January 24, 2019

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2019

Braving the storm Students with mental health conditions search for class accommodations in a university riddled with personal biases

Title IX process could be illegal P3

P20

In-depth look at Ohio’s meth crisis P12

Maxwell enters transfer portal P16

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Journalism as a form of public service

LAUREN FISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Earlier this week, I had the chance to attend Alpha Phi Alpha’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Brunch, where we heard from Basheer Jones ­— a Cleveland councilman and grass-roots activist.

During his rousing, inspiring keynote speech, Jones talked of taking action by serving one’s community and standing up for what is right.

The topic of service has been weighing heavily on my mind recently.

I was lucky to attend a high school that preached service above all else. Some of my fondest memories were spent in the hills and hollows of eastern Kentucky, where my classmates and I helped to build homes, assist the elderly and care for damaged swaths of Appalachian land.

We listened as local residents told stories of a region plagued by injustice and inequality. We took a special “capstone” class on social justice during our senior year. We learned when to raise our voices

and when to take a step back and listen.

Service was a tangible thing — a goal measured by hours spent in a soup kitchen, protest signs made or bricks laid in the foundation of a new house.

When I first made the decision to enter the journalism field, I feared that those views on service were going to be compromised. When I left for college and joined The Post, I was quickly greeted with a new set of rules about public and political participation.

The Post, like most news organizations, is fairly strict in that way. Our journalists aren’t allowed to take part in protests or demonstrations, whether on or off campus.

We have rules about everything from posting political opinions online to participating in certain student organizations and signing petitions.

Those rules, however, don’t exist without reason. They’re in place so that our journalists can cover their community without ap-

pearing biased on the issues they report on.

As time has gone on, I’ve realized that journalism is a service in its own right — that you need good, solid reporting in order to expose injustices and give light to the issues impacting your community. Sure, you may not see a story about a county commissioners meeting or a report about a traffic accident and immediately think of it as a public service.

But the way I see it, the very act of informing those around you, giving a voice to the underrepresented and oppressed and holding the powerful accountable is a service to all.

Lauren Fisher is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University and the editorin-chief of The Post. Have questions? Email Lauren at lf966614@ohio.edu or tweet her @Lauren__Fisher.

Cover Illustration by Riley Scott

THE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LAUREN FISHER MANAGING EDITOR Maddie Capron DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Alex McCann ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Hill CREATIVE DIRECTOR Abby Gordon EDITORIAL NEWS EDITORS Sarah M. Penix, Ellen Wagner INVESTIGATIVE EDITOR Bailey Gallion SPORTS EDITOR Spencer Holbrook CULTURE EDITOR Alexis Eichelberger OPINION EDITOR Chuck Greenlee COPY CHIEF Laila Riaz ART ART DIRECTOR Abbey Phillips GRAPHICS EDITOR Riley Scott DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Meagan Hall DIGITAL DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Megan Knapp SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kate Ansel BLOGS EDITOR Georgia Davis DIRECTOR OF MULTIMEDIA Alex Penrose

POST

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OU changed its Title IX records process. Some experts say it’s illegal LOGAN MOORE ASST. NEWS EDITOR The sudden refusal by Ohio University’s legal office to release reports of student Title IX allegations against staff members is illegal, some legal experts said.

In December, university officials said the Equity and Civil Rights Compliance office, or ECRC, stopped providing reports regarding Title IX violations reported by a student. The changes came after previously redacted cases alluded more information to the public than intended, Carly Leatherwood, OU spokeswoman, said.

Previously, the public was able to obtain memorandums of finding, or MOFs. Now, the university will only supply a summary of the closed case and not a redacted version.

Frank LoMonte, director of Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, said nothing has changed in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA, that would require the university to change its process.

There are times when universities will argue they can’t provide the redacted version of the report because of the detail about the case, but it’s just a failure of redaction, LoMonte said.

The office can always further redact details about the individual complainant.

“If you’re writing a document that makes it impossible to redact for public release, then you’re writing it wrong,” LoMonte said. “You should be creating public records with the idea that you produce the maximum amount of information to be given as you can.’’

There is a balance between protecting students and the need to disclose information, Leatherwood said. If a claim against a faculty member is substantiated

by ECRC investigators, faculty are entitled to participate in a

Cutler Hall, located on College Green, houses the offices of the president, the provost and other senior administrative officers. (File)

robust process as outlined in the faculty handbook.

“This is a change in practice for the University, and it only applies to student cases,” Leatherwood said. “We will continue to release reports that don’t involve students.”

The new process does not stop a student from disclosing information to the public if they choose to do so.

LoMonte said he is skeptical that claims made by the university supporting the new process are actually going to reveal the identity of people. Cases involving Title IX violations require a great deal of inside knowledge about individuals within the college that the incident took place.

An example would be if an incident occurred on a trip with a faculty member and three peo-

“

Silencing the media is silencing the public.

Regardless or not (of if) you work for the press, what if you needed public information and it was your public right to have access to it? This is a fundamental First Amendment issue.”

- Eddith Dashiell, associate professor of communication law ple inside the department knew what students went on that trip, LoMonte said. Faculty members and associates would already be privy to the incident.

“FERPA speaks in terms of people who might not be familiar of the situation and would be able to figure things out,” LoMonte said. “If you have first-hand

knowledge, you have first-hand knowledge. It’s not the document that’s disclosing anything to you.”

Colleges are very fearful for being known as places where a lot of sexual violence takes place and many are taking steps to conceal that violence, LoMonte said. He suspects that the change was driven by a press relations

image concern, rather than any substantive legal basis.

Schools and universities, in general, have historically used FERPA to not release information that could be embarrassing from a public relations perspective, Eddith Dashiell, associate professor of communication law, said.

It’s difficult to make the distinction between records that are protected under FERPA and records that are not, Dashiell said. It’s still unethical and illegal to use FERPA as a protector when cases clearly do not violate student privacy.

A number of court cases in Ohio specifically state that investigative reports are public records under Ohio law and that FERPA does not prohibit the disclosure of those records in a redacted form, Joshua Engel, civil rights attorney at Engel and Martin LLC, said.

As for consequences, someone would have to bring suit under the Ohio Open Records Act and say the university is required under the act to provide as much of the redacted documents as possible, LoMonte said.

University policies cannot override the state’s open records law, LoMonte said. Withholding an entire document that should be released in redacted form makes the university liable under the open records act.

Dashiell said FERPA is ultimately designed to protect student education records. The problem is knowing when to define a record as it relates to education or not.

“Silencing the media is silencing the public,” Dashiell said.

“Regardless or not (of if) you work for the press, what if you needed public information and it was your public right to have access to it? This is a fundamental First Amendment issue.”

@LOGAN_RMOORE LM849615@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

delfin bautista’s removal as LGBT Center director was a mistake Editor’s note: delfin bautista uses they/ them pronouns and uses the lowercase spelling of their name.

Firing delfin bautista, the former director of the LGBT Center, Ohio University has lost a tremendous asset for the entire Athens community.

In my nine years of living in Athens, the LGBT Center has been a second home. I transferred to Ohio University as an undergrad in January 2003 and immediately sought out the LGBT Center and its surrounding community. I transferred to OU from a private Christian university in Kansas, where I felt unwelcome after coming out as queer. I needed support as I learned to accept myself as queer and, later, as transgender — and as I struggled to come out to my rural Kansas family.

I was eventually employed by the center for 2 1/2 years, and I served in lead-

ership positions in LGBT student organizations my entire three and a half years in Athens, starting as the treasurer of the Swarm of Dykes. The center provided the support and stability I desperately needed as I navigated several huge life changes.

When I arrived back in Athens in 2013 to study for my doctoral degree, I couldn’t have been happier to meet delfin bautista, who had just arrived in Athens a month before me. Under their direction, I watched the LGBT Center become more welcoming to students of color, trans and gender non-conforming students — those who most need the center’s support.

They strengthened connections between the center and academic departments, teaching courses with the WGSS department and speaking with classes about LGBT issues. delfin successfully organized the first

Athens Pride Parade and helped create a community LGBT coalition to support Athens and Southeastern Ohio residents beyond the university. I was thrilled to also encounter delfin at rallies, art events and marches to protest racism, to support international students — events not explicitly related to LGBT issues. delfin is not just an employee of the university but a valued community member who has invested much of their time and energy in making Athens a better place.

I know the importance of the LGBT Center for many of OU’s students because I was one of those students who needed it most. delfin brings so much life and energy to the center, to the university and to the Athens community.

I am appalled at the callous way that delfin was fired from their position without any regard for the students that delfin

serves. OU is making a grave mistake in removing delfin from this position, and in doing so, is making the students delfin represents feel unsafe, unwelcome and unsupported.

I urge Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Gigi Secuban and university President Duane Nellis to keep in mind those vulnerable students who delfin represented — queer and trans students, rural students, students of color and students who depend on the center for the support they lack from their families — as the LGBT Center moves forward.

The LGBT Center needs a strong voice from within the LGBTQ community who can advocate for those students, and there was no better voice to represent that community than delfin.

Elliot Long is a doctoral candidate in interdisciplinary arts at Ohio University.

SO LISTEN

Split of the two-party system MIKAYLA ROCHELLE is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University.

4 / JAN. 24, 2019

The United States’ two-party governing system is, for a lack of any better words, bad.

While Republicans and Democrats try to represent everyone, they don’t. About 39 percent of Americans identify as independents, or feel as though they don’t fall in either of the two major parties for whatever reason.

There’s a lot of gray areas in political ideology, so even the members of both major parties don’t necessarily fit the bill of their R or D to a T. So what gives? The two-party system is likely on its way out. This is starting to become clear in our contemporary two-party system. While it seems like all the fighting is done between the two parties, there’s a lot of fighting within the parties as well. It’s only a matter of time until the parties break up.

The Libertarian party and Green party exist, but really aren’t taken too seriously in our current political environment. Sure, they’re on the ballots in every election, but they’re never on the debate stage. There are many people who hold the opinions of those parties, but claim whichever major party they more closely align with – or claim independence, simply because the two parties are powerful in their own right.

The left may see a split between what is turn-

ing into the “progressive left” and “centrist left.”

