Spring 2008 (Vol. 1 Issue 2)

TIGHT

THE BEST

roots FESTS

BARACK COOL K I C K S in bed?

R E A L LY

STALL

EVEN MORE CRIBS SCRIBBLES

backdrop volume 1 issue 2 spring 2008

magazine

What’s In Your Bag? The great debate about guns on campus entertainment : hype : culture : sex : art : humor : health : music : life

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sponsored by:

saturday may 31st @ the courts behind McCracken Hall

(off Stewart and Mill St.) $20 entry fee per team of 3

prizes: t &BDI QMBZFS PO UIF XJOOJOH UFBN SFDFJWFT B "NFSJDBO &YQSFTT (JGU $BSE t 3VOOFST 6Q 3FDFJWF 'MJQ 7JEFP $BNFSBT

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Prizes for spectators too!

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backdrop

Letter from the Editor:

&EJUPS JO $IJFG Ashley Luther $SFBUJWF %JSFDUPST Tara Melvin, Gina Beach &YFDVUJWF &EJUPST Shamus Eaton Andrew Eisenman Meredith Lockwood Megan L orenz Veronica Norton James Rice Laura Yates Steve Zeisler *OUFSJN %FTJHO %JSFDUPS Amanda Yezerski 1IPUP &EJUPS Sarah Amato "EWFSUJTJOH %JSFDUPS Susannah Sachdeva 1VCMJD 3FMBUJPOT %JSFDUPr James Rice Copy Chief Carla Saavedra-Santiago $POUSJCVUJOH &EJUPST

Shane Barnes, Meghan Montgomery, Aadam Soorma, Annie Beecham, Susannah Sachdeva, Elizabeth Sheffield , Will Cooper, James Rice, Brittany Timmons, Jamie Smith, Katelyn Burkhart, Maria Gallucci, Megan Reutch, Aaron Lemley, Greg Gallant

Though we’ve had to deal with typical, unruly southeastern Ohio weath­ er, you can still tell spring has really sprung in Athens. Students are scantily clad, there’s more drinking on porches than in the bars and it seems every­ one has a new puppy. From my off­campus tenement I can hear the echoes of cornhole bags smacking against the fanatically­painted wooden boards and though I suffer through the season’s pollen pollutants, the feeling is bittersweet. Everyone at Ohio University lives spring quarter to the fullest, whether it’s by taking fewer hours or taking hikes at Strouds Run. Backdrop!"#"$%&'(#&"")*#&"#+*,-.*+#.-#./*#0&,*01#234$)"#53,-%#./3.#&'6*2."# everyone in the spring. We’ve given you a candid guide to all things fests and maybe you’ll get inspired to take a break from town after reading our “Daytrippin’â€? story.  Also, all of our random facts gracing the bottom of our pages are about the environment . Be aware of the earth on which you are trodding, and remember to recycle Backdrop after you’re sick of reading it. Spring is also a time for rebirth, which is why I’d like to say goodbye to the readers of Backdrop and to warn you about the new leaders that will be producing the magazine next year. They are amazing, hardworking, tal­ ented individuals who will really make me proud. Starting Backdrop has been a life­altering experience and I’ve loved ev­ ery panic attack that has come along with it. But, it’s time for me to gradu­ ate, expand my horizons and continue to grow — but never grow up. Cheers,Â

Photographers

Ali Winberry, Mariana Quevedo, Alanna Geoghegan, Patrick McCue, Elizabeth Sheffield, Erin Pyles, Sarah Amato, Andrea Kovakewich

%FTJHO 4UBò

Kelley Bryant, Kelley Shaffer, Amy King Ashley Clinger, Jessica Shafran, Rachel Godward, Cana Pistar

"EWFSUJTJOH 4UBò Steve Zeisler, Brittany Timmons, Aadam Soorma, Meredith Lockwood

Copy Staff

Ashley Luther &EJUPS JO $Iief

ertise?

Wanna Adv nnah: contact Susa hio.edu o ss133506@

Lindsay Bailey, Josh Taylor,

"EWJTFr Jack Brady

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spring 2008 backdrop

'SJFOE Backdrop Mag PO 'BDFCPPL UPEBZ

WANT TO BE A PART OF BACKDROP? Submit your letters, story pitches, photographs, designs, ideas and commentary to: backdropmag@gmail.com

Backdrop 22

34

28 departments entertainment

hype

sex and health

sounds like 6 gallery hopping 7 wingin’ it 9

tight roots 17 animal houses 19

TFY DPMVNO 38 work-out-aholics 39

exhibit a 21

sh!ts and giggles

a-town reality star Q&A 11 no place like home 12 beijing bobcats 14 union reunion 15

features sneakerheads 22 summer jobs 25 fest foot forward 28 music fests 31 the loaded question 34

Americans throw away 40 billion disposable coffee cups each year. Buy a mug...

daytrippin’ 41 hot for teacher 42 SFWFOHF PG UIF OFSET 43 ruthless rant and rage 44 say what? 45 websh!t 45 sh!t show 46 backdrop 2008 spring

4

FEEDBACK

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE SO 2001. HERE ARE SOME RESPONSES TO OUR FIRST ISSUE THAT WE RECEIVED VIA FACEBOOK AND GMAIL.

&MPEJF 'VTDJBSJ wrote

at 7:50 p.m. on February 25th, 2008 Backdrop magazine is bomb-ass.

&SJO 4DISPFUUJOHFS wrote

at 10:35 a.m. on February 27th, 2008 I picked up a copy yesterday and read it cover to cover, great work guys!

&SJLB #SP[F wrote

at 9:14 a.m. on February 28th, 2008 Don’t get me wrong, it was well put together and the topics were juicy. The only problem was that it was a little too hipster-elitist.

-VLF #FOUMFZ wrote

at 7:27 p.m. on February 27th, 2008 If I may say, you’ve got a great thing going here.

I wish you all the best, and hope the next issue comes super fast!

.FHBO 'JTIFM wrote

at 2:06 p.m. on February 29th, 2008 I learned more from reading the teeny tiny facts at the bottom of the page than I have so far in my entire college career? Is that bad?... I don’t think so either.

WJB (NBJM Okay, I saw your name on the graffiti wall at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, on my way to the lab in RTVC, and I thought wow, what a good idea to label the walls as “BACKDROP” that way people won’t paint over a work in progress, which has happened to me, and it sucks. And then I caught you at college gate Monday afternoon, and I had to see what was up. I took your mag and gave it a read. Wow, I am pretty impressed. I really like the style of the mag, the articles were great, the photography was amazing. The whole production looks great. I hope you all make a go at this and keep up the great work. I was skeptical at first, “student-made crap” was my first thought, but I have to say that your approach surprised me. Keep up the good work.

- Anonymous Junior Digital Media Major

27 S. Court Open Mon­Fri 8­9, Sat­Sun 10­9 Phone: 740­593­3838

BA GEL Street Deli

“changing the world, one bagelwich at a time!”

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Largest combination of sandwich possibilities in town! spring 2008 backdrop

Fun fact goes here Fun fact goes here Fun fact goes here

Made to order salads, soups, tofu and more...

SOUNDS LIKE...

T.I. + Kanye West = GET IT POPPIN’ ENTERPRISES

BY GREG GALLANT

In a small market like Southeastern Ohio, homemade music is fairly common, but the songs coming from one laptop in Weld Hall are not on your typical basement mix tape. Alan ‘AG’ Grigsby, of Cleveland, along with Columbus natives Desmond ‘D Boi’ Polk and Marcus ‘Chief ’ Collins, are laying down tracks as Get It Poppin’ Enterprises right in AG’s dorm room.

Most of Get It Poppin’s songs are straightforward party songs that focus on drinking, smoking, rhyming and women.

On the track “There They Go,” the hook asks, “Got liquor in that cup? Let’s roll/Got dro up in that dutch? Let’s blow/Got a !"#$%#&'%&""'%#%()$*%+"$,-%./01233%$4"%56736"-%3//8%#$%)-9:%;4"% group sounds like a more laid-back T.I. at times.

It’s not all about partying for these emcees though. “We like to do songs for people to dance to, but we also like to do songs that you can sit down and listen to, and that have some lyrical content,” said AG. There’s a sort of Kanye West feel to it when these three start “exhaling analogies like a bag of weed.” The tracks use an upbeat synth riff and lyrics about urban culture <$$6&5%6&$/%$4"%=#&>"%?/3'9%

The guys of Get It Poppin’

The trio will be distributing their mix tape on Court Street this quarter, and they can be seen at open mic nights around (#?@)-9;/%5"$%>/)7%ABC%<DE%(4"(8%/)$F 0009%?>-@#("9(/?1/)./0G9%

591­5593/591­ 5592 www.hinesrentals.

AVAIL­ ABLE HOMES INCLUDE: 37 Walker 39 Walker 41 Walker backdrop 2008 spring

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GALLERY HOPPING

FOR A MORE SOPHISTICATED NIGHT ON THE TOWN, CHECK OUT THE AREA’S ARRAY OF ART GALLERIES

BY GINA BEACH

KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART

STARBRICK CLAY

CUBE 4 GALLERY

Lin Hall in The Ridges Hours: T/W/F 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thurs. 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sat. and Sun. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Suggested $5 donation If you’re a pop art fan, get over to The Ridges to check out the Kennedy Museum’s latest show, “Portfolios and Suits from the Print Collection.”

The work of Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg, among others, are on display in Lin Hall. The Kennedy Museum is best described by an 2?"-J633"%$467'%57#'"7%/&%#%<"3'%$76@F% “The building is scary on the out-6'"E% !)$% '"<&6$"3>% !"#)$6H)3% /&% $4"% inside.”

21 W. Columbus St. in Nelsonville Hours: Wed. -- Sat. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Final Fridays Prices range from $3 magnets to a $500 chess set Named for the famed bricks manufactured in the area, this artist-run coop showcases the work of 10 Athens County potters whose art ranges from functional kitchenware to whimsical animal statues and sculptural pieces.

Most customers are tourists looking for an affordable souvenir from the area. If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day present, this could be the perfect place.

4th floor of Seigfred Hours: No set hours, usually open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays FREE Cube 4 Gallery is a small, square room immediately to the right of $4"%H/)7$4%.//7%"&$7#&("%$/%I"65H76"'% Hall. The only student-run gallery in the county, Cube 4 is operated by the Undergraduate Art League, an orga&6G#$6/&%)&6$6&5%-$)'"&$-%H7/?%'6HH"7ent art concentrations. Cube 4 space is open to reserve for any student or class, though art majors get priority.

No parameters are placed on the art shown in the gallery as long as the space is returned to its original state when each show concludes.

20 Public Sq. in Nelsonville Hours: Fri. – Sun. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Final Fridays FREE The Majestic Galleries’ entrance on Nelsonville’s Public Square is reminiscent of its past life as a movie theater. Its partnership with OU has allowed grad student spring quarter thesis shows to double their run to two weeks. A co-op gallery, the Majestic displays members’ work and regional exhibitions the rest of the year. It’s a great excuse to drive out to Nelsonville, and if you go to “Final Fridays,” the last Friday of the month, the whole square is alive with an artsy vibe.

MAJESTIC GALLERIES

Be sure to check out Final Fridays on the square in Nelsonville’s Historic Arts District the last Friday of every month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Explore new exhibits, artists demonstations, live music and much more.

MORE GALLERIES TO MENTION THE DAIRY BARN

8000 Dairy Lane, Athens Hours: Tu/W/F/Sat. 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs. 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. $2.50 for students

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spring 2008 backdrop

STUDIO 4 GALLERY

3 W. Columbus St. in Nelsonville Hours: Wed. to Sat. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

PAPER CIRCLE

35 W. Columbus St. in Nelsonville Hours: Tu/W/Th 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

U.S. airports and airlines discard enough aluminum cans each year to build 58 Boeing 747s.

Fun fact goes here Fun fact goes here Fun fact goes here

backdrop 2008 spring

6

WINGIN’ IT IN ATHENS

BY MEGHAN MONTGOMERY

A

s the saying goes, “you are what you eat.” If this is true, then I must salivate Frank’s Red Hot and the smell of moldy blue cheese. Maybe on a good day you’ll catch a whiff of my celery and Wet-Nap perspiration.

How sexy.

Buffalo wings are all I eat. It’s actually kind of gross how much I eat them. So this was probably the sweetest job I’ve ever had. The task was to visit different restaurants in Athens with my professional and hand-selected Buffalo wing team, drink beer and rate their wings.

We set off on a Sunday night to determine which restaurant deserves the recognition for the best wings in Athens. Despite what some unfriendly employees thought, me and my trusty Buffalo wing squad were not a trio of stoned college kids trying to get free wings — we were actually doing a food review for Backdrop. We rated the wings on several dimensions to determine which restaurant offered the best overall wing experience in Athens. No, I d idn’t include B-Dub’s… don’t cry about it. Yes, they have great Buffalo wings there, but I didn’t feel like being predictable. (Plus, at the time of this review they had a little mishap in the kitchen and I couldn’t wait for them to get back in business.)

Beware of this article if you are not a buffalo wing lover.

This is for experienced and hot sauce-tolerant mouths only.

COURTSIDE PIZZA

bet you never knew they had wings...

PriceF%KC9LM%H/7%L%06&5-E%/7%NM%("&$-%@"7%06&5 HotnessF% SaucinessF%O"7>%I#)(>% Meat to Bone RatioF% CrispinessF%P/$%(76-@>% Blue CheeseF%%Q$%0#-%@#(8#5"'R&/$%S=9 ServiceF%%O"7>%)&H76"&'3>% Wait TimeF%TL%?6&)$"-E%U&/$"F%6$%0#-%J"7>%!)-> Side NotesF% t They say on their menu they have the best wings in town. We didn’t agree at all. But they were decent, and if >/)%3/J"%06&5-%$4"&%>/)%-4/)3'%'"<&6$"3>%56J"%$4"67-%#%$7>9

9

spring 2008

backdrop

V It was a Sunday night and there was a shit-faced guy scaring a bunch of children and irritating an old couple who were trying to play pool; interesting atmosphere.

V The music was crappy.

BRONEY’S ALUMNI GRILL biggest meat in town...

PriceF%KW9TL%H/7%X%06&5-E%/7%#!/)$%LC%("&$-%@"7%06&5 HotnessF% SaucinessF%O"7>%I#)(> Meat to Bone RatioF% CrispinessF%P/$%(76-@> Blue CheeseF%A7"#$Y$#-$6&5%!3)"%(4""-"E%-"7J"'%6&%#%()@% with your wings ServiceF%%Q&%/)7%"D@"76"&("E%6$%0#-%'"<&6$"3>%$4"%H76"&'36"-$% and best in town.

Wait TimeF%TM%?6&)$"Side NotesF V%They gave us celery sticks with our wings.

V They gave us Wet-Naps! The only place in town that gave us that added cleanliness.

V If you are looking for a really spicy wing then you might be disappointed by their hot wings, but the sauce -$633%4#-%57"#$%.#J/7Z%6$,-%&/$%[)-$%$4"%-$7#654$Y)@%!/$$3"'% hot sauce.

V Pretty low-key atmosphere. There was a woman in there reading.

THE PIGSKIN

for those who like it hot...

PriceF%KW9W\%H/7%]%06&5-E%/7%#!/)$%NL%("&$-%#%06&5 HotnessF% SaucinessF%P/$%"&/)54%-#)("% Meat to Bone ratioF% CrispinessF%P/$%(76-@> Blue CheeseF%A7"#$%$#-$6&5%!3)"%(4""-"E%-"7J"'%6&%#%()@% with your wings ServiceF%^76"&'3> Wait TimeF%_L%?6&)$"-

Each year, 100 million trees are used to produce junk mail. Find out how to get off marketers’ lists at newdream.org/junkmail.

Side NotesF V They gave us celery sticks with our wings.

V Their wings were pretty spicy.

V Try to ask for some extra sauce because there wasn’t enough at all.

V They were the smallest wings of those we reviewed.

THE PUB

sauciest wings in town...

