Artists showcase their COVID-19 journeys in new exhibit.
Freshman
midfelder Casey Roberts is making an impact on the women’s lacrosse team.
Drivers who like to text and drive will fnd themselves facing harsher consequences. Read about them here.
The story of the Ohio State Boxing Club can only be compared to the redemption arc of “Rocky III.”
After the club took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic — much like Rocky Balboa losing his title to Clubber Lang — Kyle Stadler and Eddie Kubit have helped build Boxing Club back up to what it was.
During a normal year, Stadler said the club has a fairly consistent attendance with around 60-70 people.
“After [the pandemic], we were down in the dumps for a while. We really, kind of, revitalized it — I say the second birth in 2021 — so it’s been uphill from there,” Stadler said.
Stadler, club secretary and a third-year in computer science and engineering, said the club helps the university community build physical and mental strength through boxing practices, as well as aids attendees with a handful of self-defense skills.
The club has three tiers to accommodate different skill levels: general, intermediate and competition, Stadler said.
“There’s room for everyone,” Stadler said.
Students in the club compete at national boxing competitions. According to the club’s GoFundMe account, at the time of publication, it has raised $3,270 of its $4,000 goal to go to the competition.
Kubit, a third-year in computer science and engineering and data analytics, said he joined the club at the start of his sophomore year and initially had no boxing experience.
Now a club competition boxer, he said he believes anyone who joins the club can become one too.
“There’s about six of us that go and compete against other schools in the Midwest,” Kubit said. “The nice part about the club is that the coaches are also students and alumni, people that have been in the club, so the ability to excel and get to a higher-level boxing, the coaches have done it, the competitors have done it, so it’s really easy for any of the general members as well.”
Kubit said the Boxing Club isn’t all about throwing the hardest punches. He said it’s both a physical and mental workout as well as a stress management tool.
On top of being a great workout, Stadler
said Boxing Club has another benefit: selfdefense.
“This is probably the best club to do it for that secondary reason,” Stadler said. “In such a turbulent world right now, it’s nice to have the skill set that you’re able to defend yourself while not looking for fights.”
Jack Woo, a fourth-year in computer and information science, said he fell in love with the club at his first practice and has attended ever since.
“I guess you could say it was love at first punch,” Woo said. “We did warmups and all that, and I was thinking to myself, ‘When do we start punching?’ I’ve really enjoyed it.”
The club meets every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and the first three classes are free, with a $50 fee every semester following those classes, according to the club’s website.
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, “dialing a phone number, sending a text message, updating or browsing social media, video calls or FaceTime, browsing the internet, watching videos and recording or streaming video” are all off limits.
Ross said distracted driving is not a generational issue, as motorists of all ages have been subject to keeping their eyes on their phone instead of the road.
“We see that it’s an issue with individuals who have had their license for two weeks, and individuals who have had their license for 30 years,” Ross said. “Technology is a large part of everyone’s personal and professional lives, and there are more distractions now than ever.”
Thirteen exemptions to distracted driving have been administered, Ross said, many of which involve being at a complete stop or contacting emergency authorities.
Ross said upon first offense, the Ohio Department of Public Safety encourages taking a course to educate those motorists on distracted driving. All motorists who take the course will avoid a more severe penalty.
WIL STEIGERWALD
Lantern reporter steigerwald.47@osu.edu
This story was originally published April 4, 2023.
Texting while driving has been illegal in Ohio since 2012, but legislation has now made Ohio’s law enforcement response even tougher.
A new law tightening up punishments for distracted driving across Ohio went into effect Tuesday in hopes to limit the number of driving accidents. According to the law, distracted driving caused by electronic devices will be considered a warning until
Oct. 4. After this date, it will be considered a primary offense.
“Governor DeWine signed Senate Bill 288 on January 3rd. Ninety days after that it will go into effect, which will be tomorrow, April 4th,” Ohio State highway patrol officer Sgt. Tyler Ross said in an email.
Ross said from 2018-23, there have been more than 62,000 car accidents involving distracted driving in Ohio alone. Of those accidents, 1,828 resulted in serious injuries or deaths.
