rmcnair@live.franklincollege.edu

Junior Jesse Wilson of the Franklin College baseball team has a personal motto: “Just believe.”

Jesse Wilson. Photo by Kerri Kinker, The Franklin.

“Believe in yourself and your teammates,” Wilson said.

Wilson has been playing baseball since he could walk.

“My first set of toys were a baseball bat, a ball and a tee,” Wilson said.

Although he has always been playing baseball, he hasn’t always been a catcher. Wilson first got into catching in little league.

“No one wanted to catch, so my coach threw me back there,” Wilson said. “I started to like it, and I have been catcher ever since.”

This season, Wilson has started every game and posted a team-high .399 batting average.  He also leads the Grizzlies in hits, with 61, and RBIs, with 45.

Wilson went to a Division-I school, Cleveland State University, to play baseball after high school. He didn’t like the coaching staff there and eventually found his way to Franklin College. Wilson had known the head coach here and knew he would love to play for him.

Wilson likes many things about Marshall as a person and as a coach.

“He doesn’t ask you to be perfect,” Wilson said. “In baseball, such as life, you make mistakes, but he asks that you learn from those mistakes.”

The Grizzlies have had very successful seasons in the past with head coach Marshall. This year, they made their way into the Hartland Conference Tournament yet again.

Wilson made a list of goals at the beginning of the season and hung them up in his locker for inspiration. On this list is “Win the Conference Championship.”

zhayes@franklincollege.edu

The men’s baseball team posted a productive series against Anderson University this weekend, capping off the three-game sweep with a 9-8 victory in the final game on May 6.

Junior shortstop Nick Stoia throws out the Anderson University runner on a ground ball. Stoia has recorded a .336 batting average on the season and a team-leading 18 doubles. Photo by Kerri Kinker, The Franklin.

The Grizzlies started the doubleheader on May 5 with an 11-0 victory over the Ravens. The Griz scored five runs in the first inning, helping senior pitcher Nathan Ellis cruise to his eigth win on the year. Ellis allowed only three hits in the seven innings                    pitched victory.

Franklin capped off the doubleheader with a 3-2 victory at McDowell Field in the second game. The Griz captured the victory after freshman Mitch Frey scored from third after junior Nick Stoia hit into a fielder’s choice.

These two wins set up the tiebreaker situation to decide who would claim second place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Griz and Ravens would have to play a single nine inning game to determine who would finish behind the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The Griz possessed a 7-3 lead in the final game on before the Ravens battled back to tie the game at seven. The Ravens then tallied another run to take an 8-7 lead in the top of the tenth inning after the game could not be decided in regulation.

Franklin, though, rallied in the bottom of the tenth with two runs to claim a 9-8 victory and second place in the HCAC.

The game-winning run came after junior shortstop Nick Stoia drew a bases loaded walk to drive in the winning run. Sophomore pitcher Taylor Glaze recorded his first decision of the year with a win as he came in as the Grizzlies fourth pitcher of the day in the tenth inning.

Ravens pitcher Tyler Watson recorded the loss, despite striking out eight batters in three innings of work.

The Grizzlies will travel to Rose-Hulman to participate in the HCAC tournament as the No. 2 seed. They will face the Anderson Ravens once again on Thursday.

“Seeing Anderson for a fourth time this week is going to be interesting, from a catcher’s point of view seeing their hitters in two games you kind of get a feel for what they can do but seeing them four times is going to be interesting,” junior catcher Jesse Wilson said.

According to Wilson, the second place finish did not quite satisfy the goal the Grizzlies set at the beginning of the year.

“Being in that [No. 2] seed is a little disappointing,” Wilson said. “You always want to be the No. 1 seed but being that home team on the bottom of the scoreboard will be very beneficial to us this Thursday against Anderson.”

The No. 1 seed Rose-Hulman will face the No. 4 seed Manchester College. Tickets to the game are free to Franklin College students, while adult tickets will be five dollars.

wsloane@franklincollege.edu

As the sports squads complete their spring training camps ahead of the summer break, one team leaves the field for the first time: the women’s lacrosse team. The 2012-2013 season will see the Lady Griz suit up and take the field for the first lacrosse season at Franklin, a sport that may open the door for a rugby team at Franklin College.

In the March 2 issue of The Franklin, the sports page featured a column about rugby and presented the idea of bringing the sport to Franklin College. With the athletics department making the move to bring a women’s lacrosse team in, there is a thought of “what sport can we bring in next.” The column “Sights on Scrums” brought up the idea of rugby.

