WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Collegian Week in Review: October 2nd, 2025

Episode Date: October 3, 2025

This week on the Collegian Week in Review, hosts Catherine Maxwell, Alessia Sandala, and Megan Li first talk to Evelyn Kniffen about homecoming week and Christian Papillon about the homecoming game itself. Then, they talk to Moira Gleason about important mayoral endorsements for the upcoming Hillsdale election. Next, they talk to Gemma Flores about the recent rise in abandoned dogs at the humane society. Finally, Alessia and Megan talk about the fire pits being built next to the academic buildings on campus.

Welcome to the Collegian Weekend Review on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. Here are your hosts, Alessia Sandela, Catherine Maxwell, and Megan Lee. Welcome to Collegiate Weekend Review, where we give you an inside look into Michigan's oldest college newspaper. We're your host, Megan Lee, Catherine Maxwell, and Alessia Sandella. And today we'll be talking with Evelyn Niffin about homecoming, Christian Papillon about the Chargers' homecoming victory, Maura Gleason about new endorsements for Matthew Bentley and Gemma Flores about abandoned dogs at the Hillsdale Humane Society. Now on to the interviews.

I'm Megan and today we're talking to Evelyn Niffin, a Collegian freelancer that wrote an A1 piece for us this week about Simpson's third victory in a row in Homecoming. So Evelyn, who won the mock rock that was kind of the crowning jewel of our homecoming week? Yeah, so this year, Galloway's dorm partnered with Coon, which last year was a female dorm, but this year was male and they partnered together to win the mock rock competition. Simpson won first in Homecoming overall. What did they place in mock rock? In mock rock, I believe they tied with olds for second. What were some of the elements of Calloway's winning mock rock?

Right. For Calloway specifically, their choreographers told me that one thing they thought pushed them over the edge was the extent to which they allowed different members of their dance, not to just incorporate themselves into the hole, but play to their strengths to do what they were best at. This is Galloway's second mock rock victory in a row, and they were partnered with Coombe, like you said. What were some of the things that they brought out during their mock rock? During their mock rock, they brought out a couple different elements. The first one that the crowd really went wild over was a reenaction of Gru Steele

the moon from the minions movie, complete with someone who, I believe, actually shaved his head. So that was one of them. They had a few Star Wars battles. There was a full Darth Vader costume. And then the biggest part that really got them that I had multiple people tell me that they were awestruck by was the actual sand monster from one of the Dune movies that they'd created with someone writing on it. It was this whole huge structure created with bed sheets and, like, poles. That was amazing. And this homecoming was Old's first time in a long time, or maybe even first time ever, placing in the top five of the mock rock rankings.

And they were second place tied with Simpson. So what was the reaction of the dorm to this incredible victory? Right. I had one of their RAs who choreographed part of the dance. Tell me that they went insane. She said she couldn't remember ever having had a time where Olds, which is not only a freshman dorm, but a freshman girls' door. dorm tie with one of the bigger guys dorms are usually more competitive. And so for them, it was a dream come true. That's amazing. And then there's also Neatfeld dorm that always takes mock rock very

seriously. And I believe placed fourth overall in the mock rock rankings. How did they go about preparing for their mock rock? Yeah, absolutely. David Gregory, the student house director of Needfeld, said that as soon as the theme drops, they have someone who puts together a mix of songs. and gets to work on that right away. And then about two weeks out from Mock Rock, they'll start practicing about an hour a night, and they'll only take one day off a week. And so although a lot of times it is stressful for them

because they're putting the dances together the day before or even in the hours before the actual practice, they are very competitive, and they learn a lot during those hours. And, yeah, they say it works for them. Are you a freshman, Evelyn? Yes. What was your overall reaction to your first homecoming? I was legitimately blown away by the amount of energy that everyone puts into not just the mock rock dances, but to the homecoming spirit in general.

