October 27, 2022

CAMPUS

An Ohio State trafc engineer joins a project to make street crossing safer.

Retracing Dahmer: understanding Je rey Dahmer’s life at Ohio State

JESSICA LANGER Editor-in-Chief langer.42@osu.edu

When people think of Jeffrey Dahmer, they think of his murders. Yet, this infa mous serial killer has a story — part of it includes his time at Ohio State drinking alone and scrounging up money by donat ing plasma.

With the highly-acclaimed Netflix series, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” amassing over 700 million hours, The Lan tern dug deep into Dahmer’s past, retracing his life at Ohio State and learning more about the “Milwaukee Cannibal.”

The former Ohio State student and army veteran from Akron, Ohio, confessed to killing and dismembering 17 people — 11 of whom were men and boys whose re mains were found in Dahmer’s Milwaukee apartment July 22, 1991 — in Ohio and Wisconsin.

Dahmer came to the university soon af ter his first murder of Stephen Hicks — a 19-year-old hitchhiker he found while driving and brought back to his childhood home in 1978 — according to FBI records.

At 18 years old, Dahmer already excessive ly drank, Lionel Dahmer, Jeffrey Dahmer’s father said in his memoir “A Father’s Sto ry.” Lionel Dahmer said he was unsure of what was going on inside his son’s head when he was inebriated, but it was only years later that he figured out what his son was thinking about.

“He was listening to a murder he had al ready committed several months before,” Lionel Dahmer said. “In terror and awe some dread, he was watching it again and again, a horror show that ran ceaselessly

behind his moving eyes.”

Lionel Dahmer said his son was not excited to attend college, packing only a snakeskin he got from Boy Scouts and two pictures of his dog.

According to the Office of the University Registrar, Jeffrey Dahmer came to Ohio State undecided in fall 1978.

Jeffrey Dahmer’s first, and only, quarter at the university began at 8 a.m. Sept. 20, 1978, according to the 1978-79 Ohio State Bulletin. Jeffrey Dahmer was one of over 43,000 students enrolled at Ohio State that year, according to a university enrollment report.

University spokesperson Chris Booker said in an email for the incoming class of 1978, the first-year retention rate was 75.7.

Jeffrey Dahmer lived in Room 541 in Morrill Tower, according to a 1991 Lantern article. John “Derf” Backderf, a 1983 alumnus in journalism and author of “My Friend Dahmer,” said in a statement there were 16 students in the pod, and male floors of the tower were referred to as “Ross House.” The room is still used today.

“Dahmer was a complete mess by this point,” Backderf said. “The memory of what he had done to Stephen Hicks both tortured him, and titillated him. His ghast ly sexual obsessions were taking him over, body and soul, and driving him insane.”

To deal with those obsessions, Backderf said Jeffrey Dahmer relied on alcohol.

Backderf said Jeffrey Dahmer rarely went to class, waking up late and stumbling into Drake Union — a second student union that opened in 1972 and is now known as

Jeffrey Dahmer attended Ohio State for the fall quarter of 1978.

the Drake Performance Center — to eat alone. At night, Jeffrey Dahmer would walk to the South Campus Bar District, Backderf said.

Papa Joe’s Pizza House, The Travel Agen cy, Surf City and The Oar House were popular, Backderf said. The bars were located on High Street between East 11th and Ninth avenues but none of them are still open.

The minimum drinking age in Ohio in 1978 was 18 for low-alcohol-content beer of 3.2 percent or less. However, Backderf said it wasn’t hard to get higher beer con tent or mixed drinks with a fake ID or an indifferent bartender.

Backderf said Jeffrey Dahmer sat at a bar and drank alone every day until he ran out of money. Once finishing the weekly allowance from his father, Jeffrey Dahmer donated plasma. At the time, students could earn $8 for the first donation and $10 for the second, according to a February 1978 Lantern article. The $10 payment would be equivalent to $47 in

2022, according to the Bureau Labor of Statistics inflation calculator..

Jeffrey Dahmer could have donated to many locations in Columbus at the time, and Backderf said locations allegedly banned Jeffrey Dahmer from donating.

“There was apparently a note taped about the front desk, saying ‘Do not let Jeff Dahmer donate plasma,’” Backderf said.

Lionel Dahmer said he allowed himself to think Jeffrey Dahmer’s time at Ohio State was a “period of renewed hope,” and he later learned his son wasn’t the best roommate.

