The Lantern - August 22 2017

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

FRESHMEN CLASS

P4

Think you’re smart? Ohio State says this freshman class likely has you beat

BLIND PHOTOGRAPHER

P5

Photographer Sahil Sharma following passion despite visual impairment.

FITNESS

P8

Fitness firsts available across campus, several new group classes for students.

AP TOP 25

P12

Buckeyes near the top ahead of 2017 opener.

The student voice of the Ohio State University

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

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Year 137, Issue No. 28

WELCOME BACK BUCKEYES

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

The student involvement fair is one of the largest events on campus during welcome week with over 765 student organizations and departments represented.

Letter from the editor I don’t know how many times at my high-school graduation party I heard some variation of the phrase, “Enjoy college. It will go by fast.” By the 15th time, you’re numb to it.

Turns out, everyone who said it was right, because as I took my clothes from my closet at my parents’ house and folded them into my suitcase, the numbness wore out — finally, three years later. It was hard to believe I was packing for school for the final time.

But here we are at the start of a new semester. For me, it’s my second to last.

No matter if you’re a senior like me, or a freshmen and this is your first, the staff of The Lantern would like to welcome you to Ohio State.

We hope this year holds more highs than lows, more fun than stress.

We would also like to say thank you for picking up a copy of The Lantern, the Ohio

State student voice since 1881, and we hope you’ll continue to turn to us throughout the year for news about your school and your city.

You will find our print paper in buildings across campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but you can turn to our website, thelantern. com, at any time for the latest about construction (there’s obviously plenty of it), the administration, Ohio State sports, the Columbus food and music scenes and plenty more.

If there are stories you don’t see in The Lantern that you think are important to our community and should be covered — as well as any feedback about our work — email me at stankiewicz.16@osu.edu. We would love to hear from you.

Kevin Stankiewicz Editor-in-Chief

Ohio State not ‘the very best’ in diversity, continues to improve SUMMER CARTWRIGHT Campus Editor cartwright.117@osu.edu JENNA LEINASARS Former Assistant News Director Monica Cox has known about the difficulties of being a minority since she was a child.

The only daughter of two parents who lived in the Jim Crow South, she grew up just 7 miles from where her ancestors once worked the Alabama land as slaves. As she became older, her parents shared with her what it was like to see Martin Luther King Jr. and the Montgomery Bus Boycott firsthand.

One principle they continually instilled in Cox was that she had the potential to be

anything she wanted — a lesson she has carried into her professional life.

Flash-forward a few decades, and Cox sits at the head of Ohio State University’s Department of Engineering Education. It is a position in a white, male-dominated field that is rarely filled by a woman — let alone a woman of color.

“It was important for me to work with my male students, my white, male students — people who had never engaged with a female professor or a professor of color,” said Cox, who was named chair in 2015.

Cox wasn’t just imagining things. She is right. According to Ohio State official faculty statistics, black professors represented 3.9 percent of the total main campus faculty population in 2014, the most recent year faculty demographic information was DEMOGRAPHIC CONTINUES ON 2

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“You are different.

You are an outlier and it’s real. I do feel that because this is the nature of the profession. It’s very male. It’s very white.”

Monica Cox Professor and Chair in the Department of Engineering Education

DEMOGRAPHIC FROM 1

made available to The Lantern during the investigation. The percentage within the engineering department was miniscule: .005 percent. And black women were totally absent.

The lack of diversity among Ohio State professors is not limited to her field. It is present in many academic disciplines, and begs the question, “Who should the faculty and students represent?”

Ohio State is positioned at the center of Columbus, Ohio, a municipality that boasts higher-than-average diversity percentages than the state as a whole.

In many racial categories, the difference is nearly double. For instance, in the 2010 census, the most recent non-projected report, Columbus has a black population of 28 percent. Ohio’s black population statewide was 12 percent.

The university also has a substantial number of undergraduates, which has grown each year since 2011. In 2014, the undergraduate population on Columbus campus was 44,741 students.

Compared with the student body and Columbus population, university faculty underrepresented the demographic makeup of white, black, Hispanic, and those with two or more ethnicities.

This wasn’t the case for the Asian population, which made up 14.5 percent of total faculty in 2014 whereas the Asian undergraduate population was 6.34 percent and the Asian population in Columbus was 4.1 percent.

University administration acknowledges Ohio State has not met its ultimate diversity goals.

“We’re not the very best,” said university spokesman Chris Davey. “We’re certainly not where we want to be, but increasingly we’ve done better and better against our goals and our peer institutions.”

Within the entire engineering department in 2014 there was only one reported black professor, one documented professor registered with two or more ethnicities and nine Hispanic professors. The department was home to 215 professors. The three demographics combined composed only 5 percent of the engineering faculty.

At that time, 60 percent of professors were white and 24 percent were Asian.

Cox said she feels underrepresented in the engineering department in more ways than just race.

CHANDLER GERSTENSLAGER | DESIGN EDITOR

JENNA LEINASARS | FORMER ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR

Monica Cox, the Chair of OSU’s Dept. of Engineering Education describes what it is like to be a black woman who works in a dominantly white male field.

“You are different. You are an outlier and it’s real,” Cox said.

“I do feel that because this is the nature of the profession. It’s very male. It’s very white.”

At times, the white-dominant workplace affects her relationships with other staff members, Cox said.

“You have to overcome your implicit biases or even sometimes explicit biases to work with someone who is different,” she said. “There’s a personal transformation or personal reflection or experience that someone goes through trying to reconcile what they knew and what they think.”

The data also showed Ohio State’s largest college has an overwhelmingly white faculty.

