PAY $200 OUT-OFPOCKET COSTS SURPRISE
CHUBB HALL
$60 BENTLEY ANNEX
SURGERY
AS CO SI LL S ST TA EC IP NT T EN SH D IP
EW
N
C A
TI
LI
PO
$60
$400
CONGRESS STREET
PAY $200
CAR PAYMENT
$350
STIMSON AVENUE
CHANCE
PAY $200
CAT BUS
CAT BUS
$320
ADAMS HALL
SURGERY
SURPRISE
LY
O
UP
HI O
DO L MAG DO N AZIN E O NO T T PA CO S LL S G pa EC O ge T , 11 $2 00
E
TH
O
$300
WILSON HALL
$300
ATKINSON HALL
CAT BUS
GO
PING CENTER THE RIDGES CAT BUS
PORTER HALL
$100
BOYD HALL
$100
HEALTH CARE
TO
SHIVELY HALL
$120 CAT BUS
UTILITIES PAYMENTS
$220 $220 $240
SCRAPING BAKER CENTER
PAY $200
UTILITIES PAYMENTS
EAST STATE STREET
$140
ALDEN LIBRARY
$260
UNION STREET
PAY $200
ELLIS HALL
$260
COURT STREET
$140
BY 0
CAT BUS
PAY $200
$160
0
CHANCE
PA M TA
$280
CAT BUS
CAT BUS
PAY $200
0
18 20
SURPRISE
SOUTH GREEN
$180
10
AY
COLEGE GREEN
SURGERY
BT M
EAST GREEN
$180
10
CHANCE
PA PA R EN ID T AL
$200
DE 10
PEDEN STADIUM
LE A VE
IN
EDITOR’S NOTE O
CONTENTS 03 10 15
f all the projects and plans I attempted to execute this year as Editor-in-Chief, The New Political Magazine was my pride and joy. By distributing our fall issue into freshman hands, we were able to recruit our biggest and brightest team yet. Guiding them for the past 11 months has been an honor, a privilege and the highlight of my academic career. Without the enthusiasm and talent exuded by the 20 staffers who put this next issue together, and the 39 who contributed to our website this year, I would have holed up in my dorm room and wept. Instead, I get to unveil our first ever online summer edition. It’s a digital coagulation of fascinating news stories, nuanced features and gorgeous full-page infographics. In particular, I want to highlight the cover story, a collaborative effort led by Nathan Hart to profile the graduate student employees who teach packed university lecture halls yet can’t afford their health care. I’d also like to shout out Cole Behrens for his amusing yet thorough take on how juuling has shaped the local tobacco economy. And be sure to read Maggie Prosser’s gripping narrative about an Ohioan who faced physical torment after conscientiously objecting to the Vietnam War in the ‘70s. Most of all, I want to thank our team of graphic designers, led by Sarah Horne, who did me the tremendous service of crafting innovative page layouts so that I didn’t have to. I hope this issue of The New Political Magazine makes you smile, renders you speechless and leaves you inspired. We’ll be back next fall for more.
Kat Tenbarge, Editor-in-Chief
NEWS 05 G(OU)ING GREEN 06 JUUL RULES 09 DOPE DECLINES
COVER 10 QUIZ 11 #BEAVERAGE
OPINION
PEOPLE
20 23 KAT TENBARGE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MARIANNE DODSON, MANAGING EDITOR CONNOR PERRETT, DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Nate Doughty Ben Peters Kayla Wood Sarah Horne Elizabeth Chidlow Lindsey Curnutte Cole Behrens
News Editor Opinion Editor Copy Chief Design Editor Public Relations Director Social Media Director Assistant News Editor
Staff Writers: Nathan Hart, Maggie Prosser, Abby Grisez, William Meyer, Tim Zelina and Elisabeth Rockamore
FEATURES 16 HERSTORY 18 HUMAN TESTING
MORE (www.thenewpolitical.com) The New Political is an award-winning, independent publication run entirely by Ohio University students. A digital-first outlet, it is solely dedicated to covering politics and government on campus, in the city of Athens and in the state of Ohio. The New Political seeks to educate and empower the public as an independent voice for Athens. As a nonpartisan news organization, The New Political does not endorse any products, services or organizations — specifically political parties, candidates or organizations. The New Political values our nonpartisan news as the basis of our publication and will maintain a clear separation between news content and advertised content.
MASTHEAD
Over three-fourths of students living off-campus
RIVERPARK COURT ST. HIGH ST. These are the most popular places to live off-campus.
60 percent
of students
24%
SOLO
76%
SHARED LIVING
share their space with at least one roommate.
OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING
BY the
Nearly 100 percent of Ohio University students living offcampus are renting their space.
100 100 100 100 100
numbers
Students usually pay $300-500 a month to live off-campus.
live in apartments.
2
Most Ohio University students live within half a mile of campus.
60 percent of students pay
in
5 students are paying for offcampus housing on their own. Source: SurveyMonkey survey - Fall 2017 (25 responses)
36% live 0.5 miles+ away
64% live within 0.5 miles
$50-100
in utility payments every month.
MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
3
THE BRIEFING #Floodfest
ensure the well-being of the community and that the decision to consult with Ohio U officials about cancelling classes was based on the data available at the time. The cause for concern was understandable. At 24.2 feet, the river’s crest would have been its fourth highest since the start of measurements. Classes were canceled and garages were cleared out at Ohio U. At worst, there was minimal flooding. And thus, a fest of biblical proportions was created: #FloodFest. — WILLIAM MEYER
ACLU sues Ohio
“...There is no government justification to support Ohio’s refusal to provide transgender people with accurate birth certificates matching their gender identity.” Ohio is one of only three states that does not allow the changing of a birth certificate, along with Tennessee and Kansas. “Forcing transgender Ohioans to go through life with inaccurate birth certificates, a basic form of identification, unnecessarily exposes them to discrimination, harassment, and
violence,” Kara Ingelhart, the Lambda Legal Fellow representing the plaintiffs, said in an interview with The Cleveland Scene. The plaintiffs have reported several issues in employment and discrimination because of the bar against changing the gender on their birth certificates. One plaintiff alleges that she was threatened with physical violence after her HR representative audibly asked why her birth certificate said she was a man. Another plaintiff said he had
issues gaining dual citizenship in Italy because of the gender discrepancy between his passport and his birth certificate. “A birth certificate tells the world who we are,” Susan Becker, general counsel for the ACLU of Ohio, said at a press conference. “Ohio’s birth certificate policy refuses to provide transgender individuals — and only transgender individuals — with a birth certificate that accurately conveys their gender identity.” — KAYLA WOOD
TACO talks
$0. The rally featured free snacks, live music, and the opportunity for attendees to register to vote and sign a petition regarding medical marijuana in Athens. Oh, and many attendees took the opportunity to smoke marijuana. Around 30 people were in attendance for the majority of the rally, but that number rose and fell gradually as people passing by stopped to briefly take part in the event, and maybe even take a hit. — RYAN HARROFF
FOUR transgender Ohioans, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Ohio and Lambda Legal, are suing the state for the right to change their birth certificates to reflect their current gender identity. The lawsuit states, “Ohio’s practice… violates federal constitutional guarantees, including the rights to equal protection, due process, and freedom from compelled speech.
SUPPORTERS of The Athens Cannabis Ordinance (TACO) held a rally in front of the Athens City Courthouse on Saturday, April 21 to celebrate the passing of the legislation on Nov. 7, 2017. TACO lowered marijuana on the law enforcement priority list within Athens and altered court fees for marijuana-related misdemeanors to
Design by Nick Henthorn. Photo by Ryan Harroff.
