January 31, 2019

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019

LEARNING ON THE FLY P19

+

The business of the Berry P12

Hip-hop’s enduring legacy P14

Revitalizing the O Zone P16

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Help us understand our region better

LAUREN FISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

You’ve heard it said before: College students tend to live in a bubble. And admittedly, that’s kind of the way college works, especially in a town like Athens.

And I’m not just talking about throwing a bunch of sweaty, nervous 18-year-olds in close quarters and having them ponder the bigger questions of life while expecting them to make major career decisions. It’s strange to think that someday soon, food won’t come to us on shiny dining hall plates and we probably won’t be spending the brunt of our days listening to professors in lecture halls.

Someday, we’ll be out in the “real world” working with colleagues outside our age group. We probably won’t be living in a college town like Athens, where nearly everything is in walking distance, the late-night food is aplenty and the town itself has a palpable beat of activism running through its veins.

But just because we’re still college students doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in the issues that matter to our wider

community. We’re acutely aware that we spend most of the school year living in the poorest county in Ohio. And though we know those numbers are skewed by the heavy student population, a short drive outside the city yields a reminder that many of those living in our region struggle to make ends meet.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t spend much time outside Athens. Just like most other students, our reporters’ time is typically split between classes, work, extracurricular activities and, if we’re lucky, sleep.

That’s a fact, however, we’d like to change.

Right now, The Post is beginning to plan its very first edition focused entirely on issues impacting the greater Athens County and Southeast Ohio region. Under the working title of “Beyond the Bubble,” the issue will dive deep into topics we don’t typically cover.

We’re excited about this issue. But if we’re going to create an accurate snapshot of what’s going on in our region, we need your help.

We know our readers aren’t exclusively Ohio University students, faculty and staff.

That’s why we’re calling on our county and regional readers to speak up, reach out and tell us about what matters to you.

What are the issues that keep you awake at night? How are you impacted by national political events like the recent government shutdown? Where do you feel like your community needs support? What do you wish college students like us knew about your situation?

Let’s talk.

My inbox, editor@ thepostathens.com, is always open. You can also call our newsroom at 740-593-4010 or send a letter to Baker Center Suite 325, 1 Park Place, Athens, Ohio, 45701.

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 photo by Colin Mayr

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

ISSUE 17, VOLUME 109 1 PARK PLACE, ROOM 325 EDITOR@THEPOSTATHENS.COM PHONE | 740.593.4010 FAX | 740.593.0561

ONLINE POST BLOGS thepostathens.com/blogs FACEBOOK thepostathens TWITTER @ThePost

FRONT DESK HOURS 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

Closed Saturday and Sunday.

1 Park Place Baker University Center, Room 325 Athens, OH 45701 (740) 593-4010

Send us your letters Do you ever find something in The Post thoughtprovoking, questionable or even infuriating? Let us know!

We are always interested in hearing about the way our readers respond to our content every day.

Your opinion is welcome. Letters should be fewer than 500 words. Longer submissions will be considered as guest commentaries, but space is limited. All letters must be signed by at least one individual; anonymous letters will not be accepted. The Post does not accept letters soliciting donations or news releases. Please include your year and major if you are a student. Letters can be submitted online at www.thepostathens. com, by email at editor@thepostathens.com or at The Post’s front desk in the media wing on the third floor of Baker University Center.

We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, vulgarity and Associated Press Style.

IN PERSON Baker Center, Room 325 ONLINE thepostathens.com/letters

BY EMAIL letters@thepostathens.com

The Post is an independent media outlet run by Ohio University students. We distribute the paper free of charge in Athens, Ohio, when classes are in session. Editorial page material represents the opinions of the editors, columnists and letter writers. Opinions expressed are independent of Ohio University and our printer.

Advertisement Policies The Post will not print advertisements that violate local, state or federal laws.

All advertisements must display good taste. The Post reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. If questions arise, the editor will make the final decision.

The Post will not run real estate or employment advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, sexual orientation or national origin.

All advertisements are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act. Phone numbers will not be printed in the Personals section.

If errors are found in a classified ad, please notify The Post by 4 p.m. the day the ad runs. Though The Post cannot be responsible for errors, a corrected ad will run free of charge on the next publication date. Cash refunds will not be given.

Notify The Post by 4 p.m. of cancellations for the following day.

Former LGBT Center director had positive work record BAILEY GALLION INVESTIGATIVE EDITOR

A personnel file shows Ohio University’s former LGBT Center director had received raises and positive performance evaluations, being found to meet or exceed expectations in almost all areas during four years on the job. delfin bautista, who uses they/them pronouns and does not capitalize their name, was removed from their position Jan. 10. The removal drew outcry from local activists, who held a rally in support of bautista on Jan. 11.

In a grievance filed Jan. 21, bautista said the removal came without warning and was handled unprofessionally. They found their email had been deactivated when they arrived at the office, and they said Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Gigi Secuban giggled when she informed them of their removal.

Secuban denied bautista’s grievance in its entirety Jan. 25 and said bautista had undermined her authority. She said she did not laugh during their removal and reaffirmed her qualifications and OU’s commitment to diversity. bautista said in the grievance that their removal came despite consistent positive feedback throughout their career. They also said the only justification Secuban gave them was that the Office for Diversity and Inclusion was “moving in a different direction.”

Records from bautista’s personnel file show that bautista met or exceeded standards for almost every item on each performance evaluation they received. The Post reviewed performance evaluations dating back to 2014.

Before their removal, bautista had only been told once that their performance didn’t meet standards. In a June performance review, delfin received an

delfin bautista poses for a portrait in their office at Ohio University’s LGBT Center on Monday, Sept. 24, bautista was the director of the LGBT Center at Ohio University.

(MIDGE MAZUR / FILE)

“improvement required” rating in “team accountability,” an area with goals including “interacts with others to promote a sense of community” and “competently performs job duties to support team goals.” delfin acknowledged that the LGBT Center staff had struggled with some conflict during that year.

“An area of growth is cultivating the strengths of the center staff/team,” they wrote in the comments. “This year there were several inter-staff conflicts that impacted the team as a whole as well as the overall environment of the center.” bautista wrote that the team was “able to mediate those dynamics” and would be holding a retreat to strengthen relationships. They met or exceeded expectations in the other six areas.

Other performance evaluations noted that bautista had expanded the reach and message of the center through SafeZone trainings and increased event

offerings and media communications.

Their page in the OU Experts Directory notes their role in developing OU’s preferred name and pronoun policy. They received several salary raises due to performance. bautista’s personnel file did not contain any disciplinary actions or records of any official investigations initiated before their removal. OU spokeswoman Carly Leatherwood confirmed over email that no records of investigations into bautista’s behavior by ECRC or human resources existed, either. bautista had also filed a complaint to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance (ECRC) before their removal. In the Sept. 25 complaint and an Oct. 16 follow-up, bautista said Secuban was treating them differently from other directors and wondered whether it was because bautista is Latinx or because Secuban perceived them as male. An ECRC investi-

gator found that bautista’s complaint did not meet OU’s definition of discrimination or harassment.

The ECRC complaint and grievance do detail some events in which Secuban criticized their performance. bautista alleged that Secuban told them not to refer to themself as “head queer” since the word “queer” could be used against them, according to the grievance. According to the ECRC complaint, Secuban also told bautista that the center had been $30,000 over budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year. The LGBT Center received visits from the audit team. bautista received a 20 percent salary increase in August, raising their salary to about $72,700 per year.

@BAILEYGALLION BG272614@OHIO.EDU

September 25

October 3

January 10

January 11

January 21

January 25

bautista files discrimination complaint against Secuban

bautista follows up with complaint, saying “the situation has become more intense.”

Secuban removes delfin as director and places them on leave

Rally held in bautista’s support

bautista files grievance appealing removal

Secuban denies bautista’s grievance

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

SO LISTEN

Let’s talk about J. Cole’s latest song J. Cole’s latest single, “Middle Child,” is a standard J. Cole song by nearly every stretch of the means.

Lyrically, however, he opens up on where he thinks he fits in regarding to the current state of hip-hop.

But rather than a song that calls out other artists, J. Cole is recognizing his place in the current game. Cole feels he is the “middle child,“ stuck between an older generation of great rappers — Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Dr. Dre — and the new generation of “mumble rappers” — Lil Pump, Trippie Redd and Kodak Black — and many more of the new up and coming artists we see emerge constantly.

Like an oldest sibling in a family, the older generation of rappers are seen as leaders and pioneers: respected achievers who paved the way for the younger generations. J. Cole in his song says he is thanking the “OGs” that paved the way for rappers like him to be successful. These rappers created rap as we know it. J. Cole believes the current generation of rappers should create music that reflects and respects where the sound came from.

Like the youngest sibling in a family, the new

MIKAYLA ROCHELLE is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University

generation of rappers tend to be simple and free-spirited, as the “parents” have already “parented” a few kids, the youngest sibling gets away with a lot more than their older brothers and sisters. We see this in music that is sometimes good, but oftentimes lazy or with no deeper meaning such as “Gucci Gang.”

As listeners, we are the “parents” to these artists in a sense — we have been letting them get away with a lot of this lazy music. J. Cole has mentioned his annoyance with this laziness several times. In “Middle Child,” he says he wishes this new generation of rappers had more guidance and wants to be that for them. Cole wants to be their older brother, as artists that came before Cole were to him, but he struggles with helping them as he doesn’t respect the music most of them produce.

Middle children often face the issue of “middle child syndrome,” feelings of neglect of attention from their parents because parents often focus on the oldest or youngest child more. In this sense, Cole knows he is not yet one of the legends of the rap game, but he knows he’s learned a lot from the

artists who made it big before him. Yes, J. Cole is not one of the pioneering “oldest children,” but he feels his talents and the talents of other “middle child artists” like Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Chance the Rapper, are being overlooked by the “youngest child” generation of rappers that aren’t releasing the same quality of music as the middle generation.

The fact that J. Cole put this into a song form is absolutely riveting. He has done so before in “1985,“ but only really spoke directly to the new rappers, not everyone involved in the rap game as a whole.

This song is a thank you to the older generation, and the continued message of “you have a lot to learn” to the younger generation.

J. Cole being able to nail this all down in one song shows why he’s fighting the aura of being a middle child, if anything, he’s the honor student of the hip hop family.

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.

