Vol. 16 Issue 3

Mia Walsh | Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com

Letter from the editor

Happy spring semester, Bobcats,

According to tradition, the third issue of Backdrop follows a single theme. All of our writers, photographers, designers and editors had this one word in mind while creating our magazine.

Candid.

To explain how we came to choose this theme, let me tell a story.

Deep in the halls of Baker University Center lies the Backdrop Office. At the bottom of a storage locker, covered in dust, I found a briefcase. When I opened the case during our staff meeting, the lock broke from the weight of the history. In it, was 16 years and 25 pounds worth of Backdrop issues, including the very first issue published in 2007. Our staff chose the theme “candid” to embody what we read on these first pages of Backdrop magazine.

Backdrop has a history of being truthful, straightforward and frank. In fact, this is the reason for its founding. The founding staff saw a lack of stories that were intimate and sincere. The first Backdrop, at the time of its release, was edgy and committed to covering culture, sex, art, humor, music and life.

We incorporate these honest topics and our theme of candidness in these new stories. We frankly cover sex in music (pg. 6) and why taking more than the traditional four years to complete undergrad is a-okay (pg. 10). Our features are conversations about students using their voices (pg 16), and our university’s undeniable reputation (pg. 20). In the back of the book, we cover the app that forces us to get real (pg. 28), and how we treat the staff that keeps our campus clean (pg. 30).

I hope we did our history justice; I hope this issue sparks some conversations with you all, and I hope you enjoy our hard work. Make good choices, Bobcats.

Until next time,

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MIA WALSH

MANAGING EDITOR CAROLINE BISSONNETTE

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR MCKENNA CHRISTY

ASSOCIATE EDITORS KRISTEN ABBEY, CAROLINE BISSONNETTE, MCKENNA CHRISTY, CAROLINE GILLEN, GRACE KOENNECKE

COPY EDITORS CAROLINE GILLEN, GRACE KOENNECKE

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTORS RORY BALL, LAINE DANNEMILLER

PHOTO EDITOR ELLIE HABEL

WEB EDITOR JOSIE DONOHUE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR RACHEL RECTOR

ART DIRECTOR DREW FOLLMER

DESIGNERS ABBY BURNS, CARMEN CHAO, DREW FOLLMER, ALLY PARKER, RACHEL RECTOR, ELLIE SABATINO, PEARL SCHAFER

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR JOSIE DONOHUE

PHOTOGRAPHERS JACOB DURBIN, ELLIE HABEL, RACHEL RECTOR, PEARL SPURLOCK

WRITERS KRISTEN ABBEY, CAROLINE BISSONNETTE, ABREANNA BLOSE, KATRINA CARLSON, JOSIE DONOHUE, JACOB DURBIN, CAROLINE GILLEN, LAUREN KEY, MAYA MEADE, AMBER PHIPPS, ELLIE SABATINO, DARCIE ZUDELL

Kylee Minick, a sales associate at Upcycle Athens, poses and sorts through some of her favorite items on January 24, 2023.

CONTENTS FEATURES

WAIT, HOLD MY BEER

The shift in OU’s drinking culture and its impact ......................................16

WHEN WE MARCH

Cataloging the history of student protests on these bricks.........................20

THE BEAT

LIBERATION IN LYRICS

Does self-expression in music ever go too far?......6

ENTERTAINMENT

STUPID, CUPID!

Dating is hard......................................................................................8

COMMUNITY

FOUR AND MORE

Reasons why it may take more time to graduate.....10

INFOGRAPHIC

OVERSEA SHOCK

Life’s twists while abroad make for some entertaining stories.........................................................................12

RECIPE

NOT YOUR NANA’S BAKED GOOD

Slutty brownies with all the layers... .....................14

GET DIRTY WITH SHIRLEY

Toast with a fruity fizzy drink.. ...............................15

STYLE

BEYOND STRAIGHT SIZES

A call for current (and hot) plus-size clothes.................................... .........................................24

THE DROP

IT’S OKAY, YOU CAN LAUGH

Steven Strafford overcomes addiction and creates art....................................................................................................26

BEREAL WITH ME

Dissecting the 2022 iPhone App of the Year.............28

TAKE CARE OF THEM

A closer look into who keeps it clean............................30

VOICES

ARTICULATING ANXIETY

One Backdropper’s experience having Generalized Anxiety Disorder......................................32

EXHIBIT A

One Backdrop designer shares her artwork................34

CALENDAR ON THE BRICKS

Check out these events to start out your spring...35

Liberation inLyrics

Music is an outlet for self-expression, but do lyrics ever go too far?

BY GRACE KOENNECKE | DESIGN BY ABBY BURNS

In today’s music industry, sex is a common theme across the board. Top 40 Radio listeners may recognize songs such as Doja Cat’s “Need to Know” or Lady Gaga’s “LoveGame” for their sexual innuendos or explicit lyrics. While these types of songs are fan favorites, some listeners condemn artists for their explicit content.

According to Rock NYC, this criticism stems from the rise of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, particularly when singer Elvis Presley started including double entendres in his music to be paired with sensual dance moves while performing for audiences. The publication says Presley allowed “American teens to be sexual, or rather, to admit to, cotton on to, embrace their sexuality.” While his central audience of teenage girls had absolutely no problems with his music or dancing, the generations who came before Presley’s audience did, especially at a time where conservatism was highly prevalent in the United States.

Yet, without artists such as Presley, sex in music would not have been explored, nor would it even be discussed. Now, many artists from all identities and backgrounds have begun treating their music almost as if the lyrics were diary entries, giving their listeners details into their sex lives and experiences with their sexuality.

Students today say they see more freedom in different music genres when it comes to talking about sexual topics. “I think there’s a lot more freedom in folk music. Folk-pop music, where I reside, usually is [freer].” Shelby Merchant, a junior studying musical theater and playwriting, says. “I think there’s a lot of freedom to talk about things that are seen as taboo in that genre because of the use of metaphor.”

Merchant says Phoebe Bridgers is an artist who is open about her sex life and sexual experiences; Merchant admires Bridgers’ openness within her music

“[Phoebe Bridgers has] been very open about not only her sex life, but her abortion story and her views on things,” Merchant says. “I think as an artist, especially an artist with a platform of that size, if you’re not talking about things that matter, then what are you good for? Her openness is something I look up to a lot.”

Similarly, William Troyer, a junior studying media social change, says that music creates an outlet for artists to be honest and vulnerable about their experiences and can even provide therapy for them as well.

“Music is often a form of expression for artists,” Troyer says. “It’s a form for them to talk about what’s been going up in their mental, but also express their views on certain topics. They take these stories, and they take these things that have happened to them in their lives, and they use music as an outlet to talk about that.”

Troyer enjoys listening to Omar Apollo, an openly gay singer who is known for talking in depth about his sex life within his work, especially on his most recent album, Ivory “[He] raps in both English and Spanish, but also is open in his music and his lyrics as well about being gay and having gay intercourse,” Troyer said. “He talks about that in Ivory in depth, just like Troye Sivan has [with Bloom].”

Many of these artists must work with censorship, especially as streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music make musicians release a clean version, along with the explicit, of their albums or songs. Additionally, radio stations also often cut out any profanity by an artist, warping the original versions of their work.

Troyer does not get the point of music censorship as he believes most artists would not want to censor their emotions and stories.

“I feel like music is a way of expression and because it is a method of expression, no person is perfect,” Troyer says. “When someone is expressing themselves, I believe that there’s always going to be times where they swear about something because no person is going to talk cleanly about their trauma.”

However, some do not view music censorship as something that harms artists and believe keeping a particular audience, such as children, in mind is respectful to do.

