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It is good to be back at Hanover

By Jane Inman on November 5, 2009

Travel season is mostly over for admission counselors. I have really enjoyed visiting schools this year and have met some great people over the past two months.

It is great to be back on Hanover’s campus for more than just a day or two and I am excited to get back into the art scene. I hope to go to some class critiques and maybe some lectures between events and interviews with prospective students. I have been able to see some of the shows that have come up this fall and I thought I would share some details and photos with the blog followers.

The first exhibit was “Blame it on the Rabbit,” an art exhibit created by Hanover professor Deb Whistler. Deb was my advisor when I was a student at Hanover, so I always do my best to catch up on her work outside of the classroom. Professors make it easy to learn about their own work because they are always getting their students involved in it, or sharing it for critique like Deb.

Deb’s current work is based on Lewis Carroll’s famously surreal book, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Deb was inspired by the characters, the original illustrations and current world events. She created a dynamic installation with life sized images of Alice cut out of steel sheets, shadows of the Alice-cut-outs scattered on the wall and a fantastic graphite drawing that covered the entire back wall of the gallery.

The current show in the Greiner Art Gallery is a student exhibit from classes this semester. I always love to see shows that are diverse in media, and this show has drawings, prints, sculptures and digital work all mixed together. I love seeing new projects that professors think up for students and the old projects that I remember doing when I was a student.

We have some really great artistic talent this year, and I can’t wait to see what these students continue to come up with over the next few years. Click here to learn about upcoming and past shows in the gallery.

Posted in Admission Counselors | Tagged Art, Hanover, professors | Leave a response

Dance with me!

By Mallory Disbrow on November 4, 2009

Hello Hanover!

The most fun activity I participate in is the Ballroom Dance Association (BDA), where I am currently the president. It seems like a full-time job of planning events, coordinating times and people, and coming up with creative ways to publicize ballroom to the community, while at the same time trying to learn to dance myself.

Chase Abell is showing me the proper dance position.

One of the new events the group is hosting is called Panther Promenade. It is a dance party and will take place in Collier Arena Nov. 14 (Parent’s Day) from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. It is free to any student, all Hanover faculty and staff, and only $5.00 for all other guests.

I am personally very excited to host this event as I hope it is a huge success for the group. The overall goal of the group is to bring social dance opportunities to campus or take our students to them. We have invited such groups as the USA Dance chapters of Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Louisville, various dance studios in those three cities, and surrounding colleges that also host ballroom clubs for their students. We do not expect everyone we invited to attend because it is a long drive for some people. However, the college community is also invited as well as the Hanover and Madison communities.

Come dance with us!

Even if you do not know how to dance, dancers are great about sharing their knowledge and we will also host a dance lesson by BDA instructor Chase Abell. It will be a beginners Rumba, which is always a fun dance to learn.

We will play music that we hear every day on the radio plus some oldies but goodies. It will be a general mix of Latin and Ballroom dances also. This may not mean much but some common Latin dances include the salsa, samba, rumba, mambo, hustle, jive and swing. The waltz, foxtrot, tango and quickstep come from the ballroom tradition.

I really hope that current reality TV shows like Dancing with the Stars (my personal favorite- go Mya!) and So You Think You Can Dance pique the interest of people enough to want to go out and see for themselves what they are missing where it concerns the world of dance. Dance has so many negative stereotypes but it is actually a great sport that is a lifelong activity- much like bowling. It is great for building endurance, agility and just overall health. I can say, from experience, that after you have danced the cha cha for 10 minutes, you feel as if you have shed pounds, built muscle, and grown a new set of lungs. Ballroom does not have to be intense though.

Dance can also be very relaxing, especially if you have a partner. The waltz is probably my favorite of the ballroom dances. I also have a favorite pro couple I enjoy watching, William Pino and Alessandra Bucciarelli. They perform the absolute best dances I have ever seen. It is so sad that they have since retired.

At any rate, I hope that you can all get out and attend our great, new event- I forgot to mention that it is also a cultural event (for those students to whom it applies). So, come dance with us!

For more information about the free group lessons or about any events- check out our website at www.hcballroom.org.

Posted in Senior, Students | Tagged ballroom, Panther Promenade, Tango, William Pino | Leave a response

Halloween Fun

By Jasmine O'Conner on November 3, 2009

Fun at German Club Dinner

Last week was full of Halloween fun. I participated in events such as the German Club Dinner, I-Club Karaoke night and President Sue DeWine’s annual Halloween Party.

