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Cincinnati and pit bulls
The popularity of pit bulls has grown in recent years in Cincy
Tuberville on the hot seat
Tuberville’s performance makes some think it’s time for him to go
THE NEWS RECORD / UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI NEWSRECORD.ORG
THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016
Police practices addressed by community prior to Tensing trial PATRICK MURPHY | SENIOR REPORTER
AARON DORSTEN | CONTRIBUTOR
Reed Gallery showcases “Straight to Video”, an assortment of short videos now through Nov. 23, 2016.
Check out guy in leopard-print thong at Reed Gallery RUSSELL HAUSFELD | ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
Walk into the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art Planning’s Reed Gallery, turn the corner and you may see a man in a leopard-print, tasseled thong diligently polishing metal pots. You might also see this same man in a tasseled thong doing a strip tease on the kitchen counter with some hanging light fixtures. This is Luciana Kaplun’s video “Gilda,” one of the installations in Reed Gallery’s newest exhibit, “Straight to Video.” Kaplun’s work —which is meant to “invoke the latent fantasies conceived during tedious and repetitive labor” — is one of many wall-sized video projections in the low-lit exhibit. “Straight to Video” showcases an array of short films that are meant to evoke reactions to the visual aesthetics of the films, rather than simply trying to document something. “This exhibition focuses on several sociallyengaged art initiatives that are performed with members of the public with the explicit intention of existing on video in their final iteration,” reads the statement in front of the gallery, which opened Sunday. Another piece in the gallery is an eerie installment called “Sister of the Lattice” by Agnes Bolt and Nina Sarnelle. The “Sisters of Lattice,” portrayed as two women dressed in white, are
modern mystics exploring the metaphysical potential of common technological devices. They do strange demonstrations with spectators through the use of things like iPads and headphones. And the video is spliced with breathtaking shots of the white-robed women sitting within a deep orange canyon. Bolt and Sarnelle are part of the three-person artist collective The Institute of New Feeling. This collective creates art through treatments, therapies, retreats, audiovisual meditations, research studies and wellness products. One other video is a spirited mash-up of senior citizens — ranging from late ’70s to 100 — who state their age and then beat on a drum. The video cuts between these people, showing sparks of youth in a portion of the population that we don’t usually think of as youthful. Overall, the whole exhibit is incredibly engaging. It is a nice shake-up from the traditional picture-on-wall style gallery. Viewers can find themselves sitting on the provided chairs and benches in front of each video for much longer than they normally would have sat with a piece of still art, and each video is provocative and attentiongrabbing in unique ways. GO: “Straight to Video,” DAAP Reed Gallery, 2624 Clifton Ave., Fifth Floor of DAAP Building, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Sundays, through Nov. 23. FREE.
With the murder trial of former University of Cincinnati Police Department Officer Ray Tensing fast approaching, members of the UC community gathered on campus to discuss the various intersections of race and policing to prepare for the intensified climate of a verdict. Students, faculty and members of UCPD crowded into the auditorium of the Richard E. Linder Center to hear the five-member panel discuss the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) police investigations in Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore, and their implications to UC. Black residents accounted for 85 percent of vehicle stops, 90 percent of citations, and 93 percent of arrests made by Ferguson Police Department — despite being only 67 percent of Ferguson’s populations, according to the DOJ investigation of the Ferguson Police Department. The report goes on to mention that black drivers stopped and searched
were 26 percent less often found to be in possession of contraband compared to white drivers. Janet Moore, an associate professor at UC’s College of Law, began the conversation by correcting the lexicon used to define police and citizen conflict. She emphasized that the carceral systems in both Baltimore and Ferguson are used as revenue, generated from excess fees placed with citations, stops and arrests. “What these reports tell us is that we don’t have criminal justice, it is an oxymoron,” Moore said. “Another word [we must remove] is mass incarceration. Its hyper incarceration, targeting poor people and, specifically, poor people of color.” Tracy Teslow, a UC associate professor of history, related the DOJ Investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department to the historic 1968 Kerner Report, concluding that the United States was “moving towards two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.”
Similarly, the DOJ report for the Baltimore Police Department concluded a perception of “two Baltimores: one wealthy and largely white, the second impoverished and predominantly black.” Teslow cites that the persistent problems in both reports deal with a more diverse and sensitive police force. “And so, we can ask ourselves in 2016, what has changed to address these problems that are now a century old,” said Teslow. Earl Wright II, a UC professor of Africana Studies, made reference to the historic practices of law enforcement compared to the era of Jim Crow laws executed in the postreconstructed U.S. Two or more black men standing on a street corner were often subjected to jail time, according to Wright. “If you read the Ferguson reports, you will see that gatherings of black males were used as a rationale to approach them, ask for identification and use the possibility of their having a warrant as a way of extorting funds from them,” Wright said.
