TUESDAY
THURSDAY
Thursday, August 22, 2019
SECRET DESK
P2
Desk in Orton Library sparks inspiration and conversation.
QUINN XCII
P4
Quinn XCII announced as Welcome Back Concert headliner.
FOOTBALL
P8
Jeffrey Okudah seems to have his sight set on the NFL ahead of upcoming football season.
STADIUM WIFI
THE LANTERN thelantern.com
CODE GREEN
@TheLantern
P8
Wi-Fi being improved in Ohio Stadium for upcoming football season.
The student voice of the Ohio State University
Year 139, Issue No. 29
$
$
Graduate nursing students see 32-percent tuition increase
LYDIA WEYRICH Assistant Campus Editor weyrich.4@osu.edu Beginning this semester, graduate students in the College of Nursing at Ohio State will see a $6,000 increase in their tuition. The 32.2 percent fee increase will affect approximately 1,000 current clinical graduate students this year, Phil Saken, College of Nursing senior director of marketing and communications, said. The change in tuition will apply to students returning to the program, as well as first-year graduate students. The jump in yearly tuition from $18,637 to $24,637 was approved in a Board of Tr u s t e e s meeting July 10, and Dean of the Bernadette Melnyk C o l l e g e of Nursing Bernadette Melnyk said the increase was both overdue and needed to preserve the standard the college currently operates at. “We have not raised fees for
are required to complete clinical experiences — “hands on” practicums — at a healthcare practice. Melnyk said in previous years, students have been able to
“We have not raised fees for five years, so it needed to be done in order to maintain the quality of our programming.” BERNADETTE MELNYK Dean of the College of Nursing
AMAL SAEED | PHOTO EDITOR
The College of Nursing increased its tuition by 32.2 percent which will affect about a thousand clinical graduate students.
five years, so it needed to be done in order to maintain the quality of our programming,” Melnyk said. In an effort to combat financial stressors triggered by the sudden increase, Melnyk created a “hardship fund.” She said the fund
awarded scholarships to every person who applied by the deadline, totaling over $350,000. The Lantern reached out to multiple nursing graduate students, all of whom declined to comment.
Melnyk said the $6,000 increase will go toward clinical hour payment, the maintenance of small student-to-faculty ratios, mental health promotion and equipment upgrades. All clinical graduate students
complete their clinical hours at agencies that don’t charge for the experience, but this year some agencies are no longer free, including the Cleveland Clinic, which now charges per hour. Another reason for the spike in tuition was an effort to maintain the small class sizes clinical nursing programs require, Melnyk said. To preserve the faculty-to-student ratio, she said part NURSING CONTINUES ON 3
USG objectives for semester are personal SAM RAUDINS Campus Editor raudins.3@osu.edu Undergraduate Student Government leaders Kate Greer and Julia Dennen have a lot planned for their first full semester in office, and for many of the items on their agenda, it’s personal.
“Your lack of knowledge about dates and deadlines when you are 17 years old should not be putting financial shackles on you for decades to come.” JULIA DENNEN Vice president of USG
Following a summer of “inspiration-gaining,” Greer, a fourth-
CASEY CASCALDO | MANAGING EDITOR FOR MULTIMEDIA
Kate Greer and Julia Dennen, USG president and vice president plan to pursue initiatives in the areas of financial information and accessibility, health and wellness, and equity and justice.
year in European history and German and president of USG, and Dennen, a fourth-year in public affairs and vice president of USG,
plan to pursue initiatives in the areas of financial information and accessibility, health and wellness, and equity and justice.
In terms of finances, Greer and Dennen said they want students to be able to reapply for merit-based aid when they miss the early ac-
tion deadline. It would apply mainly to nontraditional and outof-state students who miss the early action deadline. D e n nen, who is an outof-state student financially responsible for her tuition, said that she Julia Dennen missed the Nov. 1 deadline as an applicant because she didn’t know Ohio State was her future college. “Your lack of knowledge about dates and deadlines when you are 17 years old should not be putting financial shackles on you for decades to come,” Dennen said. “There should be more leniency, there should be clearer communication and there should be a lot of compassion.” STORY CONTINUES ON 3
2 | Thursday, August 22, 2019
LANTERN APP
CAMPUS
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
Want to read The Lantern when you’re walking on The Oval? Check out our iPhone app, available in the App Store.
Secrets on stationary: Orton’s uplifting desk ERIN GAERKE Lantern reporter gaerke.15@osu.edu “This desk saved me today.” Carefully written in black cursive on the back of folded-up notebook paper, these words invite further reading. “I’ve sobbed myself to sleep every night this semester,” the note says. “Last night I wanted to hurt myself. I sat at this desk so no one would see me crying. Little did I know why the universe brought me to this spot today. This is the first time since getting to college that I don’t feel alone … you’ve all empowered me and reminded me I’m not alone. I can’t tell you how much this desk saved me today.”