It was so refreshing and exciting to see people who were so committed to pouring so much of themselves into different places. There were people I interviewed who told me that being able to commit fully to mock rock but also to the competition in general is something they take seriously because it will make them better people. And so being around that kind of mindset was very encouraging and inspiring as a freshman to see in the people around me. Yeah, that's beautiful. Thank you so much for coming on, Evelyn. Yeah, thank you for having me. You're listening to The Collegian Week in Review. I'm Catherine, and today I'm talking to assistant sports editor Christian Papillon about his.

A1 article on the Chargers football team. Christian, the Chargers had an exciting homecoming this past weekend. How did their homecoming game go? They played great on all sides of the ball. They played great offense, great defense. The special teams were playing very well. This is the game where everything seemed to come together for the Chargers. And a 44-0 win, I mean, that's just great.

When was the last time the Chargers won their homecoming game? The last time they won was in 2021, so unless there are any fifth-year seniors at the college, this is the first homecoming game that a lot of the students have seen. I'm sure that's a big deal for them. And like you said, it was a 44-0 victory. When was their last shutout win? They haven't shut out an opponent since 2019, so it's been even longer since then. I mean, they've played some really great games, and it doesn't mean that you don't have to shut out your opponent

for it to be a good game. but it still means a lot. Where does this leave their record going into the rest of the season? The Chargers have an even two-and-two record on the season, and then they're one-and-one in the conference. So it seems that they're coming together well. How does the team, and especially the coach, feel coming off of this victory, looking toward their next games?

When I've talked to the coach, he's basically always told me that they're always playing at one game at a time, whether they win or lose, they just move on to the next game. So the win is great, but the team is always focused on beating the next opponent, which would be Tiffin on the fourth. Who were the star players this past game? Colin McCurnan, he's their quarterback, their starting quarterback. He played very well.

He didn't throw any interceptions. He didn't allow any sacks, so that was good for him. And then there's a freshman running back, Ben Jishu, who played very well. He got two rushing touchdowns. And then there was a freshman kicker, Dylan Didario, on special teams, who got some action and kicked a few extra points. So like I said, all sides of the ball, they played very well on Saturday. What did the defense look like this game? The defense was really good. There were a few moments in the game where it looked like Kentucky Wesleyan would score.

They had the ball on the Hillsdale two-yard line, one-yard line, first down, but the charge. larger defense stopped them on all the plays and forced turnovers and two times in the game. So defense was very good. Did the players say that they felt this victory was something challenging to get to? Or how did they feel while in-game mode? I mean, they said the win was great. They didn't seem to think that Kentucky Wesleyan was the most challenging opponent that they could have faced. But a win is a win, and it's definitely going to improve their more.

going into their next games. Well, it was a great weekend for the Chargers. Christian, thanks for joining us. Thank you. The Collegian Weekend Review continues. I'm Alessia, and today we're talking with Mora Gleason, the executive editor of the Collegian, about her piece on former Mayor Adam Stockford

and current Mayor Pro Tem Joshua Paladino's endorsement of Matthew Bentley for mayor. Maura, why did Stockford and Palladino endorse Bentley? They each had their own reasons for endorsing Bentley. Stockford was mostly concerned with the roads, which is something that Bentley has made a priority in his campaign. Stockford wants to get rid of the special assessment districts, which are charging individuals in Hillsdale County up to $5,000 to fund road repairs on their street. Bentley has also opposed the special assessment districts in the past and why. while he has not said that he definitely wants to end them, he has said he at least wants to

lessen the amount that individuals are paying for those. So that was Stockford's primary reason to support Bentley. Paladino had a more general approach. He said he thinks Bentley is open to deliberation and disagreement in the city council in a way that's healthy and beneficial for the city. And what are some of Bentley's main campaign focuses? When I asked him, he said roads, roads, roads, so I think that gives you a clear picture. He's very focused on road repairs. He actually entered the mayoral race to oppose the road diet,

which has already passed at this point. The proposal is to narrow Broad Street to three lanes and make the middle lane, turn lane, and add bike lanes on the sides. There was some disagreement over that proposal over the summer, but it passed in, I believe, August. Bentley has said he's still just going to do whatever he can to increase accountability on the part of the council for fixing the roads and to address the special assessment districts

because as mayor at this point, he really can't do anything about the road diet. And Palladino talked a little bit about the city, the way that the city government is structured with the mayor and city manager system. So how does that work and what is Bentley's position on that? Yes. So Hillsdale is actually kind of unique. The mayor is the executive head of the city according to the city charter. But both Palladino and Stockford have said the office is really just a figurehead.

