Volume 14 Issue 1

BACKDROP ATHENS BOOKS TO PRISONERS PG. 10 RIVER ROASTERS PG. 14 COLLEGE PARENTHOOD PG. 32

FALL 2020

What are you going to do, OU? pg. pg. 26 26 backdropmagazine.com

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Letter from the Editor

Taylor Linzinmeir | Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com

Hi. I’m new here. Let me introduce myself.

My name is Taylor Linzinmeir. I am a third-year student at Ohio University studying journalism with a specialization in Women’s Studies and a minor in political science. I have never written for Backdrop Magazine before and yet here I am, running the show. I was lucky enough to be entrusted with this position by a group of talented young writers, photographers and designers. They believed in my dream to reconceive Backdrop and align it back to what it was once created to be: an editorially independent, student-run magazine by the people, for the people of Athens, Ohio.

We had to cancel our last issue because of coronavirus, but we were not about to let all of those stories be left behind, swept away by the tornado that is a global pandemic. These voices deserve to be heard and it is our job to give them a platform. On page 32, you will find a story written by Assistant Managing Editor Helen Widman about what it’s like to be a young parent in college, having to take your child to class with you because you don’t have a sitter. You’ll get a glimpse into what it’s like to be an incarcerated individual, where books are a rare commodity, in the story written by Rachel Beardsley on page 10. Our event planner, Maya Meade, will help you discover your new favorite local band on page 30, and 2020 OU Alumna Alexis McCurdy will help you discover your new favorite local coffee shop on page 14.

You can learn - and I highly encourage you to do so - about the history of the Black Lives Matter Movement at Ohio University in the cover feature written by Abby Neff on page 26. As a staff, we believe in uplifting the voices of the marginalized and oppressed, to use the platform that we have to spread information. Backdrop represents and welcomes all students at Ohio University, no matter their race, gender identity, religion, sexualty, or nationality. We believe that Black Lives Matter. We hear you, and we stand with you.

I can’t thank my amazing staff enough for all of the incredibly hard work they’ve put into this magazine. It would have been so easy to just give up, but you all created something truly inspiring and worthwhile, even while the world seems like it’s falling down around us. Thank you.

Stay well,

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FALL 2020 » VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1

Interested in working with us?

Backdrop is an award-winning, student-run magazine aimed at covering current events and culture with OU and Athens as our "backdrop." We are currently recruiting more people to joing our amazing staff. We have positions available for:

Writers Photographers Designers Social Media Content Creators And More!

If you're interested in joining our team, email backdropmag@gmail.com

backdropmagazine.com

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TAYLOR LINZINMEIR MANAGING EDITOR ELEANOR BISHOP ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR HELEN WIDMAN WEB EDITOR NORA MCKEOWN COPY CHIEF LILY ROBY ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF GABRIELLA HAYES ASSOCIATE EDITORS SOPHIA ENGLEHART & ABBY NEFF MARKETING DIRECTOR KATIE HAWKINSON

CREATIVE DIRECTOR ASHLEY LAFLIN ART DIRECTORS ABIGAIL SUMMERS & LAINEY DOUGLAS DESIGNERS MACEY ELDER, JULIA GREENWOOD,

CJ HERR, KIRSTEN KETCHUM, MORGAN MEYER PHOTO EDITOR ELLIE HABEL SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR SARAH TODACK SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR & EVENT PLANNER MAYA MEADE

SEE "FROM

THE GROUND UP" PAGE 14

River Roasters' waffle breakfast plate. Photo by Andrew Thompson.

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CONTENTS FEATURES KEEPING HIS HEAD IN THE GAME

OU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jeff Boals shares wisdom gained from his time as a player and coach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

Students and faculty alike comment on OU’s responses to student-led activism in the midst of the Black Lives Matter Movement.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

IT TAKES A COLLEGE

Kat Altier-Jeffers navigates life as a student and young parent with the help of family, campus and community resources.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Q&A

INFOGRAPHIC

Meg Vogel has taken her passion for photojournalism from OU to the Cincinnati Enquirer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The census is an important resource for small towns like Athens to receive federal funding. . . 18

ALUMNA SNAPSHOT

THE DROP

DESIGNING ATHENS Kevin Morgan has created designs for community staples: everyone from Casa Nueva to Snowville Creamery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

BOOKS FOR ALL Athens Books to Prisoners brings reading materials to incarcerated individuals in the area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

FUNDING FOR THE KIDS Athens County Children Services fight to serve their communities with limited state funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Cover photo by Andrew Thompson.

FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP

Larry and Candice Hess started River Roasters Coffee Co. with little more than a dream . . . . . 14

RECIPE

ORANGE YOU GLAD I SAID MATCHA?

Matcha lattes and mandarin orange cupcakes make for a tea party with a twist. . . . . . . . . . . 16

FALL 2020 » VOLUME 14 ISSUE 1

COUNT ON ATHENS

COMMUNITY

THE RUN OF THE MILL

White's Mill has been an Athens icon since the 1800s; it now serves as a place to shop for local wares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

THE BEAT

SMOOTH SAILING

Cardboard Sailors started in Athens, but the band is hoping to hit the big time. . . . . . . . . . . . 30

STYLE

RAMBLN’ MAN

Student Ethan Hodson has achieved success with his clothing and media brand. . . . . . . . . . . 36

VOICES

COMING TOGETHER, SIX FEET APART An Athens community member shares her experience navigating the global pandemic. . . 38

CALENDAR

ON THE BRICKS

Check out the (virtual) events happening around Athens this fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

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Q&A

ALUMNA

SNAPSHOT Meg Vogel, a photojournalist and OU alumna, shares her experiences working on a Pulitzer prize winning documentary with the Cincinnati Enquirer.

BY JESSICA DEYO | ILLUSTRATION BY MACEY ELDER

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hen Meg Vogel first began as a student at Ohio University, she wasn't even sure what photojournalism was. Today, Vogel serves as a staff photographer at The Cincinnati Enquirer, where she assisted in producing “Seven Days of Heroin,” a documentary highlighting Cincinnati’s opioid epidemic. The piece was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting in 2018. As a visual storyteller whose assignments range from hard-pressing topics to light-hearted features, Vogel credits much of her success to her alma mater. b

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How do you believe OU prepared you for your career as a visual storyteller?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without OU, and I am a big, big fan. My experience —I can’t talk more highly about it. I run into someone who went there or is thinking about going or their kids are thinking about going and I’m like, “I just want to stop and tell you everything.” It was such a transformative experience. The connections I was able to make and what I was able to learn for real life experiences set me up to be a great intern, and that set me up to have job opportunities, and I got most of my internships ... because of who I know or I knew from OU.

What was your role in the Pulitzer-winning “Seven Days of Heroin” documentary?

I was an associate producer on the documentary, which meant that I did a lot of the planning ... The week of the actual project, I was out every day. I mean, 10-12 hours a day working on different stories —some things worked, some things didn’t work. A lot of the work I did wasn’t going to end up in the actual projects. I think like three of the days that I was out there producing it were never published because we just had so much we had to cut down ... They requested hundreds of 911 calls, surveillance footage, body camera footage. We gathered all the footage from our staff and had this mountain to go through and then had to make it into a cohesive piece.

Did you ever picture yourself assisting in that story, let alone the story that won a Pulitzer?

No, not at all. I didn’t know what I was going to do after I graduated. I knew that I wanted to be a photojournalist [and] I knew that I liked the idea of working for a newspaper. I have some kind of romantic idea about it. Newspapers are leaving and they’re going down and I’m still so attached to them because I think there’s something so amazing about a newspaper and the way that we connect with the community quickly, and I just love it. I’m really honored to work in my hometown. I never saw my hometown paper producing something like this, but you got the right people in the room at the right time and there was a lot of efficiency and enthusiasm. I knew the project was important. None of us need an award to say that because of the response from our community. The great thing about the award and the recognition was that it was impacting so many more people around the world... Our little town can help inform and make this kind of impact. That’s pretty cool.

“

The connections I was able to make and what I was able to learn for real life experiences set me up to be a great intern, and that set me up to have job opportuities, and I got most of my internships ... because of who I know or I knew from OU.” MEG VOGEL PHOTOJOURNALIST AND OU ALUMNA If you could give advice to students today, what would it be?

The first thing I would say is, I think when you’re graduating and you’re starting to look at your career and look at what you want to be, it’s very easy to want to emulate other people who have inspired you. And it’s like, you want this checklist of, “Okay, well, she did this and I will do this... "and [you're] like trying to mirror the success of others. And it’s something that I think is really easy to get caught in. But what your career is going to look like and what you end up doing is going to be unique. Everyone’s path is so different and if you’re not checking the boxes of other people, it’s okay ... And the second piece, which is going to be lame, but I promise, it’s very true: It’s just being a good person. I have found that, especially in the journalism industry, it’s a small community who you interact with professionally. They’re going to come back later in life down the road. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a few years.

You’re always going to be interacting with a lot of the same people. I think it’s really important just to be a good person and also understand your role in the community.

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Designing THE DROP

ATHENS

An Athens local creates graphic designs that help define the culture of the community.

BY JULIE CIOTOLA | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KEVIN MORGAN

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ake a walk down Court Street, and you might see a pedestrian wearing an Ohio Brew Week T-shirt.

