Summer brings business changes

Here’s how Athens restaurants changed over the summer

CLAIRE SCHIOPOTA

FOR THE POST

While many Ohio University students spent their summers working internships and relaxing in their hometowns, Athens restaurants were busy renovating, changing and preparing for students to return to campus.

West Union Street gained a parklet after Union Street Diner opened one in July. Court Street saw the creation of El Tenampa in April, and Bagel Street Deli underwent construction for an expansion, which opened Friday.

Union Street Diner

tions as well.

“In this town, we have Chinese and American food and Italian food… so I think it’s good to try something new,” Gonzalez said. “Try some different drinks too, like the margaritas.”

El Tenampa hopes to keep growing and expanding, although Gonzales said plans for the future haven’t been made yet.

“I want to invite everyone, every peoples, who wants to or who lives around here to come visit us and see the place,” Gonzalez said. “If they like it, that’s gonna make us feel better.”

Union Street Diner, located at 70 W. Union St., is well-known for its 24-hour service.

Jay Shapiro, co-owner of Union Street Diner, said the restaurant got the idea for a parklet from Brenen’s Coffee Cafe, located at 38 S. Court St.

“[It] seemed like a lot of people really liked the idea of outside seating, especially during the COVID,” Shapiro said. “The city just never let us do anything … they didn’t want us to put any chairs on the sidewalk … We saw there was another option as the parklet idea came about.”

The parklet was shipped to the diner in parts to be assembled, Shapiro said. It took three to four weeks to build and install the parklet. During the winter months, Shapiro said they’ll have to take the parklet apart to be reinstalled sometime in March.

The parklet opened to the public mid-July.

“We try to use it every day it doesn’t rain,” Shapiro said. “A lot of people like it and it gives a lot of people another option to just sit outside.”

El Tenampa Bagel Street Deli

Established in 1993 and known for its Pickle Eating Fests is Bagel Street Deli. The bagel sandwich shop, located at 27 S. Court St., has been renovating its business all summer.

“In the middle of February is when we bought and began the renovation,” Megan Meyer, co-owner of Bagel Street Deli, said. “Our goal was middle of August, we did overshoot that by a couple weeks, but we feel like – with the COVID climate and everything being delayed and all of that – really we did a pretty good job.”

According to a previous Post report, Bagel Street Deli initially bought the building that previously housed Mountain Laurel Gifts with a goal of keeping the restaurant’s original charm. Meyer said restoring the bricks of the old building was important, as they tried to keep the restaurant similar on both sides.

The restaurant now boasts two kitchens, two eating spaces and a new bathroom connected by three interior walkthroughs. While Meyer said Bagel Street Deli plans to use both spaces for customers, it will eventually transition to have one side for ordering and catering.

“We don’t really want to change what we do, but we just want to do more and develop more,” Meyer said. “We have pretty decent catering requests … I’d like to, at some point, increase where we’re able to do something for 100 people. That’s hard for us in the kitchen that we had, so that would be our goal in the future.”

Additionally, Meyer said Bagel Street Deli hopes to expand its food options, especially its salads and soups. It hopes to utilize the deli case to display new food items, including applesauce and yogurt for children.

“We’ve always served salads, but we’ve never had the room to expand the vision of them,” Meyer said. “We have a deli case out of there, that’s going to display salads on the bottom … we’re now selling our cream cheeses that we make in-house, and our hummus that we make in-house.”

After about six months of renovation, Bagel Street Deli opened its new space Friday morning with limited indoor seating. Meyer said Bagel Street Deli plans to have full capacity seating at some point in the future.

“We are thrilled to show the community the updates we have made so far and encourage everyone to keep their eye on more changes to come!” Meyer said in an email.

@CSCHIOPOTA

CS123719@OHIO.EDU

Located at 21 S. Court St., El Tenampa is a Mexican restaurant and bar that opened in April.

David Gonzalez, manager of El Tenampa, said the restaurant closed for a brief period of time due to trouble obtaining a liquor license. OU students arriving on campus have also helped the business.

The menu has lunch and dinner options, including quesadillas and enchiladas around $7, and fajitas for around $10 to $15. There are several appetizer and drink op- Jeff and Jennifer Jones enjoy a lunch-time meal by Union Street Diner’s newly opened parklet, in Athens, Ohio, on Aug. 30, 2021. The outdoor space allows customers to eat in the lovely summer weather, Jeff Jones relates the outdoor eating experience to “European style” restaurants. (DYLAN TOWNSEND / FOR THE POST)

2 OU faculty found not responsible for racial dicrimination allegations

EMMA SKIDMORE

NEWS EDITOR

RYAN MAXIN NEWS EDITOR

The Ohio University Office of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, or ECRC, found Aug. 23 that allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation against two OU faculty members were baseless, according to two memorandums released by the ECRC.

