January 27, 2022

Spin scooters have left Athens PG 8 A look into access to fresh produce in Southeast Ohio PG 12-13 Here’s the albums that will rock 2022 PG 21 THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2022

Cece Hooks becomes all-time leading scorer in the Mid-American Conference

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Strengthen your news literacy skills during National News Literacy Week

ABBY MILLER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

It’s not always pleasant to reflect back on the 2020-2021 academic year.

While the coronavirus pandemic did upend the latter half of the 2019-2020 school year, my entire junior year was defined by the pandemic and the ensuing online classes. My off-campus apartment was also my classroom, and the blur between home and school life was overwhelming at times. Despite the difficulties of online learning, I took some of my favorite classes to date last year. One class in particular feels incredibly important when looking at today’s media and political landscapes.

During the Spring Semester, I took a course called News and Information Literacy. Despite being taught online, I still took so much from this course and all the materials offered to us in the virtual classroom. Some of the material was familiar to me as a journalism major and student journalist while other statistics and material I learned about were more shocking.

Whether in the classroom or not, it’s important to become news literate in order to be a conscientious consumer of news and information.

There’s no better time than now to start.

Jan. 24-28 marks National News Literacy Week, which aims to raise awareness about how important news literacy is as a life skill and for the upholding of democracy.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Abby Miller MANAGING EDITOR Bre Offenberger DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Matthew Geiger EDITORIAL NEWS EDITORS Emma Skidmore, Ryan Maxin ASST. NEWS EDITOR Molly Wilson PROJECTS EDITOR Taylor Burnette SPORTS EDITOR Jack Gleckler ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Ashley Beach CULTURE EDITOR Riley Runnells ASST. CULTURE EDITOR Kayla Bennett OPINION EDITOR Mikayla Rochelle ASST. OPINION EDITOR Hannah Campbell THE BEAT EDITOR Madyson Lewellyn ASST. THE BEAT EDITOR Emma Dollenmayer COPY CHIEF Anna Garnai SLOT EDITORS Anastasia Carter, Will Cunningham, Bekah Bostick, Isabel Nissley ART ART DIRECTOR Mary Berger ASST. ART DIRECTOR Olivia Juenger DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Nate Swanson PHOTO EDITOR Jesse Jarrold-Grapes DIGITAL WEB DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Brianna Lender AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Jack Hiltner ASST. AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Claire Schiopota DIRECTOR OF MULTIMEDIA Noah DeSantis BUSINESS DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Andrea Lewis MEDIA SALES Grace Vannan, Jamyson Butler 2 / JAN. 27, 2022

When one isn’t news literate, it can have a rippling effect on society. Not only may one consume and take misinformation as fact, but they may share that misinformation with others, creating an echo chamber where the information is affirmed and leads to the further consumption of misinformation for all those involved.

This isn’t to say everyone who consumes misinformation or isn’t news literate has malicious intent. Some of this is simply a byproduct of our growing online world, where a plethora of information is always within our reach. The internet, whether we like it or not, is a double-edged sword, and we have to learn to wield it.

As college students who grew up surrounded by technology, we aren’t automatically wizards at navigating the internet and figuring out what information is true or not.

If you don’t believe me, just spend one minute on Athens Yik Yak and see what things people are falling for without verifying it with a credible source.

For Bobcats who are looking to test and improve their news literacy skills, there are a variety of free resources you can find online to assist you. A great place to start is the News Literacy Project, or NLP. NLP is a nonprofit institute with resources for both edu-

THE

POST

ISSUE 17, VOLUME 112

ONLINE thepostathens.com FACEBOOK thepostathens TWITTER @ThePost INSTAGRAM @thepostathens

cators and the general public. You can access quizzes and other activities that test your news literacy skills on its website, or you can download its app, Informable, to play “games” that help strengthen your news literacy skills.

News literacy also extends to your social media habits. Simply reading an article before you tweet it or repost it to your Instagram story can halt the spread of false information.

And remember: There’s always more to a story than what you can get on an Instagram graphic. Let your research on topics extend beyond your feed.

My News and Information Literacy course really challenged me to look more critically at the online information I was trusting at face value. While not everyone has the opportunity to take a course pertaining to news literacy while in school, that doesn’t mean education stops outside the classroom. Take a few minutes during National News Literacy Week to test yourself on your news literacy. You may be surprised to see what you know.

Abby Miller is a senior studying journalism and political science at Ohio University and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Have questions? Email Abby at am166317@ohio.edu or tweet her @abblawrence.

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Vaccine providers stay busy as COVID-19 transmission rises DONOVAN HUNT FOR THE POST

Gaskell said it is important for students to get vaccinated due to the transmission rates of the omicron variant. Students are also at risk to spread COVID-19 because they live in close proximity to one another within residence halls.

“If they get disease, it’s going to be with omicron and two doses of vaccine does not provide much protection,”

Vaccine providers in Athens are steadily administering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots as Ohio University students return to campus in the midst of the omicron wave.

Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public health operations, said the positivity rate on campus is relatively high compared to previous data. Over 2,000 students tested positive for COVID-19 during winter break or prior to Spring Semester move-in.

To help fight the omicron variant, OU is encouraging students, faculty and staff to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, and as of Jan. 13, 5,651 individuals have registered booster shots with the university.

OU is not currently requiring its students, faculty or staff to receive a COVID-19 booster shot; however, individuals were required to be fully vaccinated with two-dose vaccines by Nov. 15, 2021.

James Gaskell, health commissioner at the Athens City-County Health Department, or ACCHD, said people with their primary vaccine have around 40% to 50% protection against the omicron variant, while those with booster shots have around 85% protection.

The health department holds four general vaccine clinics a week and provides around 25 to 30 booster shots through those clinics. The department distributes around another 15 booster shots at its childhood clinics held on Thursdays.

“Not many students have found their way to us yet,” Gaskell said. “OU has a vaccination site on campus that they can go to, so they don’t have to come down to the health department’s (clinics). It’s closer for them.”

Meredith Erlwine, public health communications specialist with OU’s COVID operations team, said the university’s clinics were “overbooked each time” through Dec. 2021 and as the holiday season approached.

This semester, those clinics have continued with strong attendance, Jim Sabin, a university spokesperson, said. On Jan. 7, 266 vaccines were administered, and 244 were administered Jan. 14. OU was not able to detail whether those vaccines were booster shots, but the clinics provide both primary and booster vaccines and are offered Fridays at the Heritage Community Clinic.

Gaskell said.

CVS is continuing to provide vaccines as well, and appointments are available on its website.

@DONOVANHUNT9 DH322621@OHIO.EDU

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THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

NEWS BRIEFS

Athens County reports 107th COVID death; dean of students to leave OU SOPHIE YOUNG STAFF WRITER Athens County records 107th COVID death

The Athens City-County Health Department reported a new COVID-19 related death Monday, bringing the county’s total count to 107.

The county currently has over 3,000 active COVID-19 cases and a positivity rate of 13.2%. On Monday, 350 new cases were reported.

Nearly 53% of residents have begun the vaccination process, with 49% of those individuals fully vaccinated. Over 16,000 people in the county have received additional booster doses.

Patti McSteen announces decision to leave OU for position at NYU

Interim Senior Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Patti McSteen announced this week her planned departure from Ohio University after over 25 years at the institution.

McSteen will leave Feb. 4 for a position as senior associate vice president and deputy of global campus safety at New York University, according to a university news release.

The Division of Student affairs is finalizing a plan for transition and will make an announcement in coming weeks.

McSteen had several other positions involved within the OU community, including director and creator of the Margaret Boyd Scholars Program and the Student Review and Consultation Committee.

In a university news release, McSteen thanked OU, her colleagues and the students she has worked with for their contributions to her time at the university and expressed her gratitude for her time as a Bobcat.

contract with Bigbelly, a waste and recycling services provider, to save money. The city will instead purchase its own waste bins.

Alan Swank, D-4th Ward, mentioned the disparity between waste rates for homeowners and renters in the area, which he believes to be inequitable.

Council also discussed the potential to extend the mask mandate in Athens, which is set to expire in February. Sarah Grace, D At-Large, suggested the extension based on the current high rates of COVID-19 transmission in Athens.

City Council discusses Athens City Commission on Disabilities 2021 projects

@SOPHIELISEY SY951319@OHIO.EDU

Athens City Council met Monday to review annual reports by various committees, including accessibility audits and garbage and recycling.

The Athens City Commission on Disabilities found much was done in 2021 to improve accessibility in Athens. Walk and roll audits were conducted to identify accessible areas in the county, and two monthly series were held to educate community members about issues pertaining to disability.

The City and Safety Services Committee discussed the Council’s recent decision to terminate the city’s

POLICE BLOTTER

Man found sleeping in car; dog bites bystander MOLLY WILSON ASST. NEWS EDITOR

vised to leave.

A report was taken, and the matter is under investigation.

Dog gone wild

Throw it away

The Athens County Sheriff’s Office received a report that a loose dog had bitten someone in Dover Township.

The dog was secured in a residence when deputies arrived, and the caretaker was issued a citation. The victim of the dog bite declined medical treatment.

Snowy roads

Deputies from the sheriff’s office found a vehicle on US 33 that had struck the median. Due to the poor road conditions, the driver had lost control, and the car slid into the median.

A towing company was contacted and removed the vehicle, and deputies returned to patrol.

Not your property

The sheriff’s office received a call regarding trespassing on Vore Ridge Road in Athens. The caller reported that two individuals continued to enter their property after being ad4 / JAN. 27, 2022

The deputies did not notice any criminal activity but found a man sleeping inside the vehicle. The man left the area, and deputies returned to patrol.

Deputies from the sheriff’s office responded to a litter complaint on Poston-Salem Road in which the caller said he saw a man dump “junk” on the side of the road.

Deputies patrolled the area for the reported vehicle, but they did not make contact. The deputies also did not see any trash along the side of the road.

Gunshots fired

Tripped alarm

Renter’s fight

The sheriff’s office responded to a home in Millfield for an alarm that had been activated. Deputies did not make contact with anyone at the residence, and the home appeared to be secure.

