Vol. 17 Issue 2

FALL 2023

backdrop magazine

DEPARTING PROGRAMS pg.22 THE RIGHT TO READ pg.26

MORE ON

Micah McCarey

pg.18

Letter from the editor

McKenna Christy | Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com

2

backdrop | Fall 2023

Hello again!

Thanks for picking up this issue of Backdrop. I am so proud of our team for producing another magazine filled with storytelling. And actually, my pride in Backdrop does not end there. I had the privilege of attending the National College Media Convention in Atlanta at the end of October, where Backdrop placed seventh in the Best of Show Awards. Thank you to all of the Backdroppers who made this possible!

Unlike our third issue (stay tuned), our first and second issues of each year are not themed; however, I have started to notice the ways in which our stories complement one another. Since Backdrop has always made an effort to showcase the stories of community members, students, faculty, business owners etc., it is not unlikely that people's lives overlap in some form.

In our latest issue, junior writer Amber Phipps details how community and university leader Micah McCarey first became an Ohio University student and now a resident in her well-explored cover story (Pg. 18). Meanwhile, Kirsten Abbey, a junior writer and copy editor, shared how four former OU students became Athens locals as well (pg.

14). Both stories display the value of writing about people’s experiences from different walks of life and how they shape a place.

Junior writer and The Drop Editor Caroline Kammerer wrote the other feature for Backdrop about OU-sponsored study abroad programs becoming limited (Pg. 22). Despite this being Caroline’s first feature, she thoroughly illustrates how students and professors feel about past and current study abroad opportunities in OU’s Modern Languages Department.

Thank you to everyone who supports our writers, designers, photographers, editors and other staff members by reading our magazine. We look forward to coming back and producing our third issue in the Spring of 2024!

Happy reading!

FALL 2023 » VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2

Want to put your ad in Backdrop?

Send an email to backdropmag@gmail.com to get started.

unique gathering AA unique gathering place of students and place of students and community members members community Social Justice • Fair Social • Fair Trade •Justice Local Art & Trade••Spoken Local Art & Music Word Musicians Open Stage Music • Spoken Word “Best Coffee House In Ohio” www.donkeycoffee.com Musicians Open Stage Located: 1/2 17 W. (uptown) Voted Best Coffee in “3rdWashington Best Coffee Shop in St. America” 17 W. Washington St. Awarded best coffee house Voted Best Coffee in Athens 16 Years Running Athens for 8 years!

(Uptown) in Ohio by Ohio Magazine - Ohio Magazine

- The Great American Coffee Tour - The Athens News Readers Poll

Interested in working with us?

Backdrop magazine is an award-winning, student-run magazine aimed at covering current events and culture with OU and Athens as our "Backdrop." We are currently recruiting more people to join our amazing staff. We have positions available for:

• Writers • Photographers • Designers • Social Media Content Creators • And more! www.backdropmagazine.com

3

backdrop magazine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MCKENNA CHRISTY MANAGING EDITOR CARMEN SZUKAITIS COPY CHIEF GRACE KOENNECKE SECTION EDITORS ABREANNA BLOSE, CAROLINE KAMMERER, DARCIE ZUDELL COPY EDITORS KIRSTEN ABBEY, MIMI CALHOUN, SOPHIA DAWSON, CARA FINNEGAN, CLAIRE MOSSBRUGER, ANNMARIE PALOMBI, LILIA SANTERAMO, PEGGY SPETZ SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR ANNA HINKLE ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR DARCIE ZUDELL

CREATIVE DIRECTOR ABBY BURNS ART DIRECTOR ELLIE SABATINO PHOTO DIRECTOR PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGNERS ABBY BURNS, JULIA GREENWOOD, CARLEY HINTON, ALLY

PARKER, LAYNE REY, ELLIE SABATINO, ANNA SCHNEIDER PHOTOGRAPHERS JACOB DURBIN, CLAIRA KIMBLE, AMIR PHILLIPS, PEARL SPURLOCK WRITERS KIRSTEN ABBEY, KENZIE CALLAHAN, MACY COLBERT, SOPHIA DAWSON, CAROLINE GILLEN, CAROLINE KAMMERER, GRACE KOENNECKE, GRACE MILLER, AMBER PHIPPS, LAYNE REY, PEARL SPURLOCK, DARCIE ZUDELL

Follow us!

Twitter & Instagram Join our weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. in Schoonover 380. @BackdropMag

Interested in working with us?

SEE "The Right to Read" PAGE 26

The owner of Little Professor Book Center, Nicholas Polsinelli, poses for a portrait in the store.

4

backdrop | Fall 2023

CONTENTS FEATURES

MORE ON MICAH MCCAREY

Director of the OU LGBT Center and city council member reflects on 20 years of change in Athens. . . 18

DEPARTING PROGRAMS

Access to university-sponsored study abroad opportunities are becoming more limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Q&A

THE DROP

Backdrop sat down with Alexandra Kamody, the director of The Athena Cinema, for a Q&A. . . . . . 6

How the Little Professor Book Center is fighting against book banning at a local level. . . . . . . . . . . . 26

REEL REVIVAL

RELATIONSHIPS

MUST BE LOVE ON THE BRICKS

Two couples share how Athens brought them together. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

COMMUNITY

THE RISE OF CAMPUS AMBASSADORS

Students are making connections with brands and their peers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

MAKING SPACE

How the Racial Equity Coalition is fostering unity in Athens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

FROM GOWN TO TOWN

Why some alumni decided to make Athens home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

THE RIGHT TO READ

CARING FOR TOMORROW

An overview of Athens County Children Services and OU’s Child and Family Studies program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

PAYING THEIR WAY

Financially independent students reveal how they fund their collegiate career. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

ENTERTAINMENT FOLLOWING THE BEAT

Spice up your music taste with local musicians who perform in Athens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

PHOTO ESSAY JUST LIKE MAGIC

A gallery of the annual Ironton Wizardfest. . . . . . 34

EXHIBIT A Backdrop digital director showcases their work for

the magazine throughout their college career. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

FALL 2023 » VOLUME 17 ISSUE 2

www.backdropmagazine.com

5

Q&A

REEL

REVIVAL

BY GRACE MILLER | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK & JACOB DURBIN | DESIGN BY JULIA GREENWOOD

Backdrop sat down with Alexandra Kamody, the director of The Athena Cinema, for a Q&A.

T

he Athena Cinema, located at 20 S. Court St., has been open since 1915 and is one of the oldest movie theaters in the nation, according to their website. As a staple sight and experience of Athens and OU’s campus, the Athena provides opportunities to enjoy different kinds of cinema such as international and local films. OU students even make-up some of the Athena’s staff through their work study program, and during the daytime, the Athena serves as a classroom.

While movies are ever-changing, so are the theaters home to their premieres and showings. Operated by the College of Fine Arts at OU, The Athena Cinema is currently undergoing some renovations. The Athena may not be open for watching movies in the theater, but they have found other ways to operate by hosting roof-top showings and in other auditoriums on campus.

Alexandra Kamody, the director of The Athena Cinema, told Backdrop what renovations are being made and how the theater is adapting.

Life in Athens goes on around the Athena while it is temporarily under renovation. The classic marquee sign is an ever-present landmark for passersby on Court Street.

6

backdrop | Fall 2023

Backdrop Magazine (BM): What renovations have you been making to the Athena Cinema?

Alexandra Kamody (AK): We are not doing renovations in the sense of like new carpet, new paint and things like that. We are temporarily closed for repairs. There’s some structural repairs needed to take place in The Athena, so the university made the decision to close back in May. We have been going through a process to get the repairs done. I think a lot of people think we are upgrading the interior and things like that, but this is more of a structural repair.

BM: Have you lost customers because of the repairs?

AK: I would say we haven’t necessarily lost customers, but we are closed, so we cannot show films. We have, temporarily, lost our business, which is hard. We have a loyal and faithful group of patrons that have been coming and supporting us in other ways. We have been doing the events on the rooftop of the Athens city parking garage, as well as, the use of The Ridges Auditorium.

programming. We have a lot of people in the Athens and Ohio community saying we miss you; we miss the movies. So, these events do not take place in what we do normally. The timing is interesting because with the writers' strike in Hollywood the release dates have been delayed, so we haven’t missed as much as we normally would.

We have a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) at The Ridges Auditorium [and] we are hoping to project world films and documentaries, but nothing really takes the place of the theater and having those theatrical films.

something, and we would take your seat number. We would make the cocktail at the Athena and run it up there. Also, our student staff helped make a bunch of popcorn and put it in tote bags. Cinemas are really good at pivoting and being flexible and figuring out how we can make the experience special and more of an event. We’ve been figuring it out for a long time. This theater has been here since 1915. It’s been able to survive the introduction of TV in the home, the conversion from Film print to digital and streaming services, COVID-19, fires, and now repairs. The theater is always adapting, and I think our staff have BM: How has your team adapted to really learned that we have a lot of providing snacks on the rooftop? community support that fuels us to AK: We’ve kind of got it down. say, “Hey, we can figure this out.”