EXISTENTIAL BINGEWATCHING

Everybody needs a little ‘Sex Education’ JACKSON HORVAT is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University

At the start of last semester, I talked about The Office, a show I proclaimed to be the perfect pickme-up for an existentially struggling college kid.

This semester, now a full week in, I found another show. Only this show isn’t merely a comedy to brighten your day, though it can do that. It’s also not particularly as long as a binge, because I’ve already finished it in its entirety. As opposed to the nine seasons of The Office available on Netflix, this show comprised only of the eight episodes in its freshman season. It’s a show that has a lot to say and certainly isn’t afraid to shout in your face. I am of course referencing the latest hit to drop on Netflix, Sex Education.

Sex Education is a show that’s hard to define. It’s a raunchy, uncensored story that’d make anyone blush. The opening scene of the entire series makes Game of Thrones look like children’s programming.

Its raw, realistic depictions of high schoolers at its finest, dealing with many hard hitting topics swirling in our chaotic cauldron of a society today such as sexuality, abortion and finding yourself.

One of the best ways I can describe the show is that it’s a mash up of Big Mouth and The End of the F--king World. It takes the humorous approach to adolescent topics, and the dry, witty comedy that’s

4 / JAN. 31, 2019

laced into serious situations and churns out an utter masterpiece. Comedy is the core of Sex Education but the real essence of the show is its drama, messages, and ultimately, its heart. Each episode tackles something different while still maintaining the ongoing plot thread. It’s one of those shows that midlaugh, a line, beat or even look from a character will suddenly hit you hard, and really make you stop to think. It’s a roller coaster I never wanted to get off of.

This was, in part, due to the perfectly executed characters in the show, and the actors and actresses that portrayed them. The actors perform their roles immaculately, finding that perfect comedy/drama balance that many shows fail to really get right. Furthermore, the best aspect about each of the characters themselves is that they’re all real, in that none of them are perfect. Even the Mean Girl-esque “perfects” have their own issues within the show. You end up not hating anyone, but more so hating the phases some of them go through. They grow, learn and act like people you know in reality, and it makes all the storylines, all the jokes, and all the messages spurred forth that much more impactful.

While it’s not a light comedy to better your mood instantly, it’s a show I define as an escape. It’s going to make you laugh but it’s also going to make you cry,

learn and contemplate. It’s a pick-me-up in the sense that it takes you away from reality. I can’t even begin to describe the level of stress I felt after syllabus week, and I’m sure many can relate. And even those not in college need this show, because, let’s face it, life is stressful. But this escape served as yet another savior to my crazed mind. This program enthralled me from the start so much I often had to remind myself where I was after an episode was over because I got that invested in the screen.

Shows don’t always have to be funny to cheer you up. Sometimes a good show can simply make you feel emotions, and forget all the crappy ones you’re going through for real. And in the case of Sex Education, it hits all the marks. It’ll make you ride that emotional roller coaster, fall in love with so many unique characters and live in blissful ignorance of all your troubles. It’s a true escape from reality.

So be sure to check out this latest hit. Skyrocket those viewing numbers so Netflix will have no choice but to renew this absolute gem of a television show.

So yeah, don’t skip out on Sex Education.

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

Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.

Prime Campus Locations

FILM REVIEW

‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ examines justice system and masculinity MOLLY SCHRAMM ASST. BLOGS EDITOR Following up his 2016 Best Picture-winning film Moonlight, Barry Jenkins took on another film that tackles issues relating to the present day with If Beale Street Could Talk. In an age where police brutality and the justice system inequality paint the nightly news almost daily, the film sparks a conversation on tough topics, while also allowing viewers to reflect upon the society they live in today.

Jenkins’ adaptation of If Beale Street Could Talk takes a stark look at the prejudices the justice system arbitrarily promotes onto African-American men within America, as well as the role of black masculinity within the family.

Set in New York City’s Harlem during the crime-filled 1970s, the film follows Tish (Kiki Layne) and Alfonso “Fonny” (Stephan James), an expecting young couple who dream of a bigger life but are stopped by injustice. With Fonny falsely accused of sexual assault, the film centers around family and what individuals would do for each other.

The film is adapted from the 1974 novel by James Baldwin and is nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score, and Regina King is nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

The dynamic between Tish and Fonny portrays stereotypes of couples, but that perspective shifts throughout the film. At the start, Fonny is Tish’s rock and exudes a powerful, masculine role in the relationship. Yet, after being wrongly put behind bars, the couple’s relationship shifts and Tish becomes Fonny’s rock.

That power struggle — and the stereotypes that derive from it — is also seen through both Tish’s and Fonny’s parents.

Fonny’s parents play into the idea of the domineering mother and lackluster, shameful father, whereas Tish’s parents seem to have a more equal partnership.

Tish’s mother Sharon (Regina King) is no-

where near the domineering state that is Fonny’s mother, yet she isn’t afraid to put Joseph (Colman Domingo) in his place.

The portrayal of black masculinity is something Jenkins focuses on — and he ultimately breaks any preconceived notions. Defying the macho, man-of-thehouse typecast, Joseph is comforting and tender, all of which isn’t necessarily the norm for black men in film roles. Similarly, Fonny’s depiction in prison defies the preconceived notions and standardization of a black man in prison. Jenkins captures a beautiful shot of Fonny lying on his prison cot while one single tear trickles down his face. This portrayal of emotion defies not only black masculinity but toxic masculinity in general.

Though Jenkins’ cinematography and directing is breathtaking to look at, it’s hard to forget the underlying societal issues the film examines. Mixing images of the reality between African-Americans and the justice system within the direct storyline allows viewers to reflect on the images and ponder whether much has changed since the ‘70s.

It’s no secret police brutality and the heavy topic of violence against black men are prevalent in society. The character of Fonny, though fictional, reflects the real-life situations many black men face today, and the roles of Tish and their families represent those willing to stand up to the injustice.

If Beale Street Could Talk is an emotional, raw look at a deeply laced, institutional issue in America. Though a definite slowburn of a film, Jenkins makes viewers fall in love with the characters on screen and sympathize with their problems. It’s honest, at times brutal, but a genuine look at the world we live in today.

Rating: 4/5

@_MOLLY_731 MS660416@OHIO.EDU

Now Leasing for 2019 - 2020 1-6 Bedrooms Palmer, Hocking, Stewart, E. Union Milliron, West Washington, Coss West State, Franklin

740-594-4441 www.BobcatRentals.net

info@BobcatRentals.net

86 North Court Street

WELCOME BACK STUDENTS

LARGE 1-TOPPING

Athens & The Plains

PIZZA

7

$ 99

CODE :799

443 E. State Street

594-7272

(740)

(PAPA)

Offer good for a limited time at participating Papa John’s restaurant. No double toppings or extra cheese. Certain toppings may be excluded from special offer pizzas or require additional charge. Additional toppings extra. Not valid with any other coupons or discounts. Limited delivery area. Delivery fee may apply. Customer responsible for all applicable taxes. Prices mat very in Alaska and Hawaii

Late Night Special

Wacky Wednesday

Early Bird Special

One Large 1-Topping Pizza

One Large up to 5-Topping or Specialty Pizza

One Large 1-Topping Pizza

PROMO CODE: LN599

PROMO CODE: WW999

PROMO CODE: MT699ATH

Wednesday Only. Expires 12/31/18

Monday & Tuesday Only. Expires 12/31/18

5

$

9

99 $

9pm to Close. Expires 12/31/18

6

99 $

99

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

POLICE BLOTTER

Drugs possibly found in case of soda; owner accused of stealing boat MEGAN CARLSON FOR THE POST A customer found something in a case of soda that isn’t the prize most people look for.

The sheriff’s office responded to Lexington Avenue in Chauncey for a possible drug related event on Friday.

The caller said they had purchased a case of soda at the store and found a suspicious looking piece of plastic in the case. According to the report, the caller believed it to be suspicious or possibly drug related, according to the report.

Deputies met with the complainant to retrieve the item for further review.

AND THE LIGHTS WILL FLICKER ON AND OFF...

The sheriff’s office was advised of a

light going on and off at a church in Athens Township Saturday night.

Deputies checked the church and did not find any suspicious activity or people around, according to the report. Deputies returned to patrol.

CUT UP CAR The sheriff’s office responded to a call about a damaged truck on Tuesday at Canaanville Road.

The man said his truck didn’t feel right when driving, and he checked underneath to find the frame had been cut. Deputies checked the vehicle and found that it did seem it had been intentionally cut, according to the report.

FEAR NAUT! The sheriff’s office was requested to assist Hocking College Police Department

on Monday in reference to a possible active boat theft at Lake Snowden.

Upon arrival, it was determined that the boats belonged to the individual in question.

They had left their boats in the water too late into the season. The case was handled

by HCPD, and no further action was needed.

for a 911 hang-up call.

Upon arriving on the scene, it was found that small children were playing with the phone. There was no emergency. Deputies cleared the scene, and no further action was needed. The case was closed.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE The sheriff’s office responded to a call on Tuesday about an elderly woman driving in a concerning manner on Lee Street in Albany.

Deputies responded and made contact with a family member of the woman. She stated she was looking for the recycling dropoff but could not remember where it was.

Eventually, she gave up and returned home.

THAT’S MY CAR The sheriff’s office responded to a call about a stolen vehicle in Albany on Sunday.

During the investigation, it was found that the man who took the vehicle had the legal right to do so.

LITTLE RUGRATS On Sunday, the sheriff’s office responded to Loudermilk Road in Glouster

@MEGCHRIISTINE MC199517@OHIO.EDU

NEWS BRIEFS

Steak ‘n Shake opens; three dead in crash SARAH M. PENIX NEWS EDITOR OHIO UNIVERSITY CANCELED WEDNESDAY CLASSES Ohio University officials canceled Wednesday classes on all campuses due to extreme cold.

The National Weather Service has forecast extreme winter weather conditions between Tuesday and Thursday, including potential for extreme wind chill factors.

OU operations remained open on Wednesday, and all faculty and staff members were expected to report. University officials anticipate that classes will resume as usual on Thursday.

Before the cancellation, OU students signed a petition to cancel classes due to record cold temperatures. The petition received over 5,000 signatures before classes were officially canceled.

6 / JAN. 31, 2019

NEW STEAK ‘N SHAKE LOCATION OPENS WEDNESDAY IN ATHENS The new Steak ‘n Shake, 741 E. State St., opened for business Wednesday.

