The Lantern - April 4 2019

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Thursday, April 4, 2019

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Student organization holds panel to discuss ways it can promote global sustainability.

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Columbus nonprofit uses food service business to staff and serve human trafficking survivors.

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8th Floor Improv to send off seniors in annual comedy show.

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‘More than an activist’ Remembering Ohio State alumna Amber Evans

JASMINE HILTON Lantern reporter hilton.93@osu.edu During the candlelight vigil held by the Scioto Mile on March 27 to honor the life of Amber Evans, something awe-inspiring happened — a rainbow appeared.

“It was a rainbow, but it was a rectangular rainbow that had no beginning or end. It was just there in the sky,” Baffoa Baffoe-Essilfie, a mentee of Evans, said. “It was as if her presence was there.

She has always been willing to meet people wherever they are in life, like a rainbow appearing at any time when you need it most, no matter how different they are, like each color is different in a rainbow.”

Evans, 28, was a dedicated community activist who went missing on Jan. 28. Her body was found nearly two months later in the Scioto River on March 23.

She will be remembered for being far more than just a community organizer, her closest friends said.

“Amber was not just an activist. There was so much more to her,” Baffoe-Essilfie, a third-year in political science, said. “She brought so much more to the table. She represented so much, and her being gone, it’s like all of those things are being taken away as well.”

A former Buckeye and Lantern reporter, Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio State and a master’s in library and information sciences from Kent State University. In 2011, Evans began her activism on Ohio State’s campus through student organizing within the coalition Occupy OSU, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Inspired by this work, the following year Evans became one of the founders of the Ohio Student Association, an organization led by young people that engages in values-based issue and electoral organizing, nonviolent direct action, advocacy for progressive public policy and leadership development, according to its website.

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COURTESY OF JACK BRANDL

Evans at a rally for Tyre King, who was fatally shot by police in Columbus.

Born at Ohio State under Evans’ leadership, OSA has grown into a statewide organization, with chapters at multiple universities and colleges in Ohio, as well as chapters throughout communities in Ohio. Evans’ time spent at OSA is known most notably for playing a role in blocking the Stand Your Ground Bill from being passed in Ohio, Baffoe-Essilfie, also a member of OSA, said.

Baffoe-Essilfie said that she is forever grateful for Evans starting OSA, which not only provided her with a family of justice seekers but also helped her to realize her dream of becoming an international human rights lawyer.

“Because of Amber, people like me were able to realize their purpose,” Baffoe-Essilfie said.

“She created opportunities, which create dreams.”

Alongside OSA, Evans’ community activism evolved even more, as she also founded the People’s Justice Project, an organization addressing police brutality and fighting against mass incarceration in Ohio, Jack Brandl,

a close friend of and community organizer with Evans, said.

Brandl said that in her leadership role at PJP, Evans was the “first line of defense” and “emergency 911 phone call” whenever there was police brutality in the city or tragedy struck the commu-

“She brought so much more to the table. She represented so much and her being gone, it’s like all of those things are being taken away as well.”

BAFFOA BAFFOE-ESSILFIE Amber Evans’ mentee

nity. She was the one who comforted the mother and the community, organized the vigil for the victim and created the donor page.

“She practiced what she preached,” Brandl, a fourth-year in public affairs and African American and African studies, said. “She wasn’t just saying things. She was really in the weeds and in the work.”

Brandl said that at the same time, even though she was a hard worker, Evans was one of the most loving people anyone could ever meet.

“Amber was that kind of person that when you met her, she became your instant best friend,” Brandl said. “You saw her in a space and you knew this was someone who is clearly very intelligent, clearly has a vision, is really grounded and down to earth.”

Evans also spearheaded The Voices of the Unheard, another organization in Columbus prompting change in the community. VOU has chapters in schools EVANS CONTINUES ON 3

About three years ago, Lily Lin met a girl named Ellie, who was about 4 years old at the time.

Ellie couldn’t read or write, didn’t know any math and barely spoke.

But now, all that has changed.

“Now, she’s so talkative. She’s so fun,” Lin, a third-year in biology and psychology, said. “A lot of that is just growing up for her, but it’s still so cool to see that, to think that three years ago she literally could not talk to me … and now she’s just this super funky girl, and it’s great to see that.”

Lin met Ellie and saw the change with her own eyes through Big Buckeye Lil’ Buckeye, a student organization that provides volunteers and mentors to kids who participate in Healthy Asian Youth.

HAY, a program run by the Asian American Community Services — a nonprofit organization based in Columbus that serves the needs of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Central Ohio — seeks to provide after school programs for at-risk, inner-city Asian American children.

According to AACS, there is a problem in that society expects Asian American children to not need help, that they are “hardworking, wealthy, smart and docile,” also known as the model minority myth.

“A lot of the times, they have this stigma that surrounds them saying that they have their lives together, like that they have everything together, and that’s not true,” Lin, president of BBLB, said. “These kids are struggling in their own ways because they are inner-city kids, and ultimately our goal is to give them all the educational support and personal support that they can so that some day they can go on to college or MENTORS CONTINUES ON 2

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Panel addresses voluntourism, international wildlife AKAYLA GARDNER Lantern reporter gardner.1199@osu.edu On Tuesday evening, students arriving to Room 35 in Hitchcock Hall were met by the aromas of food from Nicaragua and Nepal — two destinations that the international service organization Growth International Volunteer Excursion travels to.