Alphonse Gerhardstein, a Cincinnati civil rights lawyer, and Iris Roley, a Bond Hill business owner and project manager of Cincinnati’s Black United Front, both attended the panel. UCPD understands that Tensing was not “just a bad apple,” and celebrates the addition of de-escalation in the UCPD use-offorce policy, according to Gerhardstein. “As somebody who has sued the police in this community for almost forty years, I will tell you that this police department seems to have gotten word that things were terrible,” Gerhardstein said. “You’ve got a whole new leadership team of people that I’ve known for years.” As the Tensing trial comes closer, the UC community must examine what the university is doing to prepare students in changing systematic racism, according to Roley. “We have to understand the conditioning of people, the systems that are at work,” Roley said. “When people have been oppressed, what will happen?”
DAVID GIFREDA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
UC Students sit before a panel of professors and community members on policing practices focusing on Cincinnati, Tuesday Oct. 4, 2016.
DAVID GIFREDA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Christina Brown, University of Cincinnati alumna, questions panel of professors and community members on policing practices, Tuesday Oct 4, 2016.
Women face challenges in trying to coach high-level male sports DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR
N.C. BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
File art of Jamelle Elliott from UC vs Temple at Fifth Third Arena, Tuesday, Februrary 9, 2016.
American sports is an industry dominated by men. Looking at head coaches on professional and collegiate levels, there is a lack of women in every sport played by men. Collegiately, Division I NCAA football and men’s basketball have zero women head coaches. Professionally, the NFL, NBA and MLB all have zero as well. Susan Spencer, the only woman to ever be a NFL general manager, believes there will be more
progress in sports like basketball, rather than football, because women have experience playing those sports at a high level. “Most females are not playing football in anyway,” Spencer said in an interview with The News Record. “I think in basketball, the [female] basketball coaches usually played for a school and did very well and were just as tough as the guys … I think basketball is the only viable one for women, but they must have played basketball.” There is an assumption that women cannot coach
THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
men, according to Jamelle Elliott, head coach for the University of Cincinnati’s women’s basketball team. “We are just not given the opportunity,” Elliott said. “But I don’t think it’s because of capacity or experience, or even capability, it’s just a matter of someone giving us a chance to prove that it’s something we can be successful at.” Despite the lack thereof, there have been gradual movements for women to get their feet in the head coaching door. There are now two SEE FEMALE COACHES PG 4
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2 / NEWS Cincy increasingly embraces pit bulls in recent years THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016
LAUREN MORETTO | NEWS EDITOR
Pit bulls are receiving a significantly warmer welcome in the Cincinnati community compared to recent years. In 2012, Cincinnati City Council determined a ban on the breed was keeping people from living in the city and lifted it with an 8-1 vote. The repeal made it legal to own a pit bull in city limits for the first time in 11 years. Cincinnati has become much more educated and generally more welcoming to pit bulls, as well as more open to the adoption of the breed, according to Libby Power, 42, of Clifton. Power is the vice president of Adore-aBull Rescue (AABR), a non-profit corporation dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of pit bulls. “I think that we have come a long way since I started with Adore-a-Bull when there was [breedspecific legislation] in Cincinnati,” Power said. Yet, there are challenges
the pit bull community still face. Back yard and overbreeding contribute to euthanasia rates of the breed, which is the highest among all breeds in local shelters, according to Power. Holding owners and breeders more accountable by implementing spay and neuter programs or by introducing a registration fee to practice breeding may be ways to help alleviate the issue, according to Power. A new pit bull ban in Montreal, approved Sept. 27, required pit bull owners to get criminal background checks, keep their dogs leashed and muzzled outside the home and get their dogs sterilized, microchipped and vaccinated. Pit bulls and pit bull mixes in shelters would have been at risk of being euthanized under the ban. On Monday, a Montreal judge temporarily suspended the ban to consider a request from the Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (SPCA) to throw them out, the Associated Press reported. The judge decided to temporarily lift the ban Wednesday, of which will last for the duration of the Montreal SPCA’s legal challenge. Some say Montreal’s methods to increase public safety were misguided. “Safety in terms of dog bite prevention has nothing to do with breed legislation. What it does have to do with is education, responsible ownership, creating an environment where dogs have good socialization and are well trained,” said Power. Though, there are aspects of the legislation that could be beneficial, according to Power. This includes the requirement to microchip, vaccinate and spay and neuter your pet — which Power argued should be implemented across the board regardless of breed. Andre Dargahi, a thirdyear English student, grew up with a pit bull as a pet. “It’s awful, I think it’s
terrible,” said Dargahi on Montreal’s now lifted ban. “Any animal will turn out how you treat it. You can make a Chihuahua into an attack dog just as much as you can make a pit bull into an attack dog — I think it’s inhumane.” Dargahi has noticed a number of apartment complexes around campus that do not allow the breed. Though he does not agree with it, he understands it’s
within the landlord’s right to uphold the restriction. The majority of apartment complexes in Cincinnati are not welcoming to the breed, according to Power, who noted that may be due to liability issues associated with dogs and the lack of insurance carriers that cover pit bulls or have breed restrictions. Having a communityliving situation with different types of dogs and
STACEY WESCOTT | CHICAGO TRIBUNE | MCT
A pit bull looks from its cage at the Waukegan Police Animal Control facility in Waukegan, Ill., on November 7, 2013. Officials at the facility face an overload of pit bulls at area shelters.