Steak ‘n Shake’s hours are currently from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Once the business trains more staff, the hours will expand, owner Jim Stricklin said.

“I don’t have a time frame on that,” Stricklin said. “Eventually we will have full breakfast, so we will open at 6 a.m. and we will also be open later, and quite possibly 24 hours.”

The last month has been filled with preparation for the establishment’s opening. Stricklin describes this process as a “knock-out list.”

“Everything kind of funnels into one place and you just need to get all of your last details ready,” Stricklin said. “There’s quite a few things that bring it all together, and typically the last month is just trying to calm the chaos.”

Electrical work, installing equipment, hiring associates, training staff and ordering food have all been a part of Stricklin’s knock out list.

On the opening day, the restaurant will run like any standard business day.

There will be a formal grand opening later once things have calmed down at the restaurant, Stricklin said.

Despite the cold weather that led Ohio University to cancel Wednesday classes, Stricklin is still optimistic about the opening day. In the past three days, Stricklin has told about 1,000 people over the phone that the restaurant isn’t open yet. Now that Steak ‘n Shake is open, Stricklin said people will love coming in.

THREE PEOPLE DEAD AFTER HELICOPTER CRASH IN VINTON COUNTY Three people were pronounced dead Tuesday after a helicopter crash in Vin-

ton County.

The flight crew was identified as pilot Jennifer L. Topper, 34, of Sunbury; flight nurse Bradley Haynes, 48, of London; and flight nurse Rachel L. Cunningham, 33, of Galloway.

The helicopter was flying from Mount Carmel Grove City hospital toward Holzer Meigs hospital in Pomeroy when it lost communication with Survival Flight Inc. Authorities found the helicopter wreckage at approximately 10:16 a.m. east of state Route 278, according to a release by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

There were no reported injuries of anyone in the surrounding area.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted by officers from Vinton, Meigs and Jackson counties.

@SARAHMPENIX SP936115@OHIO.EDU

CLASSIFIEDS

36 TH ANNUAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS GALA WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 NOMINATE BY FEBRUARY 1ST BIT.LY/OHIOUGALA

Ohio University’s Frontiers in Science Lecture Series Presents

GASTROPOD A podcast that looks at food through the lens of science and history

THE

Frontiers

in Science LECTURE SERIES

W IT H CY NT HI A GR A BER & N ICOL A T W ILLEY

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

OU meteorology professor redefines tornado formation idea ABBY MILLER STAFF WRITER Jana Houser, assistant professor of meteorology at Ohio University, has found data that supports the theory tornadoes form from the ground up.

In the past, meteorologists widely believed tornadoes formed from the top to the ground. Houser’s research, dating all the way back to her Ph.D. work in 2013, proves that may be false.

“On 31 May, 2013, a record breaking 2.6 mile wide tornado with winds exceeding 300 mph struck central Oklahoma, just outside the city of El Reno,” the abstract of Houser’s study read.

One of Houser’s advanced weather radars collected data during the tornado’s formation. This was one of four major tornadoes in the study that helped prove Houser’s theory and all were within the Central Plains area of Oklahoma and Kansas, she said.

“We used a mobile radar that was very rapid-scanning, so basically the antennae spun around once every two seconds, so it was very fast,” Houser said. “Because it could acquire information about the atmosphere so quickly, we could gain insight into how the rotation with the tornadoes was developing over space and time, and, particularly, we were interested in the vertical evolution of that rotation with time.”

In addition to mobile radars, Houser and her colleagues used lightning flash frequency characteristics, Google Earth and storm chaser GPS logs, according to the study’s abstract.

The theory of tornadoes forming from the ground up is not new, but Houser said that technological advancements had a large role in legitimizing the theory.

“They were all spawned by the same parent storm type, which is called a supercell,” Houser said. “So there are other mechanisms that can produce tornadoes from other types of storms other than supercells and actually those storms were the original ones that were contributed to that bottom-up hypothesis but people had thought that the super cells had formed tornadoes differently, but we’re finding that’s probably not the case.”

Houser received her Ph.D. from the 8 / JAN. 31, 2019

ILLUSTRATION BY RILEY SCOTT

“

That is a very different mentality from the warning protocol and procedures that are currently followed at the weather services offices and we’re not quite there yet.”

- Jana Houser, assistant professor of meteorology

University of Oklahoma, which allowed her to be in close radius to the storms.

She worked on the study with an officemate and group of meteorologists from the University of Oklahoma, she said.

Knowledge regarding the formation of tornadoes could help issue tornado warnings more effectively. However, Houser still thinks the future is bleak for forecasters because of their radar technology.

“Most weather service offices are ba-

sically using radar data as their primary source for issuing tornado warnings,” Houser said. “You will never see this bottom up process in the radar data that are available to forecasting offices. The radar are too high above the ground and the process is too quick.

The radars don’t scan fast enough to observe this.”

To combat this problem, the severe storm community is trying to imple-

ment a new approach for issuing warnings. The technique, Warn on Forecast, uses computer models to predict if a storm may occur. The models can replicate storms that occur in the real world and see if a tornado may be produced.

If the models produce tornadoes, forecasters may consider issuing a warning.

“That is a very different mentality from the warning protocol and procedures that are currently followed at the weather services offices and we’re not quite there yet,” Houser said. “We’re not quite ready to implement that technique.”

@ABBLAWRENCE AM166317@OHIO.EDU

Athens student initiates Title IX investigation MAGGIE CAMPBELL FOR THE POST Athens Middle School graduate Emmalyn Brown, a sexual assault survivor and an advocate, used her experiences to start an investigation into how an official handled her complaint.

That began with a petition to remove school board member Paul Grippa due to his alleged mishandling of reported sexual violence against Brown by another student in 2010.

Prior to the creation of the petition, Brown filed an Office for Civil Rights complaint about her assault in the summer of 2016, the summer after her freshman year of college. Before she filed an Office for Civil Rights complaint, Brown said she met with district officials, to discuss her experiences and the current district Title IX policy.

“I just wasn’t super thrilled with it,” Brown said about the current Title IX policy. “It was definitely better than how it used to be and that was very good to me, and I think we all need to do our part to make this policy … much more accessible to all students.”

Brown’s meeting with the officials also helped her make the decision to submit her Office for Civil Rights complaint.

Brown told a dean and a counselor about her assault within a month of the incident and was called into a meeting with Grippa within the same week. Brown said during this meeting, Grippa questioned her story.

Brown provided information on the harassment as well as witnesses. Brown said Grippa told her he was going to follow up, but that was the last time anyone in the school talked to her about her assault, she said.

The Post requested an interview with Athens City School District Superintendent Tom Gibbs multiple times since September about Brown’s case. He declined to comment on Brown’s case in particular.

Gibbs provided documents by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights in place of a comment.

“I am not permitted to comment on this matter even if it is to correct what I believe to be inaccuracies,” Gibbs said in an email.

He did not specify what the inaccuracies were.

Brown attended Athens Middle School from 2009-2011 while Grippa was principal. Brown said she was sexually assaulted when she was in eighth grade by a classmate who had sexually harassed her for a year prior to the assault. At the request of Brown, The Post will not publish

the name of Brown’s assailant or the faculty involved in the case besides Grippa.

The harassment Brown faced while she was a student in the district contributed to a later diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, she said in the petition.

Brown also said in her petition that Gibbs had told her Grippa had destroyed her case notes.

The Post obtained copies of the Athens City School District anti-harassment policies that were in place in 2010 through a records request. Gibbs said in September that the policy states records from Title IX reports will be retained at least two years after graduation.

The Athens City School District launched an investigation in August i n t o

Brown, now a senior at the University of Iowa, has been a rape crisis advocate since she was a sophomore in college.

She said the petition for removing Grippa was a much more personal form of advocacy.

Brown said she advocates for Title IX policy to be more accessible to all students within Athens and to the students, faculty and staff at University of Iowa.

“When we think of Title IX, we have a tendency to think either campus sexual violence ... or even tend to think of athletics, and a lot of times people don’t acknowledge K-12 even though it occurs pretty frequently,” Brown said.

Brown has lobbied twice federally regarding Title IX, and she interned with the

whether or not based on the policies in effect during the year of the assault if Grippa failed to report Brown’s reports of sexual assault to police. The investigation was announced soon after Brown created the petition. Brown said the petition on Change.org started growing support for her cause.

As of press time, the petition had received almost 79,000 signatures.

According to the 2010 policy, it is the responsibility of district employees to recognize acts of harassment and to report those acts. If the employee does not, they can face disciplinary action.

U.S. Senate for six months starting in July and with the National Organization for Women in the summer of 2018.

While she was working with the National Organization for Women, she began drafting the petition to the Athens City School District. Brown has also lobbied at the Iowa state level for further Title IX protections.

“Over the years, I have become really proud of (my advocacy) and really great, strong advocates and survivors who have helped me through stressful times,” Brown said.

Brown has specific concerns about the time limit for filing a complaint. According

to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, a complaint must be filed within 180 days of the assault. Any person who files a complaint past that time frame must provide a reason for the delay and request a waiver of this requirement.

While Brown was working in Washington, D.C., Brown helped organize a national march and rally called the National March Against Rape Culture.

“I’ve tried as many different advocacy approaches and activism approaches as I can at this point,” Brown said. “I’m pretty settled on law as a future (occupation), but I think it’s been really a good experience to try to see a bunch of different perspectives on the issue.”

The Post found through a records request that between 2015 and 2018 the Athens City School District received eight reports of sexual harassment and one report of sexual assault.

The Post submitted records requests for redacted versions of those Title IX reports. The district denied all the requests, claiming the reports are protected by The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Brown said she was never personally notified about the investigation into her assault starting or ending. In fact, all communication about the investigation has been through reporters.

Gibbs said Dec. 20 that the independent investigator believed the Athens City School District Board of Education would not have to take any action against any school employee or public official related to the investigation. Gibbs said neither he nor the board could comment any further on the investigation because of attorney to client privilege and privacy laws.

“Safety and protection of students is of utmost importance to the district,” Gibbs said in a statement.

Brown said in a Dec. 21 statement that she was disappointed, but not surprised, by the result of the investigation.

“Our society is one that allows for injustice and requires us to speak out and help each other in order to stand in its path,” Brown said. “Justice is elusive, but progress is more easily attained — if we are willing to work.”

