Western Civilization Series: War and Sequential Art

Colonel John Smith also talked to Western Civilization 2 students on Tuesday afternoon, telling them about how war has been represented in graphic art throughout history. Sequential Art is an academic term for comic strips. The term was originated with Will Eisner, a cartoonist who sought to elevate the form.

Smith began with a historical tour from the Bayeaux Tapestry, which he argued was the first "comic strip" in that set many standards for the genre, that illustrated the Norman invasion of Britain in 1066, to graphic novels such as 300 by Frank Miller. One slide illustrated that even the Simpsons have referenced the tapestry in their program.

Smith argued that many people's experience of war comes from such graphic art. He also discussed several examples of sequential art used to illustrate warfare in Western Civilization, which included Willie and Joe by Bill Mauldin during WWII, Sad Sack by George Baker, Beetle Baily by Mort Walker, and the Doonesbury character BD by Gary Trudeau.

In addition to Western artists, Smith also brought in Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian artist. In her work, she depicted both the Iranians and their Iraqi enemies as being featureless from one another. This was a different perspective from most Western artists who often dehumanize the enemy.

Smith ended by asserting to the students that they could not study cartoon strips academically, but they could study sequential art.

Phi Beta Delta: The Media and the Military

Phi Beta Delta sponsored a talk by ONU alumni Colonel John Smith on the relationship between the military and the media throughout American history. Colonel Smith saw combat during the Gulf War (1991) and has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He is currently the editor of the Military Affairs, the professional journal of the U.S. Army.

Smith told the audience that the relationship between military and media has evolved over time, from outright censorship to cooperation. Censorship lasted from the Spanish American War (1898) to World War II (1941-1945) but in the wake of the Korean War (1950-1953) the relationship shifted to openness with no restrictions during the Vietnam War (1965-1972). Since then, the military has attempted to control access during the Gulf War, but has finally settled on cooperation, embedding reporters in military units during the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Technology has affected the relationship and presented challenges to the military. Smith mentioned an instance when U.S. and Iraqi special forces attacked an insurgent stronghold, killing 16. By the time the forces returned to base some 45 minutes later, the insurgents had taken the bodies of their dead to a mosque where they posed them for an Al Jazeera report that accused the army of attacking a holy site. In an age of instantaneous communication via cell phones, the army must also deal with soldiers having the ability to report what they see almost directly from the battlefield.

His solution for the issues that the military faces is that while the enemy is not bound by the truth, the military must be.

Waters and Crawfords Present Papers to the Ohio Academy of History

Professor Lomax organized an effort to find papers for the Ohio Academy of History Annual Meeting that was held at Capitol University on March 27.

Professor Waters delivered a paper on the American Federation of Labor/Congress of Industrial Organizations role in U.S. foreign policy in the Caribbean during the Cold War. He argued that the AFL/CIO was able to differentiate between actual communists such as Cheddi Jagan in British Guiana, and those who were merely reformers such as the left leaning Honduran government.

Professor Crawford delivered a talk titled “From Flying Wedges to Soccer Moms: Presidential Sports from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama.” His talk focused on how presidents had used sports for their political advantage since Teddy Roosevelt and argued that the Obama administration has ratcheted up the use of sport to connect with voters and place themselves squarely in the center of the American sporting culture.

Phi Beta Delta Talk: What is Pakistan? Pakistan Today

Phi Beta Delta, the International Scholars Honorary hosted a talk titled "What is Pakistan? Pakistan Today" on Thursday March 25 in the Dicke Forum. The talk by Dr. Munir Ahmad of the Dosti Welfare Organization was organized by Professor Loughlin and Jessica Wineburg, an ONU graduate.

Dr. Ahmad's talk told the audience about the history of Pakistan, which was founded because two peoples - the Hindus and the Muslims - couldn't live together in harmony in a single country. Dr. Munir Ahmad discussed this schism, and other highlights of Pakistan's colorful history - how the various peoples who have made their mark on Pakistan over the years have left political and aesthetic legacies that belie the impression we get from the media. Dr. Ahmad created the Dosti Welfare Organization to deliver private aid to his nation of birth, and they are particularly active in raising funds to help Pakistani's build schools.

ONU Group Travels to Tiffin for International Affaris Conference

A delegation of ONU students and faculty traveled to Tiffin University on March 19 and 20 for a conference sponsored by the Northwest Ohio International Affairs Consortium entitled "Current Issues in American Foreign Policy and National Security."

The Consortium was developed in 2008-2009 under the leadership of Professor Loughlin to provide an alternative to the defunct Cincinnati Council on Foreign Affairs. Each year NOIAC hosts a symposium of member schools which include ONU, Tiffin, Heidelberg University, the University of Findlay, Bluffton University, and Defiance College. Although not a member of the Consortium, Baldwin Wallace University also sent a delegation of students who presented papers.

During the symposium, several HPJ faculty members and students presented papers or commented on them. Professor Loughlin presented a paper titled “Is the United States Addicted to War?" Professor Nsia-Pepra presented his paper titled "American National Security Policies and Interests in Africa." Professor Smith presented "The Changing Face of Iran. Ben Smith, who traveled to Cuba as a student, presented his paper "America's Relations with Cuba and US National Security. Alex Habbouche and Professor Crawford contributed to the discussions that followed paper presentations.

The symposium was an interesting one and papers approached the topic from a number of divergent perspectives, which led to wide ranging discussions and even a few arguments. Our students did a fine job in making this symposium a success and we hope to have more at next year's symposium.

