The Lantern - January 9 2018

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TUESDAY

PRESIDENT’S PRIZE

THURSDAY

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LGBTQ

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Two Ohio State students earned funding OSU doctoral candidate’s new for projects combating opioid abuse and children’s book introduces LGBTQ another helping students with disabilities. relationships without stigma.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

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Once a forgotten program, an established culture has brought the Buckeyes to a national title contender.

BASKETBALL

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The Buckeyes were supposed to be rebuilding. Now their legitimate Big Ten title contenders.

The student voice of the Ohio State University

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

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Say it ain’t snow Winter weather greets Buckeyes as classes resume

Year 138, Issue No. 1

TKE chapter suspended for 3 years

OWEN DAUGHERTY | ASSISTANT CAMPUS EDITOR

The view from Ahmed Menevseoglu’s apartment complex of the construction of the Covelli Multi-sport Arena.

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

The Ohio State Omicron fraternity chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon.

Covelli Arena construction disrupts Buckeye Village residents

OWEN DAUGHERTY Assistant Campus Editor daugherty.260@osu.edu

OWEN DAUGHERTY Assistant Campus Editor daugherty.260@osu.edu The past six months Ahmed Menevseoglu, a doctoral candidate in food science at Ohio State, has been getting up a bit earlier than he would prefer. His 1-yearold son normally wakes him and his wife up by about 8:30 a.m. While all new parents are accustomed to the cries of their child to start the day, Menevseoglu and his wife are now woken up daily at 7:00 a.m. by the sounds of cranes and bulldozers in the backyard of their Buckeye Village home — well before their infant son would normally be stirring. The ringing construction noises last virtually all day, he said, and are not expected to end anytime soon: the building of Covelli Multi-Sport Arena, which began in June, isn’t slated to be completed until spring of 2019. Sam Covelli, franchise owner of hundreds of Panera Bread locations, committed $10 million to Ohio State’s athletic department in 2012 to have his name bestowed on the new arena upon its completion. The $30 million athletic venue that will host volleyball, wrestling and five other sports was initially planned to replace the aging St. John Arena. Those plans eventually faded and a new location was chosen along Olentangy River Road, right next to where Ohio State’s family housing, Buckeye Village, is located. As the location changed, so did construction plans. Instead of being a stand-alone venue, Covelli Arena will now be linked with the Jennings Wrestling Facility, raising construction costs to $49.7 FAMILY HOUSING CONTINUES ON 2

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

Snow-covered William Oxley Thompson statue located outside of Thompson Library.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Counseling services are more of a work in progress than administration claims BRETT KAPLAN 2017 Ohio State graduate kaplan.188@osu.edu To the editor, “We’re not mad, we are just disappointed.” It’s a phrase most often reserved for tired parents upon finding their 16-year-old child show up 30 minutes late for curfew. Today, it’s a phrase that I’ll borrow to illustrate the love-hate relationship between Ohio State students, and the unpromising but ever so important Counseling and Consultation Services., or CCS for short. It merely takes one glance at The Lantern’s “Letter to the editor” section or a refresh of your Facebook timeline to understand the vast surplus of divisive issues on Ohio State’s campus today — Rob Portman as Autumn Commencement speaker, “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions” movement, the gender pay gap and meal plan price inflations are a few. In spite of all of these, as finals weighed heavy on the hearts of students and semester grades were submitted, perhaps the biggest overlooked issue is the high incidence rate of mental illness, and the adequacy of counseling services on college campuses, in

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: RIS TWIGG | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

“Let’s Talk” is an alternative to traditional counseling offered by CCS where students can talk one-on-one with a CCS member for a quick 15 to 20-minute consultation without an appointment. this case Ohio State’s. The prominence and importance of this topic certainly wasn’t overlooked by me as I noticed a friend share The Lantern’s August article, “Drake: Ohio State counseling services on par with high demand; contradicts USG.” Facepalm. Click. In an August interview with The Lantern, Drake asserted that you over the phone with a triage clinician within a day, and you

can see someone for an appointment in a week or less. As a student who attempted to utilize CCS’ services twice, I can assure readers this blanket statement is unfortunately false by nature of its blatant overgeneralization. In February, USG rightfully claimed that the waiting period for students was sometimes up to six weeks. I read on and shook my head even more as Drake rhetoriCOUNSELING CONTINUES ON 2

Tau Kappa Epsilon has been suspended from Ohio State’s campus for three years following an investigation into the chapter’s violations of the Code of Student Conduct. The investigation found the fraternity chapter guilty of hazing, endangering behavior and improper use of alcohol. As a result of the suspension, the chapter is no longer recognized as an Ohio State student organization, meaning other student organizations, such as active sororities, are not able to have events with it. Additionally, no recruitment or new member activities will be able to take place for the duration of the suspension. “The safety, education and development of students is central to the mission of the university and the purpose of registered student organizations, including the university’s sororities and fraternities,” Dave Isaacs, spokesman for the Office of Student Life, said in an email statement announcing the suspension. “We hope that Tau Kappa Epsilon will successfully return to Ohio State’s campus following the completion of its suspension and the terms outlined to them.” The chapter can petition to return to campus Spring 2021, but will have an additional year of probation if it is allowed back. Current members of the chapter’s fraternity house will not be forced to move out by the university because the house is owned privately by the national headquarters. TKE is given the opportunity to appeal the suspension if it chooses. Neither chapter president Ian Lawson or the national headquarters for the fraternity have returned a request for comment on SUSPENSION CONTINUES ON 4


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President Prize recipients to begin community works Following a call to help youth affected by opioid epidemic

Reaching for the stars: Bringing access to science for people with disabilities

MATT DORSEY Engagement Editor dorsey.215@osu.edu Alina Sharafutdinova lost her uncle to a drug overdose when she was 5 years old. She couldn’t possibly have known how that tragedy would shape her future path — one that could soon support those touched by similar tragedies. Now, Sharafutdinova, who has lived in the U.S. since she was 15 and graduated from Ohio State in December, finds herself as one of two recently announced recipients of the prestigious 2018 President’s Prize — an award given to two graduating seniors who plan to create positive change. Sharafutdinova, whose bachelor’s degree is in health science, plans to use funding from the prize — comprising of a $50,000 living stipend and $50,000 to be spent on program development — to aid a Central Ohio community afflicted by the opioid addiction epidemic. The project will take Sharafutdinova to a high school in one of a handful of Franklin County ZIP codes identified by the coroner’s office as high-risk for opioid deaths. Sharafutdinova will work to treat the mental health needs of students in the school and will reach out to community members to help them solve the community’s problems. The effect of her uncle’s death was a factor that drew Sharafutdinova to the work, she said. “Once I started looking into this issue,

COURTESY OF OSU

COURTESY OF OSU

Alina Sharafutdinova, one of Ohio State’s President’s Prize winners, developed the “Ohio Opioid Action Plan” focused on combatting the opioid epidemic in Franklin County.

Anna Voelker, one winner of Ohio State’s President’s Prize, developed the “AstroAccess” project focused on making science more accessible for people with disabilities.

