The Lantern - January 18, 2023

Thursday, January 18, 2024

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Reinventing the meaning of “merit” in higher education

By Amani Bayo John R. Oller Special Projects Editor

O

hio State’s class of 2027 is the “best prepared, most diverse class ever” — as was every other class since 2010.

The university saw its first major increase in racial minority enrollment during the ’90s and early 2000s, as a result of a diversity initiative that would admit more students belonging to racial minority groups.

By 2010, the number of racial minorities increased every year, reaching its peak last year with racial minorities making up 27% of the school’s 60,046 total enrolled students on Columbus campus.

Even at its most diverse, Ohio State ranked fifth in the 2022 U.S. News and World Report’s comparing Big Ten universities’ ethnic diversity rankings with a diversity index of 0.47. The index ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating a more diverse student population.

These outcomes are a result of policies — including affirmative action — directly intended to do what Ohio State has been reporting for a decade: increasing diversity in higher education.

But now, in the wake of a June 29, 2023, landmark decision from the U.S. Supreme Court that effectively ended the use of race in college admission decisions, race-based affirmative action has ended in higher education.

This decision had the backing of 49% of Americans who believe race and ethnicity make admission processes less fair and take away from true merit qualities, according to a 2023 Pew research survey.

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CAMPUS

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But what exactly is merit?

And why do almost half of Americans believe affirmative action policies stand in the way of qualities that competitive universities rely on to recruit the best prospective students?

These are questions that many institutions, including Ohio State, who have relied on affirmative action to promote diversity in enrollment, must answer.

An examination of archived and current enrollment reports by The Lantern shows universities in states that long ago banned affirmative action, including Michigan, Texas and California, found ways to maintain and increase diversity among students.

Still, many universities, including Ohio State, have been reluctant to be interviewed given this critical period of reform.

Ohio State officials released a statement shortly after the Supreme Court ruling last year expressing a commitment to comply with the law. When asked about how admissions will move forward to pursue their diversity initiative without affirmative action, a spokesperson said university enrollment officials could not “accommodate an interview at this time.”

Although university leaders have chosen not to publicly speak on new policies while undergoing this transition, likely due to the threat of potential lawsuits, the question remains how institutions of higher education can lawfully still pursue diversity in enrollment.

Defining merit Webster’s Dictionary defines merit as “character or conduct deserving reward, honor, or esteem.”

Using this definition, the landmark decision concluded that race is not one of these characteristics.

“Many universities have for too long concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in his ruling.

Yet others, like Mayah Lubin, senior higher education equity coordinator for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law — a nonprofit civil rights organization meant to pursue equity for all races and ethnicities under the law — would beg to differ.

“Merit has historically been utilized as a weapon to exclude people of color not just from higher education but from other opportunities like employment,” Lubin said. “Affirmative action was put into place for the government and for our society to act affirmatively to ensure that there was equal opportunity.”

Ohio State students like Alec

dent of the Council on Minority Public Affairs, said merit is an American dream ideal that many minorities strive for despite systemic barriers.

“It’s all about just achieving that dream, and there’s inherent pressure that you have to do this and do this to be seen on equal footing as those that you have viewed as the ruling class,” Tam said.

Similarly, the end of affirmative action raises concern for other students like fourth-year Ariam Gabriel, co-president of the Council on Minority Public Affairs, who worry minority applicants from poorly funded schools will choose not to pursue higher education.

“I think it more makes me wonder what about those people who will now be disheartened to apply,” Gabriel said.

Now, the future of college admissions — and Ohio State’s minority enrollment streak — is uncertain in the absence of affirmative action.

Inside the case Students for Fair Admissions, a nonprofit group with over 20,000 members, was founded on the basis that “race should not help or hurt someone’s chances to be admitted into a competitive college or university.”

The group sued Harvard University and the University of North Carolina on this principle, specifically arguing that the use of race as a factor in competitive admissions at both schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The court agreed.

“Supporters of racial preferences in admissions prefer to disguise the practice with the words ‘affirmative action,’ which implies a benign helping hand, rather than the ugly reality of bias based on skin color,” the SFFA newsroom said.

Advocates for affirmative action reject the idea that the policy offers unfair preferences and instead consider it a necessary strategy to remedy systemic barriers to equal opportunity.

