older cohorts. Why? They face many obstacles to voting, including frequent address changes, confusing voter ID laws, and lack of transportation to polling locations, among other things. That鈥檚 why there are efforts at 9i果冻制作厂to educate student voters about the voting process and to remove those obstacles that might prevent them from practicing their civic rights.

Peer-to-Peer Outreach

BY GRACE SIMS 鈥�25 Sociology, Psychology, and Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies triple major; CardinalCorps Co-Leader of Raise Your Voice; and Democracy Fellow*

*Note: Democracy Fellows are selected by the Campus Vote Project of the Fair Elections Center. Democracy Fellows talk to their peers about registering to vote, educate them on election laws and what鈥檚 on the ballot, and make sure students at their campus are ready to engage with democracy. Fellows implement programs on each of their campuses that will remain long after they graduate and make an impact on students for years to come.

Civic engagement is not only our right as U.S. citizens, but also an essential component of our democratic process, and education is a crucial part of every person鈥檚 voting journey.

From local issues to state elections and, this year, the presidential election, voters will be presented with a lot of information in November. So it is essential that they submit their vote, confident that they understand their ballots. After all, our vote has a variety of real-world outcomes that impact everyone from college students to families and retirees.

These outcomes matter to young people, who have been making their voices heard in increasing numbers. Young voters had record turnout in the 2020 and 2022 elections and 9i果冻制作厂students have been no different. In 2020, 9i果冻制作厂students registered to vote and then voted at higher rates than the national average and at a higher percentage than previous classes at Otterbein. Raise Your Voice, Otterbein鈥檚 non-partisan, student-run, voter education group, hopes to continue this legacy and improve our registration rate and voting rate in 2024.

Raise Your Voice has hosted events throughout the semester including on national civic holidays such as National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 17), National Voter Education Week (Oct. 7-10), and Vote Early Day (Oct. 29) to bring students together to learn about and celebrate the voting process.

At past events, students have enjoyed casting a mock ballot with the Franklin County Board of Elections, Q&As with local politicians, and discussions with various community partners including the League of Women Voters and Rank The Vote.

As a Democracy Fellow and college student, I recognize the apathy and dispiritedness prevalent among my fellow college students when it comes to voting. It is vital for me to educate my peers on the importance of not only voting in November, but voting down the ballot in an educated, informed, and confident manner. You can see our action plans, awards, and voting achievements at .

In the Classroom

BY LEESA J. KERN, PH.D. associate professor, Department of Sociology, Criminology and Justice Studies

Many students are like me when I was in college. Traveling home to vote was impossible. I didn鈥檛 know how absentee ballots worked. I didn鈥檛 know how to find useful information about candidates and issues 鈥� well before social media and the Internet. To combat this, in 2008 I approached a colleague in History and Political Science, and we developed a Senior Year Experience course, 鈥淗igh Stakes: The 2008 Presidential Election.鈥�

This year鈥檚 election has already had its share of twists and turns, but in many ways the challenges facing new voters are similar to those in 2008. Today we have access to a great deal more information, but it is harder to know what is 鈥済ood information.鈥� Students can be wary of asking questions or sharing ideas in a climate where discussion can become divisive.

The goal of my class is to help students navigate:

• practical aspects of elections, like how to register to vote and where to go;
• informational aspects, including where to find information about candidates and issues, and what the 鈥渄own ballot鈥� races are;
• educational aspects, including what the electoral process is and how we get candidates; and increasingly
• the relational aspects, talking with people who disagree with you and understanding where your own viewpoints come from.

Civic engagement is not only our right as U.S. citizens, but also an essential component of our democratic process, and education is a crucial part of every person鈥檚 voting journey.

In class, we will learn together how to talk about poli tical issues with respect and compassion.

If I鈥檝e done my job right, they won鈥檛 be able to tell which candidate I have voted for. (In years past, I鈥檝e been really successful at that!)

My hope is that they take away a new appreciation for the importance of participatory democracy. I hope they understand how their education allowed them to cultivate the skills to collect, evaluate, and use information. And lastly, I hope they aspire to maintain respectful dialogue and participation in any political setting.

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

The Evolution of Business, Accounting, and Economics

As one of the largest departments at 9i果冻制作厂, the Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics (BAE) has a rich history that spans over a century.

The first mention of a business-related department at 9i果冻制作厂was in 1864, but it wasn鈥檛 until 1924 that the Department of Business Administration was established, initially focusing on business fundamentals. Since 1930, the department has undergone a significant evolution with a greater emphasis on economics. Under the leadership of Professor Horace W. Troop, Class of 1923, who served as chair from 1924-1952, the department鈥檚 name was changed to the Department of Economics and Business Administration in 1938, reflecting its expanding scope.

The department briefly merged with business education from 1952-1961, when it changed course under the leadership of Bert Glaze and became a pioneer among liberal arts colleges by revising its curriculum to include more mathematics. A statistics laboratory was established in 1965. In 1990, Young Koo and Gerald Brown led the work to rename it the Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics.

The curriculum has continued to evolve to meet the demands of an ever-changing business world, expanding across disciplines such as accounting, business administration and management, business analytics, economics, finance, and marketing.