I realized that the project really called me, I think. I was wondering why I chose this project,” Sharafutdinova said. “It’s that my life is a big reflection of the project.” Part of that reflection was growing up in Uzbekistan, after the fall of the Soviet Union, where she saw how economic instability led to unemployment and widespread drug addiction, even in her own family. Sharafutdinova’s cousin found himself without a father at age 6. “My uncle, he struggled with addiction and he overdosed, and my cousin — his son — had to live with that and that’s something that I think I didn’t realize how much of an effect it had on him until I start-

ZACH GRADER Lantern reporter grader.2@osu.edu

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For fourth-year Anna Voelker, winning the President’s Prize is much more than receiving a cash award; it’s an opportunity to make a change she wishes to see in the world by increasing access to careers in astronomy and physics for people with disabilities and specialized needs. Voelker will work to provide more access through her development of AstroAccess, an astronomy-based scientific-outreach initiative focusing on students with disabilities and specialized needs. Helping others participate in scientific

exploits has long been a passion for Voelker, who designed her own major through the College of Arts and Science’s Personalized Study Program, and currently works on an education project for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The initiative has three main components to it. The first starts out with a twomonth trip to visit the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa. While in South Africa, Voelker will work with the International Astronomical Union — which works to promote and safeguard astronomy through its international research and education — to enhance outreach efforts and improve the networking organizations for individuals with disabilities. The IAU has created a directory of astronomical organizations that Voelker thinks is essential to her vision. “One of the problems is that not all of these projects are collective,” she said. “We need to make it known in our own communities and that requires different types of networking.” Voelker’s goal is to develop and expand the directory so that it is able to additionally benefit people with disabilities. The second component of her initiative will be the one to which most of the award money will be applied. Voelker plans to work with Scott Lissner, coordinator of the Americans with Disabilities Act at Ohio State, to help educators implement new methods for teaching students with disabilASTROACCESS CONTINUES ON 4

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million, according to Board of Trustee documents. Along with the increased price tag came an expanded construction footprint, one that is now just steps away from Menevseoglu’s front door, separated only by a chainlink fence. To make space for the athletic complex, 18 percent, or about 50 apartments, of Buckeye Village’s family housing were demolished last year. In turn, with space now limited, no new applications for family housing are being taken. “Because of the project, university housing has decided not to accept new resident applications,” said Anne Bingman, Buckeye Village’s housing coordinator. “We want to make sure we can take care of all of our current residents at this time.” University spokesman Ben Johnson said Ohio State administrators meet monthly with Buckeye Village residents to answer questions about construction and future planning. Menekseoglu and his family inhabit one of the 295 apartments left that make up Buckeye Village. The neighborhood is adored by its residents yet largely unknown to the majority of Ohio State’s students. Instead of empty solo cups and speakers on the porch; strollers, kids toys and sleds adorn the front yards of the family housing apartments. Most of the residents of Buckeye Village are graduate students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. To live in a family housing unit, one must either be married or have a child, hence the nontraditional student tag the university applies to these

OWEN DAUGHERTY | ASSISTANT CAMPUS EDITOR

Ohio State has offered students family housing in Buckeye Village since 1948. students. a mother of two young children. “There Buckeye Village only has one and is a community of people that are gotwo-bedroom units. The one-bedroom units ing through the same thing you’re going are for married couples and the two-bed- through. You can even find your babysitroom units are for couples with children. ter in this neighborhood. It is very much a The complex first opened in 1948 and community and there is nothing else like has had its fair share of problems in the de- it in Columbus for people with kids. It’s a cades since; residents were notified of ele- big draw.” vated lead levels in their water in August The Woods met at Ohio State and wed 2016 and some, such as Colin and Emily while they were both undergraduate stuWood, were forced to switch apartments dents before moving to Buckeye Village when rodent problems persisted. because it made the most financial and But residents such as Menevseoglu and logistical sense while Colin pursues his the Woods praise the resources that come doctorate degree in jazz studies from Ohio with Buckeye Village, even though they State’s School of Music. now dread the seemingly constant conThe couple has lived in Buckeye Village struction. for five years now, and knew the day would “We have a nice playground. We have come when the construction began. It had tons of green space. There are kids for our been talked about and delayed for years, children to play with,” said Emily Wood, Emily Wood said.

Colin Wood said he would not be able to balance paying bills, being a dad and a full-time student if not for the convenient location and price of Buckeye Village. In fact, he said he would not even be able to get to school if not for the free bus offered to family housing residents that runs to and from main campus every day. Buckeye Village parking passes only allow residents to park in apartment lots and not on main campus. “It’s a big pull for people to come here [Ohio State],” said Emily Wood, who previously worked in Buckeye Village’s community center. “So many people that live here have said they would not have come to Ohio State if this opportunity had not been here.” Pricing for apartments at Buckeye Village as of last year are $535 per month for a one-bedroom unit and $675 for a two-bedroom unit. Emily and Colin Wood said their rent had barely gone up in the past five years. The Woods estimated that even with construction underway, those that inhabited the now-demolished apartments were able to find housing in vacant units. Bingman said Buckeye Village has kept vacant apartments available for those displaced by the current construction. Only 69 percent of Buckeye Village is currently inhabited, the lowest total in the last 10 years, according to data provided by Ohio State. Two years ago occupancy hit a 10-year high of 92 percent. The future of Buckeye Village remains unclear. The university’s Framework 2.0 plans call for graduate and family housing FAMILY HOUSING CONTINUES ON 3


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cally stated, “Let’s call tomorrow and see how long it takes … It’s not six weeks.” I read the article, and then I read it again, and just as I had previously felt with CCS’ handling of my problems, I felt disheartened and let down. Mental health is a confusing topic. Unlike physical health in which a broken arm is treated with a cast and a torn ACL is treated with surgery, mental health treatment is not black-and-white. In fact, it looms very, very gray over its many victims. Mental health affects many people in different ways to many different levels, and here lie the shortcomings of Ohio State’s CCS. I’ll illustrate my point by telling my story. In spring 2015, I was dealing with effects of anxiety that were manifested in physical symptoms. I’d feel chest pain and worry that I had a heart problem and then feel more chest pain as I convinced myself I was dying. I’d feel trapped in lecture halls and begin sweating and then getting the chills. I’d have a sudden urge to pee, despite having gone minutes before and drinking nothing in between. I’d feel dizzy and constantly lived in fear of fainting. I’d be at a bar and worry that I was going to faint on the spot. I’d go home. I sought help. First, a physician to check out my heart. I underwent an electrocardiogram, also known as a EKG, and it revealed no issues. It was all in my head. I called CCS. Sure enough, I did receive a phone screening that day. But I’d never make it to CCS that year. The earliest I could get in was six weeks. This wait time could not work for someone who legitimately felt like they were dying and needed help immediately.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | The Lantern | 3

I went home for spring break and saw a psychologist and a psychiatrist. I started taking medication that thankfully helped to alleviate physical symptoms. Flashforward to January 2017, nNearly two years later, my worrisome behavior changes struck my friends as warning signs of something deeper. I began to isolate myself. I went on walks alone at night. I deleted all my social media accounts. My friends insisted that I call CCS. Having previously been discouraged by the six-week wait, I had hoped that perhaps the service would have been improved in the time since I last sought out help. I had a phone screening that day, and knowing the results of the last phone screening, I tried to manipulate my answers to sound more urgent. I felt guilty, but at the same time I also felt previously neglected. My answers suggested I was more suicidal than maybe I was, but that’s not to say I wasn’t in need of urgent help. I did what I could to get an appointment. I was seen by a triage clinician in roughly a week. She had me retell my story. She empathized with my troubles and explained that CCS has many free workshops and group sessions I could attend. She also said that she was going to refer me to Holistic Consultation, an off-campus consulting service. She assured me she’d send over all the notes from our appointment to the next psychiatric professional. At Holistic, I again spoke with a clinician upon my first appointment a week later. Once again, I had to retell my story — the notes must never have made it over. This was two weeks since I originally had reached out for help and

stitution.

I called CCS. Sure enough, I did receive a phone screening that day. But I’d never make it to CCS that year. The earliest I could get in was six weeks. COURTESY OF BRETT KAPLAN

Brett Kaplan, a 2017 Ohio State graduate.

