Vol. 10, Issue 1 by Backdrop Magazine

Keeping the

FALL 2016

backdrop magazine

Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Water Polo Team

Afloat Pg. 36

BETTER BAGELS:

Healthy Choices at Bagel Street Deli

Pg. 18

STUDENT FINDS HER CENTER THROUGH

Yoga Pg. 24

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Letter from the Editor

Kaitlyn Pacheco Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com

backdrop | Fall 2016

I joined Backdrop magazine on a whim. At the beginning of my sophomore year at Ohio University, I emailed the editor-in-chief a page-long proposal to profile an MMA fighting sorority girl. After a year of feeling ignored and passed over by student organizations, I wasn’t expecting much in return. So when Sara Portwood, the then-EIC, responded in less than an hour and invited me to pitch my idea at the next meeting, I broke down and cried on the fourth floor of Alden Library. That’s all it took to finally find my place in the Bobcat community: a little kindness and encouragement. In our first issue of the 2016-17 academic year, we explore stories of people whose lives have also changed with help from their respective communities. Katie Kingery takes a closer look at the Women’s Center’s past and current efforts to provide necessary resources to student-parents (Pg. 12). Publisher and Associate Editor Adam McConville’s feature details how changes in adult literacy education altered the Ohio Adult Basic and Literacy Education program and created new opportunities for participants (Pg. 20). For our cover story, Assistant Managing Editor Emma Jenkins profiles Nadeen Ali, a senior whose intense yoga teacher training helped her work through her anxiety and depression issues to find inner strength (Pg. 24). Since the day I sent Sara that email, I wondered what it’d be like to run this magazine. I used to walk home from our weekly meetings dreaming of what it would be like to lead a team of student editors, writers, photographers and designers in creating the perfect 48-page glossy magazine. Well, it’s not perfect, and we may have traumatized the workers of the Court Street Chipotle by forcing them to make us 10 pounds of guacamole throughout our production week, but I’m so proud of our rag-tag group of weirdos for putting together a great first issue. Until next time,

FALL 2016 » VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1

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backdrop magazine

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KAITLYN PACHECO MANAGING EDITOR ALEXANDRA GREENBERG ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR EMMA JENKINS ASSOCIATE EDITOR ADAM MCCONVILLE COPY CHIEF ALEXANDRA GREENBERG ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF ELIZABETH HARPER COPY EDITORS JULIE CIOTOLA, KATHERINE DAVIS, KAITLIN GOSSETT, ABBEY KNUPP, SOPHIE KREMER WEB EDITOR MADISON EBLEN ONLINE PHOTO EDITOR MADDIE SCHROEDER VIDEO EDITOR ALEX BAELE

PUBLISHER ADAM MCCONVILLE CREATIVE DIRECTOR NATASHA RINGNALDA ART DIRECTORS MEREDITH KERN & AMANDA WEISBROD DIRECTOR OF MEMBER RELATIONS BRIANA EKANEM MARKETING DIRECTOR GABBY HOLLOWELL MARKETING & AD DESIGNER MOLLY PETRE PHOTO EDITOR AMANDA DAMELIO ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR MAX CATALANO CONTRIBUTORS CHEYENNE BUCKINGHAM, EMILY CARUSO, MARIE CHAILOSKY, BAILEY FINK, JUSTIN HOLBROCK, KATIE KINGERY, EMILY MCINTYRE, MACKENZIE SMITH, SARAH WAGNER

Want to advertise Interested in in Backdrop? working with us? Send an email to backdropadvertising@gmail.com to get started.

SEE THE PHOTO STORY

backdrop | Fall 2016

PAGE 32

Stop by one of our weekly meetings at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in Scripps 116.

CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURES ABLE TO SUCCEED

Changes to adult literacy education shifted the landscape of Ohio’s ABLE program, creating new standards and opportunities for the program’s participants. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

STRENGTH FROM WITHIN

Yoga helps senior Nadeen Ali find her mental, emotional and physical balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Q&A

INFOGRAPHIC

Baristas share their liquid cures for your Monday blues, along with stories of memorable days behind the counter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Make sure you don’t miss the best events Athens has to offer this fall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

SIP & SPILL

THE DROP

TAKE PART IN THE ART

The Kennedy Museum of Art’s 20th anniversary celebration emphasizes the artistic abilities of Ohio University faculty. . . . . . . . . 8

THE PRICE OF EDUCATION

Learn about how your college tuition compares to the prices of other Ohio public universities. . . . . . 10

SEX & HEALTH

STUDENT-PARENTING 101

Read about the Women’s Center’s plans to offer more options for students who balance classes and child care. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Cover photo by Emma Jenkins.

RECIPE

HEALTHY GAMEDAY EATS

Try Backdrop’s alternatives to traditional football favorites while cheering on your favorite sports team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

FOOD

BRINGING SOUTHERN TASTE HOME

Former banker Will Drury serves New Orleans cuisine from the window of his food truck. . . 16

GUILT-FREE BSD

Try the healthiest picks from Bagel Street Deli’s long list of options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

FALL 2016 » VOLUME 10 ISSUE 1

ON THE BRICKS

PHOTO STORY

LOOK A HOMELESS PERSON IN THE EYES

Photo Editor Amanda Damelio shares work from her summer internship with Ripple.co. . . . . . . . . . 32

SPORTS

TESTING THE WATER

The men’s water polo team president makes waves in still water to ensure the team stays afloat after he graduates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

A CLOSE-NET FAMILY

Volleyball coach Deane Webb treats his team like a family, fostering a sense of home away from home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

VOICES

ESCAPE ROOM

One Backdrop staffer details her successful breakout from Escape Room Athens . . . . . . . . 40

BACKDROP GOT ME HERE

Three Backdroppers share their internship experiences in the Big Apple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

EXHIBIT A

A showcase of work by community members. . . . 44

PHOTO HUNT

Spot the differences between pictures of the construction of the Class Gateway. . . . . . . . . . . . 45

www.backdropmagazine.com

? Q&A

&Spill

Sip

Three baristas spill the beans about the people, drinks and demands they encounter during each shift. BY GABBY HOLLOWELL | PHOTOS BY SARAH WAGNER

NICK CORRIGAN BRENEN’S COFFEE CAFE SENIOR STUDYING GAMES AND ANIMATION FAVORITE DRINK: THE MILKYWAY

What drink do you suggest to customers who don’t know what to order? The Milkyway. It’s a delicious blend of caramel, chocolate, espresso and milk.

How do you deal with the rush of cranky customers in the morning? Well, you just kind of fight them with kindness and don’t let the smile go away. I just kind of walk away from them and give them what they want as fast as I can.

backdrop | Fall 2016

HANNA LUCKENBACH

COURT STREET COFFEE JUNIOR STUDYING COMMUNICATION STUDIES FAVORITE DRINK: ICED COFFEE WITH HAZELNUT AND SOY What drink would you recommend to someone who needs a pick-me-up? The Court Street Mocha because it’s frozen, and it’s like a milkshake. To caffeinate, probably an Americano because it’s just straight espresso.

How do you deal with the rush of cranky customers in the morning? You just kind of understand it. Most of us who work here [at Court Street Coffee] are college students, so we get that people are in a rush and have places to be. We just take it with a grain of salt and complain about it later.

BECKY SIRC

DONKEY COFFEE AND ESPRESSO OHIO UNIVERSITY ALUMNA FAVORITE DRINK: ESPRESSO. ALL THE ESPRESSO. What drink would you suggest to someone who needs a caffeine boost? I don’t like sweet drinks, but if they want sweet, then a power chai. Personally, I would just drink espresso, but like, a lot of espresso.

How do you deal with the rush of cranky customers in the morning? I just smile. I mean, a lot of people are cranky in the morning. ... I’m cranky in the morning. If they’re patient, I’m eventually going to give them coffee, so I feel like I’m doing them a good service of making them go from cranky to happy.