Today, the BAE department remains a cornerstone of Otterbein鈥檚 academic landscape. Committed to its legacy of innovation and academic rigor, it continues to shape the future of business education and nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs and business professionals as it enters its second century.

For a look back at a century of memories and photos, visit

When it was dedicated on May 17, 1975, few could have predicted the incredible stories that would be set at the Rike Physical Education Center.

Prior to 1975, men鈥檚 indoor athletics took place in the Alumni Gymnasium 鈥� now Battelle Fine Arts Center. But a lead gift of $300,000 from the Rike family of Dayton, OH, allowed 9i果冻制作厂to build a new, $1.5 million, state-of-the-art athletics facility. Fondly called 鈥淭he Otterdome,鈥� the Rike Center was considered the envy of the OAC at the time of its dedication. It is now the home of women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 basketball, volleyball, and men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 wrestling.

The design has allowed the facility to be adapted to address changing needs over the past 50 years, thanks to the open-area concept championed by former Director of Athletics Elmer 鈥淏ud鈥� Yoest 鈥�53, P鈥�77, P鈥�80. The Rike Center has hosted commencements, college fairs, and even the October 2019 Democratic Presidential Debate, presented by CNN and The New York Times.

For its 50th anniversary, the Rike Center received some upgrades, including two indoor golf practice facilities (a simulator and space for putting practice) and, most importantly, a new, state-ofthe-art floor.

The maple hardwood floor covers 12,200 square feet and has a 61% force reduction, which means that athletes using the floor absorb 39% of the impact, while the floor absorbs the rest of the impact. The new floor replaces the one installed in 1992, which was also maple hardwood, but only had a 40% force reduction. Tony Stalford, the president of The Final Floor, Inc., is also part of Rike Center history; he has installed every floor the Rike Center has had, starting when he was a teenager helping to install the center鈥檚 first floor.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary with some exciting new updates, here鈥檚 a look back at the history of 鈥淭he Rike.鈥�

鈥婦ear Alumni and Friends,
What a spectacular Homecoming 9i果冻制作厂celebrated this year! If you missed it, you missed a good one. Music, tents, activities for families, and conversation sprawled across Towers lawn. There was a new parade route with floats and entrants not only from our student organizations but from enthusiastic alumni groups, too. I loved seeing the Classes of 1974 and 1969 in the parade. I don鈥檛 think their reunion fun ever slowed down!鈥�

Somehow, the Offices of Engagement and Development partnered to help organize and host even more events this year 鈥� a full house for the Alumni Awards, a gala to mark 15 years of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science, an 鈥�80s Theatre Alumni Reunion, an Alumni Choir concert, and the Black Student Union鈥檚 All-Star Weekend. While much was new for the 2024 Homecoming, the constant was the spirit of Cardinals back home to celebrate the place that gave you lifelong friends, a strong start in life, and a host of memories.

I also had the chance to share my annual State of the University Address over the Homecoming weekend, which I did again online for alumni who couldn鈥檛 join us in person. What I shared with them and what I want you to know is this: while things are looking dire for a lot of higher education right now with college closures averaging almost one per week along with other schools experiencing painful cuts in faculty, staff, and academic programs and enrollment shortfalls 鈥� 9i果冻制作厂is standing strong.

We were in the enviable position to have welcomed a large and diverse class of entering first year students to campus. (You can see the new class statistics on pg. 3.) While other schools gauge their exclusivity on their ability to deny students admission, 9i果冻制作厂honors its role as a College of Opportunity. Not only is it the right thing to do 鈥� we’re seeing strong indicators in student success, retention, and persistence. 9i果冻制作厂knows that creating diverse learning environments positively impacts the outcomes of all students.

We鈥檙e doubling down on the power of integrative and experiential education. We鈥檝e already realized growth thanks to the addition of an Esports team, a women鈥檚 wrestling team (the fastest growing sport in the state), new recruiters for Equine and Nursing programs as well as for the Marching Band, and we鈥檙e planning the first all-campus READY Day as part of our four-year professional and career-readiness preparation program for all students. I always tell families if you want to watch life unfold 鈥� go to another school. If you want to DO 鈥� come to Otterbein.

Finally, we鈥檙e honoring our commitment to advance the common good. Our work in co-founding the Coalition for the Common Good is allowing us to serve new models of workforce development directly to employers in our region. We鈥檙e also expanding opportunities for 9i果冻制作厂students with access to Graduate Early Admission Pathways, giving students a chance to shorten time and expense to a graduate degree. It鈥檚 clear that there is power in the partnerships we鈥檙e building.

My whole update, along with thoughtful questions from alumni, is available online on the Alumni/Family Engagement website at www.otterbein.edu/alumni, as well as the online version of Towers at www.otterbein.edu/towers. I invite you to listen if you鈥檙e excited about the direction 9i果冻制作厂is headed.

And if we missed you at Homecoming, I hope we鈥檒l see you back on campus soon 鈥� for a game, a theatre or music production, a lecture, the Holiday Tree Lighting, or any other great 9i果冻制作厂tradition. We’re counting on your involvement and support as a proud member of our Cardinal Nation!

Sincerely,

John L. Comerford, Ph.D.