SOUNDS of SUMMER SOUNDS of SUMMER
Photos provided by Scotty Hall
Darcie Zudell | Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com
Letter from the editor
Hello!
Thank you for flipping the page. My name is Darcie Zudell and I will be Backdrop’s Editor-in-Chief for the 2024-2025 academic year. I may be new to this role, but I’m certainly not new to this publication. You never forget your first Backdrop article. I still remember writing mine in my dorm room, not knowing what would come of it. I was amazed when I saw my writing displayed on glossy, vibrant pages. It was not just a Word document on my laptop anymore; it was something tangible that I could hold, share and be genuinely proud of.
The best part of Backdrop is our teamwork. This issue would not have been possible without our amazing creative and photo teams. Photo Director Pearl Spurlock has generously shared her time and talent with Backdrop, and we could not be prouder to showcase her stunning photos in our publication. Creative Director Abby Burns and Art Director Ellie Sabatino have exceptional leadership skills and they always ensure that every visual element shines and enhances our stories.
At Backdrop, we never shy away from challenging topics—we tackle them head-on, responsibly and together. Managing Editor Layne Rey dives into student-athlete mental health with her piece on Morgan’s Message (pg. 22), a national nonprofit now active at Ohio University. With the ever-present discussions surrounding “fake news” and “objective bias,” junior writer Liam Syrvalin shares his opinion on the controversial “myth” of unbiased journalism. (pg. 28). And, of course, no Southeast Ohio publication would be complete without highlighting the iconic Nelsonville Music Festival (pg. 12). Former Editor-inChief Mckenna Christy writes about this beloved community staple and how it remains a vital part of local culture.
Thank you to our readers! Your support inspires us to keep telling the stories that matter most. I also want to extend a thank you to Scotty Hall, a local concert photographer, for allowing us to use his incredible photos on our cover. Follow @stealyoursoulphotography on Instagram and purchase his prints on Etsy, under the shop name “ByScottyHall.”
backdrop magazine
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DARCIE ZUDELL
MANAGING EDITOR LAYNE REY
COPY CHIEF PEGGY SPETZ
SECTION EDITORS KIRSTEN ABBEY, RILEY CLARK, LUCY RILEY, RUCHI WILSON, LUKE WERCKMAN
COPY EDITORS ABREANNA BLOSE, MEGHAN MCCRATE, LILIA SANTERAMO, PEGGY SPETZ
WRITERS MCKENNA CHRISTY, JACKSON MCCOY, GRACE MILLER, LAYNE REY, LUCY RILEY, ELLIE SABATINO, PEARL SPURLOCK, LIAM SYRVALIN, DARCIE ZUDELL
CREATIVE DIRECTOR ABBY BURNS
ART DIRECTOR ELLIE SABATINO
DESIGNERS MATTHAIS AGGANIS, ABBY BURNS, JJ EVANS, CARLEY HINTON, JULIA PARENTE, ALLY PARKER, ELLIE SABATINO, ANNA SCHNEIDER
PHOTO DIRECTOR PEARL SPURLOCK
ASSISTANT PHOTO DIRECTOR CLAIRA KIMBLE
PHOTOGRAPHERS CADEN FINLEY, PEARL SPURLOCK
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR ALLY PARKER
ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR CARLEY HINTON
DIGITAL DIRECTOR DYLAN WATSON
VIDEOGRAPHER JACOB GERTSBURG
FEATURES
SOUNDS OF SUMMER
Southeast Ohio jams out at the annual Nelsonville Music Festival.....12 RESEARCH AT THE RIDGES
A microscopic look into OU’s lab research.............................16
Q+A
LOOKING BACK(DROP)
Backdrop Art Director Ellie Sabatino catches up with two former creative team members... .....6
COMMUNITY
UNIONIZED WE STAND
UAOU continues to push for a union, despite OU’s exclusion of many faculty members..............8
PHOTO STORY
LOCALLY SOURCED
Moments captured at the Athens Farmers Market...................................... .10
THE DROP
ATHENS IS RAMPING UP
Seasoned skaters share tips on how to get started...................................... 20
SPREADING MORGAN'S MESSAGE
How one organization promotes studentathlete mental wellness..................... 22
HEALTH & WELLNESS
EFFECTIVE PREVENTIVES
A guide to harm reduction efforts in Athens .....24
OPINION
IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE
Opinion: When food becomes a weapon of war in Gaza, people need to use it as a tool of protest........................................26
FAKE NEWS!
Opinion: There is no such thing as unbiased journalism.....................................28
VOICES
AN ALASKAN SUMMER
Backdrop Photo Director Pearl Spurlock writes about her internship in Sitka....................30
Back(drop) LOOKING
Backdrop Art Director Ellie Sabatino catches up with two former creative team members.
BY ELLIE SABATINO
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KATELYN MULLEN AND KARLEE PROCTOR
DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER
College organizations allow students to broaden their horizons. Whether they are gaining handson experience within their chosen fields of study or simply expanding their social circles, many students dedicate a significant amount of their time on campus to participating in club activities. Backdrop magazine spoke with two former creative/art directors to see how their time at Ohio University has served them years after graduation.
bBACKDROP MAGAZINE (BM): HOW DO YOU REMEMBER GETTING INVOLVED WITH BACKDROP?
Katelyn Mullen (KM): I think I was just looking for things to be involved with because I didn’t have many when I was in my earlier years at OU. I think I just decided to go to the first meeting, and started off as a little layout person. But yeah, I think I just was interested in joining a club, and that one sounded interesting to me since I was a publication design major.
Karlee Proctor (KP): I just saw a posting somewhere for student organizations to join… I had kind of this desire to try out graphic design, even though I’ve never done it before… To get into the Visual Communication School, you need a portfolio. And I mean, I was a freshman in college, I [had] never done graphic design and [I] had [to build] a portfolio. So, like, okay, what can I do to dip my toes into graphic design? Like, how can I expose myself to it? And so then that’s when I found Backdrop somehow and joined and met wonderful mentors. That was my self-taught graphic design and with the help of mentors from Backdrop, I’ve been able to make a very successful career out of it.
BM: IN YOUR TIME WORKING WITH BACKDROP, WERE THERE ANY SPECIFIC THEMES OR STYLES THAT YOU USED THAT CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE YOUR ART AND DESIGN TODAY?
KM: I do specifically remember one of the very first articles I ever designed was on Bagel Street Deli, and we did a photo shoot, and there were a bunch of cut out images of bagels and the different ingredients. We had a fun little – I would call it a borderline infographic – with arrows popping out and stuff. And to this day, I definitely really like doing cutouts of images
Karlee Proctor and Katelyn Mullen on a networking trip in New York City.
when it makes sense. I think it makes an article so much more interesting and intriguing. So that’s fun that you had me point that out because I didn’t realize I was still doing that to this day.