PriceF%KC9TL%H/7%L%06&5-E%/7%]L%("&$-% per wing HotnessF% SaucinessF%%`D$7"?"3>%I#)(> Meat to Bone RatioF% CrispinessF%%a76-@>%#&'%(7)&(4> Blue CheeseF%b"-$%!3)"%(4""-"%H/7%$4"% reviewed restaurants ServiceF%O"7>%H76"&'3> Wait TimeF%_T%?6&)$"Side NotesF V If you’re looking for a spicy Buffalo wing than you’ll be disappointed because it was the least spicy of the wings we reviewed.

V We recommend Pub wings for $4/-"%04/%3/J"%#%!#7!"c)"%.#J/79 V The quickest service of those we reviewed.

.&()"/ 4 4$"-& Weak Mild Sweatin’ a little Ready to rip off your tongue

Spring Recruitment presented by the Interfraternity Council

Lacking meat Average Gettin’ meaty Major meat

April 21­24, 2008

Please contact the following Fraternity Recruitment Chairs (@ohio.edu) Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI): cw229006, Charles Wirtz Phi Kappa Tau: wk360106, Alan Kutasy Phi Delta Theta: jn253806, Jake Noe ACACIA: th175306, Tyler Heil Theta Chi: cr388605, Corey Rose Pi Kappa Alpha: jc360306, Jeffrey Chartier Beta Theta Pi: zr187005, Zac Reichard Phi Kappa Theta: jw247105, Jeff Wallick Lamda Chi Alpha: df311606, De’Andre Fox Alpha Epsilon Pi: mb135106, Maxx Blank Delta Tau Delta: kb202706, Kevin Buckman Phi Kappa Psi: bg194006, Brett Gardner Sigma Phi Epsilon: mb199306, Michael Bernauer

For further information contact: Corey Webb, Vice President of Recruitment cw285205@ohio.edu At the present rate of destruction, 70% of the world’s coral reefs will be destroyed by 2050.

www.ouifc.com

WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN PEOPLE

STOP BEING POLITE...

INTERVIEW BY TARA MELVIN

Infamous reality TV diva Beth Stolarczyk also happens to be a Bobcat

BDF% Your Bobcat status is masked by mtv.com and other online sources that claim you went to Ohio State. What gives?

BSF% I/?"/&"% 6&% d;O% @)!36(6$>% ?#'"% $4"% ?6-$#8"% 6&% $4"% !"56&&6&5% 04"&% Q% <7-$% '6'%The Real World. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to read everywhere that I supposedly went to Ohio State. e)(8f%%Q%?"#&%S46/%I$#$"%6-%<&"E%!)$%6$%6-%&/$46&5% compared to being a Bobcat!

BDF%A7/06&5%)@%6&%#%a3"J"3#&'%-)!)7!E%04#$%0#-% your high school experience like?

BSF%Q&%$4"%-)??"7-E%#-%-//&%#-%Q%5/$%?>%'76J"7,-% license, I got a job working at Geauga Lake Amusement Park so I could meet other people outside of my high school. My senior year I was yearbook editor and newspaper editor. I was also voted most dramatic. I wonder why? My family 4#-%-6&("%?/J"'%/)$%/H %A#7<"3'%g"654$-%#&'%Q% 4#J"&,$%!""&%!#(8%H/7%#3?/-$%TM%>"#7-9%h/0E%Q%#?% getting old.

BDF% i)76&5% >/)7% $6?"% #$% S46/% j&6J"7-6$>E% 04#$% did you study and where did you live?

BSF%Q%4#'%$0/%?#[/7-E%;Ya/?%#&'%#($6&59%Q$%0#-% one of the best times of my life! My freshman year I lived on South Green at MacKinnon. I lost ?>%J6756&6$>%6&%a#'>%g#33%06$4%?>%<7-$%!/>H76"&'E% Tony Telloni! Then sophomore year I lived off campus and I moved in with eight girls on Mill Street. During my senior year, I lived on Court Street above a sub shop.

BDF%g/0%'6'%>/)%<&'%/)$%#!/)$%The Real World?

BSF%Q%#)'6$6/&"'%$/%!"%/&%The Real World because Q%$4/)54$%`76(%P6"-%H7/?%$4"%<7-$%-"#-/&%/H %Real World was hot. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting into, nor did I know that I would be able $/%$)7&%?>%_L%?6&)$"-%/H %H#?"%6&$/%_L%>"#7-9%% BDF%h/)3'%>/)%(/&-6'"7%>/)7-"3H %#%iY36-$%("3"!rity?

BSF%b"6&5%/&%7"#36$>%;O%4#-%0/78"'%/)$%57"#$%H/7% me. I’m far from being an A-list celebrity, but people know me well enough so that I can get myself through some doors and then I do my best to use what I have, and that is all I can do! If

Kathy Grif<&%6-%#%iY36-$% celebrity, then myself and many other reality “stars” are buried way down the alphabet. I’m just very fortunate to be one on the few “originals” still steadily working in the industry.

BDF%h4>%'/%>/)%(/&$6&)"%$/%!"%/&%The Gauntlet and RW/RR “challenge” shows year after year?

What keeps you interested?

BSF% h4>% &/$*% d;O% 4#-% ?#'"% ?"% 04#$% Q% #?% today. I try to take every opportunity I’m given and make the best of it. People can say what they want; I’ve heard it all. I’m lucky! I’ve had a great life so far, and looking forward to even greater success in the future.

BDF%%e/),J"%-#6'%$4#$%$4">%/H$"&%?#8"%>/)%#@@"#7% ?/7"%"J63%/&%$4"%;O%-4/0%$4#&%>/)%#7"%6&%7"#3% life. Why do you continue to cater yourself to this role?

BSF% % Q% $46&8% Q% ?#>% !"% /&"% /H % $4"% ?/-$% ?#$)7"% #&'%-$#!3"%@"/@3"%'/6&5%7"#36$>%;O9%B"/@3"%@7/["($% their insecurities and fears onto me when they are calling me a variety of names. Many of the people cast for shows today are not well educated and were cast because they are not well adjusted. Still, doing these shows is an important part of my job, and when done well, they do take strong acting skills. I also like to compete, so the challenges are, setting aside the drama, almost a perfect vacation.

I get paid to travel to a cool tropical place and make even more money if I win. Since I’m my own boss, I can afford to leave for a month to do a reality show.

BDF% h4#$,-% >/)7% 36H"% 368"% &/0% /$4"7% $4#&% 7"#36$>% ;O*%27"%86'-1H#?63>%6&%>/)7%H)$)7"* BSF%;/'#>E%Q%4#J"%?>%/0&%@7/')($6/&%(/?@#&>E% Planet Beth. I love being my own boss and following my own path. I wouldn’t change a thing. I have a great condo and like almost everyone else in LA, I drive a black BMW. I’m in love and just got engaged! I’m excited and ready to have a family. I waited as long as I could, and now it’s time.

I’ve never been happier in my life!

A computer running a screen saver uses ten times as much energy as one in “sleep” mode.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME TRANSFER STUDENTS HAVE THE BRAINS, HEART AND COURAGE TO COME TO OU

BY AADAM SOORMA & ANNIE BEECHAM

I

$,-% 3#$"% S($/!"7% TMM]9% ;4"% )&H/7giving Alabama sun beats down on me as I ponder my future. Am I really happy in southern Alabama? True, I rebelled from my parents and chose a college 13 hours from home. I made an attempt to do “my own thing,” and I’m far as hell away from any snow. But nothing is making sense, and a homecoming 6-% '"<&6$"3>% 6&% /7'"79% b"6&5% #% &#$6J"% /H % North Canton, Ohio, I thought I wanted to get away. Like the typical high school grad, I was itching for some indepen'"&("9%^/7%$4"%<7-$%$0/%>"#7-%/H %?>%(/3lege experience, I attended the wrong school. And it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

d>% -$/7>% 6-% &/$% )&(/??/&9% `J"7>% H#33E% WMM% $/% WLM% $7#&-H"7% -$)'"&$-% ./(8% to Ohio University from schools all over the nation. What is so alluring about our school, tucked into the Appalachian foothills of rural southern Ohio? Candace Boeninger, associate director for communications and technical operations, deals with transfer students on a day-today basis.

“We receive transfer students for very -6?63#7% 7"#-/&-% $4#$% <7-$Y>"#7% -$)'"&$-% "&7/33%#$%SjF%$4"%7"-6'"&$6#3%-"$$6&5E%/)7% high-caliber undergraduate studies, and the general friendliness that encompasses every visitor’s experience in Athens,” Boeninger said. Boeninger also said that

the recent mandate by the Ohio Board of Regents to make Ohio schools more “transfer-friendly” has attracted more students from in-state and out-of-state institutions. h6$4% /J"7% TLM% )&'"757#')#$"% @7/grams of study, OU boasts a great deal ?/7"%$4#&%/$4"7%-(4//3-%-6?63#7%6&%-6G"9%% Boeninger feels that the Scripps College of Communication, the College of Business and Ohio’s sports management programs are all big draws. The following are stories from three other students who seek to explain why Ohio University is the second choice for so many.

NAME: PHIL WALTERS FORMER INSTITUTION: RIT STATUS: JUNIOR MAJOR: VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS

B463%h#3$"7-,%(/33"5"%@#$4%$//8%46?%<7-$%$/%H7656'%&/7$40"-$"7&%P"0% York for two years. The Rochester Institute of Technology is wellknown for its high transfer-out rate, and as Phil can attest, it’s a pretty gloomy place. “It feels like winter up there nine months out of the year,” Phil said. “It’s cold. It snows all the damn time, and frankly, I just wanted to get out. I wanted warmer weather, prettier girls and a ?/7"%36J"3>%(#?@)-9:%P/0%-@76&5%/H %TMMXE%B463%4#-%H/)&'%4/?"%#$% Sj9%kB#7#'6-"%/&%`#7$4E:%4"%-#6'9%kQ%3/J"%6$%4"7"9%`J"7>/&",-%&6("E%$4"% winter was rough, but nothing compared to Rochester. RIT was all city-attitude, real fast-paced. Athens is so much more laid-back and country. I love it here in southern Ohio.”

NAME: VERONICA DRAKE FORMER INSTITUTION: TROY UNIVERSITY STATUS: JUNIOR MAJOR: ENVIRONMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY

h4"&%O"7/&6(#%i7#8"%57#')#$"'%H7/?%2J/&%+#8"%g654%I(4//3%6&%$4"%-@76&5% /H %TMMLE%-4"%0#&$"'%$/%<&'%$4"%?/-$%7#&'/?E%/)$Y$4"7"%(/33"5"%-4"%@/--6!3>% could. “I wanted to be adventurous and re-discover my roots. I was born and raised in Alabama, so I picked Troy to be closer to where I was from,” she -#6'9%b)$%#H$"7%[)-$%/&"%>"#7%6&%i6D6"3#&'E%O"7/&6(#%'"(6'"'%$/%!"56&%$4"%$7"8% back to Ohio. “It was hard leaving friends behind, but the negatives were all outweighing the positives. It just wasn’t the atmosphere I was looking for in a college,” she said. So she began traveling northward, and after about 11 hours, ended up in little Athens, Ohio. “Almost immediately, I knew this was where I belonged. I love how the city is part of the campus. In Troy, we had to drive to get into the city. But being able to walk everywhere here is great.”

And she has picked up some new hobbies along the way as well. “The Appalachian landscape has so much to offer. I’ve started backpacking and rock (36?!6&5%-6&("%$7#&-H"776&5%$/%Sj9%Q,J"%'"<&6$"3>%H/)&'%#%&"0%4/?"9: At the current rate of destruction, 95 acres every minute, we will completely eradicate all rainforests by the year 2050.

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12

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

NAME: TYLER SHELLY FORMER INSTITUTION: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA STATUS: SOPHOMORE MAJOR: ACCOUNTING

Sophomore Tyler Shelly, a native of Granville, Ohio, thought he wanted to go to a prominent sports school in the South.

University of South Carolina’s distinguished football team and sunny climate sounded like heaven on earth. “The state of South Carolina is awesome,” he said, “but the southern culture is not.” Tyler quickly became disenchanted with the warm weather and bikini-clad southern babes, as he found that many did not accept his northern background. “Halfway $47/)54%-"(/&'%-"?"-$"7%Q%7"#36G"'%Q%&""'"'%$/%5"$%$4"%4"33% /)$%/H %$4"7"9%`J"7>/&"%0#-%6&%#%H7#$"7&6$>E%#&'%$4">%5#J"%?"% shit for being from Ohio,” he said. “They were all bastards.”

Not wanting to go to school in a big city, he ruled out OSU, and decided to enroll at OU, just in time for spring quarter /H %TMMN9%kQ%8&"0%Sj%0#-%5/6&5%$/%!"%H)&%#-%4"33E:%;>3"7%-#6'E% -#$6-<"'%06$4%46-%(4/6("9%kQ%#?%?/7"%$4#&%4#@@>%06$4%?>% experience at OU,” he said. “But I do miss the Southern ladies and warm weather.”

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Fun fact goes here Fun fact goes here Fun fact goes here

BEIJING BOBCATS

CHINESE EXCHANGE STUDENTS ADJUST TO LIFE IN A-TOWN

BY SUSANNAH SACHDEVA

Remember when you thought if you dug a hole deep enough you’d dig straight through to China? Well, search no longer because Athens is currently home to a number of exchange students from the same country as The Great Wall, Jackie Chan and Confucianism.

You may have ogled them in Gordy, or watched in awe as they dominated table tennis at Ping. Perhaps you’ve wondered how the hell they trained their ["$Y!3#(8% $7"--"-% $/% !"% -/% (7#G>% (//3*% ;4"% -$)dents from China are surely noticed around this carbon-copy campus.

When asked about Ohio University students’ fashion, exchange student Chen Suyang said, “Most [students] wear [the] same style clothes…Ohio sweatshirts [are] everywhere.”

Clad in pink-threaded Levis, Adidas sneakers and some kickin’ bangs, Chen is no stranger to fresh fashion. She rocks a thumb-sucking monkey cell phone charm and like most American girls, loves bra shopping.

Deng Daoming, a South Green socialite and 7"5)3#7%#$%_\%I/)$4E%(#?"%$/%Sj%$/%6?@7/J"%46-% `&536-4E%#&'%-#>-%4"%0633%-$#>%)&$63%4"%(#&%-@"#8% the language as well as an American (which is quite a task considering most of us haven’t mastered it yet). “I want more time to improve ?>% `&536-4E:% i"&5% -#6'9% kb)$% Q% ?6--% ?>% @#7ents, friends and the food.”

Chen and classmates Zhonghao Dongye, Yu Pu and Du Ying also miss the comforts of home. You’d think food would be a nonissue with the innumerable Chinese restaurants in Athens. That is a trés incorrect assumption according to Liu Hedong. “The food tastes strange,” Liu said of the Athens’ Chinese offerings. Chen concurred, “It’s not very delicious.”

Most students interviewed thought China Panda boasts the best Asian cuisine, but it’s just not as good as the real deal. Yu misses Beijing’s infamous Kung Pao Chicken and Jing Zhang misses her favorite dish, Hot Pot. The authentic Chinese food here is incomparable to the real stuff from back home (and understadably so), and it has led the undergraduate exchange students to succumb to a favor6$"% 2?"76(#&% '6-4F% @6GG#9% ki/?6&/,-% 6-% "D("33"&$f:% a4"&% @7/-

claimed. Zhonghao concurs, “In Athens, Domino’s is my favorite place to eat.”

The “Domino’s” effect is prominent among the Chinese students, as is a love of American music. Du Ying, a Beijing native, &/$"'%`?6&"?%#-%/&"%/H %4"7%H#J/76$"-9%l4/&54#/%?"&$6/&"'% Usher as his favorite American artist. And Jing, who somehow manages to make Uggs look chic, said Linkin Park is a much-loved band of hers.

The consensus for favorite hang/)$%6-%'"<&6$"3>%B6&59%i"&5%6-%#%!65% fan. But when asked the same question, Chen exclaimed, “Wal-Mart!”

Most students agree that Wal-Mart is a wonderland of consumer crap, but I doubt any OU student loves it as much as Chen.