I’ve yet to receive actual treatment other than the comfort of being in a room with a professional. After the tedious, emotional effort of retelling my anxieties to the clinician, she told me she’d refer me to the final stop on this journey — a graduate intern. I met with her a week later and told my story again. We’d begin “actual” treatment the following week. These off-campus appointments would cost $35 each week for one hour. Ohio State, mind you, offers 10 free individual counseling sessions as part of the student activity fee. With one’s inability to actually get 10 free appointments in an academic year, you are in some ways losing money — but that’s a topic for another day. Through perhaps little fault of CCS’ own, the system weeds out students that are not as urgent and puts you on a waiting list. You can phone screen in one day and you can triage within a week. But the adventure only begins there. The story you tell largely impacts where you go next, and for some this could mean Holistic, and others it could mean to a mental in-

I shared my story using a Tweet thread a few weeks ago to try to spread awareness and even comfort for any who may have felt the same disappointment in the system. The responses were astonishing. Nearly 50 students, old and new, replied or direct messaged me thanking me for my bravery and telling me of their own experiences. Many shared their frustrations with their own six-week wait time. Some shared that they were deemed so suicidal that they couldn’t be helped by CCS and were perhaps best suited for a hospital. One woman even told me that there was a lack of people of color on the CCS staff, thus making some feel uncomfortable. Some felt let down by being assigned a graduate intern who later moved on, thus negating any long-term confidence or comradery with their counselor. I knew the system had its flaws and shortcomings, but I never could have expected it to affect so many people. Do not get me wrong, there are undoubtedly many people who have positive experiences through CCS. However, no one should fall through the cracks simply due to a lack of funding, or perhaps a perceived lack of urgency in their case.

It goes back to my original assertion. Mental health is not black and white. Each case is incredibly unique and for each individual is personally important. The current structure at Ohio State rightfully prioritizes cases of high urgency. The problem is it seemingly neglects those of less urgency. It shouldn’t have to be a trade-off. Let’s be clear, it’s possible — and perhaps likely — that Drake speaks only on knowledge passed up to him from people within the administration. I don’t imagine him to be a full expert on each and every facet of Ohio State’s services offerings. Let’s not necessarily bash him. However, I’d expect a little more thorough of an investigation into the services before making such boldly overgeneralized statements. If Drake called CCS today, he’d get a phone screening. Unless Drake is suicidal, he’s not getting an appointment for, let’s generously say, 3-6 weeks. I think people need to understand that this issue is complex and a solution is not easy to come by. We cannot demean CCS and President Drake. We shouldn’t blame the great people that work and likely save many lives with their services there. Rather, I think we should take the time to understand the severity of mental health and its legitimacy as a real issue. CCS operates relatively well within its limits of staff and resources. Maybe in the future it can receive more funding. Maybe in the future we can have confidence. Maybe in the future we will have hope. Brett Kaplan May 2017 Ohio State graduate

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to be placed elsewhere on campus. Ohio State put out a request for proposals last January seeking a developer to build a 450-unit family housing complex on the northeast corner of Kenny Road and Woody Hayes Drive. Johnson said Ohio State received eight responses to the requests from teams of developers. Of the eight, three were selected to provide additional information. “The university continues the evaluation process, which includes determining if this approach can deliver an affordable housing option,” he said. With new family housing space in limbo, residents of the worn down Buckeye Village are making due with their current homes among the construction. The beloved apartment complex will soon be sandwiched by construction on both ends. Uni-

THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY The Lantern is a student publication which is part of the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. It publishes issues Tuesday and Thursday, and online editions every day. The Lantern’s daily operations are funded through advertising and its academic pursuits are supported by the School of Communication. Some of the advertising is sold by students. The School of Communication is committed to the highest professional standards for the newspaper in order to guarantee the fullest educational benefits from The Lantern experience.

versity City Center, once a thriving strip center with a Kroger grocery store at the strip mall, is being demolished and revamped this spring.

“There is a community of people that are going through the same thing you’re going through. You can even find your babysitter in this neighborhood. It is very much a community and there is nothing else like it in Columbus for people with kids.”

Menevseoglu said he is moving north and farther from the Covelli Arena construction next month, but closer to the soon-to-be city center redevelopment. He said the time had come and Ohio State honored his request to relocate within Buckeye Village, something he said many of his neighbors had already done. The Woods already live in one of the northernmost apartment strips. The couple thinks their

home is safe from looming construction — for now. “The north end of Buckeye Village has more time,” Emily said. “It doesn’t seem like the construction is going to come this way, yet. If and when that happens, well when that happens I should say, it will be a few years down the road.”

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ed researching and I really delved into this issue that’s happening right now,” she said. “And I realized the emotional trauma that he experienced losing his father at such a young, tender age.” That research, she said, led her to studies showing that negative effects of traumatic events in children’s lives can be curbed with appropriate mental health care, something she wishes had been available for her cousin, who she thinks to this day exhibits effects of untreated trauma. “His mental health was never addressed professionally,” Sharafutdinova said. “Not because his family didn’t care, but because it was not a thing to do. No one thought it was necessary. I don’t think they were aware that something like that even exists.” She said she sees the potential for a brighter future for kids who might now be in similar circumstances. “I feel for these children who have to go through this every day and in the present day. And I just want to give them the chance that my cousin never had,” Sharafutdinova said. “I’m trying to address this issue early on so they don’t have to struggle with that their whole life. It’s something that I think no child has to go through, to mature in that way. “Because it really matures you and you become an adult at such a young age. You see death so young and it does something to you.” To address those needs, Sharafutdinova said she will create a “safe space” in the selected school where students struggling with issues such as addiction in the family will be able to speak with volunteers who will be trained to direct the students to appropriate resources. For the community outreach part of her mission, Sharafutdinova plans for a communicative collaboration. “It’s never my intention to go into the

community and tell them what to do,” she said. “I would never want anyone to come to me and tell me how to change my life. So it’s going to be a lot of listening and a lot of conversation.” Listening to others and learning from their perspectives is a particular strength of Sharafutdinova’s, said Diane Habash, an associate clinical professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Medical Dietetics. She also is Sharafutdinova’s faculty mentor for the project. “This is a really smart woman you’re talking about,” Habash said. “She recog-

“I’m trying to address this issue early on so they don’t have to struggle with that their whole life. It’s something that I think no child has to go through, to mature in that way.” Alina Sharafutdinova Recent graduate and President’s Prize recipient

my teacher back in Uzbekistan told me that I couldn’t do physics or I couldn’t do math because my brain was more structured for, like, languages. So it was a learning experience for me to realize that I can do anything.” Sharafutdinova said she developed a passion for science during her high school anatomy class, where she “fell in love” with learning about biology and physiology. “As I started kind of exploring this idea of maybe going into medicine or going into science, I’ve just had a lot of support from all over the place, from my parents, from my friends, from my teachers. And I think that really strengthened my passion,” Sharafutdinova said. Ultimately, she plans on taking that passion to medical school, but first she has a lot of work to do in a struggling community. “The project itself is for a year,” Sharafutdinova said. “But the big part of my thinking is to make it sustainable. I don’t want to kind of raise the dust and then leave.”