KP: Layout is so important, and readability and hierarchy and keeping things concise. I’ve definitely really translated that into all of my designs that I currently do, making things simple and modern, and paying attention to layout and hierarchy. So yeah, a lot of the core principles of design I was taught through Backdrop.
BM: DID YOUR ROLE AS BACKDROP’S CREATIVE/ART DIRECTOR PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR CURRENT JOB? IF SO, HOW?
KM: I honestly think I got lucky because I was offered a job where I interned between my junior and senior year. I do think that Backdrop is the reason why I got this internship because I already had layout experience, and a lot of times when you bring in interns, they kind of are starting from scratch. They haven’t necessarily gone into the nuances of every nitty gritty detail of publication. So having had layouts in my portfolio got me the internship. And then the internship, I mean, the amount of layouts I did, it really led me into the creative director position for Backdrop the next year. I think it just solidified my career at this job, because I’ve had the same job since I graduated, so they kind of ebbed and flowed with each other.
KP: The hierarchy of people, that’s very normal in an agency, or even in house somewhere. Having the art directors and creative directors, you know, make the overarching decisions and viewing things from a bird’s eye point of view, and not necessarily the nitty gritty, but just as a whole, how does everything come together? That’s very normal in an agency environment and creative department. Especially when I was in the agency, working alongside copywriters, designers and writers, [everything] had to be intertwined and work well together. I had to carry over that skill that I took from Backdrop, working with copywriters, into the agency.
BM: ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?
KM: I do think that Backdrop is an amazing stepping stone in a publication career, and I would definitely advise people to stick with it, because it’s good connections, good experience and [a] good portfolio builder.
KP: I just love Backdrop, and I really do have Backdrop to thank for so much of my career. I mean, it was the first design I have ever done, and like I had mentioned earlier, I met people that also helped me get internships from there, and my first job outside of college. Backdrop [is] an amazing organization, and it really has helped boost me in my career and brought me to where I am today – as cheesy as that sounds. b
COMMUNITY
BY LUCY RILEY
PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGN BY ANNA SCHNEIDER
In the beating heart of small-town Athens, Ohio, educators play a crucial role in shaping Ohio University’s educational landscape. This past year, a white-hot spotlight has been placed on OU’s professors, more specifically the United Academics of Ohio University (UAOU). Beyond the university’s charming campus and bustling brick streets, the union would stand as an advocate for the school’s educators.
The UAOU hopes to establish a faculty union at OU. Their mission statement, as stated on their website, reads: “As faculty, we uphold the central educational mission of a public research university, which includes fostering student success, creating knowledge, and serving an informed and freethinking democratic society. To achieve our mission, we stand together, united across ranks and campuses, to organize a faculty union!”
According to the organizers and the
UNIONIZED WE STAND
UAOU continues to push for a union, despite OU’s exclusion of many faculty members.
Athens County Independent, almost 70 percent of professors at OU have signed petitions to file for a union election. This past year, members of OU’s staff organized campaigns and walked around campus to ensure their presence was known. Faculty members from various departments gathered to chant and protest at rallies.
After years of organizing throughout campuses — Athens main campus and the other five regional campuses of Chillicothe, Eastern, Lancaster, Zanesville and Southern — professors came together as one united force. The organizational process began in 2020, spreading the word and eventually turning it into action.
At its core, the union would offer professors a dedicated framework that safeguards the rights and wellbeing of the faculty. UAOU is asking for the ability to negotiate wages, establish reasonable workloads and
secure increased employee benefits. That would allow professors to focus more on creating a conducive learning environment for their students. Professors aim to negotiate contracts and promote inclusive teaching practices to advocate for better resources and support systems. The group actively works to engage with the university’s staff and policymakers.
Dr. Julie White, a political science professor at OU, is a prominent figure within UAOU. She became an organizer for the movement in 2019, citing her interest in investigating labor conditions as a driving force.
“I have always been interested in labor politics, and I guess one of the things that was a driving concern for me was the erosion of tenure and the exploitation of instructional faculty,” says White.
Both instructional and tenured staff are integral to delivering educational
Katherin Jellison, professor of history, speaks with fellow picnic attendees.
Charlie Morgan and Angela Sprunger play cornhole during the picnic.
Professor Julie White greets members and supporters at the picnic.
experiences to students. As the last school year came to a close, OU students and staff were left uncertain about the upcoming deadline for the university’s response to UAOU on May 9, 2024.
UAOU proposed a bargaining unit that includes all full-time faculty at all of OU’s campuses. A letter published on UAOU’s website states: "We intend to file a Petition for Representation Election for the bargaining unit of all full-time tenured/tenure-track and instructional faculty, including clinical College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP), at all Ohio University campuses, inclusive of the five regional campuses, on Friday, March 8, 2024."
The petition was filed as intended, but due to multiple delays requested by the university, UAOU received a response significantly later than anticipated. That response proposed a new bargaining unit, one that would exclude all faculty members in CHSP, with the exception of the Department of Social Work.
White explains that although she hoped for a different outcome from that decision, she was proud of UAOU and what it accomplished in a short time.
“I think that level of support and our ability to turn those cards (union cards demonstrating one’s commitment to a union) around in just over a month, suggests that faculty share the concerns of the union, and that it’s really time for a collective bargaining agreement,” says White.
Organizing began before the COVID-19
pandemic, and the layoffs that followed accelerated the group’s efforts. The decision to let go of a large number of professors led to great unease among staff, prompting a push to investigate university spending. More importantly, the faculty felt they needed to examine what the university prioritizes.
There was a 23 percent decline in enrollment from 2016 to 2022, according to the Athens County Independent and OU Institutional Effectiveness and Analytics. On their website, UAOU connected the decline in enrollment to the 53 faculty layoffs that followed. Despite a later turnaround, when enrollment increased significantly in 2023 and 2024, there was still a lack of attention given to the instructional staff. Regardless of the rebounding enrollment, the new tenure-track hires did not compensate for the many lost instructional and tenure-track positions.
Many were frustrated by the university’s excessive spending on buildings and dorm renovations while faculty at OU earned less than the staff at nine comparable public research institutions in Ohio. According to UAOU, OU salaries from 2019 have increased by an average of only 5 percent, whereas other schools with established faculty unions, such as Bowling Green State University and Kent State University, saw a 14 percent increase in salaries.
“Salary is an issue,” White says. “But I think the first concern that drove a lot of the work out of the gate here at
OU was a concern about the loss of faculty and the impact of that loss on the educational mission.”
The union hopes to create a more cohesive and less stressful environment for faculty members and students. By providing the institution’s faculty with higher pay comparable to that of other colleges, the union believes this will benefit every student and improve the overall learning environment.
