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Thursday March 27, 2014 year: 134 No. 44

www.thelantern.com @TheLantern weather high 55 low 46 showers

thelantern the student voice of The Ohio State University

Finding the fastest fan

5A

‘The Voice’ star to visit

8A

USG officers inaugurated

2A

Jim Tressel Backup QB battle: Jones with early edge on Barrett seeks Akron presidency ERIC SEGER Sports editor seger.25@osu.edu

Lantern file photo

Former OSU football coach Jim Tressel formally submitted an application for the University of Akron presidency to the Akron Board of Trustees.

MICHELE THEODORE Copy chief theodore.13@osu.edu Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has turned his eyes toward another top job — this time at his current university, the University of Akron. Tressel, who currently is the executive vice president for student success at Akron, formally submitted an application for the presidency to the Akron Board of Trustees, which is serving as the presidential search committee. Tressel originally wrote to the Board Jan. 25 to express his interest in an interim presidency position while the university looked for a permanent replacement, but a month later on Feb. 25, he submitted a letter applying for the presidency. He originally wrote that he was worried “the

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The starting quarterback position at Ohio State is set in stone. Senior Braxton Miller — and his two, backto-back Chicago Tribune Silver Footballs for Big Ten Most Valuable Player honors — has that spot locked up. But with fan favorite and coach-on-the-field Kenny Guiton out of eligibility and looking to get a shot in the NFL, the player who will fill the backup slot behind Miller is a glaring question mark during spring practice. OSU coach Urban Meyer said last week the competition has picked up between redshirtsophomore Cardale Jones and redshirt-freshman J.T. Barrett, but said Jones has the early edge and has been running with the first team offense while Miller rehabs from shoulder surgery. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman echoed that sentiment Tuesday after practice. “Cardale’s done a great job,” Herman said. “He’s playing like a quarterback at Ohio State should, but through the nine practices, we just need for those guys to play to their strengths.” Barrett and Jones carry entirely different body types — Barrett is just 6 feet 1 inches tall and is listed at 225 pounds, while Jones towers above the other quarterbacks on roster at 6 feet 5 inches and is a solid 250 pounds. Jones’ strong arm is his identity, while Barrett is more a finesse player who focuses on getting the ball to his receivers on time. Getting each player to understand that, Herman said, is half the battle. “I tell those two guys a lot of the time, ‘Just be you.’ Their strengths are so different,” Herman said. “I tell J.T., you get paid — and he gets paid a scholarship, that’s what I’m talking about — to make great decisions, to get the ball out of your hands and be accurate. You’re not going to grow (physically) … Cardale is 6 foot 5 and 250 pounds and can throw it through that wall.” The only quarterback on the roster with game experience other than Miller is Jones, who played in three games of mop-up duty last season after the outcome of those games had already been decided in favor of the Buckeyes. Barrett redshirted last season while recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus that ended his

SHELBY LUM / Photo editor

Then redshirt-freshman Cardale Jones (12) runs down the field with the ball during a game against Florida A&M Sept. 21 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won, 76-0. senior season at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas. The opportunity to further develop each player with Miller out is both a good and bad thing, Herman said. The good: each young guy gets an opportunity to get snaps with the first team offense. The bad: Miller is missing out on vital practice time in his own progression as a player. “Is it frustrating? Yes,” Herman said of not being able to fully work with Miller. “But I think if you dwell on what you can’t do with him, you forget or maybe you don’t do justice to the things that we’re trying to do with him.” Among those things are having a camera on his hat as Miller watches plays unfold in practice, and reviewing them with Herman and Meyer at the end of the day to learn more about what the defensive unit is doing. “Braxton stands behind (the other quarterbacks)

and gets all the mental reps like Kenny Guiton used to last year,” Meyer said after practice March 18. That’s as important a step as any, Herman said. “Right now I can tell in the meetings he’s more engaged,” Herman said of Miller. “And I’ll say this again. Braxton, in my opinion, has always been very football smart. You don’t get to do the things you do on a football field without understanding what’s going on.” But with how injury-prone OSU’s starter was last year — Miller sprained his MCL early in OSU’s 42-7 win against San Diego State Sept. 7 and missed the next two games, and also missed time in the team’s Orange Bowl loss to Clemson — having a solid backup like Guiton is vital. While Jones has impressed enough to earn the majority of the first-team reps, he was inaccurate

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Buckeye Village residents protest parking cost Road crews focusing on filling potholes SHELBY LUM Photo editor lum.13@osu.edu