“Race had been considered as a factor of a factor of a factor,” Lubin said. “No one was getting into these institutions because they were Black, because they were Latin.”

Opponents of affirmative action criticized its policies for no longer serving its original purpose of rectifying discrimination. However, Cynthia Young, Ohio State’s director of African American and African studies, said its absence should not encourage the notion that such policies are not needed to remedy unequal access to quality education.

“If you have created all of these structural barriers to racial equity, the second you say that those barriers are gone doesn’t mean that everyone is equal. That’s not how structures work,” Young said. “[Some students] are a byproduct of schools in poorer neighborhoods, which historically have been those populated by Latinx people, Black people, et cetera. Their property values are worth less, which means that there’s less income generated from

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 that property to go to their schools.”

History of affirmative action Despite the rapid onboarding of equal opportunity policies during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, affirmative action has seen many days in court. Shortly after it was implemented, a 1978 case determined colleges could use race as a factor but could not use racial quota systems.

Over the years, the scope of affirmative action policies became narrower. In 2003, a case said the use of race in admissions decisions could be used to further “a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body.”

Like universities in Ohio, other large

public state universities have expressed commitments to promoting diversity in their student body. Unlike Ohio, some states have had to pursue this initiative without the support of affirmative action policies before the recent ruling.

Michigan banned affirmative action in 2006. Ten years later, Michigan State University’s total racial minority undergraduate enrollment was 20%.

Of this, about 7% of students identified as Black, 4% Hispanic and 5% Asian.

Today, that figure has jumped to 25.4%. Of this, Black students make up 6.51%, Hispanics 6.24% and Asians 8%, according to an MSU statistical enrollment report.

Although the state of Texas banned affirmative action in 1996, the University of Texas at Austin was the only public university to still consider race in admissions,

according to the Texas Tribune.

According to public records, 5% of the enrolled student population at UT Austin identified as Black, Asian and Hispanic in 1973.

Today, out of the 53,082 undergraduate students enrolled, about 53% identify as Black and Hispanic.

Many other factors play a role in promoting racial diversity in higher education such as state demographics. Lubin said affirmative action was not supposed to be the only solution to increasing racial minority enrollment.

She also said the differences in the student body point to systemic disparities in education rather than minorities cyclically lacking qualifiable merit.

“Affirmative action was a tool for our nation to act affirmatively to right systemic wrong. However, it was never meant to be a silver bullet,” Lubin

said. “There is a plethora of things that institutions can do to ensure equitable access, starting with recruitment.”

California also outlawed affirmative action in 1996, yet the UC Davis School of Medicine adopted a unique way to fulfill the interests of a diverse student body without the direct use of affirmative action.

Shadi Aminololama-Shakeri, chair of the UC Davis School of Medicine Admissions Committee, said in an email that in addition to academic talent, the UC Davis scale — famously known as adversity scores — contains factors for student applications including parental income, education and growing up in a medically underserved area. She said this strategy is crucial to recruiting the best talent.

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4 | The Lantern | Thursday, January 18, 2024

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “We believe the ability to overcome such obstacles is a reflection of grit, resilience, and commitment — as well as the ability to connect with patients from all walks of life — important qualities for the medical workforce needed in California and elsewhere,” Dr. Shakeri said.

UC Davis School of Medicine had decades to come up with a program that has earned them the title of most diverse and competitive medical school in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

“It requires a huge investment. It’s taken our team well over a decade to achieve these results,” Dr. Shakeri said. “This process has taken a large-scale institutional commitment, and it’s been a slow but gradual undertaking after affirmative action was banned in California.”

Ohio State’s diversity Hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, Ohio State officials released a statement expressing the university’s commitment to make immediate changes to comply with the law such as reviewing programs involved in race-conscious admissions.

“Any application question or line item requesting an applicant’s race or ethnicity was removed from all materials provided to application readers or other individuals participating in admissions decisions,” the university statement said.

Scholarships and programs intended to promote diversity and minority enrollment have now been put under strategic review to ensure there is no violation of the law.

“To allow programs to begin admitting applicants, work is ongoing to train admissions staff, finalize evaluation criteria and review scholarship awards,” the statement said.

“Revised evaluation tools, including evaluation rubrics, are being developed and must be approved before use in the admissions process.”

