September 27, 2018

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Your midterm voting guide P9 Exploring India’s birthing project P12 OU’s new musical theater major P16 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018

Ohio’s Blue Wave The Democratic Party could win more seats in the upcoming midterms

P20

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

We screw up. And when we do, we want you to tell us

LAUREN FISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

There’s this vivid memory I have from freshman year that always seems to come back and haunt me.

On a sweltering day, I was walking up Morton Hill after a psychology class and heading for The Post newsroom. And as I walked past a group of girls, I heard a snippet of their conversation: “I saw it in The Post,” one of them said, “so it’s probably not true.”

At that point in my college career, I was a freshman reporter, young and a bit naïve.

And I was mortified that anybody would ever dare to say anything negative about the publication I called my own.

But three years have passed. Now, I’m not nearly as sensitive to comments like that, mostly because of a realization I had about halfway through my time here: Not everybody is going to like us, and that’s OK. With a staff that’s mostly composed of white, straight, cisgender students, our perspectives and experiences are undoubtedly going to be limited.

That’s why I cordially invite you to criticize

us. Tell us where we messed up. Let us know where and how we can improve.

We know that different readers want to see and read different stories. We’re not going to win traditionalists over with TV reviews or blogs about the 10 drinks you need to try before graduation day. But then again, not everybody wants to come to The Post to read about city council meetings or protests.

We’ve come to understand that it’s impossible to please everyone. No matter how hard we try, we’ll always have our critics.

And I think that’s a good thing.

Having thick skin is part of the job. And without criticism, it’s not just the newspaper that suffers — it’s the readers as well.

There are times when our reporters are on tight deadlines and may not put the effort into diverse and thoughtful sourcing. There are parts of town and groups of people that we’ve lost touch with. We may write something you disagree with. And when we do any of those things, you should talk to us about it.

In the old days, if you weren’t happy with

something your local newspaper wrote about, you’d pen a letter to the editor, shove it in the mailbox and call it a day.

Now, things are a little different. Social media has made it so that expressing an opinion is as easy as shooting us a 140-character message or an email to editor@thepostathens.com.

I’m not asking you to sling rotten tomatoes at The Post every time we issue a correction.

But if you don’t like something, let us know how we can do better next time.

Remember, we’re student journalists for a reason. We’re certainly not The Washington Post, and we’ll readily admit that we have a lot to learn before graduation rolls around. But with your help and constructive criticism, we can make our reporting stronger and more effective for our readers and writers alike.

Lauren Fisher is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University and the editorin-chief of The Post. Have questions? Email Lauren at lf966614@ohio.edu or tweet her @Lauren__Fisher.

Cover illustration by Marcus Pavilonis

THE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LAUREN FISHER MANAGING EDITOR Maddie Capron DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Alex McCann ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Hill CREATIVE DIRECTOR Abby Gordon EDITORIAL NEWS EDITORS Sarah M. Penix, Ellen Wagner INVESTIGATIVE EDITOR Bailey Gallion SPORTS EDITOR Spencer Holbrook CULTURE EDITOR Alexis Eichelberger OPINION EDITOR Chuck Greenlee COPY CHIEF Laila Riaz ART ART DIRECTOR Abbey Phillips GRAPHICS EDITOR Riley Scott DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Meagan Hall DIGITAL DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Megan Knapp SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kate Ansel BLOGS EDITOR Georgia Davis MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Alex Penrose DIRECTOR OF PODCASTS Madeleine Peck

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Voter turnout rates in presidential elections, by generation 72%

70%

69%

70%

69 64

Percent

60

57 47

69

69

61

61

50

46

72%

70% 69 63

51 46

41

Key

‘96

Silent

Gen X x

Boomer

Millennial ‘00

‘04

Year

‘08

‘12

‘16

Voter turnout of Ohio University students high in 2016 presidential election SARA HAGAN FOR THE POST More than 50 percent of Ohio University students voted in 2016, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement. Although nationwide youth voter turnout is low, some students believe voting is important.

Over a year and a half ago, people in the U.S. welcomed a new president to the White House after the 2016 election. That election shifted power to Republicans, not only in Congress, but also in the Oval Office.

In November, it is possible that the majority party in charge of Congress may change.

“It’s important for young people to vote if they’re educated,” Cameron Collier, a freshman studying mechanical engineering, said.

Although many OU students were active voters in 2016, only 12.4 percent of young people in Ohio voted during the last midterm election in 2014.

“There is no mystery here; Ohio is a swing state that gets a lot of attention during Presidential elections, but in mid-

term election-years the strength and tone of campaigning depends upon what seats are up for grabs and how closely contested the races are,” Anirudh Ruhil, a professor in Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, said in an email.

Youth voter turnout is not only lacking in Ohio, but also nationwide. According to the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of eligible millennials voted in the 2016 presidential election, compared to 69 percent of the baby boomers.

“Voting has not become ingrained in (young people), the way it becomes over decades of registering and voting,” Ruhil said in an email. “But it isn’t all about habit. The young tend to move far more often than do older adults, and that means you need to expend more effort to find out who represents you, registering to vote, finding your precinct and then eventually turning out to vote.”

With extended media coverage of politics, Ruhil said young people may care enough to vote.

“The young are anything but politically dis-

affected, as is quite evident from the last few elections. They volunteer, they campaign, they do protest, but it seems to have become harder for them to identify with institutionalized politics,” Ruhil said in an email. “Remember Occupy Wall Street? The Hillary-Bernie fight?

Clearly they are politically active in some arenas, just not at the ballot box.”

Saylor Lewis, a freshman studying pre-nursing, is concerned with certain policies that would be affected by the results of an election.

“We’re the next generation coming up, so we want the government to be the way we want it to be,” Lewis said.

The midterm elections dictate who has power in Congress. In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll of 900 registered voters, 52 percent of those voters preferred Democratic control in Congress, compared to 40 percent who prefer Republican control.

Eight percent said they were unsure.

“Polls are showing Democrats leading the generic Congressional ballot. Say the polls ring true. Will that change who controls the House, the Senate? You bet,

because some of the more reliable forecasts peg the Democrats with a roughly 80 percent chance of winning control of the House, while Republicans have a roughly 70 percent chance of keeping control of the Senate,” Ruhil said in an email. “So in terms of political drama, the theater you should buy a ticket for is the House because that is where the action will be come November.”

Although an increase in young people voting could sway the election, Ruhil believes the recent election patterns in Washington, D.C., make this midterm ambiguous.

“The usual discourse of politics and dynamics of partisanship has been turned on its head,” Ruhil said in an email. “Things you thought may have disastrous consequences for either party have barely jiggled the dial.

That tells me you might as well flip a coin as employ sophisticated forecasting models, at least for this midterm election. The 2020 Presidential election, though, well that might be a year we remember for decades.”

SH457917@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

EXISTENTIAL BINGE-WATCHING

‘The Office’ and your seesaw of doom JACKSON HORVAT is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University.

I’m going to be as upfront, honest and straightforward as possible: When I hear the word “home” these days, I have a mini heart attack. My blood vessels clench, my lungs jump out and my brain collapses in on itself.

“Home” truly confuses me now that I’m a college kid. If I were forced to define it, yeah, I’m going to say “home” is back home, my hometown where I grew up. Yet at the same time, it’s rather hard to imagine not dragging myself out of bed every morning from a tiny little dorm room and walking miles up miles upon hills to get to classes that I don’t really enjoy.

OK, it’s actually not that bad, but my point shines through.

College, so far, has been one of the craziest adventures of my life. I like to describe my mental state as a seesaw of doom. One minute, I’m up in the clouds, laughing, arms open to the next opportunity that presents itself. The next minute, I’m crashing haphazardly back down wondering how in the world I’m supposed to balance all of my classes and extracurriculars.

So why am I spitting all of this out? Why are you reading the ramblings of a madman? Well, because I developed a bit of a solution. Amid things like calling home every now and then, keeping in touch with old friends

and having mementos from my old room, I realized there are two very important things when it comes to keeping your sanity at college: familiarity and relaxation.

You need something to relax with. I define relaxing as doing something that takes your mind off all the crazy, existential crises it’s going through. For me, I chose to start watching shows on Netflix because who hasn’t done that in their life? And what did I choose to start watching? The Office. Why? Well one, because my parents have watched it, and it’s always been highly recommended by literally the entire human race (familiarity: check). And two, it makes me laugh to an extent that I get weird looks from my roommate (mind distracted, relaxation: check).

The Office is one of those shows that was brilliant for its time and it continues to stand the test of time. It presents you with a simple premise, memorable characters and takes you on a little journey through every episode.

Whether it’s Jim pulling another prank on Dwight, Michael telling one of his many “that’s what she said” jokes or Toby continuing to be the most underrated character every scene he’s in, this show is something to behold for people that just need to sit back and have a good time.

With the dry humor, the awkward scenes and the

actors putting everything they have into their personas, this show will make you smile. That is the best outcome any form of entertainment can have. And if you really want to see something amazing, I highly recommend watching the blooper packages put out on YouTube.

Not only do you get the usual enjoyment of bloopers, but you see the actors and how they’ve formed a family in real life from the show. You see some “funny mistakes” that are actually takes they didn’t use because of the sheer amount of improvisation on this show. The care, the talent and the effort is clear.

That all isn’t to say the show doesn’t have actual plot either. There are some very strong scenes throughout the series that could put any award winning drama to shame.

I have taken perhaps too many breaks due to my enthrallment with this program: It’s been about four weeks, and I’ve watched five seasons already (at about 26 minutes an episode, you do the math). The Office is what I define as a feel-good show. And no, Full House makes me throw up.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree?

Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.

MISCHIEF MANAGED

Hate him if you want, but Ron Weasley is one of the best ‘Potter’ characters GEORGIA DAVIS is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University.