Brown said her personal experiences have helped her realize she wants to become a civil rights attorney. Despite numerous health concerns, Brown is planning to graduate in December and to take the LSAT in the next few months.

@MAGGIESBYLINE MC987015@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

Civil lawsuit filed against OU, journalism professor SARAH M. PENIX NEWS EDITOR A civil lawsuit has been filed against Ohio University and a suspended OU journalism professor in light of a sexual harassment case.

Attorney Michael Fradin filed a civil suit against Yusuf Kalyango and the university Jan. 20. That was in response to the “deliberate indifference” of the defendants regarding the sexual harassment case that was filed to the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, or ECRC, last year.

The ECRC investigation found Kalyango, director of the Institute for International Journalism, responsible for sexual harassment by quid pro quo and sexual harassment by hostile work environment toward a graduate student in August, according to a previous Post report.

“Defendant Ohio University was deliberately indifferent to Defendant Kalyango’s past misconduct, fostering a safe space for sexual misconduct and empowering Defendant Kalyango to confidently abuse his authority,” the complaint for jury trial said. “If this Court does not grant appropriate relief, Defendants will not stop causing severe and permanent harm to its female graduate students.”

The ECRC findings are based on a preponderance of evidence standard, meaning the office found Kalyango more likely than not to have sexually harassed the student. That standard is lower than the standard of criminal proceedings, which require a defendant to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The student had been hired as a staff member in spring 2017 for two upcoming programs run by Kalyango, where he offered the student an opportunity to travel abroad with him. The student had been hired to work during a summer program and a fall program, and the trip abroad directly followed the summer program.

Just two days before Kalyango and the student were scheduled to depart, Kalyango told her they would have to share a hotel room because only one was available. The student rejected that as inappropriate, and Kalyango tried to convince her otherwise, according to the report.

10 / JAN. 31, 2019

Kalyango ended up staying in another city.

An ECRC investigator found that there was no “reasonable, non-sexual rationale” for the two to share a hotel room.

“The only reasonable objective perspective is that a full professor requested that a graduate student enrolled in his own institution place herself at considerable risk for inappropriate, sexual advances by (him) thousands of miles from home and in a country with which (he) is familiar and comfortable but where (she) would be nearly completely dependent upon (him),” Investigator G. Antonio Anaya said in the report.

Kalyango had reportedly emailed and texted the student after hours frequently throughout spring and would compliment her clothing and physique. Kalyango asked the student for a photo of her to show his son, invited her out for meals and coffee numerous times and shared personal details about his previous marriage, according to the report.

After the student rejected Kalyango’s invitation to stay in the same hotel room, he began to treat her differently, according to the report.

In July, Kalyango sent the student an email accusing her of falsifying evaluations for the summer program in order to make herself look better and him worse and entering incomplete and inaccurate data. The student resigned from her position in the fall program Kalyango directed.

On Dec. 6, Executive Vice President and Provost Chaden Djalali accepted the University Professional Ethics Committee’s judgment that Kalyango’s conduct “presents adequate cause” to recommend that the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism initiate loss of tenure and/or dismissal proceedings, according to a letter signed

by Djalali.

The university is unable to comment on pending litigation, Carly Leatherwood, university spokeswoman, said.

Former journalism professor Yusuf Kalyango. (PROVIDED via Ohio University)

SUMMER IN MAINE Males & females. Meet new friends!

Travel! Teach your favorite activity.

Tennis Waterski Gymnastics

Dance Swim Land sports

Kayak Archery Arts

June to August. Residential. Enjoy our website. Apply online.

TRIPP LAKE CAMP for Girls: @SARAHMPENIX SP936115@OHIO.EDU

1-800-997-4347

www.tripplakecamp.com

Local businesses provide homes for pets KERI JOHNSON FOR THE POST Import House, 68 N. Court St., is an Athens staple. With Buddhist symbols, tie-dye, burning incense and a friendly staff, the store has an air of calm about it. Sometimes customers are greeted by more than just a floor employee — sometimes a furry friend greets them, too.

Import House has fostered cats for about a decade, Karen McGuire, manager at Import House, said. Within that time, McGuire estimates 80 cats have found homes after being fostered in the store.

“There’s an abundance of cats in this county,” McGuire said.

These cats are fostered through the Athens County Humane Society.

If businesses are chosen to foster, the Athens County Humane Society provides everything needed for housing a cat, McGuire said. Cats are spayed or neutered and brought up to date with vaccinations. The Athens County Humane Society also supplies crates, litter boxes and food.

Cats normally stick around six months in Import House, McGuire said. Currently, no cat is roaming the store, but Import House is expecting one soon. Its last cat was adopted within two hours of being in the store.

“That was a record,” McGuire said.

The adoption process is somewhat lengthy. Prospective pet-owners must fill out an adoption application and meet the Athens County Humane Society’s approval. Pet owners must be allowed to house a pet, have enough money to provide veterinary care for the animal and be deemed humane. A home visit may be included in this process. Then, a contract is signed, and there is an adoption fee of $100.

There is a diverse pool of cats available for adoption. The

A Petsmart employee holds Cyprus, a cat who has now been adopted from the humane society. (MCKINLEY LAW / PHOTO EDITOR)

Athens County Humane Society receives cats of all kinds, sometimes even sick or disabled.

These cats require a little more work to take care of and adopt, but there is a steady success rate.

“There’s been a few along the way that were special needs, where the adoption took a while,” McGuire said.

Import House has fostered and given these cats homes.

“We had a cat, Teddy, who’s an older cat and had feline herpes. We loved him. Some people might say he’s a little gross but he got a great home, too,” McGuire said.

Not all cats that end up with the Athens County Humane Society are drop-offs, ferals or strays.

“Once a woman came in who was unable to keep her cat. So she surrendered it to the Humane Society, and we fostered it and we ended up getting that cat into a really good home,” McGuire said.

There is a need for foster families since the Athens County Humane Society has no physical location.

“We don’t have a cat shelter in Athens County so we really rely on PetSmart,” McGuire said. “All of their adoptable pets are from the Humane Society. We also rely on businesses to welcome cats into their building and foster so they get adopted.”

Hyacinth Bean Floral, 540 W. Union St., also fosters through the Athens County Humane Society.

“We’ve easily fostered out a 100 cats,” Grace Kilbommons, manager at Hyacinth Bean Floral, said.

Hyacinth Bean Floral oftentimes gets kittens. Fostering kittens is a longer process.

“We don’t ever adopt them out until they’re fixed. We have to wait on the kittens to reach a certain weight in order to spay and neuter. The kittens have to stick around a while because of that,” Kilbommons said. “But our adult cats are good to go.”

Fostering in the colder months is less common.

“Typically around spring we get more in to foster,” Kilbommons said.

Fostering is very common, Veronica Lake, associate lead at

PetSmart, 743 E. State St., said.

Cats at PetSmart stick around for about two weeks, Lake said, before they are fostered.

PetSmart can only house eight cats at a time, and cats usually arrive in groups of five or more.

“We bring in as many as we can basically,” Lake said.

Foster families often have more than one foster cat.

“The need is kind of being met. With all of the cats ­­— there are so many cats around here — it’s needed maybe a little more.

But for the most part we’re keeping up with it,” Lake said.

@_KERIJOHNSON KJ153517@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

Postcard of the Berry Hotel

“THE BERRY” The Berry Hotel, one of America’ premier hotels, stood here from 1892 to 1974. Athenian Edward Cornelius Berry, a free black who had been educated at the Albany Enterprise Academy, and his modest wife, Martha Jane (Mattie) Berry, built, owned and operated the establishment until 1923. Mr. Berry is acknowledged as the first hotelier to place bibles in the hotel room. The rooms also included sewing kits, cologne, fruit baskets, and individual closets. The hotel was also outfitted with electric bells and gaslights at a time when these items were revolutionary.

The Berry maintained its reputation of superior service and atmosphere, entertaining many dignitaries well into the twentieth century. After undergoing several transformations, including one

as an Ohio University dormitory (Berry Hall), sadly, it was demolished in 1974.

Edward Berry 1854 - 1931

Dedicated May 23, 2004 Multicultural Genealogical Center, Chesterhill, OH Ohio University, Athens, OH

Berry’s F Business

Martha Berry 1855 - 1941

How an African-American man became a successful Athens business owner with only $40 ASHTON NICHOLS / SENIOR WRITER PHOTOS PROVIDED VIA OHIO UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

12 / JAN. 31, 2019

or more than 82 years, the Berry Hotel stood at 18 N. Court St. In 1974, it was torn down and made into a parking lot.

The history of the Berry Hotel is very grand, Betty Hollow said. Hollow, now retired, was a historian and the former director the Academic Achievement Center.

She said she didn’t know much about the Berry Hotel until she was asked by the director of Ohio University Press to help write a book for the OU bicentennial. Once she began researching, she learned a plethora of knowledge on Edward Berry and his hotel.

“For its long life it was a well known

entity in the Athens community,” Hollow said. “It had a history of attracting people from all over the county. This one became the one where everyone wanted to stay. It was popular within all of the main people in Athens.”

Near the end of Berry’s ownership, it had more than 55 rooms, baths and an elevator. The building was worth more than $50,000, and Berry made $25,000 to $35,000 annually.

“Mr. Berry is one of the pioneers of our race who has conquered race prejudice by achieving a business success,” Booker T. Washington wrote in The Negro in Business.

TIMELINE The dates below mark significant events in the life of Edward Berry and his Athens hotel.

Berry’s ice cream shop before the hotel (1890s)

Berry was born in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1854. At age 2, he moved to Albany. He left high school when his father died in 1870 to help provide for his family, which consisted of his mother and eight siblings.

He walked 10 miles to Athens when he was 16 to get a job in a brickyard, where he made 50 cents a day. He was eventually promoted to earn $1.25 a day.

Berry was later employed as an errands boy in Parkersburg, West Virginia, at a dry goods store. He earned $10 a month and sent $8 to his mom.

When he had saved some money, he moved back to Athens to work as a caterer in a restaurant.

“He soon becomes so proficient in this profession that he became personally in demand among the customers of his employers,” Washington wrote. “The thought naturally occurred to him that if he could do so well for others he could do still better for himself.”

In 1878, Berry married Mattie Madry, a girl he went to school with.

