February 9, 2023

TOM HANKS

John R. Oller Special Projects Editor hanks.53@osu.edu

As Shayna Kling prepared to lead Friday night prayers with Ohio State University Hillel for Shabbat, she remembered a sense of excitement for the opportunity to share this special experience with her friends on Zoom.

“I had two roommates, and I was like ‘Hey, you guys can watch me do my thing, and sing and lead services,’” Kling, then a second-year in psychology, said. “You always ask me lots of questions about Judaism, so join the call and see what

happens.”

Hillel is a Jewish student center that is part of the larger Hillel International network. Shabbat is the day of rest and weekly observance of God’s completion of creation celebrated by the Jewish people and starts Friday night, according to the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

It was Oct. 16, 2020, and COVID-19 public health orders required religious services and other public gatherings to be moved online.

The Zoom service started out like any

other, but halfway through, Kling said, it took a turn.

“Someone got the link and started screaming,” Kling said. “I don’t really remember specifically, but just a lot of screaming, slurs, and [they] started typing in a box different things in all caps about Hitler –– and they also somehow took over the annotate tool on the Zoom and started drawing swastikas on the screen.”

According to reports from the University Police Department on the incident obtained by The Lantern, the call originated off campus. Because of that, the report stated the university’s Office of the Chief

Information Officer could not proceed with an investigation. No one was arrested or charged.

“It just felt very invasive because this is supposed to be that safe space,” Kling said. “And it was just completely obliterated.”

Though incidents like these — classified as hate crimes under federal reporting requirements — are rare, Ohio State stands out among Big Ten universities for how many occurred on campus.

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This illustration is based on a photo taken for a story regarding antisemitic stickers found near and around campus in November 2022.

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Ohio State ranks No. 1 in the conference with a rate of .535 hate crimes per 1,000 students, according to a Lantern analysis of Clery Act data. There were 33 total reported hate crimes from 2018-21, the most recent year for which data was available.

Of all hate crimes reported to the university from 2018-21, only one ended in an arrest.

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to record campus crime data, offer support to victims of violence and publicly outline what it has done to keep students, faculty and staff safe, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

These reports, characterized as hate crimes under the Clery Act, cover a wide range of issues — including Zoom bombings similar to what Kling experienced, uttered slurs, vandalism and assaults.

The University of Michigan had the second -highest rate of 0.378 per 1,000 students, with 18 reported crimes over that same time period. Michigan State University had

the lowest rate and a total of two reported crimes in the same time frame.

Police records of reported hate crimes at Ohio State show a mix of incidents, split among three different categories. These include 15 reports of incidents involving race and ethnicity, 14 incidents involving gender and sexual orientation and four involving religion.

The incidents include a February 2021 Black Wellness Month event hosted by Ohio State’s then-Multicultural Center, titled “Fear of a Black Planet,” that featured a Zoom panel of experts speaking on the evolution of hip-hop music.

Police reports state seven guests disrupted the meeting with profanity, racist comments and pornographic images, as well as images of firearms. They were kicked out of the Zoom meeting a few minutes later.

Reports also include staff members at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity receiving threatening emails with racist language between November 2020 and May 2021.

The Lantern contacted the victims who reported these incidents but was unable to interview them.

Keesha Mitchell, associate vice president for the Ohio State Office of Institutional Equity, said the numbers are part of a national trend and can be chalked up to Ohio State’s location and size.

“It is concerning, and we’re seeing a national trend as well,” Mitchell said. “We are one of the largest universities in the country, we are situated in an urban environment, and we have put a lot of resources into ensuring that a lot of people are reporting.”

University spokesperson Ben Johnson disputed The Lantern’s analysis and said The Lantern should add employees, campus visitors and medical center patients to its metric. This addition would lower Ohio State’s rate compared to all other campuses where only students were taken into account, but Ohio State still gathered the highest number of reports in the Big Ten.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. saw a 13 percent increase in hate crimes between 2019-20.

More recently, concerns involving hate on and off campus have increasingly been focused on antisemitism.

