Tuesday November 20, 2012 year: 132 No. 136
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
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Maryland to join Big Ten as 13th member
sports
Pat Brennan Sports editor brennan.164@osu.edu
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The Game endures
The state of the OSU-Michigan rivalry couldn’t be in better shape as the schools prepare to face-off Saturday.
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The University of Maryland is the 13th team in the history of the Big Ten Conference. Maryland’s Board of Regents voted “overwhelmingly” to approve the university’s application to the Big Ten, and current conference university presidents assembled for a Monday conference to unanimously approve the school’s admittance. Maryland’s move to the Big Ten will take effect July 1, 2014. Maryland athletics, which bears the nickname “Terrapins,” a kind of turtle, will abandon the Atlantic Coast Conference after nearly six decades of membership. Maryland is expected to negotiate down the ACC’s $50 million exit fee to help facilitate the conference switch. Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith welcomed Maryland and its fans to the conference during a Monday press conference at the Fawcett Center. Elsewhere on campus, OSU students are split when it comes to the Big Ten’s latest addition. Maryland President Wallace D. Loh said talks about the school’s move to the Big Ten began to heat up about two weeks ago. The Big Ten move, Loh said, will help stabilize its athletics department’s finances.
A NEW
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CHRISTOPHER BRAUN / Design editor
“This is, today, a watershed moment for Maryland,” Loh said during a Monday press conference at the university’s student union in College Park, Md. “Membership in the Big Ten is in the strategic interest in the University of Maryland. As members … we will be able to ensure the financial stability of (Maryland athletics) for decades to come.” As Loh spoke, he was joined on an elevated platform by coaches from 15 of the university’s 20 athletics teams,
as well as athletic director Kevin Anderson, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and university Chancellor William E. “Brit” Kirwan, a former OSU president. Smith extended a welcome to the entire University of Maryland community. “We look forward to having you as a member of our family and embracing your rich tradition and everything that you mean to higher education and intercollegiate athletics,” Smith
said. “It’s a great move for our conference. When you think about where the landscape is today (and) what is happening in intercollegiate athletics, there is going to be, and, I think, as we move toward the future and years out, there will continue to be some change. Maryland is a great addition to our conference, so we’re looking forward to getting down to the details of trying to deal with the scheduling issues.” Rutgers could be added as the Big Ten’s 14th team Tuesday, according to multiple reports. Smith did not comment on that possibility, however, saying instead, “today is about Maryland.” Delany also declined to comment on the possibility of a Rutgers addition during the press conference in College Park. The president of Maryland since Nov. 1, 2010, Loh spoke of having to face student-athletes after a commission decided to cut teams from the university’s athletic department. Maryland cut seven of its sports programs were cut earlier this year due to a multimillion-dollar deficit, according to a Washington Post report. Men’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, competitive cheer, women’s water polo, men’s cross country and men’s indoor track
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OSU apparel deal worries local businesses thomas doohan and kayla zamary Lantern reporters doohan.4@osu.edu and zamary.3@osu.edu
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Bieber’s big night
Justin Bieber won Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards Sunday.
campus
Freshmen prepare to plunge weather
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I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible and having faith in Ohio State making the right decision. There is nothing we can really do about it, but time will tell. Kelly Dawes Owner of College Traditions “Their current base of business with Ohiobased companies — including packaging, freight, blank apparel, corrugation and insurance services — is expected to double as a result of this agreement,” the press release said. While concerned about the contract’s effects, Dawes said she sees the issue’s silver lining. She said the choice to deal with J. America is better than the alternative: contracting with the Dallas Cowboys. A contract with the Dallas Cowboy’s Silver Star Merchandising has been protested over the past year by members of the student group United Students Against Sweatshops, who have accused the company of using sweatshop labor. Dawes said she was pleased about the university’s decision to go with a different company. “I think we are all happy that Silver Star didn’t get it because of how their business practices (are) and that sort of thing,” Dawes said. “I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible and having faith in Ohio State making the right decision. There is nothing we can really do about it, but time will tell.”
