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SPRING 2016
POLICE K-9s:
Sit. Stay. Serve.
THE LIGHTER
Side of Athens’ Cuisine
THE DORSEY SISTERS: Continuing a Legacy
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Hey Bobcats! The time has come for me to write my final letter from the editor. It’s been quite the year – from my first attempt at figuring out this EIC thing during the first issue to finding a way to fill an entire international-themed issue with content. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Now in case you actually read each of my letters, The Ohio University Alumni Association (OUAA) is youryou connection to OHIO and Rebecca Zook may have noticed a steady decline in each of my headshots. to all Bobcats after youhasexit the begin and yoursleep new life. Looking for a Clearly this job taken its Convo toll on myand appearance MANAGING EDITOR schedule. (You can to see Bobcat the full transition below.) The This OUAA’s is just professional or a Bobcat connection? got you covered: Emily McIntyre a preview for our editor-in-chief to-be. This lovely lady is a writer and editor who joined Backdrop last year and continues ASST. MANAGING EDITOR to prove herself every day. Congratulations, Kaitlyn Pacheco! Kaitlyn Pacheco So guess what, Kaitlyn?! This is what you have to look forward to! With that, I’m happy to CONNECT—Go online to see what’s happening on campus and with present the final issue of Backdrop magazine for the 2015-16 academic year. Bobcats in your city or town. Like our Facebook page and follow ASSOCIATE EDITORus As you can probably tell from the adorable pup on the cover, our feature is focused on Weisbrod the incredible partnershipson that fill the police departments in Athens, Ohio (Page 24). Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to update yourAmanda info—new jobs, The talented canines are doing their part to help fight crime in the local community. For tofind a new location, want to COPY We CHIEF all the foodies out there, if promotions, you look to Page moves 18, you can four healthy dishesgrowing available family. on the streets of Athens. These Alexandra Greenberg heardelicious from meals you!will keep you feeling great and full all day. Follow an Ohio University student’s cycling journey across the U.S. in Faces throughout CONTRIBUTORS the Nation on Page 20. This feature focuses on the unexpected relationships formed and Max Catalano, Daryl Davidson, the tales told as two tires hit the asphalt. In this issue’s photo story, Back to the Press, VOLUNTEER—Share your real-world experiencesElizabeth with today’s andHurley, Harper, Jack Brianna Griesinger brings you directly to a family-owned Marietta print shop (Page 30). Jenkins, Katie Kingery, tomorrow’s networking andtimehaving Emma fun! Be part of a I can honestly say that nothing up to thisBobcat point in while my life has been so stressful, Steven Pozz, Kendall Schmucker, consuming, coffee-demanding and sleep-depriving as being editor-in-chief of Backdrop Sarah Wagner,Join Sarah Williams professional panel. Host a Dinner with 12 Strangers event. the magazine. But I can also say that nothing has been as educating, fun or 100 percent worth Volunteer Alumni Admissions Network.headline When high school students the late nights at production, the last minute photo changes and the cringe-worthy CREATIVE DIRECTOR puns. I’m truly honored to eager have been of the Backdrop staff for all four of my yearsplace at toa part learn what makes OHIO a special hear it from a Karlee Proctor Ohio University, and I can’t wait to see what the new executive staff does next year.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SEE THE PHOTO STORY
throughout FEATURES » 20 Faces the Nation Join Michael Mayberry on his cross-country cycling journey from Maine to Washington.
24 Paws on Patrol
Local K-9 units work together to protect the community.
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PUBLISHER
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Q&A »
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Adam McConville ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Briana Ekanem
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Zachary Berry
Keeping OU Accountable
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Interlaced with Community
Gabby Hollowell
Chris Manning WEB MANAGING EDITOR
Cheyenne Buckingham
ON THE COVER
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ASSISTANT VIDEO EDITOR
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Marcus Meston
POLICE K-9s:
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Sit. Stay. Serve.
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THE LIGHTER
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Continuing a Legacy
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Take a glance back into OU’s history and check out the popular fashions Bobcats sported throughout the years.
D.I.Y. Dips
Interested in working with us?
Stop by one of our weekly meetings at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays in Scripps 114.
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Just a Pizza History
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Healthy Eats on Athens’ Streets
Check out the story behind the latest pizzeria to hit Court Street.
On the Bricks As summer and graduation approach, check these Athens activities off of your bucket list.
Back to the Press A collection of photos capture the printmaking process of one Marietta resident.
SEX & HEALTH » 36
Students in Distress As the number of college students seeking mental health treatment continues to increase, students discuss how Ohio University is handling the national trend.
SPORTS » 38
Off the Court, In the Books
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Family Takes the Field
Prepare these dips for the perfect studying snacks.
FOOD »
Side of Athens’ Cuisine
THE DORSEY SISTERS:
Stitches in Time
RECIPE » 14
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Rocky Boots kickstarts a number of programs to help give back to the Nelsonville community.
ENTERTAINMENT »
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PHOTO STORY »
Read how the School of Accountancy challenges an exclusive group of students to audit a foundation worth $512 million.
Alexandra Greenberg
ASSOCIATE WEB EDITOR
backdrop magazine
SPRING 2016
Two EDM artists answer questions about their upcoming performances on Athens’ biggest stage.
THE DROP »
EVENT COORDINATOR
WEB EDITOR
INFOGRAPHIC »
Number’s Newest DJs
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the new academic center for athletes.
Two Ohio softball players step up to the plate and continue their mother’s winning legacy.
EXHIBIT A » 44
A showcase of creative works by fellow students.
PHOTO HUNT » 45
Spot the differences between pictures of a summer scene.
Backdrop offers healthy suggestions for breakfast, brunch and lunch at some of Athens’ most popular stops.
Cover Photo by Sarah Williams.
Follow us on Twitter @BackdropMag
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SPRING 2016 » VOLUME 9 ISSUE 4
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NUMBER’S NEWEST DJS BY GABBY HOLLOWELL | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WILL CLARKE AND DJ GINSU
Meet two up-and-coming EDM artists performing at #14Fest.
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thens’ 14th-annual Number Fest brings large crowds to the small town nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Number Fest, promoted by Prime Social Group, is the nation’s largest college music festival, with headliners that never fail to impress. A few up-and-coming EDM artists have the privilege of opening during the Welcome Event on Friday, April 15, while others will open for headliners Fetty Wap and The Chainsmokers on Saturday, April 16. Will Clarke, who goes by the stage name Totally Normal, will be one of 13 performers on Saturday. Clarke is a 21-year-old music producer from Pittsburgh who attends Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Totally Normal takes popular songs, remixes them and plays those tracks at shows. Ghost Gardens is a group of DJs with Columbus roots, comprised of DJ Ginsu, Carlos and Carma. Ghost Gardens will be one of five performers playing the Welcome Event on Friday evening. Totally Normal and Ghost Gardens took time out of their busy schedules to discuss their budding music careers with Backdrop magazine over email.
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mashups, but then at the beginning of my sophomore year, I started making and releasing my own remixes and original tracks.
How hard has it been for you to juggle schoolwork and a music career? WC: It’s the absolute worst. Especially now that I’m expecting to embark on a full year of music and performance and all of that, it makes school just that much less appealing. But I’m planning on finishing strong. Once college is all done and I finish up my internship at [Carnegie Melon University,] I’ll be 100 percent ready to dedicate myself to music.
How were you chosen to perform at Number Fest?
How and when did Ghost Gardens start playing together?
WC: I was introduced to Jay Veal, who works for [Prime Social Group] ... I had just released a remix [called “Monster”] for my homies, Milk n’ Cooks, who are also going to be at Number Fest, and it started blowing up on YouTube. A blog called Proximity featured it on their channel and it has over 1.6 million views across YouTube and Soundcloud. … Once I started consistently releasing stuff, I ended up getting asked to perform at Haunted Fest, opening for NGHTMRE and now Number Fest.
GHOST GARDENS: Ghost Gardens was officially formed approximately one year ago in response to a few spontaneous performance concepts that were the brainchild of Carma and executed at various venues around Columbus. We had all performed with and known each other for several years prior to the forming of the band.
What was your reaction to being asked to perform with big-name artists such as The Chainsmokers and Fetty Wap? WC: Oh I was stoked. I’m still feeling it now to be honest. I think of performing my music literally every day of my life, and now being able to share the stage with huge people like The Chainsmokers and knowing they’ve supported my stuff before? It’s just a dream come true.
How do you hope performing at Number Fest will grow your fan base? WC: What I want to do is to give people a reason to say, “Oh remember that dude’s set at Number Fest? What was his name? Totally Normal? That guy knows what is up.” As long as one person has that conversation afterward, I’ll be happy.
TOTALLY NORMAL How long have you been producing music? WILL CLARKE: I’ve really only been producing for about two and a half years now. I spent my freshman year of college making
GHOST GARDENS
Do you not have the numbers or following that you’d like? WC: Well that’s sort of it, there’s just so many people that want to be DJs [or] producers, and way too many of those people have their sights on being famous or getting a following before they really know who they are as an artist. So, of course I’d love to have more presence and get consistently booked [at] more places, but I’m just focused on producing for now. I haven’t quite moved past the one-man-show phase yet.
What was your reaction to being asked to perform with big-name artists like The Chainsmokers and Fetty Wap? GG: Excitement of course. Ghost Gardens thrives on stage and we are excited for every show we play because all of our performances are unique and an exercise in creativity, improvisation and execution.
What aspect of Number Fest are you most excited for? GG: We are quite excited for the opportunity to reach a new audience, and events like Number Fest are a fantastic avenue for that mission. The popularity of Number Fest has been growing massively each year and being from the region, we’ve naturally all had our eyes on it, whether as a group [or] as individual performers.
Will the crowd at Number Fest be the biggest you have played for? If so, how do you feel about performing for a crowd of that size? GG: We played several large festivals and events throughout 2015, so whether it will be our biggest crowd yet is yet to be seen, but we have no doubt it will be one of our most energetic crowds. Number Fest is always a riot! Each member of Ghost Gardens has a very long performance career behind them, which is a vital reason we were immediately recognized as a must-see performance group around the region. This combined experience has led to confident and dynamic performances since our first official show. Sure, everyone gets nervous, but we all have performing in our blood at this point. b
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THE DROP
W Keeping OU
ACC OUNT ABLE BY KAITLYN PACHECO
A select group of students in the School of Accountancy gain hands-on experience by auditing the Ohio University Foundation.
