TUESDAY
ROLLER RINK
THURSDAY
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Roller hockey rink to open near the end of October at the Adventure Recreation Center.
LEGALLY BLONDE
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Department of Theatre breaks norm with Asian lead in “Legally Blonde.”
CRIME MAP
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Local area crime map from Oct. 1-7.
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Stefanie Spielman Fund brings breast cancer awareness to Ohio Stadium
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Running backs hit their stride amidst changing offense.
THE LANTERN
PINK OUT THE ‘SHOE
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
FOOTBALL
The student voice of the Ohio State University
Year 138, Issue No. 41
Students take mental health concerns into their own hands HANNAH ROSS Lantern reporter ross.1490@osu.edu
ZACH STEINER | LANTERN REPORTER
Jordan Rasp, a fourth-year in psychology and Emily Clausing, a second-year in neuroscience, sell pink-out t-shirts on the South Oval.
ZACH STEINER For The Lantern steiner.301@osu.edu When the name “Spielman” sounded throughout Ohio Stadium in the late 1980s, it was for Ohio State’s All-American linebacker Chris Spielman. But times have changed, and for the last decade, Stefanie Spielman’s name has held a significant place in the hearts of Buckeye fans. A sea of pink will take over Ohio Stadium on Saturday in honor of Stefanie Spielman who died in November 2009 after battling breast cancer. Since then, the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research has been raising money to find a cure, and a student organization at Ohio State is helping lead the charge. Pink Out at Ohio State is a nonprofit student organization on campus that raises breast cancer awareness across the university and hosts fundraisers to benefit the Stefanie Spielman Fund, with its biggest event being “Pink Out the Shoe.” “The goal of Pink Out is to create awareness on campus and also to raise funds because all college students have been impacted by breast cancer one way or another,” said Nancy Fisher, adviser of Pink Out at Ohio State. The members of Pink Out at Ohio State want to do anything they can to be involved in the fight against breast cancer, said Emily Clausing, a Pink Out member and second-year in neuroscience. “It is something everyone cares about because it is so prevalent,” Clausing said. “You want to do anything you can on any level and be a part of helping the greater good.” Since the founding of Pink Out at Ohio State
11 years ago, the organization has been able to raise around $14,000 each year by selling pink shirts in the week preceding the “Pink Out the Shoe” game.
“I wholeheartedly believe that we will find a cure for cancer in my lifetime, but not as individuals,” Spielman said. “I think as a united front is the only way to do it.” MADISON SPIELMAN Daughter of Chris and Stefanie Spielman
The organization, which started with the goal of raising $250,000, has recently surpassed $22 million in its 20th year. Madison Spielman, daughter of Chris and Stefanie Spielman, said her parents “came up with an initial plan” to make the battle against breast cancer public and “to use their position
in the spotlight to show people that they are not alone.” They felt it was a battle that should not to be fought alone, but with those around them who face a similar opponent. Madison Spielman said that individuals fighting breast cancer can be weighed down by the consequences of the disease, but the goal of the “Pink Out the Shoe” is to provide people with a feeling of support from the sea of pink around them. “It is one thing to hear someone is with you, but to see that sea of pink knowing they have that support,” Madison Spielman said. “Through that visual, I think it is going to be a powerful thing.” Stefanie Spielman’s goal all along was to never let breast cancer get the best of her. Madison Spielman said no matter how bad things got, her mother always wanted to keep moving forward. Madison Spielman said breast cancer has tragically taken the lives of many, but her family remains optimistic about the future. “I wholeheartedly believe that we will find a cure for cancer in my lifetime, but not as individuals,” Spielman said. “I think as a united front is the only way to do it.”
ILLUSTRATION BY JACK WESTERHEIDE | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN
Students struggling with mental health issues have been reaching out to a student-led organization in order to seek support and guidance on how to get the help they need. The group Never Walk Alone was started in January 2018 by Ronnie Wollett, a third-year in finance, when he decided to post about his ongoing battle with his mental health on Instagram, hoping to make it a more easily addressed topic. The club took off after a separate Instagram page was created to connect those battling with mental illness to come together and act as a support team. Since the club’s founding, several other students, such as Allie Garvin, a second-year in neuroscience, have taken on leadership roles, openly sharing their struggles with depression, eating disorders and other mental health issues as well. Garvin, philanthropy chair of the club, said the goal of Never Walk Alone is to be a connection and outreach group for those struggling with mental health. “You should not have to scream to be heard,” Garvin said. Wollett said they do not act as therapists, but work to educate students on what services are available to students on campus. “We want to set them up with all the resources available at Ohio State to get more help because that’s the next important step to all of this,” Wollett said. Ohio State President Michael Drake announced a mental health task force in April and released its recommendations in September. In an interview with The Lantern Thursday, Drake said the university will move forward with an “implementation force.” Part of the immediate changes on campus were the Counseling and Consultation Services employing three more counselors. According to a review by The Lantern in April, the International Association of Counseling Services Inc., an accreditation association for college and university counseling services, recommends that campus mental health services have a ratio of one profes-
MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUES ON 3