The progressive left consists of ideals that historically have been considered socialist, or similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (though Sanders is an independent, his ideals align with that of the political left) platform from 2016, or the ideas that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is enacting. One of the strongest themes that can be seen in what Ocasio-Cortez stands for is raising taxes for the upper class in order to fund government programs such as free tuition to state colleges, health care and environmental protection. Similar themes were seen in Sanders’ campaign – both struck a strong chord with young voters and even increased youth voter turnout rates. This faction of the Democratic party is most likely the future of the Democratic party, but still, it is not representative of the Democratic party as a whole.

The centrist left of the Democratic party will be what we have thought of when thinking of the Democratic party in the past. Moderate Democrats that come to mind are the likes of Sen. Joe Manchin and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, the centrists are more likely to align with conservative values.

The split within the party has become evident that something will have to give in an effort for the progressive and centrists to break apart.

The Republicans, however, may see a three-way split into “Conservatives,” “Populists,” and “Conservatarians.” Conservatives will continue to be what we have come to know as “classic Republicans” — you know, like President Ronald Reagan.

“Populists” will be the party of Donald Trump. This new party will have a strong “America first,” isolationist ideology. Conservatarians will consist of people who are fiscally conservative but socially liberal – very similar to the Libertarian party. This new party will include a lot of young adults: most millennial Republicans already consider themselves socially liberal and fit into this category.

Anyone who lives in America can recognize how divisive our political system has become, and while a multi-party system at first may seem relatively more divisive, it can’t be given the fact that it fosters the ideologies of a broader population rather than two opposites bashing one another. If any sort of olive branch is to be found on Capitol Hill, the parties may as well come to terms with their archaic system and break up.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post.

Do you agree? Tell Mikayla by tweeting her at @mikayla_roch.

BLOGS

6 artists who can headline 2019’s TBT concert JONNY PALERMO FOR THE POST University Program Council’s Throwback Thursday concert is always one of the most anticipated events of Spring Semester. Over the years, several artists have graced the stage of Baker Ballroom including Metro Station, Shaggy and Never Shout Never. Even though we’re still a few months away from the concert, we’re already thinking about which artist might show up this year. Here are six acts that could realistically headline 2019’s TBT concert: SUGAR RAY Even though it’s the oldest band on this list, Sugar Ray has several hits from the late ‘90s and early 2000s including “Fly,” “When It’s Over” and “Every Morning” that college students remember lis-

tening to when they were younger. The band was prominently featured in the 2002 live-action movie Scooby-Doo, and it also went on tour with Smash Mouth and Uncle Kracker in 2014. Sugar Ray’s nostalgic, beachy vibe could draw a crowd large enough to warrant a show in Athens.

BOWLING FOR SOUP Who doesn’t get excited when a Bowling for Soup song comes on at a bar? Older college students grew up listening to Bowling for Soup on the radio at birthday parties and school dances. The band might be a little “too big” to stop in Athens, but it would definitely be a popular pick for TBT. CARLY RAE JEPSEN Although Jepsen came to prominence later than some artists on this list, her signature hit “Call Me Maybe” is already

seven years old. Jepsen could have more appeal to freshmen and sophomores who were likely in middle school when her music peaked in popularity. We’d love to see Jepsen bring a fun, lighthearted pop performance to OU.

Metro Station, who headlined the concert in 2016, the band is a one-hit wonder known for its chart topping single, “Hey There Delilah.” The band doesn’t have any tours scheduled for 2019, so scheduling shouldn’t be an issue.

OWL CITY Could Owl City come to OU for the TBT concert? The band’s signature song “Fireflies” topped the Billboard Hot 100 Chart when it was released in 2009, but it surged in popularity as an internet meme in more recent years.

The band also released a new album in 2018, so headlining the TBT concert could be a good way to promote its latest music.

CHAMILLIONAIRE Hip-hop artists are typically reserved for Sibs Weekend and Number Fest, but why not have one for TBT? His Grammy award-winning song “Ridin’’ appeared in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot R&B/HipHop Songs in 2006. The rapper released a compilation album, Greatest Verses 3, in April 2018; and similar to Owl City, the TBT concert could be a great opportunity to promote recent releases.

PLAIN WHITE T’S Plain White T’s would be a more subtle choice for the TBT concert. Much like

@HEEEEERES_JONNY JP351014@OHIO.EDU

8 thoughts about this year’s Oscar nominees GEORGIA DAVIS BLOGS EDITOR The nominees for the 91st Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning, and it’s already causing quite the discussion. As with every year, history was made and people were snubbed. But there are also achievements to celebrate in this year’s lineup. Here are eight thoughts about the nominees and what they could mean for the ceremony: IT’S THE MOST COMPETITIVE OSCARS IN RECENT HISTORY Whether it’s because the movies released in 2018 were good or they were mediocre, the level of the films seem to be of the same caliber. Right now, there is no clear frontman for Best Picture, and that’s because Roma, A Star Is Born, Green Book and The Favourite are earning various guild nominations.

Probably the most competitive category is that of the Lead Actress race. Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Glenn Close (The Wife), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) and Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?) are all nominated. The Academy should just roll the dice because there’s no telling who should win.

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR WAS SNUBBED Though it became one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time, the documentary about Mr. Rogers wasn’t welcomed to the Oscars. The film, which grossed more than $22 million, was received with critical and fan acclaim. But fan-favorite RBG picked up a nomination for Best Documentary Feature and Best Original Song.

BRADLEY COOPER ISN’T NOMINATED FOR BEST DIRECTOR Though A Star Is Born picked up eight nominations, Bradley Cooper was left out of the race. The already testosterone-filled category failed to recognize Cooper’s directorial debut but commended his acting and writing.

SPIKE LEE GOT HIS FIRST DIRECTOR NOD Lee has criticized the Academy in the past for its #OscarsSoWhite remarks, but it seems the voters are moving toward more accepting realms. The director picked up his first ever nomination in the Best Director category for his complex BlackkKlansman. That marks the sixth time in Oscars history

that a black man has been nominated in the category.

ROMA PICKS UP FIRSTS IN BIG CATEGORIES Also picking up a first is Roma director Alfonso Cuarón, who became the first director to be nominated for achievements in directing and cinematography. But Roma had a first that could define Oscars from here on out.

Roma earned Netflix its first Best Picture nomination, solidifying the streaming giant as a contender for the future. Roma was a risk Netflix was willing to take, but it was also a risk for Cuarón. It was met with high reward for both parties involved.

FOREIGN FILMS MADE PROMINENT MOVES IN MAJOR CATEGORIES Roma was also nominated for Best Foreign Film, but it was not the only film in that category to make major moves in other ones. Academy Award-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski picked up a nomination for Best Director and Best Cinematography for Cold War. The German film Never Look Away also scored a nomination for Best Cinematography.

BLACK PANTHER IS FIRST SUPERHERO FILM NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE When Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was left out of the Best Picture in 2009, the Academy expanded the category to include up to 10 films. That made it easier for popular films to infiltrate the elite group; and 10 years later, a superhero film was nominated.

Black Panther appealed to the younger body of Academy voters and its social impact propelled it into the Best Picture race. Though it might be far from winning the race, it’s still monumental that it received a nomination.

BEAUTIFUL BOY AND EIGHTH GRADE RECEIVED ZERO NOMINATIONS Almost shoo-ins for the screenplay categories, Beautiful Boy and Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade received no love from the Academy. The voters also neglected to nominate Timothée Chalamet for his poignant performance as a teen riddled with drug addiction. Hopefully the Academy will allow him to present one of the awards so we can still witness his impeccable style.

@GEORGIADEE35 GD497415@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

POLICE BLOTTER

Bird sets off alarm; customer calls pizza place MEGAN CARLSON FOR THE POST Well this is hawk-ward.

On Tuesday, the Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residential alarm on Jacksonville Road in Jacksonville.

Upon arrival, the homeowner stated that a bird had set off the alarm. No further action was needed, and deputies returned to patrol.

I’VE NEVER ‘HERD’ ABOUT THAT HAPPENING Last Wednesday, the sheriff’s office received a report from Congress Run Road about several rabbits, pigeons and feed that had been stolen from their property.

The case is still open. According to the report, if anyone has any information regarding the “unusual theft,” contact Deputy Mike Burba at the sheriff’s office.

WHAT A WEIRDOUGH On Friday, the sheriff’s office received

a call from Little Italy Pizza in Glouster after the staff received multiple calls from a customer with only television background noise audible.

Deputies made contact with the resident in Trimble, who said the call must’ve been a misdial and there was no emergency. They apologized for the inconvenience, and no further action was needed.

LET HIM IN The sheriff’s office responded to a report of a prowler in York Township last Wednesday.

Upon arrival, the deputies checked the residence and found an animal that had jumped onto a window ledge and had been “pawing at the screen,” according to the report. Deputies did not locate any other suspect and returned to patrol.

GHOSTLY THEFT The sheriff’s office was sent to Baker Road last Wednesday for a report of an attempted breaking and entering.

Upon arriving, deputies spoke to the homeowner who said she heard knocking at her door early in the morning. Later in the day, she said she believed someone tampered with her door. No evidence was found indicating anyone had tampered with the door, and deputies said they would increase patrol in the area.

The home is considered abandoned, and the owner is unknown. A trespass complaint was filed on the man found on the property. Possible charges are pending until the owner is located.

FUR-REAL? On Saturday, the sheriff’s office responded to an open door at a residence on Converse Street in Chauncey.

Upon arriving, the door was found open with a dog inside that appeared vicious. No damage was located on or around the door. No contact could be made with the homeowners. The door was re-secured, and a report was taken.

JUST HANGIN’ OUT The sheriff’s office responded to a complaint of a suspicious vehicle outside of Coolville on Friday.

The caller said a car had stopped along the road and shut its lights off, then a second vehicle approached and did the same.

The caller felt this was suspicious once both vehicles began to drive away “erratically,” according to the report. Deputies patrolled the area and had no contact with any vehicles. No other suspicious activity was reported of observed.

NO TRESPASSING Last Wednesday, the sheriff’s office responded to The Plains area for a reported burglary. A man was seen exiting the home and was detained at the scene.

@MEGCHRIISTINE MC199517@OHIO.EDU

NEWS BRIEFS

Protesters gather; search committee formed SARAH M. PENIX NEWS EDITOR PROTESTERS INTERRUPT ELLIS HALL OPENING TO DEMAND ANSWERS The ribbon cutting ceremony for Ellis Hall was interrupted Friday with protesters demanding answers for the removal of delfin bautista as the LGBT Center director.