The Ohio State chapter of GIVE, which travels abroad to volunteer in underprivileged atrisk communities, hosted a global sustainability panel with three leaders from its headquarters in Seattle on a Skype call. They discussed their ability as an organization to increase social, economic and environmental sustainability around the world with audience members.

Hannah Isakowitz, chapter president and fourth-year in sociology, said people often think about environmental sustainability as crucial but GIVE also works to sustain global economies and relationships.

“Those three pillars of sustainability often pull in different directions, but GIVE’s goal is always to link those three things to make our projects as effective and impactful as possible,” Isakowitz said in an interview with The Lantern after the event.

Isakowitz said that GIVE focuses its work on English education, sustainable infrastructure and wildlife conservation in five destinations: Thailand, Laos,

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Students eat dishes originating from Nicaragua and Nepal. GIVE travels to these countries to volunteer in communities abroad.

Tanzania, Nicaragua and Nepal.

Carly Schade, Ohio State alumna and global engagement specialist, said GIVE uses a method called “asset-based community development” to build upon the existing strengths of the communities they serve and form lasting relationships.

The methodology addresses controversies with “voluntour-

ism,” which is often criticized for misunderstanding the needs of communities abroad and not creating lasting change.

“Throughout every aspect of the trip, we expect [volunteers] to dress respectfully and respect the culture and the customs and learn the language, even if it’s just ‘Hello’ and ‘Thank you,’” Schade said.

Dan Trevor, director of international operations, said he recognizes that flying halfway across the world is one of the fastest ways to put a lot of carbon in the atmosphere, but that it’s worth the change volunteers can bring.

“We’re all going to have a carbon footprint, there’s simply no way around that, but there are a lot of great ways for [everyone] to

offset that carbon,” Trevor said.

“Make sure your footprint is not nearly as big as your handprint.”

Trevor said GIVE donates a portion of money from every Thailand volunteer’s fees to the Chiang Mai University Forest Restoration and Research Unit, which regenerates damaged forests and habitats in northern Thailand.

Justin Monte, a fourth-year in computer science and chapter vice president, said GIVE has more than 40 Ohio State students going on trips to one of its destinations this year.

The panel was the only event to focus on global sustainability of the several events happening this week as a part of the university’s Time For Change Week, focused on promoting responsibility in environmental and community environments.

“We don’t need one person doing sustainability perfectly, we need a ton of people doing it imperfectly. That’s my motto … you don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be mindful,” Isakowitz said. “That’s really what I hope people take out of this entire week is those changes they can make.”

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higher education.”

Franchesca Brown, HAY program coordinator, said the program began in the ‘70s as a way to provide local, low-income Asian families, along with immigrants, with academic help and English education for their kids.

Lin said BBLB began as HAY-U — an offshoot of HAY — about four or five years ago, becoming its current iteration about two years ago with more of a focus on the mentoring aspect.

Normally in the fall, BBLB goes to the Glenwood Recreation Center and hangs out with the kids every other week, Lin said, helping out with whatever programming the kids have through HAY. Spring semester is when the mentorship program actually begins, when mentors are matched up with a mentee.

BBLB also provides programming itself, such as inviting student organizations that teach the kids literacy and environmental friendliness.

“The mentoring program is just a lot more structured,” Lin said. “It also gives the mentor and the mentee a better opportunity to build a longer lasting relationship instead of just going every week and hanging out with any kid.”

Along with the mentorship program, Lin said BBLB also holds fundraisers so that it can provide other programming for the kids, such as bringing them Christmas gifts and writing Halloween and Valentine’s Day cards.

Although HAY has kids who are Hispanic and African American, Brown said a majority of the kids in the program are

COURTESY OF BIG BUCKEYE LIL’ BUCKEYE

Ohio State student volunteers interact with HAY kids during a visit. The program usually is held at Glenwood Recreation Center.

Cambodian and live in the Hilltop community — a low-income neighborhood on the westside of Columbus.

Brown said the kids come from families in which the parents might not have jobs, and the Cambodian community itself faces issues of deportation; for example, one of the kid’s uncles that many of them looked up to had recently been deported.

“He would come and volunteer, he would help out during the summer, and in the after school program, tutor the kids. When some of them ran out of food at home, he would buy them food.” Brown said. “He got deported, and there’s others in the community that got deported. And then some of the kids, they feel discouraged and they don’t show up for school and stay home

and miss a lot of schooling.”

But that’s why Tayla Davis, a third-year in journalism and a volunteer for BBLB, said she tries to go almost every week to give the kids some consistency in their lives.

“It makes them realize that they have people they can depend on, or someone MENTORS CONTINUES ON 3

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Evans raises her fist in solidarity at a protest against President Donald Trump’s travel ban on Jan. 29, 2017.

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and locations throughout Columbus, including the Columbus Alternative High School and the Franklin County Jail.

At the Franklin County Jail, Evans worked with many of the incarcerated young men, focusing on their empowerment, helping them find agency and allowing their voices to be heard on issues that they cared about, Brandl said.

In her most recent role as the director of organizing and policy of the Juvenile Justice Coalition, Evans initiated the “Counselors Not Cuffs” campaign, which focused on getting schools to implement social workers, therapists and counselors, instead of school resource officers and police officers in schools, Brandl said.

“Wherever she saw a group of people who weren’t having their needs met, she tried to start something to meet their needs,” Kevin O’Donnell, OSA training and data coordinator as well as close friend of Evans, said.