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hen Kody Seeger received an invitation from senior lecturer Christine Yost to apply for the SOX 404 Fellows program, he didn’t think anything of it. But after asking around his junior-level accounting course, he realized he was one of a handful of students offered the opportunity to assist in auditing the Ohio University Foundation. “Once she told us what it was about, it made me feel like I had somehow stood out among the other students and did something right,” Seeger says. Two months later, Seeger and 15 others became responsible for assessing aspects of a foundation worth $512 million. The SOX 404 Fellows program offers select accounting students the chance to gain hands-on auditing experience, a $500 scholarship and internship credit. Professionals at Plante Moran, the Columbusbased accounting firm responsible for auditing the Ohio University Foundation, train students to audit the investments, journal entries and cash transactions. The Ohio University Foundation, established by then-President John C. Baker in 1945, acts as the fundraising arm of the university. The foundation acts similarly to a savings account. Private gifts are given to the university through annual giving programs, bequests, trusts, and capital and special campaigns. The money is spent on campus-related needs ranging from scholarships and financial aid packages to upgraded lab equipment. The SOX 404 Fellows program was created in 2005 as a result of federal legislation that changed accounting practices. U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes and U.S. Representative Michael G. Oxley created the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) in reaction to several major corporate and accounting scandals that cost investors billions of dollars. SOX set new and expanded requirements that protect investors and the general public from accounting errors and fraudulent practices. SOX Section 404 requires public companies to have fully independent auditors evaluate their accounting practices, and that’s where the SOX 404 Fellows come in. The group consists of eight to 18 junior and senior members who act as the auditors. They are divided into three teams that are each responsible for one aspect of the audit and are given two and a half months to complete their assignments. “On a whole, it’s a huge learning curve,” says Seeger, who is one of this year’s student co-directors. “The things you learn in the classroom look one way and then when you deal with government entities everything looks way different.” Yost builds the SOX 404 Fellows roster each year by asking the School of Accountancy faculty members to nominate their best students. Within the program, Yost is responsible for managing the logistics and team-building aspects of the organization, while co-adviser and accounting professor Aaron Wilson oversees the quality of the audit. Yost, who has been advising the program for five years, seeks out self-motivated juniors who have a solid understanding of accounting principles and have proven to be team players. Amanda Browning, a senior studying accounting and business pre-law, says she was nominated for the 2015 SOX 404 Fellows team after excelling in Yost’s Financial Accounting and Reporting I course.
“Dr. Yost teaches the first ‘weed out’ class for the major, and she accountants while they work through the audit, they are still is essentially the first one who gets to interact with a lot of the undergraduate students tackling a multimillion-dollar project. accounting students,” Browning says. Mistakes are bound to happen, but senior members and Plante The group Yost assembled, which is made up of eight seniors Moran representatives work to catch any errors and provide conand six juniors this year, is organized similarly to a public ac- structive feedback to the students. counting firm. Yost and Wilson act as partners of the firm, Seeger Browning and Sologos made a mistake last year when testing and Justice Sologos are the co-directors, and the seniors act as the Ohio University Foundation’s wire transfers from 2014-2015. managers who mentor and help the junior staffers. Once the As a part of the cash transactions team, they were responsible for members have been divided into teams and assigned to work with testing the wire transfers going out of the foundation’s account. either the investments, journal entries or cash transactions, they After they spent weeks pulling deposit records and wire transtravel to Columbus for a crash course on auditing the Ohio Uni- fer documents, Browning and Sologos read in their review notes versity Foundation. from Plante Moran that they had accidentally tested wire transfers During fall semester, the team of students visits Plante Moran, going into the account. the accounting firm that has been auditing every entity of Ohio “It’s little stuff like that where you really need to understand the University since 2008, to get a run-down of its responsibilities business that you’re auditing and you need to understand what and basic auditing concepts. you’re looking for,” Sologos says. Danny Sklenicka, who graduated from And although it may have been an embarthe College of Business in 2007, is one of rassing mistake, Browning says it’s experiences three professionals from Plante Moran who such as that one that makes the SOX 404 Felreviews the auditing work done by the SOX lows program valuable. 404 Fellows. He and his team prepare a “As soon as we got that feedback, we were four-hour presentation to give the students like, ‘Duh, that makes sense,’ ” Browning says. a full understanding of what they expect the “But it lets you make those silly mistakes before final product to look like by the end of tax going into your first internship.” season. After that meeting, Plante Moran After months of tireless testing, the co-dileaves the SOX 404 Fellows to work and rectors submit work papers from each team to problem solve on their own until the comthe Plante Moran Collaboration website and pleted audit is reviewed in February. wait roughly a month for Sklenicka and his “They’re dealing with real numbers, team to review their work. Members use the real donations, real investments to the review notes to not only improve their indiFoundation, so we really stress that to vidual performances, but also as a way to help them,” Sklenicka says. “When you’re going future members better complete the audit. through your classes, you’re kind of learnBrowning and Sologos both remember telling ing the building blocks, the foundation of their wire transfer mistake to this year’s cash the house, but then when they go to in- DANNY SKLENICKA transactions team, and they say sharing their ternships or work with the SOX program PLANTE MORAN ADVISOR TO review notes and experiences between groups they take all those concepts learned in the has helped propel the organization forward. SOX 404 FELLOWS classroom, and it’s real.” “That’s the ultimate goal — is that each year it Although each team audits a different portion of the Ohio Uni- gets a little better, the students get that affinity for it, the work prodversity Foundation, all members test and analyze every financial uct gets better, they have a better understanding of what they’re statement to ensure the documentation is accurately reported. doing,” Sklenicka says. “The goal of the program is to keep passing Members scan through thousands of journal entries, donation that knowledge along and keep building good skills.” statements and cash withdrawals to confirm that funds were acLong nights of sorting through documents and marking spreadcounted for and used properly. sheets are paying off, as having auditing experience while in school When junior members start testing their first major audit, gives members a significant advantage when applying for internmost have not yet taken auditing courses through the School ships or jobs. And accounting firms throughout the country are of Accountancy. Their basic comprehension of accounting ter- taking notice. Every senior member of the 2016 SOX 404 Fellows minology and skills are fast-tracked by the program, and ju- program has accepted employment offers following graduation, nior staffers rely on direction from members who were in their with five dispersed across the four biggest accounting firms in the positions the previous year. world, two working for Fortune 500 corporations and one work“That part is really cool because it gives the upperclassmen ing for a large regional accounting firm. a chance to teach those principles, and it also gives the un“I would say I feel more confident doing accounting work [after derclassmen a chance to learn outside of a classroom setting,” SOX],” Browning says. “It’s been really great to have a long, gradBrowning says. ual learning process instead of just being thrown into the deep Although SOX 404 Fellow members are treated as professional end and hoping I don’t drown.” b
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The goal of the program is to keep passing that knowledge along and keep building good skills.”
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THE DROP
Interlaced with Community Rocky Brands lends a helping hand to the city of Nelsonville through various outreach initiatives. BY ZACHARY BERRY | PHOTOS BY JILLY BURNS
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he single-family home at 379 Elizabeth St. is the 15th house constructed through the Habitat for Humanity program in Nelsonville, Ohio. However, when the build began in 2013, the project presented a new experience for Athens County’s Habitat branch. It was the first of the local initiatives to be sponsored by a single corporation. The house’s construction relied entirely upon funding, donations and volunteers provided by Rocky Brands Inc. Rocky Brands, a national company that specializes in outdoor footwear and accessories, is constantly looking for ways to give back to the city of Nelsonville where its corporate headquarters is located. That relationship is reciprocal in many ways, as Rocky Brands has received support from the Nelsonville community several times throughout its history. “The company is completely intertwined with the community,”
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says Sarah Milligan, vice president of sales and operations for Rocky’s Lehigh Outfitters brand. “I think that the company very much owes its existence to the community, and vice versa.” The origin of Rocky Brands dates back to 1932 when William Brooks established his own shoe company in Nelsonville. But soon after the operation began, it faced what might have been its untimely end. Taxes accumulated for the headquarters, and they soon reached an excess of $30,000. Brooks, whose operation was feeling the full effects of the Great Depression, was unable to pay the taxes, and the future looked bleak. “That was essentially the end of the company,” Milligan says. “But the community rallied around the company and raised the funds to pay the taxes.”
After the struggle of its early years, the business began to flourish. The company changed its name from the William Brooks Shoe Company to Rocky Brands Inc. It also incorporated several other brands into its operation, including Georgia Boot, Durango, Creative Recreation and Lehigh Outfitters. As Rocky Brands prospered, its staff began to look for a way to give back to the community that had saved it. Eventually, the company established the Rocky Community Improvement Fund (RCIF), an initiative by its employees to raise money for various community projects, such as the Habitat for Humanity build. Milligan has served as the chairperson of the RCIF since its creation in 2009. According to the RCIF website, the fund has awarded over $320,000 to non-profit organizations since May of the same year. Additionally, Rocky Brands is an active partner of Nelsonville’s Hocking College. The boot business has helped the community college organize several events and programs, including the Hocktoberfest fall festival. “We’ve worked with Hocking College for years,” says Kevin Dotson, retail manager for the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store and president of the Nelsonville City Council. “We work with their culinary departments and their police departments, [as well as with] many of the student organizations.” However, Rocky Brands does not hold as close of a relationship with Ohio University. Dotson says this is probably because Hocking College is Nelsonville’s local college. “For Ohio University, I think that we don’t necessarily tap into the resources that are there for internships and job funneling,” Milligan says. “I think that there’s probably a lot more we could do to build on that relationship.” Finding employees with technical knowledge is one of the corporation’s greatest challenges, especially because its corporate headquarters is located in rural Southeast Ohio. “In our industry, we need very technical people,” Milligan says. “I think it’s sometimes difficult to find very skilled people because most of those people are moving into more of the urban areas and are not necessarily willing to live here.” Nevertheless, Milligan explains that the company’s rural location has its fair share of strengths as well. “We have a long heritage as an outdoor brand, and we are in the most beautiful area in the country,” she says. “So I think this is a very inspirational environment for a lot of our products.” Southeastern Ohio is not only inspirational for the Rocky Brands employees, but also for its visitors. Hunters, hikers and nature lovers travel to the region to participate in several outdoor activities. In order to obtain the supplies they need, visitors often travel to the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store in Nelsonville. “A lot of people stay at Hocking Hills, and they want to visit our store,” says Shelley Adams, a sales associate at the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store. In addition to the store’s proximity to the great outdoors, the boots themselves bring people to the Nelsonville location. “I own three pairs of Rocky Boots,” says Dylan Pratt, who travels three hours from Wyandot County to purchase boots in Nelsonville. “They have really great comfort, and they are tough and very durable.” What ultimately makes the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store a destination for many tourists is the distinct layout of the structure it is housed in. The large building was once the main
boot factory for Rocky Brands Inc. The first floor layout still resembles a factory floor, and the walls of the building are decorated with pictures of the old factory “You can’t go to a city and shop somewhere like this,” Dotson says. “This is a completely unique building.” However, the conversion of the Rocky Boot Factory into the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store did not initially have a positive reaction from the local population. Until 2001, the boots that Rocky Brands sold were assembled in the Nelsonville boot factory. Due to increasing manufacturing costs, the company made the difficult decision to permanently shut down the boot factory. That decision caused a rocky relationship to form between the company and many of the people in Nelsonville, who feared that the factory’s closure would take business and jobs away from the area. “The fact of the matter is that the decision to close the factory was probably the hardest thing that our company has ever gone through,” Milligan says. “… It was something essential for survival, and it has allowed us to do the things we have done since then.” Although the factory’s shutdown may have slightly strained the solid relationship between Rocky Brands and the Nelsonville community, the employees of Rocky Brands Inc. have remained dedicated to reaching out to the community that they have ultimately become a part of. “This is our hometown,” Dotson says. “We support it, and we want to make it grow and thrive. That’s what helps us grow and thrive.” b
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I think there’s a little bit more individuality again, like there was in the ’60s, where people are kind of expressing themselves in the way that they dress.”