Recent clown violence causes real clowns to fear loss of livelihoods THANE HOUNCHELL | CONTRIBUTOR
KINSLEY SLIFE | NEWS EDITOR
Brick and Mortar, located at 1327 Vine Street, is a Brainstorming and business coaching service for Cincinnati community members, Wednesday Oct. 5, 2016.
New businesses improve OTR KINSLEY SLIFE | NEWS EDITOR
While Over-the-Rhine has undergone a metamorphosis into new businesses and high-rise condos, local entrepreneurs are struggling to find resources that keep their businesses and ideas in the economic conversation. OTR had the highest income inequality of more than 61,000 communities nationwide between 2005 and 2009, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report MORTAR is a non-profit in the heart of OTR that provides resources and business education courses for under-served local entrepreneurs to grow ideas into successful businesses. The power of a dollar and a dream prompted co-founders William Thomas, Derrick Braziel and Allen Woods to find a solution to the reoccurring displacement of local industrialists. “We live in the community, and while we were incredibly excited about what was happening in the neighborhood, we noticed that entrepreneurship seemed to have only one face around here,”Thomas said in an interview with the Enquirer. “And, as black males, we didn’t like that and thought we could do more to add to the diversity of the entrepreneurship.” MORTAR isn’t an entrepreneurship program for only black business owners, though. The non-profit’s door is open to anyone with an idea or aspiration for success. The courses, available to selected applicants, run over the duration of either nine or 12 weeks. They offer insight into building business models, understanding clientele and refining industry ideas and strategies to create self-sustaining companies. Local endeavoring entrepreneurs aren’t the only beneficiaries of MORTAR. The non-profit recruits University of Cincinnati
students as interns and employees, allowing them to take part in the businessbuilding process. Brendan Chisholm, a third-year UC Law student, spent this past summer working with MORTAR clients to discern the details of commerce and law. He fully believes in the authentic success of the non-profit and the local businesses it endorses. “Those [corporate] companies want to get that $100 million investment at the end of their curriculum, but these people are just looking to not have to work a deadend job. They just want to be able to do what they want to do and feel like their supporting themselves,” said Chisholm. MORTAR also enlists the help of UC graphic design students, creating a working and beneficial network between entrepreneurs and students. The non-profit operates successfully with its partner subsidiary, BRICK, a neighboring pop-up space that serves as a trial zone for the businesses that want to test out ideas in a real market-place setting. “Every business needs a logo, a website,” said Chisholm. “UC students can reach out if they want to volunteer and get experience or build portfolios in business to design to whatever else.” Victoria Sumner, a UC chemical engineering graduate student, serves as an administrative assistant for MORTAR as a stepping-stone to potential careers that directly help communities. “Cincinnati has dealt with gentrification and you can’t ignore it, so seeing how they’ve provided resources, networking opportunities and a support basis is an awesome opportunity for the whole city,” said Sumner.
individuals who practice different ownership methods may also be a contributing factor. In addition to her role as vice president, Power is senior adoption coordinator at AABR and works with applicants to ensure their living situation will allow the breed before moving forward in the adoption process.
Local clowns are facing discrimination in response to a trend involving individuals dressed as clowns that is sweeping the nation. On Friday, classes at Reading schools were canceled for the day after a woman reported being attacked by a male dressed as a clown. The woman told police the male made threats against students in the area, specifically that there would be teachers and students who were going to be sorry they were ever born. “Clowns are no laughing matter when it your children’s safety and education on the line. Clowns are real. The districts have to take this seriously like any other threat in case something does happen,” said Maggie Burke, 24, a teacher in Middletown. Burke did not want to disclose which school she is employed by. A separate incident Oct. 1 involved an 18-year-old woman who claimed a knife-wielding individual dressed as a clown attacked her. Several inconsistencies were found in her story, according to police. They later confirmed her report was false and she later admitted to having made up the story because she was running late for work and didn’t want to lose her job, according to a statement from police. Recent incidents involving clowns have cast a dark shadow on Cincinnati’s clown industry. “I woke up this morning and almost cried. I’m not only afraid of being discriminated against as well as losing work because of these monsters,
but the best part of this job is being taken away from me,” said University of Cincinnati alumna Gretchen Cox, 42, of Cincinnati. “I love this job because I get to make kids laugh and smile and now they’re scared of me.” Cox goes by the clown alias Cookie and makes regular appearances in the Greater Cincinnati area, including Coney Island, Newport on the Levee and Sawyer Point. Some fear these recent incidents may have a long lasting effect on the industry. “This has tainted a whole generation of kids,” Cookie said. “I don’t know if there is going to be anyone to pick up where I left off after I retire.” Though there is no official data, estimates show as many as 12 percent of Americans have battled with coulrophobia, or an irrational fear of clowns, according to coulrophobiafacts.com, a website dedicated to raising awareness about the condition. Though the cause of this phobia can’t be pinpointed to a central origin for every case, the site suggests an experience may be what triggers the phobia. Some could argue that these incidents could provide the traumatizing experience needed to develop the phobia. “It does bother me that people are dressing up like clowns and scaring people,” said Jessie Werbeach, a UC architecture graduate student. “It’s pathetic that people are unable to find anything better to do than take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities and instill in them a very real fear of violence just to entertain themselves.”