The programs intended to fulfill this commitment face structural changes as a result of the ruling. For instance, the Morrill Scholarship Program, known for offering students paid tuition for

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their advocacy in diversity, is said to be undergoing a critical period of reform following the ruling, according to program director Robert Decatur.

In 1975, minority student enrollment was 6.3% on Columbus’ campus.

Specifically, Black students made up 5.44% and Hispanics made up roughly 0.3% of the population, Asians 0.5%.

A 2023 statistical report shows that of the 27% of students of color on Columbus campus, Black students, Hispanic students and Asian American students make up roughly 8%, 6% and 9% of the student body, respectively.

For years, Ohio State has proudly reported its annual student minority population increase in enrollment announcements.

With the absence of race-conscious policies, many wonder if the same news

will be announced next autumn.

A look to the future Whether minority demographics will drop dramatically or increase is based on the qualities colleges and universities decide applicants should possess to make them deserving of admission. Young said this kind of reflection has always been the process for all admissions.

“I think if you actually thought about how admissions work, you would realize that the term merit is meaningless, or at least it is very open-ended because it sort of depends upon what values you have, right? Do you value having a campus where there are competitive athletes?” Young asked.

Regardless of the arguments made

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for and against race-based admissions, affirmative action was established to expire once America has rectified disproportionate access to higher education that hindered diverse enrollment.

Yet many can make the argument that this goal hasn’t been achieved today.

“Wouldn’t that be everybody’s dream that there were no need for additional policies? I think we all want that. However, a multiracial, equitable democracy is realized — work for it. It does not just evolve,” Lubin said.

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ARTS&LIFE

ON PAGE 6 Nine years, nine lives: Fishbowl Improv to host “superstitious” college comedy showcase

The Journal celebrates 50 years of spotlighting writers

COURTESY OF ISAIAH BACK-GAAL

The Journal’s managing editor, Isaiah Back-Gaal, at the Columbus Book Festival in July 2023.

By Anna Pichler Lantern Reporter

W

hile countless writers contentedly practice their art in anonymity, a literary publication can provide them with a platform, community and sense of empowerment.

The Journal, Ohio State’s student-run literary magazine, has been sharing authors’ diverse voices for just over 50 years. Established in 1973 by Bill Allen — a nonfiction writer and former faculty member in Ohio State’s English Department — The Journal will commemorate this golden anniversary in a forthcoming Friday issue, its website states.

Poet and Ohio State English professor Kathy Fagan, The Journal’s current faculty adviser and principal investigator, has witnessed and catalyzed much of the magazine’s evolution.

Fagan said she joined The Journal in 1989 under then-editor David Citino, who eventually asked her to assume his position. She accepted, inviting fiction writer Michelle Hermann to co-edit.

Fagan and Hermann found excellent associates in Ohio State’s burgeoning creative writing Master of Fine Arts program, which launched in 1992. Soon after, they realized The Journal could have a greater impact if student contributors were given more creative control.

“It gives them true career training,” Fagan said. “I mean, they will learn how to be an editor. They learn what it takes to publish a literary magazine.”

Isaiah Back-Gaal, The Journal’s current managing editor and a graduate student pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing, said working at the magazine has been equal parts surprising and rewarding.

“Editing this journal has really benefited me hugely as both an editor and a

a writer,” Back-Gaal said. “I came into this program with no background in publishing, and it wasn’t something that I imagined I would get into, but it’s completely changed my life, to be honest.”

Beyond master’s scholars, The Journal’s staff includes undergraduate volunteers as well as students enrolled in literary and publishing courses.

Fagan said staffers not only develop valuable editing skills but also find community with like-minded, passionate students — a special gift considering writing’s solitary nature.

“In order to get anywhere with your work, you need the help of other people,” Fagan said. “You need people to read your work. And so, writing a magazine is a way to give back to other writers what they’ve given to you.”

Fagan said The Journal was originally printed in a tabloid format, meaning its pages were roughly half the size of a standard newspaper print.

Now, The Journal is printed on a larger scale and circulated digitally, garnering immense acclaim along the way.

The Journal’s commitment to uplifting historically marginalized voices has only increased with time, Fagan said. Carl Phillips — a Black, openly gay writer whose book “Then the War: And Selected Poems” merited the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry — is one talent The Journal has highlighted in the past.