As far as Harry Potter’s “Golden Trio” goes, most people love Hermione, tolerate Harry and can’t seem to relate to Ron. But Ron Weasley is by far the most dynamic person in the trouble-making friend group.

Unless you’re a huge Ron fan, you’re all probably thinking: “Ron is just a whiny person who only helped a handful of times.” If that’s the case, you’re only looking at the surface level.

Like all other fantasy series, Harry Potter tackles real-life issues in a subtle way. There are nuances that highlight the effect of racism and the toll depression can take on people. Both of those were aspects that related to author J.K. Rowling’s own life.

And Ron’s progression through the series is also reflected in Rowling’s personal journey.

When writing the first two novels, Rowling was living off government money. She had recently been divorced and was a single mother trying to make the most of what she had. She started writing the Harry Potter novels, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (renamed the Sorcerer’s Stone for U.S. release) in 1997. Ron epitomizes her rags-to-riches story.

4 / SEPT. 27, 2018

Ron is part of a poor, muggle-loving family that is a “disgrace to the name of wizards,” as per Lucius Malfoy.

The Weasleys are a pureblood family that doesn’t think they are socially above anyone, even when they win the lottery in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Though Ron is embarrassed by his family at times, he still epitomizes what the Weasleys stand for. He wishes his family didn’t have to hand down clothes from generation to generation, but he still looks out for his siblings.

Without Ron, the “Golden Trio” would have lacked a knowledge of the wizarding world. Harry and Hermione were raised by muggles and had no idea they were wizards until their 11th birthdays. Ron grew up playing quidditch in the yard and battling Fred and George in wizard chess. That all came in handy throughout the series. Had Ron not taken charge and sacrificed himself for his friends in the first installment, Harry would have never made it through to retrieve the sorcerer’s stone. Ron was an important part of getting into the chamber of secrets, and his rat was Peter Pettigrew.

Most people’s hatred for Ron comes with the fourth book. In Goblet of Fire, his jealousy toward Harry got

in the way of their friendship. Most of the book was focused on Ron and Harry’s inner dialogue on how they hated the way the other person was acting. But if Ron hadn’t been jealous of Harry, then it would have been a problem. All friendships have jealousy, and if Ron would have blindly followed a dude with a lightning bolt on his forehead for the whole series without questioning anything, that would have been ridiculous.

Ron’s loyalty to his friends had to be tested throughout the series, just like Hermione’s intelligence and Harry’s ambition. It is what made the characters who they were. But when Ron was tested, people thought he was being petty when really he was just trying to cope with his insecurities. Ron’s constant internal battle with himself and how he fits in with Harry and Hermione is the reason his story arc is the most dynamic.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think of Ron Weasley? Tell Georgia by tweeting her at @georgiadee35.

BLOG

Spots around Athens based on your Zodiac sign SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): BEADS & THINGS Scorpios are very focused and intense people, allowing them to easily dive deep into projects. Their heightened focus makes them comparable to Beads & Things where people can go and make intricate jewelry.

JESS UMBARGER ASST. CULTURE EDITOR Whether you believe in the Zodiac or not, you have a horoscope based on the day you were born. Each sign is said to align with personality types and traits. Athens has different spots that might be in tune with someone’s horoscope, so here are the places that represent each horoscope:

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): ATHENS UNDERGROUND This sign is by far the biggest adventurer of all of the zodiac signs. Sagittariuses are dreamers and take risks in every aspect of their lives. Athens Underground is a good place to represent this sign because it’s the best place to find clothes for taking fashion risks that will pay off.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): PING RECREATION CENTER Aries love to be the first person to have done something and are typically fearless people. Because they are always the trailblazers of every group, Ping would be the spot in Athens that represents them best.

People who are Aries probably climbed the rock wall at Ping in one try.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): BRENEN’S COFFEE CAFE Capricorns are the planners of the horoscope family. They are always very structured and probably carry their planners everywhere, ready to get down the work. Brenen’s get-down-to-business vice fits the Capricorn mindset.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): COURT STREET COFFEE People whose zodiac sign is the Taurus tend to have a more “go with the flow” attitude. They are super laid-back, but they are still hard workers. Court Street Coffee represents Tauruses well because of its laid-back atmosphere for people to study.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): IMPORT HOUSE Geminis are fun people and are unapologetically themselves. They are great to have around at parties because they are so free-spirited and vibrant. Just like the people who fall under the Gemini zodiac, clothing and gift shop Import House is a vibrant place that allows people to be themselves.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): ODYSSEY NUTRITION Those who have birthdays in early summer are very nurturing people, ready to help others express their feelings and connect with one another in a healthy way.

Odyssey Nutrition is the perfect place to represent the Cancers of Athens because of its take on health and wellness.

ILLUSTRATION BY MARCUS PAVILONIS

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): BLUETIQUE We all know a Leo who loves to be at the center of attention. Leos love being able to let themselves be who they are.

They wear their hearts on their sleeves, which tend to be fashionable, so Bluetique is a good representative of a Leo. VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): FLUFF BAKERY Virgos are always there to help people and are always paying attention to the tiny little details of their work. They don’t sim-

ply whip up something to turn in, so nothing they do will be a hack job. Everything a Virgo does is planned out to a T. Fluff Bakery always has cute, tasty pastries and a friendly atmosphere, representing Virgos.

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): MOUNTAIN LAUREL GIFTS This sign is the one to always look to have harmony in life. Libras love to be very spiritually balanced and doing it in a stylish way. Mountain Laurel Gifts has the perfect balance of gifts and clothes that feel cozy.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): DONKEY COFFEE People whose zodiac is Aquarius are the innovative thinkers. They are ready to work together to cause change for good and are ready to take on humanitarian causes. Donkey Coffee’s atmosphere promotes positive thinking, making it the spot for an Aquarius.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): PASSION WORKS STUDIO As the most compassionate and imaginative of the zodiac signs, Pisces and Passion Works Studio go hand-in-hand. Pisces are always wanting to work together and be as creative as possible.

@JESS_UMBARGER JU992415@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

NEWS BRIEFS

APD receives report of sexual assault from 1992; single-sided printing cost increased by two cents SARAH M. PENIX NEWS EDITOR APD RECEIVES 10TH REPORT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT The Athens Police Department received a rape report Monday.

The incident happened Sunday inside a residence in the Mill Street area, according to the report. The alleged perpetrator is known to the survivor. The survivor was visiting Athens from out of town, according to the report.

That is the 10th report of sexual assault — seven rape reports and three reports of sexual imposition — to APD so far this academic year. The Ohio University Police Department has also received four reports of sexual assault — three reports of rape and one report of gross sexual imposition.

That is the first new report from APD since Sept. 14. However, The Post received records for two rapes that reportedly occurred in June and September, respectively.

In addition, APD received a 26-year-

old rape report Monday. That report is the 11th APD has received since the start of Fall Semester, though this rape reportedly took place on July 4, 1992.

CATS LATE NIGHT SERVICE SEES INCREASE IN PASSENGERS The 2018 Fall Semester has seen an increase in passengers using the CATS Late Night shuttle service.

Last Fall Semester, there were 782 passengers, while there have already been 2,793 passengers so far this academic year.

As of Sept. 16, the CATS Late Night service now runs on Sundays. Ohio University changed the schedule after receiving feedback about safety on campus.

The shuttle service is a free for all students, faculty and staff. It is designed to provide a safe means of transportation across campus.

University Spokesman Dan Pittman said the average request is fulfilled within 10 to 15 minutes.

Last weekend, the CATS Late Night service successfully provided 365 rides.

On average, the busiest day of the week is

Friday with about 138 riders. The slowest day is Monday with an average of 66 riders, Pittman said in an email.

There are three different types of university vehicles that the CATS Late Night service uses: SUVs, shuttles and sedans.

SUVs can hold six passengers, shuttles can hold 14 passengers and sedans can hold up to four passengers.

NEW APP LOOKS TO BRING LIMITEDTIME FOOD DEALS RIGHT TO OU STUDENTS, ATHENS RESIDENTS Hooked Deals is a new app connecting people with deals that are time-sensitive.

Now, it’s coming to Athens.

The app has partnered with more than 2,000 businesses, from national chains to local establishments nationwide, including Starbucks, OMG! Rotisserie, Buffalo Wild Wings, Subway, Pita Pit, Bagel Street Deli, Court Street Coffee and Papa Johns.

Hooked Deals was created by childhood friends Brett Berman and Tim Rothwell to easily connect people with deals.

“There’s a big need in college towns to discover new restaurants/businesses

and to save people money,” Vice President of Business Development Kyle Nathanson said. “Hooked Deals has a feature to share deals with friends.”

PRINTING COSTS AT OU GO UP BY TWO CENTS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY Printing prices for Ohio University students have increased since the last year by two cents.

The increase is for single-sided black and white pages. The rate for these pages used to be three cents and is now five cents per page. This was the only increase in printing rates this year.

Sean O’Malley, OU’s information technology communications manager, said this increase is a way to promote sustainability.

“Choosing double-sided printing for multi-page documents consumes less paper, generates less waste, and costs less than single-sided printing,” O’Malley said in an email.

@SARAHMPENIX SP936115@OHIO.EDU

POLICE BLOTTER

Wedding prompts 911 call; marijuana plant seized JACKIE OSBORNE SLOT EDITOR Sometimes, you can get too tired after a night out.

On Saturday at about 1 a.m., an OUPD officer observed a student walking and running in zig-zags on College Green.

His head was falling backward as he walked “as if he was falling asleep,” according to the report. He was arrested for underage consumption and transferred to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail.

That was one of three alcohol-related incidents that occurred over the past weekend.

PASSED IN THE GRASS On Saturday at about 2 a.m., OUPD received a call for a report of a student passed out in the grass behind McCracken Hall.

The officer found the student had bloodshot eyes, was slurring his speech and 6 / SEPT. 27, 2018

smelled of alcohol. He was transported to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail and cited for disorderly conduct by intoxication.