@MattTDorsey nizes that she doesn’t have 100 percent perspective and she always asks for help. She is so humble. She always says, ‘What else is here that I should be thinking about? What else do you see?’” Having resources like Habash to provide knowledge and encouragement is something Sharafutdinova is deeply grateful because, she said, she didn’t have the same level of encouragement during the 15 years she lived in Uzbekistan. “The difference became striking when I came to the United States and when I went to [Dublin Jerome] high school here,” she said. “My teachers were encouraging me even though when I was in eighth grade,

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ities. Those will include holding a conference in which researchers, scientists and students with disabilities will attend and present. Voelker said the conference will take place in April 2019 and be followed shortly after by the third and final step in Voelker’s Initiative — a trip to London where she intends to work with the Shakespeare and Autism Outreach program. AstroAccess will include methods and games created by Kelly Hunter, a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company who created the Hunter Heartbeat Method, which includes sensory games that aid children with autism in learning how to gauge facial expressions, eye contact and body language, and apply it to learning scientific information. Voelker also intends to use some of her award money to pay for staffing so students on the autism spectrum will have a 1:1 ratio when taking her 12-week outreach program. The students involved with her initiative will do many of the exercises and games learned at the Shakespeare and Autism Outreach program, but Voelker plans to give her program an astronomical theme in which students with disabilities will be able to pioneer worlds of information they’ve never had the opportunity exploring before. “It’s about trying to make a specific difference in your community, and once you can do it there, then you make that same difference in a global community.” Voelker said.

The Engaged Scholars logo accompanies stories that feature and examine research and teaching partnerships formed between The Ohio State University and the community (local, state, national and global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources. These stories spring from a partnership with OSU’s Office of Outreach and Engagement. The Lantern retains sole editorial control over the selection, writing and editing of these stories. SUSPENSION FROM 1

Intern, OSUAA Buckeyes in Your Backyard Ohio County Internship Program The Ohio State University Alumni Association is excited to announce the second year of Buckeyes in Your Backyard! This summer internship gives you a chance to engage with Ohio State graduates in your hometown. It is an opportunity for current students to connect with alumni, share Buckeye experiences, provide information on what is happening at Ohio State and the Alumni Association, and raise money for the university. Interested in fundraising, marketing, communications, higher education, sales, or other career paths? Buckeyes in Your Backyard is for you! Selected students will act as summer ambassadors who meet with graduates who may not already be involved with the Alumni Association to share information and collect/update their data. Interns will be assigned to select Ohio counties and tasked with securing 5-10 visits per week with local alumni/potential donors. The intent of each visit is to share updates on the university, exchange campus experiences, present engagement opportunities, and ask alumni for annual gifts of $75 to support Ohio State. Each intern will create a personal fundraising web page and give weekly updates about interactions with alumni. Successful interns must be detail-oriented and possess excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to interact with donors, alumni and volunteers, and be able to share their positive Ohio State experiences with others. This position requires frequent travel and may include evening and weekend work. The program runs May through August with students working a maximum of 30 hours per week. One 38-hour week of training will be included in May. Why should you apply? • Work with the Alumni Association’s best and brightest on a resume-worthy project that demonstrates meaningful outcomes. • Give back to Ohio State while gaining experience in fundraising, relationship-building and alumni engagement. • Participate in one week of professional development training that will help you hit the ground running upon graduation. • Receive a competitive wage of $13/hour while earning a $500 BONUS after completion of the program – all while working from your hometown during the summer! • Receive Alumni Association-branded apparel, mileage reimbursement for travel, and a company credit card for approved program expenses. Education/Experience: Required: Active enrollment as a student at Ohio State; GPA of 3.0 or greater; proficiency in MS Word and MS Excel; ability to provide own transportation to visit alumni Desired: University call center experience; prior fundraising or sales experience; prior paid working experience requiring customer service skills; good decision-making capabilities and judgment; general understanding of databases; excellent verbal and written communication skills; former Office of Advancement intern. We are accepting applications now! Please contact Jaynie Taylor – Associate Director, Leadership Annual Giving, Ohio State Alumni Association, to submit your resume/cover letter. Deadline for submission - Friday, February 2, 2018. Applications reviewed and selected on rolling basis. Phone: 614-247-1848 or email: taylor.3069@osu.edu The Ohio State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

Tau Kappa Epsilon has been suspended from Ohio State’s campus for three years following an investigation into the chapter’s violations of the Code of Student Conduct. whether they will appeal the suspension. The investigation of the fraternity chapter began in October and was one of 11 investigations into fraternities last semester alone. The high number of fraternities under investigation ultimately led to Ohio State suspending social activity for all 37 Interfraternity Council chapters indefinitely in November, though that suspension will likely soon be lifted. As part of the eight-page reinstatement plan for IFC chapters released last month by the Office of Student Life, Ohio State will now publicly post online the outcome of all Code of Student Conduct investigations. Previously, no announcements were made publicly. Posts will include the nature of the violations as well as the consequence. However, no website has been made yet, therefore the

TKE suspension was not publicly posted. The suspension is the chapter’s second from Ohio State, the first coming in 2001 that sent the fraternity off campus for one year. The suspension in 2001 was for similar patterns of misconduct. A news release announcing the suspension at the time said the chapter was found to have participated in hazing activities and “other recent poor behavior.” The chapter appealed the suspension in 2001, though the appeal was denied. There are currently 87 active TKE members at Ohio State, according to the chapter’s website. Isaacs said Ohio State will continue to work with the current members and provide resources such as counseling, academic support and assistance finding housing if needed.


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ARTS&LIFE

Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | 5

SECOND SIGHT Franklinton artists highlight their community through art. | ON PAGE 6

Looking past the cover

SYDNEY RIDDLE Senior Lantern reporter riddle.136@osu.edu

Children’s book aims to erase stigma of LGBTQ education

COURTESY OF JONATHAN BRANFMAN

Jonathan Branfman with his children’s book “You Be You!” A way to introduce children to topics of sexual and gender identity.

Jonathan Branfman didn’t just want parents to know that it’s never too early to expose their children to topics of gender identity, romantic orientation and diversity. He wanted to create an easy way to do it. That is Branfman’s intention with his new children’s book, “You Be You!” A doctoral candidate in Ohio State’s Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexualiy Studies, Branfman has created a simple and accessible way for parents to introduce children to gender and sexual identity in hopes of decreasing stigmas associated with the LGBTQ community. “It was really a result of teaching women’s, gender and sexuality studies classes at OSU,” Branfman said. “I often found myself thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if everyone got really clear, unstigmatized information about gender and sexual diversity at a young age instead of them having to unlearn all kinds of harmful false ideas when they’re 12 instead of when they’re 20?’” Branfman, who has worked as an intern with the Human Rights Campaign and volunteered with Keshet, a Jewish LGBTQ advocacy group that works with Jewish schools, synagogues and summer camps, drew from his experience in child care and education when developing the project. “You Be You!”, which Branfman will read at Ohio State’s Urban Arts Space on Thursday, takes a “myth-busting” approach that meets readers where they are in their assumptions of what “normal” is and breaks it down to help people progress from there. Brafman said a more subtle form of in-

tolerance toward the LGBTQ community is “the assumption that it is scandalous or X-rated” to talk about LGBTQ people with children. Branfram wants to erase this stigma.

“You can talk about straight romance in very direct terms without being inappropriate or X-rated and I think people need to extend the logic also to LGBTQ people.” Jonathan Branfman Author of “You Be You!”

“When I was living in San Francisco doing some nonprofit work, I remember once talking to a team that did various kinds of diversity education and when I mentioned that they should also include talking about gay people, the immediate reaction was, ‘Oh, we don’t want to talk about sex with kids,’” Branfman said. “It was so striking to me that for them, asking about varied identities seemed to mean that they thought they were going to have to talk about sexually explicit scenarios with kids,” Branfman said. “You can talk about straight romance in very direct terms without being inappropriate or X-rated and I think people need to extend the logic also to LGBTQ people.” While the book is intended for children ages 7 to 12, Branfman said it has had a huge effect on older generations as well. BOOK CONTINUES ON 7

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Franklinton artists use surroundings in new exhibition GHEZAL BARGOUTY Arts & Life Editor barghouty.5@osu.edu For two Franklinton creatives, art is platform they actively use to connect to the community. This month, the Second Sight Project will debut its latest exhibition, featuring the latest series by founder Mona Gazala and current resident artist Tala Kanani. Gazala founded the Second Sight Project in 2012 after coming across a vacant, vandalized home in Franklinton. Nearly five years later, the project has expanded to include three homes that offer short and long-term spaces for artists in a live-and-work residency program, and encourages close interaction with the surrounding neighborhood.

