Spring Housing - February 2, 2023

Chop your financial struggles in half, learn tips and tricks for budgeting grocery list

GIA AN THACH Lantern reporter thach.28@osu.edu

Clipping coupons around the kitchen table may be a thing of the past, but Ohio State still offers several tips and tricks to help students save money on groceries.

Ben Raines, program coordinator for financial education at Scarlet and Gray Financial and Kent Gordon, a third-year in finance and director of mentorship of Phi Gamma Nu business fraternity, provided some advice to break down budgeting for groceries.

Understand your shopping habits

Before creating a budget for groceries, it’s important for students to understand their spending habits first, which Gordon said is achievable by recording the grocery bill for a couple weeks, averaging the costs and then determining an approximate grocery budget.

“Everybody’s financial situations change, and they can change at different rates, but it’s important to look back at it and adjust depending on what your needs are and what your financial situation is,” Gordon said.

Gordon said he recommends using the tracking tools that banks already supply in their mobile banking applications. Many banks have apps which break spending into

categories and show graphs and diagrams of how much is spent in each.

Create effective goals

Once they’ve gained a general understanding of their budget, students can use specific methods to help them reach their financial goals.

Gordon said he often uses the SMART goal framework to break budgeting into five standards — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. With this framework, students should create a realistic budget with exact dollar amounts to track and meet their financial goals by the end of the year. He also encourages people to apply these goals to grocery budgeting.

Outline meals

Students can save money by only buying what they need rather than wasting food by buying too much.

Gordon said seeing a visual log of meals can motivate people to branch out and try more recipes, which can help students cre-

ate a more focused shopping list or limit how often they eat out.

“I think a lot of people can get carried away if they walk by something and just throw it in the cart,” Gordon said. “So, a good way to avoid spending more than you need is to have a good idea of what you’re going to buy.”

Develop cooking mindset

With so many restaurants located near campus, it may seem hard to resist relying on them out of convenience. However, these meals are one-time purchases that accumulate over time, and Raines said learning to cook increases both confidence in the kitchen and in the aisles of the grocery store.

Raines said one way to approach learning to cook is by picking a recipe and breaking it into smaller steps. Once students figure out the steps to making a dish, they can learn how to make one portion at a time.

“You don’t have to be ready for a Miche-

lin-star chef job,” Raines said. “But if you can learn to dice an onion this week and make rice the next week, you’re well on your way to being a fully competent chef for yourself.”

Learn about available resources

In addition to the step-by-step method of breaking down grocery budgeting, there are other resources available for students to cut down costs on food. Buckeye Food Alliance is a student-run food pantry sporting the motto “No Buckeye Goes Hungry.” The organization is located in Suite 150 of Lincoln Tower and is open Tuesday-Friday or Mondays at St. Stephens Church on Woodruff Avenue.

Raines said students can use this resource as a supplement to their budget by buying some of their groceries at the store than coming to BFA for other needs.

The Azalea Mountain Store serves the small community of Azalea, Oregon as a grocery and community gathering space.

students with solution to package theft

KATE SHIELDS Lantern reporter shields.323@osu.edu

Ordering a new item online and not receiving it has become a common frustration for off-campus students due to theft, and Amazon Hub Lockers can help curb this issue.

Off-campus homes and apartments are experiencing a high frequency in stolen packages for a multitude of reasons, including unmonitored mailrooms. To combat this issue, some students are opting to have Amazon packages delivered to the Amazon Hub Lockers on High Street.

According to a Lantern Twitter poll, approximately 69 percent of 114 respondents said they have had a package stolen or know someone who has. According to an annual report for Security.com, 49 million Americans had at least one package stolen

in 2022.

Sgt. David Scarpitti, spokesperson for the Columbus Division of Police, said in an email students should report if they have packages stolen, so Columbus Police can better track and solve these crimes. Scarpitti said he knows “package thefts can be frustrating and financially damaging.”

“We encourage crime victims to file a police report, being as specific as possible when providing both suspect and stolen property information, to increase solvability,” Scarpitti said.