About 15 students, LGBT Center employees and Athens residents entered Ellis Hall during the ceremony, chanting to “stand up and fight back” when queer students and the LGBT Center is under attack.

Carolyn Hunter, an outreach coordinator at the LGBT Center and speaker at the protest, said she felt the university was not giving them answers.

“We want answers,” she said. “We’re not getting dialogue. We are staff of the center, and we don’t even have answers.

You have left us with nothing but community members. You left us with students.

You left us with faculty. You left us with professors that all want answers and 6 / JAN. 24, 2019

there coming to us.”

OU President Duane Nellis said he agreed to open the dialogue and talk to the protesters but not during the Ellis Hall unveiling.

The protesters were removed by the Ohio University Police Department and remained in front of Ellis Hall. Hunter said the protesters came to protest knowing the Ellis Hall opening ceremony would be heavily mediated and would be expecting protesters.

ATHENS ACTIVISTS GATHERED FOR THE WOMEN’S MARCH SATURDAY Athens activists participated in a Women’s March in coordination with sister marches across the nation.

The march commemorated the first-annual 2017 Women’s March held in Washington, D.C. Kerri Shaw, a social work field education instructor at Ohio University, was the coordinator for the Athens Women’s March Planning Team.

“The 2017 Women’s March galvanized

this country and birthed a new wave of the women’s rights movement,” Shaw said in a news release. “That wave is taking to the streets, here in Athens and nationwide, and we’re coming with an agenda.”

The march began at the Scripps Amphitheater and carried on through cold temperatures and consistent rain. Free workshops were offered on naloxone training and distribution, self-defense, activism burnout, self-care and active bystander training.

Speakers included OU students, Athens residents and Iris Cooke, an 11-yearold environmental activist, who talked about climate change and how it affects the future. Other speakers spoke about topics including gun violence and mass incarceration and how it impacts women.

SEARCH COMMITTEE FORMED FOR NEW LGBT CENTER DIRECTOR Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Gigi Secuban announced Tuesday that a search committee has been formed

for the new director of the Ohio University LGBT Center.

The nationwide search is looking to recruit qualified candidates for the position after delfin bautista was removed Jan. 10.

Tyrone Carr is currently serving as the interim director for the LGBT Center.

Over the next few weeks, the search committee will assist Secuban in selecting a final group of candidates to bring to campus for interviews.

“The LGBT center is a critical part of OHIO’s diversity and inclusion efforts,” Secuban said in the release. “Through this national search, it is my hope that we will be able to open the center’s doors to broader elements of the LGBTQ+ community and provide critical and enhanced services and programming for the community and allies.”

@SARAHMPENIX SP93115@OHIO.EDU

CLASSIFIEDS

Spring 2019 Career and Internship Fair and Pre-Conference Pre-Conference

Saturday, February 9 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Living Learning Center 102/104

Career and Internship Fair Wednesday, February 13 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Baker Ballroom

Pre-Register through Handshake: ohio.joinhandshake.com

Ohio University’s Frontiers in Science Lecture Series Presents

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Monday, February 11, 2019 7:30 p.m.

Baker University Center Ballroom Admission is free, doors open at 6:30 p.m.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 7

A March for Women Despite rain, the Athens Women’s March on Jan. 19 drew a crowd

TOP: A crowd gathers at Scripps Amphitheater.

(EMILEE CHINN / PHOTO EDITOR) BOTTOM LEFT: Pete Wuscher stands in the rain among the crowd of protesters at the Women’s March.

(NATE SWANSON / FOR THE POST) BOTTOM RIGHT: Kerri Shaw, organizer of the 2019 Athens Women’s March, wears pins on her hat during the march.

(EMILEE CHINN / PHOTO EDITOR)

8 / JAN. 24, 2019

LEFT: Lori Boegershausen leads a protest chant from the steps of the Athens County Courthouse.

(ANTHONY WARNER / FOR THE POST) BELOW: Catherine Wadih gazes at the speakers leading the Women’s March in uptown Athens.

(NATE SWANSON / FOR THE POST) Marissa Owens watches the 2019 Athens Women’s March from across the street.

(ANTHONY WARNER / FOR THE POST)

delfin bautista, former LGBT Center director, speaks at Scripps Amphitheater.

(EMILEE CHINN/ PHOTO EDITOR)

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

Trustees approve future tuition increase IAN MCKENZIE FOR THE POST The Ohio University Board of Trustees approved a 3.5 percent tuition increase for the 2020 fiscal year during its meetings Jan. 17 and 18.

Tuition will increase from about $6,822 to about $7,060. Deborah Shaffer, vice president for finance and administration, said a main reason for the increase is low enrollment. Tuition has not increased for four years.

The approval of the increase has a condition. The state of Ohio must approve a two-percent state tuition cap, according to a previous Post report.

One of the reasons that enrollment is decreasing is because the college-bound population in the Midwest is decreasing, Chaden Djalali, executive vice president and provost, said.

President Duane Nellis said that the university needs more private investments for scholarship endowments to free up state dollars.

“We often focus on 18-22 year olds, but it really is learning for life,” Nellis said.

The board also discussed regional higher education. “(The regional campuses) over the last five years have exhausted almost every traditional means to impact their bottom line,” Shaffer said in a previous Post report.

In addition, the board looked at the state of OU’s investments.

OU was projected to earn about $47.8 million for the 2019 fiscal year, but it has lost about $13 million. OU was up about $14 million in November, but it decreased because of the volatile stock market in December, director of investments David Gaume said.

The trustees approved a proposed Student Senate amendment which changes its constitutional process. This allows the senate to make changes without approval of the Board of Trustees, according to a previous Post report.

“This resolution allows both (Student Senate and Graduate Student Senate) to work together,” Jason Pina, vice president for student affairs, said.

Another resolution passed was the increase of the Student Legal Services Fees.

The fee gives OU students legal assistance. The cost will increase from $12 per semester to $15 per semester, Pina said.

“They have been running fiscal deficits for the last couple of years, depleting 10 / JAN. 24, 2019

Randy Leite, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions, talks about the creation of a new department within his college.

Leite also discusses student graduation rates and the university’s growing engagement ecosystem on Jan. 17.

(NATE SWANSON / FOR THE POST)

their fund balances,” Pina said.

Board members approved several capital projects, including about $56 million for the construction phase of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s new Union Street Green.

The board also approved the addition of a new chilled water plant. There was already $30.85 million approved, but the Board approved another $725,000 to allow for changes to the design.

To comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, the board approved $213,000 for the Konneker Alumni Center.

This brings the total renovation to $1.7 million.

There are several buildings at the Ridges that will be renovated as well.

Buildings 13, 14 and 18 will receive mechanical, electrical and technology system upgrades for $2.2 million, according

to a university press release. The roof on building 33 will be replaced for $925,000.

Building 37 will receive various improvements as well as a roof repair for $850,000, according to a previous Post report.

Lastly, representatives from the athletic department presented about athlete’s mental health.

Faculty Athletic Representatives, or FARs, Thomas Vander Ven and Heather Lawrence-Benedict presented during the Governance and Compensation Committee.

FARs are responsible for helping student athletes bond with their academic advisors and be active in their studies.

There is currently a mental health professional who sees student athletes in The Convo. This is a valuable resource for student athletes who may be afraid of the stigma of going to other on-campus

mental health resources or fear being recognized seeking out these resources by peers, Lawrence-Benedict said, according to a previous Post report.

There were several testimonies given from student athletes that showed how this option has been helpful for them.

The board also approved for a new department in the College of Health Sciences and Professions. The Department of Social Work was moved from the College of Arts and Sciences because of the “dramatic growth in enrollment in social work and programmatic development in the online Master of Social Work Program,” according to the Board of Trustees agenda.

@IANMCK9 IM581017@OHIO.EDU

Nelsonville club for young women to address the STEM gender gap through coding RILEY RUNNELLS FOR THE POST The gender gap in different fields of work has existed for years, but Ohio University student Ally Perkins can attest that the greatest example lives within the STEM field.

“The gender gap is completely unreasonable,” Perkins, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, said. “More women are capable of entering a STEM career but are bogged down by stereotypes and stigmas that tell them they can’t just because they’re women.”

The Nelsonville Public Library knew there weren’t many programs for younger women in STEM, so its staff decided to team up with the national organization Girls Who Code to host a monthly club for girls from third through fifth grade to teach them how to code. Not only is the library trying to provide an opportunity for practice for young women in STEM, but they also hope to directly address the gender gap in STEM and specifically computer science.

Becca Lachman, communications officer for the Athens County Public Libraries, is excited to see the event come to fruition Jan. 30.

“Girls Who Code has been wanting to bring the group to Southeast Ohio for a while, and it’s especially exciting that the first meeting for that project is taking place in a library,” Lachman said. “A library’s main goal is to give out information, so when we saw the need for younger girls in the STEM field, we wanted to take on the task. One parent is even driving their child from West Virginia for the program, so you can see its importance.”

Girls Who Code is making

its trial run with the Nelsonville Public Library, and if all goes well, the Athens County Public Libraries will spread it out to the other library branches.

Though the gender gap doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, Perkins is hopeful that with every generation, it will begin to close a little more. She believes opportunities like Girls Who Code are the perfect way to start putting that plan into action.

“It’s an awesome idea,” Perkins said. “It’s definitely going to get more young girls interested in the career, and by starting to implant STEM careers into their minds earlier on, it could help to officially close the gender gap between women and men in STEM fields.”

Perkins grew up in a family of STEM-oriented people who al-

“

ILLUSTRATION BY TAYLOR JOHNSTON

It’s an awesome idea. It’s definitely going to get more young girls interested in the career, and by starting to implant STEM careers into their minds earlier on, it could help to officially close the gender gap between women and men in STEM fields.”

- Ally Perkins, a freshman studying mechanical engineering ways encouraged her to pursue the field. High school solidified her STEM career, and she has always been confident about it, even though the field is dominated by men.

“It’s obviously not ever fun to be a minority in any career path, because you’re frequently looked down on,” Perkins said. “In some

cases it can be rewarding, such as job opportunities. Overall though, that doesn’t diminish the fact that I’m being treated differently because of my gender.”