“She saw the need to create vehicles that people could use to get power, who are typically locked out from power.”

With all of the achievements and milestones Evans accomplished, O’Donnell said that she would be most proud of the young people she poured herself into and the growth that they have gone through as a result of being a part of a community that she helped create.

Baffoe-Essilfie said Evans was especially there for the youth she worked with in the community, which meant far more than just a person to talk to.

“Being there for someone creates the opportunity for them to have a family,” Baffoe-Essilfie said. “It creates the opportunity for them to have a different outlook on life.”

Her love for community and people was even greater, Brandl said.

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“Her ability to love without question was so powerful in bringing everyone together into a space, despite being from different walks of life,” Brandl said.

“Because of Amber, people like me were able to realize their purpose ... She created opportunities, which create dreams.”

BAFFOA BAFFOE-ESSILFIE Amber Evans’ mentee

O’Donnell described Evans as a woman who could not be defined as one piece.

“Remember her as more than any one puzzle piece,” O’Donnell said.

“Not just as an organizer, not just as a journalist, not just as a librarian, not just as a lover of friends and nature but as all of those things and to honor all of those parts within each other.”

A lover of nature, Evans enjoyed hiking and backpacking, O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell recalled the time he and Evans went hiking in the mountains of Albuquerque, New Mexico, during a conference for youth organizers, where he asked her what she would be doing if there were no more problems in the world left to solve.

Her response: “I would climb mountains all day and take people with me.”

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they can see every week that they can talk to or that they can trust,” Davis said.

Lin said that providing volunteers for the Glenwood Center not only gives the center more help with all of the kids who go there after school, but also gives the kids individual attention they don’t normally get at home, as well as academic help.

“Kids are really impressionable in every little thing they remember, and they’ll remember that these kids are from college,” she said.

“That is really our goal, to try and steer them towards higher education.”

Lin also said that an added importance for volunteering and mentoring the kids at HAY is working with them to fight the model minority myth, to help those who are underrepresented — in this case those of Cambodian and Southeast Asian descent — fight for some representation.

While the myth typically stereotypes Asian Americans with having a more quiet and conservative personality, Lin said the kids at HAY are just the opposite.

They love dance and rap music and are not afraid to say what they want, which she said was a good thing.

Even so, she believes that people today still don’t see them that way and that it can be a struggle for the kids, being put in a box that tells them how to behave.

But that’s what she said BBLB and its volunteers are trying to combat, by trying to help them embrace their own personalities and know how to deal with the myth in the real world.

“It can hurt you when you’re like struggling to fit into someone’s stereotype but also you want to be who you are, so I think it helps to also just see people who are kind of like them in college,” she said. “We do have some volunteers that are of Cambodian descent, and I think that is really awesome. I think that the kids love them and to see someone like them in higher education, they see that it’s possible.”

Being able to volunteer with the HAY kids the past few years, Davis and Lin said they have both seen changes in the kids — like Ellie.

Some of the kids, Davis said, might not have

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Tayla Davis, a third-year in journalism, smiles with one of the HAY kids for a photo.

seemed like they were the academic type because they would run around and not want to do homework.

In reality, they were really smart once they put their minds to work.

“That was kind of shocking to me, just because a lot of them don’t want to do homework and don’t want to sit still, but then you’re like, ‘You can actually do this. Why do you think you can’t?’” Davis said.

Looking into the future, Lin said she hopes that BBLB can extend itself not just to helping the kids, but to raising awareness for the program and the issues they face.

As for the kids, Lin hopes that for them, having the Ohio State students volunteer and mentor them will show them that there are people who care about them, who do value them, and that they can become empowered to believe that anything is possible for themselves.

Even more, she said she hopes that the kids remember the students.

“Some day if this experience is as impactful to them that we hope it is, we hope that some day they’ll decide to come here to OSU and be a mentor themselves and help other kids that are in the same situation that they were in,” she said.

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Columbus nonprofit serves fresh food for a cause RACHEL HARRIMAN Lantern reporter harriman.27@osu.edu Armed with a simple idea and a food cart purchased from eBay, one Columbus nonprofit had hopes of making a difference in the lives of those affected by human trafficking.

Thanks to community support, talented staff and a product everyone can enjoy, Freedom a la Cart has been able to do just that and more.

In the seven years since its inception, Freedom a la Cart, a catering and box lunch business that’s dedicated to staffing human trafficking survivors, has grown to provide more than 200 survivors with unwavering support, a sense of community and a place to achieve their goals, Paula Haines, executive director of the nonprofit, said.

“The food is delicious, and you’re supporting a great cause with a mission that empowers women, so it’s a win-win,” Haines said.

Freedom a la Cart offers signature boxed lunches and catering services and specializes in fresh food made from scratch, Haines said. A diverse selection of breakfast, hors d’oeuvre and dessert options are also sold.

“We had this vision of making food that was flavorful and unique but was also a quality product, so people would continue to come back again and again,” Haines said.

Survivors are involved in the entire process of food production, from preparing the

COURTESY OF CARISSA MARTIN

Survivors of human trafficking are involved in the entire food production process, from preparing to delivering the boxed lunches and catered meals.

food to delivering it and they have opportunities to advance in the company in a variety of ways, with some women currently serving as kitchen or case managers.

“A lot of community happens in the kitchen,” Haines said. “The catering and food aspect naturally enhances the program as a social enterprise.”

