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@kentwired KentWired.com MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017
IDENTIFYING THE STIGMA WITHIN THE LGBT COMMUNITY University advocates hope for increased sexual assault awareness
Cameron Gorman Senior Reporter Editor’s note: This story is a continuation of coverage surrounding assault on college campuses. For any community, sexual assault is a difficult issue to address. For the LGBT community, though, it is more complicated than that — the fallout from this type of violence can be made even more complicated when filtered through the prism of outside perception. In fact, on the newly designated LGBTQ+ floor of Korb Hall on Kent State’s main campus, several sexual assault reports were filed over the past year. “For the most part, I feel like within the (LGBT) community there is a lot of awareness. Most of the LGBTQ+ people I talk to are very adamant about advocating for victims of sexual assault,” said Dimitri Kirsch, a freshman political science major. “I think, especially amongst the transgender and gender non-binary community, there is an extra amount of awareness, since, as far as I know, transgender people face a higher sexual assault rate.” Kirsch said he thinks a majority of the LGBTQ+ minors or individuals living in rural areas don’t have as high of an awareness about the risks within the community. “But I think they are aware of what happens toward the community,” he said. Though progress has been made in some spaces regarding attitudes toward people with marginalized genders or sexualities, there is still a significant number of hate, misunderstanding and fear directed toward people with those identities, according to Katie Mattise, program coordinator of Kent State’s LGBTQ Student Center. “I definitely think that, a lot of times, whenever you talk about who’s more affected by rape, you hear ‘women’ and that’s it,” said Brien Thomp-
son, secretary for Kent State’s Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA) organization. Harmful stereotypes or generalizations about the community can not only deal damage to its members — according to Thompson, they can also extend to misconceptions about who is affected by assault. “(The LGBT community is) a minority group, a marginalized community, so you never know when you’re going to work with somebody — are they going to get it, are they going to think that it’s less of an issue because you’re gay or trans or bi or blame you?” said Ken Ditlevson, director of the LGBTQ Center. “Those things, I think, go through a survivor’s mind on a regular basis.” In 2010, the rates of sexual violence for LGBT people were the same as, or even higher than, heterosexuals due to factors including high rates of hate-motivated violence and poverty and marginalization, as estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Yes, there are still some people within the community that (sic) are unaware. But more often than not, it is straight cisgender people who hear about these things and either do not take them seriously, don’t believe them at all or act as if the victim deserved it,” Kirsch said. “I feel that when people learn about sexual assault in the classroom they should hear about the shockingly high number of cases that happen to members of our community.” Jimmy Bowen, the activism initiatives chair for Pride!Kent and junior sociology major, said he experienced sexual assault personally during an off-campus event. “I do not feel that sexual assault awareness in the LGBTQ+ community is high enough,” Bowen said. “Most people believe that the rate of sexual assault is about as high as the rate for
the general populace.” That is not the case, according to Bowen. “As LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience poverty, stigma and marginalization, we are also more at risk for sexual assault,” he said. Mattise said she expects that statistics do not even necessarily reflect the actual rates of assault. “There is still a real stigma around reporting sexual violence,” Mattise said. “There’s a ton of victim-blaming and not believing people who come forward. Add potential feelings of guilt, helplessness, depression, anxiety or a variety of others, plus the fact that some folks will react very negatively... if the violence reveals or hints at an LGBTQ identity and you have a really challenging path to coming forward.” One form of sexual violence known to be committed against LGBT people is homophobic or “corrective” rape,”where a person is forcibly raped in the belief that it will “cure” their sexuality, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. “Outside views of inside the community is different,” Thompson said. “I feel like there’s a lot of misinformation that LGBTQ members must enjoy it because it’s what they want.” Corrective rape and incorrect perception of enjoyment from outside the community creates judgement,
‘‘
Thompson said. “From inside the community, I think it’s moreso (a) more scared view because people have to deal with every day knowing that they’re more at risk than anyone else — that they’re more likely to be assaulted than anyone else,” Thompson said. Around half of transgender people will experience sexual violence at some point in their lives, according to the Human Rights Campaign. When Kirsch was 16 years old, he was sexually assaulted by an ex-boyfriend — a straight cisgender male. “At the time, I was still questioning my gender, and he knew that I identified as pansexual,” he said. “However, I do not know if the violence was stemmed from my being queer or if it was unrelated to that.” Kirsch said he went to the police, who brushed it off. His boyfriend never faced any consequences. “However, I do know quite a few people LGBTQ+ who have faced sexual assault, both from other members of the queer community and people who are outside of the community,” he said. “Some were offered help, some were completely overlooked.” When an individual finds out someone might be transgender, they might react in a violent way and the individual may be viewed as a target — simply because they’re misunderstood.
As LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience poverty, stigma and marginalization, we are also more at risk for sexual assault.”