Jeffrey Dahmer was accused of but denied stealing a watch, $100 in cash and a radio from his roommates, according to a 1991 Lantern article. Backderf said the pawn shop where Dahmer likely sold his stolen goods was around Fifth Avenue and High Street.

VIA TNS

“Can you imagine it?” Backderf said. “Talk about your nightmare roommate!”

Luigi’s Pawn Shop, located at 1245 N. High St., was confirmed to be open in 1978, but no connection to Jeffrey Dahmer could be verified.

According to the Office of the University Registrar, Jeffrey Dahmer attended the uni versity until Dec. 8, 1978. Lionel Dahmer said his son’s cumulative GPA was 0.45, the equivalent of two hours of college cred it.

Jeffrey Dahmer failed Introduction to An thropology, did not complete Greco-Roman History, had a “mediocre” performance in administrative science and dropped oth er courses after only a few weeks, Lionel Dahmer said. His highest grade had been a B- in Riflery.

Lionel Dahmer said his son justified his

grades by saying he found it difficult to get up for morning classes. Other classes had “slipped beyond his control somehow,” he said.

Paul Sciulli, an emeritus professor in the Department of Anthropology who was be lieved to have taught Jeffrey Dahmer’s In troduction to Anthropology course, said in an email the department “only” keeps ros ters for 25 years, and in 1978, there were about 600 students, so “I don’t remember him (if he was in the course).”

The university declined to comment.

The Lantern was unable to reach the other professors who could have taught Jeffrey Dahmer by the time of publication.

There are no records to indicate if Jeffrey Dahmer committed any murders during his time at Ohio State.

FROM PAGE 2

Ohio State tra c engineer invited to join expert panel for safer crosswalk distance guidelines

NATHAN MADER Lantern reporter mader.55@osu.edu

No need to fear, Ohio State’s traffic engineer is here to help faculty, staff and students feel safe as they cross the street through his involvement in a Nation al Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine project studying crosswalk placement.

According to the Ohio Department of Pub lic Safety Crash Statistic System, from Oct. 13, 2021, to Oct. 13, 2022, there were 93 crashes reported by the University Police Division — 16 involved pedestrians, skat ers or bicyclists; seven occurred outside marked crosswalks or the travel lane and seven led to major injuries.

Balaji Ponnu, who received a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Ohio State in 2018, said he was invited to the Pedestrian Crosswalk Spacing and Placement Guidance to Im prove Safety project with the National Co operative Highway Research Program. He said a goal is to analyze the maximum dis

tance pedestrians travel to use a crosswalk to determine proper spacing guidelines for future installations, which may prevent jay walking.

“We will find that distance — that magic number,” Ponnu said. “If we have a thou sand feet distance between two crosswalks, we should probably have one more be tween them so that people would not jay walk at unsafe locations.”

According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, na tional traffic collision deaths increased by 44 percent from 2010-19, with an estimat ed 6,205 pedestrians killed. Its research also showed 80 percent of those pedestrian deaths occurred at locations without cross walks.

Ponnu said he was likely invited to the pan el because of his academic qualifications, research on crosswalks at college campus es and his role as a traffic engineer for Ohio State.

Ohio State students may see safer crosswalks after a traffic engineer was invited to join a panel dedicated to researching guidelines for crosswalks.

Ponnu will vote on the research firm to work on the project, he said. He said data for the project will be collected by the firm from pedestrian interviews, surveys and observations regarding their street-cross ing patterns.

“I think it will be done, probably, at sev eral, you know, many locations across the country so that it’s representative of the whole country, because the project is for the entire United States,” Ponnu said.

ZACHARY RILLEY PHOTO EDITOR

ZACHARY RILLEY | PHOTO EDITOR Jeffrey Dahmer, who attended Ohio State in the 1978 fall quarter, lived in Room 541 in Morrill Tower.

Ponnu said he was part of establishing the fences at the medical campus and along side West Woodruff Avenue, as well as several recommendations for yield signs, flashing stop signs and overhead flashing signals.

“All these, you know, different measures have been placed for helping both pedes trians not to jaywalk and make vehicles aware that there’s a pedestrian crossing,” Ponnu said.

University spokesperson Nicole Holman said in an email crosswalk construction at Ohio State is dependent on many factors — such as traffic volumes, location and existing infrastructure.

“General crosswalk design guidelines are available in traffic control manuals, however the guidance is not uniform,” Holman said. “In addition, crosswalks on campus have been installed at different points over the last several decades, so design variation occurs.”

Ponnu said university construction

projects use multiple companies which sometimes have their own guidelines about how and where crosswalks should be constructed.