There were no signs of forced entry, and no further action was taken.

Just sleeping

Deputies from the sheriff’s office noticed a vehicle parked at the Coolville boat ramp when they were on patrol.

The sheriff’s office received a report that around the Chauncey area, gunshots had been fired.

Upon arrival, deputies patrolled the area and did not observe any loud sounds. No other reports of gunshots were taken during that time.

Deputies from the sheriff’s office received a report of a landlord and tenant dispute and proceeded to respond to Old State Route 56.

Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the involved parties, and both shared conflicting stories of what had occurred.

The parties were separated, and the landlord was reminded of the eviction process through the courts.

@MOLLYWMARIE MW542219@OHIO.EDU

Food banks, pantries continue to fight food insecurity in Southeast Ohio as COVID-19 affects funds, supplies ADDIE HEDGES FOR THE POST Despite a significant amount of money donated to the Athens County Food Pantry following Joe Burrow’s 2019 Heisman Trophy acceptance speech, food insecurity continues to be an issue for many Athens residents as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year.

Before the impact the pandemic would have on food insecurity was known, the Athens County Food Pantry was able to start the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund through the Foundation of Appalachian Ohio. The pantry started the fund, which will eventually generate a source of income, to provide for future needs.

“Our $350,000 endowment investment turned into a $700,000 investment immediately,” Karin Bright, president of the Athens County Food Pantry, said. “It is now, I believe, about 1.3 million (dollars) at this point with other monies that have come in, other donations that have been made.”

The donations have made it possible for the Athens County Food Pantry to increase its supply stock and the number of community outreach programs it sponsors.

“If we start running low on packed boxes and bags, we bring in our packing people, and they pack so we always have food there,” Bright said. “We don’t have to worry about whether or not we’re going to be able to serve people.”

Although the Athens County Food Pantry feels secure in its ability to provide to those who use its services, surrounding counties’ pantries have had an increased demand for services.

The increase of people in Southeast Ohio affected by food insecurity may be a result of job loss and children staying home from school due to COVID-19, Valerie Keeney, the public relations coordinator at Hocking Athens Perry Community Action, said.

“We do still continue to see the increased need here as the pandemic continues,” Keeney said. “Obviously, we’re getting through it, which is great, and have seen things opening back up with the vaccines, but people are still struggling.”

Many Ohio University students also deal with food insecurity, Charlie Fulks, the basic needs coordinator at OU’s Cats’ Cupboard Food Pantry, said. Fulks oversees the campus food pantry, located on the fifth floor of Baker University Center.

Cats’ Cupboard is an available resource for OU undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff. An aver-

Jane Newton, Athens County Food Pantry employee, shows the selection of food available at the food pantry on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.

In the wire cart are recent vegetable donations from Community Food Initiatives, a nonprofit organization based in Athens, and in front of those are selection items and prepackaged meal bags. (ALIZA DUTT / FOR THE POST)

age of 22 students visit the Cats’ Cupboard daily, Fulks said, seeking food as well as personal care and hygiene items.

“What we try to do in the Cats’ Cupboard Food Pantry is mimic the shopping experience you would have if you were to go to any grocery store,” Fulks said.

“Needed items that people … want are often those personal hygiene, personal care items. We have several pantry members who are in need of those items.”

The Athens County Food Pantry also recognizes the need for personal care items of people in Athens County. Money from the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund has created room for new projects in the pantry’s budget. The need for hygiene products is the focus of one of the pantry’s newest initiatives.

“We are currently doing a cleaning and personal hygiene project. We just kicked that off this month,” Bright said. “This month’s item is one of those big, giant jugs of laundry detergent. Next month, it will

be a bag of assorted cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products, and then the following month will be paper goods, and then we’re going to rotate that throughout the year.”

The Athens County Food Pantry was able to maneuver around the purchasing limits that were placed on many products during the beginning of the pandemic by shopping at different stores due to the funds it had saved, Bright said. There was originally a struggle to get exactly what it wanted but, currently, supplies are easier to sustain.

Despite collaborations and donations from the Athens County Food Pantry and the Southeast Ohio Food Bank, the Cats’ Cupboard encounters supply issues regularly.

“We’re always having issues with (replenishing supplies),” Fulks said. “We had an issue where it took us over two weeks to get egg cartons delivered to us. They’re supposed to be here in two to three days …

so things like that can be an issue.”

Prices of various items have also increased recently, Fulks said. However, purchasing items through OU’s Culinary Services as well as receiving food donations and trading items with the Southeast Ohio Food Bank and Athens County Food Pantry has made it possible for Cats’ Cupboard to remain a dependable resource on OU’s campus.

As COVID-19 continues to affect those grappling with food insecurity, local food banks and pantries encourage those who can donate food, money or volunteer time to do so.

For more information on how to help those facing food insecurity, visit the Athens County Food Pantry website or the Cats’ Cupboard website.

@ADDIEHEDGES AH766719@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

OU not enforcing vaccine mandate for those without vaccine exemptions

DONOVAN HUNT FOR THE POST

Students not complying with Ohio University’s vaccine mandate are returning to in-person learning and on-campus living, despite previous messaging that students must be vaccinated or have an approved exemption to attend classes and activities and live in residence halls.

OU President Hugh Sherman reiterated those guidelines in a university-wide email Aug. 31, 2021.

“All students must be vaccinated or granted an exemption in order to participate in any spring semester in-person activities, including face-to-face instruction and residence life, at any location,” the email read.

After the Nov. 15, 2021, vaccination deadline, the university has allowed students and employees who are not vaccinated or do not have an approved exemption to participate in in-person activities.

OU accepts exemptions for medical, ethical, moral and religious reasons.

The university also decided non-compliant students and employees would be required to submit a weekly COVID-19 test this semester, along with those that have an approved exemption. Additionally, there is a temporary weekly testing requirement for all on-campus students due to the omicron variant.

The percentage of vaccinated students on the Athens campus is about 91% as of Jan. 25. The university approved 829 vaccine exemptions for off-campus students and 476 for on-campus students. There are 188 unvaccinated students without an approved exemption living off campus and 56 living on campus. Non-compliant students make up about 1.5% of the student population.

The percentage of students and employees who are vaccinated across all OU campuses is 88.5%; 73.1% of students and employees at OU’s Chillicothe campus reported their vaccinations, 68.4% at Eastern, 72.5% at Lancaster, 75.1% at Southern and 72.8% at Zanesville.

Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public health operations, said the university is not enforcing the mandate as originally stated because of the university’s high vaccination rate. Ice said OU and the COVID Operations team will continue to promote vaccines. Carly Leatherwood, a university spokesperson, said that approach is “in line with other public institutions in the state.”

However, a few universities across the country are taking action against unvaccinated students and staff. Xavier University 6 / JAN. 27, 2022

Ohio University’s requirement to be vaccinated by Nov. 15, 2021, is posted in the workspace for West 82 employees. (NATE SWANSON / DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)

of Louisiana, University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia have stated they will be disenrolling unvaccinated students who have not submitted exemptions.

Ice said she considers the vaccine mandate a success because it encouraged many people who were not vaccinated to get the shot.

“What we would not have wanted to do was to withhold the educational services that we are here to provide when we had any other reasonable option,” Leatherwood said in an email.

Summer Howman, a sophomore studying psychology, said she was not aware the mandate was not being enforced but was not surprised to hear it, either.

“They just stated that to appease the public and then they’re not enforcing it to appease the other side,” Howman said.

“They’re not really worried about COVID as much as they’re worried about their image.”

Howman also said she is frustrated because she has taken measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 herself and

feels that it enables people to disregard COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“We’ve always needed to be vaccinated to be at school,” she said.

Jack Hillman, a freshman studying psychology, said it is upsetting the university is not enforcing its original mandate. Hillman also said he is skeptical of the exemption numbers. He believes medical, moral, ethical and religious exemptions are valid, but he doubts every student filled them out genuinely.

“Whether it be convenience or political alignment, people have opinions about the vaccine one way or the other,” Hillman said.

Hillman said he is concerned about attending in-person classes and being exposed to COVID-19 for both himself and others.

“I, myself, am fully vaccinated and have the booster, so I feel relatively safe,” he said. “But that’s around one-tenth of Athens campus that isn’t meeting that requirement, and I’m concerned for the well being of others who might be more at risk

to the virus.”

@DONOVANHUNT9 DH322621@OHIO.EDU

GAMES

Stop the flood of misinformation.

Mindlessly sharing misinformation can be harmful to others and our society. Remember to check your sources and verify facts before sharing information online.

Join the movement at NewsLiteracyWeek.org

JAN. 24–28 2022

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 7

Spin scooters removed from Athens, OU SOPHIA YOUNG STAFF WRITER The ever-visible Spin scooters, which have become fixtures littering the sidewalks and walkways of Athens and Ohio University, will not be returning to the area in the spring due to termination of the company’s partnership with the city.

Spin scooters launched on OU’s campus in the spring of 2020, offering transportation to students and local residents for a $1 fee per ride and $0.29 charge per minute. Some students found the scooters a fun and accessible way to travel in the area.

“I thought they were really fun,” Evie Henderson, a junior studying psychology pre-med, said. “They’re just kind of nice to be able to go around to class and stuff, or if you’re in a hurry.”

Dylan DeMonte, a sophomore studying political science, said he frequently spotted students using the scooters during warm weather. However, DeMonte thinks students can find other modes of transportation, like bikes, to use in the scooters’ absence.

8 / JAN. 27, 2022

Though the scooters will no longer be an option for local transportation, OU Director of VPFA Auxiliary Services Tia Hysell said university students and workers can still travel for free via other modes of transportation, including CATCAB, daily campus shuttles and Athens Public Transit.

“While we are disappointed that the e-scooters won’t be a micro-mobility option this spring, we continue to offer a variety of ways for students, faculty and staff to get around campus and the surrounding Athens community if they’d rather not walk,” Hysell said in a university news release.