University spokesperson Dan Hedman said in an email distracted driving — before the bill was passed — was only a secondary
traffic offense, meaning a driver could not be pulled over for only texting and driving. Officers needed to see two traffic infractions to make a stop.
Ross said the new law completely cracks down on phone use while operating a vehicle, the only exception being answering phone calls.
“Motorists can’t manually enter or manipulate their phones – besides a one touch motion, such as pressing a button or a swipe to answer/end a call,” Ross said. “They can’t support or hold a phone with any part of their body, besides having the phone directly to their ear.”
“On a first offense, it’s up to a $150 fine and two points on your license. There is a course offered by the Department of Public Safety that when completed will waive the fine and points,” Ross said.
Ross said on second offense, drivers will receive up to a $250 fine and three points on their license. The third offense is up to a $500 fine and four points on their license.
Ross said he hopes this law encourages drivers to put down their phones.
“We can stop and educate those motorists, spreading awareness on the dangers of distracted driving and focusing on the roadway around and ahead of them,” Ross said.
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From concert venues to resturant openings, Arts & Life
At a young age, Beatty became passionate about pursuing a career in music, leading him to study jazz at Ohio State. Beatty said after graduating in 2018, he dove into country music when an opportunity came to play guitar in Nashville, Tennessee.
Beatty said his experience with jazz made him versatile when transitioning to new genres.
“If you can play jazz, you can play any style of music,” Beatty said. “I’ve grown a lot as a person, and I have learned so much as a musician as well. I feel grateful for the last five years now that I’ve been in Nashville. It’s been awesome.”
Kevin Turner, an assistant jazz guitar professor at Ohio State, said jazz has unique traits that make it different from other genres.
“It requires analytical skills and technique,” Turner said. “You have to improvise over chord changes or particular harmony with specific scales that correlate to each chord.”
Currently, Beatty studies jazz guitar and plays country music as a guitarist for artists, like Tyler Reese Tritt.
“What I learned in Ohio State was valuable in helping me transition into the country music world of Nashville,” Beatty said. “It’s just the location. If I’d stayed in
Columbus, Ohio, I would probably be playing funk, R&B or something different.”
Beatty said his parents have been huge supporters since he was a kid. He said he started playing in his local church, Grace Polaris Church, when he was young.
Turner said Beatty has been a very mature artist ever since he started at Ohio State.
“He has a pristine sound on his guitar, he
knows how to dial up different sounds and knows how to play with a lot of artistic and stylistic integrity, and he is a good singer, and I felt like that particular combination of musical skills would serve him well,” Turner said.
Beatty said his biggest goal is to play alongside his favorite artist Dave Matthews. Despite Nashville being known as a “10-year town” — meaning it takes a person 10 years to succeed in the city — Beatty said
COURTESY OF JOSH BEATTY
he achieved success while playing for other musicians within five years of living there.
“I feel so grateful to be able to say I’ve certainly moved quicker in less than 10 years,” Beatty said. “I’m so grateful. I hope to be touring in the next five or 10 years, playing bigger stages and getting to touch more people with my music with the sounds in my head and the voice God’s giving me.”
ARTS&LIFEJazz guitarist and alumnus Josh Beatty plays country music for a Nashville, Tennessee, crowd. He said his education in jazz made him a more versatile artist.
Lantern reporter denman.84@osu.edu
Ohio Arts Council Communication
Strategist Katie Monahan made her curatorial debut with “Ohio Arts Beacon of Light,” an exhibition depicting 17 Ohio artists’ journeys experiencing and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic at the Riffe Gallery, located in downtown Columbus.
In spring 2020 when shutdowns began, Monahan was put in charge of the “Arts Beacon of Light” initiative, an idea that led the council to create an online platform for artists to submit their work for a chance to be featured on the Ohio Arts Beacon of Light Instagram page. This initiative allowed artists to show their work, connect with others and cope together in an effort to inspire and enrich Ohio communities, Monahan said.
