4.11.12

Page 1

Wednesday April 11, 2012 year: 132 No. 50

the student voice of

The Ohio State University

www.thelantern.com

thelantern Silent service seeks justice for Martin

sports

LINDSEY BARRETT Lantern reporter barrett.684@osu.edu

1B

Different pads on the field

The OSU club football team is beginning its fourth season, and has grown to boast a team of more than 50.

[ a+e ]

AMANDA PIERCE / Lantern reporter

Some Ohio State students, staff and faculty and members of the Columbus community circled the center of the Oval Tuesday to mourn in silence the death of Trayvon Martin and demand an arrest and fair trial for his killer, George Zimmerman. The protest, which was organized by OSU Stand Your Ground, was part of the national movement, National Day of Justice for Trayvon Martin. Martin was a 17-year-old African-American killed by neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman while walking home from a convenience store Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman followed Martin home and telephoned police with concerns of a suspicious-looking teen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. After an alleged altercation, Zimmerman killed Martin, telling police it was an act of self-defense. The protest coincided with what had been the day a Florida grand jury would begin deliberations on whether to arrest Zimmerman for Martin’s murder, though the decision now rests with State Attorney Angela Corey, according to CNN reports. The protest began at exactly 2:26 p.m. to symbolize the month and day when Martin was killed. The protest lasted 44 minutes to represent the number of days that have passed since any formal arrest has been made, said Dawn Miles, an organizer of the event and a Ph.D. candidate in history. What began as a circle of about 70 people slowly grew to a crowd of about 140 people, locking their arms in solidarity. The movement began and ended in silence, with time in between for people to share their comments.

Martez Smith, a 3rd-year in social work and sexuality studies, speaks to a crowd that is gathered on the Oval in memory of Trayvon Martin April 10.

continued as Oval on 3A

Clever marketing vital in USG elections

5A

Mastery showcase

OSU Master of Fine Arts students will showcase their work at the OSU Urban Arts Space starting Wednesday.

campus

KRISTEN MITCHELL Senior Lantern reporter mitchell.935@osu.edu If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Undergraduate Student Government President Nick Messenger and Vice President Emily DeDonato should be flattered. In the peak of USG campaigning, several candidates are finding success through clever, and seemingly unique marketing strategies, an approach that some say is based off the success of the Nick and Emily USG campaign last year. With images of the Nickelodeon logo altered to fit Nick and Emily’s names, the duo dominated at the polls, capturing 3,899 votes — 2,000 more than their nearest competitor. On election day, that image seemed to resonate with voters. After winning the election by so much, Messenger said he isn’t surprised that their campaign was imitated this year. “Most years we see campaigns repeated,” Messenger said. “You repeat the strategies that work, and the Nick and Emily Campaign worked.” Messenger said the key is to find campaign elements that people will remember. “We see a lot of branding that aims at college kids,” he said. “The Nickelodeon thing could only be successful

AMANDA PIERCE / Lantern reporter

USG campaigns draw students to the Oval for giveaways from candidates, but ultimately, marketing strategies could play a role in who wins the election. with a group of kids who grew up in the ‘90s.” The 2012 Kyle and Nick Campaign plays on childhood memories of Legos to portray their message of “Building the Buckeye Community.” The campaign is that of presidential candidate Kyle Strickland, a third-year in political science, and vice presidential candidate Nick Parker, a fourthyear in political science and sociology. However, Strickland said popular marketing isn’t enough to win voters. “(Nick and Emily) had a really

catchy campaign and imagery, but ultimately what it really comes down to is what your campaign is all about,” Strickland said. “We could just come out with a Lego theme or a Nickelodeon theme and be done with it, or we can come out, talk to student organizations, talk about what we have to do. Because it’s not just about having a flashy campaign, it’s about having ideas, too.” Other candidates have attached their message to a popular brand as well.

The 2012 Travis and Danielle Campaign uses the North Face logo to convey their slogan and desire to be “The New Face” of USG. They chose North Face because of its prominence on campus. “People will see it as something very iconic at Ohio State, so relatable,” said Travis Skaggs, presidential candidate and second-year in economics. Skaggs said he and vice presidential candidate Danielle Meyer, a third-year in political science, made a conscious decision not to include their names in their campaign logo. “If we wanted a logo with just our names in it, we would have used Taco Bell,” Skaggs said. “[The North Face logo] didn’t fit our names, but it fit our idea, and our idea is bigger than our names.” Despite opting to not include their names in their logo, Skaggs said the Nick and Emily Campaign was “a good model to follow.” The 2012 Niraj and Nikki Campaign, better known as “Nikki Niraj,” is a play on the name of the popular rapper Nicki Minaj, a strategy that Nikki Brown, vice presidential candidate and third-year in political science, called risky. “We had a lot of ideas before the Nicki Minaj thing. We weren’t sure if people would get it,” Brown said.

2A Zimmerman site seeks support, money

continued as Election on 3A

Health care discussion

An event in Townshend Hall Tuesday focused on migration policies as they pertain to Medicaid and health care.

weather high 53 low 34 partly cloudy

TH F SA SU

61/38

mostly sunny

64/47

partly cloudy

67/58

scattered t-storms

76/57

cloudy www.weather.com

HANNAH TRATE Lantern reporter trate.1@osu.edu After what Ohio State officials deemed a hate crime last week, many eyes looked to OSU and the vandalism that occurred here, including George Zimmerman himself. Thursday morning, the words “Long Live Zimmerman” were found painted on the wall of Hale Hall, which is home to the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, part of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The reference, officials said, is most likely to Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader who allegedly killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense Feb. 26 in Florida. “Let me be very clear, this is not who we are at Ohio State. Racism will not be tolerated on our campus,” President E. Gordon Gee said in response to the Hale Hall vandalism. The vandalism, which launched responses such as the OSU Stand Your Ground movement, the Ohio Union sit-in and a hate crime warning from the administration, propelled OSU into the limelight last weekend. National news crews covered the story, and with the help of Facebook and Twitter, images of the vandalism on Hale Hall went viral. “The act of vandalism was an attack not on one group of students, but the university as a whole.

THOMAS BRADLEY / Campus editor; a screenshot from therealgeorgezimmerman.com

George Zimmerman, who killed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, started a website seeking monetary support. At one point, a photo of the Hale Hall vandalism was featured on the website. The messages sent through that graffiti go against everything that Ohio State represents — equality, education and inclusion,” said Brian Derrick, a firstyear in microbiology and Undergraduate Student Government student intern. But Zimmerman used the image to send a

different message when he launched therealgeorgezimmerman.com on April 9. The site at one time featured a large image of the Hale Hall vandalism. The site and its content has been frequently changing.

continued as Hale on 3A 1A


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.