Sept. 14, 2017

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

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

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ELIZABETH BACKO MANAGING EDITOR Kaitlin Coward DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Hayley Harding SENIOR EDITOR Marisa Fernandez

EDITORIAL

NEWS EDITORS Maddie Capron, Bailey Gallion SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Gillis CULTURE EDITORS Georgia Davis, Mae Yen Yap OPINION EDITOR Chuck Greenlee COPY CHIEF Alex McCann

ART

ART DIRECTORS Abby Gordon, Sarah Olivieri PHOTO EDITORS Meagan Hall, McKinley Law, Blake Nissen, Hannah Schroeder, Matt Starkey SPECIAL PROJECTS DESIGNER Abby Day

DIGITAL

DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Taylor Johnston SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kate Ansel BLOGS EDITOR Alex Darus MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Andy Hamilton DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS Jonny Palermo

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Check out ‘The Post’ on various platforms

A

t The Post, we hope to make it as easy as possible for people to read and interact with the content we are producing every day.

Every Thursday afternoon from 1 to 1:30 p.m., Post staffers will pass out the latest issue of The Post at Alumni Gateway. This past week, staffers passed out dozens of copies of the Nellis Edition. It is a great experience when readers give us feedback as they pick up The Post.

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Baker Center and Alden Library always have a few copies.

If you cannot find a newsstand close by but are curious about print edition, we have an Issuu account where we have all of our print editions from last year and this year together online.

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When searching through our website, ELIZABETH BACKO / you can find multimedia projects as well as blog posts about national issues and trends.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Post’s website also has a few special projects that have been coded by staffers.

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Elizabeth Backo is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Want to talk to her? Email her at eb823313@ohio.edu or send her a tweet @liz_backo.

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QUITE CONTRARY

An inexplicable link between MGMT and ‘Minecraft’ The first time I realized that a memory or location could call into mind an associated song happened in the fledgling days of Minecraft, circa 2012.

As background, I spent a good porLUKE tion of my early high school years inFURMAN vested in the world-building game. is a senior Having outgrown Legos long before, the studying game stoked my architectural creativjournalism ity and issued a satisfying challenge of at Ohio trying to simply stay alive and prosper.

University.

I excavated strip mines, built a house, started a farm and crafted glass for a greenhouse. After a while, however, I began to retread the same blocks over and over again, which gave me a sense of familiarity.

At that point in my life, I always played my iTunes library from the speakers of my first PC while gaming on either it or Xbox. Since then, my taste has grown enough to where I feel like I can write a music column each week, but I’m certain that my old library housed some embarrassing music: Linkin Park, Seether and a whole lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers (disclaimer: I still like the Chili Peppers, especially John Frusciante’s guitar work).

But MGMT’s infectious hit “Kids” sticks out most of all the songs of that era. While burrowing underground in Minecraft, searching for the ever-precious diamonds, I passed a certain mineshaft that put a needle to the gramophone in my mind, and “Kids” started to play in my head without prompt. Perhaps, it was a Pavlovian reflex — the song did have a tuned piano. And each subsequent time I passed that section, I would associate it with “Kids.”

Although a moment of little value to anyone else, this experience helped me to realize that, like sight, smell, taste and touch, our minds recall sounds from particular times, rendering memories even stronger. In retrospect, I now realize that I associate MGMT’s song not only with a moment in a game, but also with a youthful time in my life. The connection has expanded with age to mean more.

From that point on, I noticed the phenomenon of being transported to a distant place through nostalgic or meaningful music. I will always associate Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” with waiting to be picked up for winter break. I connect Earl Sweatshirt’s second LP with a rough and uncertain time during my sophomore year. Every time “Born Under Punches” by Talking Heads comes on, I imagine I am at Casa Nueva on 80s Night.

Along with the more pronounced visual components we see in our mind’s eye, audio memories can recall the same amount of emotional weight and hindsight clarity.

Some people with synesthesia have these two sensations combined, being able to see sounds as corresponding colors. Musicians ranging from Billy Joel to Pharrell Williams experience this condition.

But for the rest of us, a song associated with a key moment in one’s life might hold the same importance as the people who were present, the magnitude of it and the feelings one felt. There is no hierarchy of sensation.

I still hop on Minecraft from time to time, but I can no longer remember the specific associations I had with places in the game. Like algebra, uneventful days and old technology, they faded into nothingness.

But perhaps it’s time to turn on some music and create new ones.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What music is attached to some of your memories? Let Luke know by tweeting him @LukeFurmanLog or emailing him at lf491413@ohio.edu.

PODFATHER REVIEWS

A

The deadly sins of podcasting

s much as I love and promote all sorts of podcasts, I feel like it’s time for me to go on a rant. I will be the last person to admit this: Some podcasts are not perfect.

LIAM Even though podcasting is still a relNIEMEYER atively new and developing platform for is a senior content, there are still annoying habits studying and cliches that drive me nuts. journalism Whether these cliches are picked up at Ohio by from other places, like YouTube, or University’s are unique to podcasting, these are a Honors few habits that I wish would leave podTutorial casting all together.

College.

Podcasting is a medium in which people can get creative with how to work with audio — just take a listen to fictional narrative podcast “Welcome To Nightvale,” for example. So please, if you are making a podcast do not stoop down to these mistakes.

WHEN ADS DON’T MATCH THE SHOW There tend to be a few brands that you always hear as advertisements in a podcast: Squarespace, Audible and Mailchimp, to name a few. For those unfamiliar with podcast ads, the host in the middle of the show usually reads off the ad and sometimes try out the product as a mini-review.

Podcast companies like Gimlet Media even record interviews for their ads, personalizing the advertisements even 4 / SEPT. 14, 2017

more. For podcast junkies like myself, it is easy to become accustomed to hearing the same companies over and over.

But what really gets on my nerves is when an ad does not match up to a podcast’s content. For example, “Crimetown” is a Gimlet Media-produced podcast about the history of the mafia in Providence, Rhode Island. The show constantly talks about murder, corruption and political scandals.

But when the hosts go into an ad break for Blue Apron, a DIY meal-kit service company, the difference in tone is jarring. One moment, the hosts are describing in vivid detail how a mob henchman blasted away another guy with a shotgun. The next moment, the hosts are casually chatting about how easy it is to make chicken parmesan.

It is almost laughable when something like this happens, and it makes me consider whether to stop listening to a serious show like “Crimetown” right then and there. There has to be at least a little more hindsight into how ads fit into a show.

TREATING PODCASTS LIKE RADIO This complaint is a bit more nit-picky in my opinion, but it is still valid. For many new podcasters, it is easy to forget one is creating a podcast and not “radio.” There is a difference.

A podcast is similar to traditional radio in that it has recorded interviews, varied segments and, sometimes, gimmicks that make a show special.

But because radio is a live broadcast and podcasts are not, the two should be treated differently. Radio hosts

say phrases like “we’re back” because often times the hosts are literally back from a music or news break. Radio has to constantly remind people what station they are listening to; podcasts do not.

Podcast hosts — especially ones that do interview-driven shows — might be tempted to host their shows like a commercial radio personality, but it is unnecessary and contrived. Podcasters should let their voice come through in a podcast.

A MICROPHONE OR HEADPHONES IN THE LOGO Yes, most of the time you need a microphone to create a podcast and headphones to listen to one. But I beg podcasters out there, please do not incorporate either of the two symbols into a podcast logo.

Everyone who listens to podcasts frequently knows microphones are affiliated with podcasting, but you can be a tad more creative with how to present a podcast.

Some podcasts are bigger violators than others with this.

Try to create a logo that fits with the content of the podcast. This is probably more of a complaint toward graphic designers than it is podcasters, but I’m still tired of it.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What ruins a podcast for you? Let Liam know by tweeting him @liamniemeyer.

EDITORIAL

University’s interim ‘Freedom of Expression’ policy is far too wide-ranging, comes off as restricting free speech

L

ast Friday, Ohio University announced in a news release that a new interim policy would forbid protests, demonstrations, sit-ins and more in university buildings. The policy states that students can reserve rooms inside to partake in “constitutionally protected speech,” and it also further defines disruptive conduct.

The interim policy came about after the university decided it was necessary to create a consistent policy following the violence that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August, according to a statement from OU Spokesman Dan Pittman. That, partnered with the lack of defined rules that caused confusion during the Feb. 1 Baker sit-in during which the OU Police Department arrested 70 demonstrators, may give good reason for university administrators to feel a change is necessary.