TO VIEW PICTURES OF THE SECRET NOTES, VISIT
THELANTERN.COM
The note ends, “Thank you for serving me.” It is unsigned. This note is one of many placed in the drawers of the “secret desk”on the first floor of Orton Library near the windows overlooking the Oval. Below the first entry was a heartfelt response neatly printed in purple ink. “Sweet human, I feel for you … I promise the darkness will
Lantern Classifieds HELP WANTED RESTAURANT FOOD SERVICE Servers, Bussers and Barbacks BBR is looking for Servers, Bussers and Barbacks. Seeking enthusiastic front of house staff to provide a great guest experience. Must have great customer service skills, upbeat personality, positive attitude and very good communication skills. Restaurant and bar knowledge and experience are a plus. Email mark@bbrcolumbus.com
To advertise go to thelantern.com
THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY The Lantern is a student publication that is part of the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. It publishes issues Tuesday and Thursday, and online editions every day. The Lantern’s daily operations are funded through advertising and its academic pursuits are supported by the School of Communication. The School of Communication is committed to the highest professional standards for the newspaper in order to guarantee the fullest educational benefits from The Lantern experience.
CORI WADE | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
A secret desk located in Orton Hall contains encouraging notes kept in the drawers written by students for other students.
not last forever. Please reach out and hug others so you can be held in their light. With love, AN 2/19/19.” The desk was loaned to Ohio State by the Orton Ceramic Foundation in October 2012, according to University Archives. The oldest correspondence found in the desk is dated May 16, 2013, from someone nicknamed the “secret desk creator.” Patti Dittoe, a library associate, said she first noticed the notes around that time. “It was just something random that started to Patti Dittoe occur,” Dittoe said. “I was amazed. There are little notes tucked in each of the little drawers, each with a different story to tell. Some of them are Editor in Chief Kaylee Harter Managing Editor for Content Abhigyaan Bararia Managing Editor for Design Kelly Meaden Managing Editor for Multimedia Casey Cascaldo Copy Chief Anna Ripken Campus Editor Sam Raudins Assistant Campus Editor Lydia Weyrich Campus News Director Akayla Gardner Sports Editor Griffin Strom Assistant Sports Editor Andy Anders Sports Director Brian Nelson Assistant Sports Director Khalid Hashi Arts & Life Editor Nicholas Youngblood Assistant Arts & Life Editor Ashley Kimmel Arts & Life Director Oliver Boch Photo Editor Amal Saeed Assistant Photo Editor Cori Wade Design Editor Victoria Grayson Assistant Design Editor Richard Giang
very personal.” Dittoe said the desk once belonged to Edward Orton Jr., the son of Ohio State’s first president and an alumnus, and has become a discrete staple of the library. In the drawers that were once filled with memos about geology and academics, students have stashed confessions, advice, secrets, sketches and dreams — pouring their lives on scraps of paper for anyone to discover. The notes left in Orton Jr.’s desk include professions of love, inspirational quotes, numbers to call for a rant, poetry, marriage pacts with strangers, the sharing of secret struggles, complaints about the librarian, jokes, hopes for the future, Ohio State memories and more. Kara Kuhnash, a third-year in finance, said she first saw the old secretary’s desk during an activity with her Second-year Transformational Experience Program group and decided to study there the next opportunity she had. It Social Media Editor Engagement Editor Special Projects Director Oller Reporter Miller Projects Reporter
Director of Student Media General Sales Manager Lantern TV Production
Shelby Metzger Lily Maslia Jack Long Jasmine Hilton Maeve Walsh
Spencer Hunt Marie Pierce Tao Wang
Business Office 614-292-2031 Newsroom 614-292-5721 Advertising advertising@thelantern.com Classifieds classifieds@thelantern.com
was during this study session that she said she discovered the desk’s secret notes.
“My motto this semester has been, ‘Keep going,’ and so many of the notes had that message. It was so uplifting. It restored some of my faith in humanity.” KARA GALVAN Ohio State alumna
“I got distracted because I kept opening all the drawers,” Kuhnash said. “I got lost in all of them.” Kuhnash said she felt she was uncovering the hidden thoughts and feelings of students who had Letters to the Editor To submit a letter to the editor, either mail or email your letter. Please put your name, address, phone number and email address on the letter. If the editor decides to publish it, he or she will contact you to confirm your identity. Email letters to: harter.830@osu.edu Mail letters to: The Lantern Letters to the Editor Journalism Building 242 W. 18th Ave. Columbus, OH 43210
sat at the desk before her and was inspired by their courage and kindness to write a note of her own. “I wanted to be a part of that,” Kuhnash said. “I wanted to write a note to help someone’s day be better.” Kara Galvan, an alumna, said she found the desk during the most stressful week of her college career. “I just thought it was incredible,” Galvan said. “So many of the drawers were filled and not one time had I heard of this desk. My motto this semester has been, ‘Keep going,’ and so many of the notes had that message. It was so uplifting. It restored some of my faith in humanity.”