Clery Act reports reviewed by The Lantern do not include incidents occurring within the last year. This includes antisemitic and racial slurs found spray painted in a Hitchcock Hall stairwell Nov. 14, 2022. The hate crime included a swastika, crossout star of David and other antisemitic and racial slurs. The Clery Act report detailing incidents that occurred this year will come out in October.

University President Kristina M. Johnson said in a Nov. 15, 2022, universitywide email that “there is no room for hate in our home” in response to the two slurs.

Before the Hitchcock Hall graffiti was discovered, antisemitic stickers and drawings were found south of the ParkStradley residence hall as well as on North High Street near the Ohio Union and Sullivant Hall.

These on-campus incidents came after rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, posted in an Oct. 14, 2022, tweet he thinks the Jewish community has tried to “blackball” whoever opposes their agenda. In a now removed tweet, he also said “when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” West later praised Hitler in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Jones’ radio show Dec. 1, 2022.

Kyrie Irving, NBA All-Star and player for the Dallas Mavericks, also promoted a 2014 documentary titled “Hebrews to N******: Wake Up Black America,” on social media in October 2022, which contained misinformation and racist stereotypes about the Jewish community.

Joel Marcovitch, president and CEO of JewishColumbus — which aims to enrich the Jewish community in Columbus, according to its website — said the increase in antisemitism is “frightening.”

“If you dig down deeper into the figures, you’ll see that the majority of those are aimed at the Jewish community,” Marcovitch said. “It’s incredibly scary, for a lot of those members of our community who escaped antisemitism in Europe, both in the Holocaust and around the world, who come here to have a peaceful existence.”

Marcovitch said Ohio State’s rate of hate crimes is “saddening.”

“The acts of individuals or small groups on campus are affecting, really, the delicate balance of equality and equilibrium for folks,” Marcovitch said. “It’s something that should be monitored and taken seriously, and we trust the university is doing everything in its power in order to stamp out these activities.”

Sarah Deitsch, program director for the Schottenstein Chabad House — a Jewish center where students can explore all degrees or backgrounds of observance — said she also was saddened by Ohio State’s rate of hate crimes.

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“Ohio State — and college in general — is supposed to be a safe place for students to express their identities and to discover things they don’t know before they came to college, and to feel safe,” Deitsch said. “If that’s not a possibility, they’re really losing out on the fullest experience they can have in college.”

Not all crimes are reported.

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, 42 percent of hate crime victims did not report their crimes to law enforcement between 2015-19.

Melissa Mayhan, deputy associate vice president and Title IX coordinator for the Office of Institutional Equity, said some victims may prefer to report the crime to someone they trust. Some people may also choose to report to police, Mayhan’s office, resident advisors or professors, she said.

“The university has really worked to foster a culture of reporting and there are many places that incidents can be reported to,” Mayhan said.

According to OIE’s website, all university community members — including human resource professionals, anyone who supervises faculty, staff and students or volunteers, a university chair or director and faculty member — must report all incidents of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct or prohibited relationships within five workdays of becoming aware of the information.

Mayhan said those reports are also evaluated pursuant to Clery Act standards. If so, the incidents are included in the university’s annual safety and security report.

The Zoom bombing incident during the February 2021 Black Wellness Month event, for example, didn’t meet the standards for further action. According to police reports, investigators later found the IP addresses used by the Zoom bombers and traced them back to Germany.

Because of this, University Police investigators recommended the case be closed, pending any information that would

lead to an arrest, or further investigation.

On Sept. 2, 2020, police reports state a white student was walking along High Street, when 25-year-old Jarylle Walker, who was across the street, yelled a racial slur at him. The two exchanged words, before Walker crossed the street and punched the student in his face, breaking his jaw.

According to the same report, two other white students approached responding officers to report a similar incident, in which 29-year-old Tereishia Finney, approached them in her car on Chittenden Avenue. Finney drove alongside the students and yelled a racial slur several times, followed them west on Chittenden and grabbed one from behind by the backpack.

Walker and Finney, who are Black, were arrested and charged with assault and felonious assault. University officials later sent out a series of emails surrounding the incident, which later drew criticism and scrutiny by members of the university’s Black student body.