“Art and journalism don’t necessarily solve a problem but they put it out there –– they give it a voice and have other people examine it.” Mona Gazala Founder of the Second Sight Project

In her latest exhibition, “Home Town,” Gazala explores vacant homes in Franklinton and seven surrounding neighborhoods, including Linden, Milo Grogan and King Lincoln. Inspired by the beauty within these destroyed homes, Gazala said she used her photographs to uncover issues that stem from economic instability. “I don’t see the series that I did as an answer to the problem so much as a form of journalism in and of itself, whereas art and journalism don’t necessarily

solve a problem but they put it out there –– they give it a voice and have other people examine it,” Gazala said. As both an artist and activist, Gazala said her work centers around social equity. By presenting her series “Get Well” in the “Home Town” exhibition, Gazala said she aims to call attention to Franklinton’s vacant homes, which make the neighborhood vulnerable to crime and will require a solution in the future. “I do a lot of work with the community of Franklinton and a lot of times my art is also activism,” she said. “I, as an artist, and I think a lot of artists, can see vacant houses in different ways. We see it as a beautiful ruin, and there’s a beauty in the decline of buildings in many different ways. But, from the community standpoint, it’s the result of economic instability.” Along with Gazala’s exhibition, the Second Sight Project will debut Kanani’s exhibition “The Color Experiment #1,” which explores the experience of color and the feelings related to it. Located at 735 Sullivant Ave., next door to Gazala’s exhibition, Kanani separates a large room into three smaller ones –– each engulfed in a different color. Kanani said each room will bear an individual theme, with the first room centered around the color green. An Iranian, first-generation American, Kanani said the color is not only representative of Islam and the idea of paradise, but also is symbolic of the heart chakra, which, in traditional Indian religions, is one of the seven centers of spiritual power in the human body. The exhibition also will consist of a violet room, based on the third-eye chakra, in which third eye keepsakes will be sold for as little 25 cents, which Kanani described as “commodifying something spiritual.” The final room will be based on the color blue, SECOND SIGHT CONTINUES ON 7

COURTESY OF TALA KANANI

Tala Kanani stands in her studio in Franklinton, a neighborhood located southwest of Ohio State’s campus.

The future (of EDM) is female introduce LGBTQ youth to electronic music production. The show will also serve as a way to give female electronic artists more visibility. Martinez said she hopes the show is somewhere different female and LGBTQ artists can gain exposure.

“We could always use a little less misogyny, a little less sexism.” Moxy Martinez Columbus DJ

COURTESY OF KATE SWEENEY

“The Future is Friday” will feature all female DJs to raise money for electronic music production classes for LGBTQ youth. SARA STACY Assistant Arts & Life Editor stacy.118@osu.edu Girl power claims the stage for an evening of all-female DJing in support of LGBTQ youth on Jan. 19. Created by a group of Columbus electronic promoters, musicians and producers, “The Future is Friday” was organized to raise money for a series of electronic music production classes for LGBTQ youth.

Proceeds from the show will be put toward renting electronic equipment, securing teaching space and paying instructors. “By summer hopefully we’ll have a program set up where when young women, queer and trans youth can sign up take some DJ and electronic music production classes and have it all paid for by us,” said Scotty Niemet, a Columbus promoter and one of the hosts of the event. The idea came about when Niemet and Columbus DJ Moxy Martinez wanted to

“This whole event we’re hoping that it’s like an every month or an every other month kind of thing, and in the hopes that other young women and female-identifying and queer and trans individuals kind of see that there’s people out there like them who are performing, DJing and all of that kind of music and can feel comfortable and supported,” Martinez said. Martinez will be performing a live set for the event under the moniker Osea Merdis. A live set differs from a DJ set in that the musician creates the music on stage using equipment like synthesizers and drum machines rather than arranging pre-composed music. Niemet and Martinez said they hope events like this can be a catalyst for introducing more diversity into the electronic music scene, both in Columbus and elsewhere. While female and LGBTQ musicians have been traditionally underrepresented in the electronic music industry, an increase in diversity over the past several years can be attributed to a change in the culture of the music industry at large, Niemet said. “There’s always blips of like great wom-

en doing great things in electronic music, but I just feel like a lot of it just comes down to the business of the music industry, men have a tendency to act like they know everything or what direction things should be going and I feel like there’s a definite upswing momentum for women visibility happening,” Niemet said. While Martinez said she hasn’t experienced much discrimination as an artist, she has noticed that people are surprised to find out she isn’t a man after hearing her music. “I can’t speak enough words for how much I love [Columbus], but as with every place in the world, we could always use work,” Martinez said. “We could always use a little less misogyny, a little less sexism. I feel grateful that I haven’t had to deal with a whole lot of that type of adversity, but one of the many reasons that I wanted to do this was to be a figure and to show people that anyone can do this. It’s not just for white dudes.” Martinez was able to flourish in the Columbus electronic music community because of the connection she made with Niemet in 2007, and she said up-and-coming DJs might be able to make similar connections through this event. “We just want people to show up and be exactly who they are and how they are and know that they’re in a safe, comfortable environment and they can have a bomb a** time and maybe make some new friends, and maybe play at the party next month,” Martinez said. The Future is Friday will be be held at The Summit at 2210 Summit St. on Jan. 19. Doors open at 10 p.m. Admission will be $7 for 21+ $10 for under 21.

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Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | The Lantern | 7

SECOND SIGHT FROM 6

COURTESY OF MONA GAZALA

Two photos from Mona Gazala’s series “Get Well” : “South Side” (left) and “Franklinton.” The series is a part of her latest exhibit “Home Town.” BOOK FROM 5

“A lot of adults who have read it have told me it was really helpful for them as well because when you’re breaking down ideas so clearly for younger kids it also makes it accessible for adults who are getting introduced to this topic for the first time.” The book’s illustrator Julie Benbassat said she experienced this firsthand when she received a phone call from a friend. “[He] called me after he bought the book and cried a little bit because he’s also gay and his mom was understanding [when he came out] but didn’t really understand homosexuality. He read her the book and she said she was finally starting to get it,” said Benbassat, who is a thirdyear in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. Branfman said he could not have done this book without Benbassat and credited her with bringing the story to life through

her art and the diverse representation of ethnicity, disability and age in the characters she designed. “Diversity is super important,” Benbassat said. “I know people play it off as something annoying in the media, but at school I’ve met a lot of diverse LGBT people which helped me in crafting the characters. I’ve seen people in my life who are actually like this and inspired me to make good, child-friendly characters.” Branfman said that he wanted people to know that they don’t have to be of a certain way to be included or accepted, something he and Benbassat sought to emphasize on every page. “Some friends of mine that are people of color that are LGBT, sometimes a challenge that they face with their own family is this idea that they can’t be gay because that’s a ‘white people thing,’ so we really wanted to challenge that narrowness,”

Branfman said. The book is also available in European Spanish, Latin-American Spanish and Portuguese. Arabic, French and Chinese translations are coming soon. Branfman came out to his family in 2009 when he was 20 years old. He said was lucky to have a supportive family, but added even in his own experience it was impossible to avoid absorbing implicit negative ideas about the LGBTQ community growing up that he himself had to unlearn. “It took a lot of time to feel comfortable with the fact that I’m gay and not feel shame about it, so my goal for this book is for kid of all different identities to understand and accept themselves and each other from a really early age so they don’t have to go through the process of unlearning stigma later.”

