Jan. 18, 2018

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

The Foundation of OHIO HOCKEY How Bill Gurnick put the Bobcats on the map P20

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Faculty diversity rises slowly P8 Photo story: MLK March P12

Basketball’s star center P18

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ELIZABETH BACKO MANAGING EDITOR Kaitlin Coward DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Hayley Harding SENIOR EDITOR Marisa Fernandez

EDITORIAL

NEWS EDITORS Maddie Capron, Bailey Gallion SPORTS EDITOR Andrew Gillis CULTURE EDITORS Georgia Davis, Mae Yen Yap OPINION EDITOR Chuck Greenlee COPY CHIEF Alex McCann

ART

ART DIRECTORS Abby Gordon, Sarah Olivieri PHOTO EDITORS Carl Fonticella, Meagan Hall, McKinley Law, Blake Nissen, Hannah Schroeder SPECIAL PROJECTS DESIGNER Abby Day

DIGITAL

DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Taylor Johnston SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kate Ansel BLOGS EDITOR Alex Darus MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Andy Hamilton INTERIM BUSINESS MANAGER Lily Perdomo Demorejon

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

‘Post’ starts semester with updates to style The start of the new semester is always an exciting time. Many people start off the year with resolutions and promises to be better. It is as great of a time as any to join The Post — or to subscribe to our daily newsletter or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

In the newsroom, we frequently talk about ways to improve. We talk about our coverage and how it can be better. We talk about digital innovation and how to improve. We make plans to be better, and the start of a new calendar year is a great time to put some changes in place.

To kick off the new year, our copy team made updates to our style guide. Typically, we follow The Associated Press Stylebook and reference major publications when we need additional insight. We strive for consistency ELIZABETH BACKO / so there is no confusion for our readers. For EDITOR-IN-CHIEF example, we capitalize semesters, such as Fall Semester and Spring Semester, but we do not capitalize breaks, such as winter break and spring break.

In our updated style guide, we established a rule for when “OHIO” or “the University” is used in a university news release or email interview. In the past, we have left the style as written, but now we are going to stay consist with our style. Instead, we will use Ohio University, OU or the university, as we usually do, for the sake of clarity and consistency.

Additionally, we won’t be inserting “OU” into any words, such as hOUme or HallOUween. We want each article to make sense to anyone who picks up the paper or visits our website. As The Post continues to make changes and evolve during the semester, I will geek out more and let readers know about any changes.

Aside from some style updates, we have fest season, Post Alumni Weekend, special issues and more to look forward to.

As always, we want to hear from our readers about what we can do better as a news organization. Tell us what you like and dislike. Also, give suggestions. We want as much feedback as possible.

Elizabeth Backo is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Want to talk to her? Email her at eb823313@ohio.edu or send her a tweet @liz_backo.

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ON A HIGH NOTE

The music producer you love without realizing Jack Antonoff has co-written and produced several of the most popular pop records of the decade. He brings an innovative mix of classic and contemporary techniques to every track he lays hands on, and it HALLE pays off in the biggest way.

WEBER Antonoff has made a name for himis a self as a true talent, not just another sophomore shallow hit-maker. The difference bestudying journalism tween him and other big producers with a focus on the pop scene right now is that he in news and maintains integrity in his work. information If you draw a parallel between at Ohio Antonoff and other producers of hit University. pop records, such as Max Martin, the difference is evident. Martin has produced hits for Kelly Clarkson, P!nk, Taylor Swift, Usher, The Weeknd and pretty much everyone else under the glare of the pop culture spotlight. Martin knows how to create tracks that will get radio play, but there isn’t much depth to a lot of them — they tend to lack that special quality that gets me excited about a song.

On Taylor Swift’s two most recent records, 1989 and Reputation, Antonoff co-wrote and produced several songs. If you look at the credits on those tracks you will see that the more basic, disappoint-

ing tracks, like “Shake It Off ” and “…Ready For It?” were written by Swift with the aid of Martin, while the ‘80s-infused music that perfectly complements Swift’s lyrics on “I Wish You Would” was written by Antonoff. “Getaway Car,” “Call It What You Want” and “New Year’s Day,” the highlights of Reputation, were co-written by Antonoff, and the minimalist end of his style is showcased there.

Less auto-tune and bass drops and more focus on the talent of the artist Antonoff is working with show through on his tracks. When writing with Swift, he highlights her lyrical talent. On St. Vincent’s new record, Masseduction, Antonoff plays up her softer side rather than showcasing her instrumental ability — because that would have been predictable. He makes her songs come to life by doing so. Every note sounds so genuine and is accompanied by St. Vincent’s most personal lyrics yet. His production on Masseduction is possibly his most progressive work yet, but the key is that it is not overdone, like the tragic production of most chart-topping songs.

Perhaps Antonoff ’s most important endeavor in recent years is his work on Lorde’s sophomore album, Melodrama. On Lorde’s debut, Pure Heroine, she showed off her raw talent as a writer and a big voice when she was a 16-year-old nobody from New Zealand. What Antonoff did on Melodrama was high-

light Lorde’s newfound maturity. The production that frames these coming-of-age, self-aware, shatteringand-coming-back-to-life stories makes the difference between a good record and a great one. It’s safe to say that no matter how gifted Lorde is, without Antonoff ’s aid, she would not have found the structure to have arguably the best record of 2017.

In Antonoff’s own band, Bleachers, he stays on the indie end of the spectrum but utilizes the same thought-provoking type of production. It’s the sort of music you’d like to hear at the gym, just catchy enough to perk you up but not pop enough to be annoying.

Antonoff is far from a pop poster child, but has managed to put out some of the most successful mainstream music of the decade. Writers, producers and artists like him keep my hope for the future of the music industry alive.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Are you familiar with Jack Antonoff? Let Halle know by tweeting at her @HalleWeber13.

QUITE CONTRARY

Plowing snow is terrible; salt is the true hero Growing up in the Akron/Canton area taught me a few important things: Swensons makes the best milkshakes, LeBron James is the president of northeast Ohio and plowing snow works, but it is a terriCHUCK ble method of snow removal.

GREENLEE There probably isn’t a better way is a junior to handle snow removal. How do we studying communication know? Because if there is a better studies at Ohio way, we would probably be doing University. that. Plowing isn’t even removing it; it’s just taking it and pushing it somewhere else, Patrick Star-style. The method of snow plowing just crowds sidewalks, which creates a slippery, rock-like terrain for pedestrians to navigate through. Rather than a nice, smooth sidewalk, 4 / JAN. 18, 2018

hungover millennials in Athens are forced to master the penguin waddle so they don’t fall in a klutzy glory on the way to their 9 a.m. class. (The problem is so trivial, but hey, you’ve read this far).

You could argue that melting it is better, but then that turns into water, then ice if it is less than 32 degrees outside, thus creating icy roads. Hence, that idea is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. It is actually worse than plowing in almost every way except that we could maybe see heat trucks instead of snow plows. I imagine that it would still be a snow plow, but instead of the plow part, a bar of heat lamps that goes directly over the road, melting it instantly. Think of it like a fire-breathing dragon but in truck form and with no semblance to a dragon at all. It’s disappointing because dragons probably never existed, and if they did, that would be the coolest thing ever.

That leads us to why we plow snow. Why? It’s all we know, and heaven forbid we stray from the comforts of the norm or think outside of the box to fix the problem. While the fight for dragon-like trucks will never be prevalent, let’s all be thankful for the real MVP in the battle against snow: salt. That’s right.

Without sodium chloride, ice would always be there.

Let’s just skip the chemicals and science as to why salt melts ice and snow and just be happy that a mineral is our best friend as we travel by foot and car during the winter months.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Have you any better ideas about snow removal? Let Chuck know by tweeting him @chuck_greenlee.

BY THE WAY

‘The Phantom Menace’ is not the worst ‘Star Wars’ movie I

t’s often maligned among Star Wars fans and the film community in general, and for good reason, but The Phantom MenALEX ace is not the worst MCCANN Star Wars movie, and is a junior it really isn’t that close. studying There are many, journalism at many problems with Ohio University.

The Phantom Menace — Jar Jar Binks, politics, trade negotiations, way too much computer-generated imagery — but it has three things that redeem it and make it a far superior film when compared to its successor, Attack of the Clones.

Attack of the Clones has no charm and no “wow” moments. Nothing new in it is really exciting: clones, Jango Fett, Yoda’s lightsaber? CGI monstrosities like the arena beasts, Kaminoans and Geonosians give the entire film a video game look that

further removes the viewer from the film.