Ashley Weitzel, a senior studying chemical engineering, always knew she wanted to do something in the STEM field, but wasn’t sure what that was until

her second semester at OU when she got involved in chemical engineering. Along with chemical engineering came her involvement in the Society of Women in Engineering (SWE), a group of which she is now the president.

Initially, she felt like a minority in the field and believed SWE would be a great resource to help her get acclimated.

“I feel that with men dominating most of the field, we need to grow together as a community of women and help each other out, so we aren’t put in a situation where we don’t feel that we belong,” Weitzel said. “And when we say our opinions, we know someone is listening.”

Both Perkins and Weitzel feel OU offers great resources for women in STEM, and that professors and groups are always looking for ways to support women in the field. However, the resources offered at OU are geared toward the university women only, so Perkins and Weitzel agree that outside resources focusing on helping women before their college careers like Girls Who Code will be the most beneficial.

“It’s different for kids growing up,” Weitzel said. “They can be so inside of their minds and in their imagination that no girl or guy is going to disturb that passive creativity, but as you get older you have a sense of outward forces and can feel unwelcome in certain spaces. It’s because of this that opportunities like Girls Who Code are so important, and I hope it grows.”

@RILEYR44 RR855317@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

The Switch As heroin deaths decline, methamphetamine is gearing up to be Ohio’s next deadliest drug

BENNETT LECKRONE

W

hen Nelsonville Police Chief Chris Johnson found 13 needles on someone he was arresting in December, the suspect admitted what she was using them for.

The woman, who Johnson said he arrested on a warrant, said she used the needles for meth.

It wasn’t a surprise for Johnson, who formerly worked at the Ohio University Police Department and moved to Nelsonville a few years ago, he’s seen a steady rise in the use of methamphetamines since he’s been the head of the small department.

“Heroin use has been going down for some time now, ... and that void has typ-

SENIOR WRITER ically been filled by methamphetamine,” Johnson said.

As the state has slowly recovered from a crippling opioid epidemic, methamphetamine and other stimulants have made a dramatic comeback across the state.

For Johnson, the head of a small department that polices a city of 5,000 residents, resources are already stretched thin. With limited jail space and limited time to make convictions, Johnson says his department often faces decisions over whom to incarcerate and whom to charge and let back onto the streets.

“Meth is becoming way more prevalent than it has been,” Johnson said.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RILEE LOCKHART

12 / JAN. 24, 2019

STATEWIDE INCREASE ohnson’s department is far from the only one in Ohio that has dealt with the return of the drugs. The Ohio State Highway Patrol has seen an increase in seizures around the state.

Lieutenant Robert Sellers of the Ohio State Highway Patrol provided the dramatic numbers related to the patrol’s methamphetamine seizures.

The agency’s 2018 methamphetamine numbers were more than the past several years combined. Patrol officers seized 454 pounds of the substance in 2018, according to data provided by the patrol.

By comparison, the department seized just over 144 pounds in 2017, and a combined 136 pounds in 2013 through 2016.

The increase in methamphetamine-related crimes has had deadly consequences.

From 2010 to 2017, deaths related to psychostimulants increased more than 5,000 percent, according to a report from the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health.

More than 70 percent of those deaths coincided with the presence of another drug — the powerful opioid, fentanyl.

Orman Hall, an expert on substance abuse who authored the report for the Ohio Alliance for Innovation in Population Health, said he was a bit surprised by the sheer level of increase the state had experienced. The increase was probably related to the opioid epidemic that has claimed the lives of thousands of Ohioans in previous years, he said.

“We have some people that are primarily dependent on opioids that are no longer getting a euphoric experience from the opioids that are intentionally using psychostimulants and cocaine,” Hall said.

Hall emphasized, however, that there isn’t one cut-and-dried answer for the return of stimulants. A wide variety of causes could be blamed.

One hypothesis that Hall put forward is an increased use of psychostimulants in medicine.

“During the period between 2012 and 2017, we saw about a 30 percent decline in opioids dispensed,” Hall said.

“We’ve seen about that same level of increase in psychostimulants.”

Hall noted that psychostimulants have legitimate medical benefits when properly prescribed.

To Sellers, the increase in and lacing of methamphetamines with fentanyl is directly correlated to organized crime. He said the cartels have been mixing extremely addictive opioids like fentanyl with drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines to make people dependent on them.

“Drug cartels operate just like any other business,” Sellers said. “Once they establish

“

We really have to work on the whole person’s recovery. Addiction should be looked at as a whole.

We tell our patients (that) in the first 12 months you have to be careful. Shopping, gambling, eating, those are all addictions. If we don’t take care of addiction as a whole, you’re going to divert addiction to something else.”

- Burt Dhira, head of the Ohio Addiction Treatment Council

a market, they’ll start pushing in their other products. The spike in meth, there’s a direct correlation between that and all the heroin that’s been pushed into Ohio.”

According to an Ohio Department of Health report on overdoses in 2017, heroin and prescription opioids are on the decline while stimulants, along with fentanyl and carfentanil, another powerful opioid, are on the rise.

For some, the shift away from pills and heroin toward stimulants and fentanyl is indicative of a shift in Ohio’s drug epidemic.

THE NEXT PHASE hile Ohio is still struggling with opioids, the rise of stimulants might be a part of the next phase of drug addiction in the state.

Andrea Boxill, who was the deputy director of the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team for former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said Ohio’s drug epidemic isn’t a problem with one particular drug, but with the disease of addiction as a whole.

“The resurgence of meth is related to the drug epidemics that we’ve had, not just on the past six to 11 years around opioids, but the epidemic that we’ve had since we started abusing drugs illicitly,” Boxill said.

“This is like the next phase.”

The disease of addiction, Boxill said, has remained steady throughout cycles of drugs. From the crack epidemic to the first epidemic of meth, Boxill said addiction is at the core of the problem.

“There’s always been a desire to feel better,” Boxill said. “It doesn’t matter the drug. It’s what (is) at the root, which for many people is a lack of hope.”

Burt Dhira, who heads the Ohio Addiction Treatment Council and operates a recovery center in Columbus, said addiction manifests in many forms.

“We really have to work on the whole person’s recovery,” Dhira said. “Addiction should be looked at as a whole. We tell our patients (that) in the first 12 months you have to be careful. Shopping, gambling, eating, those are all addictions.

If we don’t take care of addiction as a

whole, you’re going to divert addiction to something else.”

Dhira added that he has seen a huge uptick in methamphetamine users at his clinic in the last year or so.

Addiction treatment centers are also seeing increases in methamphetamine and psychostimulant use locally. Ellen Martin, the CEO of Health Recovery Services in Athens, said her organization has been dealing with an increased number of people addicted to stimulants.

Hall noted that the drug at the epicenter of addiction has changed over the years. He said heroin first became prevalent in veterans after the Vietnam War. The rise of methamphetamines might not be completely uniform. Hall noted that there tends to be a higher use of methamphetamines in rural areas. Urban areas, on the other hand, tend to use other stimulants, like cocaine.

Cocaine had a more than 600 percent increase from 2010 to 2017, according to Hall’s research, and has been mixed with fentanyl and carfentanil as well.

AN EPIDEMIC’S LEGACY hen Boxill was assigned to the opiate task force, Ohio wasn’t ready for an addiction epidemic.

Ohioans were dying of opioid overdose at record rates. As more Ohioans switched from dangerous prescription opiates to deadly illegal drugs such as heroin, the state scrambled to find a solution.

“The first thing we had to do was to stop the bleeding,” Boxill said.

Stopping the bleeding meant equipping law enforcement with the overdose-stopping drug Narcan. After Narcan began to save lives, the task force used the breathing room to come up with a plan.

Increased access to treatment, prevention measures and public awareness were all parts of the task force’s process to address addiction. Boxill said that an increasing public awareness of addiction as a disease helped to slow the epidemic.

“You don’t want to criminalize a disease,” Boxill said. “You wouldn’t criminalize diabetes. You wouldn’t criminalize cancer.”

The opioid epidemic forced a mass collaboration to address it, Boxill said, and the same must be done for the rising use of stimulants.

“In order to address any epidemic, we had to come up with a template of what needed to be put in place,” Boxill said.

“Whether it’s methamphetamine or heroin or fentanyl, we have a pretty proven formula of what needs to happen.”

Hall said efforts to combat the opioid epidemic will help the state deal with future changes in drug use across the state.

“There has been a significant increase in availability of treatment in our state largely due to the opioid epidemic,” Hall said.

The road ahead won’t be easy, Boxill said. She said the road to understanding addiction as a disease rather than a choice has been a long one.

“It took us a good 70 years to get to the point of accepting, and we still haven’t done it fully, that the disease of addiction is just that: a disease,” Boxill said.

She estimated that 60 percent of the population believes addiction is a disease, but she fears that a rise in stimulants could undo some of that work.

The crimes associated with methamphetamine are more brazen than most crimes associated with opioids, Boxill said.

Additionally, people who are high on stimulants can be more aggressive than those on opioids.

“It’s all a disease, but people will change their perception based upon how the media portrays it and the types of crimes that are being committed as a result of the use,” Boxill said.

Dhira said he fears that drugs laced with fentanyl will continue to be lethal for those who use them.

“I don’t think any drug is safe,” Dhira said. “If you’re doing drugs, you’re getting a lot of cross-contamination. I have a lot of patients come in doing certain drugs, and I see other stuff that is in their drug confirmation. They’ll be blown away by what we find.”

The opioid epidemic left behind a legacy of progress in the field of drug addiction, Boxill said, and that same progress needs to be continued with the new wave of stimulants.

Sellers encouraged users to not just get help, but also be aware of what they’re using.

“If you are a user, you need to know what you’re ingesting so you don’t become an overdose statistic,” Sellers said. “And if you need help, there’s plenty of resources out there.”

@LECKRONEBENNETT BL646915@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

Shining a light on the reality of seasonal depression JOSEPH STANICHAR FOR THE POST For some, after exams, the fall and winter months are a time to relax, celebrate festivities and enjoy the variety of pumpkin-spice flavored food and drinks.

For those with seasonal depression, however, that can be one of the most difficult times of the year.