The new policy, however, has appeared to some, including us, as limiting the freedoms of expression and speech on campus.

OU has had a history of demonstrations, sit-ins and protests in university buildings, especially in recent years.

Students protested the verdict in the Michael Brown case by occupying Baker Center in 2014. The same year,

students hosted a “die-in” in Cutler Hall to protest the decision not to indict the police officer who killed Eric Garner. And in Spring Semester, there was the aforementioned Baker sit-in.

All of those protests and demonstrations were peaceful, and most didn’t disrupt planned activities. Now they would no longer be allowed inside buildings.

We understand the need for a new policy to more clearly define rules and their repercussions, but we think this policy is too sweeping. And though limiting speech may not have been the intent, it comes across that way.

We, as an outlet that’s based on the First Amendment, feel it’s especially important that students can voice their concerns in whatever way they feel conducive. Not allowing them to do so in university facilities — especially in winter months — goes against any university’s values of supporting free speech and expression on campus.

The university needs to consult wider and find a less encompassing solution.

It’s important that students’ voices are heard on this matter. It’s good that the university re-evaluated and saw the need to do that, too. More communication is the best

way to come to a good solution.

All of the university senates have the opportunity to give feedback on the issue, so we encourage students to work with Student Senate and Graduate Student Senate and faculty members to work with Faculty Senate to bring forward any concerns or thoughts on the issue.

Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors: editor-in-chief Elizabeth Backo, managing editor Kaitlin Coward, digital managing editor Hayley Harding and senior editor Marisa Fernandez. Post editorials are independent of the publication’s news coverage.

Correction: An article from the Sept. 7 issue with the headline “Hocking College to test medical marijuana, cannabis lab technology major; Trump announces DACA end” incorrectly stated that the new Athens Women’s Recovery Center would be the first women’s recovery center in Athens.

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POLICE BLOTTER

Property dispute creates literal sticky situation; ‘suspicious light’ comes from late-night cigarettes LAUREN FISHER ASST. NEWS EDITOR As students hunker down to face the brunt of the academic semester, the Ohio University Police Department saw a much quieter weekend on campus after an abnormally high volume of citations over Labor Day weekend.

Officers wrote only about a quarter as many marijuana-related citations as they did last weekend, with eight total citations this weekend related to marijuana possession or paraphernalia.

Additionally, the department issued two citations for underage drinking, one for disorderly conduct by intoxication and one for open container.

STUCK TOGETHER, TORN APART On Tuesday, deputies with the Athens County Sheriff’s Office were called to Hockingport, in Troy Township, after receiving a report of property damage. They spoke with a complainant, who said someone had been filling the locks on her trailer with glue, according to the police report.

Deputies later found there was a property dispute, and it was “likely that someone disputing the property” filled the locks with glue after the complainant replaced the locks on the doors.

A TENTS SITUATION On Sept. 6, Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a Marathon gas station in Albany, having received a report of a suspicious man with “several large suitcases,” who was “staring at the patrons” at the store.

Deputies made contact with the man, who said he was looking for a place to set up a tent for the night. Staff members at the Marathon station allowed him to set up camp for the night at the station but told him he would have to remove it in the morning.

CARNIVAL CACOPHONY Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies were requested to patrol the Albany Fairgrounds on the night of Sept. 5 after they received complaints of loud music.

A caller informed deputies that carnival workers were “assembling rides and listening to music turned up to an inappropriate level” for the late time of night, according to the report.

Once deputies arrived, however, they found the fairgrounds to be quiet. Employees present at the scene said that though the carnival workers had played music earlier, they turned it off “a short while” before law enforcement arrived.

ILLUSTRATION BY RILEY SCOTT THE CHAINSMOKER On Monday, Athens County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a complaint regarding suspicious activity in Athens Township. After investigating the scene, deputies determined that an individual who was “intermittently sleeping and then getting up to have a cigarette” was creating the suspicious light the caller observed.

The individual in question was asked to “move on” from the area.

@LAUREN_FISHER LF966614@OHIO.EDU

NEWS BRIEFS

Protest policy criticized; 72-hour parking to begin for some MADDIE CAPRON NEWS EDITOR The end of week three means students are one-fifth of the way done with Fall Semester. Here are some of the biggest headlines from this week: “FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION” POLICY RECEIVES BACKLASH A new Ohio University policy, titled “Freedom of Expression,” bans demonstrations, sit-ins, speeches and more inside university buildings. OU President Duane Nellis addressed the issue at Tuesday night’s Graduate Student Senate meeting, where he reassured people that the policy is only a draft.

“The policy we drafted was based on looking at similar free speech policies at other Ohio public universities,” Nellis said. “I’m not arguing for the policy we put out. … It doesn’t ban free speech in buildings.”

6 / SEPT. 14, 2017

Faculty Senate also addressed concerns with the policy at its first meeting of the year Monday.

“I would say first of all, it is probably unconstitutional because the constitution doesn’t speak (about) peaceably assembling after having permission from somebody, but just to assemble peacefully,” Faculty Senator Bernhard Debatin said.

PARKING PROGRAM TO ALLOW 72HOUR PARKING FOR SOME The City of Athens passed a pilot residential parking program Aug. 21 to change parking laws in one part of Athens from 24-hour parking to 72-hour parking. The program will begin on Sept. 20 for a year-long test period.

The streets included as part of the program are Brown, Central, Elizabeth, First, Hanlin, Maple, Pratt, Shafer, Smith, West Hills, West Washington, Columbia, Franklin, Evans, Grosvenor,

Highland, Mound, North Congress and Spring. Residents who wish to participate in the program will need to buy a $25 permit.

“The idea is that it’s a more sustainable type of situation because many of the people who live in these homes work in the uptown area or commute and walk to work,” Councilwoman Michele Papai, D-3rd Ward, said. “What ends up happening (in the current system) is you still have people having to move their car every 24 hours, yet they’re being good citizens by walking to work and not using gas.”

STUDENT TRUSTEES AIM TO BOOST COMMUNICATION, VISIBILITY For the first time in several years, two women will serve as student trustees on OU’s Board of Trustees. Brooke Mauro and Faith Voinovich were appointed for this academic year.

“Every group and individual should

be equally represented to the Board,” Mauro said in an email. “We are also tasked with representing Ohio taxpayers and to aid in forging the present path and future interests of all Ohio University constituents.”

The two have similar goals to strengthen the relationship between the Board of Trustees and Student Senate by closing the gap between the two groups.

“My main thing is to get in contact with as many people as I possibly can,” Voinovich said. “Just having set office hours and really getting visibility out there that I want people to come in and to discuss issues with me, any problems that they’re having, or even good things that are going on.”

@MADDIECAPRON MC055914@OHIO.EDU

CLASSIFIEDS

University Rentals Now Renting 2018-2019

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Internet costs drive rural Ohioans to local libraries In Vinton and Meigs counties, expensive high-speed internet forces many to head to libraries to surf the web BENNETT LECKRONE SLOT EDITOR While students at Ohio University have access to high-speed internet, they wouldn’t have to travel far to find homes without adequate internet access.

Just 25 miles away in Vinton County, the public library, in the county seat of McArthur, is some people’s only outlet to access broadband, or high-speed, internet. Diana Johnston, the director of the Herbert Wescoat Memorial Library, said people come in daily to use the library’s public Wi-Fi. Johnston had one word for the state of internet access in the rural county: expensive.

“It’s available in many areas,” she said.

“People can get it, but it’s very expensive for them. That’s why a lot of people don’t have it.”

Stuart Johnson, the executive director of Connect Ohio — a nonprofit organization that advocates affordable and reliable internet for all Ohioans — said while digital divides still exist based on location, affordability has become more of an issue in recent years.

“The definition of what’s adequate, affordable and reliable to you could be different to me,” Johnson said. “We used to define the digital divide as those that had broadband and those that did not.”

According to a report by Connect Ohio, internet access in Vinton and Meigs counties — where the median household annual incomes are about $40,000 and $37,000 — costs about $45 per month for a 50 to 99 megabits per second download speed. In Fairfield County, where the median household income is about $60,000, the cost per month for 50 to 99 mbps internet is the same as in Vinton and Meigs counties: $45.