The villain, Count Dooku, is dull, much like the rest of the cast. Legendary Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi is reduced to sarcastic one-liners, headstrong Senator Padme Amidala falls for a moody teenager, Mace Windu wastes Samuel L. Jackson by making him a diplomat with a lightsaber and boring Anakin Skywalker moans about sand and teenage hormones.

Speaking of Anakin, Jake Lloyd, who was 10 years old during filming of The Phantom Menace, somehow managed to outperform his successor, Hayden Christensen, a grown man. The now-infamous sand monologue, combined with a generally lackluster performance, turned Darth Vader from a terrifying space villain into a whiny teenager who misses his mommy.

To top it all off, not much happens in the plot of Attack of the Clones. Obi-Wan and Anakin split up after attempts on Padme’s life. Obi-Wan tracks down Jango Fett and discovers a clone army; Anakin takes Pad-

me to Naboo, where they inexplicably fall in love after the worst attempts at flirting ever. All three eventually wind up on the desert planet Geonosis, get captured and are put in an arena. Then Yoda ex machinas his way in with the clones, and the day is saved. Yikes.

In The Phantom Menace, the plot is still pretty dumb; three things save the film from utter embarrassment: Liam Neeson, podracing and Darth Maul.

Liam Neeson is one of the great actors of our generation — Schindler’s List and Batman Begins come to mind as his best roles, and, mediocre as the film may be, his role in Taken is perhaps his most iconic. His performance as Qui-Gon Jinn, who is both a steadying influence to Anakin and a counterpoint to the Jedi High Council, is wonderfully executed, especially since many of his scenes were shot with a 10-year-old and a goofy CGI alien.

Podracing is exciting, damn you. I don’t

care if it’s basically all CGI. If you don’t have fun watching it, I’m not sure what to say.

And Darth Maul is, save for Darth Vader, the best villain in Star Wars. His aura of evil, plus his growling voice and impressive acrobatics, make him an iconic presence. George Lucas’ greatest mistake with the prequel trilogy was killing Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.

So next time you watch the prequels, consider if Jar Jar Binks really was the only thing to come out of The Phantom Menace.

Alex McCann is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you like Attack of the Clones? Let Alex know by tweeting him @alexrmccann.

How to survive going out in the cold

GEORGIA DAVIS CULTURE EDITOR

F

ive inches of snow on the ground can make it difficult to make the trek up Jeff Hill to get to the bars on Court Street. And navigating Court is a beast all in its own on a busy Saturday night. Here are some tips to surviving a cold, snowy night in Athens.

WEAR WARM CLOTHES AND BOOTS We all know those people who wear the short dresses and high heels every time they go out. That’s not very practical in the winter. Opt for cute sweaters and knee-high boots. Choose practicality over fashion, please.

BUDGET ACCORDINGLY Instead of buying that last beer before you head home, get on the Lyft app or call a cab to take you home. You won’t have to walk down the icy sidewalks, and it will be a lot more comfortable.

KNOW THE BEST ROUTES Everyone knows about the elevator in Glidden Hall that you can use to avoid Jeff Hill. And with Baker Center open till midnight most nights, it allows an escape from the cold. Find places to pop in on your way home. Grab a bite to eat at an establishment that’s actually inside. You won’t

have to wait in line outside, and you’ll be a little happier.

GO OUT EARLY Going out before 10 p.m. will ensure the best spots in the bar. If you leave late when all of the bars are packed, you will have to wait in line and suffer all night in the booths closest to the door. Find a spot near the back and just watch all of the cold people venture in while you’re sitting comfortably and drinking your favorite brew.

WARM YOURSELF UP WITH A GOOD PREGAME OR JUST DRINK AT HOME If you’re going out, a pregame is a good idea. The alcohol will warm you up a bit, and you can drink from the comfort of your own home. Invite your best buds over for some wine and cheese. If you have a good enough time, maybe you won’t even leave your place and drink at home. In fact, that’s probably the best idea. Who likes snow anyway?

@GEORGIADEE35 GD497415@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

POLICE BLOTTER

Person with no pants on reportedly runs in front of snow plow; drunken man falls face first into gravel ASHTON NICHOLS STAFF WRITER While some people put on more clothing to deal with the cold temperatures, others are reportedly wearing less.

The Athens County Sheriff’s Office was called to State Route 13 in Chauncey for an incident report Jan. 13.

The Ohio Department of Transportation called and said a person with no pants on had run in front of the snow plow.

Deputies patrolled the area and found no pantsless person in the area. They determined that the call was unfounded.

THE KICK INSIDE The Athens Police Department arrested a woman Jan. 7 for disorderly conduct by intoxication.

Once in custody, the woman became assaultive and kicked multiple officers, according to an APD report.

Officers transported her to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail, and she appeared in Athens County Municipal Court on Jan. 8.

WILD HOG The Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call to the area of Porter Lane for a report of an abandoned

pig running loose in the area Jan. 6, according to a sheriff’s report.

Because temperatures were extreme and no one could locate the owner of the pig, a “compassionate party” captured it and transported it to a local shelter to be cared for until further arrangements could be made.

SNOW ANGEL The Athens County Sheriff’s Office was called to New Marshfield Road on Jan. 9 for a report of a male lying along the road in the snow.

No such male was located, and no further action was needed, according to a sheriff’s report.

NO, DOUGHNUT DO THAT On Tuesday, deputies from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to The Plains for a reported reckless driver doing doughnuts in the snow.

Deputies spoke to the driver and the issue was resolved, according to a sheriff’s report.

THE SLEEPING BOYFRIEND The Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from Vore Ridge Road on Sunday for a property dispute.

The caller said she was breaking up with her boyfriend and he would not give her certain items that she claimed were hers, according to a sheriff’s report.

When deputies arrived, the caller told them her boyfriend was asleep.

She said she would deal with the problem herself in the morning when he woke up, and she requested no additional assistance from the sheriff’s office. The deputies took no further action.

FACEDOWN Deputies from the Athens County Sheriff’s Office were called to The Plains on Jan. 12 for a report of an intoxicated male.

An intoxicated male subject had fallen face-first into gravel attempting to get out of a motor vehicle, according to a sheriff’s report.

Upon arrival, deputies and Athens County EMS were able to get the male subject inside of the ambulance. He was transported to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.

@ASHTONNICHOLS_ AN614816@OHIO.EDU

NEWS BRIEFS

University professor drops lawsuit; C-Suite relocated to library; dining halls testing reusable to-go boxes KAITLYN MCGARVEY FOR THE POST Students are diving into classes while bracing for cold temperatures during the beginning of Spring Semester.

Here is some of what’s been happening on and around campus: OU PROFESSOR DROPS DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT Michelle Ferrier, an associate professor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, dropped a lawsuit that claimed Ohio University administrators discriminated against her by race and sex.

Her initial complaint to the Ohio Court of Claims in July argued that OU, through E.W. Scripps College of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth and Chief Financial Officer Heather Krugman, discriminated against her because she is an African-American woman.

Ferrier came to OU from North Carolina to work as associate dean for innovation, Research/Creative Activity and Graduate Studies for the Scripps College of Communication in 2013; her position as associate dean, however, was terminated in January 2016.

6 / JAN. 18, 2018

Titsworth told Ferrier her position would be eliminated because of a department reorganization, but Ferrier’s complaint alleged Titsworth never gave her an explanation for the reorganization.

In response to Ferrier’s complaint, the university denied that she excelled in her position, that there is a history of discrimination against black administrators at OU and that Titsworth and Krugman “engaged in a systematic campaign to undermine (Ferrier’s) role at the university.”

C-SUITE TO FIND NEW HOME IN ALDEN LIBRARY C-Suite, a “campus-wide hub for collaboration,” will soon be a part of Alden Library’s Faculty Commons as part of a $1 million project to help OU students interested in entrepreneurship.

The OU Board of Trustees approved the C-Suite project in January 2017 with a total budget of $1 million.

The board planned to house the program in the Central Classroom Building. But Associate Vice President of University Planning Shawna Bolin said additional renovation needs of the building would stretch beyond approved resources.

The planning team instead decided to incorporate C-Suite into the Faculty Commons space on the third floor of Alden Library, a location that had been considered to house the program before.

OU Student Trustee Faith Voinovich, a junior studying chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been a part of the project since 2015.

“It’s this idea of bringing together a centralized hub that has innovative ventures in it,” Voinovich said in a university news release. “It might have ideation or materialization spaces that would really connect engineering, business, arts and sciences, fine arts — everything in one place.”