“There’s not a lot of familiarity,” Ditlevson said. Ditlevson believes understanding could be increased, though, if proper steps toward awareness are taken, such as campaigns to target awareness issues, survivor services targeted toward LGBT identifying people and counseling services and events such as the Clothesline Project, which highlighted assault in the community earlier this year. “I think others (outside the community) don’t understand … (and) a lot of people think, well, they must like it because it’s people that they like to do it with,’” Thompson said. “People have this perverse view that everyone in the (LGBT) community is somehow different than them … that they have different (feelings).” At Kent State, allies and members of the LGBT community can get involved with SASA and an assortment of other events sponsored by the LGBTQ Center. “There is still a lot of work to be done around sexual assault to create increased levels of awareness and a real culture change,” Mattise said. “And until sexual assault is no longer a thing, awareness isn’t high enough.” Awareness for sexual assault in general is not high enough currently, let alone in the LGBT community, Mattise said. “Abuse and sexual assault happen everywhere, regardless of your gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or anything,” Kirsch said. “However, when you are in a marginalized group, people who want to abuse you will use that against you if they know that you’re afraid to come forward about it because you won’t be taken seriously, or you might even get in trouble.”
– Jimmy Bowen Junior sociology major
cgorman2@kent.edu
Board of Trustees approves new dining vendor Henry Palattella Administration Reporter The Kent State Board of Trustees voted Thursday to approve Aramark LLC as its new dining supplier. The meeting — which was held in the library at Rockwell Hall — opened with statements from Kent State President Beverly Warren. She thanked the trustee members for coming before quickly turning the floor over to Vice President of the Division of Student Affairs Shay Little who began the presentation about campus dining. Little proposed changes such as providing the same meal plan across all eight campuses, as well as changing the prices of food. There are currently five different meal-plan contracts spread across all of the Kent State campuses, with the Kent campus being the largest. The proposed contract will last eight years with a two-year term of renewal. The contract will take effect on June 1, and will be a one-time investment that will cost approximately $22.7 million. Little told the board that $2.4 million of that will go back to the university in the first year of the contract to support the “student experience.” Aramark will also have a Health and Services manager on campus who will be able to answer any questions about food and nutrition.
Little’s first remarks were followed by a presentation by Jeff Bohn, director of business development at Aramark Higher Education. Bohn started his presentation by mentioning how Aramark already works with the Universities of Toledo, Cincinnati, Akron, Houston and South Florida. The company also signed deals with Clemson University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Temple University — a university that Bohn highlighted as one of Kent State’s aspirational institutions. Bohn outlined the changes on-campus dining halls will have with a new vendor: The dining hall in Eastway will be renamed as “Eastway Court Fresh Food Company,” while the market will have a new focus on fresh vegetables. The dining hall in Prentice will be renamed “Nourish’d,” and expand its focus on allergens. The market in Prentice will be renamed “Sprout’d.” Dining options on the second floor of the Student Center will be changed as well. Kent Market 2 will be changed to “The Esplanade Market Center,” which will serve as an open-kitchen dining area where students and faculty can have food prepared in front in them.
SEE FOOD / PAGE 4
Proposed vision for Eastway Court Fresh Food Company. Graphic rendering courtesy of Kent State University.
Proposed vision for the Esplanade Marketplace – Kent Student Center 2nd Floor. Graphic rendering courtesy of Kent State University.
Page 2 | Monday, March 6, 2017
‘March Madness’ continues with Global Jam Basketball Tournament Eryn Gebacz International Students and Issues Reporter March is the month for college basketball, because of ‘March Madness,’ which is why the Office of Global Education will be hosting a new Global Jam Basketball Tournament March 11. Participants in the tournament will pick a country that they want to represent. The participating teams are China, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, India, the U.S. and Brazil. The tournament will be held at the Kent State Student Recreation and Wellness Center from 1 - 6 p.m and is free for all students to attend. Angela Schwarzer, international student and scholar advisor, said students don’t have to be from a certain country in order to represent it. International students are participating in this tournament along with domestic students and faculty members. “Some of the teams represent a country, while some of the teams are students from different countries that get together and come up with a team," Schwarzer said. She said basketball provides a great opportunity to integrate domestic and international students. Michael Taylor, marketing and communications specialist for the Office of Global Education, hopes a lot of domestic students come to the tournament. “I’m hoping for a big turnout especially from domestic students so they can show their support for the international students here,” Taylor said. Schwarzer said she hopes students will be able to become friends by playing basketball and having the ability to share a little bit of their culture with a diverse group of students. "This is a special time," she said. "I’m hoping our domestic students will show support to international students on campus and help them make friends with people all over the world and learn from each other." egebacz@kent.edu
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Human rights activist and politician Erin Schrode speaks to students in the university’s Undergraduate Student Government Governance Chambers on Friday. Nate Manley / The Kent Stater
Lyric Aquino Humanities Reporter The youngest woman to run for Congress in the United States spoke to Kent State students Thursday about the environment, anti-Semitism, refugees and gender roles in society. Erin Schrode, who ran for Congress at the age of 24, has begun to focus not only on running for Congress again in 2020, but also on educating and inspiring the public. "Do something," Schrode, now 25, said. "You have the power to affect change with passion and action. You are capable." Schrode, a New York University alumna, spent four semesters abroad in order to make a difference. She traveled to Ghana, Haiti, the Middle East and other locations to both study and develop programs to make an impact. She has created projects that range