According to an announcement on the company’s website, Spin is restructuring its global business model and exiting nearly all open-permit markets, including Athens. The decision was informed by the uncertainty of the “free-for-all” market, characterized by no fleet caps, frequent competitive changes and low pricing sacrificing quality.

Moving forward, the company plans to prioritize profitable growth and focus on operational standards in sole vendor or

limited vendor markets, Spin Spokesperson Sara Dodrill said. Operations will begin to dwindle in countries such as Spain and Portugal as early as Feb. 2022.

“By gaining the regulatory certainty that cities provide us via limited vendor permits, Spin will be able to continue investing in the infrastructure, technological, and operational innovations needed to make high quality shared micro-mobility services a permanent part of the transportation ecosystem,” Ben Bear, CEO of Spin, said in the announcement.

The decision will affect Spin employees, with an estimated 25% impacted by the shift. The company is attempting to mitigate impact by offering severance packages, additional stipends for outplacement services and allowing employees to keep their company-issued laptops.

In recent years, micromobility, such as e-scooters, have increased in popularity as an efficient and eco-friendly way to travel short distances. Typically found in larger cities and on college campuses, they operate via virtual payment and charge a bythe-minute rate for use.

However, the university still offers a

shared mobility program that encourages city-licensed vendors interested in operating on campus to apply for a partnership.

The city plans to prioritize alternative transportation going forward as well.

“The City of Athens will continue to evaluate the best ways to create and promote alternative modes of transportation throughout the City, including e-scooters and shared bike programs,” Athens Service Safety Director Andy Stone said in a release.

@SOPHIELISEY SY951319@OHIO.EDU

How high filtration masks slow spread of COVID-19, may impact pollution PAIGE FISHER FOR THE POST Ohio University recently announced its change to masking requirements, encouraging the use of surgical, KN95, N95 or KF94 masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, but the decision comes with both pros and cons.

James Gaskell, health commissioner at the Athens City-County Health Department, said the N95 and KN95 are the “golden standard” for masks.

“With omicron circulating in addition to the delta variant and causing an unprecedented rise in cases, the COVID-19 environment is very different than it was for Fall Semester,” Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public health operations, said in an email. “The current environment necessitates a more rigorous approach to prevention.”

Surgical masks are not as effective as N95 and KN95 masks, but they are more preventative in curbing transmission compared to homemade or cloth masks, Gaskell said.

“Cloth masks … prevent you from delivering the virus but don’t protect you so much from receiving it,” Gaskell said. “They (cloth masks) are about 60% effective at blocking viral transmission.”

Surgical masks have a higher efficacy rate at 99%, and they prevent people from expelling droplets into the environment, Gaskell said. Research also suggests they are about only 75-80% effective in preventing reception of the virus, he said.

Sam Crowl, associate director of sustainability at OU, said as of right now, it is hard to determine how much of an impact disposable masks have had on the environment.

“The main thing for me is I make sure that I dispose of them (masks) properly,’’ Crowl said. “They cause a problem like any other plastic.”

Crowl also said when surgical masks are not disposed of properly, they are likely to break down into microplastics and end up in waterways, which is a major problem currently impacting the environment.

“The masks that I see that are litter that bother me are mostly surgical masks,” Crowl said. “When those are in

the gutter, they’re most likely to end up in our stormwater system, putting down our drains, which just run to the Hocking River.”

Even though disposable surgical masks may contribute to increased pollution since the pandemic started, they are also easily accessible to the general public.

Gaskell said the health department is not using N95 masks due to the availability and necessity for them in hospitals. Rather, the health department is using surgical masks and supplying them to individuals who enter the department with a cloth mask on.

“The N95s are more expensive, they’re harder to obtain because the hospitals are using them a lot,” Gaskell said. “In general, I’d advise surgical masks.”

According to a previous Post re-

“

With omicron circulating in addition to the delta variant and causing an unprecedented rise in cases, the COVID-19 environment is very different than it was for Fall Semester.”

port, masks are available to students at the fourth-floor service desk in Baker University Center, on the second and fourth-floor service desks in Alden Library and at Ping Recreation Center.

Individuals with disabilities who do not have an approved exemption and are unable to adhere to the new facial covering requirements are able to request an accommodation through the Office for University Accessibility, Ice said.

@PAIGEMAFISHER PF585820@OHIO.EDU

- Gillian Ice, special assistant to the president for public health operations, said in an email.

Ohio University students wear N95 masks while going through Baker University Center on Wednesday, Jan. 17. (CLAY STARK | FOR THE POST)

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

Campus recovery resources provide support, advocate visibility ISABEL NISSLEY SLOT EDITOR Ohio University’s Collegiate Recovery Community lounge, or CRC, is situated in the eastern corner of Baker University Center. The space is small, filled with tables, a television and pamphlets with titles like “Am I An Addict?”

On its door, the CRC’s mission is written: “Recovery to inspire, share and empower.”

Though the CRC lounge, Baker 313, is distanced from open spaces and escalators where most university traffic occurs, it is a resource with potential to serve a large demographic impacted by substance use disorders: students.

Full-time college students are more likely to meet the criteria for having a substance use disorder than their peers not attending university but are less likely to seek out recovery services, according to a 2019 study led by Justine W. Welsh, director of Emory Healthcare Addiction Services.

Low alcohol prices, high concentrations of bars, academic stresses, desire for peer approval, availability of drugs, Greek life, the pandemic and financial issues create additional risk factors for students to encounter substance use disorders on college campuses. Simultaneously, uni-

versity culture constructs overuse of addictive substances to be relatively acceptable, said Divya Warrier, graduate assistant for alcohol and other drugs programming at OU’s Office of Health Promotion.

Use of drugs or alcohol is not inherently negative, Warrier said. However, repeated overuse of such substances can become harmful to students’ academic, health and behavioral wellbeing.

“A lot of times when people get addicted to something … they start losing things,” Ann Addington, coordinator of the CRC, said. “They start losing relationships, money, just trust in other people and things like that.”

OU houses a number of services aimed at addressing the needs of students with substance use disorders; the CRC hosts a weekly recovery support group called RISE, the Office of Health Promotion presents recovery ally training to groups upon request and Counseling and Psychological Services facilitate an alcohol screening/intervention and offer some behavioral health options.

However, despite the prevalence of substance use disorders among college students, a relatively small number seek out recovery resources from OU, Addington said.

Addington facilitates RISE meetings and sees between 10 and 15 students attend the support group weekly.

The RISE (Recovery to Inspire, Share and Empower) Space in Baker Center. (RYAN GRZYBOWSKI | FOR THE POST)

10 / JAN. 27, 2022

Both the CRC lounge and weekly support meetings provide recovering students with connections to their peers and aim to create a stigma-free atmosphere in a substance-heavy college town.

“I think the biggest thing that students get out of being in the CRC is their sense of belonging,” Addington said. “It’s really hard when you’re on a college campus and trying to stay sober or not do drugs. It’s almost as if you’re in a hostile environment.”

The hostility and stigma that surround addiction can contribute to students not seeking out recovery resources.

“I think things like the Health Promotion Office and the Collegiate Recovery Community are almost hidden,” Warrier said. “We don’t want to promote that because we don’t want to admit that students have it here on our campus.

And I think that kind of contributes to the stigma.”

Mental and behavioral health treatments for substance use disorders are also relatively limited at OU. For every one clinical staff member, intern, clinical graduate assistant or trainee employed by OU Counseling and Psychological Services, there are nearly 600 students that have the ability to seek out their services, according to 2021 Spring Semester enrollment data and the Counseling and Psychological Services online staff list.

“I know not only at our university, but at universities nationwide, that there is a greater demand for behavioral health care than universities can support or choose to support,” said Rebekah Crawford, visiting professor of social and public health. “The number I’ve heard anecdotally, for instance here at Ohio University, is that there’s a six week wait to get in to see anybody for behavioral health concerns here on campus.”

Substance use disorders are common within college communities, but stigma, as well as undersupported and underutilized resources, can create distinct challenges for students wanting to recover. Some students must even decide between recovery and education, with a number being forced to drop out.

Formal on-campus efforts such as the CRC or CPS provide concrete support networks for students who can access them. Warrier, Addington and Crawford also advocate the power interpersonal interactions can have in promoting health at OU, such as checking in on friends, talking about addiction in a nonjudgmental matter and promoting recovery resources.

“Even a small candle in a dark cave can make a lot of light,” Crawford said. “And so I think talking about it, defining it and helping people understand the social determinants that connect them to risks and vulnerability goes a really long way towards dispelling these ideas that a person only is on the hook for their own pain.”

If a student or someone they know is suffering from a substance abuse disorder, contact the OU Counseling and Psychological Services hotline at 740-593-1616 and press one, or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration hotline at 1-800-662-4357.

@ISABELNISSLEY IN566119@OHIO.EDU

Baker Center Wednesday Acoustic shows feature local artists, Appalachian music RILEY RUNNELLS CULTURE EDITOR When walking through Baker University Center on a normal afternoon, students, faculty and members of the community are often met with monotonous escalator rides getting them from one place to another. Take a walk through Baker Center on Wednesday afternoons, however, and people are serenaded with music of the region.

The Wednesday Acoustic shows, sponsored by the Campus Involvement Center and OHIO Live and curated by Bruce Dalzell, feature local artists performing acoustic sets entirely free to anyone who wants to come and watch every Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The event started as an idea from Corbin Marsh, assistant director of programming, and Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director for student activities, when they were brainstorming how to improve some of the past, smaller Baker Center shows that were lacking in attendance.

“We thought that this would be a different approach to it … a fun way to add color to Baker Center,” Marsh said.

Rather than having people RSVP or sit in assigned seats, the Wednesday Acoustic shows are an open audience plan.

People can sit down in the chairs if they want to, whether to watch the show or study while listening to the music, or they can hear the musicians throughout the building while walking to their next destination.

Marsh’s first thought was, because the show is during lunchtime, that people can enjoy their lunch while watching

the show and just take a break from work or class.