“HINDSIGHT is 20/20,” Mayor Steve Patterson said in a statement after he implored Ohio University to cancel classes to prepare for major flooding that did not happen on Feb. 25. The Hocking River’s banks must reach 28 feet above sea level to be considered a major flood, according to the National Weather Service. Historically, the Hocking has neither reached nor surpassed 28 feet, but it has come very, very close.
In fact, flooding was so bad in 1968 that engineers literally rerouted the river to prevent future disaster. And, for the most part, it worked. Since then, the Hocking has only reached a moderate flooding stage four times. The National Weather Service projected late February that the Hocking would crest at 24.2 feet. That prediction was based off the amount of rainfall in a given time period upstream, the rate water levels increased in a given time period and the time of year, among other variables. Patterson also said it is his priority to
CONSCIOUS CAMPUS Office of Sustainability promotes eco-friendly initiatives BY SARAH HORNE
F
irst, a penny tax was placed on plastic bags in the markets. Then, the dining hall trays disappeared. From ranking second in the state for RecycleMania (right) to making Athens Public Transit free with an Ohio University ID, the Office of Sustainability has pushed the campus community toward greener prospects. Here are two initiatives in the works to cut down on waste from dining halls and encourage transportation that doesn’t emit greenhouse gases.
RecycleMania Over half of the waste produced at Ohio University facilities is recycled.
45.2 54.8
REUSABLE TO-GO BOXES
The office is continuing to partner with Culinary Services to work on their reusable to-go box program in the dining halls. The initiative was proposed by the students who won last year’s Eco-Challenge. There has been an ongoing problem with the amount of non-compostable waste being produced at campus eateries, especially at West 82. Sustainability Project Coordinator Sameul Crowl said the reusable box program is a way to cut down on the overall waste generated by dining locations. Students who wanted to take part in the reusable container program would pay a fee up front for a box. After each use, participants would bring it back to a dining location to receive a clean box. One concern Crowl has regarding the program is whether students will want to carry their reusable to-go containers with them throughout the day. “My generation, we didn’t carry around water bottles, but I think for the current generation, it’s just a part of life,” Crowl said. “I think once the mindset changes, and it becomes a part of the student experience, people will just get used to doing that.” One other logistical factor being considered is the cleanliness of the to-go containers, especially in complying with health and safety regulations. “These are containers that are coming in and out of dining facilities. We can’t have someone bring in a container and just say ‘Load me up in here,’” Crowl said. “The health code won’t allow them to do that.”
That makes Ohio U the no.1 school in the MidAmerican Conference docket for recycling. And Ohio U is the no. 2 school in the state, behind Youngstown State University (62.2 percent) COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND
1
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
2
Nationally, Ohio U places at no. 26.
This requires Culinary Services to devise a system to wash every to-go box used by a student. The program is being evaluated in order to avoid using excessive amounts of water, Crowl said. Students were able to sign up this past year to take reusable to-go boxes for a test run, but the program needs tweaking before it can be introduced in its entirety.
BIKE SHARING
Another sustainability project being developed is the bike sharing program. Part of the implementation process is the debate of whether to use a docking system for the bikes or let riders leave them at their destination. “When bikes sharing first started it used a dock system, but dockless systems have been spreading, “ Crowl said. One factor inhibiting the introduction of a bike share program is funding. The dock system is ideal because it offers the benefit of tracking the location of the bikes, but the dockless system is less costly because the university would not have to fund construction of docking sites. “If 20,000 students are saying ‘We want this,’ the university will pay more attention to that and respond to that,” Crowl said. “I think in the coming years there will be more money for sustainability.” Freshman journalism major Noah Wolf uses his bike on campus to get to his classes when the weather permits it. “I make biking a priority because I enjoy it and it’s a quick, easy way to get around,” Wolf said. “It’s tough to make a school like OU bike friendly, simply because of the hills and the broken paths.” Crowl is hoping that an official bike sharing program will encourage students to bike around campus and to class as opposed to driving their cars. But issues like potholes and rough terrain may cause a problem for new bikers. “They do their best despite that with bike racks throughout campus, and I appreciate that effort,” Wolf said. “But bricks are really not conducive to biking.”
NEWS
MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
5
SMACK THE JUUL:
I
n the days of olde, when bar patrons could smoke cigarettes indoors, the pungent aroma of tobacco dominated the smoky bars of Court Street. Now, the faint scent of cucumber and mango hangs in the air. JUUL, the e-cigarette-turned-verb, can be found in the hands of a bar patron at The CI or in the mouth of a flustered student in Alden Library reviewing their study guide for the eighth time. A JUUL is an e-cigarette device that uses a podbased system. Rather than filling a tank with vape juice, consumers must purchase proprietary pods for their JUUL. The pods come in packs of four and will usually cost around $20 in the Athens area. JUUL and other similar e-cigarettes have emerged over the past few years, offering cigarette smokers what JUUL Labs calls a “healthy alternative” to cigarettes. Ohio University freshman Lindsay Berndt became a
Photo by Bryce Smith.
BY COLE BEHRENS
cigarette smoker when she moved to campus. She would smoke a pack of cigarettes during the week, then another pack on the weekend. For Berndt, the culture at the university drew her to smoking. “Everyone was doing it here,” Berndt said. “I was like ‘Oh, this is normal, I might as well keep doing this.’” The chilly Ohio U winter and the prospect of being able to juul indoors drew Berndt to the e-cigarette. She went from buying two packs of cigarettes a week to spending $40 a week on JUUL pods. Before selling her JUUL for just $10, Berndt said that she would go through a pod a day. “A JUUL is a pack of cigs,” Berndt said. “And I can go through a JUUL pod in a few hours if I really try.” Berndt doesn’t rely on nicotine anymore, and she wouldn’t recommned the practice of juuling to anyone concerned for their health. “I think that people are just telling themselves that JUULs
are better than cigarettes so they can say something to seem like better people,” Berndt said. Freshman Spencer Kenney, who also began juuling once he came to college, said that even though he switched to JUUL, he still smokes and uses chewing tobacco on a semi-regular basis. To him, JUUL is just one of the many ways to get a nicotine buzz. “If you have a JUUL, that doesn't mean you’re not going to smoke cigarettes,” Kenney said. Kenney also believes the convenience of juuling can lead to overuse of the device. “They’re worse, in my opinion, than cigarettes, other than the chemicals in cigarettes,” Kenney said. “When it comes to the nicotine factor, they're worse. I tried one, got one and got addicted.” Nicotine salt-based juice, designed to emulate the feeling of smoking a cigarette, is how companies like JUUL Labs
As college students get hooked on nicotine, Court Street capitalizes on e-cigarette trends concentrates the nicotine in their pods. The juice produces faster nicotine spikes and can potentially be more addictive than traditional sources of nicotine. For college students on a budget, proprietary JUUL pods can be expensive. Students like Kenney, or Ohio U freshman Brian Mead, have started to break open and reuse old JUUL pods, filling them with salt-based nicotine juice they buy either online or in Athens. Alongside buying JUUL pods, Mead said that purchasing freebase nicotine is saving him money. He can buy one bottle of freebase juice that will last him much longer and costs the same as a typical pack of pods. “You might as well have a bottle of juice so you don’t have to keep re-upping on pods,” Mead said. Kenney only uses salt-based nicotine juice, and he gets it at either Silver Serpent Exotic Gifts or Smoke Zone. The container of freebase juice he bought four months ago is still filling his pods today.
