9 20 lantern pages

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Friday September 20, 2013 year: 133 No. 71

the student voice of

The Ohio State University

www.thelantern.com

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Urban Meyer to field Hyde, Hall in game against FAMU Daniel rogers Asst. sports editor rogers.746@osu.edu

Lantern file photo

Then-junior running back Carlos Hyde breaks through the line during a game against Miami (Ohio) Sept. 1, 2012 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won, 56-10.

Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer isn’t the kind to let a player back into his lineup without earning it. Senior running back Carlos Hyde, who returns Saturday from a three-game suspension after an incident at a Columbus bar in July, is no exception. Despite coming into the season as the projected No. 1 running back for OSU, Hyde has had to work his way back up the ladder and win back his starting position. “He has done a really good job,” Meyer said to the media Monday. “He’s running the scout team the entire time, has had a very good attitude and taken care of his business in the classroom. We are anxious to get Carlos back.” Although he has been working hard and “handled his business the right way,” Hyde will not instantly come back as the starter Saturday against Florida A&M (1-2), Meyer said after practice Wednesday. “That’s not fair to the other guys. But he’ll play,” Meyer said. “He’s done everything and above that I and (running backs coach Stan Drayton) have asked him to do.” One of those “other guys” is redshirt-senior running back Jordan Hall, who has started for OSU during Hyde’s suspension. Hall leads OSU with 402 yards and six touchdowns on the ground and is averaging 6.28 yards per carry. Hall was out for a majority of the 2012 season because of injuries, but Drayton said after the OSU game against Buffalo Aug. 31 that being on the sideline helped him grow. “Well, he’s made an unbelievable change as a

person. He’s grown tremendously,” Drayton said. “All the adversities that he had to face with the injuries and some of the things that he quite honestly put on himself with the consequences that he had to face, he’s really grown and embraced all those things and now it’s transferring into his football play.” Hall’s play so far this season has made the offense much better this year than it was last year, Meyer said after the game against California last weekend. “He’s played great. Jordan Hall and that offensive line, they’re doing the job that I can’t even explain how good they’re doing,” Meyer said. “They’re helping me out so much with the running game, and they’re opening up running lanes for me and play action is opening up deep.” But the problem OSU faces Saturday against Florida A&M is how to use both Hall and Hyde with only so many touches to go around. Meyer said he has spent a lot of time thinking about how the running backs will split time on the field. “It’s a good issue to have, because Carlos did a lot for us a year ago, a lot. He’s a very talented running back and that was hard,” Meyer said. “(The suspension) was hard on everybody. It was hard on Carlos most of all, but it was hard on all of us, too, because Carlos did a lot of good things, and that whole situation, I don’t know. I’ll answer that later in the week. But Jordan Hall certainly has earned the right to touch the ball in a big way, so I’m not sure yet.” Hall said the return of Hyde will be a boost for the offense because there will be another player who

continued as Hyde on 3A

Shelby lum / Photo editor

Redshirt-senior running back Jordan Hall rushes down the sideline during a game against San Diego State Sept. 7 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won, 42-7.

Civil suits proceed 1 year after OSU campus accident

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KRISTEN MITCHELL Editor-in-chief mitchell.935@osu.edu

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‘Jersey Boys’ entertains all ages The musical ‘Jersey Boys’ provides Columbus audiences with a fun, historical show.

sports

More than a year after James Daniel Hughes was run over by a dump truck on Ohio State’s campus, an accident that left him without his right leg, the Hughes family is pursuing legal action against the university and other companies. Hughes, who is from South Point, Ohio, was struck by a construction truck Sept. 5, 2012, while riding his bike to class near a construction site on Woodruff Avenue. The then-firstyear student was taken to Wexner Medical Center following the accident and has had more than 13 surgeries in the months since that day. According to Stephen Crandall, the Hughes’ lawyer, the former OSU student’s recovery has been a fight. Hughes attends physical therapy several days a week and is still waiting to undergo more operations. The accident left Hughes without his right leg, right hip and most of his pelvis, totalling about one-third of his body. Crandall also said Hughes’ has nerve damage in his left leg, is unable to walk or transport himself, and is on “massive doses of pain and nerve medication.” While Hughes is focusing on

recovery, Crandall said, he wants to someday continue with his education. “He’s hopeful to attend school. He has a desire to and he wants to online,” Crandall said. “He will never be able to go into a classroom setting with his disabilities.” In a Thursday email, Crandall said Hughes’ goal “appears a long way off despite his positive attitude and desire to do so.” Two separate lawsuits relating to the accident are making their way through the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Crandall said suits were filed in December, and more than 15 dispositions have been filed against the private entities, which include CT Corporations Systems, Gilbane Building Company, Gilbane