That same year, he started his first business, a restaurant, with his older brother with $40 he saved. They called their business “Berry Brothers.” Berry soon bought the business from his brother and took over.

Berry bought a lot, 18 N. Court St., for $1,300 in 1880, along with a loan of $2,000 to build his small restaurant, which became part of the Berry Hotel. In 1893, he joined the hotel business.

Berry was the only black Court Street businessman in 1900.

The hotel came from an extension of his restaurant, where he served lady fingers, ice cream, caramels and macaroons.

Berry struggled with business for some time, because in July 1893, he closed with only one guest at his hotel. At that time, he had a mortgage of $8,000 with a 7 percent interest rate. Both banks in Athens

“

Berry Hall formal dining room (1908)

People talked about how grand it was, and it had a history of attracting people all over the country. In the history of Athens, there have been a number of hotels, but this one became the one where everyone wanted to stay.”

- Betty Hollow, former director the Academic Achievement Center refused to give him a loan.

When he was leaving the bank after being refused, he passed a friend. This friend then gave him the loan and told him he wouldn’t need to pay interest until he could pay it back in full.

“This is the only time in his career, Mr. Berry says, that any person offered him any encouragement beyond empty words,” Washington wrote.

Hollow said the Berry Hotel was a well-known entity in the Athens community.

“People talked about how grand it was, and it had a history of attracting people all over the country,” Hollow said. “In the history of Athens, there have been a number of hotels, but this one became the one where everyone wanted to stay.”

After some time, Berry’s hotel began to become more populous. At night, when his guests were asleep, Berry would gather the guests’ clothes and take them to his wife, where she would add missing buttons, press them and repair any needs, and then Berry would return them.

Berry’s hotel was the first hotel in the country to have closet hangers, Gideon Bibles in each room and sewing kits. Those ideas likely came from Berry’s wife, Mattie.

“She apparently was just as hard working as he was and probably the ideas for those things in the bedrooms came from her,” Hollow said.

“She worked beside him.”

The hotel had a ballroom, which was used for special events, like dances, Hollow said.

She said OU President John Calhoun Baker, who was president from 1945 to 1961, would hold dances in the ballroom.

“There were a lot of dances in the ballroom,” Hollow said. “ Baker expected everyone to come properly attired. I heard that he informally took attendance of who was there, and if you weren’t it was bad for you.”

In a time of racial bias, Berry never refused to serve men of color at his hotel. He said he would rather lose his customers than be guilty of that disloyalty, according to The Negro in Business.

Hollow said Berry held a status in both the black and white communities.

“The black community was relatively small because Athens was discriminate in all kinds of ways, so it wasn’t necessarily a friendly place,” Hollow said.

It was likely, however, that Berry was in touch behind the scenes with some of the leaders of Athens, such as the mayor, Hollow said.

Berry even gave money to fund the Alumni Gateway, Hollow said.

After 28 years, Berry and Mattie sold the hotel in 1921. They built a home at 92 N. Congress St., which adjoined Mount Zion Baptist Church.

In 1995, Phi Kappa Theta moved into the Berry House. Today, the home is a rental house for students.

The Berrys were instrumental

Outside of Berry Hotel (1961)

in financing the Mount Zion Baptist Church, Ada Woodson Adams, who serves on the Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society Board, said. When the church was in need of financial help, Edward and Mattie were there.

“Mr. and Mrs. Berry owned land at the corner of Congress and Carpenter Street, and they donated part of that land for the church,” Woodson Adams said. “Instead of building their home on the main corner, they gave that main corner to Mount Zion Baptist Church, and built their home behind the church.”

Berry died at the age of 76 in 1931.

In 1935, Fred Beasley bought the hotel and ran it until 1961. He expanded it from 50-plus rooms to 85.

“They resurfaced the outside and tried to rent it as a hotel, but it declined,” Hollow said. “In 1961, the university bought it as a dormitory.”

Beasley sold the hotel for $175,000.

Ohio University had grown from 8,000 students to 18,000 and needed more dorm space, Hollow said.

OU then bought the Berry Hotel and renamed it Berry Hall. It was also used for administrative offices.

“In the early ‘70s, the university student population declined to about 12,000 students and were in huge financial difficulty,” Hollow said.

In 1973, Athens City Council wanted to tear down the Berry Hotel to make it a parking lot. That same year in October, City Council bought it for $140,000, but asking prices were up to $190,000.

Court Street Diner took the place of the empty lot in 1997, and it still stands today.

“The hotel was lovely and very, very famous for a long time,” Hollow said. “It was a place to be proud of.”

1880 Buys lot on 18 N. Court Street for $1,300 to build a restaurant

1893 Joins hotel business

1921 Sells hotel 1931 Edward Berry dies 1935 Fred Beasley buys hotel, expands it from 35 to 55 rooms

1961 Ohio University buys hotel for $175,000, uses it as dormitories as Berry Hall

October 1973 City Council buys hotel for $140,000 1974 Hotel Berry gets torn down

1997 Court Street Diner is built at 18 N. Court St.

@ASHTONNICHOLS_ AN614816@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

An Influential Genre A hip-hop scholar and students discuss the history and passion behind a colorful musical genre

HANNAH BURKHART FOR THE POST From “Jungle Boogie” by Kool and The Gang to “Hey Ya!”

by OutKast to “What’s Free” by Meek Mill, the hip-hop music genre has been a part of multiple generations of students’ lives.

Hip-hop is a broad genre containing different sounds based on certain cultural preferences, some may consider it the most extensive music genre.

Ohio University offers many clubs and organizations for students passionate about hiphop, such as Hip Hop Congress.

Hip Hop Congress is a student organization that uses music to allow the community to express their opinions and explore social action, according to its website.

The organization motivates its members to become politically minded and culturally creative.

To combat the unfavorable stereotypes some relate with the hip-hop culture, Hip Hop Congress seeks to expose students to the positive aspects of the art form. The organization provides a comfortable and motivational setting for students with creative minds who may be afraid to express themselves.

“I enjoy hip-hop because the beats really get me going,” said Macie Hartley, a freshman studying pre-medicine. “And not only do I find it incredible 14 / JAN. 31, 2019

how artists fabricate lyrics on those beats because of their complexity, but also how hard I find it to do so.”

Hip-hop is primarily known as an art form introduced by the African-American culture.

While that is correct, there are earlier forms found from several ancestries, such as from the Caribbean in countries like Jamaica and Puerto Rico, Akil Houston, a hip-hop scholar and professor in the African-American Studies department, said.

Although hip-hop has global influences, the first hip-hop party took place in the Bronx in 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Ave., an apartment building where Clive “DJ Kool Herc” Campbell hosted a party, Houston said.

The first rap single was released in March 1979 by Fatback Band called “King Tim III (Personality Jock).” However, the first single to become a radio hit was “Rapper’s Delight,” released

by The Sugar Hill Gang in 1979.

Kurtis Blow is known as one of the founding fathers of hip-hop, as he was the first rapper signed by a major label, Mercury Records.

Some of the most prominent and influential figures in the hiphop industry who are still currently active in making music are Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne.

Many think of Tupac Shakur as the most talented hip-hop artist of all time. Songs such as

Members of Hip Hop Congress perform at Freestyle Friday, an event held every week at 3 p.m. Pictured center is Hip Hop Congress Vice President Ryo Petite. (PROVIDED via Caitlin Stone)

“

I enjoy hip-hop because the beats really get me going. And not only do I find it incredible how artists fabricate lyrics on those beats because of their complexity, but also how hard I find it to do so.”

- Macie Hartley, a freshman studying pre-medicine “Dear Mama” and “Hail Mary” helped contribute to his fame. His career was cut short, however, when he was assassinated at the age of 25.

The first movie with a hip-hop focus was Wild Style, directed by Charlie Ahearn, released in 1983.

The movie was not a typical Hollywood film, but rather more documentary-style.

Houston said the founding of hip-hop was an example of “the way subcultures move in larger cultures.”

The broad genre of hiphop has multiple branches of influences and related sounds, Houston said.

Besides his title of hip-hop scholar, Houston has a strong passion for music from African cultures and has been a DJ since

the age of 9. He has been involved in hip-hop culture since before a Ph.D. for its area of study was invented. At a young age, he would create mixtapes with his beats and recruit rappers to rap over them.

Houston has also written in edited volumes about hip-hop and how it is expressed. For example, in The Cultural Impact of Kanye West by Julius Bailey, Houston wrote about how to designate a genius, based on an essay by Ralph Ellison.

Many students on campus enjoy hip-hop music and have their own preferences of favorite artists and subgenres.

Hip-hop artists perform dozens of different hip-hop subgenres, such as crunk, jazz rap, g-funk and freestyle rap.

“Hip-hop is the all-around culture, a lot of genres come from hip-hop,” Jamison Collier, a freshman studying business and finance, said. “Hip-hop has a lot of subgenres. You have mumble rap, then lyrical rap such as J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.”

Shakur Laney, a senior studying specialized studies, said his current favorite artists are Q Money and Meek Mill, but he also creates his own music.

“I make my own music because I look at music as an art, and it’s your own way to create what you think a song should sound like based on your creativity,” Laney said. “Every artist paints a different picture.”

@HANNAHNOELBURK HB239417@OHIO.EDU

OU alumnus discusses his ‘American Idol’ experience RILEY RUNNELLS FOR THE POST Knox Morris, a former Ohio University student from Arcanum, Ohio, is a singer-songwriter who recently signed with Zodlounge Music in Nashville.

Morris recently spoke to The Post about getting his start, his American Idol experience and his first EP coming out at the end of 2019.

The Post: How did you get your start with music? Did you always know you wanted to be a musician?

Morris: I didn’t always know I wanted to be a musician. I’ve always loved music, but I was always a sports guy in high school. After I graduated high school, I got really bored and I started playing the guitar. I had an old one that I had when I was like 10 years old. I lived out in the middle of nowhere, so I just started playing to find something to do, and I loved it.

P: What prompted you to make the decision to audition for American Idol?

Morris: It was funny. I worked at a concert venue and the live show of American Idol came, which was super cool. And I thought to myself, ‘That’s something I could do,’ and some of the workers convinced me to go audition. I went home to look up when the auditions were, and they were the next day, and I said, ‘You know what, let’s do it.’ So I just didn’t tell anyone and made the drive to Columbus by myself and auditioned.

