BTHINKachelor CRITICALLY • ACT RESPONSIBLY • LEAD EFFECTIVELY • LIVE HUMANELY April 15, 2011 the student voice of wabash since 1908 volume 104 • issue 24 Mockingbird Tan ’14 Debuts at Vanity Wins REED HEPBURN ‘12 STAFF WRITER Baldwin When Harper Lee’s best- selling novel To Kill a Mockinbird was first pub- SEAN HILDEBRAND ‘14 lished in the 1950s, the Ku STAFF WRITER Klux Klan was still rampant in Crawfordsville. This weekend, the stage adapta- Wednesday night’s Baldwin Ora- tion of Mockingbird will torical Contest offered that rare open at Crawfordsville’s opportunity for Wabash students to Vanity Theatre, brought to get paid for the discussions that life by Wabash alum Jim happen on campus all the time. Amidon as director and a Each year, students deliver slew of Wabash personali- speeches to an audience and a dis- ties in the cast. tinguished panel of judges. Those Two Wabash students who placed in the top four earned share a pivotal role in the monetary prizes (1st receives $250, play—freshman Larry 2nd $150, 3rd $100, 4th $50). This Savoy and sophomore is a tradition that dates back to the DeVan Taylor, will alternate beginning years of the school, in weekends to portray Tom 1873, when Judge D.P. Baldwin DREW CASEY | WABASH ‘12 Robinson, the falsely- hosted this event for the first time. Freshman Tim Tan beat two seniors and went on to win this year’s Baldwin Oratorical Contest. Fitting with the accused defendant in a rape Baldwin believed that awards theme of “Practicing Civic Engagement,” Tan spoke on the College’s support (or lack thereof) of GLBT students. case. The cast also includes should be given to the students who freshman Clayton Mikesell, “composed and pronounced the best junior Reggie Steele, Jill orations.” According to Associate could move on to the finals on and instead embrace them. Steele The final speaker of the night was Rogers and Professor of Professor of Rhetoric and Depart- Wednesday. They were: Derrick Li pointed out that for every 31 white Phipps, whose oration reminded us History Stephen Morillo, ment Chair Jennifer Abbott, Wabash ’14, Adam Phipps ’11, Reggie students there are two Asian stu- how poorly we treat our campus. and Activities Coordinator continues to carry on this event so Steele ’11, and Tim Tan ’14. They dents and one black student, and of His speech, “Recycling at Wabash,” Jerry Bowie (who further that students have the opportunity to attempted to sway the minds of the 33 members of the Sphinx Club, proposed that the current system serves as co-producer). voice their perspectives and to advo- judges Todd Barton ’00, Alexandra only two are not white students. must be revised and that we must Despite the play’s intense cate positions on topics that mat- Hoerl (Assistant Professor of Polit- Third was Tan, who discussed the take charge and become better recy- and controversial content, ter. ical Science), and Ryan Vaughn ’00. issues regarding homosexuality on cling advocates. Phipps provided the cast, composed of actors This year’s theme was “Practicing Li was the leadoff speaker, campus. He advocated that Wabash six simple tasks for students who from all age groups and Civic Engagement,” and students reflecting on the possibility of College needs to show more support want to help should follow: backgrounds, came together gave persuasive, extemporaneous changing the Wabash tradition based for the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisex- Remind, Educate, Maintain, Assign, to earnestly engage with speeches for the judges. Prelimi- on the decline of accolades and ual, Transgender) organization. The Attend, and Communicate. both the play’s message and nary rounds were held on April 5-7 recognition over recent years. He school has rejected this program in Tim Tan’s oration on homosexu- with each other. and were judged by the Rhetoric advocated that Wabash should begin the recent past, and Tan believed al issues on campus won the judges During early rehearsals, Department (Professors Abbott, a coed education program in which that it would be the right thing to over. many cast members felt dis- Lamberton, Hamilton, and McDor- students could take one course each show support for this program. “I received a lot of help from the comfort about, for example, man). The 12 contestants were semester at nearby Purdue Univer- entire Rhetoric department,” Tan the racial slurs in the script. asked to address a public issue faced sity. Li believed that it would bring said. “I was nervous, especially near When the actress who plays by our community and advocate in more applicants as well as a more “I think this contest is the very end of the speech. It was a Mayella Ewell had to deliv- one solution that would help solve social and prestigious presence to a great way for stu- great opportunity