ENTERTAINMENT
LISA WILLIAMS LECTURER OF HUMAN AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
STITCHES in TIME
BY ALEXANDRA GREENBERG | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY OHIO UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES ARCHIEVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Backdrop takes a walk down memory lane and looks back on fashion trends through the years.
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n 1965, members of the Ohio University chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity took their yearbook photo in dark suits, white shirts and dark ties that accentuated their crew cuts. Just over 10 years later in 1978, that same fraternity posed in T-shirts and cut-off jeans and sported beards and Afros. A few members may have even posed with joints. Bill Kimok, university archivist and records manager, likes to use that example to demonstrate just how much fashion at OU changed from the ’60s to the ’70s. It became a lot more casual in that time period, and that trend continues to exist on campus today. Prior to the 1960s, fashion at OU was pretty formal. Females often wore long dresses and skirts while men sported button-up shirts and ties. However, when the counterculture of the mid1960s hit, it became a lot more casual. Students –– including women –– started to wear pants and shorts. “[It was] a little bit more of a sexual revolution, too, so we get a little bit more exposure of skin than there had been prior,”
lecturer of human and consumer sciences Lisa Williams says. “[It was] a little less modest.” The trend of casual fashion continued into the 1970s, when OU students wore bell-bottoms, T-shirts and denim cutoffs. Women usually had long, straight hair and men weren’t as strict with their facial hair. It was drastically different from the past decade. Williams says the casual nature of fashion in the 1970s carried into the 1980s, when jeans became the most popular trend among college students and the general population alike. A quick glance into any of the Athena Yearbooks from the 1980s can confirm that. In the ’80s, shoulder pads, neon colors, spandex and sweaters were also very popular. Ann Paulins, associate dean for research and graduate studies within the Patton College of Education, says instead of the sequins and lace that are often seen on sweaters today, sweaters in the 1980s included interesting weaves and knits that acted as the embellishment, which was more expensive than today’s methods.
“From an industry standpoint, what we see in fashion has developed because of efficiencies in manufacturing,” Paulins says. “You know, OK, this is cheaper to manufacture, or this is an alternative way to have a unique look, but it’s really cheaper to add things on than to incorporate in a more complicated weave or knit.” Regardless of the cost, Williams says some OU students preferred to buy clothes from certain brands in the 1980s. Calvin Klein, Izod, Polo and Lacoste were very common, and Jordash jeans were popular. Women often opted for feathered or permed hair with lots of hairspray. Flannels and baggier clothes took the stage in the 1990s at OU. T-shirts, hoodies and overalls were popular, and similar to the ’80s, most students preferred certain brands. Calvin Klein remained near the top of the list and was accompanied by brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica and Guess. In the 2000s, students wore bootcut jeans and sweaters, and fashion was similar to 1990s attire. Today, it’s fairly common to see students wearing T-shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters with jeans, leggings, sweatpants and the occasional pair of pajama pants. The iconic workout clothes of the ’80s have become more of an everyday outfit in the 2000s. Instead of throwing on leggings and a tank top to try out the new aerobics tape, students today swap the legwarmers out for regular socks and tennis shoes and head to class. Although there are major trends, college students today often combine trends from previous decades to create styles that are distinct to each individual. “I think there’s a little bit more individuality again, like there was in the ’60s, where people are kind of expressing themselves in the way that they dress,” Williams says. OU students have been expressing themselves as a population for many years, as the small college town isn’t normally on-trend with national or international fashion.
“College campuses tend to be more comfort-oriented, more youth-oriented,” Paulins says. “So, there will be the subtle trends of fashion, but not really anywhere in the Midwest will be the place where you’ll see the first glisten of fashion.” Students don’t typically spend a lot of their incomes on the newest fashion trends because of the economical situations normally present in small college towns. “College students eat their share of ramen noodles and save up to go hit the town, and they’re still used to paying a couple dollars for a beer … so it’s not an expensive place to live,” Paulins says. That being said, there will always be some students who will value the newest styles of clothing over a night out Uptown and will spend their money accordingly. But online shopping has completely changed the way college students discover — and adopt — the newest trends. Something seen on a runway in Paris can be cheaply manufactured, quickly shipped and arrive at the buyer’s doorstep within weeks. Social media also completely changed the way fashion trends reach big cities and small towns alike around the globe. “I think it gives you a lot more perspective about what other people are doing, going on Pinterest or Tumblr or anything like that and seeing what people are wearing in New York or Chicago or LA and being able to create that own image yourself without having to live in that locale,” Williams says. So, what can future Bobcats expect to see on campus in the next few years? They’ll probably see and wear more of the same T-shirts and sweatshirts that have remained popular for decades. Although Paulins says college attire will always follow general fashion trends, being lazy is really what college is all about. “Casual and comfortable are going to win the day, because we don’t have to dress up to go to class,” Paulins says. “And I can’t imagine seeing a time where people are going to start saying, ‘We should dress up to go to class.’ ” b
1985
1994
Fashion through the ages
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1976
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PIZZA DIP
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
6 ounces ricotta cheese 3/4 cup pizza or marinara sauce 6 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend (such as mozzarella and parmesan) Pepperoni slices (optional)
35 MINS
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the ricotta cheese evenly across the bottom of a baking dish that is no more than 6 inches wide. Next, pour the sauce directly on top, and spread it evenly. Distribute all of the shredded cheese on top (be generous), and layer the top with pepperoni slices, if desired. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden-brown and bubbling. Serve warm with corn chips, pita chips or flatbread triangles.
BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP (DORM FRIENDLY) INGREDIENTS:
8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot (or any buffalo) sauce 3/4 cup ranch dressing 1 can chunk chicken breast
10 MINS
DIRECTIONS:
D.I.Y. Dips Get the scoop on these easy-to-make dip recipes. BY EMILY MCINTYRE | PHOTOS BY STEVEN POZZ
W
ith finals just around the corner, it can be tempting to hit up campus markets or the grocery store for convenient processed and prepackaged snacks. However, choosing the right snack to fuel hours of studying is just as important as choosing the correct Scantron spaces on that Econ test. Whip up these quick, easy and portable dips to power through your studies. Sharing with group project partners: optional. b
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In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese. Combine, then microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until the cheese is melted and creamy (reheat if necessary). Gradually add in the buffalo sauce and ranch dressing. Stir thoroughly until all lumps are gone. Drain the can of chunk chicken breast, then dump it into a separate small bowl. Break up the chunks with a fork until the chicken reaches a shredded texture. Add the chicken to the buffalo mixture and stir together until completely combined. Serve warm or at room temperature with sliced veggies, crackers or tortilla chips.
FUNFETTI DIP (DORM FRIENDLY) INGREDIENTS:
1 (18.9-ounce) box Funfetti cake mix 2 cups nonfat plain Greek yogurt 1 cup lite Cool Whip, thawed
DIRECTIONS:
5 MINS
In a large bowl, add cake mix, yogurt and Cool Whip. Mix well with a spatula until all lumps disappear. It’s best served cold, so cover with foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least four hours. If you just can’t wait, consume immediately. Serve chilled with fruit, animal crackers or graham crackers. *Remember to refrigerate all leftovers!
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“
FOOD
It’s what we grew up on. It’s our favorite; we love it.” MIKE YOUNG CO-OWNER OF FRANCO’S PIZZA
Just a
Pizza History Franco’s Pizza brings signature Italian and New York-style pies to Court Street. BY KATIE KINGERY | PHOTOS BY SARAH WAGNER
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*Editor’s note: After reporting on the story concluded, the writer was offered and accepted a job at Franco’s Pizza.
B
iting into a slice of New York-style pizza from Franco’s Pizza is like entering into a new chapter of Athens history. Instantly, each taste bud gives over to complete euphoria as the sweet tanginess of the sauce and the unmistakable freshness of the mozzarella hit the palate. The pepperoni, sliced inhouse, is perfectly spicy and the cheese is so fresh and hot that it pools onto the plate from both sides of the slice. In contrast, the Sicilian thick crust pizza is cut into squares and full of flavor. The crust is a perfect balance of doughy and crispy, and it holds together the vast amount of toppings and cheese that crowd the center. The restaurant strives to serve a distinct menu, offering both New York and Italian-style pizza. Franco’s Pizza also uses a recipe that has thrived for over 50 years. The pizzeria opened its Court Street location on March 11, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held by the Chamber of Commerce. After an abundance of pictures and last-minute adjustments, the shop opened its doors. Customers were eager to be some of the first to try a slice from Franco’s Pizza after they smelled the fresh dough from outside. “We hand-grind our tomatoes, we grate our cheese, we handslice all our pepperoni,” co-owner Marty Parsons says. “It’s made fresh every day. We make our dough by hand; everything is done by hand.” Franco Scotto, a 72-year-old Italian native who opened up a pizza joint in New York City after he moved there in the 1960s, has passed down both his recipe and legacy for making good pizza.