A Blast from the Past: C SPAN Electoral College Symposium at ONU

On October 28, 2004, C SPAN brought its camera's to Ohio Northern University for a symposium on the electoral college organized by Professor Rob Alexander. The syposium, moderated by Alexander, brought together a panel of former electors who talked about their experiences in choosing presidents. One focus of the talks was the potential for changing this often obscure, but occasionally controversial institution. Following their remarks, the panelists took questions from the audience. Among the panelist were Marc Ellinger from Missouri, Donna Harter from Ohio, Lazar Palnick from Pennsylvania, and Gregory Pecoraro from Maryland.

To watch this symposium, click here.

Dr. Alexander Interviewed on Health Care Process

The local media reached out to Professor Alexander for his take on the negotiations to pass the Health Care act being debated in the U.S. House of Representatives. Alexander was interviewed by WLIO Lima and told reporters that perhaps the proposed legislation was less radical than its detractors had claimed. He pointed out that large national organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Association for Retired People had endorsed the plan, and that they would be unlikely to back any plan that would radically change the status quo. Alexander provided a great deal more information than made it to the screen, but his ideas shaped the later content of the 11:00 PM broadcast.

Professor Alexander is a frequent interview subject in the local press and has also moderated election eve symposiums on C SPAN.

Phi Alpha Theta meets

Phi Alpha Theta, the History Honorary met to discuss fund raising ideas. The group still has several wooden models of the Hill Building that we can sell. Members were urged to try to move these as soon as possible. Ideas for group T Shirts were also discussed. Some debate swirled around whether to sell only Phi Alpha Theta shirts or to expand this to encompass the entire HPJ Department.

Also discussed was what to do about Honor Chords. The University does not want organization honors chords to be worn during graduation, so members can wear these to Honors Day instead.

Baseball Class hears about Internship at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown

Heather Rivet, who served as an intern at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, visited class on Friday to tell students of her experiences there. Heather, who is the daughter of ONU professors Harold and Susan Putt, told the students about the controversies surrounding the Hall of Fame, her views toward banned players such as Pete Rose, and the activities that she engaged in as an intern.

she began by mentioning the controversy of who actually invented baseball. According to myth, Abner Doubleday began the game in Cooperstown in 1839. That however, was just a myth. the game actually evolved from English games such as townball and rounders that had been played for more than a century before Doubleday's alleged entrance.

She also discussed the method for selection to the Hall. In order to be eligible, a player must have competed in the Major Leagues for ten full seasons, and be retired for five seasons. The player must then be elected by the Baseball Writers of America, or by the Veterans Committee. In order to remain eligible, a player must receive at least 10% of the votes on each year's ballots to remain in contention. Any player banned from baseball, such as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, or Rose, are ineligible for consideration.

Heather told the class, that after considerable discussion with her father, she felt that Rose should be eligible, based on his career on the field. She also said that Rose was a constant feature of the Induction Week ceremonies in Cooperstown, reminding voters that he was still around and signing autographs. In this, her opinion was in line with most of the class. One student asked what she thought would happen with players who used steroids, and she answered that this would be something to watch in coming years as the steroid generation was only now becoming eligible for the Hall.

She then descried her tenure as an intern at the Hall, describing the programs that she worked on, that included creating artifact spotlights, the All Star Gala, and working with various youth oriented programs such as Ozzie Smith day. She mentioned that she was able to chat for a time with Wade Boggs, when he mistakenly arrived hours early for the day. She also described a youth day where young boys and girls had the opportunity to be coached by former major leaguers such as Bill Lee, nicknamed the Spaceman for his bizarre behavior.

Her experience as an intern was a fantastic one, and she told students how to go about applying for the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program, which places undergraduate and graduate student interns in a variety of departments at the Hall. She also left a number of brochures for the program, which can be picked up by contacting Dr. Crawford.

Model UN Team Competes at Dayton

The Ohio Northern Model United Nations team attended the Dayton Model United Nations Conference, held at Sinclair Community College ( Dayton OH) on February 19 and 20, 2010. The team participated in both the General Assembly Plenary and World Health Organization committees, representing the countries of Ecuador, Ghana, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Hungary, and Colombia. The members of the team in attendance were Kerrie Bell, Brandon Bryant, Zachary Esterline, Dan Jones, Megan Piersol, Rochelle Reamy, Steven Saunier, Hannah Shreffler, and Leeann Sullivan, with Professor Kofi Nsia-Pepra as the student advisor.

The General Assembly Plenary worked on two topics at the conference:

Environmental Degradation as a Source of Climate Change and the Control of Conflict Resources. In regard to the first topic, Environmental Degradation, the committee tackled solutions to water as a source of conflict, the effects of migration as a result of climate change, oil as a source of climate change, and desertification leading to migration and human rights difficulties. The second topic also garnered much work, as the committee addressed conflicts as a result of water, oil, and diamonds. Further, the committee addressed non- state actors' role in conflict as a result of climate change.

The World Health Organization worked on establishing more direct resources to limiting the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The committee worked to address transparency of funding toward this issue and utilizing international nongovernmental organizations in order to quell the impact of HIV/AIDS. The team had success working in both committees, drafting and passing resolutions, to address all mentioned global problems, and used the opportunity to prepare for the National Model United Nations Conference, to be held in New York City at the end of March.