“I do see the necessity of [music censorship] because I think music should be enjoyed by everyone,” Merchant says. “I understand that parents aren’t going to want their kids to hear necessarily explicit lyrics all the time.”

Merchant also says that music censorship can provide more opportunities for artists to be creative with their lyrics.

“I think if you write a song and there’s an explicit lyric, that’s how you want it to be heard, so I think that there’s good things on both sides,” Merchant says.“Often, the censored versions give you an opportunity to create new interesting lyrics, too.

Taylor Swift does that a lot where she does a censored version and it’s just completely different. There’s a song where she says, ‘contrarian s---’ and instead of that, she says, ‘contrarian wit’ in the censored version, and I think that’s really cool.”

An open dialogue about sex in the music world will always be an issue up for heavy debate, especially as musicians continue to experiment with their sound and push boundaries within their music. Despite what society might think about explicit music, the decision to push the envelope remains with the artists themselves. b

Stupid, Cupid!

Students share romantic encounters that will not pull your heartstrings.

BY LAUREN KEY | DESIGN BY RACHEL RECTOR

Valentine’s Day calls for social media timelines to be infiltrated by what appear to be young, happy couples satisfied in their relationships. The truth –embarrassingly candid relationship experiences – lies beneath the surface of the photos.

Rather than celebrating conventional and comfortable stories of attachment this holiday, celebrate the awkward and painful stories that come to be bittersweet reflections.

In an attempt to humble those who seem to have found a perfect partner and humor those who have not, numerous young adults such as Alyssa Sheets, a freshman studying interior architecture, have come forward to share the truth about their shots at romance.

Sheets, who has struggled to be vulnerable in romantic situations of the past, admits that all of her first kisses have not exactly been like the movies. “I’ve definitely kissed somebody’s chin,” Sheets says. “[They all] took forever to happen, and it was just a tiny peck.”

While her first kisses might have been disappointing, they were not always dealbreakers. Continuing to pursue what would come to be a complicated relationship, Sheets explains a situation with an individual who was at first a friend. “She ended up leading me on for a really long time,” Sheets says. “Ultimately our friendship didn’t work out because the relationship didn’t work out.”

Like many other young adults figuring out the dating scene ,Sheets discovered the difficulty of maintaining a friendship with someone after having attempted a relationship with them. Overcoming these setbacks, however, has taught her to rely on herself rather than a partner.

Recognizing that there is not a universal answer for how to get over someone, Sheets says the best way to recover from heartbreak is forcing yourself to realize that you will be okay without that person.

Such a mentality can be rendered almost impossible due to the presence of social media, which can lead individuals to harshly compare their lifestyles, relationship status and overall happiness in what people believe defines their self-worth.

Providing a testament to this perspective is Jenna Bowers, a first-year graduate student studying educational leadership, who has experienced the pressures of a romantic approach to self-fulfillment. Bowers found a solution to combat this negative influence. The answer: deleting social media.

Throughout her time on platforms like Instagram, Bowers began to recognize the power that people unconsciously give up while being expected to share the details of their lives and, at the same time, analyzing others on the internet.

In removing the source that caused Bowers to question her path, she came to realize that “there is nothing wrong with being single.” Bowers has been expressing to those who are not dependent on a partner to simply make the most of their independence and remember what does not work out was not meant to be.

Also identifying the danger of social media intake is Ryan Grzybowski, a senior studying photojournalism. As a photographer, Grzybowski is tasked with the obstacle of capturing a perfect moment, one in which he sees people pose for with unrealistic intention.

“I know that an image is only a fraction of a second,” Grzybowski says. “I see people fake laughing.” This knowledge, along with the pursuit of his passions, enables Grzybowski to discern the truth from his screen and acknowledge that he does not need another person to fill his cup.

Like his subjects, Grzybowski has also found himself in romantic relationships, some being unhealthy. A challenging facet of unsuccessful relationships that Grzyboswki has had to accept is the guilt that follows the seemingly wasted time and energy.

This feeling of shame is often overlooked in a society that settles for less to curb loneliness; however, some learn from tolerating disrespect and acknowledge situations harmful to their growth.

Ultimately, countless lessons have been learned from people’s most regretful moments in relationships. For Sheets, losing a friend due to a failed relationship meant finally embracing her sexuality. “I was in denial for a really long time,” Sheets says. “I was trying to suppress it.”

Grzybowski, who was relieved to have a relationship with a partner who shared his same creative endeavors, learned that “just because you work on paper [with someone] doesn’t mean you’re going to work out in the long run.” He recognizes that sometimes, it is healthier to “build a network of emotional support” rather than solely relying on a partner.

Others, such as Bowers, have uncovered the cornerstone of a lasting relationship: confronting a problem head-on rather than sweeping it under the rug. “Honesty is the best thing that you can offer,” Bowers says. The principle decreases the potential of worse feelings that can cloud judgment with a partner.

As three students’ stories share hope, others may be able to relate or even be saved from an unnecessary romantic investment. “You’re not guaranteed a person your entire life,” Bowers says. b

Four & More

Exploring the valid reasons why students take more than four years in undergrad.

BY JACOB DURBIN

PHOTO BY JACOB DURBIN DESIGN BY PEARL SCHAFER

Among the many more visible trends experienced by college students across the country, one that is sometimes cast in an unfavorable light is taking more than the traditional four years to complete a bachelor’s degree.

There are a multitude of reasons it would take someone more than four years to graduate, ranging from changing areas of study or transferring schools to academic and financial struggles. Taking more time can also put excess pressure on a student’s mental health.

“We have students who, for one reason or another, aren’t successful in a course or semester. As a result, they’ll need to retake a course, things like that,” Aaron Block, a success advisor for the College of Business at Ohio University, says.

Most universities measure graduation

rates in six-year brackets instead of four years, according to Jon Marcus, an editor at The Hechinger Report.

In 1989, New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley,who played college basketball, along with other senators began to question the academic success of student athletes. At that time, the NCAA and universities did not disclose any graduation rates. According to The Hechinger Report, academic eligibility for college athletes covers a five-year period, so it was proposed by the senators to disclose the graduation rates of these students, which was then expanded to all students. By 1990, Public Law 101-542 to disclose graduation rates for all students was passed, however universities did not publicly disclose the rates until 1997.

In regard to taking more than four years to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, the trend has been rather hidden in the past but is now becoming more recognized.

With initiatives to make solar energy a normal practice in the city, or thrift stores

“I think that it is a trend that has always been there, but it’s now being recently looked at due to the cost of education,” Mychael Ihnat, a doctoral student studying higher education at OU, says “In 2000, you’re probably spending about $10,000 for an entire education, that quadrupled to

about $30,000 to $40,000 to $60,000 to $70,000 depending on what school you’re looking at.”

Sometimes the major a student is studying will cause them to take an extra year.

“When I was a freshman here back in 2019, I missed the deadline to declare my major for music education,” Wyatt Deely, a senior studying music education, says. “And so, they said, you can either declare for it and then you try to audition for next semester, but you’ll have a lopsided curriculum, and you will be in a limbo state and I would be offset by a semester.”

Students working a job and trying to maintain a full course load may also be

the reason their graduation timelines get pushed back. It can also lead to some programs feeling “forced” to be completed in four years.

“You think of marching band specifically, they go 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day and then I think like 10 [p.m.] to midnight before game day,” Wyatt says. “It’s like, that’s already so much overtime, and then people try to be [residential assistants], have oncampus jobs, off-campus jobs…”

Wyatt also says that pressure put on students by jobs and involvement with organizations can negatively impact their classes. In essence, they would have less time to dedicate to their classes when they have to balance that time between jobs and classes.