C-Suite will share a space with the Center for Entrepreneurship, the directors of which will manage C-Suite’s use and engagement.

OU TRYING REUSABLE TO-GO BOXES IN DINING HALLS Starting Spring Semester, 300 OU students will have the chance to use reusable to-go boxes at campus dining halls as part of a pilot program.

According to a university news release, the “Preserve2go box” measures 9-by-9-by-3 inches and is made

CLASSIFIEDS in the U.S. from 50 percent recycled, BPA-free plastic. The boxes are meant to help reduce how many disposable to-go boxes go to a landfill each year.

The success of the pilot program will help give an idea of whether the boxes should be fully implemented into the dining halls.

The idea for the reusable boxes came from the winners of Ohio’s 2017 Eco Challenge Competition.

Sign-ups for students who want to participate in the pilot program opened Tuesday at all three OU dining locations.

COMFORT FOOD RESTAURANTS MOVING ABOUT ATHENS OMG! Rotisserie opened its third location, 19 S. Court St., on Monday.

There are chicken restaurants along Court Street already, but co-owner Sheldon Andrus said he thinks the competition is great to encourage growth among the businesses.

“It makes us hone our recipes and our service,” Andrus said. “OMG is unique because we don’t fry anything. Everything is stove cooked. We’re not in direct competition with any fried chicken restaurants because we have a very specific way in which we prepare our chicken.”

The new location’s hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The OMG! Rotisserie food truck will remain open.

Meanwhile, Kiser’s Barbeque, 1002 E. State St., will move to Eclipse Company Store, 11309 Jackson Drive in The Plains, and Rita K’s, a new restaurant, will take its place.

Sara Pugsley, manager of Kiser’s Barbeque, said Rita K’s would be under the same ownership as Kiser’s Barbeque, but Rita K’s will focus on hamburgers, hot dogs and milkshakes.

“We’re pretty excited about the changes, and we hope that everyone else is and everyone is understanding and will to come try out the new products,” Pugsley said.

@KTLYNMCGRVY KM451814@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 7

INFOGRAPHIC BY CLAIRE HANNA

New report shows faculty diversity improving, but OU students remain predominantly white LAUREN FISHER ASST. NEWS EDITOR

D

uring his October inauguration ceremony, Ohio University President Duane Nellis touted a goal of making OU a national leader in diversity and inclusion efforts.

As part of those efforts, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion released an audit of university activities related to diversity and inclusion, as well as a list of recommendations for improvement. The audit comes amid a national search for the university’s first vice president for diversity and inclusion.

“It is clear that we need to continue to evolve in the way in which we think about diversity and inclusion in terms of Ohio’s culture,” Nellis wrote in a university news release.

“Considerations must be made for nearly every aspect of university decision-making, from personnel recruitment to budgetary decisions to curriculum planning.”

The report included comparisons with the 2017 recipients of the “INSIGHT Into Diversity” Higher Education Excellence in Diversity, or HEED, Awards, which include Indiana University, the University of Cincinnati and Kent State University. It also highlighted diversity training programs, resource centers, diversity grants, recruitment and retention.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report.

8 / JAN. 18, 2018

STUDENT BODY IS STILL OVERWHELMINGLY WHITE About 84 percent of full-time undergraduate students identify as white, according to a breakdown of race and ethnicity at OU. Meanwhile, black students account for under 4.7 percent of the university population, followed by multiracial students at 3.9 percent and Hispanic/Latino students at 2.6 percent.

Within the graduate student population, white students make up 61 percent of the student body, followed by international students at 22 percent.

HEED STANDARDS MOSTLY UPHELD OU offers unconscious bias training to nine of 11 groups recommended by the HEED awards. According to the report, the training is offered to a variety of faculty and staff groups, including OUPD and full-time staff. Unconscious bias training, which focuses on subconscious stereotypes that affect behavior, is not offered to full-time students and members of the university governing board.

In terms of services offered on campus, the university has seven of nine offices recommended by HEED, including those for disability services, LGBT students, veterans and international students. The university does not currently have a religious services office or a supplier diversity office.

Although OU upholds most HEED standards when it comes to making accommodations for students with

disabilities, the university has yet to install elevators in all buildings, make online learning systems accessible to all students and ensure its website is compliant with a section of the U.S. Workforce Rehabilitation Act that requires electronic and information technology be accessible to people with disabilities.

FACULTY DIVERSITY IS IMPROVING Among full-time, non-tenured faculty and administrative leadership, representation increased dramatically within a four year period. The number of underrepresented faculty at OU increased by 118 percent from 2012 to 2016.

On the administrative side, the university hired four new executives with minority backgrounds from 2012 to 2016 — a 133 percent increase.

The number of underrepresented employees in administrative leadership, including management, jumped from four to 30 in that same period — an increase of 650 percent.

“We need to hire leaders who look beyond the immediate fit to make diversity happen, and we need to hire people who have the diversity skills we lack,” Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education William Willan wrote in the report. “We need to be purposeful.”

@LAUREN__FISHER LF966614@OHIO.EDU

State cuts, decreasing revenue force cuts to 2018 Athens proposed budgets City makes cuts to departments across the board for 2018 proposed budgets SHELBY CAMPBELL FOR THE POST

Although the overall 2018 city budget is larger than fiscal year 2017’s budget by about $2.7 million, cuts were made to each department’s proposed budgets this year to make up for the loss of revenue from the state.

“We begin to look at our projected revenues, or how much money the city will bring in through income tax and other fees,” Risner said. “We then have to decide what we want versus what we really need.”

Crucial items for the city get first priority, Risner said. Mandatory expenses such as payroll, health insurance and adding to the state retirement fund are prioritized over projects that can be delayed for another year. Critical departments, such as police and fire, having the necessary equipment and everyday spending on items like office supplies are taken into account in the budget as well.

Certain departments, such as fire, code, lands and buildings, cemetery and other

“

GRAPHIC BY RILEE LOCKHART

We then have to decide what we want versus what we really need.

“

Approximately $1.3 million in cuts were made to the City of Athens’ budget for fiscal year 2018.

A decrease in projected revenue for fiscal year 2018 forced Athens City Auditor Kathy Hecht, the Finance and Personnel Committee — headed by Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward — and the Office of the Mayor to find ways to amend the budget.

Finding cuts in the budget proved to be difficult after state cuts stripped funding from the city’s projected revenues for 2018.

“Although we have the income tax increase, our tax revenue is basically flat,” Hecht said in an email. “Cuts by the state have reduced our available revenue.”

From 2006 to 2016, Athens lost $576,885 in local government funds, according to a previous Post report.

“In 2017, counties, municipalities and townships will be working with $1.176 billion less than in 2010, adjusted for inflation, as a result of changes in state policy, although needs in many communities remain higher than before the recession,” reads a report by Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute.

In that previous Post report, Risner said the state did not attempt to replace funding after the tax cuts. Those cuts made the budget process difficult because it stripped available revenue from the city, Hecht said.

The budget process begins with each department in the city submitting its own individual, itemized budget. From there, the Finance and Personnel Committee, the mayor and the auditor review project revenues for that fiscal year and prioritize what is crucial in running the city to make the budget fit within the city’s projected revenues for that year. When the budget does not fit within the city’s projected revenues for that upcoming year, cuts have to be made to the proposed budgets of each department.

- Jeff Risner, head of the Finance and Personnel Committee

administrations, had smaller budgets than last year, according to the 2017 and 2018 budgets. All other departments’ budgets grew to cover an increase in cost of operation of those departments, Hecht said.

“Mostly, we will be cutting back on capital expenses,” Hecht said in an email. “This

includes vehicle and equipment purchases and land and building improvements that can be put off until the next year.”

Capital expenses, such as non-crucial street improvements, will be postponed.

Additionally, no new positions in the City of Athens will be added in 2018, Hecht said.

“We have minimal cost of living pay raises to cover, so we don’t really have anything extra for new projects or additional personnel,” Hecht said in email. “The amount left for discretionary expenses has to be prioritized and some things fell off the list.”

Despite the revenue decreases, no one department was favored over another, Risner said.

“Across the board, everybody is affected equally,” Risner said. “No one department was cut more than any other.”

@BLOODBUZZOHIOAN SC568816@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

ONE of the TEAM

MADELEINE PECK FOR THE POST

E

d Drabold spends a lot of time working in the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment lab on West State Street.