Or a poster for Athens’ annual Pawpaw Festival.

Or even an advertisement for Snowville Creamery.

These are images that help define Athens and its culture, images that remind viewers of warm summer nights and celebrations. And who better to create these images than lifelong Athenian Kevin Morgan, who has built and grown his graphic art business in his hometown.

“When you build these clients and families in a small town like Athens, this really becomes home,” Morgan says of his business. “So it’s just testament to people getting along and with respect and treating people really well.”

Morgan has served the Athens community as an artist since the 1980s, beginning with shirt designs. He founded Uptown Dog T-Shirts in 1988 and ran the business for a decade before passing it onto his sister, and says the experience taught him the importance of versatility in art.

“Through the years of doing T-shirt designs it really taught me multiple styles, because everybody would bring you something different and you’d have to make it work and put it on a shirt or do a new design for something,” he says. “And because I didn’t want to get labeled as, ‘Oh, it always looks like his stuff,’ I have maybe a half a dozen different styles. I try to play around with that and let myself be open to trying new things.”

Morgan then began working from his home studio, which he has been doing for two decades. His clientele has since expanded to Columbus and beyond, though he makes a concerted effort to “take care” of his Athens clients. Morgan does branding for Snowville Creamery, Casa Nueva, events such as the Pawpaw Festival and Athens Halloween, and more.

“So I got into the food labeling thing and helping people with that, and that’s been a fun one too,” he says. “It’s like helping

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TOP Athens is proud of its local breweries, and Morgan has done artwork for the annual Brew Week for several years.

BOTTOM Southeast Ohio is home to the annual Paw Paw festival, one of Morgan's clients.

out people that are developing new products.”

Outside of the Athens area, Morgan estimates nearly 75% of his work is for bands and music-related events or businesses.

Walking into his studio, it’s apparent he surrounds himself with inspiration. The walls are covered in iconic posters of Jimi Hendrix and other artists, and the waft of incense in the air is complimented by the gentle flow of '60s and '70s music.

Morgan’s musical clientele includes names like Jorma Kaukonen, Dark Star Orchestra and New Riders of the Purple Sage.

“I grew up in the late sixties and seventies when a lot of this art rock stuff was happening,” he says. “It was just amazing inspiration everywhere you looked.”

No matter the project, Morgan approaches each assignment through a lens of kindness, which he believes is the reason behind his success and retention rates. Many of Morgan’s clients have been long-term friends as well — some for more than 10 years.

Artistically, Morgan’s process begins when he falls asleep.

“I don’t know if every artist does this, but when I sleep — which is rare — I can click through images, thousands of them in my head at a time,” he says. “Then you just sort of roll through these ideas and you roll through these ideas, and you chuck them aside if it’s not inspiring. Then all of a sudden one sort of sparks and you think ‘Oh, I could develop that one.

That one sounds fun.’”

Each assignment is different; for product labels, Morgan often sends ideas back and forth with his client many times before finalizing one. Once he finds an inspiring idea, he begins with

a small thumbnail sketch, then slowly adds details as he blows the image up larger. Sometimes Morgan works digitally, other times he works with a sketchbook, but no matter the process, the foundation of his art is form.

“That’s really my whole thing,” he says. “I start with these little very tiny little thumbnail sketches and that creates form.

And form is like everything to me. If you look at my stuff, it’s all about weight and balance and form.”

To keep his style constantly evolving, Morgan says it’s critical to also be an open-minded consumer of art. Painting, drawing, digital art — no matter the medium, he emphasizes a willingness and commitment to appreciating all forms of art.

“I mean the funny thing is when you’re an artist, and you really truly love art, you just want to do everything,” he says.

“There isn’t an artist that does something that you don’t love. I think that sort of helps develop your style and your process to learning along the way. Never stop learning, you know?”

With an ongoing list of assignments and tasks to complete, Morgan estimates he sleeps five hours a night — six if he’s lucky.

Despite his hectic life, Morgan has managed to raise his family of three children in Athens. He's thankful for the opportunity to work from home and build a successful career right here in his hometown.

“I think I got to see my kids a lot more than most fathers do,” Morgan says. “I’m lucky. If you can make it work, living in your hometown and having a successful business, that’s great.

I’m really lucky to have made it work so well. I’m one of the lucky Athenians.” b

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Morgan does a lot of work for Athens organizations and events, including Halloween.

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THE DROP

Books FOR ALL

One Athens organization provides incarcerated individuals with a rare commodity in prison: books.

BY RACHAEL BEARDSLEY | GRAPHICS BY CJ HERR

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W

hen one thinks of care packages for incarcerated individuals, they normally consider the basics: hygiene items or maybe a few snacks. Many people would not consider sending reading material. Books, however, can be a lifeline in prison.

One Athens organization seeks to provide that assistance.

Athens Books to Prisoners collects books to send to area prisons twice monthly. The two main organizers collect book donations, receive letters from prisoners, raise money for postage and keep supplies in stock. A group of about six core volunteers from the community help package the books and around 50 students sign up each school year to fulfill volunteer hours for various organization or scholarship requirements.

Caty Crabb, one of the two main organizers, says the organization seeks to provide books to prisoners because access to reading materials is severely lacking.

“Many prisons do not have prison libraries at all, and those that do often restrict access or go months at a time without a librarian to keep the library open,” Crabb says.

“We hear from prisoners that those few who do gain access to a library often find limited, outdated and damaged books that sometimes have whole chapters torn out.”

Fiction novels, how-to and self-help books, spiritual and occult books, language learning books and Magic: The Gathering cards are what the organization receives requests for most often, Crabb says, although they receive a wide variety of requests. They are frequently asked to send law books for prisoners who want to better understand the Ohio Appeliate court system, their rights, or details of their particular case. Sarah Fick, the other main organizer for Athens Books to Prisoners, says they usually cannot fulfill those requests because the books are too expensive.

“We work with other books-to-prisoner programs to understand the regulations at each prison,” Crabb says.

“Often, it’s just trial and error. We just send stuff and see what gets in and what gets sent back, then communicate the findings to other programs.”

Each prison in Ohio has different package regulations, making their work that much harder. Some allow prisoners to receive hardback books, and others do not. Some will allow prisoners to receive five books in one package, while others limit it to three. Some do not accept used books, and since Athens Books to Prisoners runs mainly on donations, it is difficult for the organization to provide material to those prisoners. Some prisons do not accept packages at all, no matter what they contain.

Additionally, some prisons do not publicize their regulations. The Southeast Ohio Regional Jail in Nelsonville, for example, does not publicly list package regulations.

A person wishing to send books or other materials to an inmate in the jail, which serves Athens, Hocking, Morgan, Perry and Vinton counties, must check with the prison staff directly to see what is acceptable.

The Washington County Jail in Marietta, however, does list some basic restrictions on its website. Family members or other individuals may drop off money, prescription medication, glasses, hearing aids or other necessary devices

“

Many prisons do not have prison libraries at all, and those that do often restrict access or go months at a time without a librarian to keep the library open.”

CATY CRABB ATHENS BOOKS TO PRISONERS ORGANIZER to be delivered to the proper inmate. All other acceptable items are either provided or available for purchase within the prison through commissary privileges. Clothing as well as narcotics and sleep aids are often declined. Other types of mail often declined include envelopes containing more than 10 pictures, printouts from websites including song lyrics or puzzles, any unknown substance such as glitter or stickers and any correspondence between inmates. There is no mention of reading material in the guidelines.

Though Athens Books to Prisoners is one of multiple organizations that provide reading material to incarcerated individuals, each organization works for different reasons.

For example, Chicago’s Midwest Books to Prisoners seeks to help inmates continue their education and improve their literacy. Fick says the goal of the organization is to right the wrongs they see within the prison system while providing prisoners with a form of personal property in a time when they control very few aspects of their lives.

“We acknowledge that the criminal justice system disproportionately affects communities of color and other marginalized groups,” Fick says. “We seek to be a direct-action response to that problem by providing free reading materials that become the personal property of the individual receiving them, and not property of the prison library system. Access to knowledge and information can not only help pass the time, but also change lives.” b

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THE DROP

Funding for the

Kids

Robin Webb, an employee with Athens County Children Services, shares how lack of state funding affects the work she does with children in the community on a daily basis.

BY MAYA MEADE | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASHLEY LAFLIN

A

s of 2018, Ohio receives the least state funding for children services in the country, according to Governor Mike DeWine.

Even if the amount of state funding was doubled, Ohio would still be in last place. Counties across the state struggle to get the money that local children services need to employ staff and sufficiently serve the children. Children services cannot turn children away, and don’t want to, but there is little that they can do without funds from the state.

Athens County, Ohio, one of the poorest counties in the country, and a region at the center of the opioid crisis, struggles for funds every year. Athens County Children Services voiced strong, positive opinions about DeWine’s recent budget proposal, and posted an article to its website in support of the proposal. The proposal stated 52% of children services funding comes from local sources, 39% comes from federal sources and only nine percent of funds come from the state.

Cathy Hill, the executive director of Athens County Children Services, believes that Athens County will see an increase in funding, but cannot predict for certain what will happen. Athens County updated their levy in November 2019, which generates about $2.28 million per year for children services.

