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Like all of our programs, the Department of Theatre and Dance had to adapt how they teach, rehearse, and perform due to the pandemic. With the eyes of the public on their performances, the students adapted techniques, technology, and even costumes, to produce successful performances this fall. You can read about their three productions — The Theory of Relativity, An Enemy of the People, and Dance 2020: The Wild Within — at the links below.

Related Link:

• Theater review: Otterbein’s first streaming musical ‘The Theory of Relativity’ brims with beautiful vocals, honest emotions
• Otterbein Theatre and Dance Offers a Modern Take on a Classic Play
• Otterbein Theatre and Dance Explores Emotions in “Dance 2020: The Wild Within”
• College Students Talk About the Impact of Virtual and Outdoor Classes

COVID-19 has changed everything — how we learn, work and play. The Otterbein community has met the challenges of this pandemic with a variety of responses that are defined by grace, humility, humor, and ultimately, resilience and hope. In checking in with our community, we found shared truths that remind us we are not alone in what we feel, how we are coping and what we are learning about ourselves in adapting to this temporary but challenging COVID-19 world.

Sarah Bouchard

PROFESSOR, BIOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCE

Sarah Bouchard, a professor in biology and earth science, describes adapting to the pandemic in phases. “At first, it was all crisis management: Who needs a computer? Who needs help with their wi-fi connection? Does everyone have a safe place to live?,” Bouchard said.

Then, after the dust settled and it was time to “get down to the business of teaching and learning,” Bouchard said it felt a bit like staring into an abyss. “I knew my students were all out there, but I wasn’t sure what was going on with them.”

Now, she says she’s discovered that with careful planning, creativity and flexibility, she can still capture much of what it means to be teaching and learning despite the challenges.

“Although it has been hard, my classes are all benefitting from the revisions and adaptations that I have had to make,” Bouchard said. “The pandemic has really highlighted how much I value the close, personal relationships that I’m able to have with my students.”

Bouchard, named Otterbein’s 2020 Master Teacher, is a physiological ecologist, active researcher and active part of the Zoo and Conservation Science program.

Fernando Jose-Chairez ’23

SPANISH/LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES AND JOURNALISM/MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS
The biggest challenge I’ve faced during this pandemic has been trying to stay financially afloat while trying to grow as a person. Financially, I am on my own more than ever. Growing as a person is another challenge — it’s hard to know who one is if all you can do is mostly stay indoors, online.

Adeline Almendinger ’19

ASSISTANT MERCHANT, EXPRESS
Adeline Almendinger ’19 turned an internship into a full-time job as an assistant merchant at Express when she graduated. Until March 2020, she reviewed and planned timelines and sales from week to week, arranged store “looks” and worked with multiple teams to decide which styles will sell. But how has the fashion retail industry dealt with a pandemic when people aren’t shopping in stores, dressing for work or going out to eat? Almendinger said it requires a different approach to decision making. “COVID has made things a lot harder from a retail perspective because we are not able to physically see the product,” she said, adding that making connections with her teams also has been challenging.

Paul Wendel

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND CHAIR, EDUCATION
So how are the teachers who are preparing the future teachers adapting? “We’ve learned to hold good classes in configurations ranging from entirely online
to half in-person and half online. We’ve learned to conduct socially distanced in-person experiments with online lab partners, sometimes conducting the
experiments outdoors.”  The adaptations go beyond Wendel’s classes into his students’ K-12 field placements. “Our students are teaching classes in person
and online, learning a wide range of online tools in the process,” he said. 

This award-winning educator offers the perfect lesson to this situation. “With a good deal of humor we’re all adapting, learning and growing together as educators — and we’re finding we can handle just about anything,” Wendel said.
Wendel was named the 2020 Exemplary Teacher and proudly describes his students as his future colleagues.

Lisa Minken ’03

BROADWAY MARKETING MANAGER, COLUMBUS ASSOCIATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS (CAPA)

Promoting CAPA’s Broadway in Columbus Series changed dramatically for Lisa Minken ’03 in March when she learned during a Columbus run of My Fair Lady that the State of Ohio was restricting theatre performances. “The show opened on a Wednesday and by Thursday gatherings were no more.” Since then, her work has focused on keeping fans engaged until theatre makes a comeback. “Normally we would be in our current season and we would have already had a show,” she said. Predicting the future during the pandemic is difficult, but Minken is hopeful Broadway in Columbus can return by spring 2021. “Every day is a day closer to having our theatre doors open.”

Sara Anloague Bogan ’18

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST, OHIOHEALTH 
Since March, Sara Anloague Bogan ’18 has been supporting the incident command center at OhioHealth’s flagship hospital, Riverside Methodist Hospital, from home. Her goal is to keep OhioHealth associates and leaders informed and resilient through these hard times and support OhioHealth’s back-to-business efforts. “COVID-19 intensifies the need for clear, engaging communication. Because of the change of pace, there is always something that makes my job challenging,” she said.

Randy Mobley ’80

PRESIDENT, TRIPLE-A INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Each spring, Randy Mobley ’80 would complete final planning and oversight tasks and gear up for the regular season to start. This season was different.  “We shut down in March and began reworking our schedule, thinking we could start as early as late May. You look back now and think how silly we were,” Mobley said. Now, Mobley is unsure about the future. Minor League Baseball teams continue to lose revenue while Major League Baseball is seeking to alter its relationship with the minor leagues. “We’re going to do what we can do,” he said, “but for now we’re along for the ride.”