Accountability for a hate crime could go through a number of avenues, Mitchell said.

“There are many different resolutions, there are a number of different paths. We can take it through a full investigation up and through termination of an employee or dismissal of a student, depending on the severity of the incident,” Mitchell said. “We try to be as consistent in sanctioning as we can, given the underlying facts.”

Ben Johnson said the university has actively worked to improve the reporting process.

“We’ve worked really hard to streamline that process and to create a community where people understand that they can report safely, that they’ll get the support they need and that it’s a relatively simple process,” Ben Johnson said. “We’ve tried to eliminate the bureaucracy and make it easy for the victim to file a report and get the support they need –– and we have thousands –– possibly tens of thousands of

required reporters across this campus.”

Kling said the experience made her stronger, not only in her faith but as a person.

“It definitely instilled more of a strength in me,” Kling said. “I think it made me feel stronger and wanting to continue with that –– I’m still going to do what I’m passionate about, like embracing these Jewish values of kindness and positivity, and healing the world I grew up with, and I’m not going to let that influence me.”

If you or anyone you know has experienced a hate crime on campus, you can report your experience online to the Office of University Compliance and Integrity. Hate crimes in Columbus can be reported to Columbus Police by calling 614-645-4545. Nationally, hate crimes can be reported by contacting the FBI’s national tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

COURTESY OF SHAYNA KLING

Fourth-year in pyschology Shayna Kling leads services in Israel as a part of a trip with Camp Wise in June 2022.

ARTS&LIFE

Want to go, go to Ace of Cups? You can Saturday and watch local band A-Go-Go.

Opinion: Housing projects aim to build, yet destroy campus culture

from students for development projects, joining Too’s Under High and the original Ugly Tuna Saloona location in Gateway in the graveyard of what was once Ohio State.

Now, Buckeye Real Estate has proposed a plan that looks to destroy Bier Stube, which opened in 1966, 14-0 Express, Portofino’s Pizza and Yau’s Chinese Bistro in the High Street area near Eighth and Ninth avenues.

On North Campus, American Campus Communities — a Texas-based real estate company — has initiated the replacement of The Little Bar with — you guessed it — housing. That order has already been passed by the University Area Commission Zoning Committee and is awaiting a vote from the entire commission.

What makes a college town a college town?

Maxwell said. “It wasn’t all modern and made to be materialistic and eye-catching, it was sh*ty dive bars that people enjoyed. And I know a lot of people, when I call them, and they’re like, ‘I go back on High Street, and I don’t even recognize it. It’s really different from what it used to be.’”

Daniel Meyerhoff, a third-year in sport industry and strategic communication, said he’s seen “noticeable changes” around campus, and he doesn’t see the trend slowing down.

“It definitely takes away from the appeal of the old-school shops and bars that used to be here even just like five or six years ago,” Meyerhoff said. “Hopefully, it kind of starts to slow down, but I feel like right now it’s still kind of at a quick trajectory of more apartments and less of the older places that have that history.”

CASEY SMITH Sports LTV Producer smith.12971@osu.edu

Venture inside Bier Stube on any given night, and you’ll see and hear many different things.

The first thing you’ll notice as you head over to the bar for a drink is the music. Yes, most of our generation listens to pop and hip-hop, but that’s not how Bier Stube rolls.

Instead, the jukebox — which only costs 25 cents per song instead of the $1 plays on TouchTunes at other campus bars — features selections from Jimi Hendrix, Weezer, Guns N’ Roses and one of bar owner Craig Kempton’s all-time favorite artists, Ace Frehley, and more.

After you get your drinks, whether that’s a low-priced well or one of the $1 cream ale

specials the bar runs, sit down at a table, read the writing, view the chips and dents in the small, square-shaped tables made for conversation and good times.

If you just so happen to get the third booth from the bathroom entrance, glance over at the wall.

In gray Sharpie, the cigarette-smokestained wood reads, “If this bar didn’t exist, neither would I! My grandparents met here.”