representative of the throat chakra and acting as an active room filled with machines and steam throughout the exhibit. “The color portal was an idea about an escape, a way of physically walking into a small space and mentally going to a different world or a different mental state and hanging out in there and then walking out of the space,” Kanani said. “In my mind, you would be transported to something different.” After working with Second Sight, Kanani said the idea of escape is evident in the area just east of Franklinton, which appears to be “a different world,” unaffected by the issues seen within the community. “I think the idea of escape is important or is evident in this area, especially with what’s going on as far as poverty and there’s a lot of human trafficking, there’s a lot of drug use –– there’s poverty in general,” she said. “I think that giving people a way to escape that and having a moment of freedom [is] what I hope to do for some people.” Though the galleries are not related, Gazala noted similarities in that both exhibitions demonstrate the effects of one’s environment. “[Kanani]’s work is about how color and how your surroundings affect you, and she focuses on the area of color,” she said. “Mine also is about how your surroundings affect you because we’re surrounded by vacancy here. There’s kids growing up in this neighborhood that go to school, that play and walk by these vacant homes every day, and how does that affect the people that live here?” The “Home Town” and “Color Experiment #1” exhibitions will take place at Sign House at 735-737 Sullivant Ave. and will open on Jan. 19. Admission is free and open to the public.

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8 | The Lantern | Tuesday, January 9, 2018

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COURTESY OF OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

Ohio State then-redshirt sophomore Nathan Tomasello competes in a match against Arizona State. RECAP FROM 9

This will be the second Olympic Games for Spooner, who played for Canada in 2014. She will be looking to win her second gold medal in the Olympics. “It’s humbling, not just for us coaches, but for the players as well, to look up and see her picture in our rink representing both Canada and the Buckeyes,” Ohio State head coach Nadine Muzerall said in a statement. “All of us here with Ohio State

women’s ice hockey wish her well and, as a Canadian myself, we hope she brings home the gold.” Spooner ranks second in program history in both points (163) and power-play shots (33). As a senior, she was one of the 10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is given to the top collegiate women’s hockey player. Ohio State wrestling team dominates, as expected

The No. 2 Ohio State wrestling team entered the season with sky-high expectations and has lived up to its lofty goals. It has dominated every dual meet, won both meets at the Thanksgiving Throwdown and won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational team title. That reign of supremacy continued into the past weekend. On the road, the Buckeyes decimated Maryland 45-3 and took down No. 17 Rutgers 29-11. Top-ranked

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125-pound wrestler Nathan Tomasello returned from an injury that kept him out of the first two months of the season, with a technical fall win against the Terrapins. He did not wrestle against Rutgers. Ohio State has multiple matches against highly ranked opponents left on its regular-season schedule. It will take on No. 7 Iowa, which is undefeated, on Jan. 21, and faces No. 1 Penn State in a battle of the top two teams in wrestling on Feb. 3. Ohio State ranked No. 8 in men’s lacrosse preseason poll Ohio State followed up its NCAA championship-runner-up season with its highest preseason ranking by Inside Lacrosse since 2014. The Buckeyes came in at No. 8 in the preseason rankings. They are ranked behind No. 4 Maryland, which beat Ohio State to win the 2017 NCAA championship, and No. 7 Rutgers. Fellow Big Ten teams Johns Hopkins and Penn State are also ranked in the top 25 at No. 11 and No. 13, respectively. Ohio State will take on eight teams ranked in the top 25, including four at home. It will also play against Duke, the top team in the rankings, in an exhibition before the season opener on Jan. 27. Sophomore attack/midfielder Tre Leclaire, sophomore midfielder Ryan Terefenko and senior defense Ben Randall were also named to Inside Lacrosse’s preseason All-American team. Ohio State will kick off its season with a game at Cleveland State on Feb. 3.

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Puzzles

Answer Key for Dec. 5:

Underground Railroad

Across Across 1. Scientist builds an animated human but dies before he can finish leaving him with scissors for hands. (edwardscissorhands) 3. After her father is taken she goes after him and falls in love with the beast. (beautyandthebeast) 6. Follow the yellow brick road! (thewizardofoz) 7. Young girl discovers her talent for spelling and looks to further with it. (akeelahandthebee) 9. Overweight man goes from loser to hero when he saves the mall from robbers. (paulblartmallcop) 11. After selling their zoo they board a freighter until a storm sinks the ship. (lifeofpi) 13. Huge musical following a group of high school students. 3 movie series (highschoolmusical) 14. Community of fish and when a father looses his son he ventures out to bring him home. (findingnemo)

15. Scare factory ran by monsters afraid of people until they meet a girl that sneaks in. (monstersinc) Down 2. Bullied by peers Max escapes into fantasy creating action packed lives and it becomes real. (sharkboyandlavagirl) 4. Man with a group of minions to help him carry out his evil plans. (despicableme) 5. Ogre whose precious solitude is shattered by an invasion of other characters that were banished. (shrek) 6. Toy most kids play with and hurts to step on. (thelegomovie) 8. Human raised by elves at the north pole but feels like he doesn’t fit in. (elf) 10. Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion, the heir of his father. (thelionking) 12. ‘Let It Go!’ (frozen)

2. Person who provided shelter for runaways and directed them 4. To free from slavery 6. Large farm on which crops are grown 10. Religious songs sung by slaves to lift their spirits 11. Secret network of people who helped runaway slave 13. Another name for a safe house 14. Owner of a plantation was called this by his slaves 15. Brightest star in the northern sky 17. Person who earned his living by tracking escaped slaves

Down 1. Group of 7 stars that form a bowl with a handle 3. Code name the slaves used for the Big Dipper 5. Person who did not believe in slavery & who worked to free slaves 7. Runaway slave 8. Blanket made from pieces of fabric sewn together 9. Place where runaway slaves could find food & shelter 12. War fought from 1861-1865 between the North & South 16. Person owned as the property of another person


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Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | The Lantern | 9

OSU ATHLETICS

What you missed during winter break COLIN HASS-HILL Sports Editor hass-hill.1@osu.edu

COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

Ohio State then-sophomore Francesca Di Lorenzo prepares to return a serve.

HOCKEY FROM 10

one captain at all times — a change from previous years. “I think through the years we’ve learned to face a lot of adversity, good or bad, and I think any time your team is in those situations, even when they’re tough, as a whole you’re getting stronger,” Spring said. “There were points where we were on our own. We didn’t have a coach, all we had was our team. As a team, we really cherish those moments and grew as a family and as a team.” Sure, Muzerall had input on what to work on, but it was the leadership from the two that enabled the team to be gameready when it started full practice in August. “I leaned on them a hell of a lot this summer,” Muzerall said. “We’re not perfect, but we’re going to have a relentless pursuit for perfection. That’s our motto: ‘Relentless pursuit for perfection,’ because it’s ongoing.” To further establish a line of trust and communication, Muzerall blocks off four hours of her day each Wednesday to have 20-minute meetings with players. She meets with each player biweekly to talk about hockey, of course, but everything outside of hockey, as well, including roommates, school, family, anything that could affect a player’s mental state. “I think she’s done an awesome job of recognizing the situation that we’ve been in within the past three years here,” Spring said. “She’s said to us countless times that’s not how anybody’s college career should be, so I think that’s a huge reason on why she wanted to step into this obviously difficult position at the time for her and us, and give us that opportunity to give us those college years.” A national championship is the goal of any team. But starting at the microlevel, after Spring and Iafallo arrived at Ohio State, they have not advanced past the first