DOORWAY OF LIFE A resident assistant in Tiffin Hall called OUPD for a report of a student passed out in the doorway of a room on Sunday at about midnight.

The officer observed he had bloodshot eyes, was slurring his speech and smelled like alcohol. He was charged with disorderly conduct by intoxication and possession of marijuana paraphernalia. He was taken to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail pending his sobriety.

HERE COMES THE BRIDE The Athens County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched on Saturday for a loud party complaint.

The party turned out to be a wedding celebration on Coolville Ridge Road. The

bride told deputies a fireworks show was over and the music was wrapping up. Deputies advised her “to cut the volume back on the music” since it was disturbing the neighborhood. No other issues were reported.

PHONE THIEF On Thursday, the sheriff’s office responded to Allen Veterinary Clinic in The Plains for a theft report. An employee reported that a phone had been stolen from the front counter where patrons had been.

Deputies made contact with the last customer in the clinic, and she denied taking the phone, according to the report.

No other leads were available at this time.

INTO THE WEEDS The sheriff’s office received a report regarding a marijuana plant on Friday.

The plant was found on a business client’s property while doing a cleanup in the woods. Deputies went to the property

and seized the plant.

NEVER TOO LATE Last Wednesday, the sheriff’s office took a report of a stolen firearm from a resident on Buckley Run Road.

According to the report, the incident happened three years ago and the victim felt it needed to be reported. The case was closed pending discovery of any further investigative information.

PUT A RING ON IT The sheriff’s office took a theft report of a ring that was stolen on Friday.

The man was unable to give a description of the ring, and no suspects were identified. The case was closed pending further investigative information. @JACKIEOU_OHYEAH JO019315@OHIO.EDU

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CPS sees increase in students at beginning of Fall Semester ELLEN WAGNER NEWS EDITOR Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, or CPS, saw an increase in students coming for drop-in services during the first week of Fall Semester.

CPS had 330 students visit during the first week. Of those students, 163 came in for drop-in services or to get immediate assistance, Paul Castelino, director of CPS, said.

Compared to last year, there was a 15 percent increase in the amount of students who went to CPS for drop-in services during the first week of Fall Semester.

CPS has seen no wait times for students at the start of the semester because of an increase in staff.

Student Affairs Administration helped CPS receive five full-time therapists, one full-time psychiatrist and two additional support staff.

“With increased staffing, we were able to see every student who visited for dropin service during the first week, compared to last year where a significant number of students had to leave and return at another time,” Castelino said in an email.

CPS is recruiting for all those positions except one, which it plans to fill by this spring.

Castelino said CPS has a number of groups starting and is screening students to join therapy groups. Students who seek individual therapy are assigned a therapist within one to two weeks of their drop-in visit.

As the semester progresses, Castelino said the wait times may depend on the demand for services.

“If a student is seeking a particular service or a particular therapist, that can delay the assignment process depending on the availability of that particular request,” Castelino said.

At any time, students also have the option of using drop-in services at CPS when they need to speak with a counselor. Dropin hours are available to new or returning students who are experiencing a crisis, students who wish to initiate therapy or the clients seeking to return to therapy after a break in receiving services.

Abbie Zehentbauer, a junior studying English, has used CPS services in the past but hasn’t stopped in for a drop in appointment yet this year. She said she thinks the 8 / SEPT. 27, 2018

The exterior of Hudson Health Center on April 16, 2016. (ALEX DRIEHAUS / FILE)

wait times for CPS haven’t been too bad.

“At first, it was kind of hard to find a time that works,” Zehentbauer said. “But once I did, I was able to go every week.”

Zehentbauer said she finds drop-ins difficult to plan and can be awkward because students see a different person than they’re used to.

CPS collaborates with Campus Care, Campus Recreation, the Survivor Advocacy Program and community mental health agencies to coordinate care, Castelino said. It offers a variety of mental health support services to all students on campus.

There are programs, such as drop-in crisis assessments and interventions, mental health counseling and psychiatric assessment and treatment.

Services from CPS include individual and group therapy to help students with acute homesickness to severe trauma.

Kate Randall, a senior studying international business, said she had difficulty scheduling appointment times and thinks CPS needs more funding to help students.

First-week student drop-ins

330 STUDENTS VISITED CPS

163 DROP-IN SERVICES

15% INCREASE IN WHO CAME IN FOR DROP-INS

Randall said she stopped into CPS on the first day of classes for the initial drop-in process and wasn’t able to get an appointment until two weeks later. When scheduling follow-up appointments, she said it didn’t seem like there were flexible times.

During a Student Senate meeting last week, Randall said the mental health of students should be a priority and spoke about her concerns about funding and staff.

She said she likes that CPS added more staff but thinks there needs to be more professionals available for students. The need for more staff goes back to the issue about more funding.

“From the university aspect, I would like to see more funds allocated towards the mental health center, like CPS,” Randall said. “That’s the only way that anything will work.”

@EWAGNER19 EW047615@OHIO.EDU

How to Vote: A guide to registering, voting absentee and changing your address Figuring out how to register to vote for the midterm elections and how to submit an absentee ballot in your home county does not have to be difficult with this voting breakdown.

MIKAYLA ROCHELLE FOR THE POST Before Americans head to the polls on Nov. 6 to cast their ballots for the midterm election, they’ll need to make sure they have the proper paperwork completed to ensure their voices are heard.

In addition to the national congressional election, Ohio will be electing a new governor, as well as several state congressional positions.

County by county, people will vote on different offices and issues; many of which will affect local, state and national government. However, some are concerned that the low voter turnout in the 2016 election will repeat itself.

“In 2016, less than one-fifth of young people voted, which is appalling,” Eva Holtkamp, vice president of the Ohio University College Democrats and an Ohio Democratic Party fellow said. “How can we expect our voices to be recognized and be heard if we are not voting?”

In 2012, 46 percent of eligible millennials said they had voted, according to a Pew Research Center study. Here are a few ways students can help grow that percentage.

REGISTERING TO VOTE Registering to vote is a short and simple process that takes about five minutes.

The Voter Registration and Information Update Form is the only form you need to register to vote, Athens County Board of Elections Clerk Carol Perry said. The form can be found online, at the Athens County Board of Elections and often outside of Baker Center at a voter registration table.

To register, you just need your name, address, birth date, last four digits of your social security number or Ohio driver’s license number and your signature. The deadline to register is Oct. 9.

VOTING ABSENTEE Voting absentee allows you to vote in the precinct where you are from, where your permanent address is or where you would have voted before coming to Ohio University.

Here’s how to do it: —Fill ­ out the absentee ballot

application. That includes general information like your name, birthdate, address at which you are registered to vote, your mailing address and the last four digits of your social security number or Ohio driver’s license number. The form can be found and filled out online, then must be printed and signed.

—Mail your absentee ballot to your home county Board of Elections. The address for your home Board of Elections can be found online.

—Wait to receive your ballot in the mail from your home county. That ballot will have candidates and issues from the precinct where your permanent address is.

—Return your completed ballot. That can be mailed in or returned to the Athens County Board of Elections.

The first date to send your absentee ballot in is Oct. 10, and your ballot must be postmarked by the day before the election, Nov. 5, and must be received by your county three days before the election to be counted.

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS If you want to change your address to vote for Athens issues and candidates, that can be done on the same form to register to vote, the Voter Registration and Information Update form.

The form can be found online, at the Athens Board of Elections or outside of Baker Center at a voter registration table.

To fill out the form, you need your name, birthdate, new address, old address, the last four digits of your social security number or Ohio Driver’s License number, and signature. The deadline to change your address is Oct. 9.

“If you are 18, registering to vote and actually voting is extremely important,” OU College Republicans President Missy Pedulla said. “Our generation is diverse with many differing opinions and we need to make sure that every single one is heard so that we aren’t categorized into a bucket that only represents a fraction of us.”

@MIKAYLA_ROCH MR290816@OHIO.EDU

ILLUSTRATION BY RILEY SCOTT

VOTING ABSENTEE • Fill out the absentee ballot application. That includes general information like your name, birthdate, address at which you are registered to vote, your mailing address and the last four digits of your social security number or Ohio driver’s license number. The form can be found and filled out online, then it must be printed and signed.

• Mail your absentee ballot to your home county Board of Elections. The address for your home Board of Elections can be found online.

• Wait to receive your ballot in the mail from your home county. That ballot will have candidates and issues from the precinct where your permanent address is.

• Return your completed ballot. That can be mailed in or returned to the Athens County Board of Elections.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

OU’s enrollment diversity reaches all-time high Diversity at Ohio University is at an all-time high, and 14 percent of the Class of 2022 comes from underrepresented backgrounds ARIANNA GUERRA FOR THE POST While first-year student enrollment is down, diversity is at an all-time high.

Exactly 34,443 students are enrolled at the Athens campus for the 2018 Fall Semester, according to an Office of Institutional Research news release. Of that, 3,980 are first-year students, a 1.6 percent decrease from last year’s fall enrollment.

“Ohio University offers a high-quality education that appeals to students from a wide variety of backgrounds, from Appalachian to international,” Ohio University Executive Vice President and Provost Chaden Djalali said in a university news release. “That broad diversity is a hallmark of (OU) and further contributes to the transformational education all of our students can expect to receive here.”

The incoming freshman class includes the university’s highest-ever percentage of students from diverse backgrounds, and more than a quarter of the freshmen are first-generation students, according to the news release.

Sydney Walters, a freshman studying journalism, is part of the first-generation student population at OU. Walter’s considers being a first-generation college student significant.

“It’s an important step in my family. I am the first person in my family that I know of that even went to college, and it’s special to me to be the first one,” Walters said.

Walters said being the first person in her family to attend college has its own set of challenges because she didn’t know what to expect and couldn’t receive tips from her family on how to survive in college.