The complaints were filed by former Scripps faculty member Yusuf Kalyango, who was stripped of his tenure status and terminated in April by OU’s Board of Trustees. This decision comes after an earlier ECRC investigation, which found he had sexually harassed two students.

The Post does not name people who report sexual harassment or assault unless they give permission.

Kalyango, who is Black and was born outside the U.S., claimed he experienced discrimination based on his race and national origin during the de-tenuring process by Scott Titsworth, dean of the Scripps College of Communication, and Robert Stewart, former director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

Kalyango’s claims, if substantiated, would place Titsworth and Stewart in violation of OU policy 40.001, which prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

The ECRC bases its findings on a preponderance of evidence standard, which is lower than the standard of criminal proceedings that requires a defendant to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In September 2020, Kalyango filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging it discriminated against him during investigations of sexual misconduct. Kalyango dropped the lawsuit in April following his tenure revocation.

Director Stewart

According to one of the ECRC’s memorandums, Kalyango alleged Stewart retaliated against him for protected disclosures made by Kalyango in addition to racial discrimination. However, Kalyango provided no evidence for his claims, the ECRC report states.

Kalyango also argued Stewart misrepresented the de-tenuring process and denied Kalyango his due process rights.

The ECRC’s memorandum stated Stewart “provided legitimate, non-discriminatory, non-retaliatory reasons for his actions.”

In his now-rescinded lawsuit, Kalyango accused Stewart of holding meetings in private to further facilitate discriminatory practices, compressing the timeline for review, not meeting with all members of the Promotion and Tenure Committee and claiming Stewart’s recommendation to revoke Kalyango’s tenure was not an accurate representation of the Promotion and Tenure faculty pool.

According to the memorandum’s findings, individual faculty consultations were done through voluntary participation, and no one could have predicted the shift to meeting in an online environment due to the coronavirus pandemic. In response to the compressed timeline claim, the memorandum stated it was almost four weeks before Stewart made a recommendation to Titsworth regarding Kalyango’s tenure status. Furthermore, the faculty handbook does not specify a required time frame.

The handbook also does not require “collegial deliberations” between faculty, nor did Kalyango request a meeting of the entire faculty, the report states. Similarly, the “faculty handbook does not require the department chair to convene a meeting of the promotion and tenure committee, nor does it require a vote.”

The memorandum also stated Stewart had already voiced to Kalyango his plans on how to proceed with his recommendation and followed through, so his actions could not have been a retaliation.

In response to Kaylango’s claim that Stewart’s recommendation did not reflect the majority of the Promotion and Tenure committee, the memorandum stated, “The sentiment expressed by a clear majority of the faculty was that de-tenuring was the correct path forward.”

The ECRC report on Stewart found that claims against him alleging racial discrimination and retaliation against Kalyango were unsubstantiated.

Stewart said he was not prepared to make a comment on the situation at the time of publication.

Dean Titsworth

Titsworth was similarly found to have “provided legitimate, non-discriminatory, non-retaliatory reasons for his actions” through ECRC’s investigation, according to the memorandum.

Kalyango alleged in a spring 2020 complaint that Titsworth threatened and carried out “adverse actions” against him based on discriminatory motives. Kalyango also claimed when he brought Stewart’s alleged “retaliatory actions” to Titsworth, he failed to take action. Titsworth said the claims are false and denied “any and all allegations.”

Furthermore, Kalyango claimed he was unlawfully pressured into considering OU’s Voluntary Separation Program, also known as a faculty buyout, then was retaliated against when he declined.

Kalyango was found to have declined three separate individual meeting times regarding the de-tenuring process with Titsworth due to family matters and an unfulfilled records request. Titsworth acknowledged the records request but said he would continue with his recommendation to Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs if Kalyango refused to meet with him in April. Kalyango objected to the April meeting.

Kalyango alleged his inability to use campus facilities was a result of discrimination. However, Titsworth argues those requirements “were based on actual business necessity and crafted in explicit consultation with other academic leaders and university administrators.”

Titsworth clarified Kalyango’s restricted access to campus was done in part to protect victims from emotional trauma. He was also concerned about putting other students at risk, as there were other accusations against Kalyango at the time.

“During consultation with others, consensus emerged that the most appropriate course of action was to suspend [Complainant] from positions of power over students, which included suspension from teaching, advising, and managing the Institute for International Journalism,” Titsworth said in the memorandum.

Kalyango also claimed he was treated inequitably throughout his investigation compared to other faculty who were previously found to be in violation of the faculty handbook. However, other Scripps faculty who were found to be in violation of the handbook were not directly comparable to Kalyango. It is not possible to say whether he was treated inequitably.

The memorandum concluded that the allegations that Titsworth discriminated against Kalyango based on his race and national origin and that Titsworth retaliated against him in violation of University Policy 40.001 were unsubstantiated.