Rugby’s origins date back to the mid 1700s. Countries such as Wales, England, South Africa and New Zealand have become powerhouses in the rugby world. However, rugby is a global sport, and it has reached the United States.

Across the nation, students of all ages have become involved in various forms of rugby. Whether it be touch-rugby, rugby sevens or rugby union, the sport has become part many high school and college campuses. However, because it is such a new sport to the United States, which joined the International Rugby Board (IRB) just over 20 years ago, many schools are finding it difficult to gain interest and make a successful program.

Coach Richthammer is the head coach of the women’s rugby team at Grand Valley State University. Having coached rugby at a number of places, including the University of Dayton, Coach Richthammer has seen rugby at all levels of play throughout his career. While his GVSU Lakers may be competitors in the Division-II tournament every year, it wasn’t always a sure-fire thing.

“It took me about three or four years to get the athletes in place for the system I ran,” Coach Richthammer said.  “I inherited some players when I arrived, but it took some time.”

Coach Richthammer believes that to bring in a rugby team within the next few years and expect instant results would be the wrong expectation.

“The college has to be patient, and there has to patience with the team,” he said. “You have to find a coach that is going to stick with the program through the hard times.”

Coach Richthammer had a message for every athlete interested: one common misconception about rugby is that it is a barbaric sport and “only the biggest guys” can play rugby.

“Don’t get hung up on the size-factor of players. If you are in good shape, the chances of you getting injured go down. To start a program, you have to recruit a coach that has a system and sticks to it. If you do it right, you could have a decent program in three or four years.”

Rugby at Franklin College is not an impossible thing to think about. Coach Richthammer took his program to the top through dedication and hard work, much like any successful coach. If you are interested in the sport of rugby, contact Patrick Sloane or Franklin College Wellness Coordinator Emily Marten.

jsittler@live.franklincollege.edu

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing and it is once again time to separate the champs from the chumps. Can the Pacers cool down the Heat long enough to survive? Will LeBron finally get a ring?

These question and more will be answered over the next three weeks before we crown another team as NBA Champions.

The Western Conference features the aging San Antonio Spurs, holders of the league’s best regular season record. These crafty vets have plenty of skill, led by the trio of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili, but the question remains as to whether they can stay healthy throughout the playoffs. They looked good in their first round matchup, however, sweeping the hapless Utah Jazz 4-0.

My pick to come out of the West is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Scoring champ Kevin Durant and sidekick Russell Westbrook led OKC to a quick sweep of the defending champion Dallas Mavericks and look set to take on Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Semifinals.

The Lakers look good so far, and it looks as if the Black Mamba will continue his playoff dominance to close out the series.

The Clippers have become famous for “Lob City” and the high-flying antics of All-Star forward Blake Griffin, but they will need to rely on veteran point guard Chris Paul if they are to win the series. The Grizzlies boast star swingman Rudy Gay and point guard Mike Conley from Lawrence North HS and look to return to the Western Conference semis for the second straight year.

OKC will be too much for the Kobe to take on by himself, and, barring injuries, the Spurs are simply too fundamentally sound to lose to either the Grizzlies or Clippers, leaving a Western Conference finals matchup of OKC versus San Antonio. Age will finally come into play, and OKC will simply have too many athletes for the Spurs, leaving the Thunder as the 2012 Western Conference Champions.

The Miami Heat and LeBron James may finally get that elusive ring, although 41 points from New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony postponed the inevitable by at least one game.

The hometown Indiana Pacers clinched the No. 3 seed in the playoffs with a surprising run down the stretch at the end of the regular season. They have kept up this stellar play behind Danny Granger and Paul George to take the series in five games against the Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic. With free-agency looming, these kinds of defeats may be a preview of things to come in Orlando.

The NBA playoffs wouldn’t be complete without the Boston Celtics, and this year is no exception with the trio of Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett.

As much as I will root for the Pacers, King James and company will be too much for Indiana in the Eastern Conference semis. The 76ers-Celtics matchup could be interesting, however, with the possibility of No. 8 Philly earning the right to lose to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

My heart says that young guns Durant and Westbrook will deny the Heat yet again, but my brain is telling me that 2012 is finally LeBron’s year.

