The Hillsdale Collegian

11/16/2025

OPINION | Since Tucker Carlson hosted far-right persona non grata Nick Fuentes on his show Oct. 27, The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, Sen. Mitch McConnell, radio host Mark Levin, and many others have condemned Carlson for giving Fuentes airtime.

The backlash is grounded in clear rationale: Fuentes is notorious for racist, sexist, and antisemitic rhetoric. During his appearance on Carlson’s show, he continued spouting conspiracies of “Jewry” undermining the America First movement and even described himself as an admirer of Joseph Stalin.

Any viewer has the right to criticize Carlson for not challenging certain bad ideas and asking tougher questions, and we should. We should engage with these interviews critically and thoughtfully. But criticism is one thing. Cancellation — the calls to oust Carlson from the conservative sphere — is another matter entirely.

🖊Written by Elijah Guevara.
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Courtesy | Flickr The conservative right is full of questionable and unpleasant figures. Canceling them is not the solution. Since Tucker Carlson hosted far-right persona non grata Nick Fuentes on his show Oct. 27, The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, Sen. Mitch McConnell, radio host Mark Levin, and many...

11/16/2025

CITY NEWS | Hillsdale’s newest resale store, 517 Thrift Shop, opened in September after more than a year of preparation.

The shop’s owner, Andrea Dixon, said the store has been a dream of hers since childhood. The thrift shop offers a variety of refurbished clothing, furniture, dishware, and decor at low prices.

Growing up, Dixon said she remembers helping her mom put on yard sales and hoping to do something similar on a larger scale. For the past five years, Dixon has been looking for an opportunity to start working on her dream. That opportunity finally arrived when her parents purchased a building on the corner of Willow and Oak streets and offered to rent part of it to her.

“My dad was like, ‘Hey, you want to do your thrift store?’” Dixon said. “I’m like, heck yeah!”

🖊Written by Anna Stirton.
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11/16/2025

NEWS | Three Hillsdale radio students placed as finalists in the 2025 College Broadcasters Inc. awards in October. Junior Luke Miller, Erin Osborne ’25, and Lauren Smyth ’25 were all ranked in the top four for their respective categories.

The CBI awards, held annually, are a national system of recognition for outstanding radio and television production among college students.

Smyth placed second in Best Newscast or Sportscast for “Lauren Smyth News.” Smyth was involved in the radio station throughout her college career and has been recognized by CBI awards in the past, including first place awards she won for best newscast in both 2022 and 2024. She said she finds radio, especially newscasting, to be rewarding.
🖊Written by Rebecca Nuar.
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Three Hillsdale radio students placed as finalists in the 2025 College Broadcasters Inc. awards in October. Junior Luke Miller, Erin Osborne ’25, and Lauren Smyth ’25 were all ranked in the top four for their respective categories. The CBI awards, held annually, are a national system of recognit...

11/15/2025

NEWS | Three Hillsdale College professors joined hundreds of economists in signing an Oct. 24 letter that describes President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs as a “threat” to the economic prosperity of America.

Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram, Associate Professor of Economics Michael Clark, and Associate Professor of Economics Christopher Martin were among the 467 economists who added their names to the letter.

“As economists, we know that broad-based tariffs impose net costs on the economy,” the letter says. “They divert resources from their most efficient use, while making it more difficult and expensive for U.S. businesses to access inputs and capital goods, like steel and machinery for manufacturers and fertilizer and agricultural equipment for farmers.

🖊Written by Charles Hickey.
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Three Hillsdale College professors joined hundreds of economists in signing an Oct. 24 letter that describes President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs as a “threat” to the economic prosperity of America. Professor of Political Economy Gary Wolfram, Associate Professor of Economics Michael Clar...

11/15/2025

CULTURE | Featuring original music by Hillsdale alumnus Ethan Graham ’25, “The Book of Will” explores how English playwright William Shakespeare lives on through his writings.

The Tower Players will premiere the historic account of Shakespeare’s friends collecting his writings in “The Book of Will,” written by American playwright and screenwriter Lauren Gunderson, this week with performances in Markel Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Ticket reservations are not required.

According to director Christopher Matsos, associate professor and chair of the theatre and dance department, the story is a tragedy and a comedy detailing the preservation of Shakespeare’s works.
🖊Written by Anna Broussard.
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Featuring original music by Hillsdale alumnus Ethan Graham ’25, “The Book of Will” explores how English playwright William Shakespeare lives on through his writings.

11/14/2025

FEATURES | A gas station restaurant might provoke skepticism and low expectations. Turns out, Cooper’s is just what Hillsdale needs.

Located behind the Marathon Gas Station on W. Carleton Road, Cooper’s opened Oct. 27. It serves hearty American fare, from rice bowls to burgers and wings to fries. Customers order at the front and are served at their tables in less than 10 minutes.