Sometimes there are unseen insecurities that a student may be dealing with by taking extra time to complete their undergrad, even if they are an overall hardworking person. The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice at Temple University reported in fall of 2020 that 58 percent of college students experienced insecurities about their basic needs. These insecurities included housing difficulties, food insecurity and homelessness in some situations.

The Ohio University Dean of Students

Office reports that 48 percent of students reported food insecurity in the last 30 days. Of those students, 32 percent indicated that their education was impacted by their hunger. 64 percent of the students that identified as food insecure also experienced housing insecurity in some way.

In a world where a four-year bachelor’s degree is a goal that often has a haze cast over it, many people need more time to reach their academic aspirations. There are benefits and drawbacks to straying from the traditional path. “If you have the ability to complete your degree, to become who you want to be academically, that I think is more important than finishing within four years,” Block says.

“I don’t think there should be any shame by any students who need more time when it comes to finishing their degree,” Block says. “I think the four-year metric is something that a lot of people use to measure success. You’re working towards your goal … the fact that you haven’t quit screams volumes.”b

Wyatt Deely is a senior studying music education at Ohio University.

OVERSEA SHOCK

Life’s twists while abroad make for some entertaining stories.

BY JOSIE DONOHUE DESIGN BY RACHEL RECTOR

For many people, studying abroad during their college career is a fulfilling experience. However, life has its tendency to get in the way, even across the sea.

“Molly Dunham, a senior studying management, strategic leadership and management information studied abroad in Swansea, Wales.

Initially, none of Dunham’s international roommates spoke to each other much, until she noticed a hefty TV bill at the flat. “We were a bunch of kids who had no idea how the United Kingdom system works and one day received mail we would have to pay [a] $1,000 fine, which resulted in me having to knock on everyone’s door and bring everyone to the kitchen to talk about who was streaming live TV,” Dunham says.

SWANSEA, WALES

THESSALONIKI, GREECE

“Peyton Witner, a senior studying marketing, traveled to Thessaloniki, Greece.”

One day while boating with friends in Ios on a catamaran boat, Witner simultaneously had the best time and the worst feeling in her gut.

“We were all having a great time, everybody’s getting along so well,” Witner says. “Really, I think it was the best day of my whole entire life, like it was amazing; it just felt so unreal. But then, all of a sudden, I felt like I was having too much fun and I got so seasick.”

BARCELONA, SPAIN

“Lauren Reed, a junior studying journalism, studied in Barcelona, Spain.”

When Reed flew home from a weekend trip to Rome, all flights back to Barcelona were overbooked. A kind Greek employee eventually helped them get a connecting flight, but not without a stressful jog through the airport.

“We’re just following [the employee] and he’s almost running through the airport and we’re all trying to keep up with him with our luggage and everything,” Reed says.

“He’s on the phone with someone, and I don’t know what they’re saying because they’re talking in Greek, and then he stops, turns around and starts running the other way.” b

Not Your

nana’s

BAKED GOOD

With chocolate chips, cookie dough and oreos, these brownies are indecently decadent.

STORY & PHOTOS BY MAYA MEADE

DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER

INGREDIENTS

Brownie mix of your choosing

Eggs

Vegetable oil

Water

Cookie dough of your choosing

Oreo cookies

Preparation time: 50 minutes

DIRECTIONS

1 Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2 Spray a 9”x 13” baking pan with non-stick spray or line it with parchment and set it aside.

3 Add the brownie mix, eggs, vegetable oil and water together in a bowl as according to the brownie mix box instructions.

4 Mix the brownie mixture together and set aside.

5 Press the cookie dough into the pan in an even layer.

6 Next, layer the Oreo cookies and cut some down in size to fill the entire pan.

7 Pour the brownie batter and spread it evenly.

8 Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

9 Serve all by itself or with ice cream and toppings of your choice. b

A simple, fruity drink that will surely bring the party.

STORY & PHOTOS BY MAYA MEADE DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER

INGREDIENTS

Vodka: Original or cherry-flavored of the brand of your choosing Grenadine

Soda: Sprite or 7UP, or ginger ale

Garnish: Maraschino cherry

Preparation time: 1 minute

1 Fill a glass with ice.

2 Add 2 ounces (1/4 cup) vodka.

3 Add 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) grenadine.

4 Top with soda.

5 Garnish with a maraschino cherry. b

WHEN WE . March

Cataloging the history of student protests on these bricks.

BY KATRINA CARLSON PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGN BY

The goal of college students to promote social change is a theme that has been prominent for decades. With a history of protests in its past, Ohio University is no exception.

According to OU’s Statement of Commitment to Free Expression, “Freedom of expression is the foundation of an Ohio University education.” That foundation dates back quite far, as OU has dealt with issues ranging from problems in the classroom to national conflicts.

Out of the many protest events and groups, some of the most notable have been LGBTQIA+ and women’s rights. According to a 2003 article from The Post, students held a walkout and protest to express outrage against sexual violence and hate crimes on campus. More than 100 OU students and faculty attended this rally and demanded “LGBT friendly floors, the creation of an OU Women’s Center and mandatory sexual assault and hate crime prevention workshops for entering students.”

Today, OU has an established Women’s Center, which was opened in 2007, and the university has offices working to make a safe environment for all groups on campus.

Attention paid toward important social justice issues is just as significant in recent years, as students continue to come out and support their peers and larger communities.

One of OU’s most memorable student protests, causing disruption in student life and university policies, occurred in

Protesters gather outside of Cutler Hall in March of 2022 after incidents in residence halls on Ohio University’s campus

PEARL SCHAFER

2017. This protest has since been named the “Baker 70,” for the 70 student arrests that occurred on Feb. 1, 2017.

Following former President Donald Trump’s executive order on Jan. 27, 2017, which placed restrictions on immigrant travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, students, faculty and others assembled to hold a sit-in at Baker University Center. The concern among the public was the impact the executive order may have on Muslim students; many were calling for the university’s former President Duane Nellis to make a proactive response to the legislative changes in the interest of protecting affected students and faculty.

The protest began outside of Athens County Court House, a popular site for demonstrations, where people began to gather with signs with messages such as “No Wall, No Ban, Resist” and “Make Racists Afraid Again.”

The group then traveled to the fourth floor of Baker Center, where the peaceful sit-in began. About 150 protesters sat, according to a 2017 article from The Athens News, sharing political messages and personal sentiments, as well as breaking into song. Also according to the article, OU Police Department and state highway patrol had all officers present, and OUPD Chief Andrew Powers began delivering warnings to the protestors that arrests would begin if they did not leave. Arrests began later in the evening, with the reasoning that the sit-in was hazardous and possibly blocking entrances and exits, although other accounts claim that paths had been cleared at police requests.

Following police requests, 70 students were arrested and held in Baker Center Ballroom, charged with criminal trespassing.

The first of the cases to go to trial, concerning student protester Michael Mayberry, was dismissed by Athens Municipal Court Judge Todd Grace. The decision was determined on the precedent set by a protest in 2014, where the university allowed a sit-in at Baker Center, even allowing the protesters to stay after the building closed.

Eventually, 15 of the arrested protesters pled no-contest to the charges before, finally, the other 54 charges were dropped.

Patty Stokes, an associate professor of instruction in women’s gender and sexuality studies and a feminist, heard about the event through her students and went to check it out. She did not stick around for long. Her son, however, had seen the whole thing. After arrived home, shaken by the arrests he witnessed, Stokes decided to act in her own way to show support for the arrested protesters.

“By the end of the evening, it was clear that mass arrests had occurred, and I was outraged,” Stokes says. “Then I said, ‘I think we need to have a demonstration ASAP, and we should sing. We should

show that we are as peaceful as these people when they were being arrested.’”

any interested or

after a series of racist campus in Athens, Ohio.