We were able to sell our cocktails through the Designated Outdoor This interview has been lightly edited Refreshment Area (DORA). for clarity.

Andrew Chicky, the city services safety director, was able to come up with the idea where you could order In lieu of showing movies in the theater itself, the Athena has shown movies at The Ridges Auditorium and on its own rooftop. The rooftop movies have been popular with patrons, and provide a memorable experience for everyone.

BM: What is the timeline for completing renovations to reopening?

AK: I cannot answer that question with full certainty. I think that we will definitely be close through the fall semester. I expect we will know more about the specific details of the timeline when the contractors get released. I’m really hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later, and we hope to know more soon. We will be closed through the fall and hopefully be back to showing movies as soon as possible after that.

BM: How has your programming and ability to show films changed since the start of your renovations?

AK: I miss our regular programming; I know our customers miss our regular www.backdropmagazine.com

7

RELATIONSHIPS

ns co t hi jec as ro Sm n P by ou ed e N at th re C rom f

Must be Love

ON THE BRICKS Two couples share how Athens brought them together.

BY GRACE KOENNECKE DESIGN BY ABBY BURNS

I

n college, the odds that someone will find their life-long partner are slim, especially with the rise of online dating sites such as Tinder and Bumble. According to USA Today, about 28% of married alumni attended the same college as their spouse.

For two Ohio University alumni, this was the case. Margherita and Daniel Shook, who now reside in Broadview Heights, Ohio, met in Athens back in 2012 during their freshman year of college, not letting any major challenge stop them from being together.

The Shooks met thanks to the help of Margherita’s college roommate, who went to the same high school as Daniel in North Royalton, Ohio. Her

roommate knew that Daniel was going to OU, as well as much of his friend group, causing Daniel and Margherita to form an instant friendship. Margherita even knew a few of Daniel’s friends, as they attended Padua Franciscan High School together.

“We got to meeting, and she happened to know a few of the guys that I played sports with that went to Padua, so that's how our groups I would say started off intertwining,” Daniel says.

Daniel notes the friendship worked out well with everyone having some invisible string tying them together.

“It just worked out nicely,” Daniel says. “The other person who came from North Royalton, who was my

Photo by Jenny Thomas Photography, Athens, Ohio, reprinted with permission.

8

backdrop | Fall 2023

roommate, happened to be best friends with a few of the people that went to Padua, so our groups just hung out all the time and got along.”

After getting to know each other, the couple shared what qualities stuck out to them at the beginning of their relationship.

“We always had a lot of fun together,” Margherita says. “We really didn't start officially dating until the end of sophomore year.”

Daniel added that Margherita’s looks and personality stood out to him amid Athens’ party school atmosphere.

“She was very attractive, fun to hang out with, great personality, kind and generous,” Shook said. “Wasn't very good at pong, but she was always a blast to hang out with.”

Daniel asked Margherita to be his girlfriend after going on their first date to Union Street Diner. Daniel admitted he was nervous to ask his future wife to make things official but he knew she was the one all along.

“An embarrassing [memory] for me, but a good one, is when I first asked her to be my girlfriend to make it official,” Daniel says. “I know OU has gotten, I’m sure, some nicer establishments. Back in 2014, there weren't very many nice restaurants, so I treated her on our first date to the [Union Street Diner].”

After sharing some diner food, Daniel popped the question.

“[We] enjoyed a grilled cheese and maybe some mozzarella sticks, and then I was too nervous to ask her until we got outside,” Daniel says. “We started walking to Court Street, and I finally asked her to be my girlfriend. She thought about it for a while and then said yes.”

Margherita notes her favorite memory with Daniel was when he proposed to her at OU’s well-known “Kissing Circle,” which is a plaque on College Green. While students, the couple often faked proposals in that exact spot, making the real thing even more memorable.

“I think they relocated it, but they had The Kissing Circle, which was always right by the arch,” Daniel says. “Late [at] night, we would occasionally walk by it. Me, being my goofy self, I would fake propose to her in The Kissing Circle, but at the end of the day, that is where I finally proposed to her a few years down the road.”

In 2016, Margherita moved home while Daniel stayed in Athens for an extra semester, pursuing Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualifications. Long distance relationships can be hard to commit to, but the Shooks found a way to make it work.

Margherita was able to visit Daniel by meeting halfway in Columbus.

Once Daniel graduated and moved back home, the couple were only a fiveminute distance from each other.

“When I finally graduated, our parents both lived five minutes away from each other, so it was a lot of movie nights at the parents’ house until we finally decided to get our own apartment,” Daniel says.

With Daniel working long hours at a public accounting firm, the couple had to adjust to his schedule.

They managed to find time to share meals together amid the long work hours.

“Personally, for me, I don't think the long distance was too difficult because we saw each other a lot,” Daniel says.

“I think the most challenging was when out of college I worked

Photo by Jenny Thomas Photography, Athens, Ohio, reprinted with permission.

at a public accounting firm and would have to work some absurd hours, so there were a lot of weekend activities that I would typically have to miss or coming home when she's already sleeping. Basically, just long hours but we got through it.”

The Shooks married in August of 2020 and now share a little boy named Marco after almost 10 years together. They say every phase of their relationship has been a meaningful one, all thanks to OU. “I think every phase of our life we've done so well together,” Margherita says.

“We are good parents together. We were able to be good boyfriend and girlfriend together when we were going through long hours of work, so we still managed to have a lot of fun together.”

Reflecting on their relationship, The Shooks say that having a partner that meshes well with your friend group is extremely important, and OU couples should strive for that in their relationships.

In many ways, the Shooks’ relationship parallels that of current OU couple, Lila Smith and Noah Burrelli. The two met during Smith’s freshman year after her friend introduced her to Burrelli during a party.

From there on, the two became inseparable, noticing how much fun they had together.

“We were having a lot of fun,” Smith says. “We went to Union Street Diner, and then we walked around for hours and hours. We finally didn't have anything to talk about anymore.”

Burrelli says he could see Smith’s passion for outside interests, as well as her physical appearance.

“I remember thinking [Smith] [was] into fashion just because of the clothes [Smith] [was] wearing the first time we hung out,” Burrelli says. “I was right, because at the time she was a fashion major.”

Smith and Burrelli share advice to current OU couples, emphasizing the importance of patience and having fun with each other.

“I would definitely say you have to have patience,” Smith says. “We're all super young and we haven't fully matured, so our emotions aren't fully developed.”

Both couples have learned valuable lessons in their commitment to each other. They emphasize following their hearts and savoring every moment with their partners.

“Don't stress about the little things,” Daniel says. “Enjoy every moment.

College flies by fast.” b

www.backdropmagazine.com

9

COMMUNITY

The Rise of Campus AMBASSADORS Students are making connections with brands and their peers.

BY DARCIE ZUDELL | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER

C

ountless phones light up as the sun slowly rises, launching bleary-eyed Generation Z members into the new day. Instead of putting out content meant for mindless scrolling, some college students are connecting with a purpose.

In 2023, brands are adapting their approach to reach this generation. Traditional advertising on cable TV is losing its luster, while streaming services begin to dominate and cable subscriptions dwindle. Brands are realizing the importance of connecting with consumers through social media and are turning to college students as a valuable source.

Brand ambassadors are hired to promote a company on their social media accounts. They create awareness and build a positive connection using social media, events and community engagement. In return, they are compensated and garner valuable connections.

Erin Bishop, a junior studying media and social change, has been using social media since she was a little girl. As a college student, she aspires to work in the social media industry. While scrolling through TikTok, she came across an advertisement for a brand ambassadorship with Bumble, a popular dating app. She immediately decided to apply for the position.

Now that Bishop has been working as a campus content manager for Bumble for two years now, she has realized that brand ambassadorship goes beyond just making social media posts.

“There’s more to it than just social media, there’s impact events and content managing,” says Bishop. “There are different ways you can be a brand ambassador without having to post on Instagram.

Through her role, Bishop has gotten the opportunity to help plan events and attend entrepreneur workshops.

“Ambassadors can join Zoom with the CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd,” says Bishop. “She talks about being a woman entrepreneur and owning businesses and she gives insightful tips for making connections with people.”

Pursuing a career in communications means building connections, as having established contacts in the industry can lead to valuable opportunities. Bumble uses Slack, the messaging

10

backdrop | Fall 2023

app, to communicate with its college ambassadors. Within the app, there is a dedicated chat channel for ambassadors to connect with each other.

“I have connections with people in different states,” says Bishop. “[Bumble] is really just bringing together a community of people that are interested in social media or influencing.

It is really important going into this career because a lot of people want to do this, but no one really knows where or how to start.”

Being a brand ambassador involves some less glamorous job requirements, as admitted by Bishop. Apart from her position at Bumble, she also works two other jobs. Additionally, Bishop concedes that it can be awkward to distribute items sent to her

by Bumble among other college students.

Rather than dwelling on the awkwardness of her situation, Bishop chooses to view it as a positive step toward entering the job market. She no longer feels bothered by rejection. In fact, she appreciates the rejection therapy. She believes that being told “no” will ultimately help her prepare for entering the job market and facing rejection.