In that same vein, though not affiliated, Wednesday Acoustic shows are around the same time as the University Program Council’s “Flavor of the Week” event, where the group chooses a cooking style of a particular region and provides free food for anyone interested. Marsh encourages people to grab a plate and relax while watching the show.

However, the other appeal to the shows, apart from the lunchtime convenience, is the break in monotony from walking through Baker Center every day and seeing the same scenery.

“It adds some color and life to the building, and a fun thing to add to the building where people are either just passing through or working in their offices,” Marsh said.

Those who plan these shows not only got creative for the audience members but also provided a space for local artists to play their own music or covers of music they like.

One such artist is Megan Bee, a singer-songwriter in the Americana folk genre, who has performed at several of OU’s shows, including the Wednesday Acoustic.

“It’s just a unique opportunity to perform in the Baker Center in the middle of the day when people aren’t necessarily expecting there to be music,” Bee said. “It’s just nice – breaks up the regular week a little bit.”

Bee got involved with these shows through Dalzell, with whom she’s in a songwriters group. They connected through the group, and she had recorded a few songs at his studio, so he encouraged her to perform in the Wednesday Acoustic shows.

Though she takes every performance as an opportunity for connection between her and the audience, Bee thinks there’s something special about the Wednesday Acoustic shows.

“I think part of the fun of the Wednesday show is – some people come because they know it’s happening and other people are just passing by and don’t know what’s happening – to witness the surprise on their face as they’re passing by on the escalator or stopping on their way somewhere else,” Bee said.

One of the groups that performed at the Wednesday Acoustic show was the Corndoggers, a duo playing folk music. Two of the audience members felt a very particular connection with the music the Corndoggers played.

“I was just going to go buy a sweatshirt for my mom, and I heard the sound of Appalachia here and just thought I’d stop by and sit and watch it,” Logan Neal, a freshman studying aviation, said.

Neal sent a video of the performance to Ethan Scott, one of his friends at OU who he also went to high school with, and Scott decided to stop by and watch.

“We’re both from the outskirts of Athens,” Scott, a freshman studying integrated social studies, said. “We grew up with this – this is familiar stuff. It’s cool that it’s being brought to OU.” Marsh, Bee, Neal and Scott all encourage people to come to the Wednesday Acoustic shows to get a taste of Appalachian music and support local artists.

“Hearing songs like this with a lot of soul makes you think you’re at a cookout with your whole family having a beer, dancing, eating some pulled pork sandwiches or something.

It just makes you feel good,” Neal said.

@RILEYR44 RR855317@OHIO.EDU

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A Snapshot of

Healthy Food Accessibility In Southeastern Ohio, community connections make fresh, healthy food more accessible NATE SWANSON DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Echoes of the auctioneer from the Chesterhill Produce Auction can be heard from the grassy lot, where reliable pickup trucks and shiny sedans form a runway up to the auction house as people gather to buy fresh produce in bulk.

People carry crates of pie pumpkins and pouches with dozens of bell peppers reflecting the sun to the hatchbacks and trunks of vehicles. Inside, the weekly ritual of the harvest season attracts community members from Chesterville, enthusiastic auction-chasers and grocers looking for cheaper prices to buy produce in bulk and then sell from their own shelves.

Then there’s Community Food Initiatives, with its donation station set up on the outskirts of the auction stage, inviting courteous attendees to leave monetary donations to support the Athens-based organization’s mission of providing equitable access to healthy and local foods. Parked behind the open stage is the hard-to-miss Veggie Van with the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables painted on its sides, turning heads while Ivan Orquera, the Veggie Van manager, takes the sturdy wheels across Athens County to distribute fresh produce in areas that don’t have convenient access to stores selling fresh produce. These places are often known as food deserts.

“To venture into eggplant or sweet potato … encourages people to venture into these foods that aren’t consumed on a larger scale,” Orquera said.

At the pop-up produce stand in Coolville, across from the town hall, Orquera waves to cars as they pass by. Next to the tent kiosk sits the Veggie Van that hauled in the bountiful harvest. Seasonal produce bought in bulk from the Chesterhill Produce Auction is now arranged in cloth-lined baskets, inviting onlookers to bring home the rainbow of produce options.

“There’s all these farmers in the area, but it’s just hard for people to access them directly,” Ravi Harley, CFI Food Access Coordinator, said. “Community Food Initiatives alleviates some of that by acting as the middleman between pantries and the farmers so that people in more remote areas have access to fresh, local produce.”

Access to the whole, healthy foods needed for a balanced diet are out of reach for many in the region who then 12 / JAN. 27, 2022

have to turn to what is offered close by.

When people live miles away from grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger or Aldi, many get their food from places like Family Dollar that don’t typically sell fresh produce, with shelves mostly stocked with packaged convenience items. Others utilize the local food pantry, which isn’t guaranteed to have the healthiest options available, either.

Government and economic policy have played determining factors in access to healthy food options for people in certain regions. In 2020, there were 38.3 million people in the U.S., which is approximately 11% of the U.S. population, experiencing food insecurity.

In Athens County, 17.7% of families live under the poverty level, and 15.6% of its households are recipients of SNAP, or Sustainable Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal nutrition program for Americans with low income. One-fifth of all residents are food insecure, and one-third of children are estimated to be facing food insecurity, according to the 2020 Athens County Health Assessment. In terms of servings, only 31% of residents report eating five or more servings of fruit a day. Of Athens County residents, 34.2% answered that these foods are too costly.

Scan the QR code below to read the rest of the story online

NS833117@OHIO.EDU @NCSPHOTOS TOP: Chesterhill Produce Auction

volunteer Joe Barbaree scans the floor, looking for what else is needed to bring to participants’ vehicles.

MIDDLE: Community Food Initiatives’ iconic Veggie Van sits next to the popup produce kiosk in Coolville, Ohio.

BOTTOM: Natalie Hoff man’s daughter inspects a container of strawberries, a contested fruit in which Hoffman is picky about due to past purchases of the sweet berry from Walmart and Kroger being moldy and rotten within two days of purchase. “There goes $5 in the trash!”

TOP LEFT: Charity, a woman living in Serenity Grove, holds two slices of provolone cheese with the left slice f rom the Walmart deli and the right slice from the Kroger deli counter. Both supermarkets are located on East State Street in Athens, Ohio, but deli quality varies among the store chains. With a one-dollar price difference, the Walmart slice is dry and covered in spots in contrast to the fresh-looking Kroger slice.

MIDDLE LEFT: With barren trees rolling along State Street behind Natalie Hoffman, she loads her grocery bags into the trunk of her borrowed car, finishing another day of shopping at Kroger.

BOTTOM LEFT: Hoff man serves the food prepared together to her daughter at their kitchen table in their home within The Plains, Ohio.

TOP RIGHT: “The red one,” her daughter chooses, when asked which pepper she wants in addition to a green one. “Like for Christmas,” Natalie responded.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Seasoned chicken and vegetables simmer over a gas stovetop.

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Braving Being A Bartender HANNAH CAMPBELL ASST. OPINION EDITOR The atmosphere of a bar can be fun, but it can also bring outrageous customers, safety issues, harassment and possible danger. For women who are bartenders, these concerns are just another day on the job.

Marina Stevens, a senior studying chemistry, started working at Courtside Pizza, 85 N. Court St., in summer 2021. She had never worked as a bartender before, but she said she thought it would be a good fit for her schedule.

“I don’t go out a lot,” Stevens said. “So, I felt it was a better way to utilize my time on the weekends because that’s the only time I work.”

During the school year, Stevens typically works closing shifts and said she has never felt worried about working so late at night because of protocols the staff has put in place.

She said all of the staff walks home together at night, and male bouncers usually do shift work like taking out the garbage.

While Stevens has never had to deal with concerns like closing the bar alone, it’s a different story for other bartenders in Athens.

Jennifer Cochran is the former general manager of Cat’s Corner, 110 W. Union St., and a former bartender at Lucky’s Sports Tavern, 11 N. Court St. She started working at the latter in 2015 before leaving to work for Cat’s Corner during the pandemic.

Although Cochran usually closed the bar by herself at Cat’s Corner, looking back now, she said it probably was not the safest for her to do.

“Cat’s Corner has eight cameras pointing at all entrances, at all corners of that bar you could possibly be in, so I usually felt pretty safe,” Cochran said. “But really, I mean, that was a horrible practice for me.”

Cochran felt comfortable walking home alone after work because she knew the area.

However, her perspective on the issue has changed as she has grown older.

“I have been lucky enough to have never been in a stupid position where I have been assaulted or confronted after work walking home,” Cochran said. “But as a mother, as a long time bartender in Athens (and) as a manager, I also think my actions were probably reckless.”

Cochran decided to make sure her bartenders were protected when managing Cat’s Corner.

“Being a manager definitely changed how I view the bartending and the safety of my bartenders,” Cochran said. “I’m much more protective of my bartenders being safe, which is why I would get up and come back to close with them rather than have them be by themselves.”

While Stevens has not worked as a bartender, she has seen serious issues, like customers being too drunk or someone who’s noticeably uncomfortable. She said, however, the worst issue is rude and aggressive behavior from customers.

“There have been people that get in fights, and you either have to push them out of the patio or push them out of the bar,” Stevens said. “It definitely doesn’t happen as much as I thought it would, and our bouncers usually (are) heavily involved in fights for running and getting them out.”

Both Stevens and Cochran said they frequently experience sexual harassment.

Stevens said it’s common for customers to flirt with her or grab her hand while handing them their receipt, but customers have never been “too crazy.”

Unfortunately, Cochran said some of her experiences with customers have not been as tame.

“There is no end to things that have happened over the years,” Cochran said.

“People sticking their hand up my skirt or down my shirt or leaving their phone number and $1. They (have) behaved badly as I’ve gotten older.”

Cochran said she has gotten better at handling uncomfortable situations with customers over the years, but that hasn’t stopped their frequency.

“I would openly say it’s happened at every bartending job I’ve almost ever had,” Cochran said. “Men are very, very entitled about what they’re allowed to say to women. The entitlement comes with how people think they’re allowed to speak to serving staff, that their $2 entitles them to say what they want — like we’re not human beings.”