Depression with a seasonal pattern, previously known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), has only one defining characteristic as opposed to other forms of depression, and it’s right there in the name.

Catherine Andersen is a graduate student studying clinical psychology and the assistant clinic director of the Psychology and Social Work Clinic at Ohio University. “(With seasonal depression), it’s still the same things that we’re looking out for,” Andersen said. “The two kind of hallmark characteristics are a depressed mood, low mood or loss of interest in either pleasurable activities that were once enjoyable, or a loss of interest in kind of daily activities.”

Andersen said other symptoms of depression include extreme changes in sleep or eating habits, inability to focus, concerned observations from others and suicidal thoughts or speech.

People without backgrounds in psychology seem to have differing ideas on why coping with depression may be more difficult during different times of year.

“I definitely think we’re affected by our environment,” Madison Thomas, a junior studying English, said. “And so, especially the sun. I mean, plants aren’t the only thing that benefits from that. And so when there’s a lack of sunlight, and it’s been gloomier weather, people aren’t going out as much. Maybe they aren’t socializing as much. Less sunlight, bodies are affected by that.”

Another student thinks that the cold weather makes it more difficult to be productive.

“It’s harder to do stuff when you’ve gotta walk, and it’s like 20 degrees,” Matt Downing, a sophomore studying data analytics in sports management, said.

Andersen said potential causes for seasonal depression include insufficient Vitamin D and thyroid dysfunction due to changes in the weather. However, she also agreed that social engagements, 14 / JAN. 24, 2019

or a lack thereof, because of the colder weather can certainly have an impact on seasonal depression.

Andersen also said it’s important to distinguish between common sadness and actual depression, urging those without depression to not jump to any conclusions about those with the disorder.

“I think it’s really important to keep in mind that it’s really tough to be feeling that way all the time,” Andersen said. “And it’s not just a matter of ‘feel better.’ There are other things that need to happen in order for people to really feel better and come out of depression.”

Andersen said there is a wide variety of options for people with seasonal depression to get help. In terms of preventative care, careful moderation of substance use, adequate exercise and social support are all important to maintain.

If symptoms of depression persist, Andersen suggests group or individual therapy, medication or light box therapy

as potential methods of treatment — with approval from a professional.

Light box therapy is a popular option for some people with seasonal depression, as the bright light emanating from the box simulates sunlight, providing some of the health benefits that an actual sunny day would.

Thomas knows people who don’t have an official diagnosis of seasonal depression, but who often comment about feeling more lethargic or struggling more with depression during the winter months. One person Thomas mentioned actually bought a light box.

“I’ve had one person talk about how she bought, I actually think it’s supposed to be a plant light, but she bought it for herself,” Thomas said. “And she actually really benefits from it, so I feel like I would recommend that, because I feel like I’d do that, even.”

Despite that form of therapy’s popularity and relative convenience, only costing around $20 on Amazon and requiring

no official diagnosis, Andersen warns against using one without first talking to a mental health professional or provider.

“There are different types of medications that can interact with that light therapy in a really not-so-good way, and there are other kinds of risks and things that you might want to consider,” Andersen said.

“But for students here, Counseling and Psychological Services does offer free services, and they do offer light box therapy.”

Among all of those forms of treatment, many methods to prevent or combat any form of depression come from knowing one’s own needs, wants and limits.

“It’s really easy, particularly in the winter months, particularly for students and staff at OU, to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, and there’s no time for eating and sleeping,” Andersen said. “Those are some things that are going to be really impactful.”

@JOSEPHSTANICHAR JS080117@OHIO.EDU

ILLUSTRATION BY NATHAN SZOCH

Behind the brush stroke Experimental Ink classes aim to provide cultural immersion through traditional Chinese ink techniques BAYLEE DEMUTH STAFF WRITER Peilian Wu was taught at a very young age the craft of calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting, a form of art her family has a deep connection to.

“In China, we have this culture and history for learning how to use brushes to practice different ink techniques, so I’ve continued to practice those techniques through school,” Wu said. “Interesting thing is, when I moved here, I felt that connection more deeply, and it was probably because I missed my hometown.”

Wu, a graduate student studying painting and drawing, has taught several different workshops on traditional Chinese ink techniques, but her latest set of classes will be held at the Dairy Barn Arts Center, 8000 Dairy Lane. Wu’s Experimental Ink classes will help her students develop knowledge and skills in using ink materials, introduce them to a Chinese art form and culturally immerse them in the practices of Chinese ink painting.

Traditional Chinese painting has a long history in art around the world. Chinese painting covers a variety of subjects that can include portraits, landscapes, flowers and animals. There are two main techniques in Chinese painting, but Wu will be focusing on “xieyi,” or freehand in Experimental Ink classes, which is most used when painting landscapes.

The purpose of Wu’s classes is to teach her students something different from American culture.

Wu hopes to guide her students to combine a variety of brush stroke techniques and materials to create compositions unlike anything they’ve ever done before.

“For me, I plan the subject to be based around a plant or some natural element around us,” Wu said. “Some will be interested in painting landscape, some might

“

I plan on teaching the students how to connect with their body to do a sort of meditation. So during the process, students feel more relaxed, and the painting technique is very rich and layered.”

- Peilian Wu, a graduate student studying painting and drawing

want to paint more flowers and plants.”

Wu wants cultural immersion to be the main focus of her classes. Her objective is to do something experimental for the memory, as well as focus on each individual student’s goals for the five-week workshop.

“When I start the class, I’ll ask each student for their interest, so from what they tell me I will give them direction, and I will make them a specific plan,” Wu said. “I feel like the cultural exchange is very important for improving a person’s mind and imagination, and even though they are different cultures, students are still able to make the connection.”

Along with making her workshop culturally immersive, Wu plans to add the element of art therapy to her workshop, something she believes her students’ paintings will benefit from.

“I plan on teaching the students how to connect with their body to do a sort of meditation,” Wu said. “So during the process, students feel more relaxed, and the painting technique is very rich and layered.”

Every student will have the

ILLUSTRATION BY NATHAN SZOCH

opportunity to work one-on-one with the instructor on their individual projects, all while using a set of Chinese traditional ink brushes, a set of colored Chinese inks and a study diary of student work made by Wu. “I want students that when they finish, they have a very high portfolio containing three paintings that look professional and good,” Wu said. “Overall, I tell my students to play the ink — kind of like someone playing basketball, because it’s something that should be enjoyed.”

Marion Lee, an associate professor of art history, is familiar with Wu’s calligraphy skills and knows she is fully capable of teaching others the intricate Chinese art form.

“Like all artistic literary forms and cultural forms, with calligraphy, there is technique involved,” Lee said. “Technique is about learning the system of how to write individual strokes, so it’s similar to western calligraphy, except it’s much more detailed and complex.”

Shelley Baldwin, an Athens res-

ident, is looking forward to taking Wu’s classes as a way to get out of her home, and hopefully, touch up on her painting skills while also learning something new.

“I did some drawing and painting as a young person and enjoyed it and wasn’t bad at it, but it has been a very long time ago,” Baldwin said. “I’m also hoping to learn something and spend some time around others in a relaxed setting.”

@BAYLEEDEMUTH BD575016@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

FOOTBALL

Backup quarterback Quinton Maxwell exploring transfer possibility SPENCER HOLBROOK SPORTS EDITOR Ohio quarterback Quinton Maxwell can officially be contacted by other schools about a potential transfer.

According to sources, Maxwell has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. The Ohio athletic department confirmed that Maxwell has entered the transfer portal but had no comment at this time.

Entering the transfer database does not mean Maxwell is guaranteed to transfer, but he may be contacted by coaches from other schools who wish to bring him to their campus. He can return to Ohio if he decides not to transfer, but Ohio’s coaching staff is not required to retain him or hold his scholarship.

A rising redshirt senior, Maxwell’s started eight games and appeared in 23 during his time at Ohio. He’s been the backup to Nathan Rourke for much of the past two seasons.

Last season, he and Rourke entered fall camp in a pseudo position battle, but it was largely Rourke’s to lose. Maxwell appeared in six games, including the season opener against Howard, when he led Ohio’s offense to a comeback win in place of a struggling Rourke.

But after that game, Ohio had a week off, and Rourke remained the starter for the Week 3 game against Virginia. Thereafter, Maxwell played sparingly.

Throughout his three seasons of play, he’s passed for 1,773 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Maxwell’s remembered most for his play in the 2016 campaign, when he came off the bench as a redshirt freshman in relief of Greg Windham.

Maxwell started six games in that stretch, leading Ohio to a Mid-American Conference East Division title against Akron. He started in the 2016 MAC Championship Game in Detroit, attempting one pass and rushing the ball four times for seven yards.

Maxwell was pulled after the first quarter and replaced by Windham. The Bobcats lost 29-23 to the Broncos, but Windham passed for three touchdowns after coming in for Maxwell.

The potential loss of Maxwell opens the door for a backup quarterback battle between Drew Keszei and Joe Mischler.

16 / JAN. 24, 2019

What does it mean for the Bobcats, though?

Throughout the season, Maxwell’s response to questions about his backup status was consistent: He was focused on what he could control.

It was no secret that his arm is the strongest on the roster; he beat the other quarterbacks in a game of who could hit the goalpost with a pass from long distance after practice in November. He was called on to attempt a 55-yard desperation heave on the final play in Ohio’s Nov. 7 loss to Miami. But that was the extent of his impact beyond the performance against Howard.

Now, Ohio is faced with a quarterback room that features Rourke — the bonafide starter who probably should have won the MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award last season — and two unknowns in Keszei and Mischler.

Rourke’s stats and accolades speak for themselves. He’s the offensive leader for the Bobcats. His position doesn’t change with Maxwell’s potential departure.

Keszei, a rising redshirt sophomore from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Mischler — who redshirted as a freshman last season after an impressive career at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania — will compete for the backup gig.

Ohio’s coaching staff was high on Keszei out of high school, where he was a three-star recruit. An injury kept him from playing as a senior in high school, but Ohio’s staff liked his junior year tape enough to recruit him anyway. He’s been buried behind Rourke and Maxwell last

season on the depth chart, and understandably so. Now, he’ll find himself in a position battle for the backup spot with the younger but impressive Mischler.

