Tuesday April 26, 2011 year: 131 No. 58 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com sports
OSU reveals more Tressel emails
1B
arts & life
From mountains to movies
Aron Ralston, the rock climber who inspired the movie “127 Hours,” spoke at Ohio State on Monday.
campus
USG votes to add diversity council
The NCAA made its move. Now the ball is in Ohio State’s court. The NCAA revealed the initial ÿndings of its investigation into OSU’s football program and, based on NCAA precedent, experts say Buckeye Nation won’t like its eventual ruling. More sanctions could be handed down and likely would include wins being vacated and a postseason ban, said former members of the NCAA infractions committee. In a letter dated April 21 to university President E. Gordon Gee, the NCAA accused OSU of “potential major violations of NCAA legislation” stemming from football coach Jim Tressel failing to report the actions of seven players who sold memorabilia and received improper beneÿts between 2008 and 2010. The letter notes violations committed by six current players and one former Buckeye, and states that Tressel “knew or should have known that at least two football student-athletes received preferential treatment from and sold institutionally issued athletics awards, apparel and/or equipment … but he failed to report the information to athletics administrators and, as a result, permitted football studentathletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition while ineligible.”
The NCAA will base its ÿnal ruling on Bylaw 19.5.2. Sanctions could be as severe as vacating wins from OSU’s 2010 season, except the Sugar Bowl victory. The NCAA declared the six players eligible for the bowl game on the basis that they “did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs, in a Dec. 23 press release. Tressel could be ÿred and the program could suffer losses of scholarships and off-campus recruiting, according to the bylaw. The NCAA, however, did not cite OSU for a “lack of institutional control,” often regarded as the harshest of charges. Michael Buckner, a lawyer who represents universities, coaches and studentathletes in NCAA infractions cases, said Tressel will likely try to lessen the blow by pointing to extenuating circumstances. “Any coach in that similar situation in which an unethical conduct charge has been asserted against him or her will be trying to provide the committee with some mitigating factors,” Buckner told The Lantern. “Because Tressel has admitted that he did not divulge or self-report the information to the institution in a timely matter, what Tressel is going to have to do … is say: ‘Look, I didn’t do this; I didn’t report this for the following reasons,’ and try to paint a picture of that fact that he felt he was under a legal obligation that goes
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Key players:
E. Gordon Gee
Gene Smith
Terrelle Pryor
Chris Cicero
Tressel’s dismissal would signal end of era ... 1B Coach shouldn’t fall for standing up to NCAA ... 1B
5A Students take sides on OSU’s speaker
Swimming laps for clean water
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OSU must make case to NCAA by July 5
2A
Casting the Tattoogate movie campus
Tressel’s vest not bulletproof ZACK MEISEL Editor-in-chief meisel.14@osu.edu
5A
arts & life
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Check thelantern.com for Tressel’s emails, NCAA letter
LAUREN HALLOW / Lantern photographer
BRITTANY SCHOCK Lantern reporter schock.13@osu.edu In 2002, graduates at Ohio State’s June 14 commencement ceremony were removed from Ohio Stadium for turning their backs on commencement speaker George W. Bush. Almost 10 years later, students protesting the selection of Speaker of the House John Boehner as the speaker for this Spring’s Commencement have turned to a different medium: the Internet. Facebook has become a method of speaking out among OSU students, with events such as “Not Attending OSU’s Spring Commencement Ceremony Because Boehner is a Bigot,” with about 10 guests or a group named “Anybody But Boehner!” with about ÿve members. Nick Dilenschneider, a fourth-year in Western European studies and German, created one of the more popular Facebook events, “Ohio State Says ‘No’ to John Boehner as Spring Commencement Speaker,” which has more than 560 guests attending. He said he created the event because the decision to have Boehner as commencement speaker is potentially provocative. “I was really, really disappointed with the decision,” he said. “Admittedly, I tend to fall on the left side of the political spectrum, but I was really concerned by the fact that the
The Lantern asks:
What is your reaction to John Boehner speaking at Spring Commencement?
Max Vohsing
Andrew Weinmann
Third-year Finance
Graduate student Computer science
“I think that it was kind of ridiculous how they would choose someone with such a strong political affiliation and not someone more in the middle because they had to know that it would probably make some people angry.”
“I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about it on Facebook … but I don’t care. His political views are not important to me when he comes to speak.”
Third-year History
First-year Journalism
“I know a lot of people don’t like him and there’s a lot of political debate and whatnot about him coming, but personally I think it’s cool that we get to have the Speaker of the House speak at our graduation. ”
BRITTANY SCHOCK / Lantern reporter
university would pick someone who would generate such animosity from a large segment of the population, particularly the student population, based off of his political positions.” Comments on the Facebook event’s wall range from defending Boehner as speaker to suggestions of how to peacefully protest during the ceremony. Dilenschneider said the
Rae Bechtel
Lina Al-Khatib
“I think it’s pretty much fair because President Obama has been speaker at commencement ceremonies and he’s Democrat, and I understand Boehner is Republican. You have to allow for differences of opinion.”
KARISSA LAM / Design editor
purpose of the Facebook event is to send the university a message about the type of speakers they select. “I’m fully aware that the Facebook group alone is not going to change the university’s decision,” he said. “The idea here is next time (the university is) making a decision, they really consider the diversity of the student population.”
One comment on the Facebook event wall was President E. Gordon Gee’s email response to Allison Zarem, a fourth-year in political science. Zarem said she sent Gee an email stating she was concerned about Boehner speaking at
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