Brands offering ambassadorships to college students in dorms may not have considered the problem of sending them boxes upon boxes of products to distribute.

Meredith Viox, a sophomore studying visual communications, worked as a campus ambassador for Extra Gum at the beginning of the fall semester.

Viox claims that she is always chewing gum, likely due to the approximately 1,000 packs of Extra Gum she received in the mail. She had to transport boxes full of gum from the mailroom to her dorm.

“I have my car on campus, so I put [the boxes of gum] in my car and then drove it to the front of my dorm,” says Viox.

“They sent me 10 boxes that were 30 pounds [each].”

Viox had some reservations about sharing sponsored posts on her Instagram. However, she found the process to be simple thanks to Extra’s transparency in outlining their expectations for their ambassadors. Additionally, Viox received significant support from her followers when she promoted the brand on her social media platforms.

As Bishop explains, there is more to brand ambassadors than posting about the brand on social media. Students are also offered more leadership roles within the industry.

Sam Spinale, a senior studying journalism, works as an Amazon Prime student ambassador and holds a Campus Lead role for Hero Cosmetics. Though the workload can be a lot, Spinale says she enjoys being busy.

“These ambassador positions that I have are some of the most fun things I get to do in school,” says Spinale.

As a Campus Lead, Spinale keeps her team organized and acts as a liaison between her team and their boss, ensuring all questions are answered.

All three ambassadors highly recommend this niche job opportunity for college students.

“I think having that real-life marketing experience on my college campus is really going to help me,” says Spinale. “I think companies definitely understand the impact that social media can bring to their company.”

Spinale encourages anyone interested in brand ambassadorship to reach out to her with any questions.

Although social media jobs offer vast opportunities and financial rewards, they are still perceived as illegitimate by some people. These careers challenge traditional ideas of what constitutes a “real job.” The stories told by brand ambassadors show how significant and valid their roles are in shaping the future of work. They blur the lines between traditional and emerging career paths through social media.

“I say that people who don’t think social media is a job are delusional,” says Bishop. “Gen Z is like the biggest target audience that brands are really trying to connect [with]. There are so many branches [of communication] that connect back to social media.”

Where to follow the ambassadors on Instagram: @ xxerinbishopxx @ samspinale @ meredithviox b

1

2

3

1: Photo provided by Meredith Viox.

2, 4: Sam Spinale poses for a portrait in Hero Cosmetics gear.

3: Photo provided by Erin Bishop.

4

www.backdropmagazine.com

11 11

MAKING

COMMUNITY

SPACE How the Racial Equity Coalition is fostering unity in Athens.

F

BY SOPHIA DAWSON | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER

our years may seem like a short time to form a connection with a community, but bridging the gap between Ohio University and the people of Athens can enrich personal experiences and enable students and community members to leave a lasting impact on the place many call home.

The Racial Equity Coalition of Athens is working to increase a sense of belonging and community among all members of the city of Athens. According to the coalition’s website, the group is “a collaborative space to advance racial equity and racial justice within the Athens community.”

Brandi Baker and Brandon Thompson, co-founders of the Racial Equity Coalition of Athens, explain the coalition was started to meet needs within the community.

“We talked about needing a space where people can come together and talk about challenges and barriers of people of color locally, as well as allyship, and what that could look like within the community. [And] on how we could build more inclusivity in the city of Athens and Athens County as a whole,” Baker says.

An important aspect of fostering inclusion and belonging in the Athens community is connecting individuals to resources and like-minded people. Lacey Rogers, the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) training coordinator for the City of Athens, explains how the Racial Equity Coalition aims to do this.

12

backdrop | Fall 2023

“We have a lot of DEIA resources, and a lot of them people don’t know anything about [them], but we want[ed] to really highlight those because we do have a lot of stuff going on,” Rogers says.

One issue the coalition wanted to focus on when it was formed was racial health equity. Through the formation of a fellowship named in honor of Dr. Harold Thompson, one of the first degree-holding physicians to practice in Athens County, the coalition worked with OU students interested in advocating for racial health equity. In partnership with students, the coalition brought together a group of community members who were interested in being a part of a community health advisory board. The fellowship works to gather interviews and local assessments on communities of color.

In 2024, the fellowship plans to produce a report on the experiences of people of color in Athens have had in relation to health care. It will be the first primary data set in rural areas for communities of color.

Baker, one of the forerunners of this research, explains the questions they are hoping to answer through this research.

“What are the true barriers to accessing health care for communities of color? Whether it’s linguistic barriers, or whether it’s our in-house barriers that maybe this community isn’t quite prepared to address,” Baker says. “How can we take some of the resources that we find in metro areas and make sure that we have them accessible in rural areas to become

more inclusive and more accessible for communities of color?”

Another important aspect of the coalition is its involvement and advocacy within the Ohio legislature. Beth Amoriya, an early member of the coalition, explains her involvement with an advocacy group, Honesty for Ohio Education.

“We were fighting bills at the Statehouse that were trying to restrict what elementary schools and high schools could teach about race [and] about our racial history,” Amoriya says.

Through this organization, Amoriya explains that she was able to relay information on the bills to the Racial Equity Coalition.

“I would go to those meetings and then I would come back once a month to the Racial Equity Coalition and give a report on what was happening with this group at the Statehouse,” Amoriya says.

Similarly, in 2021, the coalition worked to help increase community knowledge on House Bills 322 and 327, which, if passed, would have effectively removed Critical Race Theory from the curriculum of Ohio public schools.

“We held meetings virtually; we invited people throughout the communities to come to the meeting, so we could educate them about the house bills that were being proposed,” Baker says. “Then, we asked community members to participate in a letter writing campaign to the Statehouse and to our local representatives.”

Being an engaged OU student is instrumental in leaving a lasting impact on the Athens community. Sue Righi, another early member of the coalition, explains her view on the importance of student involvement in local community events.

“Universities can be these little bubbles. But there’s real, rich life beyond the university,” Righi says.

If you are a student at OU and are looking to get involved with the Racial Equity Coalition of Athens and the work they do in the community, the group meets every first Friday of the month on the second floor of the Athens County Foundation building located at 2 S. Court St. You can also reach out to the coalition to stay informed on upcoming events at racialequityathens@gmail.com. b City Council President Christine Knisely receives recognition at a community welcome event at Athens Middle School.

Micah McCarey hosts a community welcome event for the Racial Equity Coalition at Athens Middle School.

Community members share food from local restaurants and chefs, including Dr. May’s Thai Kitchen, at a Racial Equity Coalition welcome event at Athens Middle School.

www.backdropmagazine.com

13

COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

From Gown to Town Why some alumni decided to make Athens home.

BY KIRSTEN ABBEY | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY ANNA SCHNEIDER

A

thens is often remembered fondly by Ohio University alumni, and every year during Homecoming, they flood the streets in an act of nostalgia. For them, the town represents a symbol of the freedom of youth and is simply a blip on the radar of their lives. However, a different feeling may arise for the students who remain and have become embedded in the community.

Many people living in Ohio are waiting for the chance to leave the Midwest entirely. Marissa McDaid, who graduated from the Scripps College of Communication in 2014, has never seen the appeal.

“I think people are naturally inclined to like escape,” McDaid says. “You want to escape where you grew up.”

McDaid and her husband returned to Athens in 2018 and have no current intentions to leave.

“I feel like the pace of life is very calm here,” McDaid says. “I like the community a lot. It seems like a friendly, progressive place.” They are certainly not the only ones who found appeal in the community aspect of Athens.

Dakota Fox completed graduate school at OU’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs and, like many, left Southeast Ohio. Fox secured a career in Washington, D.C., and made the move many small-town residents aspire to. But the nation's capital failed to live up to its grandiose reputation.

Fatigued by the industrial nature of the

14

backdrop | Fall 2023

city, and the absence of an altruistic public, Fox ventured back to Athens.

“Here it's much more friendly,” Fox says when comparing Athens and Washington’s metropolis. “People are typically more inviting and typically can be a little bit more understanding.”

Fox explains that despite not having a job lined up or an entirely secure social environment in Athens, it was easier to maneuver the situation than in a massive, urban environment.

“Being alone here is a lot easier than being alone in a city,” Fox says. “Which you would think would be the opposite because there's just more people around you, but having some peace and quiet sometimes is the best thing.”

The alumni living in Athens are doing so with longevity in mind. Having completed her undergraduate and graduate programs at OU, Mikayla Rochelle expects a foreseeable future in the town.

“It’s definitely a place that while I might live somewhere else, I do see myself coming back here to plant roots eventually,” Rochelle says. “I'm definitely here by choice. If I wanted to be somewhere else, I would.”

For Rochelle, it is not simply what the community can do for her; she is also considering what she can do for the community. Having gained so much from the resources at OU and in Athens, she is trying her best to reciprocate.

“People come here, they learn skills, they get educated and they become

Marissa McDaid poses for a portrait outside her home.

Dakota Fox poses for a portrait outside Heritage Hall.

Mikhayla Rochelle poses for a portrait outside Schoonover Center.