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
www.thelantern.com/email Corrections The Lantern corrects any significant error brought to the attention of the staff. If you think a correction is needed, please email lanternnewsroom@gmail.com
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
Thursday, August 22, 2019 | The Lantern | 3
ANY SLIDER
ANYTIME AMAL SAEED | PHOTO EDITOR
The College of Nursing, located inside Newton Hall on Neil Avenue, increased their tuition from $18,637 to $24,637 for graduate students. NURSING FROM 1
of the fee increase will go toward new faculty and staff. “Unlike some undergraduate programs that you can put 150 students in a lecture hall, for a clinical program like ours, our accreditation bodies require a ratio of one faculty to six to eight students,” she said. The climb in cost came as a surprise to the Buckeye Student Nurses Association, an organization that aims to “organize, represent, and mentor students” preparing for Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, according to the university student activities website. The Lantern contacted the association regarding how the increase may impact the nursing community at Ohio State, and a representative said in an email that no one in the organization knew about the change and declined to be interviewed. As a psychiatric mental health nurse
practitioner, Melnyk said she wanted to ensure the well-being of her students. In an effort to maintain the mental health of the nursing students, the college wanted to develop a budget with room for an additional mental health counselor. High-fidelity simulation, which allows students to practice procedures on mannequins, needed an upgrade as well. Melnyk said the mannequins become worn out over the years and lose some of their effectiveness, and this year’s tuition increase will go towards covering the update. Melnyk said only the graduate clinical programs will be affected by the change, and though the spike in tuition is necessary, she anticipated it to be challenging for students.
@Lydia_Weyrich
VISIT OUR LOCATION ACROSS FROM OSU CAMPUS NEAR THE CORNER OF LANE AVE AND NORTH HIGH STREET, NEXT TO UDF.
FREE
BUY FIVE, GET FIVE
FREE
BUY ONE, GET ONE
ANY CHEESE SLIDERS
CHOICE OF AMERICAN, SMOKED CHEDDAR, OR JALAPEÑO CHEESE
C-02 EXPIRES 11/13/19. Lesser price items are free. Not valid with any other coupon, discount, specials, online coupon, offers, or promo codes. Not valid on delivery orders. No copies accepted. One coupon per customer per visit. Valid at participating Castles. ©2019 WHITE CASTLE MANAGEMENT CO.
COMBO MEAL #1–6 OR ANY BREAKFAST COMBO
C-03 EXPIRES 11/13/19. Lesser price items are free. Not valid with any other coupon, discount, specials, online coupon, offers, or promo codes. Not valid on delivery orders. No copies accepted. One coupon per customer per visit. Valid at participating Castles. ©2019 WHITE CASTLE MANAGEMENT CO.
WAYS TO
ORDER
IN-CASTLE
DELIVERY ®
ONLINE/APP
USG FROM 1
Greer said that the USG leaders want to create universitywide guidelines for withdrawal and re-enrollment for medical circumstances such as mental health, a recommendation that came from University President Michael V. Drake’s Suicide and Mental Health Task Force. Dennen said they want to focus on health care options for students who use Medicaid, as Medicaid is currently accepted at the Wexner Medical Center, but not the Student Health Center. “This is your home,” Dennen said. “You should feel safe and happy and supported in your home.” Dennen, as she reflected on Ohio State’s 150th year, said she felt it was time to review and revise the university talks about diversity and inclusion, including the term itself. “ W e want to get the people who have lived these experiences in the room, Kate Greer not just to occupy a seat, but to lead the charge,” Greer said. Greer and Dennen said that their plans for equity and justice — their third area of focus this semester — and improved terminology for diversity and inclusion, include a universitywide absence
tively recruiting diverse faculty through a committee focused on diversity, inclusivity and equity in human resources, which will help retain Ohio State’s diverse student populations.
“You are a student and you’re a million other things, and you don’t have to compromise any of those other things to be a good student.” JULIA DENNEN Vice president of USG
CASEY CASCALDO | MANAGING EDITOR FOR MULTIMEDIA
Kate Greer and Julia Dennen, USG president and vice president, hope to implement a universitywide absense polic.
policy, especially for students of faith. “There is none,” Greer said. “There is no universitywide absence policy. There’s something in faculty rules that says it’s up to the professors.” Dennen said that in one instance, she had to provide a link to a livestream of a Yom Kippur service she was attending in order to get permission to be absent from a class. Greer said she had to produce copies of her mother’s
obituary in order to miss a midterm. Dennen said that systems should be in place to protect students and their identities.
