The Lantern - April 18 2019

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

CAMPUS

P2

Student follows her father’s footsteps in Ohio State Police role.

MOCK TRIAL

P2

Mock Trial at Ohio State broke into the top five in the country for the first time at a national competition.

ARTS&LIFE

P6

Student launches own high-end clothing retail brand.

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Untangling Ohio State’s spending on outside counsel JERROD MOGAN John R. Oller Special Projects Reporter mogan.7@osu.edu

After Ohio State fired marching band director Jonathan Waters in 2014, a legal battle ensued that would last three years.

It cost the university nearly $1.6 million in legal fees.

In 2018, the school hired the Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP, law firm to investigate how domestic violence accusations against Ohio State assistant football coach Zach Smith were handled by head coach Urban Meyer and others.

It lasted just two weeks. Debevoise & Plimpton collected $1 million.

So far, Ohio State has paid three different law firms more than $1.5 million to handle ongoing lawsuits and an investigation into sexual assault allegations against former Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss.

As legal fees pile up, questions as to how much the university spends on legal work — and whether it’s wisely spent — are largely unanswered. Though the state attorney general is responsible for providing legal representation and Ohio State employs more than 60 legal professionals, the university spends millions each year on outside legal counsel.

Contracts with outside counsel are just one piece of Ohio State’s total legal spending, but the university could not provide a complete accounting of its annual spending on legal matters.

A Lantern analysis of spending authority awarded to Ohio universities by state officials in the past 14 years shows Ohio State could have spent more than $119 million on private law firms. That amount is four times higher than what officials awarded any other Ohio university in the same time frame.

Records provided by Ohio State officials show the university actually spent a little more than half that amount on law firms — $63 mil-

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GRAPH BY JACK WESTERHEIDE | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN

Source: Controlling Board. Actuals provided by Ohio State

lion.

Even that amount is still twice as high as the authorized maximum a state board approved for any other university over the past 14 years.

University officials contend that direct comparisons cannot be made between Ohio State and other state universities.

Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said spending on special counsel is a wise investment to protect the university, which has an annual operating budget of $7.2 billion.

“There is risk involved, great risk for institutions who run afoul of state and federal law,” he said.

However, when it comes to determining what is a fair rate for adequate legal service, there is no set standard.

One state lawmaker, Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester, favors creating a system that would

objectively score law firms based on their performance handling different legal issues to ensure taxpayer money is not being wasted.

“Let’s create a way to keep track of the performance of different law firms,” Coley said.

The Ohio attorney general is ultimately responsible for appointing private law firms to work for all state agencies, including universities. However, a review of records shows that, within the past five years, the attorney general seldom refuses to hire a law firm Ohio State wants.

Since 2006, Ohio State received waivers to spend more than $61 million with just seven firms. The specific work they do is largely unknown and not publicly available.

Large contracts, budgets and actual spending For the entire state, the Ohio Controlling FEES CONTINUES ON 4

P12

Walk-on to national champion reflects on Ohio State career.

THE LANTERN

LOFTY LEGAL FEES Thursday, April 18, 2019

SPORTS

The student voice of the Ohio State University

Year 139, Issue No. 25

From the phone to the scene: How fast OSUPD responds to 911 calls EDWARD SUTELAN Editor-in-Chief sutelan.1@osu.edu

If your car is stalled in the middle of the Carmack parking lot and no one is around, how long would it take the Ohio State University Police Department help?

The answer: 15 minutes and 1 second. At least, that’s how long it took for one response on Nov. 5 at 8:31 in the morning in the Carmack 3 lot.

However, if it’s something more pressing like a fire alarm, police will be on scene in an average time of just 3 minutes and 53 seconds.

In a dataset of University Police responses from Aug. 6, 2018, to Dec. 20, 2018, obtained by The Lantern, 17,671 dispatch entries of all police calls were analyzed, finding that University Police took an average of 3 minutes and 34 seconds to arrive on scene after being dispatched.

Ohio State police Capt. David Rose explained that when police are examining average response time once en route, they have to comb through the data to eliminate outliers caused by human error and discount officer-initiated responses.

For example, there was one dispatched unit for “officer out on a follow up” that was listed as having required an eight hour and 20 minute response time — likely due to human error in forgetting to close out the call — that would skew the dataset. There also were 7,219 records listed as being “officer initiated” out of the 17,671 records that had an average response time of 13 seconds.

Officer initiated is when an officer initiates the call when on scene and is typically associated with location checks — ensuring a random location is free of any issues — and traffic stops.

Rose said 3 1/2 minutes is 911 CONTINUES ON 3

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Answering the call

Dispatcher following father’s influence with Ohio State Police JASMINE HILTON Lantern reporter hilton.93@osu.edu Before Johnna Sells became a campus 911 dispatch center supervisor, she was just a girl with dreams of following in the footsteps of her greatest hero: her dad, Luis Gonzalez.

A retired deputy sheriff at the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department for 33 years, Gonzalez got his start at Ohio State.

“My dad is my role model. I saw him making a difference in the community,” Sells said. “My goal was to finish what he started, and come to OSU.” While police officers and firefighters are often on the frontlines of an emergency, it’s 911 dispatchers who serve as the first point of contact when a person on campus is in trouble. And the role Sells serves at Ohio State reaches far beyond answering a call.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel like I’m making a difference in the community,” she said.

Sells familiarized herself with

COURTESY OF DAN HEDMAN

Johnna Sells at her desk in the communication dispatch center.

the main control center — a smaller version of a radio communications center — while her dad worked in Ohio State law enforcement, which prepared her for

her job as a dispatcher for Ohio State Student Safety Service.

“After a couple of times, I was able to master most of that room, and they even let me play with the

radios,” Sells said. “It gave me early exposure to that.”

Her dad wasn’t always receptive to her standing in his shoes, but her passion for law enforce-

ment and seeing her father’s impact in the community inspired her to pursue her dreams, Sells said.

She now serves in a managerial position as the communications and security technology supervisor, a role in which she is responsible for overseeing the campus dispatch center.

“As dispatchers, we are truly the first of the first responders,” Sells said. “We are the ones who tell the officers where to go, the firefighters where to go, the ambulances where to go –– we disseminate everything.”

Her dad’s influence doesn’t stop at being her hero. Sells said her dad’s Mexican heritage helps her fulfill her duty as a Spanish-speaking translator when needed in emergencies.

“In case of emergency, I can help out by getting a description of where and what type of emergency it is,” Sells said. “It at least makes me feel like I’m giving the same level of service to every community that needs help.”

Being a dispatcher at one of the CALLS CONTINUES ON 3

Ohio State mock trial team reaches milestone OLIVIA COLLIGNON Lantern reporter collignon.2@osu.edu Mock Trial at Ohio State broke into the top five in the country for the first time at a national competition in Philadelphia April 7, with both teams placing fifth in their division.

The Ohio State team represents a group of students who study and practice a simulated civil or criminal court case and compete against other teams across the country on the execution of their performance in a mock trial.

Mock Trial has two teams — OSU A and OSU B — that participate in the competitions.

Anna Defendiefer, a third-year in economics-business and vice president of public relations for Mock Trial, said teams start off at the regional level, and then if they qualify, the team goes to the Opening Round Championship Series. From there, the teams have the opportunity to go to nationals.

About 750 teams from across the country participate in mock trial, and the top 48 make it to nationals, Defendiefer said.

The organization practices one case until nationals, and then the cases change.

