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The Hillsdale Collegian, 30 E College Street, Hillsdale, MI (2024)

05/09/2024

Meijer will open its new store in Hillsdale on May 14, offering everything from sushi and ready-to-go hot food to fresh flowers and live aquarium fish in a 159,000-square-foot space.
From May 14 to May 26, the store will host opening week celebration events, featuring food trucks, festivals, and giveaways.
“I have a very hardworking team that is proud of what we do,” Store Director Kelli Quintana said. “They’re proud to open those doors and have their friends and their family see what they were able to bring to Meijer.”

Store Director Kelli Quintana presented Davis Middle School Principal Marsha Webster with a $10,000 check from Meijer to help develop the school’s science department. Jillian Parks | Collegian Meijer will open its new store in Hillsdale on May 14, offering everything from sushi and ready-to-go hot...

04/27/2024

Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan that prohibits restaurants and bars from selling liquor on Sundays, but voters could change that in November if a petition drive collects enough signatures.
City councilman Robert Socha introduced the petition to repeal Hillsdale County’s blue law. If his effort gathers at least 1,492 signatures of registered voters by July 31, voters will have a chance to repeal the law during the election on Nov. 5. The law prohibits liquor sales in restaurants from 7 a.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday, according to Socha.
“I would encourage my neighbors not to drink in excess, but I’m not going to encode that and enforce that in law,” Socha said. “To vote yes and impose those restrictions is really handcuffing all local businesses with their Sunday business and sales. That’s why most places are closed on Sundays in Hillsdale.”

Hillsdale County is the only county in Michigan that prohibits restaurants and bars from selling liquor on Sundays, but voters could change that.

04/26/2024

Sign-ups are still open for a two-week internship in Uganda through Hillsdale College this summer.
Students will travel with Associate Dean of Men Jeffrey “Chief” Rogers July 15-29 to assist a small fishing village and help on microfinancing, library promotion, and school projects.
Rogers traveled to Uganda last year after Joy Ngobi, the mother of Jacob Ngobi ’22, inquired about scholarship opportunities for Ugandan students.
“Joy asked us if we could make a scholarship fund for Ugandan students—similar to our program in Kenya where we sponsor a student,” Rogers said. “I decided to travel there and look at the schools and see if they meet the rigor and standard that Hillsdale expects.”

Sign-ups are still open for a two-week internship in Uganda through Hillsdale College this summer.

04/26/2024

The construction of the Phi Sigma Epsilon Alumni Pavilion will be completed in June, and new projects involving Central Hall, Mossey Library, and the Grewcock Student Union may begin within the next two years, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.
The college is also considering expansions to the Dow Hotel and Conference Center. According to a proposal presented to the City of Hillsdale Community Development Committee in March, the four-star hotel would feature 158 rooms, conference and dining facilities, and a public fine dining restaurant.
“It will serve as a foundational piece in facilitating both the visitor growth the college has experienced, and the future growth that is anticipated,” said Tim Wells, associate vice president of administrative affairs. “This facility would aid in the furtherance of the college’s mission in affording necessary accommodation and meeting and event spaces so that the offerings provided can be presented to the broadest possible audience.”

The construction of the Phi Sigma Epsilon Alumni Pavilion will be completed in June, and new projects involving Central Hall, Mossey Library, and the Grewcock Student Union may begin within the next two years, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.

04/25/2024

The Hillsdale College Mock Trial Team A came in second at its national championship tournament last weekend, after finishing first in its division.
It fell in the final round to the University of Virginia, which won the championship at the American Mock Trial Association National Championship Tournament in Chicago.
Before the final round, Hillsdale defeated the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a score of 2-1 in the first round, then swept 3-0 victories against the University of Texas, Dallas, and Macalester College before splitting ballots 1.5-1.5 with the University of Georgia, according to junior Abby Davis.

The Hillsdale College Mock Trial Team A came in second at its national championship tournament last weekend, after finishing first in its division.

04/21/2024

Can artificial intelligence be considered conscious?
That’s one of the questions Associate Professor of Theology Jordan Wales and his colleagues advising the Vatican are trying to answer.
Wales is a member of the AI Research Group of the Centre for Digital Culture, which is housed in the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See.
As AI technologies rapidly advance in power and scope, the Vatican’s AI Research Group seeks to apply Catholic theology to the ethical, cultural, and societal implications of AI’s development.
“A kind of theology of machines has to be invoked and, where it doesn’t exist, developed further and rooted in the Catholic tradition,” Wales said, “To be able to give a picture that not only says, ‘R2-D2 isn’t a person,’ but also says what R2-D2 is.”