And the mayor doesn't have any independent executive authority. I looked at the city charter and it looks like the two executive functions of the mayor are appointing officers to these different committees and physicians. but all of those are subject to the consent of counsel, so he has that legislative checker on his power. And then the other executive power of the mayor would hopefully never be needed, and that's to, like, deputize people in the case of a riot or disturbance, to be like a keeper of the peace. And hopefully we won't need that anytime soon. But, yes, so Palladino and Stockford have both said it's really frustrating because as mayor, you're kind of limited to being speaker of the city council and just, calling the meetings and really not much else. And then you, sorry, you asked what Bentley's position on that was.

He said for now, because this is just a special election where he would only be elected as mayor for one year, he's really not worried about overhauling the city charter. But if he were to run and win again in 2026, he'd be open to considering with the support of council restructuring the city charter. The roads have obviously been a big issue in this election. What has the other candidate, former mayor Scott Sessions, said about roads or the road diet or special assessment districts? Yes. So Scott Sessions, the last time we interviewed him for the Collegion, which, well, the last time that we talked to him about this issue was April. And at that point, he was in support of the special assessment districts because he said it wasn't,

fair for some residents to have already paid the full freight for their road repairs and then to change it now so that the rest of the residents who have to pay this fee are paying less. He said that wasn't fair to the people who have already paid up. As far as the road diet session said he initially opposed it, but now that it is now that the proposal has been passed by the council, he thinks it would be too expensive and too much of a household to try to overturn it at this point. So just moving forward. Thanks for coming on, Mora. Thank you so much.

This is the Collegian Week in Review. I'm Alyssa, and today we're talking to Assistant City News editor, Gemma Flores. Gemma, you wrote a story about the rise of abandoned dogs at the Hillsdale Humane Society. What is going on? Why are dogs being abandoned? Well, they don't really know specifically why dogs are being abandoned. They just know that in the past couple weeks, they've seen a few just dropped outside. The shelter typically caters towards animals who are surrendered by their owners, which means they formally come in, pay a fee, and get on a wait list to ensure there's room in the shelter for the dogs.

But recently, they've seen a few pets just dropped at the front door, sometimes not even put in the kennel. They just leave them in the parking lot and drive away. They try to locate the owners using CCTV footage, but a lot of times it just ends up being them taking on the burden of the dogs. So when you visited the shelter, you saw a few different dogs. What were some of the story? Well, the one that jumps out immediately is Tyson. He's a boxer who was abandoned just a few weeks ago, I believe. He was left in the parking lot of the shelter. And he was skin and bones when they found him. I mean, he's a big dog, and he already looks pretty skinny, but I saw some of the pictures that they had posted on Facebook

when they were trying to locate who had abandoned him. And it's pretty sad. It's really, you can see his spine raise through the thing. You can see his ribs through the skin. And he had just clearly been neglected for a long time. They also have a few puppies there. They have Bella, who was actually taken on from Hillsdale County. And Hillsdale County doesn't take on dogs who need veterinary care.

So the Humane Society took her on because she is an injured back leg. Wow. And so with the rise in dogs that are being left near the shelter, what is the shelter's protocol? What are they doing with other dogs who are being surrendered? What's the situation there? Well, it's tricky because typically they want you to come in and formally surrender the dog so they can ensure they have enough space in the shelter for everyone. But with dogs being abandoned, then they're not going to turn them away because that leads even more neglect for these already pretty traumatized animals. So they end up having to take priority with these animals and leave the other dogs whose owners maybe are trying to move or have some other crisis that's come up that they can't take care of these animals anymore. It's leaving these dogs kind of in limbo that the owners just have to figure out a way to hold on to them until the shelter can take them on.