He works on ways to effectively use algae to remove pollution from water, create biofuels and absorb harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as part of a $500,000 grant from Honda. He hopes that his personal project, looking at the circadian rhythm of algae, will result in a publication early this year. He stands side by side with professors and has even trained a graduate student.

Drabold is also an Ohio University freshman studying environmental studies who occasionally gets swiped into dining halls to spend time with some of his undergrad friends.

The 19-year-old has worked on science fair projects since he was in fifth grade. As a junior at Athens High School, he wasn’t sure what to do for his project, but he was interested in the work David Bayless, a professor of mechanical engineering, was doing at OU. He asked Bayless to be his mentor on a science fair project, and the same school year, Drabold started working in the ISEE lab at just 16 years old.

“I’ve kind of worked with everything,” he said. “I kind of have my hands in everything.”

Drabold has always been interested in renewable energies. They were usually the focus of his science fair projects, so the work Bayless and other professors and students were doing at ISEE was fitting for Drabold.

The lab is working with algae to address multiple environmental problems. People want get rid of pollution, like fertilizer runoff from farms, which causes harmful algae blooms on waterways, Bayless said.

People want to produce biofuels so to not rely on petroleum-based fuels. People want to recycle carbon dioxide to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

With algae, the lab is “really close” to solving all of those problems at once, Bayless said.

“It’s nature’s perfect solution,” Bayless said. “It’s already there. What we’re trying to do is develop systems to make it work for how the world is right now — the economic systems we have.”

The work is partially funded by a

10 / JAN. 18, 2018

Ed Drabold, a freshman studying environmental studies, poses for a portrait next to his algae “raceways.” (HANNAH RUHOFF / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

$500,000 grant from Honda’s research and development branch, Drabold said.

The lab is working to make a thousand-gallon bioreactor at a research and development plant in Raymond.

In addition to the assisting other researchers in the lab, Drabold became curious about the circadian rhythm of algae and is now using pH calculations to model the rhythm to growth. He hopes to submit a manuscript concerning the work to a journal by early spring.

For all the late nights in the lab and early mornings in the classroom, Drabold

said he couldn’t ask for anything more in a college education.

“I really mean it,” he added. “I couldn’t be more privileged. I kind of have to slap myself.”

One moment in particular that was amazing for Drabold was giving a presentation on his research to OU President Duane Nellis. Nellis asked him “a lot of really great questions” about his work, Drabold said.

“This is a freshman at our university who now has this project that potentially has scalability,” Nellis said. “Just think

of places like Lake Erie where they have some of these algae blooms, and if there’s a way to apply some of those techniques to cleaning up some of the algae issues ... and use it in a positive way as far as sustainability, I think that could be tremendous.”

Although Drabold is only a freshman, he’s not seen that way in the lab.

“He’s just one of the guys,” Bayless said. “He’s not a freshman. He’s just one of the team.”

@M_PECKABLE MP172114@OHIO.EDU

Reauthorization of Higher Education Act could spell change for OU

Gabriela Johnson, a senior studying English, shouts into a megaphone during the protest against Ohio University’s interim “Freedom of Expression” policy Oct. 20. (BLAKE NISSEN / FILE)

LAUREN FISHER ASST. NEWS EDITOR

P

roposed amendments to a landmark act on higher education could prompt changes for public universities — including Ohio University — if left unchanged.

First signed into law in 1965, the Higher Education Act was part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” agenda, aiming to provide more robust education resources for American universities and students.

The act, which was last reauthorized in 2008, increased the amount of federal funding distributed to colleges and universities and boosted financial aid through the creation of scholarships and

low-interest student loans.

On Dec. 1, Republicans of the House Education and Workforce Committee introduced the PROSPER Act — legislation that would reauthorize and update the Higher Education Act with a number of new stipulations.

According to a statement from American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell, the council is concerned that the proposed legislation would “undermine decades of federal policy aimed at helping students … afford a high-quality higher education.”

The measure, Mitchell wrote, would lead to higher interest charges for about six million student borrowers per year and eliminate an estimated 1.5 million in

financial aid grants.

In addition to addressing financial aid, the bill tackles issues of free speech and expression. According to the bill, “free speech zones and restrictive speech codes are inherently at odds with the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution.”

Under the proposed legislation, no institution of higher education would be eligible to receive federal money unless the institution certifies that it has annually disclosed to current and prospective students any policies related to protected speech on campus. That includes any policies “limiting where and when such speech may occur.”

In October, the American Civil Liberties

Union of Ohio condemned a set of interim OU policies as “unconstitutional” for their suppression of free expression on campus.

The policies, which were implemented in August, effectively ban “demonstrations, rallies, public speech-making, picketing, sit-ins, marches, protests and similar assemblies,” allowing the university to limit conduct that disrupts its operations, interferes with student activities or poses safety risks. The policies are being analyzed by a special advisory committee tasked with reviewing public feedback collected during a comment period.

According to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, the bill would also require that universities regularly administer conduct climate surveys, provide confidential counseling for survivors of sexual assault and notify complainants in sexual misconduct cases of available reporting and protection options.

The legislation “seeks to simplify how victims are advised of the rights and resources available to them at the institution,” according to FIRE. OU Spokeswoman Carly Leatherwood spoke with Nellis, who confirmed that the university is “fully engaged” in and monitoring the legislative process.

“We are conferring with staff in the House and Senate to try to help shape policy and will continue to do so throughout the process,” Leatherwood said in an email.

In December, OU President Duane Nellis said certain provisions being discussed would be “another attack on higher education,” adding that the university would need to carefully watch the reauthorization process.

“We can’t stand quiet,” Nellis said.

“This is a crucial time. And this is not just about Ohio University — to me, it’s about the future of our country as far as economic development and quality of life. We need an educated citizenry.”

@LAUREN__FISHER LF966614@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

MLK MARCH

Martin Luther King Jr. S I L E N T

M A R C H

Honoring 50 years of Dr. King’s legacy ABOVE: Elijah Cohen Denson (center), president of Alpha Phi Alpha, walks with his fraternity brothers on College Green during the Martin Luther King Jr. Silent March on Monday. (BLAKE NISSEN / PHOTO EDITOR) LEFT: The Rev. Evan Young (third from left) of United Campus Ministry leads a prayer before the silent march. (ABIGAIL DEAN / FOR THE POST)

12 / JAN. 18, 2018

TOP LEFT: Ohio University President Duane Nellis listens to a speaker outside Galbreath Chapel during the march.

(BLAKE NISSEN / PHOTO EDITOR) CENTER LEFT: Participants trudge through snow on College Green en route to Baker Center. (ABIGAIL DEAN / FOR THE POST) ABOVE: Elijah Cohen Denson holds hands with another participant during a silent prayer outside Galbreath Chapel. (BLAKE NISSEN / PHOTO EDITOR) BOTTOM LEFT: March participants linked arms as they made their way across College Green. (ABIGAIL DEAN / FOR THE POST) THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that a bike trail will be added through Wayne National Forest, viewed here from the Snake Ridge Lookout Tower at the Wayne National Forest Headquarters & Athens Ranger Station on Oct. 31, 2016. (EMMA HOWELLS / FILE)

Proposed bike path in Wayne National Forest to bring tourism, economic boost to Athens County GEORGE SHILLCOCK FOR THE POST Tourism in Athens County could see a significant increase as a result of a new mountain bike trail in Wayne National Forest.

The Baileys Mountain Bike Trail is a project that the Wayne National Forest and the Athens Bicycle Club have been working on for more than a decade. When finished, the 88-mile system of trails will connect and add on to multiple mountain bike trails and multi-use trails throughout Athens County. The size and location of that trail are expected to draw a large number of tourists who seek to utilize and enjoy that landmark project and the communities surrounding it.

“Looking at the size of this both regionally and nationally, there is no other area that has a huge project like this one,” Peter Kotses, owner of Athens Bicycle, 4 W. Stimson Avenue, and a member of Athens City Council, said. “Eighty-eight miles of 14 / JAN. 18, 2018

trail in a contiguous piece of property is unheard of on the East Coast.”

A trail this large brings the potential to attract a large amount of tourism to Athens County, Kotses, D-At Large, said. Since the next largest mountain bike path east of the Mississippi River is in Asheville, North Carolina, Athens could become a regional and national hot spot for mountain bikers.

“Bikers do travel a lot, so having it be so close to Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati and other areas definitely has a lot of potential to attract a large amount of people,” Andy Williamson, the director of programs for the International Mountain Biking Association, said.