Founded 1880 University of Cincinnati 45221-0135 Newsroom 509 Swift Hall 513-556-5912 chief.newsrecord@gmail. com Advertising 510 Swift Hall 513-556-5902 newsrecordbiz@ gmail.com The News Record is the editorially independent student-run news organization of the University of Cincinnati. It serves UC students, staff, faculty, alumni and the Cincinnati community with award-winning news and information on a variety of media platforms. The free newspaper is published on Mondays and Thursdays and is distributed to more than 80 locations on and near UC campuses. TNR’s website, www.newsrecord. org, is updated as news breaks and offers video, audio and interactive features. TNR’s app and podcasts are available for download on mobile devices. FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook TheNewsRecord Twitter @NewsRecord_UC Instagram TheNewsRecord SoundCloud The-News-Record-1 STAFF Editor-in-chief Jeff O’Rear Managing editor Amir Samarghandi News editors Lauren Moretto Kinsley Slife Chief reporter Ashleigh Pierce Sports editor David Wysong College Life editor Samantha Hall Arts editor Russell Hausfeld Opinion editor Caroline Cory Copy editor Huey Nguyen Photo editor Alexandra Taylor Chief photographer N. C. Brown Online editor Stephanie Smith Designer Gabrielle Stichweh Broadcast Reporter Emily Wilhelm Videographer Michelle Fisk
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Sales manager Caleb Ward
LIFE & ARTS / 3 Bon Iver’s first album in five years THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016
Brewcats: Urban Artifact’s Chariot Cherry
TYLER COLLIER | CONTRIBUTOR
STEPHANIE L. SMITH | ONLINE EDITOR
From coffee to beer to snacks to crackers, society has an unhealthy obsession with the popular fall flavor — especially when you have the opportunity to eat Kellogg’s Pumpkin Spice Frosted Mini Wheats with Starbucks’ Bottled Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino in place of milk. Put the spoon down and step away from the bowl. Ignore the six-pack of pumpkin beer that’s at the bottom of your fridge. Instead, venture out to Urban Artifact in Northside or The Brass Tap on Calhoun Street and enjoy a pint of the brewery’s Chariot — a tart cherry gose. “We’ve had a lot of success introducing new drinkers to the fruit beers because people know what to expect with them,” said Urban Artifact’s Chief of Organization Scott Hand. “As soon as you see that it’s a cherry gose, it’s like, ‘Oh, now I can at least accept that it’s a cherry flavor, and then I’ll get accustomed to the beer piece of it.” You’re immediately set up for Chariot’s cherry presence with its hazy, golden-rose body blending into peachy orange. The aroma is subtle: a blend of tart cherries and faint sweetness. Expect a punch of creamy tartness with each sip. Tart throughout, the flavor conjures up visions of a warm cherry crisp but without the brown sugary sweetness, complete with wheat on the back end, just like the crunchy oat topping of the fall dessert. As the beer warms, it takes on more of the wheat flavor of a traditional beer, but remains a well-balanced sour. The brewery uses natural ingredients, according to Bret Kollmann-Baker, chief of brewing operations. “We keep it natural here. We use real fruit in everything we do — spices and everything — so you don’t get that Jolly Ranchertype flavor. To me, the balance is what makes it very drinkable, not like in-your-face acidity,” Kollmann-Baker said. The 4.7-percent ABV drink is beer-drinker friendly. It satisfies those who are looking for a unique session-able beer, acts as a great introduction to those who’ve never tried a sour beer before and is an excellent substitute for those who are craving the taste of fall, but are burnt out on pumpkin beers.
STEPHANIE SMITH | ONLINE EDITOR
Urban Artifact’s Chariot, a tart cherry gose and well-balanced blend of a sour ale and a traditional wheat beer.
PROVIDED
Bon Iver releases their first album in five-years, “22, A Million,” on Sept. 30, 2016, utilizing everything from hiphop, electronica and folk.
Bon Iver band member Justin Vernon has undergone an impressive career transformation as of late that has brought him from a low-key, indie-folk songwriter to one of the most revered and soughtafter artists in the music industry today. Recently, he put down the acoustic guitar in favor of collaborations with artists such as The Roots, Jay-Z, The Flaming Lips, The National, Alicia Keys, an abundance of indie bands and — most notably — Kanye West, who has since referred to Vernon as his “favorite living artist.” Luckily for us, this year Vernon has set aside his knack for collaboration and finished Bon Iver’s newest album “22, A Million” — the band’s first album in five years.