STAY CONNECTED WITH
THE LANTERN “We shouldn’t be forcing students to pick different parts of their identity,” Dennen said. “You
are a student and you’re a million other things, and you don’t have to compromise any of those other things to be a good student.” Equity and justice studies, task forces and strategic plans should be implemented to further understand the realities of students, such as studies about housing and food security among students and a strategic plan to combat sexual violence, Greer and Dennen said. Greer also said that for the first time, Ohio State will begin ac-
“If we’re going to talk about retention –– how do we retain underrepresented populations — is we make the faculty that we hire as diverse as they are,” Greer said. Dennen said that the goal of their administration’s agenda is to hold Ohio State to a higher standard. “That’s what the sesquicentennial means to us, is: What can we do now? What can we start so that 150 years from now, the conversations aren’t the same ones?” Dennen said.
@sam_raudins
ARTS&LIFE
4 | Thursday, August 22, 2019
thelantern.com
@LanternArtsLife
NETFLIX Ohio State alumnus makes Netflix debut with reality glass-blowing show | ON PAGE 5
Quinn XCII announced for Welcome Back Concert
NICHOLAS YOUNGBLOOD Arts&Life Editor youngblood.27@osu.edu
Among Ohio State traditions such as the Script Ohio and Mirror Lake Jump, there is one that will surely never die: complaining about the Welcome Back Concert headliner. The Ohio Union Activities Board announced Detroit-native rapper and singer Quinn XCII as the headliner of the annual Welcome Back Concert, set for Sept. 6, at the Schottenstein Center. The Twitter post generated mixed reactions. While many students expressed their excitement, others joked about their dissatisfaction. The show is one of two free concerts organized by the group each year, along with the Big Spring Concert. OUAB’s director of concerts, Karla Haddad, a fourth-year in marketing and political science, said she thinks the fall concert is a great way to show new students what college life is all about. “Being a student is not just
about your schedule and your academics and your involvements,” Haddad said. “It’s also about opportunities to let go and have fun and also meet other people.” Despite some backlash on social media surrounding the announcement, Haddad is confident in the organization’s choice. She and Abby Hickey, OUAB concert committee member and third-
Scan This For Tickets
year in strategic communications and English, explained the selection process. OUAB’s concert committee goes through hundreds of potential choices when selecting artists for its concerts, Haddad said. She said the selection process for this concert started in March, while
the spring concert was still in the works. Factors such as genre, cost, artist availability and student feedback influence the ultimate decision, Hickey said, and the organization is experimenting with ways to give students a larger voice in the selection process. “We just have to be careful not to be in our little bubble,” Hickey said. “When we’re looking at who we’d like to bring, it’s a lot of making sure we’re taking care of all the students on campus and bringing an event that is going to be beneficial and exciting to everyone.” Quinn XCII was among the top three artists in a poll OUAB promoted last year on social media, Haddad said. The artist released his debut album, “The Story of Us,” in 2017. His second album, “From Michigan with Love,” was released in February. Quinn XCII dropped his newest single, “Stacy,” on July 20, according to his Twitter. While students often request household names such as Drake or Beyoncé for OUAB concerts,
CASEY CASCALDO | MANAGING EDITOR FOR MULTIMEDIA
Quinn XCII, who will be headlining the Welcome Back Concert, performs hit songs at Breakaway. Haddad said limited resources and scheduling conflicts often make it easier to book up-andcoming artists. “You look back at previous concert lineups and you’ll see J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, etc. They were not as big then as they are now,” she said. After selling out the Bluestone and generating a lot of buzz at Breakaway Music Festival last year, Quinn XCII was a no-brainer, she said. Hickey said that between his proven track-record of Columbus success, his popularity among students, his penchant for college concerts and his availability, “the stars aligned” when booking Quinn XCII. Haddad thinks that this year’s
Welcome Back Concert will connect students across the university. “These concerts are meant to bring people together — expose people to new artists — because in the end it’s about the audience and the artist,” she said. “It’s not about us and the work we’re doing. It’s about maximizing the experience for the people that are there and also bringing the artist to stage and putting their talents on stage.” Digital tickets for Quinn XCII are available online at go.osu. edu/OUABTickets. Currently, one ticket is available per BuckID. Supporting acts will be announced soon.