Freedom a la Cart also offers numerous programs to help survivors reach full independence, including, but not limited to, case management, transportation to treatment facilities, support securing a driver’s

license and assistance with furnishing and moving into their first homes.

The nonprofit also developed the Butterfly Program, a program aimed at assisting women transitioning from treatment to real life, Haines said.

“We recognized that the key to full self-sufficiency is getting a job and making your own money, and that many women struggled with this piece,” Haines said.

“But we also take a more holistic approach to helping survivors that may be dealing with other issues in their lives as well.”

It was this multifaceted approach to helping survivors excel that made The PRactice, a student-run PR firm at Ohio State, interested in working with the nonprofit in the first place, Olivia Smith, account supervisor for The PRactice, said.

“Freedom is very mindful of how difficult the transition [a survivor faces from treatment into the real world] can be, and tailors their support to each person, so it is the most helpful it can be,” Smith, a fourthyear in communication, said.

While helping the nonprofit gain outreach and publicity is its main goal, The PRactice will also produce a marketing video and help bring more educational resources to campus.

“Human trafficking is relevant to everyone because it is an issue that the world is facing,” Smith said. “Getting these resources on campus is a way to educate students so they are more informed and aware of the potential signs.”

Haines said the organization also has plans to expand in the near future as funds become available to move into a combined space that will house the catering business on one side and a new cafe on the other.

“With a more interactive cafe, people will be able to enjoy our food while also learning more about human trafficking,” Haines said.

Until then, Freedom a la Cart is concentrated on getting its name out into the Columbus and Ohio State communities and planning smaller events and happy hours so potential customers have the opportuniFOOD CONTINUES ON 5

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Former Ohio State linebacker pursues passion for sport by improving athletes’ mental health AJA MIYAMOTO Lantern reporter miyamoto.20@osu.edu Steve Graef, former Ohio State linebacker, has dedicated his career to working with athletes on improving their mental health.

Upon graduating in 2004 with a degree in psychology, Graef went on to earn a doctorate of philosophy in counseling psychology. Currently, Graef assists the sports medicine program at Ohio State as a sport psychologist.

In 2016, he started his own business, Mindurance, where he works one-on-one with clients in counseling and coaching sessions.

“There’s a mental component to good performance. We would like to be confident in what we’re doing, remain composed under pressure and be able to focus and be concentrated,” Graef said.

Graef didn’t hesitate when the opportunity came to return to Ohio State as a sports psychologist as it had always been his dream job to come back and serve the population he was once part of. Here he helps student athletes with the mental and emotional aspects of maintaining school, sport and life.

Jen Carter, lead sport psychologist at the Sports Medicine Institute, said it has been an honor to work with Graef.

“As a former OSU student athlete himself, Steve totally

gets the experience; the striving, commitment, grit and pride of representing Buckeye Nation,” Carter said.

Graef transitioned to a part-time position at Ohio State before opening Mindurance in 2016 and plans to retire in June to have greater flexibility to follow his passions.

“Steve is a world traveler who has a zest for life,” Carter said.

Graef said he brainstormed ways to make a living no matter where he was in the world, which ultimately led to starting his private practice Mindurance.

“It’s essentially a private practice where I do stress management and performance enhancement for individuals completely online,” Graef said. “The majority of what I do is through webcam. I also will give presentations and workshops live to groups of people.”

He said having his own practice and seeing his idea develop has been a rewarding endeavor no matter where he and his clients are in the world. Graef said he works in ways that provide the most convenience to his clients and to himself.

Graef said his initial interest in psychology came from wanting to understand people and their stories.

“I enjoy expanding on the traditional sense of what is an athlete and performer. I’ve had some really interesting work with physicians and business executives in a way COURTESY OF STEVE GRAEF that I would normally work with an athlete,” Graef said. Steve Graef was a former linebacker at Ohio State and “We all kind of perform in life, so I enjoy applying these has dedicated his career to working with athletes. approaches to a broader audience.”

8th Floor Improv to host final show of the season ASHLEY KIMMEL Lantern reporter kimmel.103@osu.edu Not only does April bring upperclassmen one step closer to graduation, but it’s also a time for seniors to say goodbye to organizations they hold close. 8th Floor Improv Comedy Group, however, is making an event of it.

8th Floor Improv is preparing for its annual Senior Sendoff Show to bid farewell to the club’s four graduating members.

Nicole Repishti, a third-year in history and president of 8th Floor Improv, said the Sendoff is similar to the rest of the group’s shows and will include other club members, but mostly centers around the seniors.

There will also be a 20-minute improv set featuring seniors.

Rather than the club’s board working together to decide how each show turns out, Repishti said the Sendoff is organized by

the seniors and tailored to what they want their last performance to look like.

“I just kind of guide them through this show because it is about them, not about the younger members,” Repishti said.

Repishti said that although she is sad about what the show means, she still looks forward to seeing the seniors’ last performances and the crowd’s reaction to them leaving.

“It’s definitely nice to see people who have come in to support [the seniors] throughout their 8th Floor experience, and just being able to celebrate that is really great,” Repishti said.

Repishti said the club has a strong relationship with its alumni, so even if it’s the seniors’ last time performing as active members, it won’t be their last time performing with 8th Floor Improv.

Brendan McDermott, a fourth-year in economics and one of the four graduating members, said he is looking forward to the

senior-only improv set because it’s a rare performance that occurs only once a year.