“We only had two and a half weeks to work on this one case, which meant we were practicing for three to four hours every night, which was so intense,” Defendiefer said.

In addition to placing fifth, members of Mock Trial also won All-American awards, signifying that they are among the top 10 students participating in the tournament.

“Becoming an All-American isn’t easy,” Julia Cash, a third-year in political science

COURTESY OF ANNA DEFENDIEFER

Mock Trial at Ohio State after winning 5th place at nationals.

and Mock Trial member, said. “There are so many amazing competitors and big personalities, so you really have to do something to stand out.”

Cash received her All-American for performance as a witness.

“Being an All-American witness meant that I had to become this character: learn the affidavit inside and out, remember all my lines, make a jury laugh and relate to me, not be polarizing and survive cross-examination with credibility and likeability still intact,” Cash said.

Mahmud Bari, a fourth-year in political science, received his All-American for his

performance as an attorney.

“I won my All-American on both sides of the case, both as an opener for the defense and as a closer for the plaintiff, while every other attorney won it on one side of the case,” Bari said.

Bari was named the only double All-American in the country.

“The whole thing felt surreal,” Bari said.

“You give it your all for your teammates, for your coaches and for the parents and supporters that traveled to watch you. After all of that, if you still have some gas left in the tank, you can think about competing for yourself.”

Although participating in Mock Trial can act as an outlet for college students, Defendiefer said it also grants opportunities to develop crucial life skills that will carry them through a career, whether or not they are a law student.

“Being in Mock Trial is a super good opportunity to develop your critical thinking skills, teamwork skills and your legal knowledge,” Defendiefer said. “Even if you’re not intending on going to law school, it still really teaches you how to work with a team effectively and overcome adversity and develop your acting skills.”

To become a member of Mock Trial at Ohio State, students must participate in tryouts. Members can either play a witness or an attorney.

“We have tryouts every year, and usually around 60 to 70 people try out, and we take a couple of people. Most of the time, we take freshmen who will have three or four years in the program,” Defendiefer said.

Tryouts consist of attending an informational session, a 15-minute opening statement, a witness portrayal in front of the coaches and executive board, and an impromptu speech, Defendiefer said.

Mock Trial at Ohio State is already looking forward to its future competitions.

“We kind of joke about it, but the ultimate goal would be getting OSU A and OSU B in the final round,” Defendiefer said.

Students interested in joining Mock Trial at Ohio State can try out in early September, and more information about tryouts can be found on the team’s website.

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CALLS FROM 2

CASEY CASCALDO | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State University Police Department averaged 3 minutes and 34 seconds to respond to calls between Aug. 6, 2018, and Dec. 20, 2018.

911 FROM 1

about what the police have found when analyzing the data themselves.

“That’s pretty consistent with what we’ve seen as well,” Rose said, who noted the police aim for around 4 minutes. “Four minutes or less would be ideal.”

Highest priority Police often gauge their success in responding to calls by how they handle higher priority calls. Certain situations are precoded based on its Ten Codes — a code that identifies the type of call police are responding to.

The priorities range from 0 being the highest and 5 being the lowest, Satoru Persons, director of communications for the Department of Public Safety, said.

Though the priorities might often be high, Rose said generally the Ten Code will be for something that might not be too urgent despite a general precoding that indicates otherwise.

“Sometimes you’d have a Ten Code that is something that at face value would seem really urgent, but the reality is, it’s based on an incident that occurred yesterday,” Rose said.

Based on the response logs and eliminating outliers, police had an average response time of 3 minutes and 47 seconds for priority 0 calls on a total of 33 calls. Priority 1 calls had a 3 minute and 13 second response time while priority 2 calls took 3 minutes and 20 seconds for police to arrive on scene. There were 1,691 priority 1 calls and 1,794 priority 2 calls.

Priority 0 calls were listed as being codes of rape, fondling, dating violence, fire inspection, burglary and domestic violence. Priority 1 calls included burglary in-progress, shooting, fire, cutting or stabbing, suicide attempt, wanted person, person with a gun or knife, and bomb threats among other calls. Priority 2 calls consisted of stolen vehicles, suspicious activity, missing person, drug complaints, shots fired, robbery, theft in progress and others.

Lower priority calls in the 3 to 5 range

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generally consist of location checks, traffic stops, auto accident with no injuries, animal complaints, property destruction, building or vehicle lockouts, parking violations, noise complaints and more.

Depending on how large the situation is, Persons said Columbus Police might even be brought in.

“I think back to the Nov. 28 incident that we had back in 2016,” Persons said. “Columbus Police responded to our situation simply because the radio traffic that they were hearing on their side, and the 911 calls that were being received at all locations.”

Transferring the call Even if a situation is not large enough to require Columbus Police, they often receive plenty of calls from Ohio State students, even if it is not in their jurisdiction.

University spokesman Dan Hedman said that if someone is standing in the middle of the Oval and calls 911 from his or her cellphone, the call automatically goes to Columbus Police. If a call is made from an Ohio State landline phone, however, it will go directly to University Police.

“There’s a lot of times where crimes being reported start at Columbus Police and get transferred to our dispatchers,” Hedman said, though adding that sometimes calls go the other way. “We get calls that we send to [Columbus Police] or send to [Columbus Fire].”

The transfer process is determined by jurisdiction, Persons said. All Ohio State campus addresses listed are designated as University Police jurisdiction, while others farther off campus are directed to Columbus Police.

Persons said the transfer is nearly instantaneous, and that there is almost no time lost when moving the call from one to the other.

“The first question that our dispatchers ask on a 911 call is, ‘911, where’s your emergency?’ or, ‘What is the address for your emergency?’” Persons said.

Inputting the data University spokesman Ben Johnson said

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in an email that Ohio State does not have records of individual call data prior to Aug. 6 because the police transitioned to a new system at that date.

“While older data was imported into this new system, it isn’t considered an apples-to-apples comparison to what can be obtained from the system now,” Johnson said.

Rose said a change in the system was absolutely necessary, for the old system was purchased by a new company called Zuercher, which has since been merged with CentralSquare Technologies. Rose said police are in a “better place” for looking at response time and that “we really had to make a switch.”

“We’re able to go back and use the dispatcher’s impressions based on when they were called,” Rose said, “and that’s kind of the more modern way that we’re doing it now.”

In the data, there were often calls listed that were blank in certain fields like “First Enroute” and “Address.” There are also cases where police are listed as having had a response time of zero seconds even when it might not be officer initiated. Rose said often a call will begin to triage a call and decide after learning more information from the caller that an officer might not have to be dispatched.

“There’s a wide variety of reasons why there could be a blank,” Rose said, noting that human error in inputting the dispatch calls manually into the system could lead to some blanks as well as some of the large outliers where a time might be listed as several hours.

There are many calls that are not inputted into the dataset, however, because a solution might be found over the phone, Rose said.

The dataset is “only the number of calls where they’ve taken the call and decided to implement a computerated dispatch call, which means they’re actually going to dispatch someone to investigate for one reason or another,” Rose said.

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largest campuses in the country is no simple task. The center receives about 7,000 calls per month, reaching its peak during fall semester and football season, Sells said.

In a demanding job like hers, Sells said that teamwork among her staff is essential to getting an emergency under control.

“They can pair together very well,” Sells said. “They understand that while one person is taking the call, another person is also starting that response.”

Dispatchers are not only taking the call and hearing the emergency, but they’re also “the first eyes” on the scene, pulling video footage of the area where the emergency is taking place, Sells said.