Poo and you: New installation reuses human waste ASHLEY KIMMEL Assistant Arts&Life Editor kimmel.103@osu.edu Emerging from a patch of corn between Dulles Hall and 18th Avenue Library, a new structure celebrates the stuff students would rather flush away. The structure, called “Privy 2: Biosolids and You,” is a research collaboration by faculty and students from the Knowlton School of Architecture and the Department of Anthropology. It features a pavilion made of recycled plastic bottles, surrounded by rows of corn fertilized by human waste product. “What this project is doing is trying to give people the opportunity to really think about the ways in which waste can be reused as resources in ways that we would deem to be responsible and productive,” Nick Kawa, assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, said. Kawa and Forbes Lipschitz, assistant professor of landscape architecture, led the project through the Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Transformation
(InFACT), according to the Ohio State Discovery Themes website. Kawa and Lipschitz worked alongside students to design the plot and later included Justin Diles, associate professor of architecture, to design the pavilion, Kawa said. The project is about “exhibiting transformations of waste in central Ohio” and is presented
through the recycled aspects of the project in both the cornfield and pavilion, Kawa said. The corn is fertilized with a substance called ComTil, “a compost product made with residual biosolids from the City of Columbus’s wastewater treatment plants,” according to the website. Kawa said he ties anthropol-
ogy into the project by showing that human waste can be used as a resource, something he said American society often takes for granted. “We’ve seen throughout history that lots of different cultures have managed human waste in ways that made it productive for agriculture,” Kawa said.
AMAL SAEED | PHOTO EDITOR
A new sculpture has been installed between Dulles Hall and 18th Avenue Library, called “Privy 2: Biosolids and You,” and is surrounded by a patch of corn fertilized by human waste.
Kawa said the structure is open to interpretation, but to him, it represents inverted infrastructure. “I think what is cool about it is people can read different things into it, but at its core, it’s made from recycled material,” Kawa said. Diles said the pavilion’s design process required building a 4-by-9-foot oven to heat the foam panels made from plastic bottles, which were then formed over large molds. Diles said the name of the structure is a call to an outhouse, but also refers to the Ohio State community “becoming privy to innovative or imaginative ways that we can transform waste.” An inauguration party will be held Sept. 6 to celebrate the full completion of the structure. By this time, the structure will include graphics on the inside of the pavilion, as well as a booklet on-site featuring “photos, art, and a series of essays on the history of waste management and its relationship to agriculture,” Kawa said in an email.
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
Thursday, August 22, 2019 | The Lantern | 5
Ohio State alumnus makes Netflix debut ANNA RIPKEN Copy Chief ripken.2@osu.edu
W
hen Nick Uhas graduated from Ohio State in 2009 with a degree in biology, he expected to take the Medical College Admission Test, attend medical school and become a doctor. But one entrepreneurship camp and a minor in theater and video production later suggested he could pursue a different path. Now, the creator of a science education-based YouTube channel with more than 243,000 subscriptions, Uhas has found himself hosting a Netflix show, “Blown Away” — released July 12 — that combines the art of glass blowing with reality competition. “A lot of times, you get a lot of rehashing of old ideas or concepts that are very similar in nature,” Uhas said. “But never in history has there ever been a show that has either been about glass blowing or has combined both glass blowing and reality competition.”
Blown Away
“Blown Away” — developed by Netflix, Blue Ant Media and Marblemedia — follows 10 glass artists as they take on weekly challenges that vary in functionality and requirements, Uhas said. Contestants aren’t just experienced in glass blowing; they work with the material in a variety of ways, he said.
COURTESY OF MARBLEMEDIA
Katherine Gray, a judge on “Blown Away,” stands next to Nick Uhas, the host, as he talks to glass-blowing contestants. The winning artist of “Blown Away” receives $60,000 and a residency at the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York — a large contributor to the show, Uhas said. The museum has millions of visitors every year, and its campus acts as a home for artists who specialize in glass blowing and glass art. “The Corning Museum of Glass inspires people to see glass in a new light,” Eric Meek, final guest judge on the show, said in a statement. “‘Blown Away’ is a global platform, and it’s exciting to think about how this will broaden glassmaking’s level of
exposure.” Uhas said he was able to visit the Corning Museum of Glass and record videos for his YouTube channel with help from the museum, and he discovered how dynamic the material is. “You can actually melt glass in a microwave,” he said. “That kind of blew my mind. I didn’t think that you could, but there’s actually a couple of steps you can take in order to make glass in its liquid state just through a standard household microwave.” Uhas’ YouTube channel is not a one-man show; he has help from a science-based production com-
pany — a small team that helps write, shoot, produce and edit his content. “If you think about Netflix as a digital publisher, kind of like a giant YouTube channel, it’s very similar,” Uhas said. “So, for a YouTuber or anyone who makes their own content, doing TV on Netflix is a big step.