In terms of food quality, efficiency, and restaurant atmosphere, Cooper’s falls between fast food and a typical sit-down restaurant — I’d put it on par with a Chipotle or Panera. It’s the sort of place you go to when you’re short on time, looking for takeout, or simply craving a good burger or sandwich.

🖊Written by Adriana Azarian.
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11/13/2025

CITY NEWS | The special meeting of the Hillsdale City Council lasted less than three minutes Monday evening before the council declared a recess. The council will reconvene Nov. 17 to swear in city officers elected last week.

The meeting fulfilled an obsolete provision in the Hillsdale City Charter, which requires the council to meet the Monday following an election. But because the timeframe for certifying elections has been pushed back in recent years to accommodate mail-in ballots, the election has not yet been certified by the board of canvassers.

“We can’t swear in the officers on the day that we’re supposed to according to the charter,” Mayor Pro Tem Joshua Paladino told The Collegian. “We called the meeting to order to meet the charter requirement and then recessed it so we can call it back to order next week when we can actually swear in the officers.”

🖊Written by Moira Gleason.
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11/13/2025

NEWS | When the clock hit zero at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium Saturday afternoon, the Hillsdale Chargers were somewhere in Ohio, but the Frats were celebrating their 12-6 win over the Fundies in the second-annual Turkey Bowl hosted by Campus Rec. The series is now tied, with the Frats and the Fundies claiming one title each.

The Turkey Bowl brings together the men of Hillsdale’s Frats and pits them against campus Fundies, the men from other dorms across campus, in competition on the gridiron. This year, on-field frustrations turned the flag football game into a series of arguments and, eventually, a scuffle at midfield.

Teams braved 30-degree weather to join in what senior Jonathan Williams, co-head resident assistant at Simpson Residence and hype man for the Fundies, called the spirit of friendly competition.

Written by Ty Ruddy.
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When the clock hit zero at Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium Saturday afternoon, the Hillsdale Chargers were somewhere in Ohio, but the Frats were celebrating their 12-6 win over the Fundies in the second-annual Turkey Bowl hosted by Campus Rec. The series is now tied, with the Frats and the Fundies ...

11/13/2025

SPORTS | The Hillsdale football team beat Walsh University 23-20 Nov. 8 to improve to 5-5 overall and 4-4 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

Sophomore quarterback Colin McKernan completed 23 of 28 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns, receiving the GMAC Offensive Player of the Week.

“The pass game felt great,” McKernan said. “Guys were getting open like we expected and they ran the coverages we expected.”

🖊️Written by Christian Papillon.
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11/10/2025

CULTURE | Tilly Norwood looks like any other Hollywood hopeful. She’s pretty, slim, brunette, and age can’t touch her. Seriously.

That’s because “she” is not human.

Norwood is the first AI-generated actress being marketed to talent studios for film. Based on the handful of clips available to the public, the avatar seems as boring as it is perfect.

But the backlash it has caused in Hollywood deserves some attention.

🖊️Written by Moira Gleason.
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Tilly Norwood is not a real person. Courtesy | Tilly Norwood Instagram Tilly Norwood looks like any other Hollywood hopeful. She’s pretty, slim, brunette, and age can’t touch her. Seriously. That’s because “she” is not human. Norwood is the first AI-generated actress being marketed to tale...

11/09/2025

NEWS | Three junior varsity debaters tied for the individual junior top speaker award during last weekend’s online debate tournament hosted by Gonzaga University.

Freshmen Caylee Norris and John Gardner, and senior Larisa Perez received awards for clarity and organization of their arguments.

Norris said she believes her placement was due to a combination of her abilities to build on previous arguments and deconstruct evidence presented during the rounds.

🖊️Written by Malia Thibado.
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Three junior varsity debaters tied for the individual junior top speaker award during last weekend’s online debate tournament hosted by Gonzaga University. Freshmen Caylee Norris and John Gardner, and senior Larisa Perez received awards for clarity and organization of their arguments. Norris said ...

11/08/2025

FEATURES | My go-to Asian restaurants for the past couple of years have required the hour-long drive to Ann Arbor. Now, thanks to the newly opened Akitsu Kitchen, I have an option 55 minutes closer.

Despite the lack of clear signage, the new little takeout restaurant wasn’t difficult to find in the Rough Draft building beside the restroom, and I was excited to give it a go.

Open Thursday through Saturday, Akitsu rotates its meals weekly, which means my experience of their food was limited to the options of the past week.

The cuisine of the week was Filipino, and the two options were chicken adobo and pork lechon kawali (fried pork belly). Both were served with rice, lumpia, pancit, and a cucumber salad. Lumpia is a small Filipino spring roll, and pancit is a dish of noodles and vegetables.

🖊️Written by Ameera Wilson.
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My go-to Asian restaurants for the past couple of years have required the hour-long drive to Ann Arbor. Now, thanks to the newly opened Akitsu Kitchen, I have an option 55 minutes closer.