Mandy Shunnarah, a Palestinian-American freelance writer whose work will be published in The Journal’s forthcoming issue, said they feel excited to share their distinct thoughts and experiences with such a large audience.

“It’s really important to me to show [Palestinian] humanity through my art,” Shunnarah said. “And so to have literary institutions recognize that is deeply important to me.”

Throughout its 50 years of life, The Journal has grown and evolved in the face of persistent obstacles, Back-Gaal said.

“Running an all-volunteer journal has benefits and challenges,” BackGaal said. “We have such passion, like I said, and also such flexibility in terms of what’s possible for us. We have leadership that is constantly changing, and so that’s a challenge for continuity.”

Fagan said while she wishes student editors were financially compensated for their work — and that The Journal received greater funding from Ohio State — contributors’ steadfast dedication helps the publication thrive despite limited funding.

“It’s sort of marvelous that we’ve made it this far,” Fagan said. “Fifty years where the magazine doesn’t have a paid editor, doesn’t have an editor who’s there for the long haul, just little old me watching, way over here while I do my own job. It’s kind of amazing and remarkable.”

Going forward, Back-Gaal said he wants The Journal to engage with Columbus’ literary community on an even wider scale. Having participated in the inaugural Columbus Book Festival in July 2023, the publication’s staff is looking to host more in-person parties and writing workshops, he said To help advance this goal, local bookstore and publisher Two Dollar Radio is hosting a party in The Journal’s honor from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday. According to The Journal’s Instagram page, the event will include a live reading with Shunnarah and other featured authors.

Fagan said she is excited to celebrate The Journal’s storied past and bright future.

“I’m hoping that what David Citino, and Bill Allen, and Lee Abbott, and Michele Hermann and I built, I’m hoping that it will continue for another 50 years,” Fagan said.

More information about The Journal can be found on its website or Instagram page.

6 | The Lantern | Thursday, January 18, 2024

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Fishbowl’s Tides Improv Comedy Festival celebrates 9 years of laughter, gathers together comedy troupes from across the nation

By Avery Caudill Lantern Reporter

A

collaboration of improv groups from across the nation is hoping to spread some superstition at its upcoming showcase.

Fishbowl Improvisational Comedy Group, an on-campus organization dedicated to practicing the art of improv, is gearing up for its ninth annual Tides Improv Comedy Festival this weekend in the Ohio Union’s U.S. Bank Conference Theater. This year’s free event — scheduled for Friday and Saturday — is themed around the popular proverb, “A cat has nine lives.”

“Tides 9” will showcase 14 college comedy groups from across the country, Annamarie Jowanovitz, a second-year in psychology and Fishbowl’s vice president, said. The Humor Artists from the University of Notre Dame, 45 Kings from Loyola University Chicago and Plastic Shatners from Bowling Green State University are just three groups slated to perform, according to Fisbowl’s Instagram page.

“It’s a really good way to connect with other schools, and make friends, and get to understand other people’s perspectives on improv and how they improv and just learn and grow,” Jowanovitz said.

Ohio State representation at Tides isn’t limited to Fishbowl, Jowanovitz said. In fact, fellow on-campus comedy groups Backburner Sketch Comedy and 8th Floor Improv Comedy are also getting their skills ready for the weekend of performances.

George Worley, a fourth-year in biomedical engineering and Backburner Sketch Comedy’s president, said Backburner will be the only non-improv group at this year’s Tides, meaning its performers will showcase scripted and rehearsed sketches.

“There’s sketches that we’ve run before and we’ve added to them, and I would hope at least a certain amount of polish, but also because of the subjectivity of it all you never

know,” Worley said. “As compared to the other [performers], we seem like a new kind of people up on stage.”

Whether the participating groups are coming from a sketch or improv comedy background, cultivating learning experiences is a big takeaway of Tides as a whole, Natalie Knaggs, a thirdyear in computer and information science and Fishbowl’s secretary, said.

Mary Mahoney, a fourth-year in film and Fishbowl’s president, said nothing beats seeing fluid sketch and improv comedy at work.

“Everyone has their distinct styles of improv and even like short-form games and long-form formats,” Mahoney said.

“It’s almost like folklore, the way it’s

passed around, learning new games from people that come to the show.”

Whether attendees silently observe or overtly engage in the action, Mahoney said they will likely walk away with a greater appreciation for amateur comedy at large. Knaggs said this makes Tides an especially accessible festival for those new to the improv scene.