Robin Webb, the public information officer and community event coordinator of Athens County Children Services, works closely with the children and members of the community that see the direct effect that this budget crisis has on Athens County. She discusses

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how Athens County Children Services receives money from the federal, state and local level.

“Because we are able to count on our local community to support the vital work we do, Athens County is able to provide more robust services for families [that] other counties without local tax funding aren’t able to provide,” Webb says.

From 2011 to 2018, the investment of state and federal dollars for the public childcare program dropped by $83.1 million, according to Policy Matters Ohio. In 2019, DeWine proposed a new amount of state funding that would increase by $74 million and bring the total amount of annual state funding to $151 million.

The Ohio Statehouse website states, “This money will help connect foster care kids with homes and bring at-risk children the resources that they need.” Half of Ohio’s counties do not have levies that bring in funding for children services, so “an increase in state support can go a long way.”

Children services go beyond the foster care system. Policy Matters Ohio provides information about a service in Ohio called Help Me Grow home visiting. Home visiting is a program that people can volunteer to participate in as pregnant women and mothers. A health professional or social worker visits the home once a month from the time that the mother is pregnant and into the child’s first few years of life.

One of the key benefits to this program is that it has been proven to reduce infant mortality (which occurs when a baby does not live past its first birthday) rates. Ohio’s infant mortality rates are 20% higher than the national objective, at 7.2 deaths per 1,000 live births a year compared to 6.0 nationally. While the state funding of this service was, “anticipated to rise by about 1.2 percentage points,” according to Policy Matters Ohio in the 2018-19 budget plan, the program has lost $18 million since 2006. From 2014 to 2018, funding rose by 17%.

DeWine’s proposed budget increase promised three times the amount of home visiting, however, the Help Me Grow program would still only reach 15% of eligible families in Ohio.

When this problem is broken down by county, it is clear certain areas of Ohio struggle more than others. Senator Edna Brown of Toledo in Lucas County, Ohio, called attention to this issue at the beginning of 2017 by giving the public some perspective. “It is embarrassing that the share of state funding for public children services in Ohio is only 5% when the national average is 40%,” Brown said in early 2017.

Robin Reese, the Lucas County Children Services director, encourages the public to think about this issue at a much deeper level. She addresses the opioid crisis that runs deep in Ohio and says that much of the nation considers the opioid crisis to be an adult-oriented issue. The problem with this is that people do not consider the effects that the opioid crisis has on children.

While adults are the ones that face the consequences, their children are left without parental care.

This particular issue is something that Athens County struggles with intensely, affecting children in different ways depending on their needs. Some children might need private or licensed foster homes while others need therapeutic and

residential centers.

“One of our largest and most variable expenses is placing children in our custody into temporary foster care,” Web says.

“Depending on the needs of the child, the cost of placing a child in foster care can range from $24 to $450 a day.”

Webb says that Athens County Children Services have always stayed up to date on changes to the state budget, especially with the state’s response to coronavirus. According to Webb, over half of the counties in Ohio have local tax levies that support child protective services. Athens is fortunate to receive a significant amount of local support from community members, despite having one of the highest poverty levels in the state and existing in a rural location and with limited Broadband access compared to other counties in the area.

With the uncertainty of the global pandemic and the small amount of funding that children services are receiving already, it will take time before Athens is really in the right place financially, but Webb is thankful that DeWine is taking steps in the right direction.

“We all benefit when our leaders can shine a light on and offer funding and support for the vital role our child protective service agencies play in our communities,” she says. b

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FOOD

FROM THE

GROUND

UP

An ordinary West Virginian couple started a successful coffee shop with only self-education.

BY ALEXIS MCCURDY | PHOTOS BY ANDREW JOHNSON

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t was a hot summer day in 2016 in Pomeroy, Ohio.

Larry and Candice Hess were enjoying a three-day blues fest in the river town. The Hesses regularly enjoyed lunch and dinner in the city, but never breakfast. They thought about how great it would be for Pomeroy to have a quaint coffee and breakfast house, where residents and visitors could sit back and relax.

Larry, an instructional designer at Ohio University, and Candice, an employee at an orthodontist office, were living regular lives in New Haven, West Virginia, only a 15-minute drive from Pomeroy. Idly waiting for a coffee shop to arrive in Pomeroy didn’t sit well with them. The Hesses thought they didn’t have the time, or the money to start a small business, but after drafting a business plan on paper, they started to think otherwise.

Larry suggested they sell their house to cover start-up costs. They took a proposal to the bank to see if they could gain extra financing with the backing of those funds.

The bank then eagerly agreed to finance their project.

“By selling our house, we made ourselves homeless in that process,” Larry says. “The only way was to live in the place where we created the business.”

With that, the Hesses plunged into the coffee world to create a business that would show rapid success. They started learning about the coffee industry lingo, customs and trends through YouTube, and bought an espresso machine to start experimenting with drinks at home.

Of course, no education is complete through a few YouTube videos. Larry and Candice traveled around the country to visit different coffee shops in Chicago, New York,

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St. Petersburg, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky and other states.

They talked to shop-owners to get inspiration for their menus and gain advice on their start-up project. In all parts of the country, Larry and Candice found an abundance of support.

“It really is this awesome community of people that will talk shop any time, with anybody that’s interested in it,” Larry says.

During this year and a half process, in addition to traveling, Larry and Candice also had their hands full with renovating the building that would soon become their new house and business.

The place, 102 W. Main St. in Pomeroy, didn’t seem too appealing at first. The building, built in the 1900s, had been through many phases and was most recently an abandoned law office. The downstairs carpet filled the place with an unsavory musk from years of being repeatedly soaked and dried due to the common Pomeroy floods. The upstairs, which would become the Hesses’ home, was in complete disrepair.

“The funny thing is, the first time we saw the building we walked out and we were like, ‘Nope, that’s not the one,’” Larry says.

Larry and Candice continued to look at 10 to 15 other buildings, but eventually decided to give the first another try. They invited two of their friends, who were both coffee enthusiasts and skilled in large-scale renovation, to look at the place. They began to strip down the building to showcase the nuanced details, exposing the original 1900s wood ceiling and charming brick.

“As we opened up our eyes to what could possibly work, and with the help of vision boards on Pinterest, we started to see what could actually be done,” Larry says.

The future shop owners ran into some unexpected difficulties and expenses, such as getting state-certified plumbers, electricians, mandated designers and architects.

Nevertheless, they kept their spirits afloat.

Everything started to come together. Finally, it was opening day. River Roasters was serving up a traditional, Italian coffee menu with delectable treats and eats, including freshly made cronuts, quiches, robust salads, paninis and flavorful soups.

Unexpectedly, though not altogether unpleasantly, River Roasters ran out of everything halfway through the first day. Larry and Candice had to close early to go buy more equipment and adjust their resources to such high demand.

“Normally, you’re fighting to prove your brand during the first three years,” Larry says. “But we had the opposite problem, where we just had so many people that wanted to give it a shot and support us.”

River Roasters started opening day with only four employees, but by the end of the first week, it was staffed at 16. For its second week of business, they needed to be better prepared, which meant getting employees up to date on their specialty coffee knowledge.

“Customer education is a big thing for us,” Larry says. “So, we had to teach our employees that stuff as well. Being able to talk about where the coffee comes from, where the vendors come from, what fair trade means, what organic means.”

Within time, River Roasters was in the swing of things.

The business has seen an immense amount of success in such a short amount of time, their famous oatmeal cream pies are even being demanded to be shipped all the way to North Carolina.

River Roasters uses local products as often as possible, getting their coffee from Ridge Runners, based in Athens, as well as sourcing tea from local Herbal Sage Tea Co., a vendor only a block away from the business. Herbal Sage Tea Co. and River Roasters even collaborated to produce a custom chai blend for the shop. All menu items are made in-house and incorporate fresh produce from the farmers’ market during the summer.

But this is only the beginning for River Roasters. Larry and Candice are excited to grow and see what comes next.

“We don’t ever let ourselves get too comfortable,” Candice says. “We’re constantly trying to innovate, make things better and faster. So, things are always changing here.”

The Hesses recently joined the Specialty Coffee Association, a global network of entrepreneurs in the coffee business who provide a point of contact in the business as well as in-depth training.

Larry and Candice won the 2019 Entrepreneurs of the Year award for the Meigs County Chamber.

The goal now is to get as many people as possible to know about River Roasters.

“We would just love for the world to know about this little coffee shop in Pomeroy, Ohio,” Larry says. Candice agrees.

“We just want people to know that this little river town is here, and it’s special,” she adds. b

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RECIPE

ORANGE

YO U G L AD I S AID

MATCHA?

Step out of your culinary comfort zone this fall with the flavors of mandarin orange and matcha.