Photo from the Ohio University Digital Archives. Published in The Post on June 14, 2003.

From the Ohio University Digital Archives. 35mm B&W gelatin silver negative, Peter Goss Collection proof 0002, neg 0505a, May 5, 1970. Protestors stand and sit on College Green behind a sign “WHAT NEXT? PRAY FOR PEACE, WRITE THE GOVERNMENT!” during the Ohio University student strike.

Stokes posted on Facebook, calling for

concerned individuals to meet outside the United Campus Ministry on campus the next day to peacefully sing and walk to Baker Center.

Prior to this “sing-in,” however, Stokes received an email from OUPD Chief Powers warning her against hosting this event to prevent possible further arrests. This did not deter the group; they decided to meet anyway as they originally planned.

“It was clear to me that we were a small enough group and nimble enough group that we could keep moving if we needed to,” Stokes says. “We knew that there was a threat there that was, in a way, intended to stop us, but it was an asset that we knew. We had to be careful about it.”

Following the aftermath of the Baker 70 and the sing-in led by Stokes, OU attempted to implement an even more restrictive free-speech policy, called the “Freedom of Expression Policy,” which Stokes, among other faculty members, wrote to advise against.

This interim speech policy was an overall ban on indoor protests on OU’s campus, to which the American Civil Liberties Union heavily warned the university against, under the reasoning that the ban was unconstitutional, according to a 2017 article from The Columbus Dispatch. In response to the feedback they received, an advisory group was formed to revise the policy. In 2018, new and less-restrictive policies were established, according to a letter sent from Nellis and other administrators to students and faculty.

Stokes stands by her actions and outspoken nature and encourages other students and faculty to get involved

when they have the opportunity.

“I am a stubborn cuss,” Stokes says, “When I see something that is right, and I know it’s right, and it’s being attacked, and I know that the attacks are unjust, I just dig my feet in, and that’s who I am.”

Students continue to make their beliefs known, not only by organizing their own protests, but also organizing against certain groups coming to protest on campus.

A recent protest occurred on Oct.18, 2022, with religiousaffiliated protestors arriving on campus to protest abortion. Standing on the corner of Howard Park across from Schoonover Center, the protestors arrived with signs and megaphones, attracting the attention of many passing students. Soon, a group formed with the goal of counteracting the visitors’ message.

One of the attending students, Zach Richard, a freshman studying journalism, says he and several other students used black tarps to block upsetting and false imagery of abortion procedures shown on the signs, while others argued their views with the protestors. Richard says blocking the protesters’ signs was important because the content shown

was possibly triggering to other students present on campus.

Another student, Jordan Tabasky, a freshman studying music therapy, says she was walking from Glidden Hall when she noticed the protest, and she

brought her guitar out to help create some peace in the commotion.

“It seemed like it was getting really loud, and it just didn’t really seem like it was going anywhere,” Tabasky says. “I’ve seen people bring music to protests, and it seems to make it so that everybody stops yelling at each other long enough to actually have a conversation, and that’s kind of what happened.”

Students at the protest stopped to sing along to songs like “American Pie” by Don McLean and “Hotel California”

I’ve seen people bring music to protests, and it seems to make it so that everybody stops yelling at each other long enough to actually have a conversation, and that’s kind of what happened.

JORDAN TABASKY MUSIC THERAPY STUDENT

Various protests in response to the series of racist incidents on Ohio University’s campus.

by Eagles. Tabasky’s music calmed the crowd, encouraging protesters to start meaningful conversations.

“It’s important to me to protect andeducate people and to not just throw around hate, but to actually teach people what they don’t know,” Tabasky says.

These demonstrations are also a great opportunity for students to explore topics they feel strongly about in ways they never have before.

“College is really where I’m expanding my involvement,” Richard says, who was previously unable to participatein protests due to COVID-19 restraints in the area he grew up. “I want to continue more next semester.”

Richard says he feels strongly aligned with the demonstrations held because he identifies as queer, as well as being strongly allied with other marginalized groups.

“If you’re going to protest against someone’s literal rights to be themselves or have health care, then of course, people are going to rise up and cancel it out,” Richard says. “What I’ve been a part of has been important because it doesn’t really spread positivity, but it negates negativity. It is

significant because it makes people fit.”

He attends events concerning homophobia and transphobia, including a protest on Jan. 21, held against alleged transphobia Artifacts Gallery owner Amy Manago has propagated in her store. The protest amassed a crowd of about 100 people, with individuals chanting phrases and holding signs with messages such as “No TERFS on our Turf” and “Trans Rights are Human Rights.”

If one thing is certain surrounding these protesting and counter-protesting actions, it is that students demand to have their voices heard.

“If you are angry and you do nothing about it, nothing will happen,” Tabasky says. “I feel like protesting is one of the best ways to make people’s voices heard, especially for people who don’t exactly know [how] to reach out to make their voices heard.”

Stokes’ outlook and advice to these students is simple: “I want them to keep doing it. Be smart about it. Know your rights. Know your legal rights … The way to meet speech is with other speech, and counter-protesting is cool.” b

Ohio University students and Athens residents protest Artifacts Gallery. In the windows of the store, signs say things like “Humans Can’t Change Sex,” and “Keep Men Out of Women’s Sports.” Protesters consider these statements transphobic.

Wait, HOLD MY BEER

Athens happens or so we’re taught to say, an insight into OU’s party school reputation.

BY CAROLINE BISSONNETTE & JOSIE DONOHUE | PHOTOS BY ELLIE HABEL & RACHEL RECTOR | DESIGN BY ALLY PARKER

“That party last night was awfully crazy, I wish we taped it…” blares from the yards of Ohio University students up and down Mill Street as early as a Friday afternoon, especially when the sun is shining. The song “I Love College” by Asher Roth, released in 2009, highlights one aspect of the college experience that takes many campuses by storm: drinking.

Among the many universities in the state, OU is often referred to as “the party school.” It is no secret that this reputation draws in many high school students looking for rebellion.

Brooklynn Janks, a 2021 graduate who studied communications, says she “was really excited to go to OU because of parties” and that she “was really sheltered growing up.” This combination meant that Janks spent much of her college career out with friends, and she says drinking was often her top priority.

This mindset is not rare among college students. According to a survey conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “almost 53 percent of full-time college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month and about 33 percent engaged in binge drinking during that same time frame.”

The crowds that take on Court Street every weekend is the indication that OU is no exception to this statistic. Many students spend their free time with a few friends and a liquor pitcher.

The social aspect attached to college drinking can be luring. Participating in potentially damaging behavior is often beneficial for those looking to meet new people and create closer bonds with friends. But it can also act as a catalyst in social development for many people.

According to Thomas Vander Ven, a professor of sociology at OU, a “drinking crisis” refers to something unfortunate that happens as a result of drinking: somebody gets sick from too much alcohol, somebody gets arrested, somebody gets expelled and so on.

“Whenever [drinking crises] happen, your friends come to your support,” Vander Ven says. “That’s part of the positive function of college drinking, is giving you opportunities to demonstrate your adult competence and to take care of each other.”

This comradery is evident among many students who choose to participate in college drinking. This comradery could also be a reason why some students may feel pressure to join their friends at Red Brick on a Saturday night.

With much of OU’s social scene being focused around Court Street, fests and house parties, it can seem like there is not much else to do in the hills of Appalachia. Despite whether or not this is true, strobe lights reflecting off a shiny Miller Lite can may be more appealing to college students than a sporting event or an activity hosted by a student organization.