Based on the severity and type of emergency, dispatchers are then responsible for sending law enforcement, medical or fire officials to the scene, Sells said.

Dan Hedman, communications director for the Office of Administration and Planning, said campus dispatchers are like “the glue that holds everything together,” serving as the central point connecting University Police, Columbus Police and other law enforcement during emergencies.

“The job that dispatchers and the communications center do is so valuable,” Hedman said. “When someone calls, they’re not only trying to get information, but they’re trying to get the caller resources.

They’re trying to get them to the hospital. They’re trying to get them an officer or someone to help them feel safe.”

Sells said that keeping campus safe is her way of giving back to a community that’s done so much for her and her family.

When Sells came to Ohio State at 17 years old, her mother had just passed away from cancer a few months prior, leaving her feeling homeless.

Ohio State gave her a home, Sells said.

“The OSU community really took me in and helped shape me,” Sells said. “What better way to serve the community that you love than to be on the front line?”

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Board has authorized $416 million in spending on outside legal counsel for all state agencies, including universities.

The largest chunk of that — nearly 30 percent — went to Ohio State.

Because legal contracts are not competitively bid on, when spending with a single firm might exceed $50,000, a waiver must be approved by the Controlling Board.

Ohio’s 14 public universities received most of the approved spending, about $260 million. Nearly half of that went to Ohio State, though the university represents about 21 percent of total student enrollment.

After sharing the Controlling Board findings with Ohio State officials, the university provided its actual special counsel budget and spending numbers. The budgeted amounts are less than Controlling Board-approved maximums, but include contracts that do not require waivers.

Less than a week later, the university produced a new set of numbers, which reported different figures and an additional $1.8 million in spending.

The second report shows Ohio State spent $59.7 million on special counsel from 2006 to 2018: about 53 percent of its $112.6 million budget. Spending in a single year never exceeded its budget, and ranged from $2.5 million to $6.1 million.

However, the total budget is not determined in advance and increases whenever a new firm is appointed or a legal matter requires additional work, Coley said. He personally has received state legal contracts in the past. Since 2006, budgets ranged from $5.5 million to $12 million.

The average initial budget provided to law firms upon appointment was roughly $42,500 in the past five years.

The average budget law firms ended up with was almost double that amount.

Ohio State’s actual spending amount is more than double any other Ohio university’s maximum approved spending from the Controlling Board. However, the Controlling Board numbers do not reflect all contracts an agency can have.

In the past five years, the university has contracted with outside counsel 517 times, and 118 times in the past 10 months.

A Wise Investment Ohio State spends disproportionately more than other Ohio colleges because it is one of the most complex and far-reaching institutions in the state, Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said.

“None of [Ohio’s other public colleges] literally have an office in every county,” he said, “and agricultural research sites around the state and an airport and a radio and TV station and a medical center.”

Specifically, the Wexner Medical Center — which accounts for about half of the school’s $7.2 billion budget — generates legal work that schools without a medical center such as the University of Cincinnati don’t deal with, Johnson said.

Most of Ohio State’s spending on special counsel is not for litigation, Johnson said, but is spent proactively to protect assets and ensure the university remains in compliance with the numerous regulations that apply.

“Duke [University] agreed to a $112.5 million settlement because of research misconduct. In 2015, [The University of] Florida agreed to a nearly $20 million settlement,” he said. “So, it’s important that in all of these very specific areas around the university, we are adhering to [the law].”

Duke was accused of falsifying data to earn roughly $200 million in federal research grants. Florida was accused of diverting research grant money to pay unapproved salaries and inflated expenses.

When considering what the university is protecting, spending on special counsel is a modest and controlled expense with a great return on investment, Johnson said.

“It’s a very reasonable amount when viewed in the context of a $7.2 billion budget,” he said. “And it’s not increasing. It’s a consistent number and an important part of the business that we do here at the university.”

Scoring Law Firms Accusations that the special counsel selection process was not operating in the best interests of taxpayer dollars have been made against several attorneys general, Coley said.

In 2017, Coley — who served on the Controlling Board for seven years — was critical of the lack of information the attorney general provided the board when requesting waivers for special counsel contracts. He said the lack of transparency in the process opened the door for accusations of favoritism that weren’t warranted.

“Every time [the attorney general] went to hire an outside law firm, people … questioned whether that was being done as a result of some political thing, or whether or not that was the result of a true business need,” he said.

Coley proposed a technological solution to the problem, which Gov. Mike DeWine — attorney general at the time — accepted and implemented, he said. “[The Controlling Board] made sure the attorney gen-

GRAPH BY JACK WESTERHEIDE | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN

Source: Controlling Board. Actuals provided by Ohio State

“None of [Ohio’s other public colleges] literally have an office in every county ... and agricultural research sites around the state and an airport and a radio and TV station and a medical center.”

BEN JOHNSON

Ohio State spokesman

eral bought computer systems that had really good analytical programs in them,” Coley said, “so that you could compare the work of one law firm to the work of another law firm.”

The ultimate purpose behind the data gathering, which Coley said is at least partially built and in use, is to track and score the performances of law firms and make sure state agencies are getting the most out of their special counsel spending. “[Attorney General Dave Yost] is working on a robust system of scoring … His director of special counsel is going to really build on work that Gov. DeWine’s people started,” he said.

Dominic Binkley, a public information officer at the attorney general’s office, said there is an analytics system in development at the office to track and score law firms, but only those selected to collect debt on behalf of the state.

There is no current or planned system to track law firms that perform any other type of work, he said.

“The [attorney general’s office] in concert with the client determines if the legal work performed meets expectations of competence, timeliness and value,” Binkley said.

Coley said the system would score all types of legal work, including “more complex litigation.”

“It’s not something that you can just throw together in a couple of hours,” he said. “But it’s something that you can develop over time into a really, really effective monitoring tool.”

The Selection Process For complicated legal matters, the attorney general has the authority to appoint private attorneys to assist state agencies, Binkley said.

The process begins with the submission of a special FEES CONTINUES ON 5

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counsel request form to the Office of Outside Counsel where a state agency provides its “justification for why they believe they need special counsel as opposed to existing attorney general resources,” Binkley said.

Originally, Binkley said these forms “must” be submitted. Upon the completion of a records request, however, he said the forms are submitted only “when practicable” and requests can be made verbally “due to the urgency of the matter or in the interest of efficiency.”

Justification is still provided in those instances, Binkley said. However, there is no documentation of the reason for those requests. More than a third of Ohio State’s new appointments since 2015 were completed without a written request. In 2019, only 17 percent include the form.

The office then works with the requesting agency to determine if outside counsel is necessary or if the matter can be handled with existing resources. In the past five years, the office determined that attorney general resources alone were insufficient in every documented request made by Ohio State.

The office also works with the agency to identify which law firm is suited to perform the legal work. Typically, the office selects from a list of private law firms that approached the attorney general’s office with an interest in securing state contracts, according to Coley.

The office uses specific criteria to determine which firm to select, Binkley said.

“The attorney general’s office takes into account the firm’s expertise in the given area of law, geographical proximity to the work being performed, experience of attorneys performing the work, past history with these firms with regard to competent representation, capacity to perform the work under deadline, and ability to clear a conflict check,” Binkley said.

On more than a third of requests, Ohio State explicitly recommended the firm they preferred.

The recommended firm was appointed 96 percent of the time.

Once a firm is selected, it receives an appointment letter outlining the budget and hourly compensation it will earn for its work. Compensation for legal work involving bonds, immigration and patents are subject to a fee schedule. No other legal work has any standard pay scale.