Although there are many concerns with working as a female bartender, both Cochran and Stevens said they’ve had a great experience doing so. Nevertheless, Stevens said it’s a job where customers will exploit you if possible.

Stevens said the biggest advice she can give to other female bartenders is to not be too friendly with customers.

“There are definitely people that will take advantage of you,” Stevens said. “They will ask for discounts. They’ll ask if you can put more alcohol in their drinks because it’s not strong enough. It’s a job where it’s like, if you’re too nice and too friendly, that’s when people start being rude to you because you are serving alcohol.”

@HANNAHCMPBELL HC895819@OHIO.EDU

ILLUSTRATON BY ALEXANDER GRAHAM

Local organizations work to combat youth homelessness KATIE MILLARD FOR THE POST A local 17-year-old living in foster care turns 18 and ages out of the system. A young veteran no longer serving moves to Ohio University to live with friends. A student, unable to afford an apartment on top of tuition, crashes on friends’ couches for months.

Many think of homelessness as panhandling or sleeping on the streets, but that’s not always the case. Housing insecurity often lends itself to homelessness in a less distinguishable way.

George McCarthy, Athens County judge for Common Pleas Court and Veterans Treatment Court, runs a Facebook page for local resources to help Athens’ homeless community. He said it can be difficult to know how many individuals experience homelessness in Athens because many find impermanent solutions.

“People that are homeless may not designate themselves as homeless, so it’s an undercounted population,” McCarthy said.

“A lot of people get by, self-admittedly, by couchsurfing. They’ll say, ‘Well, I’m not homeless. I stay with friends.’ They don’t have a permanent address. They’re staying and living off the generosity of their friends or family, and they’ll literally crash on couches and kind of move from site to site to site to site and don’t count themselves as homeless when, in actuality, they real-

ly would be counted as homeless because they don’t have a permanent residence anywhere. They don’t have stable living.”

According to a 2020 Hope 4 College survey, nearly three in five college students experience basic need insecurity, with 14% of all students surveyed affected by homelessness and 48% affected by housing insecurity.

Athens is not immune to these struggles, but it’s also not without resources to help.

Ohio University’s Housing Help page offers temporary emergency housing and onetime grants for students in need through the university as well as links to local organizations that help with housing insecurity.

Giselle Garcia, graduate assistant for the OHIO basic needs program, said there are many support resources on campus, including emergency housing for students in need.

“If a student gets evicted from an apartment or is at the brink of being unhoused, there is that resource, and that’s more of a partnership with Res Life,” Garcia said.

The university website suggests public housing options for low-income residents through Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority as well as support for homeless youth through Integrated Services and Sojourners Care Network.

Sojourners Care Network operates in seven Appalachian and Southeast Ohio counties serving homeless youth by offering housing, outreach services, foster care

and other programs, including support in completing GEDs and diplomas. Matthew Phillips, outreach coordinator for Sojourners Care Network, said the network serves people aged 14 through 24.

“We are fully grant-based, so we kind of have to work with what our grants allow us,” Phillips said. “For the 18 to 24-year-olds, we have our crisis transitional housing units that let us house them if they are homeless.”

Timothy House is run by the Good Works organization, a local group that strives to serve homeless, impoverished and recovering individuals in Athens and rural Appalachia. According to Good Works’ website, an average of 200 people stay at the Timothy House each year. The house has four bedrooms with 15 beds, a kitchen, a living room, two bathrooms, two offices and one large room for meals and meetings.

McCarthy said Timothy House requires interviews in order for individuals to live there, as does a local sober living men’s environment, Clem House. He said these interviews are to ensure occupants will live safely together, and they often require sobriety.

While Phillips is not in charge of Athens County outreach, he said he still helps Athens youth when he is called, and the Sojourners employee responsible for Athens is trying to expand programs in the area.

Phillips said Athens is home to the network’s Resiliency Center, which provides resources and support to local teenagers and young

adults.

“From certain hours of the day, people can come in and take a shower,” Phillips said. “They sometimes will have meals set up. They can come in and get a meal. She has been working there trying to get a lot of programs set up. I know she had a music program, an art program, and they try to get tutors to come in and help young people.”

OU also has on-campus resources for basic needs insecurity problems that often come in tandem with housing insecurity, such as academic support and Cats’ Cupboard, a food pantry for university students and staff located in Baker University Center.

“You can get upwards of $50 worth of groceries every two weeks when you shop with us,” Charlie Fulks, basic needs coordinator for Cats’ Cupboard, said. “So, instead of working that second job, if you join the pantry, you get a bunch of staple food items.

You can spend that five hours studying and focusing on school.”

McCarthy said there are many ways individuals can help local homeless and basic needs-insecure individuals, including donations and volunteering. He said he helps with Athens Area Stand Down, an annual event at the fairgrounds that distributes items for the winter and accepts volunteers all year.

However, he said help should be offered, but it may not always be accepted.

“People need to be aware that some homeless have significant mental health issues,” McCarthy said in a message. “So, if you do offer help and it’s refused then it’s ok to walk away. I see students offering food to someone who looks homeless and it’s refused. They shouldn’t take it personally.

While it’s great that people show such kindness, some homeless (people) just don’t want help.”

Voices of Youth Count found 69% of homeless youth experience mental illness.

Phillips reflected this in his own experiences and said communities need to reframe homelessness as something to be fixed together, not a burden to the city.

“Sometimes, communities take out park benches so people can’t sleep on them and stuff like that,” Phillips said. “Actions like that we may think are doing a service to our communities but, really, it’s being detrimental to a minority group that is really struggling, and nobody wants to be kicked when you’re down. We should always be willing to give a helping hand, and it’s the smallest things sometimes. It’s a kind word: ‘Hey, you’ll be OK. You’ll get through it.’ That does wonders for a person.”

@KATIE_MILLARD11 KM053019@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Ohio guard Mark Sears goes in for a layup against Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. The Bobcats beat the Huskies 74-62 after leading for the majority of the game at The Convo. (JESSE JARROLD-GRAPES / PHOTO EDITOR)

Ohio stifles late scoring run to beat Northern Illinois

JACK GLECKLER SPORTS EDITOR

Mark Sears thinks once Ohio learns how to end a game correctly, it’ll shift from a good team to a great team.

The Bobcats are well aware of their lax attitude that creeps onto the court as games wind down. They can build a massive lead just as quickly as they can watch it evaporate once they loosen their grip.

In their 74-62 win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night, the Bobcats were once again forced to stare their biggest weakness in the eyes.

“That’s one of our weakest things as a team,“ Sears said. “We just got to get better at closing the games up. Once we do that, we’re gonna be pretty good, but I’d say that’s our weakest point right now.

We’re still working on that.”

Ohio (15-3, 6-1 Mid-American Conference) had been in firm control leading into and out of halftime Tuesday. It had run out 16 / JAN. 27, 2022

to a 28-point lead after burying Northern Illinois (5-11, 2-4 MAC) under a mound of scoring runs and taut defense. Sears acted as the catalyst for Ohio’s offense, leading with 26 points, six rebounds and six assists. He and the Bobcats seemed to be back to their old selves after being humiliated by Toledo last Friday.

But then the Bobcats relaxed.

In the final seven minutes of the game, the Huskies went on a 20-4 run, impeded only by a pair of free throws and a layup from Sears. However, the Bobcats tripped over themselves trying to salvage their lead. They missed five 3-point attempts as the clock winded down. Four turnovers in seven minutes only fed into the Huskies’ rally. The Bobcats struggled to make a layup while the Huskies sank their final five field goal attempts with ease.

“Hopefully, we’re up 28 again. We can

learn from this,“ Ohio coach Jeff Boals said. “We’ve just got to understand time to score. If you don’t have a wide open layup, bring it out and make them run offense. I thought we got good looks when we ran down ... We got the kickouts. We gotta knock those shots down.”

Ohio’s accuracy from beyond the arc once again came into question. The Bobcats shot 26.7% from beyond the arc, their worst night against a MAC opponent since it shot 13.6% on the road against Western Michigan in early January.

But Ohio shot poorly on its own floor, and over half of its field goal attempts were from 3-point range. Boals wasn’t shy in acknowledging the poor shooting, and he thinks Ohio is missing too many easy shots.

“I think we’re getting good looks. I’d have to go back and look at it, but we’re

missing a lot of wide open ones,“ Boals said. “With the cushion that we had, we could afford to miss the ones we missed.

But to put a complete game together, step up and knock those shots down.”

The Bobcats were almost tripped up in a game they’d sealed midway through the second half. They buckled down and ran out the clock, but they allowed one of the weakest teams in the MAC to run rampant for the final seven minutes of the game.

Seven minutes turned Ohio’s knockout win into a race to stifle a 20-4 scoring run.

Tuesday showed that while Ohio is still one of the strongest teams in the MAC, it still has a fatal flaw the rest of the conference is more than willing to exploit.

@THEJACKGLECKLER JG011517@OHIO.EDU

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Ohio stuns Toledo 79-72 in another statement win WILL CUNNINGHAM SLOT EDITOR TOLEDO — If there was any doubt that Ohio belonged in the higher echelons of the Mid-American Conference, that doubt was erased Wednesday night after it marched into Savage Arena in Toledo and took down the conference’s No. 1 team 7972.

After starting conference play with a middling 2-2 record, the Bobcats have won their last three games and moved up to second place in the conference with Wednesday’s win. They also handed Toledo its first loss to a conference opponent this season.

Ohio notched its third win in five days, and its second in a row over a team in the top half of the MAC standings. It had to bite and claw to clamber ahead of Toledo, but Ohio is used to fighting for its wins.

Cece Hooks was excellent once again for Ohio on Wednesday. She scored 30 points against Toledo, tying her season high with a stellar fourth-quarter performance.

Although Hooks is the engine of Ohio’s offense, her fourth quarter performance

may have been her best yet. She made layup after layup as hopeless Toledo defenders tried in vain to stop the MAC’s all-time leading scorer. She finished with a hand on either side of the rim, and she willed Ohio to another monumental win.