His Own Path
Uhas’ fit as a reality competition host doesn’t just come from his YouTube experience. He gained hosting experience in New York City — where he lived after briefly working on television
pilots in Chicago post-graduation — doing red carpet interviews and entertainment reporting. Throughout these experiences, Uhas learned more about writing, editing and producing his own content, which led him to YouTube. Uhas then moved to Los Angeles to compete on season 15 of “Big Brother” and season 12 of “America’s Got Talent.” “When I went on the set of ‘Blown Away,’ all of my experience with being a reality TV contestant felt so correct,” Uhas said. “It actually felt like I knew definitely what I was doing, where the cameras were, what cameras A, B and C were doing, the director asking me how this was going to look as an editor.” While Uhas’ undergraduate experience didn’t necessarily point in the direction of entertainment, he still acknowledges Ohio State as a contributor to his current involvement with the industry. “I think the one thing that I will always remember from Ohio State is that Ohio State offers an education in a city diverse enough, in-the-know enough, progressive enough,” Uhas said. “Growing up there and spending time there offers enough global experience that anybody graduating from in or out of state who are living in Columbus can go off and do anything they want.”
@anna_ripken
ATTN: FRESHMEN Got your IPad?
Download The Lantern in 3 easy steps! Everything you need to know about The Ohio State University is just a few swipes away. Download The Lantern app on your iPad for breaking news, upcoming concerts and events, and all things Buckeyes! Stay informed and never miss out with our nationally recognized and award winning independent student journalism.
Download for free! Here’s how: 1. Open the Self Service app
2. Scroll down to The Lantern app & Click Install
The Lantern Install
3. Read The Lantern’s news
6 | The Lantern | Thursday, August 22, 2019
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
CASEY CASCALDO | MANAGING EDITOR FOR MULTIMEDIA
Expanded Wi-Fi connectivity in Ohio Stadium is expected to be ready for the opening home football game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 31. WIFI FROM 8
“That’s really exciting because, especially being a first-year, it’s scary being in a crowd that big, and I can contact people and I won’t have to worry about not knowing how to get places, or texting people,” MacDonald said. Second-year civil engineering student Adriana Pinero described the game day phone service as a “dead zone.” “I once had an online ticket and I couldn’t even pull it up on my phone,” Pinero said. “I had to go someplace that had Wi-Fi,
screenshot it, then come back.” This project was part of a broader $18.6 million plan to expand Wi-Fi connection across all Ohio State campuses, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in April 2018. The total Wi-Fi expansion is expected to feature the installation of 23,000 access points in 500 buildings and 180 outdoor areas across the state.
GriffinStrom3
AMAL SAEED | PHOTO EDITOR
Ohio State then-redshirt freshman cornerback Shaun Wade (24) runs on the field during the game against Rutgers on Sept. 8.
Puzzles
Answer Key for Aug. 20:
Across 1. Aced 5. Elsa 9. Pcs 12. Blurt 14. Mias 15. Aura 16. Sarah 17. Cpls 18. Brit 19. Notice 21. Thelma 23. Niece
26. Olsen 27. Hadago 31. Evil 33. Rails 34. Renewed 38. Eros 39. Award 41. Item 43. Problem 45. Blase 46. Yeti 47. Tellit 48. Stage
52. Scare 54. Lugosi 56. Tipoff 60. Atno 61. Gogo 64. Emile 66. Toed 67. Edam 68. Rider 69. SRS 70. Tess 71. Tows
Down 1. ABS 2. Clan 3. Euro 4. Drat 5. Emcee 6. Lip 7. Sal 8. Asst 9. Purls 10. Crime 11. Satan 13. Things 15. Abel 20. Cio
22. Hole 24. Ceramic 25. Ever 27. Hre 28. AARP 29. Dior 30. Also 32. Ind 35. Will 36. Etal 37. Desi 39. Ale 40. Wets 42. Met
44. Byes 45. Beeper 47. Tri 48. Slats 49. Tutor 50. Agnes 51. Good 53. Atoms 55. Iget 57. Omit 58. Fido 59. Flew 62. Ode 63. Gas 65. Ers
Across
1. Dog’s pest 5. Shakes 9. Thin nail 13. Sound 15. ____ mater 16. Prego’s competition 17. Scale 18. Pasta 20. Calendar abbr. 21. Michael Phelps’s circuits 23. Dollars 24. Law officers 25. Sow ____ oats 27. Monk’s intonation 29. New Orleans, with “The” (2 wds.) 32. Object 33. Ciphers 34. Vim 36. Big wheels (abbr.)