As the demands of UAOU have not been met with the responses or actions desired, there is much more to come this school year. “Decent working conditions for faculty are the conditions under which students learn best,” White says. b
Members and supporters gather at Richland Avenue Park for a UAOU picnic on Sept. 5 2024.
Katherin Jellison talks with other memebrs and supporters at a picnic table.
LOCALLY SOURCED
Moments captured at the Athens Farmers Market.
BY BACKDROP STAFF
PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK
DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO
Offering an abundance of fresh produce, handmade crafts and locally sourced products, the Athens Farmers Market has been a cornerstone of Athens culture for decades. The market is dedicated to sustainability and support for local agriculture. It provides a welcoming space for visitors to connect with the community and enjoy the best that Southeast Ohio has to offer. b
Kathy Richards plays the violin for market attendees
Floral arrangements by Homecoming Farm
Vendor Greg Beha of Greenlee Greens smiling at the market
Handmade tote bags made by Kathy Davis
Kathy Davis smiling at her stand
Vendor Kelly Sauber promotes West End Ciderhouse hard cider
1-3 Fresh produce sold at the market
An Afterschool Music Program participant plays the guitar at the Nelsonville Music Festival.
Photo by
SOUNDS OF SUMMER
Southeast Ohio jams out at the annual Nelsonville Music Festival.
BY MCKENNA CHRISTY | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SCOTTY HALL | DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER
Music festivals across the country differ in their size, performers, popularity, ticket prices, location and other distinctions. Some may dream of buying tickets to Lollapalooza in Chicago and Coachella in California, but people in Southeast Ohio and beyond look forward to attending the Nelsonville Music Festival (NMF) every year.
Located at the Snow Fork Event Center at 5685 Happy Hollow Road in Nelsonville, NMF has emulated that street name since July 23, 2005, when the festival was first held in downtown Nelsonville Historic Arts District. There were 750 people who made up the crowd of the first event and six bands performed. This past summer, more than 3,000 weekend passes were issued for people attending NMF, 700 single-day passes were purchased and 54 bands and musicians performed.
The festival, since its founding, has served as a fundraiser for Stuart’s Opera House, a non-profit historic theater and performing arts center in Nelsonville. Stuart’s Opera House first opened in 1879, and, according to NMF’s website, hosts more than 75 events every year. Not only does NMF happen to be set in Southeast Ohio, but the presence of performers and vendors based in the area is prioritized.
“NMF creates a much more intimate experience than most other major music festivals and we really focus on ties to our community,” says Mackenzie Kucharsky, NMF’s marketing director, in an email.
Passion Works Studios, based in Athens, creates all of the festival’s decor, and many local and Ohio-based artists perform. The festival is even free to attend for Nelsonville and Buchtel residents.
While more well-known artists and bands such as Killer Mike and Thee Sacred Souls performed at the festival this past summer, up-and-coming artists were present as well, including John Vincent III and Kara Jackson. Each year, NMF also welcomes bands from Stuart’s Opera House’s Afterschool Music Program (AMP). Young people from ages 11 to 21 who participate in the AMP learn how to play different instruments, form bands and write songs. Stuart’s Opera House’s Arts Education department is tuition-free, and the festival’s fundraising efforts go toward supporting the cause.
Adam Remnant is the assistant director of arts education at Stuart’s Opera House and uses his passion for music to help young people find their own sound and learn how to make music. Remnant says Tim Peacock, the artistic director of Stuart’s Opera House, asked him to teach the program when it was fairly new.
“There were like maybe six or seven students, and [we] just got them playing together as a band,” Remnant says. “At the end of the school year, they performed at the Nelsonville Music Festival, and that was almost 11 years ago.”
Throughout the program’s 2024 season, from September to May, Remnant says nearly 50 students participated, and at NMF this year, nine AMP bands rocked out in front of festival crowds, performing both originals and covers. The students develop their own bands, with some assistance from Remnant, and come up with awesome and creative band names and songs. The bands that performed at NMF this past summer were, Think Unconscious, Ivy Pierce, End Credits, Exit 191, Ghost Outlet, Left Behind, Hidden Grove, Sub-Zero and Sage Blue. It would not be surprising if people hear those band names more commonly in the future, as they successfully jammed out at NMF.
“All the hard work sort of culminates in that moment and you get to see them shine,” Remnant says. “You get to see them perform in front of an audience. … A lot of them are nervous to get on stage, and then they get up there and do it. You see them prove something to themselves.”
Kucharksy says watching the AMP is one of the most rewarding moments of putting the festival together. The benefits of the opportunity are also evident. “By featuring Stuart’s Opera House Afterschool Music Program bands alongside national acts, the festival provides valuable experience for these emerging artists while inspiring the next generation of musicians,” Kucharsky says.
Some students return to the program more than once and similarly, some bands have returned to NMF throughout the years. For 14 years, the band Weedghost, consisting of members Andrew Lampela and Kris Poland, have taken their music to the stages of NMF. Outside of NMF, people can find Weedghost and their music on bandcamp.com. According to NMF’s website, Weedghost combines “acoustic instrumentation with layers of electronic noise to channel the droning gospel from the depths of the hills themselves.” The Southeast Ohio hills to be more exact. “Both of us think it’s one of the best weekends of the year,” Lampela says.
For Lampela, one of the standout parts of NMF is the people who attend. Lampela explains how there is a community of people who come from around town or others who he just has not seen in a while who make the experience special.
FEATURE
Although the festival has been
a consistent regional summer event, “it’s never lost its charm,” Lampela says.
Part of NMF’s charm is its ability to develop over the years and focus on more untraditional festival performers. Kojun Hayes, a certified sound healer and Reiki practitioner, provided his service for the second year in a row at NMF this year. Hayes uses “Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls, gongs, Himalayan metal bowls, and other sacred instruments,” according to NMF’s website, to perform sound baths.
“When I begin to facilitate a sound journey with sound meditation, I say, I’m going to create a space that is full of sound,” Hayes says. “And within this space, you will hopefully feel comfortable enough or safe enough or secure enough that you can then do what you need to do within yourself. You can heal yourself or you can just relax.”
The first time Hayes performed a sound bath at NMF, he says it was almost 2 a.m. when he was able to begin because a band had to finish their encore. It did not matter that the sound bath began so early in the morning because the sounds Hayes made from the bowls filled the quiet air and made the environment, with all of its green and surrounding hills, even more peaceful.
This past summer at the festival, Hayes performed a sound bath in the morning following a yoga session. He says the yoga had already made people more relaxed, and his sound bath gently pushed people into more of a meditative state.
Weedghost prepares to perform at the
“Every time I give a sound bath, at least one person is touched in some way that is really beautiful and healing and just wonderful,” Hayes says.