The Heat will take it in six, and James will silence the haters, at least until they point out that he still needs four more titles to catch Kobe and five more to tie the G.O.A.T., Michael Jordan.

bmullens@franklincollege.edu

The Franklin College men’s tennis team defeated rival Hanover College 5-2 in the opening round of the HCAC Tournament, but fell to Transylvania University 5-3 in the semifinals on May 5 at the West Indy Racquet Club, finishing 9-9 on the season.

In the opening round against the Panthers, freshman Robbie Woehrle defeated Matt Strandmark at No. 5 singles. Senior Brandon Roberts claimed the No. 6 singles match.

Franklin, the third overall seed in the tournament, won all three doubles matches against sixth-seeded Hanover. Junior Blake Wareham and freshman Ryan Hammer teamed up to take No. 1 doubles. Sophomore Jared Hunt and Roberts joined together to defeat Hanover’s Brandon Ramsey and Standmark, 8-3, at No. 2 doubles. Freshman Luke Snyder and senior Cory Beeson took No. 3 doubles by defeating Derek Zimmers and Veach of the Panthers.

“I have to give credit to our guys. They played really well, especially in doubles. We started good and ended great in all of our matches,” Hammer said.

Franklin could not come up with a second victory on the day against the Transylvania Pioneers in the HCAC semifinals.

The Grizzlies doubles teams fell short of sweeping the competition, claiming two out of the three wins. Hunt and Roberts were victorious at No. 2 doubles by defeating the Pioneers 8-4. Snyder and Beeson also claimed glory by defeating their opponents 8-4.

Roberts was the only player for the Grizzles to win a match in singles for Franklin. He defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-0 at No. 6 singles.

“We didn’t go as far as we hoped to go, but we played very well and I was proud of our effort,” Roberts said.

ellen.price@franklincollege.edu

Senior Trenten Rowlett knew that he wanted to work with marine animals after he began volunteering as a Zoo Teen at the Indianapolis Zoo when he was 13 years old.

Senior Trenten Rowlett speaks during his presentation, “An Indianapolis Zoo Case Study: Leadership, Conflict and Culture,” for his senior comprehensive exam. Rowlett turned in a research paper along with this presentation for his individualized major. Photo by Ellie Price, The Franklin.

Rowlett later completed internships at the Dolphin Connection Institute in the Florida Keys and the Indianapolis Zoo. Months before graduating from college, Rowlett completed his childhood dream as he was hired as a full-time marine animal trainer at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Rowlett said he came to Franklin College knowing that he wanted to create an individualized major. Although his individualized major proposal was not approved originally, his major was later approved as organizational development and applied behavior.

Rowlett took classes in education, psychology, philosophy, English, leadership, music, sociology, theatre and biology for his individualized major. He said he now has the ability to look at things from various perspectives because of his Franklin College liberal arts education.

“I think I (face) multiple issues and challenges,” Rowlett said, “but at the same time, being able to (overcome) them and look at them from multiple different perspectives is going to hopefully make me more marketable to fill different positions as those needs come along in my life… I would like to think as a Franklin College graduate, I’ll be fine (for a job).”

In order to graduate, all students must pass a comprehensive exam within their major. Because of Rowlett’s individualized major, he worked with a committee of professors from different departments. Rowlett’s senior comprehensive exam included an extensive research paper and presentation.

“The paper helps synthesize all of the things he’s learned in his major,” said Susan Crisafulli, associate professor of English.

Crisafulli said she assisted Rowlett by working with him to brainstorm ideas and edit drafts of his paper, and she gave advice on his presentation.

“His paper ended up being about 15 pages, and that’s a little too long for a presentation,” Crisafulli said. “We worked on figuring out what to cut and how to make it well-organized and interesting to his audience.”

In his presentation, Rowlett described how the Indianapolis Zoo has focused more on entertainment instead of education due to a change in management and leadership at the zoo.

Junior Kelsey Barrett attended his presentation. She said she felt she learned a lot from the presentation and thought it was extremely interesting.

“I’m actually in his learning and behavioral class, so I wanted to see how he put that to use with this presentation,” Barrett said.

Rowlett said he encourages students to create an individualized major if they feel like it will meet their needs.

“Had I felt that a biology degree would have met my needs, I would have pursued it,” Rowlett said. “However, the majority of people going into this field all have biology or psychology degrees. I wanted a way that set me apart.”

cbeyer@franklincollege.edu

As the end of the school year approaches, seniors are not only preparing for finals, but also for the next big step after they leave Franklin College.

Seniors are now in the process of looking for a “big kid” job.

