Friday October 28, 2011 year: 132 No. 27
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
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75 years of MARY POSANI Lantern reporter posani.3@osu.edu
the field, it kind of represents a dot more than any other instrument, just the way physically it looks. It is just the perfect instrument to do that.” For the sousaphone players, it is a tradition near and dear to their hearts. Young musicians see Script Ohio and hope to dot the “i” one day. This was the case for Ryan Wiens, a fifth-year band member and squad leader for the sousaphone section. “I went to a game, I was really young, I don’t remember how old. Ohio State lost, the game was miserable,” Wiens said. “I saw the band do Script Ohio and saw the “i”-dotter, and I said, ‘I want to do that.’” The “i”-dotting honor does not come quickly or easily. According to OSUMB’s website, to be eligible to dot the “i,” a sousaphone player must be a fourth-year in band. Among the fourth-year players, there is a ranking system based on how many pre-game Script Ohio’s the musician has performed. The four alternates in the sousaphone section challenge for a spot in Script Ohio. Leading up to the fourth year, the incoming fourth-year members are ranked based on how many times the member is an alternate for home games, Droll said. The student with the most Script Ohio performances has first
CODY COUSINO / Photo editor
It is a tradition of excellence recognized as one of the best in college football by ESPN. It is also one of the longest continued traditions in Ohio Stadium. It is the incomparable Script Ohio. The Ohio State University Marching Band celebrates the 75th anniversary of Script Ohio this October. Fans in the ‘Shoe see a sousaphone player follow the drum major around Script Ohio until he breaks off the final “O,” struts out and takes a bow in front of 105,000 cheering fans. Script Ohio is scribed by 225 band members, but only one person can claim the honor of dotting the “i” in Ohio. “It’s a huge honor,” said Pete Droll, a fifth-year sousaphone player and squad leader. “Going through it, you just know the years of people who came and did it before you. It’s just such an overwhelming honor to just realize that you’re putting your name in that long, long list of people who have gotten that honor before you.” While the marching band has performed Script Ohio for 75 years, a sousaphone player has only been dotting the “i” for 74. In 1936, the first year the band performed Script Ohio, trumpet player John Brungart dotted the “i.” According to OSUMB’s website, it wasn’t until former director Eugene Weigel yelled in October 1937, “Hey, you! Switch places with the trumpet player in the dot!” that sousaphone player, Glen R. Johnson, started the tradition of a sousaphone player dotting the “i.” Marching Band director Jon Woods has continued the tradition in his 38 years as band director, never considering changing the instrument to dot the “i.” “Sousaphone is the best one to have,” Woods said. “On
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Should athletes be paid to play? MARY POSANI Lantern reporter posani.3@osu.edu After months of news on Ohio State football players accepting impermissible benefits, some frustrated fans and students feel that studentathletes should be paid to play. Collegiate athletes might receive full or partial scholarships to participate in one of 36 varsity sports offered here, but some students believe that scholarships are not enough and a recent proposal from the NCAA shares the sentiment. “I think it’s stupid that (senior running back Daniel “Boom” Herron, senior wide receiver DeVier Posey and senior offensive lineman Marcus Hall were) suspended in the first place,” said Joseph Piñeiro, a first-year in mechanical engineering. “They should be able to make a little extra money because they are famous and they are Buckeyes. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.” Herron, Posey, senior defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, and senior offensive lineman Mike Adams were all suspended for five games for selling memorabilia for tattoos and other impermissible benefits. Herron was suspended an additional sixth game against Nebraska for accepting money for work he did not do, and Posey was suspended for an additional five games for overcompensation. Hall was suspended for one game against Nebraska for overcompensation. Piñeiro is not alone. Brendan Connolly, a second-year in exploration, believes players should receive more than just scholarships. “I think they should get slight compensation, but not anywhere near
the amount of pro-athletes,” Connolly said. “They should get enough money to have spending money to live a college lifestyle, not just to be able to go to school and that’s it.” One full athletic scholarship that an athlete might receive for an Ohio resident is $23,086 and for a non-resident is $37,981, assistant director of enrollment services Erica Thompson, said in an email. According to the undergraduate admissions and First Year Experience website, basic tuition and room and board for the 2011-2012 academic year for an Ohio resident is $19,926 and $34,974 for a non-resident. OSU is permitted to allot 85 full-scholarships for the football team, Doug Archie, associate athletics director for compliance, said in an email. The football team has the largest allotted scholarships than any other varsity sport. A new proposal supported by NCAA President Mark Emmert might change money allocation for athletes. In a recent NCAA proposal not yet adopted by any collegiate athletic conference, student athletes could receive an additional $2,000 to support additional costs other than tuition, fees and room and board. If adopted, OSU students would have more than $5,000 for spending money. According to the NCAA proposal, there would also be a reduction in the number of scholarships can receive. Football, for example, would drop from 85 to 80. Men’s and women’s basketball scholarships would also reduce from 13 to 12 and 15 to 13 respectively. Also, eligibility minimums increase GPA and test score requirements, but there is no agreed term as to how much according to the proposal. OSU 2002 National Champion cornerback Dustin Fox said he received about an $800 stipend a month as part of his scholarship. Fox said student-athletes had housing, books and meals paid for with their scholarships.