Kayla Zehner poses for a portrait at the Kennedy Museum of Art.

better people,” Rochelle says. “They take that knowledge that they learn, they leave and they don't put it back into the area. I received these skill sets here. I want to give back. I want to help build Athens up and really try to give back to the Appalachian area.”

In contrast, for some people, there simply is not a market for them to positively apply their skills. Left with very few career opportunities, lingering in Athens can become burdensome.

Kayla Zehner was prepared to make her way across the country to Montana after graduating from the College of Fine Arts in 2020, but the pandemic left her on the outs with Athens as one of the few options.

“I basically didn't know what to do with myself for a while, I found jobs here and there,” Zehner says. “I want to be forgiving because it's rural Appalachia. But there's no [jobs], unless you want to work for the university, and that’s not really a job market.”

Zehner also describes her inner conflict as her perspective on the town shifted. “I was starry eyed about it during undergrad and then between COVID, graduating and being stuck here, I was pretty bitter, or at least frustrated, [and] annoyed at first just watching students come through as I'm just kind of trapped,” Zehner says.

After three years and making the move into an area less densely populated by undergrads, Zehner has begun to make peace. “It comes and goes. I think age has made me less upset with it,” she says.

Zehner’s critiques of OU and Athens brought up an issue that other alumni touched on: the disparity between the city itself and the university. As Rochelle points out, students complete their education and move on.

“Many people treat this town like it's supposed to be transitionary, and so nothing stable ever gets developed,” says Zehner.

Fox shares similar sentiments: “Because there's the university here, so many people are in and out,” he says.

Both Zehner and Fox believe OU should step in, closing the gap between the city and its residents.

“The university could do so much for the greater Athens area, but it's easier for them to just keep people in,” Zehner says.

Fox has some potential solutions.

“I think the university, since they are the largest partner in the area, should do or take the lead on those initiatives rather than the city because the city is ill equipped,” Fox says. “They are underfunded, they don't have the money resources or people to do it.”

The answer to this problem remains inconclusive, but as more people become aware of the problem, more work can be done in figuring out how to solve it.

“Something to strengthen the bond between full-time residents of Athens, the working professionals and the students,” Fox says. “I don’t know what that looks like, and I think involving the community is important in that and something needs to be done.”

In their own way, alumni act as a bridge between students and full-time residents, as they transition from one to the other. No longer in the role of the student, alumni can begin to branch out and engage with Athens in new ways.

“All these places have changed significantly, but we have also changed, and things are just different now,” McDaid says. “We interact with the town much differently.”

People can discover diverse locations and experiences outside of the cushion of campus.

“You find other little places that were always interesting when you were a student, but you never went to,” Rochelle says.

It is up to the individual to find their place in Athens and to seek out vehicles to a new perspective. As McDaid put it, “Athens is kind of like [a] ‘Choose Your Own Adventure.’” b

www.backdropmagazine.com

15

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT A.

Hey everyone! My name is Julia Greenwood, and I am one of Backdrop’s digital directors. I began designing for Backdrop my first semester at Ohio University while still at home during the pandemic and with no magazine design experience. My last semester at OU is quickly approaching, so let’s go through all the designs I have created for this publication, the same publication that sparked my passion for design! My most recent design can be found in this issue, which is the Q&A with The Athena Cinema! b

This was my first design for Backdrop in the Fall of 2020. I remember this design, which today would maybe take me two hours, took me eight. I had never used Adobe InDesign before.

Fall Issue 1, 2020

2

Fall Issue 2, 2020

1

The piece to the right was my first story for Backdrop.

It is a personal essay about my dual citizenship. Copies of this magazine found their way to my family in NÖpke, Germany. I could not be more proud of that.

Spring Issue 4, 2021

Fall Issue 2, 2021

7

8

This is the second cover I've done.

It is also the piece I am most proud of in all my time working with Backdrop Magazine.

Fall Issue 1, 2023

16

backdrop | Fall 2023

13

PHASE TWO:

Quarantine on Campus Students who have been exposed to the coronavirus at OU share their experiences in university quarantine housing.

BY NORA MCKEOWN | PHOTOS BY JACOB DURBIN

T

rey Spencerwas not expecting to cometo Ohio University’s campus this semester after facing several delays in his original plans tomove in. “I was like, ‘you know what, I’m not going to expect things to get better,’’’ Spencer says. “I’m just goingto expect the absolute worst,because we know what happened last spring.”Spencer is a freshman and is affiliated withthe armyReserve Officers’ Training Corps(ROTC). Because of this affiliation, he was invited to comefor OU’s Phase Two of students moving in oncampus. OU has implemented a plan to house students on campus to follow social distancing guidelines. According to university’s website, there are several new policies in place to ensure safety in the residences halls. The rules mandate thatstudents wear masks on campus outside their rooms, don’t allow guests to stay in the dorms, and require six feet of distance between individuals in the lobbies or study areas. The university changed all water fountains to fill stations, removed community items from the kitchen,

2

limited access for students to that space, and increased signage for safety reminders. A email from the university explained what would happen if a student were to test positive or become exposed to the virus.”If a student tests positive they will be moved to the isolation hall on campus as soon as possible,” The email stated. “If they have been exposed and determined to be high risk, they are moved to the quarantine residence hall on campus as soon as possible.” As of Oct.19, there were 1,315 students living on campus, according to the OU’s COVID dashboard. “I remember I didn’t even read the email,” Spencer says. “My hands were shaking. I just saw the big, bold ‘you are authorized to return to for phase two.’ I was like ‘oh my god, thank goodness that I get to come back.’ Oh my god, I was so excited.” He immediately checked his ROTC group chat and had received many messages from fellow ROTC cadets that they would be moving to campus soon too. On Sept.

25, Spencer moved into Boyd Hall. He was originally

supposed to have roommates, but due to the pandemic he was living alone in a double. There were some other ROTC friends living in Boyd with Spencer, so he would occasionally hang out with a few people he had met. Sometimes he would go for runs or workout outside, and for the most part, Spencer says he is following social distancing guidelines well. He was notified on Monday, Oct. 5 that two people living in Boyd with him had tested positive. Spencer says he had been playing cards with the guys who tested positive on Sunday night, so he called the university’s COVID-19 hotline to ask them what he should do. They told him they would get back to him within 36 hours and that he should quarantine himself until then. “I was like really nervous in my room,” Spencer says. “Because I realized I was probably getting sent to dirty south.”

The next day, he received a call instructing him to pack up his things and prepare to finish out his twoweek quarantine in one of the halls that OU has reserved for students who haven’t necessarily tested positive but were exposed to coronavirus, Hoover Hall. He says he was told that a bus would come to Boyd to pick him up at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night to transport him to his new residence hall. When the bus arrived to pick him up, many of the seats were covered in plastic. “I get off the bus and [the driver] says ‘Good luck!’” he says.

“And, I am in front of Hoover Hall and there was nobody to guide me.”

Spencer walked into the lobby, and it was dark. On a big table were two bags of food and a set of keys with his name on them. He got a little lost in the building as he searched for the room number that was on his key but eventually he was able to settle into the room that would be his home for the rest of his quarantine. The next day, Spencer was tested, and his results came back negative. Even still, the university requires students who have been exposed to carry out the 14-day quarantine. Spencer isolated himself in the room until Oct. 17.

Students in quarantine halls receive three meals a day and do not have a say in the food they receive.

He says three meals are delivered to his room a day, but he has no say in determining what food he gets beyond informing dining staff of any dietary preferences or allergies. “I’ll be real with you,” Spencer says. “I’ve pulled better things out of the military rations ... it’s not great, but I don’t have a choice. I made sure to bring a bunch of extra food with me and I think that’s going to come in handy.”

Because students are unable to interact with each other or leave their rooms often, Spencer says he has no idea how many people are living in Hoover Hall with him.

However, he is able to go outside once a day to a designated area as long as he practices social distancing and wears a mask. Despite having some anxiety about being isolated among other stressors, Spencer says he has been trying to stay positive throughout this experience. “I kind of realized that this is the situation,” Spencer says. “I can’t do anything about it. I’m doing my part to keep my community safe. This is required of me.” This is also part of what Spencer says keeps him in that room. He says that there are no people supervising him in the hall; he hasn’t noticed any RAs, guards or staff monitoring the students in quarantine other than the man who drops off his food.

“The only person keeping me here is me,” Spencer says. “And my goodwill and trusting the university.”

Spencer says he is looking forward to moving out of the quarantine dorm. “The biggest thing with me is that I didn’t violate any guidelines,” Spencer says.

“I didn’t go out, I still got exposed. I didn’t break any rules and I still got in trouble.”

backdropmagazine.com

backdrop | Fall 2020

3

Fall Issue 2, 2020

Spring Issue 3, 2021

4

3

This piece is the first time I ever illustrated. Again, I had never used Adobe Illustrator, so this also took more time than probably needed. It was also my first time working on conceptual art.