Mischler was the scout team quarterback in 2018, and he gave the Bobcats defense good looks, often dropping balls into good positions away from Ohio’s starting cornerbacks. He showed the coaching staff that he isn’t afraid to compete in practice.

Also on the roster is Rourke’s younger brother, Kurtis, who will be a true freshman quarterback. The two Rourkes, Keszei and Mischler will make up the quarterback room.

Nathan Rourke loves to scramble — he has amassed 1,772 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground in his two seasons in Athens. And while at Ohio, he’s never picked up an injury that has kept him from playing.

If he were to get injured, though, an experienced former starter such as Maxwell was a nice security blanket to have.

But with Maxwell’s future in Athens now up in the air and Kezsei or Mischler unproven at the collegiate level, the idea of an injured Rourke is a frightening thing for the Bobcats.

Maxwell’s next landing point is probably at the Football Championship Subdivision or Division II level, where he can land on a roster and start right away.

Or it could be back at Ohio, where he will all but certainly back Rourke up for the third season in a row. After all, the transfer portal doesn’t ensure his departure.

@SPENCERHOLBROOK SH690914@OHIO.EDU

Ohio’s Quinton Maxwell scores a touchdown during the Bobcats’ game against Bowling Green on Oct. 20.

(KELSEY BOEING / FILE)

HOCKEY

The importance of chirping Chirping is a vital part of some of Ohio’s skaters’ game MATT PARKER FOR THE POST Shawn Baird lowered his body into the waist of an unsuspecting Pitt skater and knocked him off his feet in Bird Arena. As he skated away, Baird turned his head toward the momentarily motionless victim and mouthed a slew of words that couldn’t be translated by the crowd.

A few moments after the hitand-run, the same sequence happened — but in reverse.

In a game where physicality rules, there’s one physical aspect that is never seen on the scoresheet at the end of games.

Who chirped and who didn’t?

Chirping has long been a part of sports, from parents in little league games to professional athletes on the biggest stages.

On the ice, chirping is not only allowed, but it’s rooted for and expected. But only if you’re the winning team, like senior forward Gabe Lampron learned in his early playing days.

At 10 years old, Lampron was already trying to get in the head of his opponents, not by his game, but with his words. With his team down 10 goals in a pee-wee league game, Lampron still talked until the final horn sounded.

His game changed that day, and not solely because of the loss, but because of what his father had said to him afterward.

“My dad was pretty furious with me,” Lampron said. “He was just like ‘when you guys are losing by 10 goals and you’re still

running your mouth, you just look like an idiot, and you make an ass out of yourself.’ ” From that moment on, Lampron decided that if he kept his mouth closed, his game would do the talking. He saw his father’s point and agreed that there is a time and place on when to chirp.

“It pretty hard and now whenever I see people do it, I agree that they look like idiots.”

That’s not to say, however, that Lampron doesn’t open his mouth from time to time and let players from the other team hear it.

At least in Lampron’s case, he only chirps when an opposing play makes a dirty hit or does something Lampron doesn’t like.

Some players are witty with their chirps and insults. Others, like Lampron, keep it simple.

“It’s usually just me screaming profanity at the top of my lungs,” he said. “Or saying I’m going to injure someone – it’s not good.”

While Lampron might not be the biggest or best chirper on the team, he doesn’t need to be.

On a roster of 24 skaters, players such as Baird, Tom Pokorney, Jake Houston and Jimmy Thomas bring that element as a part of their game.

Pokorney is known throughout the American Collegiate Hockey Association as one of the most emotional players. It’s a trait he relishes in.

The senior defenseman is no stranger to yapping at his opponents before, during or after the whistle is blown. Sometimes it’s for a reason, other times it’s not.

Ohio’s Tom Pokorney (#4) and Pitt’s John Barbieri (#27) talk during their game on Jan. 18. Ohio won 12-0.

(EMILEE CHINN / PHOTO EDITOR)

“

It’s all a part of the game. All it’s meant to do is take a player’s mind off the game.”

- Tom Pokorney, senior defenseman Sometimes he knows the player, other times he doesn’t. Sometimes he gets in their heads, other times he’s unsuccessful.

Throughout the 12-0 dismantling Ohio bestowed upon Pitt on Jan. 18, Pokorney talked from start to finish.

“I was saying, ‘It must be kind of embarrassing coming here every year and having me call it point night for us,’ ” Pokorney said.

“Point night” means that every player on the roster scored a point.

As the game went on, the chirps got more and more ruthless from Pokorney — ranging from telling Pitt to go down to Division II to asking a player if it was his first time on the ice. The

bigger the score differential, the worse the chirp.

Of course, there are different kinds of chirps for different opponents. Against a team such as Pitt, the game warrants a little less creativity. Against quality teams such as Lindenwood or Illinois, however, it requires a little more knowledge of the roster.

In last year’s Central States Collegiate Hockey League semi-final game, Pokorney told then-Illinois forward James McGing that he wasn’t as good as his brothers. McGing’s brothers, Hugh and Liam, both had successful careers at NCAA Division I programs — Western Michigan and Arizona State, respectively.

Hugh was selected in the fifth round by the St. Louis Blues in the 2018 NHL Draft.

While Pokorney’s chirp was one of intellect, James and the Illini went on to win that game.

“He was one of the more disliked players we’ve played against, but he kept firing back and ultimately won,” Pokorney said.

Chirping, like net-front screens or blocking shots, is an important aspect of the game.

While there is no metric to gauge who’s good at it or who’s not, it remains vital in some regards. It’s given players a reputation, some in a good light, others in a bad light.

But overall, it’s a component to the game that differentiates it from other sports.

“It’s all a part of the game,” Pokorney said. “All it’s meant to do is take a player’s mind off the game.”

@MPARKER_5 MP109115@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Head coach Saul Phillips talks with his team during a timeout in the second half of the Bobcats game against Rio Grande on Nov. 3. (COLIN MAYR / FILE)

Junior James Gollon being hugged by teammate Gavin Block after an injury sent him out in the first half on Jan. 22. (KELSEY BOEING / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Ohio still searching for identity PETE NAKOS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Ohio had another one of those games in which it looked like a contender Tuesday night — a contender as in competing for a Mid-American Conference Tournament title, something that’s escaped the Bobcats since 2012.

This is the version Radford, Marshall and Ball State got to see. Add Western Michigan to the list after the Bobcats’ 81-76 win.

The Bobcats’ performance against the Broncos is interesting after losses to Toledo, Kent State and Bowling Green.

Those Bobcats played without any offensive production or urgency. With MAC play nearing the halfway point, and almost three-fourths of the season over, the question needs to be asked: Which games more closely resemble Ohio’s true identity? How did it play in impressive nonconference wins, or the colorless offensive team of late?

“I haven’t said this in a while, but we did just enough defensively to get by tonight,” coach Saul Phillips said Tuesday.

“Our offense actually pulled us out of the fire. I know we can defend. We’ve defended a good chunk out of the year. This is encouraging because I think that’s still 18 / JAN. 24, 2019

our strength. The ball got moved around, we hit shots, because they were good shots. It was a good team win tonight.”

While Tuesday night may have been a good team win, the Bobcats can’t afford to regress and go on a two game losing streak, which they did after their last win.

JAMES GOLLON

Phillips and university staff believe James Gollon will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn Achilles tendon.

It’s a devastating blow to the Bobcats, who will lose a veteran leader and 3-point threat.

“James appears to have an Achilles tear,” Phillips said. “I’m not a doctor, but when there’s a gap where your Achilles tendon should be, there’s an issue there structurally. I’m crushed for the kid. He really had it going tonight. He’s gone through so much to get back on the court, so many hours of rehab. Just a pit in my stomach.”

Gollon, a 6-foot-5 redshirt junior, ends his season on a night in which he arguably played the best game of his career. He came off the bench, knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points in eight minutes. That sparked a comeback to help the Bobcats defeat Western Michigan.

“

James appears to have an Achilles tear. I’m not a doctor, but when there’s a gap where your Achilles tendon should be, there’s an issue there structurally.”

- Ohio coach Saul Phillips It’s a really tough deal for Gollon, who has gone through four surgeries in his career at Ohio. It’s even tougher for the Bobcats, which will need to readjust to playing without him just as they were getting used to playing with him again. Tuesday’s game was just the fifth he’s played in this season due to, you guessed it, injury.

So how will Phillips use Gollon’s minutes? Expect more of a rotation between Connor Murrell, Torey James and Nate Springs. Murrell played well off the bench Tuesday, scoring three points in four minutes in the second half.

SAUL BALL UPDATE

As of Jan. 14, no new contract for Phillips had been filed, per a public records request by The Post.

Phillips has been coaching this season without any known promise of a new contract. What is discussed behind closed doors remains unknown. Phillips is in the final season of the initial five-year deal he signed back in 2014, which is set to expire on May 15. He doesn’t comment on contract matters — not to evade questions, but because he doesn’t want to speak about it openly.

Last season, his team failed to make the MAC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2015, his first year as coach.

Phillips has never coached a team in the last season of his contract before.

UP NEXT

Ohio (10-8, 2-4 MAC) returns to play Saturday afternoon in The Convo against Ball State. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN3 or listened to on the Ohio IMG Sports Radio Network.

@PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Steph Haas’ experience connects with players ANTHONY POISAL STAFF WRITER Steph Haas took a seat next to Tavares Jackson at the scorer’s table before Ohio’s morning practice in The Convo on Nov. 27. As other coaches walked around the court awaiting players to come out of the locker room, Haas stood out.

Haas and Jackson are both assistant coaches, but the two sported different looks. Jackson sported sweatpants and a t-shirt, the same look as the other assistant coaches on the floor and the typical look of a coach on a non-game day.

Haas, however, wore shorts, high-top shoes and a long-sleeve tee. The 25-yearold looked ready to play, not coach, and her attire matched more with what the players donned when they exited the locker room.

That’s because Haas, a first-year assistant coach for coach Bob Boldon, was hired just for that reason — her ability to relate with, and sometimes even play with, the players made her a great catch for his staff. She’s chill, fun and knowledgeable about the ups and downs of a college basketball player, and she’s what Boldon needed.

“I’m not a screamer,“ Haas said. “I’m probably more hands on. I’m still trying to figure that out. This is my first coaching job, so each day I’m figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Just using my experience that I had, what helped me and relaying that to the girls so that they can be the best that they can be.”