“I think OU is big enough, but circles are still small, and everyone knows everyone,” Janks says. “So, if everyone plans to head to Court Street or Palmer for the weekend, it’s super easy to fall to FOMO since there are very limited things to do to enjoy your free time.”

Being the only person in a crowd of people who does not value drinking in the same way as the others can be mentally draining.

“It is possible to find your group,” Isaiah McIntyre, a junior studying sport management marketing, says. “There are a lot of different organizations for people all over campus that

“The fest and party season was insane my freshman spring semester in 2018.”

BROOKLYNN JANKS 2021 OHIO UNIVERSITY GRADUATE

do not go out or don’t drink as much that you can easily be connected with.”

Those that do not crack under the pressure of their partying peers likely do not feel the need to indulge to make friends or memories. One’s college experience depends solely on the decisions they make and their idea of a good time.

Bree Foerster, a senior studying social work, says she does not like the way drinking makes her feel, with which many people, including those packing into bars and parties, may agree.

“I am on the older end of the population of OU students, so I don’t feel the necessity to go out every night,” Foerster says. “I’d prefer a nice evening in with friends or going out and having a couple drinks but not going too crazy.”

Students like Foerster are much less likely to be involved in a drinking crisis and potentially save themselves from other consequences. Overindulgence can have a strong effect on one’s ability to perform well in classes, meaning that participating in drinking activity can be risky behavior.

As the oldest university in the state, students at OU have been risking their academic standing for generations. The multigenerational partying that occurs at various points throughout the year is proof of the passion graduates of the university have for Athens.

Although it is well known that college students make up most bar frequenters, locals from the area can also be found uptown.

Marti Klinger, an Athens native, has seen the party crowd change over time, as she lives nearby and helped her exhusband startup popular businesses uptown such as Cats Eye, Goodfella’s and the Smiling Skull when it used to be the Beach Club. She attended Athens High School in the mid-70s when partying during Halloween became popularized, according to The Athens Messenger.

“I think the way it happened is we’d all go uptown and be on Court Street and the cars were parked and it looked crowded, but normal,” Klinger says. “And then at some unknown moment, and I can’t explain it, everybody would go running into the streets and take over.”

Klinger laughs as she recalls current college students asking why the “old” people come to parties now. She says, “I always want to say, ‘You wouldn’t have this party if it wasn’t for us!’”

It seems, however, that the party culture has seen a bit of a decrease in popularity in recent years. Partially due to the pandemic, students have not been as intense with their drinking habits as in years past. Janks noticed this trend during her years at OU.

“The fest and party season was insane my freshman spring semester in 2018,” Janks says. “I think fests have declined in attendance and in excitement. I think students are getting better about their drinking, especially with health trends going around on TikTok and social media in general.”

Social media has a great impact on the ways in which people socialize and communicate. Those who grew up with the internet playing a large role in their development now make up the population of college students. This means students at OU are accustomed to using social media as a way to meet people, implying the lack of a need to make friends at Stephens or J Bar.

“We see some recent trends in a reduction in drinking among young people,” Vander Ven says. “They drink less. They have sex less. They drive less. They do all those things less because they don’t have to leave their home in order to have friends and peers and interact with all of them.”

According to a 2015 study by Pew Research Center, 57 percent of teenagers have met a new friend online. Those coming into college have gotten used to using the internet to create relationships, so further growth of social media may inhibit the success of uptown bars and fraternity parties.

The decrease in face-to-face interactions was made easily recognizable by the pandemic but seems to have been gradually occurring already because of technology. The question, at this point, is whether online friendships can stand as tall as a bar-goer gearing up to fight someone on behalf of his fraternity brother.

Although college drinking may come with consequences for those who party irresponsibly or neglect responsibilities, there are valuable life lessons hidden inside every crazy story about “that one time in Athens.”

“Some people think [party culture] is part of the fun of a college campus,” Vander Ven says. “Nobody likes it when someone gets hurt or when somebody experiences acute alcohol toxicity. But the fun of it. The celebration of it. For a lot of us, it’s part of the beauty of Athens.” b

A digital archive from the Ohio University library showcasing a print from The Post in October of 1982. The article discusses Ohio University's reputation with the Halloween holiday.

The Pigskin and The Crystal are two bars located on Court Street in Athens, Ohio. Much of Ohio University's social scene is involved around the bars on Court Street, house parties and the annual fest season.

Signs advertising beer hang outside of popular Athens bar, The Crystal. Palmer Place fest pictured April of 2022.

SIZES

A call for current (and hot) plus-size clothes.

BY AMBER PHIPPS | PHOTOS BY JACOB DURBIN | DESIGN BY ABBY BURNS

The fashion industry is controlled by society and its unrealistic standards on women’s bodies. Society tells women they are beautiful only when they fit a specific beauty standard.

While there are companies striving for inclusivity and size representation, the cost of their products often exceeds out of most people’s price ranges. Even with cheaper, thrifted clothing, it can be just as difficult to find clothes that are sustainable and fit for plus-size individuals. Fashion has proven to be a fight that some people are determined to win no matter what it takes.

Kelley Lach, a junior at Ohio University studying integrated media, describes her personal experiences with plus-size fashion that fits her and represents her individuality.

“I just think thrifting is the best because it’s sustainable and you get pieces that no one else has,” Lach says. “And as someone who’s plus-size, I think thrifting can be a challenge.”

Lach is a strong advocate for purchasing sustainable fashion as a way to combat the fast fashion industry, which harms the environment and people’s perceptions of size. Toxic beauty standards that are based on preferences for smaller clothing sizes have created a plethora of problems for women while shopping.

Views around the Upcycle Athens store, showing the variety of styles available on January 24, 2023.

“I think one distinction that a lot of plus-size fashion people are trying to get the industry to understand is that, first of all, they should make our sizes,” Lach says. “And second of all, they shouldn’t just make our sizes available online.” While online shopping is not always ideal, Lach shared a few of her go-to online stores that not only offer multiple sizes, but also have what she is looking for when it comes to fashionable pieces.

JOYTOAST, a company based in Chicago, made the list. Amy Lynn Straub started this clothing line to support size expansivity. Straub started this line about a year ago and works to change how society views plus-size fashion for every gender. She also experienced challenges when it came to finding clothes she enjoyed wearing, something that others can relate to.

“I think when I was a kid, I just pretended I didn’t like fashion and rejected it before it could reject me,” Straub says. “Because I didn’t fit in clothes and couldn’t express myself through clothing.”

Eventually, Straub refused to adhere to society’s standards and the imposed expectations on plus-size fashion. She loves wearing colorful clothing as a way to represent her individuality, so she decided to create her own business surrounding this passion.

“I think this truly came out of rage,” Straub says. “I probably wouldn’t even need to start a clothing line if literally any of the clothing lines that I loved were more inclusive.”

Size inclusivity, as the name indicates, focuses on having a broader range of sizes in the fashion industry. According to International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, a 2016 study reports that the average American woman wears a size 16-18 which corresponds with sizes 1X-2X.

There are so many people who are not able to shop off the rack due to the lack of sizes that realistically represent the human body. When size inclusivity is ignored, unrealistic standards are imposed and a failure to acknowledge how wonderfully diverse people are occurs.

“It was really important for me to not just be plus-size because I’m a firm believer that when things are separate, they’re never equal,” Straub says. “So, I wanted to run sizing the way it should be, which is [based] off of the way people’s bodies actually are.”

JOYTOAST’s “medium” starts at a traditional 2X and expands outward in both directions, creating more expansive options for the average person.

While online stores are becoming increasingly popular to suit people’s size and style needs, one thrift store in Athens has also been striving to provide plus-size clothing.

Upcycle Ohio is located on West Union Street and is a highly frequented thrift store among college students.