Though Hooks wasn’t the only one running through the Rockets in the fourth quarter. Erica Johnson scored nine of her 17 total points in the fourth quarter, including a pair of layups that gave the Bobcats the lead. Johnson put the game on ice for the Bobcats after sinking three free throws in the final 20 seconds to extend the lead to seven points.

“She’s a gamer,” Ohio coach Bob Boldon said of Johnson.

Johnson struggled early in Wednesday’s game, but when the fourth quarter rolled around, she and Hooks unloaded on Toledo. The dynamic duo of Hooks and Johnson is what makes Ohio dangerous.

Before its week began, Ohio sat at fifth in the MAC standings and was staring down games against Toledo and Buffalo, the top two teams in the conference. To add salt to the wound, it had to face Toledo on the road.

After Wednesday, however, the Bobcats

Ohio University guard Madi Mace (3) going up for a layup against Toledo guard Sophia Wiard (2) at John F. Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, on Jan. 26th, 2022 (CLAY STARK / FOR THE POST)

have shaken up their season. They’re riding a three-game win streak and are within striking distance of Toledo, who’s still first place in the standings. The Bobcats’ situation this season has altered as they dealt with inconsistency in both their play and schedule, but their goal has been the same since day one.

“We’re here to win the MAC,” forward

Gabby Burris said. “And that’s what we’re showing right now.”

Ohio has not won the MAC tournament since 2015, during Boldon’s second season at the helm. While breaking that dry spell seemed like wishful thinking a few weeks ago, Ohio is in a stronger position than ever.

The Bobcats have already knocked off two of the MAC’s top teams, with a chance to take down a third on Saturday. They have overcome plenty of adversity, both within games and over the course of their season. But they have one of the best duos in the MAC on their side and are quickly picking up steam.

Ohio hasn’t won a MAC Tournament in almost seven years. If it continues to look like it did against Toledo, that might change at the end of the season.

@WILLOCUNNINGHAM WC425318@OHIO.EDU

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Cece Hooks leaves her mark on Mid-American Conference history

Cece Hooks makes a layup after breaking through the Bowling Green defense during the game at The Convo. Hooks broke the record for all-time leading scorer in the Mid-American Conference in the game against Bowling Green at Ohio University on Jan. 22, 2022, in Athens, Ohio. (PEARL SPURLOCK / FOR THE POST)

ASHLEY BEACH ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Cece Hooks didn’t intentionally start her basketball career at 9 years old. She was simply shooting around after her brother’s Amateur Athletic Union game when a coach asked to put her on the team. Hooks wasn’t the best player on the team when she first started, but she had spunk and an inkling of talent.

Now, she’s the all-time leading scorer of the Mid-American Conference.

The Dayton native got her competitive drive from playing with her brother. They often played pickup basketball together across the street from their aunt’s house or up the road from their home at Princeton Park. No matter the day, the two would compete against each other as if it were a high-stakes game.

“It was always a competition between me and my brother,” Hooks said. “I think that’s where I got that mentality to be very competitive.”

As Hooks developed her playstyle, she noticed it was easier for her to shoot with her left hand despite it being her nondominant hand. Her brother tried to steer her away from doing so, but the habit 18 / JAN. 27, 2022

stuck. Hooks had to put in extra work on her left hand layup, but it helped develop her work ethic.

If there’s one player that can be found at an open gym, it’s Hooks. She doesn’t shy away from extra practice, almost to the point where she over practices. Hooks admits she can get in her own head if she practices too many free throws. She is so driven to succeed that, sometimes, she puts too much pressure on herself.

However, her drive is what keeps her going — along with a phone call from her brother. The sweet notion keeps Hooks at ease when her nerves are running rampant. They talk over opponents like they’re back at the park, and it keeps Hooks grounded.

It was Hooks’ family who got her into basketball. The sport that began as an experiment ended up opening doors for her.

She became the first person in her family to graduate from college in the spring of 2021. Hooks was determined to finish her education for her family. “(I) just (wanted) to make everyone in my family proud because I know what I am capable of,” Hooks said.

Hooks has shown more than her fam-

ily what she is capable of, though. In her five seasons with Ohio, she has stunned crowds with her abilities on the court.

They’ve earned her three MAC Defensive Player of the Year awards, a MAC Player of the Year award and the MAC Freshman of the Year in her debut season.

The guard declared for the WNBA draft in spring 2021 but opted out before the deadline. She wanted to come back to Ohio and improve upon herself with her extra year of eligibility.

Her fifth year brought on her two greatest accomplishments. The first came Jan. 15, when she broke Ohio’s all-time scoring record, previously held by Caroline Mast Daugherty.

Mast Daugherty’s record was impressive in itself. She scored 2,449 points from 1982-1986 and was the first MAC player to score over 2,000 points and have over 1,000 rebounds.

Hooks and Mast Daugherty have consistently traded spots in the record books, but there is one thing on the court they share: they both like to shoot from the inside.

“I was an inside player,” Mast Daugherty said. “My favorite thing was rebounding, so I got a lot of close shots.”

Hooks and Mast Daugherty have had similar careers at Ohio. Both broke onto the scene as freshmen and never looked back. Hooks was the first Ohio athlete to win Player of the Year since Mast Daugherty in 1986. The MAC was their domain, and they both own their rightful place in the history books.

All in all, the parallels between the two are uncanny. They were both brought into basketball by their family, and it created a space for them to shine.

“They’re both very shy. They’re both very humble. They both want to win,” Ohio coach Bob Boldon said. “They score because their team needed them to score, and they were both good at it. It’s hard to process the magnitude of the whole thing.”

Mast Daugherty was in attendance when Hooks broke the MAC all-time scoring record against Bowling Green on Saturday. It was the same day she passed the Ohio all-time leading scorer ball down to Hooks in a ceremony before the game.

In the moment that the ball was passed down, the two celebrated the passing of the mantle.

Hooks’ teammates showered her in hugs, but Hooks remained locked in on the game.

She reacted that way when she broke

the MAC record, too. As Hooks jogged to the other side of the court, she wasn’t aware she had made history. The same outpour of affection followed and, once again, Hooks stayed focused on the game.

“My teammates always tell me I should celebrate more,” Hooks said. “But that’s just not who I am.”

Hooks will flash the largest smile on the court, but her focus is with the Bobcats come game time. There’s not many negative things to be said about Hooks as a teammate. Whatever her team needs, she’ll do. Whether it is a quick steal or a game-winning basket, Ohio can count on her.

She’s the all-time leading scorer for the Mid-American Conference, she’s the alltime leading scorer in Ohio history and she has the most steals in Ohio history.

But she’s more than her records. She’s Cece Hooks.

@ASHLEYBEACHY_ AB026319@OHIO.EDU

SO LISTEN

The benefits of bird watching MIKAYLA ROCHELLE is a graduate student studying public administration at Ohio University Sometimes, we need a way to unplug.

Whether it’s going for a run, yoga or spending time with friends outdoors, it’s a nice change of pace when we get to close out of our browsers and log out of Twitter. Unfortunately, though, unplugging and tuning it all out is not always enough. The thoughts of looming deadlines, melancholy headlines and overall craziness of the world may seep into our minds as we work out or find time with our friends.

Enter: bird watching.

Now, I know this might sound silly. Maybe you have a grandparent or beyond boomer friend who bird watches. It is undoubtedly a hobby for older folks, but they know what they’re doing. “Birding” is an excellent pastime, and while it can be a hard hobby to get started, once you’re in, the joy it can bring you is insurmountable.

I first began this hobby in August. I had some summer

classes that were causing me a bit of stress, and when I wasn’t doing homework, I was working as a server. I needed something that could give me a bit of peace, and I wanted to spend more time outside. I can’t really tell you how I got the idea to start this hobby, but I ordered a pair of cheap binoculars and a field guide online and was on my way.

If you like nature, like hiking and feel like you need a hobby that will help you relax while also keeping you excited, birding is for you. Before I was a birder, I never fully appreciated nature and the world around me.

Birding has also helped me learn to appreciate the little things. If you’re walking to class and you see a little tree sparrow, it might make you smile and make the walk a little nicer. If you see a northern cardinal or a red-tailed hawk, it’ll make you light up and make your entire day.

When you’re out birding, it’s just you and the birds. You can contemplate things in your life or forget all your worries and focus solely on the beauty of your surroundings.

If you try this hobby and find that you really like it, you might want to get a more specialized field guide to familiarize yourself with the birds around you. Ohio-specific or eastern U.S. guides are both great options. To get more familiar, follow some birding photographers on social media.

This is two-fold if you want to limit social media consumption: The more birds you see, the more you’ll want to get out there and see them yourself.

So, the next time you feel bored or stressed, take a hike at The Ridges or at Wayne National Forest. Familiarize yourself with some basic birds, and download Merlin Bird ID to try and ID birds as you see them (this is the best way to learn).

Mikayla Rochelle is a graduate student studying public administration at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Mikayla by tweeting her at @mikayla_roch.

HOT TAKES WITH TATE

Flex 10 meal plan should be an option TATE RAUB is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University Prior to the start of every academic year, incoming firstyear students and returning students have the ability to decide which meal plan will best suit them. While Ohio University offers six different meal plans, they are rarely able to fully satisfy students’ day-to-day routines and aren’t always cost-efficient.

Meal plans vary based on how many meal swipes are available each week and whether or not they include Flex Points, which are a form of currency that equates one Flex Point to $1. Here are all of the meal plan options available for OU students: Traditional plans include either 10, 14 or 20 meal swipes per week that can be used at any dining hall and Smooth Moves at Boyd Market as well as a fixed number of guest swipes (the Traditional 10 plan does not include guest swipes). Flex plans include either 14 or 20 meal swipes per week as well as $225 in Flex Points per semester that can be used at any dining hall, Smooth Moves at Boyd Market and any campus market. Finally, the Destination Dining plan includes $450 in Flex Points that can be used at any dining hall or campus cafe, West 82 Food Court, Latitude 39, Brick City

Deli and the currently closed Hungry Cat Food Truck, but they cannot be used at campus markets. The Destination Dining plan can be purchased on its own or as an add-on to any of the other options available.