Out of the 867 College of Arts and Sciences professors who chose to identify their race in the faculty survey, four out of five in 2014 were white.

In comparison, one out of 25 professors in the College of Arts and Sciences was Hispanic.

Three out of four professors in the College of Medicine were white, with the next greatest proportion being Asian — four out of 25 professors were Asian.

There were no black professors in six Ohio State colleges, including nursing, law, architecture and optometry. You can also count on one hand the number of Native American professors across all colleges.

The diversity statistics on campus came as no surprise to Gisell Jeter-Bennett, an intercultural specialist for Women Student Initiatives, an office within the Student Life Multicultural Center.

“This is my ninth year at Ohio State and in that time I’ve earned a master’s and a Ph.D. so the numbers don’t surprise me, but I think it’s also typical of predominantly white institutions,” Jeter-Bennett said.

“I think it just goes back to how our nation functions from a racial perspective,” she said.

She added diversity is not just

an Ohio State issue, it’s a higher-education issue — as well as an issue throughout America.

“There is some systemic racism in America, and it is still alive and well,” Jeter-Bennett said.

Student comparisons At Ohio State, the student demographic makeup is closely aligned with that of professors.

However, not all students feel fairly represented.

Sydney Miller, a fifth-year in history of art, is the president of the Native American and Indigenous Peoples Cohort. She identifies as half-black and half-Native American and is part of the Southern Ute Mouache Band in Ignacio, Colorado.

She was not surprised that there are only five Native American professors on the Columbus campus — because she has known all of them for years.

“They’re basically all of my elders growing up here on campus,” she said.

Miller said elders provide emo-

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Methodology The Lantern was given student and faculty data from 2014 by Ohio State administrative officials in the spring of 2017. The faculty data included names, salaries, working titles and affiliated departments. The data was then dissected to only include main campus employees whose titles included professor, associate professor, clinical professor and assistant professor. The races included in the summaries and figures were those listed in the data set provided: those identifying as white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Hawaiian, American Indian and two or more races.

Those who chose not to disclose their race were excluded from the data analysis as to not skew results.

The Lantern also pulled Ohio State main campus student enrollment data — which included both graduate and undergraduates — from the autumn 2014 student enrollment report. The student demographics data from 2014 was used as to stay consistent with the most recent faculty data that was provided to The Lantern.

This demographic data was used in comparison to 2010 Columbus census data — the most recent date the survey was conducted. Though information for the vintage year of 2016 was available, The Lantern decided to work with actual data — not projected — for this project. tional, academic and religious guidance for those who are away from their tribes. “(Some schools) have an elder on campus. They pay them to be that elder, so they’re that resource for us to have a spiritual connection, and we don’t have that here,” she said. “We don’t have a way to connect with that spiritual element of (being Native).”

Miller said it would actually be more unusual for her to encounter a professor who was Native American as opposed to one who was not. She said she’s gotten used to being alone in her identity.

In 2014, professors who identified as Native American only had a presence in three Ohio State colleges — Arts and Sciences, Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Medicine.

Without her participation in NAPIC, Miller said it would have been difficult for her to identify with her native heritage and continue to attend Ohio State.

Cox said for many students, seeing themselves in their professors is crucial, but seeing a professor who might not look like them, or have the same sexual orientation, could also be incredibly beneficial.

She said she thinks it’s important for students of all races to see DEMOGRAPHIC CONTINUES ON 3

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DEMOGRAPHIC FROM 2

diversity in professors because it allows for students to see themselves in roles they could have in the future.

“That’s a pathway that somebody else has paved that’s important to you,” Cox said.

Seeing somebody who is of a different race, gender or sexual orientation as a professor, she said, could push students academically.

“It pushes students to think in a way that’s very different than how he or she was brought up,” Cox said. “I think it’s really easy to be in a comfort zone, but if you go out into a workplace or if you work in a global environment, you’re going to have to be very sensitive to people of different cultures and understand how to communicate with people to get your work done.”

The university also acknowledged some demographics have not seen an enrollment increase over the past few years, with the main group being African-American male students.

“If you talk about diversity in general, Ohio State has had success in recent years in improving the overall diversity on our campus, but we have fallen short in some areas, and one of those is in African-American men,” Davey said.

During a 2017 radio interview, University President Michael Drake said Ohio State is actively involved in outreach in many areas.

“We have provided programs — our Young Scholars Program, for one — we’ve increased really significantly over the last two years,” he said. “Among others, I travel during the year and during the summer to places where we have talented students who haven’t been applying in the numbers we would like to see to encourage them to apply.”

Drake is involved in the American Talent Initiative, a meeting of university presidents to share outreach ideas on increasing the students of nontraditional, low-income, minority backgrounds who apply to higher-education institutions. He’s also on the steering committee for the initiative.

“We want to try to open that pathway of access and then do our best to support those students.

It’s something we think about on a daily basis. It’s really, really important to us,” Drake said. “Last year (Ohio State) had the greatest number of applicants in history, but we also had an 11 percent increase in the number of minority students on campus, which is the largest increase in our history.”

Columbus population In the 2010 census, nearly three out of five Columbus residents

THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY The Lantern is a student publication which is part of the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. It publishes issues Tuesday and Thursday, and online editions every day. The Lantern’s daily operations are funded through advertising and its academic pursuits are supported by the School of Communication. Some of the advertising is sold by students. The School of Communication is committed to the highest professional standards for the newspaper in order to guarantee the fullest educational benefits from The Lantern experience.

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JENNA LEINASARS | FORMER ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR

Gisell Jeter-Bennett works within the Student Life Multicultural Center as an intercultural specialist for Women Student Initiatives office. were white. But the amount of white Ohio State students and faculty reflect percentages nearly 10 percent higher.