“We want to give people a place to be inspired by art, but we also want to help the artists,” Monahan said. “We asked them to include a narrative of how they were coping, how their practice had shifted, if they were able to create — or if maybe they just couldn’t find it in them at the time — how they were handling it.”
Three hundred artist submissions appeared on the Instagram account, Monahan said. Intending to transform the initiative into an exhibition, Monahan said she and Cat Sheridan, the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe gallery director, narrowed down the pool of artists to 17 to be included in the show.
“I just think it’s such a lovely full-circle story, like, here we are, in person seeing the work,” Monahan said.
Each artist featured in “Ohio Arts Beacon of Light” has anywhere from two to six pieces on display, and these pieces include many of the artists’ online submissions as well as works created since the initiative began, Monahan said.
The result is a large exhibition that includes photography, mixed media, sculpture, watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings, charcoal and colored pencil drawings, installation work and ceramics, Monahan said. Through “Ohio Arts Beacon of Light,”
Monahan said she hoped to convey how art can connect, communicate and serve as a coping mechanism.
“I think we really wanted to be able to communicate the power of the arts as a salve of
artistic practice, as a healing mechanism whether it’s artists who are creating the art,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
who are using it as their own healing practice, or people who are viewing it who can relate to that in some way,” Monahan said.
COVID-19, Monahan said, was a collective experience, but one each individual experienced differently. Despite the artists’ ranging mediums and styles, Monahan said they all came back to a selection of topics surrounding their struggles during the pandemic.
“There were definitely themes that arose as we started looking at the artists and the pieces that we chose, and it was all themes of basic human need: the need for shelter, the need to feel safe, the need for community,” Monahan said. “It’s that collective need for connection and feeling safe and being able to have these conversations.”
Inside the gallery, on the right side of the exhibition — what Monahan thought to be the beginning of the experience — focuses on solace in nature and the process of solitary healing, she said.
Moving through the gallery, charcoal drawings focusing on grief bridge the gap between the reclusive individualism at one end of the exhibition and the communitybased works at the other, Monahan said. At the far left end of the room, Monahan said visitors will find work representing light in times of darkness.
“I do think of it as a journey. It moves from that solitary, internal process that I think a lot of us went through,” Monahan said. “I stand here with these flowers, and I can feel those early days when all I could do was go outside and then, as we move through, it kind of represents that feeling of, OK, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and inserting that physical community back in.”
Sheridan said Monahan’s curatorial arrangement of “Ohio Arts Beacon of Light” and application of themes surrounding COVID-19 was phenomenal. She said she appreciates the way Monahan created a seamless viewer experience through her selection of artists and placement of the works.
“She brought to fruition a capstone of a really difficult time, and I think it wonderfully epitomizes the way that any artists either used art as a salve to help themselves emotionally move through that space or used it to help heal community or used it to articulate ideas about what was happening in our world,” Sheridan said.
“Ohio Arts Beacon of Light” will be displayed at the Riffe Gallery, located at 77 S. High St., from noon to 5 p.m. through Friday. Original submissions to the initiative can be found on the exhibit’s Instagram.
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While the comedic chemistry of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston seldom fails audiences, their newest collaboration, “Murder Mystery 2,” doesn’t hold the rewatch potential of their other movies, like “Murder Mystery” and “Just Go With It.” With an overwhelming emphasis on action and a lack of solid comedy audiences were seeking, “Murder Mystery 2” failed to impress in the ways that other AnistonSandler movies have in the past.
To recap, we last saw Nick (Sandler) and
Audrey (Aniston) Spitz on their 15-yearsdelayed honeymoon to Italy as they solve a case of a long string of premeditated murders. Due to their success, they decide to quit their jobs and open their own detective agency, which has been struggling since the series’ previous installment.
To kick off the sequel, the Spitzes decide to reintroduce the excitement into their lives and forget about the recent rut they’ve fallen into by accepting a wedding invitation from Vikram Shivan Govindan (Adeel Akhtar), one of their surviving friends from the last film.
