THE LANTERN
The independent student voice of Ohio State University since 1881.
Michigan Bar receiving free legal representation over ‘Buckeye Tears’ Beer
Ally Wolfe Campus Senior Writer
Ohio State’s trademark challenge over an Ann Arbor bar’s beer, named “Buckeye Tears,” can only work if the university sells its own brand of beer.
That is among the arguments filed on behalf of the Michigan bar, known as The Brown Jug, by a pair of attorneys who say they’re proud to offer their services free of charge.
The Brown Jug applied on Aug. 19, 2024 to trademark Buckeye Tears for beer and liquor. The university filed opposition documents Aug. 27 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, arguing the name could confuse consumers into thinking Ohio State endorsed the product or was connected to it, per prior Lantern reporting.
Trademark lawyers Todd Gregorian and Eric Ball from Fenwick & West law firm took on the defense and are representing The Brown Jug pro bono.
“It seems to be a case where Ohio State is once again, being overly aggres sive about trademark rights in a way that doesn’t really serve consumers,” Gregorian said. “Core to that here is the idea that no one’s really confused about thinking that Ohio State is selling ‘Buckeye Tears’ beers. They would never do that, right?”
“The Brown Jug’s Buckeye Tears mark is not likely to cause confusion with Ohio State’s marks,” the legal team wrote in their opposition. “The Brown Jug’s beer and spirits are unrelated to the goods and/or services designated by Ohio State’s purported Buckeyes mark. The parties use distinct channels of trade for their respective goods, and they sell to sophisticated and distinct purchas-
In the same court filing, The Brown Jug mentioned other examples of liquor and beer brands with “buckeye” in the name, including nine photos of “buckeye” alcohols as evidence they are not synonymous with Ohio State.
Ball said in addition to supporting the Michigan side of the rivalry, they chose to take this case based on First Amendment precedents.
“The Supreme Court has overruled a number of statutes recently on the basis of, if someone is making this claim and saying ‘I don’t like you using this trademark because it hurts my ego, or its scandalous, or I just don’t like it’ opposed to ‘it’s creating confusion,’” Ball said. “That’s kind of what’s going on here.”
A tapline at The Brown Jug in Ann Arbor shows the beer Buckeye Tears on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. The name is the source of a trademark dispute with Ohio State, spurring a bit of a surge among Michigan fans to seek the beer out.
Gregorian, a 2004 University of Michigan Law School graduate and former patron of The Brown Jug, said he saw the initial articles about the story and was happy to get into a fight “close to home,” and advocate for positions in trademark law that he believes in.
Ohio State Spokesperson Chris Booker said the university will let the trademark filing speak as the university’s comment on the case.
On Oct. 6, in papers filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Gregorian and Ball responded to Ohio State’s opposition of the trademark application.
Ball said ultimately, they are just there to give The Brown Jug the “strongest D-Line we can and we’re hopeful for victory” referring to both the bar and The Game, played on Nov. 29.
Niko Porikos, son of The Brown Jug’s owner, said in an email that the trademark situation has increased business for the bar and the support from the Michigan community has been “incredible.”
“We would like to thank the OSU lawyers for bringing such a light to our business,” Porikos said. “We’d like to keep the rivalry fun—as it should be, played on fields, in stadiums and arenas, not in courtrooms.”
JACKIE SMITH / MLIVE VIA TNS
CAMPUS
On page 1 On page 3
Buckeye Tears Beer legal battle.
Land Acknowledgements at Ohio State.
Getting to know your friendly neighborhood Block Watch, the minds behind the orange
Rayne James Lantern Reporter
They roam the University District at night, wearing orange and white jackets, on a mission to help keep students safe.
Called Buckeye Block Watch, these non-sworn patrols operate as the university’s extra eyes and ears in the off-campus area, escorting students home, reporting burnt-out street lights and overflowing trash, and calling police if they see a crime happening.
Doug McGrew, director of Central Campus Security Services at Ohio State, views the patrols as no different than protecting one of his own children.
“If it was our child, how would we, you know react? What would we do to protect our own children?” McGrew said.
“And we take that same approach with all of our students.”
Patrol members don’t have the authority to arrest those involved in crimes, but they can call Columbus Division of Police, University Police and the Columbus Public Utilities Department, to deal with crimes, broken lights and trash, according to Thomas Claypool, the operations manager for Block by Block — a security services company that helps provide personnel for the patrols.