Kaleidoscople helped sponsor the German Club dinner held Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 in the Ogle Center. We ate bratwurst with sauerkraut, German potato salad, vegetarian casserole, goulash, apple strudel, pumpkin fritters, and muesli.

All of these foods were foods that I had never tasted so the dinner was very interesting. I also mingled around and met a lot of new students who were enjoying themselves just as much as I was.

The fun did not stop there because later on that night I-Club (International Club) sponsored a karaoke night at the Shoebox. I had performed first with one of the international students named Delphine. I had not been involved in a karaoke night since my first year of college which was three years ago. It brought back memories along with a lot of fun.

What was also fun this past week was the Halloween party at President Sue DeWine’s house. I did not wear a costume, but all the many students who did wear costumes made up for me not wearing a costume. Mike DeWine helped me make my first s’more, which was exciting and delicious if I may say so.

Congratulations to those individuals who dressed as Canadian tourists who won the costume contest. Sue DeWine’s house is so beautiful and big and I think that it is really nice that she gives every student the opportunity to come and celebrate at her house.

Something else that is minor that I did last week was have new pictures taken for the website. I love having my picture taken so if you are reading this blog you can see my beautiful face. It is all love when you see me. Thanks for looking and reading.

Posted in Sophomore, Students | Leave a response

Oh Student Where ‘Art’ Thou?

By Carson McBain on November 2, 2009

Detail of light coming through 2 overlapping Chihuly works

My Contemporary Art History class took a day trip to Columbus, Ind., this Wednesday to see buildings and artworks by some of the architects and artists we’ve been studying — Dale Chihuly, Eliel Saarinen, Henry Moore, I.M. Pei, etc.

Henry Moore’s aesthetics have strongly influenced my work in Drawing II and I was probably the most excited when we got to see his “Large Arch,” located between Saarinen’s International Style church and Pei’s library. It reminded of me a giant hip.

But I find that, for me at least, art is better understood visually, not through reading, so I have included a couple photos from the field trip so that you can vicariously experience what I did.

I have spent much of this week in the art gallery as well, getting ready for the student art show that’s scheduled to open next week. It’s been a lot of work, but art is my passion, so I as long as things continue to run smoothly I don’t seen anything preventing me from enjoying myself.

Moore’s “Large Arch” in front of Saarinen’s First Christian Church

Knowing how to mat, frame, position, install and light your own work is so important to an artist’s success. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how lucky I was that Leticia Bajuyo, an art professor who normally manages the gallery, offered me this chance to be a gallery assistant.

And as a senior in a relatively small (but strong) art department, I have the advantage of knowing almost all the students who have works in the show. The other gallery workers have helped to get the show in good shape, and I cannot wait for the opening on Monday.

I’d always imagined that working in an art gallery as a post-college career would be kind of dull, but so far I really love what I do here. Who knows, maybe I’ll manage my own gallery someday . . . stranger things have happened.

Also, Art Club carved pumpkins one evening this week. When in the midst of papers, presentations and exams, there are few things more therapeutic than sawing open a large orange squash, digging out handfuls of its “guts,” and carving facial expressions into it.

I will reserve the rest of this space for photos of pumpkin carving. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Diabolical pumpkin that my friend Phil carved

My friend Megan scooping out the "guts"

Posted in Senior, Students | Leave a response

all hallows eve

By Sam Crowe on November 2, 2009

Sorry it has been such a long time since my last update. There is so much to say, but I am just going to cover one aspect of my recent history in this here blog: HALLOWEEN!

Part of our group headed to Dewine's: A Gumball Machine, Jazzercise Instructor (Me), Dr. Hammer, Ellen Degenneres, & Miley Cyrus

Part of our group headed to Dewine's: A Gumball Machine, Jazzercise Instructor (Me), Dr. Hammer, Ellen Degeneres, & Miley Cyrus

Halloween seems to stretch further in to the regular week every year. Friday night I headed up to Purdue with a friend of mine for a Halloween party there and then Saturday night was the real fun and it took place right here at HANOVER!

President DeWine throws an annual Halloween party at her homestead. The entire house, all three stories, is open for students to peruse and explore; out front there is a fire pit with all the necessary s’more supplies and then in back is where it’s all going down: cookies, crackers/cheese, hot cider/chocolate, and MUSIC!

Everyone tended to hang out in the back and socialize. Oh, did I mention there is a highly competitive costume contest? Well, there is. There was a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner this year. First went to two American Tourists, one of which really is from Iceland; they stayed in character all night!