After moving to Parkersburg, West Virginia, to raise a family, he opened another pizza shop named The Pizza Place, where Mike Young and Parsons worked as teenagers. Young and Parsons are now two of the three co-owners of Franco’s Pizza. They both started working for Scotto when they were 15 years old, and they made and ate the same pizza they serve today. “It’s what we grew up on. It’s our favorite; we love it,” Young says. After Young worked for years at The Pizza Place alongside Scotto, he met his wife and they’ve been together for 22 years. However, both he and Parsons grew out of the pizza business and their lives moved in different directions. Nearly a decade after they last spoke, Young called Parsons and asked what he always wanted to do with his life. Parsons answered, “I’ve always wanted to have a pizza place. It makes me happy; I love making pizza. I mean I like people, that’s what I like to do.” “We’ve all gotten to the point in our lives where we want to have fun again, work-wise,” Young says. “Who in their 40s would walk away from what they were doing to do this? Us.” So, the two pizza lovers dropped everything and started looking for a place to open up shop. After six months of waiting for a spot in Athens to open, Young, Parsons and the third co-owner, Michael Alexander, finally established their business in Lancaster, Ohio. But during a quick visit to Court Street, they asked around about the seemingly empty Kiser’s Barbeque, and it seemed that they had an in. Because Sean Kiser decided to expand the catering aspect of his business, Young worked out a deal with him. And with that, Franco’s Pizza got the competitive location it was looking for, nestled on the south end of Court Street. But to Parsons and Young, it isn’t all about the money; it’s more about the pizza and the atmosphere. “We want to cater to the kids and the locals,” Young says. “And to offer good pizza.” According to Parsons, it takes a while to become a good pizza man. He has been like a second son to Scotto, and Parsons has been making pizza for nearly 20 years. Scotto taught him the “old school” way of pizza making. “He just kind of always told me, you know, you can go make my pizza. … Make it exactly like I do,” Parsons says. It took a lot of hard work, but the co-owners have established a comfortable and simple place to share their passion for making good pizza with the local community. “Look at two guys that have worked since they were teenagers and worked hard,” Young says. “We are trying to live a childhood dream. We’ve always wanted to do this.” “Our mission statement is ‘Never give up on your dream.’ That’s just being honest,” Young says. “You gotta have fun with what you’re doing in life to make money.”
Two days after the shop’s opening, a line of students, faculty, locals and visitors stretched from the counter to the front door, each of them eager to taste of the “Best New York Style Pizza in Athens.” “I’ve only taken one bite and it’s all I’ve ever wanted out of a slice of pizza,” Ohio University student Jacob Fayette says. As the restaurant continues to draw in new customers, Franco’s Pizza seems to have a promising future in the Athens food scene. “We just want to have a nice place for everybody to come, eat and enjoy great pizza,” Parsons says. b
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FOOD
Healthy Eats STORY & PHOTOS BY EMMA JENKINS
Athens’ Streets
Breakfast Enchilada At the corner of Court Street and West State Street sits Casa Nueva, a restaurant that is home to Athens’ most popular, locally grown Mexican cuisine. In fact, the authentic Mexican taste can even be found in the earlier hours of the day. Casa’s breakfast menu, served from 8 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. on weekends, includes an assortment of bold flavors. One of the most notable morning menu items is the Breakfast Enchilada. Served with a hefty side of black beans, the dish includes a two-layer, stacked enchilada with eggs, cheese, onions and bell peppers, topped off with any choice of salsa. This dynamic enchilada is a great gluten-free option with the choice of one of Casa’s many gluten-free salsas.
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Looking for healthier options in Athens? Dig into these alternatives to typical easy eats.
Thai Bowl A step inside The Fluff Bakery on Court Street will reveal a strong scent of coffee, a cozy atmosphere and a glass bakery display case that takes up nearly half of the floor. Fluff is known for its delicious pastries; however, the menu expands beyond the typical sweet-tooth options. Fluff actually offers an assortment of lunch and dinner options as well, all of which are made using locally grown ingredients. The Thai Bowl is one of the most unique options on the menu. One bite offers an explosion of flavor. The bowl is composed of a base of steamed vegetables and jasmine rice, topped with rich peanut sauce, lime juice and cilantro. The tasty bowl also includes an addition of smoked tofu, roasted chicken or smoked pork. Available for the price of $9, this is a worthy, healthy lunch alternative. Timing is key, though, because Fluff’s kitchen closes at 3 p.m. every day.
Pomegranate Sunset Smoothie
Clafouti
Whit’s is known for its frozen custard, made fresh in the store on Court Street every day. However, the corner store creamery offers more sweets beyond its Whitsers and cones. Whit’s menu includes a fruit smoothie selection, which uses the same fresh fruit ingredients that are used as toppings in the custard dishes. One of the more savory smoothies is the Pomegranate Sunset, simply made with fresh berries, fruit juice and ice. Pair this smoothie with a triple berry muffin to satisfy your fruity cravings.
Located on East State Street, Village Bakery is a quaint spot to eat during any hour of the day. The restaurant uses sustainably grown ingredients in all of its menu options, always reflecting what is currently in season. The Sunday brunch menu, available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., offers a plethora of mid-morning treats, including the Clafouti, a specialty from Limousin, France. The brunch exclusive is a baked fruit crepe, made in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven. Topped with Village Bakery’s maple-vanilla whipped cream, this dish is sure to leave taste buds satisfied.
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b FEATURE
Faces throughout
the Nation
An OU student explores the diversity that lies within the U.S. with the help of his bike. BY CHEYENNE BUCKINGHAM | PHOTOS BY MAX CATALANO
O
hio University junior Michael Mayberry took a semester off of school to travel more than 10 thousand miles over the course of six months. Throughout his travels, his focus was exploring the diversity among the American people. Averaging 55 miles per day, Mayberry conquered his expedition in a nontraditional manner — he covered the entire distance on his Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle. As a student in the Honors Tutorial College, Mayberry is required to write a 125-page thesis by the time he graduates in May 2017. He heard about the Provost Undergraduate Research Fund, which provides funding for students’ research or creative activities, and formulated the idea to use the grant money to fund a bike tour as the topic of his thesis. Initially, he aimed to make the trip a summer commitment, traveling from Maine to Washington, but he chose to extend it into fall once his proposal was accepted. “I wanted to see all of these different geographic regions of the United States because they are so vastly different: geographically, demographically, economically, socially,” Mayberry says. “I definitely see the trip as an opportunity to develop some original writing based on my experiences traveling around.” Eric LeMay, assistant professor of English and Mayberry’s faculty mentor for his thesis, raves about the topic and its
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distinctive quality. “I initially thought Michael had hit an exciting idea: bike across the country and show his readers America from behind the basket on the handlebars of his bicycle. … I know he’ll end up creating something surprising and rich,” LeMay says. Mayberry started his cross-country journey on May 24 when his father drove him from Columbus, Ohio, to the coast of Maine. From there, Mayberry biked across the northern states to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. He then wound down the Pacific Coast to Marrow Bay in California, just north of San Luis Obispo and roughly two-thirds of the way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Finally, he wrapped around the southwestern states, covering a great deal of Texas, hugging the gulf coast and finishing in Florida, where he ended at his aunt, uncle and grandmother’s home. Although the trip gave Mayberry the opportunity to view breathtaking landscapes up close, the English major set forth on his travels for a different reason. “I think the main reason why I wanted to do the bike tour is because I wanted to meet people that I would not have met if I stayed in school,” Mayberry says. During his travels, Mayberry made connections with countless people of all different socio-economic statuses, di-
alects, challenges and lifestyles. Day one of his trip marked the inception of a long list of people that he would become acquainted with and each person had a story to share. As his first day on the trip came to a close, he referred to the Adventure Cycling Maps, which are specifically designed for cross-country touring. The maps provided the number of a couple named Alex and Diane in Belfast, Maine, who would permit him to camp outside in their yard for the evening. He called and after an awkward conversation, Mayberry found out that Diane had left Alex about a week and half prior. “I think he was pretty eager for someone to talk to in general,” Mayberry says. Mayberry traveled to Alex’s house, and two hours and a bottle of wine later, he had immersed himself into Alex’s past. He learned that Alex worked as a social worker on a native reservation in Idaho before being drafted into the Vietnam War. At that time, he and the tribal counsel were incredibly frustrated with the way the government interacted with the reservation. As an act of rebellion, he and one of the tribal leaders loaded a biplane with horse manure and dumped it on the specified federal buildings. Two weeks later, he received his draft notice. Alex humored Mayberry with more of his outrageous endeavors. As a medic during the war, his expertise prevailed when a king cobra mercilessly bit his arm during an ambush by the Viet Cong. After he drank anti-venom — which he conveniently had on his person — and the gunshots dissipated, Alex returned to the foxhole that the cobra had plunged from and found the snake dead.
“He performed an autopsy on the snake to determine why the snake died. It turns out the snake had died from anaphylactic shock, which would mean an allergy to Alex’s skin, so he basically killed the snake. … He had all sorts of stories,” Mayberry explains. It’s people such as Alex that made the trip interesting for Mayberry. “I saw a lot of the country and heard a lot of stories that I want to share with people, because I want other people to be able to meet the people that I met,” he says. Towering at about 6 feet 2 inches tall with a thick, muscular build and a mane of blonde hair, Mayberry definitely did not go unnoticed on the roads, especially when riding a jet-black bicycle with bright orange bags strapped to the racks of the frame. Through New England and the Midwest, he rode along small country roads and back roads. In the Southwest and the northern states, though, his paths of travel were limited, and he had to cycle alongside highways and interstates. In North Dakota and Montana, he rode on the Hi-Line, also known as U.S. Highway 2, which has only two lanes and a speed limit of 70 mph. There were times when drivers tried to run him off of the road, honking as they whizzed closely past. That kind of behavior contributed to his biggest fear while on the trip: getting hit by a car. As he progressed through each county and state, he became more attentive to how peoples’ cultures influenced the way they perceived him. Cycling every day with no guarantee of finding an official campsite made Mayberry’s showers infrequent; therefore, his cleanliness was not always top-notch.