Ohio State’s black student population is underrepresented as compared with the black population of the city by a ratio of nearly 6-to-1; for faculty the ratio is 7-to-1.

The Asian student population is proportional to that of the city, hovering between 4 and 5 percent. Meanwhile, the Asian faculty percentage is almost triple, representing a sizable discrepancy.

Hispanics also held a greater proportion of the population in Columbus than Ohio State students and faculty, but by a smaller margin; in Columbus Hispanics made up 5.6 percent of the population, in the student population Hispanics made up 3.98 percent and in faculty Hispanics made up 3.4 percent.

Jeter-Bennett said as minorities take on a larger portion of society, their presence should be represented in community institutions such as higher education.

“I think more of the focus should be on how do we change the data so that it is more reflective of the community that we live in and also the nation that we live in,” she said. “So if we know that people of color — that the population of people of color is increasing — that should be reflected in our schools,” she said.

Hiring and recruiting faculty

and students With these differences across student, professor and Columbus demographic groups, what part does diversity play when Ohio State is looking to hire new faculty? Does it draw from student percentages or should it represent the greater Columbus community?

The answer is not always simple.

“We have a holistic approach,” Davey said. “We take into consideration all of the applicant’s qualifications and arrive at a decision about whether they’re the right match for that particular job…

Diversity is one of those considerations.”

He said Ohio State works to apply diversity to its hiring practices well before an interview takes place.

“It starts with networking,” Davey said. “The most successful approach in diversity-hiring starts at the beginning.”

He said there are various multicultural professional groups Ohio State reaches out to in efforts to network job openings and opportunities. The recruitment process is similar for student applicants.

There is no set number university admissions look at when recruiting students of diverse backgrounds, in large part because it is against the law to recruit students to meet numbers based on race, and in part because the university looks for students who are diverse in more ways than one, said Keith Gehres, director of outreach and

Editor in Chief Kevin Stankiewicz Managing Editor for Content Jacob Myers Managing Editor for Design JL Lacar Copy Chief Rachel Bules Campus Editor Summer Cartwright Assistant Campus Editor Owen Daugherty Sports Editor Colin Hass-Hill Assistant Sports Editor Edward Sutelan Arts&Life Editor Ghezal Barghouty Assistant Arts&Life Editor Sara Stacy Photo Editor Jack Westerheide Assistant Photo Editor Ris Twigg Design Editor Chandler Gerstenslager Multimedia Editor Hailey Stangebye Social Media Editor Nick Clarkson Engagement Editor Matt Dorsey Oller Reporter Sheridan Hendrix Miller Projects Reporter Erin Gottsacker

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recruitment in admissions.

“Our office is really charged by the university to build a class to meet the university goals as outlined by leadership,” Gehres said.

These goals include diversity in academics, race, geography and accepting first-generation students.

Gehres said though the university’s goal of diversity has been prominent in the past few years, however he said there was never a specific time when admissions decided to focus on obtaining classes with more diverse and better representative backgrounds.

“It has absolutely been gradual,” Gehres said. “When President Gee was here, he used to say that it’s hard to turn a aircraft carrier around, but once you get the momentum going, you can’t stop it. That’s kind of how this process has evolved.”

Though change has been gradual, Gehres said if you look at it from an angle evaluating the past

20 to 25 years, it’s evident. And, once the carrier began its turn, Ohio State’s admission statistics have continually improved in terms of race.

Gehres has been in admissions for more than 13 years, and he said throughout his time he has never seen a year without improving admissions data — in terms of grades, GPA or diversity — since he was hired.

“We’ve been able to say every year since I’ve been at Ohio State that we are enrolling the most academically talented and diverse class in the history of the university,” Gehres said. “That’s not something you can sustain indefinitely.”

Though these achievements are notable, Gehres said there is no way to continue improving each year in all areas with class sizes and standards growing and getting higher.

He said for some students, re-

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DEMOGRAPHIC FROM 3

cruitment can be a bit different. The process could include phone calls, emails and even meetings with Ohio State professors in order to ensure they feel comfortable and ready for college.

Making Strides Though statistically, minority student populations haven’t increased drastically at Ohio State since 2014, the idea of a better representative class is on the minds of those in administration.

One major aspect of Drake’s 2020 vision — goals in which university administration works to achieve by that year — is diversity and inclusion.

As part of this goal, Ohio State is developing university-wide diversity training for search committees to hire on and recruit professors and faculty of minority backgrounds.

Additionally, Ohio State’s Young Scholars Program, which originated in 1987, is devoted to helping low-income, first-generation students from nine cities in Ohio, including Columbus.

Students in YSP — 75 percent of which are black — take college-prep courses throughout high school and work with students on study skills and other college preparation needed to be successful at Ohio State.

While in college, YSP students receive need-based scholarship throughout the four years of enrollment, have an upperclassmen mentor and meet monthly with a success coach.

This could be a reason why Ohio State is leading the nation in black graduation rates, according to a 2013 report by The Education Trust.

Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson has hinted that this year’s incoming freshmen class is the most diverse yet, though demographic information is not yet available.

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“This will likely be our most talented and diverse freshman class,” Johnson said.

Cox said the underrepresented black community at Ohio State is troubling to her, but institutional diversity is far from a simple issue.

“Higher ed ... you have to look at it as an institution. It is a privilege. It’s not something that everybody does. It’s not an option that everybody has,” Cox said. “It costs money to engage in this, so the numbers don’t surprise me. It just represents some of the real issues in our society when it comes to socioeconomic differences and disadvantages to minority populations.”