Titsworth denied a request for comment on the situation.

Abby Miller, Bre Offenberger and Molly Wilson contributed to this report.

@RYANMAXIN

RM554219@OHIO.EDU

@E_SKIDMOREGS

ES320518@OHIO.EDU

Stephen Kramer Glickman talks new album, TikTok fame

RILEY RUNNELLS CULTURE EDITOR

For Stephen Kramer Glickman, quarantine was a time of refection and creation.

When The Post last talked to Glickman, better known for his role as Gustavo on the hit television show Big Time Rush, he had released a stand-up comedy album through 800 Pound Gorilla Records called VOICES IN MY HEAD and was working on the podcast he hosts called ‘The Night Time Show.’

Now, thanks to TikTok and some talented friends, Glickman is making the jump to music with the release of his debut album consisting of covers of popular songs, The Moving Company.

Featuring songs from artists like Billie Eilish, Gnarls Barkley, Post Malone and Green Day, The Moving Company mixes piano and vocals from Glickman with the musical talents of other artists like Casey Abrams, Rachel Grace and Jessy Greene.

Glickman also spent quarantine garnering TikTok fame, with 10s of thousands of followers tuning in for his TikTok live streams where he performed songs and told stories. His cover of “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley went viral on TikTok and actually became a trend on the app.

Additionally, Glickman released a music video corresponding with the cover with references to Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Joker. He’s also working on more videos for his covers that fans can expect soon.

The Post sat down with Glickman to talk The Moving Company, collaborating with CeeLo Green in the future and more.

THE POST: First, tell me about why you decided to make this album.

GLICKMAN: Well, depression is a heck of a thing. During the quarantine time, when you couldn’t leave your home and there was absolutely nothing to do, I was basically just trying to get through this time period with my girlfriend at the time, and then we broke up right in the middle of the worst part of the pandemic, the part where you couldn’t go anywhere. And then after eight years together, she moved away. And then suddenly, I was alone with just my dog and my friends. I was like, ‘I’m gonna get out there. I’m gonna stay out in the world and hang out with people, and have dinner and go see people.’ And I’m not kidding you, two weeks into doing that, I got COVID. And then I was like, ‘Oh, now I don’t even have that, now you’re just alone.’ And so then it just became me and my dog staring at each other.

I started feeling better, and then I did a livestream at my piano on TikTok. And I was like ‘Hey, everybody, I’m going to have a livestream where I take song requests just for fun,’ just like a fun night screwing around, trying to fnd something to do. And my frst live stream on TikTok was 40,000 people in a half hour. I couldn’t wrap my head around it, like it was just so many people, and it was still really early in the TikTok world as far as the boys from Big Time Rush hadn’t all joined yet. I was one of the only cast members. I think it was maybe me and Kendall on there at the time, but no one else was using it. So September, almost exactly a year ago, September of 2020, all of this attention was being fooded toward my TikTok lives. And I was like, ‘Hey, guys, I’m doing song requests. Give me songs,’ and so then I would sit at the piano and I would sing whenever they wanted. If they wanted Big Time Rush songs, I would do Big Time Rush songs. If they wanted Billie Eilish, I would do Billie. I was just doing whatever people wanted.

And then the next day, I’m like, ‘I’m gonna do it again,’ and so the next episode, 50,000 people tune in. And then one of the people that was watching was the producer of U2, who had won the Grammy for Best Album of the Year – this guy named Greg Collins — he sent me a text afterwards going, ‘Dude, you should make an album; this is really good. I can help you if you want, and we can work together.’ Recording music was, I quickly realized, one of the only socially distanced things that you can actually do because I’d go in the studio, I’d record a song, we’d send the music to Casey Abrams from American Idol, an amazing bassist. He would record the music in his studio and then send us tracks, and then we’d reach out to like Rachel Grace, who plays with Ariana Grande — it’s her violinist — and Grace would do the same thing at her home, and then Jessy Greene, the violinist for the Foo Fighters, she records and sends us tracks and before you know it, you’re building an album. And then it came time to actually put the album together. And that’s when I brought my sister in, who’s a recording artist at a big label in an amazing band called Hey, King! So, my sister Natalie London came in, and then she put together the actual album, and that’s how it all went down.

TP: There’s a wide range of artists covered on this album, from Gnarls Barkley to Billie Eilish. Why these artists? What about them made you want to cover their music in your own way, and how did you go about choosing what songs you were going to cover from these artists?