“This is kind of going to be our first chance and our last chance to just perform on stage as the four of us,” McDermott said.

McDermott said he joined the club as a

freshman when he still needed to mature and felt unsure of his role on such a big campus.

“8th Floor has been probably the biggest part of my college experience and definitely the part that I’ve enjoyed doing the most,” McDermott said.

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Members of 8th Floor Improv during their travel show to University of Missouri.

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ty to try their food.

Freedom a la Cart is an Ohio State preferred vendor, meaning its food can be ordered by student groups with their allocated funds and served at Ohio State campus locations. When purchasing food through the Ohio State e-store, students and faculty

will be given a 10 percent discount and free delivery.

“We want to stand as a beacon of hope for the Columbus community,” Haines said. “And for everyone to see the hope and restoration that happens when you support survivors.”

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Dance department debuts Spring Concert NAOMI BAKER Lantern reporter baker.2517@osu.edu

With the semester coming to an end, Ohio State dance students are celebrating their year’s work in the department’s Spring Concert.

Thursday through Saturday, dance students will come together to perform 11 student-choreographed pieces in Barnett Theater in Sullivant Hall. The performances also will showcase talents such as light and sound production as the students run all aspects of the show.

Students are selected for the show after auditioning and are chosen by a panel of faculty in the department. Emily Kilroy, a third-year in dance and arts management, said the feeling of having her piece, “buzzzzzzzzzzzz off,” featured in the production is an affirmation of her hard work.

“It’s really reassuring to me that the work I’m doing is valid and that the people around me want to see me succeed,” Kilroy said.

She said that creating work is a part of dance composition and choreography, and being selected for the concert lets her know that she’s doing the right thing.

With this dance, Kilroy said she used more of a “go with the flow” approach.

“The dance was made arbitrarily. I was interested in seeing the humor that comes about when you make things randomly,” Kilroy said.

The sole choreographer, Kilroy made her performance into a duet with fellow dance major Sutton Coffey, which made the piece a collaborative effort.

COURTESY OF LAURA DEANGELIS

Ohio State’s dance department will host their spring concert this weekend.

“Sutton is a great dancer and has a great personality on stage, so I wanted his contribution to mean as much to the piece as mine,” Kilroy said.

Improvisation was a key feature Kilroy said she used to bring lightheartedness to the audience.

“I think there’s something magical about the spontaneity that happens on stage,” she said. “I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen on stage with Sutton and I in those moments of improvisation.”

Other students took a different approach with their performances. Fenella Kennedy, a fifth-year doctoral candidate in dance, and Bita Bell, a third-year master’s student in dance, co-choreographed their piece, “See/Saw,” to reflect the time they’ve endured at Ohio State.

“We both have felt somewhat alienated during our time here in some way or another,” Bell said.

However, instead of feeling bad about their adversities, Bell said they decided

to turn their experiences into something meaningful.

Kennedy said being criticized for their identities made the duo want to create a dance that lifts them up instead.

“We’re both immigrants; we’re both roommates; we’re both queer,” Kennedy said. “So we decided we wanted to make a piece to celebrate us.”

Improvisation was also a key element that brought Kennedy and Bell’s piece together.

“We started out improvising together, and we put on lots of tracks of different music, and we danced around the studio, and we go, ‘Oh, this feels important,’ and, ‘Oh, this is a theme in our practice that we really want to bring forward,’” Kennedy said.

While the dance has a deep meaning to them, Kennedy and Bell said they both hope to stun the audience with a shocking feature.

“There’s an element of surprise,” Bell said. “It’s less of a performance and more of a doing.”

One thing the pair said they hope for their performance is audience participation.

“There’s a moment when we start clapping, and we want the audience to clap with us, and I’m looking forward to that on the last night, because when people clap along, then the audience gets to come into our community too and gets to celebrate with us,” Kennedy said.

To purchase tickets for the concert, visit the Ohio State Theatre Ticket Office or go online to Ticketmaster.com.

Puzzles

Answer Key for April 2:

Across 1. Oped 5. Tyra 9. Trot 13. Lava 14. Raid 15. Fauna 16. Enid 17. Elba 18. Elmer 19. Sit 20. Jai 21. Mimosas 23. Capote

25. Man 26. Hey 27. Dials Up 31. April 34. Madge 35. Fit 37. Toil 38. Berle 39. Lola 40. Ont 41. Brine 42. Based

46. Inc 47. Loaner 50. Smolder 54. Our 55. Vol 57. Eagle 58. Barb 60. Gabe 61. Erred 62. Isnt 63. Edit 64. Deer 43. Demeans 65. Shes 45. Dew 66. Lena

Down 1. Oles 2. Panic 3. Evita 4. Dad 5. Treaty 6. Yalie 7. Rib 8. Adam 9. Talons 10. Rums 11. Onea 12. Tars 15. Female

20. Joel 22. Image 24. Phil 27. Darns 28. Idle 29. UFOs 30. Pile 31. Ato 32. Pond 33. Rite 34. Mein 36. Tad 38. Brace 39. Lawn

41. Bended 42. Bear 44. Miller 45. Doubts 47. Lorne 48. Evade 49. Robin 50. Seed 51. Mare 52. Ogre 53. RBIs 56. Leta 59. Ash 60. Gel

Across

1. Other 5. Home entertainment sources 8. Banking insurance letters 12. Property attachment 13. Cobbler’s product 14. “Crazy” singer 15. Skyscraper, e.g. (abbr.)