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Class of 2021 likely ‘the most talented and diverse’ in OSU history SUMMER CARTWRIGHT Campus Editor cartwright.117@osu.edu The demand for an Ohio State education is at an all-time high; this year’s freshmen come from a record-breaking pool of 52,349 applicants. Of those accepted, 7,500 freshmen will live on campus, alongside nearly 7,000 more students.

By comparison, 49,407 candidates applied in 2016.

This number comes on the heels of Ohio State’s class of 2020 entering with the highest average ACT score of 29.2 in university history. The national average score was a 20.8 for high-school graduates that year, according to Time.

Though the average ACT score of this year’s incoming freshmen has yet to be announced, President Michael Drake hinted that the class of 2021 trumped the class of 2020.

“This new group of students coming in are the most talented we’ve ever had and we’re going to have a wonderful time working with them,” Drake said in a press release.

Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

Members of the student organization Block “O” at the 2017 Involvement Fair. echoed Drake, saying this year’s class “will likely be (Ohio State’s) most talented and diverse freshman class.”

The data on diversity and test scores will be available in September, Johnson said in an email.

The 14,000 students living on campus vary in age and academic year, with the majority being freshmen and sophomores, due to the second-year living requirement.

The second-year on-campus requirement began Autumn 2016, first applying to the

class of 2019. The introductory phase had some hiccups; Ohio State was forced to offer an agreement to roughly 130 upperclassmen to live in off-campus apartments because university housing was unable to meet student demand with newly required sophomores filling all the space.

No such incident occurred this year.

This year’s freshmen are the first class to be part of Ohio State’s newly introduced Tuition Guarantee program — a tuition freeze for in-state students until the 202021 academic year, with accompanying dining and living fee increases of 3 percent and 6 percent, respectively.

As part of the freeze, incoming Ohio resident students will not see their tuition cost change during their time at Ohio State, assuming they graduate within four years.

However, out-of-state students and international students are still subject to tuition increases, alongside the dining and living fee increases introduced this year.

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ARTS&LIFE

Tuesday, August 22, 2017 | 5

GOLF CARTS Seen golf carts driving down High Street? The newest ride service is here in Columbus | ON PAGE 6

Buckeyes in action: ‘The Blind Photographer’ GHEZAL BARGHOUTY Arts & Life Editor barghouty.5@osu.edu Born and raised a true ‘90s kid, Sahil Sharma had an unusual infatuation with disposable cameras at only 5 years old. But unlike anyone he knew, his joy came from taking photos of others, never of himself.

“I don’t remember why, but I used to always ask my mom for a disposable camera and I’d just go around taking pictures of my friends,” Sharma said. “I was always like ‘Hey, can I take a photo of you?’”

At around the same age, however, Sharma was diagnosed with cone-rod retinal dystrophy, a non-correctional vision impairment caused by a twisted retina. Sharma said the condition could be described as extreme near-sightedness.

Though his vision problem categorized him as legally blind, Sharma said he worked hard to overcome the obstacles that it caused, like being placed in lower-level classes in elementary school and being treated differently by his peers.

Now, nearly two decades later, Sharma has maintained a strong love for photography, despite the

“My vision really has nothing to do with my photography.”

Sahil Sharma Photographer

COURTESY OF SAHIL SHARMA

OSU student Sahil Sharma is legally blind, but spends his time mastering a craft that relies on the eyes. issues his disability might have caused along the way. As a fifthyear studying psychology, he said his passion stems from a love for people.

“It was always a lot of fun to me. It was never about looks, it was never about fashion, it was never about location,” he said.

“It was always just about having fun with the person you’re taking photos with. Just trying to capture something that you find cool, something that appeals to you or your idea of self –– that was really important to me.”

Last October, Sharma was asked to walk in the annual

Buckeyethon Fashion show, an opportunity he said he couldn’t pass up. But with the increased participation fee from $100 to $250, he said it became more difficult to raise funds, especially for someone putting himself through school.

For many of us, work and play

are separate worlds, but for Sharma, photography became a business inspired by his motivation to raise money for the annual fundraiser.

“I was just like ‘I have this camera, I’ll take photos for people and I’ll charge $10,’” he said.

“I was sure people would go for that and I’d hit my goal.”

One Facebook post later, Sharma was flooded with more than 30 sign-ups in a week.

Despite his vision, Sharma’s success proves that photography is more than just seeing through a lens.

“My vision really has nothing to do with my photography,” said Sharma. “It’s about working with the person you’re with and capturing that moment. I can’t see super detailed features, but if I take photo of you then go on the PHOTOGRAPHER CONTINUES ON 8

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It’s an Uber… It’s a taxi… It’s a golf cart?

SARA STACY Assistant Arts & Life Editor stacy.118@osu.edu Students now have a new way to get around town in style: golf carts.

FreeRide LLP, a startup that began operations in May, uses golf carts that can transport up to six passengers around downtown, the Short North and the campus area.

“One of the benefits of us is that we’ve found it’s kind of deterred parking and parking problems, you can park a little further away and catch a ride to your destination,” said Nate Milliken, co-founder of FreeRide.

Since the carts are able to venture all the way to Lane Avenue Bridge, students can use them if they need to make it back to campus from the Short North or downtown. However, the carts are currently unable to go onto campus property.

On Jan. 1, Columbus began allowing golf carts on residential streets with a speed limit of 35 mph or less, which is what helped lead Milliken to the idea for the company.

After seeing an article about golf carts being allowed on city streets in Columbus after being a customer for a similar service in Nashville, Milliken and his business partner, Micah Myers, decided a golf-cart rideshare would be a lucrative business to bring to

“We have a ton of people say how fun it is. There’s no doors on it and you’re flying down High Street.”