Can artificial intelligence be considered conscious?That’s one of the questions Associate Professor of Theology Jordan Wales and his colleagues advising the Vatican are trying to answer.

04/21/2024

Meijer in Hillsdale will open its gas station today and its store on May 14.
“As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Meijer this year, we’re thrilled to be opening a new store in our home state to mark the occasion,” said Shawn Buckner, vice president of Meijer’s Mid-Michigan region. “We know value and convenience are top of mind for our customers, and we look forward to providing a one-stop shopping experience that offers both here in Hillsdale.”
In addition to groceries and produce, the store will have a bakery, deli, garden center, pharmacy, pet department, and more, according to Kelli Quintana, the Meijer store director.
Quintana said Meijer is on track to hire more than 300 employees.

Meijer in Hillsdale will open its gas station today and its store on May 14.

04/20/2024

Passages recently announced Hillsdale students will have a new opportunity to visit Israel this July.
Students on the “Advocacy in Action” trip will have the opportunity to provide humanitarian aid to those in need in Israel, visit Biblical sites, and learn about the recent attacks on the nation.
“Through this unique Israel experience, you will gain first-hand knowledge on the aftermath of Oct. 7, hear expert briefings on the current situation in Israel, and pair your knowledge with action by volunteering with communities most affected by the Oct. 7 attacks, fostering a deeper understanding and solidarity with the resilient people of the region,” a statement from Passages said.

Passages recently announced Hillsdale students will have a new opportunity to visit Israel this July.

04/20/2024

College President Larry Arnn endorsed City of Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford ’15 for state representative of the 35th District earlier this month.
“He wants the city to grow, its people to be safe and free,” Arnn said. “He has done well.”
Stockford said he is humbled and honored to receive Arnn’s endorsement.
“His support means the world to me,” Stockford said. “He’s always been somebody I’ve looked up to and somebody I would turn to if I needed guidance or advice.”
Stockford, a Republican, said he grew up in Hillsdale but never considered attending Hillsdale College until he read Arnn’s book “The Founders’ Key.”
“Dr. Arnn’s book was a huge motivating factor for me to want to get involved in government at all,” he said. “It’s probably one of the two or three biggest things that encouraged me to be active in any level of politics.”

College President Larry Arnn endorsed City of Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford ’15 for state representative of the 35th District earlier this month.

04/19/2024

Meijer in Hillsdale will open its gas station today and its store on May 14.
“As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Meijer this year, we’re thrilled to be opening a new store in our home state to mark the occasion,” said Shawn Buckner, vice president of Meijer’s Mid-Michigan region. “We know value and convenience are top of mind for our customers, and we look forward to providing a one-stop shopping experience that offers both here in Hillsdale.”
In addition to groceries and produce, the store will have a bakery, deli, garden center, pharmacy, pet department, and more, according to Kelli Quintana, the Meijer store director.

Meijer in Hillsdale will open its gas station today and its store on May 14.

04/19/2024

Students in the documentary filmmaking course premiered “Hillsdale to Hilltop: How the College Produced a Poet, a Politician, a Pro, and a Personality,” which explores the lives of four prominent Hillsdale alumni and how the college prepared them to achieve success.
The documentary covers poet Will Carleton of the class of 1869, Illinois Republican Congressman Phil Crane ’52, Green Bay Packers kicker Chester Marcol ’82, and Fox News personality Kat Timpf ’10.
Students in the course, part of the Dow Journalism Program, produced the documentary. This is the third year of the documentary program and its seventh production.

Students in the documentary filmmaking course premiered “Hillsdale to Hilltop: How the College Produced a Poet, a Politician, a Pro, and a Personality,” which explores the lives of four prominent Hillsdale alumni and how the college prepared them to achieve success.

04/13/2024

National talk-show host Hugh Hewitt visited campus this week to host an event for Hillsdale College.
“This has been the best visit because I got to teach a class,” Hewitt told The Collegian. “I got to talk to the students.”
Hewitt hosted his program from WRFH on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, interviewing faculty, staff, and students. He also taught a radio class and co-hosted a virtual town hall on “Reviving American K-12 Classical Education,” with more than 17,000 viewers by the end of the night.
“Raising awareness is good, but raising money is better,” Hewitt said. “I’m good at asking for money. I want people to support the classical education movement because it’s necessary in so many parts of the country.”