Haas’ on-court talents make her unique from Ohio’s other coaches. Her resume isn’t filled with coaching accolades or a degree related to sports, but rather with several accomplishments as a guard for Florida Gulf Coast from 2012-2016.

Her path, which began as a graduate from Magnificat High School and has temporarily stopped in Athens, has been anything but easy.

Haas received few offers to play basketball out of high school and reached out to Florida Gulf Coast only because she had vacationed in Fort Myers. Coach Karl Smesko brought her in as a walk-on and gave her time off the bench her freshman year. Haas had her chance.

Then, her career exploded.

Haas won the Eagles’ Most Improved Player award as a freshman and sophomore and became one of the most impactful players on the team. She became the school’s ninth 1,000-point scorer and

Steph Haas addresses players in a team huddle during Ohio’s game against Purdue on Dec. 5 in The Convo.

(ANTHONY WARNER / FILE)

finished in its top 10 in points (1,138), field goals (414), free throws made (199) and rebounds (365).

Not bad for a walk-on player.

“They gave me an opportunity to be on the team, and I just ran with that,“ Haas said. “The biggest thing of what I always tell people is you just have to do the little things and continue to work hard. Even if you’re not playing at the beginning, if you just keep doing the little things and get a couple minutes here and there, you’ll start getting more minutes. So that’s what happened with me.”

But Haas is still young and talented, and Boldon, who said he hired Haas after a simple phone call and recommendation from Smesko, has taken advantage of it. She was wearing shorts and high tops in practice because, well, she’s still technically playing.

Boldon frequently uses Haas as an extra player in practice. Whether it’s to give players rest or to offer stiffer competition, Haas

is his go-to player for extra practice help.

“Especially this year with the way we’ve had a limited number of players to practice, she’s had to step in a few times,“ Boldon said. “It’s a lot of the same concepts when she played at FGCU. She’s pretty familiar with what we’re doing.

She’s a 1,000-point scorer, so she’s capable of stepping in.”

Whenever Haas transitions from coach to player, it forces Ohio’s actual players to step up, focus more on the drill and deal with any pressure that may come against playing against a coach.

But there’s also pressure to be nice.

When Gabby Burris plays against Haas, Burris sometimes feels like she’s maybe going too hard against her coach, and she’s sure that Haas has received a few bruises from their one-on-ones.

“We’re being really aggressive because every coach wants us to get in there and fight for the rebound,“ Burris said. “But I’ll

feel bad if I hit Steph so hard or elbow her.

I feel like I always give Steph an elbow and I feel so bad. She can take it, and it’s really fun playing with Steph.”

Whether it’s on or off the court, Haas possesses an aura of comfortability that makes her unique. Yes, players still think of her as a coach, but they have a different kind of feeling toward Haas.

She can relate to players in ways that other college coaches cannot, and that’s why she’s already a crucial piece of Ohio’s team after just six months in the program.

“It’s good to have someone with that experience, and you can go to her and she comes to you,“ Amani Burke said. “It’s not so tense. You can just put your shoulders down a little bit and have a conversation.

“She’s more like a mom or a sister. She really cares.”

@ANTHONYP_2 AP012215@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

SEEKING ACCOMMODATIONS MADDIE CAPRON | MANAGING EDITOR

W

hen someone gets sick, they expect to be able to take care of the problem, rest up and return to working soon after. But for Eva Holtkamp, she could do nothing but sleep.

She was so sick with mono that she needed her tonsils removed.

But in one of her classes, she missed more than five sessions and wasn’t going to receive any participation or attendance credit for the semester. She cried to her doctor, and the assistant dean of students had to email all of her teachers saying something one would think professors would know: You cannot punish a student for getting mono.

“I was in a situation where I could advocate for myself,” Holtkamp, a junior studying strategic communication and political science, said. “But so many students are not comfortable enough to advocate for themselves or be confrontational with a professor because they’re in a superior position to you. And if you don’t do that, it’s highly, highly possible that you will basically get screwed over, which sucks.”

Holtkamp had a physical illness and was able to handle the situation herself.

For some students, advocating for themselves isn’t always easy; and for students with mental health conditions, that process can become even more difficult.

“They’re not lying to you if they say 20 / JAN. 24, 2019

they have (a mental health condition). It’s not a bulls--t excuse,” Holtkamp said. “It’s something that our generation particularly is becoming much more accepting and talking about, but it’s hard to further the conversation and make it more inclusive if the people who are giving us our grades are not accommodating.”

TAKING ACTION One in five teens and young adults live with a mental health condition. Of that, three-quarters develop the condition by age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. At Ohio University, 15 percent more students than in the previous academic year sought services for mental health conditions. During the first week of Fall Semester, 330 students visited Counseling and Psychological Services, according to a previous Post report. With more students using resources for mental health conditions, those students may also need accommodations in the classroom.

OU Student Senate President Maddie Sloat said although she doesn’t have specific personal experiences that she can speak about, she has worked as a resident assistant and an assistant resident director, and has seen how counselors at Counseling and Psychological Services and the Let’s Talk hours can advocate for students.

“However, we continue to face the challenge of these resources not being

able to keep up with the demand of students for mental health services, meaning that students could go for weeks without the services they need,” Sloat said in an email. “I’m not positive about (generally) how receptive professors are to issues relating to mental health, especially in relation to class absences, but I think we can always do more to prioritize mental health and support our students.”

For Darragh Liaskos, seeking accommodations is seen as taking action for her life. Last year, Liaskos was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She has been working with psychiatrists at Counseling and Psychological Services to understand that diagnosis and see if borderline personality disorder is the correct one, or if it could be “bipolar disorder or whatever or if (she) was just going through a rough time.”

Liaskos said for a while, she didn’t see her mental health condition as a disability. Now, she’s come to terms with the fact that it affects how she goes to class, how she gets out of bed in the morning and how she lives her day-to-day life.

In some of her classes, Liaskos, a senior studying media and social change, said her mental health has affected her performance “100 percent.” Last fall, she was set to graduate early but instead needed to leave school because she didn’t know where to turn for resources or how

to access them. Now, she is set up with Student Accessibility Services because of the way the condition affects her life.

Sometimes, however, those accommodations aren’t always taken seriously, she said.

“It’s frustrating when you’ve gone to the lengths to go through all of the stuff that you have to go through to get Student Accessibility Services and for them to throw it back in your face,” Liaskos said. “They’re not actually allowed to do that and you can file a complaint, but in my personal experience, nothing really gets done because you can’t change a professor’s biases, so even if they can’t legally discriminate against you, they can make your life a lot harder than it needs to be.”

Liaskos said she is very open about her mental health condition and what it’s like for her. It doesn’t bother her to talk about it, but not everyone is like that when it comes to talking about mental health.

“I just know that if I was a different person, I might not want to go through all the effort, but it’s kind of necessary,” Liaskos said.

GETTING STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES RESOURCES Student Accessibility Services says its mission is “to ensure equal opportunity and access for members of the Ohio University community.” About 1,100 students

come and go from using the services each year, Assistant Dean for Accessibility Carey Busch said. Of those 1,100 students, about 8 to 10 percent will be registered because of a mental health or psychological condition.

When it comes to figuring out if a student needs accommodations and what kind, there’s no checklist or formula. Instead, the department looks at the way the disability impacts the person and how it influences their learning. Two students who have the same diagnosis could be affected in very different ways, so it comes down to a case-by-case basis, Busch said.

Often, mental health symptoms may come and go over the course of a semester, so it’s not as easy to plan for as other disabilities or conditions.

“We may be looking at creating almost a contingency plan, so if everything is fine, this might not be needed, but if they start experiencing more symptoms, it’s there as a safety net,” Busch said.

Under the law, the university is required to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Those accommodations, however, “cannot fundamentally alter the course outcomes,” Busch said. Because of that, there is some variability between how different classes and departments can accommodate students. A class where one is learning a language or public speaking, for example, relies significantly on a student’s participation and attendance to demonstrate how they are mastering the material. A bigger lecture class or a class focused on going through notes and involves more passive learning, however, could have some greater flexibility.

Students who struggle with mental health conditions could get some accommodations with attendance or deadlines.

They need to meet with their accessibility coordinator to go over their course syllabi to understand what the expectations are.

That process, however, can seem monotonous to some students.

“I think the process they have is definitely necessary,” Liaskos said. “It can seem a little tedious going through all the paperwork and having to submit your syllabi, and getting your professors in contact with them and vice versa and all that stuff. But I don’t really have a solution on how to make it easier.”

‘ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT’ For many students, discovering what their mental health diagnosis means and figuring out their relationship with their mental health condition is difficult. Oftentimes the diagnosis is new, and that person may not have identified as someone who would need accommodations before.

Stigma still surrounds mental illnesses, and it can be difficult to combat people’s differing opinions on top of navigat-

ing a new diagnosis. Liaskos, for example, has felt like she’s been perceived as lazy or like she’s not doing enough when she’s talked to professors.

“Going up to your professor … to talk about this is extremely terrifying for some people,” she said. “I remember the first time I went up to a professor to ask about accommodations, and they were very dismissive. I ended up getting the accommodations, but they were like, ‘You already have these many days in the syllabus. I don’t know if I can go any more.’”

Many people agreed that there’s always room for improvement when it comes to how students and the university handle adjustments for mental health. Liaskos thinks it takes agency, and people have to go out and find resources for themselves.

Busch thinks part of it could come down to resources as well. She thinks it could be challenging if a student doesn’t connect with the accessibilities office, and some of it is on the office and faculty members. She thinks there are ways all of those factors — student, Student Accessibility Services and faculty — could work together.

When it comes to what students could do, Busch thinks they don’t always anticipate needing that extra flexibility. Sometimes, students don’t seek accommodations until they reach a very difficult point.

“I think with our office, it comes down to resources and staffing,” Busch said.

“It takes … a lot of intense time to coordinate, and so sometimes it takes a little bit of time to move through those conversations with faculty. And … the third element … is for faculty to really engage in our conversation with (professors).”

Madeline Baker, a senior studying public advocacy and communications, said one way to help with getting professors and faculty to understand the need for accommodations is to talk about it on evaluations and in general more often.