Mike Dobronos FreeRide driver

COURTESY OF NICK MILLIKEN

FreeRide LLC offers free golf cart transportation around the Short North, downtown Columbus and the campus area.

Columbus.

“We worked together doing heating and cooling, and we were just looking for ideas on how to venture off on our own,” said Milliken. “We were just having a conversation and I had happened to read the article and it kind of hit me and we just went with it from there.”

FreeRide officially rolled its fleet onto the streets of Columbus on May 1. Milliken said they currently have 10 employees and two carts, but are looking to se-

cure more with football season approaching.

Mike Dobronos, a third-year in finance and a driver for FreeRide, said the service is not only convenient, but an exciting way to get around town.

“It’s a safer way to go rather than getting in your car after having a few drinks,” he said. “We have a ton of people say how fun it is. There’s no doors on it and you’re flying down High Street.”

The company currently does not have an app, so the easiest

way to get a ride is to just flag down a driver, similar to waving down a taxi.

Unlike more popular rideshare services like Uber and Lyft or taxis, FreeRide drivers get their income solely from tips. However, according to Milliken, drivers are still averaging $14 to $16 per hour, despite not receiving a baseline pay.

“There’s no cap on earning potential, so what you put into it — the hours you want to put into it, and obviously your personality

and how personable you are — will factor into what your tips are like,” Milliken said.

Milliken said he hopes to be able to make a connection with Ohio State at some point so that the carts are permitted to go onto campus property. The service could look a little different on campus than it does in the Short North, with carts taking passengers to class instead of to bars.

“We would like to form a relationship with the university and get whatever lines we have to go through to cross there,” Milliken said. “Then hopefully we’ll be able to be on campus providing students with a little different experience as far as traveling around campus or to and from wherever they want to go around town.”

@SaraLStacy

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PHOTOGRAPHER FROM 5

computer and edit it, it’s like I’m learning what people look like.”

Jenny Querry, a May 2017 graduate and one of Sharma’s models, worked with the photographer when he first started his business. Querry said she didn’t even notice Sharma’s vision impairment during their shoot.

“He wants to make sure you’re happy with the final product, so is willing to try as many angles and styles as you want,” she said. “He’s a genuinely awesome person who just loves to see other people happy –– he’s truly selfless in that respect.”

Though Sharma described his own process as “guess and go,” the magic happens during editing where he’ll do very little except sharpen the eyes or play with the photo’s lighting.

“To me, everybody looks different, everybody has their own uniqueness in features and magic to them, but I want to edit in a common way,” he said. “I want everybody’s smile to shine and I want everybody’s eyes to pierce through.”

Now self-labeled as “The Blind Photographer,” Sharma said photography has helped his vision in ways he never thought possible, boosting his self-confidence and allowing him to be more open about his impairment.

“I’ve been doing this all on my own, all on my own time, all ahead of my own, creative, artistic desire to help others and put art out there,” Sharma said. “Just to make myself have representation because there’s no representation for (disabled) people. It’s time for everybody to (make) their mark on the world, whatever that may look like.”

With a love for helping others and a hand at photography, Sharma said he wanted to continue to do his part to give back to the community in any way possible.

Sharma will be holding a “Free Headshot

Day” at Knowlton Hall on Monday, Sept.

4 at 4 p.m. for anyone in need of a photo for applications, professional networking or online profiles.

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Rec sports debuts new fitness options SARA STACY Assistant Arts & Life Editor stacy.118@osu.edu Students now have nine new ways to stay fit and entertained this semester.

The new roster of group fitness options will include Sunrise Yoga, 30/30, BOSU Pilates, BOSU Blast, TRX Express, STRONG by Zumba, Cycle+Barre, Late Night Hip Hop and Power Yoga Foundations.

Ohio State group fitness coordinator Alice Adams said she keeps up with trends in the fitness industry to bring fresh classes to the university every year.

“Part of my job is just to be aware of what trends are currently in the fitness industry,” Adams said. “We work really hard to make sure that our programming at Ohio State is ahead of the trend and paying attention to what’s going on, not just at a collegiate level but at a national level.”

New classes are often added when a group fitness instructor suggests an idea for a new class to Adams.

Nicolle Beiglarbeigi, fourth-year in marketing and a group fitness instructor, said she brought up the idea of a BOSU class –– which had not been offered previously –– to Adams last year.

BOSU, which stands for “both sides utilized,” is equipment that allows you to train for multiple components of fitness, including balance, stability and strengthening the core, according to www.bosu.com. “(Group fitness instructors) all do so many different things fitness related that whenever we come up with new ideas or things we want to bring to the university, (Adams) is always open to working with us to see if it would work for our program and if our demographics would actually like it,”

“We work really hard to make sure that our programming at Ohio State is ahead of the trend and paying attention to what’s going on, not just at a collegiate level but at a national level.”

Alice Adams Ohio State group fitness coordinator

COURTESY OF OHIO STATE STUDENT LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Students participate in a yoga class at the RPAC.

Beiglarbeigi said.

Of the new classes, two will be BOSU-based. BOSU pilates will incorporate pilates movements and the use of a BOSU ball for a total-body conditioning class, while BOSU Blast is a 45-minute, high-intensity class that relies on the use of the BOSU ball.

While several new classes are being offered, only one option that was available last year, ShockWave, a rowing class that

helps build strength and endurance using high-intensity circuits, will be cut.

Classes are introduced or cut from the schedule due to many factors, including instructor availability and student feedback, Adams said.

“Our schedule very much depends on the instructors that we have on staff and what they’re passionate about teaching,” she said. “We just cycle through different classes depending on what people want

and what our instructors are able to teach.”