The block watch members monitor the district each night from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. In addition to on-foot patrol, a vehicle drives around the area.
Although they cannot arrest people or carry firearms, the members have extensive training in topics like mental health responses, first aid and CPR.
Claypool and McGrew worked together to look at off-campus crime reports and when they most occurred to focus patrols, but also to increase their number. Following their analysis, patrols went from three days a week to a full seven-day span.
“When you look at the crime that is occurring and you look at the types of crime that is occurring and the times in which they occur, we take that information to determine where best to put those resources,” McGrew said. “So they’re out there every night, no matter what the weather is.”
The patrols are also out there to be a friendly and familiar presence for students.
“Truly what [Claypool] and his team with Block by Block are trying to accomplish, is establishing relationships with the students so that they know that [Claypool’s] team are approachable,” McGrew said.
A Buckeye Block Watch Truck pictured in 2021. The truck helps patrol areas around campus.
Ohio State twice updates university land acknowledgement policy following Senate Bill 1
meeting agendas and event programs unless they are factual statements directly related to the subject matter at hand.”
The page also states that this policy applies to “other statements by the university on controversial beliefs or policies pursuant to the provisions in SB 1.”
Elissa Washuta, program director of American Indian Studies and associate professor in the Department of English, said in an email that she was glad that the SB 1 Implementation Committee understood faculty concerns.
“I was glad that the SB1 implementation committee had taken another pass at the guidance, glad they understood that faculty have had serious concerns [and] appreciated that they wanted to get it right,” Washuta said.
Washuta said that land acknowledgement restrictions disproportionately affect scholars that work in indigenous studies, due to it being the only subject-specific area of restriction on the updated University Guidance page.
“As I see it, the most alarming problem with the restrictions is how much speech they could be applied to beyond what many people think of as a recognizable land acknowledgment, which, to be clear, I think we need to have the freedom to choose to say or not say,” Washuta said.
Washuta said that the revisions read as “articulating a commitment to respecting faculty’s academic freedom in the classroom,” which she called an improvement from the previous version.
Trevor Voigt Lantern Reporter
Ohio State has revised its policy regarding land acknowledgements in compliance with Senate Bill 1 after speaking with faculty leaders.
The university twice revised several areas of policy as a part of its initial round of compliance with the SB 1, a bill banning diversity, equity and inclusion programming on campus, faculty striking and requiring the publication of syllabi online, following its June 27 implementation.
Land acknowledgements are a statement that indigenous people and their communities were the original stewards of land occupied by land-grant universities, including Ohio State, according to prior Lantern reporting.
Prior to Sept. 29, university guidance in compliance with SB 1 said that “land acknowledgements should not be used in written class materials or stated verbally unless there is a direct tie to the subject of the course.”
However, the policy stated that Ohio State would “continue to engage in research, academic scholarship, conversations and opportunities to honor [state and university] history,” according to an archived version of the University Guidance page from the SB 1 Implementation Committee.
“After speaking to faculty leaders, we made some revisions to make clear that Ohio State remains committed to academic freedom and the university’s academic freedom and responsibility rules have not changed,” Chris Booker, university spokesperson, said in an email.
The revised policy now reads that “Such land acknowledgement statements cannot be issued on behalf of a unit, college, department, etc., or placed on university channels or resources such as websites, social media posts, signage,
“Sometimes it’s easier to just not say the thing at all than to do the work of figuring out whether it’s allowed, sometimes preferable not to risk being wrong in our assessment,” Washuta said. “The fear of repercussions can lead people to avoid open discourse about certain topics.”
Booker said that the guidance doesn’t categorically prohibit land acknowledgements, and is still aligned with the faculty rules on academic freedom and responsibility and the university’s philosophy on institutional and leadership statements.
Ohio State’s Newark Earthworks Center maintains a page regarding land acknowledgements and states that the page is only online as an archive of past grant work and that it “does not reflect The Ohio State University’s position and views at this time.”
The university center researches the cultures of midwestern indigenous peoples.
“The Native and Indigenous community at OSU is absolutely tiny—we are severely underrepresented, even compared to demographics in the state of Ohio— and I fear that the chilling effect will make us even more invisible than we have been as such a tiny minority group in such a large community,” Washuta said. “I am heartened that our colleagues are committed to our work as everyone figures out how we talk about that work in light of SB1’s prohibitions.”