People without broadband in Meigs and Vinton counties are some of the 2.5 million Ohioans without broadband access, according to Connect Ohio. Johnson said people without broadband lack access to some vital opportunities.

8 / SEPT. 14, 2017

“In order for you to get unemployment, you have to go to the OhioMeansJobs website, create an account and post a resume,” Johnson said. “What if you don’t have access? How are you supposed to do that?”

Johnson said it is difficult to get large companies to provide internet to rural counties with fewer people when there are other markets available. Thus, the responsibility of installing equipment and providing better internet access often falls to small companies.

Ohio state legislators are trying to coax companies into investing in better rural internet access. According to a news release, Ohio state Senators Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman) and Cliff Hite (R-Findlay) announced last Wednesday a $50 million per year grant program using funding from the Ohio Third Frontier fund, which was set up to improve the economy by funding startup technology companies.

The Development Services Agency is estimated to increase access to 14,000 Ohio households per year with no additional tax cost. It would award grants of up to $5 million to businesses, non-profits and other organizations to build broadband infrastructure in underserved areas, according to a news release.

Johnson said the fund would provide extra money business costs and federal grants cannot cover.

Johnson encouraged OU students to call their state representatives — Senator Frank Hoagland and Representative Jay Edwards — and encourage them to support the legislation.

Laeeq Khan, an assistant professor of media arts and studies at OU, said healing the digital divide goes beyond just providing access to everyone.

“When we do have access, we have another form of divide,” Khan said. “People do not have the skills to access the kind of information they need.”

Johnson said people who already have access continue to consume more and more media and become more wellversed in technology, feeding into the digital divide.

“It’s growing exponentially,” Johnson said. “With the expansion of technology, applications and devices, it’s just insatiable. It’s growing like crazy.”

@LECKRONEBENNETT BL646915@OHIO.EDU

The science of discovering dinosaurs MADELEINE PECK FOR THE POST Despite helping discover and name a new dinosaur just a couple weeks ago, paleontologist Patrick O’Connor said he has yet to carry around an Indiana Jonesstyle pistol and whip during his work in the field.

This year, researchers at Ohio University are probably going to end up discovering five to 10 new species of animals, O’Connor, a professor of biomedical sciences, said.

OU is actually a “hotbed” for paleontological research, Lawrence Witmer, a paleontologist and professor of biomedical sciences, said, as many people are studying how animals have evolved and making discoveries in both the field and the lab.

The extent of many people’s knowledge of paleontologists comes from what they see in Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. Here is what the experts from OU have to say about just how they go about making those new discoveries: GET OUT TO THE FIELD When looking for the right place to study in the field, having a strong geological mindset is necessary, O’Connor said.

“We can go look for dinosaurs in Athens County, but we’ll never find them,” he added. “We don’t have rocks of the proper age.”

Tanzania, Madagascar and Antarctica are a few places O’Connor has practiced field research. Choosing those locations resulted from studies of geological maps, which showed that the rocks in that region were the same age as the period of dinosaurs.

“You spend a lot of time walking and looking, and occasionally you’ll come upon a dinosaur, and it’s, like, perfectly laid out like in Jurassic Park,” he added.

“Most of the time, it’s not.”

Many undergraduate students at OU take basic biology and comparative anatomy courses. The skills learned in those classes are the basis for the examinations performed on fossils, O’Connor said.

First, researchers try to identify what kind of animal the skeleton is by comparing it with both prehistoric and modern skeletons. That is what allows the researcher to determine whether or not the fossils may be from a new species, O’Connor said.

DISCOVER FURTHER Discovering new species of dinosaurs is just one breakthrough that can occur in paleontology.

“We’re not here to be Dr. Dinosaur,” O’Connor said. “Those fossils are merely

“

You spend a lot of time walking and looking, and occasionally you’ll come upon a dinosaur, and it’s, like, perfectly laid out like in ‘Jurassic Park.’ Most of the time, it’s not.”

- Patrick O’Connor, OU professor and paleontologist

ILLUSTRATION BY MARCUS PAVILONIS one type of data that we are compiling to address big questions about earth history.”

Witmer’s lab spends a lot of time looking at and dissecting modern relatives to dinosaurs, including birds, crocodiles and lizards. The lab then compares fossils collected in the field and in museums to modern skeletons to learn more about how dinosaurs function and how animals evolved.

Often, the only technology associated with paleontology is only shovels and picks. The technology used by researchers at OU, though, is actually “extremely advanced,” Witmer said. His lab uses CT scanning, 3-D visualization and computer modeling to make discoveries.

her work is fueled by trying to find out how well paleontologists know what they think they know.

Stevens focuses her effort on where there are gaps in knowledge about a certain time period or geographical location. Collecting data from undersampled regions accompanies her other work exploring extinction dynamics. “(O’Connor and Stevens) discover the history of life on our planet by going out and finding new fossils,” Witmer said.

“There are others of us that are more concerned with trying to explain those fossils and tell us how they explain sort of the evolutionary tapestry of life on our planet.”

ANSWER DIFFERENT QUESTIONS While Witmer’s studies are more labbased and focus on how dinosaurs functioned, paleontologist and biomedical studies professor Nancy Stevens said

@M_PECKABLE MP172114@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

DEFENDING FREE SPEECH

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Two lawmakers to introduce bill guarding college students’ rights to free speech on campus

ABBEY MARSHALL STAFF WRITER

S

ome state representatives are arguing that Ohio University — or any public college in Ohio — shall make no law prohibiting the freedom of speech.

State Reps. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, and Wesley Goodman, R-Cardington, are introducing a bill to the Ohio House of Representatives reaffirming First Amendment rights on college campuses.

“We need to defend (free speech) everywhere, but especially in college campuses where you’re supposed to have a free exchange of ideas,” Brenner said. “We have some universities enact some policies that have led to some alternative ideas being squashed, and I don’t want to see that happen.”

Brenner said the Free Speech Act aims to ensure public universities in Ohio are compliant with the First Amendment. That includes an elimination of “free speech zones” that are present on many college campuses. The entire campus should be a free speech zone, Brenner said.

Under the Free Speech Act, policies such as OU’s recent interim ban on protesting in university buildings could not exist.

10 / SEPT. 14, 2017

OU Police officers arrest protesters in Baker Center on Feb. 1. (BLAKE NISSEN/ FILE)

“Public universities that are getting large amounts of taxpayers’ money, their policies and conducts of laws should be consistent with the First Amendment,” Goodman said.

Goodman emphasized the need for an exchange of ideas at the collegiate level.

“We completely reject that notion that speech or expression is harmful,” he said. “The answer to speech we dislike or disagree with … is to meet it with more speech of what you believe and find to be true.”

OU has faced the debate around free speech on campus in recent years. Last fall, the university hosted a campus conversation addressing the drawing of a hanged figure on the graffiti wall, which is at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Richland Avenue. The event sparked a debate about what constitutes hate speech and free speech.

“We can all agree that hateful rhetoric has no place on this campus,” David Parkhill, the former president of the OU College Republicans, said last October during the panel discussion. “But who is to say what is hateful rhetoric? We cannot allow the government and we cannot allow our institutions to start regulating our speech.

Once it starts, where does it stop?”

The line between hate speech and First Amendment freedoms is not quite so clear cut. Sarah Wooldridge, a sophomore

“

We need to defend (free speech) everywhere, but especially college campuses where you’re supposed to have a free exchange of ideas. We have some universities enact some policies that have led to some alternative ideas being squashed, and I don’t want to see that happen.”

-Andrew Brenner, State Representative (R-Powell)

studying middle childhood education, said she thinks the bill is not a good idea in some situations. “(Speech) should be limited to keep things appropriate and professional,” she

said. “We need to learn how to interact and get our points across in appropriate ways. … We need to learn how to communicate our ideas professionally at our age now.”

Brenner stressed that the proposed bill would not tolerate speech that portrays a clear and present danger, which has been ruled upon in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“If someone is causing threat or physical violence, that’s not tolerated and they should be arrested,” he said. “We’re talking speech (and a) discussion of ideas.”

Goodman said the two would likely introduce the bill to the Ohio House of Representatives in the next few weeks, and they hope to pass it through the Ohio House, Senate and governor’s office by next spring.