MANDARIN ORANGE CUPCAKES PHOTOS AND RECIPE BY EMMA STEFANICK | ILLUSTRATIONS BY MORGAN MEYER Time: 90 minutes Makes: 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

Directions

Cupcakes

Batter

1 box of yellow cake mix 1 - 11 oz can of mandarin oranges 4 eggs; room temperature ½ cup vegetable oil 20 cupcake liners

Icing

1 - 10 oz can crushed pineapple 1 box powdered vanilla pudding 6 oz cool whip Oranges and blueberries (for decoration)

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1. Combine oranges with juice, eggs, cake mix, and oil in a bowl and mix thoroughly 2. Place cupcake liners into cupcake molds and scoop batter into the tray 3. Bake at 325° F for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp on the top 4. Make the cupcakes one day before serving and let sit overnight

Icing

1. Combine crushed pineapple and juice with powdered vanilla pudding and cool whip 2. Beat for about two minutes or until fluffy 3. Frost cupcakes the day they are to be served 4. Add oranges and blueberries for decoration

MATCHA HONEY LATTE RECIPE BY ELEANOR BISHOP Time: 10 minutes Makes: 1 serving

Ingredients

Directions

1 tablespoon culinary grade matcha powder 3 tablespoons warm water 6 ounces milk (oat milk recommended for non-dairy option) Honey (to taste)

1. Pour milk into a saucepan and heat until near boiling 2. While milk is heating, spoon matcha into a small bowl and add in warm water 3. Whisk matcha and water together until the matcha is fully dissolved and no lumps are visible 4. Take milk off heat and pour in matcha-water mixture 5. Whisk until frothy 6. Add honey to taste and enjoy (Note: matcha has an earthy, commonly referred to as “grass-like” flavor. If this is your first time trying it, you’re probably going to want to add a lot of honey)!

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INFOGRAPHIC

Count

BY ABBY NEFF ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEY LAFLIN

on Athens

The deadline for the 2020 Census is coming, and less than half of the college students that live in Athens County have filled it out.

SELF-RESPONSE RATE IN ATHENS COUNTY (2010) 61.5 % TOTAL 45% INTERNET

10

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a count of the population in the United States and five U.S territories every ten years. According to the agency’s website, the census gives lawmakers, business owners, teachers and others services that support local communities.

years

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Results of the census help determine legislative seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as drawing congressional and state legislative districts.

$1,400

In 2010, only 40% of renters responded to the census in Athens County. Students living off campus are the hardest population to count for the census. Each person is worth about $1,400 annually, says Chris Chmeil, Athens County Commissioner.

While this census year has changed rapidly since the initial invitations to complete the count were issued mid-March, everyone living in U.S. territory is required by law to complete the census.

About 85% of the population that live in the census tracts for the city of Athens are between 18 and 24 years old. The current census response rate for the city is about 33%.

Students residing on campus on April 1 or were displaced because of the COVID-19 pandemic and lived in Athens during the academic year are eligible and required to fill out the census for Athens County.

According to the Athens County Auditor’s office, most forms of federal funding from the census are received in grants for various services provided in the region, including Jobs and Family Services.

If privacy concerns arise, it is important to note that the census does not ask for social security numbers or citizenship status. Information shared in the census cannot be used against participants by law enforcement. According to the Census Bureau, everyone counts.

The census count is vital for Athens County to be eligible for grants from the federal government. The form contains only nine questions, about the time it would take to watch a few TikToks or read a few tweets. Consider the resources the census provides for residents in Athens County year-round if the data included counts everyone.

Students and Athens County residents can respond to the census through phone, mail or the internet. To call, dial 844-330-2020. In mid-April, the Census Bureau mailed paper questionnaires to households that did not respond via phone or internet. Residents should mail their census to the address below:

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU National Processing Center 1201 E 10th Street Jeffersonville, IN 47132 backdropmagazine.com 19

COMMUNITY

THE RUN OF THE

White’s Mill is a garden center located in Athens, Ohio.

A historic, centuries old mill lives a second life as a spot to shop for local hidden gems.

BY MICKEY FATH | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WHITE’S MILL

F

or locals, Athens would be incomplete without the iconic white exterior and striking red roof of White’s Mill, a hidden gem for finding the best local products in town. The mill has sat peacefully on the banks of the Hocking River for over two centuries, nestled around vibrant green foliage and rushing water.

The mill was built in the early 1800s with a mission to be a profitable grain milling business in the Athens area. Over two decades later, the historical site remains, but has since been transformed into a popular retail center for home and garden products and locally-produced goods.

In 1809, Joseph Herrold built a massive mill with three grinding stones, used for grinding grain, and ran the milling business up until 1912, when it was sold to the White family.

The Herrold family was well-known in Athens. Herrold’s stepfather, Silas Bingham, lived in the oldest remaining house in Athens, known today as the Silas Bingham House, which now houses Ohio University’s Office of Sustainability.

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MILL “When the Herrolds were selling the mill, [the Whites] saw an opportunity to come here,” White’s Mill co-owner Tyler Schloss says. “They took advantage of it, and they became very good community members and contributed a lot to Athens.”

A year after the White family began running the business, the mill tragically burned to the ground due to a grain fire, a common occurrence with grain mills during that time period.

To combat the tragedy, the Whites disassembled a mill in Meigs county and reassembled it in Athens, successfully saving the business in 1913.

According to the White’s Mill website, the process of bringing a new mill to Athens was anything but easy. The timbers of the old mill were marked and the mill was disassembled, put on barges that were pulled by oxen, brought to Athens and constructed where it stands now.

Even through the tough transition, the parts of the new mill were sturdy enough to last over 100 years later. Today, the age of the mill is visible, as the anatomy of the mill resembles historic trends.

“It's pretty neat because that mill was from the 1850s, so all our timbers and other parts of the mill are from that era, like the hand-hewn beams,” Schloss says. “You can just tell it’s really old and significant. But, the new mill had just one grinding stone, so it was just a bit smaller.”

As time passed, the dam washed out and the mill needed a new purpose. Mike Toomey, a relative to the White family, purchased the mill in the ’90s and shifted the business into a home, pet and garden retailer with local products as well.

The current co-owners, Schloss and Rodney Dowler, both

“

Logo for White’s Mill Garden Center.

When the Herrolds were selling the mill, the Whites saw an opportunity to come here.”

TYLER SCHLOSS WHITE’S MILL CO-OWNER

worked at the mill for a combined total of 30 years before Toomey sold White’s Mill to the two men in 2016. Although the co-owners are not blood-related to the White family, Schloss jokes that the mill is a part of their DNA. Athens residents have gained fond memories of the mill over the course of its extensive history. Jeannie Jeffers recalls going to White’s Mill many years ago as a young 4-H student to purchase horse feed. Years later, Jeffers is the one selling her products at White’s Mill.

After creating candles in the laundry room of her home, Jeffers realized her candle making hobby could be turned into a legitimate business, leading her to establish JJ’s Candles in 2015. Jeffers says White’s Mill was key in helping kickstart her new business.

“I started a few years ago, making candles, and I asked White’s Mill if they would be willing to carry them,” she says.

“They are the nicest people; the most community-minded people that you would ever want to work with or have in your community. I absolutely love being associated with them.”

Today, the two owners have provided Athens locals, like Jeffers, with a center to not only purchase local goods, but a place where vendors can grow their businesses. With a welcoming attitude, Schloss says that they are willing to try out just about anything on the shelves. This has made the mill’s vendor list very diverse, featuring anything from Sticky Pete’s local maple syrup to Native American jewelry.

“There's a lot of great artists in Athens: potters, jewelry makers, basket makers, candle makers and everything you can imagine to try to get locally made,” Schloss says. “It's been a good little side of the business, so that's kind of where we stand now.”

It is clear that both Schloss and Dowler have carried on the good-intentioned reputation of White’s Mill. As for the future, Schloss says they will continue to support Athens vendors and local talent, allowing White’s Mill to grow organically as a business for years to come.

“It's a kind of a living, moving thing,” he says. b

White’s Mill has been serving Ohio since 1809.

They supply a large array of local products.

backdropmagazine.com 21

FEATURE

keeping his head

in the game.

From basketball player to basketball coach, Jeff Boals has spent years committed to the Ohio University community.

STORY BY ALLY LANASA | PHOTOS BY CONNER KUREK

J

eff Boals cheerfully welcomes his kids into his home for Thanksgiving dinner.

All 15 of them. At the table, he makes sure everyone’s set with a fork and napkin before he sits down to eat.

It’s a wholesome family scene. Of course, Boals isn’t exactly a typical dad; he’s only related to two of his “kids” by blood.

The other 13 are basketball players who have become more like family over the years and dubbed Boals as “the dad of the team.” Coaching the Ohio University men’s basketball team this season has been Boals’ 24/7, 365 days per year dream job, and it’s a role he takes just as seriously on and off the court.

“You need to discipline [the players] when you need to discipline them,” Boals says.

“You need to hug them when they need a hug; tell them you love them when they need to be loved; kick them in the butt when they need to be kicked in the butt.”

And, you need to take them to Dairy Queen in Richmond, Indiana, on the way home from a tough loss when they need a smile; that’s exactly what Boals did after the Bobcats suffered an 11-point defeat at Ball State University in February. His tough love mentality — emphasis on the love — is what broke a four-game loss streak and resulted in a win against the Miami University RedHawks.

Boals says he recognizes the human

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element to his team; he knows his players can’t completely control when the ball goes in the basket, but they can always control their attitude and effort. He tells them that focusing on the present moment, not the future or past, is the key to in-game success.

“When a kid misses a shot, he’s not trying to miss a shot,” Boals says. “When he turns it over, he’s not trying to turn it over.”

Boals trains his kids to become great athletes, and the former two-time OU basketball captain, MAC championship winner and NCAA Tournament qualifier knows a thing or two about great athletes.

That prestige made Boals highly respected by his players early on.