The Ohio State University’s Land Acknowledgement has undergone two changes since the implementation of Senate Bill 1.
LANTERN FILE PHOTO
ARTS & LIFE
On page 5
Local clothing exchange this week.
Jack Antonoff’s modern legacy.
Banana Bar Crawl fills the bye-week blues with world record attempts on campus
Preston Shields Lantern Reporter
Ohio State students are no strangers to going bananas over the weekend, attending the bars surrounding campus for a night out with friends. On Saturday, students will give the phrase a new meaning — and potentially break a world record.
From 4 to 9 p.m., the Banana Bar Crawl will bring creative costumes and energy to the bars of Columbus, filling the void left by a bye-week without thousands in the stands of Ohio Stadium cheering on the Buckeyes.
During the event, the group will be attempting to break two Guinness World Records, one for the largest bar crawl ever and the second for the most people dressed in banana costumes at once, Aidan Tighe, co-founder of Banana Bar Crawl, said.
“A banana crawl is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. It really captures the college feel,” Tighe said.
Students are invited to forget their casual night-out attire and trade them in for a yellow banana costume.
The event is meant to allow guests a night dedicated to stress-free fun, all while trying to make history in the process, according to the crawl’s website.
The price of admission for the event is $30 and includes merch from the Banana Bar Crawl, along with a banana costume to be worn at the event.
The Banana Bar Crawl Group has hosted events across the United States and Canada. Since 2023, thousands of bananas have been crawling the streets of campuses, creating booze-filled memories.
This year, the organization’s tour consists of 80 colleges across the U.S. and are now making an attempt at world history on one of the largest campuses in the U.S. — Ohio State.
Partnering with several local campus bars — including Three’s Above High, Ugly Tuna Saloona, The Little Bar and more, according to their Instagram — Tighe said the event aims to be the largest banana bar crawl hosted by the international group.
A group of particpants from the University of Alabama’s Banana Bar Crawl. Photo courtesy of Aidan Tighe.
According to their website, honoring the expansive nightlife in Columbus is a unique experience and the organization is excited to take part in it.
The Library Bar, one of the oldest bars around campus, is excited for the opportunity to participate with the company and provide students with a good time during the bye-week, said Quinn Allen, the bar’s owner.
“It isn’t every day that you are going to see a thousand bananas walking throughout campus,” Allen said. “It’ll be great to see.”
As students walk around campus, Tighe said he encourages attendees to personalize their peels, specifically banana “jersey swaps” and written messages on costumes to set each apart from another.
Tighe said students can receive discounted drinks and prizes for completing different challenges along the tour, ranging from doing the worm to signing a stranger’s costume.
“It allows people to act in a way that they wouldn’t normally, and let go of any reason why they would not normally do something,” Tighe said. “We are all in banana suits, so we can be more open to trying things.”
Allen said many of the bars on the tour are in contact to ensure that the night goes smoothly, with the end goal of safety being at the forefront.
Students will still be held to the university’s alcohol consumption guidelines and will be asked to present ID at the entrances of each venue, per the Banana Bar Crawl’s website.
Tickets can be purchased online at the LineLeap website.
Circular Thrift to host Bexley Fall
Clothing Exchange Thursday
Gabriella Maciora Lantern Reporter
Circular Thrift will host its third community clothing exchange Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at The Gillman Group — located at 2472 E. Main St. — in Bexley, giving those interested in fashion and sustainability the opportunity to refresh their wardrobes, reduce waste and build community connections.
A less than 20 minute drive from campus, the event encourages participants to bring in gently used clothing to donate and exchange for other community members’ items, according to their Instagram page.
“This community event is a chance to refresh your wardrobe, reduce waste and connect with neighbors,” Circular Thrift said on their Instagram.
Lisa Goldsand, founder of Circular Thrift, said the organization partners with local businesses to make each exchange possible.
Though the clothing exchange is open to all community members, Goldsand said the primary focus is on providing the opportunity for exchanging women’s clothing, particularly due to pressures on women to consume more to keep up with ever-changing fashion trends and expectations.
“The marketing world has done a much better job at targeting women than men in terms of making them feel like they need to buy things they may not need to buy,” Goldsand said.
Laura Oldham, chief operating officer of Circular Thrift, said in an email the events hosted by the organization are intended for all ages to make sustainability accessible to everyone.