for me, and I think er one of these lines for the the problem. Students had to clear- our campus. It would also allow this contest is a great way for stu- first time, Taylor said “I ly address the issue and localize for students to enroll in courses not dents to choose a topic dents to choose a topic and try and remember she looked right their solutions as much as possible offered at Wabash, and it could help convince the audience [toward] a at me, as if to say ‘Is this while explaining how this problem keep our alumni support. and try and convince certain direction. I greatly appreci- okay?’” Taylor’s fellow impacts the audience. Their goal Next up was Steele, whose speech ated the audience who showed up Tom Robinson, Savoy, elab- was to persuade the audience to was titled “Wabash College, Prac- the audience [toward] tonight.” orated—“She kept telling believe in their solutions and guide tice What You Preach.” He advo- Li took fourth place followed by us that she hated saying that them towards an action plan. cated that Wabash College should a certain direction. .” Steele in third place and Phipps as word. She’d just spit it out Twelve students entered into the stop tolerating students of color, Tim Tan ’14 runner-up. preliminary rounds, but only four See, MOCKINGBIRD, Page 5 Rocha Drops Debut Concept Album on Love SAM BENNETT ‘14 genres all shine through. Hints of jazz, blues, hip hop, folk, and Spanish guitar each add unique elements; their STAFF WRITER diverse rhythms are evident throughout the album. Rocha uses the convergence of these eclectic genres to form a It is certainly an admirable feat when a musician sets out vibrantly refreshing and unique approach to songwriting. to release a collection of songs that, together, convey a sin- All five songs were recorded in one day, during one gle idea. The notion of a concept album is no stranger to the session at Aardvark Productions in Steubenville, Ohio. music world. Releases like this usually span at least 45 min- “The real limits on the project were that we only had a utes, giving the albums time to defend themselves, estab- day to record,” Rocha said, “but it was a great day.” lish recurring motifs, and stand on their own as single These limitations did not inhibit the outcome. In fact, they coherent pieces of artistry. helped to solidify a vision that Rocha had for the recording: Owen Dustin Visiting Professor of Philosophy and “I want people to listen to this and say that this is something Teacher Education Samuel Rocha recently released an that they could listen to live, that could be expanded live, astounding concept-based musical project: a five song, and that it sounds pretty live already,” Rocha said. approximately 23-minute long EP entitled Freedom for He wanted the album to convey a sense of organic nat- Love that attempts to accomplish the same technical won- uralness. And “as with any organic product,” Rocha said, der that albums twice as long rarely achieve. “I actually make some very explicit mistakes on the album. Rocha composed and arranged all of the songs on the This is real music. Every track was done live.” album himself, played both acoustic and electric guitar, and The saxophone solos and the vocal melodies and the sang. There were other instrumentalists who were involved intricate, Spanish jazz guitar work contain their own sense in the recording of the EP as well, including Eddie Bayard, of validity without the assistance of machinery and digital “a widely renowned tenor sax player,” Rocha explained. On editing. “The musicianship is out there, like it or not, with- the EP alongside Rocha and Bayard were baritone saxo- See, ALBUM, Page 4 phone player and percussionist Walter Gershon, and bassist and project mix engineer Dan Bozek. ALEX MOSEMAN | WABASH ‘11 In terms of technical musicianship, Rocha confesses Professor Rocha just released his first album, Freedom for musical illiteracy – he cannot read music. Yet Freedom for Love. The album blends jazz, hip hop, blues, folk, and Love would suggest otherwise, as reflections of his various Spanish guitar. musical roots and his background in diverse multitudes of In This Issue: MorMoree ININ ‘1‘111 PrProfofilesiles LLupeupe CausesCauses AmbrAmbrosio’sosio’s ImImpactpact News, 2 & 3 Cavelife, 8 Sports,ts, 99 PAGE 2 The Bachelor April 15, 2011 BACHELOR 301 w. wabash Ave. Editor’s Note: In the remaining issues of this semester, the crawfordsville, IN Bachelor will print several profiles of members of the Class 47933 of 2011 who have led their classmates. You may not know EDITOR IN CHIEF them at all. You may have seen some of them around, but Riley Floyd [email protected] you may not know their stories. The common thread that MANAGING EDITOR Joel Bustamante weaves all of these men together is that they lead IN ’11.