from collecting trash to help the environment, to providing a school with supplies. Schrode is also the creator of the nonprofit Turning Green. Despite this, Schrode still has faced adversity throughout her career. Not only does Schrode identify as a female both physically and mentally, but she also identifies as Jewish. Schrode said this became an issue throughout the election process when she was harassed via phone calls, emails and social media. "That should not define who I am," Schrode said. "My exhibition of my femininity is a choice, but that's not all I am. I am a woman and I am Jewish. I'm human." Teresa Powell, a senior aeronautics major, said the event had a large impact on her. "She was inspirational," Powell said. "She spoke about taking action in your
own life and I feel like that's something I can do." Schrode encouraged the audience to be activists despite only being one person. "You are one," she said. "You are one vote, one dollar, one voice — but that adds up. You can do what you want." Abigail Bucy, a freshman communication studies major, said she felt that Schrode's presentation made her dreams seem more achievable. "When she spoke about running for Congress, it validated my dreams of running for president," Bucy said. "It made me feel that I'm not crazy, and I can do this." "Women are people, not two dimensional," Bucy said. "You can like more than one thing. You can do whatever. But do it, rather than say it." laquino@kent.edu
Trump enlists Congress, ex-intel chief denies wiretapping Darlene Superville Associated Press President Donald Trump turned to Congress on Sunday for help finding evidence to support his unsubstantiated claim that former President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during the election. Obama's intelligence chief said no such action was ever carried out. Republican leaders of Congress appeared willing to honor the president's request, but the move has potential risks for the president, particularly if the House and Senate intelligence committees unearth damaging information about Trump, his aides or his associates. Trump claimed in a series of tweets without evidence Saturday that his predecessor had tried to undermine him by tapping the telephones at Trump Tower, the New York skyscraper where Trump based his campaign and transition operations, and maintains a home. Obama's director of national intelligence, James Clapper, said nothing matching Trump's claims had taken place. "Absolutely, I can deny it," said Clapper, who left government when Trump took office in January. Other representatives for the former president also denied Trump's allegation. The New York Times reported that
FBI Director James Comey has asked the Justice Department to publicly reject Trump's assertion. The Times reported that senior American officials say Comey argued that the claim must be corrected because it falsely insinuates that the FBI broke the law. No such statement has been issued by the Justice Department. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said without elaborating Sunday that Trump's instruction to Congress was based on "very troubling" reports "concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election." Spicer did not respond to inquiries about the reports he cited in announcing the request. Spicer said the White House wants the congressional committees to "exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016." He said there would be no further comment until the investigations are completed, a statement that House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi took offense to and likened to autocratic behavior. "It's called a wrap-up smear. You make up something. Then you have the press write about it. And then you say, everybody is writing about this charge. It's a tool of an authoritarian," Pelosi said.
Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech for the presidential nomination before the Republican National Convention on Thursday, July 21, 2016. Clint Datchuk / The Kent Stater
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President Barack Obama speaks to supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. Clint Datchuk / The Kent Stater
Spicer's chief deputy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said she thinks Trump is "going off of information that he's seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential." Josh Earnest, who was Obama's press secretary, said presidents do not have authority to unilaterally order the wiretapping of American citizens, as Trump has alleged was done to him. FBI investigators and Justice Department officials must seek a federal judge's approval for such a step. Earnest accused Trump of leveling the allegations to distract from the attention being given to campaignseason contacts by Trump aides with a Russian official, including campaign adviser Jeff Sessions before he resigned from the Senate to become attorney general. The FBI is investigating those contacts, as is Congress. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said in a statement that the panel "will follow the evidence where it leads, and we will continue to be guided by the intelligence and facts as we compile our findings." Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the committee "will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party's campaign officials or surrogates." The committee's top Democrat,
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, said Trump was following "a deeply disturbing pattern of distraction, distortion and downright fabrication." The office of House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., referred questions to Nunes, while a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said McConnell would not tell the Senate committee how to do its work. Trump said in the tweets that he had "just found out" about being wiretapped, though it was unclear whether he was referring to having found out through a briefing, a conversation or a media report. The president in the past has tweeted about unsubstantiated and provocative reports he reads on blogs or conservative websites. The tweets stood out, given the gravity of the charge and the strikingly personal attack on the former president. Trump spoke as recently as last month about how much he likes Obama and how much they get along, despite their differences. "How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" he tweeted, misspelling 'tap.' Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said Saturday that a "cardinal rule" of the Obama administration was not to interfere in Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of outside or political
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influence. Lewis said neither Obama nor any White House official had ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. "Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," Lewis said. Trump used a similar approach with his unsupported claims of massive voter fraud that he said caused him to lose the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton. He eventually said he wanted to launch a "major" investigation to find the 3 million to 5 million votes he claims were cast illegally. Congressional leaders were cool to the idea — a costly and timeconsuming effort. Trump has been trailed for months by questions about his campaign's ties to Russia. Compounding the situation is the U.S. intelligence agencies' assessment that Russia interfered with the election to help Trump triumph over Hillary Clinton, along with disclosures about his aides' contacts with a Russian official.