“If you want to take the mental well-being of students seriously, you need to be seriously looking at those evaluations,” Baker said. “If it’s a repeated thing that it’s shown that a professor or specific department is not accommodating students, that needs to be talked about.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness thinks students should start the conversation early and let the school know as soon as possible before any serious challenges happen in classes.

“It’s not, ‘Oh, you’re so brave.’ You’re taking action for your life, and people with mental illnesses … aren’t asking for attention,” Liaskos said. “We’re just normal people who have deficiencies in certain areas, and it’s like you don’t know who could be next to you dealing with these issues.”

@MADDIECAPRON MC055914@OHIO.EDU

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RILEY SCOTT THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender Country star Josh Turner will return to Memorial Auditorium GEORGIA DAVIS BLOGS EDITOR Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium will open its doors and turn the lights down low Saturday night for Josh Turner.

The country music superstar will perform at 8 p.m. with Canadian newcomer Raquel Cole in the opening spot. Admission is $55 for the first 10 rows and $35 for the remainder of the venue.

Turner performed at Ohio University in 2009, so he will have a repertoire of songs he did not have the first time he performed, Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director for student activities, said.

“He was really well-received the first time around, and that was obviously before about half a dozen hits,” Holzaepfel said.

Turner is known for his deep, baritone voice, particularly in his single “Your Man.” Turner has topped Billboard’s Hot Country chart four times with “Your Man,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” “All Over Me” and “Would You Go With Me.” “He definitely covers so many types of country — from the gospel all the way to the traditional to some, what I guess, people would consider more poppy,” Holzaepfel said.

Turner’s 2017 album Deep South featured the hit “Hometown Girl.” The musician also released a gospel album last year that featured the songs “I Saw The Light,” “Amazing Grace” and his well-known song “Long Black Train.”

“I tell people all the time, the first country recordings ever made at Bristol, Tennessee, had gospel stuff all over it,” Turner told Rolling Stone when the album was released. “It was part of their life. It’s who they are. They were writing that stuff.

They were singing that stuff. It’s always 22 / JAN. 24, 2019

IF YOU GO WHAT: Josh Turner with Raquel Cole WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday WHERE: Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium ADMISSION: $55 the first 10 rows; $35 for the remainder

JOSH TURNER’S TOP-10 HITS “YOUR MAN” (2006) Josh Turner will perform in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Saturday at 8 p.m. (Provided via Andrew Holzaepfel)

been a part of country music.”

Hayleigh Larmore, a sophomore studying child and family studies, likes country music and considered going to the concert. Larmore said she likes how the tickets at OU are cheaper than other venues, and that the Campus Involvement Center brings in big names.

Kendall Miller, a senior studying business analytics and management, likes Turner’s “Your Man.” “I love listening to his music. I thought it would be really cool to see him live,” Miller said. “I just think he has a really great voice. I’m a sucker for all country music.”

Turner has more than two million

monthly listeners on Spotify, with a high concentration of those listeners in Dallas, Chicago and Houston.

Holzaepfel is excited to see Turner perform some of his newer tracks like “Hometown Girl,” and he expects MemAud will be full and like a big party.

“It’s nice to bring back an artist that we had here as he was breaking into the country world and making his first jump in,” Holzaepfel said. “To have a name like that in a smaller venue like MemAud is going to be pretty cool.”

@GEORGIADEE35 GD497415@OHIO.EDU

“WHY DON’T WE JUST DANCE” (2010) “ALL OVER ME” (2010) “WOULD YOU GO WITH ME” (2006) “TIME IS LOVE” (2012) “FIRECRACKER” (2007) “HOMETOWN GIRL” (2017)

WHAT’S GOING ON? ALICE DEMITH FOR THE POST

FRIDAY OU Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition at 10 a.m. at the Ken-

nedy Museum of Art. Check out some interesting art and designs created by OU instructors, on display until May 6. Admission: Free Self Care with Pride for Activists at noon in the Ohio University LGBT Center. The hour-long session will incorporate discussions on how activists can best practice self-care, social justice topics and changes that can be made.

Admission: Free

inal console games on original consoles. The price is $10 at the door, but anyone who brings old games or working original consoles to donate for use at the next gaming party gets in free.

Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Road. Mauck is a musician originally from Pennsylvania who is currently living in Athens. Enjoy his soft sound inspired by a range of genres and a relaxing night of live music. Admission: Free

SUNDAY

Honor Choir and Orchestra Festival

at the Athens Makerspace, 751 W. Union St. Video game fanatics and beginners alike can play orig-

1-6 Bedrooms Palmer, Hocking, Stewart, E. Union Milliron, West Washington, Coss West State, Franklin

740-594-4441 www.BobcatRentals.net

Rock the Pins with Rockin Reggie

Vintage Console Gaming at 3 p.m.

for 2019 - 2020

The Molice and The Wastemen at 9 p.m. at The Union Bar and Grill, 18 W. Union St. The Molice, of Tokyo, Japan, will bring their alternative jams to Southeast Ohio for a special show sponsored by WLIC Hocking College Radio. They’ll be joined by Athens groups such as The Wastemen and more.

Slow Flow Yoga at 4 p.m. at Bohdi

SATURDAY

Now Leasing

Torrin Mauck at 7 p.m. at Little Fish

January Wine Dinner at 6 p.m. at the Ohio University Inn, 331 Richland Ave. Enjoy a delicious five-course meal with perfect wine pairings to go along with each. To make a reservation and for information on tickets, call 740-593-6661.

at 8 p.m. at Rollerbowl Lanes, 28 Palmer St. Go enjoy a few games of bowling while listening to live music from DJ Rockin Reggie. Cosmic bowling will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. before the music begins.

Admission: $25 per hour per lane

Prime Campus Locations

Tree Guesthouse & Studio, 8950 Lavelle Road. Finish out the weekend by taking a relaxing yoga class focused on flowing between the fundamental yoga poses.

Admission: $10 at 5 p.m. at the Athena Grand, 1008 E. State St. The Judy Garland classic is celebrating 80 years on the yellow brick road. Take a trip to the Emerald City at the Athena Grand for a special showing of the film.

Admission: $12.50 University Jazz Night at 8 p.m. at

Athens Uncorked, 14 Station St. Enjoy a night full of jazz music performed by OU music students and delicious wine to go along with it. Admission: Free

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MOVIE TIMES

4:45, 7:15 and 9:40 p.m.

The Favourite (rated R): Friday, 5, 7:30 and 9:50 p.m.; Saturday, 2:40, 5 and 9:50 p.m.; Sunday, 2:40, 5, 7:30 and 9:50 p.m.

If Beale Street Could Talk (rated R): Friday, 5:05, 7:25 and 9:45 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30, 5:05, 7:25 and 9:45 p.m.

Green Book (rated PG-13): Friday, 4:45., 7:15 and 9:40 p.m.; Saturday, 2:35, 4:45 and 9:40 p.m.; Sunday, 2:35,

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

Virtual healing

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

The MAC’s rising star

DEFENDER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

OF THE TURF

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

Claire Buckey claims her territory on Pruitt Field despite recurring health problems P12

Free speech policy causes concerns P11 Cover: Medical field utilizes VR P12 Embracing local agriculture P20

ANOTHER REMEDY

President

Duane Nellis

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Breaking down OU’s budget P12

MORE AND MORE WOMEN ARE CHOOSING TO TREAT MEDICAL CONDITIONS WITH ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE INSTEAD OF DOCTORS VISITS PAGES 20-21

After a nearly yearlong nationwide search, Duane Nellis took office as Ohio University’s 21st president on June 12.

Now, Nellis reflects on his past and shares hopes for the future.

Safety Javon Hagan’s new role P16 Exploring the world of animation P20

Comparing expression policies P9

A sit-down with the president P12

Nellis in college P10

Sustainable volunteering P20

Hockey’s second-year starter P14

Effects of marijuana depenalization 9

OU Southern’s equine program 12

Volleyball setter’s move from Italy 18

Nellis’ previous employment P20

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017

GRASS-ROOTS

ELECTIONS

L I F E S T Y L E Mamerto Tindongan finds life more valuable with less P20

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Evaluating Trump’s presidency P8 TACO exceeds majority vote P15

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DECISIONS FOR ATHENS Hispanic students balance college P20

Pumpkin’s rise to Athens celebrity P12 Setting up haunted houses P16

Looking for an enriching college experience centered around teamwork and creativity?

Quilt empowers sexual assault survivors P19

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

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Foundation of The Post hasThe been serving Ohio University OHIO HOCKEY and the Athens area for more than 100 years, and we’re always hiring.

Baker 70: one year later

How Bill Gurnick put the Bobcats on the map P20

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Faculty diversity rises slowly P8 Photo story: MLK March P12

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Closing the gender gap in STEM 11

COVER: Ohio’s next big investment 12

NEWS SPORTS CULTURE OPINION BLOGS MULTIMEDIA VISUALS PROJECTS Basketball’s star center P18

Dave Jamerson’s journey to God 20

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Healing the scars

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T H W B H E Post-grad possibilities P10

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E Y I L L E A R D

A love for cult classics P20

Sibs Weekend events P22

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018

Pipe bursts in residence hall P8

It’s Women’s History Month. ‘The Post’ compiled a collection of stories to celebrate women in Athens and Ohio University.

Cultural problems with ‘Friends’ P19

Hockey works on power plays P21 Businesses in action P10

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

UNEARTHING A SECRET

She walks

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018

by faith P12

The story behind a patch of farmland, a man and his reputation P12

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018 THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

FOOD ISSUE

UNCERTAIN FREEDOMS P14

ATHENS CULTIVATES RESTAURANTS AND DISHES THAT STUDENTS AND LOCALS HAVE COME TO KNOW AND LOVE. THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO THOSE FAMILIAR FLAVORS.

The turnover rate of businesses P9

One team, one video game P19

Caligraphy in the digital age P20

Brunch life in Athens P6 Carriage Hill one year later P9

Donkey’s most regular regular P19

From junior college to Ohio P20

Athletes’ diets in season P17

Cover story: family kitchens P18 Updates on Union explosion P9

Land of opportunity P12

A dazzling history P20

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Fridging in comic book culture P18

REFLECTING ON THE YEAR Take a look at the different faces, places and events that highlighted the 2017-18 academic year through the lens of ‘Post’ photographers