16. Sentry’s call 17. Rush 18. ____ turning point (2 wds.)

19. Blame 21. Businesses (abbr.)

22. Night sound 24. “____ in Boots” 26. Incurred, as debts (2 wds.)

29. Mrs. Mertz 32. Hubbel and Sagan 35. Disintegrates 37. Deli loaves

39. Curvy letters 40. Day- ____ (fluorescent product) 41. Forest rangers’ problems 42. “____ smile be your umbrella” (2 wds.)

43. Torn place 44. Stave off 45. Mom’s sisters 47. Hunting weapon 49. “For goodness’ ____!”

51. Designer Perry 54. Ohs’s partner 57. Maui and Oahu, e.g.

60. Ad ____ (improvise) 62. Light racing boat 64. Baseball manager Felipe 65. Actress Moreno 66. Loafs 67. Force down 68. Squeaks by 69. Glance at 70. Compass dir.

71. Lectern

Down

1. Idris of “The Wire” 2. Rhythmic songs 3. Auto type 4. Liverpool’s locale (abbr.)

5. “Younger ____ Springtime” 6. Encyclopedia units (abbr.)

7. Arrangement 8. Sarasota’s state (abbr.)

9. Compact ____ player 10. Engrossed 11. Third letters 13. Luster 14. Storgae box 19. Gross 20. Feels regret 23. New ____ 25. Contract, as a grape 27. Desire 28. ____ ice cap 30. “Jane ____” (Bronte)

31. Sly look 32. Animation collectible 33. On the Aegean 34. Letters following Q 36. Aaron Spelling’s daughter 38. Speedy jet’s letters 41. Drops 43. Disapproving sounds 46. Dog waggers 48. Sick and tired (2 wds.)

50. Delight 52. “____ Ike” (2 wds.)

53. Locations 54. Sale condition (2 wds.)

55. “Back in Black” band 56. Luau dance 58. Poetic cry 59. Seward Peninsula city 61. Sunbathe 63. Cariou or Deighton 65. Blusher’s hue

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Thursday, April 4, 2019 | The Lantern | 7

SO LONG ST. JOHN Ohio State plays final matches at St. John Arena against No. 13. Purdue Fort Wayne, Ball State

ETHAN CLEWELL | SENIOR REPORTER

Ohio State redshirt senior Blake Leeson anticipates to block a George Mason attempt at the game against on Jan. 18 at St. John Arena in Columbus.

CALEB EWING Lantern reporter ewing.279@osu.edu The Ohio State men’s volleyball team will play its final two matches in St. John Arena this weekend before moving to the Covelli Center next season, closing out the regular season against No. 13 Purdue Fort Wayne (16-9, 8-4 MIVA) and Ball State (14-13, 5-7 MIVA).

Ohio State head coach Pete Hanson said the Buckeyes will have to contain a few players in order to end the season on a high note. “[Purdue Fort Wayne] has an outside hitter, Pelegrin Vargas, who’s having a great year,” Hanson said. “We’ve got a couple of

guys to contend with, but again, for us, the mantra is, ‘We’ve got to take care of our own selves.’”

The Mastodons enter the weekend having won three-straight matches, including sweeps of then-No. 13 Ball State and Quincy.

Vargas leads Purdue Fort Wayne — and the conference — with 348 kills, also doling out 30 aces, 159 digs and 55 blocks.

Defensively, senior libero Kolbie Knorr paces the Mastodons with 174 digs, while junior middle blocker Richie Diedrich anchors the front line with 92 blocks.

Unranked Ohio State is coming off a disappointing weekend, dropping matches against then-No. 8 Lewis and then-No. 11 Loyola Chicago, both in straight sets.

WRESTLING FROM 8

The Ohio RTC, as a year-round operation, has become a draw for both recruits interested in Ohio State wrestling and an incentive for former Buckeyes to stick around. Myles Martin, the former NCAA national champion and No. 1 seed in 2019 at 184 pounds, said that after he concluded his Ohio State career with a third-place finish in the national championships, he would return to the Ohio RTC for at least a year.

In maintaining a locker in the Steelwood, he resides alongside former Ohio State national champions Nathan Tomasello, Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder, some of the most decorated wrestlers in program history.

Snyder, an Olympic gold medalist and three-time NCAA national champion, said he first got involved with Ohio RTC when he was being recruited by the Buckeyes, and that during his offseason, he still spends a great deal of time training with the group.

“After I graduated from college, it was just a great opportunity to be able to stay here and continue to train,” Snyder said.

“They think outside the box. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to improve the Ohio RTC that we have right now and that we want to make it better in the future.”

Several other former athletes return solely in a coaching capacity. Three of the coaches on Ohio RTC’s staff — Dlagnev and assistant coaches J Jaggers and Bo Jordan — all were products of the training center.

Dlagnev said he first got involved as an athlete in 2009, a year after he graduated from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, later making eight national teams and placing fifth at the 2012 London Olympic Games. He started to transition into a coaching role to stick around the sport when he was hired as an assistant coach at Ohio State in 2016.

“You can’t wrestle forever,” Dlagnev

said, noting that he, “felt like I had a knack for explaining things.”

During the practices, athletes split the two-hour practices watching demonstrations of different wrestling techniques and positions. Jaggers said the wrestlers also do a great deal of sparring against one another, which opens the opportunity for younger wrestlers to gain experience challenging accomplished veterans.