“There’s no code that says, ‘OK, there’s a midblock crosswalk. Provide this con trol,’” Ponnu said. “There’s nothing, at least, that is on a federal standard.”

Ponnu said he hopes he can use the re search conducted by the NCHRP project and apply it to Ohio State through safety recommendations.

“We will be able to monitor or, you know, make sure that the locations for crossings are closer than they are right now,” Ponnu said. “Or, if there’s a location that needs closer crosswalk distances, we will be able to implement those, or we will at least be able to recommend those.”

University spokesperson Dan Hedman said students should limit distractions and pay attention to their surroundings when traveling on or off campus.

“You see a lot of people walking down the street, and they’re looking at their cell phone or they have earbuds in,” Hedman

said. “It’s really hard to hear a car coming, or see a scooter or even other pedestrians or bicyclists coming at or toward you when you’re distracted.”

Holman said it’s important for people traveling across campus to know where the safest places for them are and what to wear, especially as winter approaches.

“With shorter days and evenings staying darker, we also encouraged Buckeyes to wear bright and reflective clothing, dress to be seen and protect your head,” Holman said.

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ARTS&LIFE

The ensemble and director of the production of “Men on Boats” speak on its impact highlighting underrepresented voices.

From Elton John to Harry Styles: is history repeating itself?

PEARL CAREY Lantern reporter carey.521@osu.edu

Aesthetics from the ‘70s and ‘80s have become fashion and music staples again in the modern era, and the effect of nostalgic fashion is frequent with celebrities as well.

Celebrities like Lana Del Rey and Har ry Styles share uncanny resemblances to icons from before their time, such as Elton John and Hedy Lamarr, leaving pop cul ture audiences with a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, Dane Harter, a second-year in fashion and retail, said. Whether it‘s the result of conscious decisions by the current music and fashion industries or not, the idea of cyclical nostalgia is not new.

“This form of nostalgia will always be prevalent in pop culture because there are iconic decades we’re always referring to in history and culture,” Harter said.

Harry Styles, known for his flashy outfits and commitment to color and sequins, is not the first one to adopt this concept. Elton John was known for this aesthetic as well, Elena Cruz-Lopez, a graduate student in musicology, said.

“Styles is really pulling from ‘70s artists right now,” Cruz-Lopez said. “Mick Jagger and Elton John were big artists at this time, and all three happen to be British as well.”

In the music industry, artists like Lana Del Rey — an indie rock singer from Manhat tan— tap into nostalgia from a variety of eras with her fashion choices, Harter said.

Del Rey has characterized her look with old Hollywood glamor reminiscent of the 1930s, according to Dazed Media. Del Rey frequently dons a red lip and dry finger waves, which were staples of the time, ac

cording to GlamourDaze.

Del Rey is also typically seen with a bold cat eye similar to the style of Priscilla Pres ley in the 1960s, according to Billboard Media. Now, the cat eye makeup look is fall’s biggest makeup trend, according to Allure.

“This 1940s film actress Hedy Lamarr was in a film and wore this star dress with this beautiful star crown,” Harter said. “And then Lana Del Rey wore a very similar out fit to the 2018 Grammys, with just a more modern construction.”

Harter said this trend is likely to continue as people continue referencing “iconic de cades” throughout history and culture

However, the return to past styles doesn’t have to mean unoriginality, Cruz-Lopez said. She said reusing these old styles can lead into a new powerful piece of art.

“I don’t think recycling styles or trends has to be a bad thing,” Cruz-Lopez said. “It’s just about taking what exists and adding a new twist to it.”

Cruz-Lopez said the reason why nostal gia in the form of new sampled music and styles always sells is because the sense of familiarity is met with a new creation.

“It’s new, but it’s recognizable,” Cruz-Lo pez said. “I don’t know, I think it may just feel like home.”

DIA DIPASUPIL/GETTY IMAGES VIA TNS

Harry Styles performs on NBC’s “Today” at Rockefeller Plaza on May 19, 2022, in New York City.

‘Men on Boats’ highlights underrepresented voices, reframes history in upcoming production

Jaclyn Backhaus, the playwright behind “Men on Boats,” was inspired by the world-renowned musical “Hamilton” and its ability to retell stories of white, cis gender men who were regarded as socie tal icons from a different perspective. This concept led to the writing style of “Men on Boats” and showing a different lens, she said.

“I think it’s important to re-examine these stories through a different lens,” Kattelman said. “A lot of times we’ve taken for grant ed that a lot of these men were held up as, you know, patriots and great heroes, and I’m not saying that some of that isn’t true but, you know, by looking at those same stories through the eyes of the folks who were not at the center of the story, but were affected by what was going on, I think we can get another view of it.”