Senior Ali King, who will be graduating with an elementary education major with a middle school social studies endorsement, began her process about three weeks ago. All of the jobs that King plans on applying to are in the school corporation that she is currently student teaching at.

King started her job search when she heard about open positions through the teacher that she is currently student teaching with.

“The grades are third through fifth that have available positions,” King said. “I’m going to apply to a third grade position. My teacher is helping me with this job.”

King was set up with her current teacher at Indian Creek Intermediate School through the school’s education department.

“I think that is one thing that Franklin does very well,” King said. “The people that they set you up with through internships and stuff like that, they help you find positions.”

Amy Fox applied to over 100 positions across the country, anywhere from Alaska, to Florida, to Maine and even Texas.

“You name it, I applied,” Fox said.

Fox began her application process the first weekend in February.

“Over Christmas break and Winter Term I started getting everything in line,” Fox said, “getting resume paper printed, getting business cards printed and would scout out different places.”

Out of the many positions that Fox applied to, she had five phone interviews and attended one in-person interview.

“I went to a job fair and also talked to Kirk Bixler who recommended creating a TV Jobs account,” Fox said. “So I did that, and that is actually how I found my job. It really saved me a lot of money.”

Starting June 4, Fox will be starting her new job in Minot, N.D. as a news anchor and reporter. Currently, Fox is in the process of looking for housing in North Dakota.

On May 21, just a few days after graduation, senior Ashley Rodenhuis will begin her new job. Rodenhuis will be a program coordinator for a company called Main Gate Incorporated.

“They do event merchandise for different athletic teams, (like) Susan G. Komen; we do all the merchandise for Race for the Cure, and we have seven contracts with different NFL teams,” Rodenhuis said. “So on game day, we have to decide what merchandise we want to sell online, what we want to sell at the game, how much of it, pick that merchandise. We kind of go through the whole process of designing, marketing and selling the merchandise.”

Rodenhuis found out about the job through a previous internship she had with Susan G. Komen last summer and through working with all of the merchandise. This spring semester, she interned there again.

“I found out about the internship originally through my aunt’s friend who works at Main Gate as a merchandise buyer,” Rodenhuis said. “It was just kind of a contact thing, so networking.”

scouch@franklincollege.edu

Freshman Taylor Thompson decided to start Passion for Paws on campus because she had volunteered and fundraised for animals in high school, and wanted to continue that in college.

Thompson said she was involved in a K9 Service Club for four years in high school. While a member, she volunteered for animal rescues, the humane society and animal control. She also did a lot of fundraising while in high school for animals and is now a pre-vet student.

Thompson, president of Passion for Paws, created the organization this year. The organization will hold four events next school year.

Passion for Paws will hold another relay race like the one this year which, according to Thompson, is their big event. There will be another pet supply drive a couple weeks before Christmas break.

Thompson said the group is also planning to have an event with leashes in the fall to help animal control in Franklin because they constantly need leashes. For Valentines Day, Thompson said the group plans to sell dog and cat themed cards and deliver the cards to students.

Thompson said Passion for Paws may also team up with Greek organizations next year to host an Easter egg hunt that would help bunny rescues.

Thompson said next year the organization will be a part of the activities fair where members will hand out bags of puppy chow with flyers.

Students interested in joining can come to meetings next school year. The group is done for the year, but Thompson said next year, students are welcome to email her with questions.

She said the group will meet on Wednesdays or Thursdays next school year in the Wymer Room in the basement of the Richardson Chapel. All students are welcome to join.

Thompson said students should join Passion for Paws because it is not “a high commitment organization.”

“Come join Passion for Paws, so we can all together make a ‘pawsitive’ change,” Thompson said in reference to the organization’s motto: “Making pawsitive changes.”

SCouch@live.franklincollege.edu

We did it! We made it through the final week of classes. Go ahead, do a little dance. My column will be right where you left it.  Okay, are you done? Good.

It is almost summer which means I can smell cheap sun tan lotion, feel warm summer nights and wind with the windows down, and I can faintly hear the splash of a pool. My mind is a pretty cool place to be right now.

Fellow classmates, as you go off to your homes, internship locations, or even a different dorm room for the summer, I need to give you some vital advice.

My advice for my last advice column is simply how to not get arrested this summer.

This will be my first summer where I will be 21 the entire time, so this first piece of advice is for me as well as other cool people who are 21. No matter how much we may have to go to the bathroom while we’re outside of the bar, we must promise each other now that we will not pee in the alleyway. It’s not classy. It may seem like a great solution for a full bladder, but that will result in an arrest.