At the Stube, there are no strangers — just friends you haven’t met yet. There is no bar on campus like it, and if it is taken away, it will only be another nail in the proverbial coffin of what gives Ohio State its unique identity and history.

Since 2020, various campus staples like Catfish Biff’s and Lucky’s have been taken

“The local atmosphere, like having local businesses,” Megan Maxwell, a fifth-year in athletic training said. “People that are willing to support the school and help people out.”

Columbus is quickly moving away from this with its rapid industrialization, as the classic mom-and-pop shops are being pushed out.

Ohio State used to be a campus built by the common man for the common man. Now it’s become a place thriving off corporate greed.

Does campus have the same identity it used to? Maxwell, who worked with the Ohio State Alumni Association, said she doesn’t think so.

“I would call alumni, and they would just say like, ‘It used to be a lot of dive bars, and it was trashy, but it was good trashy,’”

Campus is a modern-day Levittown — the U.S.’ first mass produced housing development — rolling with high-rise, overpriced housing and construction as far as the eye can see. It’s pathetic.

Reflect on your college experience and think of the great times you and your friends had going out to your favorite bar. Imagine if those good times were taken away due to a project that you wouldn’t even get to reap the benefits of. How would you feel?

In an age so driven by technology and the opinions of others on social media, bars like Bier Stube encourage us to sit around a hardwood table, talk and laugh with friends and make memories that will last a lifetime.

The same environment it has promoted since 1966.

KATIE GOOD | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

Bier Stube, a South Campus bar, faces potential demolition due to a new apartment complex.

Columbus garage-rock band A-Go-Go to headline at Ace of Cups Saturday

SAMANTHA HARDEN Lantern reporter harden.546@osu.edu

Students should go, go to see A-Go-Go, a local band composed of three Ohio State students and one recent graduate, headline at Ace of Cups Saturday.

The band is made up of four members: guitarist and vocalist Henry Schuellerman, drummer Jack Smithberger, bassist Niko Francis and lead guitarist Robert Riley — who graduated from Ohio State last spring. Doors open at 6 p.m. with tickets selling at $10 per person.

The group said its earlier music has a country influence, but in its more recent projects, it has been describing its style as garage-rock. Its new music will be performed Saturday.

Schuellerman, a third-year in ecological engineering, said each member brings something different to the table, and these differences have helped them to develop the band’s new style.

A-Go-Go said it’s been working with Columbus-native Evan Westfall of Caamp under his label, Super Sport Records, to release new music. These include the band’s recent singles “Polly” and “Union Gate,’’ which they plan on performing at Ace of Cups.

A-Go-Go will be playing alongside two other local bands, Space Kid and The Strikeouts, something for which Schuellerman said the group is grateful.

“We love getting to work with friends,” Schuellerman said. “We haven’t had the

opportunity to play with Space Kid yet but have been trying to plan something for a while.”

Since its first live performance in September 2021, A-Go-Go said it has played over 40 shows and are in the process of planning more.

Francis, a fourth-year in sociology, said A-Go-Go has been working with Westfall and other artists for months putting the show together.

“It feels like a musical family,” Francis said. “We have all been working together on this project for a long time.”

A-Go-Go will be releasing their debut EP “Super Sport Singles” — an album composed of all its currently released singles — on streaming platforms and

cassette Feb. 17, a week after performing them at Ace of Cups.

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Women’s Lacrosse: Ohio State uses new and returning players as momentum into the season

MICHAELA BELKIN Lantern reporter belkin.19@osu.edu

With a new season of Ohio State women’s lacrosse on the horizon, the Buckeyes anticipate what’s ahead of them as they prepare for their home opener against Robert Morris Friday at 3 p.m.

After a three-game losing streak to end last year’s season at 9-7 and 2-4 in the Big Ten, head coach Amy Bokker has worked on getting over the hump and taking the next step for its program. Bokker said the depth of the 2022-23 roster meets the requirements necessary to compete in the Big Ten against the best teams in the country.