Hugh Hewitt records his show in the WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM studio. Courtesy | Austin Thomason National talk-show host Hugh Hewitt visited campus this week to host an event for Hillsdale College. “This has been the best visit because I got to teach a class,” Hewitt told The Collegian....

04/13/2024

More than 300 people attended the inaugural conference of the Center for Commerce and Freedom and heard 97-year-old Nobel Prize laureate Vernon Smith discuss the works and ideas of the economist Adam Smith on April 5 in the Searle Center. The new center of the business, economics, and accounting department features a fellowship, paper publication, lectures, and this annual conference.
Adam Smith’s “Theory of Moral Sentiments” reflects his economic views more comprehensively than his famous book “Wealth of Nations,” Vernon Smith said in the final lecture of the conference.
“I encourage people to read ‘Theory of Moral Sentiments’ because it’s about you and me and our neighbors,” Smith said. “It’s about our experiences to each other, and how we put ourselves in the position of what others are thinking.”

More than 300 people attended the inaugural conference of the Center for Commerce and Freedom and heard 97-year-old Nobel Prize laureate Vernon Smith discuss the works and ideas of the economist Adam Smith on April 5 in the Searle Center. The new center of the business, economics, and accounting dep...

04/12/2024

What do macaroni and cheese, ’80s music, and beer all have in common? It’s trivia night at Hillsdale Brewing Company every Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The restaurant hosts trivia in multiple categories, although most relate to pop culture from the 20th century. While it mainly attracts an older audience, according to Hillsdale College senior Joseph Perez, he said he loves attending with his six housemates plus two friends.
“We’ve been going on-and-off since the beginning of last semester,” Perez said. “We go because it’s fun, and we like hanging out there, eating appetizers and drinking beer.”

What do macaroni and cheese, ’80s music, and beer all have in common? It’s trivia night at Hillsdale Brewing Company every Tuesday at 7 p.m.

04/12/2024

Workers are nearly done with structural work at the Keefer House Hotel, as owner CL Real Estate LLC has extended the completion date to late August.
“I haven’t seen it personally, but I work next to the building and I see consistent activity and work over there, so I’m sure they’re coming along well,” said City of Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford. “I hope they get their stuff done and don’t run into any more hiccups.”
Construction on the Keefer will finish in late August, according to Nick Fox, CL Real Estate’s vice president of construction management. Workers have nearly completed the building’s structure, and are planning soon to begin installing electricity, plumbing, and drywall.

Workers are nearly done with structural work at the Keefer House Hotel, as owner CL Real Estate LLC has extended the completion date to late August.

04/11/2024

Students and professors traveled to Ohio and Indiana to observe the total solar eclipse on Monday, while others enjoyed the rare phenomenon on campus.
“Words cannot describe the beauty and awe of such an event,” Assistant Professor of Physics Michael Tripepi said. “The nearly four minutes of totality are the closest thing I can imagine to what it was like to experience the miraculous visions of Isaiah or Daniel. For a brief moment, the ordinary world suddenly and dramatically passes away to a greater vision of the cosmos.”
While the path of totality did not cross Hillsdale, students on campus observed 98.6% coverage at 3:11 p.m.

Students and professors traveled to Ohio and Indiana to observe the total solar eclipse on Monday, while others enjoyed the rare phenomenon on campus.

04/07/2024

Hillsdale students must be willing to venture into the ugly realm of politics, Chair of Military History Mark Moyar said in a lecture on Tuesday.
In a talk titled “Is a Job in Politics Right For You?” Moyar spoke from his experience as director of the Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Trump administration.
He also referenced his book “Masters of Corruption: How the Federal Bureaucracy Sabotaged the Trump Presidency,” which is scheduled for publication in May. While Moyar said the book is mostly about bureaucratic corruption and tyranny, it also holds lessons on political careers and how to choose them.
“Dr. Moyar gave practical advice about networking, how best to use your ‘Hillsdale credentials,’ and get your foot in the door in D.C.,” sophomore Maggie McGee said.

Hillsdale students must be willing to venture into the ugly realm of politics, Chair of Military History Mark Moyar said in a lecture on Tuesday.