RISE OF THE JUUL EMPIRE
According to The New York Times, JUUL hit the mainstream in early 2017. Jack Harwick, a freshman at Ohio U, said he was an early adopter of the JUUL, and has been using one since 2016. “I’ve been juuling since junior year of high school,” Harwick said. “When I came here, everyone was just finding out about the JUULs, and I was like ‘I’ve known about these for years.’” Although Harwick said he loved his JUUL, he added that he developed a nicotine dependency. He and his friends would spend upward of $40 a week until he lost his JUUL over a month ago. In December 2017, JUUL Labs dominated 46.8 percent market share of e-cigarettes, toppling the Vuse e-cigarette from R.J. Reynolds, an American tobacco conglomerate. Vuse currently owns a 32.9 percent market share, a 2.5 percent decrease from the previous year. Stores quick to pick up JUUL in its infancy, like Silver Serpent, soon found that the flavored pods became one of their biggest sellers and drew many students into the shop. Emmy Greenzalis, an employee, said the Silver Serpent has been selling JUULs and JUUL pods for several years. “They’re definitely one of our hottest selling items and one of our biggest expanding markets in vaporizers,” Silver Serpent manager Cory Boggs said. Boggs added that it is time for a change in the way the nicotine industry is operated.
“
THEIR INTENTION ISN’T TO MAKE YOU QUIT [NICOTINE], IT’S TO GET A NEW CUSTOMER. Stephan Lewis,
”
Manager of Glass City Vapory
“E-cigarettes are the only real competition that big tobacco has ever had,” Boggs said. Because of the increased popularity of JUUL, stores that have not traditionally sold e-cigarettes have begun to sell them. Mike Carson, owner of Mike’s Dog Shack, started selling JUUL pods less than a month ago. Carson said he is the only vendor on Court Street registered as a distributor by JUUL Labs. He buys the pods wholesale from JUUL Labs themselves, allowing him to offer his pods at a cheaper price. “They weren’t taking new sellers on for a while, so it took me a while to get picked up as a retailer,” Carson said. Other stores, like Glass City Vapory, have only been selling JUULs for a week. The manager, Stephan Lewis, said the decision to start selling JUULs was a reluctant one. Lewis believes JUUL isn’t designed to help people quit smoking-- it is to get them hooked on the product.
“Their whole main idea is to keep you addicted to nicotine,” Lewis said. “Their intention isn’t to make you quit, it’s to get a new customer.” Lewis cited the high concentration of nicotine found in JUUL pods, which contain 50 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of juice, according to the JUUL Labs website. Lewis said that most vape juices sold in his store have a nicotine content ranging from 0 to 6 milligrams. Lewis said that his store did not sell JUULs until recently because of his concerns about the high nicotine concentration found in them. Ultimately, the decision for Glass City Vapory was an economic one. “If we have 50 people coming in every week asking for JUUL pods, eventually there’s a point where you’re like ‘Okay, it’s worth it,’” Lewis said. “As a business owner and manager you gotta do what you can to make a buck.”
MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
7
CAMPUS CRIME the four most-committed offenses of spring semester (by sarah horne)
-- 140 reported drug-related crimes (
= 2)
-- 94 fire alarms set off
-- 60 reported alcohol-related crimes (
-- 52 reports of destructure of property (
= 2)
= 2)
‘Prevention is not just for kids’ University task force fights Appalachian opioid abuse with public partnerships
O
BY NATE DOUGHTY hio University launched a drug task force in April to combat the statewide drug overdose epidemic. The group will consist of community members, university staff and health experts. “Right now, many of our communities are hurting because of this epidemic, and Ohio University has a moral obligation to assist the communities we serve,” President Duane Nellis said in a news release. “By forming this task force, we can combat this epidemic in a concerted, coordinated manner and leverage our collective expertise to save lives and enact real change toward the betterment of our region.” At least 39 people have died due to drug overdoses in the county since December 2012, according to the Athens County coroner’s reports. Of those, 25 had opiates in their body at the time of death. The task force will examine current efforts that are being implemented to target drug addiction and overdose deaths. It will also prepare ideas for how to manage the epidemic in the future. Its first project will involve a review of Ohio U’s current plans to tackle the opioid epidemic and reach out to experts within the university, politicians in the region and other partners throughout the state. Another task involves working with education, student life, family and child studies, research and therapy across various Ohio U campuses to get a better understanding of the current progress that is being made toward the epidemic. Finally, the task force aims to utilize existing publicprivate partnerships across the Appalachian region, as well
as throughout Ohio, to improve understandings of how overdoses are impacting the local communities where they are occurring. “Prevention is not just for kids,” Dr. Holly Raffle, an associate professor at Ohio U who is a member of the task force, said. “As prevention science is developing, we are recognizing and realizing the value and potential of
prevention across the lifespan.” Of those who died from drug overdoses in Athens, the average age was 42, which is higher than the statewide average of 34. While there has been an increase in overdose-related deaths in Athens County leading up to 2014, the overall
trend has shifted downward, while the rest of the state has seen an increase. “Prevention, as a science, is relatively new,” Raffle said. “We are just beginning to understand that there are opportunities for intervention and support for young adults and adults.” In 2014, 12 people were cited in the coroner’s reports as having died due to overdoses – the most of any year leading up to January of 2018. All the overdose deaths in 2014 were due to an abundance of prescription pain killers, opioids or both. The 71 percent increase in overdose deaths from 2013 to 2014 for Athens is higher than the 20 percent increase the state saw over the same period. However, the 50 percent decrease in overdose deaths in Athens from 2014 to 2016 does not align with the state’s 73 percent increase. Every person that died of a drug overdose in Athens was white. The male to female ratio was 61 percent to 39 percent, respectively. The city of Athens had the most reported cases of overdoses out of Athens County cities with a total of 10 deaths over the past five years. Nelsonville and Glouster followed with six and five deaths, respectively. The Ohio Department of Health concluded in 2016 that Montgomery County faced the highest amounts of drug related overdoses in the state, with rate of 42.5 deaths per 100,000 people. Athens reported half of that, at 18.4 persons. Opioid overdoses occur when there are more opioids in the brain than opioid receptors. When this happens, the brain’s autonomous functions (like breathing) begin to shut down. This leads to a loss of consciousness until breathing stops, resulting in death. The task force plans to meet within the coming weeks to start implementing their objectives.
MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
9
HOW ARE YOU? 1. How often do you discuss political issues?
by Sarah Horne
4. Do you participate in political activism?
a
You avoid politics like the plague.
b
Only when you’re with people who agree with you.
a
No. You would never attend a protest.
b
No, but it’s admirable when other people do.
c
It usually comes up after small talk.
d
You constantly bring up politics in conversations.
c
Yes, but only for issues that matter to you.
d
Yes, and you even attend weekly meetings.
2. When do you read about politics?
5. Are your career goals related to politics?
a
Never.
b
Once a week or less.
a
You’d rather do anything else.
b
You’re more passionate about something else.
c
A few times a week.
d
Every. Single. Day.
c
Maybe, but you’re wary of the attention.
d
Definitely. You already have a victory speech prepared.
3. Do you know the names of your representatives?
6. Do you post about politics on social media?
a
Only at the national level.
b
You’d recognize names, but not faces.
a
No, I just like memes and cats.
b
I might post in the comments section.
c
Yes, and you’ve called them a few times.
d
You could ace a quiz on current U.S. representatives.
c
I’ll retweet things, but I don’t make statuses.
d
My posting is on par with the president.
a
mostly
mostly
b
’ s
’ s
c
True Neutral
mostly
Just A Voter
mostly
You tend to steer clear of politics. We’re not sure how you picked up this issue, but we hope you find something in this magazine that you enjoy.