Despite that, she also feels that so far during her time at OU, she has felt a sense of community.

“They have plenty of opportunities for

10 / SEPT. 27, 2018

2012

2013

first-generation students. (OU is) definitely passionate about diversity and having that be a part of the school,” Walters said.

While first-generation students make up 26.9 percent of the incoming fall students, other groups also have a stake in the enrollment pool.

This year, OU has seen an increase in students from under-represented backgrounds, out-of-state students, international students and students from Appalachian counties. About 14 percent of the Class of 2022 are from under-represented backgrounds, which is the highest in the university’s history, according to the news release.

There are 445 fewer transfer students enrolled for Fall Semester at the Athens campus compared to last year.

2014

2015

2016

Kirsten Dilger, a junior studying history, transferred to OU this fall from Sinclair Community College. She, like Walters, has found a sense of community in Athens through student organizations.

“From the first day I came here, it felt like there were a lot of people caring for my well-being, and joining clubs and finding my bearings, I can feel that everyone is a family here,” Dilger said.

She joined the transfer ambassadors to give a voice to the transfer students already admitted and potential transfer students and give them a glimpse into what it’s like being a transfer student at OU, Dilger said.

With a main campus of nearly 35,000 students, OU could seem intimidating.

2017

2018

Both Walters and Dilger expressed nervousness about starting their academic career in Athens this fall. However, after four weeks into the academic year, Dilger plans to re-enroll for next fall.

“It’s not as hard as I thought it would be. You’re not really segregated for being transfer students,” Dilger said. “I thought I’ll never make friends, because everyone is a first-year student that came from high school. Everyone has welcomed me with open arms. It’s nice here.”

@ARIANNAGUERRA99 AG598417@OHIO.EDU

National Hispanic Heritage Month honors variability in Latin culture HARDIKA SINGH FOR THE POST When people tell delfin bautista they do not look Hispanic., they respond, “Well, what am I supposed to look like?”

There is a great variability among Hispanics and Latinos.

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates that variability from Sept. 15 - Oct. 15.

It is a celebration not only of people of Hispanic descent but of the contributions they have made. It starts Sept. 15 because that is when Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Chile, Belize and Nicaragua celebrate their independence days. bautista, director of the Ohio University LGBT Center, identifies as a trans Latinx person and uses they/them pronouns, along with the lowercase spelling of their name.

They said the LGBT Center will host a screening of Coco for National Hispanic Heritage Month. They hope the Latino Student Union will co-sponsor the screening, as the movie talks about the Latino culture in a very accessible way. bautista said the Latino Student Union is also organizing an event with other offices on Oct. 9 to have José Aviles, chief enrollment officer at Louisiana State University, give a lecture about artistic expression.

They said one of the things they struggle with is the culture of hypermasculinity present among the Latin culture, as they do not identify solely as a man or masculine. Spanish is not a gender inclusive language, they said.

“It’s complicated,” bautista, who is an advisor for Latino Student Union, said.

It is a discomfort for bautista when Spanish speakers use

delfin bautista poses for a portrait in their office at Ohio University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. bautista is the director of the LGBT Center at Ohio University. (MIDGE MAZUR / FOR THE POST)

“

Because we are such a diverse community, there are folks whose Latin identity gets erased or undermined because they don’t look a certain way.”

- delfin bautista, director of the Ohio University LGBT Center

the “gendered language” as an excuse to justify their non-inclusiveness. They want to challenge the English and Spanish languages to make the languages more inclusive.

Students learn Bachata style dancing during an event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Baker Center with the Latino Student Union and the Black Student Cultural Programming Board on Wednesday.

(MIDGE MAZUR / FOR THE POST)

“To misgender a person in English is also not okay,” they said. “That has been an area of friction for me with my Spanish-speaking colleagues here.” bautista said older Spanish-speaking people are more resistant to changing the language, as they are not in contact with a more diverse set of people. Last year, however, bautista received the nickname of “abue,” instead of abuela or abuelo from his colleagues, which bautista liked a lot.

Another misconception bautista faces is the struggle of looking Hispanic, because people have a narrow idea of what Hispanics look like.

“Because we are such a diverse community, there are folks whose Latin identity gets erased or undermined because they don’t look a certain way,” bautista said. “We’re a diverse people.”

Claudia González-Vallejo, a

professor of psychology, said she has not faced any particular hardships because she is from Chile, which has a different history from other Hispanic countries.

Gonzalez-Vallejo said stereotypes apply to everybody in the Hispanic culture because people do not understand the culture of people from different backgrounds. Hispanics, she said, are not just the people who share the border with Mexico.

She also said that at the federal level, there is a gross representation of Hispanics, as it assumes they all have similar backgrounds.

“In great variability, there is richness,” Gonzalez-Vallejo said.

“It is time for learning and celebrating the variability in the Hispanic culture.”

International Student Union President Carla Triana, who identifies as Mexican, Latinx

and American, prefers to celebrate Latino Heritage Month over Hispanic Heritage Month, as “Hispanic” was a term given

by Spaniards.

Triana said the month gives her an opportunity to embrace and celebrate her culture, and to also spread awareness about Latino culture in the U.S. “It’s an empowering month,” Triana, a senior studying international business said.

She said she exists in the middle, as people say she is not Mexican enough or American enough. Like bautista, she also receives comments from people who say she does not look Mexican.

“Mexican and Latinos come in every shape and color,” she said.“I’m a proud Mexican.”

@HARDIKASINGH28 HS152416@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

India’s birthing project A shrinking community is facing a government-backed revival BHARBI HAZARIKA | SENIOR WRITER

a

ILLUSTRATION BY MEGAN KNAPP

mid its fight against a surging demographic, India has taken the responsibilities of a depleting community — the Parsis — nestled in the middle of its diverse cultural smorgasbord.

The 84-year-old government-mandated Jiyo Parsi scheme has so far resulted in the wails of 160 Parsi babies enlivening a few Indian households, but several more nests still remain barren and quiet.

For 35-year-old Parsi Farnaz Chavda, however, her maternal home in Gujarat is lit with the laughter of her 5-month-old Tianaz.

“She was all I asked for,” Chavda, a physiotherapist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, said. “Everyone was overjoyed at her arrival.”

Parsis are an Indian community who have Persian roots, and their religious beliefs include the monotheistic religion of Zoroastrianism, Loren Lybarger, associate professor of Classics and World Religions at Ohio University, said.

Although it is one of the oldest religions, 12 / SEPT. 27, 2018

Zoroastrianism is one of the world's smallest today. There are 111,201 followers remaining worldwide, 14,306 of which live in the U.S. There is a discernible distress among Zoroastrians, not only in the U.S., but also around the world regarding the probable extinction of their faith.

Depleting numbers have especially been a concern for the subsection of Zoroastrians in India, which considers its heritage distinct from the global Zoroastrian society.

In 2013, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, Parzor Foundation conceptualized the Jiyo Parsi scheme with the support of the government and a few other organizations, in September 2013.

Last year, the program marked its second milestone with the Jiyo Parsi Phase II campaign.

So far, the Indian government has allocated a whopping $1.7 million to the program.

Parzor Foundation’s frequent trips to Parsi-dominated areas in southern Gujarat and Maharashtra revealed empty homes, deserted

villages and otlas (verandas) void of the sounds of children.

“The remaining Parsis would come up to us on our trips and ask us, ‘With such low Parsi population, what use (is) preserving our art and culture?’ ” Shernaz Cama, director of Parzor Foundation, said. “That’s when we realized that this is a problem we need to address.”

It’s difficult to sell a program that advocates greater reproduction in a country that is already dealing with a high population density.

But according to the 2011 Indian Population Census, the Parsi community, which started from a population of 114,890 in 1941, has shrunk to 57,264 members.

The community on average contributes 200 Parsi babies to the population each year, Cama said, and the Jiyo Parsi Scheme was responsible for the additional 160 babies born in the last four years. Although Cama sounds optimistic, some within the community are still doubtful about the scheme’s impact.

“I really don’t know if it’s very realistic,” Shelley Daroga Subawalla, a proprietor of the Parsi

“

Jiyo Parsi ad campaign

We deliberately tried to be in-yourface with the ads.

And it turned out to be a wonderful controversy.”

“

- Shernaz Cama, director of Parzor Foundation

Conceptualized by the Madison World advertising agency, these ads are deliberately “in-your-face.” The director of the Parzor Foundation, Shernaz Cama, believes the messages resonate with the community members the ads target

spice company Zarin’s Secrets, said. “I don’t see it making a huge difference unless the numbers increase drastically.”

Cama explained that women, especially within the community, often feel demotivated to start a family before they have established their careers because they see family planning as a hindrance to career prospects. The average age of marriage for men in the community is 32 to 35, and women don’t marry until the ages of 28 to 30. But chances of infertility increase after the age of 25, making reproduction less likely, Cama added.

“Education and wisdom don't always go together,” Cama said.

The scheme is taking a multipronged approach to solve the problems that the community faces. Implementers are relying on advocacy, health care and assistance for reproduction.

While the first chapter of the scheme sailed somewhat smoothly, the second phase that launched last year met with criticism. It led with increasingly aggressive advertisement series commissioned by the Jiyo Parsi team and developed by the Madison World advertising agency, Cama said.

The ads intend to encourage the Parsi community to reproduce early and in large numbers. One of the advertisements, in fact, suggests that women lower their expectations and marry early.

While some scrutinized those captions as bawdy and sexist, Cama believes that people within the community resonate with the sentiments of the advertisements.

Cama said the glaringly propagandistic content of the ads attempted to evoke a “shocking” response.

“We deliberately tried to be in-yourface with the ads,” Cama said. “And it turned out to be a wonderful controversy.”

The scheme also provides material support by offering funds for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, child care support and elderly assistance to Parsi couples.

Each couple is provided up to 8 lakh rupees, or $11,000, to conceive a child.