Appointments can last for up to one year, but then must be renewed by the attorney general if the contract is still necessary.

Nearly three-quarters of Ohio State’s contracts since 2015 have been renewed.

Once outside counsel is appointed, Ohio State’s Office of Legal Affairs oversees the day-to-day work being performed.

“Our in-house attorneys are in all of those meetings, they’re on all of those email chains, they’re an active part of that,” Johnson said.

The involvement of the attorney general’s office, state Controlling Board, and Ohio State’s own attorneys guarantee the university is getting the best deal, Johnson said.

“People can rest assured that the process is efficient as possible and that we’re getting good bang for our buck,” Johnson said.

Who Gets Paid?

The Controlling Board has approved waivers for 68 firms to represent Ohio State since 2006, but more than half of the approved spending has gone to just seven.

Each of those firms received at least $5 million in Controlling Board waivers.

When requesting information regarding Ohio State’s legal spending, the university indicated that it could provide an annual figure related only to its spending on special counsel, but that figure would “not include information about specific issues, cases or firms.”

Nearly all of the documentation that would show what these firms specifically do for Ohio State is protected by attor-

ney-client privilege, according to Johnson.

While board approvals represent the maximum amount that can be spent with a firm and not what is actually spent, they can provide a glimpse into Ohio State’s preferred legal partners.

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease had the highest authorized spending amount from Ohio State since 2006, nearly $15 million.

The firm has performed a wide range of legal services for Ohio State, from providing investment and privacy advice to defending the university in a 2017 class-action lawsuit brought by Chris Spielman.

Of the 13 times Ohio State has received authorizations totaling more than $1 million since 2006, six of those have gone to Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease.

Kristin L. Watt, a partner in the Vorys Columbus office, serves as a nonvoting member of the Ohio State Board of Trustees.

Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur LLP, which is providing the university with legal counsel in the Richard Strauss investigation, has been authorized to earn $10.6 million from Ohio State since 2006.

Hogan Lovells, based in Washington D.C., is paid an average hourly rate of $675 by Ohio State, according to appointment letters, and has received $9.5 million in waivers since 2006. Some of its work includes providing advice on cybersecurity and federal research grants to Ohio State, according to request forms.

Ohio-based Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP has received $9.2 million in waivers since 2006.

Ohio State has been authorized to spend $6.1 million with Jones Day since 2006 for advice related to Medicare and Medicaid and other legal work.

Elizabeth P. Kessler, partner-in-charge of Jones Day’s Columbus office, was appointed to the Ohio State Board of Trustees in 2018. The firm has not received work from JACK WESTERHEIDE | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN Ohio State since Kessler’s appointment, reOhio State outspends other state colleges on special counsel by a large margin. flecting how seriously the university takes potential conflicts of interest, Johnson said.

After receiving $6 million in waivers — including two more than $1 million in 2012 and 2013 — MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd LLC has not received any waivers to Partners with represent Ohio State since 2014. The Toledo-based firm, which specializes in inPartners with tellectual property law, still receives work Partners with from Ohio University and the University of Toledo.

Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter, based in Columbus, has not received waivers to represent Ohio State in since 2015. Before that, Ohio State was authorized to spend $5.1 million with the firm.

Considering these firms work under increased scrutiny and at discounted rates when operating under a state contract, The Lantern wanted to ask what was in it for them. However, none of the seven law firms mentioned in this article responded to our requests for an interview or comment.

How the analysis was done Maximum approved spending numbers for Ohio’s state agencies and private law firms were calculated using data from State Controlling Board 59 bulk approvals of 2,807 “competitive selection” waivers for special counsel appointments since FY2006. To calculate spending per student, maximum numbers from each year were divided by the head count of the institution for that year according to “Headcount Enrollment by Institution” numbers contained in reports from the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and then averaged. Ohio State’s “actual spending” per student was calculated the same way using figures provided by the university. Hourly rates were calculated from special counsel assignment letters provided by the attorney general’s office, which consisted of all new appointments made since March 2014, according to the attorney general’s office.

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ARTS&LIFE

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ARTS Ohio State alumna’s capstone project for a two-year music industry program celebrates Columbus’ local music scene. | ON 7

Student launches retail company on campus NAOMI BAKER Lantern reporter baker.2517@osu.edu In the summer of 2018, an Ohio State student set a goal to be his own boss someday. Almost a year later, he is the CEO of his own retail company.

Chad Porter, a second-year in economics, founded a high-end retail establishment, Chvd Justin, in mid-February. This week, he released his first product, the “wearpack,” a bag that can be worn as a backpack, vest or detachable pouch.

Porter said he was inspired to create the wearpack after seeing a need on campus for bags that were functional as well as stylish.

The versatility of the bag offers customers a way to “comfortably wear whatever you need,” Porter said.

Reflecting on the yearlong journey of building his business, Porter said he never thought he would be designing accessories.

“I had no prior design experience,” Porter said. “After I knew I wanted to create [the wearpack], I had to teach myself how to design, sew, embroider and a bunch of other stuff that came along with this.”

Porter said he spent five months in Jones Tower hand-stitching seven prototypes before coming to his final design of the wearpack. After finalizing the design, Porter sought out creative help from a fellow student, Mamadou Djigo.

“I’ve always respected [Djigo’s] opinion and style, so I wanted to bring him on as creative director of the brand,” Porter said.

Djigo, a third-year in architecture, said he originally wanted to help support Porter’s brand, but was excited to come on the team as creative director. He said he plans to bring his vision and design skills to the table going forward with the brand.

This first release is only the beginning for the wearpack. Porter said he plans to

COURTESY OF CHAD PORTER

Chad Porter released his first product, the “wearpacks,” a bag that can be worn as a backpack, vest or detachable pouch.

release several versions of the bag in the future with more advanced designs.

The brand will also offer clothing in the future with the help of Djigo, which will spark the establishment of a brick-andmortar Chvd Justin store.

With a fashion minor, Djigo said this experience will help him as he breaks into the fashion industry after school.

To legitimize his business and protect his designs, Porter recently received his business license and is in the process of getting the wearpack patented. Porter is also working with a manufacturer to begin mass-producing the products.

Porter said this process has been a learning experience, but is overall rewarding.

“I’m happy I’m doing what I said I was going to do,” Porter said.

The brand can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @chvdjustin.

COURTESY OF CHAD PORTER

Chad Porter has been working from his dorm room in Jones Tower for five months hand-stitching seven prototypes.

Class project turns into passion project raising awareness about fast fashion NICHOLAS YOUNGBLOOD Lantern reporter youngblood.27@osu.edu

The Changing Room, said. “But that’s the only thing that they think about. They don’t think about where those clothes are coming from, why they’re so cheap and what A group of arts management students are effect supporting that company has on the trying to make fashion more sustainable world.” with a clothing swap and fashion show this Davis said that fast fashion has major Thursday called The environmental and Changing Room Cohumanitarian costs, lumbus. all for clothing that “They don’t think about will not last for more Thursday evening at where those clothes Coffee Underground, a than a few wears. Aclocal nonprofit coffee are coming from, why cording to “The True shop, students from Cost,” a documentathey’re so cheap and the Developing Arts ry about fast fashion, what effect supporting Careers class will see the garment industry a group project come is the second-most that company has on to life as a real event polluting industry in making a real differ- the world.” the world. ence. The event will In order to raise SONNY DAVIS attempt to raise aware- Executive director of The Changing awareness about fast ness about fast fashion, fashion, Davis said Room the practice of mass the group will proproducing low-quality vide educational maclothing to capitalize terials about sweaton the latest trends. shops, pollution and sustainable clothing “Fast fashion has created this mindset practices. that you can get the styles that people on In addition, attendees can participate in a COURTESY OF SONNY DAVIS red carpets are getting, but for a fraction clothing swap, in which they can bring old Sonny Davis is the executive director of The Changing Room, a sustainable of the cost,” Sonny Davis, a fourth-year in SUSTAINABLE CONTINUES ON 7 fashion show created by arts management students. arts management and executive director of

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Thursday, April 18, 2019 | The Lantern | 7

Ohio State alumna creates cover album of central Ohio artists AJA MIYAMOTO Lantern reporter miyamoto.20@osu.edu An Ohio State alumna has created a celebration of local art, highlighting Columbus’ music scene through her capstone film project.