04/07/2024

Smoke billowed up into the Mediterranean sky, just as the first stars began to pierce through the gentle dusk. Hushed, we crowded around the Paschal bonfire, candles in hand, eager for the Easter vigil to begin.
Like many Hillsdale students, my Holy Saturday was one of prayer, community, and — at long last — celebration. Unlike others, I was experiencing the Resurrection from the Eternal City: Rome.
Freshman Isabelle Ellis and I awoke that morning — our eighth day in Rome — in a little hostel run by nuns, a 15 minute walk from the walls of the Vatican. We grabbed a quick breakfast of espresso and pastries before power walking to the Valle Aurelia station, catching a train to Termini and then a second one to the Circo Massimo stop.

Celebrating Easter in the eternal city

04/06/2024

Governments in Hillsdale County are receiving nearly $1 million in state tax revenue from ma*****na sales in 2023, according to County Commissioner Doug Ingles.
“It is a significant number of dollars, so has a big impact helping to create funding in many departments,” Ingles said.
Of the $945,381 distributed, the county government received half – or $472,690 – in state ma*****na revenue because it has eight licensed dispensaries, according to Ingles. Three localities in the county split the other half, as Jefferson Township received $59,086 with one dispensary, the City of Reading received $177,259 with three dispensaries, and the Village of Camden received $236,345 with four dispensaries.

Governments in Hillsdale County are receiving nearly $1 million in state tax revenue from ma*****na sales in 2023.

04/06/2024

The Village of Quincy may disband its police department after the resignation of its police chief leaving only one officer on patrol.
Quincy Police Chief Mike Kolassa submitted his resignation March 18 and it took effect March 26, according to Village President Mike Hagaman. The village council will hold a public hearing April 16 on whether to keep or disband the department.
“The council would like the village residents’ input on what they would like to do,” Hagaman said.

The Village of Quincy may disband its police department after the resignation of its police chief leaving only one officer on patrol.

04/05/2024

An 18-month-long construction project has begun at Hillsdale in D.C. to keep up with the growth of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government.
Current operations and elements of the school’s Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program have been temporarily relocated to a nearby office space and townhouses. Renovations are scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2025.
“It’s exciting,” said Matthew Spalding, dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government. “We need more space as we are growing. These renovations will make the D.C. campus, even more so than it is now, a beacon of Hillsdale’s teaching mission for undergraduate and graduate students and friends and alumni in the nation’s capital.”

An 18-month-long construction project has begun at Hillsdale in D.C. to keep up with the growth of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government.

04/05/2024

Garrett West ’15 will join the Yale Law School faculty as an associate professor of law starting July 1.
“Many of us say that Garrett West is one of the best students we have seen, a high standard,” said College President Larry Arnn. “He is a fine young man in character and intellect. We are very proud of him. His brothers are pretty smart too.”
West received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hillsdale before graduating from Yale Law School in 2018.
“The college taught me how to read, write, and think, and it is where I first experienced the intellectual life,” West told The Collegian in an email. “I am grateful to the many friends and mentors who helped me along the way.”

Garrett West ’15 will join the Yale Law School faculty as an associate professor of law starting July 1.

03/31/2024

Many of Hillsdale’s homeschool families say they fear that a registry of homeschooled children proposed by the Michigan Department of Education will lead to more attempts by the state government to restrict the educational freedom of families and schools.
“Michigan families have exercised this right unimpeded by the government to the end of many brilliant, well-educated young people,” State Rep. Andrew Fink ’06, R-Hillsdale, told The Collegian. “Home education is a valuable resource, and it is my belief that the recent effort to have the state intervene in it is misguided and imprudent.”

Many of Hillsdale’s homeschool families say they fear that a registry of homeschooled children proposed by the Michigan Department of Education will lead to more attempts by the state government to restrict the educational freedom of families and schools.

03/31/2024

Hillsdale students can get a taste of arepas at the Venezuelan culture night on April 4.
The event, organized by Sigma Delta Pi, will take place in the Old Snack Bar. Associate Professor of Spanish Víctor Carreño said his wife, María Eugenia de Carreño, will teach two arepa — or cornmeal cake — cooking classes.
The first cooking class will start at 7 p.m., followed by another at 7:30 p.m. Although both cooking classes are full, students and faculty are welcome to try the food once it is cooked. The arepas will be served with carne mechada — shredded beef — and reina pepiada — an avocado and cilantro chicken salad. Attendees do not need to know Spanish in order to come to this event, according to Lecturer in Spanish Amanda Stechschulte.