“Too often we’re talking at each other or past each other,” Goodman said. “We see this as a step toward creating a healthier climate and a healthy dialogue so that young people on college campuses are fully equipped to be engaged and successful citizens of Ohio.”

@ABBEYMARSHALL AM877915@OHIO.EDU

Despite backlash, OU’s interim ‘Freedom of Expression’ policy likely legal, expert says BAILEY GALLION NEWS EDITOR

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hio University’s new interim “Freedom of Expression” policy is proving unpopular with both liberal and conservative students.

Though the presidents of the OU College Republicans and OU College Democrats disagree on many issues, they both oppose the policy, which forbids “demonstrations, rallies, public speech-making, picketing, sit-ins, marches, protests, and similar assemblies” from the inside of university buildings. They both see the policy as an unnecessary infringement on freedom of speech and assembly.

“I think that’s kind of a bipartisan fight,” Ryan Evans, the president of the College Republicans, said. “There are definitely people on the left who want to protest … and that should be absolutely fine, like I said, as long as it doesn’t impede other people’s rights.”

The policy, which the university announced Friday, allows students to reserve outdoor space on campus. It also allows students to reserve indoor spaces, such as classrooms, for “discussions and other forms of constitutionally protected speech,” but otherwise bans protests and similar events inside. Another interim policy provides detailed guidelines governing the use of 26 outdoor spaces on campus.

In an email statement Tuesday, OU Spokesman Dan Pittman said the “Freedom of Expression” policy is only a temporary measure the university took in response to the violence that took place at a white supremacist counterrally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August. One person was killed and at least 19 others — including Hockingport resident Bill Burke — were injured while counter-protesting a “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally Aug. 12, according to a previous Post report.

The university will consider reactions from students and faculty when it drafts a final policy.

“In the meantime, some of the initial feedback we received has raised the question that the policy constrains political speech,” Pittman said in the email. “That is not our intent. Our policy must balance safety with protection of all constitutionally protected speech, regardless of content.”

Evans and other members of his organization have been talking about the policy for a short time, but he thinks most of the College Republicans are against it. He plans to discuss a course of action with his organization.

As long as protests don’t infringe upon the rights of others, Evans said the university shouldn’t interfere, though he believes intervention is appropriate in some cases.

“Say you have a speech and people are standing in front of a door where you can’t get into the building,” Evans said. “Or they’re purposefully going into the building and causing a big disruption and you can’t listen to the speaker or something like that. That should be stopped.”

But Evans believes those decisions should be individual security measures, not broad rules and regulations

An OU Police officer arrests a woman during a protest on the fourth floor of Baker Center on Feb. 1. A total of 70 people were arrested in what would become known as the “Baker 70” protest. (CARL FONTICELLA / FILE)

against indoor protests.

Ashley Fishwick, the president of the College Democrats, said the interim policy was “not acceptable.” She said the policy restricting indoor protests would especially affect students in the winter months. The “Baker 70” protest, in which 70 protesters were arrested in Baker Center, for example, took place in February.

“It’s going to be hard, especially because most students aren’t going to want to go stand outside in like 30 degree weather, and they shouldn’t have to,” she said.

“They should have access to any space in the university, because ... we’re paying for it.”

The university should protect the right of students to protest, she said, not restrict it.

Both Faculty and Graduate Student senates have held discussions on the policy. Members of both bodies were critical of the policy.

At Tuesday’s Graduate Student Senate meeting, OU President Duane Nellis said the policy was based on similar policies at other universities. He plans to meet Friday with executive members of the five senates.

“Truly, we want this document to be reflective of the spirit of the campus community,” Nellis said. “We had to get something out there to kind of start the dialogue.”

Azhar Majeed, vice president of policy reform at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said he doesn’t see any “First Amendment issues” with the policy, and it would likely receive a “green light” rating from his organization.

“The important thing for us is that it certainly opens up the campus as a whole to expressive activity as long as students are not being disruptive and not threatening order and safety,” he said.

Majeed said the freedom of expression policy isn’t perfect — he would prefer the universities make some allowances for demonstrations inside buildings.

But the university is within its rights to place limitations on indoor spaces, he said. Indoor spaces are smaller, and people within them might be trying to work or get to class, making building interiors less well-suited to demonstrations.

“It’s not necessarily the exact policy that we would write, but we try not to let perfect be the enemy of good,” he said.

@BAILEYGALLION BG272614@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

A game-changer in health care GEORGIA DAVIS CULTURE EDITOR

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octors rush to the sliding glass doors of an emergency room as the transport team wheels in a patient. A child who fell out of a tree and suffered a blow to the head is on the gurney.

A resident doctor watches the medical professionals as they wheel the patient through the trauma center, taking in the movements and routines the superiors go through.

The hospital is in a state of organized chaos. When “incoming trauma” is announced through the intercom system, everyone is where they are supposed to be.

The resident stands to the side, watching and learning as the care team assesses the injuries and decides what to do next.

After taking in the surroundings, the resident takes off the virtual reality goggles that simulated the experience.

An Omni camera in the GRID lab in Scripps Hall.

(HANNAH SCHROEDER / PHOTO EDITOR)

12 / SEPT. 14, 2017

Doctors who help patients like that come into emergency rooms across the country. But now those scenarios can be played out for doctors, residents and nurses through a pair of virtual reality goggles, just like they were there in real time.

VR is a perk of new technology in the medical field and in medical education, said Tensing Maa, the director for the Situ Simulation Project at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. Using a simulator while filming instead of a real patient allows for more options when it comes to learning about patient care, she said.

“We don’t have to wait for a real patient to come through,” Maa said. “We can say, ‘Oh, this is a head trauma. This is a burn patient coming through. This is a car accident.’ We can simulate all of those.”

With the aid of VR, hospitals and universities have been able to take a more immersive approach in teaching medical professionals and students. Ohio University is one place at the forefront of developing programs to change the way health care professionals learn how to better lend a healing hand to those who need it.

BENEFITS OF THE TECHNOLOGY Every four weeks, Grant Medical Center in Columbus receives a group of new medical residents who are there to learn how to operate in a trauma center. With the amount of information residents have to learn in restricted hours, Dr. Thanh Nguyen said VR is useful in immersing the nearly 110 yearly residents that come through the hospital.

“When they go down to the trauma bay, even though it’s still their first time, they feel like they’ve kind of already seen it,” Nguyen said. “They get more comfortable with trauma evaluations.”

Because the hospital’s orientation is video-driven, there are added benefits, Nguyen said. No life is put in danger by watching footage of a procedure. Despite being virtual, the simulated reality is still effective because it feels real, he added.

“No one gets hurt because it’s a video, (but) it’s very real life because they see and hear all of the sounds that are coming out of the trauma bay,” Nguyen said.

Sherleena Buchman, an assistant professor in OU’s School of Nursing, and Deborah Henderson, a professor and director in OU’s School of Nursing, are researching what it is like to be the patient to put it in the better perspective for the doctor or nurse.

The Game Research and Immersive Design, or GRID, Lab at OU has helped them film what it is like to have a certain disease and puts the caretaker in the patient’s position. In the videos, the students interact with the patient’s loved ones and experience symptoms of the disease through VR goggles.

Because the technology is developing, residents are not able to fully immerse themselves in the simulation. The residents are given one viewpoint to look from and can see all around the room from that position with the goggles.

“Instead of lecturing and telling them about these processes, it’s an opportunity through virtual reality for students to actually experience being that patient,” Buchman said. “It made it very real for the students.”

Taylor Rohrig, a senior studying games and animation, is one of the students helping film and stitch together the footage.

The simulation is shot on a 360-degree camera to capture every angle of the space, and microphones are positioned in the room to capture what the health care team says. That means residents can see how the doctors assess the injuries and have a clear view of any procedures. They can look around the room and hear everything the medical team says.

Though VR is often associated with the gaming industry, Rohrig said she sees the benefits of the technology in the medical field, pointing to the fact that it allows for different fields to collaborate. “(Virtual reality is) having a lot of people blend together and it’s really letting everyone kind of interact,” she said. “It is a technology revolution, just because it’s going to be able to be used in so many different ways because augmentation and immersion isn’t just for entertainment.”

Rohrig enjoys working on the VR projects because not everyone knows everything about the technology yet, and she is even learning alongside her bosses.

