Thursday April 1, 2010 year: 130 No. 83 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
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North Face goes out of business, Union needs students riot on the Oval more work, campus
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will close arts & life
‘Lost’ will have seventh season
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campus
Jack Hanna joins Board of Trustees sports
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TOM KNOX Lantern reporter knox.105@osu.edu
Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee canceled class today and declared a campus-wide emergency because the popular outdoor apparel company the North Face declared bankruptcy. All of the company’s clothes, including the omnipresent black Denali jackets popular with female students, will be pulled off the shelves by Sunday. A state of panic engulfed the Oval as hundreds of students intermittently rioted and wept. The large bronze statue of William Oxley Thompson at the east entrance of the Main Library swayed back and forth from rioters for 12 minutes Wednesday evening, cracking at the bottom. University Police peppersprayed students and set their K9s on two male students whose tears and gasps for breath negated the spray. Three men and four women spray-painted half of the famous half-dome, the North Face logo, onto University Hall before Student Safety Service members forced them off. About 67 percent of OSU undergraduates wear the black Denali jacket or the black backpack, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The poor economy coupled with an investment scheme by the company’s management led to the sudden demise. The North Face, once popular among outdoor enthusiasts, had gained immense popularity on the university’s campus since the early 2000s, said Qasim Prabu, a comparative studies professor who specializes in college clothing. “Those were simpler times, before [Osama] bin Laden and the recession,” Prabu said. “College students loved the allure of outdoor-clothing without having to actually be outdoors.” A group of English and social work professors who attended the university as undergraduates during the turbulent anti-war protests of the late1960s and early-1970s looked on in shock. “I really can’t believe this,” said Chase Danter, an assistant professor in English. “For the last 35 years, all students have done is walk across campus with their headphones in and occasionally riot after football games. And now this is what gets them riled up? “I protested soldiers killing college students at Kent State,” he said with a sigh. “These are sorority jackets.” A gaunt Gee solemnly acknowledged that
ZACH TUGGLE / Lantern photographer
Josephine Bobbagotz witnessed the North Face riot from Mendenhall Laboratory Wednesday. “I’ve had my hot pink Denali jacket since my birthday,” she said. “I love it! I wanted to get another one. Total bumpski!” the business’ closure is difÿcult in an e-mail and texts sent through the university’s emergency alert system. Most students didn’t get the text, however, because few are signed up for them. Classes are expected to resume sometime next week, Gee said, depending on how quickly students can ÿnd new wardrobe. Hours after the announcement of the North
Face’s bankruptcy, stocks fell 74 percent in UGG boots, a popular companion to the North Face.
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Minor minors see huge uptick TOM KNOX Lantern reporter knox.105@osu.edu Unnecessary and questionable minors have skyrocketed this year as students approach graduation with no job prospects and an intense fear of failure. Of the more than 49,000 undergraduate students at Ohio State, 45,632 declared new minors sometime this year, OSU ofÿcials said Wednesday. That’s 93 percent of students, and an 84 percent increase from last year. Experts agree that nearly all of the minors chosen by students are a simple ploy to delay graduation and near-inevitable unemployment.
Five most popular useless minors: 1. Sociology 2. Psychology 3. Comparative Studies 4. English 5. Journalism MOLLY GRAY / Lantern designer
“Students just don’t want to face the horrible economy, so they choose minors that serve them literally no purpose once they do graduate,” said Richard Dunn, an OSU psychology
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professor. “They literally serve no purpose.” The ÿve most popular useless minors this year are sociology, psychology, comparative studies, English and journalism. Unemployment in the United States is at its highest rate since 1983, at 10.4 percent. The rate in Ohio is 11.8 percent. Students who are worried about graduating and ending a four-year free ride — many while whittling away their parent’s money — used to just add another major to tack on an extra year or two. But because the economy is so poor, many students can’t afford to extend their education so far. Adding to the problem is the hyper-intense competition graduate
schools are seeing. Law schools and all types of professional-level schools are seeing record enrollments. “Have you seen it out ‘in the real world?’ It’s a jungle,” said Jerry Towne, a fourth-year in chemical engineering. “I got wait-listed at every grad school, so I just added journalism as a minor and hope to wait out this recession. What can I possibly do with that? Write about toxic waste?” OSU President E. Gordon Gee was careful with his words regarding the trend. He said that, theoretically, students shouldn’t wantonly add a minor to prolong graduation. But the recent opening of the Main Library
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Titus to run for office
Basketball benchwarmer Mark Titus announced Wednesday that he will seek a governmental position
weather high 39 low 30
expect new uniform ALLY KRAEMER Assistant sports editor kraemer.18@osu.edu
pm snow flurries
FR 37/22 partly cloudy SA 31/20 cloudy/windy SU 22/15 flurries MO 18/7 snow showers/ice www.weather.com
As we all expected, Evan Turner will be trading in his uniform. However, Turner can’t quite part with his Scarlet and Gray. Turner has turned in No. 21 for a megaphone and pom-poms. That’s right, Turner is the newest member of the Ohio State Spirit Squad, a cheerleader. Turner was continuously distracted by the cheerleaders on the court and has ÿnally given into temptation. “I know Turner made the right decision,” fellow cheerleader Molly Adams said. “We are ecstatic to have him.” Turner was unavailable for comment, likely due to celebrating making the squad. Tryouts were held more than a month ago. Turner’s attendance didn’t surprise
anyone; his fancy footwork and agility are what cheerleaders are made of. “Turner has the best high kick we’ve seen in years,” Adams said. Former teammate David Lighty assisted Turner in perfecting his toss liberty, a skilled stunt. Turner continued to wow the judges and alumni cheerleaders with his cartwheels and somersaults. Although Turner’s facials were a little excessive, his illuminating smile won them over. “I can’t wait to toss him in the air,” Brutus Buckeye said. After a heart-breaking end of the season, Turner is keeping busy in order to keep his mind off things. “He’s been hitting the gym to increase his ° exibility. He’ll get the splits in no time,” Coach Maxwell said.
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ANDY GOTTESMAN / Lantern photographer
Guard Evan Turner will return to the basketball court next year as an Ohio State cheerleader.
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