Wal-Mart aside, the exchange students agree that OU is a pretty nice place. Du even said she likes school better here at OU than back 6&% a46&#9% e)% "?@4#-6G"'% 46-% 3/J"% for the fresh air and Du added, “It’s very quiet here compared to Beijing, which is nice.” However, Jing noted the unfortunate reality that winter is longer here than in China.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “These kids are thebomb.com! Why don’t I have any classes with them?” Well, they all take a full course load of exchange students-only linguistics (3#--"-%$/%6?@7/J"%$4"67%`&536-4E%!)$% some take other classes offered to the rest of OU students as well. Jing is in a math class and Zhonghao is in a photojournalism class. `J"&% 6H % $4">,7"% &/$% 6&% #&>% /H % >/)7% courses, the exchange students are out on the town at night. e/),7"%-)7"%$/%<&'%e)E%m6&5%#&'%i"&5%#$%"6$4"7%_\%I/)$4%/7%n"'% Brick on the weekends. And I’m sure none of them would have an aversion to a free round of shots.

If all US cars had properly inflated tires, it would save an estimated 2 billion gallons of gasoline per year and improve your gas mileage 3 to 7%.

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14

LANDMARK WATERING HOLE GETS A RETRO-INSPIRED UPDATE

BY ELIZABETH SHEFFIELD

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I CANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T TELL YOU ANYTHING HISTORICAL ABOUT THE UNION,â&#x20AC;?

;/?%I0""$%-#6'E%"D#?6&6&5%$4"%-$76@@"'%.//79%kQ,J"%!""&%!36&'% drunk the majority of the time I was here.â&#x20AC;?

Sweetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fellow renovators chuckled as they straddled the .//7%!"#?-%!"46&'%$4"%-"(/&'%.//7%!#7%/H %;4"%j&6/&9%m)-$% below them, a Skipperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kitchen worker hollered a few words of agreement through the crumbling cracks in the ceiling. As the predominantly Ohio University alumni crew measured, -#0"'E%#&'%<7"'%&#63%5)&-E%$4">%7"(/)&$"'%-$/76"-%/H %$4"67%H#vorite bands that had graced The Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[A band formerly known as] Cash Moneyâ&#x20AC;Ścooked bacon on stage,â&#x20AC;? Sweet said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;which is really dangerous having hot grease on stage with a bunch of drunks. I think they served [the bacon] afterwards,â&#x20AC;? Sweet added.

The guys compiled a line-up almost worthy of LollapalooG#E% 06$4%#7$6-$-% -)(4% #-% ;4"% h46$"% I$76@"-E% d#78>% H7/?% ;4"% Ramones, The Black Keys, The Goo Goo Dolls, Peter Tork of The Monkees and Dave Davies of The Kinks (carpenter Brandon Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite Union performer).

These names, amongst other famous Union guest artists, can be found scrawled upon strips of masking tape on the wall behind the sound booth.

Contractor Cullen Beach also happens to be the sound technician, and the creator of the Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infamous wall of fame.

While renovating, crewmember Jeff Strittholt H/)&'% #% _\XM-% )JTUPSJD NFNPSBCJMJB GSBNFE BU 5IF 6OJPO photo of the bar and owners. The

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photos are matted with charcoal reliefs of the barâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior tiles and the former ownersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; handprints. The photo of the old Union holds some of the inspiration and blueprints for the retro-renovation that took place a few weeks ago.

According to Beach, the new walk-in area is modeled after $4"%_\NM-%"D$"76/7E%#&'%-@/7$-%-/?"%/H %$4"%#($)#3%-65&-%046(4% )-"'% $/% H7#?"% $4"% '//70#>% $4#$% /)7% 57//J>E% oH7/Y.#)&$6&5% forefathers used to stumble through.

The Union is equipped with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;newâ&#x20AC;? cooler, constructed from old barn boards, that accommodates eight taps (thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s double what they previously had). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough beer, right?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;ALL THE OTHER BARS ARE CHILBeach said jokingly. DREN COMPARED TO US.â&#x20AC;? b""7%#&'%"H<(6"&(>% - CULLEN BEACH are the key factors in the renovation. The <7-$%.//7%!#7%&/0%4#-%$0/%-"7J"7%-$#$6/&-E%-/%$4#$%j&6/&"7-% can drink harder, better, and faster.

The classic façade and beverages arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only aspect Beach will maintain. The bar has aimed to keep its â&#x20AC;&#x153;dive-likeâ&#x20AC;? quality and same olâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; atmosphere. Which, according to the renovating crew, hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed much since their college days, #!/)$%TM%>"#7-%#5/9 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still the non-conformist bar of Athens,â&#x20AC;? Strittholt said.

Day manager Kari Smith, another OU grad, said the essence of the bar has pretty much remained the same. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You get different workers, different people, different

40% of all electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off.

!#&'-R%!)$%p>/)%4#J"q%$/%#33/0%H/7%$4#$%86&'%/H %6&.)DE:%I?6$4%-#6'9 b)$%'"-@6$"%&"0"7%(3#--"-%/H %j&6/&Y5/"7-%.//'6&5%6$-%-$6(8>%.//7!/#7'-%>"#7%#H$"7%>"#7E%j&6/&% traditions never die.

2((/7'6&5%$/%WTY>"#7%j&6/&%3/>#36-$%n#3@4%="3-">E%/&"%(3#--6(%-$#@3"%/H %;4"%j&6/&%6-%$4"%4/$'/5% sauce. In fact, before The Union was the Dance-or-Die dive, it was known as The Hotdog â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a name that stated their business. The secret sauce recipe, until recently, was kept by Mary Weaver, who is regarded as one of the most beautiful women to ever live in Athens, Kelsey said. The secret 6-%&/0%-$/7"'%#0#>%6&%$4"%57#>%?#$$"7%/H %a4#'%`''>E%04/%(#&%!"%H/)&'%-$#6&6&5%-86&%[)-$%#%H"0% doors down.

However, The Union was made famous for more than one kind of â&#x20AC;&#x153;sauce.â&#x20AC;? During the time of @7/46!6$6/&E%;4"%j&6/&%0#-%#%-@"#8"#->%r%&/E%&/$%$4"%/&36&"%?#5#G6&"9%e"-E%"J"&%&/$/76/)-%Sj% was a dry campus â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a fate irremediable, even with a good fake. As soon as those dark days were /J"7E%;4"%j&6/&%0#-%$4"%<7-$%!#7%6&%2$4"&-%$/%5"$%$4"67%36c)/7%36("&-"E%b"#(4%-#6'9 I6&("%$4"&E%;4"%j&6/&%4#-%)@4"3'%$4"67%#3(/4/3%-)@"76/76$>%!>%!"6&5%I(436$G%b""7,-%&)?!"7%/&"% -"336&5%!#7%6&%$4"%"#73>%_\\M-9%j&H/7$)&#$"3>E%I(436$G%(#&%&/%3/&5"7%-46@%$/%2$4"&-%#&'%4#-%-6&("% been replaced by the ever-popular Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The Union has been the fountainhead of live music, lively people and stories that will out live all of them. After The Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apocalypse scare late winter quarter, loyal customers of Athens united in an attempt to salvage the historic bar. Being the technological generation that we are, Facebook exploded with messages, discussion boards and groups to save The Union. Luckily, owners reassured patrons that the bar would indeed reopen.

CICELY GILBERT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ARTICLE

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BARTIFACTS The Pub and the Junction: What is now the Junction and the Pub used to be the A&P (SPDFSZ TUPSF 19 South: 5IF CVJMEJOH IBE UIF MPOHFTU CBS JO "UIFOT JO #FGPSF the Aqua Lounge, the basement was used for a bartending school.

The Crystal: 5IF $SZTUBM XBT PSJHJOBMMZ B NPWJF UIFBUFS HJWJOH TIBQF UP its high ceilings and lofted second floor. It was named for the DSZTUBM DIBOEFMJFST UIBU VTFE UP IBOH BCPWF XIBU JT OPX UIF bar.

Other Random Facts:

t 5IFSF VTFE UP CF B CBS VOEFSOFBUI XIBU JT OPX #SPNMFZ )BMM DBMMFE UIF /JDLFMPEFPO t 5IF 4NJMJOH 4LVMM XBT MJUFSBMMZ CVJMU GSPN UIF HSPVOE VQ o JU VTFE UP CF UIF TBOE øPPS CFFS HBSEFO PG UIF $BU T %FO t 4LFF[ 5FF[ XBT BU POF UJNF B CBS DBMMFE UIF %VHPVU BOE CFGPSF UIBU .BNB &JOTUFJO T t 5IFSF VTFE UP CF B CBS JO UIF BMMFZ CFIJOE $IJQPUMF DBMMFE -POH #SBODI 4BMPPO UIBU TFSWFE ESBGU CFFS JO CVDLFUT t 8IBU JT OPX 5IF 0UIFS 1MBDF BOE $SPTT $PVSU VTFE UP CF B HJBOU CBS called the Lantern.

Recycling creates 6 times as many jobs as landfilling.

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of this improvisation in American history. If there aren’t equal rights, BEAUTY AND BARBER SHOPS HOLD AN demand them. If music instruments aren’t available, use turntables and IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY; samples. And if they don’t have a barber or beauty shop in Athens, they aren’t just a place to get your hair cut. The make one. barber shop is the place to talk politics, buy the Countless makeshift operations have sprouted up all over campus &"0"-$%!//$3"5-%#&'%<&'%/)$%$4"%'67$6"-$%5/--6@9%n6/$/)-% 6&%'/7?%7//?-%#&'%6&%/HHY(#?@)-%4/)-"-%$/%H)3<33%$4"%&""'%H/7%c)#36$>% arguments ignite. Thunderous laughter breaks out. And a black haircare services. These backyard-barbers and beauticians have deep-rooted cultural and social experience ensues. stepped in to give kids the fades and braids that they are accustomed There’s nothing like a true black barber or beauty shop to back home. and to the dismay of the black students of Ohio But one special man, who we will call the University, who make up four percent of the “Barb” and one special woman, who student population, there is not one on ! we shall call the “Twister” campus.

P E O R O C

BY WILL have established places But where there’s a will there’s in their homes NE a way. Black people have a O T S R that not E long tradition of making N R O something out of C L nothing. There are RA U countless examples T L

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only provide hair styling, but also have the atmosphere of true black barber and beauty shops.

When considering these in-house haircare operations, one must remember they are very illegal.

The Ohio Revised Code under (4#@$"7%WNM\%(3"#73>%-$#$"-%$4#$%-/?"/&"% @7#($6(6&5% #-% #% !#7!"7% (#&&/$E% k`&5#5"% in or attempt to engage in the practice of barbering, hold themselves out as a practicing barber, or advertise in a manner that indicates they are a barber, without a barber license,” or “ operate or attempt to operate a barber shop without a barber shop license.”

Thus, these two talented hair-care specialists keep their whole operation hush-hush, like a modern-day speakeasy.

I was lucky enough to get an appointment for a line-up from the infamous and talented “Barb” who cuts all the pretty boys’ hair on campus.

There’s a big difference between the experience at an Athens barbershop and the one at the “Barb’s” crib. To the “Barb,” there’s more to being a barber than just cutting hair. “You’ve got to be able to communicate. My clientele is a little bit of everything…I have to speak to all different types of people from every background,” he said.

The “Barb’s” gift of gab was made clear as I sat on a worn down couch, listening to an old Redman record, next to three or four other brothers all waiting for a snip.

“Ain’t no kids in here, we ain’t in the church, and no women are around. So let’s talk about grown man stuff,” he said, as he examined the sharp line he had just etched into a dapper young man’s forehead.

T h e conversation in the makeshift shop ranged from sex and sports, to politics and race.

We said things we wouldn’t say in mixed company.

We laughed and connected on a personal level, and for a moment it

felt like I was at my own barbershop back in Cleveland, Ohio.

And although the “Barb” can talk up a storm, he’s even better at keeping kids fresh. Unlike some of the less professional operations going on in the dorms, he’s 5/$% !7654$% ./7"-("&$% 3654$-E% 4#67% (#@"-% and an assortment of clippers and edgers $4#$%()$%'#&5"7/)-3>%(3/-"9%`J"7>$46&5%6-% super clean. All his clippers and edgers are immaculate, and he puts alcohol on every customer.

Unlike the barbers native to Athens, the “Barb” is skilled at cutting fades, tapers and a plethora of designs and elaborate parts. He knows how to cut without destroying waves, which are the circular patterns black males create in their head by using grease, wearing a wave cap and brushing incessantly.

Because the “Barb” has all these skills, the kids of OU keep him on his feet for hours during the week. He said he doesn’t mind at all because he loves working with black hair.

“The beauty of black hair is that it comes in all colors and textures. And when it is healthy, it has a glow like no other.”

On the other hand, the “Twister,” OU’s braid guru, sees her services in less poetic terms.

“Hey, I’m a college student. People need to get braided and I can do it,” she said. “It’s one of my many hustles.”

I am a regular at the k;06-$"7,-:%(76!9%`J"7>%/$4"7% week I venture there like clock-work to get twisted up.

She yanks my hair for about two hours while I watch her "&/7?/)-% .#$% -(7""&% #&'% discuss the topics of the day.

“I do the football players’ hair. I do females who want extensions. I do my brothers’ and my family’s and I’ve even braided a couple of Caucasians’ hair. But I don’t do anyone’s hair I am not comfortable with,” she said.

Quirky clientele like the football players always make for fun conversation in her little living room.

“The football players are funny, they’ll tell you anything,” she said.

The girls she styles tell just as interesting stories as the linebackers.

“Ladies talk about men, shoes and clothes,” she said. “I usually get the night before stories. Like, ‘I fell here,’ or ‘I got

drunk there.’”

The “Twister’s” living room really feels 368"%#%!"#)$>%-4/@%04"&%6$,-%<33"'%06$4%<&"% young black females lounging around, 4#67%#33%/J"7E%.6@@6&5%$47/)54%Jet ?#5#G6&"% and watching All My Children.

The “Twister’s” braiding skills are topnotch. She covers corn rolls, which are braids going straight to the back, designs (sometimes elaborate and complex braids), dread locks, which is hair that has been wrapped around the root continuously until it locks, and weaves which are synthetic or human hair sewn, braided or glued into natural hair. She also does micro-braids, which can take as long as six to seven hours to complete.

The “Twister’s” vast knowledge of African braiding techniques is something that is missing in the beauty shops of Athens.

The “Twister” and the “Barb” have established two little havens for the black community at OU. They have created places where students can go to get their hair done in a satisfactory manner as well as provide them with a unique cultural experience that is otherwise absent in 2$4"&-9% b)$% 6$% 6-% #% c)6(8% <D% $/% #% !655"7% problem.

The fact that OU students have had to resort to illegal measures just to get basic haircare and a cultural experience is ludicrous.

Black hair is very different from white hair. There ought to be professionals in Athens that can satisfy the need for this kind of expertise.

The lack of adequate haircare is one instance where black OU students are forced to take a back seat to things that are readily available for other groups of people.

The “Twister” and the “Barb” will tell you themselves there is a great demand for #%!3#(8%!#7!"7-4/@%$4#$%-#$6-<"-%$4"%&""'-% and yearnings of OU’s black population.

Although there has been plenty of talk about establishing a black hair-care center, results have not been seen. It is past time that black students get out of the dorms and living rooms of Athens and into the rotating chairs of a professional salon.

Hair art cut by “The Barb.”

2 billion disposable razors end up in U.S. landfills each year. Cut-down by using a Razor Saver that resharpens them!

backdrop 2008 spring

18

Animal Houses Athens’ Cribs

Backdrop tours OU’s craziest party pads…

REPORTED BY STEVE ZEISLER WRITTEN BY ANDREW EISENMAN H %$4"7",-%#%G6$%/&% I“Harvard the beautiful façade of on the Hocking,” it’s the red brick and white pillar

@6?@3"% &"D$% $/% b#8"7% j&6J"7-6$>% a"&$"79% ;4"% #''7"--E% _L% B#78% Place, sounds pretty chic, but step inside the plywood front door #&'%>/),7"%$"3"@/7$"'%$/%n)--6#%#H$"7%$4"%I/J6"$%(/33#@-"F%("636&5-% //G6&5%#35#"Z%!7/8"&%06&'/0-E%')($Y$#@"'%$/5"$4"7%#&'%(/J"7"'% 06$4%"?@$>%!""7%(#-"-Z%0#33-%-(#77"'%!>%5/3H!#33Y-6G"'%@/(8?#78-% — as if someone had set up a driving range in the living room.