You don’t like to talk politics at the dinner table but you’re informed on the issues. You’d never attend a rally or run for office, but you’re glad other people do.
d
’ s ’ s
Political Activist
You feel strongly about political issues. You don’t hold office, but you make your voice heard so that your representatives will listen.
Future Elected Official
Politics are your passion. You would love to influence policy directly by serving a group of constituents. So, how’s the campaign going?
“
I’ve been taking out loan money to pay for health insurance for the past five years, which means that I will be trying to pay that off for the next several decades, if not
COVER
MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
11
t of pocket costs: 100
E
lliot Long can’t afford to work at Ohio University any longer. This week, he taught his last class in Bentley Hall. He closed the door to his Court Street office for the last time. He left Athens, not with the Ph.D. he came here to get, but instead with thousands of dollars of debt he has accumulated as a fifth-year graduate employee. Elliot is a 33-year-old transgender man with a 2-yearold son and a partner who is also a doctoral candidate. Elliot taught two Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies classes as an adjunct and tutored at night. He has a sleeve of steampunk-style gears and branches tattooed up his arm and is an admitted sci-fi geek. He’s in dire need of a full-time job with benefits. “Even though we’re living in a house that’s too small and that feels like it’s falling apart, and supporting a kid who’s only in daycare half-time, still we’re not able to really make ends meet,” Elliot said. “For the last three years that’s involved taking out loans for $4,000 for myself and for my son. $6,000 for our family total. It adds up very quickly.” Elliot and his family are moving to Tampa, Florida, where his partner has a teaching job lined up. The population is nearly 15 times larger than Athens’, and Elliot hopes that there will be better job opportunities in the Sunshine State. Elliot has passionately fought for better working conditions for graduate employees at Ohio U, and he isn’t the only student struggling to afford the university’s health care.
THE DILEMMA
Graduate employees like Elliot can choose to be a graduate assistant, a teaching assistant or a research assistant. With these assistantships, they get $40 a semester from the university to pay for their university health insurance that starts at $988 per semester. If
you’re a graduate student with a spouse that needs health insurance, that’s another $988. If you have a child, another $988. Two children? $1,976. And the university’s subsidy for these costs amounts to around 4 percent. Before Elliot’s son Ira was born two years ago, he and his partner tried to switch to an open-market health care plan through the Affordable Care Act. But there were complications with Ira’s birth, and the OhioHealth network of health care providers wouldn’t accept their insurance. They canceled their plan at the last minute and switched back to Ohio U’s, which covered the necessary doctor’s appointments and hospital visits. “We did try other options, but it just didn’t work. We need affordable health insurance, and we need dental insurance so I can get my teeth fixed,” Elliot said. “My partner and I have been looking for other kinds of employment where we’re not maxing out our credit cards and taking out loans and barely making it.” Right now, Elliot is pursuing a doctorate in philosophy and interdisciplinary arts at Ohio U, but he and his partner’s academic pathways have taken them all over the country. Elliot studied music performance at Ohio U as an undergraduate, then earned his Master in Fine Arts from the University of Southern Maine, where he met his partner. The two next attended the University of Mississippi to complete another set of Master’s programs, and after that they both got accepted to Ph.D. programs at Ohio U. Elliot’s decision to move back to Athens came easily. “When we were applying we weren’t thinking about the cost of health insurance. At the University of Mississippi, health insurance was provided for free. And so the fact that we would have to pay out of pocket wasn’t even on my radar,” Elliot said. “Not only are we being paid less, but we have to pay so much for health insurance and it just makes being a graduate student here really unsustainable.”
100
Elliot Long and his 2-year-old son
“My partner just had surgery and he still has not received the bill for the surge But of the bills that we have received for covering things 100 100like the anesthesia, o care paid for less than half. And we know that the surgery costs $14,000, so just kind of waiting to find out how much of that we’re going to be expecte
Graduate employees currently receive a yearly $80 subsidy to pay for their health insurance. The university’s plan starts at $988 a semester. 100 100 100 Next year, the subsidy will be raised to $284. But for the Graduate Employee Organization and students like Elliot, that isn’t enough.
Ira. Photo courtesy of Elliot Long.
ery itself. our health 100 now we’re ed to pay.”
Just recently, the university announced that the health care subsidy would be raised from $40 to $142 per term, or around 13.2 percent of the costs. Additionally, graduate students will begin to have paid parental leave starting this fall, and the minimum stipend is being raised from $12 to $13 an hour. But here’s the catch: the health care premium is increasing, too. The out-of-pocket cost for university health insurance is only $32 less than what it was before. “70 percent of our peer institutions have their health insurance covered entirely by the university. They don’t have to pay anything out of pocket,” Elliot said. “Even across the state of Ohio, when we looked at other universities with subsidized health insurance, we were by far the worst.” The minimum stipend for graduate employees at Ohio U is also far below peer institutions. Even the average graduate employee stipend here is less than the minimum stipend at other comparable universities. Those figures have dire consequences for families like Elliot’s. “My partner just had surgery and he still has not received the bill for the surgery itself. But of the bills that we have received for covering things like the anesthesia, our health care paid for less than half,” Elliot said, adding that he’s afraid to open their mail. “And we know that the surgery costs $14,000, so now we’re just kind of waiting to find out how much of that we’re going to be expected to pay.” The comparative data Elliot cites was collected by the graduate student activism group he co-founded this past summer, the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO). Legally, graduate students can’t unionize, so instead, they formed an organizing committee. So far, the GEO has held demonstrated outside the Baker Student Center and the most recent Board of Trustees meeting. “I think our goals are largely to draw attention to the
100
working conditions of graduate students,” Elliot said. “As graduate students, a lot of us feel like things are really difficult and really hard, and I think seeing all that comparative data and seeing that graduate students at similar universities don’t have it this hard was a strong motivator and also very frustrating.” The GEO uses the hashtag #BeAverageOU to petition Ohio U to raise their stipends and subsidies to the average amount that peer universities provide. Specifically, they asked that the health care subsidy be raised to 89 percent. So why can’t the university offer graduate employees more financial support? The question prompts an examination of Ohio U’s finances, or lack thereof.
THE BUDGET
Buried within the 2017-18 Ohio U budget book’s 200+ pages is a section titled “Administrative and Academic Support Planning Units.” It displays the costs of college units that do not generate revenue, only expenses. The graduate college is one of these units. This year, the budget book estimated that the graduate college cost $1,466,751 to operate. But the university is also projected to make around $80 million on graduate student tuition and fees for this year, or around 10.5 percent of all the university’s revenue. It only costs $21 million to pay the graduate students, so the university is still earning around $60 million in profit off of grad students. So why the strife with subsidies and rates? Distinguished Professor of Economics Emeritus Richard Vedder told The New Political that graduate enrollment has held up well in recent years. But according to Vedder, graduate students are no blessing, because the university must provide them with a lot of aid. “You buy your graduate students,” Vedder said. When all revenues and expenses are added up, the
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Elliot’s average workday at Ohio U started at 6:15 a.m., when he’d usually b around 7:30-7:45, go100 home, get ready to teach, come to campus. I teach two 100 my kid from daycare at around 12:15, take him home and put him down for his with him before going back to campus for a tutoring shift from 6-9 p.m. “It’s university budgeted to have over $50 million in surplus for fiscal year 2018. This extra cash was planned to go to a variety of places, with some headed to the university’s internal bank, some to debt servicing and some to the university’s reserves. In practice, it was found in the fall and spring financial reviews that the university had a budget imbalance (meaning they were short money) of around $23 million and $15 million, respectively. Ohio University owes over $600 million in debt. That’s almost the same amount as a year’s worth of the university’s expenses. But if that’s the case, how can there be a projected surplus? It’s because the university does not incur debt on its expenses, only for university buildings.