“Circular Thrift is about empowering people of all ages and backgrounds to build community around sustainability,” Oldham said.
“Our goal is to give people the tools and inspiration to make a difference.”
Ohio State students weigh in on producer Jack Antonoff’s lasting impact on modern music
Siena Kessler Lantern Reporter
WhenOhio State students talk about the modern pop sound, one name comes up often — Jack Antonoff. From Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” to Lorde’s “Melodrama” and Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” Antonoff’s signature style has shaped a generation of artists and listeners.
His influence is a large point of discussion for students studying the business and production side of the music industry. Aanika Bhatia, a fourth-year in international business and president of the Music Industry Club, said Antonoff’s reach extends beyond the artists he collaborates with.
“He’s a songwriting legend and he has definitely paved a path for a lot of mainstream artists as a songwriter,” Bhatia said.
Bhatia said Antonoff’s style stands out because of his production’s emotional appeal and memorability.
“He does a lot with layering, focusing on that nostalgic sound,”
Bhatia said. “He did ‘We Are Young’ and ‘Some Nights’ [by Fun.] in 2012. Those are huge productions and songs for our generation that create that nostalgic feeling.”
Bhatia said Antonoff’s approach to lyricism has also helped establish what pop music sounds like today.
“His lyricism is more real and raw, so it encourages the audience to resonate with the artist,” Bhatia said. “That created this new genre of coming-of-age nostalgic pop with Lorde and even Taylor Swift [and] Clairo. All of those artists have that same emotional, bedroom-pop style.”
Tyler Schuerlein, a third-year in music and media chair for the Business of Entertainment Club, said it’s Antonoff’s ability to influence pop trends that sets him apart.
This is an excerpt of the full story. To read the rest, go to www.thelantern.com!
“We’ll arrange ahead of time with a local business to partner with us to let us use space either for free or very affordably, with hopes the business gets exposure in return,” Goldsand said.
Goldsand said each event is designed not only to promote sustainability, but also to create meaningful connections among community members.
“Our mission is to build a community around sustainable fashion by offering repeatable leadership solutions which a regular person could do in their own community,” Goldsand said.
Items not “adopted” during the exchange are still used to benefit the environment and the community, according to Goldsand.
“Most of what’s left over after an event is either donated to an organization serving the local community or to a national charity, like Goodwill,” Goldsand said. “National charities are part of the solution, certainly … even if we can afford to buy new, to circulate right where we live, that’s the first effort we should make.”
The last clothing swap hosted by Circular Thrift. Photo courtesy of Lisa Goldsand.
Jack Antonoff performs onstage with Bleachers during a concert at the Kia Forum on June 29, 2022, in Los Angeles.
DANIA MAXWELL / LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA TNS
The psychology of goalkeeping.
From ‘no names’ to game changers: Ohio State’s defensive line powering nation’s top defense
Jack Diwik Managing Sports Editor
Jack Sawyer’s strip-sack touchdown in the Cotton Bowl. Eight takedowns of Oregon’s quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the Rose Bowl. A defensive line that wrecked everything in its path and helped deliver a national title.
That was 2024.
Now, with starters Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton gone to the NFL, Ohio State’s new front, the “no names,” as Caden Curry calls them, is striving to write its own story.
The unit has totaled 14.5 sacks, one and a half more than last year’s group through the same span, and has recorded at least one in every game. Unlike the 2024 front, which rarely substituted its starters, this season’s defense has thrived on depth.
The Buckeyes lead the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 5.8 points per game, and have had seven different players record sacks.
“It’s been fun having that many pieces and that much depth,” first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said.
While production has been spread across the line, Curry has emerged as the face of the new group. His Week 4 performance at Washington turned heads, as he recorded three of his team-leading seven sacks and tied a school record with five tackles for loss.
The senior has had a sack in four of the last five games and plays with an energy that sets the tone for the defense.
“If we’re going to reach our goals this year and get to where we need to be, we need Caden to be the playmaker he is right now for us,” head coach Ryan Day said. “He plays with a high motor and just has a great feel for the game.”
Alongside Curry, defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson have combined for 3.5 takedowns, while interior linemen Kayden McDonald and Zion Grady have added four more.
Much of that disruption has come from Patricia’s creativity, with varied looks that have unlocked the line’s potential.