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THE DROP

Take Part in the

ART

The Kennedy Museum of Art celebrates its 20th anniversary with its biennial faculty show. BY GABBY HOLLOWELL | PHOTOS BY MADDIE SCHROEDER

KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART HOURS Monday - Wednesday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday - Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

backdrop | Fall 2016

ADMISSION: Free (Donations are always appreciated.) PARKING: Four free visitor spots and six metered spaces. TRANSPORTATION: Campus Area Transit Service (CATS) Red Loop picks up and drops off at the Kennedy Museum.

mongst many peaceful hideouts on Ohio University’s campus, the Kennedy Museum of Art is one of the most quiet and serene. For 20 years, it’s been a place where visitors can escape the chaos of Court Street and surround themselves with artwork by students, faculty members, celebrated alumni and famous artists. To celebrate the museum’s 20th anniversary, art and design faculty members are showcasing their artwork at the Ohio University Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition. The exhibit has been a biennial tradition since the inception of the museum and will run from Sept. 16 to Dec. 23. “[The biennial] is always very interesting and draws quite a bit of attention because a lot of artists are represented in it, and they have different ways of approaching art,” says the museum’s Executive Director Edward Pauley. The Kennedy Museum, the largest collecting institution in Southeast Ohio, opened its doors in 1996 and started a new chapter in the building’s extensive history. The university bought the property that housed the Athens Mental Health Center in the late 1800s and renamed it The Ridges. The hospital closed in 1993, and Lin Hall underwent hefty renovations to make way for the museum. What used to be the Ridges’ administration building, which held the medical superintendent’s, assistant physicians’ and steward’s offices, now houses artwork from around the world. Since its opening, artists ranging from students to renowned professionals have displayed their work on the Kennedy Museum’s walls. The museum features some of Andy Warhol’s artwork, along with Jim Dine’s, an Ohio alumnus who graduated in the late 1950s before becoming a celebrated pop artist. And as part of the biennial celebration, more than 45 Ohio faculty members will fill the walls of the Kennedy Museum with their pieces. “To make [the biennial] a little more special, we’ve invited art and design faculty from [Ohio’s] regional campuses to participate,”

Jeffrey Carr, Exhibitions and Collections manager, says. “Our 20th anniversary is also the 20th for this biennial, and it’s a great way to celebrate this milestone and [the museum’s] ongoing relationship with the school of art.” Art Werger, a printmaking professor on the university’s main campus, says the biennial is always a surprise because participants never knows what to expect from each other’s pieces. “The faculty showcase some of their newest and proudest works,” Werger says, emphasizing the biennial as the highlight of the museum’s regular showcases. “You see the proudest approaches of [the faculty’s] personalities through their work. Students are always impressed by their professors’ artwork.” Werger says he’s been working on his piece for two years, and at 3 feet by 12 feet, it will be the one of the largest etchings ever made. Pauley and his colleagues continuously work to create awareness of the museum. The Kennedy Museum averages about 10,000 visitors a year, but the museum’s staff would prefer to have many more. Pauley says there’s a perception that the museum is farther away from campus than it is because of the river and bridge that separates it from the university. “I always say we’re a bridge too far because if you took an aerial view of the Ridges and campus, we’re no farther away than a lot of things students participate in on campus,” Pauley says. The museum staff plans to continue evolving the museum to appeal to more than just those interested in art. Pauley says there are plans to incorporate science and nature exhibits into the museum, making it a more transdisiplinary experience. “Art is something that is not meant just for artists,” Werger says. “It’s a means of communication. … There’s something for everyone.” Werger says the biennial is a top-notch, quality exhibit that could be seen in New York City or around the world. “Missing an opportunity to come see it should not be taken lightly,” Werger says. b

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THE DROP

THE PRICE OF EDUCATION How much is college costing us?

BY MADISON EBLEN | GRAPHICS BY EMILY CARUSO

okes about college students being in debt forever and paying off loans in their 50s are tossed around so frequently these days that it may be difficult to imagine a time when those jokes didn’t need to exist at all. Tuition increases are a common reality for many; college education prices are growing at rates faster than those of medical care and housing, according to Department of Labor statistics. The

National Center for Education Statistics estimated the annual cost for undergraduate tuition, room, board and general fees at a public institution was $19,548 in the 2015-16 academic year. Compare that to 35 years prior when attending a public institution annually cost $2,551 in 1983-84, or even 10 years prior when it cost $12,115 in 2005-06. So how do Ohio University’s current prices compare to those of similar schools? b

HOW WE STACK UP Here’s how Ohio University’s tuition, room and board costs compare to other Ohio public schools. Tuition, room and board reflect in-state costs.

$30,000 $

$25,000

$ $

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO $18,146

UNIVERSITYOF AKRON $23,090

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY $21,703

MIAMI UNIVERSITY $27,190

$5,000

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY $20,732

$10,000

OHIO UNIVERSITY $24,012

$15,000

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI $22,194

$20,000

$0 Source: Ohio University, Office of Institutional Research, Fall Tuition and Room since the Civil War (2016). The College Board, Trends in Higher Education. (2016). All other figures from respective colleges’ websites.

backdrop | Fall 2016

THE FACTS In 1970, tuition, room and board at Ohio University was $1,827 per year. Today, it's

$24,012

Ohio University’s tuition has increased

National average college tuition has increased

by 211% since 1970.

by 234% since 1970.

Ohio University is ranked 6th on The Princeton Review’s “Financial Aid Not So Great” list.

a year.

RISING INFLATION Inflation isn’t always bad and can actually aid the economy in small increments. However, the cost of college grew by about 80 percent in the last few years. Here’s how the costs of other common expenses increased with inflation from 2003 to 2013.

MEN’S

WOMEN’S

APPAREL 5.6%

APPAREL

6.9% $

$$ $

COLLEGE

TUITION

79.5%

HOUSING

22.8%

FOOD &

BEVERAGES

$ 31.2% MEDICAL

CARE

43.1%

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101 SEX & HEALTH

g n i t n e r a P t n e Stud

The Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center offers resources and support for those who are students first, but parents always. BY KATIE KINGERY ILLUSTRATION BY MOLLY PETRE

backdrop | Fall 2016

he quiet morning air is pierced by the sound of a pounding bassline coming from the apartment above Ashley Beatty-Smith’s. It’s fall 2012, and the party going on upstairs is causing the walls to shake. She rolls over and glares at the alarm clock that reads 5 a.m. She jumps out of bed at the familiar sound of her baby crying, but picking up newborn Ryleigh from the crib tucked in the bedroom corner does nothing to stop the baby’s screams. As the sounds of the party grow louder, so does her daughter’s crying. For Beatty-Smith, who was a senior at Ohio University when she had Ryleigh with her now-husband Ian Smith, trying to take care of her child while other students celebrated Homecoming weekend was just one of many challenging experiences she faced as a student-parent. The Ohio University Women’s Center recognized the increased need for student-parent resources on campus and is continually working to provide support for students. The Women’s Center, located on the fourth floor of Baker Center, offers services, programs and information specific to the concerns and needs of women at Ohio. Since taking over the Women’s Center in fall 2015, Director Geneva Murray has made it a priority for the center to not only be a resource for pregnant students and student-parents, but also the go-to place to get information about other support systems on campus. The Women’s Center works with the Office for Equal Opportunities and Accessibilities to help students who are pregnant or parenting navigate the logistics of finishing their degrees. Murray says they advise students on issues ranging from classroom protocol for flexibly meeting course requirements to questions about graduate stipends. The center also provides information on the Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance. “The Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance … makes sure that there is no kind of discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy or recovery from any of those conditions,” Murray says. Murray has also been working with an unofficial committee to increase the number of lactation rooms on campus

for faculty, staff and students. With the addition of a new lactation room in the soon-to-be-reopened McCracken Hall, there will still only be three rooms available on campus. Murray says the university has been overwhelmingly supportive of the committee’s efforts to identify new spaces for lactation rooms in central campus locations. During summer 2016, Murray created a child-friendly play station in the Women’s Center. The space is filled with toys and books to keep children entertained while their parents study in the lounge, meet with staff members or use any of the Women’s Center’s resources. Although it isn’t a child care facility, it’s an additional short-term care option for student-parents.

“

It’s an invisible population. ... A lot of people hide the fact that they are expecting or that they are a parent.” Ashley Beatty-Smith Founder of PrOUd Parents

But when Beatty-Smith was pregnant, play stations didn’t exist on campus. Although she visited the Women’s Center regularly to talk with staff members for moral support, along with Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jenny Hall Jones and the former vice president for Student Affairs, Ryan Lombardi, she often felt alienated from other students. That is, until Beatty-Smith came across a tweet from the OU Confessions Twitter account in which a male student said he was going to be a father. She replied to the tweet and told the to-be father, Ethan Durham, to message her, and they bonded over the joys and struggles of parenting. Together, they formed PrOUd Parents, a student organization that served as a support network for student-parents. Although the organization disbanded after Beatty-Smith graduated, she says meeting biweekly with a group of studentparents and their children created a solid

support system for discussing and helping each other through different challenges. The cultural differences between peers and nontraditional students can be devastating, especially when the pressures of social conformity may influence decisions regarding pregnancy. That’s why the Women’s Center has begun working with Abortion Recovery, a branch of Pregnancy Decision Health Centers (PDHC) in Columbus, to create postabortion support groups on Ohio University’s campus. “I have talked extensively with that group in terms of how they go about having discussions with students and making sure that we are not reproducing a cycle of shame, but really focusing on what we can do to help students who are struggling with post-abortion recovery,” Murray says. Pegi Deeter, the director of Abortion Recovery Services at PDHC, says some women feel they have nowhere to go to share their grief. “This complicated grief has never been processed in a healthy way … and more and more young women are self-aware of the need to be healthy,” she says. Looking back at the progress the Women’s Center has made, it might seem marginal because the population of students who have children as undergraduates remains undocumented and, for the most part, silent. But there are resources and growth to look forward to in the future. The university has been very supportive of the work that the Women’s Center has started, but Murray says, “In terms of other resources, we are trying to figure out kind of where the gaps are and what we can do to try to assist.” “It’s an invisible population,” BeattySmith says, “because a lot of people hide the fact that they are expecting or that they are a parent for fear of being ostracized.” Even though there are gaps to be filled and steps to be taken toward equal opportunity, there is still hope. Beatty-Smith urges students to cling to that hope. “It can feel really challenging, but there are people who care. Your faculty members do care, your dean of students’ office cares, the Women’s Center cares, and it’s really important to keep going,” she says. “I think the worst thing you can do is suffer in silence and not ask for help.” b