In my experience, most people choose either the Traditional 14 plan or Flex 14 plan. I have encountered a tiny handful of people who have the Traditional 10 plan but never anyone with the Traditional 20, Flex 20 or Destination Dining plans. I personally have the Traditional 14 plan and have found it to be the best for me because I typically eat a very light breakfast and then usually fit lunch and dinner at a dining hall into my daily schedule. Everyone is different, though, which is why there isn’t just one plan that every student has to buy.

As I said, the Traditional 14 plan is the best choice for me.

However, some days and even weeks get so busy that I wish I could use a swipe to quickly grab something from a market or campus restaurant. The reality is I typically end up feeling bad because I wasted a swipe for the week because it was easier to eat a snack on something not very nutritional, like microwave mac and cheese or ramen. Friends of mine who also have a traditional plan (and even ones with a flex plan) wish there was a less-expensive compromise between traditional meal swipes and Flex Points.

My proposed solution is this: a Flex 10 plan. The Flex 10 plan would include the standard $225 in Flex Points per semester and 10 meal swipes per week. It would truly be the

most “Flex”-ible plan for busy students who are trying their best to properly fuel their minds and bodies while also being a better deal than the cost of a Traditional or Flex 14 plan.

Even if it were cheaper than either of those plans, it would likely not cause the university to lose any money because of how many students to whom it would appeal. While on the go, students could still head to the dining halls if they want to sit down and eat a meal with their friends but also be able to place a pickup order ahead of time from West 82, grab a cup of coffee before a study session at Front Room Coffeehouse and prevent meal swipes from going to waste by getting groceries at a campus market.

If OU genuinely wants every student to become enriched through education, it would increase students’ access to food options while still remaining conscious of its finances. Students know better than anyone what will genuinely benefit them, and it would be nice to see a proper response to that from OU. Tate Raub is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Tate know by tweeting her @tatertot1310.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

Here are 5 underrated Athens restaurants EMMA DOLLENMAYER ASST. BEAT EDITOR

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Over time, Bobcats have grown to love and rave about popular food places on Court Street and around Athens such as Bagel Street Deli, Souvlaki’s, Union Street Diner, Ginger Asian Kitchen, Brenen’s Coffee Cafe and Courtside Pizza.

However, many students fail to venture out from the food enterprises they commonly order from and, in return, they miss out on some of Athens’ best. Here are five underrated Athens food enterprises and why they are delicious:

China Panda’s multiple-page menu is so wide-sweeping that it’s genuinely difficult to decide what to order, especially for those who are indecisive.

Similar to Thai Paradise, China Panda’s menu offers several food options under a diverse array of subsections like appetizers, soups, salads, nabemono and noodle, don buri, sushi and sashimi, maki and temaki, sushi a la carte, teriyaki entrees, tempura entrees, bento boxes, special rolls and desserts.

In the face of potentially feeling overwhelmed by so many enticing options, whatever one decides to order will surely not disappoint.

Thai Paradise (Siam Thai)

Firdous Express

Athens Uncorked

Fluff Bakery

Siam Thai, also known as “Thai Paradise” undoubtedly lives up to its name. The sitdown restaurant is located on West Union Street and offers extensive menu options consisting of various appetizers, soups, thai and noodle dishes, rice combinations, curry and chef’s specials.

The quaint and quiet spot makes for the ideal dinner destination on a snowy Sunday night in Athens with its natural ambience, authentic dishes, fast service and affordable prices.

Indulge in a full course meal by beginning with an appetizer such as the perfectly crunchy vegetable spring rolls, followed by the hot and salty wonton soup. As for the main dish, try the Thai fried rice with your choice of vegetables or protein. The portion size of the dish will leave you with leftovers for days. Simply put, it’s a college kid’s dream.

Pro tip: Ask for the brown garlic sauce, and drizzle it all over the rice to elevate the meal to another level.

Another revered restaurant tucked away on the outskirts of campus and just seconds away from Thai Paradise is the Instagram-worthy wine bar Athens Uncorked.

Located on Station Street, the classy, modern and colorful locale is one you wouldn’t expect to be found in Athens, as it is more upscale compared to the typical Court Street bars and craft beer scene Athens is home to.

Not only does Athens Uncorked have delectable alcoholic beverages, but the small menu of food items the venue does offer is just as good.

With baked shareable appetizers, handpicked cheeses and meats available along with breads and olive oils, house-made desserts, seasonal flatbreads and hearty lunch and dinner specials, Athens Uncorked will resolve all your Italian and charcuterie board cravings in more ways than one.

China Panda

Though China Panda isn’t quite within walking distance, it is unquestionably worth the drive to East State Street.

Last year, the grand opening of Bubble’s Tea Company on Court Street took Athens by storm as the first place to offer boba in Athens. However, the opening of Firdous Express, located in the same venue, failed to receive the same amount of hype surrounding its launch despite it being much-deserved.

Firdous Express is one of the only Greek venues in Athens, making it that much more special.

The venue is constructed similar to Chipotle: customers can decide what goes in their pita in the midst of ordering.

Many authentic Greek toppings, meats, sides and sauces are offered such as lentil rice, cinnamon rice, gyro meat, chicken shawarma,chicken, falafel, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, hummus, Kalamata olives, different vinaigrettes, tahini, harissa and garlic sauce.

Firdous Express is different from typical Athens food venues and is one everyone should try.

If you’re not a fan of more adventurous cuisines such as Thai, Italian, Chinese or Greek food, Fluff Bakery’s comfort food and dessert and bakery entrees are here to deliver.

According to its website, “Fluff Bakery was brought to life in the fall of 2010 to fulfill a lifelong dessert and bakery obsession, and to showcase the talents of local farmers, producers, and entrepreneurs committed to making good food and drinks.”

Tucked away in the brick buildings of Athens, it often goes easily unnoticed, as passing students flock to Chipotle instead, but from here forward, let that not be the case.

Start off your next free morning before a long day of classes with a BBQ tofu burrito, which includes house tofu, roasted potatoes, fresh eggs, cheddar cheese and a house BBQ sauce in a flour tortilla. Pair it with a coconut macaroon to fulfill that sweet tooth fix, and top it off with a Traincatcher — Fluff Bakery’s house-made Mocha mixed with coldbrewed Toddy.

@EMMADOLLENMAYER ED569918@OHIO.EDU

CRASH by Charli XCX - March 18

Acting as her final project with Asylum Records UK, the singer’s label for over 10 years, Charli XCX is ready to return to the pop music scene with her own set of rules. CRASH seems to be the pop album that has been demanded of XCX since her smash-hit “Boom Clap,” yet is expected to be an ironic take on the genre itself. With a stacked list of collaborators like Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek and Rina Sawayama, the singer’s fifth album has already alluded to a futuristic, whimsical and highly sensual theme throughout.

With songs like “Good Ones” and “New Shapes ft. Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek,” it is sure to dazzle listeners everywhere.

Chloe and the Next 20th Century

by Father John Misty - April 8

Three and a half years later, Father John Misty has finally announced his fifth album Chloe and the Next 20th Century. Unlike his past music, this new release has already seen the implementation of a live orchestra and jazz-like trumpets on the leading single, “Funny Girl,” with a familiar country twang that is evident through the singer’s repertoire. With a more dark and lonesome tone, this new project may be the perfect heartbreak album to be released in 2022. Fans everywhere are anxious to hear more of the singer’s crooning vocals and this release is expected to resonate with audiences near and far.

ILLUSTRATON BY OLIVIA JUENGER

6 albums expected to dominate 2022 GRACE KOENNECKE FOR THE POST After a lackluster start to the new year, music is possibly the only thing that can lift one’s spirits during the gloomy and gray season. Luckily, 2022 is projected to have exciting albums on the horizon.

From alternative to electronic-pop to R&B, here are some of the most anticipated releases of the year:

Apocalypse Whenever by Bad Suns - Jan. 28

If there’s anything to know about Bad Suns, it’s that its albums are always upbeat and infectious in nature. This time around on Apocalypse Whenever, the alternative group is inspired by the vibrant and loud wailing guitar sounds of the ‘80s and ‘90s, heavily apparent on its pre-released tracks, such as “Heaven Is a Place in My Head” and “Baby Blue

Shades.” Seemingly, frontman Christo Bowman is vocally at his strongest, and his quirky lyricism and Danny Zuko-like persona are the perfect combination for the fourth studio album, which will be out on the music scene Friday.

Laurel Hell by Mitski - Feb. 4

After the 2018 release of Be the Cowboy, Mitski had an epiphany: love is all about making mistakes. In a recent statement with Genius about the upcoming release of her fourth album, Laurel Hell, the singer saix she “needed love songs about real relationships that are not power struggles to be won or lost.” Mitski also hints this album is all about finding comfort within herself and forgiving herself — as well as others — for past mistakes. As an act of rediscovery and reflection, this album’s leading singles “Working for the Knife” and “The Only Heartbreaker” have already left fans craving more, indicating that

this drop may be one of Mitski’s most profound as a growing figure of alternative music.

Heterosexuality by Shamir - Feb. 11

This indie-rock newcomer is by far one of the most daring and compelling artists currently in the genre. These characteristics are clearly evident in the titles of Shamir’s leading singles for his upcoming release, with “Cisgender” and “Gay Agenda” acting as the unapologetic and thought-provoking predecessors that give insight to what the rest of the tracklist may entail. The album will center around trauma, particularly with Shamir struggling with others’ perceptions of his sexuality. As a Black, gay man, Shamir’s Heterosexuality will be a noteworthy release, with its themes and concepts told through the perspective of one of the most controversial social groups of the past and present.

SZA - TBA

With her captivating 2017 release of Ctrl in the rearview, SZA has been hinting at new music since the end of 2020. First releasing the rhythmic and contemporary vibe of “Hit Different ft.