According to the budget book, “The university strategically issues debt to finance our facility and infrastructure investments.” Capital investments are not included in the overall budget, which is why there can be a supposed surplus. “We need to decide where we want to be on a spectrum between being a school with crappy facilities and great faculty or would we rather have state of the art facilities but not have a good investment in faculty,” Faculty Senate President Joe McLaughlin said. Vedder said he positively alarmed by the amount the university has been “throwing” at new building and renovation costs.
The university was estimated to take on $70 million more in debt for their capital improvements (building new residence halls and renovating current ones) through 2024, but as of the latest Board of Trustees meeting, that number was lowered to only $15 million in debt. Aside from new buildings, the university also spends a large amount of money on paying and providing benefits for employees. For fiscal year 2018, the university is budgeted to spend $492.7 million on these costs, which is equal to around 62 percent of the university’s revenues. And this amount is for a year where employees will be receiving no raises whatsoever. To reduce this number, Vedder claims he could take a
Ohio U’s health insurance subsidy compared to peer institutions. Image courtesy of the Graduate Employee Organization.
“As graduate students, a lot of us feel like things are really difficult and really h comparative data and100 seeing that graduate students at similar universities 100 motivator and also very frustrating. I think drawing attention to the working co students to feel like we don’t just have to accept what we’re given. But if w
be woken up by his 2-year-old. “I get him ready for daycare, drop him off classes100 back-to-back in the morning 100 from 9:40-11:45. I then go pick 100 up s nap,” Elliot said. After his son wakes up, Elliot has a few hours to spend hard not to feel run ragged with days like that,” he said.
Graduate students protest outside the most recent Board of Trustees meeting. Photo courtesy of Sarah Horne. yellow highlighter and highlight 300 names of people to get rid of, saving $40 million in the process.
THE FUTURE
In just the next academic year, the university’s reserves will dwindle, enrollment will decline and health prices will rise. Is the situation sustainable? McLaughlin thinks so. “I think despite the challenges we have, when I look around the country and read The Chronicle of Higher Education and think about other institutions and the way
other states are or even some other institutions that we are in a pretty good place here, comparatively,” McLaughlin said. While Elliot continues to job search in Tampa, he plans to wrap up his dissertation next fall so that he can receive his doctorate from Ohio U. His partner is hoping to graduate with a doctorate in English literature over the summer. Elliot says that, even in his absence, there’s a strong core of students in the GEO who will continue pushing for better
hard, and I think seeing all that don’t have 100 it this hard was a strong 100 onditions means empowering graduate we band together, we have power.”
health care subsidies, better stipends and better working conditions. He’s happy with the changes that Nellis has announced so far, but knows that it won’t be enough until Ohio U’s benefits align with peer institutions. “University leadership has been engaged in ongoing conversations with our graduate students for many months to discuss ways can provide more support to this crucial part of our institution,” Ohio U spokesperson Carly Leatherwood said in an email. “...in fall 2018, graduate student representatives will join Student Affairs leadership and undergraduate representatives in evaluating our University Student Health Insurance Plan. “By adding graduate students to this process, we will ensure that our health insurance plan design meets the objectives of students who utilize the plan.” Even if Elliot had been able on campus to complete his dissertation, he said an eventual move was inevitable. At some point, he needed to find a teaching job that could support his family. “I think drawing attention to the working conditions means empowering graduate students to feel like we don’t just have to accept what we’re given,” Elliot said. “But if we band together, we have power.” Ben Peters, Cole Behrens, Sarah Horne and Kat Tenbarge also contributed to this report.
I really like what I do, I feel very fortunate and blessed to have this type of opportunity. So it’s kind of hard for me to say I’d rather be ‘x’ or ‘y.’ To be a university president at a great university is really special. But certainly if there was a way that I could be in a position to help people, more broadly, for a day, at a global perspective. Anything that would help people in
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HERSTORY
Student Senate’s ‘Power Trio’
BY ABBY GRISEZ
A
n all-female executive board will lead Ohio University’s Student Senate during the 2018-19 school year. Maddie Sloat is the president, Hannah Burke is the vice president and Lydia Ramlo is the treasurer. The group sat down with HERSTORY host Abby Grisez to talk about the election, what made them want to go into politics, and what it’s like being a woman in the political sphere.
THE ELECTION
The group, nicknamed “The Power Trio” by a member of Student Senate, got its start during fall semester in 2017. The three were recruited to be on other tickets, but their message didn’t resonate with Maddie, Hannah or Lydia. A friend suggested Maddie start her own ticket, which hadn’t crossed her mind. Maddie presented the idea to Hannah and Lydia on a Wednesday night in November in a Union Street Diner booth over milkshakes and fries. “I remember being like, ‘Oh my god, maybe’,” Hannah said. That ‘maybe’ soon became a hard ‘yes.’ Bridge OHIO officially announced its candidacy and started recruiting on Dec. 15. Bridge ran unopposed in the March election, but that didn’t stop the candidates from campaigning and engaging with potential voters in the weeks leading up to it. The trio said it was hard to convince students that their vote mattered. “We were really disappointed, especially because, and I’ve been saying this a lot, we’re all better when we’re being challenged,” Maddie said. “And I think the student
body engages a lot more as well when there are more candidates and more viewpoints that are coming to the table.”
THE INSPIRATION
During her first year at Ohio U, Maddie Sloat founded The Period Project, a group aimed at providing more accessible menstrual products to those without. She saw firsthand how much the organization struggled with funding and wanted to get involved on a more institutional level. Maddie still recognizes the importance of grassroots activism, but also realizes how valuable institutional support can be. “We’re a bunch of students that are empowering other students to make their voices heard,” Maddie said. “We have more resources than a traditional organization.” Maddie worked with Hannah on the Women’s Affairs Commision during the 2016-17 school year, which passed funding for the “Take a Tampon, Leave a Tampon” initiative. The measure provides free pads, tampons and menstrual cups across campus. Hannah said she saw the importance of having a voice and a seat at the table through Student Senate. She was
surrounded by politics growing up. Her mother and father studied political science and history, respectively. “Our kitchen conversations were always about politics, and if you know me, it’s kind of hard for me to not talk about politics all the time,” Hannah said. Lydia, on the other hand, was raised by two physicists. She’s an engineer, so as a STEM student, politics weren’t always the first thing on her mind. “Senate really opened my eyes to the politics world,” she said. “Beforehand, I mean of course I was involved. I always read the news. But I never thought that I would run for office one day.” Lydia is passionate about environment issues, and saw an opportunity within Senate to promote sustainability on the Environmental Affairs Commission. She also saw a chance for collaboration between politicians and engineers. Lydia feels being involved in Student Senate will give her the skills to engage in this type of collaboration, regardless of what her career is in the future.