GLICKMAN: It’s more about the song than it is the artist. Like I went on a date ... and then I drove home, and while I was driving home I just started singing out loud, and it was “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele, originally by Bob Dylan. I started singing that song and it’s like the words, everything just lined up to how I was feeling at the time. And so then, I would just go, ‘I’m gonna write that down in a little notepad as something to remember so that when I go back in the studio, I’ll knock that out.’ “Crazy,” the Gnarls Barkley song, I used to sing that song at the piano when I would work music gigs, and I would sing a lot like way back in the day, and I had forgotten about it completely. And I’d met CeeLo one time and told him I love singing his stuff. It was just a cool song, but it didn’t really hit home with me until I was in the studio. I’d recorded six songs that day; none of them worked. And then at the end of the day, I was like, ‘All right, we’re good. I’m done.’ And I’m walking out, and I go ‘Actually, you know what? One more.’ And I sat back down. And I played, and I started doing it, and it just worked. So, I recorded it, and it was so funny that it played into a whole bunch of feelings that I didn’t have for the song earlier in my life. Suddenly, there’s so much into that song that I relate to. That one take is the take that is on the album.

I basically decided that I was only going to do songs that emotionally affected me and that I feel I have a story that pushes the song and in a new way, instead of just songs that sound pretty. It’s like ‘No, let’s do stuff that actually means something and has been sitting in that catalog in my head for so long.’ And there’s a lot: there’s so many more that I want to do, but these were the ones that it got narrowed down to.

TP: The music video for “Crazy” is out with a really cool Joker theme. I want you to talk about making the video and choosing that theme, and are there going to be any other music videos corresponding with the album?

GLICKMAN: I did a cover of (Billie Eilish’s) “everything I wanted,” and we brought in marionette puppets. So, some of the marionette puppets lip sync the song, and it is super crazy. That video is insane. It’s fnished. It’ll probably drop in mid-September, and then I’m hoping to be able to drop the next one by Halloween.

When it comes to “Crazy” and doing the Joker, we shot that one in downtown Los Angeles because it’s the most disgusting place I’ve ever been to. It is so brutal in downtown L.A. that I just drove my car around and was just looking for a place to shoot something. And I loved Joker with Joaquin Phoenix, and CeeLo when he used to do “Crazy” back in the day on late night shows or wherever he would do it, he would always wear a different costume than the whole band behind him. They’d all dress up in different costumes, and they did Star Wars as a theme. They did The Wizard of Oz. They did a whole bunch of different themed costumes. So, I was like, ‘I want to do something like that to honor the original.’ And Suicide Squad was going to come out, so I was like, ‘Let’s plan this as a DC Comic-themed thing, and let’s drop it right before Suicide Squad.’ So, that’s what we did: we just planned it around a big movie release and then just tried to recreate some things that felt like they were from that universe. And you could do that in downtown Los Angeles because it’s gross. It was so much fun going into an alleyway in downtown Los Angeles with a 6K drone and a 4K drone. We had two drones fying with me in the alley, and then on the rooftop, it was the same thing: we had drones fying over and doing all sorts of cool stuff. I loved that. I loved every minute of it.

TP: We have to ask about BTR with the big reunion coming up. You’re going to the BTR concerts, and after watching them grow up for so many years, what are you most excited to see from the dogs?

GLICKMAN: New music. That’s what I’m excited about. Of course, I want to see them do some of the old stuff off the old albums. I mean, if they don’t do “Worldwide,” I think people will riot. I’m so unbelievably proud of them. When we fnished doing Big Time Rush, I could not stop talking about Big Time Rush. The show and the music and the band and my own stuff, because when I would go on stage and do stand-up, if I didn’t talk about Big Time Rush, people would get weird. So, I really let my past fuel my future. And I’m never embarrassed to talk about it.

I’m unbelievably proud that they’re excited to get back together and to sing and to do all the classics – then also do new stuff that we haven’t heard them do yet. I think that’s gonna be really interesting, like Big Time Rush 2.0. I can’t wait. And they don’t have a giant television network on top of them anymore telling them what they can and cannot do. This is them doing their own thing, which is super impressive. I’m super excited. I bought tickets the second they were available. All of them have been super supportive of me and everything that I’ve done in my life. I mean, Kendall was at the premiere of Storks when I did it, James was on my podcast and answered fan questions, Logan sang “Till I Forget About You” on my podcast live for an audience and they’ve all been there in their own cool way to be supportive, so I got to do the same thing.

TP: Anything else you’d like to add?

GLICKMAN: It means so much to me to be able to talk about music and talk about stuff that I love. Making a leap over from acting and from stand-up, from all that kind of stuff, to doing something that’s really meaningful and comes from a real place, it’s a special thing. So, I appreciate the support because it’s just fueling me to keep doing stuff and have fun. It’s awesome.

2 OU professors explore ‘the space in between’ through ‘LACUNA’ art exhibit

Isabel Nissley SLOT EDITOR

A lacuna is an empty space — a gap. It is a missing part of a book. In medical situations, lacuna refers to a cavity or a depression.