Unless a music festival is exclusively dedicated to softersounding music, many would not assume a general music festival would arrange for its attendees to meditate and feel relaxed. However, “NMF has never been genre specific as we believe the diversity represents the essence of NMF,” Kucharsky says in an email.
The diversity of music and events at NMF are matched by the diversity of festival-goers as well. As residents of Nelsonville and nearby cities and counties attend the festival, so do Ohio University students. Audrianna Wilde graduated twice from OU, first with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2023 and then a master’s in public administration in 2024.
Wilde was NMF’s storytelling intern this year and had a full circle moment from when she first attended the festival as a volunteer in 2021, helping direct cars in the festival’s parking lot. After her parking lot duties, Wilde went to one of the festival’s late-night sets. “I came back every single night [and] had a blast,” Wilde says. “And then the next year, I was like, I have to go back.”
NMF was Wilde’s first introduction to the Athens community outside of OU.
The festival made her confident the next four years of being an undergraduate student would work out just fine after meeting all of the nice people who live in the area. As a graduate student, Wilde became the storytelling intern and took photos and videos of the 2024 NMF to be used in the coming year before the 2025 festival.
Nelsonville Music Festival. Photo by Scotty Hall for Nelsonville Music Festival.
In capturing all the different aspects of the festival, Wilde also captured NMF’s essences. “You run into the same people throughout the entire weekend,” Wilde says. “I have red hair, so it’s pretty easy for people to recognize me, but even I was walking around, and I was like, ‘Oh, you were at this last night, I got a video of you grooving.’”
NMF is a smaller festival, Wilde says people get to know each other more frequently and people are there to appreciate the music in all it has to offer. When Wilde was taking photos in the “photo pit” alongside other photographers who were all facing their cameras toward the stage, she decided to turn to face the crowd. She was surprised to see a lack of phones being held up to record the performers.
“Everyone is locked into the music,” says Wilde. “Even if they’re not singing word-for-word, you could just see it on their face, like they are in the moment, which I found really fascinating and very different.”
It takes all year to plan each festival, Kucharsky says in an email, and the outcome makes all the work rewarding. The dates of the 19th annual NMF, set to take place in the summer of 2025, have already been announced for June 20 to June 22 when local and national musicians will take to the stages again, most likely with another engaged audience.
“This internship was the golden opportunity for me to show off the community that I have so dearly loved for all of my undergrad and graduate experience in Athens,” says Wilde. “I feel like [NMF] really shows off what our community has to offer: all the music, all the art and the kindness of people all in one place.” b
TOP: Nelsonville Music Festival participants gather for a performance.
Photo by Scotty Hall for Nelsonville Music Festival.
RIGHT: A Nelsonville Music Festival participant watches a performance.
Photo by Scotty Hall for Nelsonville Music Festival.
RESEARCH AT THE RIDGES
A microscopic look into OU’s lab research.
BY DARCIE ZUDELL
PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO
Lily Kijek, Cassidy Mollick, and Aliching Marma pose for a portrait in Konnecker Research Center.
Lab equipment at the Watershed Lab.
Lab equipment at the Watershed Lab
Ohio University was designated an R1 research school in the 2021 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, recognizing its high level of research activity. For students who believe that learning is best achieved through action, a lab might be the perfect place to gain hands-on experience. When working in a lab at OU, expect to meet other dedicated students and staff committed to research. These collaborations empower students to tackle real-world challenges, paving the way for future discoveries that could change lives and protect the planet.
Grace Lach works at Dr. John Kopchick’s lab, located in the Konneker Research Center. She began working in the lab during her junior year at OU, where she studied biology and communications.
“I originally started at one of the branch campuses and I had a professor for my fundamental bio course tell me..., ‘If you intend to stay in biology, if you intend to do a career that is science, when you go to [the] main campus, find yourself a lab.’”
In 1987, Kopchick discovered a growth hormone receptor antagonist, which blocks the action of growth, alongside a graduate student. The compound, now commercially known as Somavert, is a drug used to treat acromegaly or gigantism. Lach’s lab works with mice injected with foreign DNA. These transgenic mice are genetically modified by adding different types of growth hormone to study the effects, which could have long-term implications on diabetes, aging and cancer research.
“The reason we’ve used the mouse is, they are a comparative vertebra,” Lach says. “It allows us to go into an organism without having to use humans.”
Lach and others in her lab work with a variety of mouse strains to test the effects of the growth hormone receptor antagonist. Bovine growth hormone, a synthetic hormone used in laboratories to stimulate excessive growth, is commonly tested. According to Lach, mice injected with bovine growth hormone appear larger, lean and unhealthy, with many affected by cancer. Those mice also live half as long compared to those in the wild.
“It allows us to go into an organism without having to use humans.”
GRACE LACH STAFF MEMBER AT DR. KOPCHICK’S LAB
“We have mice on the other end of the spectrum that have their growth hormone receptors knocked out, meaning they have zero action,” Lach says. “Right now, the growth hormone receptor knockouts actually hold the record for the longestlived laboratory mouse. We had a mouse that lived a week shy of his fifth birthday, which usually wild-type mice live two and a half years.”
The implications of this research for humans are significant. Researchers like Lach are investigating whether mimicking the effects observed in growth hormone receptor-knockout mice could potentially increase a person’s lifespan and quality of life.
Delaney Minto, a lab technician, works closely with Lach to maintain the mice colonies. Minto explains that due to the numerous projects in the lab, much of her work involves keeping everything organized to ensure research proceeds smoothly. She is also responsible for gathering data to determine whether a mouse’s genotype is beneficial for the lab’s experiments.
Minto began working for Kopchick as a senior studying biology at OU. She knew she enjoyed hands-on projects from her school labs. A friend recommended the position to Minto to gain real lab experience, and there she realized she prefers the ‘behind-the-scenes’ work of research.
Lach and Minto plan to pursue further education, but for now, Lach is enjoying the nine-to-five work life.
Liliana Kijek sets up lab equipment to test water quality.
FEATURE
Many labs at OU work with students who have no prior research experience.
Kinsey Bossell, a junior studying energy engineering, was hired as a lab technician at the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment (ISEE) in the summer of 2024. During her first week, she received training on using the lab equipment.
Bossell says that the graduate students in the lab were supportive and willing to work with her. By the end of the summer, Bossell started training new students joining the lab.
Edward Abbiw, a laboratory coordinator, came to OU for graduate school after living in Ghana. After earning his master’s degree in environmental studies, Abbiw joined the staff at George Voinovich School’s Watershed Lab, located in the Konneker Research Center.
Throughout his studies, Abbiw gained extensive lab experience. As a coordinator, he mentors and guides undergraduate and graduate students in their research. For him, this leadership role is more about serving as a guide who supports students. A large part of laboratory work involves problem-solving, and he encourages students to learn from their mistakes. He also learns from the students he works with because of the program’s interdisciplinary nature, as they enter the Watershed Lab with various backgrounds and knowledge.