Much like Vernon’s career, Bon Iver’s albums have grown exponentially more rich and complex with time, a fact that can be heard in Vernon’s vocals more than anything else on the new album. Vernon’s mostlyfalsetto voice has a natural vulnerability and coarseness to it, like a choirboy who smokes too many cigarettes. In the past, Vernon’s voice has been mostly unshielded and left to speak for itself. However, “22, A Million” has taken that voice and turned it into what sounds like an orchestra of synths. The voice is unmistakably Vernon’s, just inflicted by different forms of layering and auto-tune. Despite these modifications and disguises, Vernon’s voice feels more raw and vulnerable than ever, aided by the stark, emotional
lyric delivery that he has mastered. The best example can be heard on the track “715 CREEKS.” It is a completely vocal track that sounds like a chorus of all the different sides and vocal inflections of Justin Vernon, harmonizing and building upon one another. The true triumph of this album, though, is its ability to weave effortlessly through genres. Traces of hip-hop, pop, electronica, folk, classical and rock can all be heard here, often within the same songs. This unusual melting pot of genres drives the unique tenor of the album. It helps the album move so seamlessly between songs, while simultaneously allowing each individual song to stand out. Very rarely do we hear dubstep-style bass-synth, banjo and saxophone all
within the same song. This genre weaving is the reason this album has moments to dance to, moments to inspire or even confuse and moments of pure sweeping beauty, sometimes interrupted by glitch sounds reminiscent of skipping CD. “22, A Million” is not background music. It is the rare kind of album that deserves and even requires undivided attention to hear every detail worth hearing — the kind of album that feels more like one song with ten movements than a collection of ten separate songs. Those who are looking for the next “Skinny Love” will have no luck here. Those who are looking to get lost in a labyrinth of complex, experimental arrangements and raw emotion needn’t look further.
Cincy transformed by BLINK art exhibition this month SAMANTHA HALL | COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR ALISON BAXTER | STAFF REPORTER
The Queen City is set to be artistically transformed by October 2017. BLINK Cincinnati, a project crafted to innovate Cincinnati through experiences of art, light, live music and more, has pushed to make Cincy a city of the future — a city of artwork and creativity. The plans for the upcoming 2017 art is not a typical gallery, but a four-day light and art festival on Oct. 12-15, where a span of murals, architecture and sculptures will be on display throughout the city. BLINK aims to go across 20 blocks of Cincinnati, which will be divided into four district zones: The Banks, Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine and Findlay Market. Each zone is to display various pieces of artwork and illustrations on large-scale canvases, which will be exhibited along prominent buildings downtown with street-level structures. The project will cost $3 million with sponsors currently being sought out, according to WVXU. In countries with similar art displays, including Europe and Australia, millions of people were brought in for the displays. BLINK anticipates half a million people will come to see the four artwork-filled zones. Not only will BLINK highlight artwork, but entertainment, attractions and food as well.
Rhinegeist, a local brewery of Cincinnati, attended the kick-off event Tuesday, as well as DJ E Trayn, a Cincinnati DJ. A lightshow on display during the launch party conveyed BLINK’s purpose in the parking lot of 12 E St. and Vine St. in downtown Cincinnati from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The project’s creative director, Dan Reynolds, who also co-founded Brave Berlin, led the countdown launch party. Lumenocity, a show created by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, will combine forces with BLINK, showing artwork in the form of light-mapping technology. This is similar to what the city has seen with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s performances. The vision behind this revolution is to make Cincinnati a “future city,” said Reynolds. The three companies behind the reformation of the city are Brave Berlin, Agar and ArtWorks, all of which have reached out to particular artists in order to fill the streets for their project. Some of the artists will create artwork that will permanently be displayed in Cincinnati. The artists are not being disclosed at the time but “there will be international artists,” said Reynolds. The event will have free admission, and its overall objective is to put Cincinnati on the map for a major art and culture city.
JEAN PLEITEZ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Cincinnati community gathers together for Blink art gallery launch party in Over-the-Rhine, Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
JEAN PLEITEZ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Blink’s luminated brand and art showcases for Cincinnatians in Over-the-Rhine, Tuesday, October 4, 2016.