Taylor Stanton, a second-year in public management, leadership and policy, said the exterior layout of her off-campus duplex causes issues with delivery, which leads to theft.

“We have asked our Amazon driver so many times to put our packages on the

back porch. They just don’t,” Stanton said. “When they leave it near the front door, it does get stolen very frequently because we can’t hear people knock down there.”

In addition to getting stolen, Stanton said sometimes boxes are ripped into and the package is tampered with.

“One of my roommates actually had someone open it out front, and they just left it open because they didn’t want it,” Stanton said.

Grace Blanchong, a third-year in psychology, said she has dealt with similar issues at her apartment on Lane Avenue.

“My package wasn’t taken. It was cut into, and the contents of the package were taken, which was very interesting,” Blanchong said. “Once I started talking to people in the rest of the complex, it turns out it had been happening with them too.”

Blanchong said the mailroom on the basement floor of her apartment is not properly monitored, allowing thieves easy access. She said it’s “hidden away from Lane Avenue” but isn’t locked.

Blanchong said she immediately decided to use the Amazon Hub Lockers after her package was cut into to decrease the risk of it happening again.

“It’s a super easy experience, and it’s really convenient because it’s on my walk home from a lot of classes or work,” Blanchong said. “I definitely feel a lot better to prevent packages from getting stolen but then also prevent them from getting delivered to the wrong place.”

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According to Amazon’s customer service, once the package arrives, the company will send a confirmation email with instruc-

tions on how to retrieve it. Customers can collect their packages within “three calendar days.” If it is not picked up in that time frame, Amazon will refund the purchase and take the package back. The lockers are 6 feet by 1 foot and 10 inches deep, and

expanders can be added that are 3 feet by 1 foot and 10 inches deep.

Stanton said using the lockers simply involves notifying Amazon “that you want it to go to your nearest pickup location.”

“Whenever the item does arrive, you will receive a barcode and then you just go into the Amazon store and scan the barcode,” Stanton said.

How to solve roommate conflicts, utilize mediation services

MADISON KINNER Asst. Campus Editor kinner.11@osu.edu

This story was originally published Feb. 2, 2022, and updated Feb. 2, 2023, for the spring 2023 housing edition.

Roommate conflicts can make any living situation uncomfortable, particularly those off campus without a resident advisor to mediate.

The Office of Student Conduct and the

Moritz College of Law provide free mediation services to assist students in solving conflicts, including those involving roommates. Kelly Smith, director of student conduct for the Office of Student Life, said in the student mediation program, she finds talking things out helps in tense situations.

“Roommates are really the big thing that we see that gets referred to us, especially off campus,” Smith said.

William Froehlich, the Langdon Fellow in Dispute Resolution at the Moritz College

of Law, said the mediators in the program may be the first people to hear the parties in a dispute, which can offer another perspective.

“The mediation process can give the parties the opportunity to be heard, and sometimes that’s more important, or just as important, as coming to an agreement,” Froehlich said.

Smith said in a conflict, it is important to talk face-to-face to convey emotions and sincerity that may get lost in text messag-

es. Smith said students shouldn’t text the person they are in conflict with, nor should they text details of the conflict to other roommates or friends.

“You have roommates in their own rooms in their shared apartment that are texting back and forth, or texting one roommate and that roommate is screenshotting the texts and sending it to a third,” Smith said.

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During a conflict, acknowledging the conversation about to take place will be difficult for all parties involved can remove some of the discomfort, Smith said.

She said speaking to a trusted third party who can act as support can help in these situations, as long as that person does not get directly involved.

Froehlich said reaching a compromise is key to successfully resolving conflicts.

“They actually last longer than an agreement that might be imposed upon the parties because the parties are able to make their own choices about whether and how to come to an agreement,” Froehlich said.

Smith said students can request mediation using a form on the Student Conduct website.

The Moritz College of Law can offer assistance for those going through roommate disagreements.

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The rundown on renters insurance

JACK LONG For The Lantern

This story was originally published Oct. 8, 2020, and updated Feb. 2, 2023, for the spring 2023 housing edition.