37. Office worker 38. Station selector 39. Mall mo. 40. Thresholds 41. Professir Higgins 42. Just this time (2 wds.) 44. Mothers and grandmothers 45. Librarian’s word 46. Evergreens 47. Reporters’ questions 49. Conceited 50. ____ Tac (mint) 53. Preliminary elections 56. Show feelings 58. “____ fun!” 59. Nursing course (abbr.) 60. Stiff 61. Changed color 62. Holbrook and others 63. Medicine
Down
1. Matter-of-____ 2. Humdinger 3. Singer Adams 4. Prepare to shoot 5. Stinging insects 6. “Heidi” mountains 7. A.M. TV show, informally 8. Sink down 9. Singer Lee 10. Fixed price 11. Representatives (abbr.) 12. Imbiber’s offense (abbr.) 14. Like some tablecloths 19. Doughnut features 22. Suitable 24. Coffee containers 25. Cable hookups 26. Composer Stravinsky 27. Head of police precinct 28. Large African animal, informally 29. Georgia beauty
30. Book part 31. Crave 32. Boob-tubes 33. Nil 35. Paper layer 37. Flippers 38. FDR & JFK, e.g. (abbr.) 40. March King 41. “Little Jack____...” 43. Wrote verse 44. Popular Nintendo product 46. Observes Yom Kippur 47. Fay of “King Kong” 48. Drone’s home 49. Cutlet meat 50. “Is that for here or ____?” (2 wds.) 51. “How sweet ___” (2 wds.) 52. Give up 53. Advanced degree (abbr.) 54. Fan’s cry 55. Once ___ blue moon (2 wds.) 57. Start for way or point
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
Thursday, August 22, 2019 | The Lantern | 7
Turning over a new leaf
Maligned Ohio State defense focused on creating turnovers ANDY ANDERS Assistant Sports Editor anders.83@osu.edu
primarily on interceptions when asked about turnovers Tuesday.
Eleven months ago, Ohio State’s defense generated 14 points off of two takeaways in a contest it won by 12 against No. 15 TCU. Interceptions and lost fumbles can decide games. Ohio State combined for 20 in 2018, fewer than any year since 2008, and allowed the most yards per game in school history. That’s why a defensive staff that’s turned over four coaches is looking to turn over a new leaf and generate more turnovers this season. “When I think of turnovers, it’s everybody,” co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “It’s ball disruption by the D-line. It’s linebackers getting in windows. It’s tipped balls.”
“They’re not afraid to go make a play. That’s what practice is for.”
To view the full interview with JEFF HAFLEY and more, visit
LanternTV @
www.thelantern.com/ category/lantern-tv
Hafley, responsible for coordinating the secondary, focused
JEFF HAFLEY Ohio State co-defensive coordinator
Interceptions accounted for 63 percent of all takeaways during former head coach Urban Meyer’s tenure. There’s just cause to discuss them too, because multiple players indicated the defense is forcing more picks than an overzealous fantasy football commissioner. When asked who is making the most interceptions in camp, junior safety Brendon White rattled off six names and said he could “go on and on.” Junior cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, who enters 2019 fresh off a breakout Rose Bowl with five tackles and two pass break ups, shed light on why the defensive backfield is generating so many. “Everyone’s making it a main point to get to the football every single play, and I think when you
hustle to the football, you get a lot of those loose balls, a lot of those tipped balls,” Okudah said. An emphasis since the arrival of the Buckeyes’ four new defensive assistant coaches has been simplifying the defense for players. More turnovers would indicate that defenders are playing faster. “We’re having athletes just going out and making plays,” White said. “Not too much thinking.” White’s words echo what Hafley is teaching. “They’re finishing. They’re finishing violent,” Hafley said. “They’re not afraid to go make a play. That’s what practice is for.” The versatility of the scheme with the new bullet position and the ability to switch in and out of zone and man coverages, to press, to back off, is what can confuse opposing passing attacks. “Last year it felt like every game we had a new coverage, a new defense we were going to put in for that specific team,” junior safety Isaiah Pryor said. “This year we can just tweak it to fit [the opposing team].” Sophomore safety Josh Proctor is said to be leading the team in interceptions during practice, with Okudah placing his total as high as eight. Proctor didn’t see any mean-
CASEY CASCALDO | MANAGING EDITOR FOR MULTIMEDIA
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.
ingful snaps in 2018 and will be contending for playing time with senior safety and captain Jordan Fuller as well as Pryor. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Shaun Wade could also slide back, with experience at safety from this past season. In what could be considered a breakout camp, teammates have noticed a shift in Proctor’s focus and confidence since his arrival as a freshman in 2018. “Your freshman year, you come in here, you don’t know what’s about to happen,” Wade said. “[Coaches] tell you this, but
when you get here, it’s always a different thing. Coach Hafley [has been] telling him he has the ability to play, [Proctor] took that to the field.” Gaining that self-assurance is one way the secondary has grown as a whole, and it may prove the primary cause for their turnover increase. “They’re gaining confidence, which to me is the most important thing,” Hafley said. “I want them to be fearless, and I want that to be their mindset.”