ON BEING WOMEN IN POLITICS
Maddie, Hannah and Lydia attended the Ohio University Women’s Center’s ElectHer event in October 2017. There,
Hannah Burke (left), Maddie Sloat (center) and Lydia Ramlo (right) will serve as Student Senate Vice President, President and Treasurer, respectively, during the 2018-19 academic year. Photo courtesy of Connor Perrett.
they were given resources aimed at encouraging young women to become involved in student government. One of the topics the event touched on was asking women to run for office to help them realize their own potential. Maddie says she has found it difficult to talk about her accomplishments, because she feels like women are taught in society to downplay their achievements. “It takes a little bit of a level of ego, I think, almost to be like, ‘I can envision myself running (for office),’” she said. Maddie’s not alone. According to a 2012 American University study, just 57 percent of women surveyed thought they were qualified to run for office, compared to 73 percent of men. Lydia says part of the problem is that men who run for
office have support, whereas oftentimes women in the same position do not. But on a local level, things can be different. In the city of Athens, the majority of city councilmembers are women. At the state and national level, the ratio becomes more skewed toward men. Lydia feels that women are able to connect more easily to people on a local level. Gender stereotypes might play a role, too. “There’s this sort of stereotype that women need to be at home with their family and doing those things, and campaigning really takes you out for a bit,” Maddie said. “And I think that locally, because it is a lot smaller of a community and you’re working on a smaller level, it’s easier to balance those two things.”
And once women do get elected, there are more barriers they have to face, Hannah said. “When a woman’s in the room, for some reason, she can only advocate for women. But when a man’s in the room, he gets to advocate for everyone. And I think that’s a problem for all minorities,” she said. Bridge has seen a lot of support from both administrators and students, but knows there will always be obstacles to face. “(Members of Senate) are not going to have a choice but to talk to the three execs who are women,” Hannah said. “So if some people need the learning that women can hold positions of power, then this could be that.”
When a woman’s in the room, for some reason, she can only advocate for women. But when a man’s in the room, he gets to advocate for everyone. And I think that’s a problem for all minorities. Follow this link to watch the HERSTORY video on ‘The Power Trio.”
FEATURES MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
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‘They were a little careless in how they used us’
BY MAGGIE PROSSER
F
or 68-year-old Dave Evans, the 18 months of physical torment he endured at the hands of the U.S. government are now his “party story.” Dave may be a central Ohio native, but today, it’s impossible to find him if you don’t know where to look. Start in a small city a few hours north of San Francisco. Spend a few hours on a cluttered California highway, then follow a winding, mountainous dirt road to a cabin hidden in the trees. Dave relies on solar power and rain water to power his mountainside home — he lives completely off the grid. He’s headstrong, but easy to talk to. He’s tall, with gray hair and crinkles at the corners of his eyes. For the college kid protesting the Vietnam War, his time in the army hospital was a tribulation. With a little prodding, Dave is able to turn the clock back 44 years.
A CONSCIENCIOUS OBJECTOR
Communist forces reigned supreme in northern Vietnam following World War II, spurring discord between the Chinese-backed red north and French Indochina, the colonial south. As a result, Vietnam was split at the 17th Parallel, dividing the country in two. The Cold War was intensifying and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in support of South Vietnam, cracked down on stateside communist sympathizers. By 1962, President John F. Kennedy stationed 9,000 American troops in the southeast Asian state. On Aug. 2, 1964, a U.S. destroyer was attacked by North Vietnam torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. By the next year, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered 180,000 troops
to Vietnam. The war caused unrest on the homefront. With opposition mounting, President Richard Nixon enacted the Selective Service System — the draft. The first Vietnam draft was televised and randomly assigned the birthdays of eligible men to numbers. The lower the number, the higher the chance of being called to serve. One in three soldiers that served in Vietnam were deployed because of the draft. On the day of the live broadcast, Dave watched the ping pong balls bounce around the cage like “bingo at church on Sunday.” Eventually his birthdate was called — number 13. While Dave could have evaded the draft with a student deferment, the death of a close friend caused him to drop out of college and face his grim reality. “I could have stayed in college and avoided the draft,” he said. “I was just sort of swept up in a larger cultural opposition to the war.” As a passive person who strongly disliked violence, he appeared multiple times at the Selective Service Board in Columbus to apply for conscientious objector status. A conscientious objector is someone opposed to the violence of war on principle. If Dave were granted a CO deferment, he would not have to serve in a combat position. He was rejected three times. “In those days it was tough to get a CO deferment,” Dave said. “They generally went to young men who were from a Quaker, Mennonite, Amish background — and I didn’t have that. Mine was really a political position of the injustice of the war. “That just really didn’t cut it.” By then, Dave received his notice to appear at boot camp. He left Ohio and hitch-hiked to California to work
with a Quaker organization that would move him to Canada illegally. Of the 300,000 war-eligible men who illegally evaded the draft, over 30,000 fled to Canada. They were eventually offered amnesty by President Gerald Ford in 1974. Back in Columbus, Dave’s mother, distraught by her son’s plans to leave the country, sat outside the Selective Service office for two days, pleading her son’s pacifism. After two days, the corporal agreed to speak with her. A few weeks later, Dave acquired civilian conscientious objector status. But a CO status wasn’t a ‘get out of jail free card.’ Objectors often worked in veterans hospitals and some even served in uniform in non-combat positions. Dave, however, chose the shortest and most exotic of the service options. “I really didn’t know much about what I was getting myself into,” he said. “It was something like ‘Human Research Subject.’” He was given a date to report to Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. He arrived at the military base long-haired and wide-eyed. Fitzsimons opened its doors in the 1940s to wounded soldiers coming home from World War I, prisoners of war and those needing tuberculosis treatment. It was at Fitzsimons that Eisenhower, who originally backed the war in Vietnam, received treatment for a heart condition. In 1968, the hospital began accepting wounded Vietnam veterans. This program, which Dave coined “the amputee center for Vietnam,” continued until 1973. The hospital’s dark history is mentioned briefly in “Fitzsimons Army Medical Center: The Life and History.” The entry, “1974- Nutrition Lab moved to Letterman Army
“
The U.S. military revealed last fall that human research experiments were performed on 70,000 troops from 1922 to 1975 after the living victims sought health care for related ailments in a successful lawsuit. While the military was forced to admit its unethical practices on soldiers, the lawsuit did not address the men who actively denounced the Armed Forces but were at the forefront of its human experiment research. A dozen men spent 18 months in a Colorado army hospital to escape the war raging on the banks of South Vietnam.
Institute of Research,” doesn’t even reach the end of the page. But it was here that Dave and 11 other men would spend the next year and a half, trailed by IV poles and nurses. “Fitzsimons had thousands of young men, my age, in really horrific physical conditions, and we were witness to this — the 12 of us thought we didn’t have it so bad,” Dave said. The Nutrition Lab at Fitzsimons studied metabolic diseases like diabetes and hyperglycemia in 2 to 4-month trials conducted by Army research doctors. “Two or three times a day we would have to drink these large milkshakes of who knows what,” he said. “They were really horrible. There would be a corpsman there making sure we consumed every drop and rinsed out the cup. “It was not fun to go to dinner.” Each study required regular jejunum biopsies. The jejunum is a part of the small intestine, and during a biopsy a piece of the lining is snipped by a metal capsule, or Crosby capsule, which is threaded through a long plastic tube (right). Dave said he would swallow the capsules and, as the metal worked its way down his intestine, yellow bile would start to drain from the tube. He would then sit in a large wooden chair as a doctor pushed ice water through a syringe and into the tube, flushing the bile back down. “Then they would pull the syringe, which would create a vacuum and pull the wall of our intestine into that little hole,” he said. “They would break the vacuum by just twisting the syringe and it would fire off the razor blade and snip off a little piece of the wall of our intestine. “Then we would have to hang onto the chair and sort of cock our neck forward like a goose while a corpsman would pull this thing out of us. We would have one or two of those a week and they would draw blood four or five times a day.” This procedure appeared in numerous published studies from the Metabolic Division of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Nutrition Laboratory at Fitzsimons. One study looked at the effects of short-chain alcohols on the enzyme adenyl cyclase in rat and human intestine tissue. The study notes the use of the Crosby biopsy to extract the samples in humans. The study also notes the subjects used in the experiment
were conscientious objectors and “the provisions of the contract make it obligatory to obtain the informed consent.” Dave said the experiments were never explained to him formally beforehand. Some of the experiments called for fat biopsies. Doctors would pull back the skin on the subject’s backside and take
diabetic,” Dave said. “I remember we would take pills and drink these big cups of liquid fructose and we would have the symptoms of diabetic reactions. “Occasionally they had synthetic fever viruses they injected us with, and they would give us really high temperatures, dangerously high. One of the men in the study with me had to be rushed to the main hospital and revived because he was going into a coma.” Records of these experiments at Fitzsimons go back as early as 1966, only one year after the Vietnam War began. Topics of the research reports ranged from cardiovascular heath, to nutritional health of army dogs and to the ideal diet for a soldier in combat. “I think (the doctors) sincerely believed they were in pursuit of medical research that would make a difference in people’s lives, and I think all of us tried to hold onto the thought that we were making someone’s life better,” Dave said. “They were a little careless in how they used us.”