Michael’s Journey 6 months | 10,000 miles | 55 miles per day
Hi-Line Highway Michael’s Route
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At times, he realized his appearance and smell inhibited his interactions with people, which made it inconvenient to take breaks inside facilities. He recalls stopping into a WalMart where one of the workers stopped by him and said, “Wow! Something reeks!” But that’s the price Mayberry paid for cycling day in and day out. It eventually became a monotonous routine for him. “This experience of riding the bike everyday seems like a novelty, but when you are actually in it, it is your everyday,” Mayberry says. “There is a lot of boredom. There was one thing I had to do, [and that] was to keep moving, basically.” He emphasizes that although the trip itself sounds riveting, not every day included breathtaking views. He ref lects on the images he saw through a realistic lens. “There’s this romanticization about what it’s like to be traveling free and exploring the vast countryside,” Mayberry says. “It’s not like a pretty picture at all because let’s be honest, if you are looking at like a beautiful sunset on Lake Erie, you are going to be just as concerned or conscious of the f lies and the mosquitoes buzzing on your skin.” The environments Mayberry passed through varied between aesthetically appealing and impoverished. In North Dakota, though, he witnessed something alarming. “That was one of the things that was really kind of weird about the trip: biking through fracking country in North Dakota. … The [oil] wells look so peaceful and benign, just bobbing gently,” Mayberry says. “But you can smell gas, really noxious fumes, coming out from the wells.” Toward the end of his trip, Mayberry ran out of money. Rather than panic and call his parents for immediate assistance, he chose to embrace the setback and see how long he could go without having his own stash. He ran out of cash just east of Austin, Texas, when he tried to pay for two sausage McMuffins and a coffee at McDonald’s and his card got denied. He quickly checked his bank statement from his phone and found he had nothing in his account. For the next week and a half, he did not refill it so he could experience what many Americans across the country endure on a daily basis. “I was basically just like dumpster diving and trying to find free meals at churches,” Mayberry says. “Over the course of the trip I was meeting a lot of vagrants: people on the streets that had way less than I did.” People helped him out on random occasions, mostly because they were impressed by what he was accomplishing on the tour. Mayberry recalls one encounter that struck him as funny. He stopped briefly at a gas station in Texas to refill his water supply when two people standing outside in medieval Renaissance attire approached him. “I think they were just kind of drunk and in a good mood, and they gave me $40, but they did not know at that point that I was out of money. They were just kind of excited about my trip and wanted to help me out,” Mayberry says. He made it from 70 miles east of Austin to New Orleans with an empty bank account. Because of his sparse and inconsistent food intake, he had to hitchhike, or hitch-bike as he calls it, for half of a day because he could not consume enough calories to sustain the mileage. Despite all of the people Mayberry connected with on his trip, he admits that he walked into each conversation knowing he
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was probably never going to see that person again. Yet he did not let that hinder the strength of the relationships he established while cruising across the country, and he plans on staying in touch with many of the people he met. “Every time I met a person I knew that they would be out of my life pretty soon,” Mayberry says. “And that’s not to say that it, like, cheapens or makes our interaction less authentic or anything, but having that foreknowledge going into an interaction. … It’s sad to always leave these people.” He says that he did not begin to feel lonely until three or four months into the trip, and until that point he had convinced himself that the human interaction he was having on a daily basis was sufficient. But those meaningful interactions were short-lived. “There were no days where I thought I could not do it or I felt like quitting because I was just trying to focus more day-to-day,” Mayberry says. “[But] humans are designed to engage with the same people and deepen their relationships over time, and when you don’t have that, it is not exactly adequate social connection.” Mayberry kept his mind occupied by listening to a collection of podcasts and literature during his trip. His favorites include “This American Life,” which is a popular journalismbased podcast, and “Brothers Karamazov,” which is a lengthy Russian novel. Mayberry speaks Russian fluently, which he learned from his mother who is from Russia, and he says the trip enabled him to become more in tune with his Russian heritage and identity. “I think [it was] the fact that I was always an outsider. I was always coming into these communities with somewhat of an outsider’s perspective, so it made me really think about my own identity and what it is I call myself,” Mayberry says. His mother, Anastasia Mayberry, was pleasantly surprised to hear that while on his journey, he developed more pride for his Russian background. “He was always trying to reject his Russian half, trying to blend in when he was growing up,” she says. When he returned home, friends and family members asked if he felt like the trip changed him. He believes his father provided the best response, which Mayberry recalls him saying, “He doesn’t really seem different. He just seems more so.” “Which I think is pretty accurate,” Mayberry says. “I don’t feel like a different person at all. I just feel more like myself.” Although his mother was initially fearful of him going on the bike tour, she was ultimately supportive of his ambition to ride cross-country. Both of Mayberry’s parents saw this trip as an opportunity for him to become more independent and to chase after his dreams, literally. “We were just always proud of him and [the trip] was a way for him to fulfill his dreams,” she says. Although not everything he saw was painted in a way a picture may glorify, he gained a greater reward from the trip. He connected with a diverse group of people and become more in touch with himself. “There’s truth to this; you are going to meet all these cool people and see this awesome landscape and feel a connection to the earth that you wouldn’t otherwise,” Mayberry says. “There is truth to all that.” b
“
I wanted to see all of these different geographic regions of the United States because they are so vastly different: geographically, demographically, economically, socially.” MICHAEL MAYBERRY OHIO UNIVERSITY STUDENT
PROVIDED BY MICHAEL MAYBERRY
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b FEATURE
When things get “ruff,” local police officers and their K-9s work to keep people safe.
I
t isn’t the handguns, Taser guns or other weapons used by police that are most effective in taking down a criminal or suspect. It’s a jet-black, wet nose. Don’t be fooled by its cuteness — that animal is here to work. Since the Athens Police Department’s K-9 unit became defunct in August 2014, Athens County has integrated canines into two local police units to create the safest community possible. A dog’s powerful sense of smell is what makes it the bread and butter of law enforcement, especially when it comes to narcotics and bomb detection. Writer Peter Tyson with NOVA scienceNOW, a division of pbs.org, says that dogs have about 300 million olfactory receptors in their noses, and humans only have about 6 million. Furthermore, the portion of the canine brain that’s dedicated to examining scents is 40 times larger than that of a human. “We just smell the overall smell of what we’ve known as pizza growing up,” Athens County Sheriff Deputy John Kulchar explains. “A dog smells dough, it smells pepper, it smells oregano, it smells the sauce, the cheese [and] the pepperoni. It smells every individual thing.”
MEET DEPUTY KULCHAR
PAWS ON
PATROL BY EMILY MCINTYRE | PHOTOS BY SARAH WILLIAMS
24
When Kulchar was attending the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, he was provided with some contacts for a chance to connect with the Athens City Police Department. One night he tagged along with APD K-9 handler Kryshea Osborne and her K-9 Jersey. “I don’t know how she didn’t kick me out of her car, because all I was doing was just asking questions,” Kulchar says. “Finally by the end of the night, she was like, ‘Do you want to come to training and see how it works?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah!’ ” Both Osborne and Jersey retired from the force in the summer of 2014, and Kulchar is now the Athens County Sheriff’s Office’s only K-9 handler. The stocky, yet muscular officer worked with his first K-9, a Belgian Malinois named Ryder, for almost two years. Tragically, he lost Ryder and a young puppy, Bane, in a fire that destroyed his home last April. Though it was not an easy transition for Kulchar, he began to visit Storm Dog Tactical, a K-9 training center in Columbus a few times a week just to be around dogs. In July, Kulchar was assigned his most recent K-9 partner, a Dutch Shepherd named Ijo, after completing six weeks of training with the dog. On March 25, the Athens Messenger reported that Ijo will no longer be allowed to work in Athens County after he bit an inmate at Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail during a drug search. According to Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith, the bite was unprovoked and Kulchar did not instruct Ijo to bite the inmate. The incident was under investigation at the time this issue of Backdrop was published. Ijo was the only dual-purpose dog in Athens County, which means his main purpose was narcotics detection, and his second purpose was in the realm of street patrol. Kulchar and Ijo spent a lot of time at home practicing narcotics, tracking and other drills using scent detection boxes, buried substances and other items. “The training company I’m with, we’ve rose to the point where we’re going to U.S. Army bases and teaching them how to train their dogs,” he says. “If you want to get better and rise above and stay on a certain level, you have to train on that level.”
THE BOMB SQUAD About three years ago, the Ohio University Police Department discussed bringing a K-9 explosion-detection program to campus as part of its overall effort to increase campus safety. Thanks to a grant from Ohio Homeland Security, that became a reality. Officer Tim Woodyard, who has been with OUPD for 15 years, wanted to take advantage of the opportunity that presented a different experience from his regular office work. Once he was hired, he started training on Aug. 4, 2014, with his new
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“
I’m like a fat kid with a chocolate cupcake every day I get to come to work.” JOHN KULCHAR ATHENS COUNTY SHERIFF DEPUTY
four-legged partner — a rescued Labrador retriever mix named Alex. “There was a lot into it more than just dog handling. You kind of want to know what people would be looking for when they’re going to hide an explosive,” Woodyard says. OUPD also brought in a second bomb detection K-9, a Belgian Malinois named Brody, and his handler Officer Adam Hoffman during late fall of 2014. Both dogs are solely trained on odor detection to sniff out explosives, which consist of substances such as C4, dynamite and other powders; it is up to their handler to guide them and make sure that they are covering every area to the extent that they need to. Despite the fact that they were assigned separate dogs, Woodyard and Hoffman had to complete the same 10-week training program. In their training, the two OUPD officers learned about dogs, explosives, bombs and placements. “A lot of departments only have one dog. There’s several that have two, but the benefit in having two dogs is enormous, because we get to train together like this every day, where some departments only have one dog and have to train by themselves,” Hoffman says. Woodyard and Hoffman intentionally overlap their shifts for two hours each day. That allows them to take turns hiding explosives and they offer each other insight on what they’re doing well or poor on, which is extremely important when they frequently collaborate on duty. Three-year-old Alex and 2-year-old Brody often team up with other bomb-sniffing dogs from Athens and Columbus for particularly large events, such as football games at Peden Stadium or community functions such as Red, White & BOOM! on the Fourth of July in Columbus. One or two dogs usually aren’t enough to provide adequate security, so the more wet noses, the better. On a sunny afternoon at Bob Wren Stadium, Brody pulls Hoffman into the men’s bathroom. As the audible sound of his heavy sniffing fills the air, Brody weaves in and out of every single stall while Woodyard observes from afar. “Usually what we do when we come into a room is we let the dog sniff whatever he wants to sniff,” Hoffman explains. He snaps his fingers, tapping each bathroom sink and soap dispenser before Brody leaps to investigate. “[The dog’s] not going to understand that this suitcase needs better checked than say, something you can see into. … It is a team effort; if the dog was on his own, he would be done with the room real quick and not check it thoroughly enough,” Woodyard adds.