OSU treating rape cases ‘very seriously’
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Some local business owners have expressed concerns about how the recently announced Ohio State apparel contract will affect their clothing orders and memorabilia diversity in the coming months. OSU agreed to a 10-year, $97 million deal with two apparel and retail businesses, J. America and Fanatics Inc., to exclusively produce and sell university apparel. J. America and Fanatics will pay $23 million up front for exclusive rights for design, marketing, production, retail and distribution of all apparel, according to a Thursday university press release. Columbus’ manufacturers and retailers have voiced concerns over the agreement that was announced Nov. 15, afraid it will monopolize available OSU merchandise and cut down on diversity between stores. Mitchell Hirsch, CEO of Art Tees, Inc. said he thought the deal won’t provide the university body with adequate OSU apparel. “What I wonder about is right now we’re printing an order for the hospital, (Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital). They have an event next month,” Hirsch said. “It’s 300 sweatshirts. Is J. America going to print the 300 shirts for them?” He said in addition to OSU departments that order shirts from him, he is concerned about the new clothing firms’ ability to serve student organizations. He provides departments and student organizations with small orders. “Is J. America going to print 15 shirts? Because all
the student organizations want something printed with Ohio State on it,” Hirsch said. Manufacturers are not the only ones affected by the new licensing deal. Kelly Dawes, owner of College Traditions, a Lane Avenue retailer, said her business will probably be affected by decreased product variety. “I am hoping we will still have enough product,” Dawes said. She said she might need to find other products to sell as a result of the contract, but that isn’t ideal. “I hope I don’t have to do that, I mean it’s my understanding that J. America will sub-license,” Dawes said. “Who knows, it’s hard to say.” Mark Carcraft, textbook supervisor for campus retailer Buckeye Books said he thought the deal will likely have a similar effect on his company. “We have a lot of different merchandise that is licensed from other smaller retailers,” Carcraft said. “An agreement like that will probably cut down on the amount of people we could buy things from.” According to an OSU press release, local manufacturers will have an opportunity to continue producing OSU apparel. “Through J. America and Fanatics, Ohio State may continue to use Ohio-based companies as sub-licenses, suppliers, embroiders and screen printers,” the release said. Hirsch said working through the new licenses is the route his business will most likely pursue. “We’ll approach them to see, you know, if we can keep printing for the stores that we already print for,” he said. The release said the deal will not hurt local businesses.
Emily tara Oller reporter tara.3@osu.edu
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Rape isn’t taken lightly at Ohio State, but officials said reporting it can be a difficult decision for many victims. “The university takes this very seriously,” said Dave Isaacs, spokesman for the OSU Office of Student Life. Several rapes have been reported this academic year. A rape and a sexual imposition were reported in Park-Stradley Hall this semester, along with a rape that was reported in the Neil Avenue Building near MarketPlace. A rape was also reported in Morrill Tower on Sept. 9, according to the Ohio State Police log. The Park-Stradley and Neil Avenue cases are pending investigation, and the Morrill Tower case has been closed.
Despite the reports, Deputy Chief Richard Morman of University Police said OSU has not seen an increase in sex crimes. According to Ohio law, rape occurs when: “The other person’s ability to resist or consent is substantially impaired because of a mental or physical condition or because of advanced age, and the offender knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the other person’s ability to resist or consent is substantially impaired because of a mental or physical condition or because of advanced age.” “Each case is different,” Isaacs said. While the details of the cases may vary, Isaacs said, “one of our first concerns is whether the student is safe.” Student Life offers several support offices for victims of sexual assault including medical help, counseling and consultations. Isaacs said the university covers the cost of counseling and consultation services.
“Any of our services can help a student through the process. Any one department will involve the right department … a student doesn’t need to know the right place to go,” Isaacs said. At OSU, the privacy of the victims is “very, very important … both for legal reasons and to protect the student,” Isaacs said. The only time anyone outside of the case and within the university will be notified of the instance, Isaacs explained, is if a student lives in a residence hall and reports the incident to hall staff. At this point, the report will be given to the hall director, and from there they are very cautious about who to involve from the outside. If a student lives in a residence hall, he or she can work with Student Life to be moved to another location. “It is ultimately up to the student if they want to involve the police,” Isaacs said.
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