Now let’s say the bar is closed, and you’re still 21, and you are very sleepy. Do not lie down on the sidewalk. Cops will see you, and you will probably get a tickey for public intoxication. That is not a fun part of summer. You can play the trust game with your friends while you are drunk, but just make sure you are not standing on anything hard. If you happen to lie down on the ground after that, then that’s fine, but let’s be safe, folks.

Okay, so we have established rules for the bars, if you’re 21, now let’s move on to the best part of summer: pools. If you are like me, then maybe some of you do not have a pool at your home, and that is not fun. You know what else is not fun? Being arrested for swimming in the pools of others. Yes, that’s right. Do not trespass to swim; you will get caught, and that is just embarrassing. Find a cool friend, possibly your new best friend, who has a pool or works at a pool. Boom. That is where you can swim all summer.

Overall, let’s have a great summer. Follow my rules, and you will be golden, pony boy.

Thanks for reading my awesome words this semester. You all are the bee’s knees. Suz Couch out. See you next year.

Our position: President Barack Obama has said he supports same-sex marriage but is this politically motivated? Probably not.

President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he is now in favor of gay marriage. He is the first sitting president to make such an announcement on a highly controversial issue that has a high volume of proponents and detractors alike. This has marked a long journey for Obama on the issue of same-sex marriage. Originally he was against same-sex marriage, he then changed his mind and thought couples should at least be able to take part in civil partnerships. Wednesday, Obama officially said that he thinks that citizens of the United States should be able to marry whomever they want, regardless of gender.

Obama said in an interview with ABC News, “At a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

Personal beliefs aside, we at The Franklin think this is an interesting move on the part of the president. There are a lot of people who are going to assume that this is just a move to try and solidify one more voting group into Obama’s corner of the ring. It certainly does put him directly at odds with Republican front-runner, Mitt Romney, who is a Mormon and has said publicly that he opposes same-sex marriage. While it might be an attempt to unite the liberal wing, Obama has undoubtedly lost a large amount of the conservatives. If any of them were planning on voting for the incumbent president, it is unlikely that they will now, at least the far right conservatives.

Gay and lesbian marriage is a controversial topic in American culture. A recent Gallop poll showed that 50 percent of Americans are in favor of same-sex marriage while 48 percent are against it. This is not exactly a big enough difference to guarantee a win for Obama. A different CNN/ORC poll also showed that, while a favorite talking point, gay and lesbian issues finished tied for last in the most important issues facing this country. Maybe the fact that Obama said this isn’t as big a deal as some people are making it. Sure it’s a favorite issue for discussion and maybe it’s an issue that never will officially be decided at the national level. Even though it’s a big deal to a lot of people, it really won’t have a large impact on November’s general election. And certainly Obama knew that when he decided to say he favors same-sex marriage.

So what is the President’s end game? Or does he even have one? Usually everything the President of the United States says has huge weight and political significance. Maybe this wasn’t intended to be just a political selling point. Maybe Obama really does feel like people should be able to marry whomever they want and just thinks people should know that. If that gets him some more votes, then it’s a plus in his opinion. One thing that Obama also said that was significant, was that he thought the ultimate decision of same-sex marriage should be held by the individual states, not the federal government.

The force this can have was seen in full in North Carolina earlier this month. The citizens of the state voted in favor of an amendment to the state’s constitution that banned same-sex marriage. The amendment even went so far as to say that civil partnerships would no longer be recognized in the Tar Heel state.

The fact that same-sex marriage has been banned in North Carolina, and has even been a point of contention in Indiana , the complete opposite direction states like New York and a handful of others, leads us to believe this is a topic that will not be resolved any time soon.

We do believe it is significant that Obama said states should have the power to decide on same sex-marriage. With people ranking this as a low priority for issues the country faces, it’ll be interesting to see what outcomes there are from Obama’s public announcement.

The editorial board represents the opinion of The Franklin and its staff members. The board meets once a week to discuss hot-button issues on campus that should be addressed. The board is composed of seven Franklin College students. Meetings are moderated by Zach Osowski, the opinion editor. Board members are juniors Zach Osowski, Suzannah Couch and freshmen Timothy Cox, Sandie Love and Olivia Ober. If you have an issue you would like the editorial board to consider, please feel free to email the Opinion Editor, Zach Osowski at: zosowski@franklincollege.edu.