PROVIDED
Lo-fi, garage-rock band Leggy, played Midpoint in their hometown. Now they’re looking to tour the West coast. Provided
Local band Leggy plays Midpoint, heads out for West Coast ERIN COUCH | STAFF REPORTER
It’s no secret that local festivals like Midpoint Music Festival intentionally thrust Cincinnati artists into the spotlight. But, if there were ever a straightfrom-the-suburbs indie-rock success story, it would be lo-fi band Leggy. This was Leggy’s third year playing at Midpoint. The festival heavily promoted an indie rock presence, so Leggy’s punk-y reverb aesthetic fit the bill perfectly. Lo-fi, while arguably not the most popular genre at the festival, definitely never dropped off the map since its roots in the latter part of the 20th century. Artists like Bon Iver and Neon Indian are arguably lo-fi, with that crackly, just off the cassette tape stereo sound that is so eclectic to listeners. In addition to Leggy’s musical style, what differentiates them from other artists at the festival is exactly what the indie genre is all about — their independence as a professional music group. After forming the band two-and-a-half years ago with bassist Kerstin Bladh and drummer Christopher Campbell, frontwoman Véronique Allaer said they took a DIY approach to promoting themselves. Booking their own shows and tours, Leggy has always been independent. In fact, they don’t even have a manager. “When we were starting
out, I wouldn’t have trusted anyone who would put as much thought and effort into it as us, because why would they?” Allaer said. “I like booking all of our tours.” Even with this emphasis on self-sufficiency, Leggy still reaches audiences beyond live shows. After signing with Damnably, their first full album “Leggy” hit the shelves in May. The self-titled album is a compilation of their three former EPs, but the first track “Kick the Habit” was newly written for the album. Midpoint — which ran from Sep. 23-24 — is great for exposure and, most importantly, sharing music beyond the Cincinnati area, Allaer said. “We book all of our tours ourselves and we’re making it as much as possible,” Allaer said. “I think any recognition from playing Midpoint — I think it’s a bigger deal to tour as much as you can.” Judging by this autonomous approach to success, track four on Leggy’s new album “Grrrls Like Us” describes Allaer accurately: girls like her don’t grow on trees. Allaer and her band will leave Cincinnati to tour the West coast on with Psychic Heat on Oct. 15. SEE LEGGY BEFORE THEY GO ON TOUR: Leggy at LadyFest, Northside Yacht Club, 4231 Spring Grove Ave, 12:30 p.m., Friday Oct. 14.
John Brolley: a teacher favored by students across campus SAMANTHA HALL | COLLEGE LIFE EDITOR
University of Cincinnati Professor John Brolley, the undergraduate director for Religious Studies, is known across campus by students and faculty alike, not only for his teaching methods but for his natural tendency to care. Having been a professor at UC since 1998, Brolley has had nearly two decades to learn what it takes to engage students and satisfy their needs in a learning environment. “From the selfless perspective, I do enjoy being in a large, diverse community. That sounds trite and cliché but that’s because it’s true,” Brolley said. Brolley made his way to Cincinnati after living in over 20 different cities and areas, adding to the development of who is he today. Throughout his life, even down to his childhood,
Brolley has strived to learn more and experience new perspectives. “I’ve never wanted to say that I have the truth,” said Brolley on how he never wanted to be perfect or complete. Not only does Brolley have a strong campus presence, but a strong online presence as well, with over 50 positive ratings on RateMyProfessor.com. Despite the evidence showing Brolley’s success in teaching, he continues to deny any exceptionality in his profession. “I really feel that after 17 or 18 years of this, I’m just sort of barely scraping the edge of competent. I don’t view myself as being really good at what I do,” said Brolley. Brolley’s office is home to more than just paperwork, with a Boston University mug sitting on his desk, a gift given to him from a former student.
John is more than familiar with the development of student-teacher friendships and bonds, having been invited to around twelve student weddings and attended eight. “That’s one of the high points. As long as you’re not being creepy about it, you can make connections that aren’t strictly studentteacher.” Brolley originally intended to be in the music industry, with an undergraduate degree in music composition and the talent to play every woodwind instrument. Soon after achieving his degree, Brolley’s life took a turn and he later found himself in the graduate program for Hebrew Union College, where he began his career in religious studies, later leading him to being a part-time professor at UC. In a typical course for Brolley, he has attendance ranging from 25-80
students, depending on the course. During the fall and spring semesters, he tends to teach three courses each, along with up to two courses in the summer. Students strive to take his courses purely based on his reputation, with courses
ranging from Jewish Civilization to Creation Myth to Theory of Religion. To many, Brolley is more than a professor, but a caring individual who strives to give a positive environment for every student.
ALEXANDRA TAYLOR | PHOTO EDITOR
Professor John Brolley, undergraduate director of the religious studies dept., shares insight on his path to becoming a UC professor.
4 / SPORTS THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2016
How is this year’s Bearcat offense working out? CLAUDE THOMPSON | STAFF REPORTER
There was a lot of hearsay going into this season about how different the new offensive scheme would be for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats football team after bringing in new offensive coordinator Zac Taylor. The numbers would argue that by hiring someone with legitimate professional experience, the UC offense has somehow gotten worse after the departure of former offensive coordinator Eddie Gran ― who left to join the University of Kentucky. UC’s current pace, which has seen them go 3-2 over a span of five games, is settling around 38 touchdowns to end the year ― 15 fewer than their total in 2015 and 16 fewer than 2014. UC quarterbacks have combined for eight touchdowns and nine interceptions, with seven of the touchdowns from Hayden Moore and six of the interceptions coming from Ross Trail.
