Each year, Backdrop magazine hands itself over to a new executive staff. Th is task, while obviously necessary, almost always strikes up some anticipation and anxiety. As the new editor, I can say that holding this issue of Backdrop in my hands will bring me more happiness than it has stress…well at least I hope.
Th is transition from old exec to new exec creates a unique opportunity for the magazine to be revitalized. We get rid of things that may have worked in the past and add in new departments that we think will work better in the future. Th is year instead of Hot for Teacher, Backdrop will be introducing Hot for Bartender (pg. 8). I mean who doesn’t want a pretty face to take their beverage order at the bar? Additionally, we have revamped Exhibit A. The department will now feature short fiction or nonfiction creative writing submissions. Be sure to check out our debuting writers: Emily Pifer and Matt Dougherty (pg. 46).
But the biggest change for this issue is featuring Ohio University Southern as the cover story. It’s easy to get caught up in covering Athens only, but the equine therapy success in Ironton, OH cannot be ignored. Back in the Saddle (pg. 22) gives readers hope and instills a sense of pride to have Ohio University attached to such outstanding work.
Ironically, Athens and Ohio University have decided to do a little renovation of their own. First up: the Dirty South. The Dirt on Dirty South (pg. 26) explores the reasons and fi nancial investments behind the makeover. The Schoonover Center, which will house all five Scripps College of Communication schools under one roof was supposed to open this Fall; however, in typical OU fashion the doors are still closed. Backdrop gives you a glimpse of what lies behind the construction (pg. 14). Finally, add a new bar to the list of venues on Court Street, The Overhang has opened and we couldn’t help but spotlight what could be the next Athens staple (pg. 12).
Here’s to hoping the renovations make the good—great!
Until next time,
Melissa Thompson
Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Melissa Thompson
CO-MANAGING EDITORS
Chris Longo & Sara Portwood
ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
Nick Harley
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Zak Kolesar & Kaitlyn Richert
CONTRIBUTORS
Andrew Downing, Becca Zook, Chris Longo, Chris Manning, Kaitlyn Richert, Morgan Decker, Nick Harley, Sara Portwood, Julianne Mobilian, Zak Kolesar, Kerry Crump, Jacob Betzner, Alexis Johns, Angela Ignasky, Zach Berry, Rachel Wagner, Jacob McCarty, Derek Smith, Mira Kuhar, Xavier Veccia
Athens welcomes another drinking establishment onto Court Street after many months of renovations.
2.0 Get a peek of what’s behind all of the construction on Union Street.
A Niche on the Bricks
See how a trio of news publications operates in a small college town.
18 A Bobcat’s Promise
A promise is a promise to this alum and he believes you can do incredible things.
»
20 Dropping the Genre
30 Backdrop Bobcat
Try a new twist on an old Bagel Street Deli favorite.
H4B » NEW Hot for Bartender
Shake it up, don’t stir it with two of Athens’ hottest mixologists.
Sounds Like » The Shafer Street Fugitive
Stop by one of our weekly meetings, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. in Scripps Hall 111. Interested in working with us?
&
D.J. Cooper has made a decision about his basketball future.
Photo Story » A Large Tradition
Get a rare glimpse of some gentle giants and their proud trainers.
On The Web » Backdrop Got Me Here
See where one of our designers worked over the summer and how she was prepared for the task.
Two hip-hop artists cross boundaries to create a sound all their own. 46 Exhibit A Backdrop in love with the newly renovated Exhibit A. 45 RR&R Dressed but Unimpressed Rage in style with this laid-back Backdropper. 44 For Fun » Photo Hunt
Think you know Court Street? Take another look and try to find the differences between these two pictures.
» fell »
36 Jane Doe Is Not Alone
Victims of sexual assault can rely on a safety network of support from the Athens community.
HOT BARTENDER4
BY COLIN BROWN AND BECCA ZOOK I PHOTOS BY SYDNEY GOOD
Colin Brown: How long have you been a bartender?
Tayler Kohl: I started here at the end of March on Easter weekend. It was exciting, because bartending is a sweet job.
CB: Who was the first person to ever buy a drink from you and what was it?
TK: Pat Moore—it was a little nerve-racking because it was my first drink ever. He loved it—he said it was the best drink he had ever had! It was a whiskey and Coke.
CB: What’s your favorite drink to make?
TK: My favorite shot to pour is Rumplemintz because it’s minty fresh and it gives you good breath!
CB: What’s your favorite drink?
TK: Loaded Redd’s is my favorite drink. It’s a Redd’s draft and you can either load it with a shot of Fireball or a shot of Applejack, which is apple-fl avored whiskey.
CB: What’s the best pick-up line that you’ve heard while bartending? The worst?
TK: People don’t really use pick-up lines, but sometimes people write their numbers on the receipt. Usually, I’m so tired by the end of the shift that I don’t even remember. As for the worst, aren’t all pick-up lines bad?
CB: Other than J-Bar, what’s your favorite bar? And what does that say about you?
TK: I like Pawpurr’s a lot. It says that I’m a person who likes cheap drinks!
TAYLER KOH L
Major: Community Health Services
Meet two of Backdrop’s top shelf choices on a night out uptown.
Becca Zook: How long have you been a bartender?
Roger Jones: I’ve worked at Pawpurr’s for two years, I’ve been a bartender for a little over one.
BZ: How many drinks do you know how to make by memory?
RJ: I know how to make all the drinks. I actually like to make a bunch up. When I’m in happy hour and the crowd’s not too much, I make my own. A lot of people’s favorites are my Strawberry Cheesecake, Sex with Alligator and my Teddy Graham.
BZ: Sex with Alligator? What’s that?
RJ: If I told you, then all the other people would know! I’ll tell you: it’s Midori, Peach Schnapps, sour mix, a little bit of Sprite and then top it off with Jäger. You’ve got to have a bite to it!
BZ: Do you ever flirt with girls to get them to buy more drinks?
RJ: We don’t call it flirting; we call it bartending. My girlfriend would say that I’ve always flirted with girls, but it is part of the job. Honestly it’s not even just girls, I flirt with guys! I tell guys they look good, I tell them I like their shirt. You know, you say anything to make them feel comfortable, make them feel good and that makes them not only want to buy the drink or buy more drinks but also makes them want to tip you more. You can ask my coworkers, I actually flirt with them more than I flirt with the customers. You know, just to keep them motivated and working.
BZ: What’s the best pick-up line you’ve heard while working?
RJ: The best pick-up line ever is actually used by our owner (Steven Van Fleet) and it’s basically “I’m the owner.” I mean it’s the best pick-up line! Can’t beat it.
BZ: What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen someone do at the bar?
RJ: I have walked in on girls in the bathroom having intercourse. And that has happened multiple times. On Mom’s Weekend, I have seen moms fight students. Moms! And the moms provoke it!
Know an attractive bartender?
Email us at backdropmag@gmail.com with your hot bartender suggestions.
Job: Assistant Director of ticket sales for the Atheltic Department
ROGER JONES
BY
THE SHAFER STREET FUGITIVE
Despite Athens’ dominant bluegrass and folk scene, the town still has plenty of heavier sounding things to offer. Take for instance the progressive hardcore collective The Schafer Street Fugitive, who fuse post-hardcore, pop-punk, ska, and several other sub-genres together to create one Athens’ most diverse sounding bands. Backdrop got the chance to sit down with fi ve out of the six members of the band on a West State Street porch in late August, with cicadas buzzing in the trees and overbearing humidity in the air, the guys commented on their eclectic sound and where the band is heading next.
to the table and see what works and go with it from there.
Cody: We’ve all been in a bunch of different bands. I’ve been in a reggae band, I’ve been in a ska band, different punk bands.
Michael: Different hardcore bands.
Cody: We fuse it all together, our different influences and experiences.
Now, I know a lot of you are involved with different groups on campus, do you mind sharing some of those?
David: Me and Adam, we’re both in SMO (Singing Men of Ohio).
Nick: I literally just ran from Marching 110 practice to get here, and I’m on the executive board for Students For Liberty as well.
Cody: A little bit last year and my freshman year, I helped out Brick City Records with some promotional stuff and ACRN too.
On your song “3 a.m.,” you guys have spoken-word verses and lush piano featured throughout. Do you think that there’s room for a softer side in hardcore music?
along with the unclean vocals. How do you make a decision on which one to go with when you’re writing?
David: We pretty much just write to serve the song, and really, be it unclean or clean, whatever brings the lyrics across the best. When me and Adam both write the vocals, I think we, at least I do, but as we’re writing, I say, “Th is part’s going to be screaming, this parts going to be singing,” just based on the lyrics we’re writing, just based on the emotion the lyrics are meant to show.
You guys use a pretty wide array of instruments. Is there any instrument that you haven’t used that you’re dying to get on a track?
Cody: Well, it was defi nitely an accomplishment doing the full-horn section. I’m really glad we got all the horns and everything. We’ve talked about maraca at some point. I don’t know, what do you think Mike?
sounds, and you can pick and choose and play around with it as much as we want and just bring out so many sounds rom just one instrument, so that’s pretty cool.
On your Facebook page, it says you guys have new music in the works. Care to share some of the details?
Michael: It’s a lot heavier.
Cody: We are actually in the process of writing our full-length album. We haven’t all learned it yet, but it’s pretty much all written. We plan on recording it this winter and getting it out late spring of next year.
Michael: I think it would be cool to get a drum machine in on one of our tracks, to have that electronic drum feel.
Now to start things off, you wouldn’t happen to have any information about the actual Shafer Street Fugitive, would you?
David Butler: I think we need to plead the Fifth, actually. Cody Dixon: We are not hiding any information, per se. The origin of the name came about when we were practicing back in the winter of…
Michael Socosky: 2011.
Cody: There was a fugitive loose in Athens and at the time we were practicing he was last seen on Shafer Street, where David and Adam (other vocalist, not present) lived at the time. We kept getting email alerts and text messages from the university saying, “Stay where you are. There’s a fugitive on the loose, last seen on Shafer Street,” and we were nameless at the point, so we thought, why not the Shafer Street Fugitive? It’s cool, it’s local, and if you’re from Athens you might get it.
On “DBC,” a song off your EP Adaptor, you guys use a full-horn section and transition through a few genres like poppunk, hardcore, and ska. That’s not typical of most hardcore bands. You describe yourselves as progressive hardcore. Is this a product of you guys all being interested in different styles of music?