FURRY FOREIGNERS Woodyard says that as far as he knows, Alex is the only rescue K-9 used in southeast Ohio by a police agency. Ijo, Ryder and Brody all came from overseas, the reason being that their drive to work — even as a puppy —
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comes straight from their native bloodline, because just about every dog in their family tree is bred to work. Since Ijo and Ryder were both born in France, they learned their basic commands in French. It’s ultimately up to the handler to decide whether to keep or change the language for specialized commands. In a situation like Kulchar’s where he already knew French commands from working with Ryder, he chose to build upon the repertoire that Ijo had already learned. Sticking to the dog’s native language has its advantages, such as the criminal or suspect having difficulty replicating the foreign commands. The dog recognizes the handler’s voice, much like someone would recognize his or her mother’s or father’s voice. On the other hand, Brody comes from the Netherlands and his commands are in German. Ohio Homeland Security has a contract with a private trainer who traveled to Holland. After screening a number of Belgian Malinois dogs, he picked his top five, brought them back to the U.S., and trained them on the odors and basic commands. After five weeks of that, Hoffman and Brody trained as handler and K-9 for another five weeks before they officially started with OUPD. “We make it look easy, but we’ve been doing it for a while,” Hoffman says as he smiles down at Brody.
KNOW YOUR DOG Although training is crucial, the handler and dog must have a rock-solid relationship. Just as no two individuals are alike, dogs also have their fair share of differences that extend beyond breed, size and color. “[If] Adam takes Alex, they’re no longer a certified team. If I take Brody, we’re no longer a certified team,” Woodyard explains. “Just because of the amount of time you spend with that dog, the idea is you’re gonna know when he’s sick, you’re gonna know when he’s too hot to keep going, [and] you’re gonna know when his behavior changes.” Kulchar notes that Ryder had a distinct alert response when something or someone has been detected. “Dogs can’t talk, but they can talk with their body language. If I was doing like an area search or building search with Ryder, he had a little quirk where … he would get like two body shakes, and then he’d lock up, and then he’d start barking,” Kulchar says. Unlike Ryder, Alex and Brody will sit and stare at an explosive when they detect it. Each dog also has his own personality. For example, Hoffman says that Alex gets a little nervous when the cannon is fired at the home football games, while Brody doesn’t mind it at all. Alex is a little slower and gentler than Brody, who tends to be quicker and more aggressive in searching. Of course, no successful find goes without an immediate reward. Brody is a toy reward dog, and Alex is a food reward dog. In the K-9 mind, the job is perceived to be more of a game than work. Surprisingly, those toys aren’t what you would expect to see.
“It’s just a PVC pipe wrapped in a water supply line; they’re just homemade. You can see how chewed up it is. So he’ll go through one once every couple months, and I’ll just make a new one,” Hoffman says. Alex’s praise comes in the form of a handful of kibble. Because the 95-pound lab can get a tad slobbery, Woodyard points to the brown hand towel he keeps on his police belt and laughs.
RISKY WORK = REWARD Aside from the group training that the K-9 units do regionally and locally, the handlers find a lot of their own reward in the things they do with the community. Woodyard and Hoffman educate others on bomb detection and essentially what they do by holding programs and discussions on campus and off campus. Kulchar often visits schools in the area, such as the Alexander Township district where he used to take Ryder. Two days after the house fire killed the officer’s canine comrades, a little boy pointed Kulchar out in the Wal-Mart checkout line to his parents. “Mind you, I’ve not shaved, I had no clothes other than the ones I was wearing the day of the fire. And this kid looks at me like, ‘I know you!’ … The kid’s like, ‘He’s got Ryder!’ ” Kulchar recalls, his blue-gray eyes shimmering in the light from his computer screen. Kulchar explains that it’s those kinds of moments that inspire him the most, knowing his K-9 team “had that impact on kids.” After training at Peden for a while, Woodyard lets go of Alex’s leash, but Alex doesn’t stray from his side. The handler slightly crouches down and softly says, “Hey Alex, you wanna show me where it is?” Alex takes off running through the student section tunnel, then sits and pants heavily in front of a trashcan, where he has found a “hide.” With a grin on his face wider than the whole football field, Woodyard praises Alex, who is hyped up and jumping for joy. The bond created between handler and K-9 is immeasurable and invaluable. It’s clear that the officers love what they do. To them, their work doesn’t feel like work with a wagging tail by their side. “I like when we go to these trainings, and I see him becoming a mature dog,” Woodyard says. “You feel like, ‘Wow, I don’t know when we turned a corner, but we’ve turned a corner.’ ” “I’ll say that everybody loves the bomb dogs. It’s cool to interact with people and be friendly and let people see that police dogs and police officers can be friendly,” Hoffman adds. After working with dogs since the age of 18, Kulchar can’t deny the canine connection he’s experienced either. “I’m like a fat kid with a chocolate cupcake every day I get to come to work,” Kulchar says with a laugh. “It’s an absolute blast.” b
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INFOGRAPHIC
ON THE
BRICKS
Your guide to the upcoming events happening around Athens! BY EMMA JENKINS, CHRIS MANNING AND ADAM MCCONVILLE
#14Fest April 15 - 16
This year’s Number Fest features a brand new two-day event with camping passes available for $30. The lineup, headlined by Fetty Wap, also includes popular artists such as The Chainsmokers, Niykee Heaton and Post Malone.
Thunderbunny 50K May 14 Put on your running shoes for Athens County’s first-ever ultra-marathon, a 50k run that winds through the trails of Stroud’s Run State Park beginning with the Thunderbunny Trail. Other options include a 25k and 12k. Registration closes on May 11 and costs $75 for the 50k, $50 for the 25k and $25 for the 12k.
Nelsonville Music Festival June 2 - 5 Located in the quaint Robbins Crossing historic village, Nelsonville Music Festival is perfect for all music lovers looking for a more personal experience. This year’s four-day event features a dynamic lineup of artists including Randy Newman, Mac Demarco, Gary Clark Jr. and The Tallest Man On Earth.
Home Opener: Southern Ohio Copperheads vs. Cincinnati Steam June 7 The Copperheads, Southeastern Ohio’s only collegiate summer baseball team, play their first home game of the 2016 season on Tuesday, June 7, at Bob Wren Stadium. Admission is free for students with an Ohio ID.
Boogie on the Bricks
11th Annual Ohio Brew Week July 15 - 23 Brew Week brings some of the best breweries from all across Ohio to Athens for eight days of boozy fun. And with every participating bar on Court Street offering different brews, each shuffle offers a chance to discover a new favorite beer.
Athens County Fair August 6 - 13 The Athens County Fair displays the best that Athens has to offer in way of baking, livestock, horticulture and much more in a fun, family-friendly environment.
June 18
Sixth Annual Cruise-In at the Convo
Saturday, May 21 at 9 a.m.
Car show season is just around the corner, which means it’s time for the Sixth Annual Cruise-In at the Convo. With more than 70 vintage cars in attendance last year, the lineup this year looks promising. All proceeds support the Marching 110 and Marching Band Society of Alumni and Friends.
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At local arts and music festival Boogie on the Bricks, members of the Athens community have the chance to visit local vendors, non-profit organizations and a beer garden. The event is set against the backdrop of multiple musical performances that let people of all ages dance the day away on Court Street.
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PHOTO STORY
Back to the Press WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY BRIANNA GRIESINGER
Bobby Rosenstock first found his life’s passion, woodcut prints, on a study abroad trip in Tasmania. Rosenstock is now working full time as a professional woodcutter and printing press shop owner of Just A Jar Design Press in Marietta, Ohio, and has found a way to make a life from his passion. “I realized I wanted to find something in between the commercial and the fine art, gallery worlds,” he says. Using old equipment collected from old print shops, flea markets and garage sales adds to the authenticity of each print. Not only are the methods Rosenstock uses ages old, but so are the presses and lettering type. Each item originates from the 1800s. Just A Jar is centered around the idea of originality as each print is personally inspected each time a new layer of different colored ink is added. Each color is rolled on separately, and the posters slowly come together over the course of a week or a few days, layer by layer.
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TOP LEFT
ABOVE
A collection of ink mixers and rollers hang at an inking station in the Just A Jar workshop.
Each sheet of paper is individually snapped into the roller of the printing press.
LEFT
LEFT
Rosenstock pulls off a large cast iron wheel from a 19th century printing press as he works to repair it.
He stands inside of his workshop.
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LEFT Rosenstock checks the quality of each ink layer on every poster printed, assessing to see if the roller of the printing press has the appropriate amount of ink.
ABOVE He mixes all of his shades of ink from large tubs of the primary colors to create the perfect hue for each print.
LEFT He chisels away at a wood cut for a project for Jack Daniels.
RIGHT Old wood cuts from previous poster designs lay stacked in piles at the back of Rosenstock’s shop.