Monday, March 6, 2017 | Page 3
The Kent Stater
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T
SOCIETY’S
PERFECT victim
Erin Zaranec Social Media Director
he statistics are troubling, yet largely ignored: One in six women are victim of a rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network reported. Females between the age of 16 and 19 are four times more likely than the rest of the female population to fall victim to the crime. At age 16, I became one of those six. I was silent for six years, internalizing my experience as a faceless number in a sea of sexual assault statistics. Today, I refuse to let a crime against my body keep me quiet. In November, I sat — like many Americans — watching maps turn from shades of gray to hues of blue and red as Donald J. Trump become our country’s president. “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … grab ‘em by the pussy; You can do anything.” As more and more states turned red, these words uttered by Trump grew louder and louder in my head. A man who was getting voted into the world’s most powerful leadership position was exposed for bragging about sexual assault and America turned its ear and voted to “drain the swamp” at the cost of women like me. “I don’t give a fuck what you want.” These were the last words I heard clearly before a pillow was swiped from under my head and placed over my face. Before an overwhelming pressure took over my body. Before I swung my fists and fought
EDITORIAL BOARD
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with all the strength a 16-yearold girl could muster. Those were the last words I heard before I was raped. On election night, I felt as though America told me the same thing. I remember the nauseating feeling I had while sitting in bed around 3 a.m., watching a live stream of Trump accepting the presidency. Watching a man who was accused of raping a 13-year-old in 1994 talk about uniting our country. Watching a man who made a career of insulting women proudly hold his wife’s hand on stage. I knew I could no longer live in silence. Six years ago, I chose not to report my rape to legal authorities. I took what I considered to be the safe path. I took the necessary precautions to ensure my physical health would remain intact. I thought I could spare myself and my family the pain of the legal system and move on. But there was no way to simply “move on.” The worst 30 minutes of my life paved the way for the next 2,193 days of my existence. For years, I struggled to feel as though my body was my own. I struggled to feel as though a man could value me for anything other than my body and sexuality. I struggled to realize the difference between sex and love. A friend’s response after learning of the violence surrounding my situation: “Oh, so it was that kind of rape?” A high school teacher’s response to my essay about
Opinion Editor: Lucas Misera Senior Editor: Karl Schneider Sports Editor: Henry Palattella Assigning Editor: Jack Kopanski
“
SOCIETY HAS CONSTRUCTED THE IDEAL VICTIM, AND IF YOU DON’T PLAY THE ROLE, YOU PAY THE PRICE.
”
ERIN ZARANEC my most vulnerable moment: “Well, if it was that serious, why didn’t you report? We have resources.” This, from the first male friend I confided in: “Erin, were you drinking? If so, you can tell me ... sometimes things happen.” “But you had other boyfriends since then, but you seem happy, but you went to school the next day, but you seem so normal, but you seem okay talking about it, but was it really rape or just rough sex … you wouldn’t really know since it was your first time, but, but, but, but.” It seemed as if everyone had an opinion, a piece of input, a statement to make about my most vulnerable moment. There is a strict set of politics for a female rape victim: We are expected to be weak, to shy away from sex, to never love ourselves or anyone else, to view every man as an attacker and every intimate relationship as a threat. We are expected to drink too much, to bleed away our pain in the form of self-harm, to burn our insides with drugs in an effort to numb the pain of our attack. Society has constructed the ideal victim, and if you don’t play the role, you pay the price.