Call your parents right now, and ask if you have renters insurance. Odds are you’re one of many students who passed on the expense.

Only 46 percent of renters nationwide had insurance in 2018, according to the Insurance Information Institute, a nonprofit association of insurance providers.

Matt Doyle, area president at Gallagher Insurance, said renters insurance protects two things: a tenant’s valuables and the tenant themselves.

If a student’s computer is stolen from his or her apartment, insurance will help replace it, he said. If they cause a fire and it damages the building, renters insurance will cover the cost of rebuilding as well.

“It’s not expensive. To me, it’s a no-brainer,” Molly Philipps, chief counsel of the Student Legal Services Civil Team at Ohio State, said.

Students can expect to pay $10-20 per month on renters insurance, she said.

Without insurance, students open themselves up to personal liability. Any co-signers to a student’s lease, including their parents, could also be liable for damages if students do not buy coverage, Philipps said.

She also said students should look at their lease to see if they’re required to carry insurance and what type of coverage is required.

“People think that the landlords are trying to screw them over,” Philipps said. “But that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

A student’s renters insurance can be bun-

dled under their parents’ homeowners policy, but Philipps said she doesn’t recommend it.

“It’s not a given that if your parents own their home that you will be covered at college,” Philipps said. “First, you have to determine whether that’s even the case.”

Additionally, homeowners policies tend to have a high deductible, she said. If a student’s computer is stolen, the deductible may be as much as a new computer.

“Renters insurance is just better suited for [students’] situations,” Philipps said.

Doyle said students should look for policies with low deductibles, coverage for accidental damage and have liability insurance.

Philipps said students should avoid buying insurance online because if they buy it in person, they will have someone to call if they need to make a claim. Insurance agents can also explain to students the specific coverage they will receive.

SLS can also review lease agreements and answer students’ questions about renters insurance, she said.

Students should take inventory of personal belongings, writing down serial numbers, the price they paid and taking pictures. Having an inventory will make the claims process easier, Doyle said.

“A lot of landlords in this area tend to be lax at enforcing renters insurance requirements,” Philipps said. “But that doesn’t mean that — as a renter — that it’s a good idea not to have renters insurance. It’s a terrible idea not to have renters insurance.”

A guide to parking on and o campus

access to the Buckeye Lots for $223.56 per year, the WC provides access to West Campus parking spaces for $158.76 per year and the WCE permit adds access to permit garages during off-peak hours from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays and all-day parking on weekends for $459.48 per year.

Rank 2 commuters can purchase the same permits as Rank 1 commuters. However, Choops said Rank 2 students gain access to the CP permit if they live in a 43202 or 43201 zip code, with the idea that students who live close to campus can purchase overnight storage.

Rank 3 commuters gain access to permits for the other ranks, as well as the C, CG and CE permits. The C permit, at $450.96 per year, provides access to Central Campus parking. The CE permit, at $783.96 per year, provides off-peak garage access and the same surface lot access as the C. The CG permit, at $1,183.80 per year, gives students C lot access and three garage choices: Ohio Union South and 11th Avenue Garage, the Tuttle Garage or Lane Avenue and West Lane Avenue garages, Choops said.

Off-campus options

KYLE MEDDLES

Lantern reporter meddles.23@osu.edu

This story initially ran Feb. 6, 2022, and updated Feb. 2, 2023, as part of the spring 2023 housing edition.

Finding parking around campus can be complicated for students, whether trying to decipher between permits or taking their chances with a random street corner in the hopes an angry tow truck driver doesn’t notice.

Fortunately, there are many options for students when choosing an on- or off-campus parking option near Ohio State.

Campus permits

For students who are interested in purchasing a parking permit, the permit comparison tool and SureParc are great ways to get an idea about what each permit provides. These tools are available on CampusParc’s website.

Sarah Choops, information technology project manager at CampusParc, said parking permits are offered through ranks separated by two categories — students living in university housing and commuters — which students must qualify for before purchasing a permit.