However, Pearl Mistry, a counselor of the Jiyo Parsi team, said despite the provision of funds, there are several other issues that couples face that deter them from pregnancy.

Chavda, who got married at 33, said she and her husband began trying to conceive a baby right after marriage, but to no avail.

After a couple of years, Chavda’s uncle handed her a brochure that acquainted her with the program.

The couple made several trips to Mistry, who helped them acquire the funds for the IVF treatment. Chavda said the free IVF treatments did little to curb her anxiety that rose from not conceiving during her first try.

“When I didn’t get pregnant at first, my husband and I, we were both upset,” Chavda said. “I told myself, sometimes there are failures, but chances are you will succeed.”

The couple finally conceived on their second IVF cycle. Mistry said the pregnancy attempts can be daunting and discouraging, and that is why they provide round-the-clock counseling services to keep couples motivated to keep trying.

The scheme, however, continues to receive flack for pushing an agenda that appears to be, among other things, discriminatory. The Jiyo Parsi program follows the Parsi traditions of patrilineage in acquiring the benefits of the scheme that are only availed by couples where the male is a Parsi. In the case where the female is a Parsi and the male isn’t, the scheme doesn’t help said couple in conception.

“We are not a very conservative community. We are rather modern in our outlook vis-à-vis non-Parsis,” Subawalla said.

“But where religion is concerned, we are very orthodox in that domain.”

Some Parsi women feel there is a persisting discrimination within the community against women who choose to marry non-Parsis, and those like Subawalla feel there needs to be a change.

“We need to give women and men the same religious rights,” she said.

Jim Engineer, the secretary of the Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago, blames the fracture in the community’s existence on the rigid edicts and policies of non-inclusion that he feels drove a significant number of Parsi Zoroastrians away. However, he said the community has taken subtle steps toward inclusion in religious traditions, which hasn’t gone unappreciated.

“What's clear is that maintaining the status quo is not sustainable,” Engineer, co-chair of the Public Relations Committee of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America, said. “Ultimately, we have to look beyond physical population decline as an issue, and address the concepts of inclusion and acceptance to build a harmonious community.”

When Cama was questioned about the complications that follow the Jiyo Parsi Scheme’s agenda, she said they aren’t pressuring anyone to have a baby, but that the scheme is just an effort to encourage the community to sustain itself.

“Nobody is telling you, ‘Go have a baby,’ ” Cama said, “We’re just saying if you want to have a baby, we’re here for you.”

What is the Jiyo Parsi Scheme?

Indian Welfare Schemes

The Indian government often initiates welfare schemes for a cross section of the society. These schemes are either central, state-specific or a joint collaboration between the central government and the states.

Parzor Foundation

During their frequent business trips to Parsi-dominated areas in southern Gujarat and Maharashtra, The Parzor Foundation found that the culture of the community they were planning to preserve was declining at an unprecedented rate, Sherna Cama, director of UNESCO Parzor Foundation, said.

Jiyo Parsi Scheme

Jiyo Parsi Scheme is a program supported by the Indian government and was initiated to halt the decline in population of the Parsi Zoroastrian community in India. The program is comprised of three components: advocacy, health care and assistance in reproduction.

@BHARBI97 BH136715@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

Yin Yoga at Ping challenges both physical and mental sides of the body RILEY RUNNELLS FOR THE POST Yoga is a universal exercise that can be practiced by people of all ages. The practices can vary in concentration, whether it be focusing on strengthening muscles, the mind or balance with the world. The practice of Yin Yoga is specific to stretching and getting in touch with the personal meditative state, and it is the newest addition to the group fitness classes at Ping Recreation Center.

Yin Yoga is a slow-paced form of yoga that focuses on seated or lying postures that are usually held for three to five minutes. The poses are intended to loosen connective tissue around the joints, such as the pelvis, knees, sacrum and spine. It is a calm and cooling practice that is designed to challenge people physically and mentally, and since the poses are intense, it is suggested that participants bring their own yoga mats, firm pillows or blankets to enhance their comfort.

Yin Yoga classes are held Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8:05 a.m. to 9:05 a.m. Both classes are taught by Kaya Mallick, a junior studying theatrical playwriting.

“Yin is often mismarketed,” Mallick said. “Yin is the cooling energy. It’s the slower holding of postures for a long time, but it is still active, more active than a deep stretch or a restorative class.”

Mallick has been practicing yoga for three years. She took the history of yoga class at Ohio University and met a scholar of American Yoga named Christa Schwind, who taught yoga in her hometown of Denver. The yoga studio in Denver was offering an instructor training course, with Schwind teaching and Mallick decided to take it, fulfilling her 200hour requirement over the summer.

She started practicing Yin six months ago so she could find a balance in her Power Vinyasa Yoga class. When Yin Yoga training came to the Denver studio where she trained, she decided to get certified so she could bring that balance here to OU. Students who attended the class were excited to try something new and were pleased with the outcome of the practice.

Destiny Hunter, a freshman studying education, was excited to attend the class.

14 / SEPT. 27, 2018

IF YOU GO WHAT: Yin Yoga WHEN: 8:05 a.m.-9:05 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays WHERE: Ping Recreation Center ADMISSION: Free, student ID required

“It felt so rewarding,” Hunter said. “It was very relaxing, and I loved it.”

Hunter’s friend Claire Milano, a freshman studying journalism, was also excited by the new practice.

“I almost fell asleep I was so relaxed,” Milano said. “I had a lot of built up tension in my body, and this class got rid of all of that.”

The poses done in Yin Yoga are deep stretches and very intense. One of the poses requires standing on all fours, bringing a knee to the adjacent hand and bending the leg so the knee faces outward.

The next step is to place the chest on top of the bent leg and stay in this position for three to five minutes. When the time is up, the practicers switch to their other leg and repeats the stretch accordingly.

Once the deep stretches are over, the practice is completed with a five-minute meditation lying flat facing upward, feet mat-length apart and focus on breathing and cooling down from the exercise. This way people are able to unwind from the intense stretches. This meditation also provides time to focus on the personal class intention, which is a mantra or what the practicer wants to take away from the class, which is set at the beginning of the practice.

Although Yin is less intense than Power Vinyasa or other physically challenging yoga classes, it’s still a demanding and rejuvenating workout for the body and mind.

“It can be really challenging obviously,” Mallick said. “But I think it’s a really good workout physically and mentally, and it helps you find that balance and find those poses that are relaxing and rewarding.”

@RILEYR44 RR855317@OHIO.EDU

Participants take part in a Yin Yoga class in Ping on Tuesday.

(EMILEE CHINN / PHOTO EDITOR)

Participants of a Yin Yoga class in Ping demonstrate a pose during a session Tuesday morning. (EMILEE CHINN / PHOTO EDITOR)

Athens Makers strives to create lifelong learners BAYLEE DEMUTH STAFF WRITER For the past six summers, Athens Makers has given grade school students the opportunity to engage in STEAMbased interactive learning.

In past years, Athens Makers projects have included a wide range of STEAMbased activities including working with Arduino microcontrollers, 3D printers and PVC pipe marshmallow shooters STEAM is an expansion of the popular STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — acronym that adds art to the list of educational topics.

The outreach program has grown significantly since its establishment and hopes to offer its services year-round once it transitions to a more permanent facility in the future.

Jen Parsons, the executive director of the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery, is one of the leaders of Athens Makers and believes there are a lot of concepts students might not encounter all the time in a regular school day that they are exposed to in the outreach program.

“We try to come up with activities that connect with what the kids are doing in school,” Parsons said. “But we also allow them more freedom, creativity and that playful expression.”

Much of the equipment used in workshops and the help given by mentors isn’t accessible to some students at home, so to Parsons, it’s valuable that Athens Makers is able to provide those aspects for the children.

“The tools and guidance these kids get assists in them finding their own way of expression,” Parsons said. “When we have workshop-style projects, the students are definitely getting the skills they need.”

To Mark Lucas, co-founder of Athens Makers and an associate professor of physics and astronomy, a huge part of Athens Makers’ success has been the overflowing amount of volunteers.

“We’re grateful to have so many community members, grad students and undergrads that say, ‘This is fun,’ and want to help and just dig in,” Lucas said. “Everyone is there because they want to be.”

Athens Makers is in the process of moving from their current space in a Clippinger Laboratories basement to what will be Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery’s permanent facility on Columbus Road.

Once that transition is made, Athens

Makers is looking to change their name to Discovery Lab. “The name we chose is a bit awkward because it’s not officially a makerspace,” Lucas said. “We have a little bit of that feel, but Discovery Lab fits a lot better with what we’re about.”

The Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery and Athens Makers are looking forward to renovating the new space, but it’s going to take a while, Lucas said.

Athens Makers is a strong advocate for teaching STEAM and not just STEMbased activities. The program does that by taking an interdisciplinary approach, which integrates the arts and humanities within the various workshops and projects offered to the students.

“We try to be as authentic as possible,” Parsons said. “Even in the real world, kids should be approaching things with that entire perspective and finding value in everything across the board, not just in math and science and not just in arts.”

It’s all about integration, and through it, Athens Makers has seen many students benefit from the STEAM-based learning.

“A lot of research on informal STEAM activities show things like increased confidence in science,” Parsons said.

“Personally, watching the students I’ve seen a lot of them come out of their shells, and that’s really exciting.”

Greg Springer’s 15-year-old son Silas has been going to Athens Makers for the past three summers, and he especially enjoys making his own projects and working with different machines and experiments.

“Silas has become more detail-oriented with respect to machines,” Springer, an associate professor of geological sciences, said. “He understands they are combinations of parts that must be integrated correctly to work.”

Silas is one of the many children that has greatly benefited from what Athens Makers offers and hopes to continue to offer for a long time.

“There’s book learning, but finding something you’re passionate about and learning to learn on your own is something completely different,” Lucas said. “Being able to use all these tools to dive in and create is a whole other aspect of these kids’ education, and people who can do that are people who can adapt and integrate things.”