The economic benefits of the Baileys Mountain Bike Trail are huge for businesses in Athens County because those bikers will be looking for other commodities in the area to fill their time before,

during and after riding. The people who planned the trail system wish for it to provide significant quality of life, economic and health benefits to Southeastern Ohio communities and residents.

“Communities in the area really add the other amenities that people that are traveling for trails look for,” Kotses said. “The trail is about two-thirds of the reason, but people want restaurants, lodging, shopping and entertaining things to do.”

The 88-mile Baileys Mountain Bike Trail will connect to the 21-mile Hockhocking Adena Bikeway and have trailheads in Chauncey, Buchtel, Nelsonville and The Plains. An increase in visitors to those towns in Athens County through that bike path is meant to help an economy that has been struggling for years.

“It would give folks the ability to stay in Athens or Nelsonville and then bike all the

way to Chauncey since there are no hotels in Chauncey,” Athens County Planner Jessie Powers said.

That trail also has the potential to bring in jobs, but before the construction can begin, Wayne National Forest and the Athens Bicycle Club need to find sources of funding.

The project is estimated to cost $3-6 million, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

“I can say now that we don’t have any funding, but I will also say that based on the conversations we are having, there are more opportunities to fund this than any at other forest property right now,” Kotses said.

Until the source of funding is found, the start of construction and the day the trail system opens will not be determined.

@SHILLCOCKGEORGE GS26185@OHIO.EDU

Athens boutiques keep up with winter fashion trends AJ BAUMANN FOR THE POST

W

inter is in full swing, and both boutiques and Athens residents have been preparing for the colder weather.

Brianna Colvin, the assistant manager at The Other Place, 43 S. Court St., said the boutique began preparing for the winter season in fall.

“It’s winter, so everybody is wearing leggings and sweatshirts and it’s mostly boots, gloves and stuff because it’s cold,” Colvin said. “Everyone wants to be comfortable.”

The boutique carries brands like Sperry and Ugg alongside other different winter accessories like hats, gloves and sweaters.

“We order clothes usually a few months ahead (when) we get ready for winter and fall,” Colvin said.

Although The Other Place had prepared for the season by purchasing more stock ahead of time, much of the winter apparel was bought quickly by customers this year, she said.

“Winter actually went really fast this year,” she said. “We had stuff and then it was just gone, so we just have to keep ordering things offline.”

Customers who shop at The Other Place tend to buy more of the sweaters that are “big, comfy and soft” said Colvin. “(That’s why) we get different brands of sweaters in,” Colvin said.

Another shop that offers winter apparels is Artifacts Gallery, 2 W. State St. The store offers vintage-style clothes as well as a small winter selection.

Thea Erwin, a sales associate at Artifacts Gallery, said customers who shop

The interior of Bluetique, 19 W. State St. (ERIKA ROBERTS / FILE)

there enjoy the selection of velvet and pleather-style clothes. Pleather is a type of plastic material that is made to look like leather, according to Merriam-Webster.

The store also offers winter accessories like hats, gloves and scarfs, which are the most popular items sold in store as residents of Athens bundle up for the cold, Erwin said.

“For winter, it’s more (about) comfort because there’s a lot of cold and walking around,” Kate Hermanowski, a senior studying environmental biology, said. Hermanowski lives on Court Street and said she passes by the boutiques every day.

Though Hermanowski prefers to shop at Urban Outfitters when she is visiting home, she would be interested in purchasing winter accessories from the boutiques in Athens.

“I would buy the winter accessories if it was advertised well,” said Hermanowski.

“Sometimes I walk in the boutiques just for fun.”

@AJ_BAUMANN AB387316@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

A poster for The Disaster Artist hangs outside The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., on Jan. 17. (MCKINLEY LAW / PHOTO EDITOR)

‘The Disaster Artist’ tells story behind cult classic ‘The Room’

D

avid Waterman saw The Room for the first time when he was about six years old with his siblings, who are significantly older than him.

“When I first watched it, I thought it was terrible,” Waterman, a freshman studying media arts and studies, said.

The Room was hailed as one of the worst films ever made when it was released in 2003. It grossed less than $2,000 in its opening weekend and starred Tommy Wiseau, who wrote, directed and produced it.

That horribly awful movie is considered to be the best of the worst and served as inspiration for an autobiography that was adapted for the big screen.

Wiseau was the man behind the nowcult film. Johnny (Wiseau) lives in San Francisco who finds out his best friend and fiancee are sleeping together. In 2016, James Franco wrote, produced and starred in a behind-the-scenes look at the famous bad movie when he made The Disaster Art16 / JAN. 18, 2018

ist.

The Disaster Artist is based on the book of the same name, written by Wiseau’s The Room co-star, Greg Sestero.

Waterman also saw The Disaster Artist, but he didn’t find anything particularly special about it.

“It was a good movie, but it was what I expected from Seth Rogen and James Franco,” he said.

The Disaster Artist was nominated for two Golden Globes, and Franco took home one of them for his portrayal of Wiseau.

The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., is screening The Disaster Artist with its final screening taking place Thursday.

Alexandra Kamody, director of the Athena, heard people talking about the movie and said people didn’t feel they had to see The Room before The Disaster Artist to enjoy it.

“I think people are interested in how things are made and the behind-thescenes story,” she said.

“

“

GEORGIA DAVIS CULTURE EDITOR

When I first watched it, I thought it was terrible.

- David Waterman, a freshman studying media arts and studies

The Disaster Artist features side-byside comparisons of remade scenes, and Waterman found them to be “masterful” because of the attention that went into recreating the scenes.

The Room cost $6 million, and no one knows where the money came from. It’s hard to determine how much money The Room has made since it was produced

because it circulates in theaters across the nation for cult-classic screenings.

More money was spent to make The Disaster Artist. Its budget is estimated at $10 million. But the movie made $1.2 million on opening weekend and has grossed more than $20 million worldwide.

With the recent sexual harassment allegations against Franco, Waterman doesn’t believe the film will follow the path of its inspiration and become a cult classic. The film is also well-produced, which doesn’t fit the camp style cult classics typically take on. The film was made by established actors that know how to make films, Waterman added, and not bad actors who are trying to make a film.

“I’m a first-year film student and I feel like I could make a better movie than The Room, but not make a better movie than The Disaster Artist,” Waterman said.

@GEORGIADEE35 GD497415@OHIO.EDU

OU professor emeritus of art to open retrospective exhibit at Kennedy Museum ALEXIS EICHELBERGER STAFF WRITER

R

on Kroutel always knew he would be an artist. Everyone else said so.

As the son of European immigrants, he grew up with parents who valued culture and education, despite not having much access to it themselves. To them, Kroutel said, becoming an artist was as impressive as becoming a brain surgeon. His classmates told him he was talented, too — even after an incident of public shaming by a nun for making a drawing of an apple tree too life-like.

“I always was interested in it and always drew and was encouraged,” Kroutel said. “Nobody ever said, ‘That’s not going to get you anywhere, Ronnie.’ ” Kroutel moved to Athens in 1966 from inner-city Detroit, happy to leave the urban environment for the green hills of Southeastern Ohio. For 50 years, he lived and taught in Athens at Ohio University’s School of Art and Design. Now, he is saying goodbye.

Kroutel, a professor emeritus of art, moved to Colorado recently. He enjoys his time in the mountains but said he left Athens in a way he felt was incomplete.

“For 50 years, the area has been supportive and a rich source for me,” he said.

“So when I left, I just felt that I’m leaving all this that meant so much to me, and there isn’t any sort of finale or ending to it.”

When Kroutel expressed that lack of closure and a wish for a final Athens art show to his longtime friend Rajko Grlic, an eminent professor of film at OU, Grlic took it to heart. Now, nearly two years later, the project is coming to fruition and Kroutel is giving his final goodbye and thank you to Athens.

The exhibit, “50 Year Journey: Ron Kroutel Paintings,” opens Friday night at the Kennedy Museum of Art, 100 Ridges Circle. It will feature 36 of Kroutel’s works, from small black-and-white drawings to large, vibrantly-colored paintings arranged to show five major steps in his personal artistic journey.

Grlic, the guest curator for the exhibit, carefully selected each of the works from the many Kroutel produced during his long career. The two met nearly 30 years ago

The Kennedy Arts Center, located at The Ridges. (ISAAC HALE / FILE)

after discovering their shared European roots, and Grlic said after spending enough time in Kroutel’s studio, he began to see Athens from the painter’s perspective.

“Somehow, I began to look around here … through the eyes of his paintings,” he said. “It became my way of seeing things.