“I’ve been interested in this idea of the ‘in between’ or the liminal space that is sort of a(t the) root of creativity,” C. David Russell, an OU professor and artist, said. “From the void emerges something.”

Inspired by lacuna’s meanings, Russell, along with Mateo Galvano, another OU professor and artist, created an art exhibit, LACUNA, to explore life’s “in-betweens” through visual art and theatrical expressions.

Currently at the Kennedy Museum of Art, LACUNA is on display until March 6, 2022. Admission is free.

Although this is the exhibition’s frst iteration in Ohio, Galvano and Russell debuted LACUNA at an art museum in New Mexico a few years ago. The time between the two exhibitions has allowed the artists to refne their vision of viewers’ experiences in the museum.

“There’s stillness in this space, but also a kind of graceful sort of fowing sense of movement that happens in the exhibition,” Galvano said. “So, what we are looking for is to create a space that is … contemplative and maybe quiet. Even though there’s sound in there, the attitude of the work is not chaotic or harsh.”

Galvano and Russell hope people will take time to immerse themselves in the LACUNA exhibition and to explore stillness and movement; presence and absence; and quiet and noise through artistic forms.

“It’s great when you have elements like sound and moving image that can change and create that experience,” Russell said.

The designed atmosphere of the gallery space at the Kennedy Museum also furthers viewers’ interpretations of the art.

“Inside the exhibit, the lights are sort of dim,” Galvano said. “It’s not as bright as it might normally be in a gallery or exhibition space. And I think that does add to a feeling of a safe, kind of quiet place to be in because of what’s raging outside in the world.”

In addition to the dim lighting of the gallery, several of the featured artworks incorporate aspects of light to portray lacuna. At the heart of the installation is a stop-motion flm, featuring a “Bramble Puppet,” that is projected onto a translucent white sheet.

Russell, who has been drawn to puppets and puppetry for his whole life, used the “Bramble Puppet” video as an experiment. He tried to convey emotion through flm as intensely as he feels puppets do when presented in-person.

“In the flm, this fgure creates this hole, and goes down this hole, and has this experience that emerges from the void, tumbles on the wind and then dissolves into nothing,” Russell said.

A few pieces of art in the exhibit also incorporate light that shines through gaps in the gallery’s foor, relating to LACUNA’s theme.

“This ‘Crevasse’ piece is like a crack in the Earth,” Galvano said. “It’s on the foor of this room and light is shining up through that area, so it’s sort of indicating that there is a void, there’s something missing in the foor. But what occurs through that void is that light comes through there. Maybe that kind of shows some idea of something occurring underneath the surface of things that is really fascinating.”

Courtney Ramey, a student employee at the Kennedy Museum of Art, said she enjoys the uniqueness of LACUNA.

“It’s very different than anything I’ve seen that we’ve had here at the Kennedy,” Ramey said.

The museum’s reception for Galvano and Russell’s fall exhibition is Sept. 24, 2021 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. LACUNA is able to be viewed from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

@ISABELNISSLEY

IN566119@OHIO.EDU

A sculpture featured in the LACUNA exhibit at the Kennedy Museum of Art on September 7, 2021. (TRE SPENCER / FOR THE POST)

A Spectrum of Mental Health

A look into mental health resources for LGBTQ+ students at OU

MOLLY WILSON

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

As new college students enter the university space for the first time, they face a number of questions. Those who identify as LGBTQ+ face many more.

With the stress of college comes the stress of reckoning with identity, after getting the chance to go out into the world alone for the first time. For some, this may include questions of professors affirming pronouns and, for others, being able to express themselves for the first time without restraint.

“It’s largely, for students, the first time that they feel like they can date or express themselves openly if they came from a community where that wasn’t the case,” Micah McCarey, director of Ohio University’s LGBT Center, said.

The additional societal stressors can contribute to mental health.

“The LGBTQ community have a tendency to have undiagnosed mental health issues,” Elizabeth Elrod, a senior studying music therapy, said. “The LGBTQ community typically has a lack of ability to access resources based off of marginalization, whether that comes from students, parents or whether it comes from lack of education about LGBTQ+ resources.”

For those who identify as LGBTQ+ and experience mental health issues, finding care that acknowledges and affirms them is vital to a positive experience.

OU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, is offered to all university students in three options: individual therapy, group therapy and psychiatric consultation. After reaching out to CPS, students will be set up with a mental health professional to discuss the challenges they are facing in an initial consultation, David Lairmore, a psychologist and outreach coordinator with CPS, said.

Lynn Caldwell, a masters student studying applied linguistics who uses they/them pronouns, was first connected to CPS in 2014-2015, when they began working on their bachelor’s degree at OU. Caldwell worked with a counselor who they felt ignored their personal feelings relating to their life experiences.