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OU prepares for new musical theater program JOSEPH STANICHAR FOR THE POST Starting Fall 2019, Ohio University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance program will diverge into a four-year degree with two tracks.

The acting track will remain the same traditional program, while the new musical theater track will collaborate with the School of Music and the Dance Division to prepare students in the field of performance.

Chiara Ridpath, a junior studying acting, recognized the value being educated specifically in musical theater and the addition of the new track.

“I totally would have done musical theater instead,” Ridpath said. “I did end up picking OU because I do also want to do film and movies, and I thought getting a solid acting training would be good, … (but) if I were at a lower year, I would switch.”

Ridpath wasn’t the only one who found the lack of a musical theater program deterring.

“Most of my friends … who went into theater went to different schools because there wasn’t a musical theater program here,” Ridpath said.

David Haugen, head of the Theater Division’s performance program, acknowledged the strong demand for a musical theater program at OU. “There is a great demand for (musical theater) programs, but we wanted to create something unique, something that played to our strengths in actor training,” Haugen said in an email. “The core of the Performance Faculty has been together over 10 years. We think we are in a strong position to spread our wings and expand the Performance Area.”

The performance program is closely associated with the playwriting program, giving students the opportunity to create original theater works. The new musical theater track will give students the same opportunity to create new works of musical theater.

“Most students get their information on how to perform a role from listening to the cast album,” Haugen said in an email.

“What would it be like to create a role all on your own?”

Haugen emphasized the importance of integrating students from both tracks into the same classes. Unlike what is the case in many other programs, the acting and musical theater students will be taking many of the same course.

“I’m excited to see how they will influence each other,” Haugen said in an email.

ILLUSTRATION BY JASMIN GONCALO

Haugen said there were many logistical challenges associated with restructuring such a large program, including scheduling, staffing and creating curriculum. Because the program is transitioning from a three-year to a four-year degree, there was a need to increase the number of staff members.

“As a non-singer, I’ve always been mainly concerned with ‘straight’ acting,” Haugen said in an email. “So I’m walking into a new world. I’m learning a lot! And creating a program from scratch is very exciting.”

Haugen also chaired the search committee for the head of musical theater, which is a new position. The committee found Alan Patrick Kenny.

Kenny is a man of many hats; wearing those of a theater director, producer, educator and musician. With an extensive history in each field, he appeared to be the perfect candidate to be head of musical theater.

His breadth of experience is particularly suitable for the breadth of specializations for students in the musical theater track. Actor-musicianship, pop/rock performance and performance wellness are just three of the many possible specializations for each student’s interests.

Although not involved with musical theater herself, Morgan Austin, a junior studying production design and technology, knows many people who are.

“I think it would be a great opportunity for them to dive into musical theater,” Austin said. “I really hope that (the musical theater program) will make the theater program even more known around the world, because I think Ohio (University) has a great theater program, and adding musical theater will only make it better."

@JOSEPHSTANICHAR JS080117@OHIO.EDU

HOCKEY

Former graduate assistants coaching together again in Roanoke TREVOR COLGAN SLOT EDITOR When Dan Bremner got the call, he had to call Sean Hogan.

Bremner was midway through his first season as an assistant coach at Ohio. He started receiving calls from Mickey Gray, the president of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, in November 2017, and they continued through December.

But one particular call Bremner received was the one that changed his life.

He was home in Ontario with his family, and Gray called.

Gray and Bremner had talked before, about two years prior. They spent t i m e

together with the Peoria Rivermen, the team that Bremner played his professional hockey with.

But Gray’s reason for calling this time were different. The Rail Yard Dawgs of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) were struggling, and Gray needed to make a coaching change. In mid-December, Gray asked Bremner if he could make the nearly 10-hour drive to Roanoke.

Bremner had to let Hogan know. When he made the call, Hogan understood. At 5 a.m. the next day, Bremner was on his way to Athens to pack his stuff and head to Roanoke, 22 games into his coaching career.

“I loved my time at Ohio, and it was a great time working with coach Hogan and the

Dan Bremner (left) and Michael Harris pose for a portrait in Bird Arena. (HANNAH SCHROEDER / FILE)

team,” Bremner said. “Opportunities don’t come up all the time.”

And Bremner was successful: the Rail Yard Dawgs pivoted from a 5-11-2 record before his hiring to a 21-15-2 finish, qualifying for the last seed in the playoffs. But Bremner’s departure left Hogan with only one other graduate assistant: Michael Harris, a former Bobcat captain.

Harris finished the season with the Bobcats and returned home to Silver Spring, Maryland, unsure of his next step in the hockey coaching world. Bremner reached out to him, asking him if he was interested in coaching for a professional hockey team.

“I couldn’t just say no,” Harris said.

“That’s a huge deal, jumping into professional hockey right outside of graduating from (Ohio).”

So Harris joined Bremner in Roanoke.

The duo was coaching together again.

When the two of them first got to Athens, they clicked almost instantly. They contacted each other to figure out a living situation.

Once they knew each other, Bremner and Harris found out they have similar mindsets.

At the end of last season, Bremner talked with his boss about hiring an assistant. He thinks having a second set of eyes watching over the team is valuable, and he wanted someone that could pore over day-to-day decisions with him.

Those decisions aren’t exactly something Hogan and Ohio could prepare Bremner and Harris for. During their time in Athens, they learned to make sure all the behind the scenes things don’t fall on the players.

And the chemistry built when the two coached at Ohio has continued. They began a seven-month season Monday, where they’ll spend

“

The preparation and the passion that you’re putting into it is the same,” - Dan Bremner, former assistant hockey coach at Ohio about 10 hours per day together.

“As far as seeing eye-to-eye as a coaching staff, that’s super important,” Bremner said.

As a club team, all lot of the non-hockey details fall back on Hogan and his graduate assistants. Moving to the professional level, Harris and Bremner get to focus exclusively on hockey. People such as Gray and other front office people handle the non-hockey stuff.

Professional teams like the Rail Yard Dawgs see a lot of turnover on their rosters.

Players get signed, cut, traded and moved up or down levels on a near-daily basis.

But no matter the level of hockey, whether it’s collegiate club or minor professional, the essence of coaching is still the same to Bremner and Harris.

“The preparation and the passion that you’re putting into it is the same,” Bremner said.

Both Harris and Bremner attribute much of what they learned about coaching from their time at Ohio. They’re the latest in a line of former Bobcat graduate assistants that have left Athens to find better jobs.

In Hogan’s four full seasons in Athens, his graduate assistants have landed jobs for teams in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, the United States Hockey League, an NCAA Division I program and, of course, the SPHL. “We’re really proud of that track record,” Hogan said. “We develop assistant coaches here really well. They probably all have better jobs than me.”

@TREVOR_COLGAN TC648714@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

FOOTBALL

Ohio’s pass rush is a work in progress SPENCER HOLBROOK SPORTS EDITOR Pete Germano knows his defensive ends can be better.

He specifically coaches the ends for Ohio; Tremayne Scott coaches the tackles.

But the techniques for disrupting the opponents’ passing attack have a stark contrast.

Ends are speed-rush specialists. In the current days of run-pass options as dominating offensive game plans, ends have more jobs than ever before. They must account for the quarterback run, the running back and the pass.

On obvious passing situations, ends can “pin their ears back” and rush the quarterback — normally. It doesn’t help that each of the quarterbacks Ohio has faced this season have been dual-threat guys that can make plays on the ground.

“In the back of our head, we’re just thinking if we rush a little bit too high or we get pushed a little bit past the quarterback, he has the potential to scramble,” defensive end Will Evans said.

Evans is in his first season as a starter at the defensive end. Germano, who’s in his second season with the Bobcats, was brought in from Fresno State after the 2016 season, when Jesse Williams departed to Kansas. Germano was gifted an experienced defensive line.

But this season, the unit is young. He’s confident production will come sooner rather than later.

“We have to learn from our mistakes and get better,” Germano said. “We are getting better, and that’s a good sign.”

Ohio has four sacks this season. The statistic comes from a small sample size of three games, but it still isn’t what Germano wants from his ends.

Evans is aware of the stats — they don’t lie, after all. Last season, Ohio’s leader in sacks, Quentin Poling, had just five for the year. Still the Bobcats are two seasons removed from Tarell Basham, who recorded 11.5 sacks in 2016 and set the programs all-time sack record.

Germano said good edge rushers win one-on-one battles with offensive lineman.

Ohio’s success will come from winning those games. And while all the attention is on the passing defense, Ohio’s defensive issues have deeper roots than just the pass rush.

In the first three weeks of the season, Ohio is ranked nationally 127 out of 129 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 18 / SEPT. 27, 2018

Chukwudi Chukwu hits Bryce Perkins to force a fumble during the first half of the Ohio vs Virginia game on September 15, 2018. (COLIN MAYR /FOR THE POST)

pass yards allowed per game. While the Bobcats have only played three games this season, much of the country has played four and some have even played five.

While signs point to the Bobcats’ defense improving, the problems are still glaring.

Ohio was picked by coaches and media to win the Mid-American Conference this season. The Bobcats returned nearly the entirety of their secondary, including two captains in Kylan Nelson and Javon Hagan. This back end was supposed to be the strength of the Ohio defense.

Instead, teams have come out throwing against Ohio and have been successful.

Virginia ran quick out routes and screens against the Bobcats, which resulted in long runs after the catch. Ohio eliminated those, but Cincinnati attacked Ohio with play action passes. No matter how balls are caught, the numbers aren’t great for the secondary. But they’re making adjustments on the fly.

“We’re able to make adjustments and we’re competent as a defense,” Nelson said before the Cincinnati game. “We’re able to make adjustments from the sideline and bring them out to the field and execute.”