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SEX & HEALTH
STUDENTS in DISTRESS
OU students discuss their battles with anxiety, an increasingly common disorder among college students across the nation. BY AMANDA WEISBROD | PHOTO BY JILLY BURNS
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ake up — time for class. Grogginess and a complete lack of motivation fall over his resting body like a thick wool blanket. While listing off countless responsibilities and commitments for the day ahead of him, knots of anxiety and tension form in his chest from the mere thought of having to leave his bed. Suddenly, his blanket of indifference and security seems warmer than it did a few moments ago. Not today, he thinks to himself, ignoring the fact that he hasn’t been to class in three days. Falling into the arms of comfortable, non-judgmental sleep, Brady Ratcliffe has completely succumbed to his anxiety. But he is not alone. Many universities nationwide are struggling to keep up with their students’ increasing demands for mental health services. The number of college students seeking mental health treatment has increased at a rate five times larger than the enrollment rate over the past five years, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) at Penn State University in its 2015 annual report. The report also shows that anxiety has surpassed depression as the most common mental health diagnosis among college students. The increase in numbers along with limited space, resources and personnel means that mental health clinics nationwide are busier than ever, reports CCMH. Although friends and family members
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can’t teach the same professional techniques for coping with anxiety as counselors or psychologists, they can serve as another outlet for college students who are feeling stressed, depressed or anxious. They might even pass on some valuable, life-saving advice. One day after class during his sophomore year at Ohio University, Ratcliffe’s criminology professor pulled him aside and asked about his grades. Because she had instructed him in two other courses, she knew something was wrong when he started giving into failure instead of striving for A’s and Bs. When she asked Ratcliffe what was really going on, he broke down because “nobody’s actually asked [him] that in college.” Ratcliffe’s criminology professor didn’t want him to just let that go; she said he needed to talk to someone — anyone — about what he had bottled up inside or he would never get better. “Don’t be afraid to admit that you need help, especially to yourself. That was the hardest part for me. … Honestly, after I got over that hurdle, it opened the path to getting better and learning the ways to cope with [anxiety],” Ratcliffe says. He discovered the main causes of his anxiety were “negative feedback loops,” the cycles of small, negative ideas repeatedly exaggerated in a person’s mind until he or she causes irrational selfloathing, but Ratcliffe also believes that his anxiety stems from feeling like the odd one out as a child, even though he’s never
spoken with a counselor about the origins of his anxiety. University students could start to chip away at those stereotypes. Ratcliffe grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio, with his adoptive par“There’s such a stigma … that people would rather not get help ents, Susan and Brian Ratcliffe. They loved him as their own and and try to deal with it themselves, which can lead to very bad didn’t care that his skin was a darker shade than theirs. things,” Ratcliffe says. “I just wish there was a group on campus … “They’ve loved me unconditionally ever since I could remem- that would … let [people] know that [mental illness] is not a bad ber,” Ratcliffe says. “Ever since I could comprehend the fact that thing. You’re not broken; it’s just the human condition. Nobody’s we were different because they’re both white and I’m black … they perfect. It’s a disease like anything else.” were just like, ‘You’re different than us, but you’re still our child.’ ” Although some students prefer to seek out professional services, But when Ratcliffe started school, other kids would tease others might feel more comfortable with discovering their own him by asking him things like “You’re black, but you act healthy, alternative coping methods. white, so what are you?” Stinging his left wrist a few times with the sharp, swift snap of a “This one black kid called me a ‘white-ass n---a’ once,” Ratcliffe thick rubber band grounds Ratcliffe when he feels a panic attack says. “These things stick with you.” coming on — a trick he picked up from his general practitioner. After he attended a few counseling sessions at the Campus Care But if things are just generally stressful, Ratcliffe likes to think of clinic in Hudson Hall, Ratcliffe decided that he didn’t fit well with advice from his friend, Ohio student Joe Diamond, who also deals the program, so he sought out a general practitioner instead. with anxiety. Junior Kylie Souder, however, found the help she needed through “He was like, ‘What I’ve learned to do is take everything as Hudson’s individual counseling during the spring semester of her just an instance, and think, did this thing happen directly to me sophomore year when she was first diagnosed with panic disorder. or did it happen around me? And if it happened directly to me, “I wasn’t sleeping or eating much at the time because I was then I have a reason to be worried, anxious, angry, whatever,’ ” having recurrent panic attacks every day for some weeks,” Ratcliffe says. “ ‘But if it’s just an event that happened around Souder says. “I had to go get help because there wasn’t re- me and doesn’t have any effect on my life whatsoever, then I can ally another option, and I knew let it roll off my back.’ ” I couldn’t get better on my own.” Throughout high school, RatIn addition to individual counselcliffe learned to ignore the coming, Souder also utilizes Campus ments that other students made Care’s 24-hour hotline whenever she about his race and his family. But feels a panic attack coming on late at when Ratcliffe joined his high night. But when dealing specifically school marching band and found a with anxiety, the clinic offers pertight-knit group of friends, shrugsonal exploration groups, individual ging off insults became easier. He therapy, one-session workshops and, didn’t know it then, but marching its newest addition, Anxiety 101. band would eventually become Introduced by licensed clinical his entire world as he prepared for psychologist Kathryn Conaway, Ohio University’s Marching 110 Campus Care’s Anxiety 101 workauditions the summer before his shop teaches students how to cope freshman year of college. BRADY RATCLIFFE with anxiety through four or five “While I was in band, it was literOHIO UNIVERSITY STUDENT 1.5-hour sessions. Students develop ally my everything,” Ratcliffe says. skills to identify cycles of negative The 2014 marching season was thoughts, recognize the natural cycle Ratcliffe’s last. After five years of anxiety, keep the mind from looping negativities and realize of marching with the drumline on a variety of instruments, he there is no immediate threat. gained better control over his anxiety and found more confidence. “Sometimes what’s really helpful to identify is our pattern of “If I had a bad day, practices [and] performances were the only placthinking that we seem to keep getting stuck on. … It helps people es where nothing else really mattered except for what I was doing. In to really challenge those thoughts and have a natural, more realis- terms of helping with my anxiety, I was forced to leave everything tic counterargument to give themselves,” Conaway says. [on] the sidelines,” Ratcliffe says. “By the end of practice, I would be Souder didn’t have a problem with getting professional help be- of better mind to tackle whatever might have been bothering me.” cause she knew she couldn’t get better on her own. However, some Wake up — time for band. Panic and complete motivation people are afraid of the stigma surrounding mental health issues surge down his spine like a miniature lightening bolt, just and refuse to admit that they need help, according to Conaway. enough to get him on his feet. Pulling on his black practice “I think one of the real difficulties when we’re looking at emo- shorts and tennis shoes for the rehearsal ahead of him, knots tional struggles has to do with the fact that we can’t cut them off. of guilt and tension form in his chest from the mere thought of We actually need our emotions, so I think … it’s important to missing a single note. Suddenly, the electric surge seems more normalize that,” says Conaway, who hopes that the stigma will intense than it did a few moments ago. Don’t be late today, he continue to fade as future generations become more informed thinks, reminding himself that he’s been a few minutes late to about mental health. “We all have anxiety. … Sometimes it does practice three days already this week. come to a place where it is problematic.” Running out the door toward the sound of comfortable, nonEven though Ratcliffe thinks the stigma still affects some peo- judgmental music, Ratcliffe has used his inner-strength to overple’s decisions to seek help, he has an idea for a way that Ohio come his anxiety. b
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You’re not broken; it’s just the human condition. Nobody’s perfect. It’s a disease like anything else.”
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A LOOK AT SOOK
SPORTS
Light blue represents the amentities already present at the university and dark blue represents the additions the Sook Center will provide.
Facility Size (in square ft)
Each ruler represents 1,000 square ft.
Small Study & Tutor Rooms (Holds four students) Each book represents one room.
Large Study Rooms
Each book represents one room.
Computer Lab Stations
Each computer represents four rooms.
Classroom Capacity (number of students) Each person represents five students.
Source: www.campaignforacademicexcellence.com Illustrations by Andie Danesi
OFF THE COURT, IN THE BOOKS Sook Center will offer a private place for athletes to study. BY BRIANA EKANEM | PHOTO PROVIDED BY OHIO ATHLETICS
T
*Editors note: The writer works as a sports information assistant for Ohio Athletics.
ravel, compete, study, sleep and repeat. That is the life of a student-athlete. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that college athletes are students, too. For many student-athletes, managing classroom responsibilities while their sports are in season can be a balancing act with little to no balance at all. With a goal to receive $5.8 million in donations, the Ohio University Athletic Department is building the Perry and Sandy Sook Academic Center to help student-athletes maintain academic success. The facility will be located behind the north end zone of Peden Stadium and serve as a study space specifically for student-athletes. The Sook Center will also host donors during Ohio football games. Alumni Perry and Sandy Sook donated $2.25 million to Ohio in June 2014 after the idea for the Sook Center was pre-
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sented in September. The center will be about 10,000 square feet and will include nine small study and tutor rooms, four large study rooms, 40 computer lab stations and classrooms that will allow for a maximum of 50 students. The project does not currently have a set start date and it is still in the process of getting approved. But, donations continue to roll in from donors who believe in the need for the center and all that it will provide. “I see myself there, especially right now,” says Mike Laster, a sophomore on the Ohio men’s basketball team. “I don’t have a laptop, so I figure the center will be nice so I can go there anytime and do homework when I need to.” Ohio athletes currently have exclusive access to the fourth floor of Peden Tower for one-on-one tutoring or group study sessions. With about 440 student-athletes, the university
claims there is no longer enough room in Peden Tower to accommodate the growing size of the program. Peden Stadium offers 5,000 square feet of space with two small study and tutor rooms and 16 computer lab stations; the largest classroom capacity on the floor allows for just 10 student-athletes. “Right now, the fourth floor [of Peden] is a little crowded,” says Madison Claytor, a junior catcher for the Ohio softball team. “I know some of the girls on our team … don’t like going because there are a lot of distractions. I think the bigger space and the computer labs will help spread it out more so that more athletes are able to go and kind of do their own thing and not be mixed in with everyone necessarily.” For warm-weather sports such as softball, playing over 50 games in a grueling four and a half month span is normal. As of March 22, the Bobcats have already participated in three three-day softball tournaments in South Carolina and North Carolina since the start of their spring season in mid-February, and have traveled as far as Texas in early March. “Time management is key,” Claytor says. “I have definitely learned that over the years. Sometimes the schoolwork builds up and you have to make up tests and it can all be hard with missing classes.” Head coach Jodi Hermanack requires the Ohio softball team to participate in study tables while on the road in an effort to accommodate the team’s class work. Freshmen studentathletes are also required to commit eight hours of study time
per week on the fourth floor of Peden Stadium. That obligation is to ensure the squad stays on track to meet all academic requirements. Every year, the NCAA releases the Academic Progress Rate (APR), which is a system put in place by the organization to hold institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes. The NCAA calculates the APR using several steps. First, every student-athlete who receives financial aid earns a point for staying in school and another point for being academically eligible. A team’s total points are divided by points possible and multiplied by 1,000 to equal the team’s APR. The APR is calculated each year, but is recorded as a four-year APR to determine accountability. Each team must earn a 930 four-year average APR to participate in NCAA Championships. If teams do not meet the requirement, they can be subjected to practice and competition reductions. And if more than half of the student-athletes on a single team are not on track to graduate, that team becomes ineligible to participate in postseason play. According to the Campaign for Academic Excellence website, 12 out of the 16 Ohio sports squads scored an APR of 970 or above. Ohio student-athletes have averaged above a 3.0 GPA, and that number has steadily increased over the past four years. With the construction of the Sook Center, Ohio’s studentathletes will be confident knowing there is a place to study where they have all of the necessary resources and space. b
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SPORTS
Family TAKES THE FIE LD
Two sisters follow in their mother’s footsteps as star players on Ohio’s softball team. BY JACK HURLEY | PHOTOS BY SPENCER HAWK AND REBECCA ZOOK
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t’s the 1980s, and the Ohio softball team takes the field against Eastern Michigan. Rona Huber stands at first base, ready for the next play. The batter squares up for a bunt and the ball pops into the air. Huber sprints toward the plate; the catcher goes up for the catch. The ball spins off the catcher’s mitt. Huber dives for the ball, snagging it before it hits the ground. Batter’s out. “I couldn’t tell you the score of that game, but it is moments like that I remember,” Rona Dorsey says, recalling one of the most memorable moments of her collegiate career. Huber took on the name Dorsey after marrying Steve Dorsey in 1991. On Saturday, March 18, Rona’s daughter, Savannah Dorsey, recorded her own memorable moment for the Bobcats during game one of a doubleheader. In the sixth inning with the score tied 1-1, Savannah was called in as a relief pitcher against Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Savannah put up three straight strikeouts to end the seventh
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inning and send the game into extras. However, it wasn’t an extra-innings win that once again put the redshirt junior in the Ohio record books, it was the final strikeout of the seventh. With that last pitch in the books, Savannah became the first Bobcat to reach 600 career strikeouts. “It was nice coming here and having that legacy ahead of me,” Savannah says of her mother’s time at Ohio. “She’s still in the record books for pitching [and] I’m a pitcher so it meant a lot to me.” Savannah isn’t the only Dorsey legacy taking the field for the Bobcats this year. As of April 5, her younger sister, redshirt freshman Michaela, has started all 35 games of the 2016 season. Although their older sister, Skye Dorsey, was involved in softball throughout high school, she did not go on to play for the Bobcats. “Michaela was just a no-brainer, she just basically said her and Savannah made a deal that wherever Sav went, that was where she was going,” Rona says.