Nick Shega: I think this goes for everyone in the band, but we’re all into a lot of different music. If you put my iPod on shuffle it will go from Bach to Megadeth to Streetlight Manifesto. I don’t think that we’re really too concerned with like, “oh, we got to stick to this progressive hardcore thing.” We just want to make music. If our diverse influences can come together and make something greater than the sum of their parts, then cool. We just bring everything we have
Michael: Absolutely. Last year it was just an idea that I had, but a lot of our songs, like “DBC,” are really easy to play on acoustic guitar too. So you can take a hardcore song and make it soft and pretty.
You guys feature a lot of clean vocals with some great harmonies to go
WHO PLAYS WHAT?
Mitch Rossiter: Mike does some mean ukulele work too, so that could be interesting.
Nick: Mike makes electronic music too, and it’s really, really good. Like, really good.
Cody: And what’s cool about having synths on hand is that you can get so many different kind of
NICK HARLEY | PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS HORSLEY
SOUNDS LIKE: For Those Who Have Heart -era A
MITCH ROSSITER
raising the
BY KERRY CRUMP | PHOTOS BY BRICE NIHISER
Th e panorama of Athens’ bars isn’t a picture that changes frequently. Once an owner snags a piece of the coveted Court Street real estate, thirsty students and locals wandering by are almost enough to sustain the business alone. But starting a bar from the foundation up is a diff erent and daunting feat, one that husband and wife Eric and Barb Moss have undertaken with Th e Over Hang. Th e Over Hang, now residing in the once-vacant Blue Gator building, aims to please a wide variety of customers outside of the bar scene by serving classic comfort food ranging from the Bodacious BLT, a favorite of owner Barb Moss, to its own version of Chicken n’ Waffl es. Hearty breakfasts are off ered on the weekends, along with their signature Over-Hang-hang-over cure “Th e Remedy,” their twist on a Bloody Mary. Th e early draw: the signature Over Hang burgers.
“We’re hearing huge compliments on our burgers,” Barb says. “Our burgers are freshly crafted for us, and we ball it ourselves and mash it down just like an old-fashioned kind of hamburger.”
Th e burgers may keep customers coming back, but what’s bringing them in is the extensive renovations that have been taking place since the Moss’ signed onto the project 19 months ago.
“Th e Gator Guys approached us because we own Grinder’s and we’re local and asked us if we would be interested. We said yes, and we worked out the lease 18 months ago.” Eric Moss explains.
The Gator Guys, led by Bryan Wharton, Bart Kasler, and Joe Krause, had previously bought the vacant building with the intention of revamping the bar and adding luxury apartments above it. While the Moss’ were brought on to handle the Over Hang portion of the project, the collaboration between the two groups helped to jump-start the renovations and create a building that fits both parties’ taste.
It’s been a huge investment by Gator Guys, and they did it right.”
Barb Moss Over Hang Co-Owner
past which is a stage for local musicians to perform in the evenings, when the bar-feel sets in.
The bars on Court Street rarely change; they are institutions. The Over Hang is OU’s newest watering hole, sporting lush décor and some noteworthy signature items. • Chicken n’ Waffles • Over Hang Burger
While the Gator Guys held the lead on the logistics of the renovations of the building as a whole, the Moss’ did their research and took extra steps to ensure that the design and décor of their bar and restaurant would be a good fit for the Athens area and maximize customer comfort. Down to the cupboards, every piece has a significant meaning.
“Our bar and our woodwork was done by a local cabinet maker, Tom Bennett, so I consider those actual works of art. I don’t think you fi nd things like this everyday,” Barb says.
The Over Hang logo, painted above the back stage, was designed by Barb’s sister. It sits atop the brick dust-colored walls keeping customers feeling happy and welcomed.
“I also did a lot of research on the psychology of color in restaurants, and this color is very intentional. Th is color is a cinnamon red…it’s warm and inviting, and stimulates your appetite,” Barb says.
The Over Hang also keeps its ties close to Athens by having local artists’ exhibits on display in its front alcove, courtesy of Starbrick Gallery, located in Nelsonville.
“On the walls, we’re promoting our local art community and our local his-
tory…that’s a partnership with Starbrick and it will provide rotating art shows for artists that collaborate with Starbrick.” Barb says.
“Jim Shirey is our first show, he will be here for the fi rst couple of months, and we are booked in through next spring with art shows.”
Guitars, painted by Passion Works members, adorn the walls above the booths. Passion Works, more commonly known for their painted flowers, recently began painting guitars as well, and the Moss’ jumped on board. Th is is a very personal part of the restaurant for Barb, who has worked alongside some of these painters previously.
“I worked for the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities for a number of years and some of the people that painted these guitars were some of my students...it was a nice way of including them in our restaurant.” Barb says. “We were lucky enough to see those in their development and thought they were an excellent fit here.“
The impeccable details and personal aspects of the bar make it the Moss’, but there are still many factors that can only be sorted out with time and experience to ensure that the Over Hang is still residing on Court Street for many years to come.
”The upstairs was even more of a renovation than the restaurant. It was just the brick, the studs, and the roof overhead was off,” Barb says. “It’s been a huge investment by Gator Guys, and they did it right.”
The floor plan of the previous bar was completely thrown out – the only salvageable area being the bathrooms. Custommade lumbar booths were put in along the left wall, right
SIGNATURE ITEMS
“We want it to grow. We are very open for how we need to change and adapt to make our restaurant work, and we have to base that on how things go,” Barb says.
Live Music
Local Artwork • The Original Brainstopper
The Remedy (Bloody Mary)
SCRIPPS 2.0
KAITLYN RICHERT | PHOTO BY AMANDA PUCKETT
ADDITIONS
“
Some [facilities] in the building will be larger than they were before, but it’s not like we’re adding a lot of space. Most of it is replacement of facilities that we’ll be [moving] out of somewhere else.”
Tom Daniels, Professor Emeritus and former dean
2 54 one 4 / 11 3
CLASSROOMS
• 250-seat lecture hall
• 150-seat collaborative learning space
PERCENT of total conference rooms are additions
This fall, the Schoonover Center of Communication—which will compile all five Scripps College of Communication schools under one roof—is closing the construction curtain on its plans. So what can we expect when the doors finally open for students late in 2014? Tom Daniels, Professor Emeritus and former dean who represents the college on the university’s planning board for the center, talks to Backdrop about what’s to come in Scripps College’s future home. STORY & GRAPHICS BY
FIVE NOTEWORTHY ASPECTS
1 COFFEE STATION
Near the initial reception point on the fi rst fl oor, java will be brewing. “There will not be the kind of facility that you see in the Arc, but there will be a scaled-down version,” Daniels says.
4
SPECIALTY LISTENING LABORATORY
This high-end facility for the School of Media Arts and Studies will involve technical nuances of sound, according to Daniels.
THE GAME PLAN
PHASE 2
PHASE 1
SUMMER 2012 Construction begins.
FALL 2013 Construction ends.
2
PHOTO GALLERY
A space near a lounge area on the fi rst fl oor has been reserved to highlight the achievements of students in the School of Visual Communication.
3 HARRIS STUDENT SERVICE CENTER
For students in the Scripps College, this will be the primary point to contact offi ce administrators, including an internship coordinator.
5
150-SEAT COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACE
This classroom will capture the reason the fi ve colleges united under one roof: teamwork. “The new dean, particularly, was interested in moving more in this direction, pedagogically,” Daniels says. “This will give us the space.”
Begins when phase 1 ends in late fall 2013.
PART I will relocate offi ces for the Dean of the College, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the School of Media Arts and Studies.
PART II will relocate the rest of the schools and fi nish the Schoonover Center. The last phase is scheduled to end by Fall 2014.
Photo credit: Sextant Technology Partners
A niche ON THE BRICKS
In a community that values the importance of news, one paper isn’t enough. Three local newspapers might seem excessive but each serves a particular purpose.
On the bottom floor of the headquarters for Ohio’s largest newspaper—The Plain Dealer —rests an islanded parking space that serves as a reminder of the paper’s earliest distribution method. The White Motors delivery truck started passing out history in 1913, but recently a new wave in the newspaper industry has shifted and modernized the presentation medium. Technology is proving that only the strong print publications will survive, but Athens continues to thrive with three papers funneling news into a city at the head of a county that posts one of the highest annual poverty rates.
State of the newspaper business
When news broke that Amazon.com founder Jeffrey Bezos had purchased The Washington Post , it was just another turn reinforcing the decision by The Plain Dealer president—Terry Egger—to emphasize digital publication
because that is where the consumer’s and ad dollars are going.
For Athens, accentuating an online presence is a must for papers not making home deliveries and circulating in print daily. The Athens News, The Athens Messenger and The Post all find a way to survive in the same ad revenue territory by adhering to a specific small-town niche. Each publication dabbles in covering events tailored toward a certain age demographic, but primarily students are going to flock to The Post to read what their peers have to say about street fest guidelines or campus crime.
Terry Smith, the editor for The Athens News, is confident that his staff does the best job at being the paper in a campusconstructed city that reaches all ages and types, even with monetary obstacles to hurdle.
“Like other small newspapers, we have the same staff handling both print and web and social media that we used to use just for print,” Smith says.
Functionality of a three-paper town
The challenges that these papers face, however, do not stem from each unique audience but more from the populations of the staffs. Most notably, The Post faces more pressing problems daily by being a publication run solely by students.
“[We] are students taking full class-loads at the same time, so that’s always one of our biggest (issues),” senior and managing editor for The Post Nicolien Buholzer says of her newsroom.
“People are in and out throughout the day, and especially if breaking news hits, it can be hard to find someone if everyone is in class.”
Dedication is one thing, but for Post members having to juggle running a five-day-a-week publication while keeping up his or her academics is a lot of pressure for someone trying to please the student body with cutting-edge presentation of the news. The staff has even more weight on their shoulders because The Post does not receive funds from the school, which forces them to compete for ad dollars against full-time Messenger and News staffers.
“With [this] being your full-time job, you’re always trying to do things better and make sure you have good things for the public,” former Post scribe and current Messenger sports editor Kevin Wiseman says.
Competition
In a small college town, with the majority of the population being between 18 and 24 years old, there’s no denying that competition looms over the city. Grabbing the attention from college students between their classes, social lives and iPhones can be very difficult. The regular public and staff members of Ohio University are also in the fish tank that these publications are trying to bait on a daily basis.
Smith of The Athens News actually likes to work around the other two papers to strategize their content.
“[The other newspapers] have their meetings and reporting operations just like we do,” Smith explains.