Kattelman said she loves working with undergraduate students because she can watch them create and grow within a role, and she views being a part of a production as just like any other team — it can only be successful if everyone supports one an other.

EMMA WOZNIAK Lantern reporter wozniak.82@osu.edu

Despite its name, Ohio State’s pro duction of “Men on Boats” will be told through a unique lens, without cisgender men in its cast.

The team behind the Department of The atre, Film, and Media Arts production, “Men on Boats,” explores those themes through the ensemble comedy show, Hail ee Franklin, second-year in theatre and music and actor in “Men on Boats,” said. Through its commentary on themes like manifest destiny and colonization, Franklin said the play reframes a story about white men to feature a different point of view.

“It’s a comic retelling of the story of an 1869 government-sanctioned expedition through the

Grand Canyon that was led by John Wesley Powell,” Beth Kattelman, theater depart ment professor and director of “Men on Boats,” said. “Of course, in this version of the story, though, all of the men are played by either women or nonbinary performers.”

Kattelman, who has been a performance director for over 35 years, said her role is usually defined by creating a vision for a production and in bringing together all of the moving parts like with “Men on Boats,” which has been particularly special.

“I love the comedy about it. I mean, I think there’s a lot of really funny moments. I also loved the opportunities that it offers for women and nonbinary performers,” Kattel man said. “It’s great to have an ensemble with that many diverse voices.”

Throughout her experience portraying for mer

soldier Seneca Howland, Franklin said the support from the production team has allowed for an ensemble that plays off of one another in order to tell this historically significant story, a contrast from her high school that she said lacked an appreciation for the arts.

With viewpoints as historically significant as those expressed in “Men on Boats,” Franklin said the supportive nature of the artistic team has allowed for a tight-knit cast.

“Since the first day, it felt like we all just got off on the right foot,” Franklin said. “We all can joke with each other, and we all trust each other, which I think is the biggest thing as an actor is, like, you don’t want to make certain choices as a charac ter if you don’t trust the person who you’re with.”

“I’m really proud of the ensemble that we’ve got for this show,” Kattelman said. “I mean, they have been so willing to take the risk. Sometimes, when you’re in a perfor mance, it’s really hard to develop the trust and to put yourself out there, and this has been a really collaborative group.”

“Men on Boats” had its first performance at the Roy Bowen Theatre in the Drake Performance and Event Center Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The last show will take place Nov. 5.

More information regarding the dates and times of the production as well as tickets can be found on the theater department website.

COURTESY OF J. BRIGGS CORMIER

Carlie Shearer as William Dunn, Eva Scherrer as John Wesley Powell, Hailee Franklin as Seneca Howland, Susan Kim as O.G. Howland in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts’ production of “Men on Boats.”

Men’s Basketball: New players look to forge new identity

STEVEN KISHPAUGH Asst. Sports Editor kishpaugh.3@osu.edu

The Ohio State men’s basketball team looks to build upon last season’s NCAA Tournament run with a mix of new and familiar faces. After losing former players Malaki Branham and E.J. Liddell to the NBA Draft, the team looks to forge a new identity under head coach Chris Holtmann.

Of the 14 players comprising this Buckeyes squad, only four return from last season’s team that won 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Holt mann said no matter the roster, the team looks to develop its play before the season begins.

“This is really about the quiet, lonely work of every day,” Holtmann said. “We certain ly did some of that this summer, but we’re still defining what our group is going to be like.”

The former Butler head coach turned over a roster of which six players left via grad uation at the end of the 2021-22 season, with others transferring or declaring eligi bility for professional basketball. Despite that, Holtmann managed to recruit the No. 8 overall class in 2022, according to 247Sports.

Among those recruits is 6-foot-6 fresh man forward Brice Sensabaugh, who was named Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball following his se nior season. He said he didn’t know what to expect making the transition from high school to college, but Ohio State has “ex ceeded his expectations.”

“It’s been really everything I’ve expected and more,” Sensabaugh said. “In terms of the coaching staff and the players and our relationships and stuff like that. And the workouts and the intensity has been chal lenging, but we’ve grown to get used to it, and push ourselves to limits we probably wouldn’t have expected we’d get to.”

The 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year spoke

highly of his freshmen this season and said he believes his team has four freshmen who can contribute. Even though Holtmann be lieves they will face challenges, he’s “ex cited about the potential of this group.”