One of the students Abbiw works with is Liliana Kijek, a graduate student in environmental studies at OU’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. Kijek graduated from Cleveland State University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. While in her undergraduate program, she developed an interest in environmental law and policy through her classes. After graduating, she worked as a water field ecologist intern at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, becoming familiar with equipment and gaining field training.
“So, I decided to make the switch and I found this environmental studies program that claimed to be super interdisciplinary,” Kijek says. “I’m a political scientist, but one of my really close friends is a marine biologist and my other really close friend is a wetland ecologist.”
When Kijek was accepted to OU, she also received a research assistantship at the Watershed Lab. She says graduate school is not for ‘the faint of heart,’ but it is easier when students are passionate about their studies. In the Watershed Lab, she gains hands-on experience alongside her classes, allowing her to apply what she learns in school.
Abbiw says one of the most rewarding aspects of his job is working with inexperienced students and witnessing their growth as researchers through training and problem-solving. He is constantly researching sustainable methods to improve the environment and finds the most satisfaction in not just reading theories but also testing and witnessing their realworld effectiveness.
Abbiw is interested in sustainable and cost-effective solutions to environmental problems. When he began working in the Watershed Lab, his research centered on biosolvents, which are environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional solvents.
“[Biosolvents] are agricultural waste and food waste that you convert into [a] solvent that you can use to remove heavy metals,” Abbiw says. “These metals are actually poisonous; we call them pollutants. When they are in their elevated concentration, they can lead to acid mine drainage, and they can have serious health impacts on human beings.”
Acid mine drainage occurs when sulfide minerals, commonly found in mines and mining waste, are exposed to air and water. The affected water typically turns rusty orange. Many mines have been abandoned in Appalachia, leaving behind waste that is detrimental to both the environment and the often-neglected communities.
“The Appalachian region lacks significantly in scientific research,” Kijek says. “I’m one of the few people that I know of personally who studied microplastics in the Appalachian region, which is crazy.”
With more dedicated research groups emerging in rural areas, such as the labs at OU, the Appalachian region is finally receiving the scientific innovation it needs to enhance the environment and improve the quality of life for its residents.
To encourage local interest, the Watershed Lab offers free water quality test kits. “They [the Watershed Lab] want kids to be coming and getting these take-home water quality test kits,” Kijek says.“If you can get kids that are interested in going out and testing their backyard streams now, while they are young, we’re going to have a huge group of passionate young kids coming up who want to save the planet, and you know what, it really needs saving.” b
Liliana Kijek looking at microplastics under a microscope.
Seasoned skaters share tips on how to get started.
BY GRACE MILLER | PHOTOS BY CADEN FINLEY | DESIGN BY MATTHIAS AGGANIS
On Jan. 30, legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk visited Ohio University to talk about his skating career and how it changed his life. The event at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium held residents and students sharing a common sentiment: a love for skating.
Hawk’s visit to Athens highlighted the skate scene that exists in the community. Organizations like SkateJam, spots like the Athens Skate Park and students on campus all emphasize the skating culture, connecting people of all ages who enjoy the sport.
SkateJam, a non-profit organization based in Athens, hosts a day-long community fest dedicated to skating. It started in October 2021, making this year the fourth SkateJam that has taken place at the Athens Skate Park.
This year, the event is scheduled to be hosted on Sept. 21, with contests, local music and food trucks. All of the
proceeds made from the event go to Sojourners Resilience Center, an organization suited to empower young people, and to the skate park itself.
SkateJam also hosts a nonprofit resource fair that focuses on “artisanal vendors” that are in the Athens community. SkateJam organizer, Emmett Mascha, says, “For people who may not fit into team sports, skating might be the perfect artistic outlet for them.”
People of all different ages can get started easily by going to the local skating instructor Leif Wakefield, who provides skating lessons for people ages 14 to 21. Students can join OU’s skate club, to meet and learn from others at all different levels of skating. Skaters can find boards in Athens at The Flipside Skateboard Shop, located on 14 W Stimson Ave.
Alicia Szczesniak is a senior studying journalism. She was 7 years old when she started skating, picking up the sport quickly to look like the “cool teenagers” that lived in her neighborhood.
“Skateboarding is a very fun skill to have and a great way to make friends,” Szczesniak says.
Her favorite place to skate in Athens is the bike path along the Hocking River because of its flat and smooth surface – unlike the bricks on campus. However, she often finds herself riding her board to class instead of walking to save time.
According to Szczeniak, beginners should start out with a board with wide wheels. She says larger wheels are far more easy to learn on because they allow beginner skaters to find their groove and learn the motions of skateboarding.
“Skateboarding is pretty easy to learn, it just takes some time,” Szczeniak says.
John “JC” Casto, a senior studying aviation and management shares a similar love for skating, picking it up as something to do with his friends.
Casto writes in a text message that his favorite spots are, “skating at night on the bike path when the notorious cherry blossoms are in bloom, on OU’s sidewalks, and around the basketball hoops by Pickering Hall.”
Casto prefers a longboard to a skateboard. “I enjoy going faster and being able to make smooth back and forth movements,” he writes. “It almost feels like you’re surfing on the concrete. On a longboard, I also enjoy ‘dancing’ on my board.”
“Start out in grass or on a carpet inside so you can get used to how it feels to be on a board,” Casto writes. “[Have] protective padding whenever you start out to protect yourself whenever you may fall.”
Skating is a fun, relaxing, individualistic sport. Students looking to try something out of their comfort zones can turn to the Athens community that would be willing to teach them about skating.
“Do not feel embarrassed if you are struggling a little while starting out,” Casto writes. “We all started somewhere and we understand where you are coming from.” b
OU Freshman Logan at Skate Park by Stewart Street.
Anthony Copley at Athens Skate Park
SHARING
Morgan’s Message
How one organization promotes student-athlete mental wellness.
CONTENT WARNING: THIS ARTICLE DISCUSSES TOPICS RELATED TO SUICIDE AND MENTAL HEALTH, WHICH MAY BE DISTRESSING OR TRIGGERING FOR SOME READERS. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
On July 11, 2019, Morgan Rodgers died by suicide at the age of 22. A movement spreading mental health awareness among student-athletes began almost immediately.
After an impressive high school athletic career, Rodgers was recruited to play on the Duke University Women’s Lacrosse team. Before her sophomore season could begin, a knee injury abruptly changed her life. Rodgers experienced anxiety and depression, which took a serious toll on her mental well-being in the following year and a half leading up to her death.
Rodgers’ legacy is carried on through Morgan’s Message, an organization dedicated to normalizing conversations about mental well-being in athletics –recognizing it with the same importance as physical wellness. The organization’s work to reduce stigmas and support athletes has spread worldwide through its education and ambassador program.