“Feeling like you’re ahead of the game is so gratifying. It makes you feel like you’re actually making progress,” she said. “VR is so cool because … it’s so flexible that being able to work in VR, you have options — you don’t just have to work in games or just television. … I think it’s super important.”

It is a technology revolution, just because it’s going to be able to be used in so many different ways.

— Taylor Rohrig senior studying games and animation schools on campus, medical partners were not hard to find, Bowditch said. A little more than a year ago, the GRID Lab shot VR footage in the trauma bay or center at Grant Medical Center, which has launched partnerships with other medical professionals.

“Just that footage alone has unlocked partnerships over the last year, including Nationwide Children’s,” he said. “Also, people across the world who had seen it through different educational opportunities are interested in partnering with us to do (more) medical VR stuff.”

This year, the GRID Lab helped film at Columbus’ Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Instead of using real patients, Nationwide used a simulated patient and captured footage of team of health care professional treating the simulator like a real person, Eric Williams, the immersive storytelling specialist and co-creator of the Immersive Media Initiative, said.

“The idea is to give multi-view perspectives of kind of how a team works,” Williams said. “It feels like you are standing right there.”

THE NEXT STEP Though the feedback is promising, Grant, Nationwide and the OU School of Nursing are still collecting data on the effectiveness of the use of VR. Bowditch hopes to continue developing the programs to make them even more immersive. The goal is to produce VR in which the residents can actually interact with the patients and have multiple decisions to make along the way — and any repercussions that might come with those decisions.

“So something happens in this scenario, the user’s given an option to choose what to do next and that queues up the next sequence,” he said. “It’s basically a ripple effect from that point on, and so if you make a good decision or a bad decision, you kinda have to live with it from that point forward.”

OU is just one school using virtual reality to examine different aspects of the medical profession. The University of Southern California created a lab that is devoted to applying the technology in different area of medicine and rehabilitation.

Maa would like to keep seeing the technology adapt to become more flexible, accessible and reproducible.

A BOOMING INDUSTRY “Medical education, I think, is really transforming into tryIn 2016, OU’s GRID Lab received approximately $900,000 to ing to become much more engaging, interactive and working on pursue VR in four disciplines, one of them being in the medical learner engagement satisfaction,” she said. “It’s exciting to think profession. However, health care studies at the university had not that we can offer these sort of experiences to our trainees.” worked in virtual capacity before, John Bowditch, director of the GRID Lab, said. @GEORGIADEE35 Because the GRID Lab has worked with other

GD497415@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

The Drugstore at OU is conveniently located on campus inside the lobby of the Hudson Health Center. We offer lower copays, automatic refills with text alerts, and the option to apply purchases to your Ohio University student account. We accept most insurances including CVS Caremark and TRICARE, and accept prescriptions from all physician offices.

As Athens’ only locally owned pharmacy, we pride ourselves on offering our OU Bobcats with the hometown care and compassion they deserve.

Our pharmacists are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding your medications.

Your health is our priority.

We also provide a wide variety of health and personal care convenience items including hair care products, cosmetics, vitamins, cough, cold, and flu medication, Tylenol, Motrin, snacks, beverages, and so much more. We make transferring your prescriptions easy! Simply call us directly at (740) 593-4738 and we will take care of the rest.

For more information, visit us at www.TheDrugstoreatOU.com.

14 / SEPT. 14, 2017

Local bands find names through innovative methods SUMMER SCHMIER FOR THE POST

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than Bartman invited some friends over and took out an Ouija board.

They were trying to decide on a name for their alternative rock back and called on the power of the supernatural to lead them to the answer.

“We had a naming ceremony,” Bartman, the lead singer and guitarist of Water Witches, said. They summoned spirits while playing their instruments.

The Ouija board spelled out the name Water Witches and thus, formed a theme for the band.

Often local concert lineups feature a band name that demands a double-take. Athens is teeming with fresh talent, from a band that identifies its genre as “slacker tweepop” to a band that carries a unique scary story along with its chosen name.

Water Witches chose its name not only from the Ouija board’s suggestion, but also because it carries meaning.

“Water witching was a real thing where people used dowsing rods and called on the power of magic to find water underground,” Charlie Touvell, the band's drummer, said.

The supernatural plays a huge role for the band, Matt Clouston, the lead bassist, said.

“We acknowledge the power of magic at every show, and if we don’t, something terrible always happens,” Clouston said.

The band's new vinyl album has "sounds like ocean waves," Bartman said.

“Our music is a lot like water in that way,” he said.

Water Witches’ next show is Thursday at the Union Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St., with Caitlin Kraus and Micah Nelson, the son of country singer Willie Nelson.

Another local band with an uncommon name is Dandelion Hunters. The band identifies its genre as “slacker tweepop.”

The members came up with the name when singer and bassist Collin Geddis saw the cover of a book titled Dandelion Hunters. He didn’t know what the book was about, but the name immediately brought images and memories of his free, innocent past as a kid picking dandelions in a field in the sunshine.

“I work at a school, and kids are always bringing

The Water Witches spend time in the practice studio Sept. 7. (ALEXANDRIA SKOWRONSKI / FOR THE POST)

“

When we were in search of a band name, it sort of came naturally. (The name refers) to the building as the ‘clubhouse.’ ” Max Reichert - lead singer of Clubhouse

in bags of dandelions from recess,” Geddis said.

One of the group's songs, “Delicate and Potent,” is based on “the way I perceive my own gender,” guitarist Jay Riley said.

Another ensemble with an interesting name origin is Clubhouse.

The band members grew up writing music and

hanging out in a small building off the back of the home of Ari and Zak Blumer, the lead guitarist and drummer, respectively.

“When we were in search of a band name, it sort of came naturally. (The name refers) to the building as the ‘clubhouse,’ ” Max Reichert, the lead singer, said.

The band identifies as indie pop. Its new hit single, called “Kyra,” carries a sentimental story with it.

The song is named after Kyra Kurt Willner, who was a senior at Ohio University. Willner died in a car accident during a road trip in New Mexico in 2015, according to a previous Post report.

“Max was the closest with her out of all of us,” Ari said. “The song is dedicated to her, and it’s both about the celebration of her life and the impact of losing someone close to you.”

The band performed its last show during Abercrombie & Fitch’s charity event, the A&F Challenge, billed alongside famous bands like Bastille, the Strumbellas and Magic Giant.

“It was incredible to see how successful the event was at raising funds for the SeriousFun Children’s Network,” Zak said, highlighting on the band’s ideals of helping those in need.

Those are only a few of Athens’ local pool of musical talent. Music lovers can frequent shows at the Union or another of the many music venues.

@SUMMERSCHMIER SS858913@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

Thomas Burnett has spread the art of storytelling for several years. (PROVIDED VIA THOMAS BURNETT)

Storytellers use traditional artform to promote pride in Appalachian culture ALEXIS EICHELBERGER STAFF WRITER

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he Sunday before Labor Day, Thomas Burnett sat under a small canopy illuminated by lantern light on the shore of Lake Snowden.

It was the second annual Athens Harvest Festival, and a group of children had gathered around him and asked for a story.

He was skeptical at first. Many times when he told stories to children, they grew bored and quickly lost interest — but not this time. He told them one story and, when he finished, they asked for another.

And another. The pattern continued for more than an hour.

Burnett has been a professional storyteller for several years and with his talents, formed the Appalachian Ohio Storytelling Project. Through the project, he and his companion, Mike Kubisek, share the gift of the spoken word with others at festivals, libraries, coffeehouses and more around Appalachia and other nearby states.

Burnett first took an interest in storytelling after he earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Bowling Green State University in 1997 when he was 47 years old. He was searching for graduate programs when he happened upon a national storytelling festival in Tennessee.

There, he learned about a program 16 / SEPT. 14, 2017

“

It’s very liberating and very creative. A story is never told twice in the same way.”

at East Tennessee State University that could educate him in the art of spoken performance in a three-week intensified study taught each summer. But life got in the way, and Burnett did not earn his master’s despite being only six credit hours away from doing so.

But he was not discouraged.

Burnett went on to create his own specialized study at the University of Findlay, where he earned his master’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in storytelling and performance in 2011.

Burnett created the Appalachian Ohio Storytelling Project in 2010 as part of his capstone project. He said through his performance troupe, he hopes to preserve the oral storytelling tradition of Appalachia and promote cultural pride.