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RECIPE

Healthy GAMEDAY EATS BY MACKENZIE SMITH | PHOTOS BY AMANDA DAMELIO

Touchdown recipes to keep your tight end.

lthough summer’s fresh fruits and veggies make healthy eating a little easier, football season is filled with grease, cheese, chicken wings and beer — not that anyone is complaining. In an at-

tempt to help you save your summer figure, Backdrop modified some football favorites to ensure you can cheer for your favorite linebacker without turning into one. Don’t worry, they still include cheese. b

BAKED WINGS

Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken wings, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika Directions: Heat the oven to 400 F. Then, place the chicken wings in a large plastic bag and add olive oil and spices. Toss to combine. Allow the chicken wings to marinate for 30 minutes before placing on a rimmed baking sheet and cooking for 45 to 55 minutes.

backdrop | Fall Spring 2016 2016

BAKED BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER BITES Ingredients: 3 cups cauliflower florets, 2 tablespoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon melted butter, 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, salt and ground black pepper Directions: Heat the oven to 450 F. Mix spices, butter and hot sauce in a bowl and set aside. Pour cauliflower into a large plastic bag and add buffalo sauce. Mix well before spreading the cauliflower bites onto a baking sheet and cooking for 20 minutes.

HEALTHY LOADED NACHOS Ingredients: 2 sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, 1 cup shredded chicken, 1 medium-sized tomato, 1 green pepper, 1 handful of shredded cheese, 1 handful of sliced black olives, 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, 1/2 an avocado, olive oil, salt and ground black pepper Directions: Heat the oven to 400 F. Cut the sweet potatoes into thin slices. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Then, bake the sweet potato slices for 22 to 25 minutes. Remove pan and sprinkle the cheese, black olives and shredded chicken on top of the potatoes. Bake until the cheese melts. Serve with plain Greek yogurt and toppings of your choice.

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FOOD

Bringing Southern Taste

Home The Cajun Clucker food truck delivers New Orleans flavors and culture to Athens. BY MICHELLE JACOBSON | ILLUSTRATION BY NATASHA RINGNALDA

he perfect recipe for Will Drury is simple — family and southern cuisine. And his food truck, The Cajun Clucker, brings those signature ingredients to the Athens food scene. The Cajun Clucker opened last August and has since found a permanent home for its Cajun and Creole cuisine at Little Fish Brewery on Armitage Road. The menu features dishes customers would find in any bar or restaurant in New Orleans, including Cajun dirty rice with ground beef and sausage, fried catfish, shagbark cheese grits, blackened mahi mahi sandwiches and crawfish étouffée. The menu recently expanded to include all-organic chicken, organic salads and dressings. In the fall, boiled seafood will be offered every Saturday. There are also about 20 different Cajun dishes that will rotate every few days as a way to offer customers a larger variety of options. “It’s not about the food. It’s really about the customer experience,” Drury says. “I can at least control, to a great extent, how they felt during their visit to The Cajun Clucker. That’s where you have the best opportunity to set yourself apart from other places.” When Drury made the move to Athens

backdrop | Fall 2016

in 2010, he brought his family, along with the spice of New Orleans, and created The Cajun Clucker. As a former banker, Drury never expected to end up working in a kitchen. But after living in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Drury learned the value and necessity of food. Soon after, he began working in bars and restaurants and eventually settled in Athens to build his own business. “My brother-in-law and sister lived here, and when I came, I originally was only going to stay for three months. But I came and I ended up staying for a few years,” Drury says. Drury always wanted The Cajun Clucker to be a family project. From building the trailer to cooking and serving food to running the business, Drury’s sister, brother-inlaw and nephew have been involved with every aspect of the food truck. “To help build and watch this business grow has been a really cool family endeavor,” says Chris Alost, Drury’s nephew and The Cajun Clucker employee. “It feels like a family business, and it’s something I’m really proud of.” Even the food itself is family-oriented. All of the menu items are inspired by dishes Drury grew up eating. Drury says he learned to cook by watching and helping his father

“

O’Bleness Memorial Hospital

W Union St.

Will Drury Owner of The Cajun Clucker

in the kitchen when he was young. He incorporates those dishes and skills into his business. “I don’t have a lot of written recipes,” Drury says. “I’m not a chef; I don’t have any professional training. These are all recipes that I just cook out of my head, that I grew up eating and cooking.” Alost says it’s been fulfilling to watch his uncle grow his business out of nothing and is happy to be serving the same type of food he grew up eating in Louisiana. “We serve authentic Cajun familycooked food that you wouldn’t find in other places [in Athens],” Alost says. “I’m proud to serve this type of food.” When Drury built the trailer for The Cajun Clucker, he made it to fit almost every state’s operation requirements. That effort was part of his plan to take his food truck to different regions across the country and make the business into a working vacation. “It’s probably the least amount of money I’ve made since I was 18 years old, but it doesn’t bother me, and I don’t have any trouble getting out of bed each day and working seven days a week,” Drury says. “And so, it’s rewarding.” b

West State Street Park

ck in

ive r

I’m not a chef. ... These are all recipes that I just cook out of my head, that I grew up eating and cooking.”

Athens Cemetery

Rich

land

Ave .

Ohio University

ES tat eS t.

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FOOD Bite into delicious bagels that pack the most flavor and the fewest calories. BY CHEYENNE BUCKINGHAM PHOTO BY NATASHA RINGNALDA

GUILT-FREE

BSD BREAKFAST: LARRY DAVID: $5.95 Breakfast for lunch, anyone? Whether you pop in when the shop opens at 7:30 a.m. weekdays to nosh on a sandwich before your 8:35 a.m. class — or just have one of those 24/7 hankerings for breakfast foods — BSD has the ultimate lineup of breakfast-inspired combos. One of the fanciest selections is the Larry David, a bagel that houses a generous swipe of cream cheese and is layered with lox, onion, tomato and topped with capers. Talk about a protein-infused sandwich. Protein is essential to have in the morning because it boosts satiety, or the feeling of being full. Not to mention, lox, or smoked salmon, is loaded in omega-3 fatty acids. So, not only will you curb any hunger pangs until midday, you’ll also consume heart-healthy fats that work to reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol) in the body and even help protect yourself from heart disease.

BSD ORIGINALS: MY BIG FAT GREEK BAGEL: $5.75 It may be called “My Big Fat Greek Bagel,” but don’t fear, this sandwich is the farthest thing from fatty. The only fat coming from the combo is derived from the olives and feta cheese, which has the lowest amount of saturated fat of the cheeses available. The mushrooms not only act as a tasty relish to the veggie-laden sandwich, but they’re also rich in zinc, an essential mineral that helps keep your immune system strong and able to fend off viruses.

VEGGIE DELIGHTS: SUNNY HUMMUS: $5.25 A generous serving of hummus topped with a melted slice of cheddar lies beneath a bed of crisp lettuce, onion, tomato and bean sprouts. Topped with a drizzle of honey mustard, it’s no wonder why it’s called the Sunny Hummus. Try pairing the light, yet delectable blend of veggies and legumes with the honey oat bagel for a healthy and delicious meal.

backdrop | Fall 2016 2016

agel Street Deli, also known as BSD to avid bagel buyers, has been busting out sandwiches since 1993. With delicious bagelwiches, some for less than $6, it’s no surprise the line trails out the door and around the corner during the lunch rush. The bagel joint is transparent about which of its many fresh ingredients are from the Athens community. All of the farms, local restaurants and family-owned stores that contribute to BSD’s creations are listed at the top of its chalkboard menu. With so many tempting sandwiches to choose from, it can be challenging to find a healthy choice. Backdrop did some digging (and eating) to find out which sandwiches are the healthiest from each of BSD’s seven sandwich categories. b

TOFU TIME: CAJUN CRAZE: $5.50 If the name alone doesn’t tempt your taste buds, then the list of ingredients definitely will. The classic stigma of tofu being tasteless is revoked in this sandwich. Colby cheese, green peppers and onion complement the spicy tofu and make a flavorful mix. What makes this the healthiest of the tofu selections, however, is the lack of sauce. That’s right; the tofu is seasoned so well with an array of spices that a sauce would simply cloud its excellent flavor. No sauce means fewer calories and, in most cases, less sugar, too.