“He really truly gets us; he understands us,” says Jason Preston, a sophomore guard. “He was the type of guy who did all the little things, sacrificed his body every day and he really preaches those things on us and we respect him a lot.”

But, before Boals could even compete for the Bobcats, he suffered injuries that nearly kept him from playing college basketball entirely. Boals grew up in Magnolia, Ohio a place he calls “small town USA,” where he was a three-sport athlete at Sandy Valley High School.

During the North-South All-Star game in Columbus, Ohio, he tore his anterior

cruciate ligament (ACL). Boals says he thought his life was over because basketball was everything to him.

“Back then, with a torn ACL, it’s like you’re a damaged good,” he says.

Boals’ road to recovery was shorter than expected.

In 1990 he was given the choice to choose between signing at Miami University or OU; OU won. Boals played all four years under Larry Hunter, but 20 games into his senior year he suffered another torn ACL, which ended his playing career completely. At that time, Boals wanted to use his biology major to become a physical therapist and coaching was the furthest thing from his mind. But the Bobcats had just lost an assistant coach and Hunter asked Boals if he’d be interested in helping him lead the team. That’s all it took for the 22-year-old to be convinced.

“I tell people I fell into it,” Boals says. “I tore my ACL, and just fell into it.”

Even after graduating and taking on the role of assistant coach of the OU men’s basketball team in 1995, Boals had a long road ahead before he became head coach of his alma mater and really made the Bobcats his team.

He left Athens after one year coaching under Hunter and took on an assistant role in Charleston, West Virginia, where he met his wife, Katie. Boals then held positions at other schools, like Marshall University and the University of Akron, until he landed a position with The Ohio State University Buckeyes. As a member of Thad Matta’s coaching staff from 2009 to 2016, Boals helped guide Ohio State to seven postseason appearances. Before finally taking on his first role as head coach at Stony Brook University. Still, Boals says he always longed to return to Athens.

In 2012, during the Final Four in New Orleans, Boals seized an opportunity to try and return to the bricks. He interviewed with OU’s athletic director, Jim Schaus, but didn’t land the job. Two years later, the position of head coach opened again, and again, he didn’t land the job. Boals didn’t let this discourage him, though, and believes that timing is everything.

So, when the position opened again in 2019, he took another shot and was hired by the end of March.

“It’s always been a dream job of mine to be [at OU],” Boals says. “And I guess the third time’s the charm, huh?”

Being a former player, Boals has literally walked in his players’ shoes; he’s been in OU’s residence halls, he remembers the bus trips, all the arenas and even the locker room. He’s walked these bricks.

“

Not many people can say that, one: they’re coaching at their alma matter, and two: that they played there,” COACH JEFF BOALS HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH backdropmagazine.com 23

“Not many people can say that, one: they’re coaching at their alma mater, and two: that they played there,” he says.

Now, Boals stands in the halls of the Convocation Center, remembering when he was a player himself. Ben Vander Plas, a sophomore, bounces down the hall and shouts, “Coach!”

Plain and simple. Boals, without hesitation, mimics the same enthusiasm right back at him: “Bennett!” Boals is a player’s favorite type of coach because he gets what it’s like to be in their position.

“Our team is a lot closer than it was in the past,” Vander Plas says. “Coach just does a great job at keeping us all positive throughout everything we go through. Even in the off-season.”

Vander Plas is only a sophomore, but is also one of the oldest players on this young team. He and his roommate, Preston, have stepped up this year because Boals encourages them to.

“He really trusts us to run his offense but also break off to what we see in the game, so he gives us a lot of freedom,” Vander Plas says. Preston agrees that Boals is not afraid to make changes mid-game.

Vander Plas says the Bobcats’ playbook is much wider under Boals. That’s because he really trusts his kids. Vander Plas also affirms that witnessing the bond Boals has with other great former players, like Gary Trent, is very encouraging. It has helped create some of the same bonds for them.

“It goes beyond basketball too,” Preston says. “I can talk to him about things going on in my life and he’s given me advice.”

The passion goes both ways; Preston and Vander Plas remember frequent conversations about how much they love playing with this team and one day, Vander Plas opened Instagram to see a post from Coach Boals that mirrored their sentiments.

“It was really cool to see he feels the same way that we feel,” Vander Plas says.

With so many kids under Boals’ wings, it’s not always easy.

Boals says the most difficult thing about coaching is having a family at home. He’s often away from his biological children, Sydney and Chase, and his wife of 20 years. Boals says he’s missed birthdays, holidays and their own sporting events.

But to his basketball kids, he’s the guy who nearly went viral dancing at Iona College and who takes them to get ice cream at Dairy Queen, win or lose.

Vander Plas remembers a discouraged atmosphere on the bus, until the driver took an exit on Interstate 70 and Boals made the announcement that they were taking a detour.

“Ice cream puts a smile on everyone’s face,” Boals says. “And you know, it did its job.”

Boals continues to do his job to support his kids, on and off the court. Coaching the Bobcats is his dream job, and that’s why Boals can say so easily, “I love this team.” b

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backdropmagazine.com 25

FEATURE

e h T

g n i t i r W e h t on

l l Wa

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backdrop | Fall 2020

As Ohio University’s legacy of protests continues, students and faculty advocate for the protection of BIPOC lives on campus and around the world.

BY ABBY NEFF | ILLUSTRATIONS BY MACEY ELDER

S

asha Estrella-Jones, a 2017 Ohio University graduate and former student activist, recalls seeing the phrase ‘Build The Wall’ spray-painted across the graffiti wall at the corner of Richland Avenue and West Mulberry Street.

“I just sat across the wall and I cried,” she says.

She says as an Afro-Caribbean woman, she lived between two dualities at OU: one as a person of color, and one as a student just trying to pass her classes.

“What does it mean to have to be a real student, to have to turn in papers in time, and you’re also having to protest?” Estrella-Jones says. “You’re also having to face the fact that you know other Bobcats, [who] claim, ‘we all bleed green, this is our home,' [that] don’t want you here and make it very clear.”

Following the ‘Build The Wall’ incident, former OU President Roderick McDavis, who was in office at the time, issued a statement consoling the Hispanic/Latino community in Athens.

“Today, I share this message to reiterate and reassure you that Ohio University remains a home to ALL,” McDavis wrote. “We have consistently been a national leader when it comes to inclusion. We have made equality and diversity a campus-wide priority throughout our storied 212-year history and we will continue to do so – I can promise you that.”

OU’s response to controversial statements made on the graffiti wall follows a pattern. The university often mentions their commitment to freedom of expression but condemn hate symbols and speech.

Following the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the graffiti wall was memorialized with a mural of their portraits, honoring the victims amid recent protests addressing police brutality and systemic racism across the country.

This summer Andy Cervelli, a rising senior at OU, walked from their apartment to get coffee uptown. When Cervelli walked past the mural, it was covered in red swastikas.

“I was shocked, y’know? That someone would put that much energy into hate,” they wrote in an interview.

Ohio University responded to the incident in a statement to the academic community, stating, “Although our commitment to freedom of expression means that the University does not shield its community from speech even when it is offensive and disturbing, as in this case, as Bobcats, it is our responsibility to care for and treat each other with compassion and dignity.”

For some members of the academic community, the university’s inaction came as no surprise.

“Every couple of years, there’s always a conversation about the graffiti wall,” Dr. Akil Houston, a professor in the African American Studies department, says.

The graffiti wall is just one aspect of the protesting on OU’s campus.

Every couple of years, Ohio University watches familiar protests unfold. Whether it’s a protest on College Green, an interruption of a football game or an occupation of a campus building, it’s a guarantee that every student will witness or even participate in activism at least once during their time in Athens, Ohio.

But what happens when every conversation with the university administration following an outcry for action ends up the exact same way?

While the spread of the coronavirus shut down several campus and in-person teachings, protests rang loudly on the empty streets of Athens, following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was arrested and killed in custody by a white police officer outside of a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25.

After the president of North Central University, a private Christian institution in Minneapolis, called on colleges across the country to create a fund honoring Floyd’s life, OU announced on June 5 they would establish a George Floyd Memorial Fund Scholarship.

Some praised the university’s decision, while some professors and students saw the move by OU as an empty gesture. Comments on the

backdropmagazine.com

university’s social media channels acknowledged that the move was a good first step, but it was not enough. Others asked the university to reconsider its “neglect of the African American Studies Department.”

“From the people I’ve talked to, it’s just like ‘wow, this is [performative],’” Dr. Houston says. “Because we’ve been having these conversations for quite some time but nobody’s said or done anything. And then suddenly, everybody’s interested.”

According to OU spokesperson Carly Leatherwood, the university did reach out to the Floyd family and received permission to use his name for the scholarship. She says it’s important to note that alumni contacted OU and asked to establish the scholarship.

The Ohio University Black Faculty Association wrote a letter to OU President Duane Nellis and Dr. Gigi Secuban, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, outlining their disappointment and outrage over the scholarship, amongst other grievances towards the universities efforts of diversity.

“When racism has not been named and called out by administration first, instituting this particular scholarship that will exist amidst ongoing racism, is an insult,” the letter read. “If you perhaps question whether or not racism exists here, simply ask the body of Black faculty, staff, administrators and students who contribute to the collective functioning of Ohio University.”