According to its website, Morgan’s Message has 5,515 ambassadors on 1,841 high school and collegiate campuses – one being Ohio University.
Clare Kehoe, co-founder and director of education for Morgan’s Message, grew up playing club lacrosse with Rodgers and considers her a best friend. After Rodgers’ injury, Kehoe had the chance to play one final season of club lacrosse with her at Duke University.
Between her friendship with Rodgers and her career as a psychiatric nurse, Kehoe naturally took on the role where mental health and outreach education intersect. Kehoe oversees and supports the ambassadors who are eager to bring
messages of mental health awareness to their respective campuses.
Kehoe says, “When we started this program we were really thinking about, what are things that Morgan could have benefited from?”
Katelyn Whittle, an OU 2024 alumna, worked with Kehoe to become an ambassador during her undergraduate career while she played on the field hockey team. Her coach, Ali Johnstone, says, “Her role has shifted from learning how to start a program, how to bring it to the university, how to go through the paperwork, and then, reaching out to all the athletes and actually just making a voice for herself.”
Kehoe says Whittle “paved the way” for the success of Morgan’s Message at OU. Kehoe says she notices a pattern of younger athletes being inspired by older athletes who work to change the culture within their teams. Annie Ryan, a sophomore on the field hockey team, became an ambassador at OU for this school year following
STORY AND DESIGN BY LAYNE REY PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KATE SCHIEBER
Morgan’s Message logo sticker on OU hockey player’s helmet. Photo by Kate Schieber.
Whittle’s graduation.
Johnstone says, “They’re both very empathetic, they’re both very understanding, they’re both incredibly helpful people, and they always just find solutions to problems. So, you know, their character bodes well for this, for the positions that they’re in.”
The OU chapter of Morgan’s Message holds meetings to discuss topics ranging from positive self-talk to performance anxiety to gratitude. Members of the group, including non-athletes, have written positive messages on sticky notes, painted the Bird Arena’s windows with information on mental health awareness and heard from Rodgers’ twin sister, Aberle. She came to campus and talked with the group in November of 2022.
Each year, most OU athletic teams hold a dedication game that honors Rodgers and uplifts the message of student-athlete mental health. The OU ambassadors and members of the chapter on campus work with the national organization to give pins, stickers, wristbands and T-shirts to athletes and attendees, spreading the message beyond campus.
“We’re super proud of the work that’s done at OU,” Kehoe says. “They’ve just done a great job of bringing in different types of speakers, having different events, really trying to get different sports teams involved.”
While students may be nervous to join an organization dedicated to having these difficult conversations, there are
ways to promote the values of Morgan’s Message from wherever they are at.
Kehoe says, “I would encourage people that it doesn’t have to be a leap day one. A great first step is literally talking to one person that you trust about this topic, whether it is your own experiences or something that you’re seeing around your team or people around you. I think many people will find that that kind of first step of opening up in that sense will create a lot more comfort.”
Johnstone says she has seen the positive effects of Morgan’s Message on her team. She notices them being more mindful, whether it is at a yoga night, practicing their breathing exercises, or being willing to have more conversations.
Kehoe has seen the importance of spreading Morgan’s Message on a
larger scale.
“I think there never was really a space to connect about mental health, or, learn about mental health,” Kehoe says. “I think just having an opportunity to have this space in this community where it’s normalized and OK to be vulnerable and talk about mental health and things going on in your life outside of your sport and your role as a student.”
Morgan’s Message has encouraged more open discussions about the well-being of student-athletes. “The language behind mental health is, it’s not a scary topic,” Johnstone says. “It’s an every day topic.” b
“The language behind mental health is, it’s not a scary topic. It’s an every day topic.”
ALI JOHNSTONE
OU WOMENS FIELD HOCKEY COACH
Members of Morgan’s Message at OU decorate Bird Arena before the hockey team’s dedication game. Photo by Kate Schieber.
Morgan’s Message shirt at OU hockey’s dedication game. Photo by Kate Schieber.
EFFECTIVE PREVENTIVES
A guide to harm reduction efforts in Athens.
BY LAYNE REY & DARCIE ZUDELL | DESIGN BY ABBY BURNS
CONTENT WARNING: THIS STORY ADDRESSES TOPICS OF SUBSTANCE USE AND ADDICTION, WHICH MAY BE SENSITIVE FOR SOME READERS.
HARM REDUCTION
A philosophy of care that aims to meet people with substance use disorders halfway, harm reduction is a scientifically proven, cost-effective way to lessen the negative effects of drug use. Common practices of harm reduction, such as the distribution of naloxone, access to fentanyl test strips and syringe exchange programs, save lives and allow people with substance use disorders to reduce their risks of harm.
OFFICE OF HEALTH PROMOTION
Located in Room 339 at Baker Center, the Office of Health Promotion offers various support and resources for students, aiming to create a safe and healthy campus. Services for substance use disorder include drug and alcohol safety training, naloxone distribution and free fentanyl test strips. Students can schedule private meetings with the Office of Health Promotion to confide in peer mentors or staff trained to discuss and listen to topics related to substance use disorders and recovery.
To schedule a meeting with the Office of Health Promotion, please scan the QR code.
ATHENS CITY-COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
The Athens City-County Health Department is a location site for Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone), hosting a 'Harm Reduction Clinic' every Wednesday from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 278 W. Union St., according to its website. Services offered include one-for-one syringe exchanges, naloxone distribution and training, hepatitis immunizations and peer counseling.
SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
The most common way hepatitis C is spread in the U.S. is through the sharing of needles and other tools used for drug injection, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Syringe exchange programs (SSPs) are a common form of harm reduction. SSPs facilitate a one-for-one trade of used and possibly contaminated injection equipment for sterile syringes. It is a cost-effective way to limit the outbreak of infections by avoiding the sharing of needles, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
NARCAN/NALOXONE
Naloxone is a reversal agent for opioid overdoses, commonly distributed as a nasal spray or injection. Narcan was the first overthe-counter form of naloxone available. Naloxone blocks the effects of opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine. Naloxone can quickly restore breathing to a normal rate by administering the nasal spray or the injection in the muscle, under the skin, or into the veins. If administered to an individual not experiencing an opioid overdose, there are no harmful effects. Students who want to carry Narcan can schedule meetings with the Office of Health Promotion to access the medication for free.
FENTANYL TEST STRIPS
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is cheaply made and easily mixed into different kinds of drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin. In any form (pills, powder and injectables), fentanyl test strips can be used to detect its presence. People who use substances or are in communities with a high risk of substances being laced with fentanyl can use the strips to test beforehand, enabling them to make educated choices concerning their health and safety. However, that preventive measure is not always fully reliable — the paper strips do not differentiate between certain analogs of fentanyl.