CARNIVOROUS CRAVERS: NYC: $5.00 Don’t let the word “carnivorous” deter you from checking out what this category has to offer — these kinds of sandwiches can be healthy, too. The NYC bagel beats out the rest because it includes only three additional ingredients: pastrami, Swiss cheese and spicy mustard. A 1-ounce slice of pastrami clocks in at 41 calories with 1.6 grams of fat, but there’s an even greater reward: a whopping 6.1 grams of protein. The three ounces of meat that’s typically plopped onto a sandwich will only cost you 123 calories and fuel your body with 18 grams of protein. A slice of Swiss cheese adds another 7.5 grams of protein to the mix and for only a few more than 100 calories. Spicy mustard acts as the icing on the cake, but unlike real icing, it shouldn’t add more than 15 calories per tablespoon.

POULTRY: WENDY’S WAY: $5.75 Calling all turkey lovers: this write-up is especially for you. With only four ingredients, the Wendy’s Way bagel packs both a hearty and earthy essence. The cream cheese and turkey duo gives the sandwich its density; however, the slices of avocado and handful of airy bean sprouts really accentuate its savory flavor. Avocado is the rock star ingredient in this bagelwich, though, because of its ability to blast fat in the lower abdomen. Be sure to order the sandwich with the organic birdseed bagel for an even greater flavor explosion.

ITALIAN: ‘DA CARMELLA: $3.50 This is the perfect sandwich to order if you have an intense craving for a pizza but don’t have the time to order one — let alone eat it — between classes. The best part? You get to pick out three veggies that you think would pair well with the gooey provolone cheese and warm, zesty pizza sauce. There’s no guessing if you’ll like the sandwich because you get to build it yourself.

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FEATURE

ABLE TO SUCCEED Participants in the Ohio Adult Basic and Literacy Education program experience a new standard of education and gain greater access to employment opportunities. BY ADAM MCCONVILLE

he bell on the door chimes as someone enters The Work Station in The Plains, Ohio, but Chelsy Carr is focused on her task. Seated alone at a square meeting table, Carr flips open a new folder from the stack before her. She looks through it, then carefully prints another name and address on a yellow legal pad. Those names belong to people who studied through the Ohio Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) program at the Station and went on to pass the GED test. Just a month earlier, Carr was one of them. There are only a few other people at The Work Station this morning, but their mut-

backdrop | Fall 2016

ed conversations still glide over the cubicle partitions that separate boxy offices, computer labs and resource rooms. With its neutral walls and gray cubicles, the Station reflects its bureaucratic mission. The Work Station is a one-stop community center, a part of the Athens County Jobs and Family Services program that offers a variety of government programs that provide education and opportunities. The staff at the Station sees people at all stages of employment and education, encouraging them to make use of the Station’s free public computer lab, resume workshops and job boards, among many other resources that include the Ohio ABLE program.

For a majority of two decades, Joe McGowan, the Station’s director, has worked with the ABLE program, a state-sponsored higher education initiative that works to improve adult literacy. “When I say adult basic literacy, it’s a whole spectrum of literacy,” McGowan says. “Primarily, we are doing basic literacy, working with people, sometimes with learning disabilities, but also getting people ready for the GED [test].” The ABLE program provides instruction in language arts, mathematical reasoning, science and social studies, all of which are included on the GED test. Adults who participate in the program are not required

to take the GED test, but for many, passing the test is their ultimate goal. That was the case for Carr, who dropped out of high school about three months before her graduation, much to the surprise of her family. “Some of the classes I wasn’t doing as well in, and so I’m just like, ‘Well, I just can’t do it anymore,’” she says. “I was 18, so I said, ‘I’m just going to quit.’” She didn’t tell anyone she was dropping out. She simply stopped going to school. “I regret it now, but there’s nothing I can do now,” Carr says. “At least I got my GED [diploma].”

A NEW GRADING CURVE

Carr visited the Station soon after she dropped out. She knew about The Work Station from living in the area, and her aunt went through its program to prepare for her GED test. But she didn’t commit to the program until a few years later when she was in her 20s. Passing the test took time, and during the years Carr spent at the Station, the ABLE program underwent a series of fundamental changes at every level. Together, those changes contributed to a massive decrease in the number of people attempting and passing the GED test in the state of Ohio. In 2013, the federal government created new standards for adult education based on the Common Core State Standards, known as the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education. The Ohio ABLE program adopted those revised standards in 2014. That same year saw the launch of a revised GED test that matched Common Core Standards. McGowan witnessed the rollout of those new nationwide standards, along with the 300 percent raise in test prices and the digitization of the GED test that all occurred within a five-year period. “It’s kinda sad because if you don’t have a diploma or a GED [certificate], you can’t get [federal] financial aid,” he says. “It’s hard to get in the military; sometimes it’s hard to find a job, too, nowadays.” In July 2015, The Columbus Dispatch reported the total number of GED test takers dropped by about 71 percent from 2013 to 2014. Eighty-six percent fewer people passed the test over the same time frame. The last revision of the GED test in 2002 led to 62 percent fewer people passing the test in 2002 than in 2001. Carr also experienced those changes

THE SHIFTING LITERACY LANDSCAPE JANUARY 2012 GED test triples in price from $40 to $120.

2013 The federal government rolls out Career and College Readiness Standards for Adult Education.

JULY 2013 The Ohio Department of Higher Education consolidates the four regional development centers into one professional development network through Ohio State University.

APRIL 2014 The revised GED test, based on the new federal standards, launches. The test also goes digital at this time.

FALL 2014 The Ohio ABLE program adopts revised standards.

MARCH 2016 GED test passing score for high school equivalency is lowered to 145. 1,425 Ohioans retroactively pass the test.

SEPTEMBER 2016 Comprehensive Case Management and Employment program launches.

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“

The whole purpose of this program is to spend … more time with these individuals and help them overcome any barriers that they have.” Joe McGowan Director of The Work Station

backdrop | Fall 2016

firsthand as she worked to obtain her GED diploma. As a single mother, she divided her attention between her studies and her duties as a parent. At The Work Station, Carr studied using the computer program Aztec, which allows the user to do daily practice problems. Math, the subject that gave her the most trouble in high school, was her biggest struggle on the GED test. The algebra and geometry section proved difficult, and she remembers failing the test many times. But she stayed motivated throughout the process with inspiration from Scott Hatfield, one of her teachers at The Work Station, and her daughter, who is now 6 years old. “I wanted to give up a few times. I was like, ‘I’m done, I can’t do it,’ but Scott was just like, ‘Yeah, you can.’” Carr says. “He helped me when I was struggling. And my daughter is pretty much what kept me going. I didn’t want to quit and make her think I’m a failure.”

CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP

Meanwhile, administrative changes centralized the program, literally and figuratively. During what she describes as a “tectonic shift” in adult literacy education, Katherine Fergus was an employee of Ohio University’s Edward Stevens Center for the Study and Development of Literacy and Language, one of four parent ABLE resource centers in the state of Ohio. According to its website, the Stevens Literacy Center coordinated the ABLE resource efforts in Southeast Ohio, working to research and develop solutions for low-level literacy and language development. The center provided instructional materials and professional development for the staff administering the program at local Ohio ABLE centers, including The Work Station. Fergus joined the Stevens Literacy Center in 2006 and worked as a resource librarian there for several years before advancing to the job of program coordinator. The Ohio Department of Higher Education, formerly the Ohio Board of Regents, is responsible for statewide higher education; it took over administration of the Ohio ABLE program from the Ohio Department of Education in early 2009. An email sent in spring 2013 informed Fergus that the four regional centers would be consolidated into one central location at Ohio State University. Fergus still lives in Athens, but now works at Ohio State in a position similar

to the one she held at Ohio University. She is dedicated to improving the program as much as possible. “When I was at the central southeast ABLE resource center, I spent a fair amount of time going out to programs and … there was more of a connection between the resource center and the individual ABLE programs or the sites,” she says. She’s noticed less of a connection since the transition happened and is “trying to find the recipe to fix it.” In the meantime, the Stevens Literacy Center has been inactive since its former director, James Salzman, retired in 2015. Although the center moved with the Patton College of Education into Lindley Hall, its doors have remained closed. But another change opened a door for Carr. In March 2016, the GED test administrators lowered the exam’s passing score from 150 to 145 to better match the test to current high school graduates’ knowledge. Carr’s lowest score, math, was a 146, meaning she and 1,424 other Ohio citizens retroactively passed once the new changes took effect. Her family threw her a surprise party to celebrate. “The work finally paid off, after all these years,” Carr says with a small laugh. “It took forever. … Sometimes, it’s not even set in my mind that I have it, still, because it took me just so long to get it.”