Classes on the schedule are divided by the type of workout they provide. There are eight different categories of classes with some combining more than one type of workout, such as Cycle+Yoga Power Hour, a fusion cycling and yoga class.

Adams said she is always on the lookout for new trends to help expand the variety of classes rec sports is able to offer.

“We’re always looking for new ways to reach more people. Anyone can come, that’s why we work really hard to make sure we’re offering a wide variety of classes,” she said. “We just want people to find some activity that makes them feel good that doesn’t necessarily feel like a workout that can create better lifelong habits.”

Group fitness classes are offered Sunday through Friday at the RPAC, North Recreation Center and the Women’s Field House. A full schedule of classes and their descriptions is available on the the rec sports website.

@SaraLStacy

@LanternSports

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Tuesday, August 22, 2017 | The Lantern | 9

FOOTBALL

Jerome Baker in the right position in 2017 JACOB MYERS Managing Editor for Content myers.1669@osu.edu Starting for the second straight game in place of the injured Dante Booker against Oklahoma on Sept. 17, 2016, Ohio State then-sophomore linebacker Jerome Baker burst into the national spotlight.

His seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and interception returned for a touchdown against Heisman Trophy candidate Baker Mayfield was just the beginning of a season in which he finished second on the team in tackles and tackles for loss and legitimized him as potentially Ohio State’s next great linebacker.

But Baker said he wasn’t where he was supposed to be positioned most of the time.

“I made a lot of mistakes last year,” Baker said. “A lot of it, I just made up for it with my speed and everything.”

Baker said he spent most of his offseason learning the defensive playbook from cover to cover. He added that actually understanding where he’s supposed to be will significantly help him better cover his assignments in a linebacker corps that’s capable of being in the conversation as one of the best in the country with Baker, redshirt junior Dante Booker and redshirt senior captain Chris Worley.

ALEXA MAVROGIANIS | FORMER PHOTO EDITOR

OSU junior linebacker Jerome Baker (17) returns his interception during the second half of the Buckeyes’ 30-27 overtime win against Michigan on Nov. 26.

So after a season of 83 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, just how good can Baker be?

“It’s helped me grow a lot, and it also makes me realize I can be way better than I was last year,” Baker said. “That kind of just pushes me. I can do better than I did last year and I think I had a pretty good year last year.”

Speed is certainly what made Baker a fearful force at the weakside linebacker position. In sev-

eral third-down situations last season against opponents like Wisconsin and Michigan, Baker would stand right behind the nose guard and blitz through the A-gap or spy the quarterback. He showed sideline-to-sideline speed rarely seen in a college linebacker.

When watching film of Baker, the casual observer likely won’t recognize Baker was out of position, which is mostly due to the

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speed of the junior from Benedictine High School in Cleveland.

Linebackers coach Bill Davis said Baker’s IQ of the defense will put his play in a category of its own.

“He wasn’t sure (of his alignment), he got right in between the two alignments and they hedged their bet. He’s in a whole different place now,” Davis said. “He has one of the highest football IQs that I’ve been around and you tell him once, he understands it.”

As a second-year player thrusted into a starting role in Game 2, Baker wasn’t allotted time to dive into the playbook. He relied on instinct and his speed. Fortunately for Ohio State, the majority of the players they recruit have that instinct and speed out of high school, which makes them capable of contributing without specifically knowing the schematics.

“You can take a slower body that has a clear mind, it looks like it’s going faster because he’s going with no wasting anything,” Davis said. “When you take a Jerome Baker speed, and you get him understanding, then you really have something.”

Baker, named a preseason firstteam All-American by Sports Illustrated, has already been appearing on early NFL mock drafts and could be one more 2016 season away from being a high-round NFL pick. With his increased IQ, Baker said last season wasn’t close to his full potential.

“Me personally, I know that last year was just scratching the surface so it just drives me to do more,” he said. “It’s no pressure with me. You just have to do your job.”

@Jacob_Myers_25

10 | The Lantern | Tuesday, August 22, 2017

thelantern.com

COLIN HASS-HILL | SPORTS EDITOR

Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson walks to the practice field at fall camp on Aug. 5.

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CREDIT: MASON SWIRES | FORMER ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

OSU defensive line fires out of their stances in sync during the game against Michigan on Nov. 26 at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes won 30-27.

BUCKEYE BRIEF FROM 11

Being a Bosa Last season, Bosa burst onto the scene with seven tackles for loss and five sacks, the second most, behind his brother Joey (7.5 sacks), of any Buckeye true freshman since Meyer was hired as Ohio State head coach. That being said, expectations are high for him to increase that total and disrupt even more quarterbacks in 2017.

“I remember last year, he didn’t really practice much at the tempo that he needed to do to get him ready because of the ACL injury he suffered in high school,” Meyer said. “He’s ridiculous right now.”

Though Nick said the knee injury didn’t affect his play last year, he admitted it was

tough being thrown into the rotation as a freshman. And since Ohio State possessed so much depth at defensive end, he wasn’t able to stay in games long enough to gain a rhythm.

This offseason, Nick said he has been sending practice film to Joey, who plays for the Los Angeles Chargers, to work on dayto-day improvement.

“The thing they both have is the ability to work hard,” Johnson said. “Nick’s a great worker, Joey was a great worker. So they play really hard. They have a burning desire to be the best.”

According to the sophomore defensive end, his brother’s help has worked. Though

he didn’t want to set specific goals, Nick said he feels like he is reading and reacting quicker to plays. “(We) need some more Bosas,” Meyer joked.

Dre’Mont Jones taking the next step When redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones enrolled at Ohio State, he wasn’t even playing the position at which he is now a highly regarded NFL draft prospect. The Cleveland native was the 11th best strongside defensive end in the country in 2015, according to 247Sports composite rankings.