The letter offered 28 “action-items” including rigorous recruitment of Black professors and students and promoting Black faculty to leadership positions throughout the colleges on campus.

Secuban gave a response to Dr. Bayyinah Jeffries, the Interim Chair of the Black Faculty provided by Leatherwood, stating that she wants to talk more about their suggestions moving

forward and, “would love to talk more about ideas to recruit more students of color, to continue to grow intentional outreach to potential black students, to recruit more minority faculty, to increase minority leadership on campuses, and to generally drive a culture of inclusivity at Ohio University. We share these goals, and we want your help achieving them.”

According to Leatherwood, the conversations are ongoing.

After the university issued non-renewal notices to faculty in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Department, and the African American Studies department, some faculty were confused when the notices were eventually rescinded.

“And I understand it’s a budget crunch, but priorities always show me what’s important.” Dr. Houston says.

OU is not a stranger to criticism regarding its approach to social justice initiatives like the Black Lives Matter movement, and its handling of racism on campus.

This summer, the OU NAACP chapter published a letter to the university asking the admission of two incoming freshman to be rescinded following a video and a photo of the students, both white, using the n-word. OU responded to the letter but did not bar the students from admission.

“There is no policy or set of rules that will eradicate racism from our University or our nation, and so instead of indoctrination we look to instruct and to inspire a culture of understanding and empathy,” the letters says, signed by both Nellis and Secuban.

In 2014, about 100 students occupied the Baker Student Center after the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, moved to not indict the officer that killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager. Nobody was arrested, despite the building closing at midnight. Instead, OU staff members watched over the protestors and allowed them to stay.

“

I just sat across the wall and cried.”

SASHA ESTRELLA-JONES 2017 OU GRADUATE AND FORMER STUDENT ACTIVIST

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backdrop | Fall 2020

Three years later, over 150 students and faculty occupied the same space after protesting President Donald Trump’s ban on immigration from seven Muslim countries in in front of the Athens County Courthouse. One difference since the last Baker occupation? 70 students were arrested.

Dr. Houston can remember professors agreeing that what OU did was wrong, saying they were “embarrassed to be there.”

“We call this an institution of higher learning and we arrest our students for practicing civil disobedience,” Dr. Houston says.

In 2014, students created the Black Lives Action Coalition (BLAC) following the first Baker Center protest after the non-indictment of the police officer that shot and killed Michael Brown. Jazzmine Hardges, a freshman at the time, felt compelled to stay through the night. That was the first time she met other activists, including Estrella-Jones.

“I stayed all night, helped them clean up, and I remember it being a solid group of six or seven people at three in the morning figuring out, ‘Okay, where do we go from here?”

Hardges says.

That’s when she began to focus on implementing cultural competencies into the curriculums of every college on campus.

In 2015, Hardges and Jolana Watson, another member of BLAC, reached out to administrators and professors to advocate for the incorporation of their ideas. Only the English Department gave them a shot.

In 2016, Mara Holt, former Director of English in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Madeline ffitch, a TA and graduate student, began initiating workshops for professors.

Hardges and Watson called the training a ‘brown bag’.

“We kind of dumped a lot of resources on the TA’s and the professors. As far as like, ‘We should be talking about the graffiti wall and how racist incidents happen,” Hardges says.

Holt began adding cultural competencies into the curriculum of the English 1510: Writing and Rhetoric, an introductory course that are taught by TA’s and most freshman are required to take. Hardges, who is now a fourth grade reading teacher in Cleveland, says near the end of the class, the growth in student perspective was evident.

“Part of having a higher education is being able to confront differences that affect people and finding ways where you can still work with that person,” she says.

Hardges says she continued reaching out to programs across campus, but none opted to participate. She says she spoke to administrators who told her it would take years to incorporate cultural competencies in introductory courses for every major on campus.

“We were still students at the end of the day, trying to make it through,” says Estrella-Jones, who is now an activist protesting on the streets of New York City and a writer for a nonpartisan political news company. “The burden always falls on the activists, ‘are we doing enough?’ versus, in which ways has or has not OU stepped up?”

Estrella-Jones remembers a disconnect existing between the administration and students.

“There are action tangible items that if Black lives mattered, you would take, and they didn’t take any,” Estrella-Jones says.

“Too little, too late. Period.”b

backdropmagazine.com 29

THE BEAT

SMOOTH

SAILING

Cardboard Sailors, an emerging band in Athens, hopes to gain recognition beyond the county limits.

BY MAYA MEADE | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CARDBOARD SAILORS

M

ax Pelletier, a super senior at Ohio University and lead singer of Cardboard Sailors, had dreams of making “dreamy” rock music and sharing it with the world after he wrote a simple tune that he recorded on his phone in April 2018. Starting a band was always something he had hoped for, but it didn’t become a reality until fall of 2019.

Max met senior guitarist Ted Wharton in a fraternity on campus three years ago. Together they recruited sophomore bassist Collin Spens, sophomore vocalist Kaycie Wissman and sophomore drummer Ethan Hamilton, completing the band. “ (Ted and I) were just talking about how we wanted to start a band or something,” Pelletier says. “And then we got back to school and we decided we were going to do it the old fashioned way and put up flyers for people. We did the whole audition thing for a lot of people.”

Wharton and Pelletier started playing music together during the summer of 2019, having very little previous band experience.

Wharton had only performed in a cover band in high school, making the start of Cardboard Sailors very experimental.

Having little to no experience in producing music, the band put in hours of time and effort to learn what resources they could use to make their music sound the way they wanted it to.

Their first EP, “Dreams or Something,” came out in January.

Receiving positive feedback from friends and family encouraged Cardboard Sailors to keep sharing music and shortly after releasing the EP, the band released a single titled “Not for Me.” “‘Not for Me’ was a song we worked on for a while,” Pelletier says. “We had all these parts. Colin felt like he put his best part into it, I felt like I put my best part into it. When we recorded it, it took us a lot longer compared to the first EP. Everything was mastered a lot better and everything just got a lot more serious because we got to thinking, ‘Is this the best thing for this music?’”

“Not for Me” quickly reached 1,743 listeners on Spotify, reinforcing the positive feelings they had about the song as they were writing it.

“It is by far our best song, and that’s not me saying it just

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to stroke my ego because I made it,” Spens says. “I think it was definitely a song where we realized all of our strong suits and we managed to come together as a band and understood each other at a much higher level.”

He knew the single was going to be good when he heard the combination of Hamilton's drums with his guitar playing.

Spens calls it “a match made in heaven,” because everyone brought something to the table and was proud of the end result.

“The feedback from other people was amazing,” Pelletier says. “It was my zero to 100 moment.” Messages from strangers on social media and being put on Spotify playlists boosted the band’s confidence and brought them together in ways they had never imagined.

“I feel like we kind of hit a stride and everything kind of fell together ... we had the guitar part and then we laid down the drums and it just felt right,” Hamilton says. “Writing some songs is an uphill battle and we want to make something work but it’s just hours and hours of rehearsal to figure out what works. But this had already come together pretty quickly and we were all really happy with how it happened and then getting the feedback that we didn’t get as much with our EP was really cool.”

Just a few months into the start of their music career as Cardboard Sailors, everything changed. As the coronavirus spread around the world, Cardboard

Sailors’ career as a local band quickly slowed. The DIY band went from frequent gigs in Athens and Columbus to crowdless performances in the garages of their hometowns.

Despite the global pandemic, Cardboard Sailors has still managed to accrue a growing fanbase with an appreciation for their music. Throughout quarantine, the band has managed to work on music and meets about once a week to talk about what each member has been working on.

They have plans to release another EP within the year. In June, the band played a socially distanced concert in Coldwater Lake, Michigan, where they offered drive-

“

in seating (golf cart style) or screening via live stream.

With hopes of eventually expanding beyond the Athens city limits and the Ohio border, Cardboard Sailors still has progress to make. The band has performances planned for Cincinnati, Columbus and Pittsburgh with goals of more to come in the future.

“I want to be an Ohio band,” Pelletier says. “Like, everyone will know us across Ohio; if any kind of big bands ever come to the Ohio area they could be like, ‘Hey, Cardboard Sailors come play with us.’” b

I want to be an Ohio band,” Pelletier says. “Like, everyone will know us across Ohio; if any kind of big bands ever come to the Ohio area they could be like, ‘Hey, Cardboard Sailors come play with us.’”

MAX PELLETIER LEAD SINGER, CARDBOARD SAILORS

Cardboard Sailors is an Alt-Rock band located in Athens, Ohio.

backdropmagazine.com 31

HEALTH

It Takes a College K

at Altier-Jeffers is a typical junior studying creative writing at Ohio University. They enjoy creating and selling digital illustrations online and work part-time in the Career and Leadership Development Center.

But there is one thing that truly makes Altier-Jeffers stand out from the majority of students at OU — they have a one-yearold son.

Although Altier-Jeffers did not plan on becoming a parent during college, it was a blessing in disguise.

“I actually have reproductive health problems. It was one of those things where I wasn’t necessarily planning on having a child at this point in my life, but at the same time I was afraid it would be my only opportunity. So, I just went ahead,” Altier-Jeffers says.

Fortunately, they did not face much backlash from friends and family upon the news. Altier-Jeffers says that their friends noticed pregnancy signs before they even found out.