@AndyAnders55
SPORTS
8 | Thursday, August 22, 2019
FOOTBALL
thelantern.com
@LanternSports
Ohio State defense looks to generate more turnovers this season. | ON PAGE 7
Okudah seeks NFL future under Hafley
Wi-Fi to be ready for football home opener GRIFFIN STROM Sports Editor strom.25@osu.edu Ohio State football fans will now be able to call, text and post online while attending games, as improved Wi-Fi connection is expected to be available for the opening game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 31, according to a university press release. The $10.5 million project, which began in January, will eventually include expanded WiFi availability in the Schottenstein Center.
KHALID HASHI | LTV SPORTS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, Jeff Hafley, discusses junior cornerback Jeffrey Okudah’s skills and mindset at a press conference on Aug. 20.
GRIFFIN STROM Sports Editor strom.25@osu.edu While he may not come right out and say it, Jeffrey Okudah seems to have his sights set on the NFL. The Ohio State junior cornerback is a projected first-round draft pick and has compared himself to Denzel Ward and Jalen Ramsey during fall camp –– both top-five NFL draft selections at the position. With seven years of NFL experience under his belt, Jeff Hafley, first-year co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, will help Okudah get there, but first he wants his star cornerback to focus on the task at hand. “Here’s what I tell Jeff: ‘It’s one day at a time. Projections don’t mean anything,’” Hafley said. “He’s got to go out and prove it every single day. And practice is very important, and then he’s got to go play this year.” The former No. 1 cornerback in the class of 2017, Okudah likened his Ohio State career trajectory to that of Denzel Ward. Both had zero interceptions entering their third year in the program, but if Okudah mirrors Ward,
his junior season will lead to a lucrative early leap to the next level. “I’m not leaving here with zero interceptions on a stat sheet,” Okudah said. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound corner said he’s targeting a range of three to six interceptions for himself in the 2019 season, and Hafley’s new scheme will help allow him to do it. Okudah said Hafley, whom wide receivers coach Brian Hartline called the “best DB coach in the world,” shows him tapes of star
To view the full interview with JEFFREY OKUDAH and more, visit
LanternTV @
www.thelantern.com/ category/lantern-tv
NFL cornerback Richard Sherman, as well as tapes from the Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. Though Okudah said playing press man coverage on “nine out of 10 plays” was something he wanted to do as a younger player, Hafley’s implementation of more zone coverages has proved successful for creating turnovers in offseason practice. On Tuesday, Hafley spoke about the physical gifts Okudah possesses, including the rangey length that
lends credence to Ramsey comparisons, but added that it’s what the Grand Prairie, Texas, native has between the ears that sets him apart. “What separates him from other people is his mindset, and that’s what the great ones have,” Hafley said. “That’s what he does. He works.” While the work Okudah did to better his game in his first two seasons revolved around the physical and technical aspects of the sport, he said the acquisition of Hafley ahead of his junior year shifted his focus to the mental portion of the game. Part of the mentality Hafley said he’s working on with his players is that their time with teammates at Ohio State may very well be the most fun they ever have playing football, even if an NFL future lies in the wake. Hafley called it a “distraction” for players like Okudah to begin looking ahead too early. Even if they don’t directly discuss his individual goals, Okudah said Hafley knows what a high first-round cornerback looks like, and that the standard his coach holds him to is not by accident. “He just lets me know that if I perform within his system and do what he tells me to do, that I have a chance to be a great player,” Okudah said. “That’s all I need is a chance.”
GriffinStrom3
“Those involved knew how important expanded coverage in the stadium was for our fans and they have worked efficiently and quickly to get this installation completed.” JIM NULL Senior associate athletics director
“Those involved — the Design Team, Osborn Engineering, Smoot Construction, Ohio Electric, Kastle and Ampthink — knew how important expanded coverage in the stadium was for our fans and they have worked efficiently and quickly to get this installation completed,” senior associate athletics director and chief information officer Jim Null said in the release. By the Oct. 4 project completion date, 47 miles of wire, 4,018 antennas and 2,009 access points will have been installed in Ohio Stadium. “Ten access points could typically cover an area the size of the stadium,” Null said. “But we needed significantly more to service the Wi-Fi needs of so many fans in close proximity, plus ticketing functions and the press box, suites, club rooms, concourses and outdoor areas.” Sela MacDonald, a first-year in neuroscience who went to five games each season while growing up in Dublin, Ohio, said it was frustrating that cellular service and Wi-Fi didn’t work in or around the stadium, even an hour before games. The new installation addresses what MacDonald said was a potential security issue. WIFI CONTINUES ON 6