OHIO’S DEFENSE BY THE NUMBERS per game

national rank

Total Defense

540.3 yds

128

Sacks

1.33 sacks

102

Pass Yards Allowed

379.0 yds

127

3rd Down Defense

59%

129

Adjusting to one thing results in offensive adjustments. That’s when a defense has to be solid.

Some of the yards have been allowed due to trick plays, such as in the Howard game.

Some simply have came from missed tackles, which were a problem in the Virginia game.

For now, Ohio’s left to continue to improve its pass defense. One way to do that is with a disruptive pass rush. Ohio’s front seven hasn’t pressured the quarterback at the rate it wants — and expects to.

The four sacks so far, again, isn’t good enough. That’s just 1.33 sacks per game, which is ranked 102nd nationally.

UMass could provide an ample opportunity for the Ohio pass rush. The Minutemen are giving up 2.20 sacks per game so far this season, ranked 81st in the country.

If Evans and the Bobcats can start getting to the quarterback more, the ball will only begin to roll.

For now, they’ll keep working with Germano.

“We’re a four-man front. We rush four guys,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way to get more pressure.”

@SPENCERHOLBROOK SH690914@OHIO.EDU

FOOTBALL

Renewal of a rivalry The Bobcats lost to the Bearcats 34-30 in the latest installment PETE NAKOS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Nathan Rourke says he’ll remember Saturday’s game for plenty of reasons: the loss, an interception on the goal line and the impact it may have on the Bobcats at the end of the season.

He’ll also recall the noise of the Cincinnati student section, the group in the south end zone, which hindered his communication at Nippert Stadium.

The Bobcats lost 34-30, but it was the first meeting between the two teams since 1981, a rivalry which has seen 51 games, and a rivalry that many fans were happy to see renewed.

“It was fun, but it was tough in it was hard to communicate,” Rourke said. “It was one of the louder ones I’ve played in.”

The contract for the game, which was agreed to on March 5, 2012, mentions a home-and-home series between the two schools. Game 1 was played this past weekend, the second installment is scheduled to be played at Peden Stadium on Sept. 12, 2020.

Each visiting team is set to make $250,000 for the game.

With a significant amount of green in the stadium, Saturday’s announced attendance was 35,220. There are obvious reasons why the games are attractive to both programs: Short bus trips, a storied history and the recruiting rivalries that can move to the field.

It’s a chance for Ohio to take on an instate rival. It’s a game that boosters and former players from the schools were looking forward to. The Bobcats are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their last Mid-American Conference Championship, and in 1968, they did play the Bearcats.

Ohio played at Nippert on Nov. 16, 1968, winning 60-48. It only finished behind Notre Dame for points scored that season.

Past that, with almost all Football Bowl Subdivision Schools in Ohio playing in the MAC, it gives both teams to play a nonconference game in-state against a formidable opponent.

“I’m for it,” coach Frank Solich said.

“You don’t have to travel that far on the bus. It’s not a series where you have to get on a plane to get there. It’s an in-state pro-

“

It’s not a series where you have to get on a plane to get there. It’s an in-state program so, obviously, there’s some building rivalries.”

- Ohio coach Frank Solich

Ohio wide receiver Papi White and Cincinnati cornerback Cameron Jeffries fight for a pass during two teams’ game Saturday. (MATT JONES / FILE)

gram so, obviously, there’s some building rivalries. We’ve got a lot of players from Ohio and the Cincinnati area that adds to that. Same thing for them. We recruited some of the guys that are in their program. All of that adds to the game. I think that the chance for fans from both teams

to get to the game is there. It’s all good.”

Then there are the players who have chips on their shoulders.

Running back A.J. Ouellette went to the Bearcats’ camps when he was in high school, and he was told that he’d be receiving some communication. Nobody

ever reached out to him from Cincinnati.

He went to high school only an hour from the city.

Since then, he arrived in Athens as a preferred walk-on and has made his way up to No. 1 in the running back room. To say that he was disappointed after Saturday’s game would be an understatement.

“I had fun the whole game, it’s a cool stadium,” Ouellette said. “We were down there by the student section and it was loud. It kept the game interesting, it was a physical, fun game.”

In terms of extending the home-andhome series to a continuous rivalry, that’ll be a difficulty.

The Bearcats already have the Miami RedHawks scheduled through the 2029 season in the “Battle for the Victory Bell.”

Meanwhile, Ohio’s “Battle of the Bell” rivalry against Marshall comes back next year for a back-to-back home-and-home series.

There’s no question that Saturday’s game was competitive and fun to watch. It showed one of the MAC’s best against an up-and-coming American Athletic Conference school.

Most importantly, it gave the state of Ohio an opportunity to watch the reinvention of a rivalry — one that many want to see continued.

@PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

Riding out the

wave GEORGE SHILLCOCK | STAFF WRITER

ILLUSTRATION BY MARCUS PAVILONIS

20 / SEPT. 27, 2018

There is a high chance the average Ohio voter has heard the term “Blue Wave” at least once leading up to the 2018 midterm electionss, but there is speculation as to whether the conjecture surrounding the phenomenon will prove true in the Buckeye State.

The speculation that this year will see a wave election has flooded the news media with constant analyses of close races, polls and trends across the country. With the amount of attention being given to this midterm, it could nearly be mistaken as a presidential year. As voters in a swing state are accustomed to this experience every four years during a presidential election.

A wave election is when a political party makes major gains in the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate or both.

Currently, the Senate is split between 51 Republicans, 47 Democrats and two Independents, who consistently work with Democrats. The House is split between 236 Republicans and 193 Democrats.

Democrats have a lot of work to do in Ohio if a Blue Wave does happen. The consistent battleground state only has four Democrats in the House out of 16 districts. The Ohio Senate seats are split between one Democrat and one Republican.

“What no one should do is just sit around and hope and expect it to happen because that’s how you lose,” David Pepper, the chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, said. “Our attitude is that we hope there is a Blue Wave, but that’s not enough. We have to build it.”

Pepper said being a part of the incumbent party puts candidates at a disadvantage because of low approval ratings in Congress and the fact that people like candidates who are fresh and new — not career politicians.

Blaine Kelly, the communications director for the Ohio Republican Party, said in an email that Ohio is prospering under Republican leadership. He said candidates like Mike DeWine and Jim Renacci will continue these trends if elected.

“The fabled ‘Blue Wave’ will not reach Ohio’s borders this year,” Kelly said in an email.

Senate gains in wave elections

2006

2010

2008 Democratic

Independent

Republican INFOGRAPHIC BY ABBEY PHILLIPS

“Ohioans vote with their wallets, and Republicans are helping put more money into them.”

INDICATORS OF A BLUE WAVE Many indicators can be analyzed in order to predict whether a wave election will occur this year. People can analyze voter turnout rates, results of special elections, presidential and congressional approval numbers, and rankings and polls for races.

“While I think there is a lot of evidence, even here in Ohio, that there will be a Blue Wave — or at least more than just the typical midterm pickups from the Democratic Party — the bigger indicator is that you have competition in areas that were never that competitive,” Sarah Poggione, chair of Ohio University’s Department of Political Science, said.

The race for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, which contains Athens, is one of the safest Republican seats at “R+7,” a ranking which means Republicans have a seven-point advantage.

The closest race is in the 1st District between Democrat Aftab Pureval and incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Westwood. This race is rated at “R+5,” but Peppers and the Cook Political report consider it competitive.

“I’m confident our race will be close. I’m confident that we’ll win,” Pureval said. “People in both parties are desperate for change, and that’s why we are confident that we will prevail.”

Chabot has held his district since 2011 but was also in office from 1995 to 2008. He did not re-

spond to requests for comment.

“I do think people in Ohio are ready for change from Cleveland all the way down to Cincinnati,” Pureval said.

VOTER TURNOUT IN PRIMARIES Influencing voter turnout is also key to wave elections. Those numbers are thought to be affected by factors such as competitiveness of the race, the type of election (i.e., midterm, off-year or presidential elections), voting laws and voter demographics.

Poggione said she thinks wave elections depend on which party has higher turnout. She said at this point potential Democratic voters are showing a lot more excitement.

“When you look at polls, you have a stronger proportion of Democrats indicating that this is a really important midterm election year compared to what typically happens and then a somewhat lesser proportion of Republicans who say the same thing,” she said.

If Ohio was actually going to experience a Blue Wave, it would have seen it reflected in voter turnout numbers in the May 8th primary elections, Kelly said in an email.

More Republicans turned out to vote for candidates in their party than Democrats did in the 2018 May primary election. In the gubernatorial race, 428,159 Democrats (62.16 percent) voted for Richard Cordray, while 499,639 Republicans (59.84 percent) voted for Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. Similar

results can also be seen for other races across the state according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s election data.

Pepper said the primary election results actually show potential Democratic voters are more energized than previous years because in past primaries the gap between Republican and Democratic turnout was much more dramatic. “(Primaries) are not at all that predictive,” Pepper said. “The fact that we narrowed the gap by that much when we weren’t even operating to get the vote out … to us, it actually spoke to some very natural energy.”

SPECIAL ELECTIONS Another potential indicator of a wave election happening in Ohio this year is the result of the August special election for Ohio’s 12th Congressional District. Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, barely squeezed out a victory against Democrat Danny O’Connor, winning by 0.8 percent, or just under 2,000 votes.

Many people argue that if this was a normal year, the 12th would have been a solid Republican district. The district was previously held by Republican Patrick Tiberi, who consistently won more than 50 percent of the vote since he was elected in 2000. Before Tiberi, the district was represented by current Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich from 1983 to 2001.

After the special election, Rick Neal’s race gained more energy and confidence, Neal, the Democratic candidate for the 15th Congressional District said. He

believes they can pull out a win against incumbent Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Upper Arlington.

Neal said there is also reason to be optimistic because both the 15th and 12th districts share some characteristics such as size and demographics. Both districts contain suburbs of Columbus within Franklin County and stretch to more rural parts of the state.