So, when he decided to move after 50 years, I think that he deserved to be honored in some way.”

Among the exhibited paintings are several landscapes inspired by venues in Athens County. They are altered and exaggerated, but all of them are grounded in life. Grlic’s personal favorite is one of those, which he will display at the end of the gallery. He said the piece somehow ties the many local scenes Kroutel created together .

“It’s very rare that you can see the

landscape, the houses (and) the roads where you are living through the eyes of one excellent painter,” Grlic said.

Kroutel misses his time in Athens and the many good friends he made. But as he has seen his retrospective exhibit come together, he hasn’t felt nostalgia. Instead, he is simply happy to share his life’s work with others.

“I think my motivation, even as a kid, was never to show off,” he said. “Maybe ego was in there, but I would just say it was the desire to share what I thought was interesting or good. I don’t feel pride necessarily. … I’m just glad I can share it.”

IF YOU GO WHAT: 50 YEAR JOURNEY: RON KROUTEL PAINTINGS WHEN: WALK & TALK AT 5:15 P.M., FRIDAY; OPENING RECEPTION AT 6 P.M., FRIDAY WHERE: KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART, 100 RIDGES CIRCLE ADMISSION: FREE

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

BASKETBALL

Doug Taylor: Ohio’s steady presence in the paint Doug Taylor’s impact might not be quantifiable, but it’s there nonetheless ANDREW GILLIS SPORTS EDITOR Early in the first half against Kent State last Friday, Doug Taylor made his presence known to everyone at the M.A.C. Center. The only problem was, at that particular moment, Taylor didn’t do anything.

Instead, it was a culmination of each prior possession.

Taylor and Golden Flashes center Adonis De La Rosa had been having a game within the game of sorts, each giving an extra push, hand check or glare to the other as each possession ended.

Then, after a timeout, Taylor walked back to the bench with De La Rosa right behind him. Taylor stopped, then De La Rosa bumped into Taylor and threw himself on the floor in an attempt to get a foul call. But De La Rosa was called for the technical foul instead.

“That’s Doug at his best,” coach Saul Phillips said of Taylor’s edginess. “Some guys function better like that; some guys function worse like that. He functions best like that.”

That’s the role that Taylor has carved out for himself on the Bobcats: a defensive force in the paint and an energy player at both ends of the floor. It won’t show up on the stat sheet, but Taylor has had a bigger impact on games than might be imagined.

He’s not one to light it up on the offensive side, which is sometimes tough to quantify.

And recently, his production has become consistent. An edge to his game is also coming out more than ever before.

After Ohio’s ugly 75-50 loss to Central Michigan on Jan. 2, Taylor sat down and watched film. What he saw embarrassed him.

“It was like a wake-up call for real,” Taylor said. “I felt like I wasn’t bringing enough to the table. I felt like I was selling my guys short. I’m the energy guy, and I felt like we came out lazy and lackadaisical. That’s my fault.”

Just four days later, he registered six rebounds and six blocks — some that made the crowd stand in approval — in a win over Northern Illinois.

“He’s been really locked in for about three or four games,” Phillips said. “He’s a proud kid, too; he doesn’t

18 / JAN. 18, 2018

Ohio University center Doug Taylor (#45) drives for a layup during Ohio’s game against Toledo on Jan. 16. The Bobcats lost to the Rockets 9157. (EMILY CHINN / FOR THE POST)

like losing, so the last couple haven’t sat real well with him. What are you going to do?”

Now, the key for Taylor is to continue that production on the defensive end for more than just a game or a half.

With Ohio in a scoring slump of its own, the defensive end of the floor has become more important for Taylor and the Bobcats. The defense needs to pick the offense up while the offensive end struggles. And that includes Taylor.

“You look at places where we can still get things from, that’s one of them,” Phillips said. “He has potential to do more than he’s doing offensively. We have potential to, as a team, find him as a cutter, put him in spots off of drives where he can catch and dunk.”

Whether the offensive end comes in the next few games, or even this season, Taylor’s impact on the de-

fensive side of things hasn’t gone unnoticed, by Phillips in particular.

It might just show up in box score as a block or a rebound, but with Taylor, it’s becoming more emphatic.

He’s been able to block shots and control the paint over the last few games with ease, something that has the 6-foot-9 forward walking with a different edge than he had just a few weeks ago.

“Swatting somebody’s shot is like ... it’s like an extra confidence boost; it’s like an energy boost for the guys,” Taylor said, grinning ear-to-ear. “It wakes everybody up. Defensively, I feel like I should have a huge impact on games, every game.”

@ANDREW_GILLIS70 AG079513@OHIO.EDU

BASKETBALL

Ohio’s defense is one of the best in the country The Bobcats have one of the best defenses in the country because of its ability to force turnovers CAMERON FIELDS FOR THE POST If Ohio has proven one thing this season, it’s that its defense is one of the best in the country.

For most of the season, the Bobcats have been ranked either first or second in the nation for turnover margin. The Bobcats are second at the moment; their quickness and ability to read passing lanes on the perimeter has helped them obtain that ranking. The Bobcats force an average of 24.4 turnovers a game.

When they force 24 or more turnovers in a game, they’re 7-1. But when the Bobcats only hold teams to 23 or fewer turnovers, they’re 2-7. The only loss with more turnovers was to Buffalo on Wednesday, when Ohio lost 67-63 at home.

One of the wins with few turnovers came on the road against Western Michigan last Saturday, when freshman guard Cierra Hooks scored a career-high 22 points. And the other win was at home against Toledo on Dec. 31, when junior guard Dominique Doseck scored a career-high 27 points.

Aside from Doseck’s career game, the Bobcats also rebounded the ball well.

Both the Bobcats and Rockets had 37 rebounds, so the Bobcats competed in a category they usually don’t perform well in. They’re ranked last in the Mid-American Conference for rebounds per game.

Hooks and Doseck are the only two

Ohio freshman guard Cierra Hooks scans the offense during a Mid-American Conference faceoff against Buffalo in The Convo on Wednesday. Buffalo beat Ohio 67-63. (MIJANA MAZUR / FOR THE POST)

players who have scored 20 or more points in a game this season.

But crediting the wins solely to Hooks’ and Doseck’s performances wouldn’t encapsulate the entire picture of how Ohio won those two games, even if it didn’t force its average number of turnovers.

The Bobcats’ offense has improved since the beginning of the season. To see how the Bobcats have won games without forcing as many turnovers as it has in the past, it’s important to understand Ohio’s offensive growth.

As Ohio went through non-conference play, its defense was its best quality. The Bobcats hadn’t found their offense yet.

Before Ohio played Purdue on Dec. 10, coach Bob Boldon acknowledged that his team’s defense was a significant factor.

“I think (our defense is) probably the sole reason we have any wins,” Boldon said.

Boldon also said at the time that the Bobcats’ defense had slipped a bit. But that’s because they were working on improving an offense that had shot only 40 percent or above from the field once before the Purdue game. When Ohio beat Notre Dame College at home Nov. 16, it shot 43.2 percent from the field.

The Purdue game marked a shift, though.

Ohio beat Purdue on the road, and at the time, it was the team’s best game of the season. It arguably still is.

But that’s because while the Bobcats forced the Boilermakers to commit 33 turnovers, which remains the most turnovers the Boilermakers have committed this season, the Bobcats had their best shooting game of the season. They shot a season-high 62.5 percent from three.

They haven’t shot better from deep since.

Hooks and Doseck have been leaders on the defensive end this season, along with redshirt senior guard Taylor Agler.

All are in the top three for steals per game on the team, with Hooks at No. 1 (2.9).

With her lateral quickness, Hooks can beat players to a spot easily. And when she does, she’s good at ripping the ball away from players’ hands.

“We have a really great defender in (Hooks), and I think she pushes the envelope on defense,” Agler said before Ohio played IUPUI earlier in the season. “I think she’s the leader of that.”

Agler said that before the season began, Ohio didn’t expect to be a good defensive team. The Bobcats had five freshmen coming in. Agler also said that Boldon’s defensive rotations are hard to learn.

“Most kids are used to playing zone (defense) at least half the game their whole life,” Agler said before the IUPUI game. “And coach Bob and his staff, they don’t believe in zone. We have to play man-to-man.”

Both defenses require much commu-

nication. Players need to tell teammates where to be, but a man defense is different.

Telling teammates to switch on pick and rolls is important because if a switch isn’t executed correctly, then an easy bucket at the rim or an open jump shot could result.

