Thursday April 5, 2012 year: 132 No. 47
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern So long, Sullinger
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Former OSU forward Jared Sullinger declared his plans to enter the 2012 NBA Draft
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Big Ten Freshman of the Year
NCAA Tournament East Region Most Outstanding Player
Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player
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With former OSU basketball player Jared Sullinger declaring his NBA plans, all eyes are on Deshaun Thomas’ decision.
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What will Thomas do?
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With the blessing of his family and his coaches, Ohio State’s big man Jared Sullinger is heading for the big show. Sullinger announced that he is leaving OSU, foregoing his final two years of NCAA eligibility and entering the NBA Draft during a Wednesday press conference at the Schottenstein Center. The announcement comes just four days after OSU’s NCAA Tournament run ended with a 64-62 Final Four loss against Kansas Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Sullinger said the decision was the result of OSU advancing to the Final Four. “I sat down with my family and we pretty much came up with the decision, and I think it’s best for me to try to go at it at the next level,” Sullinger said. “And also, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt this program or any of the guys that’s a part of this program. I just thought it was best for me to (go pro).” During his two seasons in scarlet and gray,
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PAT BRENNAN Sports editor brennan.164@osu.edu
0 Jared Sullinger
2010-11 2011-12 Career
Associated Press First-Team All-American selection First-Team All-Big Ten Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Avg PPG 17.2 17.5 17.3
FG % .541 .519 .530
FT % T Reb .704 377 .768 340 .733 717
Avg Reb 10.19 9.19 9.69
Blk 20 39 59
source: ohiostatebuckeyes.com CHRIS POCHE / Design editor
CODY COUSINO / Photo editor
After 2 seasons as the go-to big man on OSU’s men’s basketball team, former sophomore forward Jared Sullinger announces his intentions April 4 to play in the NBA next year.
Will Stand Your Ground law come to Ohio? ALLIE JANNECK Lantern reporter janneck.4@osu.edu
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Dig up some dance music
Electronic dance music show, Dig!, featuring roeVy, is scheduled to be held Saturday at 9.m. at Circus
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ABBY SWEET / Lantern photographer
First trustee meeting of Rallies, protests honor death of Trayvon Martin spring
Hundreds of students and community members gather on the Oval Wednesday evening to rally against racial profiling and to remember the lives of those lost to alleged hate crimes across the nation.
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ROSE ZHOU Lantern reporter zhou.371@osu.edu Following the death of Trayvon Martin, a Florida teenager killed by a neighborhood watch leader, Ohio State and the Columbus community joined various nationwide rallies and protests. Most of the about 200 people that gathered on the Oval Wednesday dressed in hooded sweatshirts to make their message clear: stand up against racial profiling. Martin, a 17-year-old African-American, was killed while walking home from a convenience store in Sanford, Fla., Feb. 26. The shooter, neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, said Martin looked suspicious while wearing a black hoodie, and kept pursuing the teenager after the police
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dispatcher told him not to, according to the 911 call Zimmerman placed before he shot Martin. He then told police he reacted in self-defense after Martin attacked him. No arrest has been made almost 40 days after the incident. Wednesday’s rally featured a remembrance ceremony, in honor of the lives that have been lost due to hate crimes, like those allegedly committed against Martin as well as Shaima Alawadi, a 32-yearold Iraqi immigrant who was beaten to death in California on March 21. Her case is believed to have been an anti-Muslim hate crime. “We are here to talk about the way hatred has affected our lives,” said Thomas Lee, an organizer of the rally. “We really just want to come together to heal, as well as talk about tolerance and talk about racism in our society and how it affects us all.”
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OSU athletes’ social media could face additional scrutiny
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KATIE HIGGINS Lantern reporter higgins.254@osu.edu
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The somewhat controversial Stand Your Ground law, which allows the use of deadly force in a self-defense situation, is becoming more and more popular by the day as details continue to emerge from the Trayvon Martin case in Florida. But in Ohio, and more specifically the university-area where the threat of crime is ever-present, do students have the right to defend themselves? The Stand Your Ground law allows those who are attacked outside of their home to be able to protect themselves by any means, including the right to use a concealed weapon if they feel threatened. The Castle Doctrine law is upheld in Ohio, which allows for people who are attacked inside their home or vehicle to protect themselves. Mike Newbern, a second-year in industrial and systems engineering and founder of Buckeyes for Concealed Carry on Campus, said if Ohio enacts the Stand Your Ground law, it will be beneficial and perhaps even lower crime rates on campus. “When you look at wherever we have empowered citizens, law-abiding citizens, to take ownership for their self-defense, to allow them to carry concealed firearms, crime rates are lower,” Newbern said. Newbern said he believes students are targeted for many reasons, whether it is distractions from cellphones or not being able to defend themselves, and he wants that to change. Buckeyes for Concealed Carry works toward educating and promoting advocacy of gun rights so students know how to properly protect themselves. Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, said the possibility of the Stand Your Ground law passing in Ohio is pure speculation at this point. Hoover said she does not want to see this law make its way to Ohio.
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CHRIS POCHE / Design editor
Some universities are cracking down on studentathletes’ social media use, and many could be walking the line of violating the First and Fourth amendments. Ohio State might be one of them. OSU’s social media policy requires that studentathletes “may not block or otherwise prevent coaches or athletic department staff members from viewing your site,” according to the most recent student-athlete handbook. Though this policy is common among many universities, some lawyers say such rules might violate student-athletes’ constitutional rights to free speech. “If you’re a public school, this (policy) is a clear
violation of students’ First and Fourth Amendment rights,” said Bradley Shear, a social media lawyer. OSU’s policy calls for student-athletes to leave their otherwise-private information open to coaches or staff. This could mean that a student-athlete would have to “friend” a coach or compliance officer, allowing them access to privatized material. OSU’s rules are on a team-by-team basis. Kala Andrews, OSU assistant director of compliance in the athletic department, said the policy works under the belief that if student-athletes share something via social media, they do so with the understanding that it’s public information. “I know it’s team-by-team, if you put something out for the public, then it’s expected that people can follow you,” Andrews said.
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