5

Spring Issue 4, 2021

Spring Issue 3, 2021

6

Spring Issue 3, 2022

Spring Issue 3, 2022

9

Spring Issue 4, 2022

10

11 This was my first-ever cover for Backdrop! I loved working on this piece, and the thumbprint was hand-drawn.

Spring Issue 4, 2022

12 www.backdropmagazine.com

17

FEATURE

MORE ON

Micah McCarey Director of the OU LGBT Center and city council member reflects on 20 years of change in Athens.

BY AMBER PHIPPS PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGN BY ABBY BURNS

18

backdrop | Fall 2023

T

his story begins in the small college town of Oberlin, Ohio, the home that fostered Dr. Micah McCarey’s childhood and adolescent years. After receiving a high school diploma, McCarey packed his bags and made the three-hour drive from one college town to another to begin his collegiate career at Ohio University in the fall of 2003.

Fast forward four years to June 2007 when McCarey graduated with his bachelor’s degree in communication studies. Upon graduation, he decided to continue his education at OU, eventually receiving a master’s degree in human development in 2008. McCarey then went on to become a resident director with Housing and Residence Life (HRL) until 2016, where he chaired and co-chaired departmental teams that focused on programming for residence halls, diversity and academic collaboration. Most notably, he actively contributed to the development of gender-neutral housing. From 2016 to 2019, McCarey worked in a new position with HRL until a new opportunity came.

“I was actually overseeing diversity initiatives as an assistant director in Housing and Residence Life when the opportunity to come on as interim director of the LGBT Center came my way in May of 2019,” says McCarey. “It was symbolically very meaningful since the LGBT Center and Multicultural Center were among the offices that most supported me as an undergrad.”

Lacey Rogers currently serves as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) training coordinator for the city of Athens and knew McCarey throughout their undergraduate years. During that time, McCarey worked as a residential assistant for HRL. Rogers consulted with McCarey concerning financial advising, saying he was hospitable and happy to help her.

“I was not somebody who lived in his building; he was very willing to help me get connected,” says Rogers.

“He actually helped me find some additional funding … my freshman and sophomore year.”

His experiences working for HRL provided him with the resources and

skills to fill the interim director position, making the transition into his role as LGBT Center director seamless.

His sociable personality is present within his job as he helps students navigate the difficulties often experienced in college life. As director of the LGBT Center, McCarey oversees the community of individuals looking for a safe space before classes or an area they can study without disruption. An average day for him consists of working on individual consultations the second the doors open for the day at 8 a.m.

“There’s a big resource sharing component; a lot of individual

consultation since there are so many different challenges and opportunities for the LGBTQ students to navigate in college,” says McCarey.

McCarey shows an eagerness to engage with students and provide them with various opportunities.

He uses his background in human development to improve the community and promote engagement.

Adrien Legarth, a freshman studying theater production in the Honors Tutorial College, met McCarey during his orientation. As a first-year student, Legarth was amazed at how kind, welcoming and open McCarey was.

www.backdropmagazine.com

19

“He has impacted my life by letting me help with the center. It’s really nice to be involved,” says Legarth. “He’s impacted the community by providing a safe space for the LGBTQ+ students to go and be involved.”

Interim vice president for Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Russell Morrow, has known McCarey since they were students at OU. Morrow has been working with McCarey in a professional environment since he started his position in July.

“He’s very much focused on student success and engaging holistically with students and supporting their academic, social and interpersonal needs,” says Morrow. “He consistently has a positive attitude and a smile on his face regardless of what’s going on in his life.”

Morrow has worked with McCarey on a few projects over the past months.

They recently attended the Reimagining the Academy Conference, which was a collaboration among Miami University, Kent University and OU, with the goal of sharing ideas on inclusion, diversity

20

backdrop | Fall 2023

and transformational change.

McCarey is leading various projects with hopes of spreading awareness of the LGBT community on campuses.

McCarey has reached out to the Division of Diversity and Inclusion for support on funding these projects and Morrow continues to support these experiences.

“He’s taking a group of students to Kentucky for a conference that’s focused on the LGBT community[‘s] higher education in the Midwest. So, I’ve been able to help them figure out how many students to take and how they are going to engage in that particular experience,” says Morrow.

Morrow also says McCarey is one of the leaders of the Campus Climate Concerns Team and oversees situations involving incidents that appear or are “perceived to be inappropriate by any individual,” according to the OU Division of Diversity and Inclusion’s website. These incidents “may be motivated by race, ethnicity, age, national origin, disability,

gender identity or expression, sexual orientation,” etc.

McCarey not only listens to these concerns but responds to them as he sees necessary. After responding to the situation, McCarey will provide the individual with any support or resources that may be helpful.

Since 2019, McCarey had been advocating to move the LGBT Center into a bigger, more welcoming space.

The original room was on the third floor of Baker Center and lacked the necessary space to accommodate the people coming in and out of the LGBT Center.

With some persistence from McCarey, the LGBT Center was moved to a bigger space on the third floor of Baker Center Room 348. This increase in space gave the center the necessary capacity for various events and student-focused opportunities.

“Advocating for a larger space now has resulted in us having multiple rooms, and windows and space,” says McCarey. “So, we have a wellness

Micah McCarey poses for a portrait in "Club McCarey," the curated basement of his home, in Athens, Ohio. The basement is focused is decorated with mementos, meditation and chakra guides, and complete with a DJ booth and neon lighting.

room … students do a lot of their video counseling sessions there or use it as a place to meditate or have a private conversation.”

McCarey not only works for the university but also for Athens City Council since 2021. Over the past few years on council, McCarey has accomplished a lot in terms of representation and visibility.

As a council member, McCarey collaborated with OU students to update the gendered language in the Athens municipal codes in 2022.

McCarey and students were successfully able to eliminate gender specific language when referring to city officials in the code.

As DEIA coordinator, Rogers has had the opportunity to work closely with McCarey on various community projects over the years. During the fall, Rogers and McCarey hosted a welcome event that provided new members of the community with the opportunity to be connected through the Racial Equity Coalition.

As representatives in Athens City Council, McCarey and Rogers are part of the Racial Equity and Leadership Institute through the National League of Cities. This entails traveling to various cities for events to discuss racial equity work. According to Rogers, the experience has been a great opportunity to stay connected with other municipalities on these issues.

“Micah is one of the friendliest people that I know. He’s got a really good spirit and he’s always willing to help anybody as much as he’s able to,” says Rogers.

“He’s very resourceful and just a very generous person.”

McCarey has made efforts as a city council member and the LGBT Center director to ensure the community is aware of the diversity and inclusion resources. From attending conferences throughout the state and being a representative during community events, McCarey’s efforts strive to educate and inspire.

Throughout many years of involvement and community engagement, McCarey’s achievements have reached beyond

“

Details from "Club McCarey."

I would have loved to have had a person of color that was part of the LGBTQ community serving on City Council when I came to Athens.”

MICAH MCCAREY DIRECTOR OF LGBT CENTER Athens residents and impacted people across the nation. His passion and drive are prevalent through his past work and unprecedented accomplishments.

With so many outstanding achievements over the years, McCarey has a few personal achievements that have shaped who he’s become.

McCarey made the decision to legally change his last name when he reached his mid-20s. This decision was inspired by his comfortability with his own identity.

“In conjunction with turning 25 and feeling like I had reached this rite of passage where I was very secure in who I am," McCarey says. "I wanted to symbolically commemorate that with a self-chosen last name. I anticipated that I might want a special name that really

reflected my identity,” says McCarey.

His chosen last name was largely inspired by his love for no other than Mariah Carey herself.

As the LGBT Director and the only person of color on Athens City Council, McCarey’s efforts have impacted many individuals over the years. From students to faculty, his care for others and passion for change will go down in history.

“I would have loved to have had a person of color that was part of the LGBTQ community serving on City Council when I came to Athens,” says McCarey. “And now getting to serve as that possibility model for others has been really fulfilling.” b

www.backdropmagazine.com

21

FEATURE

Kristen Leibensperger in Grenoble, France. Photo provided by Kristen Leibensperger.

DEPARTING PROGRAMS Access to university-sponsored study abroad opportunities are becoming more limited.

BY CAROLINE KAMMERER | DESIGN BY MCKENNA CHRISTY AND ELLIE SABATINO

22

backdrop | Fall 2023

O

ver the years, Ohio University has increasingly focused on experiential learning. This includes handson education with community engagement, creative activity, internships, leadership, research and studying abroad.

The Office of Global Opportunities (OGO) became a part of the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning in 2023. OGO helps students discover study abroad programs suited for them, along with aiding in any advising or financial information. OGO connects students with a variety of programs, from OHIO credit-based programs to third-party affiliate study abroad providers such as the American Institute for Foreign Study or CIS Abroad.

On OHIO credit-based programs, the group of students and their supervising professor are all from the university, and the credit from the program is received directly by the school without any interference.

While credit can still be accepted from affiliate providers, students first must fill out Global Experiences Transfer Credit Approval Process paperwork. This process contains additional steps that the OHIO credit programs do not require.

Even though the university encourages international education through studying abroad, there is a decrease in opportunities sponsored by the university, particularly in the Modern Languages Department.