P: After you auditioned for American Idol, what did you take away from the experience? What were the steps in that process?

Morris: I went through, like, six or seven rounds of auditions until I got to the judges. And I got to meet Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, which was amazing to meet them and get their feedback. But I didn’t get the ‘golden ticket’ to Hollywood or anything. Most people always say that the best part of the experience is meeting Lionel Richie and Katy Perry and all of them, which is amazing, but my biggest takeaway was meeting the people who were also auditioning. You really feel like a crazy person

trying to make it as a musician in Ohio because I don’t know anyone else who does this stuff, and so when you get to be surrounded by the people at the auditions who are going through the same things you’re going through, it makes you feel like you’re not alone. It’s such a comforting feeling, knowing there are others out there doing the same thing.

P: What kind of music do you like to create? Do you have a specific genre in mind or do you just write what comes to you?

Morris: I love writing all music. I have some songs that are about as country as you can get, and then I’ll have some songs that are these dance pop songs. I want to be able to work with everyone in any genre I can, that’s my biggest thing. I write songs as they come into my head, I don’t generally stick to one genre. When it comes to my sound, I haven’t really established a sound yet, and that’s why I’m excited for the EP to come out because I think when it’s done, people will be surprised. I don’t think they’ll expect what it’s going to sound like.

P: You published your first original song, “Fighter,” on SoundCloud in May of 2018. What inspired you to write that song, and was the writing experience challenging?

Morris: I had this tune in my head that I’d been working on for a while, and a buddy of mine really liked the sound and decided to sit down and write lyrics to it.

It was finals week at OU last year and we spent from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. writing this song and making it perfect. We ended up writing like three different versions until we found one that we liked. It’s such an awesome song and me and my buddy are so proud of it and love it so much.

P: You have an EP coming out at the end of 2019. What was the process like creating it?

Morris: The process is really cool. It’s mostly just getting in the studio and writing as many songs as possible. One of the things they told me when I got down to Nashville was that my goal was not to be the best singer or guitar player or the best looking or anything like that.

It’s about who can make the best music.

Knox Morris is a singer-songwriter and former Ohio University student.

(PROVIDED via Knox Morris)

Nothing else matters, if you’re making the best songs, nothing else matters.

Next week we start recording, I’ve written like 26 or 27 songs already, and we are going to go through them and choose the best ones so the EP will have three to four tracks on it. Like I said, I really don’t think people are going to expect what it’ll sound like, but I’m excited for it and I think it’s going to be really good.

P: How has becoming a musician affected your lifestyle?

Morris: Where I’m from, sports are the biggest thing. And I love sports. I really think everyone should play sports at some point because they’re great. But where I’m from, people prioritize sports, and if you’re not the number one player on the team or the one scoring all of the points, then you kind of get left in the shadows. Growing up, I had a lot of little kids that followed me because of basketball and the team was kind of famous in their eyes, and I want to be able to tell them that they don’t have to be the best player on the team, and they can do whatever they want. My dad is the

principal of the school and he told me that people are really starting to get into art classes and joining choir and really embracing their creative sides a lot more, instead of just focusing on sports, and I like to think I had a little bit of influence on that, which is really awesome.

P: What are your future plans? Do you have any specific goals you are working toward?

Morris: I’m moving to Nashville on Friday to start recording, then we’ll get the EP out. That’s the short-term, but I think the big long-term goal for me is I would love to be a theater act one day. I don’t need a million followers. I don’t need a ton of money or anything like that. But if I can play a theater of people and hear people sing my songs back to me that I’ve written, then I’d be so happy. Honestly, if I can just get my songs to resonate with even one person, then I’d really be doing my job.

@RILEYR44 RR855317@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

BASKETBALL

Norm Emmets cheers for the Bobcats with the O Zone on Jan. 15 in The Convo. (HANNAH RUHOFF / FILE)

Making a comeback ANTHONY POISAL STAFF WRITER Justin Wand nervously walked through Athens on Jan. 15. He was headed to The Convo for the Ohio basketball game, but basketball was the last thing on his mind.

Wand is the student leader of “D-Lo’s Crew,” a group built to reinvigorate the slumping “O Zone” student section, but the pressure finally hit him. He was worried that over two months of promotional efforts toward growing D-Lo’s Crew would fail, and if no one showed up to the first game, well, yikes.

“This is a big deal. This needs to work,” Wand said. “I’m going to be nervous no matter what happens until I get there and see the turnout.”

Nearly two weeks after 70 or so students attended the debut of D-Lo’s Crew, Wand is no longer anxious. The plans he made with the Ohio Athletic Department to instill a raucous student section back into The Convo have worked to perfection, 16 / JAN. 31, 2019

and D-Lo’s Crew has steadily bled further into the lower sections of the arena.

The group, named after Dan Lowe, boasted its largest crowd Saturday against Northern Illinois. Nearly 100 students packed the rows closest to the court, shouted for the entirety of the game and ended the win with the signature scoreboard cheer that rocked The Convo at the O Zone’s peak in the early 2000s.

“It’s awesome,” coach Saul Phillips said after he shot up in his chair and flashed a smile. “It adds to the enjoyment of the game for everyone in the building. It’s a presence, and you don’t get that all the time in mid-major basketball.”

In its two weeks of existence, D-Lo’s Crew has already met the vision the Ohio Athletic Department had when it brainstormed the idea in November.

That vision, however, was not always clear. Only 20 students attended the first meeting for D-Lo’s Crew the Friday night before finals week in December.

The group had nearly 80 people original-

ly sign up, but the doubts toward its sustainability were real.

Now, the question isn’t if it will last for the next game — it’s how many more students will show up.

“I’ll be honest, this is exceeding what I thought would actually happen,” Wand said. “The fact that we’re pulling people from other sections is tremendous.”

When the athletic department created D-Lo’s Crew, it needed it to grow internally. Students had to reach out to other students for the group to grow, and the athletic department took a hands-off approach toward promoting the group to as many students as possible.

The plan ensured only the most passionate students would join the group, and it’s been seamless.

Jared Roskin, a freshman and self-proclaimed sports junkie, was one of the first members to join D-Lo’s Crew. He was tired of seeing students don Ohio State apparel and wanted to be a part of a movement to expand Ohio’s fan base.

When Roskin saw a video about D-Lo’s Crew, he was hooked. He encouraged friends to join him.

“I honestly have a great time,” Roskin said.

“When we can get a group of people to give our team energy and screw with the other team as much as we can, I love doing that.”

Each game has brought more students eager to swing their arms back and forth in the scoreboard cheer, more cardboard cutouts of Phillips, Teyvion Kirk and, yes, Danny DeVito and more scraps of the “O Zone Sentinel” newspaper thrown into the air after Ohio scores its first point each game.

If D-Lo’s Crew continues to inflate life back into The Convo, its atmosphere will return to among the toughest in the Mid-American Conference.

And that means Wand won’t have to worry about whether D-Lo’s Crew will last. He’ll worry about whether the student section will do enough to help Ohio win.

@ANTHONYP_2 AP012215@OHIO.EDU

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Gavin Block’s steady hand is key for the Bobcats SPENCER HOLBROOK SPORTS EDITOR There are small wooden figurines on the coffee table in Saul Phillips’ office in The Convo. Each tiny wooden person dons a white Ohio jersey, which includes the players’ names and numbers.

Last season, they were new with each player on the Ohio roster having their own little piece on the office’s coffee table. But this season, they didn’t get updated. New faces in the program don’t have their figurine yet. The sculptures go largely untouched.

As much turnover as the program has gone through with transfers, graduation and incoming freshmen, few of the oneinch characters accurately depict who suits up for Phillips nowadays.

One that doesn’t need updated is the little figure wearing a No. 22 jersey, with Block written on the back.

Through a topsy-turvy four years in which Ohio has ranged from Mid-American Conference favorite to losing its best player, to being voted to finish in the bottom half of the conference in other years, Block has been a constant inside The Convo, much like his miniature mold on Phillips’ table.

In a season in which Ohio has only won one road game, struggled through the first two weeks of conference play and finally has a glimmer of hope, Block’s experiences have shaped him into a leader the Bobcats not only want to have, but definitely need to have.

“Gavin’s playing like a senior,” Phillips said.

Block’s development and leadership was prevalent early in his career. Block grew up in Lincoln, Illinois, a podunk town in the heart of the Midwest similar to Phillips’ upbringing in Reedsburg, Wisconsin.

A cookie-cutter prototype forward Phillips loves to roll with, Block made an instant impact for the Bobcats in 2015 and 2016, learning from past players such as Kenny Kaminsky, Jaaron Simmons and Treg Setty among others.

But there was only so much he needed to learn.

His basketball IQ gleaned from the start of his time in Athens. He put it to good use as an underclassman, too.

Block seemed to always be on the floor at the right time to take a charge or dive on the floor for the loose ball. As time

Ohio forward Gavin Block attempts a 3-pointer during the game against Radford on Dec. 8. (BRE OFFENBERGER / FILE)

marched on and Block became one of the leaders, the hustle plays that didn’t show up on the stat sheet became crucial shots that save Ohio games — and maybe a season.

Down one to Ball State last Saturday, Ohio desperately needed a bucket to pick

up a home conference win. There stood Block, who hit a shot so descriptively poetic as an ode to how he plays. He pumpfaked, saw the defender blow by him in the air, took one dribble and knocked down a 3 from the top of the key to give the Bobcats the lead — and a win.

He’s been groomed for a shot like that, and like much of his career, he was in the perfect place at the perfect time to make a play.

“It feels great,” Block said of his game-winning shot last week. “That’s what seniors are supposed to do. Take it one stride at a time. (Carter) got me open, and I have to knock them in.

“We’re getting more comfortable and more confident. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing.”

Shots like that are why Block is a fan-favorite, as well as a coach’s choice.

His press conferences sound like he’s Phillips’ mouthpiece — cerebral, thoughtful answers for each question. His level head and smart play yields results, whether they are the hustle plays Phillips has watched for years, or they’re the big shots Block seems to cash every game nowadays.

Of course, Block isn’t the only leader or heroic piece inside the Ohio locker room. Jason Carter emerged as Ohio’s best player through three months of the season. Carter might be more skilled or better equipped to lead a team in scoring, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t soaking in every minute he has with Block, trying to learn from the wily old senior.

Block embraces the leadership aspect.