“It’s a really good way for people to get their foot in the door if they’re interested in improv if they’ve never been to an improv show before,” Knaggs said. “It’s a really interesting place to start because you get all sorts of different styles from all over the country.”

Jowanovitz said putting Tides together and organizing 14 comedy

groups from different colleges is a substantial task that takes a lot of diligent planning and organization, but with the help of Fishbowl members and other campus comedy groups, it’s going to be pulled off for a ninth year.

“We’re improvisers, so we aren’t used to planning things too much, so it’s tight and is always a whirlwind the weeks leading up with just all of that chaos,” Jowanovitz said. “And then suddenly the payoff of the moment it starts it’s like, ‘OK, we can relax now.’”

The free festival will run from 6:10 to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, in the Ohio Union’s U.S. Bank Conference Theater, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

AVERY CAUDILL | ARTS & LIFE REPORTER

Members of Fishbowl Improvisational Comedy Group warm up before a practice for the upcoming Tides Improv Comedy Festival, which will take place this weekend in the Ohio Union’s U.S. Bank Conference Theater.

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Thursday, January 18, 2024 | The Lantern | 7

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Ohio State takes first road trip of season for 2 top-15 teams

By Sara Sharp Lantern Reporter

N

o. 4 Ohio State begins road play this weekend with two monstrous matchups in Texas.

The Buckeyes (4-0, 0-0 MIVA) are set to face No.1 UCLA (4-0, 0-0 MPSF) on Friday and No. 13 USC (4-0, 0-0 MPSF) on Saturday as part of the First Point Collegiate Challenge at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.

Despite the strength of schedule, senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur said the team is excited to hit the road after winning its first four matches of the season at home.

“I’m excited to get out of Columbus for a little bit,” Pasteur said. “I’m ready to travel around and compete in other gyms.”

The Buckeyes finished their homestand undefeated, with wins over North Greenville University, Daemen University, St. Francis University and No. 17 UC San Diego.

The most recent victory over UC San Diego was the first match of the season in which Ohio State was pushed to five sets. Head coach Kevin Burch said it was a solid learning experience for the contests to follow.

“I just think it’s good to show how tough those matches are going to be,” Burch said. “We have to consistently keep adjusting and growing and adapting to what the other team is doing, so I think it certainly gets us ready for those high-intensity matches.”

The Buckeyes’ first “high-intensity” match will be against top-ranked UCLA. The Bruins have completed three sweeps this season, with an away game against No. 15 Lewis University being the only match to advance past three sets. Their other victories include No. 10 Loyola University Chicago, Fort Valley State University and Morehouse College.

UCLA’s offense is led by senior outside hitter Ethan Champlin and junior outside/opposite hitter Ido David.

Champlin also leads defensively for the Bruins, sitting at the top in sea-

AIDEN RIDGWAY | LANTERN PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior outside hitter Jacob Pasteur elevates for a spike in then-No. 5 Ohio State’s 3-1 win against St. Francis at the Covelli Center Jan. 8.

son digs. Sophomore setter Andrew Rowan is also a powerful facilitator for the team, as his assist number rests at 92 and counting for the season.

Champlin, David, Rowan and two other UCLA players were named to the Off the Block Preseason All-America team, and the Bruins are favored to repeat as Mountain Pacific Sports Federation champions.

Less than 24 hours after their UCLA matchup, the Buckeyes face off against USC. The Spartans also enter the weekend undefeated and will play No. 14 Ball State University on Friday prior to their Saturday match-

up with Ohio State. This season, USC has bested Fort Valley State University, Morehouse College, Harvard College and Lincoln Memorial University.

The Trojans’ offensive success is largely based on redshirt-junior opposite hitter Jack Deuchar and sophomore outside hitter Dillon Klein. Deuchar clinched a season-high 24 kills on .524 hitting in their most recent triumph over Lincoln Memorial University.

Klein returns this year after leading the team in kills and points in the 2023 season. Junior libero Austin Stuard facilitates the USC defense, posting 31 digs in their first four games.

Burch said he is confident in his team’s resolve and how it will fare in the ranked road rivalries.