The College of Arts and Sciences currently offers two bachelor’s degrees in modern languages, Spanish and French, in addition to minors and certificates in German and Italian.

Aside from the college’s course requirements for all its majors, these require additional language classes, an Oral Proficiency Interview and a minimum of five weeks studying abroad in a country where that language is spoken.

However, university-sponsored programs that brought students to these countries with OU professors in the past have since disappeared. Language programs in Austria, China, Ecuador, France, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Spain have been cut, with only Japanese and Italian language programs remaining.

Dr. Molly Morrison, associate professor of Italian, has directed a summer language program in Florence, Italy, since 2009. She also led the first group of students studying abroad post-pandemic to Florence on the Tuscan Travel Learn program in 2021. Although it was not a language-based trip like her summer program, students had the opportunity to learn about Italian art, food and culture firsthand.

During the pandemic, OGO had to seek alternatives with which programs to offer and how to offer them since their funding from the school decreased while international travel was banned. Since then, its funding has begun to increase as travel restrictions were lifted. In the fall of 2022, OGO changed its method of determining program offerings. It implemented a proposal process for faculty and staff to propose programs for students. These proposals would then go on to be reviewed by a committee to decide which experiences to offer.

Catherine Marshall has been the director of OGO since 2006 and has worked with the office since 2001, when it was still called the Office of Education Abroad. “We knew going in we can’t fund them all, we don’t have the staff, we don’t have the money, but we wanted to see all the good ideas out there,” she says. “Then, let’s make that catalog that serves as many students as possible.”

After the selective proposal process, only one of Morrison’s Italian programs was selected, with many modifications as well. The program originally included first and second-level Italian language courses and a literature course. Now, the program is designed for students who need to fulfill a language requirement, allowing them to complete it in the five weeks of the trip instead of over the course of a year. The courses will be introductory-level classes, with no additional literature class.

Morrison is an advocate for university-sponsored programs over those provided by third-party affiliates. “For Ohio University to have their own language-based programs [includes] the aspect of a very good, custom made, first-class program that would be given by an OU faculty [member] with OU students,” Morrison says. “I think that if a person is looking for a very good program and personal attention, that cannot unfortunately be provided by a third-party program.”

“

I think that if a person is looking for a very good program and personal attention, that cannot unfortunately be provided by a third-party program.”

DR. MOLLY MORRISON ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF ITALIAN However, OGO may be shifting toward third-party providers for language programs in the future.

“I do feel that there’s a place for third-party providers, but I don’t think that they should take precedence over the university having [its] own programs and certainly language programs because they offer benefits that other providers can’t,” Morrison says.

www.backdropmagazine.com

23

As for the decrease in university-led language programs, Marshall explains that it is because programs like that already exist elsewhere with affiliate providers. “Those full-load programs [with] 15 credit hours, those exist,” she says. “We can help students connect with those, so we’re focusing more on the ones that fit for our students.”

Marshall and OGO want to focus on programs that can be unique to OU students and benefit the largest number of them.

This includes hosting programs during winter and spring breaks instead of a full semester or year.

“With human and financial resources having limits, [we’re] looking at how we could maximize what we do with facultyled programs in a way that best serves our entire student population,” Marshall says.

These experiences are typically geared toward academic programs with many students, like health sciences or media.

There are also a variety of programs that do not pertain to specific majors at all.

“I think the value of bringing in different people from different backgrounds is really [important] because that’s life, we are constantly interacting with people who do lots of different things,” Marshall says.

While this is beneficial to other students seeking to broaden their worldview, it becomes difficult for modern language students who have had their study abroad programs cut. While OGO still provides connections through third-party affiliates, participating in an OU-sponsored program is more appealing for some students.

Maya Watson is a junior studying media arts production, creative writing and Spanish. In the summer after her freshman year, she participated in the Spanish Language and Culture program in Toledo, Spain -- a program which is no longer offered.

“Having the comfort of people and professors from my university and just knowing that my university had my back was a huge part of me feeling comfortable to take the experience in the first place” she says.

Kristen Leibensperger in Grenoble, France. Photo provided by Kristen Leibensperger.

24

backdrop | Fall 2023

Photo provided by Kristen Leibensperger.

“I don’t know how comfortable I would have been if it wasn’t sponsored.”

Kristen Leibensperger, a junior studying in physics and French, feels differently about her study abroad program in Grenoble, France, with third-party affiliate Academic Programs International (API).

“Personally, I enjoyed going third party because I was meeting a whole new group of people, and it did push me outside of my comfort zone,” Leibensperger says. “I had to be social if I wanted to have friends.”

As she worked with a small team from API, Leibensperger felt satisfied with the third-party program she selected. “[API] gave us all the information we needed for visas, how to get flight deals and they helped you a lot while you were there, which was really nice,” Morrison says.

Leibensperger spent the spring semester of 2023 in Grenoble learning the French culture and language to prepare her for the DELF-DALF exams, which, according to the French Institute Alliance Française, are “official qualifications awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the competency of candidates from outside France in the French language.”

By living with a host family and taking classes exclusively in French, Leibensperger had total language immersion in the program, even if it was initially nerve-racking. “I was confident going in, and then I arrived in France, like I’m not so sure, and then just rebuilding that confidence and speaking French 24/7 really helped,” Leibensperger says. “I only spoke French with my host family, all my classes were in French and the only time I occasionally spoke English was with my American friends or for people who want to practice English with a native speaker.”

Complete language immersion is a crucial part of the educational process, which is likely why the College of Arts and Sciences requires it for Spanish and French majors. Making these opportunities accessible to students is the best way to help them succeed in their multilingual endeavors.

Watson questions how the removal of many of these programs will affect the major requirements for modern languages if the university itself will not provide these experiences. “For the Spanish major, you need to do a study abroad, so I’m just confused how that’s going to be done in the future,” she says.

“If they’re just not going to make it a requirement, I think [that] would be a mistake because I think it’s really important.”

Despite students having positive experiences in both types of programs, the removal of university language-based programs is a result of the university allocating funds differently to various departments. “I think it all comes down to the university eliminating things and how they choose to spend money,” Morrison says. “The university does have choices in how it can spend money, and they chose not to do it this way.”

Morrison views the disappearance of these programs as part of a larger problem -- the lack of appreciation for foreign languages.

“There’s maybe less of [an] appreciation or a desire to have knowledge of languages, and I think that to a certain extent, other areas of the university as well as the administration may not fully understand what we actually do,” she says. “I think there is a serious lack of understanding of what we professors do. There’s the idea that it’s not necessary or not useful, which isn’t good; nothing could be further [from] the truth.”

Leibensperger feels a similar way as she continues her French education. “I’ve had a very positive opinion on the department [of modern languages],” she says. “I love the French professors.

I think they’re wonderful, but it does frustrate me to see the school administration slowly chipping away at the department as a whole.”

Having greater insight into a foreign language can also allow a better understanding of a foreign culture. “Experiencing what that was like not only in Spanish culture, but in European culture versus American culture, I think you just can’t get that experience in the classroom,” Watson says.

Morrison feels a similar way when it comes to education abroad.

“There needs to be put a value on a certain knowledge of another language because through the study of a foreign language, the student begins to understand something about another culture,” she says. “Through that, they begin to understand that not everyone thinks the way they do in the world.” b

A photo taken in Toledo, Spain, by Maya Watson

www.backdropmagazine.com

25

THE DROP

R EA D THE RIGHT TO

How the Little Professor Book Center is fighting against book banning at a local level.

BY MACY COLBERT | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO

The exterior of Little Professor.

S

The owner of Little Professor, Nicholas Polsinelli, poses for a portrait.

26

backdrop | Fall 2023

ince American literature began exploring taboo topics, book bans have existed. The first recorded censorship occurred in 1637 when the book New English Canaan was banned. The novel was criticized by the government because of its negative perspective of Puritan values.

Reactions to new ideas that oppose traditional standpoints are often strong, especially when those ideas are looking to shift the common perspective toward a new reality. However, when groups with influence oppose an idea, that opposition trickles down and eventually strips regular individuals of understanding. This process is happening in local libraries and school districts statewide because individual states have control over their public institutions.

The American Library Association (ALA) recorded that 2,571 individual books were proposed to be banned in 2022.

Compared to 2021, the number of targeted titles has increased by 38%. Of these titles, many were written by authors of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The characters in the novels often express a point of view that reflects the experience of being from a minority group in America. In silencing these voices, gaining knowledge of perspectives outside of one’s own becomes blocked.

PEN America, a free-speech organization whose acronym stands for Poets, Essayists and Novelists, found that 75% of book removals were inspired by governmental efforts. In seven states, a few of them being Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Utah, new laws have been passed to regulate library materials to the public. Approximately 66 school districts have been impacted by these measures.

Inside the Little Professor Book Center.

One way in which a community can combat the removal of controversial titles is to shop locally at businesses that encourage diversity, like Little Professor Book Center in Athens.

Emma Diel is a junior at Ohio University studying English and an active member of OU’s chapter of the English Honors Society. “A part of the reason why there are book bans is because there are books that challenge a certain ideology or challenge something that goes against the status quo,” she says. “By having those bans, you are cutting off access to the information, but by having those small stores like Little Professor, you are not only giving people that access to information but you are also actively fighting against said book bans.”