“With clinicians who are not as well-versed in LGBTQ issues … you sometimes have to prove yourself to them. You sometimes have to prove … ‘Hey, this is going on with me,’” Elrod said. “They tend to challenge that idea, and having people who are well informed, (who) have the clinical training to deal with LGBTQ clients is a necessity.”

While Caldwell agrees that sexuality can be informed by one’s traumatic experiences, in their case, it was not. Caldwell said their first CPS counselor was unable to disassociate Caldwell’s asexuality with their previous sexual trauma. The counselor was not focused on them as a person, they said.

“That dehumanization leads to, in my personal opinion, lesser care, lesser help, lesser healing and lesser growth,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell said they have also heard other individuals speak about experiences in which psychologists who are not familiar with LGBTQ+ issues aren’t able to understand the unique experience of LGBTQ+ identifying people.

People who may be experiencing challenges that are interrelated with their identity, sexuality or gender have specialized CPS resources available for them, Lairmore said. Of these resources, support group therapy, which is tailored to particular populations who identify LGBTQ+, is a prospective option.

“It’s not just a coming out group as some people have heard that phrase before,” Lairmore said. “This is for students that are experiencing general mental health challenges on top of, maybe, their sexual orientation or their gender identity and would like to receive support from other students that are within that same community.”

Caldwell has utilized CPS’ individual therapy sessions, and they participated in a transgender therapy group conducted through CPS in 2014-15.

However, Caldwell expressed concerns regarding safety and comfort within the group during that time.

“I had asked some questions that I wasn’t sure if it was related to my disorder or if it was related to my transness because it was sort of impacting both,” Caldwell said. “The moderator was like, ‘You know, I don’t feel this group can help you because you’re the only one who experiences that … It was very much like ‘you need to stop,’ and it was in front of the entire group of people … I will never forget that.”

That was Caldwell’s last experience with the transgender CPS group.

While Caldwell initially had negative experiences with the group in 2014-15, they said they had another experience with a CPS counselor in 2018 after returning to OU that was different. Caldwell was connected with a counselor who was interested in understanding and getting to know them on a personal level, which made them feel heard.

Today, the group therapy options offered through CPS currently include two LGBTQ+ specific sessions: Spectrum and Out and Questioning and Allied, or OQA.

Those group therapies consist of five to 10 people each session. Spectrum is a group targeted toward transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and gender fluid individuals, according to OU’s website. The second LGBTQ+ specific group, OQA, is offered to all LGBTQ+ OU students who want to discuss mental health challenges, stressors, sexual orientation and gender.

While CPS offers two LGBTQ+ specific options, the LGBT Center also provides support for students who identify LGBTQ+, including psychological or emotional support.

McCarey said the Center and CPS work closely with one another when students feel professional help and expertise is what they need.

“There’s lots of research that shows the disproportionate rates of … anxiety and depression that many of our LGBTQ students experience compared to their cisgender or heterosexual counterparts,” McCarey said.

Upon returning to OU in 2018 to finish their bachelor’s degree after taking time off due to a family emergency, Caldwell noticed an atmospheric shift within the center. Caldwell said during their time as freshman and sophomore at OU, the environment within the center “was such that … if you have a pretty disorder or pretty illness, you get all the love and care in the world.”

Caldwell defines a pretty disorder as a serious disorder or mental illness that is romanticized within online communities. Within the center during 2014-15, disorders such as anxiety or depression were accepted while others were not treated equally, they said.

Despite the previous negative experience, Caldwell, who also works in the center, believes the current operations of the LGBT Center provide students with a more welcoming space to openly discuss the issues that they are currently facing as college students.

“We went from an LGBT Center in which it was kind of frowned upon if you talked about certain elements of intersectionality,” Caldwell said, “To a situation where the goal is for everyone and every experience to be heard, and that’s not a statement that anyone has outright made, but it’s a feeling.”

Lairmore said he believes the identities and unique experiences shared by individuals of the LGBTQ+ community bind individuals together and creates a supportive environment for those who may be struggling with their mental health.

“Our culture in this country has gotten better in some places, but it’s still not there,” Lairmore said. “We’re seeing still a lot of behavioral health issues, physical health issues that … LGBTQ+ individuals are at greater risk for because of their identities.”

McCarey said CPS and the LGBT Center have also worked together to create a Well-being Wednesday session offered from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m over Teams, and those interested in joining in can contact the LGBT Center. This is a peer-to-peer initiative, McCarey said, that is offered as a voluntary support session outside of the CPS options.

“I feel like having important conversations about queer life and living as a queer person with other queer people is just really good and connects us in a way that I don’t feel connected to a lot of other people,” Carmen Szukaitis, a sophomore studying journalism, said.

Additionally, Christian English, an undecided freshman, believes conversations with individuals of the LGBTQ+ community have informed his personal experiences.