“My family was pretty positive about it,” Altier-Jeffers says.

“And my friends were definitely on my side saying they would support me through everything if I ever needed a babysitter or if I ever needed somebody to talk to. I don’t have a lot of friends actually inside college, and so a lot of my friends already are parents.”

Altier-Jeffers is not the first, and will not be the last, person to experience an unexpected pregnancy during their young adult years. According to the Pew Research Center, “In 2018, the birth rate among 15 to 19-year-old girls and women was less than half of what it had been in 2008 (41.5 births per 1,000).”

However, despite this statistic, the number of adolescent pregnancies in rural counties, like the Appalachian region, is not declining as it is in the rest of the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data from the National Vital Statistics System revealed that, “From 2007 through 2015, the teen birth rate was lowest in large urban counties and highest in rural counties.”

Altier-Jeffers worked to support their family after graduating

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BY HELEN WIDMAN PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KAT ALTIER-JEFFERS

Kat Altier-Jeffers is both a parent and a student at Ohio University who exemplifies how access to resources can make all the difference in young parenthood.

high school and started college a couple years later, in addition to taking a leave of absence due to pregnancy. Now, they’re a junior at OU working to support another family — one that consists of a baby and a husband.

Altier-Jeffers and their husband, Austin Jeffers, have been together for over seven years. The couple was engaged when Altier-Jeffers became pregnant in early summer 2018 and married the following October.

In addition to working, studying and parenting, Altier-Jeffers is also perfecting a website where they sell custom illustrations that will hopefully help finance their young family.

“As of right now, it’s just kind of like a side hustle to sometimes make ends meet,” Altier-Jeffers says. “I’m just a crafty person in general, and I feel like if I can use that to either brighten someone’s day or get an idea out of their head, or even just to make me a little money to make ends meet, then it’s totally worth putting a little effort towards.”

Altier-Jeffers currently resides in Pomeroy, near Athens, and commuted to campus for classes before the pandemic.

“I think the hardest part is that I am a college student,” Altier-Jeffers says. “So, it’s definitely a balancing act balancing childcare and work and college and still trying to have time for myself. I think the most difficult thing is sleep.”

“

So, it's definitely a balancing act balancing childcare and work and college and still trying to have time for myself.”

KAT ALTIER-JEFFERS OU JUNIOR AND PARENT

Kat Altier-Jeffers, husband Austin Jeffers and their son.

Fortunately, the couple typically has steady childcare for their son.

“Mine and my husband’s work schedules actually work out so we don’t really need a babysitter anymore,” Altier-Jeffers says.

“The only conflict area is usually Mondays, where I sometimes have to take my child to class, which can be difficult. Or, my mom or my mother-in-law watch him.”

Last year, Altier-Jeffers took an English class with Professor Carey Snyder. Snyder recalls not knowing that Altier-Jeffers had a child until about midway through the semester, when they had trouble with childcare. “[They] just had a mishap with childcare and normally had a sitter at that time, and [they] emailed me in advance and said my childcare has fallen through ... so [Altier-Jeffers] didn’t presume [they could bring their child to class]. And I didn’t know at that time if we had a policy about having children come to class or babies come to class,” Snyder says.

After inquiring with her department head, Snyder learned that there is no formal policy about students bringing their children to class.

“I had never had anyone ask me that question,” Snyder says.

“I was definitely in favor of trying to support [them] in any way I could, but I didn’t want to be distracting to the other students.

I was sort of tentative initially, but it worked out fine.”

One of the most valuable accommodations Altier-Jeffers utilizes on campus is the lactation rooms, since one of the biggest concerns for Altier-Jeffers when they returned to campus was whether they would be able to continue to breastfeed. “I take full advantage of the lactation rooms located on campus … It gives you a nice private space to pump breast milk … I don’t have to breastfeed in public, I can go to a private location,

which relieves some of the stress,” they say. There are seven lactation rooms overseen by the Women’s Center on OU’s campus, all of which are equipped with microwaves and sink to sterilize and wash breast pump equipment.

Dr. Geneva Murray, the director of the Women’s Center, helps oversee the lactation rooms and is currently pushing for more to be incorporated in new buildings on campus. “We haven’t finished, we still believe that there should be more lactation spaces on campus,” Dr. Murray says. According to Dr. Murray, the Women’s Center has been working with building designers to make sure that more private lactation rooms are included in building plans.

The Women’s Center does not use formal documentation to see who uses the rooms. Dr. Murray stresses the importance of giving mothers privacy when using the lactation rooms.

“In our own culture, there can still be a resistance to talking about lactation and breast pumping or chest pumping or feeding,” Dr. Murray says. “And so we want people to be able to freely use the rooms.”

In addition to the lactation rooms, Altier-Jeffers also utilizes other resources that are available to young mothers in the Athens area.

“We definitely live below the poverty lines,” Altier-Jeffers says. “So, we take advantage of different government programs like the medical card. Other than that, honestly, we haven’t had that many financial troubles.”

The medical cannabis card is available to Ohio residents who meet certain qualifying conditions. Another government program that Altier-Jeffers utilized throughout pregnancy is the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program.

“It’s a supplemental program to make sure that the mother

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and child are taken care of nutritionally,” Altier-Jeffers says. “I used it a lot more when I was pregnant and that’s how we got a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables in the house. I also have a lactose problem, so it’s the only way I can actually afford almond milk and soy milk.”

The Women’s Center directs young mothers to other resources and also offers support.

“We try to provide support as broadly as that is, and often that’s connecting people to other resources,” Dr. Murray says.

Altier-Jeffers seems to agree.

“The people in the Women’s Center are great if you ever need somebody to talk to, or some type of support system,” Altier-Jeffers says.

One local resource, the Athens Birth Circle, offers monthly

meetings, a Prepared Parents Workshop and sometimes free baby items.

“We meet monthly from May to June, and then we take a break in July and we start again from August to November,” Ariel Carver, director of the Athens Birth Circle, says. “And we do the same topics again for the second four months and with different people [speakers].” This year, the next Prepared Parents Workshop is on March 21, and is aimed toward mothers age 23 and under.

“With our younger parents, not all their friends are in that place. That’s not something that they’re going through with their regular friend group. So, having a group that is dedicated to that can be helpful, and a lot of the parents who end up coming to that are pretty low income,” Carver says. “So, we do

Postpartum support group is led by Samantha Catania of Hopewell Health centers.

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Sara Wright, left of Born in Ohio Birth Education, leads a "practicing labor techniques" demonstration.

offer some, not necessarily financial support, but we get a grant and buy the stuff to give them so we have diapers every time, [which] is always a big thing, and we give out baby carriers to each group, and things like that, that can help them along.”

In addition to the Prepared Parents Workshop, the Athens Birth Circle also has regular lactation consultants, local midwives and speakers come in for its monthly meetings.

“We start with pregnancy and then end birth, and then breastfeeding and postpartum infant care, safety, parenting sorts of things,” Carver says. Every four months, the cycle starts over so new parents in all stages of pregnancy are accommodated.

The Athens Birth Circle typically meets at the Athens Public Library on the last Wednesday of every month from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.They are currently meeting over Zoom, due to the pandemic. Despite the proximity to OU’s campus, Craver

notes that not many college students utilize the Birth Circle as a resource.

“We haven’t had a lot of college students. We’ve had some high school students and some more out of high school that didn’t go to college … we just haven’t happened to have a lot of college students, but we would welcome them,” Carver says.

As for Altier-Jeffers, the resources provided by OU’s campus and the Athens community has made young parenting doable and they have no regrets about choosing to pursue parenting.

“It’s difficult, but it’s rewarding. I’ll have a long stressful day at school and then have to fight to put a baby to sleep as soon as I get home,” Altier-Jeffers says. “But even just taking time reading to him is so rewarding. It’s like when you have to take time away from one place, you have to add it in another, and it takes a lot of effort, but it’s worth it.” b

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STYLE

n a m ‘n Ethan Hodson, an Ohio University senior, wants to make his — and your — dreams come true with his media brand.

A

BY GRACE DEARING | ILLUSTRATION BY ABIGAIL SUMMERS

s a college student, it can be easy to view the world with blinders, focusing only on maintaining an acceptable GPA and nurturing a social life. Ethan Hodson, a senior studying marketing, recognizes the rut that many Ohio University students often fall into and wants to work toward inspiring others to find their passion through his brand RAMBL. According to RAMBL’s mission statement, “RAMBL is a concept based on the idea that there are no boundaries that one can place on what we do, where we go and what we have to look like. We are encouraging and inspiring others to keep going past the limitations life gives us and embrace the journey every step of the way.”

Casey Calvetta, a senior studying communications who has modeled for RAMBL in the past, is a dedicated customer and has seen the impact the brand is making first-hand.

“I think that it’s good to have someone inspire creativity in others and give them a small platform to be creative,” she says. “Especially going to school in Athens, it’s such a small community and

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I think it’s important to support local businesses. Ethan gives a lot of people the opportunity to be creative; he’s not just about growing his own brand, but helping other people grow.”

Hodson’s brand started as an idea in 2018, but officially launched when he printed his first clothing line in March 2019 for High Fest. Since then, RAMBL has continuously gained momentum and Hodson is expanding beyond clothing.