“I think we’re a good mix of experience and young talent,” Bokker said. “Our team has put a lot of energy into their fitness and being able to get up and down the field, which is something I’ve been working towards since I was named the coach here.”

Senior attacker and second-year captain Nicole Ferrara said she feels the team is stronger than ever. The squad has taken their competitive nature in practice to a new level, and she can’t wait for the season to begin.

Ferrara has also taken a greater leadership role being a second-year captain. Last year as a junior, she said she learned from the older players and is now leading and mentoring the captains, graduate defender Ava Keethler and junior goalie Regan Alexander.

“Now I’m able to step up into bigger roles that I kind of took the backseat on last year and just be a role model for people that I had before me,” Ferrara said. “I had role models that I followed, and now I want to be like those people.”

With 10 freshmen joining the team this year, strong leadership is important in maintaining stability amongst turnover. Several of the freshmen have already made an impact, and Bokker said they will be rotating in through the lineup.

“Specifically in the midfield, we’ve had some great talent in [freshmen midfielder] Casey Roberts and [defender] Amani Kimball-McKavish. [Freshman attacker] Zoe Coleman has been a force for us offensively, and she’s a local product from Washington High School,” Bokker said. “[Freshman defender] Katie Kaucheck won a state championship at New Albany last year, and she has great basketball IQ that translates to her defense on the lacrosse field.”

These new players already influenced the team during practice and hope to continue this when game time comes, and Keethler

said the younger class is extremely competitive and has lit a fire for the whole team.

Roberts, a freshman midfielder, is a player Keethler has taken under her wing along with the other new midfielders.

“I would say our midfielders are young and are showing really promising futures in their next four years,” Keethler said. “Roberts is someone who’s highly competitive on the field, and she brings that competitive nature that we need in practice. I’m really excited to see how she can contribute to the midfield this year.”

The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team opens its season Friday in Columbus.

The Buckeyes open the 2023 season in the newly built Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium against Robert Morris Friday at 3 p.m.

Baseball: Why Ernst decided to return for a fifth year

TYLER DANBURG Lantern reporter danburg.1@osu.edu

Faced with one extra year of eligibility after last season, Marcus Ernst had a decision to make.

A veteran of 117 games and four seasons, Ernst could have chosen to come back for a final season or walk away from the game he grew up playing. He chose to stay for a fifth year.

“Sports is something I’ve grown up in, and it’s something I’ve loved my entire life,” Ernst said. “Hanging up the cleats a year early would have been something I would regret for a while.”

After a breakout 2022 season that earned him Third Team All-Big Ten honors, Ernst decided to stay for a fifth year because of the regret he’d have if he didn’t return, the positive energy surrounding this year’s team and the offseason conversations he had with new head coach Bill Mosiello.

When talking over the phone to Mosiello for the first time last summer, Ernst said he knew right away that this year’s team would be a great fit for him to return.

“Coach Mo’s got a great vision for this team and especially for this year,” Ernst said. “He mentioned that he wants to win this year. It’s not going to be a rebuild.”

Ernst also said the culture of this year’s team made the decision to return easier.

“I love the guys,” Ernst said. “My best friends are on this team, so being around them for another year is a great opportunity.”

Ernst comes into 2023 after his best season as a Buckeye. A key piece in the lineup as the leadoff hitter, Ernst led the team last season with a .337 batting average, 67 hits and 39 walks.

“I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff last year,” Ernst said. “Coach [Greg] Beals, coach [Matt] Angle throughout the offseason did some tweaks to my swing that

obviously paid dividends throughout the season.”

Ernst said increasing his confidence was another key reason for his success.

“A big thing in baseball is the mental side of things,” Ernst said. “Last year, I was able to be playing in a mentally good state and play with confidence and that showed.”

Ernst was the model of consistency and versatility in last year’s lineup. After the team suffered various injuries, he played four positions, primarily third base.

“We were just trying to find a way to get the best nine on the field,” Ernst said. “Whether that was putting me at third base, shortstop, first base, left field, just trying to get the best nine on the field was something that allowed us to do.”