Development Company, Gilbane Inc., Bert Hill, Pelli Clarke Pelli, Monesi Trucking & Equipment Repair Inc., Baker Concrete Constructions Inc. and Baker Concrete Structures LLC. Of the six lawyers listed as attorneys for the defendants, one declined to comment on the situation, four did not return requests for comment and one was unable to be reached Thursday. Crandall said they have not yet filed a formal demand for specific compensation from the university or other companies. A trial date for this case is set for May 2014. After that case is seen in court, the suit against OSU will begin to be heard. Gayle Saunders, assistant vice

president for media and public relations, sent The Lantern a university statement on the pending lawsuit in a Sept. 9 email. “Our thoughts continue to be with Daniel Hughes and his family. The Ohio State University Police Division conducted a thorough investigation to ascertain the facts of this case and has shared the investigative report. The safety of our students remains our highest priority. Due to litigation, we are not at liberty to provide any additional comment,” the statement said. University Police did a fourmonth-long investigation on the incident which concluded no criminal charges would be filed. The report is hundreds of pages long.

Secret no more: Unknown housemate spurs campus reaction Kathleen Martini Lantern reporter martini.35@osu.edu

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Playing for Jonathan

Florida A&M will play OSU Saturday in its first game since former teammate safety Jonathan Ferrell died.

campus

Student Safety installs new tech

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After some Ohio State students found an unknown housemate living in their basement, others at OSU are feeling more unsure about the safety of their off-campus housing. The students, who live on 13th Avenue, thought a locked door in the basement led to a utility closet. When one of the house’s residents opened the door, they found a bedroom complete with framed photographs and textbooks, said Jimmy Alderman, a fourth-year in civil engineering. The residents had the locks changed that night and posted a note asking their houseguest to call them, said resident Brett Mugglin, a fourth-year in computer science and engineering. A man named Jeremy contacted them and then moved his belongings out of the room. “He was a nice enough guy,” Mugglin said Sept. 9. “He just wasn’t supposed to be there.” Some OSU students said they couldn’t have imagined that situation happening to them. “I would never check my basement,” said Martin Kong, a graduate student in computer studies. “I mean, who has to check their basement for security purposes? That’s just creepy.” Christian Brickman, a second-year in construction systems management and resident of the house, said he opened the door Aug. 30 and was surprised at what he saw. “I just took a screwdriver and popped off the door, and there was all his stuff,” Brickman said. Brickman lives on the first floor of the house with

Ritika Shah / Asst. photo editor

Some OSU students living on 13th Avenue recently discovered a stranger was living in their basement. four other people. The second and third floors are rented to 10 people on a separate lease. “It was really frightening to hear that there was a guy living in our basement,” Brickman said. “He could have easily walked into our kitchen from the setup, could have walked upstairs, broken into anybody’s stuff.” During the summer, Mugglin walked into the basement and encountered a man who said he had wondered when he was going to meet the new

residents of the house. When asked if he lived on the first floor, the man skirted around the question, Mugglin said. He later identified that man as their unexpected houseguest, Jeremy. The story received national and international attention since being reported by The Lantern last week. A Lantern YouTube video about the situation had nearly 130,000 views as of Thursday night and the story has been picked up by outlets such as USA Today, Gawker and the UK Daily Mail. Brickman said he can’t believe the attention the story has received. “It’s so crazy,” he said. NorthSteppe Realty, the leasing company of the home, referred The Lantern to Graff & McGovern, LPA, for comment. Graff & McGovern did not return multiple calls requesting comment. Some students in the area weren’t worried when they heard the story. “It doesn’t seem like a very big deal to me,” said Graham Welsh, a second-year in exploration who lives on 13th Avenue. “You gotta wonder where the guy came from, how he got in there in the first place.” Jeremy’s cousin had lived in the house the year before and gave him a key to live in the basement, according to the current residents of the house. NorthSteppe has since changed the locks on the property. Attempts to contact Jeremy were unsuccessful. Finding a secret roommate in his basement has made Brickman feel “100 percent less safe,” but it is important the story gets out, he said. “People should know,” Brickman said. “It could happen to anybody.” Kathryne Solove contributed to this story.

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