I have been questioned for being happy. I have been questioned for having relationships. I have been questioned for not allowing 30 minutes to dictate the rest of my life. And now, I have been questioned for being so open about my most intimate secret. Society would rather us victims remain quiet. Most mainstream media and society cannot cope with my daily reality: When I was 16, a man twice my size took control of my body with a pressure so strong I thought I might break and left me with blood on my thighs and tears permanently stained into my cheeks. Society’s discomfort is my weekly nightmare. It’s the reason for cold sweats and an increased heart rate every time I hear a friend complain about a “test raping me” or a casual rape joke tossed around like candy. It’s the reason for therapy sessions, sleepless nights, anxiety medication and tearful talks with my parents about that one night at age 16. It’s the anxiety I face at the start of every new relationship, knowing I have to have ‘that talk.’ It’s the memories of a cheap, synthetic pillowcase
JOSEPH MCGRELLIS’ VIEW // To see all the cartoons this semester, visit KentWired.com
OUR VIEW
— the smell of the cotton, the sharp taste of the blood that dripped down my throat from biting my tongue. One year after he raped me, my attacker found out that I had mentioned my rape to a friend. “Oh, you think they’ll classify that as rape?” he said. “Come on, babe, I know you liked it ... just relax, you might as well stop telling people.” Six years. 2,550 days. One anxiety medication. More than 10 therapy sessions and counting. At age 16, I fought my abuser. At age 22, I am fighting society’s stigma. I don’t know if I label myself as a victim or as a survivor, but I do know that I will no longer work to protect the system, to keep people comfortable and to protect the man who paved the way for the past 2,550 days of my life. If you have been affected by rape, sexual assault or domestic violence, I can only offer you my personal experience. I would strongly encourage you to take advantage of on- and off-campus resources and to speak your mind. You are not the perpetrator of your attack. You are not the result of one experience, or multiple experiences if that is the case. I wish I could offer more than my experiences and condolences to all victims and survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence. But above all else, I wish society would offer all of us a lot more. ezaranec@kent.edu
The human element
When the editorial staff of The Kent Stater meets to write “Our Views,” our goal is to provide thought-provoking commentary on issues that matter on the scale of our campus, nation and global community. As the Stater continues its semester-long coverage of sexual assault at universities, it’s only fitting that we cover this topic as well. Yet, as an editorial board comprised of four men who are unlikely to ever find ourselves victims of sexual assault, using this “Our View” as a chance to simply reiterate that these heinous crimes are a severe problem that need addressed would be an ineffective gesture. Erin Zaranec, the writer of the guest piece highlighted in Monday’s opinion section, recounts her experience as a “faceless number in a sea of sexual assault statistics.” In less than 1,200 words, she shares a moment that permanently affected the way she goes about life more than six years later. Her story provides a critical component to the battle against sexual assault: the human element. Disseminating statistics to shed light on how deep the problem runs is important. Knowing that one in six women will be victims of rape or attempted rape over the course of their lives provides insight into the swiftness with which this issue must be corrected. But numbers can’t produce the same effect that Erin does by sharing her story. By stepping out of the shadow of the egregious crime committed against her, she reminds readers that every woman behind the “one in six” statistic has her own story. It’s crucial that society makes greater strides in regard to combatting sexual assault. But until that effort is realized, stories like Erin’s will play an imperative role in reminding the rest of us that — for the sake of victims and survivors — we cannot simply be bystanders. The above editorial is the consensus opinion of The Kent Stater editorial board, whose names are listed above.
On
'Good English' is a fallacy Bobbie Szabo Columnist I used to enjoy correcting peoples’ grammar. Doing so made me feel as though I was intellectually superior, as though I was somehow better than the individual I was correcting. Of course, I was not — and still am not — perfect. I, too, made grammatical and syntactical mistakes, but I felt my excellent command of the English language meant I was an overall smarter and better human being than those around me. The preceding statements are difficult to admit, for I never consciously corrected people because I wanted to be superior. I truly believed I was helping the individual in concern. Most individuals who correct others believe similar notions; however, intent and impact are not the same. Typically, a wealth of knowledge regarding the (admittedly random) rules of the English language is a signal of advanced education. Because students in the United States do not explicitly learn grammatical rules in school and instead implicitly
absorb them by example, individuals who are able to articulate the rules of English grammar are those who have specifically pursued such education. Higher education is outrageously expensive in the United States. Those who have the privilege of education are mostly likely to speak the English language based on "the rules," but the rules were created by groups of people with wealth, power and influence. An educated individual correcting a seemingly uneducated individual thus becomes a situation in which the educated individual exerts systemic power over the other. Situations do exist in which correcting an individual’s grammar is necessary — such as on an academic paper or in professional writing — but colloquial conversations are not one of those situations. For instance, I recently had an interaction with an older individual. When I used “they” to describe a singular person, he interrupted me mid-sentence: “They refers to plural people. You cannot use it in a singular context.” He was wrong. The rules languages follow constantly change and evolve, and this particular rule has essentially been eradicated due to its popularity in casual speech and its use in new sociological and psycho-
logical studies. Regardless of his accuracy, his behavior was rude — just as mine has been whilst correcting others. By attempting to correct me, he placed himself in a higher position of power within our conversation. He exerted unnecessary linguistic force in order to construct himself as having the upper-hand. When I gave him a disgruntled look, he defended himself by saying, “I am helping you speak good English.” While such an intent sounds noble, the entire concept of "good English" is a fallacy; "good English" does not exist. Thousands of forms of English exist within the modern world — distinctly separate English languages, dialects, variations, colonialized forms, institutionalized variants — the list goes on. None of these languages can be labeled "good English," thus no one can speak "good English." One can speak a specific variation of English proficiently based on the specific set of syntactical and grammatical rules which accompany the institutionalization of the language, but no one can accurately label an individual’s use of a language using moral or ethical adjectives. bszabo3@kent.edu
Baseball wins one game, drops three over weekend Erik Svensson Sports Reporter
Kent State won one game and lost three in a short series hosted by Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kent State (7-4) won 9-1 against Radford University (2-9) on Friday. See full article at KentWired.com
Cheers&Jeers
Cheers to ... DIY outfits. A woman crafted her own bridal gown out of Taco Bell wrappers with the goal of winning the restaurant chain’s “Love & Tacos” contest. Jeers to ... dress codes. A 7-year-old bowler in Canada was stripped of a first-place finish in a tournament because his jeans were not dark enough.