HERE AND NOW
out a chunk of fat. Others called for drawing arterial blood, which required that a surgeon insert a needle into the subject’s forearm, against the radial bone. Other experiments necessitated that the subjects become critically ill. “We were Guinea pigs. They would make us clinically
Photos courtesy of Utah State University, The GastroLab Image Gallery and Fitzsimons Army Medical Center
After Dave left Fitzsimons, he loosely kept in touch with one other man from the study, who refuses to discuss the events of those 18 months, even today. Dave is now a professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning at Utah State University. He said the experiments have not compromised his health, unlike the plaintiffs in the case against the U.S. military. He said he does not regret his decision to consciously object to the war, or to serve as a human research subject, which a colleague compared to the Nazi human experiments. After the closure of the Nutrition Lab, the hospital went through many changes — in 1977, the TB ward was closed. AIDS and stem cell research began less than a decade later. In the 1990s, the medical center’s soldiers were deployed for Operation Desert Shield, an international alliance against Iraq launched by President George H.W. Bush. Six years later, after the completion of a Fisher House, Credit Union, Child Development Center and Burger King, the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center was inactivated, remodeled and transformed into the University of Colorado Hospital.
MAY 2018 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
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Michelle Wolf may be crude, but she isn’t sexist BY KAT TENBARGE
I
felt self-conscious about my outfit choice for the White House Correspondents Dinner minutes before I entered the Washington Hilton ballroom. I was wearing a sleek jumpsuit I bought on sale at Dillard’s the weekend before. Every other woman in the pre-dinner reception room was wearing a floor-length gown. But then, Michelle Wolf walked in. She had on a black blazer and a sheer lace top with a plunging neckline. And pants. She was stunning. I was starstruck. In the thirty seconds or so of conversation we shared (right), I wished her good luck. I had no clue, of course, that Wolf’s performance would dominate headlines and my Twitter feed for days after I left D.C. As a 20-year-old college student from Cincinnati, it seems unlikely that I could ever score an invitation to Washington’s most elite party. But 2018 marked the second year that three Ohio University undergraduates received White House Correspondents Association scholarships. This year, I was one of them. The giddy adrenaline of accepting an award on national television followed me back to my table. I had an excellent angle to watch Wolf’s performance, and her first few remarks had me cackling in my chair. In fact, I laughed throughout the entire spiel. Wolf’s impression of Jake Tapper’s orgasm nearly brought me to tears (“That’s all the time we have for now.”). I only winced twice: first, when Wolf compared a knitted “pussy hat” to her own nether regions, implying that she needed more yarn. Second, when she compared Donald Trump’s finances to a broken Southwest engine. And even then, she acknowledged that the joke was “too soon.” Sure, I recognized the awkwardness in Wolf addressing
Sarah Sanders’ and Kellyanne Conway’s penchant for lying while they eyed her disapprovingly from feet away. But before Trump began declining his dinner invitations, comedians used to insult sitting presidents to their faces. Stephen Colbert’s roast of George W. Bush in 2006 comes to mind. The controversy over Wolf’s supposedly sexist remarks astounded me. She was crude, even inappropriate at times — but not when addressing other women. If anyone was body-shamed by Wolf, it was Chris Christie (“Republicans are easy to make fun of, you know, it’s like shooting fish in a Chris Christie.”). The most viral backlash seems to be directed toward three jokes. And I genuinely believe Wolf’s comedic intentions have been wildly misconstrued. The most hotlydebated one-liner was about Sanders’ eyeshadow. “I actually really like Sarah,” Wolf said. “I think she’s very resourceful. She burns facts, and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s lies. It’s probably lies.” If I had to guess, a lot of offended parties were men who don’t know what a smoky eye is. The joke about Sanders’ makeup is actually a compliment wrapped up in a dig, but not about her appearance. Just about her behavior. The other call-out that really ruffled feathers was when Wolf compared Sanders to Aunt Lydia from Hulu’s A Handmaid’s Tale. Critics thought the line was insinuating that Sanders is drab and ugly. It wasn’t. Wolf was insinuating that Sanders plays a vital role in the Trump administration, which reinforces the patriarchal oppression of other women. For the record, Aunt Lydia is played by Ann Dowd, who
is neither drab nor ugly, and anyone who claims otherwise might need to re-evaluate their own thinking. And finally, a few commentators took issue with the imitation of Sanders as a softball coach. Why that would be an attack on anything besides Sanders’ demeanor in White House press briefings is beyond me. Because Wolf used a deep voice? Because playing softball is associated with being a lesbian? Again, an interpretation that relies on negative stereotypes only promotes the casual sexism that Wolf’s detractors are quick to decry. I have to wonder why anyone, whether liberal or conservative, journalist or politician, millennial or baby boomer, would take the initiative to publicly criticize a female comedian for her jokes when the Trump administration profits off of cruelty, insensitivity and bullying. Wolf did what she was hired to do. She was sharp, witty and unapologetic, because there is no such thing as a civil comedian. Comedy is nearly always at the expense of someone else. So if the White House Correspondents Association wanted its performers to remain “in the spirit of the mission” of unification, they should have stopped allowing roasts long before this year.
In defense of
NEW MEDIA BY BEN PETERS
F
ox News and CNN have become increasingly inefficient at promoting productive conversation by only allowing guests a short time to argue nuanced issues. This seems to be a ludicrous proposition in 2018 – that is, until the unfortunate reality of network television kicks in. If one doesn’t align with right-wing politics, Fox News likely won’t have them on TV. If by chance they do allow someone who shares left-wing sentiments on the show, the host will try to nail them to a cross, rather than conducting a genuine discussion to try to understand each other’s positions. The same goes for CNN bringing on right-wingers. These networks are nothing more than propagandistic echo chambers. Thankfully, voices across the internet are propping up a new frontier for media — the new media. Particularly on platforms like YouTube and podcasts, new media carries none of the barriers that cable television puts in the way of a productive conversation. Personalities, intellectuals and public figures can be uncensored and give an unlimited time frame to discuss today’s pressing issues. New media also allows for the possibility of individuals with ideas that may not conform to the groupthink of the infotainment networks to be introduced into the mainstream consciousness — for better or for worse. A group of people leading the charge in new media have been coined the Intellectual Dark Web. The IDW is a loose, amalgamation of people from different backgrounds and various political leanings.