“Sometimes, I could be a listening ear for someone else and also help them if they couldn’t find the advice themselves,” English said. “It’s one of those things where you could find advice from other people that you wouldn’t expect to gain from yourself or other figures in your life.”

While Lairmore believes CPS staff members are able to facilitate LGBTQ+ conversations, he said CPS employees are generalists as opposed to specialists in all mental health capacities.

“If they (students) talk to one of us and they say ‘You know you’ve been really helpful, but I think I need more specialized care’ ... We would help them connect with someone more specialized at that point,” Lairmore said.

Those students would be directed to professionals outside of the university space for specialized LGBTQ+ care if needed.

Additionally, Lairmore said while CPS is a valuable resource for students, it is usually only able to connect students to psychologists or counselors for a short time. Within individual counseling and therapy, students are often directed to a long-term counselor outside of CPS if that is something the student needs.

“We realize that impact can be harsh and can be hard sometimes on students, but we try our best to work within our short-term model and still give as much availability as we can,” Lairmore said.

However, for many students, that leaves more to be desired.

“I think students would definitely benefit from something more long term because it’s just not like a one-and-done thing where you talk to a counselor one time and all your problems are fixed,” Szukaitis said. “It has to be over a long, extended period of time where you can talk about different things that are going on in your life at that current moment and eventually build that relationship with that professional.”

Szukaitis said CPS would not be her first option when seeking out mental health care at OU. She has worked with other health care professionals outside the university in the past and would seek out care through this same way if it was something she felt she needed.

CPS is a service that is included as part of students tuition and fees each semester. Students who are enrolled in the OHIO Guarantee program do not have to pay the additional wellbeing fee of $45. However, students are able to opt out of this service if they choose.

After students graduate, navigating therapy outside of the university becomes more complicated.

“Now, they’re being sent to the world, the world who is not as focused on care,” Caldwell said. “The world that is very stigmatizing, depending on what disorder you have because, again, institutionalized stigmatization of different disorders is a very real thing, and it can prevent people from getting care.”

Additionally, Caldwell proposed the challenge of finding a counselor who is informed on LGBTQ+ specific issues such as trauma, identity, discrimination, bullying and abuse once students have left OU and, thus, CPS’s care.

For many people in the LGBTQ+ community, this specialization has a significant impact on their experience with mental health care.

“There are people who are just not fit to counsel someone within the LGBT community just because they have no experience over it, and I’ve definitely been where I, or where a counselor, just said ‘I can’t see you anymore’ because they feel like your problems are not problems,” Szukaitis said. “I think as a queer individual, you should definitely try to find someone who has experience with LGBT people.”

ILLUSTRATION BY OLIVIA JUENGER

@MOLLYWMARIE

MW542219@OHIO.EDU

Avoiding existential crisis amid COVID-19

KAYLA BENNETT

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the lives of many and continues to be a daunting topic. With the challenge of processing a pandemic, students are faced with many new adaptations and finding a “new normal.”

After being inside and closed off for months on end, emerging from the pandemic can be confusing. For Taylor Deleruyelle, a junior studying biological sciences, it was an adjustment.

“It’s been really hard, and I feel like during the pandemic, my procrastination, which was already bad, got even worse,” Deleruyelle said. “I’m finding it’s a harder time keeping myself organized and on track of my assignments – hard to sit down and realize ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m even worse than before.’ Now, I have to figure out a whole new way to deal with that.”

Despite facing the unknown, Deleruyelle feels there’s still an upside: the pandemic has provided growth through learning how to deal with adjustments. It has been a time of reflection and learning how to improve for Deleruyelle.

However, finding ways to improve isn’t easy for everyone. Shannon Gray, psychology doctoral intern at Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, said times like these are not easy, but there are ways to find help.

“We encourage students to acknowledge that we are living in challenging times,” Gray said in an email. “Once each student has recognized how they have been personally impacted; it is our hope that they can begin to better support themselves. Students may need to display more patience and grace towards their own experiences, in recognition of recent events.”

Gray said reflection can be done through intentional socializing, academic and program demands, organization requirements, as well as other interactions with family, friends and administrators.

Paige Klatt, mental health support coordinator at CPS, said it’s important for students to find something outside of school and work to build connections with others.

“We each come with different levels of comfortability, and we deserve to give ourselves some grace during this transition,” Klatt said in an email. “For some students this can look like getting involved in student organizations, while for others it’s finding time to meet up with one or a couple of people for coffee or lunch.”

Klatt said if students are struggling during this transition, CPS encourages them to reach out using the number 740-593-1616 to schedule an appointment with a counselor. There are many other ways to reach out to find help.

Aside from finding help through OU, students are also able to use Athens as an outlet to help them cope through these demanding times.