Second went to the Spartan Cheerleaders of Saturday Night Live who also maintained character by doing all sorts of HILARIOUS cheers throughout the night. Finally, third place went to the Black Knight of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. President DeWine herself was the first female graduate of Hanover College, complete with era attire and even a legit name tag to top it all off.

Needless to say, Halloween is always fun, but here at Hanover we kick things up a notch — in case you couldn’t tell.

But, this is just a tiny glimpse in to my recent happenings; stay tuned for a look back at an Intensive Inquiry on Mountaintop Removal that I went on over fall break and the Bob Dylan concert I am going to tonight :)

Posted in Sophomore, Students | Leave a response

Trying To Get Back In Motion

By Jasmine O'Conner on October 29, 2009

It is hard getting back in motion of the college life after a break. Last week Tuesday was the end of my fall break. I returned to a short week of classes, of which I have no complaints, but shortly after that it was time to get back down to business.

Something that did get me back in motion was getting my blood drawn in my Health and Fitness class in order to have my cholesterol checked. To my surprise, I am in fairly good shape, but there are some areas that I could work on like eating more healthy foods and exercising.

Last Saturday, as an ambassador, I participated in another Hanover At A Glance. I had to stand outside in the freezing cold for about an hour and a half directing traffic. The upside to this story is that I gave my first tour of the campus. Athough I have some areas that I need to improve on, overall it was a good tour.

I had the opportunity to meet Gurney Norman in my Communication class. Gurney Norman was a very down to earth man. He really cares about our environment and as a writer he is very traditional since he would rather write letters than to use today’s advanced technology. However, he is very fascinated with today’s technology and uses it on occasion.

Speaking of Gurney Norman and his success reminds me that I need to start thinking about where I want to go with my college experience. So I will need to keep that in mind as I prepare to pick my next semester classes.

Posted in Sophomore, Students | Leave a response

‘Tis the Season to be Fally

By Carson McBain on October 27, 2009

Autumn colors outside Classic Hall

Outside Parker Auditorium

This Wednesday was my first day back in classes, after coming back from Hanover’s break. Fall break never feels like it’s long enough, but I console myself with the knowledge that it’s only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving break, a.k.a. turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie, and my dad’s cranberry-orange relish. Yuuuuuuum.

Over the break, I went to my sister’s marching band competition, worked at my job at the meat counter of a grocery store, hung out with a few friends from work, got a haircut, saw the movie, “Where the Wild Things Are,” and slept LOTS. “Where the Wild Things Are” actually made me cry (but I have convinced myself that it’s because of childhood nostalgia). Clearly I am getting soft in my old age. I was really impressed with it; if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out!

Driving back to Hanover, I had to force myself to keep my eyes on the road … the fall colors were almost at their peak, and the drive was gorgeous (despite the rain). My route goes through part of the Hoosier National Forest, and I sooo wanted to get out of my car and start taking pictures. But today I got some pretty nice photos of all the reds, yellows, oranges, and browns while biking around campus.

Classes have hardly skipped a beat here. I think fall break has renewed my energy to tackle course work, which is fortunate because I am quite busy right now. It feels satisfying to know I’m accomplishing something worthwhile.

Currently, my main project is getting the art gallery ready for the student art exhibition. I had a meeting with my art professor yesterday, and the next steps are to work with the gallery workers in choosing works, matting and framing them, deciding how to arrange them, and installing them.

In my other classes, we’re studying the history of feminist art, doing reductive drawings of the figure (a.k.a. drawing with an eraser), and reading short stories by Eudora Welty.

In the meanwhile, I’m still working on a Halloween costume. I’m going to Goodwill this weekend to see what I can conjure up. The best ideas I have so far are an undead bride, a gypsy, an undead cowboy/girl, a hippie, etc. I always aim to have something unique, but my imagination seems to be failing me this year. I hold out hope that a good idea will strike me before President DeWine’s Halloween party.

Posted in Senior, Students | Leave a response

What a Fall Break!

By Jasmine O'Conner on October 23, 2009

This past week I faced a lot of difficulties.

Early, two Sundays ago, at 5:30a.m., I woke to the fire alarm in my dorm. Come to find out there was an actual fire on the second floor of Crowe. That caused a lot of hardship for me because I had to relocate to another room for a week and a half. Luckily there are good people like Taran and Nikki McZee who took me in for that time.

I had a couple of midterms as well last week, one in my health and fitness course and one in my communication course. I know for sure that I did well on the communication midterm and I believe I did well on the health and fitness midterm, but I have yet to get the grade back. That was satisfying along with the fact that Fall Break was approaching.