Page 4 | Monday, March 6, 2017
Annual Rock the Runway fashion show revives the Roaring '20s
The Kent Stater
Board of Trustees
Board of Trustees named Aramark as university’s new dining services vendor GRAZERS and Fresco will be added to the HUB and every dining hall will be renovated. A full-service Panera will be added along the Esplanade, as well as a full-service Starbucks in the library. Eastway’s dining hall will be renamed “Eastway Court Fresh Good Company.” The dining hall in Prentice will be renamed “Sprout’d.” Kent Market 2 will be changed to “The Esplanade Market Center,” which will be an open-kitchen dining area. Rosie’s will be moved to the second floor of the Tri-Towers Rotunda. The contract will take effect on June 1, and will be a one-time investment that will cost approximately $22.7 million, $2.4 million of which will go back to the university in the first year to support “the student experience.” All campuses will share one meal plan. No Kent State Dining Services employees will lose their jobs because of the switch. New touch-screen Pepsi machines will be added on campus. New “Gatorade experience” on campus and athletic events.
Proposed Vision Sprout’d On-The-Go Market (Prentice). Graphic rendering courtesy of Kent State University
Kassidy Brillhart and Ann Marie Elaban’s win the 13th annual Roaring ‘20sthemed Rock the Runway show on Saturday. Alyssa Keown / The Kent Stater
Paige Miller Fashion Reporter Kent State students dazzled the audience with intricate designs at the 13th annual Rock the Runway fashion show featuring styles inspired by the roaring 20s. Sophomore communication studies major Michael Gallagher II hosted the show in the Kent Student Center ballroom Saturday night. Rebecca Kapler, Center for Student Involvement assistant director, said she has been planning the event since the fall. "It has gotten bigger each year,” Kapler said. “This year we have the most designers we have ever had in a show.” The designer call started in November, and designers were greeted with guidelines and deadlines. Rue Monroe, a sophomore theatre studies major, played with gender roles in the 20’s and present time in their debut fashion show collection “Glitz at the Ritz.” “I found my inspiration through the Harlem Renaissance. The detail and culture during the 1920’s caught my attention immediately,” Monroe said. “The movement as a whole plays a huge role in my garments, shapes, colors and symbolism.” Monroe’s collection added a delicate touch to structured pieces and took them a month to construct. “The male peacock is more flamboyant,” Monroe said. "Women in the '20s were going for a more masculine look. I used peacock feathers throughout my design to complement that.” Curator of the Kent State Museum Sara Hume; director of communications and marketing for the College of the Arts Eftihia Tsengas; and general manager of Wolf Creek Tavern, an authentic speakeasy, Dawn Bilinovich, used extensive knowledge of fashion designs from the 20's to judge designers on how they incorporated the theme into each collection. “I feel like it's easy to come up with a concept, but actually making and presenting it is a whole other thing. This entire pro-
Jordin Manning modeling for Rue Monroe’s collection “Glitz at the Ritz” at Rock the Runway on Saturday. Alex Ledet / The Kent Stater
cess has taught me a lot about myself as a designer but also that I have a long way to go experience wise,” Monroe said. Fashion design majors Kassidy Brillhart and Ann Marie Elaban won the event with their line "Living Lindy," and both students received $2,500 toward their fall tuition. “Our concept, 'Living Lindy' came from the dance Texas Tommy. That was a name used for the Lindy Hop from the '20s,” Elaban said. A common theme throughout the show was toying with the combination of men and women’s wear with the added element of risqué silhouette’s and fabrics. “We wanted masculine structures with feminine colors,” Brillhart said. “The hardest part was making it cohesive and interchangeable.” “Living Lindy” featured a reversible cape in soft blush with a sequin patterned fabric, which echoed other elements of the line. Fashion design majors Emily Rinehardt and Rachel Weidner also won a $500 gift card to Mood Fabrics in New York City as the audience winners. Their line called “We’re Pretty Girls, Floyd” combined menswear with soft silk and feather details, and Rinehardt and Weidner said their collection was inspired by American bank robber, Pretty Boy Floyd. Every designer stunned the crowd with flowing fringe and illuminating sparkling dresses that reflected around the ballroom. As the models strutted down the runway, Kent State’s Jazz Society Quartet played smooth jazz behind a gold backdrop, which flattered each collection with their music. “The most rewarding part of this experience is today and watching our designs come to life,” Elaban said. “Being able to see the drawing translate to real life with the model doing the same pose in the sketch made it surreal.” pmille39@kent.edu