The wide foyer is furnished with beer pong tables, decorated with tipped-over empties and unopened Chase bank envelopes.

But the central location and rooftop deck make this house the prime party place. Sure, it has its wear and tear, but what fraternity house doesn’t?

“Hold your breath,” says the house manager, senior Michael Weisman, as he leads me into the main room.

I don’t. The air is a thick, yeasty vapor, and the room smells like rotten wood and canola oil. I plug my nose, and Michael says, “Told you.”

If this is indeed an animal house, then the main room is a pet$6&5%G//9%m)-$%6&-6'"%$4"%"&$7>0#>%6-%#%?#8"-46H$%(#$0#38%#'/7&"'% 06$4%#%0/!!3>%-$76@@"7%@/3"%$4#$,-%!""&%57"#-"'%)@%!>%?/7"%<&gerprints than a precinct record book. In the closet is a refrigerator with a keg tapnose,

the

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PLAC K R A P 15

on Whart n h o J nants LORD: LAND rooms/17 Te ms o 17 Bed Style Bathro m 2 Dor er /quart 0 0 ,4 1 $ ITIES: AMEN ong tables p - Beer p deck to f - Roo le per Po ip - Str r a B -in - Built

“kegorator,” as Michael said.

In the back of the room there’s a long metallic bar with $0/%LMMY0#$$%-@"#8"7-% on either side, enough power to give partygoers on Richland Avenue something to listen to.

“This used to be the Sigma Chi fraternity house,” he says, #&'%3"$-%?"%@/8"%?>%4"#'%6&$/%$4"%<7-$%.//7%@)!36(%!#$47//?9% ;4"7",-%!3//'%/&%$4"%.//7%#&'%Q%-?"33%#%(/7@-"E%!)$%'/&,$%-""% one.

The kitchen linoleum is streaked with muddy foot prints.

Nothing here works, and if it does, you couldn’t get a dung beetle to eat from it. The industrial refrigerator would make Dahmer queasy, the gas stove is probably on, and the sink is a kiddy pool of phlegm.

“We pretty much keep the food court at Baker in business,” Michael says, indifferent to the disgust.

He shows me around upstairs, where it’s more livable than, -#>E%#%@76-/&%(#?@9%n"#33>E%$4/)54E%6$,-%&/$%$4#$%!#'9%`#(4% of the seventeen housemates has his own bedroom; a tiny postmodern cave dwelling. There are two dorm-style bathrooms, each with two sinks, a communal shower and a user-unique pubic hair rug.

“It’s more about who you live with than what you live in,” Michael -#6'% (/&<'"&$3>9% “Where else can I live 06$4% _]% of my best

B

20 N. Congress

ehind Court Street, in the belly of a tall apartment LANDLORD: Kleinpenny complex on North Congress, is a croquet stick-shaped Rentals 7 Bedrooms/ 7 Tenants dwelling designed for debauchery.

7 Bathroom The front door opens into a living room of sorts; big s $1,900/quart enough to host a rave, this space has been the central er AMENITIES: 3/(#$6/&%H/7%?#&>%#%4)5"%@#7$>9%Q$,-%"c)6@@"'%06$4%#%.#$% -(7""&%$4"%-6G"%/H %#%-(/7"!/#7'E%#&'%#%4/$%$)!9% - Hot tub (in the living ro Wait, a hot tub? In the living room? A hot tub? No. om): seats 8 e"-9% ;46-% #@#7$?"&$E% 3/(#$"'% #$% TM% P9% a/&57"--E% - Flat screen apartment number two, has a hot tub…in the living tele - Spacious liv vision 7//?9% ;4"% 3#-(6J6/)-% $46&5E% 046(4% Q,?% $/3'% <$-% "654$% ing room #7$6<(6#33>%$#&&"'%#&'%0"33Y?#&6()7"'%!/'6"-E%6-%-c)#7"% and stands stout on the hardwood, like a giant well. j@/&%<7-$%#@@"#7#&("E%$4"%4/$%$)!%6-%r%4#-%$/%!"% — a cesspool of sex. Surely the bubbling water itself must be so @/33)$"'%06$4%!/'63>%.)6'-%$4#$%)@/&%3/0"76&5%6&$/%6$E%#&>/&"% is at risk to a new venereal friend. h",7"% -$#&'6&5% #7/)&'% $4"% $)!E% 3//86&5% #$% 6$% s6'/36G6&5% it?), and, as if he were reading my mind, senior Josh Sim?/&-%-#>-E%kh"%@#>%KWM%#%?/&$4%H/7%(4"?6(#3-9:% “We’ve had parties where over 100 people are in our apartment,” senior Rob Moyer added. “The laundry detergent from their clothes makes the tub bubble a lot. If they’re even wearing clothes.”

Adjacent to the living room is a spacious kitchen with a double-door refrigerator and other fairly new appliances. It’s surprisingly clean, too.

Perhaps it’s too much of a kitchen for seven twenty-somethings. The oven, black and shiny, looks unused, and there are way too many cabinets. Whatever happened to the college kitchen-bathroom combo, of a greasy, burnt (4""-"Y-$#6&"'%^/7"?#&%/&%$4"%.//7%#&'%#% microwave on the toilet tank?

We’re standing aimlessly in the kitchen, no one saying much, kind of confused, not knowing what to do with ourselves, so I say, “How ‘bout the rest of the place?”

Josh and Rob lead me out of the kitchen, into the longest, narrowest hardwood hallway. Along one wall there’s nothing; along the other wall, a series of doors, like a choose-your-own-destiny novel. k`#(4% /H % )-% 4#-% 46-% /0&% !"'7//?% and bathroom,” Josh said. “It’s pretty slick.” ;4"% !"'7//?-% #7"% ?6'-6G"'E% !65% enough for a twin and maybe a trundle bed. As we approach the end of the hallway, I have to ask.

“How much does this place cost?”

The residents look at each other. kQ%$46&8%r%0"%@#>%K_\MME:%m/-4%-#6'9k2% quarter.”

“Nineteen hundred a quarter?”

“Yeah. But we have a hot tub in the living room.”

"#

!"#$%$& Showcasing the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most creative minds...

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Still Here, Ponderingâ&#x20AC;? by Jessi Finn d6D"'%?"'6#E%TW:D_X: 27$6-$,-%I$#$"?"&$F%h4"&%@"/@3"%#7"%$7#@@"'%6&%#% situation in which they feel alone, trapped or confused, they seek refuge in repetition. They seek patterns that give them constancy and comfort.

However, because these comforts are imaginary and vast, they can use them to mold their lives 6&$/%<($6/&#3E%>"$%-$6?)3#$6&5%#'J"&$)7"-9%a4#73/$$"% Perkins Gilmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short story â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Yellow Wallpa@"7:% #&'% $4"% 2?"76(#&% <3?% A Beautiful Mind illustrate cases when patterns are sought as comfort from the mundane. The papers that surround them consume their lives in dangerous ways. In reality, paper creates bulky layers. In theory, paper creates bulky thoughts. The motif of layered paper, used in this piece as the fabric and texture of the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blouse, gives weight to her body and to her ponderings.

# â&#x20AC;&#x153;Modern Artâ&#x20AC;?

By Melvin Beach

Submit original artwork, poetry, short stories, cartoons, scores and mantras to backdropmag@ gmail.com, TVCKFDU &YIJCJU "

21

spring 2008

backdrop

Photo by Ali Winberry â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pointless Musingâ&#x20AC;? by Zachary Heeney I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know what to say, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got words runnin through my head, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll write whats on my mind, no matter what it is, what it is?

It isâ&#x20AC;Ś..whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in my head, of course not always beautiful, but it is real and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what counts, it amounts to be my words even though Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had my doubts, to put my words onto a page, out there in public to be read, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better than keepin caged, these thoughts inside my head

Planting as few as 20 trees can offset the pollution from a car driven 60 miles per day.

YES, IT’S SERIOUS

SNEAK . ER . HEAD e noun (snē'k r hěd)

1. SOMEONE WHO LIKES SHOES. 2. NO, SOMEONE WHO LOVES SHOES. 3. NO, SOME CRAZY COLLECTOR WHO’D RATHER BUY SHOES THAN FOOD. 4. SOMEONE WITH MORE JORDANS THAN YOU KNEW EXISTED. 5. SOMEONE WHO’D LOVE TO CALL YOU OUT ON THAT PAIR OF FAKES YOU’VE BEEN ROCKIN’ 6. SOMEONE LIKE THIS GUY

BY JAMES RICE

E SHOVER LO

!

True shoe aficionado, Gene Stamper.

backdrop 2008 spring

22

!

IF YOU THINK PEOPLE DON’T NOTICE WHAT’S ON YOUR FEET, —YOU ARE PROBABLY WRONG. DUNKS, AIR FORCE 1S, FUTURAS, JORDANS-#&>% 86&'% /H % H//$0"#7% (#&% '"<&"% >/)7% personal style and set you apart from the crowd. The trend is especially true for guys who shell out major cash for the latest pair of athletic shoes.

Sneakerheads — slang for avid collectors of athletic shoes — build entire wardrobes around their kicks, ?#86&5% "J"&% #% @3#6&E% /J"7-6G"'% ;Y-467$% and baggy jean shorts stylish. These guys care a lot about their shoes, and having the latest, most unique or classically vintage sneakers becomes an obsession.

Many sneakerheads’ love for shoes originates from a respect and admiration for His Royal Airness, Michael Jordan.

Sophomore Gene Stamper, owner of _M%@#67-%/H %m/7'#&%3#!"3%-4/"-E%6'/36G"'% Jordan long before he owned a pair of his shoes, and now considers his collection of Jordans partly a tribute to the basketball star’s outstanding career.

Nike Inc. moved into celebrity "&'/7-"?"&$-% #&'% -@"(6#36G"'% -4/"-% 6&%$4"%3#$"%oNM-%#&'%"#73>%oXM-9%Q&%_\XLE% the release of the Air Jordan 1 marked a turning point in the shoe fashion industry. More than ever before, people began to buy athletic shoes not only to play like Mike on the court, but to look stylish off court as well. Since the release of the Jordan 1, the shoe industry throughout the world has grown dramatically. In the U.S., the athletic -4/"% ?#78"$% #((/)&$-% H/7% #$% 3"#-$% K_C% billion and sells over 400 million pairs of shoes each year.

As extensions of the original Air Jordan series, Nike created Team Jordan and Jump Man to go along with their widely collected and sought after Air Force 1, Futura and Dunk series of shoes. These series also widely experiment with color and design schemes to add to their collectible nature.

Considering fashion and aesthetic value represents a large portion of what is driving the shoe industry, sneakerheads often desire hybrid shoes and limited edition designs. As is the paradigm with most highly-collected items, the uniqueness of the shoe and the amount in circulation largely determine the price. A pair of Nike 267% m/7'#&% ]% n"$7/% -4/"-% -"33-% H/7% KCW\9\\% /&% www.pickyourshoes.com, while $4"%P68"%267%m/7'#&%]%n"$7/%sS3>?@6(% `'6$6/&t% '/&-% #% KN\\9\\% @76("% $#59% While the original Jordans and their limited or special editions run a high price tag, less expensive and fashionable options are available. Air Force 1 and Dunk labels can be found for under K_MM9%% High price tags make sneakerheads’ collections incredibly valuable, which leads to meticulous care of the shoes’ conditions. Gene keeps his shoes in their original boxes when unworn, and uses a variety of cleaners to maintain their condition.

Although the Jordan label has led to the revolution of the athletic shoe industry, some feel that it has become diluted and there are too many different shoes, making them less unique. This has led many sneakerheads to seek alternatives to the Jordan label. Shoe brands like Bape (short for A Bathing Ape) take old ideas – like the Nike Air Force 1s – and innovate the style of the shoe, adding different labels, color schemes and designs.

If you want to appear stylish, but do not have the funds to start an expensive shoe collection, knock-offs of many popular shoes are widely available.

Although it is technically illegal, and hated on by sneakerheads, often only a trained eye can distinguish the difference, and hey, you can add them to your fake Rolex and Oakley’s you bought on your eigth grade Washington D.C. trip. b — WILL COOPER contributed to this story

23

spring 2008 backdrop

Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources.

JORDAN SPIZ’IKE (white/cement/black) Combination of the Air Jordan III, IV, V, VI and XX. These were part of the Mars Blackmon ad campaign, created and performed by director Spike Lee.

DUNK HIGH PREMIUM ROYALE COLLECTION - MLB FLORIDA MARLINS DONTRELLE WILLIS EDITION (team red/max orange/varsity red/white) Playing card theme symbolizes Willis being the team’s “ace.”

NIKE VANDAL HIGH PREMIUM “QUICKSTRIKE - ARMY PACK” (blue haze/metallic silver/rustic) Inspired by the G.I. Joe cartoon, the Nike insignia on the tongue of these shoes even has the G.I. Joe font.

AIR TRAINER SC HIGH PREMIUM 2006 “SAMURAI EDITION” (vegas gold/orange blaze/ green stone) Signature “Bo Knows” Bo Jackson campaign sneakers of the 1980s and 1990s.

SHOES PROVIDED BY OU STUDENTS GENE STAMPER, WILL COOPER, RYAN JONES, KELLEN SHOWES. PHOTOS BY SARAH AMATO.

THE SHOES

AIR JORDAN I RETRO (white/black/varsity red) Worn by MJ his rookie year, 1984. These were banned by the NBA for non-regulation colors.

AIR JORDAN XII X AF1 FUSION (black/varsity red-taxi-green bean) Inspired by the “Nisshoki,” the Japanese rising sun flag. Worn by Mike when he grabbed his fifth NBA title.

COURT FORCE HIGH (army olive/ice blue/university blue) Canvas exterior, interior is vibrant orange.

Widely relased to stores like Urban Outfitters.

AIR JORDAN III RETRO LS “DO THE RIGHT THING” EDITION (brisk blue/pro gold/radiant green) Designed by famed architect-turned-shoe designer Tinker Hatfield and features stylish elephant print on front and back.

Experts estimate that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation.

backdrop 2008 spring

24

SUMMER

JOBS

BY LAURA YATES

College is expensive and work sucks. Though you probably can’t do anything about the tuition, this summer you don’t have to be stuck at another lame job. There is a plethora of opportunities and I promise your ideal one is out there. Backdrop spoke with three OU students who managed to find employment, here, near and far.

For these students summer wasn’t just about getting a great tan or a paycheck; it was a time of fun, friends, facts and, of course, much needed funds. Whether you want to cross cultures, play like a kid or save the planet, the opportunity is out there. Go find it.

25

spring 2008 backdrop

A fast food order of a hamburger, fries and soda takes 1,500 gallons of water to make,

h4"&% -"&6/7% `?63>% A7#&$4#?% '"cided to stay in Athens over the summer, she had no clue her local job would lead to an international excursion. But after going beyond her stipulated job requirements, she found that the friendships and cultural appreciation she’d developed were strong enough to reach across continents.

As the summer program coordinator H/7% SBQ`% sS46/% B7/57#?% /H % Q&$"&-6J"% `&536-4tE%#%!7#&(4%/H %S46/%j&6J"7-6$>,-% Linguistics Department that partners 06$4% 6&$"7&#$6/&#3% 6&-$6$)$6/&-E% `?63>,-% /H<(6#3% [/!% '"-(76@$6/&% s046(4% 6&(3)'"'% 7#$4"7% ?)&'#&"% $#-8-% -)(4% #-% <36&5E% copying and shuttling international students about) wasn’t overly thrilling; so she changed them. She made herself an #33Y@)7@/-"%2?"76(#&%36#6-/&%H/7%'/G"&-% of Japanese students and soon found herself doing everything from rushing injured students to the hospital to explaining Athens’ social scene.