Given the former defensive end’s experience rushing the passer from the outside, Johnson sees a potentially disruptive player that can get pressure from the interior of the line.

“Play inside on top of the guard, he adds a dimension. It’s like having a defensive end playing three-technique,” Johnson said. “He is a really fast guy playing three-technique who can get one-on-one battles with the guard, and that’s what we

want with this team.”

Johnson said Jones played well last year, but didn’t disrupt the passer as much as the team expects from its defensive tackles. In his redshirt freshman season, Jones didn’t get a single sack, but picked up four tackles for loss and 52 total tackles.

Entering his third year in the program, Jones said he understands he needs to maximize the remaining time, as it is limited.

“It’s night and day,” Johnson said. “He’s taken so many leaps and bounds, he really has. He’s gotten stronger in the weight room, he’s much more physical. He’s always been a really bright player.”

Since Ohio State will be without Hill for at least a few weeks, Jones will be counted on to make big plays immediately.

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Tuesday, August 22, 2017 | The Lantern | 11

CREDIT: COLIN HASS-HILL | SPORTS EDITOR

Ohio State redshirt senior defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle hits a pad at fall camp on Aug. 5.

SPRINKLE FROM 12

process.”

Though the injury took Sprinkle’s physical presence off the defensive line during games, he remained there as a guiding hand to many of the younger players.

He said he was always there to instruct the younger players, and to also serve as a source of inspiration for those who might question whether they would ever be able to play for the team.

“Last year, I was already taking

a leadership role on the defensive line,” Sprinkle said. “And when I went down, I made sure I still kept to that. I just didn’t want to get away from the guys, so I tried to do everything I can without playing still to help those guys out.”

Sprinkle worked during practices to help his teammates improve on the field, but put in just as much work outside of practice to return himself to full health. He worked with his physical therapist

day in and day out to get back to the field, let alone the competition for the starting spot.

And considering the extent of the injury, the coaching staff said it is remarkable that he has made it all the way back.

“I’ve never seen a guy work as hard in rehab to get back to where he is right now. He shouldn’t be playing, but yet he worked so hard to get here, and you’ve got to respect it,” Johnson said. “You see him walking around and you’re like, ‘Wow. A year ago he was out of it.’”

Sprinkle said he is honored to be named a captain for his final season at Ohio State.

“I don’t want to say I was aware of it, but I mean, you kind of just feel it around the locker room,” Sprinkle said. “I have a very good impact on the young guys, and the older guys. So, I feel like that room is just great. From all the things that I’ve been through to be considered a leader of the team now, it’s a humbling experience.”

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BUCKEYE BRIEF

Ohio State defensive line scheme change and more COLIN HASS-HILL Sports Editor hass-hill.1@osu.edu With just over a week until Ohio State’s season opener against Indiana on Aug. 31, the Buckeyes have shifted their focus to their Week 1 opponent. Monday afternoon, Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and a group of Buckeye defensive linemen addressed the media. Here is what we learned.

Defensive line to “pin its ears back” on first and second down Last season, Ohio State’s talented foursome of defensive ends — redshirt senior Tyquan Lewis, redshirt junior Sam Hubbard, senior Jalyn Holmes and sophomore Nick Bosa — combined for 18.5 sacks, a total less than might be expected given the group’s elite talent. Some of that might be due to opposing offenses’ increased focus on stopping their pass rush.

However, there might be another factor to the less-than-anticipated sack totals.

“Last year, we were more a squeeze front, built a wall, and now this year, we’re playing a tad wider which allows us to get up the ball and allows us to play a little faster,” Johnson said. “This system fits what we have talent wise.”

The change was spearheaded by defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, who, Johnson said, has a

different philosophy than former co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell.

“Coach Fickell, obviously a linebacker coach, we kind of set up all the plays for the linebackers to make and now it’s us pinning our ears back and going instead of waiting,” Bosa said.

Bosa said last year he felt frustrated as the ends focused on defending the run on first and second down. This year, that is unlikely to be the case. Though offenses will once again be focused on deterring a ravaging defensive front from reaching the quarterback, a more aggressive, attacking defensive line on first and second downs might result in more sacks by Lewis, Hubbard, Bosa and Holmes.

How will Ohio State defensive tackles rotate without Michael Hill?

Last Monday, coach Urban Meyer announced redshirt senior defensive tackle Michael Hill would be suspended indefinitely, at least for the first couple of games, for undisclosed reasons.

On most teams, a suspension of a returning starter in his fifth year with the program would be a devastating blow. But given Ohio State’s depth, the Buckeyes feel they can overcome the temporary loss of a starter.

“Mike brings some veteran stuff, he played a lot of football for us last year. But one guy out,

COLIN HASS-HILL | SPORTS EDITOR.

Ohio State defensive ends – sophomore Nick Bosa (97) and Sam Hubbard redshirt junior (6) – prepare for a drill at fall camp on Aug. 5. next guy up,” Johnson said. “So right now, the guys know that and so we’ve got to find a guy to step up and get it done.”

A conglomerate of interior linemen, including redshirt senior Tracy Sprinkle, redshirt sophomores Robert Landers, redshirt sophomore Jashon Cornell and redshirt sophomore Davon Hamilton and freshman Haskell Garrett, will help serve as Hill’s re-

placement until he returns.

Sprinkle ruptured his patellar tendon in the first week of last season. Despite the seriousness of his injury, Johnson said he expects the redshirt senior to be ready to play in the opening week. Landers is a short, stocky lineman listed at 6-foot-1, 283 pounds. The defensive tackle relies on his quickness and will be pushed into a larger role than he

had last season.