ONLY THE BEGINNING

In the job resources area of The Work Station, Carr staples newspaper clippings of job openings to a bulletin board. Stacks of brochures that detail how to look for jobs and plot potential career paths sit on the low bookshelves in the center of the room. In March 2016, Carr began working at The Work Station as an intern, the term the Station gives to those who join them through the Work Experience Program. Her daily tasks range from copying and faxing to updating the job board. The position is only temporary, however, and Carr is actively looking for work on the side. The revised ABLE program aims to equip people with the necessary skills to succeed in the job market, as opposed to only improving a person’s literacy. Now that the dust has settled, Fergus believes the changes to the Ohio ABLE program have been beneficial. “We are all basically speaking with one mouth now, one voice, whereas before, … we all said the same thing, but the branding wasn’t always consistent,” Fergus says. “The

42,000 28,000

message wasn’t always consistent [even if ] the intention was always the same.” She believes that consistency has led to more widespread knowledge of the services Ohio ABLE program can provide to the public. Those goals align with a new initiative from the state of Ohio. The Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP), which launched July 1, works to provide enrollees with education, training and appropriate government services to help them find employment. “The whole purpose of this program is to spend … more time with these individuals and help them overcome any barriers that they have,” McGowan says. “We’re going to try to do some goalsetting, too. That’s another big thing. I don’t think these people had folks do that with them before.” The ABLE program is just one option that enrollees can add to their individual opportunity plans (IOP). After identifying a person’s goals, the IOP lays out the specific challenges the person faces in completing those goals and determines which government services best match him or her. Participants in the program must commit to 20 hours per week for a total of 80 hours over the course of one month. During that time, enrollees gain

20 14 20 15

20 12 20 13

20 11

20 10

experience with performing online job searches, resume writing and mock interviewing, or whatever else their IOPs specify. The Work Station is planning to partner with other county institutions for lessons in financial and fiscal literacy, along with small business operation experience. When the class is over, the Station’s staff will follow up with the participants to ensure they are on a path toward success. “We’re going to find out if they need to get their GED [diplomas], do they need to do some job shadowing or on-the-job training to try to find employment?” McGowan says. “Do they need to go to school to get some training to get them ready for a job, or are we going to put them in another work environment where they can study some work skills?” Funding for CCMEP comes from two sources: Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds from the federal government and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants from the state. The statewide allocation for the 2017 fiscal year is close to $115 million; Athens County alone will receive more than $1.1 million. Because of the funds from which the program pulls, enrollment in CCMEP is required for WOIA eligible youth (ages

06 20

04 20

03 20

Source: The Columbus Dispatch, from the Ohio Department of Education

*Number of people who completed the GED test in 2015 is not available.

Number of people who passed the GED test

14,000

DRAMATIC DECLINE: GED TEST PASSING RATES BY YEAR

Number of people who passed the GED test after passing score was lowered

Number of people who completed the GED Test

16–24) and work-eligible Ohio Works First (OWF) participants as a condition of receiving funding. The Athens County Department of Jobs and Family Services will refer OWF participants who are not work-eligible to the program. Those receiving WIOA assistance have been identified to have a potential barrier to employment, such as coming from a low-income family, being deficient in basic literacy skills or dropping out of school, among other criteria. CCMEP classes began in the second week of September. Two of the attendees, Martin Glanz and Kirsten Campo, sit at the computer lab. Campo, 19, completed the Ohio ABLE program in December 2015 and received her GED diploma. Glanz, 24, has his high school diploma and is hoping to get his commercial driver’s license. Both are in the early stages of parenting; Campo is expecting a child, and Glanz has a son. Together, the two listen to the instructor explain how to navigate the OhioMeansJobs website. Carr was not there to see them; she had moved on to full-time employment. Following her time at The Work Station, Carr worked for a short time at another agency before accepting a job offer at Kroger. When she returned to visit the Station, the staff said she seemed different: happier and more confident in herself. b

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FEATURE ALIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S POSE:

Dancer pose

Strength

FROM WITHIN D

Nadeen Ali found her internal happiness through yoga, and she strives to help others find theirs, too. WITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY EMMA JENKINS

uring her junior year of high school, Nadeen Ali found herself struggling at her first attempt at yoga. Ali and her group of friends, who were dancers, decided to try the “Hot Powerful Flow” class at Inner Bliss Studio in Cleveland. It wasn’t quite what she expected. The class incorporates heat-generating poses in addition to backbends, inversions and arm balances and is not recommended for new students. Ali didn’t play sports in high school and, at that time, couldn’t do a pushup and could barely touch her toes. She felt as if her physical strength fell behind that of the other students. “I was absolutely dying in the first five minutes,” she says. “I was looking over at my friends who were very flexible and thinking … there’s no way.” Then, the instructor dimmed the lights. Mid pose, Ali was shaking. She glanced around the room and noticed she wasn’t the only one struggling. The instructor encouraged the students to hold their form, and Ali felt as if she was being spoken to directly. The class concluded with an ohm chant, and Ali left feeling empowered. “I didn’t really understand what yoga was, but I knew that it made me feel unbelievably amazing,” she says.

She went back to Inner Bliss a few times, but continued comparing herself to her friends who were strong, slim and flexible. Ali wanted to be like that in a day. Like other yoga beginners, she would practice for a bit, notice no results, then get discouraged and quit.   That cycle went on for years. She didn’t know it then, but yoga would eventually change how she saw herself and the world around her. She just had to face a few obstacles before she got there.

LOSING GRIP

During Ali’s freshman year at Ohio University, she became unconcerned with her health, both physical and mental. She developed a habit of going out nearly every night and didn’t understand how other students could be happy or have a good time without drinking. “I got into partying too much,” she says. “I didn’t know how to balance my life out or anything. I just stopped caring about myself.” The summer after her freshman year, Ali’s health got worse. Over the course of the year, she struggled with anxiety and depression and gained about 20 pounds. She chose to take a semester off and wanted to get back on track before returning in the spring. During her first few weeks at home, Ali would just lie in bed, cry and feel bad

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ALIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S POSE:

Samatvam Asana

backdrop | Spring 2016

“

about herself. She didn’t care about much else. Then, one morning, she realized she couldn’t spend her time moping around. She went back to Inner Bliss, but this time, she bought a package and went every single day. Then, she began to see progress. “It was kind of a gradual thing,” she says. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m going to make yoga my passion.’ I would just go every day and … I don’t know. It was just my getaway.” Toward the end of October, Ali made it through an entire yoga class without having to sit in child’s pose or take a break for water. She says it was like an epiphany for her. She wanted to make people feel how her yoga instructor made her feel. She went home that day, did some research and signed up for yoga teacher training at Sivananda Bahamas, a yoga retreat located on Paradise Island. But in late November, Ali hit rock bottom. “I stopped taking my anxiety medication, and I started having really bad thoughts,” she says. “… I didn’t even trust myself.” Ali spent two nights in a psychiatric hospital where doctors watched over her and regulated her medication intake. The following day, she left for the yoga retreat.

It was kind of a gradual thing. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m going to make yoga my passion.’ I would just go every day and ... I don’t know. It was just my getaway.” Nadeen Ali Senior studying visual communication

FINDING A FOCUS

On Dec. 1, 2014, Ali flew to the Bahamas and took a short boat ride to the island where Sivananda Bahamas is located. She was in awe of the beauty of the island and was looking forward to a relaxing month on the beach. Then, she found out what her schedule was: 5:30 a.m. – Wake-up bell 6 – 8 a.m. – Satsang: meditation for 30 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of chanting and singing, then a one-hour lecture from a special guest or from Swami (the philosophy teacher) 8 – 10 a.m. – Hatha yoga class 10 – 11 a.m. – Breakfast 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Karma yoga (cleaning the ashram, dishes, sweeping, etc.) 1 – 2 p.m. – Baghavadgita class (yogi book, read it together and translate the meaning) or chanting class (learning the meaning of Sanskrit) Alternate classes every day 2 – 4 p.m. – Philosophy class for first 2 weeks, then anatomy class the last 2 weeks 4 – 6 p.m. – How to teach a yoga class 6 – 8 p.m. – Dinner/laundry/shower 8 p.m. – whenever – Satsang: meditation for 30 minutes, chanting for 30 minutes, lecture that would last longer than an hour

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“

Yoga isn’t focusing on what you look like, it’s focusing on what you feel like.” Nadeen Ali Senior studying visual communication

During her one-hour breaks, Ali would practice different yoga poses. The days were long, but the classes were slow. Ali wasn’t used to that. She felt exhausted from all of the new information being crammed into her brain, and she rarely had time to sit down or relax. There weren’t any days to sleep in, and the staff was very strict about enforcing the rules. They took attendance, and students had to wear a uniform every day. They were not allowed out of the tents at night. No drinking. No smoking. No coffee or meat. If students were caught doing any of that, they would have to pack their belongings and leave right away. During the first week of yoga teacher training, Ali was rejecting everything. She didn’t know anyone and felt like she was sent there to clean. “I had ups and downs there,” she says. “Like the first week, I hated it. But then I realized what it was all about.” She cried to her teacher, Swami, and she will never forget the words he said to her: “Happiness comes from within. You can live on the beach for the rest of your life, but something will make you sad. You can be your perfect ideal weight, but you still won’t be satisfied. You’ll never be satisfied until you realize that nothing in the world around you can or will bring you happiness the way your heart and yourself can.” He then explained to her that yoga teacher training is about discipline. It teaches students to find happiness even through cleaning toilets or doing other people’s dirty dishes. From that point forward, Ali changed her attitude toward the course. At the beginning of January 2015, Ali flew back home as a newly certified yoga instructor. She was more patient than she was before she left for training and was able to be just as she was, in the present moment. No expectations. No assumptions. Nothing.