What the members of the group have in common is their collective desire to have real conversations with those they agree and disagree with — to buck the echo chamber of the old mainstream media and to defend free speech. Dave Rubin, a classical liberal and prominent member of the Intellectual Dark Web, hosts a weekly interview show on YouTube titled The Rubin Report. Rubin’s guests are typically academics, authors, scientists, economists, political scientists, politicians and other public figures. Episodes of the show provide ample time for nuanced discussion, ranging anywhere from one to three hours, depending on where the discussion with the guest veers toward. Rubin never sets out to “expose” his guests. Instead, he aims his sights at trying to understand their perspective. On March 30, 2017, Gov. John Kasich made his debut appearance on The Rubin Report. Kasich was very clear in stating that he reached out to Rubin and asked to come on the show. Rubin ensured that his show, as always, was unscripted and unedited, and Kasich had no advanced knowledge of the questions he was asked. Rubin said citizens should regularly hear their politicians engage in real conversation. Rubin and Kasich spoke on camera for nearly one hour with topics ranging from marijuana legalization to Kasich’s possible presidential run in 2020. Referring to the new media format of the Rubin Report, Kasich spoke highly. “This media is amazing,” Kasich said. “A lot of people don’t get it, but I am starting to.”
OPINION MAY 2017 / THE NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE
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University funding shouldn’t go toward fluff projects BY TIM ZELINA
P
makes it past the Board of Trustees while the workers of the university get pushed aside. Consider the purely aesthetic renovations for Latitude 39 and Front Room Coffeehouse that occured over the summer.
beautification? The controversial Sook Center, a 6 million dollar investment in a new student athlete academic center, has drawn considerable criticism from staff and students alike. With only 0.013 percent of students at Ohio U being student athletes, it’s hard to justify spending that much money to replace the current student athlete center in Peden that functions just fine. The university attempts to defend the new Sook Center as being a donor-funded project, but the university approached these donors and asked them to fund the construction of Sook. Donors do not give infinite amounts of money to the school. Ohio U should not be using this critical source of funding for such an unnecessary project. It’s important to note that the upkeep costs for an entire new multi-story building are not going to be cheap. How much of Ohio U’s budget will now be tied up in maintaining the Sook Center? Ohio U has budget troubles, and a lower number of enrollments definitely doesn’t help. However, if the university is having trouble funding its core functions, they’d lend their arguments to freeze raises and underpay workers a lot more credibility if they stopped spending millions of dollars on frivolous projects.
germs in the air and blow them right onto one’s hands. Human skin cells are shed into the air upon even the smallest disturbance. Anyone who sneezes or blows their nose in a bathroom releases their germs into the surroundings as well. Even worse, fecal bacteria can be added into the mix. In a bathroom, these germs are undoubtedly sinister. According to Peters Setlow, a distinguished professor of molecular biology and biophysics at the University of Connecticut, bacteria from feces enters the air when toilets, especially lidless ones, are flushed. Unfortunately, nearly all Ohio U toilets do not have lids on them. Dryers create currents that spread any other pathogens in the air throughout the building. This is suboptimal for Ohio U students. Since there are no paper towels in dining halls, one may have fecal material blown on their hands only to leave and eat with them immediately after Thankfully, Setlow’s study showed that much of the bacteria dispersed in public restrooms is harmless. However, hand dryers could contribute to the spread of harmful bacteria in feces that can cause viruses like E. Coli and Hepatitis A. Paper towels can be hard to find in Ohio U residence
halls, and while some halls do have electric dryers, others provide no means of hand-drying at all. Ohio U should be responsible for providing paper towels to all its students. A student who makes a mess could be served well by paper towels. They are good for personal hygiene, whether it be nose blowing or wiping mud from one's hands. And paper towels simply do a better job at drying. They take less time than a dryer to use and remove more bacteria. Paper towels are less environmentally-friendly than electric dryers, taking between two weeks and a month to fully decompose. But paper towels can be composted, meaning they do not have to go to landfills. Ohio U could even buy paper towels made from recycled material. Hand drying is supposed to be a part of personal hygeine, not a potential threat to our health. It is time for Ohio U to bring back the good old-fashioned paper towel. They are clean, practical and not very harmful to the environment. Who really wants fecal material being blown onto their hands anyway?
rior to the new year, Ohio University announced its lack of funding as justification for not providing raises to staff and faculty. Student workers are feeling the pinch too, as protesters demand that graduate student workers receive health care subsidies on par with those offered to faculty. Our perpetually underfunded university has now demonstrated its budget woes by approving a $2.3 million fluff project to renovate the famous President’s Residence, left vacant ever since former President Roderick McDavis fled the home, chased out by bats. The project intends to renovate Park Place, the location of the residence, as a space for academic engagements and study spaces. President Duane Nellis has opted to not move Artistic rendering of the completed Sook Center courtesy of MSA Sport. back into the home, instead receiving a monthly stipend to fund his current residence, which totals out to There’s almost 86 million dollars in maintenance needed $60,000 a year. Why he needs a housing stipend for a on South Green, yet this administration considers it a home he already owned, during a time of budget crisis, is priority to focus on tidying up, rather than investing in a matter that reminds critics of the university’s loose purse the living conditions of its students. No one denies that strings when it comes to executive matters. a prettier university is nice, but if the administration can’t This isn’t the only unnecessary fluff project that somehow afford to pay its staff, should it really be allocating funds for
To dry or not to dry? BY SAM SMITH
O
hio University has an affinity for electronic hand dryers. While there are still some paper towel dispensers scattered across campus, dryers are found everywhere from dorms to dining halls. Proponents of electric hand dryers assert that they reduce paper waste, maintenance needs and overall costs. But the sanitation concerns generated by these machines clearly outweigh their environmental and economic benefits. A recent study indicated that hand dryers channel any
The New Political caught up with the new presidents of two of Ohio U’s most politically active student organizations to talk their inspirations, biggest problems on campus and goals for the upcoming academic year. Disclaimer: Answers were edited for length and clarity.
MISSY PEDULA
Class: Rising Junior Major: Finance Hometown: Akron, OH Favorite Political Figure: Eleanor Roosevelt. I read her biography in the first grade and was really inspired by her and how kind and involved she was.
What’s the biggest political issue facing students at Ohio University? I think finding college funding is the biggest issue that students face. What are your goals as president of the Ohio U College Republicans? We have a lot of races, and I’m hoping to get a lot of people involved with that and win some elections. My biggest goal is recruitment — there are more conservatives on this campus than people think, and I want to get them involved. I’ve had many people come up to me and say, “I didn’t know there was a republican club. I thought this campus would just be democrats.” I want to focus a lot on recruitment so that people realize we have a voice on campus.
President, Ohio University College Republicans
President, Ohio University College Democrats
What’s the biggest political issue facing students at Ohio University?
Access to voting. Ohio University only has one polling location for most dorms, which makes voting difficult for students on election day. What are your goals as president of the Ohio U College Democrats?
To help Democrats get elected. As an organization, we’re waiting for the primaries to come and go so we know who our slate of Democratic candidates are. Once we have that list, we plan on helping them canvas after the voter registration deadline, but before the deadline we want to focus on voter registration. In 2016 we registered over 5,000 students to vote — more than Ohio State did. We know turnout tends to drop during midterm elections, but we’re still gonna try and register over 3500 students through November.
BAILEY WIILLIAMS Class: Rising Junior Major: Economics Hometown: Troy, OH Favorite Political Figure: John Lewis. He was a Civil Rights activist, and he’s kind of on a path I see myself on.
PEOPLE
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