“The idea was to minister to the oppressed and the disenfranchised by taking quality storytelling shows and music shows to oppressed areas,” he said. “(To) communities that wouldn’t normally be

- Thomas Burnett, professional storyteller exposed to cultural events.”

Many of Burnett’s stories are set in an imaginary Appalachian town called Deer Hill. The fictitious neighborhood is a colony of storytellers and musicians who settled into an abandoned coal mining town as a way to return to nature.

One of Burnett’s favorite things about storytelling is the flexibility it has. He uses no script and reads from no books, so each performance allows him to adjust his stories based on his setting and audience.

“It’s very liberating and very creative,” he said. “A story is never told twice in the same way.”

Kubisek, who is Burnett’s partner in the storytelling project, was inspired to take up storytelling after hearing Burnett brag about his own abilities and performances.

If he could do it, so could Kubisek.

“But I think we’re all storytellers by nature anyways,” he said.

Kubisek will tell his tales at the annual

Pawpaw Festival, which he has made a tradition of visiting. There, he’ll sit in a tent, much like the one he used at the harvest festival, where he can connect with his audience better than he would on a stage.

Weston Lombard, the kids area coordinator for the Pawpaw Festival, has invited Kubisek to participate in the festival for the past several years. He said Kubisek’s gift for storytelling helps connect festival-goers to their cultural roots.

“His well-told stories entertain, but also evoke images of a lifestyle that is becoming more and more foreign to today’s youth,” Lombard said in an email. “Listening to his stories is a cultural act in itself and brings participants back to the days before smartphones and television.”

Kubisek speaks casually about his own storytelling as if he does it for his personal enjoyment. If others find enjoyment in it too, that’s just fine, he said. He finds the preservation of the spoken word, however, to be imperative in the age of technology.

“I think it’s important to continue the oral tradition,” he said. “We’ve told stories to each other for a long, long time in our cultural history, and I think it’s important that we continue doing that.”

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU

Appalachian Kings OU student Evan Leonard achieves lifelong goal of hiking the nearly 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail

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ABOVE: Evan Leonard and Mike Martz brave the winds on the Appalachian Trail. (PROVIDED VIA EVAN LEONARD) ABOVE RIGHT: Evan Leonard hiked the Appalachian Trail in about five months. (PROVIDED VIA EVAN LEONARD)

FAITH GALLOWAY FOR THE POST

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iving in southern Ohio, most people consider Appalachia to be right in their backyards. After journeying across the entire Appalachian Trail, Ohio University senior Evan Leonard has returned to Athens to tell his story. Even though he is studying commercial photography, Leonard expressed a burning passion for the great outdoors.

“I’ve been hiking and backpacking almost all my life,” Leonard, who is from Westlake, said. “I knew I wanted to hike the (trail) about eight years ago. I went on it for my first time. … We did 75 miles, and I really liked it so I knew that I wanted to one day hike the whole thing.”

After discovering he would be able to graduate a semester early, Leonard was determined to take on the trail earlier than he had originally planned. In fact, he left an entire year early, prepping during the winter months. On March 4, the steadfast hiker embarked on the 5 1/2-month journey that would change his life forever. The approximately 2,200-mile path stretches from Georgia to Maine and intersects highways, cities and the occasional grocery store.

One of Leonard’s roommates, Isaac Gibson, decided to experience the trail for himself. Gibson met up with Leonard at Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, at mile 1,128 to begin their 63-mile trek together.

“The biggest struggle for me was probably the unpredictable terrain,” Gibson said. “When I reached Evan, we were starting to hike some of the rockiest parts from that

I’ve been hiking and backpacking almost all my life. I knew I wanted to hike the (trail) about eight years ago. I went on it for my first time. ... We did 75 miles, and I really liked it so I knew that I wanted to one day hike the whole thing.”

point on. It definitely affected my ankles a little bit.”

The fourth day not only brought treacherous winds, but also Mike Martz, who goes by the trail name Grapenut and accompanied Leonard on the expedition. A trail name is an alternative name people use that fit their personalities. Fortunate enough to be able to graduate a semester early, Martz decided to go see the trail for himself.

Though the two hiked alone at times, Martz and Leonard spent a lot of their hike traveling and planning together.

“Evan had set up his hammock, and I had set up mine.

He found a better, less windy spot to set up for the night and came over to me saying, ‘Hey, I found this spot down the hill that seems to be a lot better if you’d like to join me,’” Martz said. “From that point on, we began our 1,300-

- Evan Leonard, a senior studying commercial photography

mile journey together.”

Not many people, especially students, can just wake up one day and go hike the Appalachian Trail. While juggling school, activities and life in general, most students do not know how to make time to participate in a journey like this.

When asked what advice he could give to students who are on the fence about traveling, Leonard said: “Just do it. I wasn’t in class, and I have learned more over that five months than I have learned in any education. It changed where I want to go in life and changed how I think every single day.”

@FAIITHGALLOWAY FG735514@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

FOOTBALL

MAC INCREASES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINORITY PLAYERS THROUGH DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PROGRAM CAMERON FIELDS FOR THE POST

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he Mid-American Conference hopes to resolve a problem that’s been present throughout sports history.

And that’s to provide more opportunities for minorities to coach or administrate at the collegiate level.

Last November, the MAC announced its plan for a Diversity and Inclusion Program. The program begins this fall, with a key feature being the conference offering 25 annual internships to students who desire a career in college athletics. This program isn’t geared toward any sport, but rather the athletic departments in the conference.

The MAC will give the opportunity for each team to have two interns, and one intern will work in the conference’s office in Cleveland.

The conference values diversity and inclusion, and it is one of the first conferences in Division I intercollegiate athletics to implement such a program.

The Bobcats have two minority coaches, and both are black. De’Angelo Smith, a former NFL defensive back, is the cornerbacks coach. Dwayne Dixon is Ohio’s wide receivers coach; this is his 11th season with the team. Along with Smith and Dixon, Chris Rodgers, the team’s assistant athletic director for football operations, is black, too.

“The diversity part is very good to see us moving in that direction, giving opportunities not just to African-Americans, but guys that can make

18 / SEPT. 14, 2017

things happen and can be on an equal playing field,” Dixon said.

While opportunities are being provided for minority coaches and administrators, upward mobility is the goal.

That’s been a recurring issue in sports, too. The glass ceiling – that barrier preventing upward mobility – is present.

Throughout Division I FBS college football in 2016, only 16 head coaches of 128 were people of color. And two of them are in the MAC. Mike Jinks and Paul Haynes are both black, and they coach at Bowling Green and Kent State, respectively.

“I think you have to look at who’s hiring,” Haynes said. “So we gotta start there with having more sometimes minority athletic directors to sit there and give us a chance and look at it.”

The MAC has three minority athletic directors. Allen Greene, the athletic director at Buffalo, is black. Sean Frazier at Northern Illinois is black, and Kathy Beauregard is the athletic director at Western Michigan.

The number of minority athletic directors in FBS college football isn’t much greater. In 2016, out of 128 athletic directors in the FBS, 13 were black, four were Latino, one was Asian and nine were white women.

For minority administrators who already have positions, the MAC has included a mentorship program as part of its diversity and inclusion plan. The program will provide professional development and learning opportunities for administrators already in MAC programs.

Jaylen Bannerman-Oden, a junior

Ohio cornerbacks coach De’Angelo Smith (left) and student assistant Jaylen BannermanOden pose for a portrait in Peden Stadium. (CARL FONTICELLA / FOR THE POST)

studying sport management with a minor in finance, is a student assistant for the Bobcats. He works with the scout team, gives signals for plays and works with game film.

Bannerman-Oden wants to do scouting after he graduates, and eventually he wants to be the director of college scouting for a professional team.

“I’m glad to hear that I am in a conference that has something like that in place,” Bannerman-Oden said.

@CAMERONFIELDS_ CF710614@OHIO.EDU

HOCKEY

Ohio’s Cody Black keeps the puck from Eastern Michigan players in Bird Arena on Sept. 25, 2015.

Ohio won 4-0. (PATRICK CONNOLLY / FILE)

Cody Black finds success with Team USA at Ball Hockey World Championships Since before he could walk, ball hockey has been a part of Black’s life

ANTHONY POISAL FOR THE POST

C

ody Black is one of the smaller — and perhaps lesser-known — players on a nationally recognized Ohio team.