“We’ve made some mistakes that having a home crowd helps you overcome,” Burch said. “So I think it’s going to be a whole different type of pressure and test that we’ll have on the road, but this group is pretty tough, and they’re battle-tested, [they’ve] been on the road a lot in their career. So I’m confident in what we have moving forward.”

The Buckeyes begin play at 5 p.m., Friday, against UCLA, with the USC matchup following at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will be streamed

SPORTS

ON PAGE 7 Ohio State men’s volleyball gears up for big road trip to face No. 1 UCLA and No. 13 USC

Bjork addresses Buckeye Nation for first time The new athletic director held his first press conference at Ohio State Wednesday.

By Lauryn Luderman Sports Editor

“Y

ou have my pledge that I will work hard every single day for the Buckeyes.”

Ohio State’s next athletic director Ross Bjork spoke in front of the Buckeye community Wednesday at the Covelli Center discussing his plans as he steps into his biggest role yet.

Bjork said it was important for him to fulfill the university’s mission: supporting the student-athletes and preparing them for life after college, helping the staff reach its full potential, and, most importantly, building upon the legacy that outgoing athletic director Gene Smith created.

“He’s always been accessible, he’s always been down to earth and that’s going to be my job to make sure that I continue that type of legacy here at The Ohio State [University],” Bjork said. “The people, the tradition, the excellence. I’m humbled and honored to be chosen to serve as the Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation [Endowed] Eugene Smith — that’s an honor right there — endowed director of athletics starting later this summer.”

Additionally, Bjork had high praise for Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day, with whom he sat down on Monday.

“Brilliant mind in the game of football, high-level leader, knows what championship football looks like — knows how to put all of those pieces together,” Bjork said. “Coach Day, he’s going to get it done and it’s going to be a lot of fun when we win those championships.”

Come July 1 and pending board of trustees approval, Bjork will become Ohio State’s ninth athletic di-

rector and will succeed Smith, one of the most prominent figures in collegiate athletics for over a decade.

Bjork said this opportunity is “surreal” and “what dreams are made of.”

Bjork was officially announced as the next athletic director Tuesday in a press release by new university President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., just 16 days after his tenure in office began.

Carter said though the process of finding a new athletic director began before he landed in Columbus Jan. 1, he was up to date with progress and was instrumental in holding final interviews and

making the official decision.

“That person I found — Ross Bjork,” Carter said. “Ross struck me as not only a leader but somebody who’s passionate about sports, somebody who is a man that’s been in the arena and experience like no other.”

As the current athletic director of Texas A&M since 2019 and with a son set to play football at Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas, Bjork said the decision to move wasn’t easy. However, when the job as the next Ohio State athletic director became available, Bjork said after many prayers and reflection with family, it was an opportunity he could not pass up.

“We kept coming back to this analysis,” Bjork said. “The bus for Ohio State athletics only stops maybe once, if any, and we can’t control that bus schedule — we can’t control when it pulls over and so the timing may not be ideal, but the stop is.”

Bjork said being the athletic director goes beyond everyday athletics. “ D r i v e

the everyday culture, develop your coaches and your staff to their full potential. Be involved in external relations and resource acquisition — all of it. From [name, image, likeness] to capital funding,” Bjork said.

“Student-athlete well-being and life after sport, we need to make sure we keep that in mind. And then we have to be teachers and educators.”

Bjork said one of the first things he wants to do is get to know the coaches and the sports. Once he’s taken the time to do so, he will evaluate coaches by what barriers or challenges they face and how they respond.

He said he looks forward to working with the entire athletic staff and coaches in what he called the “top” athletic department and a “championship brand.”

Already, Bjork said he understands what Ohio State means to the people who support it, which is one of the key aspects of what makes a Buckeye.

“I know that if you’re from this state, it doesn’t leave,” Bjork said. “This is a public trust. This program belongs to the people of the state of Ohio, and with that comes great responsibility to do it the right way, no shortcuts.

Period.”

A final note Bjork had on the football team is that they will “embrace high expectations.” He is already aware of the Michigan rivalry and hopes to put a stop to the Wolverines’ current 3-0 run, saying the team will be “ready and prepared.”

Bjork will work under Smith for the next five months before making the official switch. He said that because he still runs Texas A&M’s athletic program, he will be there often but hopes to make more appearances on campus and at Ohio State sporting events in March.

LAURYN LUDERMAN | SPORTS EDITOR