Patricia’s “penny” front, a scheme that lines up three interior linemen to control the trenches and two edge rushers to pressure from the outside, has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses. Linebacker Arvell Reese has thrived in the system, often lining up on the edge and totaling 5.5 sacks.
His blitz packages have freed up pressure from all levels, including from cor-
nerback Jermaine Matthews Jr., who recorded a strip-sack in the third quarter against Illinois that highlighted the chaos Patricia’s scheme creates.
“I think Matt does a really good job of changing up looks,” Day said. “The guys are believing in it, and that starts up front.”
Even with Patricia’s scheme spreading pressure across the field, the defensive line has remained the foundation, setting the tone with its physicality and control at the line of scrimmage.
Much of the group has been together for at least a season and learned from last year’s elite front.
“We saw the great defensive line last year, and we just learned every day off of them,” Curry said.
While the new-look defensive line may not have the star power of last year’s national championship front, it is proving just as dominant. And those “no names” may end the year as household ones.
Ohio State senior defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (97) and senior linebacker Sonny Styles (0) celebrate a defensive stop during the game against Wisconsin Saturday. The No. 1 Buckeyes defeated the Badgers 34-0.
SANDRA FU | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR
When instinct meets pressure: The mind game of goalkeeping
Ally Wolfe Campus Senior Writer
Each time Molly Pritchard makes a mistake in the goal, she bends down and picks up a single blade of grass. She looks at it and holds it in her glove. After a moment, the blade is dropped and, with it, the memory of the mistake.
Goalkeepers spend 90 minutes of every soccer game focused on the field, directing defenders and knowing at any moment, it could be their turn to save the game. For them, the game is as much mental as physical. From trusting instinct to visualization, the mental side of goalkeeping is what allows the position to stand apart.
“You can go 44 minutes without any action, but then that 45th minute is the most important,” Pritchard, senior goalkeeper for the Ohio State women’s soccer team, said. “Having your brain turned on the entire match is the most important thing. If I fall asleep one time, it’s 1-0. We’re losing.”
Pritchard and former Ohio State goalkeeper Jillian McVicker, also a former Lantern reporter, both said in-goal decision-making comes down to instinct built through repetition, especially in high-pressure moments.
“I think of the worst so that I can be prepared for that banger shot, and in my head, I know I can save it and take it out of the 90, the corner,” Pritchard said.
McVicker, who played for the Buckeyes from 2012–2016, said the position demands fearlessness, and goalkeepers are often seen as “a little bit nuts.”
“We’re diving at people’s feet that have cleats on,” McVicker said. “This is normal. This is our normal Tuesday for us. You have to have this fearless mentality, right? You’re just, ‘I’m fearless, I’m confident, I’m going to get the ball.’”
McVicker said on the field, she tried to keep her emotions in check and be a leader, regardless of how the game was going.
“We’re perfectionists, right?” McVicker said. “Of course, we’re going to be our own biggest critics. But I think the biggest thing is, like, ‘how can I lift my team up immediately after?’”
Pritchard said during her first semester on the women’s soccer team, she struggled with letting mistakes affect her mental space.
“One mistake would turn into two, which would turn into three, which isn’t possible in goalkeeping, unless I want to lose five to zero and ask my offense to score six,” Pritchard said.
For many goalkeepers, it can be hard not to let those mistakes define them, especially when the position becomes such a big part of their sense of self.
When she was growing up, McVicker said her identity was tied to being a goalkeeper. When that did not go well, she was devastated. As time went on, she worked to remember why she started in the position and sport in the first place.
“I need to remember who I was when I was 12,” McVicker said. “Why did I choose to play this position? Why I chose this sport and just play because I loved it. Play to motivate younger players, and play to show that people can overcome adversity and still succeed.”
Every goalkeeper has their own reset. For Pritchard, it’s a piece of grass. For McVicker, it’s keeping an even mentality. Either way, the next stop will come, the next goal will be scored and the goalkeeper hopes to be ready.
Then-junior goalkeeper Molly Pritchard (1) guards the goal from Iowa University shots on Sept. 19, 2024 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Big Ten match between the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes ended in a 1-1 tie. Photo courtesy of Ohio State Athletics.
Ohio State senior Molly Pritchard (1) warms up in the tunnel before the game against Michigan Oct. 12.
MIKEY CAMPBELL | LANTERN PHOTOGRAPHER
3 MONTHS FREE