Little Professor Book Center is a local bookstore that has been located in Athens for about 25 years. Located at 65 S. Court St., the business is in the heart of uptown. They carry a varied selection of reading choices and even incorporate a display for Banned Book Week. Community members can support small businesses such as Little Professor to signal the importance of reading a wide range of literature.

For example, Little Professor holds many Toni Morrison novels. Toni Morrison is a renowned American writer who has faced many calls for censorship. In 2022, the ALA gathered data concluding that her novel, The Bluest Eye was the third most challenged book.

“Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature,” says Nicholas Polsinelli, the current owner of Little Professor. “It’s ridiculous to ban someone who won that prize, and they clearly just haven’t read Toni Morrison. That seems very evident.” Yet, acclaimed works of literature remain suppressed because of sensitive content.

Along with Toni Morrison at Little Professor, you can find titles such as An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and The Queer Advantage by Andrew Gelwicks. El Polinsky, a junior studying English and an executive member of the Classic Literature Book Club says, “Having an alternate way to get these books, even when the school is banning them, is definitely helpful.”

Little Professor especially caters to the needs of OU professors.

Often, instructors will request an order for the titles taught in their classroom to guarantee on-campus student accessibility.

The bookstore offers local and educational support by sourcing requests made by professors and students alike, no matter where their interests may lie. Despite opinions and rulings, Little Professor serves the Athens community with books that exhibit all sorts of viewpoints, guaranteeing there will be something to interest anyone.

Professor Megan Russel, who specializes in horror as a genre and the rhetoric used by cultish groups, holds concern for those growing up in a constrained educational system.

“If bans exist at the lower levels, K-12 levels, those students eventually will come to my classroom and they won’t have had the same level of experiences with certain texts that students 20 years ago had,” Russel says.

Knowing that this may pose a potential problem in the future of higher education, Russel always orders her required texts through Little Professor, knowing her students will have guaranteed access to the course readings by shopping there.

On the value of reading banned books and ones facing such threats, Russel says, “They’re worth reading. They’re worth fighting for.” b www.backdropmagazine.com 27

THE DROP

CARING FOR

TOMMOROW

An overview of Athens County Children Services and OU’s Child and Family Studies program.

A

BY CAROLINE GILLEN | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY CARLEY HINTON

thens and Ohio University are home to organizations and educational programs dedicated to the protection and wellbeing of families and children. From heartwarming initiatives to intricate collaborative efforts of individuals, students and educators, the focus remains on ensuring the safeguarding and future of the community’s youngest members.

Located at 18 Stonybrook Drive is the Athens County Children Services (ACCS), which plays a crucial role in ensuring the welfare of children in the region. The ACCS is the state-mandated child protective service agency for Athens County; their mission is to protect children, strengthen families and secure the future.

Matthew Starkey is the community events coordinator at the ACCS. “Our primary goal every time is reunification with the family,” he says.

However, in certain court cases, if the court decides that a child needs to be removed from a family, it is the ACCS’s responsibility to find placement for the child, whether it is kinship care, foster care or adoption.

28

backdrop | Fall 2023

Last year, the ACCS received 2,444 referrals of child abuse or neglect, and it looks like they will exceed that again this year. “It’s been trending upward the last several years,” Starkey says.

The ACCS receives the referrals and determines through assessment investigation whether the reports are substantiated or not. The ACCS caseworkers are responsible for testifying in court based on what was found and what recommendation they decide to make on a case through their collaborative decision-making process.

“Caseworkers, supervisors and others at the agency all come together to determine what our recommendation is going to be to the court based on what we found,” Starkey says.

The ACCS has independent-living life skills caseworkers who work with children ages 14 and up to prepare them for life outside the foster care system.

The ACCS does not just work with the children, but also with the parents.

“We have a family mentor who will work with the families,” Starkey says.

“Many of these parents never had proper mentoring themselves when they were children.”

There is a critical issue in Ohio’s foster care system. Ohio has been experiencing a placement crisis, meaning there aren’t enough homes or foster parents to place children and teens in, which results in the emergency housing of those waiting for placement. According to the Children’s Defense Fund website, approximately 503 youths slept in Ohio Job and Family Service offices for a total of 1,225 nights last year.

“We’re having to place these children outside of the county, sometimes outside of state, and that’s really not what we want to do,” Starkey says.

Issues such as the placement crisis go to show how vital services and programs like the ACCS are to the children in Athens.

Throughout the year, the ACCS hosts various events that allow community members to get involved with their cause. One example is Kidfest, the service’s annual April event that celebrates children in Athens County at the Walter Fieldhouse.

There is also a Kicks for Kids program that provides children with a new pair of tennis shoes before heading back to school. Around the holidays, there is the

Santa Tree Project, which is an initative where each participating child gets their Christmas wish list fulfilled by a community member.

The ACCS has several Ohio University interns who are given handson experience to prepare themselves for their future roles in family and children services. Samantha Cottrell, a senior studying social work and psychology, is a current intern at ACCS. For the first six weeks, interns shadow different units within the agency. Once the six weeks are completed, the interns are placed into a unit.

“I just found out that I got placed in school outreach,” Cottrell says. “I’ll be working at Alexander Elementary School, so I’m excited about that.”

Alongside internships, the university’s Child and Family Studies (CFS) program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to protect and help the children who will be the future of all communities.

Janelle Mitchell, an assistant clinical professor within the Child and Family Studies program at OU, works with students to prepare them for their careers in child life.

“One of the biggest hurdles is helping students understand that our work is not just play,” Mitchell says. “You are coming in the door, knowing that you are an advocate for [families and children] and trying to figure out what is the best way to support their care.”

Mitchell helps to connect students with a child life specialist from different hospitals across the country.

The student works with a child life specialist to learn how to meet the needs of the family and child.

Learning to advocate for children and families does not stop within the doors of the CFS classrooms. Mitchell and Lynette Bush Clouse, instructor and division coordinator for the Interior Architecture Online program, have been working together for the past two years on collaborative projects between CFS students and interior architecture students.

Shannon Melton, an OU Child and

Family Life graduate student, was one of many students involved with the project.

“The IA and CFS pediatric health care design project provided me a valuable opportunity to learn to collaborate with a multidisciplinary team using communication and other skills,” Melton says. “Something that will translates into my future career of being a child life specialist.”

In collaboration with the child life specialists, the CFS students learn how to utilize hospital space to make accommodations for families and children. The interior architecture students will then incorporate the CFS students' knowledge and design the hospital spaces. The project prepares the students for the important issues that they may see in the field.

“This project allowed me to employ my knowledge of child development and how hospitalization impacts that,” Melton says.

The CFS professors’ commitment to preparing students for careers in child life and the ACCS’s collaboration with OU interns nurtures a future generation of advocates, such as Melton and Cottrell, for children and families.

Led by passionate individuals, the CFS program and the ACCS will continue working to ensure the well-being of the community and its children is a priority.

“It’s really something where we are here to help children and families because these children are the next productive members of society; they’re the next leaders of our community,” Starkey says. “If we can help lift them up so that they can grow up and give back then we are going to do that.”

Visit athenschildrenservices.com to find out how to get involved. b

Sammie Cottrell, an intern with Athens County Children Services, poses for a portrait on the ACCS campus.

Matt Starkey, the Public Information Officer and Community Events Coordinator for Athens County Children Services, poses for a portrait on the ACCS campus.

www.backdropmagazine.com

29

THE DROP

PAYING THEIR

WAY

Financially independent students reveal how they fund their collegiate career

A

BY LAYNE REY | PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY LAYNE REY

s the costs of higher education continue to trend upward, attending college has largely become regarded as a privilege.

According to the U.S. News & World Report, the cost of in-state tuition and fees at public universities has risen about 56% in the last 20 years. Continuing education beyond high school is nearly out of reach for many students and their families, but the benefits of education often tangle students and their families in the extensive costs, leaving students to pay for college themselves.

Paying for college is an inherently personal and case-by-case issue; however, there are three main reasons that students are left to fund their own higher education: meeting the federal financial aid definitions of independence, having estranged relations with their parents or being in a family situation where being financially independent is the only option.

According to the Federal Student Aid (FASFA) website, if a student is born before Jan. 1, 2000, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, an orphan, a ward of the court, someone with legal dependents other than a spouse, an emancipated minor or someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, they will meet the federal financial aid definitions of independence. While that does not always result in self-financing, it puts the responsibility of filing the FAFSA with the student’s information on themself. Most likely, that will allow for more aid to be allocated to those students due to a lower income than an

30

backdrop | Fall 2023

average household.

In other cases, some students may experience estranged relationships with their parents, which creates difficulties when navigating paying for college.

“If a student is in an unsafe home situation, and it would be detrimental to them to have a relationship with their parents, then they can come in and talk with one of us,” Melissa Van Meter, director of operations at the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships at Ohio University, says.