There is a benefit for fresher faces “just being around and seeing what the professionals like Nate and Kyle and some of the high-level college guys, how they approach practice,” Jaggers said as Tomasello, a participant of four NCAA championships, grappled with Ohio State freshman Malik Heinselman, who had lasted just three matches in his first championship in 2019.

“So more so than just being their training partner for that day,” Jaggers said. “It’s being around them and seeing the way they mentally approach things I think is beneficial for the age group guys, and I think that’s why we’re seeing an influx of productivity from USA Wrestling teams at all age levels.”

Ryan said that in order to grow as wrestlers, young athletes must first be exposed to duress. For many of the elite high school wrestlers, they might not know what it is like to lose.

Facing Kyle Snyder, arguably the greatest heavyweight in the world, will teach a young wrestler what it is like to lose.

In learning how to lose, the upcoming wrestlers will learn what they need to do long-term to win.

“These Olympic athletes can put any college wrestler or high school wrestler under immense amount of duress and really exploit their lesser strengths, which is the ultimate goal,” Ryan said. “Find out where I need work and then work at it. And there’s a lot of places these kids aren’t finding out yet where their lesser strengths.

“Here, they find it out pretty quickly.”

While the Buckeyes kept pace offensively, totaling a combined 103 kills through both matches, they struggled to keep the ball in play, committing 62 total errors.

Sophomore opposite hitter Jake Hanes led the Buckeyes with 33 kills and 20 total errors in the pair of losses.

Hanson said cutting down on errors is the main priority for his team going into this weekend.

“Jake was the leading scorer in the match against Lewis — on both teams,” Hanson said. “We can make excuses but at the end of the day it’s about, ‘Hey, we know we can do it offensively, we’ve just got to cut down on some errors and stay into those sets longer and force other teams into making some errors.’”

Ball State enters the weekend needing a pair of wins to clinch the fourth seed in the MIVA tournament. Before coming to Columbus, the Cardinals will face McKendree Thursday in hopes of taking the upper hand on the No. 4 Bearcats.

The Cardinals are led by junior outside hitter Matt Szews, who has 332 kills, 35 aces and 163 digs, adding 66 total blocks.

To be successful this weekend, the Buckeyes will need to rely on their four seniors, who will be playing in their final home matches: libero Chase Moothart, middle blocker Blake Leeson, libero Aaron Samarin and setter Sanil Thomas.

Thomas said playing in his final matches at St. John Arena will feel bittersweet, but it won’t change his mentality.

“I still remember coming in and playing in my first game at St. John like it was yesterday,” Thomas said. “I’m just trying to make the best of it and focus on getting some ‘W’s’ and getting some momentum heading into the conference tournament.”

Ohio State will play at St. John Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday against No. 13 Purdue Fort Wayne and for the last time at 7 p.m.

Saturday against Ball State.

FOOTBALL FROM 8

sitions — the Mike and Will — will have the same approach they always have: to be fundamentally excellent, Washington said, to be instinctive and to love contact.

Sophomore linebacker Dallas Gant might see the change at the linebacker position, but it does not affect him much in the middle.

“I think inside, the Will and the Mike are kind of similar in their own way. Sam and the hybrid are kind of in their own world, I would say,” Gant said.

White is not the only one vying for playing time at the “bullet”. Washington said redshirt junior safety Jahsen Wint has received playing time in the middle as well, something that has inspired White.

“Hell, there may be a great ‘bullet’ on this team now, we just don’t know yet.”

AL WASHINGTON Ohio State linebackers coach

“I still have to have that chip on my shoulder because anyone can take that ‘bullet’ spot,” White said. “Jahsen Wint is right behind me doing that spot as well. I have to go out every day acting like it’s my last day of practice and keep that position.”

No matter if it’s Wint or White, Washington wants a playmaker at the “bullet,” a jack-of-all-trades who can rush the passer one play and cover a post route on another.

The position is being defined, something Washington is excited about.

“Hell, there may be a great ‘bullet’ on this team now, we just don’t know yet,” Washington said. “I think there is. We know them, but you never know as time goes.”

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SPORTS

8 | Thursday, April 4, 2019

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

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Ohio State plays final matches at St. John Arena against Purdue Fort Wayne and Ball State. | ON PAGE 7

TRAINING WITH THE BEST KYLE SNYDER

MALIK HEINSELMAN

TERVEL DLAGNEV

JOEY MCKENNA AMAL SAEED | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio RTC gives area wrestlers chance to practice with Olympians EDWARD SUTELAN Editor-in-Chief sutelan.1@osu.edu

championship-winning athletes, the Ohio RTC looks to shape its participants into the next group that can raise a title.

A ring of athletes circled the mats of the Steelwood Training Facility, with only one thing in common: wrestling.

All ages, all weights, all different experiences. There were 125-pound high school wrestlers with just a dream of reaching a podium at the NCAA championships someday. There were heavyweight freestylers who had ascended the Olympic podium with a gold medal in hand.

In the middle wrestled a coach and a college heavyweight, with Ohio RTC head coach Tervel Dlagnev demonstrating techniques on bottom against Ohio State former Big Ten champion Kollin Moore.