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My mom would always be like, ‘Work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ ” MICHAELA DORSEY SOFTBALL PLAYER, DAUGHTER OF OHIO ALUMNA
The Dorsey sisters are playing together as part of one of the most successful teams in program history, while their mother played on one of the more successful teams of the ’80s. Rona was a pitcher and infielder on the Ohio softball team from 1981 to 1984, less than 10 years after the program started competing in the fast-pitch format in 1975. As of the end of the 2014 season, she holds the title of ninth all-time career wins with 30 and third all-time career earned run average (ERA) with a 1.65. The game has evolved tremendously since the ’80s. As more young women took up softball, there was an increasing need for individualized coaching to help players get stronger and better. “Kids nowadays have personal hitting coaches and pitching coaches and different things like that,” Rona says. “We didn’t play year-round back when I played. … You put the ball down halfway through the summer [and] you had the summer and the fall that you could rest and recuperate.” Two players who have benefitted from the evolution of softball are Rona’s own daughters. Growing up, the two played travel ball throughout the summer and under their mother’s instruction during the school year at Central Crossing High School in Grove City, Ohio. “It was difficult in the fact that you’re like coaching your own kids.
And you have to always be aware of that — you’re a coach first, not a parent in those moments when you want to be a parent and you can’t be,” Rona says. Although some players would consider having a parent as a coach an annoyance, Savannah and Michaela attribute their strong work ethics and resilience to their mother’s coaching. “She would always ask me, ‘How great do you want to be?’ … So when I realized that I was in control of how good I wanted to be, and how good I could be, then she would always push me like, ‘How good do you want to be? Do you want to be better? Then work harder,’ ” Savannah says. Savannah now leads the Bobcats in single-season pitching records for wins, with 25 in the 2014 season, and strikeouts, with 298 in the 2014 season. As of April 5, she also leads the team in wins for the 2016 season with 16 and ERA with 1.76 in 28 total appearances. “Growing up, I would say … I was always blessed with kind of not working as hard and just having it naturally,” Michaela says. “And Savannah would be out there every day working, and would be better than me … and I [wouldn’t get it.] And my mom would always be like, ‘Work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ ” Although Michaela now plays as an outfielder for the Bobcats, she was a catcher for her sister Savannah in high school, who is now
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VISIT 28 West Stimson Ave. Athens, OH 45701 CALL (740) 593-7007 HOURS Mon-Sat 9:00am-6:00pm Sun Noon-5pm DELI HOURS: M-SAT Breakfast 9:00-10:30AM, Lunch:11:00-3:00PM
Visit our Deli for all Your Lunch Needs. Sandwiches, Soups, Salads, and more!
38 South Court St 594-4475 www.brenens.com
or
SAVANNAH DORSEY SOFTBALL PLAYER, DAUGHTER OF OHIO ALUMNA
NATURAL FOODS!
Stop in for Delicious Varieties in Coffees and Espresso Drinks Paired with a made from scratch baked good
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She would always push me like ‘How good do you want to be? Do you want to be better? Then work harder.’ ”
one of the best pitchers in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). “I’d say way younger I could always catch her, but I could never hit against her cause I would cry if I had to get in the box,” Michaela says with a laugh. “But then growing up into high school, I would catch and she would pitch and honestly that was probably one of the best times in my life.” During Michaela’s freshman year at Ohio, the team looked to build on one of the most successful seasons in the softball program’s history. The previous year, the ’Cats went to the NCAA regional tournament after winning the 2014 MAC Tournament, where Savannah was named MVP. The 2015 season left the Bobcats without either Dorsey sister, as both redshirted due to injury; Michaela had a broken arm and Savannah had two herniated discs. “It’s a tough situation to redshirt, but it was really nice — even though I don’t like seeing her go through it — it was nice to have her there so we could get through [it] together,” Savannah says. “It was funny, a lot of times you can’t say that redshirting was fun,” Michaela says. “I mean we both wanted to be out there. ... So when we redshirted together, we made the best [of] the worst situation.” Now entering the 2016 season, both Dorsey sisters have a clean bill of health and are looking to help their team bring home a championship. The MAC preseason poll placed Ohio softball as the predicted regular season champions, but the Dorsey sisters are striving for much more than that. “I think we have higher expectations than that poll said, because that lists us as first in the season [and] second in the tournament,” Savannah says. “But I think that we will be first in the tournament, and first in the season and first in the [MAC] East. … So, MAC champs, that’s a good goal, but that’s not our end goal.” While Ohio softball strives to make its third NCAA tournament appearance, Rona will be cheering on her daughters from the sidelines. Her transition from coach to mother has been smooth and she’s focused on enjoying her new role. “Right now it’s just a joy to watch them participate. … Now you have somebody else making decisions and they’re becoming involved or engrossed in that team, and they’re on their own,” Rona says. In the annual Ohio softball alumni game during Savannah’s freshman year, one moment exemplified the family’s love for each other and the game. During the game, Rona went up to bat presumably against another pitcher. But when she stepped up to the plate, her own daughter, Savannah, stared back at her from 43 feet away. “I wasn’t even pitching that inning and they pulled the other girl off the mound real quick and was like, ‘Go pitch against your mom!’ ” Savannah says. A fastball and two change-ups later, Rona found herself walking back to the dugout after striking out to her daughter. “She got lucky,” Rona says with a laugh. “She struck me out with the changeup, hook-line-and-sinker. I actually followed it to the ground and I was pretty ticked about it.” “I threw her an easy fastball and she let it go by. And then I threw her two changups in a row and she swung at both,” Savannah says with a grin on her face. “And she’s the one to … smacktalk, so it was fun.” No matter what level the Dorsey sisters have played on, whether it’s in the NCAA Regional tournament or travel softball, Rona has supported them all the way. She taught her daughters lessons they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. b
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PHOTO HUNT
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Check out these behind-thescene photos of Bobcats at spring fests. PHOTOS BY ANDREW DOWNING
PHOTO HUNT PHOTO BY JILLY BURNS
Locate all of the differences between the scenic surroundings featured in this photo.
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Ohio University April 18 –24th S
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Monday, April 18th
Wednesday, April 20th
Thursday, April 21st
Golf Cart Giveaways
FREE Senior Headshots
Dinner with 3 12 Strangers
12PM – 4PM 5th Floor Baker 5 6 Sponsored by: PRSSA & OHIO Alumni Association
Stay out of your own way: How gender stereotypes threaten success 8 7
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6:30PM Various Restaurants in Athens 11 10 4 dinners will be available to Attend Sponsored by: OHIO Alumni Association (Registration Required)
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Tuesday, April 19th Bobcat v. Food 5:30PM Scripps Amphitheater Sponsored by: Student Alumni Board (Registration Required)
Behind the Bricks Tour Immediately Following Bobcat v. Food Scripps Amphitheater Sponsored by: Student Alumni Board (Registration Required)
Senior Week Open House Throughout the Week Monday – Friday 8AM – 5PM Pick up Senior Week Discount Cards, Senior T–Shirt Trade–In (Across from Ellis Hall)
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Career and Leadership Development Center Drop–In Career 12 Advising Appointments 13
11AM – 5PM 5th Floor Baker Sponsored by: Career and Leadership Center
4PM – 5PM15 Sponsored by: Women’s Center (Registration Required)
TBT with UPC and BSCPB 5PM 14 South Green
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Friday, April 22nd Behind the Bricks Tour
OHIO Senior Farewell 6PM – 8PM Baker Ballroom Sponsored by: Campus Involvement Center
11AM Leaving from Konneker Alumni Center (across from Ellis Hall) Sponsored by: Student Alumni Board (Registration Required)
Behind the Bricks Tour 6:30PM and 7PM Leaving from Baker Ballroom Sponsored by: Student Alumni Board (Registration Required)
For more information visit:
Bare on the Bricks Sponsored by: Student Alumni Board
Race Starts 8PM
Pre–Race activities
7PM – 8PM Start at Konneker Alumni Center and ends on College Green Register at ohiosab.com
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(Pre–registration is $10, same–day registration is $12, groups of 10 or more will be charged a flat registration fee of $100
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