Evan Brandao ’22

COMMUNICATION STUDIES

I have been using this time to think about what my passions are, how I want to pursue them and how Otterbein can help me. I’ve been reaching out to local professionals to get advice, and it is amazing how much insight people are willing to provide if you take the initiative to reach out.

Jeremy Llorence

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, ENGLISH

Jeremy Llorence, an assistant professor in English, has encouraged his students to find activities or hobbies that they find fulfilling to balance their worries. “You can use things you enjoy doing to recharge after all of the video calls you’re going through,” Llorence said. “Whether for socialization, for classes or for work, video calls can be really draining. I think it’s important for your mental health to take that time for yourself to do things that you find fulfilling — whether that’s creative work or just reading a book that you really love.” Llorence acknowledges that these are difficult times — but he’s taking heart. “If I’ve learned anything at Otterbein over my career here, it’s that we are a strong community, we are capable and we will get through this together,” he said. Llorence was named the 2020 Best New Teacher and is the faculty advisor for Otterbein’s Quiz and Quill literary magazine.

Lily Burnside ’23

ECONOMICS

I found a hobby of gardening. Working at the Otterbein Community garden was perfect because it was easy to social distance with my coworkers and because of the mental health benefits of being outdoors.

Anna Egensperger ’23

POLITICAL SCIENCE AND COMMUNICATION STUDIES

The biggest challenge I have faced during the pandemic is the inability to focus during online classes. I was frustrated with my lack of concentration, so I decided to take action to combat it.

Artwork descriptions by Janice Glowski, Ph.D. and Magda Parasidis

Otterbein Art Exhibitions Put Social Justice Issues on Display

The Otterbein Department of Art and Art History has opened the University’s museum and gallery spaces this year to the issues of labor justice, the poor working-class, immigration and systemic racism with three exhibitions, two during fall semester and one during spring semester. 

According to Museum and Galleries Director Janice Glowski, the Department wants those who see the exhibits to ask where they see themselves in the art, the stories and the exhibition themes. She hopes they will allow themselves to be open to change and being uncomfortable because that, Glowski said, is when the greatest learning occurs. 

“Part of Otterbein’s educational mission is to train students to think critically, clearly and in an informed way about the narratives that dominate our social discourse,” said Glowski. “Importantly, we are asking the viewer to question, to look deeper into their understandings and to ask themselves difficult and sometimes uncomfortable questions.”

The three exhibitions — Magda Parasidis: Ghosts in Sunlight, On(c)es Forgotten and Valentino Dixon: Journey to Freedom — are challenging longheld assumptions about poverty, race and our country’s history. These exhibitions are meant to question the single narrative by directly addressing social issues through an aesthetic lens, present new voices and share often untold narratives.

“We are demonstrating that the Otterbein community is willing to commit to doing the hard work of listening, learning, being honest and moving toward shared truths. We are willing to engage in the difficult work of healing, so we can create the possibility of jettisoning the notion that there is a hierarchy of human value,” she said.

All exhibits are free and open to the public. Visit www.otterbein.edu/art/art-exhibit-schedule for more information on hours and location.

Building PPE to Protect our Community

“When we found out there was a need in the community, the first thing that the students and our lab manager asked was, ’How can we help?’” Bender said that even as the University was shifting to working from home, the team realized that the tools and equipment at The Point’s Maker Space could be valuable in helping. “As the situation continued to unveil itself, we were looking on blogs, we were looking to some of our corporate partners, we were looking to our healthcare institutions — and we were talking to them on a regular basis to learn what they needed and how we could help them.”

Bender said that the collaborative approach informed better decisions and a better strategy. “Rather than just making this or that, we went to our partners and said, for example, ’OhioHealth — how can we best support you? Here are the tools and things we have.’”

The community partners responded with their needs and asked if Otterbein could help. So Otterbein got to work.

Bender said that as the situation was unfolding, some companies were making free designs for PPE available. The team tried a few and found they weren’t good. Curtis Smith, the operations manager of the Maker Space and labs at The Point, had a source in Australia. They connected and Otterbein’s team started to hone in on a design to start 3-D printing protective face shields. Soon after, one of the engineering students also came up with a great design to use laser printer technology to create even more face shields.

“We have five students working on this project,” Smith said. “Their majors range from engineering to education and we have some graduate assistants as well.”

Smith said the team is taking precautions and that he’s keeping contact limited to just two people per shift to keep students safe.

Bender and Smith report that as of May 11, the team has made more than 400 face shields that are already in use with the supplies to make 1,000. “If there are other organizations that need a face shield protector, we’re happy to do that,” Bender said.

The Point-produced PPE has been donated to community partners including St. Ann’s Hospital, Westerville City Police and EMS, Friendship Village of Columbus, Heartland of Westerville, OhioHealth, DASCO home healthcare providers and Otterbein’s own facilities team and janitorial services crew.

But Otterbein’s help doesn’t stop there. The team at The Point is also making 3-D printed bushings for OhioHealth. Bender explained that this small piece means a critical piece of equipment can be kept outside of a patient’s room. This gives nurses and doctors immediate monitoring of ventilator operations without having to be completely dressed in PPE to go inside the room every time. Otterbein has made almost 300 of those pieces as of May 1.

Related Link:

• Otterbein molding minds and plastic to help medical professionals fight coronavirus
• Otterbein students band together to make PPE for medical professionals fighting coronavirus pandemic