But the 5-foot-7-inch native of Wexford, Pennsylvania, accomplished something many athletes will never experience: Black represented Team USA in the Ball Hockey World Championships in Pardubice, Czech Republic, last June.

The junior not only was on the team, but he also made a substantial impact toward the team’s 6-1 record and fifth-place finish. The forward registered two goals and two assists in seven games.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking at first,” Black said of the experience. “I jumped on the opportunity to go do that because you never know when that opportunity is going to happen. It was unbelievable up there. I really have no words for it.”

Black, who tallied 22 points in 57 games played with Ohio last season, overcame any nerves almost immediately in Team USA’s opening game against Portugal.

In his first shift, Black slithered through Portugal’s zone and fired a shot that deflected off a pair of Portuguese defenders before the ball landed back on his stick.

His next shot sneaked under the goalie’s pads for Team USA’s first goal of the tournament.

Black’s efforts in the eventual 3-1 Team USA win earned him player of the game honors.

“I was definitely excited,” Black said.

“Not too many people get that opportunity, and I was pretty happy to have that.”

For Black, ball hockey was one of the first sports he played. His father built a street hockey rink near his family’s house eight years before he was born, helping bring Black into the sport from the moment he could walk.

Black’s ball hockey talent continued to grow as he played in numerous tourna-

ments and leagues, and the connections he’s made from playing have enabled him to stay active in the sport and jump onto teams — like Team USA. Black wasn’t able to attend tryouts for Team USA, but that didn’t stop him from getting a call from Cory Herschk, the coach of Team USA and the coach of Black’s former team, the Pittsburgh Gods.

“He was looking for another guy to fill a spot, and he called me up and asked me if I wanted to play since I’ve been playing with him all my life,” Black said. “He knows what I can do out there, and he wanted me on the team.”

Black became accustomed to his new team in a camp in Toronto, which included scrimmages against Team Portugal and helped Black transition from the ice to the floor.

“It was a different kind of game because I’ve always played the local (teams),” Black said. “To be able to play at a world level was definitely a lot faster and ... harder to compete.”

For Black, the shift from one sport to another usually isn’t too difficult, with conditioning being the main aspect of the changeover. A well-conditioned body was especially imperative for the tournament, which was played on Olympic-sized rinks — most hockey games are played in a rink with smaller dimensions.

“It’s definitely a little harder because you can’t glide,” Black said. “You’re always running, so you got to be in good shape.

It’s a little bit more man-on-man rather than the zone coverage that ice hockey plays in, so you got to stay on one guy typically.”

As Black gets back on the ice for his junior season with Ohio, he’ll be hoping that his international success on the floor translates to another strong year with the Bobcats.

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

Local produce sold at the Athens County Farmers Market on Sept. 2. (MCKINLEY LAW / PHOTO EDITOR)

A cultivating culture

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ALEXIS EICHELBERGER | STAFF WRITER

he rain falls lightly but steadily and clings to the canopies covering rows of produce, dairy products and baked goods. The smell of something delicious hangs in the air, and pleasant conversation floats between smiling faces and shopping bags. Weather-worn hands gently exchange packages for dollar bills.

It’s unseasonably chilly for one of the first days of September, but that doesn’t keep the crowd from donning sweatshirts and ponchos and heading out into the drizzle in search of fresh local fruits and vegetables at the Athens Farmers Market.

The Athens Farmers Market was founded in the early 1970s by a handful of locals and city officials. It started with fewer than a dozen vendors selling mostly produce in an empty lot on East State Street. Now, it occupies the parking

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lot of the Athens Mall each weekend, filling its spaces with as many as 70 vendors on its busiest days and providing a valuable sustainable food source to the Athens area.

Kip Parker, who manages the market, has worked for the Athens Farmers Market for 10 years. He spends his Wednesdays and Saturdays helping with setup and enforcing the long list of rules that come with a coveted place on the lot.

Up to 2,500 people can visit the market on a busy day, Parker said, and several million dollars in sales occur there each year.

“Back in 1972 when it started, there were three vendors here,” he said. “It’s just grown the local food economy tremendously.”

Parker credits the beginning of the strong local food movement in Athens to the farmers market. He said it has become so popular people expect local options to be avail-

“

Liping Yu buys green peppers from Bill Smith at the Athens County Farmers Market on Sept. 2.

(MCKINLEY LAW / PHOTO EDITOR)

(The farmers market) is a great source of good local food. You can get to know your farmer, and not a lot of people do that. A lot of nice relationships have been built over the years.”

- Kip Parker, manager of the Athens Farmers Market

able on the menus of all non-chain restaurants in the area. “(The farmers market) is a great source of good local food,” he said. “You can get to know your farmer, and not a lot of people do that. A lot of nice relationships have been built over the years.”

Becky Rondy, who co-owns Green Edge Organic Gardens in Amesville, with her husband, has been bringing her sprouts, salad mixes, roots and other produce to the farmers market for 13 years. In past years, sales at the market have accounted for what she estimated to be 20 percent of her farm’s sales in a given year.

In recent years, sales haven’t been as good, she said. Maybe it has to do with the local economy or maybe her crops just didn’t perform as well this year. Regardless, every weekend means spending lots of time preparing to bring a large van load of produce to the market.

“It’s a huge amount of work,” Rondy said. “It all has to be harvested and sorted. Everything that’s here got picked the day before the market. It’s a lot to take care of.”

Another produce stand found at the farmers market is manned by middle and high school students involved in Community Food Initiative’s YEAH! Kids program. YEAH! stands for Youth Entrepreneurs At Hope, and the program coaches young people at the Hope Drive Apartments in sustainability and entrepreneurship.

The students involved grow produce like zucchini, squash and peppers in a garden at the Hope Drive Apartments and make pickles and kimchi at ACEnet kitchen workshops each week. On Saturdays, they bring their goods to the farmers market to sell where they have the chance to earn some cash for their hard work.

“It’s good all around,” Javi Devia, the community garden program coordinator for Community Food Initiatives, said.

“It provides a fun summer job for the kids and we’re also partnering with a lot of local organizations so it brings in that educational aspect into it.”

Laura Berry’s market preparation works a bit differently than the produce stands that sit near her booth.

She owns Sticky Pete’s Pure Maple Syrup and has been bringing her syrups, sugars and candies to the market off and on for more than 20 years.

Her production season runs from January into early March, during which her 2,000 tap sugar bush produces the maple used to make all of her products. During those months, she works long hours to harvest and package in bulk all of the product she will wholesale to local restaurants and bring to the farmers market each Wednesday and Saturday.

“Unlike these vegetable people who have to go out

Yellow flowers on sale at the Athens County Farmers Market.

(MCKINLEY LAW / PHOTO EDITOR)

first thing in the morning and pick, it’s easier,” she said.

“And if (products) don’t sell, I put it back in the box and bring it back next week.”

Each week, she enjoys returning to the market and chatting with the friends she’s made during her 25 years living and working in Athens.

“This is as much as I need for social,” she said. “I kind of live alone and out in the country, and I love that — but I do enjoy this.”

The sense of togetherness at the market is something that attracts graduate students Jack Loomis and Victoria Barnum, too. They visit the produce stands every weekend they’re in town to stock up on as many groceries as they can rather than buying them from Kroger.

“Local agriculture is my thing,” Loomis, who studies food and agricultural law and policy at Vermont Law School, said. “We’re supporting the environment and supporting the people nearby.”

On this particular Saturday, the pair is loaded down with shopping bags full of cucumbers, spinach, corn, potatoes and more.

“It definitely helps us eat better too,” Barnum, who is in OU’s college student personnel program, said. “We try to get as much stuff here as we can, so we’re constantly buying tons of vegetables and cool things like that. It makes me excited to cook.”

The students have lived in Athens for about a year now, and Loomis said during his time here, he has found the market to be a vital resource to the area.

“I think if you’re not relying on other people for your energy and your food, if you have your own reliance, then you can combat poverty, which is a big deal here,” he said. “I think this is actually the answer to a lot of Athens’ and Ohio’s problems.”

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender

Pawpaw Festival to celebrate ‘poor man’s banana’ JESSICA HILL FOR THE POST Ohio University students, Athens residents and visitors will taste and celebrate a local fruit with an interesting history this weekend.