“If they beat us to a story, and it’s a pretty good one, we will try to catch up on it.”
The small town provides each publication with the
opportunity to jump on stories at the same time as well. This makes competition healthy, with each group of writers slaving over keyboards to make sure that their angle on the story is crisper than the opposition.
On a statewide basis, it’s not uncommon for daily newspapers in different cities to share information to help each other. However, such sharing would be unheard of in a battling town like Athens. When working in the same market, it could be detrimental to success if one publication were to help out another.
Timing is also another competitive component, especially when dealing with breaking news.
“This is embarrassing, but I have [the other publications’] tweets sent to my phone so I know right away if we get beat on a story,” Buholzer confesses.
“I’ll say, ‘Oh my gosh, they already are tweeting it out,’ and we haven’t even finished writing our story.”
Readership
Not to be confused with luck, there is actually a method to three separate news outlets coexisting in a small town.
“They’re filling a different niche, and as long as you’re filling a niche, there’s an audience,” Egger explains.
To balance out the readership, each publication seems to focus on one area more than another. The Athens News and The Athens Messenger cover the community and county news more closely, such as providing updates on the elementary, middle and high schools.
“We have always tried to appeal to the widest cross section of people, which ranges from students to faculty to blue-collar people in the community,” Smith says, as he sees The Athens News as a duel-threat competitor.
“It kind of gives us a leg up that we are read by the campus community and non-campus community. I think the other two papers can’t say that as much as we can.”
Along with print news, the three publications also reach readers online. This is a much easier way for on-the-go college students to get information they need. When school is in session, the online website for The Post receives about 2,500 daily views. The Athens News brings in around 5,000 viewers per day for their website. This is an important statistic for a publication that focuses on the community members who are more than likely less tech-savvy than the readership that The Post reels in.
Just how the White Motors delivery truck serves as a reminder of the old ways that news was delivered, the three news outlets in Athens serve as a model of how a small town can flourish successfully with multiple news outlets. With buyouts and cuts happening all around the nation, it’s truly a unique situation in the Appalachia town set amongst the Hocking River.
“We’ve got 20,000 students and several thousand faculty members who are supporting us,” says Smith when talking about why something so unique can work.
“With having three papers and about a dozen different student web operations with different focuses; it makes it tough that’s for sure. I don’t know of any other market that has this much [coverage].”
A BOBCAT’S PROMISE
One alum will never forget the promise he made to his father. Now he has created a movement to teach others the importance of keeping their word.
BY ALEXIS JOHNS | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ALEX SHEEN
Another fall semester at Ohio University has rolled around. Athens is bustling with thousands of new students. Take a listen in on their conversations. Some may be about a party, others about skipping class. Regardless, students come here for a similar purpose. They are seeking success, typically measured by money or snatching that dream job. But watch out everyone. Life rarely goes as planned.
One Bobcat alumnus, Alex Sheen, demonstrates fi rsthand how a twist of events can change all expectations. When he chose OU, his long-term goal was to start his own business. Yet today, he is the sole founder of a non-profit social movement, Because I Said I Would. The movement is rapidly expanding worldwide to emphasize the importance of keeping a promise. Its impact ranges from daily goals to long-term life changes.
The Beginning
As an undergraduate student, Sheen would have never predicted where he is now. Following graduation, he landed a job at Hyland Software as a market intelligence specialist. It was not his dream job, but at the least, it off ered the financial foundation so many graduates stress over.
Th is past summer, he walked for 10 days across Ohio in honor of the women held captive and sexually abused in Cleveland for 10 years. Throughout the 240-mile walk, Sheen made an effort to raise awareness for victims of sexual violence.
He was primarily alone for the journey.
“It was an interesting experience being alone for so long. I’m an extreme extrovert and I feed off others’ energy.” At the fi nal stretch, supporters lined the street of the house where the women were held. However, one greeting was more profound than the rest. The mother of one of the women held captive met him with a hug and a kiss outside of the house that caused her daughter so much suff ering.
Soon after, Sheen’s focus shifted to a whole new goal. On September 3, he released a video of 22-year-old Matthew Cordle. The video served as his confession to killing a man in a drunk driving accident. With a promise card in hand, he states he will take full responsibility for his actions.
“I’m handing the prosecution everything they need to put me away for a very long time,” says Cordle about the video. He desperately wanted to share his message. He begs listeners not to drink and drive with a reminder that there is never an excuse.
It is this message that Sheen is supporting. His number one goal of the video is for people to stop drinking and driving. Although, he admits Cordle is ironically associated with Because I Said I Would.
Cordle made his promise at rock bottom, but this video’s goal is to encourage easily preventative actions. Sheen wants people to make these promises before they hit their own rock bottom.
“It’s a hard conversation to have. These people are not talking about intentions; they are talking about actual plans.” In Sheen’s opinion, this is the movement’s greatest impact.
Organization Support
Sheen strongly believes his biggest support comes from people he does not know, specifically those who share the movement on social media, make donations, and most importantly, keep promises.
On March 1st, Sheen resigned from his position at Hyland Software to dedicate himself to the movement. Th is fi nancial leap left him without income, but Sheen knew he would regret never trying.
To date, the organization strictly operates on donations, his personal savings and several promotional item sales. When asked how people can best support him, Sheen struggles with answering. The businessman in him wants to suggest buying a T-shirt or donating, yet he says, “The bottom line is no longer a dollar. Make a promise to yourself or humanity.”
Because the organization lacks fi nancial stability to have employees, Sheen’s support comes strictly from volunteer work. His chief volunteer, Amanda Messer, is by Sheen’s side for mostly everything.
Messer hopes the movement will help strengthen family structure, so that more children can grow up in a better home. Th is comes from her personal struggle of having an alcoholic father. Recently, she made a promise to never speak to him again.
Sheen’s stability was shaken in September 2012. Faced with the devastating news of his father’s passing, Sheen began refl ecting on his father’s best quality, reliability. If his father said something would be done, it would be. Th is refl ection sparked the social movement, Because I Said I Would.
The movement commemorates his father’s most remarkable quality by promoting the importance of keeping a promise. Sheen innovatively created a simple way to do so by creating blank “promise cards.” The cards act as a form of a contract with one person making a promise to another. He sends free promise cards in packs of 10 to anyone who requests them.
Organizational Growth
Since its start in September 2012, Sheen has sent cards to all 50 states and over 50 countries. Sheen uses various social media sites to share his story and the stories of others. While motivating others to keep promises, he leads by example.
His fi rst big promise involved raising money for the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada. The money sent children on their fi rst trip to Disneyland.
While Sheen has created so many remarkable, inspiring stories, he also makes sure to act on smaller, more attainable promises to promote the core values of the movement. For example, he made 52 promises to complete each week of the year. They include a variety of things he has continually put off, such as learning to bake an apple pie and teaching his grandma how to Skype.
Despite all of these big eff ort promises, Sheen unwaveringly believes the biggest impact of the movement goes beyond these spectacles.
“Those are just forms of entertainment. Hundreds of thousands of hits on Reddit is whatever. It’s cool but not serious,” he says.
Instead Sheen has been profoundly aff ected by stories of reverse suicidal decisions made because of the promise cards. If possible, Sheen will talk to these people on the phone.
“The bottom line is no longer a dollar. Make a promise to yourself or humanity.”
Alex Sheen OU alum
Messer is happy to share her story, saying, “the more we share our struggles, the more we can bring back humility to humanity.”
Alex Sheen is attempting to create a fundamental diff erence in society’s mentality. He never had intentions of doing so when he stepped onto Ohio University’s campus. However, his work goes to show success is not necessarily measured by the dollar or a prestigious job.
Goals can change rapidly in the face of life. Sheen’s current goal to success is to spread his message. After all, he says, “The importance of a promise is universal.”
DROPPING THE GENRE
U-Drop – an Ohio alternative hip-hop duo with foundations in the Appalachia is gearing up to blend genres with their next project.
BY ZAK KOLESAR PHOTOS PROVIDED BY U-DROP
Whether a producer is retooling a song for the radio or ushering in a new era of fresh sounds, passion is a variable that can exist sonically with the right fi ngers behind the board. Modern hip-hop has roots spanning a variety of musical influences, linked by a device that artists use called, “the sample.” From taking elements of classical soul music to experimenting with the electronic-techno wave, rap’s driving force (also known as the beat) is what initally entices a listener.
Enter U-Drop, a rap duo with musical beginnings that trace back to Hocking College and stretch all the way to the Windy City. Over the past two years, Terence “Teuro” Robertson and Omari “OMitch” Mitchell experimented with their sound by festival hopping at well-known events such as Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Electric Forest in Michigan. Seeing their favorite bands in an exhilarating environment heavily influenced their sonics and samples on their upcoming project titled Vincent The Little Dark Bird. Borrowing different elements from a variety of artists’ styles is something that hip-hop was founded on. So for U-Drop,
the melodic synth of Little Dragon, the strings of Andrew Bird, the jazz techniques of Dark Dark Dark and the eloquent smoothness of St. Vincent make for a unique mixture for layering a rap record.
“I would say it’s more of an introspective CD where a lot of the tracks sonically will give you a more classic hiphop vibe with a lot of different influences in there from the bands,” Mitchell pronounces.
“The production just has a lot of changeups to it.”
Even though the current trend of drowning out conscious lyrics with a blaring beat has reached its peak during the mixtape age, U-Drop stands for enticing listeners to take into account all phases of a song. Nodding to a track is half the battle, but music is also a great method for the two MCs to spread a message vocally that would otherwise be a normal conversation.
“There is this song we have called ‘Celebrate’ where we talk about partying and experiences from when we went to a lot of music festivals last summer and this summer included,” Rob-
ertson says of his favorite song on the project.
“We can talk about some of those experiences we’ve had
from seeing people take hardcore illegal drugs and being surrounded by them.”
This discussion, backed by beats, is significant at the moment, as the party drug “molly” is gaining traction again in the festival circuit. Through the art of storytelling, Robertson and Mitchell are challenging their listeners to pay attention to new culture – both good and bad. When two polarizing MCs occupy the arena with mics as one, this specific conversation can be played out onstage.
“You’re trying to improve your verse to make it better than each other, and it ends up being the best it can be, so it improves the confidence in that manner as well,” Mitchell proclaims.
Confidence is also heightened after each successive visit to the stage, something for which Robertson and Mitchell have the city of Athens to thank. But before Robertson made it to OU, Mitchell and him both spent two years at Hocking College where they were a part of an eight-piece jam band named Wojettt.