Though Ohio State’s students went home for break, many athletes continued their seasons. This is a roundup of news that happened involving Ohio State teams and athletes. Ohio State women’s tennis player Francesca Di Lorenzo goes pro After two years of college, Francesca Di Lorenzo determined she was ready for another challenge. The two-time singles All-American, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and one-time doubles All-American decided to forgo her remaining college years and pursue a professional tennis career. “I could not figure out why it was so challenging to simply turn pro and commit to something I have been dreaming about since I was 10,” Di Lorenzo said in a letter addressed to Ohio State on Dec. 18. “After taking the fall off and thinking about this grueling decision nonstop every day, I was finally able to understand why it was so difficult for me. Ohio State has given me everything I could have possibly imagined.” A New Albany, Ohio, native, Di Lorenzo went 74-7 in singles competition and holds the best career singles win percentage in

round of the WCHA tournament. That was a realistic goal. But once the Buckeyes swept Muzerall’s former team in the beginning of the season, their goals became much larger — even Muzerall admitted they’re ahead of schedule. “The past is the past,” Iafallo said. “Our program did a 180 and it’s amazing to see how everybody has reacted and everybody is understanding we actually have a women’s ice hockey team and it’s so great to just get women’s hockey on the map.” But the past is an important part of the identity of Ohio State’s program. It was nothing. It was an afterthought buried in shadows north of Ohio Stadium. Muzerall has unearthed what might have been a sleeping giant all along, nestled in a recruiting hotbed around Michigan and close to Canada. She gave it life, built the structure and found players who bought into the values she learned at Minnesota. When Muzerall watches her daughter try on her championship rings at home, she said she envisions that moment for her players. “I want my [players] to come back with their kids and their husbands,” she said, “and show, ‘Hey, look how badass mom is? She believed in the program, she believed in the school and the culture and the coaches that this would happen.’”

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program history (.917). She also holds the program record for career doubles win percentage (.887) for going 55-7 with a partner. Ohio State women’s tennis head coach Melissa Schaub called Di Lorenzo the “most successful player in program history.” Di Lorenzo is ranked 303rd internationally in singles and 356th in doubles by WTA Tennis. Women’s basketball continues win streak with Michigan victory The No. 10 Ohio State women’s basketball team responded from a 69-60 road loss to No. 16 Duke by rattling off an eight-game win streak. It capped off the stretch with a 78-71 road overtime win against No. 23 Michigan Sunday afternoon. Preseason All-American guard Kelsey Mitchell helped spark the run and earned conference player of the weeks honors Monday for the third time this season. She has not scored less than 21 points in her past seven games, which includes a 37-point performance against Michigan and a 31-point, nine-assist, seven-rebound showing against Cincinnati. Senior guards Linnae Harper and Sierra Calhoun also have consistently performed well during the win streak. Calhoun scored in double figures in seven of the past eight games and Harper has not scored less than 10 points the entire season.

Ohio State’s schedule gets tougher in the next couple of weeks. The Buckeyes have a rematch against Michigan in Columbus on Jan. 16, then go on the road for matchups with No. 11 Maryland on Jan. 22 and No. 18 Iowa on Jan. 25. Former Ohio State forward Natalie Spooner to represent Canada in Winter Olympics The only 100-goal scorer in the history of the Ohio State women’s hockey program, former forward Natalie Spooner, was selected to play for Canada in the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will be held in February in PyeongChang, South Korea. RECAP CONTINUES ON 8

COLIN HASS-HILL | SPORTS EDITOR

Ohio State senior guard Kelsey Mitchell (3) controls the ball during the first quarter of the Buckeyes’ game against Idaho on Nov. 15.

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10 | The Lantern | Tuesday, January 9, 2018

HOCKEY FROM 12

help them transition,” Sabau said. “I did not want history to repeat itself for these student-athletes.” Sabau had no previous contacts in women’s college hockey to ask for recommendations and a limited timeline, with the first game being just one month away on Sept. 30, 2016. As she began cold-calling coaches and conference commissioners, Muzerall emerged as the top candidate. What jumped off the page the most to Sabau was Muzerall’s longevity with Hockey Canada, and her success as a player and a coach. “She brought this three-dimensional approach that we hadn’t had at Ohio State before,” Sabau said. “Nadine is definitely charismatic and she is driven like no other, but she cares like no oth-

“The past is the past. Our program did a 180 and it’s amazing to see how everybody has reacted and everybody is understanding we actually have a women’s ice hockey team and it’s so great to just get women’s hockey on the map.” Julianna Iafallo Senior captain

er. And that came through very brightly during the interview process.” The program had its coach. Muzerall then turned her attention to building relationships with the players. The day of the season opener in New York, the team wasn’t certain its new coach would be there. Some complications with renewal of Muzerall’s work visa — she is a Canadian citizen — prevented her from being with her team during the short preseason. Muzerall arrived just hours before the game and surprised her team in the locker room. Ohio State won the opener against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Nadine Muzerall-era officially began. Before taking the job, Muzerall asked Sabau for additional resources to make the program successful. Sabau assured her it would be done, as long as Muzerall could meet challenges Sabau gave her. Terms were agreed to and Sabau gave Muzerall just about anything she needed to build the program to her vision, according to the head coach. Sabau researched recovery techniques for athletes that have been implemented. She also restructured the budget to add more charter flights to give the players an extra night of rest at home, add money for recruiting, improve postgame nutrition and invest more in strength and conditioning. Sabau also pushed Muzerall toward working with the athletics department design team for graphics both to send recruits and to hang around the facilities. The structure was set, but sta-

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bility did not exist in the first year. Muzerall described it as a time when her “hair was on fire,” as she was adjusting to her new program. After the final game of her first season, she set a tone for the returning players for an offseason that changed the trajectory of the program. “At the end of the season, I just said, ‘Don’t get too comfortable. Nobody’s job or role is guaranteed,’” she said. “‘Every Monday is a tryout. So when you come back, you have choices to make in April, May, June, July and August because when we step foot on the ice, everybody better be ready. “‘I don’t have time to get you conditioned and ready for our first game, you already got to be ready.’” It didn’t get any easier immediately. In the offseason, Muzerall said she was doing four jobs at once. Without an associate head coach and an assistant coach, Muzerall was working with Sabau on the budget, travel and recruiting at the same time she was assembling perhaps the most integral piece for establishing Ohio State women’s hockey on the national radar — its “culture playbook.” Muzerall spent the entire summer combining her values from playing and coaching at Minnesota with insight from Tim Kight and Scott Daly at Focus 3, a company that helps other entities establish leadership and culture. By the end of the summer, she had constructed the four pillars of her program on one 8-inch by 11 1/2-inch piece of paper: Grateful, Sacrifice, Relentless, Honor. Each pillar, or belief, is divided into three behaviors associated with that belief, which corresponds to an outcome. It’s fair to call each phrase or term in the “culture playbook” coach-speak, for Muzerall continuously repeats them throughout every practice and game. But it extends beyond the ice. Muzerall was brought in to heal a program, build trust and create a culture of winning. This is how she was going to do it. “This isn’t a half-ass job,” Muzerall said. “It’s either you’re in or your out.” Muzerall also constructed a coaches’ rulebook and a players’ rulebook for the program. One of the changes included a mandatory dry season, meaning no alcohol. However, she wasn’t on her own in changing the culture. Muzerall was restricted by NCAA rules from being on the ice at the same time as her players. She couldn’t require her players to stay in Columbus, but she strongly encouraged it as a part of the tone she set at the end of last season. It was a way for her players to stay on a regimen to prepare for the season while continuing to build chemistry with every team member and Muzerall, as well. Senior captains Spring and Julianna Iafallo led the practices, conditioning and team meetings. Muzerall said Iafallo was “coming and going,” but Spring remained in Columbus all summer, so the program had at least HOCKEY CONTINUES ON 9

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JACOB MYERS | MANAGING EDITOR

Ohio State women’s hockey head coach Nadine Muzerall spectates a November practice in Ohio State Ice Rink.