Places like Donkey Coffee & Espresso, 17 W. Washington St., and Front Room Coffeehouse in Baker Center have open mic nights and allow ways for people to meet others. There are other events in Athens providing distractions and entertainment after a long day.

“There is something for everyone here,” Klatt said in an email. “Getting involved helps everyone feel more connected and get through tough times.”

Deleruyelle said acclimating to campus was a challenge, but she’s ready to start talking to people in a social setting because she’s been deprived of social interaction for so long.

“During quarantine, I was definitely at one of the lowest points in my life,” Deleruyelle said. “If I could just look back and tell them ‘Hold on, you can get through it, try to do the things that you need to do for the day, it’s just getting through the day – focusing on the present.’ You are one step closer to feeling okay and normal again.”

The pandemic has changed the times and will continue to propose new challenges for many, but there are ways to avoid the existential crises many feel are sneaking up on them.

“It’s about finding what fits best for you,” Gray said in an email.

@KKAYYBEN

KB084519@OHIO.EDU

ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE BANECK

KAYLA BENNETT

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

While bringing people together and proposing new, exciting challenges, climbing in Athens has worked to become more prevalent. With all different organizations and facilities, those who climb have the ability to constantly grow themselves and try new experiences.

The Ohio Climbers Coalition aims to promote and protect the climbing within Ohio for generations to come. The goal of the group is to represent those involved with climbing statewide while preserving the existing climbing courses. The coalition’s website is full of information regarding routes in and around Athens to climb.

Ted Welser, regional representative of the Ohio Climbers Coalition, said although Ohio isn’t always thought of when it comes to climbing, there’s a pent-up need for it, especially during the beginning of the pandemic.

Welser said climbing in Athens is scattered, and there are many opportunities, both through individual and group climbing.

“I think, for a long time, people were involved in it, but they didn’t necessarily know about everybody else,” Welser said.

Through the opportunities Ohio University provides, people are able to meet others and create an ongoing connection. However, Welser feels there are still problems to be faced.

“The problem the community faces is so many people are students,” Welser said. “Students, they fnish their schooling, and they have to do something. So, they often move on. It’s been a lot of turnover, I would say, in the climbing community in Athens. It’s like it builds, and then people leave.”

For Harrison Law, Outdoor Pursuits’ climbing wall supervisor, there are many students who have never climbed before coming to Ping to climb the indoor rock wall.

“We offer a helping hand and help guide them through how things work, how you tie certain knots, how to even belay to some regards,” Law said. “We deal with all of that and promote climbing as much as we can.”

Law said outdoor climbing in Ath-

Climbing in Athens creates support, inclusivity

Mike Schraff climbs at Blockhouse Bouldering in The Plains on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021. Schraff, a senior studying electrical engineering at Ohio University, began climbing at bouldering gyms in Cleveland during the summer. Qfter Blockhouse opened near Athens, he knew he would be spending much of his time there. (JESSE JARROLD-GRAPES | PHOTO EDITOR)

ens is becoming more popular. Places like Strouds Run State Park and Sells Park have bouldering routes, which allow climbers to climb without a rope.

Law, who is now a senior, said the number of people involved in climbing has increased since he started. Outdoor Pursuits offers climbing competitions for students, and the amount of interest has surged.

“I highly recommend trying it out,” Law said. “It’s a really fun sport to get. It challenges yourself, both physically and mentally. It’s a really good workout and honestly helps relieve stress.”

Law said through climbing, he has found support and inclusivity.

If people are looking for indoor climbing opportunities, they can visit Blockhouse Bouldering Gym, 3 1/2 E. 1st St., The Plains. Blockhouse opened last September, which caused a slow opening but a gradual growth throughout the pandemic.

Molly Marek, an employee at Blockhouse, said the gym offers opportunities for people of all ages. Blockhouse also does summer classes, memberships and punch passes for up to 10 visits. The gym has multiple courses marked with duct tape, changing often to continue challenging climbers of all experience.

Marek said many local people started coming out to the gym, and she’s been noticing progress within skills and the number of people climbing. She encourages anyone to come visit the gym.

“I personally don’t really like going to the gym, so if you were interested in doing it for physical activity, like a workout, I think it’s a lot more interesting than going to the gym,” Marek said. “You progress in a very different way, so instead of going to the gym and squatting fve pounds heavier, you get to challenge both your mind and your body by thinking about how to solve the different routes.”

Climbing in Athens, Marek said, is community-oriented and a great way to meet people.

Blockhouse is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m, Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pricing varies.

Those wanting to keep up with climbing in Athens or connect with others can check out the Climb Athens Instagram.

“Climbing is a great activity to be involved in because the challenges are always specifc to yourself,” Welser said. “It’s a good activity for people that want to improve in some way.”

@KKAYYBEN

KB084519@OHIO.EDU