He also appreciates his role as a contributor, not only as a veteran, but also as somebody who brings everything he does to the floor in a game.

“I have a job to do, all these guys have a job to do,” Block said. “When you’re in there, you just have to do it.”

As the season enters its final five weeks, time to learn from Block is dwindling. With only five more games in The Convo, Block is making the most of the home stretch that is his senior year.

If Phillips decides to update the characters on his coffee table inside his office in the spring, he’ll have to pack up the No. 22 figure, one that represents somebody who has been through the ringer of a college basketball career and grown to be a leader.

He also might just be the key to a second-half turnaround before the MAC Tournament.

@SPENCERHOLBROOK SH690914@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Kendall Jessing, the Bobcats’ team mom J.L. KIRVEN FOR THE POST Ohio forward Kendall Jessing sits in the Bobcats’ locker room surrounded by teammates before a game.

Some players walk past her with their headphones on, while others get dressed.

Before Jessing exits the locker room, she almost forgets to do her own pregame ritual. Quickly she grabs a black marker and writes a message on her green and white Adidas: RIP Dad 5/18/15.

Jessing, a senior, has never played a collegiate game without the reminder.

“Having that there is obviously something you don’t forget about,” Jessing said. “Even if I just look down, if I’m feeling troubled in a game or something, I know there’s that force to keep me focused.”

John Edwin Jessing, the loving father of Kendall and her two siblings, Jessica and Logan, passed away unexpectedly on May 18, 2015, while working at Vico Products. He’s been described by former co-workers as an amazing man with a wonderful sense of humor, always good for a “Johnism.”

While John wasn’t at work he was heavily invested into his family. Jessing and her siblings all played for their dad, who coached basketball for their travel teams, but aside from basketball he also coached them in life.

“He’s (John) just the force behind everything we do,” Jessing said. “He gives me the reason to be the person I am.”

And the person that Jessing is would make her father proud.

Jessing is the heart of the Bobcats.

While she only averages just under 10 minutes per game, she’s one of Ohio’s greatest vocal leaders and motivators.

Often fans can see Jessing cheering for her team like they’re her own kids.

That’s why they call her the team mom.

“People on the team call me the mom, and my siblings growing up would call me mom jr.,” Jessing said. “I think I just take on the role of responsibility. I like that role.”

Jessing takes the responsibility of many things. She’s never missed a team event, and makes sure all players on the team are present, all while staying on the Dean’s List. Whenever the Bobcats have a team meal or community service event, she coordinates it. She cares about Ohio 18 / JAN. 31, 2019

Ohio forward Kendall Jessing (no. 54) attempts a layup during the Bobcats’ game against Walsh on Nov. 3. (COLIN MAYR / FILE)

“

Kendall has a reason why she’s playing. She does it for someone. We all just feed off her energy, and when she scores, it’s an accomplishment for all of us.”

- Erica Johnson, Ohio point guard on and off the court.

Often great teams can fall apart because of their inability to take care of the little things. Jessing ensures that won’t happen.

All with a smile on her face.

The Bobcats would not be the team they are without Jessing. She has a smile that never leaves and optimism that is infectious. Part of the reason why the Bobcats don’t let bad games affect them is because they’re led by someone who can turn anything positive.

“She takes time to get to know every single person on this team,” Ohio coach Bob Boldon said.

But Jessing is more than just a motivator and supporter. She’s the glue that keeps Ohio’s locker room together. Just like how Jessing cheers when a Bobcat plays well, the Bobcat bench goes wild every time Jessing scores.

In Ohio’s last home game, a blowout win over Eastern Michigan, Jessing got in and made a bucket with 6:05 to go.

The Bobcats already had the game won,

so the air was light. As Jessing ran down the court, she looked to her sideline and double tucked her “guns” into her pocket, Russell Westbrook style.

The fans and her teammates loved it.

“She works so hard and to see it pay off we all go crazy for her,” Ohio point guard Erica Johnson said. “ Kendall has a reason why she’s playing, she does it for someone. We all just feed off her energy, and when she scores it’s an accomplishment for all of us.”

@JL_KIRVEN JK810916@OHIO.EDU

MEN’S BASKETBALL

THE CASE FOR JASON PRESTON The true freshman guard is the key to Ohio’s offensive production PETE NAKOS | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Jason Preston almost wasn’t an Ohio Bobcat.

As the second to last player to be added to the 2018-19 recruiting class, he didn’t announce his commitment to Ohio until May 7, 2018. His only scholarship offer for much of last year was from Longwood, a college in the Big South Conference.

But now, not even a full year after his commitment to play college basketball in Athens, he’s proven to be the most valuable of the recruits. After the departure of Zach Butler after just one season, coach Saul Phillips was left with a thin guard rotation.

Add in the loss of Jordan Dartis for the season, and the fifth-year coach was looking at a serious problem.

Teyvion Kirk performed exceptionally well his freshman year, but he can’t run the entire offense by himself 40 minutes a game. Not only can he not play the entirety of the game, but throughout his sophomore season, Kirk has struggled at times, such as a 4-of-22 day from the field against Kent State.

Enter Preston.

While he’s played in 19 games this season, he’s only averaging 5.5 points per game. That’s because for the first half of the season, he didn’t want to be a weak link on the floor. He didn’t want to be that guy who just threw up the ball whenever someone passed him the ball.

Still, when Preston plays well, Ohio plays well.

“The constant is J being a guy who has the ball in his hands and making others better,” Phillips said. “Regardless of who the primary ball handler is, J creates opportunities. There’s a lot of good players in college basketball, but the guys who are truly special are the ones who make others better. I wish he’d shoot more.”

Preston flashes a smile as he checks into the game.

There’s 15:46 left in the game, and Ohio’s down 43-41 at home to Ball State. The freshman guard can see the floor differently, he has the kind of court vision that Phillips calls elite. Not only can Preston see the floor well, he stands out on the court.

Standing 6-foot-3, his haircut makes him noticeable, bouncing up and down on the floor as he runs around trying to make the Ohio offense look better. When Preston is on the floor, it runs more smoothly. He’s able to give an extra pass without thinking if he should be the one taking the final shot in the game.

In the final 15 minutes of the game, Preston makes key play after key play. With 10:48 to play he knocks down a jumper on the right side of the hoop. He hits a turnaround jumper, and a possession later he grabs an opponent’s turnover and goes coast-

Jared Preston throws up a contested shot during the second half of a basketball game against Campbell on Nov. 12. (COLIN MAYR / FILE)

to-coast for a layup.

With 39 seconds left in the game, Gavin Block knocks down a 3-pointer, giving the Bobcats a lead for good. Ben Vander Plas passes the ball to Block on the possession, but it’s Preston who brings up the ball to setup the game winning play.

In a crucial road win on Jan. 12 at Ball State, one of Preston’s passes ended up on SportsCenter’s Top Ten segment — a simple but impressive alley-oop pass to Doug Taylor to cap off the victory.

“I’d say I’m more of a passfirst player,” Preston said after a home win over Radford on Dec. 7. “I can score the ball but I’m looking to pass first, make my teammates better. But (you) don’t want to be a weakness out there.”

Preston missed a game and a half two weeks ago against Kent State and Toledo. He exited the Kent State game due to a concussion and then was absent against Toledo. In both games

the Bobcats’ offense came to a halt, scoring just 52 points in both contests.

In both, Preston was absent from Ohio’s gameplan.

Ohio’s won two of its last three games since his return.

He’s dished out 14 assists and scored 21 points. While he remains absent from the starting lineup, his no-look passes and coast-to-coast layups continue to impress.

No matter if he’s in the starting lineup or not, Phillips knows that he needs Preston to win games on the offensive side of the ball.

“He just does such a good job of setting guys up,” Block said.

“I’m at my best when he’s making me better, along with making everyone around him better. J is just really good at getting people open, and finishing, too.”

@PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU

AN INSIDE LOOK AT JASON PRESTON

0

NUMBER

GUARD POSITION

5.5

POINTS PER GAME

2.8

REBOUNDS PER GAME

81%

FREETHROW

3.1

ASSISTS PER GAME

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

Students sit in a Black Studies class in 1970. (PROVIDED via University Archives)

Prejudice & Progress A glimpse into the turbulent history of African-Americans in Athens JESSICA HILL | ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

20 / JAN. 31, 2019

B

ayyinah Jeffries has recently started exploring the university archives to learn more about Ohio University’s and Athens’ histories in regard to race relations. An assistant professor of African-American studies, Jeffries has background in social movements and race relations on a national scale but has started her research on more local African-American history.

She hasn’t been surprised by her findings so far.

“Athens, like anywhere else, suffered from the same kinds of issues: racial discrimination in terms of jobs, in terms of access to the university for students of color,” Jeffries said.

Athens, though it’s tucked in the hills of Appalachia and an hour away from a major city, contains a packed history of events and motions in regard to prejudices and

progressions of African-Americans.

Even in the early 1800s, African-Americans made a mark in Athens. Violet Burrington arrived in 1803 and was the first African-American resident of Athens, according to Southeast Ohio Regional Freenet.

But just because Athens didn’t sit in the Deep South didn’t mean it was without the worst expressions of prejudice.

A man named Christopher Davis was hanged and killed in 1881. Davis had been accused of attempting to murder someone named “Mrs. Lucky.” A group of men broke into the jail where he was held and took him to the Old South Bridge. The men told Davis that if he confessed to his crimes, he would be taken back to the jail.

Davis said, “I’m the man.” But someone said, “Throw him off,” according to an 1881 article from the Cleveland Herald.

Jeffries estimates about 15 lynchings

Prominent AfricanAmericans in Athens Violet Burrington (175? - 1829) First African-American resident of Athens, arrived in 1803 Olivia Davidson Washington

(? - 1889)

Married Booker T. Washington in Athens Laid foundations for Tuskegee Institute Arthur Carr (1885 - 1966) Ohio University graduate in 1905 Quarterback for the university football team occurred in Ohio between the years 1850 to 1921.

African-American families that lived in Athens during that time sometimes tried not to draw attention to their differences.

Some would identify with their European or even Native American heritage. Identifying as African-American was last on the list, Houston said.

“To someone who is not from this area, it would seem rather strange that most people would not want to be identified as black and African-American,” Houston said. “But if you were living here and your experience has been that everything associated with black and African-American as negative, then you’re going to look for other ways to distance yourself from that identity.”