How can we as students help alleviate this problem of so many abandoned dogs? Yeah, well, there's a goal program that we have here on campus that has a different, they have different events on campus for students, but the easiest way to get involved is just show up and you can offer to help out with some of the chores, even just socializing with the dogs. Well, I was there for the interview to Hillsdale student showed up and they came to play with the puppies, and that actually helps them out. So if you want to play with dogs and actually do a lot of good for the community, there's definitely an easy way.

Are these animals getting adopted? What's the success rate look like? Well, according to the shelter director, they usually, dogs don't last very long without being adopted in the shelter. It's usually a couple weeks, maybe months. They do have a few dogs who have been there for about a year, but that's really as long as they go. There does seem to be a pretty big push to adopt. rather than shop for, I guess, boutique dogs. Some people call them. And what happens to dogs that aren't adopted? Well, they keep them as long as they can.

But obviously, if a dog's been there for over a year, there just doesn't seem to be the market for that dog. So what they'll do is try and do a swap program with other local shelters. The shelter director said that Jackson was a good option. It gives more people the opportunity to see this dog. maybe this dog just isn't right for the Hillsdale environment, but for a larger, more metropolitan area, it could be. And then the shelter will take on a dog from Jackson just to make sure it's even. So then if that dog hasn't been adopted in Jackson, maybe Hillsdale's the right area.

Great. Thanks for coming on, Gemma. Yeah, thank you for having me. You're listening to the Collegian Week in Review. I'm Catherine, and I'll be talking to my co-host, Megan and Alessia, about a piece they wrote on some construction next to Kendall. It's been going on for some time, and I think students have been wondering what's going on there. So, Megan, what is the construction next to Kendall Hall? So the construction next to Kendall Hall is a fire pit

that will finish by late fall, according to our chief administrative officer, Rich Payway. And this is not to be confused with the senior class gift from last year that's going to be a smaller fire pit next to Lane Hall. And construction on that has not started yet. It sounded like the administration was pretty excited about this fire pit. What are the amenities and how do they expect it'll be used? Yeah, they're hoping for the fire pit to become this gathering place for students and faculty as a venue for outdoor classes, planned events, students just to sit around as if it was like a picnic table or a bench and just to

hang out. The really nice thing is that it will be able to keep anyone that uses it warm during the winter time. So even when the seasons get colder and students have to spend less time outside, they have this fire pit that they will be able to use. It operates on natural gas with an on and off switch, stone seating material with the capacity of a seminar room is what Rich Paiway said. And he said it is a fairly elaborate design. There are things like landscape lighting, vegetation for beauty, and to kind of protect the area from like natural inconveniences like the wind and the cold.

Like Megan said, this is a separate fire pit from the 2025 legacy gift. Alessia, how did the 2025 Legacy Board? end up also choosing a fire pit. So their class came in during COVID and during that time, of course, we all had to spend a lot of time outside. You couldn't gather in large groups outside or indoors. So you had to be outside and they wanted to kind of call back to that and do something that was outside and a gathering place that was in the fresh air. And now with construction happening in the middle of the quad. This will be a nice place for students to gather and have more study spaces outside. And also the construction project, the lane fire pit that is now the senior class gift was already

slated to happen. And so they were offered, do you want to, you want to do something outside, would you want to chip in on this lane fire pit? And they agreed. Well, both fire pits sound like great places for students to gather. And I'm sure people will be excited when they're finished. Megan and Alessia, thanks for reporting. Thank you. Thank you. You've been listening to the Collegian Weekend Review on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm Alessia Sandella. I'm Megan Lee. And I'm Catherine Maxwell. You can find the Collegian Weekend Review online at cwir.org.com. You can find more news at Hillsdalecollegion.com or at our Instagram. at Hillsdale Collegiate.

Thanks for listening to Radio Free Hillsdale, 101.7 FM.