Worry and fear are pressing in for some Buckeye Village residents as they could potentially face parking fees higher than the cost of a month’s rent. “I am afraid … after they make such a decision because it is very easy for these people sitting on the highest rank of chairs at the university and they don’t have any concern about how (we) live,” said Buckeye Village resident Esra Okutan. To protest the new fees, Okutan, along with fellow Buckeye Village residents, marched into Bricker Hall Wednesday with a petition listing nearly 300 signatures against the new parking fees at Buckeye Village and the intent of handing it straight to Interim President Joseph Alutto. Although Alutto was not available to take the document himself, Ohio State spokesman Gary Lewis took the petition with the promise of a decision on the fees Thursday. “It’s good to know that they have expressed (their concerns) and they have their petitions. Dr. Alutto has promised and is committed to ensure that promise is upheld in getting them that information (Thursday),” Lewis said. Parking fees of either $402 or $620 yearly are set to be put in place for the 2014-15 academic year, a change residents were informed of in an email Feb. 17 that stated “parking no longer will be included as part of the Buckeye Village housing contract.” Buckeye Village is located across the Olentangy River on Defiance Drive near Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and features family housing apartments through the university, intended for OSU students with spouses or children. The email Buckeye Village residents received said monthly housing rates will not be raised for the following academic year. Current rent at Buckeye Village is $545 per month for a one-room apartment and $685 per month for a two-bedroom apartment, according to the University Housing website. As the spouse of a graduate student, Okutan said she doesn’t have a work permit and relies on her husband’s income. “We have a limited budget and the parking issue is the most influential change since the last year … it looks like we are going to pay more for parking than we pay for gas. It affects how we spend in the future so it is a really important decision if they give free parking or something cheaper,” she said. The key to the residents’ parking dilemma might come Thursday though, as the petition to Alutto could be the last step in their quest to prevent parking fees.

MARK SPIGOS Lantern reporter spigos.4@osu.edu

SHELBY LUM / Photo editor

Eli Henderson, 5, walks in front of his mother Beth Henderson to hand the petition against raised parking prices to Interim President Joseph Alutto’s office in Bricker Hall March 26. “We’ve tried to not make a big deal, we’ve tried to be respectful, and ultimately it’s led us to Alutto’s office,” said Andrew Skabelund, a Ph.D. student in African history and Buckeye Village resident. For the first time in 67 years, Vasquez said, Buckeye Village tenants are looking at paying for a bundled parking package — a package many don’t even deem useful because of the existence of a Buckeye Village CABS bus. “If we are going to pay for parking, we want to just pay to park at our home and it needs to be a lot more reasonable,” said Leslie Vasquez, chair of Buckeye Village residents’ council and fourth-year in public affairs. For some, that much money is something that could force them out of the area. “I’m already on a fixed income and $654 is already more than half my monthly income so that would be a huge blow,” said Kim Chapman, a single mom studying environmental sciences. “I’m a little worried. I’ve been looking into apartments in the area but I have a small little girl. I don’t want to live in and around a bunch of students and I would like to have a green space, and Buckeye Village offers that green space and offers the safety of having families all around you or older college students who aren’t running amuck.” Vasquez said she, too, is concerned about the financial burden the fees could cause residents. “While people can probably come up with that amount of money, it’s just a ridiculous amount of money

to pay to park at your apartment,” Vasquez said. “For those that are on an exceedingly tight budget … you’d have to cut back somewhere.” This isn’t the first battle between Buckeye Village and the university over parking. In Spring Semester 2013, a similar fee was set to be put in place for the 2013-14 academic year, but after protests from residents and petitions, university officials decided not to charge residents. Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs said in February the decision was made to charge for parking next year “in order to be consistent in its approach to parking for students who live in university housing, regardless of location.” “Last year, because the contract renewal timeline was compressed, the university chose to fund parking at Buckeye Village,” Isaacs said. “This year we are giving residents significantly more time to prepare for this change and make housing decisions for next year.” Skabelund said the important thing is ensuring future residents don’t have to fight the same battle. “The biggest thing has been to protect the Buckeye Village community,” Skabelund said. “It’s about protecting our neighbors and future Buckeye Village residents that they aren’t price gouged on parking.” Vasquez echoed that sentiment. “We are concerned for the future for Buckeye Village residents. We want to see that there is a permanent solution,” she said.

While the threat of sub-zero temperatures, icy roadways and winter weather advisories have become a recent memory, Central Ohio motorists are facing an uncovered obstacle as spring rolls around: potholes. A lot of potholes. This month, the Columbus Department of Public Service set its street maintenance crews to work in an effort to address the surplus of potholes that cracked into the streets during this winter’s recordsetting snowfall. Rick Tilton, the assistant director of the Columbus Department of Public Service, said the intensified pothole repair effort is expected to last one month. “We’re going to be working 24/7 this week and next week,” Tilton said March 20. “Between April 1 and April 14, we’ll have crews working 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. seven days a week.” He also noted that street maintenance crews are set to log additional overnight hours Sundays through Wednesdays during the second half of the project. Though he did not comment on the specific costs of the project, Tilton said the work is subsidized under the street maintenance fund, which comes from the income taxes levied on Columbus residents. As of March 20, Tilton said his records showed that 4,493 potholes had been fixed citywide since the effort began. While progress is being made, Tilton stressed the success of the project is dependent on the participation of the city’s residents. “We’re asking people to call (614) 645-3111 to report potholes. We’re depending on people to tell us where the potholes are so we can get out there and fix them within three days,” he said. In addition to calling the phone number, residents can report potholes through the Facebook page for the Columbus Department of Public Service or through its Twitter account, @ColumbusDPS.

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