At the same time, there were people in Athens who looked white and worked for the NAACP. Two couples — one who appeared white and the other more identifiably black — worked for the NAACP and would go to segregated hotels and other businesses and compare how they were treated, Houston said.

As the city continued to discriminate, so did the university.

The Board of Trustees in 1923 stated that African-American

students from the South who were not accepted in Southern universities would not be accepted at Ohio University either, limiting the enrollment of students of color.

In 1944, OU President Walter Sylvester Gamertsfelder and the administration discussed the issues of black student housing and approved a policy that stated, “Members of all races are admitted to the University and to the use of its facilities on an equal basis.”

But the sentence after stated, “However, it is believed that Administrators should make every reasonable effort to achieve the greatest degree of happiness and satisfaction to the greatest number of people.”

The policy also stated that “perhaps a cottage” may be set aside for students of color in the future if the numbers continue to increase.

When black students were allowed to live in the same buildings as white students, there was still a race preference checklist students could mark. Legal desegregation did not officially occur until 1963.

African-American students were very active in Athens with regard to social movements.

For instance, a 1965 Post article read, “Seven students leave for Alabama march,” referring to the historic march in Selma.

With a push from students, faculty and the NAACP in Columbus, the university did later play a role in progress made with desegregation. When different restaurants and businesses refused to serve African-Americans, sometimes the university would intervene and ensure everyone was served.

Different organizations also formed that would speak for African-American students and advocate for equality. Black Culture Week was held by the Black Studies Institute in 1970 to show different contributions made by African-Americans.

A newspaper called Afro-American Affairs formed in the 1970s as a “critical voice of the black community.” According to university archives, the paper used to publish twice a month, but by the mid-1970s, publishing lessened to once a semester.

“I liked the fact that there was

The Black Student Center was located in what is now Lindley Hall in the late 1970s and provided a meeting place and recreational facilities. It was later known as the Lindley Cultural Center where different cultural programs were hosted. (PROVIDED via University Archives)

a black newspaper on this campus from faculty and students that gave a different perspective alternative to the media, and that no longer is the case,” Jeffries said.

In the late 1960s, black students made six demands to OU President Vernon Alden, including hiring a black administrator to help black students, providing financial aid if necessary, expanding black curricula in classes and admitting more black students to the university. Alden agreed to meet with them and moved some of the demands forward. He did it without violence or arrests, which was different from other universities, as student protests were often met with punitive responses from the university.

“There was a heightened recognition and almost a sense of accountability in the late 1960s and ‘70s that I don’t necessarily see now,” Jeffries said. “Presidents like Alden seemed very concerned about creating an open, diverse and tolerant institution.”

Many of the issues that faced black students in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Jeffries said, can still be seen today.

“The demands made are about increasing black faculty, representation in curriculum, increasing in students of color coming to the university — it’s the same issues that I keep seeing again and again that comes up with students at this partic-

Students play cards in the Black Student Center in the 1970s.

(PROVIDED via University Archives)

ular university in the 21st century,” Jeffries said. “We’re still talking about the dearth in terms of representation of black faculty, the dearth of students here — I mean, it’s less than 3 percent.

We still have a very low number of students who are here, and it is not representative of the population of African-Americans in Ohio.”

Jeffries also noted that the curriculum across campus lacks diversity in terms of their offerings, and whole departments are completely made up of white faculty members.

Athens and the university as a whole may have made drastic progress since the ‘60s. More African-American students are enrolled in the university now, and they may not have to worry about being turned away from restaurants.

“But there are still challenges that we just have not dealt with as a university that still need some attention,” Jeffries said.

@JESS_HILLYEAH JH240314@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender Sibs Weekend to feature events for siblings of all ages HANNAH BURKHART FOR THE POST It may be cold outside, but siblings of Ohio University students can warm up at Siblings Weekend events like a performance by The Passing Zone, escape rooms at Ping Recreation Center and a Donnie Darko showing.

The first family weekend of spring semester, Sibs Weekend, is set to take place Friday through Sunday. Siblings of all ages can come to visit and explore campus with their siblings.

The Passing Zone will perform Friday at 8 p.m. at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

“This is the type of show that is going to be fun no matter what your age,” Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director for student activities, said.

The Passing Zone was initially discovered on America’s Got Talent. The duo was a finalist act during the show’s first season.

The Passing Zone’s family-friendly show includes a variety of acts such as juggling, comedy and other incredible feats that anyone will enjoy.

“It’s a show that will appeal to all audiences,” Holzaepfel said.

If some siblings aren’t excited by a live performance, then perhaps solving a puzzle in one of the escape rooms at Ping Center will bring them joy. Ping will have escape rooms with different themes set up for all ages to enjoy.

“There will be a selection between an outbreak (so like a medical emergency that they will have to solve), a mummy themed one, and then a treasure hunt themed one,” Bridget Tasker, assistant director of competitive sports and community programming, said.

An escape room is a room in which par22 / JAN. 31, 2019

ticipants are challenged to solve a puzzle within a certain time frame and are often rewarded for completing the puzzle before time runs out.

“We take about 20 people an hour for four hours, and we do it here at Ping, and we max out each room at about 10 people,” Tasker said.

Ping’s escape rooms will be friendly for all ages and will reward participants for completion and participation. Tasker said this is the third year of the escape room being run. She said it has only grown in popularity since it has become a routine program.

“Due to its popularity, we are actually debating about making it an intramural activity for all students,” Tasker said.

“Hopefully it goes well.”

If siblings want to keep their weekend low-key, the cult classic Donnie Darko will be shown at The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Previous Sibs Weekends featured a Harry Potter movie marathon rather than Donnie Darko.

“We just decided, for various reasons, to take a break and try something different,” Alex Kamody, director of the Athena Cinema, said A re-release of Donnie Darko was shown at the Athena Cinema during its Cult Classics series a few years ago and received positive feedback.

“We just kind of thought that it would be a fun, weird thing to do,” Kamody said.

“We definitely knew that it would probably be something that appealed to older siblings.”

@JILLIANCRAIG18 JC986517@OHIO.EDU

Two models participate in the FACES Sibs Weekend Fashion Show in Baker Theater on Feb. 4, 2017. (LAILA RIAZ / FILE)

Young Dolph to perform during Sibs Weekend MORRIS WEIN FOR THE POST Popular rapper Young Dolph is headlining the Black Student Cultural Programming Board’s (BSCPB) annual Sibs Weekend concert Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

Young Dolph, who is currently on tour promoting his latest album Role Models, will make a pit stop at Ohio University between performances in Cleveland and Detroit at the request of BSCPB. “Every year we work with our booking manager to find an artist that will cater to all communities at OU,” Imani Smith, president of BSCPB, said. “BSCPB is hoping that this concert will bring a fun atmosphere for both

our Bobcats and their sibs. Young Dolph is known for his rap music, which is likely to keep the crowd hype and having fun.”

Fans can expect to hear Young Dolph’s popular songs like “Preach,” “Baller Alert,” and “Break the Bank,” as well as his latest hit, “Major,” and other songs from his new album.

“The reason why we started this concert is to increase diversity in performing arts at Ohio University,” Smith said. “Most of the concerts are specific to one culture, and we wanted to bring a different flavor to campus for all students to enjoy.”

Tickets can be purchased on the OU website for $30.

@MORRIS_WEIN MW774315@OHIO.EDU

WHAT’S GOING ON? MEGAN GORDIN FOR THE POST

FRIDAY Sibs Weekend Cult Classic: Donnie Darko at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at

The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. Come see what is known as one of the original cult classics of our time. Donnie Darko will also play at the same times Saturday at the Athena.

Admission: $7 The Passing Zone SAVES THE WORLD! at 8 p.m. at Templeton-

Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. See duo John Wee and Owen Morse perform incredible juggling stunts with your brothers and sisters.

Admission: $15

SATURDAY From A to Zine: Zine Making at noon

at Alden Library. Create a small story with endless possibilities of your own. The library will provide supplies, so let the creativity flow.

Admission: Free, registration required Torrin Mauck at noon at Ping Cen-

ter. Gather up your siblings and test your investigative skills by participating in an escape room.

With new sessions starting on the hour until 6 p.m., you will easily be able to fit it into your Siblings Weekend schedule. Admission: $10, registration required

University Program Council’s Sibs Weekend Carnival at noon at Ping

Recreation Center. Enjoy a carnival set with food, airbrush apparel, inflatables and all your favorite carnival games with your siblings.

Admission: Free Remote Control Car Building at 2

uP Order &ONPick YoUR online TiMe!

p.m. at the CoLab in Alden Library.

Check out Ohio University’s brand new CoLab and help your siblings design a remote control car they can be proud to show Mom and Dad when they return home.

Admission: $25 Young Dolph at 8 p.m. at Temple-

ton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Take your siblings to the weekend’s main event presented by the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, especially if they’re into hip-hop.

Admission: $30

SUNDAY FANGLE’S Stuff Your Face Event

all day in Athens. When you and your siblings eat at just about any restaurant on Court Street, including Brenen’s Coffee Cafe, Bagel Street Deli and Casa Nueva, and post a picture of your meal with #FANGLEsStuffYourFace, you are entered to win gift cards. This event is happening Friday through Sunday.

Admission: Free

$1.00 Off usiNg code: cATS2018 bit.ly/BrickCityDeli

Check out our podcasts on

PHI SIGMA PI national honor fraternity

Spotify

February Contra Dance at 6:30 p.m.

at ARTS/West, 132 W. State St. Come dance to local band Up All Night String Band. All experience levels are welcome and no partner is necessary.

Admission: Suggested donation is $10 for adults and $3 for students.

JOIN US FOR SPRING RECRUITMENT! MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4~SCHOONOVER 450 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5 ~ WALTER ROTUNDA WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 ~ WALTER ROTUNDA

7-8 PM

iTunes

@GORDINMEGAN MG525717@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

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

+

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

DECK CAN GO HERE FOR A HALLOWEEN-RELATED STORY YAY BOO MWAHAHAHAHAH

Evaluating Trump’s presidency P8 TACO exceeds majority vote P15

PAGES 16-21

[

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

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

P12

+

Faculty diversity rises slowly P8 Photo story: MLK March P12

w

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

P 11

+

T H W B H E Post-grad possibilities P10

CONTACT EDITOR@THEPOSTATHENS.COM

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