Similar to the first film, the trip quickly
falls apart. Govindan, also known as The Maharajah, is kidnapped as his wedding festivities begin. With the kidnappers requesting a large ransom, the Spitzs find themselves in a pickle as they strive to save their friend. The pair is conveniently placed within the mix of a short list of suspects.
As most mystery films do, the film relies heavily on suspense, accusations and deceptions to string the audience along as answers inch closer and closer. Unfortunately, the cast of suspects lacks zest, containing a bland mix of underdeveloped characters with each of their motives and backstories more boring than the last.
As expected, there were a few one-liners and gags that brought the typical Sandler comedy to play, such as the vaping French police detective (Dany Boon) or Nick Spitz’s obsession with cheese at the wedding. These moments salvaged the movie from becoming completely uninteresting.
The easygoing chemistry between Aniston and Sandler is enough to make the movie bearable, and it’s evident to the audience they’ll enjoy the silliness of the film — even if it’s not a five-star movie.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
The No. 13 Buckeyes prepare for the finale of this year’s regular season as they face Purdue Fort Wayne and Loyola Chicago.
Ohio State (17-9, 9-3 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) will end its men’s volleyball regular season at the Covelli Center Thursday against the Mastodons and Saturday in a highly anticipated rematch against the current conference No.1 standing Loyola Chicago for the Buckeyes’ senior night.
“I just want to see us out there, regardless of who is on the other side of the net,” head coach Kevin Burch said.
With their first match of the week against Purdue Fort Wayne (16-10, 7-5 MIVA), the Buckeyes are preparing for a strong serving team who come with two fresh 3-1 wins against Quincy and Lindenwood.
“They’re a very, very good serving team,” Burch said. “Our passing is going to be a huge key.”
Burch is expecting some of the Mastodons’ veteran players on the court, such as senior outside hitter Jon Diedrich and junior middle blocker Bryce Walker. Diedrich has a current total of 356 kills and 33 service aces. Walker has a total of 211 kills and 41 service aces.
Sophomore outside hitter Mark Frazier also has a total of 246 kills and 32 service aces for his team.
The Bearcats won 3-0 against the Mastodons Feb. 16, and Burch said leaning on defense will help Ohio State find similar success.
“Just being disciplined like we have been talking about all year defensively is going to be critical,” Burch said.
The Buckeyes will host their last match of the regular season against the Ramblers (21-4, 11-1 MIVA), who enter the court on a three-match win streak after winning
against Quincy 3-0 last Sunday.
“I’m always an emotional coach, our guys will be the first to tell you that,” Burch said. “It’s the first class that I’ve seen through as a head coach.”
This match will be the Buckeyes’ senior night, celebrating the players that will not be joining the team nor Ohio State for next season.
“It’s a happy-sad,” senior middle blocker Samuel Clark said. “Happy, I had a ton of fun in the last four years, sad, because I’ve got to go.”
The matchup against the Ramblers is expected to be one of high intensity offensive plays with equally matched defensive plays. The Buckeyes previously lost against the Ramblers 3-0 Feb. 17.
“I’m just looking for our guys to show what we can do, regardless of the result,” Burch said. “I want to see our guys give ourselves the best chance to win by being aggressive offensively.”
With a well-rounded team like Loyola Chicago, the Buckeyes will see redshirt senior opposite hitter Cole Schlothauer, redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Parker Van Buren and junior libero Matt Oakley on the court. Schlothauer and Van Buren have a current total of 297 and 368 kills, respectively, while Oakley has a total of 172 digs.
“That’s a game where we know they’ll be at their best, or close to their best, the whole game,” Clark said.
As the regular season comes to an end this week, Burch said he will take time to reflect on what makes this particular team of Buckeyes stand out from previous seasons.
“They didn’t give up against Ball State [March 15] but that was the one where we got beat pretty good,” Burch said. “To see our guys respond from that 3-0 and kick off a six-match winning streak shows a lot about this team’s character.”
Clark hopes that, through upcoming conference tournament matches, Ohio
State will continue to play as much as possible before he takes the next steps off the Buckeye court for the finalizations of his degree in mechanical engineering.