While those similarities and the close race in the 12th do indicate a possible revitalization for Democratic voting in the midterms in Ohio, there are some key differences between the 15th and 12th districts.

Stivers is an incumbent and therefore has better name recognition and a historical advantage. The 15th has re-elected Stivers every two years since 2011 by more than 60 percent.

Special elections are different from the general election because fewer people show up to vote due to the abnormal date of the election. When O’Connor and Balderson run against each other again in November, the results could be very different than what they were in August.

Poggione doesn’t believe Democrats will make huge gains in Ohio, but she does think all congressional races in the state will end up having closer results than what history may indicate.

She said in the end, the results of the 1st and 12th Congressional Districts are key to determining whether Ohio is hit by a Blue Wave.

@SHILLCOCKGEORGE GS261815@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender Parents Weekend to reunite students with families for on and off-campus fun ALICE DEMITH FOR THE POST Parents Weekend at Ohio University gives students and parents the perfect opportunity to reunite and enjoy some quality time together on and off campus.

Families get to take in Athens, either by checking out the coolest spots or by doing some of the fun activities the campus is offering for the weekend. Whatever students decide to do, there is a range of events to partake in to show off their favorite Athens spots and let their families see why OU is their home away from home.

“I love family weekends because it’s so much fun to watch students have the family member, or in this case the entire family, on campus and be able to share OU with them,” Andrew Holzaepfel, senior associate director for student activities, said. He’s in charge of bringing Performing Arts and Concert Series to the campus, which has been incorporated into the Family Weekend itineraries for about 10 years.

This year, students can start the weekend off by making it magical for their families. Magician Daniel Martin is coming to the campus Friday night to show off incredible magic skills and to captivate his audience with the optical illusions he creates.

Or, if comedy is preferable to some families, the Second City show Made in America will also give a performance Saturday 22 / SEPT. 27, 2018

IF YOU GO WHAT: Magician Daniel Martin WHEN: 8 p.m., Friday WHERE: TempletonBlackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium ADMISSION: $20

WHAT: The Second City: Made in America WHEN: 8 p.m., Saturday WHERE: TempletonBlackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium ADMISSION: $20

Bill Holman entertains Katelyn Armitage, Katie Butler, Marsha Butler and Tim Butler in Baker Ballroom during a themed dinner theater event for Parents Weekend in 2015. (HE FENG / FILE)

night. The Second City is a comedy club that launched the careers of people like Chris Farley, Tina Fey and Steve Carell.

“We’ve had the Second City come for six or seven years,” Holzaepfel said. “They change their show every year, and it’s had an extremely positive response for parents and families that go.”

Both the magician and the Second City shows will be held in the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

Some families who prefer a

more interactive and thrilling experience for their weekend might take attend zip lining at The Ridges. The zip line is 300 feet long, and it starts with a 40-foot climb.

Participants can take in the sights of Athens and The Ridges as they speed down the zip line.

For the sports fans, there are athletic events happening all weekend from OU volleyball to hockey to football.

“I’m going to the football game with my parents,” Emma Stefano, a freshman studying business,

said. Stefano said she’s a big sports fan, so she wants to take her parents to the game.

Stefano also plans on taking her family to lunch on campus and going to church with them on Sunday morning.

Camryn Lonchar, a freshman studying political science, will be spending the weekend with her mom and her mom’s twin, enjoying the game and then exploring the beautiful sights of the area.

“We’re tailgating for the football game on Saturday, and on

WHAT: Zip lining WHEN: Multiple one-hour sessions on Saturday and Sunday WHERE: The Ridges ADMISSION: $25 Sunday, we’re going to hike at the national park,” Lonchar said.

@ALICEDEMITH AD441517@OHIO.EDU

WHAT’S GOING ON? JESS UMBARGER ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

FRIDAY Crafternoon A Mile Together at the

Ohio University LGBT Center at 2 p.m.

The Campus Involvement Center, Survivor Advocacy Outreach Program and the LGBT Center will be making T-shirts for the Clothesline Project. The project stands in solidarity with sexual assault survivors.

Admission: Free TATTAT performing at the Union

Bar and Grill, 18 W. Union St., at 9 p.m. The group plays a mix of soul, funk and alternative music. The Awful Kind, a band from Athens, will be opening the show along with Bret Anderson.

Admission: $5

SATURDAY Athens Area Fiber Faire at the Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St., at 10 a.m. For the fifth time, the fair will have vendors, classes, food and demonstrations. There will be even more vendors with a large array of fabric, supplies, handmade items and more.

Admission: Free "Carry Her: Sculptural Garments" on display at the Dairy Barn, 8000 Dairy Lane, at noon. The show has artwork featuring bodily markings and the personal exploration of one’s body. The show will have sculptures with “personal truths” from artist Coral Wedel.

Admission: Free

Lunar Earthrise Steampunk Ball at

Central Venue, 29 E. Carpenter St., at 7 p.m. The annual ball will be lunar-themed and will have music from Amethystone and a performance by the Whiplash Tribal Fusion dancers. There will also be a costume contest.

Admission: Free The Come On Come Ons performing at Little Fish Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Rd., at 7 p.m. The infectious, dancy Athens-based rock band will perform on the Little Fish stage.

Admission: Free Wilted American Romance perform-

ing at the Smiling Skull Saloon, 108 W. Union St., with the Tailwinds at 10 p.m. The two rock bands will perform at the Skull. Wilted American Romance is from West Virginia and the Tailwinds are from Athens.

Admission: $3

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For floorplans, photos, and more info, call: 740-594-9098, text: 740-591-6009, or visit: www.ourentals.com

SUNDAY Dog Swim at the Athens City Pool, 601 E. State St., at 11 a.m. The pool is opening up for the dogs of Athens to come and swim for a day. The proceeds will go toward the Athens County Humane Society's low-cost spaying and neutering clinics.

Admission: $5 per dog, larger donations accepted Little Fish Yoga at Little Fish Brewing Company at 11 a.m. The brewery hosts yoga sessions every other Sunday with instructors Erin Pfahler and Maria Casa. The class is for all skill levels. Make sure to bring a yoga mat.

Admission: Free

@JESS_UMBARGER JU992415@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

Virtual healing

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

The MAC’s rising star

DEFENDER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

OF THE TURF

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

Claire Buckey claims her territory on Pruitt Field despite recurring health problems P12

Free speech policy causes concerns P11 Cover: Medical field utilizes VR P12 Embracing local agriculture P20

ANOTHER REMEDY

President

Duane Nellis

+

Breaking down OU’s budget P12

MORE AND MORE WOMEN ARE CHOOSING TO TREAT MEDICAL CONDITIONS WITH ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE INSTEAD OF DOCTORS VISITS PAGES 20-21

After a nearly yearlong nationwide search, Duane Nellis took office as Ohio University’s 21st president on June 12.

Now, Nellis reflects on his past and shares hopes for the future.

Safety Javon Hagan’s new role P16 Exploring the world of animation P20

Comparing expression policies P9

A sit-down with the president P12

Nellis in college P10

Sustainable volunteering P20

Hockey’s second-year starter P14

Effects of marijuana depenalization 9

OU Southern’s equine program 12

Volleyball setter’s move from Italy 18

Nellis’ previous employment P20

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017

GRASS-ROOTS

ELECTIONS

L I F E S T Y L E Mamerto Tindongan finds life more valuable with less P20

DECK CAN GO HERE FOR A HALLOWEEN-RELATED STORY YAY BOO MWAHAHAHAHAH

Evaluating Trump’s presidency P8 TACO exceeds majority vote P15

PAGES 16-21

[

DECISIONS FOR ATHENS Hispanic students balance college P20

Pumpkin’s rise to Athens celebrity P12 Setting up haunted houses P16

Looking for an enriching college experience centered around teamwork and creativity?

Quilt empowers sexual assault survivors P19

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Foundation of The Post hasThe been serving Ohio University OHIO HOCKEY and the Athens area for more than 100 years, and we’re always hiring.

Baker 70: one year later

How Bill Gurnick put the Bobcats on the map P20

P12

+

Faculty diversity rises slowly P8 Photo story: MLK March P12

w

Closing the gender gap in STEM 11

COVER: Ohio’s next big investment 12

NEWS SPORTS CULTURE OPINION BLOGS MULTIMEDIA VISUALS PROJECTS Basketball’s star center P18

Dave Jamerson’s journey to God 20

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Healing the scars

P 11

+

T H W B H E Post-grad possibilities P10

CONTACT EDITOR@THEPOSTATHENS.COM

E Y I L L E A R D

A love for cult classics P20

Sibs Weekend events P22

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018

Pipe bursts in residence hall P8

It’s Women’s History Month. ‘The Post’ compiled a collection of stories to celebrate women in Athens and Ohio University.

Cultural problems with ‘Friends’ P19

Hockey works on power plays P21 Businesses in action P10

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

UNEARTHING A SECRET

She walks

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018

by faith P12

The story behind a patch of farmland, a man and his reputation P12

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018 THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

FOOD ISSUE

UNCERTAIN FREEDOMS P14

ATHENS CULTIVATES RESTAURANTS AND DISHES THAT STUDENTS AND LOCALS HAVE COME TO KNOW AND LOVE. THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO THOSE FAMILIAR FLAVORS.

The turnover rate of businesses P9

One team, one video game P19

Caligraphy in the digital age P20

Brunch life in Athens P6 Carriage Hill one year later P9

Donkey’s most regular regular P19

From junior college to Ohio P20

Athletes’ diets in season P17

Cover story: family kitchens P18 Updates on Union explosion P9

Land of opportunity P12

A dazzling history P20

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Fridging in comic book culture P18

REFLECTING ON THE YEAR Take a look at the different faces, places and events that highlighted the 2017-18 academic year through the lens of ‘Post’ photographers