“I’ve always wanted to start a company, it was just more so what kind of business is it gonna be?” Hodson says.

“Eventually, I realized all my passion and inspiration revolves around music, clothing and what Tyler the Creator, ASAP Rocky, Pharrell and Kanye are doing ... I started with clothing so that I can pave my way into the music and entertainment industry.”

In addition to a custom clothing line, RAMBL offers branding, creative direction, artist management, website design and development and event planning. Recently, RAMBL hosted a fashion show in OU’s CoLab to showcase other brands and artists on campus.

Despite being a solo entrepreneur, Hodson has built a team of close friends that he leans on throughout RAMBL’s many projects. Whether it’s talking through an idea, partnering with a friend in the music industry or reaching out to someone to model RAMBL’s clothing, Athens has given Hodson an invaluable network.

“Ethan is very creative and very driven and he is a very positive person, which is super evident,” Calvetta says.

This passion has allowed Hodson to take RAMBL to the next level by branching out into the music industry.

The brand currently represents two artists: Nem6 from Guatemala City and Ned.Beats from Cincinnati.

“It’s a whole new audience that is focused on clothing and branding,” says Ned.Beats. “I feel like[RAMBL] brings in more audience that you don’t have, and it offers more. It brings an identity to you.

RAMBL is kind of a representation of you.”

In addition to management and merchandise, Ned.Beats says RAMBL offers him countless opportunities to expand his platform and grow his audience. From show opportunities to photoshoots, and even an all-expense paid studio session, Ned.Beats says he has always felt supported by Hodson and RAMBL. “He really seemed invested in me and my sound,” Ned.Beats says.“He’s a really giving dude and I think he’s just somebody I can rely on and trust in, in an industry that you can’t really trust a lot of people in.” Hodson is working on organizing a tour for Ned.Beats, Nem6 and a variety of additional artists. It is artist management and planning like this where Hodson’s marketing education shines, as he brainstorms ideas to ensure ticket sales are where they need to be, playing around with a plan to bundle tickets and merchandise, creating an incentive for people to buy tickets.

Designing a clothing line, hosting major events and managing artists all while balancing a full course load has been a lot to handle, Hodson admits, but he is optimistic about the future. Founding RAMBL has taught Hodson a lot about not only marketing and management skills, but also about how to tend to personal mental health while taking on a variety of responsibilities.

Hodson plans on moving back to his hometown in Philadelphia to work with his friends. The 2 1/2 hour commute to New York City will greatly benefit the brand, he says. His hope is to pursue RAMBL full time after graduation, which he believes will make it much easier to focus on the business once the extra stress of classes are taken out of the picture.

“RAMBL is going to be the rest of my life. Now, it’s just building,” Hodson says. “I want to pave my lane in the entertainment industry and in the multimedia industry to provide these services.” b

VOICES

Coming together,

six feet apart This summer, Stephanie Kendrick, an OU grad student, answered Backdrop’s call for first-person accounts of the new realities presented by the coronavirus.

This is her story, in her words.

BY STEPHANIE KENDRICK, INTERVIEWED BY HELEN WIDMAN PHOTO PROVIDED BY BETHANY RIVERA

T

oday is July 9th, my 32nd birthday.

My career is taking off, I am three months into a graduate program at Ohio University, was recently voted onto Albany Village Council and my first book is set to be published this winter. Oh, and the entire world is currently suffocating under the weight of economic collapse and exponentially increasing death tolls from a worldwide pandemic. I promise to make this as light as possible, but today the national death toll did rise to 134,862, so levity is hard to come by.

I am from this area, Appalachian born and raised. We have not yet seen the kind of devastation that New York, or hell, even Cleveland, has seen. But any illness is unwanted, any death a tragedy, and in order to keep each other safe while we learn more about the coronavirus, virtually every realm of most of our worlds has been altered.

On March 11th, I got word that my department would be working from home for a while because of the spreading virus. I am an SSA [service and support administrator] with the Athens County Board of Developmental Disabilities (i.e. case manager), and if you don’t already know, that means I rarely sit at a desk. What we thought would be a week of working from home has become four months with no definitive end in sight. I visit clients on their porches, them on one side of their door and me on the other, each wearing masks. I make

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sure their needs are met, because another impact of the virus is that Ohio University and several other employers laid off massive amounts of local residents, resulting in hundreds of families in our area left to navigate the fickle and overwhelmed unemployment system. My colleagues and I deliver food boxes every week, and some of us take toys and games to children so that we can ensure they are okay. We don’t know how long this will last, but I imagine my job will continue to look different for quite a while.

Because I can’t allow myself any free time (as though a full-time job, motherhood, writing and grad school was not enough), I was sworn in to my Village Council on January 15th, when the coronavirus was just a weird foreign virus that was rumored to be transmitted only through eyeballs.

During the initial shut-downs of mid-March and April, Council just didn’t meet. Ordinances backed up, issues went unresolved, so I suggested we explore the wonderful, awkward world of Zoom sessions (did I mention that I am the only millennial on Village Council?). Everyone was receptive, and after we confirmed the laxed sunshine laws would allow this, we recommenced our twice-monthly meetings and we are back to business as usual.

This has been one of the weirdest parts about our acclamation to the coronavirus - the urgency to get back to “business as usual”; how our normal can dissolve so quickly; how arbitrary rituals seem after you no longer need them. But enough existentialism...let me get back to Zoom.

Thank goodness for Zoom (no, they are not

sponsoring this essay). The week prior to the coronavirus shutdowns, I was scheduled to meet with a prominent local business owner to discuss using his venue to implement a communitywide, accessible, weekly open mic for poets and storytellers. Of course, this dream was momentarily squashed. After a couple of months of being thrust into my new technological reliance, I questioned whether I really needed to wait for the virus to pass before establishing an open mic.

I purchased a Zoom account with my friend Kari, created a Facebook group as an event hub and voila!

Today is not only my birthday, but also marks the Second Thursday Night Open Mic! We will one day meet in person, sharing poems and stories, laughs and tears, in the comfort of the space of others. For now, however, we will share these moments through a screen, happy to still spend time with one another, happy to keep one another safe.

Ultimately, I have been busier than I have ever been. Although the coronavirus has brought many changes to my world, forced relaxation has not been one of them. I blame this on technology, my impulse to serve, and my own pathology. I am adaptable, fortunate and honestly a little tired.

Athens County is full of opportunities to be of service to our neighbors: donate beans and rice to a blessing box you pass on the street each day, drop a dollar in the CFI fishbowl at the farmer’s market, wear a darn mask if you are able when you venture out. I know you are tired too, but if I’ve learned one thing since March, it’s that we really need each other.

Kendrick’s first book of poems, Places We Feel Warm, will be out next year.b

SSAs Bethany Rivera (right), Stephanie Kendrick (middle) and Heather Dikis (left) picking up USDA food boxes for delivery.

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OONN TTH THE HHEE Missing the bricks? Check out these socially distant (and free!) Athens - based events.

BY EMMA STEFANICK

VIRTUAL MADNESS WITH THE OU MFA PLAYWRITING PROGRAM OCTOBER 2, 16, & 30, 6 P.M. Every other Friday, students in OU’s MFA Playwriting Program take turns producing a 50 minute original show with only a week to put everything together. Catch the Madness over Zoom by registering through the OU School of Theatre Facebook or Twitter starting at 5p.m. Virtual seating is limited.

#SAYHERNAME: LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM BLACK LIVES MATTER OCTOBER 15, 12 P.M. Presented by Cecily Nelson-Alford, director of the Women’s Resources and Research Center at U.C. Davis, this seminar will have a focus on racial justice and will dissect leadership skills and lessons from womxn-led movements like Say Her Name and Black Lives Matter. Register online through ohio.edu/diversity/womens-center before 11:59 P.M. on October 13th to ensure your spot.

CORD CUTTING CEREMONY OCTOBER 27, 8 P.M. The Survivor Advocacy Program will be hosting a virtual cord cutting ceremony for those who wish to symbolically cut ties with the negative energy caused by the individuals or experiences that have been weighing down on them.

This event is open to all Ohio University students that have experienced interpersonal violence. Register by sending an email to survivor.advocacy@ohio.edu.

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WE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS NOVEMBER 4, 8:30 P.M. The Athena Cinema will be hosting a virtual showing of “We are the Radical Monarchs” as part of their Fall Sustainability Series. The film documents the first Radical Monarchs troop, a social justice focused organization for young girls of color created as an alternative to the Girl Scouts. The film will be available to stream for free through the Athena and will be followed by a Zoom discussion starting at 8:30 P.M. Register online at athenacinema.com.

Taking Root NOVEMBER 18, 8:30 P.M. The Athena Cinema will be hosting a virtual showing of “Taking Root” as part of their Fall Sustainability Series.

“Taking Root” documents the story of Maathai, the first environmentalist and African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The film will be available to stream for free through the Athena and will be followed by a Zoom discussion starting at 8:30 P.M. Register online at athenacinema.com.

Exhibit A. Kat Altier-Jeffers is a student at Ohio University studying English and creative writing. In their free time, Altier-Jeffers creates digital illustrations and currently sells commission pieces on their website, kataltierart.wixsite.com.

LEFT

Sagittarius.

ABOVE

Autumn Queen.

LEFT

MJ Rodriguez.

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