Kalyn French, a second-year student attending GROOVE U, a two-year music industry career program in Dublin, Ohio, is the creator of The C-Side project. The project is a weekly video series featuring Columbus musicians covering a different local artist’s song, followed by an interview with the band.

“We had free range to make whatever we wanted, but it had to be something that would take up considerable time and effort,” French said. “We decided to create a project in which we highlight the special camaraderie that exists in Columbus’ music scene.

French created the C-Side project with help from Maddy Slimak and Scott Saylor, who are both in music production, and Katie Dybzinski, who studies music business.

Charles Hauser, lead business instructor at GROOVE U, said the students took charge of the project from start to finish.

“They created the idea, recruited artists, recorded live performances, mastered an album, created a social media channel and promoted the launch to let music enthusiasts know about this innovative artistic project,” Hauser said.

“What they accomplished was not easy, but that’s a bridge to understand that establishing yourself in the music industry isn’t going to be easy either.”

French graduated from Ohio State in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Korean. Initially, she wanted to travel to Korea and teach English but found herself in what she called “graduation limbo.”

“I knew what, ideally, I wanted to have for a career. I really wanted to work with Korean artists. I had this huge

COURTESY OF SELENNA ENG

Kalyn French, an Ohio State alumna is highlighting Columbus’ music scene through her capstone film project.

dream with a huge gray area post-graduation, so I just worked for a year,” French said.

During that year, French said she looked inward and explored potential outlets that might have been the path to her dreams. Her mother discovered and pushed her toward GROOVE U, which would allow French to stay closer to home for the program.

Sterling Brunsvold, lead video instructor at GROOVE U, compares the school’s program to that of a master’s program in the music industry. Students within the program declare a focus such as video production, audio production, music business or law in the music industry.

“When students get into their second year at GROOVE U, like Kalyn, most of it is self-driven similar to in the way a master’s program would be,” Brunsvold said. “The

big focus is getting them exposure to real skills that will help them secure actual employment or really strong internships to lead to that employment.”

French is spending the summer at an internship before graduation in August. She said she doesn’t know where she will end up yet but wouldn’t mind staying in Columbus until she makes that decision.

“Once you graduate, that doesn’t mean everything just stops. When you’re looking for an employer, really show them what makes you unique and why having you onboard would make their lives better,” French said.

The C-Side project series can be viewed on Elementary Records’ YouTube page. Vinyl records of the covers will be available at the release party at 7 p.m. on April 25 at Craft & Vinyl.

Finish faster!

COURTESY OF SONNY DAVIS

Local nonprofit cafe Coffee Underground will be hosting The Changing Room Columbus.

SUSTAINABLE FROM 6

clothing and trade with each other and the supply of donated clothing that the group has already amassed.

Finally, there will be a fashion show at the event that showcases how students can look their best without supporting fast fashion producers. The organizers and a host of volunteer models from High Street Style, a student-run fashion blog, will wear handpicked outfits featuring thrifted and sustainably sourced garments. “[The point of the fashion show] was to show people that it’s not just dingy T-shirts, but it can really be some styled and sleek-looking outfits,” Makenzie Knapp, third-year in arts management and director of logistics for the event, said.

According to Knapp, the event will be an opportunity to not only raise awareness about the issues of fast fashion, but to show students how they can make a difference.

In order to make this happen, The Changing Room is partnering with Coffee

Underground for the venue, in addition to local vendors and organizations that support their cause, such as Global Gifts and The Zero Waste Syndicate.

The goal of the event is to have 100 attendees, according to Knapp, who said that they might take this project beyond the classroom if the event is a success. Davis and Knapp envision a traveling event that could go to different cities and show people how to dress sustainably.

Davis said this issue should concern everyone because we are all consumers for the garment industry.

“Everyone is affected by this cause, and everyone should have a concern with it,” Davis said. “These are real decisions that people make every day that have a real cost.”

The Changing Room Columbus will take place at Coffee Underground Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. and is open to all students.

Tri-C has the lowest tuition in Northeast Ohio so you can earn college credits and save money this summer. Credits transfer seamlessly to four-year colleges and universities.

Enroll in summer classes.

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Backburner Sketch Comedy bids farewell to founder in final show of semester IAN GRAY Lantern reporter gray.1154@osu.edu Backburner Sketch Comedy will host its final show of the semester on Saturday, “Back(burner)street Boys: 2019 Back on the Burner World Tour,” consisting of sketch comedy written and performed by the group’s members.

The performance will be a send-off of four senior members, including the group’s last remaining founder RG Barton. The theme parodies a Backstreet Boys reunion tour, with each of the four graduating performers, Barton, Eli Gardner, Ryan Wires and Quinn Wright, playing a boy band member.

Adam Goecke, a third-year in chemical engineering and the group’s vice president of acting, said the show will consist of four Backstreet Boys-themed sketches as well as a number of unrelated sketches handpicked by the seniors.

“We’re getting a lot of old sketches that are important to the graduating members and are genuinely a lot of our best sketches,” Goecke said.

Goecke said that though he will miss the departing members, he is excited for the club’s future.

“It’s a really cool transition now because it’s the last show for founding members,” Goecke said. “It marks a distinct transition of the group into the next generation.”

Bradford Douglas, a third-year in film studies and the club’s vice president of writing, said he’s excited to send the graduating seniors off “in style.”

Both vice presidents said they are excited and confident about the group going into next year.

“We’ve had positive growth my whole time in the group. It’s gotten better in terms of quality and quantity of shows,” Goecke said. “Now it’s just gonna be in our — hopefully competent — hands.”

Goecke and Douglas each described the event as something students won’t want to miss.

“It’s your last time to see some of the best performers, writers and editors that I’ve ever gotten to witness,” Goecke said.

“Their talent level is iconic.”

The event will take place in the Ohio Union’s Great Hall Meeting Room at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free for all.

PLEASE RECYCLE ASHLEY KIMMEL | LANTERN REPORTER

Backburner Sketch Comedy during rehearsal on Feb. 19 at Enarson Classroom Building.

Douglas, a member of Backburner Sketch since spring 2017, added that it is hard not to feel sad about a farewell show.

“It’s bittersweet. All four of these peo-

ple have been in the club since I joined,” Douglas said. “It is going to be different without them, but I feel better off for having known them.”

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CASEY CASCALDO | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State then-redshirt sophomore linebacker Tuf Borland (32) takes down Maryland then-redshirt freshman running back Anthony McFarland (5) on Nov. 17. Ohio State won 52-51.