Kylee Minick is a sales associate at Upcycle Ohio and talks about the thrift store’s efforts to be a size-inclusive business.

“We definitely try to put out obviously as much plus sizes as we can,” Minick says. “The only problem with size is that not a lot of people donate larger sizes so when they do, we definitely put it out where you can see it.”

Upcycle Ohio’s system helps make the shopping experience of those looking for plus-size fashion easier.

Despite society’s unrealistic beauty standards and an overwhelming amount of the fashion industry making noninclusive clothing sizes, there are people combatting these issues.

“My experience isn’t unique at all, it’s really a common experience of feeling so excluded from fashion and feeling so excluded from being able to express yourself in the way that everyone else who’s straight size get to,” Straub says. “I think that what feels good about it is … I’m making a brand that I wish I had when I was younger.” b

Kylee Minick, a sales associate at Upcycle Athens, poses and sorts through some of her favorite items on January 24, 2023.

The outside of Upcycle Athens on January 24, 2023.

BY DARCIE ZUDELL PHOTOS BY PEARL SPURLOCK DESIGN BY RACHEL RECTOR

Steven Strafford shows a film of his show, "Methtacular!," at Athena Cinema on January 23, 2023, in Athens, Ohio.

After being sober for a little over two years, Steven Strafford, an actor originally from New Jersey, found himself back in Chicago, the city where his addiction to crystal meth started and subsequently took over his life. Strafford was back for an audition and was greatly affected when he did not get the part.

“I lost my mind,” Strafford says. “And I sat down at my laptop in my apartment in Queens, and I typed the four-letter expletive that begins with F, over and over and over and over and over again. And then at the end of typing that, I wrote, ‘Imagine, in one step, every emotional, physical and sexual insecurity you ever had disappears.’ And I pulled back and I looked at that, and I was like, oh, I think maybe I’m supposed to like, I don’t know, write about it.”

Strafford is a current graduate student and teacher at Ohio University’s School of Theater. Before coming to OU, Strafford found success in playwriting with his one-man show, Methtacular! Strafford debated writing a novel exploring these difficult years with an addition, but instead he landed on presenting this story in a hilariously theatrical way, all while keeping the honesty of the narrative intact.

When Methtacular! demanded more of Strafford’s time, he made the tricky decision to step away from a touring production of Peter Pan the musical in 2011.

“Honestly, I had a nice little musical theater career. And telling everyone you are a crystal meth addict who stole from people, is not like, the easiest way to get other work” he says.

Strafford notes that his previous employers were incredibly understanding of his decision to step away. His faith, trust and pixie dust led him to presenting Methtacular! in New York City, under the creative direction of a familiar friend, Adam Fitzgerald.

At the heart of the show is Strafford’s energy, comedic timing and honesty. Being candid and open with those around him is natural for Strafford.

“I lead with vulnerability. Like, as a human being,” Strafford says. “I spent all of my drinking and drug years swinging wildly between trying to cover up any vulnerability and being too vulnerable. And so ever since I got sober, I'm just like generally vulnerable because it's just how I'm built.”

Fitzgerald found working with Strafford incredibly refreshing because there’s no guesswork.

“He is a person who will share exactly where he is and what is going on with him at any moment. Every day of rehearsal you know exactly what you are walking into and Steven's state of mind because he announces it when he comes through the door. It's hilariously refreshing and, as a director, it makes my job easier,” Fitzgerald says.

Strafford found that he would not be able to tell this story without finding comedy in the chaos.

“All of my writing, all of my plays talk about dark, dark, dark spaces, and have elements of high comedy because I think that's kind of how life is,” Strafford says. “Comedy doesn't stop in tragic times. If anything, it shows up, like harder.”

Strafford allegorizes the show’s elements of comedy and camp to a container, overflowing with items.

“For me the container of Methtacular! is like a variety show with jokes, songs, a game show and then that disintegrates when it can no longer hold the material.”

Strafford even admits that in this medium of storytelling he is the most honest when everything disintegrates. When there are no more jokes and bits, Strafford just has to tell what happened during this period of his life.

“It's like the me that I am when it's just me, or when it's just me and my husband. You know, it's the me without the people pleasing,” Strafford says. “And it's the me without the jokes and defense mechanisms. That's the container.”

Letting vulnerability lead the way, Methtacular! has followed Strafford for years after its original performance OffBroadway. Strafford had a professional recording made of a performance from 2019 that can be found on YouTube (@ methtaculartheshow6608).

Just as people do, the way Strafford’s tells his story changes over time. He admits that as he rehearses, he is always editing and adding to the narrative. A constant in this rehearsal process is Fitzgerald’s genius directing. Strafford credits elements of the story’s honesty to Fitzgerald’s advice on writing about trauma.

“One of the things [Fitzgerald] made me edit out of all earlier drafts was anything that smacked of judgment,” Strafford says. “And, you know, it's natural when you're writing down a story that you have opinions about the people and the story and you have opinions about yourself throughout the story. Adam was really adamant about taking the judgment out and just say what happened.”

“We often look at people who are at their worst and think, “How did you get there?" Fitzgerald says. “Methtacular! offers an answer to that question, with the promise that you will laugh, and maybe cry, but you will be okay in the end.”

Strafford admits he is frequently asked if performing the show is therapeutic to him.

“The trick of writing about trauma or performing around trauma is that it can't be therapy. – I went to therapy,” Strafford says. “I am in recovery, like, you can have catharsis. I'm doing this so that someone in the audience who is ashamed of something, who thinks that something about their past is so ugly, that they can't talk about that, that's not true.”

Right before the pandemic, Strafford toured OU and fell in love with Athens and then took the opportunity to teach playwriting to undergraduate students. He encourages students to write plays that give something to their audience.

At one point in Methtacular!, Strafford focuses on his recovery and how lucky he is to have made it out alive.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a new challenge to young people who have addictions. According to the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System, the rate of overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds rose 94 percent from 2019 to 2020.

Strafford’s dazzling writing does not end with Methtacular! Strafford has written a plethora of original plays that can be read on his New Play Exchange page. Strafford will also be presenting his thesis play near the end of the spring semester.b

BEREAL WITH ME

Dissecting the 2022 App of the Year.

WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY ELLIE SABATINO PHOTOS BY ELLIE HABEL

Once a day, millions of phones chime with a distinct ringtone and alert: “Time to BeReal.” The “anti-social media” social media app is sweeping the nation with its unique model encouraging users to post about the moment, no filters allowed.

Instead, users are given two minutes to take a photo with both the front and back camera, which is shared immediately with followers. While users are able to retake the photo and post after the two minutes are up, BeReal let’s their followers know how many retakes there were, as well as how late the person posted after the allotted time period. Furthermore, users cannot view their friends’ posts until after they have created their own.

These concepts together attempt to make for an app free of the edited, superficial social media that is all over other popular apps such as Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. This new way of sharing with friends has taken the social media world by storm.

According to Social Media Today, BeReal has grown to over ten million users in the last year, far surpassing the day to day growth rate of both Instagram and Snapchat in 2022. These platforms are taking note of BeReal’s rapid success, adding their own similar features such as Instagram’s “Candid” and TikTok’s “Now”.

But is BeReal as “real” as its creators claim it to be? Or are users specifically curating their posts to be more “fun” than “real?”

Fiona Spelman, an Ohio University sophomore studying music education and a member of the Marching 110, has been using BeReal for over a year now. When asked about how they approach posting to the app on time, they note that they “think it’s half and half… I can’t have my phone on me at band, so sometimes I will post very late.”

In a sense, this takes away from the core idea of the app, which is to be in the moment. Spelman, however, does not think being a little late takes away from the experience.