Hamilton, who missed much of spring practice with a broken foot, might be thrust into a larger role early in the season, along with Cornell and Garrett, due to Hill’s suspension.

Hill, the starting nose tackle, racked up 21 tackles, including four for a loss, last season.

BUCKEYE BRIEF CONTINUES ON 10

SPORTS

12 | Tuesday, August 22, 2017

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BUCKEYE BRIEF Ohio State defensive line sizing up as best in country, see what they had to say. | ON PAGE 11

FOOTBALL

Ohio State ranked No. 2 in AP preseason poll EDWARD SUTELAN Assistant Sports Editor sutelan.1@osu.edu In the second major preseason poll released this year, the Associated Press ranked Ohio State second, behind Alabama. The rest of the top five consists of Florida State, USC and Clemson.

The Buckeyes received three firstplace votes.

On Aug. 3, the Buckeyes were ranked second in the Amway Coaches Poll with Alabama being the only team ranked higher.

Ohio State was ranked sixth in last year’s preseason AP poll, receiving just one first-place vote behind Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Florida State and LSU. The Buckeyes will face a top10 opponent in their home opener on Sept. 9 when they host No. 7 Oklahoma. During the season, they will also host No. 6 Penn State on Oct. 28 and travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to play the No. 11 Wolverines on Nov. 25.

The only other ranked Big Ten team is Wisconsin. The Badgers enter the year as the No. 9 team in college football.

The Buckeyes’ first opportunity to defend their No. 2 ranking is when they travel to Bloomington, Indiana, on Aug. 31 to take on the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium.

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MORE ON OUR WEBSITE

www.thelantern.com

THE AP TOP 25 POLL 1

Alabama (52)

9

Wisconsin

17

Florida

2

Ohio State (3)

10

Oklahoma State

18

Miami (FL)

3

Florida State (4)

11

Michigan

19

South Florida

4

USC (2)

12

Auburn

20

Kansas State

5

Clemson

13

LSU

21

Virginia Tech

6

Penn State

14

Stanford

22

West Virginia

7

Oklahoma

15

Georgia

23

Texas

8

Washington

16

Louisville

24

Washington State

25

Tennessee

*14-1

*11-2

*10-3

*10-3

*14-1

*11-3

*11-2

*12-2

*11-3

*10-3

*10-3

*8-5

*8-4

*10-3

*8-5

*9-4

* 2016 Record (##) Number of first place votes

*9-4

*9-4

*11-2

*9-4

*10-4

*10-3

*5-7

*8-5

*9-4

JL LACAR | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN

FOOTBALL

Back from injury, Tracy Sprinkle emerges as captain on defensive line EDWARD SUTELAN Assistant Sports Editor sutelan.1@osu.edu When then-redshirt junior defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle was carted off the field in the first game of the 2016 season, his career was in jeopardy.

He had ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson believed the worst-case scenario had taken place.

“I have to be honest with you, I thought that his career was going to end,” Johnson said. “That was a serious injury. Nearly 50 percent of people come back from that injury, or less than that. So it was 50-50 that he was going to make it.”

A little under a year later, Sprinkle is preparing to enter his redshirt senior year as a possible starter on the defensive line, taking reps at nose tackle and was named one of nine captains for the team.

Coach Urban Meyer made sure to note that the captaincy is based not only on the talent he brings to the table, but the leadership he demonstrated even while recovering from his season-ending injury.

“That’s how much he means to this team,” Meyer said. “The amount of respect he has earned over the last couple years. You know, he worked so hard. You see an injury, that’s awful. It’s just great to have him back.”

For Sprinkle, it has been a long journey to reach a starting role and leadership position with the

“I have to be honest with you, I thought that his career was going to end.”

Larry Johnson Defensive line coachw

ALEXA MAVROGIANIS | FORMER PHOTO EDITOR

OSU redshirt senior defensive tackle Tracy Sprinkle (93) yells out to teammates during the buckeye spring game on April 16 at Ohio Stadium. The grey team beat scarlet 28-17.

Buckeyes.

The fifth-year senior began his Scarlet and Gray career struggling to find consistency on the field and had issues off the field.

After redshirting his first year in 2013, he was dismissed from the team after an arrest in July 2014 on a number of charges, including possession of drugs and rioting.

However, after only a month, he

returned to the roster and occupied a spot on the scout team.

But Sprinkle did not let the dismissal and eventual assignment to the scout team dissuade him from pursuing his career at Ohio State.

He kept putting in the time, both during and after practice, to do all he could to climb up to a starting role.

And finally in 2016, the hard

work paid off as he was named one of the starters on the defensive line. His path from practice-squad member to starter on the line is a part of a message he preaches to all players whose path to the starting line seems just as distant.

“I first came here just struggling, started off on the scout team, so some guys on the scout

team and I would let them know there’s still hope that you could still play,” Sprinkle said. “Sometimes it’s hard at Ohio State being that top guy, so we just helping guys out with the things that I’ve been through, letting them know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Then, just 14 snaps into his first game as the starting nose tackle, Sprinkle exited the game, and didn’t set foot on the field again for the remainder of the season.

Sprinkle said he felt demoralized at the time of the injury.

The recovery elicited doubt in not only his belief in his ability to return, but also his overall mentality and his faith.

But through all the obstacles thrown in his way, he remained strong, and said the injury helped make him stronger.

“I was kind of against the odds the whole time,” Sprinkle said. “My faith was challenged if I could believe in myself and believe in a higher power, and I made sure that (I) grew throughout the process. So my faith got really stronger throughout the SPRINKLE CONTINUES ON 11