At the Ohio Regional Training Camp, wrestlers of all ages and accomplishments gather under the umbrella of an Ohio State facility with a lone national championship banner hanging from the rafters. Through the work of Ohio State coaches and former

“It’s being around them and seeing the way they mentally approach things I think is beneficial for the age group guys, and I think that’s why we’re seeing an influx of productivity from USA Wrestling teams at all age levels.

J JAGGERS Ohio RTC assistant wrestling coach

“It’s embedded in wrestling culture as youth wrestlers, the fathers, the mothers, they bring the small children to the place

where they’re going to have the best training partners, and then in high school, they do the same thing,” Ohio State head coach Tom Ryan said. “It’s common knowledge now for any elite high school wrestler.

They know there’s an Olympic training center here.”

Though the event is run at an Ohio State facility and is coached by members of the team’s staff, the group is separate from the university. Ohio RTC is a nonprofit founded in 2006 when Tom Ryan was hired to become head coach at Ohio State.

The teams that had an RTC were the only programs “that really had a chance to be the best program in the country,” Ryan said before a wall of trophies won in his decorated tenure as head coach. “There is no chance for those who didn’t have one.

You really had no chance to compete at the highest level.”

After the RTC was established and approved by the governing body, USA Wrestling, Ryan began to assemble the perfect staff to build the program into one of the

best in the country. Coaches Tommy Rowlands and Lou Rosselli, both who had made Olympic teams in the past, came aboard to bring credibility to the center and get it off the ground.

The RTC receives 100 percent of its funding from donations, 85 percent of which goes toward stipends and housing for participating athletes. Those eligible for the RTC must be within a 250-mile radius of Columbus. They must also be both a member of USA Wrestling and finish top four in high school championships, top eight in college championships, have won at least one match at a USAW World or Olympic Team Trial or represented the United States within the past two years at a Veteran’s World Championships.

Ryan said it is part of the goal of the Ohio RTC to build not only NCAA champions at Ohio State, but to turn wrestlers into Olympic champions, because while the staff cares about the university, “also we’re about the United States of America.”

WRESTLING CONTINUES ON 7

Building a bulletproof defense Ohio State utilizes hybrid position in defense

COLIN GAY Sports Editor gay.125@osu.edu Al Washington did not see what Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore did to Ohio State in person in 2018. He was still on staff with Michigan as its linebackers coach.

Washington did not have to face Moore, since the Wolverines did not play the Boilermakers.

But when Washington described his game plan for the Ohio State linebacker position ahead of his first season as the position coach, the player who recorded 170 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Buckeyes on Oct. 20 was the first name that came to mind.

Moore’s versatility stood out to Washington: his ability to catch and run even with a shorter stature, proving to be a dynamic playmaker in every aspect of the offense.

Washington’s goal for his linebacker room is to have that same level of versatility for the safety-linebacker hybrid he will install for the 2019 season, what he calls the “bullet” position.

“That guy is a guy who can sack, he can rush the passer. Not every safety can do that,” Washington said. “He’s a guy that has to be able to play at the line of

CASEY CASCALDO | PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State then-sophomore safety Brendon White (25) intercepts a pass in the second half of the game against Michigan on Nov. 24. Ohio State won 62-39.

scrimmage, use his hands. Not every safety can do that. Guy has to be able to cover man, a slot. Not every linebacker can do that.”

For Washington, the first “bullet” he will use is a player who asserted himself as a dynamic playmaker at the end of the 2018 season: junior safety Brendon White.

After recording five tackles

through the Oct. 20 loss to Purdue, White had a late-season surge, ending the year with 46 tackles, two pass deflections and an interception.

Washington said White has been getting looks at both safety and the “bullet” position, finding success in both.

“He’s an established player,” Washington said. “Like you talk

equity, he’s one of those guys that has put his body of work in. He’s a great kid. He works his tail off.”

White said he feels like this position change is a “brand new start” for him, but, physically, he fit the criteria as a “bigger safety” at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds.

In a way similar to former LSU safety Jamal Adams, whom White said he watched for inspiration, this new hybrid position gives him a different defensive look.

“For me personally, to be able to guard the tight ends, which I am better at, I can definitely see myself helping out if they have an athletic tight end instead of having to stand out there,” White said. “Having a ‘bullet’ out there will definitely help that.”

This position is nothing new.

The “bullet” position is something used at Michigan with former safety Jabrill Peppers, which was called the “viper.”

A hybrid defensive position is also nothing new for the Ohio State defense, which used something similar in the past, but between the linebackers and the defensive line.

It’s even something Washington has seen while recruiting, watching high school players who play that same hybrid position between safety and linebacker.

White said the “bullet” position

has been a natural fit, but it has not been an easy transition for him, learning how to pass rush and fill gaps.

“The coaches understand it’s going to take time and take patience,” White said. “I’m in the film room all the time with them, trying to come in as much as possible so I get that stuff.”

Working with co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley and co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison at installing this new position, White said he feels he will be 100 percent at the position come fall camp.

With the change in the position, Washington has seen his linebacker room accept the change.

“They’ve bought in,” Washington said. “I said it to the linebackers after practice. They’re growth-minded. They want to learn more. They want to do more. They are not caught on what was.”

But the “bullet” will not be used constantly. With a plethora of talent in the linebacker room — from redshirt junior and 2018 captain Tuf Borland to sophomore Teradja Mitchell — Washington said there will be multiple looks in the middle, from the traditional three-man look, to possibly four.

The two middle linebacker poFOOTBALL CONTINUES ON 7