My best friend from my home town came to pick me up and we took a long drive to Milwaukee. We stopped at Gurnee Mills in Illinois before returning home just to hang out and mingle a bit. Although it was a long drive, it gave us time to catch up on what was going on in our lives.

My Fall Break was also filled with some troubles. I was having some issues with my vehicle in which there was a lot of back and forth about who was going to fix it, what warranty covered what needed to be fixed, and who was going to reimburse me for money that I was not supposed to spend because my vehicle was still under warranty.

This delay in process caused me to have to take a nine hour Greyhound bus ride back to Hanover from Milwaukee. Whoever has ridden the bus before knows how that can be, so I know you feel for me right now.

Even still I am grateful to be alive today especially to live another day to see my family grow and get stronger. I am happy to build relationships with friends here and at home. I am really thankful for this college experience opportunity and for those who are here helping me get through this improbable journey. I hope that in the near future, whenever that may be, that the Lord turns all of these set backs into come backs.

Posted in Sophomore, Students | Leave a response

Fall Break…yay!

By Mallory Disbrow on October 21, 2009

Hello Hanover!

Fall Break is this week and I am so excited to have two days to skip class that do not actually count against me! It gives us a chance to sleep in, breathe and read those books we’ve been meaning to read all semester and just have not yet had a chance.

For most students, the week before Fall Break is traditionally time for midterms, but sometimes you get to squeak past that. I had a few papers due and some tests the week before but everything is manageable as long as you know how to manage your time properly. Like it or not, college does show you the real meaning of time.

Anyway, I will spend my Fall Break in Louisville, Ky. I love Louisville because life is so relaxed and there is so much to do! I come from a smaller city up north. Because it is near Chicago, it seems like osmosis sets in and we pick up the rushed day to day life of the typical windy city resident. However, once you cross the Ohio River, life revolves around sweet tea and ball games. Everything is red (U of L) or blue (UK) instead of black and white (White Sox).

My boyfriend gave me the new Dan Brown novel, “The Lost Symbol,” for my birthday. I am so excited to start reading it! I hope that I will have plenty of time to begin and finish the novel in one sitting though because I also have a presentation the day we get back on animal rights and the laws that protect our furry friends.

I am a huge animal person and I look forward to this project. It is for my Crime and Corrections class with Stephanie Funk. I suggest that everyone take it, since it’s chock-full of great debates and information you won’t hear about in any of your other classes!

I also have to start reading the book, “Persepolis,” for my communications class. It is the book that all first year students read for the common reading portion of August Experience this year. It follows a girl’s life as she lives through the Islamic Revolution.

It is also drawn out completely like a comic book, so this should be interesting. The last time I read a comic book, I was probably in the 8^th grade and it was, “Calvin and Hobbes,” my favorite! It should be no surprise then that I am a philosophy minor…

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Happy Fall Break!

Posted in Senior, Students | Tagged Fall Break, Lost Symbol, Persepolis, sweet tea

Hispanic Heritage Week

By Jasmine O'Conner on October 21, 2009

I would like to dedicate this blog to Hispanic Heritage Week that was sponsored by Kaleidoscope for the first time ever in Hanover College history. Last week was filled with successful events to celebrate Hispanic heritage.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Ruben Castillo Herrera was the keynote speaker to kick off our Hispanic Heritage Week. He shared information about the Latino culture, demographics and issues regarding the Latino community. He also discussed the need for communities to develop a common understanding, by looking at differences and similarities, through the lens of his life as a Latino in the United States (in particular in Ohio).

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Sodexo helped Kaleidoscope celebrate Hispanic Heritage week by providing Hipanic foods for lunch and dinner in the Campus Center Dining Room and the Underground.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

There was a movie, “Selena,” held giving students the opportunity to experience the life of a woman of Hispanic culture who was in the music industry.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Salsa Kaleidoscope spiced things up a bit by having Salsa lessons, taught by Eric Moore, which showed students the basics of Salsa.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Kaleidoscope ended the week successfully with a fiesta that celebrated the week of events and Hispanic Heritage as a whole.

I would like to thank those individuals who helped such a great event take place and those who participated in all the events that Kaleidoscope had to offer the campus.

Thank you to Taran McZee, Kaleidoscope, the Hispanic Heritage Committee (Director Christina Howard), Eric Moore (Salsa Lessons) and everyone who came out to support Kaleidoscope in their journey to celebrate Hispanic Heritage week.

Look forward to many more events from Kaleidoscope as we try and promote diversity and unite Hanover College as one.

Posted in Sophomore, Students

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