SHARING HER PASSION

Ali tried to get a job teaching yoga at Ping Recreation Center when she returned for spring semester of her sophomore year, but the schedule had already been set. So she started a yoga club instead. Although there was a lot of initial interest in the club,

backdrop | Fall 2016

it wasn’t as popular as she had hoped it would be. When Ali returned to school for her junior year, she began teaching at Cre8 Wellness, a yoga/meditation studio above Fluff Bakery on Court Street. Her individually led and donation-based classes were taught three days a week. Ali charged participants $5 for the class, but it wasn’t enough to equal what she paid for the space. Now, as a senior, Ali is teaching group yoga classes at Ping Recreation Center. She teaches Power Yoga from 2-2:50 p.m. Mondays, Yoga Basics from 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays and Yoga on the Lawn from 5:306:30 p.m. Thursdays. Ali had to adjust her teaching style when she began working as an instructor at Ping. The environment of the cold, gym classroom can take away from the spiritual aspect of her practice. “At Ping, I turned off the lights and made them face the windows, because I don’t like how there’s mirrors in the front of the room,” she says. “Yoga isn’t focusing on what you look like, it’s focusing on what you feel like.” But on Thursdays, Ali is free to run her Yoga on the Lawn class however she wants. And this time, her efforts are paying off. “Today, someone came up to me and told me they felt like a different person after my class,” she says.

MAINTAINING BALANCE

It’s a sunny day, about 75 degrees. Ali stands on top of a black yoga mat on the roof of the Athens City Parking Garage. “Start taking deep breaths in and long breaths out,” she says. With her eyes closed, Ali begins rocking side to side, stretching her torso slowly. Her friend, Anna Benson, follows on a mat beside her. “Now, come to a standing forward hold at the top of the mat.” Ali bends at the waist and touches her palms to the mat in front of her. Her head is down, and her torso parallels with her legs. “Now, pop into a handstand.” She walks over to Benson and holds her hips in place as she kicks her feet up into the air. She holds for a few seconds and then lets go. Benson remains steady. Ali does, too. b

ALIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S POSE:

Headstand with leg variations

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INFOGRAPHIC

ON THE

S K C BRI BY MARIE CHAI LO

SKY AN D BAILEY FI

Inaugural Habitat for Humanity 5k Saturday, October 1

The Athens Community Center will host the Inaugural Habitat for Humanity Fall Fun Run/Walk at 9 a.m. The proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Ohio. Participants can register online at athensohio.com or in person starting at 8 a.m. on the day of the event. Don’t worry about training. It’s all for charity, so no one is worried about your running abilities.

Homecoming October 3 - 8

In early October, Ohio University will celebrate an exciting time for any college student: Homecoming. The theme this year encapsulates how we all feel about Ohio, “All Roads Lead Home.” The week is packed with events, including “Paint the Town Green,”“Yell like Hell” pep rally, and the grand reopening of the Class Gateway (finally). Watch “The Most Exciting Band in the Land” lead the Homecoming Parade, then conclude the week with some football as the Bobcats take on Bowling Green.

“Once” Friday, October 14 The 2012 Tony Award-winning musical “Once” will premiere at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at Mem Aud. The musical is about a Dublin street musician and a young woman who takes interest in his love songs. Get ready to see an attractive cast singing beautiful songs and performing breathtaking dances. Ticket are $22 for students.

backdrop | Spring 2016

Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival October 14 - 15

Spice up your weekend with this tasty competition. Nelsonville will be hosting the 20th annual Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival on Oct. 14 and 15. Eleven barbeque teams are registered to compete in the state championship, and the grand prize is $10,000.

HallOUween Saturday, October 29 How can we make a list of fall events at Ohio University and leave out HallOUween? It’s the most (in)famous time of year when crowds cover several blocks from Court Street to Mill Street and everywhere in between. Grab a costume, some friends and be safe at the 2016 Athens HallOUween Block Party.

Dads Weekend November 4 - 6

Expect more dad bods on campus ’cause it’s Ohio’s annual Dads Weekend. Have your dad come a day early to catch the football team take on Buffalo at 6 p.m. Thursday at Peden Stadium, and stay to watch the Bobcats’ men’s basketball team play Bowling Green Friday at the Convocation Center.

Volleyball v. Miami Friday, November 4

Catch the Bobcats take on their biggest rival, the Miami RedHawks, in an intense match at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Convocation Center. This will the second game this year, following the Sept. 29 match hosted by the RedHawks. OU? Oh Yeah!

Athena Fall Cult Classics Series September 22 - November 10

Déjà Vu! Catch your favorite cult classics screening at the Athena Cinema at 7 p.m. every Thursday. Starting on Sept. 22, you can rewatch the classics such as “Pulp Fiction” (Oct. 6), “Edward Scissorhands” (Oct. 20), “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Oct. 27) and many more.

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PHOTO STORY SAN FRANCISCO HOMELESS PROJECT:

LOOK A HOMELESS PERSON

IN THE EYES BY AMANDA DAMELIO

This story originally appeared on Ripple.co.

backdrop | Fall 2016

Look into their eyes. Listen to their words. Are all homeless people the same? If you lump them together as one, then their voice should be considered more powerful. Their voice should be allowed to have its say, its representation. Their words shouldn’t be ignored. Homeless people are individuals who share a circumstance. The problem is that many in society consider people without a home as a collective without distinguishing characteristics. If that’s the case, we’ll let the homeless people interviewed as part of the San Francisco Homeless Project speak as one. From the interviews, a unified voice emerged. After you read their stories, look into their eyes. Then ask yourself, are they all the same? Or maybe the question should be this: Should I continue treating them the same as I always have? b

RIGHT

“I think a lot of people around here, they live two lives, too. They can dress all nice. I see them going to work, but in the end they’re just thieves.” ANTHONY MONROY

LEFT

“This city is golden. It’s like donation central here, man. People are compelled to help. It’s amazing — furniture, clothes, food. It’s too easy to be homeless in the city.” ERROL HALL

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RIGHT

“I feel safer in the streets than I do where I live now. Having four walls doesn’t mean anything when there’s a bunch of people who are predators. Those four walls become a trap.” DANIELLE

BELOW “No matter how many arrests, no matter how many things are stolen, no matter how many people betray you, you learn the value of the things around you and within yourself.” MEMPHIS LAROSE

backdrop | Fall 2016

ABOVE

“I’ve worked all my life, but I was still out here, because I like being out here. At the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to get by.” ANTHONY WAYNE COOK www.backdropmagazine.com

SPORTS

TESTING THE WATER The Ohio men’s club water polo team makes a comeback after spending three years out of the pool. BY ALEXANDRA GREENBERG | PHOTOS BY SARAH WILLIAMS

ncoming freshmen or students looking to participate in something new may be hesitant to join an organization after hearing it has just returned from a suspension. New students, especially those who weren’t on campus when the Ohio University men’s club water polo team was suspended in fall 2013, might be nervous to join a team they haven’t heard anything else about in its comeback year. But the members of the re-formed team,

backdrop | Fall 2016

even those who once had concerns, want nothing more than to move past the suspension and re-establish the organization in the 2016-17 academic year. “I had a few concerns at first; I didn’t really know why they were suspended,” says Austin Miller, a junior water polo player and the team’s treasurer. “But once they explained it to me, … they assured me that something like that wouldn’t happen again.” The team was suspended Sept. 4, 2013, after the university investigated

a “potential incident involving alcohol,” according to a report by the Athens Messenger. The suspension lasted until Aug. 15, 2015, and the team was on probation until Aug. 15, 2016. Peter Lord, the current president of the water polo team, introduced a policy to reassure new members — and the university — what occurred in previous years wouldn’t happen again. “We just want a very open policy so if anyone ever feels threatened [by] what the school accused us of, … they’re more