Hillsdale students can get a taste of arepas at the Venezuelan culture night on April 4.

03/30/2024

While some students sailed in the British Virgin Islands for spring break, other students traveled further north to the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
A group of 12 students attended the Christian Council International’s United Nations Fellowship which included the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women and a conference on the Status of Women and Family.
Junior Mark den Hollander said he has served as a U.S. representative for CCI for two years and saw a need for more
conservative voices when he went to the conference for the first time last year.
“I basically made it my mission and started recruiting students and talking to people,” Den Hollander said. “They learned a lot. It wasn’t always easy because you’re doing hard work, sitting in the middle of a whole bunch of people who have very different opinions from you. That can be very challenging mentally.”

While some students sailed in the British Virgin Islands for spring break, other students traveled further north to the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

03/30/2024

Fossil fuel. That is what Hillsdale College’s fledgling natural history museum became after a fire ravaged the college on March 6, 1874.
The cabinet of curiosities contained hundreds of specimens before the fire, including minerals, plants, bird skins, and fossil casts, according to an 1879 issue of the Hillsdale Herald, the college newspaper at the time. Only a few dozen were spared from the damage of the flames.
The bricks and bones of the museum perished — but the spirit of its curator did not.
Professor of Natural History Daniel Fisk, a man almost as eccentric as the specimens he collected, arrived at the college two years earlier with the resolve to start a natural history museum. The fire threatened to terminate his plans.

Fossil fuel. That is what Hillsdale College’s fledgling natural history museum became after a fire ravaged the college on March 6, 1874.

03/29/2024

Hillsdale County has released 47 inmates so far this year as part of its Community Corrections Program, according to Community Corrections Manager Mark Katz.
“The goal through community corrections is to not have people sitting in jail that don’t need to be in jail, and to try to reduce the overall prison commitment rate,” Katz said. “It’s trying to help people identify those needs and get involved with whatever programs are going to help them become successful.”
The program aims to reduce the number of inmates in the county jail and the number that go to prison, according to Katz. The program’s funding from the Michigan Department of Corrections runs out Oct. 1, so the county is applying for another grant to carry it until October 2025.

Hillsdale County has released 47 inmates so far this year as part of its Community Corrections Program, according to Community Corrections Manager Mark Katz.

03/29/2024

The voice of Hillsdale will go silent tomorrow, at least on the airwaves, when Bob Flynn of WCSR retires after 46 years.
“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Flynn said. “I have enjoyed every minute of it.”
Flynn started working part time at WCSR the summer after his sophomore year at Hillsdale High School, which was in 1978. He started working full time in 1986.

The voice of Hillsdale will go silent tomorrow, at least on the airwaves, when Bob Flynn of WCSR retires after 46 years.

03/28/2024

When Hillsdale graduate Jack Gohlke ’23 stepped off the court following his team’s upset victory over the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA basketball tournament, the sixth-year senior for the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies had just etched his name in the record books.
His 32 points on 10 three-pointers and two free throws on the night of March 21 made him not only the fifth player ever to score 10 three-point shots in an NCAA tournament game, but they briefly made him the most celebrated athlete in the country. His 16 3-pointers were the most over a two game span in NCAA tournament history.
The Wall Street Journal called the Charger alumnus with a degree in accounting a “newly-minted March Madness hero.” The Athletic dubbed him “the NCAA Tournament hero we never saw coming.” The New York Times described him as “a 24-year-old graduate student with a widow’s peak and the same regard for shot selection as a gunslinger busting through saloon doors.”

Hillsdale grad Jack Gohlke's 10 3-pointers in Oakland's upset of Kentucky briefly made him the most celebrated athlete in the country.

03/23/2024

Hillsdale College alumnus and Howell resident Dominic Restuccia ’16 is running for the open 50th district seat for the Michigan House of Representatives.
Restuccia is a father, real estate agent, and former congressional staffer, and will run for the seat currently held by state Rep. Bob Bezotte, a Republican who is retiring. The 50th district includes the city of Howell and part of Livingston County.
“One thing that is clear to me is that we need a conservative fighter representing Livingston County,” Restuccia said in a statement to his supporters. “With housing prices, interest rates, energy bills, and grocery costs at record highs, I will fight to make Michigan affordable again for all of us.”

Hillsdale College alumnus and Howell resident Dominic Restuccia ’16 is running for the open 50th district seat for the Michigan House of Representatives.