“I really want to work in a lab, hands-on type stuff, develop, and basically be an inventor so to speak,” Clark said. “But I also do want to play at the same time, whether it’s like weekend tournaments or what not, coming back here and supporting the guys.”
Including Clark, redshirt senior outside hitter Jack Stevens and redshirt junior setter Michael Wright will be celebrated before the match.
“It will be tough to hold some emotions in,” Burch said. “They’ve certainly done a ton for this program, and we’ll definitely miss them.”
The Buckeyes will face the Mastodons at 7 p.m. Thursday and the Ramblers at 4 p.m. Saturday, with senior announcements held beforehand. Both matches will be available to stream on BTN+.
a fourth-generation Buckeye. Roberts said she grew up coming to football games since she was 4 months old, and it has always been a dream of hers to play at Ohio State.
“My grandpa played baseball here and when he passed away, coming back to Columbus made me feel like I was always with him,” Roberts said. “The only thing on my mind as I grew up was to come play lacrosse here.”
Roberts fell in love with the game at a young age thanks to her next-door neighbor who played lacrosse at Syracuse. Steve Bettinger was a part of the 1993 Syracuse men’s lacrosse team and helped the Orange win the national championship.
Roberts said she grew up playing basketball in her front yard, and lacrosse is not very popular in South Florida. So without Bettinger, Roberts said she would have never gotten introduced to the game.
“[Bettinger] would always talk to my dad and I, saying how fun and similar lacrosse is to basketball,” Roberts said. “My dad and I never knew what it was, and then he slowly started me off with ground balls and simple stuff like that. I just fell in love with it and then joined a local recreational league.”
Ferrara said. “She fits in really nicely with two senior midfielders that are really experienced, and you can’t even tell she’s a freshman. We love having her.”
Roberts hasn’t been alone. After the win against the Bearcats, head coach Amy Bokker said Ohio State’s underclassmen have flashed promise in the seasons to come.
“I was really proud of our younger players,” Bokker said. “I think we had three freshmen on the board in the first quarter, so that is something to be really proud of. We just need to get them that experience and continue to build their confidence.”
Junior defender Sarah Johnson as well as graduate defender and captain Ava Keethler have taken Roberts under their wing. Roberts said they help her a lot with zone and man-to-man defense.
“Our slide packages [on defense] are very difficult, and I was struggling with that a lot at first, but they sit through and watch film with me all the time,” Roberts said. “Sarah Johnson specifically walks me through it, even during the game since I’m always on her side of the field.”
MICHAELA BELKIN Lantern reporter belkin.19@osu.eduMaking an immediate impact on a college sports team is by no means easy, but freshman midfielder Casey Roberts can check that off her list.
Roberts has started in all 13 games for Ohio State and proven her intricate role on the roster — notching 14 goals and four assists — ranking third on the team in
points. Roberts said she wasn’t expecting to be so involved as a freshman but has enjoyed every minute of it.
“I wasn’t expecting to even play when I got here because I know it’s difficult as a freshman, but it has been awesome so far,” Roberts said. “The team and coaches are great and have always had my back. They have taught me so much already, and it’s been so fun to be a part of it this season.”
Coming from Parkland, Florida, Roberts is
Roberts notched one of her first milestones as a Buckeye Feb. 28 — scoring her first hat trick in a 13-12 overtime win against Cincinnati.
Her success didn’t go unnoticed, especially by senior attack and captain Nicole Ferrara. Ferrara said she had her eye on Roberts since the beginning of the year, and felt she was going to make a difference on the team.
“Casey coming out in fall ball, I knew she was going to be something special,”
The transition to college lacrosse has been different from Roberts’ past experiences, but she said the knowledge she’s gained thus far has helped her rapid improvement.
Roberts said patience and hard work are things she learned immediately, along with the challenges of conditioning and workouts in the weight room.
“It’s very demanding, especially being a freshman and a student-athlete,” Roberts said. “We learn so much about time management and to just always work hard and fight through adversity.”