than welcome to talk to me or any of the officers or our adviser,” he says. “So in the sense of our hazing incident, we’re trying to move away from that. We just want to be good and play our sport and that’s it.” Lord started with the team as a freshman, was a sophomore when it was suspended and is doing what he can this year to make sure the team didn’t disappear for good. “There was a sense of legacy on our team in that I had known players that had played on the team one, five, 10 or even 15 years ago,” Lord says. “I didn’t want to be the last class of that legacy; I want to give other Bobcats the chance to play the sport that I began to love and to gain those same team bonds with their peers.” The fifth-year senior will graduate in December, but hopes to rebuild the team before he leaves Athens. “I want something to be left behind for the program not to be essentially killed off, because a lot of times, we felt like that,” Lord says. “Like the suspension and probation had essentially destroyed the team, and we wouldn’t be able to get it going again. So I would just like to get the program up and running and stable.” It’s especially fortunate that Lord is able to lead the team this semester because he’s the only remaining member of the original team; the rest have since graduated. The team’s new leaders aren’t as experienced with the game as Lord is. “We do have all the officer positions filled by people who have literally just started playing the game,” he says. “So that’s another reason why I’m trying to make our team stable and make sure they know what they’re doing.” During probation in the 2015-16 academic year, the team wasn’t allowed to compete, but it was able to re-form as a student organization. Lord used that opportunity to name the team’s officers and recruit some new players. “We started practicing a little bit, the men’s team. We did have a recruitment process and we grabbed a few people,” he says. “I think at the end, we had around eight or nine guys who ended up really lik-

ing the sport and wanted to play.” Miller, one of the members who joined the team in the spring, is already looking to the future, along with the rest of the executive board. “It’s been a while since the water polo team has been a part of the campus, and I think a lot of people have probably missed that,” he says. “We had a great turnout at the [Student Involvement] Fair. … We had a lot of people interested, a lot of people who wanted to sign up and wanted to learn more about it.” In addition to bringing in new members and a new adviser, the team is planning to be different than it was in the past in other ways as well. “We’re making a lot of changes,” Lord says. “We’re focusing on the game. … We’re going to focus on the sport and building up the community because that’s part of being part of the club sports.” Lord has a few other goals in mind for the upcoming year and competition season. “I’d like to just get us reintegrated into the CWPA, which is the Collegiate Water Polo Association,” he says. “We have tournaments every year, and I just want to build up the team.” In the years leading up to the suspension, not including the 201213 academic year, the water polo team consistently finished the regular season in the top four of its eight-team Great Lakes division in the CWPA.

Miller hopes the team can redevelop a positive reputation in the eyes of students. “We’re just trying to re-establish ourselves as one of the premier organizations and one of the organizations that everyone thinks of as a fun organization they can maybe get involved with and learn more about,” he says. Lord’s main goal for the team in the upcoming academic year is a simple idea, something he hopes the new members continue to focus on for years to come. “Honestly, we just want to play our sport and do our thing,” he says. b

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SPORTS

Family A CLOSE-NET

For coach Deane Webb, team is synonymous with family. BY JUSTIN HOLBROCK | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY OHIO ATHLETICS

uring the college volleyball recruitment process, coaches look for players who excel in several areas such as athleticism, strength and technique. But to Ohio University’s volleyball coach Deane Webb, those attributes come second to his most important recruiting rule. “I will not recruit you unless you can be a role model to my daughters,” Webb says in his soft, yet direct voice. “Whether you want to be or not is irrelevant. You will be a role model.” Webb holds his players to that high standard because it’s the same thing his parents expected from him when he was growing up in the small town of Dayton, Texas. Because his parents saw potential in him, they created steep consequences when he failed to meet their expectations. If Webb received a B in school, he’d be grounded for six weeks.

backdrop | Fall 2016

If he got in trouble, he was only allowed to leave his room for school and dinner. Although the punishments seemed extreme to Webb at the time, his parents succeeded in what they set out to achieve — making their son a role model. Now that Webb is an NCAA Division I volleyball coach, he’s determined to find players that young girls, such as his daughters, can look up to. Webb considers the young women who play for Ohio to be just as much his daughters as his 11-year-old Ashlyn and 14-year-old Sarah. “Usually you have that coach-player relationship, whereas with Deane, you have that dad-daughter relationship,” senior Mallory Salis says. “When you’re away at college, having that person is a pretty cool feeling.” Over his 19-year coaching career, Webb has found several ways

to treat the players like one of his daughters, including something he created during his first year at Ohio — “Open Sunday.” One Sunday every month, Webb and his wife, Rebecca, open their house to any player who wants to come over for a home-cooked meal and a few hours of relaxation. Meals are followed by anything ranging from dance-offs to pingpong tournaments in the basement, as well as the occasional group nap where Webb will find players sleeping in his living room. “That’s just part of living life together,” he says with a smile. While Webb enjoys the opportunity to bring his team closer together, the players appreciate the time away from school and volleyball. “It’s very relaxing, and you get away from everything,” Salis says. “The weight’s off your back for a couple hours, and we have a really good time there.” Webb wants to give his players a second family while they’re at college, and he tells the parents of each of his players that his job is to be an in-town parent while their daughters are at school. Freshman Sara Januszewski can tell he means it after only being part of the team for a few months. “The way that he handles things is just very unlike any other coach I’ve ever had,” Januszewski says. “He really wants to get to know you as a person. He asks you about your family and he’s good at having a family aspect in the team.” The desire to play an important role in other people’s lives came well before he learned started playing volleyball. As a teenager, Webb planned to follow his father’s career paths of teaching and youth ministry. He kept that as his goal as he left for the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where he played on the men’s volleyball team. His confidence and talent on the volleyball court impressed professional teams in Europe, and he was projected to play in Germany at 24 years old. Despite the opportunity to travel overseas and play volleyball professionally, Webb applied to as many college volleyball coaching jobs as he could. He did so not as a backup plan, but rather to see if he could make his dream of mentoring young people come true. Indiana Wesleyan University offered him its head coaching position for the 1997 season, and after 10 minutes of thought and prayer, he accepted. “I really felt I was called to work with young people through the avenue of sports and minister for them through that,” he says. The decision to coach paid off. In 2010, Webb became the youngest coach in NCAA Division I history to reach 300 career victories. He reached that milestone during his eighth year at Belmont University, which followed four years at Indiana Wesleyan and two years at East Tennessee State University. He left Belmont after the 2013 season as the winningest volleyball coach in school history, having led the team to three NCAA Championship appearances. “There’s no luck, honestly,” he says. “There’s just a lot of hard work.” He’s continued to work hard at Ohio. During his first season with the Bobcats, they finished the Mid-American Conference regular season undefeated, and they followed up the next season with an NCAA Championship appearance.

Coaching achievements such as that, however, mean little to Webb compared to the relationship he has with his players. “When it’s all over and I retire,” he says, “I’m going to be a lot less concerned with [the wins] and more concerned about how many kids I’m hearing from, how many weddings I attended, how many kids of players I’ve met along the way.” His genuine care for his team is something the players, including Salis, don’t take for granted. “Playing for a coach who not only values volleyball, but values you as a person, is pretty important,” she says. “I think that’s a big part of how he’s coached me and shaped me as a person.” b

“

Playing for a coach who not only values volleyball, but values you as a person, is pretty important.” Mallory Salis Senior volleyball player

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VOICES

ROOM Backdrop staffers paid people to lock them in a room and force them to solve puzzles to escape. BY ALEXANDRA GREENBERG PHOTO BY MAX CATALANO

ver wonder what it would be like to be locked in a room working against the clock with your stressed-out colleagues? And no, I don’t mean a typical day in the office. I mean 45 minutes in the Escape Room. In early April, a few of my fellow Backdroppers and I tried out Escape Room Athens, which opened April 8 at 1005 E. State St. A few of our staff members had experienced Escape Room — being locked in a room and forced to solve puzzles to find a way out — on other occasions and decided to see what Athens’ new attraction had to offer. So we got a group of seven together and put our minds to the test. It took a while to find exactly where we were supposed to go; that was the first puzzle. The front of the building didn’t have a sign to show where we should enter, so we — more specifically my coworkers, as I was pretty limited by the crutches I was forced to use after I injured myself a few days earlier — circled the perimeter until we found the entrance at the back of the building. In-

backdrop | Fall 2016

side, a sign with an arrow on it directed us to our destination and, after getting acquainted with the rules of the game, we were led to the small room where the door closed and locked behind us. The 45-minute countdown had begun. First, we were instructed to listen to a recording of a distressed male voice that emphasized the importance of Psalm 23:4. One time was bad enough, but the crackling audio required a few listens to get all we could out of every word. Then, we broke into full-blown chaos. I frantically checked in the furniture, someone else looked under it and someone else tore through drawers and bookshelves in an attempt to look for anything we could get our hands on: a number, a letter or even a color. In a set of drawers, one of our photographers found the photo project from hell. Pictures each of us had posted on Facebook — one of my photos was from my sophomore year of high school; yikes — were wrinkled up and our eyes had been scratched out with black Sharpie. (That may or may not have been a good thing, because I used to be pretty terrible at applying eye makeup.) After shaking off that awful experience, we regrouped and realized we were surrounded by an abundance of locks, puzzles and clues that made absolutely no sense. It’s easy to get frustrated in a stressful environment, but it’s even worse when crutches restrict you from moving as quickly as you can. In what was probably not the best decision I could have made at the time, I threw my crutches to the ground and crawled across the dimly lit room like a toddler. I fit in perfectly with the stuffed animals that sat on the floor and the terrifying distorted children’s