The 19th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival will be held from Friday to Sunday at Lake Snowden, where visitors will eat and learn about the pawpaw, as well as listen to music, participate in different activities and try everything pawpaw.

The founder and organizer of the Pawpaw Festival, Chris Chmiel, plans to make the festival “authentically pawpaw.”

Pawpaws, a tropical fruit native to the eastern United States, have long been a part of Ohio. In 1916, the American Genetics Association had a competition for the best pawpaw, and most came from southern Ohio.

Athens and southeast Ohio are home to some of the best “naturally-occur-

ring” pawpaws in the world, Chmiel, who is also one of the three Athens County commissioners, said.

The pawpaw became the official state fruit native to Ohio in 2009, and the Ohio Pawpaw Fest had an influential role in that, Chmiel said.

“Pawpaws are one of the coolest native plants we have in the region,” Chmiel said. “(The Pawpaw Festival) is a great way to celebrate something that people can enjoy on a bike ride or on a hike. They can find them and discover their sweet smell.”

Pawpaws are also very nutritious, Chmiel said, and contain more vitamins and nutrients than apples, bananas and oranges.

Every dish served contains pawpaw, and a pawpaw mascot greets visitors. The festival will also have different opportunities, such as pawpaw eating and cooking contests, to experience the fruit.

Chmiel also hinted at the possibility of a new baby pawpaw mascot this year.

A quilt created for and displayed at the 18th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival in 2016.

(LAILA RIAZ / FILE)

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The Pawpaw Festival will also have different food vendors, each offering a different pawpaw dish. Michelle Wasserman, the food vendor coordinator of the festival, will sell jackfruit pawpaw tamales at Nixtamalized. Other food vendors, such as Chelsea’s Real Food, Mauvette’s, 100% Grassfed and Holy Guacamole will all offer different foods containing the pawpaw.

Stick It Concessions will sell pawpaw cotton candy, a new dish to the festival.

“When you have 18 different food vendors, and everybody is required to bring at least one pawpaw dish, that’s at least 18 different pawpaw foods you can try,” Wasserman said.

Besides tasting and celebrating the pawpaw, visitors can participate in different activities, such as a new kayak slalom course on Lake Snowden. Recreational enthusiasts can participate in the Pawpaw Double Nickel Bicycle Ride that will go around Zaleski State Forest or race in the second annual Pawpaw 4 Miller and 1 mile fun run and walk.

The Pawpaw Festival will also offer pawpaw beer, made by nine different microbreweries, including Jackie O’s and Little Fish Brewing Company.

Emma Raulinaitis, a senior studying exercise physiology, previously went to the Pawpaw Festival and thought it was “super cool.” When she went, she was upset she was under 21 and couldn’t try the pawpaw beer.

“I had never had pawpaw before, never heard about it until the pawpaw fest, so I liked trying that,” Raulinaitis said. “I also liked how they had all these informational booths with water treatment ideas, agriculture plans ... That was cool to read.”

In addition to different educational booths, the Pawpaw Festival will also have speakers discussing different topics, such as how to incorporate pawpaws into a healthy diet and agroforestry, livestock and pawpaws.

Madison Sweeney, a sophomore studying education and integrated social studies, has never been to previous pawpaw festivals but is going this weekend.

“I’ve never been so I’m really excited,”

WHAT IS A PAWPAW?

The pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to America and originates in the eastern U.S. It is also called the poor man’s banana.

DID YOU KNOW?

Native Americans are credited with spreading the pawpaw from the eastern U.S. to Texas and Kansas.

IF YOU GO WHAT: 19th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival WHEN: 4.p.m., Friday; 10 a.m., Saturday; 10 a.m., Sunday WHERE: Lake Snowden, 5900 U.S. Route 50, Albany ADMISSION: $15 for a one-day pass; $30 for a weekend pass; children age 12 and under free Sweeney said. “I know it’s a type of fruit, but I’m not sure what type it is so I’m interested to see what it’s going to be like.”

Music will also be played during the festival by bands, including the Almighty Get Down and other punk, reggae and folk bands.

Tickets cost $15 for a one-day pass and $30 for a weekend pass. The festival is free for children under age 12 and discounted for guests older than 60. Visitors can camp for the weekend at Lake Snowden for $15 for one night and $22 for the weekend.

“I pretty much guarantee that people will have a good time,” Chmiel said. @JESS_HILLYEAH JH240314@OHIO.EDU

WHAT’S GOING ON? JACQUEZ PRINTUP FOR THE POST

Friday Fiesta Latina 9 p.m. at The Union

Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St. Dance the night away with the finest Latin music, including reggaeton, salsa, merengue and more.

Admission is $3 for people under 21 and free for those 21 and over.

Madness 11 p.m. at Kantner Hall,

19 College St. Midnight Madness is a part of the MFA Playwriting Program. Enjoy an hour of delight, intensity and surprise. Admission is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend, program directors recommend you check for tickets in the Kantner lobby an hour in advance to increase the likelihood of getting a seat.

Saturday Athens Farmers Market 9 a.m. at

1000 E. State St. Enjoy live music and all things local with more than 100 market vendors offering fruits, vegetables, cheeses and more.

Bob Stewart Band 8 p.m. at Donkey Coffee & Espresso, 17 W. Washington St. Come listen to The Bob Stewart Band, including guitar, vocals, bass, harmonica and drums, and enjoy a coffee.

According to the coffeehouse, admission may be $3 or $5.

Us, Today and Doxcity 10 p.m. at Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St. Rock out with Us, Today, a trio of drums, guitar and keyboard based out of Cincinnati, and hip-hop group Doxcity. Us, Today’s music is best described as an avant-garde post-rock with a heavy emphasis on experimentation. Admission is $5.

Front Porch Lights and The Awful Kind 9 p.m. at The Union Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St. Sing along with the members of Front Porch Lights and The Awful Kind during this late-night event. According to The Union, admission is $5.

Sunday Little Fish Yoga 11 a.m. at Little Fish Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Road. Enjoy a relaxing morning of yoga with instructor Lydia McCall. All skill levels are welcome, but you are asked to bring your own mat. Stick around after to enjoy a brew and socialize with others. Admission is free.

Eternal Weekend Trial - Legacy Tournament 11 a.m. at The Wizard’s Guild,

19 W. Washington St. The winner of this event will receive a round bye at the Legacy Championships at Eternal Weekend 2017 in Pittsburgh.

Decklists are required. There is a $25 entry fee.

Gimme Shelter 7 p.m. at The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. During The Rolling Stones’ 1969 tour, documentarians David and Albert Maysles filmed a rowdy crowd of 300,000 people coming to blows with the Hell’s Angels. Featuring The Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner, Jefferson Airplane and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Admission is $5.

Jazz Faculty 8 p.m. at Athens Un-

corked, 14 Station St. End your Sunday night with some smooth jazz music performed by the School of Music’s jazz faculty. Seating is first come, first served, and admission is free.

The exterior of Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St. (ALEX DRIEHAUS / FILE)

PARENTS WEEKEND EVENTS IF YOU GO: What: Ohio Field Hockey vs. Miami When: 3 p.m., Friday Where: Pruitt Field Admission: Free

What: Conkle’s Hollow Day Hike When: 10 a.m., Saturday Where: Hocking Hills Admission: $20

What: ‘Monty Python and the Holy

What: Ohio Football vs. Kansas When: 12 p.m., Saturday Where: Peden Stadium Admission: Free for students

Grail’ Sing-a-Long When: 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday Where: The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. Admission: $7 What: Ohio Hockey Green vs.

White Game When: 7:30 p.m., Friday Where: Bird Arena Admission: $6 for students, $7 for children, $9 for adults What: Zipline Adventure When: 10 a.m., Saturday Where: The Ridges Admission: $25 What: The Magic of Bill Blagg Live When: 8 p.m., Friday Where: Templeton-Blackburn Alum-

ni Memorial Auditorium Admission: $20 for reserved seating

What: Pamper Your Parents When: 1 p.m., Saturday Where: Baker Center Admission: Free What: The Second City: Cure for the

Common Comedy When: 8 p.m., Saturday Where: Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Admission: $20 What: Stargazing and Campfire at The Ridges When: 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday Where: The Ridges Admission: $10 @JPRINTUP1 JP583215@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

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