A high school counselor, teacher or anyone interacting with the student on a professional basis can often provide documentation to the office about the estranged relationship so that students are able to move forward with developing a plan for funding.

“We’re able to work with students and use what is called professional judgment to potentially make them independent for financial aid reasons,” Van Meter says.

Every family has their own financial situation, but with rising education costs, many are ill-equipped to support their students financially. Despite these challenges, there are several attainable ways for students to manage and benefit from fiscally supporting themselves through college.

Applying for aid through FAFSA is the first step. “The U.S. Department of Education is going through something called a FAFSA simplification change.

So, the FAFSA form is changing, and I think that will allow it to be easier for students to complete the FAFSA and apply for financial aid,” Van Meter says.

This will create an opportunity for more students to receive more aid, making

higher education more accessible.

Sofia Valdespino, a junior studying psychology, has found creative ways to finance her way through school. While mainly focusing on her studies during the school year, she took advantage of an opportunity at Disney World in which she was able to stay in Orlando for the summer to wait tables in a tourist city.

“I also have a little side hustle of lash extensions that currently I’m not doing, but I do have just in case … I’m down in the dumps,” Valdespino says.

She also is a Learning Community Leader and received scholarships that

Sofia Valdespino poses for a portrait on College Green.

assist with indirect and direct costs of college, respectively.

On the other hand, Brandon Simoniette, a senior studying psychology, has found ways to intertwine school and work. “I coach basketball, I mow lawns, I even do some babysitting on the side, so just any little extra where I can make a couple hours’ worth of money,” Simoniette says.

However, discovering ways to pay for college and navigating the balance of different aspects of adult life is rewarding. Simoniette has found that self-financing his education has increased his motivation.

“I have the choice. Do I want to waste it? I can waste all my money and my experience, or I can really apply myself and get my money’s worth,” Simoniette says.

Valdespino has also reaped the benefits of funding her own education. Since she has had to learn to budget, she is better able to differentiate between needs and wants, which has made her “more simplistic in the ways of just finding what [she] really needs to spend money on,” she says.

Financially independent students, due to any number of reasons, manage their finances, academics and social lives, which can create opportunities to develop skills that will be useful for adult life. Additional stress, sacrifices and familial situations make it easier said than done.

“I want to say believe in yourself.

And just because you might not be as financially stable or, I’ll say, born into a wealthy family, that does not mean that you can’t accomplish whatever you want to accomplish,” Simoniette says. b

“

Brandon Simoniette poses for a portrait on College Green.

I want to say believe in yourself.

And just because you might not be as financially stable or, I’ll say, born into a wealthy family, that does not mean that you can’t accomplish whatever you want to accomplish.”

BRANDON SIMONIETTE SENIOR PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR

www.backdropmagazine.com

31

ENTERTAINMENT

FOLLOWING

the Beat

A

thens is a catalyst for creativity and artistic expression, particularly in its bustling music scene. Many partygoers enjoy the music of local bands on a night out, but only some stray from their mainstream playlists to check out the music of lesser-known local artists.

For those looking to grow their go-to songs and artists, check out these three local bands and artists who draw some of their inspiration from popular artists:

Samantha Kruse of Roman Candle plays at the Union Bar.

32

backdrop | Spring Fall 2023 2023

Spice up your music taste with the local musicians who perform in Athens

BY KENZIE CALLAHAN PHOTOS BY CLAIRA KIMBLE DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER

Rylee Bapst

Rylee Bapst is a junior at Ohio University studying marketing. Bapst’s music is rich in guitar riffs and meaningful lyrics. Bapst draws inspiration from John Mayer in his debut EP, “In Due Time,” which features a collection of ballads accompanied by impressive acoustic guitar performances. The EP also features upbeat, folk-inspired tracks such as “Passin’ Cars,” a song characterized by striking guitar solos and feelgood lyrics.

Bapst says what makes his music special is its ability to “take you somewhere” through his use of chord structure, as well as memorable choruses.

In addition to making music, Bapst also enjoys performing his unreleased music at live shows on and off campus.

“I have one or two gigs like every week, up until December,” Bapst says. “I play everywhere around here. I play [at] some places back home; I play a couple different places in Chillicothe, Ohio, [and] I have a show at [West Virginia University] in November.”

In addition to Mayer, Bapst says his upcoming music takes after the work of the Grateful Dead, Stevie Wonder and Tyler Childers. Bapst is part of a Grateful Dead cover band on campus that plays at The Union, located at 18 W. Union St., and Casa Nueva, located at 4 W. State St., called The Four Winds.

Bapst’s music is available on all streaming platforms, featuring songs such as “Complicated,” “How’s The Weather,” “9/21,” “We’re Okay” and “Gone With the Wind.”

Babst says to look out for “Like a Fool/Supernova,” which will be released in November.

Information on Bapst’s upcoming shows and new releases can be found on his Instagram account: @ryleebapstmusic

Words,” “Instability” and “Alligator Country.”

To stay up to date on new releases and upcoming shows, refer to the band’s Instagram: @plastic_lemonade.

Roman Candle

Taking influence from a range of genres, Roman Candle is comprised of lead singer Sam Kruse, a senior studying journalism; bassist Emma McGowan, a junior studying environmental biology; drummer Joe Krafft, a senior studying music production; lead guitarist Joey Garascia, a junior studying business and guitarist David Green, a junior studying psychology.

Kruse says the group takes influences from bands of the 1970s like Fleetwood Mac and female icons such as Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and Janis Joplin.

McGowan, who grew up listening to classic rock, says she is influenced by bands like The Beatles and The Smiths, as well as alternative bands such as The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys.

As for the other members of the band, the psychedelic funkrock of the ‘60s and ‘70s has a major influence on the band’s music. At live shows, Roman Candle often covers songs by Sublime or the Grateful Dead.

While the band has yet to release their music onto streaming platforms, they frequently perform original songs such as “Sandworm,” “The Riddler,” “Great Depression Dolly” and “Fresh Blood” around Athens with a radiating stage presence.

“The amount of times I almost tripped over my cord onstage because I want to dance with Sam is insane,” McGowan said.

“I don’t think I could count it.”

While the band works on recording music, people can stay up to date on upcoming shows by following their Instagram: @romancandleband. b

Plastic Lemonade

A self-classified folk-funk band, Plastic Lemonade was created in 2020 and is comprised of several OU students and alumni.

The main four bandmembers include frontman Nathan Cain, a recent graduate who studied music production; keyboardist Mariana Stockman, a senior studying music production and recording industry; guitarist Sophia Butler, a sophomore studying media arts production and bassist Kyle Willison, a senior studying history.

After being compared to artists such as Modest Mouse and Rainbow Kitten Surprise, the band began covering songs and drawing inspiration from them.

“I think one of the biggest things that’s really cool about just being a part of the band is that it’s so experimental in a way.

No idea is ever shot down,” Butler says. “[Everything] forms together in this big, beautiful blob of sound.”

Stockman has an impressive ability to create new riffs on the spot or play something perfectly on the first try, Butler also says. Although the band’s live set is consistent, Butler manages to improvise something different at each gig.

Another distinctive aspect of the band’s music is Willison’s self-taught bass skills, which, according to the band, more closely resemble lead guitar parts and never fail to propel a song forward.

Some of the band’s most popular songs include “Strong

Emma McGowan and Samantha Kruse of Roman Candle play at the Union Bar.

www.backdropmagazine.com

33

PHOTO ESSAY

Delaney Lynn, Sloane Lynn and Greg Lynn look at a Harry Potter Lego display.

Just Like Magic A gallery of the annual Ironton Wizardfest.

WRITTEN, PHOTOGRAPHED, AND DESIGNED BY PEARL SPURLOCK Faith Johnson cosplays as Winky the house elf.

34

backdrop | Fall 2023

O

n Nov. 11, “Muggles” from around the country donned their wizard robes and brandished their wands for Ironton Wizardfest in the Appalachian foothills of Ironton, Ohio. A “Muggle,” in the Harry Potter book and film series, is a person who does not have magical skills or was not born into a magical family. The festival was started five years ago by Brad Bear, an Ohio Univesity alumnus and avid Harry Potter fan.

Ironton Wizardfest is dedicated to the Harry Potter franchise. This year, festivalgoers enjoyed wand dueling lessons, Lego displays, the Two Beaters Wizard’s Pub, a sweets trolley, Wizard’s Ball, escape rooms, crafts and more. People of all ages were able to participate in a cosplay contest and dressed as characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Severus Snape and Dumbledore. The festival also welcomed guest stars from the Harry Potter films, including Chris Rankin, who played Percy Weasley, and Josh Herdman, who played Gregory Goyle. b

Left: “Professor Gilderoy Lockhart” teaches a defense against the dark arts class at the Ro-Na Theater.

Above: Melody Mattner of Wisconsin is dressed as the painting that guards the Gryffindor common room.

Above: Lucas Epperson, age 1, with his grandmother Tracy Bramblett.

Above: A vendor sells a crystal ball, used in the Harry Potter world for the art of divination. In the reflection are custom wands.

www.backdropmagazine.com

35

@BACKDROPMAG