“They collected these people from all of these musical backgrounds,” 3 Elliott Studio owner and Hocking professor Josh Antonuccio compares the jam band to U-Drop’s upcoming release.
“It’s interesting because you can kind of see how each how each of them has went off and pursued their own individual direction in music.”
After Robertson’s victory at Ohio University’s Battle of the MCs in 2012, U-Drop was given a chance to open the inaugural HallOUween concert. The group will have a chance to show area fans how far they have come with a few unannoucned events in Columbus.
“Being a hip-hop artist in Athens can be kind of scary, and very intimidating, because it’s not the natural music for the area,” Mitchell says while laughing.
“It gave us an understanding of what songs people did or did not like and it gave us a platform.”
“Blinking” – the outro to VTLDB – has the potential to be one of those fan-favorite records that captivates a live audience with an entrancing beat. The track, which originates from Little Dragon’s “Blinking Pigs”, deviates from anything else on the project due to a dirty, up-tempo beat that serves as U-Drop’s hard-hitting pledge.
“The best way to describe it is really well-crafted and strategic hip-hop in the writing and the lyrics,” Antonuccio assesses the group’s work.
“I think they just come from the same place musically, and they like a lot of different genres of music.”
Robertson and Josh “Jae” Posten – the only two producers on the CD – were able to fi ll Mitchell’s iTunes library with “over three days” of beats when working together. Their common knowledge and understanding of classical and jazz elements made piecing together the sounds of VTLDB an experience they both wanted to be a part of, which made constructing raps a much more cohesive process.
It doesn’t stop with slaving in the studio, however, as traveling from Southern Ohio to the Midwest requires new promotion techniques to target a new audience. Recently moving to the north side of Chicago, Robertson and Mitchell’s plan for the next year is to capitalize off of the city’s culture and create
fresh concepts from the different influences they encounter.
The key to creating healthy chemistry as a unit in music is being able to drop the “I’s” and let inspiration come in the form of a partner’s talents. Robertson detracts most questions regarding his previous accolades as a solo freestyle emcee to Mitchell and also switches the discussion to how the rising of his platform actually worked in favor of U-Drop.
“They’ve known each other since high school, at least, and I think they just come from the same place musically,” Antonuccio says of why U-Drop functions as one force.
Not only do Mitchell and Robertson function on the same sound length, but they are also both socially perceptive of events not covered in the media ad nauseam. On the St. Vincent-sampled “St. Vinny”, topics of importance such as the misunderstandings between the cultural barrier of the minorities and the privileged and the fi nancial gap between the one percent and the 99 percent are discussed.
“Th roughout it, we’re not poking too much fun at the media per se, but there are things that we feel are a little misconstrued,” Robertson confesses.
These romantic sounds and messages on policies will surely reverberate well amongst the attentive collegiate youth when Vincent The Little Dark Bird is showcased to the public. For those wanting a history lesson in the form of intellectual rap with straight lyrics, look no further than the battle-tested duo of U-Drop.
“We just try a lot of different things to say, ‘Listen now.’” Mitchell boasts.
BACK SADDLE
BY JAKE MCCARTY | PHOTOS BY BRICE NIHISER
At Ohio University Southern branch, the Equine Assisted Therapy Activities program has allowed those with crippling disabilities a unique opportunity: a chance at rehabilitation.
From birth, the Hale family had been told that its youngest, Jakob, would never be able to walk.
Having spent his entire life accompanied by various pieces of equipment, crutches and supports, he spent countless hours performing for physical therapists. Hours that, while well-intentioned, amounted to little progress. It was not until the Hales discovered the Ohio University Horse Park that nothing short of a miracle was performed.
Kelly Hall is the Coordinator of Equine Assisted Therapy Activities for the Ohio Horse Park located between Portsmouth and Ironton, Ohio. She is the kind of person that, when asked about her background in equine therapy, would much rather talk about the horses themselves. She’ll quickly brush past her overwhelming catalogue of experience, which includes nearly 20 years of professional riding instruction for patients and budding professionals, to discuss the mechanics of how a horse’s gait perfectly mimics that of a human’s. For the last 14 years, she has overseen the Therapeutic Riding Instructional Program at the Ohio University Southern branch.
vices outside of their control. In the morning, they could work with children such as Jakob, whose muscles and limbs are immobilized due to the crippling effects of cerebral palsy. His appointment could be followed by those that fall on the spectrum for autism, teenagers struggling with behavioral disorders, the elderly suff ering from the aff ects of a stroke or veterans battling post traumatic stress disorder. Each client will experience a specialized therapy regimen.
The therapy is not the only thing unique to each person, says Hall. Each horse was chosen to work with a spe-
when approached by a stranger to how their ears are turned when walking into the stables are factored into our evaluation,” says Hall. She believes that this is what makes her program so successful. In her eyes, the instructor is merely there to set the standard. It is up to the horse to meet it.
Hall and her team are not the only ones judging the standards by which they hold their programs and educate the new generation of therapeutic riding instructors. PATH, the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, is currently setting the industry standard. According to the PATH Intl. website, instructors “fi nd strength and independence through the power of the horse each year.”
“ Once the therapeutic riding instructions began and were in progress, he started making progress. A few years ago it was reported that he had taken up to 250 steps.”
Dean Bill Willan, Executive Director
cifi c problem they may encounter in their fi eld.
The facility is managed, maintained and overseen by Hall and her team of volunteers and students. It is currently sitting on approximately 200 acres of land with two classrooms, barns for housing 13 horses, and therapy sessions held in three different riding arenas. Their calendar is fully booked, appointments held by those whose lives have become more difficult due to de-
THE STATS ON PATH
“Children who need to strengthen their leg muscles have very different needs than, say, an older man just after a stroke,” explains Hall. Someone with tight muscles will need a horse with a longer step while the warmth of the horse relieves tight muscles and prevents spasms. Alternatively, a child with autism might need a horse with a shorter step to increase sensory responses.
These factors are only a few of the 90 characteristics upon which each horse is evaluated before being introduced to the program.
“Everything from how a horse reacts
The Ohio Horse Park is one of only three in the United States to do so through a college or university.
According to Bill Willan, the Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education working out of the Athens campus, this current stage of the Ohio Horse Park was not instituted until relatively recently. He worked very closely with Hall in coming up with any ideas to reshape the program to direct students onto pathways that would lead to jobs in the horse industry.
“Upon my arrival at the Southern campus, Kelly and I sat and talked about the program, it was obvious that we needed to reshape it so that it would draw students and there would be a focus program that would lead into better job placement [for students] and Kelly did an amazing job guiding that process,” recalls Willan. He attributes
the growth of the horse park to Hall, its director. “Kelly was very active in seeking out grants and partnerships with local service providers and as the results started coming in, word of mouth started spreading, more and more organizations wanted to partner with us,” explains Willan.
Eventually, as more staff members were added to the facility, the program was mentioned in several national and international horse magazines. The program started to have students come in from other parts of the country. Notoriety, scope and fame grew with the horse park as it continued producing results.
Jakob Hale was one of the most notable examples of these results. Born with cerebral palsy, it had been projected by all those involved he would never gain the ability to walk. It was at a young age that he began the therapeutic riding program.
According to Willan, “Once the therapeutic riding instructions began and were in progress, he started making progress. A few years ago it was reported that he had taken up to 250 steps.”
The progress for Jakob didn’t stop there. Recently, Jakob had been sent to the principal’s office. When asked why, Willan says with a smile, “Running in the halls.”
Jakob isn’t the only success story to come from the riding program. There is also a man who, following his service in the United States Military, suffered a stroke that left him incapable of speech. After beginning his series of lessons with Hall and her team, so much progress was made during a lesson that he broke out into song while on the saddle. What exactly was he singing? “Home on the Range.”
Activities held at the horse park are not solely limited to therapy sessions.
According to Willan, a number of different groups have come through the space for different pursuits. These have ranged from individuals who seek out the facility for retreats and horse shows to a group of nuns who learned to breathe with the horses as a relaxation exercise.
Despite these impressive stories, the Ohio Horse Park still lacks the proper
funding to achieve its future plans.
With a fully booked schedule and people still on the waiting list to begin treatment, the program lacks the necessary facilities to see all those who approach Hall with hopes of joining its list of clientele. Th e next step for the park would be adding a riding arena. Th is would allow for more people in need of therapy to come in for lessons. In order to do this a substantial amount of money is required. Construction must be started, materials supplied and new
staff hired, all with donations not yet received.
Kelly Hall and the team at the Ohio Horse Park are working to repair the damage from disease and confl ict. Th e kind of work going on in the therapeutic riding program is not simply changing the lives of those on the horse. It is changing the surrounding community, providing a venue for new and exciting events and more importantly, it is changing the lives of family and friends, who can see their loved ones have a second chance.
THE DIRT ON dirty south
BY JACOB BETZNER | PHOTOS BY AMANDA PUCKETT | INFOGRAPHIC BY OLIVIA REANEY
They don’t call it the Dirty South for nothing, but that’s all about to change. Ohio University has extensive, and expensive, plans to give OU’s most distinctive green an extreme makeover.
Fenced in and hidden relatively well from the thousands of students who pass by the construction zone on the site of the former Wolfe
Street Apartments, the biggest and most expensive residential housing project in the history of Ohio University starts to take shape. Over the next 10 years, the university plans to construct new buildings, add to the total number of beds available on campus, update buildings and create a new area for students to socialize, relax and live out the college experience. Cranes and other heavy equipment peek over the temporary fencing to keep curious or, ahem, lush students from entering the site. University-sponsored signs line the area to help it appear as less of a construction zone and more of a giant surprise.
The next phase of the project involves demolishing buildings in the area known to students as the “Dirty South” and building new modernized dormitory buildings, a staple of student life at the university since the late 1960s.
Residence halls behind the “Front Four” buildings on South Green, Pickering, Brown, Mackinnon and Crawford Halls, serve almost solely as a place to sleep. The university constructed the buildings after student population rose significantly during the 1969 Draft Lottery and before and after the Vietnam War, which lasted between 1955 and 1975. Thousands of Vietnam veterans chose to attend OU after receiving a G.I. Bill. Administrators built the residence halls to last only a few decades in the Hocking River floodplain. The location of the floodplain forced
the buildings to be raised onto stilts and a series of catwalks constructed to allow students to go in and out of the buildings, especially in the event of a flood.