“If I’m at an all-day band thing and the BeReal goes off at 10 a.m., and I don’t get back to my dorm until 2 a.m., I will still post,” Spelman says.

Spelman is not the only person affected by the mad dash to post on time. Sophie Downing, a Ph.D. student studying interpersonal and organizational communication, has noticed firsthand how BeReal has affected the classroom while teaching classes.

“I wasn’t keeping an eye on it at the moment, I wouldn’t be surprised if students were using it in class,” Downing says. Even if students are choosing to adhere to the two-minute timeframe BeReal sets per day, Downing states “The nice thing about BeReal in comparison to other social media is that it is quick, and that there is not much to do after you post.”

Clearly, students posting in the middle of class, while distracting, is about as real as the app can get. Waiting until after class defeats the purpose of “living in the moment” but is less distracting toward the classroom environment. Furthermore, waiting until later in the evening if the BeReal were to go off earlier in the day has its benefits - many college students tend to engage in more fun or recreational activities at night rather than the day.

If students are specifically waiting to post until something interesting is happening, it may defeat the purpose of the app. Those who actually keep it real, posting the mundane of their lives – studying, laundry, waiting outside the dorms during the sixth time the fire alarm has gone off this week – could feel they are missing out on the “typical college experience.”

The phenomenon of thinking oneself is lesser than because of others’ posts on social media is part of what can make it toxic. Ending this issue is part of BeReal’s goal, but by posting later to post something more interesting, the behavior seems to migrate to every social media app.

Sabrina Day does not see this as an issue for BeReal. Day, sophomore studying art therapy, has never downloaded BeReal and has never felt left out of the trend.

“I feel like I already have enough social media and that I could get [BeReal] but I’m not really missing out on anything,” Day says. “I mean I still am in some of my friends’ BeReals. If I’m around when it goes off, I’ll be in [the photo]. So, I don’t really feel like I’m missing out per say.”

Day also notes that by utilizing Instagram, she can keep up “with friends you don’t see that often anymore, or are out of state, or somewhere else; you can still be kind of a part of their lives and see what they’re up to,” she says.

While apps like Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter provide more of the “edited” social media, they can be a more concise way to view larger parts of people’s lives, rather than the day-to-day.

Maybe BeReal, especially on a college campus, is not as real of a portrayal of campus life as users would like to believe. Or maybe it depends on the user’s willingness to commit to the time frame. Regardless, the small snapshots into one another’s lives remind us that life is full of little moments that matter, regardless of whether or not it’s time to be real. b

BeReal is the “anti-social media” social media platform that has gained many followers. Users are given two minutes to take a picture with the front and back camera once the notification goes off.

Who’s Keeping IT CLEAN? Who’s Keeping IT CLEAN?

Conversations with the people who keep our campus clean.

BY ABREANNA BLOSE

PHOTOS BY JACOB DURBIN DESIGN BY ELLIE SABATINO

Mary Robinette is a common sight around Baker Center, as seen on January 31, 2023.

Hair in the drains, soggy food clogging the sinks, a broken window and overflowing trashcans — a day in the life of custodial and maintenance staff at Ohio University who are arguably overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid.

Ohio University is known for a beautiful, historical, and clean campus. Behind this status are staff members who we often take for granted. These hardworking people clean up after everyone and try to keep the campus and its amenities as pristine as possible. This is no easy feat.

Ann Richards is a custodial worker who spends most of her time on South Green. Along with her 27 years working at the university, Richards is a loving mother, grandmother and the president of the Trimble Local Schools’ Red and Grey Booster Club.

In Hoover House, Richards and other custodial staff are responsible for maintaining care of the basement, all four floors, the bathrooms and the hallways. From fixing blinds to cleaning mold, the staff also works to resolve maintenance requests within the building. Despite the heavy workload, Richards loves her job and interacting with students.

“They’re the ones we are working for. We want to take care of them,” she says.

Mary Robinette is a custodial worker in Baker Center, a large building full of responsibilities. Robinette has been working with the university for 25 years. During her time off, she takes care of her four adopted dogs and spends time with her husband and mother.

In Baker Center, Robinette’s day-to-day tasks include cleaning the bathrooms, refilling paper towels and toilet paper and straightening common areas. Robinette does whatever she can to keep the building intact during her shift.

“Don’t think you have anything to do? Look up because there’s always something on the ceiling,” Robinette says. If there are students passing through, there is always work to do.

In 2020, after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the university’s custodial and maintenance staff was laid off. Staffing levels are only about half of what they used to be. This creates more work for those still employed at the university.

Even those who had been working at the university for over a decade were under fire due to the pandemic. Richards explains that people who worked at OU with 15 years of experience or less feared losing their job.

“15 years is a lot of time to put in somewhere to have your job abolished,” Richards says. “We don’t have a lot of options to fall back on. If I lost my job, I don’t know what I would do.”

Now, nearly three years since staff members were let go, many jobs have yet to be restored and workers like Richards and Robinette are paying the price.

“I feel like we are getting more responsibilities shoved on us because we are so short in every department,” Richards says.

Ted Linscott, president of the Southeastern Ohio AFL-CIO Council, explains that staffing levels used to be adequate. Prepandemic, one person was set to clean one floor. Now, that same person is busy cleaning the entire building.

Robinette explains that between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. there are only three staff members responsible for maintaining Baker center before it opens to students again.

This has proven to be an issue for those working to keep the building clean and functional. “We are truly understaffed,” Robinette says. “I don’t feel we have been treated the way we should have been treated.”

While OU has yet to restore essential jobs on campus, they have also failed to provide current staff with the necessary equipment and supplies, making the lives of the maintenance staff even more difficult.

For example, on South Green, Richards explains the staff shares one carpet cleaner among approximately 10 buildings, making it a hassle to complete simple tasks.

Linscott suggests showing support by getting involved in local rallies and having conversations with workers at OU. As a part of this process, he suggests becoming educated on the function of unions.

According to the OU website, “The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) 1699 bargaining unit represents approximately 500 Ohio University employees.” This means support for unions and officials, like Linscott, is essential to understanding current staffing conditions and improving the situation at hand.

“We need help. We need support. Even if you are not a cardcarrying union member, that doesn’t mean you can’t support unions and understand their importance,” Linscott says.

He also suggests using the power of voice to speak up against mistreatment explaining, “An injustice to one is an injustice to all.” If the community can work together to fight this issue, maintenance employees may experience better working conditions in the future.

The ways students choose to function on campus can also impact staff members. Every custodial and maintenance worker interviewed had countless stories of students disregarding the fact that there are other people cleaning up after them.

In Wray House, a student took paint and let it drip all over the steps, handrails, landings and smeared it on the wall, creating an unnecessary mess for staff.

In Ewing, one of the custodial workers found themselves cleaning up a pile of fecal matter from the floor of the men’s bathroom, which is not only a health and safety concern for the staff picking up after students, but it is also objectively disrespectful.

Despite some of their behavior, students are the reason Robinette stays motivated to work.

“Every once in a while, you get a butthead, but the kids are pretty good,” Robinette says. Sometimes students need to be reminded to clean up after themselves, but Robinette has no problem guiding them to a trashcan.

“The students just look at us as part of the background … Be a little bit more responsible,” Richards says. “We are not your maid, we’re housekeepers.”

She also details the respect students owe each other by saying, “Don’t leave the bathroom in any way you wouldn’t want to find it.” Students should be mindful of the fact that they are existing in a community.

The overarching theme is clear- treat others with kindness and respect. As staff on campus face the lasting impacts of COVID-19, it is essential to realize that OU is beautiful because of those working hard to make it that way.