Thursday, April 18, 2019 | The Lantern | 9

CASEY CASCALDO | PHOTO EDITOR

CASEY CASCALDO | PHOTO EDITOR

JACK WESTERHEIDE | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN

Ohio State then-sophomore offensive lineman Thayer Munford (75) prepares for a play in the third quarter of the game against Michigan State on Nov. 10. Ohio State won 26-6.

Ohio State then-redshirt sophomore tight end Luke Farrell (89) carries the ball downfield in the fourth quarter of the game against Minnesota on Oct. 13.

Ohio State won 30-14.

Ohio State redshirt freshman quarterback Matthew Baldwin (12) looks to throw a pass during the 2019 Spring Game on April 13. Gray beat Scarlet 35-17.

frontrunner to who will earn the spot in the starting lineup.

Linebacker Likely Starter: Malik Harrison In Contention: Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Pete Werner, Teradja Mitchell, Dallas Gant The linebacker position was a talking point for many this past season, with Ohio State’s group seemingly faltering by giving up dozens of deep plays in the course of the year.

With new linebackers coach Al Washington, the position has a chance to be revamped, and so far senior Malik Harrison is the one who should be a lock to start come fall.

Redshirt junior Tuf Borland is still a likely starter, but with an injury keeping him out of much of the spring, there is a chance he can be switched out with junior Baron Browning, who has been playing middle linebacker in his place.

Still, the more likely scenario for Browning could be placing him in junior Pete Werner’s place on the outside.

Sophomores Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant are also in contention as some of the less-experienced members of the linebacker room that hold loads of potential.

The entirety of the starting linebackers group is back from a season ago, but because it was not necessarily a strong point, there is still plenty for Washington to experiment with before making a decision in August.

Bullet Likely Starter: Brendon White In Contention: Jahsen Wint There will be a new position on the Ohio State defense in 2019, and it is yet to be seen just how much it will be used.

The “bullet” position, played by Jabrill Peppers while at Michigan under the name “viper,” is considered a linebacker-safety hybrid that was created by Washington for

this season.

With the position, the frontrunner was and still is junior safety Brendon White.

The position was seemingly built for his larger frame, and would allow someone like redshirt sophomore cornerback Shaun Wade to have more time on the field.

But don’t count out redshirt junior Jahsen Wint. After failing to win a starting role in 2018, eventually being almost completely replaced by White, Wint has been named as a candidate for the new position.

His chances may have been helped after a two-interception performance in the Spring Game, and if he continues to show progress, maybe White would retain his traditional safety spot alongside senior Jordan Fuller.

Nothing is set in stone, so while White has a firm hold over Wint, performances like the one from Saturday could add up and help Wint make progress.

POSITION BATTLES FROM 12

Munford, being the only major returning starter from this past season, is expected to stay at left tackle. Redshirt sophomore Wyatt Davis seems locked into the right guard position, as does redshirt sophomore Josh Myers at center.

Redshirt senior Jonah Jackson, who will spend his final collegiate season with the Buckeyes after transferring from Rutgers, will likely take over at left guard, leaving one spot at right tackle to be won.

A pair of redshirt seniors will be vying for the spot: Josh Alabi and Branden Bowen, while former five-star, sophomore Nicholas Petit-Frere, continues to impress in spring and is making a run for the position.

In the Spring Game, with Munford injured and Jackson not playing, Day started Alabi at left tackle, Bowen at left guard and Petit-Frere at right tackle.

While it should be expected that all three will find time in 2019, there is no clear

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WOMEN’S TENNIS

Dormet, Fukuda share bond on and off the court ERIC AMERINE For The Lantern amerine.21@osu.edu Ohio State sophomores Luna Dormet and Shiori Fukuda cheered on their teammates together after winning their individual singles matches against Youngstown State. Dormet hails from Tours, France, while Fukuda is from Tokyo. But the two players are close friends.

Dormet and Fukuda were doubles partners for team matches against Youngstown State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. Individually, both have success, with Dormet having a record of 26-6 this season and Fukuda recording a 23-9 record.

The pair became close friends because of what they have in common.

“We have bonded because, besides for Isabelle [Boulais] from Canada, we are the only two international players,” Fukuda said.

Their international backgrounds have led to homesickness and other struggles that domestic players have not faced, Fukuda said.

“There are times where Luna misses her family and I am there for her and vice versa,” Fukuda said. “American players do not completely understand.”

Both have stated that they are quite close to each other. They text each other often, have celebrated each other’s birthdays and share cuisine from their respective countries.

“We cheer and are constantly there for

COURTESY OF OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

Ohio State redshirt sophomore Shiori Fukada celebrates a point during the Buckeyes’ loss to Duke at the ITA Indoor Championships on Feb. 8.

each other on and off the court,” Dormet said.

Both players’ portraits might be side by side on the official website roster, but their journeys to Ohio State could not be further apart.

Fukuda started playing tennis competitively at age 7 in Japan, and went through a dark period at age 18 that made her ques-

tion playing tennis competitively.

“There were a lot of times when it was hard, but one moment specifically was when I was 18,” Fukuda said. “When I was 15 and 16, I was always a top-five high school tennis player in Japan. I stopped winning as much, and over time it had become a really tough time for me.”

The pressure of her coach’s expectations,

the constant grind of the game and uncharacteristic losses were getting the best of Fukuda.

“Everyone’s expectations were quite high, and I was losing,” Fukuda said. “I began to question myself. I was not confident in my game. I almost lost the drive.”

However, she battled through her lack of confidence and committed to Ohio State, which Fukuda said provided the best mix of education and athletics.

So far, Fukuda has found success both on and off the court for the Buckeyes. On top of being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Fukuda was also named Academic All-Big Ten and first team All-Big Ten in 2018.

Dormet started playing tennis at a later age and grew up playing soccer in France.

She became interested in tennis from outside the court.

“One time, I was at my friend’s and we played Wii tennis,” Dormet said. “I have loved tennis since.”

Dormet, unlike Fukuda, has not experienced an adverse moment in her tennis career.

“I started pretty late. I noticed I could improve a lot, so there were no bad times,” Dormet said. “I just kept working on my game.”

Ultimately, the two hope to celebrate a Big Ten and national championship together, which with an 8-1 record in conference play and a No. 18 ranking in the ITA Top 25, could be a possibility.

Puzzles

Answer Key for April 16:

Across 1. Afro 5. Ims 8. Asti 12. Cheer 13. Edit 14. Iton 15. Noels 16. Macs 17. Mare 18. Nyse 19. Fish 20. Atime 21. Alot

23. Ignored 25. Caesar 28. Agua 29. Mikes 30. Cant 31. Lie 34. Odes 35. Brink 37. Sats 38. Ned 39. Bled 40. Strap 41. Cups 42. Meekly

43. Parader 47. Deep 48. Elate 49. Oral 51. Opts 55. Alit 56. Ivan 57. Gnash 58. Rosy 59. Lens 60. Ricky 61. Lyes 62. LSD 63. Rtes

Down 1. Ahoy 2. Fees 3. Releases 4. Ors 5. Idas 6. Michigan 7. Sts 8. Aimto 9. Stair 10. Torme 11. Ineed 12. CNN 13. Emit

19. For 20. Anat 22. Las 24. Gunk 25. Cmon 26. Aide 27. Eked 28. Acids 31. Lark 32. Ital 33. Espy 35. Blue 36. Reproves 37. Steponit

39. BCDE 40. See 42. Mel 43. Pearl 44. Alloy 45. Raise 46. Attys 47. Dans 50. Rand 52. Pace 53. Tsks 54. Shy 56. ill 57. Grr

Across

1. Old Glory, e.g.

5. Yank’s foes 9. Concordes (abbr.)

13. Actor Auberjonois 14. Outer wrap 15. Ruby, e.g.

16. Escapist’s behavior 18. Join as one 19. ____ many words (2 wds.)

20. Hades 22. Cat’s sound 23. Hula-____ 26. Superman’s gal Lane 28. Hawthorne’s “The ____ Letter” 31. For goodness ____!”