CampusParc’s permit comparison tool can help students find out which rank they fall under and permits they are qualified to purchase.

University housing per- mits

Rank 1 students — those who have earned 0-30 credit hours at Ohio State — living in university housing can purchase overnight parking permits in either the West Campus overnight lot on Kinnear Road at $650.76 per year, or the Gateway Garage off 11th Avenue at $205.00 per month, Choops said.

Choops said Rank 2 students — who have earned 31-60 credit hours at the universi-

ty — gain access to Rank 1 permits and the CP permit, which costs $1,004.52 per year. This permit offers students C surface lot access and 24/7 access to a choice of five garages: Ohio Union South, Gateway, Arps, Lane Avenue and West Lane Avenue.

Rank 3 students — who have earned 61-90 credit hours — are offered the CPS permit, along with the other permits, for $1,004.52 per year, Choops said. This permit gives students 24/7 access to the 11th Avenue Garage for overnight parking and C surface lot access.

Commuting student per- mits

Commuter students are eligible for remote lots on CABS routes and additional garage parking permits which provide access to permits depending on rank, according to CampusParc’s permit comparison tool.

Rank 1 commuter students can purchase three different permits: the CXC, WC or WCE. Choops said the CXC permit allows

For students looking for off-campus parking options, Rachel DeMooy, the off-campus residential experience manager, said the options are either street or off-street parking.

“[Students] could have off-street parking for no cost, or some landlords do up to $500 for off-street parking for the year,” DeMooy said.

DeMooy said on-street locations such as Chittenden Avenue, Indianola Avenue and the larger area north of Maynard Avenue have opportunities for temporary free parking. She said paying attention to parking signs, permit-only zones, temporary paid parking areas and the street sweeping schedule can help students avoid getting towed or fined in these areas.

DeMooy said resources for off-campus parking include the map of permit zones, the street sweeping schedule and the ParkColumbus app for students who use temporary paid parking

BECCA DUNCAN LTV CAMPUS PRODUCER

Sofar Sounds Columbus transforms everyday spaces into unique live-music venues for public

MOLLY GOHEEN LTV Arts & Life Producer goheen.29@osu.edu

Sofar Sounds’ creator, Rafe Offer, attended a live shown in downtown London and noticed how performers had to play more aggressively and louder to be heard over the crowds at the bars. From then, Offer had the idea to relocate the performance from a typical concert environment to an intimate show in a nearby condo.

In 2009, Offer hosted the first Sofar Sounds show to a crowd of about 15 people, Terry Tertiary, Sofar Columbus city lead, said. In the 14 years since, Sofar Sounds rippled outward from London to over 400 cities worldwide — including Columbus — to provide intimate shows in venues hosted by everyday people. The twist is, the performer is always kept a secret.

“Sofar Sounds is a complete secret show. When you purchase a ticket, you’ll know the date, time and neighborhood,” Tertiary said. “You’ll know if it’s BYOB or if there is alcohol for sale, and you’ll know if there is a theme for the event. Thirty-six hours before the show, we reveal the venue. The performers are kept a secret until you show up.”

Sofar Columbus began in 2016 but halted shows in 2018 due to slow sales. After getting involved as a performer for Sofar Sounds Chicago in 2021, Columbus local Tertiary said he wanted to revive the collective in Ohio and reached out to previous Sofar Columbus crew members for help.

“Everyone was like, ‘You’re taking it over? Yeah, here you go. I’m going to help you as much as I can,’” Tertiary said. “I think that’s what really empowered me to really push forward after it closed.”

In 2022, Tertiary said he revamped Sofar Columbus and now hosts about three shows per month. Show hosts include residents with unique apartments or homes as well as bars, art galleries and other local businesses.

Melissa Barrett, Sofar Columbus’ lead photographer, said venues are an essential component of the overall experience, and

they try to use a new space each month.

According to Sofar Sounds’ website, venues can fill out a form found on its website to “tell us where your space is located,” and then if chosen as a good fit, Sofar Sounds will offer dates to host the show. The website did not provide details on what Sofar Sounds looks for.