WHERE STUDENTS CAN FIND NARCAN ON CAMPUS:
• Alden Library, second Floor, to the right of the Help Desk
• Baker Center, fourth Floor, to the right of the Conference and Event Services Desk
• The District (Boyd Dining Hall), near the right swipe-in-kiosk
• Nelson Court, outside the single-user restroom next to the market
• Ping Recreation Center, first floor near the staircase
All Ohioans can have naloxone and fentanyl test strips delivered to their homes for free through www.naloxone.ohio.gov
Palestine IN SOLIDARITY WITH
Opinion: When food becomes a weapon of war, people
need
to use it as a tool of protest
BY JACKSON MCCOY | DESIGN BY JULIA PARENTE
Long before Oct. 7, Israel had been leading an erasure of Palestinian people — this apartheid state is what prompted Hamas’ attack. Since the attack in October, people across the world have witnessed Palestinians die in record numbers over the past year. This egregious massacre is only intensified by the callous blocking of aid into Gaza, pushing Palestinian civilians into famine.
This push toward humanitarian disaster escalated on April 1, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers. That incident is unfortunately just another bullet point on Israel’s list of war crimes relating to aid and food.
Article 89 of the Geneva Conventions states, 'Daily food rations for internees shall be sufficient in quality and variety to keep internees in a good state of health and prevent the development of nutritional deficiencies.' Israel's denial of aid and the killing of WCK civilian workers do not adhere to that statement, despite Israel ratifying the Geneva Conventions on July 6, 1951.
Gazans are suffering because of Israel's actions. Food infrastructure has been destroyed by constant airstrikes, with bakeries, mills and food stores decimated. Additionally, farms and orchards have been wrecked by bombs and artillery, potentially preventing crop growth for the next several years.
Those businesses are specifically targeted alongside hospitals under the guise of taking out Hamas militants. International human rights organizations and journalists have raised questions about the harm caused by Israel and its proportionality to the threat posed by Hamas.
On the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) scale, the Gaza Strip famine has the highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded. That matches predictions that this could be the worst man-made famine since World War II.
“A high risk of Famine persists across the whole Gaza Strip as long as conflict continues and humanitarian access
is restricted,” IPC’s website states. “About 96 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip (2.15M people) face high levels of acute food insecurity through September 2024.”
Israel has continued to use food and aid as a tool in its campaign against the Palestinian people from their land. This has driven the entire West Bank into a state of catastrophic hunger.
In solidarity with Palestine, people across the world have leveraged food in their own ways to diminish Israel’s power. Boycotts of popular businesses that give money to Israel or have notably supported Israel, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, have led to massive losses in profits. According to The Economic Times, Starbucks alone lost $11 billion in profits in December 2023, a trend that continued until at least the end of April, as reported in Forbes magazine.
Although those companies are still making plenty of money, widespread actions against them are raising awareness of the ongoing killings in Palestine. The boycotts have prompted several PR-oriented responses, but these efforts often fail to resonate with activists and consumers. When Starbucks made a $3 million donation to WCK, many online activists said it was not enough and continued to boycott the company. Other companies, like McDonald’s and KFC, have attempted to save face and were met with similar criticism.
Indeed, the responses from multibillion-dollar companies are hollow. There is no doubt they care more about the money they lose than the harm caused by their actions. When locations globally are losing foot traffic or even closing, their parent companies will say and do whatever they can to revitalize
“
“ Indeed, the responses from multibillion-dollar companies are hollow. There is no doubt they care more about the money they lose than the harm caused by their actions.”
American officials to end the U.S. partnership with Israel. President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will help build a dock to transport aid into Gaza. However, he also quietly approved an additional $1 billion in weapons to Israel, despite the country continuing to block aid and food from entering the war zone and expanding military operations into new territory. That is why it’s important to continue political activism in support of the Palestinian people.
JACKSON MCCOY
business. That means donating a lump sum that amounts to less than 1 percent of their yearly earnings. That means press releases with hollow condemnations of violence. That means weathering the storm of bad publicity just long enough until customers crave their product again.
Those boycotts are part of a larger history of boycotts and hunger strikes in protest of Israel’s campaign against Palestinians.
The first mass hunger strike was recorded in 1968 when Palestinian prisoners held in Israel began an open-ended fast to demand better conditions. In the 2010s, several hunger strikes occurred following the death of Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh, an imprisoned Palestinian whom the strikers believed did not receive adequate medical care.
Those strikes sparked tense standoffs with Israeli police forces, leading to increased tensions between the Israeli government and Palestinians, many of whom have experienced prison time or have a family member who has.
Utilizing food in unexpected ways, such as mass boycotts, has increased public pressure on
Republicans and Democrats have not been able to stand up against the Israeli government and its influence in American politics. Former Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, two of the most outspoken pro-Palestinian members of Congress, lost in their primaries to pro-Israel candidates.
That is why it is so important to continue boycotting and pushing against the current system. Boycotts isolate politicians and businesspeople from the public sphere. When they lose money and popularity, they start to listen to their critics.
Continuing these boycotts against popular businesses that support Israel is an effective way to draw attention to the crimes against humanity being committed in Gaza. As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, it is important for consumers to hold strong and keep drawing attention to the war crimes Israel is committing.
If consumers continue to leverage food as a tool against genocidal actions, it may help ensure that those facing such atrocities can eat another meal. b
FAKE NEWS!
Opinion: There is no such thing as unbiased journalism.
BY LIAM SYRVALIN | DESIGN BY JJ EVANS
On Nov. 15, 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a raid and invaded the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the largest hospital complex in Gaza. Israeli and American intelligence officials have alleged that the hospital was used as a Hamas military command center, citing the presence of underground tunnels beneath the hospital as evidence. However, as of this writing, an independent investigation has not yet taken place. The Israeli government has yet to produce concrete evidence proving that Hamas had sustained a semi-permanent presence in the
“ Those solutions would require a greater social and political upheaval that collapses the corporate stranglehold of the West, but that horizon is not yet in view.”
LIAM SYRVALIN
area. Months passed before the world discovered that multiple mass graves were found at Al-Shifa.
On Nov. 18, 2023, CBS News published an article regarding the siege, with the headline, “Hundreds leave AlShifa hospital in Gaza as Israeli forces take control of facility.” If readers were to see this without examining the rest of the story, as many do, they could walk away from this headline thinking that it was an orderly operation and that civilians were free to leave. A reader would walk away unaware that 21 hospital patients were reportedly murdered by the IDF, according to the World Health Organization. A reader would walk away unaware that just days before, an ambulance was attacked by the IDF near the hospital complex, as reported by Doctors Without Borders. That headline from CBS, one of the many mainstream media outlets that prides itself on unbiased, fact-based reporting, leaves out information which would denote civilian suffering at the hands of the IDF. Whether intentional or not, that headline is biased.