Vice President of Student Aff airs Ryan Lombardi says in recent years, the cost of maintenance and upkeep in the buildings in Dirty South exceeded the cost of building new dormitories in the long run. About three years ago, the OU Board of Trustees started developing a plan to demolish outdated buildings and constructing new buildings. The trustees proposed construction plans for new dorms in Dirty South, planning to tear down the old buildings and build modern, suite-style dormitory buildings, budgeting the project at $4.5 million, according to fi nancial statements from the OU fi nancial department. The buildings still house students today, but require thousands of dollars in maintenance to remain open.
“While the building is still certainly safe, and we can continue to operate them, they’re not efficient in any way,”
Trentacoste says.
The proposed plan develops over the next 10 years and started with the destruction of the Wolfe Street Apartments across South Green Drive from the Charles J. Ping Recreational Center. The university rented the near halfcentury-old apartments to graduate students, married couples and singles with children, faculty and staff. McVey Demolition of Cincinnati demolished the apartments and Evans Landscaping also of Cincinnati rebuilt a parking lot on the former site for a combined $531,200.
Lombardi compares building the new dormitories to purchasing a house. The university took out 30-year loans to pay for the projects and developed a fi nancial plan to pay the loans and interest back on time. Lombardi says the university plans to increase on-campus housing rates at 3.5 percent per year, and start at rates comparable to a suite style like Adams or Bromley Halls, which currently cost students $6,628 per year.
Trentacoste says the university plans to build state-of-theart buildings with amenities similar to those of Adams Hall plus additional conveniences. Dziak says not constantly worrying about housing charging students for a scratch in the wall at the end of the year or some wear-and-tear on the provided dresser in the Dirty South Dorms lessened the burden on busy college students.
“(The new dorms) are still going to get destroyed, so I don’t think that’s worth a tuition increase when they can build ones that are sufficient for a price that’s not going to raise tuition,” Dziak says.
... and you know, people are there for different majors, different walks, but nonetheless, everybody, we all seemed to hit it off really well.”
Bryan Dziak Ohio University Student
Bryan Dziak arrived at OU in August 2010, ready to move in to a double in O’Bleness Hall on South Green. The freshman double majoring in business and marketing information systems remembered touring the campus only a few months earlier, visiting a sizeable, renovated room in a building on East Green. Dziak looked around the tiny, worn dorm room built almost 45 years earlier.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be super fl ashy,” Dziak says.
“Th at’s kind of what I had in mind. I wasn’t expecting some state-of-the-art room or anything like that.”
However, fellow former Dirty South resident Jaime Cosimati, a senior studying sociology and criminology who lived in Hoover Hall as a freshman moved into a remodeled dorm in Bromley Hall as a sophomore and saw the cost of housing rise.
“When I lived in Bromley, I know I paid a little bit more or extra than others, and I didn’t mind doing that,” Cosimati says.
The university plans to complete a 900-bed dormitory building where the temporary parking lot currently sits in the next two years. The next phases include building two large dormitory buildings with around 700 rooms behind the current Front Four on South Green and another new dormitory building behind Adams Hall, currently the newest dormitory building on campus at only a decade old. Behind the new buildings covering part of the former Dirty South, the university plans to build intramural sports and varsity sports practice fields and expand the popular South Beach, in a segment of the project Trentacoste refers to as a “Green Sweep.”
“What I’m most excited to see come to fruition is this real green space, vibrant with student activity where community
beauty of the nature that surrounds us,” Trentacoste says.
The new and improved South Beach trades parking lots and little-used roads for a large grassy area between the dormitories and Morton Hall to give students a place to socialize, engage in physical activity and simply relax outside.
The Columbus branch of URS Corporation agreed to build the new residence halls at a cost of $3,633,472.80 and EMH&T also of Columbus agreed to build additional infrastructure for $108,576, for a total of $4,273,248.80 or $226,751.20 under budget.
The building on the site of the former Wolfe Street Apartments includes suite-style rooms similar to Adams Hall, with slight modifications, especially to the bathroom areas.
Lombardi says the new bathrooms feature a private toilet and semi-private shower in addition to two sinks in the bathroom instead of in the actual room. The new design scheme comes from student feedback and encourages additional student input as construction begins on the new buildings in the next three years.
Dziak and Cosimati both say the mod style encouraged students to interact and forge friendships.
“You kind of have your own, little personal family, and you became close with the people you lived with,” Cosimati says.
Cosimati says she toured a dorm on East Green while touring as a high school student. Though much diff erent than the “mod” style of the dorm rooms in the Dirty South, she researched the assigned room and knew what to expect.
“I was actually pretty excited about it just because I knew it was going to be a lot easier to become close to the people I lived with,” Cosimati says.
Dziak says living in the close quarters of the “mod” style dorms helped establish strong friendships.
“Everybody back there just seemed to have similar personalities, and you know, people are there for diff erent
majors, diff erent walks, but nonetheless, everybody, we all seemed to hit it off really well.”
University officials hope the new buildings and nicer rooms entice a greater number of students to choose to attend OU. Lombardi says he and other university representatives toured campuses throughout the region and observed new dormitories recently built at other universities. Nearly two-thirds of all campus housing will be on South Green at the end of the project.
Dziak says while updated housing helps bring in students, the appeal alone of OU keeps students choosing to study in Athens every year.
“If it looks nicer, people are going to be more attracted to it. Th at’s just how people are,” Dziak says.
In addition to residence halls, the plan calls for a Central Learning Commons. The commons features classrooms, meeting space for student organizations and flexible office space. Trentacoste says the flexible office space means tutors, counselors or resident coordinators all use the same office during diff erent hours to add accessibility and convenience for students. Additionally, the new residence halls include more common areas for studying and socializing, including a proposed two-story lounge area for studying. Years of planning and research went into the new buildings before the first phase started last spring semester.
“Instead of building the building, and ‘Oh, well now where do we fit the students in?’ We thought, ‘How would we cluster together students in the first place?’”
Trentacoste says. “So, the communities were built first, and then we filled building structures around them.”
Trentacoste, Lombardi and all the other university officials closely involved with the project hope the buildings become a place of reference for future Bobcats for generations. Students hope the South Green, especially the Dirty South keeps the special something that brings students together, forges lifelong friendships and becomes a memorable part of a student’s early years on campus.
“I think South Green, though, kind of applies to a large demographic of students that go to OU, whether they’re the partiers or the more laidback, who want to hang around, who don’t spend all their time studying because they can still get by,” Dziak says. “South Green is more for, like, everybody else. Kids from all jacksof-trade. Honestly, that was one of the best parts of being on South Green. Everybody kind of knew what they were getting into, and that was why they were all living there.” 10 YEAR CONSTRUCTION PLAN 4.5M BUDGET YEAR LOAN 30
2 YEAR
Destruction of the Wolfe Street Apt. New 900 bed dorm
Destruction of dirty south dorms
3 new dorms with ≈ 700 rooms each
New sports fields & expansion of south beach
What are the most popular bagel sandwiches at BSD?
Who came up with the BSD pickle-eating contest? Why not a bagel-eating contest?
BY ANGELA IGNASKY
PHOTOS BY AMANDA PUCKETT
BOBCAT BACKDROP the
Kaitlyn: The most ordered sandwiches are the Tom’s Turkey (just your typical turkey sandwich) and the Morning After (bacon, egg and cheese).
What bagel do most students choose to eat their BSD sandwich on?
Kaitlyn: Picklefest was created in 1999 by the previous owners of Bagel Street as something they thought would be fun, and it just stuck. We’ve been doing it ever since.
On Bagel Street Deli’s menu, there’s a bagel for every type of person, no matter the preference. “Bageler” Kaitlyn Howard helped Backdrop create the perfect combination: Backdrop Bobcat bagel.
What is your title and what do you do at Bagel Street Deli?
Kaitlyn: All of us at BSD have the same title, and we just call ourselves “bagelers.” It sounds a little odd, but bagel is both a noun and a verb here. When we’re making sandwiches, we’re “bageling.” We all have equal titles because we are all responsible for knowing how to do every job in the shop: from making sandwiches, to running register, to making cream cheeses and so on.
When did you find that you had a talent for bagel sandwich creation?
Kaitlyn: It takes about a year of working here to get really good at making bagel sandwiches. Believe it or not, there are a lot of little details that make a huge difference when it comes to sandwich quality, which is extremely important to us!
What’s your favorite bagel sandwich at BSD?
Kaitlyn: Some of the staff favorites are The Southfork Ranch (turkey, bacon, swiss, lettuce and ranch), The Yo Mama (turkey, provolone, tomato, onion, our spinach cream cheese, salt and pepper), The Nature Nurture (cheddar, provolone, onion, sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato and Italian dressing) and The MacGyger (bacon, egg, avocado, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo).
Kaitlyn: Unfortunately, the most ordered bagel would have to be plain, but we always like to encourage the customers to branch out because we offer so many great bagels. If anyone ever needs a recommendation, the bagelers will always know which bagel goes best with each sandwich.
What sets BSD apart from other bagel shops?
Kaitlyn: The biggest thing that sets us all apart from other bagel shops, and just other restaurants in general, is that everyone who works here is like family. We’re all best friends with each other, our bosses take care of us like we’re their children and that’s what makes this the best job in Athens.
Do you see BSD expanding to other college campuses or is this going to always be a uniquely Athens restaurant?
Kaitlyn: Bagel Street is so uniquely Athens that I can’t ever see it anywhere other than here. We have bagels called the OU Bagel, The Bobcat and The Athens. We get a lot of our ingredients locally, and without our staff and our regulars, it just wouldn’t be the same. In a perfect world, everyone everywhere would be able to eat a sandwich from Bagel Street Deli, but if you want to get the total experience you’ve just got to come to 27 S. Court St. and see for yourself.
HOW TO MAKE THE BACKDROP BOBCAT
We asked the bagelers at BSD to create a sandwich just for Backdrop that you can make at home. The Backdrop Bobcat starts with their Bobcat sandwich, which is roast beef and cheddar. The horseradish gives the bagel masterpiece a special kick!
Pile ingredients on, starting with the roast beef and cheddar.
Top with the other half. Heat bagel until cheese is melted, if desired.
BY CHRIS LONGO
I’ll be the fi rst to admit that I went to Louisville to see if the Bobcats could advance a narrative–one where a mid-major athletic program rises from the woodland hills of Southeastern Ohio and into the national spotlight.
It had been building ever since an undersized point guard from Chicago came to Athens and helped run the mighty Georgetown Hoyas out of the building during the fi rst round of the 2010 NCAA tournament. Somewhere between Ohio’s second March run in 2012 and the football team mounting a late comeback against Penn State last opening day, Ohio U morphed into Upset U, where Court Street was almost regularly turned into a frenzy of alcohol-fueled bliss.