College of Public Health hosts annual Diversity Symposium Abigail Winternitz College of Nursing and Public Health Reporter The College of Public Health is gearing up to host its second annual Diversity Symposium that will recognize nearly 40 underrepresented minority women as public health role models. The symposium, which is in partnership with the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, the Office of the Provost and University College, will be held on Thursday, April 20 at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mark James, a professor and chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology, said the symposium is designed to address the fundamental need to identify appropriate role models and mentors for the College of Public Health's underrepresented minority students. Two keynote speakers will be featured: Kent State graduate student Shanice Cheatham, the founder and CEO of Endemic Solutions LLC, and Lt. Niketta Womack, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The event will also include a buffet
luncheon and round table discussions moderated by several underrepresented minority graduate students in the College of Public Health. James said students can look forward to many networking opportunities and job advice at the symposium. “I think that our speakers will be very inspirational to students and will let them know how to set themselves apart and make a name for themselves in this very competitive job market,” James said. “Students will leave having the insight on how to become a leader in their respective field. awintern@kent.edu
Proposed Vision Nourish’d – Allergen Friendly Café (Prentice). Graphic rendering courtesy of Kent State University
Proposed Vision Rosie’s Diner Tri-Towers Rotunda 2nd Floor (Tri-Towers Rotunda). Graphic rendering courtesy of Kent State University
From Page 1
FOOD Board of Trustees ... The HUB will also be changed, with Fresco and Grazers serving as the additions. It wasn’t announced which vendors would be removed. A fullservice Panera will be added along the Esplanade, as well as a fully-licensed Starbucks in the University Library. Rosie’s Diner in Tri-Towers will also move to the second floor and will add a new technology element like table-top ordering. The dining hall renovations will also extend across the other campuses, with some regional campuses getting a made-toorder deli called “The Seasoned Café.” A market called “The Seasoned MRKT” will also be placed on some regional campuses. The dining halls will be run by 30 Aramark employees and 85 Kent State dining employees. Current Kent State dining employees will be able keep their jobs throughout the transition process. The Kent Campus and the Stark Campus are currently the only campuses that have dining halls employing solely Kent State students. Bohn’s presentation was followed by a presentation from PepsiCo, which has been Kent State’s drink provider since 2011. The PepsiCo presentation focused on ways the company could expand its brand on campus.
One plan includes “Life Water,” stylized as LIFEWTR. The new brand includes purified water that is Ph balanced and comes with electrolytes. The product is sent out in bottles with a design on the front that changes quarterly. PepsiCo is also planning on bringing in new Spire fountain units, which is a touch-screen drink machine that allows customers to mix and match different drink flavors. Pepsico will also be engaging in the FLASHperks program, which will then be used to redeem Pepsi or Gatorade gear. PepsiCo will also continue its focus on athletics by adding new game experiences during the university's athletics events, as well as renovating the Gatorade experience on campus for students. Some ways that PepsiCo plans on doing this is by making experiences unique to college students, such as giveaways, sampling events and health and wellness events. PepsiCo plans on changing the Kent State Athletic Department by improving its partnership with Gatorade, as well as more promotional activities during athletic events, like having text message promotions shown on the jumbotron. When Warren went over her vision for Kent State Dining Services, her answer was short and to the point. “I want Kent State the healthiest (college) campus in America,” she said. hpalatte@kent.edu
Monday, March 6, 2017 | Page 5
The Kent Stater
Sports
SPORTS EDITOR: HENRY PALATTELLA // HPALATTE@KENT.EDU
Tutolo qualifies for NCAA Championships
Samantha Ross Sports Reporter This season looked to be a lost season for Kent State wrestler Anthony Tutolo, who has been out for most of the season due to a knee injury. Tutolo, however, has spent most of the season doing extra work to get himself back to full strength despite the injury. His hard work paid off this weekend at the Mid-American Conference tournament when he placed sixth and qualified for the NCAA Championships, while fellow Flash Casey Sparkman looks to be a strong candidate for the NCAA at-large bid. “We had five guys finish ahead of their seed,” head coach Jim Andrassy told Kent State athletics of the team’s improvement at the end of the season. Tutolo took sixth place after losing to Old Dominion University’s Alex Madrigal. Despite the loss, the place as a sixth seed gave him an automatic bid to the NCAA championships.