S&"%@"78%#-%#&%SBQ`%"?@3/>""%0#-% free trips to King’s Island and Niagara ^#33-%')76&5%046(4%`?63>%#($"'%#-%#%(4#@erone. These trips allowed her additional opportunities to bond with her students #&'E%'"-@6$"%0#386&5%#%<&"%36&"%!"$0""&% #)$4/76$>%<5)7"%#&'%H76"&'E%`?63>%'"J"3oped friendships with several of her students. Her appreciation and comprehension for Japanese culture blossomed, and she became an expert at understanding 4"7%-$)'"&$-,%kJ"7>%m#@#&"-"Y>%`&536-49:% Though summer ended and the stu'"&$-% ."0% !#(8% $/% m#@#&E% $4"% 7"3#$6/&ships remained strong. Over winter 6&$"7("--6/&E% `?63>% -06$(4"'% 7/3"-% #&'% !"(#?"% $4"% -$)'"&$% 04"&% -4"% ."0% $/% Japan and spent three weeks visiting 4"7%H/7?"7%SBQ`%-$)'"&$-9%2&'%$4/)54% she probably won’t be returning to Japan anytime soon (it’s a rather expensive #&'% 3"&5$4>% .654$tE% -4",33% !"% !#(8% 06$4% SBQ`%$46-%-)??"7%56J6&5%6$%4"7%#33E%!"cause she’s learned a little initiative goes a long way.

Take a bunch of inner-city kids that have never been in the woods before, hop them up on peanut butter and marshmallows, throw in a bit of imagination and a whole bunch of freedom and you’ve got Camp Oty’Okwa. Located in Hocking Hills, this camp is a magnet for eccentric counselors that radiate so much positive energy, it’s just shy of being annoying.

Senior Justin Reeder was unable to resist the camp’s magical pull. Since his freshman year, Justin has been involved with the camp and has spent two summers there as a senior counselor. He even shares a house with two fellow counselors.

Camp Oty’Okwa, operated by Big Brothers Big Sisters, hosts kids from a/3)?!)-% 7#&56&5% 6&% #5"-% H7/?% <J"% $/% _L9%^//'%<54$-E%/J"7Y&654$-%#&'%'#>3/&5% hikes are the norm. Justin explained that, unlike other camps he has worked at, Camp Oty’Okwa lets kids be kids — and #3?/-$%"J"7>%7)3"%6-%."D6!3"9%S&"%/H %46-% favorite memories was a three-mile hike that, with a bit of imagination and explo7#$6/&E%$)7&"'%6&$/%#%_LY4/)7%"D()7-6/&9% “Strange things happen in the woods.

It’s unexplainable, but magical,” he explained rather cryptically.

Justin will return to camp this summer and put his psychology major to use training other counselors on how to deal with campers who have mental issues such as autism, ADHD and depression. The camp does not separate special needs children, which can be an added challenge for both counselors and other campers. However, Justin said the mixture helps all the campers understand diversity and learn acceptance.

As a camp counselor, Justin doesn’t have to worry about paying for rent, utilities or food during the summer. And -6&("%a#?@%S$>,S80#%6-%/&3>%#%WLY?6&ute drive from campus, once the woods get old, Court Street is always waiting.

including the water needed to grow potatoes, grain for the bun, cattle and everything for the soda.

Not many of us expect to stumble upon a black bear, alligator or other large, toothy creature this summer, but for senior Angie Germano, that’s just a typical day at work.

Last summer, Angie interned at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, near Naples, Florida, where her primary responsibilities centered around invasive plant control. An invasive plant is a nonnative species with an ability to spread rapidly and threaten native plants. In fragile ecosystems, this can be harmful to the overall biodiversity of the habitat, #&'% 6$% 0#-% 2&56",-% [/!% $/% <&'% #&'% '6-pose of these invaders. Battling the heat, she spent many days waist-deep in water carefully removing designated plants -)(4% #-% $4"% b7#G636#&% B"@@"7% #&'% $4"% Australian Melaleuca.

“You never know what you might see out there — poisonous snakes, beautiful birds, black bears and some people have even seen panthers. It is certainly hot out there in the Florida summer sun, !)$%Q%$46&8%6$%6-%'"<&6$"3>%0/7$4%6$E:%-4"% said.

Angie discovered her job after a successful Audubon internship in Dayton, Ohio, the year before. Wanting to further her hands-on experience and knowledge, Angie not only did resource management, she also worked as a naturalist on the weekends.

“In order to teach about nature you have to learn about it,” she said. The more I learned about these things, the more I saw how their habitats were being affected. You want to protect what you love, and I had come to love the life I saw at Corkscrew.”

backdrop 2008 spring

26

!"#$%&"'"$() *%+,$%-"$&)+') .-/$0&1)223 Alecia Moquin Administration & Operations

alecia@diversifiedproperties.net

Still looking for off‐campus housing?

We have ONE 4‐bedroom apartment left!

Equal Housing Opportunity

408 Richland Ave. Athens, Ohio 740.592.5262

’

O

ne week last year, in the thick of spring quarter, my Dad called to ask if it would be a good weekend for an Athens visit. Although I could almost taste the free meal at Skipper’s, and feel the smooth cart handle of a grocery run with no tab, I quickly put a halt to the visit, explaining that it wouldn’t be a good weekend because of Palmer Fest. A bit taken #!#(8%4"%c)6(83>%"D(3#6?"'E%ke/)%#30#>-%4#J"%-/?"%H"-$%5/6&5%/&f%`J"7>%0""8"&'%6$,-%$4"% -#?"%$46&5f:%g6-%65&/7#&("%(/&<7?"'%04#$%h633%I?6$4%-/%"3/c)"&$3>%"D@3#6&"'%>"#7-%#5/F% “Parents just don’t understand!” backdrop 2008 spring

28

HIGH FEST APRIL 26

PALMER FEST

Last year’s Palmer Fest.

W

hat my dad had caught onto was that yes, there are about as many fests as there are streets in Athens. What he didn’t understand though was that each fest has its own personality, dress code, crowd and heritage, and that these subtle codes of conduct must be respected and prepared for.

Backdrop is here to help you put your “fest H//$:% H/70#7'% #&'% -c)""G"% "J"7>% '7/@% /H % fun from the luscious fruits that are spring quarter fests. So open wide because Athens sure knows how to grow ‘em and it won’t be long before they’re ripe.

)*() '&45 Perhaps winter quarter has broken your soul and spring seems like an implausible fantasy. High Fest is the perfect bash to whip you back into party shape and remind you why you didn’t transfer in mid-February. ;4"%<7-$%/H %$4"%?#[/7%H"-$-E%g654%^"-$%6-%#% classic college street party where neighbors collaborate to stock kegs and corn hole boards in their respective backyards. Shirts are optional, and the roof is by no means off-limits for residents and friends. High Fest gets everybody outside, mingling again, and reminds underclassmen that Nati Light from a Camelback and Halo 3, with frequent peephole R.A. checks, is not the social utopia that it was in the winter. High Fest-ers looking for a daylong drinking campaign that truly delivers should bring their own

29

spring 2008 backdrop

cups and make the hike early to avoid lines at the pump. Because High Fest doesn’t boast a large common ground, partygoers should expect multiple stops, (like trick or treating with beer!) keep their cell phones in pocket H/7%7"&'"GJ/)-%#&'%?6&'%$4"%/@"&%(/&$#6&"7% policies. This modest-but-feel-good fest is 368"% #&% 2@@3"!"",-% 4#3HY@76("% #@@"$6G"79% Q$% might not be the main course, but it comes early, tastes as sweet as the entree and leaves you wanting more.

1"-.&3 '&45 Palmer Street is relatively dormant over the winter, but for a few balmy spring evenings, other streets in Athens might as well cease to exist. For one weekend, revelers from all over Ohio descend upon this paved paradise to enjoy local bands, test the strength of balconies past their prime and give orange snow fencing a purpose again.

Grill-outs and baby pools in the day give way to monstrous house parties culminating on Saturday night, when backyards on both sides of the street turn into a thriving undergrad gathering with a mob mentality.

To milk this weekend for all it’s worth, it’s in your best interest to get in with someone with a Palmer address. Having a home base (#&% !"% #% 36H"-#J"7Z% $46&8F% 6&'//7% @3)?!6&5% and a place to hide from that creeper from accounting class. If you can’t butter up an acquaintance with the right address, bring

MAY 10

FIVE FEST

MAY 17 THE RED BARN 11 A.M. TO MIDNIGHT $10 ON CAMPUS $12 ONLINE $20 AT THE DOOR 5FEST.COM

HILTON HEAD

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND MAY 23-26

Americans spend more money on garbage bags than the combined GDP of 90 of the world’s developing countries.

your own beverages by way of your !#(8@#(89%Q$%?654$%!"%$4"7#@")$6(%$/%<33% what usually holds overpriced, heavy textbooks, with cheap light beer. And $46-%0#>E%>/)%(#&%<&'%#%@"7(4%$/%"&[/>% the night at your own pace.

Any activities kept off the sidewalks or streets are recommended because Palmer Fest isn’t exactly a secret kept from the OUPD or the Athens Police.

Cops mark their calendars and show up in full force on foot, bike, horse, camel, unicycle — any mode they feel will help them keep the block from burning down. Yards fenced off by snow fencing might feel safe, but be wary of wandering the sidewalks or using the road for any rowdy displays. Bottom line is, cooperate with the blue and white and you won’t end up in the orange. To avoid fatigue, breaks are a good way to stay sharp. Although Palmer Fest feels like a national holiday, the dining halls are indeed still open, and a fried chicken plank and a glass of Hocking-fresh agua is the perfect way to charge up for the night session.

'*7& '&45 While we at Backdrop could devote an entire issue to Five Fest, we’ll try to keep it as minimal as the security and order of the event. In short, Five Fest is OU’s very own Woodstock, although the acts on the bill are no Havins or Hendrix. If you’re upset that our ‘concert’ is not free, rest assured; it’s worth "J"7>%@"&&>%/H %$4"%K_T%$6(8"$9%e/),7"% buying a roundtrip ticket to a rager with 10,000 of your closest friends in the Athens hills. Novelty drinking rules the day and things are quick to get rowdy. As the sun dips lower, .#?6&5/% 3#0&% /7&#?"&$% !/&5-% "-(#3#$"% $/% 8"5% $/--"-% #&'% '6GG>% !#$9% ;4"% sheer length of the event coupled with the fact that most students are stranded makes pace critical. Hitting the suds too swiftly can mean the difference between students making it to the last mediocre band and paying for a serious nap next to the big red barn. Dress down for this event. Girls might want to consider skirts for easy access in the bathroom. And by bath-

room I mean the surrounding woods.

It becomes very apparent after about _L% ?6&)$"-% $4#$% $4"% -6D% -$7#$"56(#33>% placed Port-o-Potties are a nice ges$)7"%H7/?%^"-$%/75#&6G"7-E%!)$%$4">%0633% &/$%-)H<("%H/7%$4"%$4/)-#&'-%/H %-#)(>% 7"J"3"7-9%^/7%$46-%7"#-/&E%.6@%./@-%#7"% not encouraged (the woods are on a bit of a slope). Try your best to avoid a drunken tumble because that mud you

fell in ain’t from rain, sister. Steer clear of the piss mud and stay away from the few undercover cops that try to control the chaos.

Five Fest’s Rastafarian, “anything goes” vibe and growing turnout is becoming increasingly hard to top, even by that little get-together in October.

Taking the bus is highly recommended. There’s something about seeing kids crack tabs open on your grade school transportation that brings your education full circle. Be sure to set up a solid camp but roam as much as possible, for this day will be one you’ll talk about until Six Fest.

)*-50/ )&"% If the beach at Strouds just isn’t cutting it, and the waters of the Hocking are looking more murky than majestic, a Memorial Day trip to the coast might be [)-$% 04#$% >/)% &""'% !"H/7"% <&#3-% 0""89% This exodus packs all the promise of a resort getaway into a long weekend that for most who make the trip, isn’t quite 3/&5%"&/)549%QH %>/)%'/%<&'%>/)7%0#>%$/% the Atlantic, Hilton Head is the place to go. You’re sure to run into fellow Bobcats on the beach; for years the Athens

The US is only 4.5% of the world population yet produces 50% of the world’s toxic waste.

campus has migrated to this South Carolina summer spot for the long weekend. Book your hotel as early as possible and get your carpooling plans in gear.

2&% "H<(6"&$% '"@#7$)7"% "&-)7"-% ?#D6mum beach time and the quicker you get out of Athens, the faster you can have a Frosty Frog Daiquiri in your hand and be chatting it up with the local bartender. Stretching money can be a challenge, -/% @76/76$6G6&5% 6-% 8">9% A dumpy hotel room with more bodies than beds might save your crew enough for extra drinks at one of the local nightlife hotspots like Monkey b)-6&"--%/7%;4"%`3"(tric Piano. Local watering holes are plentiful and some main drags that will make you feel like you’re right back on Court Street are the Barmuda Triangle and B#78%B3#G#%#7"#-9%QH %$4"%&654$36H"%'/"-&,$% quench your thirst for adventure, plenty of water adventures await, including jet ski rentals and parasailing. Get wet and 063'%06$4%$4"-"%"D()7-6/&-%#$%gTS%h#ter Sports in Harbour Town during the day before returning to the bars to wet your tongue and get wild at night.

In preparing for any one of the fests that make spring quarter so magical, everyone should take my mom’s advice.

She asked me one soul-rattling, brutallyrelevant-to-my-wellbeing question. My mom listened as I recounted Four Fest exclaiming, “I couldn’t believe it, Mom! There were so many people and hardly any security! People were smoking everywhere and I couldn’t feel the ground as I walked out, because there were so many beer cans on the ground! At the end kids 0"7"%$7>6&5%$/%3654$%#%(/)(4%/&%<7"f:%I4"% responded with the kind of heavy-hitting life advice that is only appropriate for -)(4%/((#-6/&-F%kI4#?"*: “Yeah, Mom?” “Did you wear sunscreen?”

Mothers always know best even when it comes to fests.

backdrop 2008 spring

30

GET IN ON THIS. get out of athens | summer music fests

Last year’s Lollapalooza.

READ THIS PAGE. FIND YOUR STAGE. RAGE.

BY BRITTANY TIMMONS

Even if you’re low on dough this spring (and who isn’t?) you can get a taste of summer music festival fun thanks to our very own mini-Bonnaroo, the infamous Five Fest. However, Five Fest is only a pregame compared to the gigantic multi-day summer music extravaganzas that have multiplied like bunnies during the last decade. Now, there are more than 15 major music festivals flooding the scene. According to Rolling Stone, last year’s attendance for Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella totaled 434,000. With numbers like that, it’s no wonder festivals are sprouting up like flowers after April showers. Luckily for us, at least four of them are within a 10-hour drive from Athens. So, consider taking a break from summer school, pack up your tents, grab your bug spray, and get ready for this year’s four fests that promise to fulfill your wildest desires (for live music).

31

spring 2008 backdrop

1 BONNAROO June _TY_L DRIVE TIME:%N%4/)7-%LN%?6& The seventh annual Bonnaroo Arts and Music ^"-$6J#3% 0633% !"% 7"$)7&6&5% $46-% >"#7% $/% 6$-% NMMY#(7"% farm location in Tennessee. This year’s mishmash of a musical medley includes Pearl Jam, Metallica, m#(8%m/4&-/&%#&'%=#&>"%h"-$9%%d/7"%$4#&%LM%/$4"7% performers including Phil Lesh & Friends, The Allman Brothers Band, Death Cab for Cutie, and M.I.A are also on the bill. The comedy tent will frequent Chris Rock, David Cross and Jim Norton as well as others. As always, if you get sick of watching a great lineup of high-energy shows, you could check out the abounding alternative activities.

For example, you could get your Zen on in a yoga class, learn how to help counteract global warming or, in classic OU style, sample the refreshments of the Broo’ers Festival. Get your tickets as soon #-%@/--6!3"%#-%$4">%!"56&%6&(7"#-6&5%H7/?%KTM\9LMY TWW9LM%06$4/)$%&/$6("9% WWW.BONNAROO.COM

3 billion people on our Earth have an annual income of less than $620 per year.