Redshirt senior Gunner Kiel, who threw his first passes of 2016 in the second half of their game against the University of South Florida last week, has contributed to neither statistic on 11 pass attempts. Kiel had 31 touchdowns in 2014 and 19 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 2015, despite being amidst the quarterback dance between him, Moore and head coach Tommy Tuberville. “Next best guy goes in,” Tuberville said about the quarterback carousel. “Gunner’s had a good career, but threw a lot of interceptions last year.” “We’re not the same offense. This is a totally different offense and we don’t have the firepower that we did last year. We don’t have those guys who can stretch the field or you can just throw the length of the field and hope they run under it. That’s not this offense. It’s all about timing, all predicated on reading coverages. In Zac’s eyes, he wasn’t the best guy to start the season or start
the last two games.” Coming into this season, a popular talking point from the coaching staff would be how much the rushing offense would be featured this season, but so far, things have not looked as advertised. The running backs have only eight touchdowns thus far and are on pace for only 1,792 yards. That may seem like a high number, but considering the running backs have averaged over 2000 yards the past two seasons, finishing below 1,800 is the definition of underachieving. Workhorse senior running back Tion Green is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, which would be a career high if the season ended today, but only has two touchdowns and would need at least one per game going forward to eclipse his high of eight from 2015. Green and fellow running back Mike Boone do look to hit career highs in carries this season, however. On the other hand, Boone
is having a career-low year with a dreary 3.3 yards per carry average. Boone finished 2014 with a 6.4 average and 2015 with a 7.2 average. He had nine touchdowns in both campaigns, but only has two scores this
year. Like Green, Boone would need to score a touchdown each game to maintain pace. In order to justify the hiring of Taylor and to perhaps prove to the fan base that the team is not heading backwards,
Cincinnati will need to start putting up high numbers soon. The Bearcats play the University of Connecticut on the road 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
N.C. BROWN | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Michael Boone (5) stiff arms a USF defender during the second half of the Bearcat’s 45-20 loss to USF at Nippert Stadium, Saturday, October 1, 2016. UC returns home to Nippert for the homecoming game on Saturday, October 22, 2016 to take on East Carolina.
It’s time for Tuberville to go JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER OPINION
OHN SLEEZER | KANSAS CITY STAR | MCT
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) catches a first down pass in front of Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) in the second quarter Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs beat the Seahawks 24-20.
Former Bearcat Travis Kelce appears in his own reality show DAVID WYSONG | SPORTS EDITOR
E! is the home channel of the Kardashians, Fashion Police, Hollywood Medium ― and now former Bearcat Travis Kelce. “Catching Kelce” aired its series premiere Wednesday and it is focused on the University of Cincinnati football alumnus finding love. The show featured 50 women from each state fighting to steal Kelce’s heart. “I’ve been very success driven, I’ve been thinking about trying to be a professional athlete my entire life,” Kelce said in an interview on the Today show. “The aspect of really trying to focus off the field, in like a family aspect, a girlfriend aspect, I don’t want to say it’s been a disaster, but it hasn’t been what I needed it to be.” Kelce spent five years on UC’s campus from 2008-12, redshirting his freshman year. He played tight end for the Bearcats and was one of the best in Cincinnati history — setting the school record for receiving yards by a tight end during his senior year. Ryan Koslen has been the senior director of sports communications at UC since 2012 and has had a role within the Department
of Athletics since 2008, so he was on campus Kelce’s entire collegiate career. “Travis is one of the best athletes to ever play here,” Koslen said. “He probably could have started for three teams if he really wanted to because he was a heck of a baseball player, he was a really good basketball player and he was a football player … He works hard and he has earned everything he has gotten.” Koslen said their relationship was not intimate enough to know if Kelce was a ladies’ man, but he thinks it will be mustwatch TV because he has an outgoing, friendly personality. Only one player remains on the Bearcat football team who played with Kelce ― Tion Green, a fifth-year senior running back. “I’ll be tuned in [Wednesday night] with my popcorn,” Green said. “Travis was a great guy, he was a great role model for me, he was a great guy. I didn’t see him too talkative towards women like that.” Kelce was drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He appeared in the Pro Bowl in 2015 after having 875 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the year. “Catching Kelce” can be seen on E! 9 p.m. Wednesdays.