CODY COUSINO / Photo editor
Senior running back Daniel “Boom” Herron runs the ball in the 1st quarter between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Illini Oct. 15, 2011. “It was part of the perks of being a student athlete — you got your books paid for, you got your housing paid for,” Fox said. “(The $800) was basically your housing allowance. If you lived (in a dorm) you didn’t get that money. If you lived in the dorm, they paid for your dorm and they put money on your BuckID so you can get meals and stuff.” NCAA rules and regulations limit athletes’ practice times to 20 hours a week and maximum of four hours a day, according to its Division I manual. The hours dedicated to daily and weekly practices are equal to the time for a standard part-time job.
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Jaamal Berry named in lawsuit, OSU won’t defend him CHELSEA CASTLE Managing editor for content castle.121@osu.edu Ohio State tailback Jaamal Berry has been accused of assault, battery and ethnic intimidation in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday and OSU will not be providing legal assistance or representation. Jerry Emig, assistant director of athletics communication, said this is because “(Ohio State) can do so only when a student-athlete’s eligibility is in question.” The lawsuit is based on an incident that occurred Friday at 2:20 a.m. on Vine Street, near the North Market, involving Berry and the plaintiff. The plaintiff was “struck in the face with a closed fist,” according to the Columbus police report. Emig said suspension of Berry is possible and he is unaware of Berry’s own legal representation. “This is not a criminal charge,” Emig said. “If he
is charged with committing a criminal offense, he will be suspended from the team.” During a press conference Tuesday, head coach Luke Fickell said the situation regarding Berry was ongoing and that he would let legal proceedings take their course. “We know that we represent, in everything we do, something much bigger than ourselves,” Fickell said. “Nothing goes unseen. Wherever we are, we represent a group much larger than ourselves. Don’t be mistaken that we’re looking into it and we take this very seriously.” When asked if Berry would play on Saturday against the Badgers, Fickell reiterated that the team was looking into the situation, saying, “We take this very seriously.” Emig said, “His status for this weekend is to be determined.” The plaintiff in the suit filed as John Doe “to protect his privacy and to avoid retaliation by his assailant and others,” according to court
documents. The Lantern has chosen not to name him. The court documents state “the plaintiff was attacked without provocation by defendant, Jaamal Berry.” The attack had racial motivation, according to court documents. “Berry was heard yelling vulgarities at plaintiff before the attack and then bragging to an independent witness following the attack that ‘I just f---ed up a white kid.’” The identity of the independent witness is also kept anonymous in the court documents. That witness identified Berry on the scene as she said she knew him and the other man he was with. After the suspects left the scene, “Jaamal Berry then admitted to the independent witness that he had committed the assault,” according to court documents. The plaintiff told The Lantern that he did not know Berry before the incident, but identified Berry
as the attacker at the scene after being shown his picture by Columbus Police, and later by the prosecutor’s office. “Plaintiff was able to make a positive identification of Jaamal Berry as his attacker,” according to court documents. The plaintiff was treated at the hospital following the incident for injuries to his head, face, neck, back and hand. He was also ruled as having a possible concussion and eye damage, said Edwin Hollern, the plaintiff’s attorney. Hollern said the remedy for the incident is compensatory damages and punitive damages, asking each in excess of $25,000, according to court documents. “You can’t put it back together, you can’t undo what happened, all that can be recovered are monetary damages,” Hollern said. The victim’s mother, who requested anonymity,
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