The Bobcats are 17 games into the season, and they’ve cemented a spot as one of the best defenses in the MAC. Despite a lack of size, the Bobcats’ perimeter defense is difficult to attack, what with the team’s point guards – Hooks, Doseck and Agler – forcing players to make bad decisions.

Still, if the Bobcats play good defense, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to shoot well. They’re ranked last in the MAC for field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.

Playing good defense merely provides the Bobcats a chance to compete on offense, which in turn allows them a chance to compete in every game.

And if they play exceptionally well on that end, then they’re most likely winning games.

@CAMERONFIELDS_ CF710614@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

The 60-year long save ANTHONY POISAL FOR THE POST

B

ill Gurnick didn’t know much about where he was going.

He anxiously sat in the back seat of his father’s car on a September morning in 1959. The destination was Athens, and all the freshman had was a small suitcase and some hockey equipment. His father gave him $2 for a phone call to his family, who expected him to quit and return home just a few weeks after moving to Ohio University.

Coach John McComb needed a goalie to continue to push his new hockey organization off the ground. The Bobcats had gone 6-2-1 in their inaugural season in 1958-59 and finished second in the Ohio Intercollegiate Hockey Association, or OIHA, but they were about to become a lot more talented.

Besides going to play hockey for McComb in college, Gurnick didn’t know much else. Gurnick was going to school for free on a work scholarship, but like his family, he also didn’t know how long he’d be in Athens or where he’d stay.

Perhaps what Gurnick didn’t realize at the time was that the next four years of his life would contain three OIHA championships, an MVP award, a dominant hockey team and the construction of one of the most colorful players to play for Ohio.

Gurnick was about to pave the path of Ohio hockey for nearly 60 years.

TOUGHENING UP Gurnick was Ohio’s starting goalie in his freshman year, and his impact was instant.

The Bobcats went 10-1-0 in their second season and won their first OIHA championship.

Al Haines, a defenseman who played on the inaugural Ohio team a year before Gurnick’s arrival, still remembers how noticeable the difference in talent and success was after Gurnick arrived for the Bobcats’ second season.

“The first year we played, where Bill was not on the team, yeah, we’d get people going to the hockey game, there was no doubt about it,” Haines said. “It wasn’t until the second year that I said, ‘Holy crap, these guys are really good.’ ” With Gurnick, the team was so good that John McComb decided to toughen up the schedule for the next season. Ohio was going to play four games against Michigan State, the 1959 NCAA Division I runner-ups after a 4-3 overtime loss to North Dakota in the NCAA championship.

“Oh, Coach, why don’t you just schedule 20 / JAN. 18, 2018

the Montreal Canadiens,” Gurnick told McComb after the coach gave him a call to tell him the “good news.”

And Ohio got throttled.

The Bobcats lost all four games with a combined score of 46-7, but it’d be hard to pin much blame on Gurnick. The sophomore stopped 136 total shots. Ohio totaled 39 shots.

Ohio’s depth was simply no match for one of the best hockey teams in the country. “(Gurnick) held us in all those games. All the saves that he made against Michigan State, it was just phenomenal,” forward Roger “Bing” Carlson said.

One of Gurnick’s toughest games came on the road against Port Huron in 1963. Gurnick was pounded by 60 shots from Port Huron throughout the game — Ohio took 37 — but the Bobcats won 5-4 in overtime.

Part of Gurnick’s success came from his ability to not only envision where a player was going to shoot the puck, but also to ready himself for potential deflections off other player’s shin guards and sticks.

“I worked at it a lot, though,” Gurnick said. “Playing outside all the time, like with the tennis balls and everything, my reflexes perfected really good. I learned a lot from George Wilson shooting those tennis balls at me and everything.”

Gurnick’s goalie skills started to develop when he was 11 years old. On a walk back from school, he met Wilson, an expro hockey player from New England.

Wilson had a hockey stick and was shooting tennis balls at a 4-by-6 box outlined with tape on his garage door.

When he asked Wilson what he was doing, Wilson said he was preparing to play pond hockey. He offered him a baseball glove and a broom and told him to stand in between the box on the garage and block the shots. Wilson shot the tennis balls at him; when they finished their mini practice, Wilson was impressed.

“Eh, you might just be a goalie someday,” he said. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll get you some skates. What’s your shoe size?”

When the Forest Hills pond finally froze over, Gurnick joined Wilson and the other guys, who were in their 20s and 30s, in their hockey games, and Gurnick fell in love with a game that carried him through the next decade of his life.

The amazing reflexes put Gurnick at the top of the list of goalies forward Dick Hendrie and several other former Ohio players had ever played with. Hendrie played professionally in the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs systems af-

Roger “Bing” Carlson and Bill Gurnick (right). (PROVIDED via ohiobobcatshockey.com)

er that bared “OHIO U” prominently painted in green letters in its April 5, 1963, issue.

The water tower incident occurred on the last night of a 1963 spring break trip.

Hendrie and Carlson, and others claimed that it was Gurnick who painted the water tower in their college’s name.

“Bill was as wild as he was, and he was on top of the water tower and painted ‘Ohio University’ on the water tower,” Carlson said.

Gurnick denies it, however.

“No, we did not do that,” Gurnick said with a laugh.

When Gurnick and the rest of the group arrived back in Athens, they were met by OU Dean of Students William Butler and the Athens chief of police. They questioned Gurnick and tested his fingers for paint residue or any evidence that he was the artist behind the water tower’s masterpiece.

“Nothing was on my fingers or anything,” Gurnick said.

While Hendrie, who worked for 17 years in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations after college, believes that it was Gurnick who painted the water tower, he still doesn’t know how he, or whoever it was, managed to climb up the tower with a bucket and a brush and paint it all in the dark.

“It’s all a mystery how that all happened,” he said. “Maybe it’s best to just leave it that way. Some of the best mysteries are best left alone.”

Bill Gurnick (second from left) and friends travel to their spring break trip in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

(PROVIDED via Tom Gosiorowski)

ter college.

“I think he’s the best goalie to ever step foot on Ohio University ice, and he’s the best goalie that I ever had,” Hendrie said. “In my opinion, hockey at Ohio University would never have gotten off the ground and where it is today 60 years later without Gurnick. We won hockey because he stopped some shots that absolutely should have gone into the net. It was that simple.”

COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL Former Ohio teammate Tom Gosiorowski met Gurnick when Gosiorowski was 15 years old.

Gosiorowski witnessed Gurnick’s “intense passion” grow for hockey throughout high school, but he also saw a different character in Gurnick in college — Gosiorowski joined Ohio hockey in 1961.

When Gosiorowski, a freshman, reunited with Gurnick at OU during Gurnick’s junior year, a lot had changed.

The quiet kid that Gosiorowski remembered back home bought him his first beer, gave him a fake ID and had evolved into a more courageous, bold college student.

Gurnick was the center of the show in front of 1,200 fans during games at Bird Arena and then the life of the parties that followed.

“There’s a metamorphosis of this guy coming out of his cocoon and becoming a butterfly,” Gosiorowski said with a chuckle. “He relished that and became the kind of guy who loved to be an exhibitionist. … It wasn’t rowdy, it was more pranksterish. He wasn’t beating up on anybody, he would never do that, but he was a prankster.”

His amusing character off the ice transformed into a talented, determined goalie between the pipes that helped Ohio accumulate a 43-16-0 record in his four years with the program.

Gurnick remembers hearing Richard Kowalchik, an Ohio team manager, scream, “Jesus! Look at this!” upon seeing the front page on a newspaper stand that morning. The guys paid five cents for a few copies each, and it’s a paper that many of them still have today.

The Fort Lauderdale News’ front page printed a water tow-

The 1961-62 Ohio Bobcats, including Bill Gurnick (front row, center).

(PROVIDED via ohiobobcatshockey.com)

Bill Gurnick (center, with hat) in class. (PROVIDED via Dick Hendrie)

THE PIONEERS After graduating from Ohio, Gurnick was a physical education teacher for 29 years in Strongsville and created several youth sports teams across a variety of sports. He’s a volunteer at the Elks Lodge in Port Charlotte, Florida, and brings the same level of passion and dedication toward helping the volunteers and children at the lodge that he had when he was in net for Ohio and in the classroom in Strongsville.

Gurnick and his teammates from the early ’60s still communicate today, and many are expected to return to Athens for Ohio’s alumni weekend festivities on Friday and Saturday for its 60th anniversary season. Gurnick will receive recognition as a member of the Ohio Hall of Fame 2018 class.