I arrived four hours before game time, looking for a good omen for Ohio other than the small pockets of green that stood amongst the vast ocean of red gracing the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium parking lots. Hope came in the form of an open door in the back of a complex that hugs the south end zone of the stadium. Inside the building is a red rug that leads to the Johnny Unitas
SEEING RED
clawing back to Athens, tails between their legs.
The scoreboard laughed at Ohio with the 49-7 score reading like a punch line. Fans began to push toward the exits and all I had to show for the game was a few sentences on a mostly blank Word document. The fi rst line read, “Lightning isn’t supposed to strike four times in three years.”
Backdrop Opinion: We sent Chris Longo to Louisville with the hopes of covering another Ohio football triumph. He returned with a new perspective on why it’s dangerous to expect too much from Ohio athletics.
Football Museum, just down the hall from the Cardinals’ locker room, where the Cardinals ultimately enter the stadium. If you follow the rug, it leads you out to a patio overlooking the south end zone where a massive statue of Unitas–a Louisville standout and National Football League Hall of Famer–stands tall, cocking back a stone football as if he was ready to fi re the damn thing halfway to Mars.
The monument to a football legend took on extra meaning because Tyler Tettleton, already the most decorated quarterback in Bobcats history, was named to the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list, an honor recognizing the nation’s outstanding senior quarterbacks.
Eventually an usher shooed me away from the museum and I was relegated back to the press box. As kickoff approached I opened the door to the photo deck to get a feel for 55,332 fans — the second largest crowd in Louisville history. They packed into a stadium nicknamed “The Oven,” raising the decibel levels beyond any volume I’ve heard at a college football game. Ohio had the chance to start 2013
with yet another program-changing win. It was a chance for Tyler Tettleton to make his case for Unitas’ trophy by hitting wide receivers in the same end zone where the statue watches over the field. On a Sunday, with no other college games scheduled to take place, Ohio had the national spotlight, Tyler had the chance to put himself in elite company and I had the perfect anecdote to write my story.
On that day it would have taken an act of God to unhinge Tettleton’s adversary, Louisville’s star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater — a top NFL prospect who was also named to the Unitas watch list. I could only presume that Bridgewater rubbed Johnny U’s golden arm for good luck on the way out of the locker room.
Quickly, Tettleton was exposed by a defense returning nine starters. Bridgewater, or Teddy Football as he should have been christened on that faithful Sunday, could not miss a receiver if he tried. His knockout blow, a 40-yard strike to wide receiver Kai De La Cruz, put the game out of reach before the halftime whistle. After an equally painful second half, the Cards sent the ‘Cats
While Ohio and Louisville may share the same stage for an afternoon, by no means is the playing field even. During Ohio’s unprecedented run knocking off major college programs, the Bobcats needed a little luck and a lot of heart to put them in the position to be mentioned in the same sentence as perennial championship contenders. As much as universities sweep it under the rug, everything in college athletics comes down to money.
isville makes a lot of money–nearly $88 million in 2012 according to USA Today. They also spent a lot of money–a little more than $84 million–and the payoff was a record year, dubbed around the city as “The Year of the Cardinal,” where Louisville won the Sugar Bowl and Men’s basketball championship, made the College Baseball World Series and Women’s basketball Final Four.
You don’t have that overall success unless you’re spending the dough. Ohio spent more than $24 million in 2012 and took in more than $28 million. The difference is Ohio subsides more than 70 percent of its revenue, meaning the university puts aside students fees, direct and indirect institutional support and state money to ensure that athletic department isn’t seeing red on the bottom line of its annual revenue report.
a win-win for the program. But Ohio’s recent success has put its power conference opponents on notice and puts an unfair expectation on the ‘Cats. In Athens, the anticipation for these big games has come a long way from when the ‘Cats were dismantled at Ohio State as expected in 2010. Now Bobcat fans assume a triumph is imminent. Th at’s a dangerous way to cheer on a mid-major team. Lightning comes and goes but for a school that was short on big wins before the 2000s, the last three seasons have been a natural phenomenon. On the uneven playing field that is college sports, all the ‘Cats can do is continue to put themselves in a position to step on the field with the big boys.
Louisville paid Ohio $500,000 to show up at “The Oven” and get cooked. Getting a shot at the ninth ranked team in the country and being hand-
day in Louisville, the Cardinals logo is everywhere: stickers on trucks, license plates, team colored grills, stamped on
al college town, meaning the city is
sold the naming rights to Papa by lifelong Louisville fan John
The scene outside Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium will tell you all you need to know about the differences between a mid-major program and the so-called power-conference program. On game day in Louisville, the Cardinals logo is everywhere: stickers on trucks, license plates, team colored grills, stamped on a few babies and so on. It’s a professional college town, meaning the city is void of a pro sports team, leaving the University of Louisville to bridge the entertainment gap. Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium? The university sold the naming rights to Papa John’s for $5 million as funded by lifelong Louisville fan John Schnatter, better known from the commercials as Papa John. With money comes power. Lou-
With money comes power. Lou-
Getting a shot at the ninth ranked somely paid to do it is certain defeat–can bring the school toacross state lines in West
As Louisville showed us, expectations should return to where they should be and that’s OK. Bobcat fans should still embrace being David, the underdog, when the time comes. Those moments of shock–victory in the face of near certain defeat–can bring the school together. Th at just doesn’t happen up Route 33 in Columbus or Route 32 in Cincinnati or across state lines in West Virginia or Louisville where they know what it feels like to be Goliath. With more weathered expectations, there will still be plenty of reasons for Ohio fans to Stand Up and Cheer, or #SUAC, in the future. And when those improbable moments do come, Court Street will be there ready to erupt.
With more weathered expectations, there will still future. And when those there ready to erupt.
| PHOTOS BY NATE SMALLWOOD
SPORTS b MARCHING ON TO GREECE
BY CHRIS MANNING | PHOTOS BY ALEX GOODLETT
“ Any player playing college basketball, I assume, you know, would love to make it to the next level, to make it to the NBA. I would love to play in the NBA.”
former Ohio Bobcats point guard D.J. Cooper to Backdrop magazine in 2012.
If you looked at D.J. Cooper’s stats from the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues, you wouldn’t think he was the same player that is the all-time leader in assists and three-pointers made at Ohio University. In four games across two leagues, Cooper averaged 1.5 points per contest. Th at’s a far cry from the 14.1 he averaged for the Bobcats last year. He also did not appear in the last three games in Las Vegas for the Golden State Warriors and only one out of five games for the Philadelphia 76ers. But Cooper, who declined interview requests for this story, is putting his NBA dreams on hold to hone his skills overseas with PAOK BC, located in Thessaloniki, Greece.
PAOK has a strong basketball tradition, playing in the Greek Basket League (which includes Olympiacos and Panathinaikos – two of the best and most storied franchises in all of Europe). PAOK is also a frequent participant in the wellrespected Eurocup, which consists of teams across Europe and is just a step below the Euroleague, Europe’s equivalent to the NBA. Located in the second largest city in Greece, past players for PAOK include NBA veterans Peja Stojakovic and Scott Skiles, both of whom had long careers stateside. Skiles, in fact, was a head coach in the NBA as recent as last season.
While Cooper worked out for several teams across the entire NBA Draft process, only one team–the New York Knicks–actually had dialogue with him about a potential contract. But according to Cooper’s agent, Mike Naiditch, the negotiations never even got to the point where an actual contract was offered.
“The approach I think [the Knicks] took was we’d like to sign D.J. to the New York Knicks, but with the assumption, that if he got cut, he played for their D-League team” Naiditch says. “My response to that was we’ll do that, but you’ll have to offer enough guaranteed money to make it worth it.”
Th at’s what led Cooper to choose to start his professional career in Europe instead of trying his hand in the NBA’s Developmental League, where salaries generally fall into a range of $13,000-$25,500 per season. But according to Naiditch, the choice was not only about money, but also about Cooper’s desire to go overseas–something he preferred to playing the D-League.
The other dynamic at play here is the length and worth of Cooper’s deal. The deal is for one year and will pay Cooper $100,000, thus making this season a lucrative audition. If he goes to Greece and puts up big numbers, then he could be in line for a big pay increase with his next contract.
“D.J. had chances to play elsewhere. He had jobs for money in other parts of Europe, nice parts of Europe.” Naiditch says. “He sacrificed some money for opportunity. He hopes that his experience there will make him a better basketball player, more marketable to the NBA and to Euroleague teams.”
PAOK had courted Cooper well before he made his decision and the Greek club’s persistent interest gave him a sense of comfort that he did not feel with other European clubs. But no matter where or who he plays for, executives and analysts agree that there are areas of Cooper’s game he needs to improve on if he wants to make the most out of his career.
Travis Schlenk, Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Personnel for the Warriors, has evaluated Cooper since he on the national stage when he led the Bobcats to the Sweet Sixteen in 2012.
“Looking at my notes, he didn’t play great in the fi rst game, but I made notes to look back at him later in the year. I liked his ability in the pick and rolls, the crafty ability in the pick and roll,” he says.
Schlenk believes Cooper will have to get better in a few areas, namely as a shooter and in the weight room to make it in the NBA. The latter especially is important, as small guards like Cooper aren’t exactly an NBA executive’s favorite type of player.
“I don’t really like small guards,” Schlenk says. “But if you’re gonna be a small guard, you either have to be really quick or really be able to shoot the ball. Not being super quick and not being able to really shoot the ball is a combination for disaster.”
Jay Bilas, an ESPN analyst who once called Cooper the best passer in the country, shares a similar sentiment to Schlenk. While he’s a fan of Cooper’s game and believes that he could stick on a team state side in the right situation, he too says that it’s going to be an uphill battle for the former Bobcat star and cites a burgeoning NBA star as an example of how tough it can be to fi nd work at the highest level.
“Danny Green was one of the heroes
from the NBA Finals this year in the playoff s and he was cut three times,” Bilas says. “He’s gone overseas and played in the D-League. It’s not always going to be easy, and at times you have to persevere. And honestly, there is a little bit of luck involved in fi nding the right situation. So, if he sticks with it, I know he can do it.”
However, Schlenk does admit that Warriors weren’t the best situation for Cooper to try and make an NBA roster.