34. Yahoo! rival 35. Rogen et al.

37. Fictional Marner 39. Small fly

41. Gilbert and Teasdale 43. Explorer Marco 44. Gypsy’s card 46. Company letterhead items 48. Close friend 49. Race with batons 51. Acted properly 53. Union fees 55. Settee 56. Air-rifle ammo 59. Afternoon rests 61. Dane of “The Last Ship” 64. Word on a campaign poster 66. Paints the town red (3 wds.)

70. Caesar’s garments 71. “That makes sense now!” (2 wds.)

72. Napoleon’s exile island 73. Moved through water 74. Layer 75. Chair part

Down

1. Lobster ____ Diavolo 2. Jeansmaker Strauss 3. Soon 4. Far East hostess 5. Zenith rival (abbr.)

6. Long period 7. Johann Sebastian ____ 8. Stainless 9. Mem. of Congress 10. Sink or ____ 11. Head (Fr.) 12. Large amount 15. Roberts & Louis-Dreyfus 17. Entrance and exit 21. Part of L.A. 24. Bullfight “rahs” 25. Blossom part 27. CD player problem 28. Detecting device 29. ____ Boothe Luce 30. Pulsate

32. Marry clandestinely 33. Tossed ____ 34. Ten-percenter (abbr.)

36. Wise guys 38. Fa’s follower 40. Made known 42. District in London 45. Jeers 47. Bank boxes 50. Favorable vote 52. Diversifies 54. ____ pea soup 56. Plays the horses 57. Puff 58. Nintendo competitor 60. Senor’s emphatic affirmative (2 wds.)

62. “____ keep!”

63. Havana’s cpuntry 65. Rotating engine part 67. Victory signal 68. Racket or musket finish 69. Touch gently

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Why not Wyatt?

Thursday, April 18, 2019 | The Lantern | 11

Wyatt Davis leads new group of starters on Ohio State offensive line ANDY ANDERS Senior Lantern reporter anders.83@osu.edu Offensive guards don’t typically block defensive ends.

But asked after the Spring Game who on the offensive line is making the biggest impression, Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young pointed to redshirt sophomore offensive guard Wyatt Davis.

“I think Wyatt, right now, is the leader of our O-line,” Young said.

“He calls the shots, has the most respect. Definitely, Wyatt Davis is the big dog on O-line.”

It appears Davis is emerging as a leader up front and impressing his teammates, even at a distance.

Ohio State’s offensive line needs leaders. Four starters are gone from this past season, including two All-Big Ten selections in offensive tackle Isaiah Prince and center Michael Jordan.

Young’s been a driving force behind Davis’ emergence as a leader up front. The two exchange occasional good-natured trash talk, motivating each other before drills.

“Me and Chase have this thing where we go back-and-forth, talking, messaging to each other before practice,” Davis said. “I hate losing to the defense during practice, so I definitely had to come up and be vocal.”

Davis entered Ohio State as a five-star recruit, but offensive linemen rarely start their first season at the collegiate level. Jordan is the lone exception during Urban Meyer’s seven-year head coaching tenure at Ohio State.

Davis closed 2017 with a redshirt, and hovered near the twodeep in 2018 before enduring a trial by fire after injuries to offensive guards Brady Taylor, Branden Bowen and Demetrius Knox.

His first career start came in the

CASEY CASCALDO | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State then-redshirt freshman offensive lineman Wyatt Davis (52) looks to block a Husky in the first half of the the Rose Bowl Game featuring Ohio State and Washington in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1. Ohio State won 28-23.

Big Ten Championship against Northwestern.

“I think Wyatt, right now, is the leader of our O-line. He calls the shots, has the most respect.

Definitely, Wyatt Davis is the big dog on O-line.”

CHASE YOUNG Ohio State junior defensive end

That’s more experience than most in the Buckeyes’ hampered offensive line room. Enough that

he’s the clear choice to start at right guard in 2019.

“Last year, I would probably say I felt like a young guy, but going into my third year in this, I feel like me and Josh [Myers], and a couple of the older guys need to step up,” Davis said. “Pave the way for all the young guys that came in.”

Myers, a redshirt sophomore center, is another projected starter. Center is a position that often calls for a vocal leader along the offensive line, usually the player to set pass protections and communicate blitz pickups.

Davis is a fan of Myers’ development in that area.

“Josh has done a great job being vocal this year too. You can really see it with how he carries himself,” Davis said. “He’s a lot

more confident in everything he does, and that confidence, it rains through the whole unit.”

Head coach Ryan Day called the offensive line his greatest concern in his press conference immediately following the Spring Game. Understandable, given the departures and overall lack of experience.

Meanwhile, Young said the defense “dominated” the offense in spring practice, something Davis has been hearing in his ear for almost two months.

It gave Davis and Myers a sense of urgency to get the position group where it needs to be, and it’s led to their emergence as leaders.

“We need to regroup, watch the film, work hard in the summer workouts, try to strive to get bet-

ter each day, and as it gets closer to football season, really perfecting our craft,” Davis said.

Davis believes his limited reps won’t hinder his leadership ability.

“Even though we don’t have all the game experience, I still feel like we can go out on that field and lead,” Davis said.

Raising your voice to dictate scheme doesn’t require game experience. Being there when a newer player to the program asks a question, helping along and setting an example can all be done without game experience.

And Davis said he wants to be there when the younger players need him, including redshirt freshman offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa wants his veterans to know all five line positions, making it easier to assist younger athletes with the playbook. Davis learned tackle quickly, allowing him to help Petit-Frere, who is in competition to start at right tackle beside him.

“If he ever has a question about what to do on a play, I’ll be able to help him,” Davis said.

Improvements are already being made under Davis’ leadership. Ohio State returns far greater depth on its defensive line, with three 2018 starters and a number of role players back for another season in Columbus.

With a young offensive front facing off with a tested group at defensive line, players either get better or get beat.

Young believes the former is happening.

“Every day the whole D-line goes out, and we try to make the O-line better,” Young said.

“We’ve definitely seen improvement from the beginning of spring until now.”

VOLLEYBALL FROM 12

RIS TWIGG | FORMER ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State then-junior setter Sanil Thomas (3) sets the ball to then-redshirt junior middle blocker Blake Leeson (11) during the Buckeyes’ 3-1 win against Loyola on March 29, 2018.

“When I first came, I was bottom of the barrel, just kind of doing whatever, whatever role I needed to help with the team,” Thomas said.

During that time, which included two national championship runs in 2016 and 2017, Thomas spent a lot of time learning and practicing with Blough.

Thomas said this time was invaluable to his growth as a player, a person and a student, considering Blough was balancing volleyball with a biomedical engineering degree.

“He’s probably one of the smartest guys I’ve ever met, on the court and off the court,” Thomas said.

“We always roomed together on every road trip, so I could kind of see how he dissected the game, how he looked at things and how he prepared for every game. It definitely helped me out a lot.”

When Thomas finally got the chance to step into the starting setter role for the Buckeyes during his junior season, he did not disappoint.