There are countless examples of similarly slanted headlines and stories coming out of respected publications and cornerstones of journalism. Even
“ Every consumer of news media should make sure they know who owns the organizations from which they receive information.”
LIAM SYRVALIN
a story from one of the most respected journalistic institutions in the world, the Associated Press (AP), is guilty of similar pitfalls.
On Aug. 30, 2021, AP reporters Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor wrote a story titled, “Last troops exit Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war.” Although that headline is reasonable, it is the perspective of the story where issues surrounding bias begin to arise. In a section referring to the last stand at the Kabul airport, Burns and Baldor
wrote, “The airport had become a U.S.controlled island, a last stand in a 20year war that claimed more than 2,400 American lives.”
Three paragraphs after the previous excerpt, they reported, “More than 1,100 troops from coalition countries and more than 100,000 Afghan forces and civilians died, according to Brown University’s Costs of War Project.”
Not only did the authors of that article imply through their writing structure that Afghan lives are worth less than American lives, they also made sure
ideas, myths and biases that pervade every corner of the country they reside in.
AP, and other news organizations in America, will always operate from that bias, making it impossible to avoid. Condemnation of media conglomerates that impose editorial values is crucial.
Conglomerates operate and own many sources of media, and sometimes it can be hard to trace publications back to the companies. Mass media conglomerate Axel Springer SE, for example, has clear editorial positions and biases that are
to put the coalition countries' troops' death counts before the lives of “Afghan forces and civilians.”
According to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University’s Costs of War Project, a source the writers of that article cited, more than 70,000 of the casualties were Afghani and Pakistani civilians. More than 70,000 uninvolved people, fathers, sons, mothers and daughters are completely gone; yet, somehow, that is not as important.
It’s entirely possible that Burns and Baldor intentionally phrased that article to prioritize the lives of American troops over innocent civilians due to ideological bias; however, there is a far more likely explanation that might have been unavoidable for those individual journalists. AP is an American organization. They usually write for American and European audiences, so they will likely keep up the institutional
acknowledged within the company, but not directly in the publications that they own and operate.
Some of those values, as stated on their website, include the support of both Israel and the principles of a free market economy. Axel Springer, the founder and namesake of the German media conglomerate, was a Nazi paramilitary soldier with the National Socialist Motor Corps (NSKK).
Those editorial positions, and that added context, affect the media companies that are owned by Axel Springer. Those publications include Politico, Business Insider, Bild (the largest tabloid in Europe), Upday, Morning Brew, Onet and more.
One solution to ownership bias is to allow individual publications of media conglomerates, like Politico, to operate under their own editorial position. That will ensure that massive owners will not have a mandated position enforced upon
every publication within the company they own. Conglomerates should clearly state their values on the front of every publication that they own, so readers are aware of them.
Those solutions would require a greater social and political upheaval that collapses the corporate stranglehold of the West, but that horizon is not yet in view. Until then, readers need to stay vigilant and create their own solutions to counteract biases.
Every consumer of news media should make sure they know who owns the organizations from which they receive information. Seek out independent media as a primary source of information. Most importantly, anyone who ingests news should diversify what they consume. Look at news from multiple different countries and continents on a regular basis, especially during times of war. Those outlets should advocate for anti-corporate reforms to the mass media landscape. It would be foolish to suggest that these recommendations would completely fix media bias, but it would be a start. b
SUMMER ALASKAN
Backdrop Photo Director Pearl Spurlock writes about her internship in Sitka.
When I set off for Sitka, Alaska, this summer, my excitement was mixed with the smallest bit of dread.
If anyone has seen the rom-com The Proposal, they’ve seen Sandra Bullock get off the plane and hobble through the quiet, boring town of Sitka in three-inch heels. I had never been to Alaska, let alone lived by myself there at a summer camp. When I tried to picture the ocean backdropped by snow-capped mountains, I couldn’t help but also picture falling into the water, where an orca would devour me and my camera.
Sitka, Alaska, is a picturesque coastal town. With only about 8,000 residents, it’s still the fifth largest city in Alaska, a state with less than one million people despite its monstrous square footage. The town itself is tiny, with only 14 miles of road. It’s located on Baranof Island, which is mostly wilderness. The main industries are fishing and tourism, and it’s often crowded
with travelers stopping in on cruise ships.
My job in Sitka was at Sitka Fine Arts Camp, a nationallyrecognized arts program that serves students from all over the country. During the summer, they host four major sessions of camp for different age groups and interests. They fly in expert faculty to teach classes in music, visual arts, creative writing, dance and theater. My internship with them was as the camp photographer, where I got to document everyday life at camp for their social media, grant proposals and website. I had the opportunity to sharpen my skills by photographing every day, and I learned more about marketing and public relations.
In the end, what I really enjoyed was working with the students. It was incredibly rewarding to see their excitement about my photographs, whether I was capturing moments at the camp dance or during musical practice.
STORY & PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK | DESIGN BY CARLEY HINTON
An elementary camper during family open house at the Yaw Art Center.
Middle school arts camp students study ballet in one of their classes.
A salmon jumps from the water at sunset in Sitka, Alaska.
Camp is broken up into four sessions throughout the summer: elementary, middle school, high school and musical theater camp. Musical theater camp is three weeks and it’s typically composed of high school and early college students. This year, they put on the Disney musical Newsies, which was a hit with the local residents.
Even though I had fun photographing camp life, I found it more rewarding getting to live in the sleepy little tourist town that is Sitka. I was surprised how disconnected I felt from consumerism, from the need to keep up with trends and buy the latest thing. Sitka had only a few grocery stores, some thrift stores where locals often bought clothes and some souvenir shops. There was an old movie theater that played one movie a day, which I’d been told was so loud that the seats would shake. I walked everywhere. Partly because I had no car, but there was also really nowhere to go. I spent time in the forest looking for bald eagles with my camera and time on the beach looking for jumping salmon and sea lions.
Far away from the demands of real life, I got the gift of my attention span back. I could turn my phone off, sit on the rocky shore and just exist.
Now that I’m back in “the real world” and am once again keeping up with the demands of being a busy college student, I remember to channel that inner peace when things get overwhelming. I think of sipping coffee and watching the rain drop into the ocean. I think of the salmon, wall to wall
in the water, migrating upstream during the annual salmon run. I think of the bald eagles circling the pines, their screeches muffled by the wind.
Whether it’s the Alaskan rainforest or Hocking Hills, it turns out that the solution to stress can be as simple as a walk in the woods. b
A bald eagle prepares to take flight in Sitka National Historical Park. A high school camper looks at his pottery piece from a different angle.
Students perform a dance for their parents, community members and peers during the final days of camp.
The cast of Newsies at musical theater camp runs through dress rehearsal before their first show.