“We had some guys on our roster, namely Ken Bazemore who were under contract with us, that were gonna play a lot of minutes at point guard.” Schlenk says. “So, unfortunately for D.J., there weren’t a ton of minutes for him to play, but in the minutes he got, I thought he played well. But he’s a point guard, he’s a true point guard and that’s kind of rare these days. He has the ability to run a team and make plays out of the pick and roll.”
But with the summer league behind him, the focus is now on Greece and PAOK. Should Cooper’s basketball journey commence on a positive note, it will put him one step closer to completing his odyssey by returning stateside to play in the NBA. Before Cooper can make good on the dream he proclaimed in 2012, he will attempt to recapture the role he often played in Convocation Center–displaying a knack for fi nding the open man, the poise to drain impossible shots and confidence to lead by example.
“The expectation is that he’ll lead the team,” Naiditch says. “D.J., the club and I all believe that he’ll play heavy, heavy minutes and make an impact but he has to do that on court. We can’t just talk about it.”
Located on College Green, the McKee House is a safe center for victims and contains the office of the Survivor Advocacy Program on campus.
“
“We want people to embrace being able to have awareness and have services for themselves.”
Kat Wargo Program Coordinator of Outreach
“We will still pursue a case, and as in the Canterbury case, we can be successful in doing that, but if a person is trying to protect all of the possible outcomes and make sure that they will have the most options available to them down the road, it’s best to have a rape kit done,” says Powers.
One of the challenges with using rape kits is the invasive process of evidence collection. Rape kits can be “extremely personal and undignified in many ways,” says Powers. “It is necessary to collect evidence, but the downside of [rape kits] is that it often leaves victims retraumatized.”
I“These are their options, their choices. We provide them with information. If they want to fi le legal charges within the legal court system, we can explain that to them,” Strickland says.
JANE DOE NOT ALONE is
BY SARA PORTWOOD | PHOTOS BY BRICE NIHISER
The city of Athens and Ohio University have created a long-lasting support system for victims of rape and sexual assault.
n September of 2011, students casually checked their emails to see the various textbook offers and club meeting reminders flooding their inboxes. Among the teachers’ greetings and homework assignments, one message stood out, fl agged by an unfamiliar red explanation mark. It was titled “Campus Crime Alert.” The Ohio University Police Department (OUPD) sent out a warning and report detailing the rape of a female student occurring the night before. Two years later, the victim has now received some closure after the traumatic event. National Guardsman Levi Canterbury was sentenced to seven years in prison for the rape of that student. A community eff ort was made to help the victim. DNA testing by OUPD and medical support from O’Bleness Memorial Hospital was successful in catching the off ender.
A sexual assault victim is not alone after such a traumatic experience. Ohio University and the city of Athens offer several forms of aid and resources to students who have been targets of any degree of sexual assault. When survivors utilize all of the medical and legal options they have, their pursuit for justice will be considerably more successful. It is crucial for victims to understand the importance of undergoing the process of a rape kit. A rape kit is a sexual assault evidence collection procedure designed to gather as much DNA and physical evidence as possible from a victim of sexual assault. Th is experience has been criticized as inva-
sive and taxing, but the survivor is able to use indisputable evidence against his or her attacker in court. Organizations on campus have grown to accommodate the heightened awareness of sexual assault.
“The way I look at it, there are three legs of a stool that support survivors of sexual assault,” says Chief of Police of the OUPD, Andrew Powers. He explains the fluid communication between the OUPD, O’Bleness Memorial Hospital and the Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program.
“No matter which particular agency a survivor makes initial contact with, we will all insure that the other agencies are consulted or involved,” says Powers.
After an incident, survivors can choose any leg of this support system for assistance. Powers advises a victim to choose the option that best suits his or her immediate situation. If a victim is in danger, he or she is strongly encouraged to call the police. OUPD can respond to a victim quickly and transport him or her to the O’Bleness Memorial Hospital or the Hudson Health Center for medical attention. However, if there is not an immediate danger, which is often the case in occurrences of acquaintance rape, a victim can go directly to a medical center or a safe house on campus and receive care. When a survivor of sexual assault is undergoing care, he or she can improve his or her chances of finding justice when a rape kit is collected.
The collection of DNA is very important for pressing charges.
Even if a survivor does not want police involved after an assault and does not want to make a report, he or she can claim to be an “anonymous survivor.” The police refer to these cases as “Jane Doe” or “John Doe” incidences. They still collect the rape kit from the hospital and are obligated to store it in their evidence room for future prosecution. In Ohio, the law for statute of limitations is 20 years. A survivor can call for a kit to be tested up to 20 years after the incident took place and press charges. While these situations are rare, one investigation is happening right now.
“We have a kit brought out from 16 years ago and the victim wanted prosecution,” states Powers. “The more time that elapses, the more challenging it is to pursue those prosecutions, but nonetheless, that is certainly an option that a survivor has.”
A rape kit in this instance has been helpful to a victim 16 years after an attack. While the victim might not have felt ready to persecute then, he or she can now because he or she went through the motions of collecting a kit. The actions a survivor takes immediately after an assault can affect them years later.
While police provide the legal leg of the support platform for victims, and O’Bleness Hospital and Hudson Health Center provide medical care, who can support the survivor emotionally after such a traumatic experience? Ohio University’s Survivor Advocacy Program proudly fulfi lls this role.
“We try to provide that personal support,” explains the Program Coordinator of the Advocacy Program, Brenda Strickland. Advocates can transport victims to the hospital or police station if they initially contact their safe center on College Green. Members are trained to help victims be as knowledgeable as possible about their situations.
In August, the Ohio Attorney General required training and education programs for law enforcement members and O’Bleness Hospital and Survivor Advocacy programs to be updated and more knowledgeable about protocols for sexual assault. Kat Wargo is the program coordinator of the recently established Outreach program, and she has a special focus on these educational programs.
“We’re going to be going out doing trainings for law enforcement, trainings for the community. We want people to embrace being able to have awareness and have services for themselves,” says Wargo. The greatest strength for a survivor is knowledge. By knowing the options and resources available to him or her, a survivor can overcome any situation with help from a connected community. Sexual assault victims have a triad of support from the Athens area. Each institution fulfi lls a critical role in the physical and mental well being of a survivor. The continued support from the community allows these services to grow and advance. Rape kits can help survivors years in the future once they feel ready to press charges. With the endless support from every branch of the Athens community, the last thing they want a survivor to feel is alone.
Beyond West Green, the O’Bleness Memorial Hospital can provide support and medical attention to a survivor.
Alarge TRADITION
Bill and Cindy Morris work as a team to show their elephants, Cora and Shannon, at the Elkhart County Fair in Elkhart, Indiana. Bill’s family has had elephants for generations, and he is one of the few remaining traveling elephant handlers in the country.
PHOTOS BY JULIA MOSS
Bill and Cindy choose a child from the crowd to be a part of the act. During off-season they don’t need to practice with the elephants. Cindy says, “They don’t forget, so long as you don’t change anything.”
BOTTOM: LEFT TO RIGHT
Water falls off Shannon as she’s sprayed with a hose. The elephants could easily escape on their own, but they stay because they live comfortable lives.
Cindy kisses Cora as she rides in her mouth as part of their routine. The act demonstrates how the two trust each other.
PREVIOUS PAGE
Cora stands on a pedestal while Morris begins the performance. Bill’s father died when he was 15 and the show “was just something that had to be continued,” Cindy says.
BELOW
Cora, a 52-year-old Asian elephant, and Shannon, a 31-year-old African elephant, stand next to each other under their awning.
9,000 pounds, eats constantly.
Morris smiles as Cora wraps her trunk around his hand to indicate she wants more hay. “I mean, they’re so intelligent they just blow you away,” Morris says.
TOP LEFT
Cora eats one and a half loaves of bread in one bite to impress the audience. Cora, weighing in at
TOP RIGHT
LEFT
Backdrop
Got Me Here
BY MORGAN DECKER
Over the summer, our writers blogged about their internship experiences and how Backdrop helped prepare them for success. Senior Morgan Decker spent the dog days of summer as a Digital Media Intern at Cox Media Group in Dayton, Ohio, building her design skills.
If you had asked me a year ago what I would be doing right now, my answer would not have been my reality.
I remember feeling hopeless and defeated.
“I am not going to be able to graduate early like I had planned. When I do, no one will want to hire me,” I thought to myself. All of those thoughts raced out of my head when I read that email that flew into my Gmail account’s inbox on April 11.
“Hi Morgan, I would like to extend an invitation to you to join us as an intern on our digital team this summer!” and it went on giving more information about my new opportunity.
I fi nally did it! After all those rejection letters, emails and phone calls, I fi nally got my chance.
I was the digital media intern at Cox Media Group Ohio in Dayton, Ohio. It is one of many branches of Cox Media Group. They have branches in 17 locations including Dayton, Atlanta, Palm Beach, Seattle and Pittsburgh.
The Dayton office controls 11 specific brands on a daily basis. Those brands range from daily newspapers, radio stations and broadcast television channels. The ones that are most well-known are K99.1-FM (a country radio station), Dayton Daily News (a daily Dayton newspaper) and WHIOTV, Channel 7 (a news broadcast).
As the digital department’s only summer intern, I was in charge of making graphics for stories that would run on the web and would also be featured in one of the brand’s daily papers.
I used Adobe Illustrator and InDesign the most for these graphics. I also made graphics or teasers for the daily newscasts, such as Today at 5, with a picture. Teasers are
quick, usually small bits of information that are used by an editor or designer to get the audience interested in reading the story or to watch the newscast. They are used everywhere and are an effective way to get people interested in the content of your product.
I was also introduced to Adobe Social. The program allows the user to simultaneously update multiple social media accounts very quickly and efficiently. I would make separate graphics promoting shows or stories from our sites for social media. Th is included breaking news alerts, severe weather alerts, local events and sports.
The one graphic that had the most tracked activity was an Ohio State football countdown. The numbers on the graphic have increased even after leaving my internship. It was uploaded to more than one of the brand’s Facebook pages, and when I checked on only one of the pages, there were 1,055 likes and 1,762 shares. It was a great personal accomplishment that my work went across that many computer screens and eyes.
Backdrop got me here because of the real design-industry feel. I wouldn’t have learned half the skills or techniques without having Backdrop in my life! Because of the magazine, I have grown and explored myself as a designer. Backdrop allows new students to gain hands-on experience before taking a class. Being a team member allowed me to get a feel for the design programs before entering the work force. Not only do I have published work now, but I can also have the fi nished product in my hands. When I went in for my interview, all of this made a positive impression. In short, I feel confident saying that Backdrop helped me get here.