When Gurnick and the rest of his former teammates arrive at Bird Arena, they’ll remember where it all started.

Not just their friendship, which was felt across the campus, but the success of Ohio hockey that followed the program decades after their graduation.

“We thought we were the pioneers, really, of Ohio hockey in those days,” Gurnick said. “We were the ones who put it on the map and brought it up.”

@ANTHONYP_2 AP012215@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender Hillel, LGBT Center to sponsor ‘Call Me By Your Name’ screening ALEXIS EICHELBERGER STAFF WRITER The Ohio University LGBT Center and Hillel at OU will collaborate Sunday to examine the intersection of Jewish and queer identities with a special screening of the award-winning film Call Me By Your Name.

The special event will take place at The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion. The first 100 attendees will receive free tickets courtesy of the LGBT Center and Hillel’s sponsorship.

Call Me By Your Name has attracted significant attention from the film community since its release in November and its nominations for three Golden Globe awards. Set in the Italian countryside in 1983, it tells the story of a

17-year-old boy who falls in love with his father’s summer research assistant.

Alexandra Kamody, director of the Athena, said she was happy to collaborate with Hillel and the LGBT Center on an event for a blockbuster film. The movie will begin showing Friday at the Athena and will continue to play in the following weeks.

While she was aware of the obvious importance of LGBT identities in the film, Kamody said she is interested to learn more about the importance of Judaism in the plot as well.

“I think it comes into play when you’re talking about identity and that topic of coming of age because you’re really exploring your identity,” she said. “I kind of conjecture that the young man’s identity is very tied to the Jewish culture he’s part of, and it factors into the story as

his identity is being explored.”

Bree Becker, director of Hillel, reached out to Kamody about organizing the event after hearing the Call Me By Your Name buzz among both LGBT and Jewish people. Becker said she found it interesting that while most films featuring Jewish characters make their faith the crux of the plot, Call Me By Your Name is not one of those movies.

“It’s sort of an interesting representation because … while (the main character) is very obviously Jewish, the movie is not about being Jewish,” she said. “It is … actually sometimes unusual to find a film where a character is very clearly Jewish, but the movie isn’t about being Jewish or Israel or the Holocaust.”

Becker and delfin bautista, director of the LGBT Center, will also lead a panel discussion after the screening. Beck-

er said the two of them will be available as sources of expertise to answer any questions attendees may have, but they will primarily act as moderators to stimulate conversation about attendees’ thoughts on the film.

Becker said above all, she hopes those who attend the screening go away with something new to consider, whether it be about LGBT and Jewish identities or something else entirely.

“We’re all part of an intellectual community here,” she said. “I think anything we can do that creates new opportunities to learn is positive and sparks different kinds of conversation.”

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU

Film Review: ‘Call Me By Your Name’ offers intimate look at sexual identity but may not receive much Oscar recognition GEORGIA DAVIS CULTURE EDITOR When it was announced that Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name would be released in the primetime of Oscar season, it immediately became a frontrunner for many Academy Awards.

But in comparison to other films popping up on the Academy’s radar, the heartwarming film will be just another good movie that came out this year.

The film tells the story of 17-year-old Elio (Timothee Chalamet), who spends six weeks in the summer of 1983 with his father’s young, attractive research assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer). Along the way, a friendship forms between the two that turns to a passionate love affair, leading to Elio’s self-discovery of his sexuality.

The film is intensely intimate, and 22 / JAN. 18, 2018

Chalamet and Hammer beautifully convey the sexual tension between Elio and Oliver. From the innocent touch of the hand to the passionate kisses they share in the secretive places of Italy, the romance is palpable.

The film isn’t bogged down by closeup shots that are popular in romantic films such as this one. Some of the shots are taken at a wider angle as if the torrid love affair were being viewed from a third-party perspective. By filming from further away, it makes the connection between the two of them obvious, which is why it’s no surprise that Elio’s father (Michael Stuhlbarg) gives a beautiful monologue at the end of the film that says he knew about the relationship and accepts him for who he is.

Call Me By Your Name is all about acceptance, but that doesn’t mean the film-

makers will be giving their own acceptance speeches at the Oscars on March 4. The film was beautiful, but it doesn’t quite stack up to the other films that will be nominated. Film is in the age of comedy with films like I,Tonya and Lady Bird.

Call Me By Your Name is comparable to 2015’s Brooklyn. Both tell amazing stories about love, but neither will get the recognition they deserve at awards ceremonies. Call Me By Your Name will be nominated in the top categories for sure, but expect it to pick up only one award for Best Adapted Screenplay — and even that’s a far stretch.

Rating: 3.5/5

@GEORGIADEE35 GD497415@OHIO.EDU

IF YOU GO WHAT: CALL ME BY YOUR NAME WITH DISCUSSION WHEN: 7:30 P.M., SUNDAY WHERE: THE ATHENA CINEMA, 20 S. COURT ST. ADMISSION: FREE FOR FIRST 100 PEOPLE, $6.50 FOR OTHERS

WHAT’S GOING ON? MAE YEN YAP CULTURE EDITOR Friday Welcome Back Shabbat and Dinner

at 6 p.m. at Hillel at Ohio University, 21 Mill St. Celebrate returning to Athens and the end of syllabus week with a night filled with music and home-cooked meals. The menu of the night includes vegetarian chili, cornbread, salad and dessert. Admission is free.

Ohio Hockey Alumni Celebration Game vs. Pitt at 7:30 p.m. at

Bird Arena. Join the 60th Season Alumni Celebration as Ohio Hockey takes on Pittsburgh. Tickets can be purchased online and at the Bird Arena Pro Shop. Admission is $5 for OU students with ID, $8 for adults and $6 for children.

The D-Rays with Supernobody and Bloodthirsty Virgins at 10 p.m. at

Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St. Athens-based bands Supernobody and the D-Rays and Columbus-based band Bloodthirsty Virgins will perform a variety of rock music styles at Casa Nueva. Admission is $3 for ages 21 and above and $5 for ages 18-20.

Saturday Women’s March Athens 2018 at 1

p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 2 S. College St. Athens will host its own Women’s March on Saturday. The event will begin at the First United Methodist Church, followed by a march toward the Athens County Courthouse, 8 E.

Ohio’s Mike Palasics waits for the puck to drop during the Bobcats’ game against Pittsburgh on Feb. 3. (BLAKE NISSEN / FILE)

Washington St. Light refreshments will be provided at the church. Admission is free.

Post-Pre-Release Rivals of Ixalan at 1 p.m. at The Wizard’s Guild, 19 W. Washington St. The Wizard’s Guild will host a casual, low-stress event for attendees to play Rivals of Ixalan. Players will be able to keep the cards they open as well as two additional bonus booster packs.

Admission is $25, and players will receive six booster packs, a special foil promotional card and two additional bonus prize booster packs.

Brick Monkey Free Play Reading at

8 p.m. at Kantner Hall. Brick Monkey Theater Ensemble will read Merri Biechler’s Occupation with live music accompaniment in the Virginia Hahne Theater. The play reading will also take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

DJ Barticus Y2K Millennium Dance Party at 9 p.m. at The Union Bar

& Grill, 18 W. Union St. Self-proclaimed “most YOLO jumpsuit wearing DJ ever” DJ Barticus will spin tunes from 1999 to today. Admission is $3 for ages 21 and above and $5 for ages 18-20.

Spring Semester Kickoff at midnight at 33 N. Court St. Chabad at OU invites all to its new Jewish Student Center on Court Street between Insomnia Cookies and Wings Over Athens. Bagels and lox, omelets and ice cream among other food will be provided. Admission is free.

Sunday Little Fish Yoga at 11 a.m. at Little Fish Brewing Company. Little Fish will be hosting a yoga session with Maria Casa as the instructor. Yoga enthusiasts from beginner to experts are all welcomed and asked to bring their own mats. Admission is free. Snack and drinks will be provided. Admission is free.

Kids Day at 1 p.m. at Little Fish Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Road. Little Fish and Rural Action will celebrate January Kids Days with arts and crafts, bird watching, nature walks, wetland exploration and more. Free ginger ale and juice will be provided for participating children.

Homo Happy Hour at 6 p.m. at Athens Uncorked, 14 Station St. Athens Uncorked invites students and community members over the age of 21 to gather for cocktails before a free showing of Call Me By Your Name together with Hillel and the LGBT Center at The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. Attendees can enjoy alcoholic beverages and appetizers at Athens Uncorked and receive a 10 percent discount off their bill.

@summerinmae my389715@ohio.edu THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

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