2 ROTHBURY m)3>%CY] DRIVE TIME:%N%4/)7-%TW%?6& Rothbury graces the festival scene this summer much to the joy of anticipating music junkies and tree huggers everywhere. This Michigan festival promises to create an innovative, environmentallyfriendly space to share ideas about sustainability. Headliners include Dave Mathews Band, Widespread Panic, 311, Primus, Snoop Dogg, and Modest Mouse just to name a few. If that’s not enough of a The band Primus is set to perform at Rothbury. musically comprehensive snack to get your mouth watering, the interactive, and theatrical aspects of Rothbury are sure to do the trick. Amanda B#3?"7%/H %;4"%i7"-'"&%i/33-%0633%(7"#$"%k;4"%`-$#!36-4?"&$E:%n/$4!)7>,-%"(3"($6(% (#!#7"$% "D@"76"&("9% `#7$4% "?!7#(6&5% #($6J6$6"-% #!/)&'% #&'% 0633% @7/?/$"% #% kP"0% Independence Day.” At the Rothbury Think Tank, scientists, scholars, political leaders and entertainers will all come together. Film screenings, workshops and discussion @#&"3-%0633%-"$%$4"%-$#5"%$/%-4#7"%6'"#-%#!/)$%k^6&'6&5%`&"75>%Q&'"@"&'"&("9:%;6(8"$% @76("%H/7%n/$4!)7>%6-%(/?@#7#!3"%$/%6$-%(/?@"$6$6/&%#&'%7)&-%KTWW9NL%H/7%(#?@6&5E% @#786&5%#&'%#33%-4/0-9%^/7%#%?/7"%@#?@"7"'%"D@"76"&("%#%kOQB%h""8"&':%(/-$-% KWNL9%;4"%kA//'%+6H":%@#(8#5"E%046(4%6&(3)'"-%#((/??/'#$6/&-%6&%#%3/5%(#!6&%/7% 7#&(4%06$4%!7"#8H#-$-%#&'%#''6$6/&#3%7"(7"#$6/&#3%#($6J6$6"-%7)&-%H7/?%K_EC_\Y_EWCT9 WWW.ROTHBURYFESTIVAL.COM

3 LOLLAPALOOZA August 1-3

4 ALL POINTS WEST 2)5)-$%XY_M

DRIVE TIME:%N%4/)7-%]%?6& The event that has been credited with starting the modern alternative music fest trend is back this year at Grant Park in Chicago. As of publication, the lineup has yet to be announced.

However, if it’s anything like the diverse mix of indie, rock, pop and electronica that shook the eight stages last year it should be pretty impressive.

Pearl Jam and Daft Punk headed the lineup last year with performances by Modest Mouse, Amy Winehouse, and Blonde Redhead making up some of $4"% ?/7"% $4#&% _TM% /$4"7% @"7H/7?"7-9% Keeping with the green theme, this >"#7% +/33#@#3//G#% 6-% 6&(/7@/7#$6&5% earth friendly practices. “Green Street” features various sustainability exhibits and eco-friendly products. In addition to the environmentally friendly efforts at A7""&%I$7""$E%+/33#@#3//G#%6-%-"336&5%kb"% Green Fan Tags.” Proceeds of these will go towards purchasing renewable energy credits to help offset carbon dioxide emissions. Festival tickets aren’t on sale >"$%!)$%3#-$%>"#7%$4">%0"7"%K_\M9 WWW.LOLLAPALOOZA.COM

DRIVE TIME:%X%4/)7-%W\%?6& i)!!"'% ka/#(4"33#% `#-$:% !>% ?)-6(% bloggers (they share the same producers, 2`A%+6J"1A/3'"&J/6("tE%233%B/6&$-%h"-$% will be home to the much anticipated double dose performance by Radiohead both Friday and Saturday night. For better or for worse, Jack Johnson will be the co-headlining performer.

If Jack doesn’t tickle your fancy, fear not; more than 40 other performers including Kings of Leon, The New Pornographers, Andrew Bird and Cat Power will be in attendance as well. This will all be going down at the picturesque Liberty State Park in New Jersey complete with a panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. Producers insist that APW will not be a Coachella Jr., and will have a unique character of its own. One noticeable difference is the prohibiting of camping on concert grounds at APW. Another environmentally-conscious festival, APW will promote carpooling by limiting parking and offering alternatives $/%'76J6&59%;6(8"$-%#7"%KTLX%H/7%#%$47""Y '#>%@#--%/7%KX\%H/7%#%-6&53"%'#>%$6(8"$9% WWW.APWFESTIVAL.COM

1.3 billion people live on less than $1 per day.

THERE’S MORE:

THE REST OF

THE FESTS

COACHELLA April 25-27 Location: Indio, CA www.coachella.com BAMBOOZLE May 3-4 Location: East Rutherford, NJ www.thebamboozle.com SUMMERCAMP May 23-25 Location: Chillicothe, IL www.summercampfestival.com SASQUATCH! May 26-27 Location: George, WA www.sasquatchfestival.com WAKARUSA June 5-8 Location: Lawrence, Kansas www.wakarusa.com CITY STAGES June 13-15 Location: Birmingham, AL www.citystages.org SUMMERFEST June 26-July 6 Location: Milwaukee, WI www.summerfest.com ROCKLAHOMA July 10-13 Location: Pryor, OK www.rockfeverfest.com 10,000 LAKES MUSIC FESTIVAL July 23-26 Location: Detroit Lakes, MN www.10klf.com/artists.php VIRGIN Aug. 9-10 Location: Baltimore, MD www.virginmobilefestival.com OUTSIDE LANDS MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL Aug. 22-24 Location: San Francisco, CA www.sfoutsidelands.com BUMBERSHOOT Aug. 30-Sept.1 Location: Seattle, WA www.bumbershoot.org AUSTIN CITY LIMITS Sept. 26-28 Location: Austin, TX aclfestival.com

backdrop 2008 spring

32

Mark inRighAtt here hens!

Your Calendars July 14- July 19, 2008 Come celebrate the diversity and creativity of Ohio microbrew beers.

Sample over 76 Ohio craft beers in 21 Athens restaurants.

V%g/?"!7"06&5%'"?/&-$7#$6/&V%g"#7%H7/?%!""7%"D@"7$V%b""7YH3#J/7"'%H//'-%

33

spring 2008 backdrop

V%b7"0Ya//86&5%(/?@"$6$6/&% V%n6'"%$4"%b7"0%a4//%a4//% V%b""7%$#-$6&5%u%?/7"f%

www.ohiobrewweek.com

the

LOADED QUESTION

Should we allow concealed carry on campus?

BY ANDREW EISENMAN

backdrop 2008 spring

34

crisis

police

emergency T’S A REGULAR

WEDNESDAY in March, a gray, translucent afternoon; I have NM% ?6&)$"-% 6&% !"$0""&% (3#--"-E% #&'% Q,?% going to buy a gun. d>%(#7%6-%#%?"#$%H7""G"7E%#&'%Q,?%&/$% bothering with the heat or the seatbelt, because to legally buy a gun in Athens you literally go right around the corner $/%TL%`9%I$6?-/&%2J"9%;46-%6-%&/%-"(7"$9% ;4"%-65&%/&%$4"%H#v#'"%/H %$4"%S46/%O#33">% ;7#'6&5%#&'%`D(4#&5"%a/9%!)63'6&5%-#>-F% GUNS. I park and walk inside. Stockpiled along $4"%!#(8%0#33%#7"%76."-%#&'%-4/$5)&-%#&'% #--#)3$% 76."% 3//8Y#368"-9% ;4"7",-% #% -#J#5"E% Taliban-like thing, with a wood-grain stock, forearm and pistol grip that appears $/% !"% #&% 2=YWNE% !)$% Q,?% $/3'% 6$,-% /&3>% #% semi-automatic clone. The difference is $4"% 0/78/)$% >/)7% $7655"7% <&5"7% 0633% 5"$E% 4#J6&5%$/%@)33%!#(8%"J"7>%$6?"%$/%<7"%$4"% semi-auto.

A glass display worms from one end of the store to the other, showing off the store’s variety of handguns. There’s the I?6$4% u% h"--/&% d/'"3% LMM% n"J/3J"7E% #% hand-cannon that carries a cartridge the -6G"%/H %#%a4#@I$6(89%;4"%&"D$%-4"3H %/J"7% showcases an Israeli-manufactured mer(4#&$% /H % '"#$4% (#33"'% $4"% i"-"7$% `#53"9% Both handguns are romantic, but practical /&3>%6H %Q%0"7"%<3?6&5%#%h"-$"7&%/7%#%7#@% music video.

Behind the display case, a lumberjack3//86&5%?#&%4#-%$#8"&%#@#7$%#%76."%#&'%6-% cleaning the barrel. I ask him, if I want to buy a gun, do I still have to wait three days before I can walk out of the store with it?

“Not anymore,” he says. “I can run your background check right now and you can walk outta here in about 10 minutes.”

“What kind of background check?” I ask.

“FBI,” he says. “I call ‘em up. Give spring 2008

law

paranoia

II

35

evil

backdrop

victims

trigger

school shootings

‘em your name and birth date and they run it through their system to make sure you’re not a convicted felon, there’s no outstanding warrants out for your arrest and that you’re not mentally insane.”

“And all that takes about 10 minutes?” k2!/)$%<J"E:%4"%-#>-E%./--6&5%$4"%3/&5% !3#(8%!#77"3%06$4%#%7#59%k;4"%/$4"7%<J"%H/7% paperwork.”

I already know that if I can’t buy a gun here today, I can always order one from ;/@A3/(89(/?E% $4"% 0"!Y!#-"'% <7"#7?-% dealer that sold to both Cho Seung-Hui #&'%I$"J"%=#G?6"7(G#89 a4/% )-"'% 46-% @)7(4#-"% $/% 8633% CT% -$)'"&$-%#&'%-$#HH %#$%O6756&6#%;"(4%3#-$%2@763Z% =#G?6"7(G#8%/@"&"'%<7"%/&%#%3"($)7"%4#33E% 86336&5%<J"%#$%P/7$4"7&%Q336&/6-%%j&6J"7-6$>% /&%O#3"&$6&",-%i#>9%

II

that /(()77"'%#$%O6756&6#%;"(4%#&'%PQjE% members of Ohio University’s Second Amendment Club — the Gun Club — want to be able to carry guns on campus.

The rest of us probably don’t. The Ohio n"J6-"'% a/'"% )&'"7% I"($6/&% T\TC9_T]% currently prohibits concealed handguns on college campuses. OU says it’s illegal to carry any kind of weapon, namely guns, on school property, and it enforces the law with “Gun-Free Zone” signs, which are supposedly posted in every school building. I haven’t noticed.

Supporters and detractors of gun con$7/3% -$#&'% /&% '6-$6&($3>% /@@/-6$"% -6'"-F% Those who say guns kill, and that they <&'%6$%4#7'%$/%/J"73//8%$4"%67/&>%/H %<54$ing campus violence by allowing students to carry guns; and those who say people kill, that we students are sitting ducks, unarmed and vulnerable victims to evildoers, and for that reason it’s our constitutional right to bear arms.

N THE ECHO OF THE CARNAGE

enforcement prevent

F rifles gu

O O

I’m late meeting the former vice president of the Second Amendment Club at the Sonic on Stimson. I tear through the menthol chill and enter the restaurant. A few minutes later, a broad-shouldered young man in a russet leather jacket and jeans pushes through the door, his porcelain-blue eyes hanging low beneath the round bill of a worn-out ball cap.

“Bob Denny,” he says.

Bob knows a lot about guns. As soon as we sit down he begins rattling off facts about how one in three Americans owns a gun; in states that allow concealed handgun carry (called “shall” issue states), violent crime is lower than in states that do not (called “may” issue states). He alleges 6&%`&53#&'E%04"7"%6$%6-%633"5#3%$/%@76J#$"3>% own a gun, gun violence is actually higher than it is in the US. Bob’s knowledge is impressive.

What Bob wants is not a Wild, Wild West university, in which every student is armed, ready to draw against one another, rendering laws obsolete in an every-manfor-himself, survival-of-the-most-wellarmed world.

Quite the opposite, really. Bob and his buddies call themselves “law-abiding gun owners.” In fact, they know the laws well, have studied them and exposed the loop4/3"-%#&'%633Y'"<&"'%$"7?-%06$46&%$4"?9 “I’m licensed to carry a concealed handgun,” Bob says. “If I’m licensed to carry every place else, why is there a magical line around my school?”

For concealed carriers, a gun is not a symbol of omnipotence. Rather, in a volatile world that seems to breed evil, carry6&5%#%5)&%6-%$4"%!"-$%0"33Y6&$"&'"'%(6$6G"&-% (#&%'/%$/%3"J"3%$4"%@3#>6&5%<"3'9% That’s why Bob and Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC), #% &#$6/&06'"% /75#&6G#$6/&% '"'6(#$"'% $/% N A RAINY EVENING

If the use of cloth diapers went up by just 1 percent, the reductions in

campus rampages NO GUNS weapon life crime firearm assault Americans control pistol fighting fear of each other FBI unman concealed violence kill threat warrants survival Virginia Tech

illegal

the cause, want to make it legal for only licensed individuals to carry guns on university property. It’s legal in Utah, so why not elsewhere?

The key word in concealed carry is legal, because a law as poorly enforced as this is is easy to break and get away with.

Most rampant gunmen, Bob says, aren’t those who have gone through the trouble of obtaining a concealed carriers license, which requires the completion of a 10hour gun handling course, background (4"(8% #&'% ?/&$4Y3/&5% ("7$6<(#$6/&% @"riod.

II

of the Ohio University Police Department there is a Biblethick listing of recent crime reports in alert-red type. Chief Mike Martinsen, an 6?@/-6&5%<5)7"%06$4%#%@6$(4"7,-%H/7"#7?-E% 3"#'-%?"%$/%46-%/H<("%#(7/--%$4"%4#339%g",-% dressed in street clothes, with a .40 caliber Glock semi-auto gloved to his waist. In 46-% /H<("E% d#7$6&-"&% -6$-% 6&% #% !65% -06J"3% (4#67% !"46&'% #% a`SY-6G"'% '"-8E% -$7"0&% with loose papers and a catalogue for allterrain Segways. Some would call him a`S% /H % $4"% 3#09% ;4#$% ?654$% ?#8"% 46?% blush.

Martinsen comes from a cop family. He has been in law enforcement for more than two decades. He came to OU two years ago, from a precinct in inner city Cincinnati, where in one week he responded to more calls than in an entire year here. g"% '/"-&,$% $46&8% 3"5#36G6&5% (/&("#3"'% carry on campus will prevent violence or protect anyone from it. If anything, Martinsen says, allowing students and staff to (#77>% <7"#7?-% /&% (#?@)-% @7/@"7$>% 0633% ["/@#7'6G"% $4"% @/36("% '"@#7$?"&$,-% #!63ity to respond to crises and endanger the lives of students who may get caught in $4"%(7/--<7"9%^)7$4"7E%04"&%#&%6&'6J6')#3% N THE LOBBY

crossfire

6-% /!-"7J"'% 06$4% #% <7"#7?% 6&% 4#&'E% 6$% must be initially assumed that he or she is a threat to our campus community. k+#0% "&H/7("?"&$% /H<("7-% 7"-@/&'% with split-second decision making to situations in which an individual has bran'6-4"'%#%<7"#7?E:%d#7$6&-"&%-#>-9%kh",7"% trained extensively to be able to make these decisions.”

Martinsen agrees that it’s an American’s right to own a gun. He respects the Second Amendment Club’s commitment to their constitutional entitlements, and he sees the club as an important group on campus. He shares their belief that the gun itself isn’t the problem, that it takes a person to pull the trigger.

As the campus shooting spree trend orbits Ohio, university police departments have been opened to scrutiny from $4"%^"'"7#3%`?"75"&(>%d#&#5"?"&$%2--/(6#$6/&%s^`d2t%#&'%$4"%j&6$"'%I$#$"-% Department of Homeland Security. A month ago, during a week-long seminar 6&%h#-46&5$/&%i9a9E%^`d2%#--"--"'%$4"% OUPD’s crisis incident response tactics.

On a campus that sees virtually no violent crime, the OUPD is appropriately staffed. Martinsen says that while his team is versed in Direct Threat Training, in the event of a crisis, the OUPD relies heavily on its relationships with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide a SWAT team. Full response to active violence, he "-$6?#$"-E%?#>%$#8"%)@%$/%\M%?6&)$"-9%

I

BOB DENNY if there’s a certain paranoia among people who feel the &""'% $/% (#77>% #% <7"#7?% /&% $4"67% @"7-/&% at all times.