His 1,309 assists and 216 digs in 2018 are both top 20 single-season records for Ohio State. Those numbers and Thomas’ leadership helped the Buckeyes reach the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

Hanson said Thomas’ ability to do exactly what the team needs, whether it is a key dig, a perfect set or a critical ace, has been a cornerstone of his career at Ohio State.

“He’s just done great things for us in whatever role we call on him to do,” Hanson said.

This season, the Buckeyes were hoping to build on last year’s success and continue the excellence

achieved in recent years, but injuries to key pieces, including Thomas, created a lot of disappointment.

Thomas sat for 12 matches with a right-hand injury he sustained late January while going up for a block in practice. Thomas said this season taught him to value every time he gets a chance to step on the court, whether in a match or practice.

Despite a long list of accolades and awards, Thomas’ gratitude for the ability to play the game he loves with the people he loves is what Hanson said will mark Thomas’ legacy at Ohio State.

“Sanil has been just a wonderful Buckeye,” Hanson said. “He just wants to do his best for the team and that’s what Sanil has always been about: What’s best for the team and what’s best for the program.”

Thomas will always want to win and will always be a winner, but it’s the relationships that matter most to him.

“At the end of the day when you look back at it, you’re not going to be like, ‘Oh, my team only lost two games. My team only lost four games,’” Thomas said. “Obviously winning the national championships, that’s amazing, but I had a blast with [my teammates]. Those guys are probably my closest friends. Spending so much time with them, just the camaraderie that we had, that’s bigger than winning the national championship.”

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Walk-on to national champion Sanil Thomas reflects on Ohio State career

CALEB EWING Lantern reporter ewing.279@osu.edu Sanil Thomas seemed to fall into Pete Hanson’s lap.

In spring 2015, the Ohio State head coach was in Chicago watching top recruit Jake Hanes play in a tournament for Ultimate Volleyball Club, the same club Thomas played for. While Hanson was watching Hanes, Keith Kujawa, the club’s assistant director, came over and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Just the camaraderie that we had, that’s bigger than winning the national championship.”

SANIL THOMAS Ohio State senior setter

“He said, ‘There’s this kid whose dream is to play volleyball at Ohio State. Will you come watch him?’” Hanson said. “So I walked over there, and the coach pointed Sanil out, and after a little while I was like, ‘Hey, this kid can really play volleyball.’”

Hanson’s attendance made Thomas curious.

“I saw a guy with an Ohio State jacket

ALIYYAH JACKSON | SPORTS DIRECTOR

Then-junior setter Sanil Thomas sets the ball during the second set of No. 3 Ohio State’s match against No. 8 Penn State on Jan. 28, 2018 in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes defeated the Nittany Lions in straight sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-17) to pick up their fifth win of the season.

and everything, and I was just like, ‘This is interesting,’” Thomas said. “‘This might be my shot.’”

As Thomas was leaving the facilities after the tournament concluded, he received a voicemail from his coach informing him

to return to the court immediately. Thomas called him back curiously and his coach gave him some good news.

“He was just like, ‘How would you like to be a Buckeye?’” Thomas said. “I said, ‘I think I’d like that very much.’”

Since that point, Thomas has continued the legacy of the Ohio State setters before him.

As a three-time scholar-athlete, 2018 First Team All-Conference member and two-time national champion, most people are unaware that what perhaps best defines Thomas’ decorated Ohio State career: He was a walk-on.

As a high school senior, Thomas wasn’t receiving the recruiting buzz he would’ve liked.

“My journey here wasn’t very conventional,” Thomas said. “I wasn’t really heavily touted or heavily recruited or anything like that.”

His plan was to walk onto a team, whichever one would give him a chance, and Ohio State was No. 1 on his list. He’d applied and been accepted to the Fisher College of Business but hadn’t been able to earn any interest from the men’s volleyball program.

He finally gained interest after that day in Chicago, beginning his Ohio State journey the next season.

Thomas began his career as a Buckeye on the bench for two seasons, playing backup for junior setter Christy Blough, who totaled 1,232 assists during the 2016 championship season. Blough finished his career with 4,280 assists, ranking No. 5 in program history.

With Blough in front of him, Thomas never expected to touch the court.

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Quarterbacks, shifting linebackers highlight position battles 30

BRENDON WHITE JAHSEN WINT

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MALIK HARRISON TUF BORLAND BARON BROWNING PETE WERNER TERADJA MITCHELL DALLAS GANT

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THAYER MUNFORD JONAH JACKSON JOSH ALABI

JOSH MYERS

BRANDEN BOWEN

TIGHT END WYATT DAVIS

NICHOLAS PETIT-FRERE

LUKE FARRELL RASHOD BERRY JEREMY RUCKERT

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JUSTIN FIELDS MATTHEW BALDWIN

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With the Spring Game over, Ohio State heads into the summer with plenty of areas already decided.

Junior J.K. Dobbins is solidified as the starting running back, while redshirt senior K.J. Hill and seniors Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack are at the top of the wide-receiving core.

On the defensive side, junior Chase Young and senior Jonathon Cooper are firmly coming in as the starting defensive ends with sophomore Tyreke Smith, sophomore Tyler Friday and freshman Zach Harrison backing them up.

But there are still plenty of positions that Ohio State will need to have decided prior to Aug. 31, when the Buckeyes open their season against Florida Atlantic.

Quarterback Likely Starter: Justin Fields In Contention: Matthew Baldwin While sophomore Justin Fields holds a sizable advantage in this “battle,” the quarterback competition between him and redshirt freshman Matthew Baldwin is yet to be decided.

Throughout the spring and following the Spring Game, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has not given anything away as to which quarterback is in the lead, saying he will have to look at completion percentages throughout practice to get an answer.

But Fields spent much of his practice time with the first team, earning the “start” in the Spring Game for Team Gray. In the start, Fields completed 4-of-13 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, while also running for 38 yards and a score.

Baldwin played for both Gray and Team Scarlet, combining for 246 yards, completing 20 of his 36 pass attempts and throwing a pair of touchdowns and interceptions.

Not from what’s been said, but has been shown, signs

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WYATT CROSHER Assistant Sports Editor crosher.1@osu.edu

OHIO STATE POSITION BATTLES ILLUSTRATION BY KELLY MEADEN | DESIGN EDITOR

are pointing toward Fields earning the spot.

Tight End Likely Starter: Luke Farrell In Contention: Rashod Berry, Jeremy Ruckert While the tight-end position had been a blocking-heavy position for all of Urban Meyer’s tenure as head coach, the position has an opportunity to change under Day. That said, it appears that redshirt junior Luke Farrell is leading the pack among the group. Farrell was the starter in 2018, but that does not mean redshirt senior Rashod Berry will be held off the field.

It seems that Ohio State will implement two tight-end sets more this upcoming season, which would bring in Berry, who has shown a strength in run-blocking.

For more of a receiving threat, sophomore Jeremy Ruckert will be the option, who has gotten reps at H-back this spring. But only time will tell how much Day will bring him in instead of the two veterans ahead of him.

Offensive Line Likely Starters: Thayer Munford (LT), Jonah Jackson (LG), Josh Myers (C), Wyatt Davis (RG) In Contention: Josh Alabi, Branden Bowen, Nicholas Petit-Frere (RT) With junior Thayer Munford out this spring due to injury, there has been an opportunity for offensive line coach Greg Studrawa to move around some of his players to get the best five on the field.

POSITION BATTLES CONTINUES ON 9