JACOB MYERS | MANAGING EDITOR

Ohio State women’s hockey head coach Nadine Muzerall speaks to the team during a November practice in Ohio State Ice Rink.


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Tuesday, January 8, 2018 | The Lantern | 11

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State redshirt senior guard Kam Williams (15) and the Buckeyes celebrate following an 80-64 win over No. 1 Michigan State on Jan. 7 at the Schottenstein Center.

BASKETBALL FROM 12

in the Big Ten), its worst record since a 14-16 showing during the 2003-04 campaign — the year before Matta was hired. There was no reason to believe Ohio State would be a Big Ten title contender. “I think you only have to open a college basketball preseason magazine and read where we’re picked: 12, 13, 14, 11. It’s all over, but it’s near the bottom,” Holtmann told The Lantern Oct. 25.

“We’re not discarding this year as kind of a throwaway year in any way. We are pouring ourselves into this team and this year, and hope that it will pay dividends.” Chris Holtmann Ohio State men’s basketball coach

“We’re not discarding this year as kind of a throw-away year in any way. We are pouring ourselves into this team and this year, and hope that it will pay dividends.” This team is not last season’s Ohio State squad. At this point last season, the Buckeyes had an 11-7 record, were 1-4 in the Big Ten and had embarrassing losses to Florida Atlantic and Illinois. This recent win for Ohio State is not necessarily a fluke. Though it did not win games against its previous three ranked opponents, it had not been upset by a heavy underdog and it was already 3-0 in the conference with wins against Michigan and Wisconsin. Just as Matta turned that 2003-04 team around into a 20-12 record the next season in his first season of coaching, Holtmann is at the forefront of an unscheduled turnaround for the Buckeyes. “I’m surprised. Coaches get surprised. I got surprised,” Holtmann said Sunday, referring to the speed of the turnaround

his team appears to be taking. Ohio State received the 29th-most points in the most recent Associated Press poll and is listed as the 33rd-best team in the nation by Ken Pomeroy, who projects the team will finish the year with a 22-9 record and 13-5 Big Ten record. Bates-Diop is now appearing to be a favorite for Big Ten Player of the Year and is in Pomeroy’s list of the top 10 best players in the nation. The Buckeyes have only beat one team considered to be in the upper echelon of college basketball, and they are still not going to be viewed as a national title contender. But winning the conference is no longer out of the question, and neither is making the NCAA Tournament. The script might not be entirely flipped on this Buckeye team, but no one is going to sleep on them anymore. Other teams will take notice, starting with Maryland at 7 p.m. Thursday. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said the Buckeyes need to be prepared. Speaking as someone at the helm of one of the top teams in the nation, he knows what comes with the low number next to his team’s name. “This is what’s going to happen every night. It’ll happen to Ohio State. When you’re 15-2, 14-3, you know, 15-3, [the Buckeyes will] get ranked, and deservingly should be,” Izzo said Sunday. “You got to handle things a little differently because you’re going to get somebody else’s best shot.”

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12 | Tuesday, January 9, 2018

WINTER BREAK RECAP

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Catch up with the biggest sports headlines in non-revenue sports from break. | ON PAGE 9

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Muzerall turns troubled program into top-tier contender

BASKETBALL

Ohio State expectations changing after MSU triumph

JACK WESTERHEIDE | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State redshirt junior forward Keita Bates-Diop (33) dunks in the second half in the game against Michigan State on Jan. 7 at the Schottenstein Center. Ohio State won 80-64. COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

Now in her second year as the women’s hockey head coach, Nadine Muzerall is tearing down and redeveloping a forlorned program to its winningest season in history. JACOB MYERS Managing Editor for Content myers.1669@osu.edu Nadine Muzerall left her interview for the women’s hockey head coaching position with Ohio State bothered. It wasn’t from anything that was said during the August 2016 meeting. She just couldn’t believe the sadness and dejection coated on the faces of two of the most integral players she would inherit — defender Jincy Dunne and forward Lauren Spring. “They looked sad and broken when they were asking some questions,” Muzerall said. “And I said, ‘That’s ridiculous. If your college experience isn’t some of the greatest moments of your life, you’re missing out.’ I had the greatest experience in college and I didn’t want anybody to be robbed of that. I really wanted to get to know them.” The five-time national champion — once as a player and four times as an assistant coach — at Minnesota was a top recruit in 1997 and chose to play for the Gophers’ women’s hockey program in its inaugural season. She became one of the most decorated athletes in Minnesota history and was the first women’s hockey player inducted into the university athletics hall of fame. Muzerall chose not to join a nationally recognized program. She built the foundation for Minnesota women’s hockey as a player on the university’s inaugural team, then as a coach.

She wanted to do the same at Ohio State. Now in her second year as head coach, Muzerall is tearing down and redeveloping a forlorn program on pace to have the win-

“So, now I look at OSU, and I don’t think of all the crap that happened before, it’s in the rearview mirror.” Nadine Muzerall Ohio State women’s hockey coach

ningest season in program history through implementing pillars that define the winning culture to which she is accustomed. The Buckeyes are ranked eighth in the nation with a 13-5-4 record and were ranked as high as third after beginning the season 7-0-1. She took over a Western Collegiate Hockey Association conference bottom feeder that won 10 games the year before she was named the program’s third head coach in three years and turned it into a nationally recognized force. “I wanted to build something instead of just being another number,” Muzerall said. “So now when I take my baby girl into Ridder Arena where the Gophers play, I can show her all the banners that mummy helped hang and I can take pride in that because I was there from the jump along with my recruiting class versus just being another num-

ber. So, now I look at OSU, and I don’t think of all the crap that happened before, it’s in the rearview mirror.” It’s perhaps the most unforeseen program turnaround at Ohio State in a decade. It’s exactly what had to happen. The seniors on the Ohio State roster have witnessed tremendous instability and mismanagement since joining the program in 2014. Then-head coach Nate Handrahan resigned in March 2015 after an investigation revealed he made sexually explicit comments targeted at players. Ohio State then hired decorated Olympian Jenny Potter, who was fired in August

2016 after one season for repeated NCAA violations. The turmoil and transition inside the women’s hockey program led Athletics Director Gene Smith to reassign then-women’s hockey administrator Shaun Richard to other sports, for he was in the role when the program hired Handrahan and Potter. Smith then gave the task of hiring the program’s new coach to Diana Sabau, senior associate athletics director, who recalled Smith telling her, “Get this right.” “This program not only needed a great coach, but needed someone who could help them heal and HOCKEY CONTINUES ON 10

COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

Ohio State senior forward Lauren Spring passes the puck during a game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Sept. 29.

EDWARD SUTELAN Assistant Sports Editor sutelan.1@osu.edu Preseason expectations for Ohio State’s men’s basketball team were about as low as they’ve ever been for the program. The Buckeyes missed not only the NCAA Tournament, but the NIT last season. Even with the change at head coach from Thad Matta to Chris Holtmann and the addition of three new recruits, Ohio State was not counted on as a contender in the Big Ten. That narrative is gone. After Ohio State beat No. 1 Michigan State 80-64 Sunday, the questions turned to the postseason. Will Ohio State contend in the Big Ten tournament? Not only will it make the tournament, but what seed will it be when it gets there? But Holtmann said after the game he will not look further ahead than Thursday. There will be no talk of postseason play in the locker room. Ohio State beat high-caliber opponents in recent seasons before and struggled shortly thereafter. It beat Michigan State at home last season and lost eight of its next 14 games to end the year. “We could go in the tank here the next couple weeks. We certainly don’t want this moment to define us,” Holtmann said Sunday. “And we don’t want it to be the pinnacle of the season, as good as it is.” The grounds for pessimistic preseason predictions were warranted. Ohio State finished last season with a 17-15 record (7-11 BASKETBALL CONTINUES ON 11


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