“I don’t think so,” he says. “The police are there to protect and serve society as a whole. They aren’t there to defend you. I wouldn’t want to be in a situation in which I could have saved my life, or the ASK

would be about the same as 14,200 households not producing any garbage for an entire

lives of others.” d#7$6&-"&% "?@#$46G"-% 06$4% b/!% #&'% those who have gone through the necessary training to be able to concealed carry.

Still, knowing what he knows, Martinsen wouldn’t want his own son to carry a <7"#7?%/&%(#?@)-E%"J"&%6H %6$%0"7"%?#'"% legal.

“It’s too much responsibility,” he says.

“It’s easier for law enforcement if the only other person in the building with a gun is the threat itself.”

W W

HAT IF WE’RE ASKING

the wrong question? What if instead of asking whether or not we should allow guns on college campuses we asked, what drives young people to feel so hopeless?

What are we made to believe is so important that without it life is not worth living?

It seems Seung-Hui and several other school shooters were making a point. ;4#$%$4">E%$4"%@"/@3"%/-$7#(6G"'%#&'%6?prisoned at the bottom of our society’s social hierarchy, are not powerless after all. Such violent acts of discontent have embedded in our collective psyche a general feeling of insecurity. We begin to change the way we live out of fear. In that sense, we are the collateral damage. The rest of us, who attend schools that have never been shot up, are left with the days and weeks and months thereafter to ponder how something like this could have happened, how we can prevent it from ever happening here.

I wonder if nowadays we live in such fear of one another that it has become necessary to arm ourselves at all times.

I try to imagine a world in which a gun is a common accessory, like a cell phone or sunglasses. Personally, I don’t feel any safer there.

backdrop 2008 spring

36

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THE

GUIDE MARILYN MONROE TO CHOOSING YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT

BY ANDREW EISENMAN

B

ecause the issues aren’t all that important anymore, I’ve devised a logical new way to pick the next president of the United I$#$"-F%b>%4/0%5//'%$4"%(#&'6'#$"%6-%6&% bed. If I’m going to let someone screw my country, he, or she, at least better make me feel good while doing so. Thankfully, it’s that Yard-Signand-Bumper-Sticker time of year again and I was able to test our new system.

First on my list is Ralph Nader. Ralph is old, but 4"#3$4>9%g",-%$#33%s],C:t%#&'%5#)&$E%"J"&%-/?"04#$%-)33"&Y3//86&59%n#3@4,-%7654$%">"%.)$$"7-%/)$%/H %->&(%06$4% the left eye, leading to self-conscious and uncomfortable sex — 11 minutes of getting in each other’s way.

Afterward I was cold, and all I wanted was a cigarette.

Q%?"$%n"@)!36(#&%m/4&%d(a#6&%#$%#%d/$"3%]%/HH %$4"% highway. When he opened his chain-locked room door, Q%7"#36G"'%d(a#6&%6-%@/7$3>E%&"#73>%!#3'%s"D("@$%H/7%$4#$% -$76&5>%.#@%/H %046$"%/J"7$/@tE%#&'%4"%4#-%36J"7%-@/$-9% He made me call him “Mr. President.” He smacked me in the mouth when I crossed the line and then kissed me unapologetically.

Barack Obama’s got that whole emaciated Will Smith thing going on, and is by far the best looking candidate. He and I arranged our NSA casual encounter — his words, not mine — on MySpace. In the bedroom, Barack knew all the right things to do and say to relax my nerves. With “The Best of Miles Davis” in

the background, Barack dimmed the lights, took my hand, and led me toward the bed. We both sat.

“You’re just. So beautiful. You know. I’ve always.

Had. A thing. For you,” he said, and I applauded and instantly slapped an OBAMA pin on my backpack.

“I don’t know if we can do this,” I said.

“Yes, we can,” he orated.

For sex with Hillary Clinton, I had to make an appointment. In her post-menopausal years, the once homely Hillary has ditched the bangs, trimmed the brows, and she’s really grown into her teeth.

We kissed for a while, longer than I had wanted, and then attempted to slip my hand under her blouse.

“Wait,” she said, softly.

“Yeah?”

“How many other presidential candidates have you slept with?”

“I don’t know. Who cares?”

Her eyes began to well up with tears, but she stubbornly insisted it didn’t matter to her. The entire time she left her blouse and the lights on. There was a list of Pool Rules displayed on a metal sign above the bed, and she made sure that I adhered to them. I suffered ?6-"7#!3>%$47/)54%"#(4%5>7#$6/&9%S&("%-4"%<&#33>%H"33% asleep, I quietly found my pants, snuck out the door and tiptoed over to Monica Lewinsky’s house so she (/)3'%<&6-4%$4"%[/!9%

More than 150,000 plastic bottles of shampoo are used every year in a single 300 ­ room Las Vegas hotel.

backdrop 2008 spring

38

ACTIVITY DISORDER: RUNNING ON EMPTY

BY JAMIE SMITH

Bustling, sweaty bodies immerse themselves among ellipticals, weights and basketball hoops in Ping Recreation Center. Students, both male and female, ./(8% $/% B6&5% $/% -$#>% 6&% -4#@"% #&'% maintain healthy lives. However, not everyone attends Ping for these reasons, and the pounds some try desperately to lose could be fatal.

Over-exercising, also known as #($6J6$>% '6-/7'"7E% 6-% (3#--6<"'% )&'"7% eating disorders. It is a disease that causes people to count every calorie they intake and then go right to the gym and work off every calorie they just ate.

The four types of eating disorders are bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and eating '6-/7'"7-% &/$% /$4"706-"% -@"(6<"'9% Activity disorder would fall under the latter category.

Activity disorder, which affects both sexes, doesn’t have just one cause, said Dr. Jeanne Heaton, a psychologist at Hudson Health Center. In some cases an eating disorder or activity disorder may start from students being exposed to images that are unreasonably thin,

39

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convincing them that they need to look that way. This may trigger an outof-control diet or exercise regimen.

However, there isn’t a certain area of the brain where eating disorders and activity disorder start, Heaton said. Causes may be environmental or hereditary.

Society’s obsession with “skinny” makes matters worse. The images

“I DON’T WANT TO BE THAT GIRL, BUT YES, I FEEL PRESSURED

BY THE MEDIA TO BE THIN,” SAID KATHARINE BAINBRIDGE, A REGULAR PING ATTENDEE.

bombarding students to be thin do contribute to the problem, said Heaton.

While women have the stigma to be thin, men have more pressure to be buff, Heaton said.

“I don’t want to be that girl, but yes, I feel pressured by the media to be thin,” said Katharine Bainbridge, a regular Ping attendee. Let’s face it; the media reward certain body types and behaviors, such as dieting — but it’s

hard to decipher what’s actually healthy.

“The recommended amount is 30 minutes of moderately intensive exercise, which could be rapid walking, running or even rollerblading most days of the week,” said Francie Astrom, a Well Works nutrition counselor and registered dietician. The point is to get one’s heart rate up several times a week.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a way $/%-(6"&$6<(#33>%$"-$%H/7%$4"%-65&-%/H %#&% eating/activity disorder. The BMI uses an adult’s height and weight to measure body fat. A normal BMI for both male #&'%H"?#3"-%6-%!"$0""&%_X9L%#&'%TW9\9% QH %#&%#')3$%4#-%#%bdQ%!"$0""&%_L%#&'% _]E%4"%/7%-4"%6-%(/&-6'"7"'%)&'"70"654$% #&'%(/)3'%4#J"%#&%"#$6&5%'6-/7'"79%`J"&% though this can be used as a sign, there 6-&,$%#%'"<&6$"%#&$6(6@#$"'%3"J"3%/H %bdQ% that’s considered fatal, Astrom said.

“People think they need to exercise the same amount of calories that they eat, but this is wrong,” Astrom said.

The Basal Metabolic Rate, or amount of energy everyone needs on a basic '#>E% 6-% /!$#6&"'% !>% (/&-)?6&5% _ETMMY _EXMM% (#3/76"-9% ;46-% 6-% [)-$% -/% @"/@3"%

If only 25 percent of all photocopies were made on both sides of a sheet,

TL%I9%aSjn;%I;9 2;g`PIE%Sg%WLNM_ NWM9L\T9LWNX

ILLUSTRATIONS BY AMANDA YEZERSKI

can do simple, involuntary functions, such as batting an eyelash during the day. ;/% <5)7"% /)$% 4/0% ?#&>% (#3/76"-% @"/@3"% &""'%"#(4%'#>%$/%H)&($6/&E%/&"%&""'-%$/%<5)7"% out their BMR, plus whatever calories they lose from physical activity during the day, plus the amount of calories their body burns from digesting food. For example, this means many 0/?"&%&""'%TEMMM%$/%TETMM%(#3/76"-%#%'#>%$/% maintain a healthy body.

But this disorder doesn’t discriminate. Male eating disorders aren’t a myth; there are men in the U. S. that become obsessed with their 0"654$9% 2((/7'6&5% $/% $4"% P#$6/&#3% `#$6&5% Disorders Association, 10 percent of people with eating disorders are male. Though eating disorders are less common in males than in females, their numbers are increasing, Astrom said.

For those who suffer from any eating disorder, Ohio University does offer help. The Counselor in Residence Program includes doctoral students who will listen and offer advice in a non-threatening environment while being monitored by licensed psychologists. ;4">,7"%/@"&%$47""%&654$-%#%0""8%H7/?%L%@9?9% to 10 p.m.

Lindsay Orchowski, a counselor who the annual savings would equal 130 billion sheets of paper.

works in Jefferson Hall, said the Counselor 6&% n"-6'"&("% B7/57#?% -#0% ?/7"% $4#&% _LM% students last year alone. She said activity disorder is a very secretive subject among those who are plagued with it.

Normally, she meets with students over six sessions where they can openly discuss their problem. The Counselor in Residence Program doesn’t advertise, because they would rather meet the students personally by going to residence halls and talking about the program. This way the students feel more comfortable talking to them, Orchowski said.

“The most intimate relationship a person can have is the one with his or her body,” Orchowski said, and her goal is to strengthen that bond. She encourages body embracement instead of control and governing, which is normally associated with eating disorders.

She also pointed out that when it comes to exercising, it doesn’t matter how much or long one does it, it all depends on how one thinks about exercise.

“Why is it so easy to complain about your body instead of feeling good about it and what it can do for you?” Orchowski asked.

mountainlaurelathens.com

{ TAKE A DRIVE. 400 MILES ISN’T THAT FAR. }

BIG BONE LICK STATE PARK 176 MILES

!

1

If the name isn’t enticing enough, perhaps the _XEMMMY>"#7Y/3'% H/--63-E% miles of hiking trails and a real, live buffalo herd will pull you in. Big Bone Lick State Park in Union, Ky., is just a three-hour drive from Athens, and is a perfect getaway for travelers who want a change of scenery.

Big Bone Lick is situ#$"'%/&%LTL%#(7"-%6&%&/7$4ern Kentucky, just 30 miles away from the greater Cincinnati area. Deemed the @7"-$656/)-%kb67$4@3#("%/H %2?"76(#&%O"7$"!7#$"%B#3"/&$/3/5>E:%$4"% state park is home to skeletons of woolly mammoths, mastodons and ground sloths, all of which unfortunately took a little tumble into the swamplands and never made it out to see the Mesolithic period. Take a trek on the Discovery Trail to learn how “Manny” and his friends periled and how their bones were then excavated in _NC\9%;4"%@#78%4#-%6$-%/0&%?)-")?%s06$4%#%56H$%-4/@ftE%#&'%$/&-%/H % other recreational opportunities. Swimming, mini-golf, hiking, biking and buffalo-heckling are just some of the many attractions Big b/&"%+6(8%/HH"7-9%b"%-)7"%$/%!76&5%>/)7%<-46&5%@/3"Z%$4"%N9LY#(7"% 3#8"%6-%4/?"%$/%3#75"?/)$4%!#--E%!3)"%5633%#&'%(#$<-49 ;4"% (#?@57/)&'-% #7"% (3"#&% #&'% #HH/7'#!3"E% #7/)&'% KTM% @"7% night for two people. Showers, restrooms, grills, laundry facilities and electrical outlets are available — but should only be used for iPod docks.

So if you enjoy the great outdoors and are strapped for cash, Big Bone Lick is the perfect weekend trip for chillin’ among big bones and perhaps licking a few of them, (if you’re into that sort of thing). Actually, that would be pretty disgusting, so just pack a cooler and some trail mix and you’ll be set.

— Ashley Luther

41

spring 2008 backdrop

2

GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN 431 MILES

!

SOUNDTRACKF% P#@@>% n//$-E% Watermelon, Chicken & GritzZ% a6$6G"&% Cope, Citizen Cope; Leftover Salmon, Leftover Salmon: Live

SOUNDTRACKF%P6(8%i7#8"E%Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake; Amos Lee, Supply and Demand; The September Sessions (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) If I don’t go to a decent beach every few months (Strouds Run doesn’t count), my mind starts to break down and show early -65&-%/H %#%@->(4/$6(%"@6-/'"9%I/E%Q%?#8"%'/%06$4%04#$%Q%4#J"F%+#8"% Michigan. Although Michigan’s seasons consist of winter, winter, winter and summer, the summertime is pretty awesome. It’s like S46/%06$4/)$%$4"%2?#G/&Y368"%4)?6'6$>9%2''%#%A7"#$%+#8"%$4#$%6-% actually swimable and doesn’t smell like your seventh grade hallway, and you’re on your way to an enjoyable beach getaway, especially in Grand Haven, Michigan. Miles of coastal beach front with beautiful beach homes built into the dunes give Grand Haven the feeling of a Northeastern beach town. The best way to experience Grand HaJ"&%6-%06$4%>/)7%-65&6<(#&$%/$4"7%/7%#%-?#33%57/)@%/H %(3/-"%H76"&'-9% If that’s the case, contact Camper’s Paradise, a prime location. With 7#$"-%#7/)&'%KTL%@"7%&654$E%6$,-%(/-$%"HH"($6J"%$/%-3""@%)&'"7%$4"%-$#7-9% But if a weeklong-drunken-beach-bash is your idea of a swell time, gather up a large group and rent one of the beach house mansions that are scattered throughout the area. Those will set you back any04"7"%H7/?%K]MM%$/%KTELMM%@"7%0""89%h4#$"J"7%>/)7%5/#3-%6&%A7#&'% Haven may be, there will be more people in this vacation hot spot just like you.

Book your stay in advance to avoid crowded, holiday weekends.

There is plenty of good shopping and dining, and Grand Haven will be a lot easier on your wallet than many other beach destinations.

Check out the Morning Star Café on Washington Avenue. They’re noted for their breakfasts and homemade salsa. It doesn’t take a .#-4>%(#7%#&'%H#?/)-%!"#(4"-%H/7%?"%$/%"&[/>%#&%/@"&%06&'/0% cruise up to the “coast” with good music and good people. If you’re 368"%?"%6&%$46-%7"5#7'E%>/)%0633%<&'%#%7/#'%$76@%$/%A7#&'%g#J"&%#% memorable, relaxing experience.

— James Rice

If 100,000 people switched from wooden pencils to refillable pencils, 210 trees a year would be

NASHVILLE 423 MILES

!

3

SOUNDTRACKF%m/4&&>%a#-4E%Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison (Live); The Black Crowes, Warpaint; Outkast, Aquemini P/% &""'% $/% d#@w)"-$% '67"($6/&-% $/% P#-4J633"F% -06&5% #% 3"H$% through Cincinnati and keep going straight. Six hours later and you’re in downtown Music City, USA. The drive through rolling hills and Kentucky farmland may sound boring, but with world-famous attractions like Mammoth Cave, the national Corvette Museum and i6&/-#)7%h/73'E%046(4%>/)%(#&,$%?6--%$4#&8-%$/%$4"%36H"Y-6G"%;Yn"D% on the edge of the highway, bathroom breaks become cultural experiences.