The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams and Ty Dolla $ign” and then the mellow warmth of “Good Days” and lastly, the burning scold of “I Hate U,” it seems like the R&B singer is ready to enter a new era. Unfortunately, there is still no release date or album title in sight. This is all due to the singer being involved in an ongoing battle with her label, Top Dawg Entertainment, who she says delayed her upcoming album’s release on purpose.

What may signal new music from SZA is if her label partners, rappers Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q, choose to drop music this year, so hopefully we see the return of SZA in 2022.

@GRACE_KOE GK011320@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender Athens Library grants OU Music faculty showcase opportunity ALYSSA CRUZ FOR THE POST

The Athens Public Library, 30 Home St., is hosting the Ohio University Piano Trio on Saturday. The Trio consists of OU faculty, featuring Emely Phelps on the piano, Jose Rocha on the cello and Christine Li on the violin.

This concert is the first official performance the group will do together. Phelps said this is something that has been in the making for a while, but finding a place to play proved to be difficult.

“As a pianist, it’s hard to find places that have good pianos that are far enough away (from the university) that they could potentially draw a slightly different audience,” Phelps said.

The library presented her with the perfect opportunity, she said.

Todd Bastin, Athens Art in the Library coordinator, reached out to Phelps this past October to notify her the library had received an anonymous donation of a vintage baby grand piano. The instrument was built in Cincinnati in the mid 1920s and was manufactured by the Baldwin Piano Company.

“We’re so thrilled to have an instrument of that caliber, and we’re hoping that it can be a centerpiece that attracts talent to perform here now,” Bastin said. “I think it symbolizes how serious we are about bringing music of this quality to the general public.”

The library is excited for what is to come by transitioning to more of an emphasis on music and the arts, especially in regards to utilizing the resources in faculty OU has to offer.

“I’m hoping that not only can people enjoy our space as a cultural space to experience good music but also realize that this kind of stuff goes on at OU,” Bastin said. “It will strengthen a connection between the university and the community.”

Phelps shares Bastin’s excitement when it comes to sharing music with the Athens community.

“Performing is such a great way of building empathy and connecting,” Phelps said. “We have got such a wonderful group of people who come to our School of Music concerts, but I know there are a lot of people that we’re missing.”

The chamber concert will last nearly an hour and consist of some notable classical music pieces, including Beethoven’s “Piano Trio No. 1” and Robert Schumann’s “Violin Sonata.”

Phelps is an accomplished pianist due to her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano performance from The Juilliard School as well as her doctorate in the same focus from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Additionally, she devoted eight years to playing in the Trio Cleonice, the Graduate Piano Trio-in-Residence at the New England Conservatory from 2008 to 2016. The absence of chair music performances in Phelps’s life fueled her desire to rejoin a trio.

“I really missed that serious exploration as part of my musical life,” Phelps said. “It’s really wonderful that we’re 22 / JAN. 27, 2022

Itty Bitty Print Exchange art exhibit at Arts West on Jan. 18, 2021. (LIZ PARTSCH | FOR THE POST) A musician plays the new baby grand piano that was gifted by a donor and is now inside the Athens Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2022. (RYAN GRZYBOWSKI | FOR THE POST)

able to do this together. We’ve been having a blast rehearsing these past few weeks.”

Phelps is optimistic when it comes to the future of library and OU Music relations.

“I envision that this is the soft launch of what I hope will be a more regular chamber music series at the library featuring OU faculty down the road,” Phelps said.

Dom O’Korn, a junior studying music education, said he has had a great experience with the School of Music and is excited to see the faculty showcased at the concert.

“Most professors know everybody on a first-name basis and they actively care about how we’re doing and it’s a supportive environment,” O’Korn said. “They truly want to see all of us succeed and do everything in their power to make sure we do so.”

The concert is free and is targeted toward all those who wish to grow their music appreciation, including students and other members of the Athens Community.

“I’m really interested in reaching people authentically,” Phelps said. “Getting to connect with people in that way, I’m

really excited about.”

@ALYSSADANCCRUZ AC974320@OHIO.EDU

IF YOU GO WHAT: Chamber Music Concert: Ohio University Piano Trio WHERE: Athens Public Library, 30 Home St. WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 29, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

ADMISSION: Free

WHAT’S GOING ON? Enjoy an Elvis tribute artist, learn to track animals

KATIE MILLARD FOR THE POST FRIDAY, JAN. 28 Virtual New Jersey Film Festival will feature an animated film by Lindsay Martin, an Athens local. Online tickets give viewers a 24-hour on-demand download for the entirety of Friday, Jan. 28, but don’t miss it, because it’s only available for one day. Support the local filmmaker by watching her funny, dark short focused on family folklore, mental health, health care and social mobility issues.

Admission: $15 Randy Gleason is performing at 7 p.m. at Doug’s Vault, 40526 Salem School Lot Road. The 26-year-old performer specializes in acoustic rock favorites from the ‘70s to now. Come enjoy some drinks and hot food while you watch this Ohio musician perform.

Admission: Free The Classical Cabaret: Ladies Night Out will take place at 8 p.m. this Friday at Glidden Recital Hall. Presented by the Ohio University Voice Division, the students of OU Opera Theater will complete an evening of exciting songs by female composers. The event can also be live streamed via the School of Music’s YouTube channel.

Admission: Free SATURDAY, JAN. 29 Uncover Animal Mysteries at the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. This animal tracking workshop will meet on the Beaumont-Salina Trailhead of the bikeway, where participants will be led by expert animal tracker Joe Brehm. Dress warm for a winter adventure to learn about local animals, and en-

joy some warm local refreshments.

Admission: $20 A Chamber Music Concert will take place from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. at the Athens Public Library, 30 Home St. Performed by the Ohio University Piano Trio, the concert will feature a piano trio by Beethoven and a violin sonata by Robert Schumann.

With Christine Li on violin, Jose Rocha on cello and Emely Phelps on piano, it’s sure to be a harmonious event.

Admission: Free Velvet Green is returning to The Union, 18 W. Union St., at 8 p.m. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for the locally beloved band. Come support these performers and enjoy the fun concert.

Admission: $8 for 21+, $10 for under 21 Dwight Icenhower is performing at Stuart’s Opera House, 52 Public Square, Nelsonville, at 7 p.m. This revered Elvis impersonator has traveled the world giving live Elvis tribute performances. Icenhower has mastered the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s Elvis eras and is sure to leave you “All Shook Up.” Admission: $33 in advance and $38 at the door for reserved seats, $38 in advance and $43 at the door for box seats, plus an additional facility fee SUNDAY, JAN. 30 Enjoy some winter birding at Lake Hope State Park, 27331 State Route 278, McArthur, from 10 a.m. until 11:30 a.m.

Learn which Ohio birds have stayed for the winter and sharpen your bird identifying skills on the half-mile hike. To participate, bring your binoculars and meet at the Nature Center.

Admission: Free Wheel of the year painting party will be held at 3 p.m. at Mama Renie’s Pizza, 23 Public Square in Nelsonville. The twohour class led by artist Sharon Dean and hosted by Gaia’s Realms will lead you in painting your own wheel of the year, representative of time as a cycle. All materials are provided, and participants can enjoy food and drinks as they paint.

Admission: Free Learn to knit fingerless mitts at Chosen Pathways Spiritual Emporium, 400 E. State St., from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Hosted

by Nadine and Nancy’s knitting class, the course will teach participants how to use double point needles and the Magic Loop method, where one knits in the round.

Come knit your own fingerless gloves.

Admission: $30

@KATIE_MILLARD11 KM053019@OHIO.EDU

Various locations

Stuarts Opera House

BLOOD DRIVE

LATE 20TH CENTURY

The need is constant, the need is urgent, sign up and give today.

DANCE PARTY

WITH DJ BFUNK FRIDAY NIGHT: BILL FOLEY

visit the Red Cross online.

Enter your zip code to search for an available drive. Times availble each week

scan to schedule your donation

The Market on State ATHENS FARMERS & ART MARKET Locally grown and raised meats, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, prepared foods, , traditional and specialty bread, coffee, wine and cider, shelf stable canned goods, sweets, plants and seeds. Plus locally made artistic goods Find us in the front parking lot and inside the Market on State Mall

Saturdays 9 am - Noon

Arts West • 132 W State St ITTY BITTY PRINT EXCHANGE: ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE This exchange consists of seventy-seven artists from five countries. The artists in the exchange created prints utilizing a wide range of analog print media—screenprinting, relief printing, intaglio, lithography, letterpress, risograph, printing on glass, and more. What’s beautiful about this exchange is not only its vastness, but also the varying imagery and perspective in response to the prompt “Another World Is Possible.”

on view through January 28th @ittybittyprintexchange Free & Open to the Public

The perfect place to gather ANY NIGHT OF THE WEEK! we have 32 Beers on Tap & Don’t Miss Bill Foley every friday in January at 6pm.

Tuesday night trivia.

@EclipseBeerHall Open to All

Alden Library • 4th floor

NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED THROUGH TIME Exhibit of items entirely selected and described by students in the Margaret Boyd Scholars Program Freshman Seminar, delayed since spring 2020. This student-curated exhibit features materials from various collections in the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections, and that address questions and issues of relevance to all students around gender, sexuality, societal expectations, rights, and so on.

on view through February 10th Free & Open to the Public

DJ B-Funk will be playing music from 1950 to early 2000’s for your enjoyment.

There will be food provided

by Lacey Rogers, fellow book club Facilitator and community organizer, a full cash-bar, and Sharrell Wise Photography will be on hand to snap photos of all of you having fun.

The event will be streamed online for those who can’t make it.

ALL PROCEEDS benefit the anti-racism book club.

EVENT DATE HAS ▼▼CHANGED▼▼ Friday, MAR 11th 7 pm- 11 pm TICKETS & DONATION HERE: linktr.ee/djbfunk $15 Donation and proof of vaccination required to attend

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CONTEMPORARY ART OF OUR REGION This exhibition features artwork from 62 artists living in Ohio and the five surrounding states. Visitors will enjoy a variety of artworks including sculpture, painting, photography, fiber art and mixed-media art.

Jan 15th - Mar 13th $7 general admission $5 student/seniors • members FREE

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