It is time for Tommy Tuberville to two-step out of town. The former Walter Camp winner for coach of the year can no longer compete, even in the American Athletic Conference. In 2013, Tuberville inherited a University of Cincinnati football squad that had tied for first place in the Big East conference the previous two seasons. With the move to a conference with weaker competition, it was assumed the Bearcats would have a fairly easy time of things on the football field. After going 9-4 in his first two years, largely utilizing players that previous head coach Butch Jones brought in, Tuberville mustered a 7-6 record last year. The Bearcats defeated just one team with a winning record in 2015, and lost two games by at least 35 points ― including a 42-7 loss to San Diego State University in the Hawai’i Bowl. When the university brought in Tuberville, they were fully aware of his questionable behavior, but felt that his winning pedigree would make up for it. With losses beginning to flow, it’s time to look back at those transgressions. During a game when Tuberville coached at Texas Tech University, he smacked a graduate assistant on the head. If coaches get fired for hitting players, why should they not be fired for doing the same thing to a graduate assistant? Then there was the case of how he left Texas Tech. Several Texas Tech recruits claimed that while Tuberville was with them at a recruiting dinner, he left to take a phone call and never returned. Next thing they knew, he was the head coach of Cincinnati. Massillon High School, an Ohio football powerhouse, refused to allow Tuberville and other UC personnel at their school after the coach
pulled a scholarship at the last minute from their starting quarterback. It will be tough for Tuberville to secure the players necessary to win games without the ability to even talk to prospects at the top high schools in Ohio. In the 2016 recruiting class, Tuberville failed to sign any of the top-50 prospects in the state, according to ESPN’s recruiting rankings. Fans need not worry. “We can recruit against anybody,” said Tuberville. Maybe he just did not bother to look at the best players in his own state because he knew they would be bad fits for the program. Despite all of this, Tuberville still feels comfortable with his job security. “I’m going to be here,” Tuberville said in his press conference Tuesday. He went on to criticize the media’s questioning of his job security in regards to how it is affecting his players and potential
recruits. “All that stuff that comes out of the stands does not help one bit,”Tuberville said. “I’ve had to do a lot of explaining to some big time recruits that are committed to us about what is going on.” Tuberville also attempted to take the pressure off himself for his oftenmaligned decision to not play senior quarterback Gunner Kiel, pushing the focus onto offensive coordinator Zac Taylor instead. “It’s [Taylor’s] offense, he knows what he wants out of it, and his decision was to go with Hayden. Then it was his decision to go with Ross,”Tuberville said. With all of the other flaws Tuberville has, his lack of accountability stands at the forefront. A head football coach needs to shoulder the blame when things go wrong, not point fingers wherever he can find a scapegoat. Tuberville is no longer — and honestly never was — fit to lead this program.
DANIEL WALTON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Bearcats head football coach Tommy Tuberville (middle) stands beside Director of Bands Terren L. Frenz (left) and sophomore linebacker Kevin Mouhon (right) following UC’s 27-20 victory of Miami (Ohio) at Nippert Stadium, Saturday, September 24, 2016.
FROM FEMALE COACHES PG 1
female assistant coaches in the NBA, Becky Hammons becoming the first in 2014. In January, the NFL introduced their first full-time female coach, Kathryn Smith of the Buffalo Bills. “With Becky Hammon being on the bench now with the Spurs and her being given that opportunity by a male for him to be able to trust her, [Gregg] Poppovich to trust her with that role, I think that’s a step in the right direction,” Elliott said. While women want to gain enough respect to coach men, male athletes could be hesitant to see
such a change. However, Tion Green, running back for the UC football team, says it would be something to get adjusted to, but he thinks it would be okay. “I would take that lady very serious,” Green said. “You wouldn’t want anyone to disrespect your mother or your sister so you got to put things in perspective like that, but at the same time she’s going to be a pretty tough one, she’s not going to be a push over, being a coach and dealing with these grown men out here.” Green and his Bearcat teammates have yet to
have a female coach, but they saw their first female referee earlier this season against Miami University. “We had our first [woman] referee the other night against Miami of Ohio … and you got to respect her too,” Green said. Women coaching sports inhabited by their own gender is not as difficult of a task. At UC, there are six female head coaches running the helm of teams where women are included, including Susan Seaton, the director of track and field and cross country.
Men still dominate around the country, however. Out of 86 schools surveyed by the University of Minnesota in 201516, 58.9 percent of head coaches for women’s teams were men ― Niel Stafford is a male who coaches the UC women’s soccer team. In addition, the numbers of female head coaches in women’s college basketball are declining. During the 2009-10 season, 66 percent of the head coaches in Division I women’s college basketball were female. That number dropped
to under 59 percent last year, according to FiveThirtyEight, a sports blog and podcast owned by ESPN. Elliott, who played for a male coach during her time at the University of Connecticut, highlighted the differences in coaching styles between the two genders. “I think with a male coach, they coach in a way that where they are not thinking about how we feel, its more so, ‘Let’s get accomplished what we want to get done, let’s get better,’” Elliott said. “With women, speaking for myself, it’s always
trying to get a feel of the environment or how they feel, or their body language and adjusting based on that, because if women a lot of times don’t feel good about playing or competing, you have to get to what that is so they feel at a piece emotionally.” Moving forward, Spencer believes there will be more progress seen in men’s athletics in the near future, but it will be at a minimum. “I think the men would respect them if they came from a really distinguished college … but it wouldn’t be more than a couple of coaches,” Spencer said.