Comfort Inn Nashville is a block from the city’s best venues, and #$%KXM%#%&654$E%6$%6-%#%4#3HY/HH %'6-(/)&$%H7/?%/$4"7%4/$"3-%'/0&$/0&9% Head over to Broadway, which is the main street, lined with restaurants, clothing boutiques and bars. Here is your best chance to get a deal on cowboy boots, see aspiring singers playing in the streets and run into the town’s overabundance of celebrities — but whatever >/)%'/E%'/&,$%5/%#33%@#@#7#GG6%/&%$4"?9% The Country Music Hall of Fame is your best bet to get all the @"7-/&#3%6&H/%/&%(/)&$7>%-$#7-%#&'%$4"%KCT%"&$7#&("%H""%6-%0/7$4%$4"% price. If you want to see them in action, head over to the Wildhorse Saloon, which is known for having top artists drop by to play a set

Hot for !"#$%"&

BY VERONICA NORTON

Q&A with OU’s most smokin’ professors

BD: What’s your most frequent compliment? +bF%Q%5"$%(/?@36?"&$"'%/&%?>%@7/<3"%#% lot.

BD: What is your best feature? +bF%B7/!#!3>%?>%#7?-9 BD: What is your beauty secret? +bF%i"<&6$"3>%"D"7(6-"9 What do you do to stay in shape?

Run, swim, cycle, and yoga.

BD: Do you consider yourself a babe? +bF% pn"#(4"-% H/7% @3#-$6(% b)''4#% X% !#33qE% says “unanswered question.”

BD: Do you moisturize? +bF%e"-E%7"3656/)-3>9%%d>%04/3"%!/'>9

on any given night of the week. Coyote Ugly is right down the street and just as fun as the movie made it out to be.

If you start to miss Athens, head over to O#&'"7!63$% j&6J"7sity, which resembles the OU campus right down to the brick -6'"0#38-9%S&%#%i/&8">%a/HH""%06$4'7#0#3*%^7/$4>%d/&8">%0633%<33% that void. If you want that authentic Nashville food experience, get to the Loveless Cafe, which really is as country as it sounds. The walls are covered in autographed photos of musicians and actors and every order is served with homemade biscuits.

S&"%0/7'%/H %#'J6("F%@7"@#7"%H/7%7#&'/?%(/&J"7-#$6/&-%06$4%"Jeryone you come in contact with. Unlike other big cities, Nashville still has that small-town vibe and southern charm that will make you want to come back again.

— Katelyn Burkhart BD: What’s your most frequent compliment?

AbF%Q%5)"--%$4#$%Q,?%3"#&%#&'%#$43"$6(9 BD: What is your best feature?

AbF% Q% 368"% $4"% -(#7% #7/)&'% ?>% ">"Z% ?>% 06H"% 368"-% ?>% broad shoulders.

BD: What is your beauty secret?

AbF% I$#>6&5% <$Z% [)-$% "D"7(6-6&5E% because once you lose it, it’s hard to get back.

BD: What do you do to stay in shape?

AbF% Q% 7/0% #&'% @3#>% !#-8"$!#339% I like to bicycle. I’m on a soccer team. I don’t really like to run, but I ran a marathon to see if I could do it.

BD: Do you consider yourself a babe?

AbF%P/E%Q,J"%#30#>-%!""&%@7"$$>% self-conscious. I was popular in school, but I was shy.

BD: What’s your best pick up line? +bF%h/)3'%>/)%368"%#%@6"("%/H %5)?*

BD: What’s your best pick up line?

AbF%Q%4#'%#%'7"#?%#!/)$%>/)%3#-$% night [laughs].

BD: Has a student ever hit on you? +bF%e"-E%Q%4#'%/&"%-$)'"&$%$"33%?"%$4#$%4"% liked when I wore a certain pair of pants.

BD: Has a student ever hit on you?

AbF%P/$%'67"($3>E%!)$%Q,J"%5/$$"&% some interesting evaluations.

attaglia!

Dr. Lisa B Religions orld BD: Which season are you?

Classics & W +bF%I)??"7E%/7%-@76&59%%Q%3/J"%0#7?%0"#$4"79 t n e m rt a Dep BD: Who is your style inspiration? +bF%Q%7"#33>%368"%m"&&6H"7%A#7&"79 BD: Do you have any tattoos? +bF%P/9

Dr. Geoff Buck Geography Dep ley artment

BD: Which season are you?

AbF%Q%368"%#33%$4"%-"#-/&-%999%!)$%Q%$46&8%?>%H#J/76$"%6-%H#339

BD: Who is your style inspiration?

AbF%B7/!#!3>%g#776-/&%^/7'9%Q%3//8%@7"$$>%'6-4"J"3"'E%#&'%4"% never looks like he cares that much.

BD: Do you have any tattoos?

AbF%P/9%Q%4#J"%#%J"7>%3/0%@#6&%$/3"7#&("9% backdrop 2008 spring Although coral reefs cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, they are home to 25% of all marine fish species.

42

NERDS

REVENGE OF THE

BY MARIA GALLUCCI R.N. (registered nerd)

What’s more fun than talking about politics at a party? Talking about books! No, not your economics textbook or that World-History-in-400-pages book, but books you read because you want to. To prove we Backdrop nerds aren’t the only ones who do this, we asked around campus to see what everyone else is reading. Using my infinite wisdom and Google, I’ve paired each previously-read book with a similar story to keep you sharp for your next kegline convo.

P#?"F%a#73#%d#7#5#&/ e"#7E%d#[/7F%I"&6/7E%B/36$6(#3%I(6"&(" g/?"$/0&F%a3"J"3#&' +#-$%n"#'F%The Dirty Girls Social Club%sTMMCtE%236-#%O#3'"-Yn/'765)"G d#76#%I)55"-$-F%Yo! (1997),%m)36#%23J#7"G Social Club%$"33-%$4"%-$/76"-%/H %-6D%)&6c)"%+#$6&#%0/?"&%6&%$4"67%3#$"%TM-9%2H$"7%57#')#$6&5% from college together, the girls meet throughout the year to keep each other up to date.

Yo! offers readers a similar style; casual but tongue-in-cheek, a light read that tackles heavy topics like prejudice, sexism and racial divides. Yo! depicts heroine Yolanda Garcia on her homecoming to the Dominican Republic, from which she emigrated to the U.S. at an early age. The novel develops her character through the voices of her sisters as she learns to reconcile with both her American culture and her Dominican heritage.

P#?"F%d"54#&%;6&8"7 e"#7E%d#[/7F%^7"-4?#&E%m/)7&#36-? g/?"$/0&F%`'5"7$/&E%Sg +#-$%n"#'F%Extras%sTMMN%tE%I(/$$%h"-$"7H"3' d#76#%I)55"-$-F%Feed sTMMWtE%d9;9%2&'"7-/& Extras%6-%$4"%H/)7$4%!//8%6&%$4"%$""&%-(6"&("%<($6/&%-"76"-%Uglies. The book imagines a future in which social classes are based entirely on beauty and popularity.

Feed% 6-% /H % #% -6?63#7% 5"&7"E% $4/)54% 06$4% 3"--% 53#?9% Q&% $46-% H)$)76-$6(% -(6Y<% 0/78E% computers attach to every baby’s brain, replacing genuine intellect. Whereas Extras c)"-$6/&-%$/'#>,-%-)@"7<(6#3%/!-"--6/&-E%Feed%-#$676G"-%/)7%7"3"&$3"--%(/&-)?"76-?9%

P#?"F%n>#&%B#7#'6-" e"#7E%d#[/7F%m)&6/7E%`&J67/&?"&$#3%b6/3/5> g/?"$/0&F%a3"J"3#&' +#-$%n"#'F%The Alchemist%s_\XXtE%B#)3/%a/"34/ d#76#% I)55"-$-F% The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey% sTMMCtE `7&"-$/%ka4":%A)"J#7# The Alchemist%H/33/0-%#%I@#&6-4%-4"@4"7'%#3/&5%46-%c)"-$%H/7%$7"#-)7"%6&%$4"%`5>@$6#&%@>7#?6'-9%n#$4"7%$4#&%?#$"76#3%0"#3$4E%4/0"J"7E%4"%<&'-%#3/&5%$4"%0#>%-@676tual enlightenment and understanding. The Motorcycle Diaries offers an autobio57#@46(#3%#3$"7&#$6J"9%;4"%!//8%6-%#%(/33"($6/&%/H %[/)7&#3-%H7/?%A)"J#7#,-%_\LM-% road trip across South America. Deeply moved by the oppression and poverty he saw, his trip became a journey of self-discovery, shaping his earliest revolutionary ideals.

43

spring 2008 backdrop

Glass takes more than one million years to decompose in a landfill but can be recycled indefi-

P#?"F%m/4&%a7#&'#33 e"#7E%d#[/7F%I"&6/7E%a7"#$6J"%h76$6&5 g/?"$/0&F%a/3)?!)+#-$%n"#'F%The Man Who Loved Children%s_\WMtE%a476-$6&#%I$"#' d#76#%I)55"-$-F%The Mill on the Floss%s_X]MtE%A"/75"%`36/$ Children is known as one of the best portraits of a destructive family. In the book, the eldest of the six Pollit children, Louisa, gradually begins to oppose her father’s misogyny and defy her stepmother’s malicious disposition. The Mill on the Floss revisits the oppressive power of patriarchy through character Mag56"%;)336J"79%;46-%4"7/6&"%-$7)553"-%$/%'"<&"%4"7-"3H %#-%#&%6&'6J6')#3%0463"%-$633% maintaining the gender roles imposed by her community and her complicated family.

P#?"F%I#?#&$4#%^3/7"e"#7E%d#[/7F%I"&6/7E%`&536-4 g/?"$/0&F%+/7#6&"E%Sg +#-$%n"#'F%Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?%s_\\WtE%+/776"%d//7" d#76#%I)55"-$-F%Wittgenstein’s Nephew%s_\XXtE%;4/?#-%b"7&4#7' Frog Hospital alternates between scenes of a middle-aged woman’s bleak marriage in Paris and her memories of a teenage friendship, one that faded as the women matured. Wittgenstein’s Nephew takes a darker, more existentialist approach. Part <($6/&% #&'% @#7$% #)$/!6/57#@4>E% $4"% !//8% #&#3>G"-% $4"% H76"&'-46@% /H % b"7&4#7'% #&'%H76"&'%B#)3%h6$$5"&-$"6&%$47/)54%-@"(6<(%?/?"&$-%6&%$4"67%-4#7"'%46-$/7>9% Bernhard ultimately skips his friend’s funeral, adding shades of loss and regret to $46-%?)3$6H#("$"'%7"."($6/&9

RUTHLESS RANT & RAGE

ALAS, THE DREADED KEG LINES.

BY MEGAN LORENZ

`

very year spring makes its way into Athens, bringing to 6$% -/?"$46&5% c)6&$"--"&$6#33>% S46/% j&6J"7-6$>F% H"-$% -"#-/&9%d/-$%/H %)-%8&/0%$4"%[/>-%/H %H"-$%-"#-/&F%0#7?%0"#$4"7% and all day drinking events (a.k.a. the theme of this issue).

But in this excitement we forget the worst part of fest sea-/&F%$4"%8"5%36&"-9%B"7-/&#33>E%Q%(#&,$%-$#&'%!"6&5%(7)-4"'%6&% a giant mob trying to get their half-assed portion of warm, foamy, imitation lager. In my experience, there are some total douche bags one may encounter in the keg line.

First, the Pusher. This person is probably bigger than you.

He thinks he can just shove his way through the mob. Right now he is standing on your left foot with his elbow posi$6/&"'%6&$/%>/)7%-6'"9%e/)%$7>%$/%<54$%!#(8E%!)$%$/%&/%#J#639% Welcome to another 10 minutes in line.

Second, there’s the Pumper. This person, usually a scantily clad chick, thinks that pumping the keg will improve her

Wii is the power-saving leader of game consoles, consuming only 18.4 watts.

chances of getting beer. Suddenly the Pumper and the all powerful tap holder are instantly friends. What does she care if beer is now shooting out at 100 miles an hour? If she keeps pumping, obviously the tap will come her way.

Lastly, there’s the House Beer Abuser. After an eternity /H %0#6$6&5E%$46-%@"7-/&%!)$$-%6&%06$4%<J"%4)5"%@6$(4"7-%$/%<33% )@%H/7%$4"67%6?@7/?@$)%.6@%()@%$/)7&#?"&$9%2''%6&%#%H"0% $4/)-#&'%kg">E%/J"7%4"7"f:%k+#'6"-%<7-$f:%#&'%kQ%$46&8%>/)% were in my PSY101 class!” yells and you might actually go 6&-#&"9%I/%?>%#'J6("F%!76&5%>/)7%/0&%!""79%b"36"J"%?"E%$4"% K_M%H/7%#%(#-"%/H %!""7%0633%H#7%/)$0"654%$4"%4/)7-%/H %-$#&'6&5% in line, and the possible criminal record you might get when you haul off and punch someone in the face. !"##"$%&#'($)&#*$+,-.$.-'/0&11$."#'1$"#*$."2&1$ ',$3"45*.,67"2827"90:4,7;$1-3<&4'=$>"#'$?$>"2&

backdrop 2008 spring

44

SAY WHAT? *G ZPV DPVME CF PO BOZ SFBMJUZ 57 TIPX which would you choose?

8IBU T UIF DSB[JFTU UIJOH ZPV WF FWFS TFFO PS PWFSIFBSE PO DBNQVT When my friend was walking home one night, she saw a kid ducking behind cars because he was naked and only wearing a red hat.

The Hills! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shane Carnahan, sophomore

x%+6G%2&'"7-/&E%-"&6/7

I overheard someone who was planning to steal the bobcat in front of Peden Stadium.

Top Chef â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Layla Lamchahab, junior

x%m/7'#&%n#$GE%-/@4/?/7"

2&$4/&>%b/)7'#6&F% No Reservations

A girl requested to be tag teamed by two of my friends while in a bar, and then proceeded to call her boyfriend to tell him that she got home safe!

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Brian Flores, sophomore

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Danielle Nowicki, junior COMPILED BY MEGAN RUETSCH

XXX WCT UW

45

EPAGE

SICK HOM

WEBSH!T

BY AARON LEMLEY

7#4 UW UIF BOUJ UFMFWJTJPO TUBUJPO ObI9$J%6-%3"#'6&5%#%?)$6&>%#5#6&-$%$4"%k?#6&-$7"#?%?"'6#E:%!>%@7/viding fast, smart and ballsy coverage of all things music, culture #&'%&"0-9%;46-%/&36&"%!7/#'(#-$%&"$0/78%-$7"#?-%/J"7%CL%#33Y/7656&#3% -"76"-E%TW%4/)7-%#%'#>E%-"J"&%'#>-%#%0""89%I6&("%'67"($/7%I@68"%m/&G"% #&'%(7"0%3#)&(4"'%ObI9$J%6&%^"!7)#7>%/H %TMMNE%$4">%4#J"%(/J"7"'% wars in Sudan and Iraq, bought a dirty bomb in Bulgaria and most recently toured North Korea. Those adventures and more are part of the witty and informative series, Vice Guide to Travel. In the series Balls Deep, a nerd nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baby Ballsâ&#x20AC;? investigates subcultures from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;sewer kidsâ&#x20AC;? of Bogata to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;leather menâ&#x20AC;? of New York City. For a comedy experience, something like abusing superglue, there is Hotdogs!; a low-budget, sketch comedy show full of green -(7""&% -4"&#&65#&-E% 046(4% #7"% &/$% <$% H/7% #% ?#$)7"% #)'6"&("9% ;4"% $"#?%#$%ObI%-#6'%$4"67%?6--6/&%6-%$/%k"D@3/6$%"J"7>%)$/@6#&%J6-6/&%$4"% internet has thus far failed to live up to.â&#x20AC;? Take a break from conventional cable and get informed and%"&$"7$#6&"'%J6#%ObI9%

spring 2008 backdrop

The United States produces 23% of all the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carbon dioxide emissions.

sh!t show

Have you seen these stall scribbles?

ANSWERS BELOW...

A

B

C

D ANSWERS: A: Siegfred 2nd floor men’s room B: Cat’s Den women’s room C: Smiling Skull restroom D: Cat’s Eye men’s room E: Ellis bottom floor women’s room

E

HEY! HAD A ROUGH NIGHT? IS THERE DOCUMENTED PROOF? BACKDROP WANTS TO SEE IT! SUBMIT YOUR SH!T SHOW PICTURES TO BACKDROPMAG@GMAIL.COM