Sparkman came up short of an automatic bid. During the consolation semifinals, Sparkman pinned Old Dominion's Larry Early in 47 seconds. Sparkman then had a close match that went into overtime against Eastern Michigan University’s Zach Carson. Sparkman scored a takedown to take third place. “He was the highest placer on our team,” Andrassy said. “He did everything he was supposed to do. We were hoping that he would upset someone to get the automatic spot. I was pretty happy with him.” Sparkman had the opportunity to to wrestle for true second, but lost to Central Michigan University’s Colin Heffernan. Despite the loss, Andrassy still thinks that Sparkman has a chance to get an at-large bid and wrestle at the NCAA Championships. “(Sparkman) meets four of the six criteria,” Andrassy said. “He placed one below the at large bids,
so he’s the guy we’re kind of hoping on at this point.” Kent State's Isaac Bast beat Central Michigan's Logan Parks 3-2, placing him fifth at the 165 weight class. “He ended up taking fifth place and beating some guys that he hadn’t beaten all year,” Andrassy said. “(Bast) was considered the worst guy in the bracket and he placed four spots above where he was seeded.” Stephen Suglio placed sixth after losing to Central Michigan's Austin Severn 3-2. Jerald Spohn and Shane Mast finished in seventh place. Spohn pinned Ohio University’s Arsen Ashughyan in 58 seconds, while Mast defeated Ohio's Dontae McGee 21-11. The University of Missouri won the team title at the MAC tournament with 154.5 points. The championships will be held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri from March 16-18. sross39@kent.edu
Redshirt freshman Jared Walker fights to avoid being pinned in Kent State’s meet against Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017. Aaron Self / The Kent Stater
Limiting offensive production of Keene, Rayson key for Flashes in first-round game Nick Buzzelli Sports Reporter
Central Michigan junior guard Marcus Keene drives the lane against Kent State senior forward Jimmy Hall at the M.A.C. Center on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. Nate Manley / The Kent Stater
Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff knows it isn’t easy to advance past the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Last year, his team suffered an early exit in the form of a 70-69 home loss to Bowling Green State University. In 2014, Kent State failed to secure a berth in the league’s quarterfinals, falling at Miami University by seven. It’s only fitting that the head coach expects Monday’s matchup against Central Michigan University and its dynamic backcourt of Marcus Keene — the nation’s leading scorer — and Braylon Rayson to be a “tough” game. “They got two tremendous, tremendous scorers and they beat us here in overtime already,” Senderoff said following Kent State’s
final regular season loss to Akron on March 3. “I know there’s a lot of people disappointed that we lost Friday (against Akron) … but it would be great if we could have a good crowd here Monday because it would make a difference in helping us in this game.” The first time these two teams met, Keene and Rayson proved difficult for the Flashes to guard, combining for 67 of Central Michigan's 105 points. They’re both natural scorers who seem as relaxed fighting for defensive rebounds in the paint as they are knocking down clutch three pointers from the wing. At times, Kent State’s defense was able to effectively contain the pair of 5-foot-9-inch guards by double teaming them down low, limiting their midrange game and forcing turnovers — most of which occurred on traveling calls. But then again, the two took
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All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” State and local laws forbid discrimination based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. If you feel you have been wrongfully denied housing or discriminated against, call the FHAA at 330-253-2450 for more information. Now Leasing for Fall REMODELED houses for rent 5 and 6 bedrooms Beautiful and close to KSU Starting at $385/mo (330) 552-7032 Luxury 4 Bedroom large rooms and yard Deck, Patio, Fire Pit FREE washer/dryer and parking 330-714-0819 LEASING FOR FALL 2017 Spacious 3,4,&5 bedrooms with 2-3 full baths. Great condition, A/C, washer/dryer, dishwasher, deck, garage. 330-808-4045
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over when they needed to the most. Rayson logged 44 of the game’s 45 minutes, scoring 26 points on 8-18 shooting and dishing out four assists. And Keene, who sat at 30 points at the end of regulation — his season average — went 4-4 from the floor in overtime, recorded his team’s first eight points of the final frame and finished with his second double-double (41 points, 10 rebounds) of the season on a 13-26 performance from the field. “Yeah, he’s a good player,” said Jimmy Hall, who’s averaging 18.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game this season, after the first meeting on Jan. 28. “He can shoot the ball. He can score.” Despite their strong backcourt play, the Chippewas have struggled to find consistency. At one point in January, they won three straight conference games and averaged 96
points of offense during that stretch. But they finished the regular season at the bottom of the MAC’s West Division standings with a 6-12 record in conference play and enter the postseason contest at the M.A.C. Center on a seven-game losing skid. However, Senderoff knows that in a one-bid league like the MAC — where any team, regardless of record, can beat its opponent — nothing is guaranteed. “For a mid-major league — Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday — that determines if you go to the NCAA Tournament or not. I know we’ll compete, so that’s not going to be a problem. We haven’t not competed in a long time,” he said. “But it would be great to have some folks here cheering us on.”
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The Kent Stater