While Holtmann brought in five new play ers via the 2022 recruiting class, he also brought in three upperclassmen transfers immediately eligible to play. Among the transfers is senior guard Tanner Holden — who transferred from Wright State and said Ohio State brings a lot to the table for a college athlete.

“Ohio State in general, they have all the re sources you need academically and athlet ically,” Holden said. “Their resume every year just gets better and better. Last year beating Duke, a lot of big wins. I think overall I’m super excited.”

Holden added he thinks it will be a “super

exciting season” with a versatile group. Alongside Holden, the Buckeyes added graduate guards Isaac Likekele and Sean McNeil from Oklahoma State and West Virginia, respectively.

One of the areas Holtmann wanted to focus on improving is the defense, which he said “has not been good enough the last two years.” Coupled with rebounding, Holt mann said those issues were ones he’s tried to address through offseason moves.

The Buckeyes return four players from last season, including regular contributors in the form of juniors forward Zed Key and guard Eugene Brown III. While they bring experience from previous seasons, Brown said a team trip to the Bahamas over the summer was the perfect way for the new group of guys to connect.

“I feel like that Bahamas trip was honestly

perfect timing for this kind of team that we have,” Brown said. “We go on these inter national trips every four years, and it just so happens we have, what, 12 new guys coming in. We get to take this time to bond and connect, but I think this trip has made that merge a little easier.”

Holtmann said the trip to the Bahamas was “important” for team bonding and to see the roster in action.

Holtmann said he and his coaching staff look to find new ways to evolve their philosophies with each season that passes.

“I think it’s one of those things every off season,” Holtmann said. “Where you’re looking at it and saying, ‘OK, what did we do well, and what can we do better?’ And that’s a constant process for someone like myself and our staff who are trying to be lifelong learners.”

ZACHARY RILLEY PHOTO EDITOR

Ohio State redshirt senior forward Justice Sueing is one of the few players on Ohio State’s men’s basketball team who has suited up for the Buckeyes prior to this season’s tipoff.

Women’s Basketball: Greene back and ready to return for Buckeyes

CALEB BLAKE Lantern reporter blake.483@osu.edu

Redshirt junior guard Madison Greene faced adversity over this past year, but her positive attitude and support system is al lowing her to push through.

After suffering a knee injury that cost her the entire 2021-22 basketball season, Greene embraced the challenge by learn ing more about the game of basketball and gaining a broader understanding of herself.

“A big lesson I learned, I’m bigger than a basketball player. I can be so much more,” Greene said. “So many more thoughts and experiences in life to just learn about, and I’ve just really enjoyed the journey. I like being by myself. And this time, this injury really made me dive even deeper to who I was as a person.”

Greene earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors in the 2020-21 season after av eraging 13.4 points per game and leading the Buckeyes with 65 assists in 15 games.

Head coach Kevin McGuff said having Greene on the sidelines last season was like having another coach and believes the experience during her injury will help her this season.

“I think she had to look at the game a lit tle bit differently, not being in there and from the bench,” McGuff said. “I think she learned some things and just observing the team and how we played and the things we were trying to accomplish. So, I think she has evolved from just a basketball IQ standpoint and, you know, she looks good.”

Greene has started 36 of the 48 games she’s played in her Buckeye career, record ing a 42.1 shooting percentage. She played a large role in Ohio State’s backcourt along

side senior guard Jacy Sheldon during her first two seasons, and the transfer addition of senior guard Taylor Mikesell prior to last season allowed the Buckeyes to con tinue leaning on their guards in Greene’s absence.

In addition to her time with the staff last year, she said she spent a portion of the summer interning with them and soaking up their advice. Greene said after her play ing days, coaching could one day be in her future.

After a season in which the team won the Big Ten Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, Greene’s return adds more of a punch to an already impressive Ohio State roster. The Buckeyes open the season as the No. 14 team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Now fully recovered and refreshed, Greene said she is reflecting on her past year with a holistic mindset and is grateful to have the opportunity to play the game she loves again.

“It just made me learn. Just like it really made me just appreciate being healthy be cause I’ve never been through, like, a major injury like this,” Greene said. “It was defi nitely a different perspective and made me sit back and think about basketball, family, friends, everything. It’s been a long jour ney.”

As the Ohio State men’s basketball team gears up for the new season, the 10 new additions get ready to make an impact.

COURTESY: OHIO STATE ATHLETICS

With the help of a strong support system and positive attitude, Ohio State redshirt junior guard Madison Greene (0) has overcome adversity and found strength on the other side.