“We’ve been in carriage houses, restaurants and so many different spaces,” Barrett said.

“It’s been great and a challenge. It’s been a great learning experience to expand my photography skills for sure.”

Tertiary said one of their strongest collaborators is The Mansion 731, a Victorian mansion turned art gallery in the Olde Towne East neighborhood. He said audience members are able to view fine art and photography while listening to quality

musicians.

Artists are able to apply on Sofar Sounds’ website by providing live performance videos, sharing social medai accounts and filling out an “optional demographic survey,” according to its website. Applications take up to eight weeks to review, and once accepted, artists can provide availability for locations. The website did not provide details on what Sofar Sounds looks for.

Barrett said she has discovered local performers that she has now become a fan of through her time at Sofar, including Ebri Yahloe. Other artists Sofar Columbus has featured include The Castros, Jay Averee, A-Go-Go, The Fifth House Band, The OG Players, Lethal FX and more.

“We want bigger, bigger venues,” Barrett

said. “We want more artists to have exposure. That means more venues where more people are able to come and enjoy the experience.”

Tertiary said Sofar Sounds encourages a variety of musical styles and genres. Sofar Sounds Columbus shows include Feb. 4, 14 and 24 and can be purchased through its website.

COURTESY OF MELISSA BARRETT

NyQuinn performs at Sofar Sounds Columbus, a collectiove of intimate live music performances hosted in residences, small businesses, art galleries and more.

Students support students through Ohio State’s wellness coaching

ABBY DITMER Lantern reporter ditmer.17@osu.edu

This story initially ran Jan. 30, 2023.

To manage stress, balance relationships or improve overall well-being, students can talk with those with similar experiences, such as the wellness coaches at the Student Wellness Center.

Wellness coaching offers several different dimensions of coaching: career, creative, digital, emotional, environmental, spiritual, social, physical, intellectual and financial wellness, to wellness coach Kate Burke, a third-year in health promotion, nutrition and exercise science, said. The wellness coaching staff consists of graduate and undergraduate students who have trained through the Student Wellness Center.

Wellness coordinator and coach Rachel Mangold oversees the wellness coaching service and trains coaches, sometimes also coaching students herself, according to the Ohio State Student Wellness Center website. Mangold said she is committed to providing a comfortable, inclusive and compassionate environment for clients and coaches.

“A few benefits that students can get from using wellness coaching are accountability and support. We do a good job of educating our coaches on everything that’s going on around the university,” Mangold said. “It’s a good way to get some validation as well. School is hard, so it’s nice having that peerto-peer support.”

Whether students live out of state or don’t have a strong support system, wellness coaching is away to get validation for whatever someone is going through, Mangold said. Wellness coaches can provide referrals as well as resources with which

students may not be familiar.

Burke said she enjoys meeting new people and forming relationships with her peers and saw wellness coaching as the perfect outlet for her passion for meeting and forming relationships with new people.

“We’re just here to have a conversation, and I’m here to offer resources and see if I have anything that could help you and help your situation,” Burke said. “We can just talk through what’s going on.”

To schedule an appointment with a wellness coach, students can use the scheduling link through the wellness coaching option on the Student Wellness Center website. From there, students can select whether they’d like to participate in individual or group coaching and choose a coach.

Students will complete a brief wellness assessment to help the coaches figure out which dimension of wellness to focus on,

wellness coach Jacob Roose, a third-year in neuroscience, said.

“There’s kind of a stigma against reaching out and getting help. I think it’s really important to reach out to break that stigma. If you ask me, it shows strength and bravery to reach out and get help when you know you need it,” Roose said. “One of the nice things about wellness coaching is it’s easy to schedule an appointment, and it’s relatively quick if you need an appointment.”

Roose said having a peer to discuss your well-being with is just as important as having a professional counselor or therapist. The coaching sessions are meant to feel like you’re talking to a friend, he said.

“It’s really nice to have the option just to talk to peers because a lot of the time it’s a lot easier for us to relate to each other because we’re going through a lot of the same things,” Roose said.