Linscott describes the University as a big puzzle. “There’s a lot of pieces and you just can’t let one piece drop… you gotta keep them all going.” Linscott says. It is up to the community to help put all the pieces back together. Co-existing is key to campus care.b

CONTENT WARNING:

Blood, Murder, Mentions of Death

ARTICULATING ANXIETY

Generally, people get anxious. Nothing is guaranteed in life, and that means we have to take risks and that makes us nervous. What if it doesn’t pan out? What if you’re left worse off? What if, what if, what if?

But in most cases, those fears aren’t all consuming and can be contained. According to The Recovery Village, an addiction resource with multiple rehab centers located in four states, “When it comes to generalized anxiety disorder in adults, it was reported that an estimated 6.8 million adults are affected during a year.” However, there’s a difference between having worries and being anxious.

Worries are directly connected to things happening in your life. Anxiety has no basis, it’s irrational. The Anxiety Centre describes it as a “a fear of impending doom,” which is frankly ridiculous, making it even more disconcerting that it’s a perfect analogy.

I’ve been mentally ill since childhood, and, I mean, no one is going to tell a 7-year-old girl that her brain is a little funky.

One Backdropper’s experience having Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

BY KIRSTEN ABBEY DESIGN BY CARMEN CHAO

Truthfully, most people didn’t even notice until I no longer had the protection of childhood for my oddity.

When I was kid, I used to hide under the covers to not be detected when, I thought, inevitably, a murderer would break into our home and kill my entire family. I thought this was something other kids did, and to this day I am not sure whether they did or not.

I also used to choose the bed farthest from the door on vacations so I would be last to die if an intruder broke in, which I am aware is horribly morbid. Most of my childhood fears centered around dying, its consequences and a lack of control.

Why was I experiencing existential dread when I was like 6 or 7 years old? Again, I am at a loss if these thoughts were normal, or if I’ve been so invested in my own individualism that I’m overanalyzing my habits.

During my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and prescribed antidepressants. I was never recommended for therapy. The pills

helped, but not without their own side effects, of which no one told me about.

Anyone on antidepressants can say that they don’t magically make your illness go away. It’s not like I suddenly stopped feeling on edge around other people, or staying awake all night dreading the next day, week or year. Or from having continuous dreams where my dad dies. Or from picking at my skin until it bleeds. Or from having anxiety attacks that have no basis or cause.

I just have the overwhelming notion that something bad is happening and there’s no air in my lungs, which feels so dramatic that I’m a little embarrassed. To top it off, the longer I’m on medication, the less it works.

In middle school, GAD began to affect my relationships to the extent that I struggled to form connections with others. This remains true today. To be completely transparent, I don’t really care about what the general public thinks about me. But with the people I consider my friends, of course I value their perceptions of me.

Human beings crave the presence of others, even those like me who prefer to limit those interactions. No one wants to be completely alone. But with that sense of doom dogging at my heels, it feels as if I take the slightest misstep with people, it’s over. One misread social cue, and I’m obsessing over whether I’m a bad person.

In every case I feel that I am the problem, and frankly I’m getting sick of apologizing for things that are not my fault. It makes me feel pathetic, both for my lack of faith in my friends but also in myself.

I even doubt my own perspectives. This is how I feel, but are my descriptions too superficial, or too blatant? Should I include this, or leave it out? Am I conveying my message properly? Am I representing my mental illness or dumping my trauma on readers? I am ashamed of my indecisiveness. It’s crazy. I feel crazy. Society, and I, must accept that nobody with anxiety is crazy for having it. Half the time the people around us don’t treat the issue with any sincerity. People don’t understand the vital difference between worry and anxiety.

People refuse to understand that there is no calming myself down or working through my problems rationally. I could walk through my concerns step by step, there could be a logical solution to whatever the problem is and it wouldn’t stop me from repeating my mistake again and again in my mind until I want to scratch my skin off. At that point, our feelings become an inconvenience.

In my experience, it can be even more invalidating when on medication. If I have an attack, or a concern or I just have a bad day, some people who know I take meds will ask me if I took them that day. With no consideration for what I’m describing, they essentially reduce me down to some kind of fretful creature that attributes its existence to Lexapro or Xanax. It’s dehumanizing.

It’s debilitating, both the physiological response and the irrationality. There is no solution. My brain is never going to function like it’s “supposed” to. I may never be rid of my doubt. My anxiety is a faithful shadow, it follows me everywhere I go. I can accept that as my reality, but that doesn’t mean I won’t make

the effort to try and ease the burden.

I’m not trying to give out advice. People are living through different things, and I’m only now trying to make a change in my own life. I have found the easiest thing to do is have open communication with those around me; assuming the worst is combatted best when there are people there to reassure me. It should be common practice for everybody to surround themselves with people that make them feel like more, rather than less. I also want to treat my own feelings with respect. Much of my life is riddled with my own negativity toward my issues. But if we want to destigmatize anxiety, first we must start with ourselves. People with mental illnesses shouldn’t just have to survive, we should be able to live too. b

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES

Third Floor Hudson Health Center

Students may call (740) 593-1616 to schedule an initial appointment or to consult with a counselor.

DROP-IN:

During weekdays, please drop-in at Hudson Health Center 3rd floor between 9:45am and 3:15pm.

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE

Call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Langugages: English, Spanish.

IF YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW, IS AN IMMINENT DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR SOMEONE ELSE, GO TO THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ROOM OR CALL 911. IF YOU ARE ON ATHENS CAMPUS, CALL OUPD 3-1911 (740-593-1911).

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE

Call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Hours: Available 24 hours. Langugages: English, Spanish.

Exhibit

Ellie is a second year student studying Graphic Design and Communications Studies. Her work primarily focuses on the experiences surrounding being a woman, a college student, and loving oneself. She also has a passion for commercial logo and magazine design which comes acrossin her digital works. You can keep up with her designs at @de.llie.sign on Instagram.

a study on femininity (2021)

Period Prices (2022)

i am (definitely) fine (2022)

ON TH E N O

Check out these entertaining and educational events this spring.

MEN ARE TRASH AND I'M A RACCOON

FEBRUARY 16, 17, 18, 19

THE HAHNE THEATER, KANTNER HAL Put on by an OU Grad student, this play, Men Are Trash and I’m A Raccoon is an autobiographical show about the complexities of performing, dating, and love in a world of dating apps. Men are trash and I’m a raccoon is an autobiographical show about the complexities of dating apps.

MYIESHA TAYLOR: HOW A CARTOON IS CHANGING THE FACE OF MEDICINE

FEBRUARY 21 AT 5:30 P.M. ZOOM

Dr. Myiesha Taylor is an emergency medicine physician specialist and a founding member of Artemis Medical Society. For her work with Artemis, Dr. Taylor was honored by Disney Junior with the naming of the mother character, Myiesha McStuffins, in the highly acclaimed children’s TV show Doc McStuffins. This event is co-hosted by Ohio University's Division of Diversity and Inclusion and the following Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Departments: Biomedical Sciences, Primary Care, and Specialty Medicine.

CONVERSATIONS EXHIBIT

JANUARY 17 – AUGUST 6, 2023

KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART

This exhibition is about the visual connections between objects. This then ties in art by artists and other disciplines to culminate in encourage conversation about the work before you. Created by student staff in the education department of the Kennedy Museum of Art.

ATHENS FARMERS MARKET

EVERY SATURDAY 9 A.M.-12 P.M.

THE MARKET ON STATE 1002 EAST STATE STREET, ATHENS, OH

The place to shop for locally grown and raised meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, prepared foods, pies and pastries, traditional and specialty bread, coffee, wine and cider, jams, jellies and preserves.