Junior center fielder Kade Kern got the chance to play alongside Ernst in the outfield last year. Spending the last two years as his teammate, Kern said Ernst is a team player.

“He is a guy that everybody on the team looks up to,” Kern said. “Whether the team is in a good spot or a bad spot, he is a guy that everybody can look up to and follow no matter how we’re doing.”

Despite joining the program recently, Mosiello said he is also aware of what Ernst brings to the Buckeyes on and off the field heading into his fifth season.

“He’s everything you’d want your son to be like. He’s a great kid.” Mosiello said. “I know the country knows he’s a good player, but he’s even better than they know.”

With veteran leadership from players like Ernst and Kern, a new coaching staff and 18 new players, Ernst said he is excited by the team’s vision going into the new year.

“It’s a different sense than what we had in years past,” Ernst said. “I think it’s exciting to see what we can do and see what this team can accomplish.”

Graduate infielder Marcus Ernst (2) stretches to make a catch during the Ohio State-Wright State baseball game March 22, 2022. Ohio State won 7-5.

SPORTS

Softball: Ohio State ready to kick o another season in Florida this weekend

grown, and I feel like we have a lot of different options for a lot of different positions, and I feel like anyone can step in at any given moment.”

Schoenly said she is confident in her pitching staff, offering differing personalities and styles. The staff consists of five pitchers, and three of them are freshmen.

“There’s going to be reasons why we can choose different people, and I think they can all have success, so we don’t really treat our freshmen like freshmen,” Schoenly said. “They’re going to get thrown in the fire here quick, but they’ve played so much softball in their life that they’re 100 percent prepared for it.”

The Buckeyes open the season playing over a month of away games before their home opener March 21, and junior utility player Kirsten Eppele said it will help prepare her team for the season.

The Ohio State women’s softball team opens its season Friday. AUTUMN IMHOFF Lantern reporter imhoff.76@osu.edu

After losing a close contest to second-seeded Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal and playing three games in the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament, the Buckeyes and their newlook team are ready to compete this 2023 season.

The Buckeyes head down to Orlando, Florida, this weekend to play four games, kicking off their season against Georgia Friday. They will continue with games against Boise State and UCF Saturday and close their opening weekend with UMass Sunday.

Head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly is en-

tering her 11th season with the Buckeyes. Schoenly holds a .617 winning percentage with a 303-188-1 record in her career at Ohio State, the best in program history.

Schoenly said she doesn’t have a starting lineup just yet, as it will take a few games to see where the players are at and how they play.

“Our schedule is very competitive early, so we’re going to be able to see who’s going to rise to the competition level early,” Schoenly said. “I think that’ll help us face the music and figure out how we’re going to have our energy and our fluids together.”

The Buckeyes went 36-17 last season and 13-9 in the Big Ten, but fell short in the Big Ten Tournament.

Senior outfielder Tegan Cortelletti said the Buckeyes are concentrated on perfecting their skills, so they are ready on day one.

“We come out of the gate strong with Georgia,” Cortelletti said. “Last year, we had a couple of games to get acclimated and get ready for the season.

The Buckeyes have a versatile team this season with players ready to play multiple positions at any given moment.

Sophomore infielder Kaitlyn Farley said the team is working together to have a good mentality for the season.

“I feel like we have a lot of versatility this year,” Farley said. “A lot of people have

“I think especially knowing we’re starting the year off playing some pretty competitive teams,” Eppele said. “So, I think being able to see competitive teams, and then, bring that experience back into the Big Ten play, that really helps us.”

Cortelletti said every game matters, nonconference or not, with the team playing every game like it is the championship.

“It’s a battle, every single game, no game is won before you walk on the field, which is cool because at any given moment, anything can change,” Cortelletti said. “Knowing that you have a common goal with all of these teams, and who’s going to do something different, and who’s going to compete and who’s going to go forward.”

The Buckeyes start their season early Friday at 11 a.m. in Orlando against Georgia which finished 43-18 last year.

Women’s lacrosse season is starting. Read up on how the team is ready to take on Robert Morris Friday.

ZACHARY RILLEY PHOTO EDITOR