lullabies that played in the background as we worked. As the large wall clock taunted us with less and less time, I thought what the hell and began to hobble around on my injured foot, an action that made my injury worse for a few days. But it didn’t matter, because I needed to figure out what the stupid code was for that stupid box in that stupid room. And the odd amount of clues that dealt with a serial killer who might attempt to make us his victims didn’t do much to rid me of anxiety. I am more than willing to admit I am more of a “Type A” kind of person. I like to do things myself, and I get a great amount of satisfaction from solving a tough problem. If you do a group project with me, there’s a good chance I’m the one making the PowerPoint. I ran — more like speed limped — around the room like a deranged woman trying to find as many clues as I could. I may or may not have tried to solve everything within my reach, and I offer my sincere apologies to my coworkers for stealing their thunder on a padlock or two. For future visitors of Escape Room, I strongly recommend working as a team and keeping track of the clues you find. After the initial panic-induced chaos, we created a great system — yelling things such as, “Type it in backward!” and “No, you counted the wheel spikes incorrectly!” — and got out with more than five minutes to spare. I’m definitely not saying it wasn’t challenging; it was. There were more small clues to find, locks to open and puzzles to solve than any other Escape Room I had done up to that point. It may seem a little pricey at $25 for weekdays and $29 for weekends, but with a ’90s room addition coming in the next few months, I’d say it’s worth it. Especially if you’re looking to form tighter bonds with your coworkers after three-quarters of an hour of stressful puzzle solving. Or if you want to add more stress to your weekends and reinjure yourself because you enjoy making your life more difficult. Up to you. b

www.backdropmagazine.com

MACKENZIE SMITH

VOICES

backdrop magazine

GOT ME HERE COSMOPOLITAN

300 W. 57th St. New York City

alking into the Hearst Tower on the first day of my internship at Cosmopolitan magazine was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had. After flashing my ID to the front desk, a guard directed me to one of the three escalators located in the middle of an indoor waterfall. Yes, you read that correctly. Once upstairs, I was led to a series of elevators that took me to the 38th floor — my home for the next four months. With my past internship experiences in mind, I thought the first day was meant to be a learning process. That wasn’t the case at Cosmopolitan. The second I walked through the door, I was thrown into a flurry of tasks without any explanation of what I was doing or why. I attempted to learn the lingo to the best of my ability and adapt to the craziness that is the Cosmopolitan accessories closet. I was handed an Expo marker, a white board and a pair of shoes, and was instructed to “check them in.” Bags on bags were shoved into the office, all filled to the brim with accessories that I was told to “merch.” My fellow interns and I would organize the accessories, only to have a woman come in and throw random pairs

of shoes into a pile. By the end of the day, I gathered enough information to understand those terms, but that was where my knowledge of my job ended. The Cosmopolitan office is a fast-paced, cutthroat environment with no time to stop and teach new interns. You can jump in or be thrown in, but either way you are learning how to swim. We were expected to function on our own, and we eventually found ourselves digging deeper into the heart of how the magazine functions. Instead of checking in shoes, I found myself communicating with PR companies. Instead of “merching” the counters, I was responsible for making executive decisions about returns. As the internship went on, somehow the accessories editor recognized that my organization skills closely matched her own. One day in mid-February, she promptly informed me, “You’re going to be my intern from now on.” I had no idea what that meant, so my immediate supervisor, the fashion assistant, explained to my very confused face that I was going to act as her personal assistant. That was the day my internship changed. To read more about Mackenzie’s internship experience at Cosmopolitan magazine, visit backdropmagazine.com. b

CHEYENNE BUCKINGHAM

EAT THIS, NOT THAT!

backdrop | Fall 2016

428 Broadway New York City

t’s agonizing to think I’m a senior at Ohio University. I remember winding through the tables at the Student Involvement Fair during the first weekend of my freshman year and being in complete awe. I eagerly scribbled my contact information onto the flimsy sheets of notebook paper at nearly 30 tables. But it wasn’t until October that I found my groove and politely asked 28 of those groups to drop me from their email lists. I chose to stay with Backdrop magazine, and so began the journey of my next three years as an aspiring health food journalist. Soon after, I found myself riding my bike to the Athens Farmers

hen you apply to more than 20 magazines for a summer internship, being patient is much easier said than done. After a phone interview with Jaimie Dalessio Clayton, a senior editor at HGTV Magazine, I learned I would be hearing from either the assistant managing editor or managing editor for a second interview. Then one night, I received an email from Jaimie in which she offered me the internship.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped through the glass revolving doors of the Hearst Tower at 300 W. 57th St. in New York City. As I exited the elevator on the 23rd floor, I took a deep breath and wiped my clammy hands on my freshly ironed pants. Here I was, blurring the lines of fantasy and reality. My dream of interning at a magazine in New York City had finally come true. HGTV Magazine was nothing like I expected it to be. Because I had very little knowledge about home improvement, landscaping and decorating, I felt unprepared and struggled to identify jargon that would come up in interviews. The good news was that everyone in the office was extremely friendly, so I never felt uncomfortable asking for help. Once a week, the interns had lunch with editors from different departments of the magazine. During that hour, the editors talked with us about everything from their personal backgrounds to invaluable career, resume and interview advice. The whole experience was a fresh take on networking, and I always came out of the conference room with a smile on my face. Though I was an editorial intern, I spent a lot of time helping the market team, which is not to be confused with the marketing team. The market department researches, sources and purchases the products featured in every issue, such as decorations and furniture. My work with the market team led me to a range of phenomenal opportunities such as putting together board reviews for story ideas, pitching product ideas, traveling to fancy stores to pick up products and even assisting at a few photo shoots. Saying goodbye to HGTV Magazine was the hardest thing I had to do all summer — and that beats navigating the bustling subway system. No, I didn’t meet the Property Brothers or get to write anything for the magazine, but I did get to turn my dreams into a reality. Thanks to Backdrop and HGTV Magazine, I know I’m in the field where I’m truly meant to be. b

Market to interview a vendor who makes his own jellies. That first online story served as a gateway to the next three years of writing everything from cover stories to weekly nutrition blogs for Backdrop. By my junior year, I had developed a strong enough portfolio to land my dream internship with Eat This, Not That! in New York City. I was scared to move to NYC and was mentally prepared to play Anne Hathaway’s character in a sequel to “The Devil Wears Prada.” I wish I could go back and tell myself I was going to work for a group of successful people who would treat me as their equal. I wrote solely for eatthis.com and have added 57 health-and fitness-related articles to my stack of clips and even gained a freelance writing position with the company. My pieces heavily rely on researching, dissecting academic articles and calculating nutritional information, but those are the three things I enjoy as a science-based writer. Although interviewing people was rare, I

did get to interview Jay Cardiello, the star of ABC’s “My Diet is Better Than Yours.” I also assisted in a video production about smoothie bowls to promote the company’s newest book, “Zero Belly Smoothies,” which allowed me to work alongside Kelly Choi, previous host of Bravo’s hit series “Top Chef Masters.” My most exciting moment, however, was when two of my articles were featured on MSN and one was featured on Yahoo. And just a week after I left, my editor told me Time.com had syndicated one of my pieces, as well. Now picture this: freshman me decides to disregard emails from Backdrop. Where would she be? I don’t know. But I know one thing for sure: I wouldn’t be beaming with confidence in my final year of college if I hadn’t worked my butt off for three years. My work with Backdrop helped me land my dream internship, and now I feel like I can conquer any opportunity I want to pursue. That’s a pretty solid payoff, I’d say. b

EMILY MCINTYRE HGTV MAGAZINE

300 W. 57th St. New York City

www.backdropmagazine.com

EXHIBIT A

Exhibit A.

dorning the walls of Donkey Coffee and Espresso, the paintings and drawings featured below explore the creative spirits of the members of the New Beginnings House and Home Away From Home. The New Beginnings House in McArthur, Ohio, and Home Away From Home in Logan, Ohio, provide supportive and creative spaces for about 90 individuals who live with mental illness. Their artistic development is encouraged and fostered in a welcoming, peer-driven environment, which allows their distinctive visions to shine through their art. b

Dawn. McDonald, age 38, McArthur, Ohio.

Cody Mount, age 25, Logan, Ohio.

Sarah Ward, age 23, McArthur, Ohio.

James Cook, age 53, McArthur, Ohio.

Dawn Thompson, age 56, McArthur, Ohio.

Shawn Cordle, age 41, Logan, Ohio. Diane Holdren, age 57, Logan, Ohio.

backdrop | Fall 2016

PHOTO HUNT

PHOTO HUNT Locate all of the differences between these photos of construction around the Class Gateway. PHOTO BY MAX CATALANO

1 2 3 4 5 www.backdropmagazine.com

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