Opinion: Kishpaugh’s Korner: January slide a recurring issue for Ohio State men’s basketball

given the newness of the team,” Holtmann said. “But obviously you’re disappointed with the first round of Big Ten games. And I think there have been some moments where we’ve had an opportunity to capitalize, and we just haven’t been able to do that.”

It’s difficult to compare this last month of games to any recent slump for Ohio State, but looking at the 2018-19 season until now, the Buckeyes tend to be inconsistent once conference play heats up.

During the 2018-19 season, the Buckeyes sat at 12-1 heading into a home matchup with then-No. 8 Michigan State Jan. 5, 2019. They proceeded to lose to the Spartans in a tough 86-77 game, and from there, Ohio State lost five of its next six games, ending the month of January with a 13-7 record.

ing right now is going to benefit them,” Netti said. “It’s just painful, it’s painful being in it, there’s no doubt and no hiding it. It’s painful to see the mistakes for those guys and for us. We all got to be better.”

Looking at the overall landscape of Ohio State’s past seasons under Holtmann, there are noticeable inconsistent results compared to the start of the respective years. Ohio State has made the NCAA Tournament every season under Holtmann except for 2020 — when it was canceled due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — but hasn’t made it past the second round.

STEVEN KISHPAUGH

Asst. Sports Editor kishpaugh.3@osu.edu

On Jan. 5, then-No. 24 Ohio State fell to No. 1 Purdue 71-69 in Columbus, courtesy of Boilermakers freshman guard Fletcher Loyer’s game-sealing 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining.

Despite the loss, the battle with the topranked team in the country left the Buckeyes feeling optimistic about their prospects moving forward with a 10-4 record.

Fast forward to a month later, Ohio State now sits at 11-10 and 12th place in the Big Ten. What started as a season full of optimism has quickly turned to panic, with the Buckeyes unable to find the groove they found before the new year.

The nosedive could be explained by a

number of reasons, but what stands out is an offense that has shown stretches of high-quality basketball turning cold. In its first 12 games, Ohio State averaged 81.7 points per game, and that number has dropped to 69.9 in the nine games since.

Most notably during that stretch is the 93-77 win over Iowa Jan. 21, when the Buckeyes shot 56.3 percent from the field and played their best game in weeks. That game is the only time the Buckeyes have shot 50 percent or above from the field since the 90-59 win over Alabama A&M Dec. 29, 2022.

The struggles for consistent offense persist, and head coach Chris Holtmann said the team is disappointed in the results through the first 10 games of conference play.

“In a lot of ways, I understood that there were going to be some challenges

The next season, Ohio State reached a No. 2 ranking coming off a 71-65 win against then-No. 6 Kentucky, sitting at an 11-1 record. The Buckeyes went on to drop six of their next seven games, being held to under 60 points in five.

There are a number of factors that go into coaching any game of basketball, much less an entire season. Injuries, availability and crucial calls from the referees are among countless factors at play when attempting to coach a team to its fullest potential.

As assistant coach Mike Netti said, there is no “magic formula” when coaching games, whether it’s through a winning streak or a slump. And he said the Buckeyes know more than anyone how much the losing hurts.

“We believe that the adversity they’re see-

Inconsistent play with a team that replaced over two-thirds of its roster is to be expected at the beginning of a season but not during a stretch of conference play where wins become important resume boosters for the chance at earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Currently on the outside looking in, Ohio State needs to find its answers quickly if the rest of this season can be salvaged.

The frustrating aspect of the inconsistency is the knowledge that the rosters are talented, because Holtmann has developed NBA draft picks — such as Malaki Branham, Keita Bates-Diop and E.J. Liddell — and appears to be developing another one in freshman forward Brice Sensabaugh.

However, results on the court matter, and a disappointing stretch of basketball may see the Buckeyes miss out on March Madness for the first time in Holtmann’s tenure.

The Buckeyes certainly have the talent to break out of the slump, but if they continue to slide, the gloomy Columbus weather may portray an even gloomier ending for Team 124.