To read about the other Backdroppers’ experiences check out backdropgotmehere.wordpress.com
CHRIS LONGO, Managing Editor Metro New York | Internship, New York City
KAITLYN RICHERT, Associate Editor Hearst Magazines | Internship, New York City
EMILEE KRAUS, Creative Director Infographics.com | Internship, New York City
ANGELA IGNASKY, Marketing Director American Eagle Outfi tters | Internship, Pittsburgh
REBECCA ZOOK, Assistant Marketing Director United States Army’s Cadet Command | Internship, Fort Knox
JACOB BETZN ER, Web Editor Newsradio 1020 KDKA | Internship, Pittsburgh
VIRGINIA EWEN, Social Media Coordinator The Center for College Affordability and Productivity Internship, Athens
ROSE TROYER, Distribution Director/Alumni Coordinator LiveInteractive LLC | Internship, Athens
PHOTO HUNT
1 2 3 4 5 6
Dressed But UNIMPRESSED
BY JULIANNE MOBILIAN | ILLUSTRATION BY KARLEE PROCTOR
When some students treat the walk to class like a walk down the runway, onlookers have mixed opinions.
Earlier this year, I made the mistake of assuming that other girls, like me, pounded their snooze buttons the way a muscular bald midget armed with a glorious handlebar mustache and a mallet would in a bell-ringing competition as soon as their alarms went off.
I made the mistake of assuming that other girls, like me, stayed in bed until the wee last possible second, hoping that a whale-sized grub would fall from the sky and onto some class buildings so school would be canceled.
I made the mistake of assuming that other girls, like me, sadly accepted defeat, finally rolled out of bed, and wore old leggings and a baggy tie-dyed T-shirt that could probably fit one Fat Bastard-sized man or five Honey BooBoo sized children.
I made the mistake of assuming that other girls, like me, would be dressed like shit.
I was wrong. So, so wrong. When I walked into my first class, my head did a slow-motion panoramic turn around the room as I witnessed the carnage around me. Everything went silent. I heard only the sluggish beat of my heart, as my brain tried to protect me from the trauma it was about to sustain: Girls.
Badump
With their hair done.
Badump
Wearing dresses.
Badump
Wearing heels.
Badump Wearing makeup.
mirror that morning because I was at least wearing something clean and my backpack was fully zipped.
Also, I don’t mean to target just girls in this rant. Guys are guilty of this too.
I’ve seen guys walking around at 7:50 a.m. wearing khakis and buttondown shirts with their hair looking nice and spiffy.
But come on everyone. It’s too damn early. Just roll out of bed looking like a slob with the rest of us.
Now I realize at this point you may be thinking, “Woah, this girl probably walks around campus looking like a cracked-out dirty hobo, why should I take anything she says into consideration?”
And maybe that’s true.
But let me tell you something. It’s nice.
It’s frickin’ nice, OK? So just try it, all you well-dressed-for-class offenders out there.
I will never understand people who do it. I have so many questions for you. Don’t you like sleeping in? Who are you trying to impress? Who cares what you look like? Do you like Pringles? Don’t you know this is the only time you can look like total crap in public without your peers judging you? It just takes so long to get ready. It’s such a process, and for what?
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
After I resuscitated myself and recovered from the shock that was girls who actually got ready for a 9 a.m. class, I was flabbergasted.
I rubbed my eyes and let them wander around the room as I took in the monstrosities committed by my fellow sisters.
They were perfectly polished, like they just walked off the set of “Pretty Little Liars,” while I sat in the corner looking like an extra from “The Walking Dead.”
To make matters worse, a lot of them didn’t even have backpacks; they had those obnoxiously trendy Vera Bradley purses/diaper bag things that look like they were stitched out of my greataunt’s quilts.
I had given myself a slow-clap and standing ovation when I looked in the
Just relax and go to class, because here’s the thing: Nobody cares what you look like.
Thinking about wearing an old Tshirt you’ve had forever? Do it! Not really feeling like doing your hair today? Don’t! Feeling gross today? Boom, sweatpants!
Again: NOBODY. CARES. WHAT. YOU. LOOK. LIKE.
It’s not worth it. Once you realize you look fine the way you are, you’ll save time and effort.
So, I hope I’ve persuaded some of you out there today in joining me fight the good fight against heels and khaki pants.
FRESH PRESSED LIPS
exhibit A
WHAT’S MY FAVORITE MEMORY OF US?
Matt Dougherty is a senior at Ohio University studying English. He loves to play guitar and go hiking.
In your parents basement we are lying on the old saggy couch, talking. We are soon to go to a 4th of July cookout with your family.
You ask me: “What’s your favorite memory of us?”
“Boy, that’s tough,” I say, and you laugh, excited for an answer.
I start to think.
December 17, 2009. I even remember the date. It was late when we got out of the movie. You clung to me in the winter night as we walked towards the car, alone in an apocalyptic parking lot surrounded by miniature hills of snow. 1:15 A.M.—Tuesday. Everything frozen over. There was no school tomorrow because it was parent-teacher conference day.
It was the closest I’d been to breaking away. A driver’s license, permission to use the car, a girlfriend, and the sense that the world was worth something after all. It wasn’t just monotonous note-taking and basketball practice. Sometimes you did get a theater all to yourself, as if you had the money to rent it out so you could do anything you wanted in there—in case the movie got boring. But our gazes never left the screen. We were swept away by the magical story of the man who aged backward and fell in love with the beautiful southern girl named Daisy.
She was a dancer, just like you. As we exited the deserted cinema, we became drugged by the wondrous memory of that film that would soon fade away from us.
The gas tank was full in my dad’s car. We could have driven off onto the lonely, frozen freeway and found what hid in the deep and lovely darkness.
But we didn’t. Instead I took you home right after the movie ended just like your parents told us to. We kissed on your front porch until I complained it was too cold, pretending to shiver.
It wasn’t on my way home that I realized I was in love with the moment and not with you. It was now, nine months later, in this basement with your parents’ footsteps pattering in the kitchen above us. It could have been Meredith or Wendy or a good number of girls who clung to me that night. You were just filling a role.
You haven’t blinked in a while now, lying on the couch next to me. I start to worry that by staring at me for so long you’ve read my mind. I know I need an answer now.
But the basement door creaks open and your dad calls us.
It’s time to go to the party.
We get up and straighten our clothes and walk up the groaning old stairs and forget about the question until next time.
Emily Pifer is a senior at Ohio University studying Journalism, Business Administration, and Creative Writing. She’s also a distance runner for Ohio’s cross-country and track team.
It is dark. The kind of dark that is only possible in basements, with boys and scratchy blankets. The television’s glow is steady, uninterrupted by the rhythm of our careful breath. His breath, then mine. In a way, I thought it would be like this. In another way, I had hoped that it would be different. Don’t we all hope for magic? Isn’t it supposed to create a spark when he reaches for my hand? Aren’t I supposed to dread seeing my mom’s headlights pour in through the tiny window?
I keep telling myself to stop being afraid, to reach for his hand, run my trembling fingers through his soft brown waves, laugh at the movie. But I am afraid. I’m so unsure, and so clammy with that cold sweat I always feel at the end of a terrible nightmare. And I cannot reach for his hand that is at rest beneath the blanket, threatening to graze my folded legs. And if I run my fingers through his hair he will think I’m ready for his hand to slide closer to my legs. My legs are trembling too. And the movie isn’t funny, so I can’t possibly laugh. It’s taking all my concentration just to breathe, slowly and steadily and like a high school girl. (Because middle school girls probably don’t breathe the way they’re supposed to when watching a movie with a boy).
The cellphone my mom let me borrow comes alive with a startling buzz and a flash of light. Eyes wide, another vibrate sends the thin phone to the floor with a loud enough shatter to disrupt the two bodies moving together on the other section of the plaid couch. Now all eyes are wide and they are on me. I breathe a sigh of relief and force a nervous cough as I reach for the phone.
My mom, a sweet relief, is on her way to my high school boyfriend’s house that is tucked away in the woods. His house stands off a winding country road that seems so far from my home. I couldn’t wait to leave after dinner. But now, I cannot wait to get home to put on my favorite sweatshirt and sink into my sheets, alone. I will be in control of my hands again. I won’t have to think to breathe. We all get up and giggle when there is a knock on the door. I don’t dare look him in the eyes as I shrug on my jacket and smooth over my hair with a hand that is still trembling and still clammy with sweat.
This is the moment I was looking forward to the most. This is the moment I am absolutely dreading now, as I feel his blue eyes dance over my flushed face and the angular limbs that I am so patiently waiting to grow in to. It comes
out tired, and probably bored, when I briefly meet his eyes to say the version of goodbye that I’d rehearsed. I coyly purse my carefully glossed lips and lower my almondshaped eyes that were handed down from my mother. I lift my right foot and take my first steps towards relief, and freedom, and comfort.
It’s all over, I think for a moment when one freckled, football-player arm reached for my wrist. Forgetting to think, and relying on new woman instinct: I turned my head back to him. I turned my head back to meet his lips. He and they were waiting assuredly there, ready to take in and hold a part of me.
Nothing, I thought. And nothing, I felt. My very first kiss had simply come and gone.
I smile at my mom, a warm and comfortable smile with wide almond-shaped eyes and fresh-pressed lips. I want to reach for her when I pull the door to a close and click the seatbelt across my middle school girl’s chest. I never do reach for her though, and I can only mumble quick replies to her questions. Were there snacks? Did I have fun? I wonder about things, mostly boys and kisses and high school girls, as my mom pulls her car in to the garage and I hear and smell home.
I yearn for my middle school girl’s room. I yearn to be surrounded by the swim team trophies and roll-on glitter and stack of Seventeen magazines. I press the heavy, white door closed and once I hear the click, I burst at the seams. That first kiss came fast. They aren’t all that way, though. I would soon realize that for every first kiss there will be a last kiss and a last soften spoken goodnight through the telephone. Last kisses would come slower, with signs that keep getting closer, sirens that keep getting louder and flashing lights that grow so bright that they’re still there when I close my eyes. There will be more kisses that warrant nothing. There will be kisses that seem to mean everything, until they fade to nothing again. Like glitter that rolls on and magazines with the Olsen twins on the cover, there are kisses that will become outdated. Like the comforting smell of home, there are kisses that will be yearned for and taken in and imprinted for so long on my lips. Fresh pressed, morning pressed, late-night pressed, pressed in the rain, pressed in the back of car. I continue to press.
