New bakery opening in Baker Center…PG

from October 13, 2022

Life is Sweet is coming to Baker University Center mid November 2022. (CLAY STARK | FOR THE POST)

OU to open bakery in Baker University Center in November

MAYA MORITA

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Life is Sweet, a new bakery at Ohio University, will open on the first floor of Baker University Center this upcoming November. The bakery will be adjacent to West 82 and serve various pastries.

The bakery, which cost OU $375,000, will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. It will serve bakery items individually, by half dozen and by the dozen.

Life is Sweet will sell items such as cake, croissants, pretzels, cookies, muffins, donuts, bagels and breads. Prices will range from $1.75 for a single item to $32 for a dozen, and mobile ordering through the Ohio Eats App will be available.

The bakery will accept payments in the form of Flex Points, Bobcat Cash and credit.

Frank Pazzanese, the executive director for Culinary Services, said the idea for a bakery came from the culinary services’ student leader team because of the demand for culinary’s baked goods.

“Providing our community with fresh and locally-made baked goods was our priority and will be accomplished with Life is Sweet,” Pazzanese wrote in an email.

Krystle Lupardus, the general manager for West 82 and Latitude 39, said the bakery is something Culinary Services’ student employees had been asking for.

“They wanted us to open earlier and have something like a hot croissant and muffins and some of the items that we already serve and expand that so they (students) can get it before they go to class,” Lupardus said. “I’m really, really excited for it to open. The students are really excited about it, and I think it’ll be a good option for not only our students, but for faculty and staff as well.”

The bakery will have 12 additional student employee positions this upcoming year. Lupardus said current student employees at West 82 will have the option to work at Life is Sweet.

“It’s really part of West 82, it’s kind of a new concept,” Lupardus said.

Lupardus said the training program will span between three days and a week. It will consist of employees getting new uniforms and learning how to cook and package the food.

Baker already has numerous culinary service locations, such as West 82, Latitude 39 and Front Room Coffee House. Employees think Life is Sweet will hopefully help with the rushes they see throughout the day.

“I definitely think people will still buy some bakery (at Front Room) because of the convenience of getting your coffee and then getting a cookie at the same time,” said Sydney Sears, the location coordinator for Front Room Coffee House. “I think it’ll slow a little bit, and I’m also hoping that there’s a little more variety because we sell the same five cookies and the same four muffins.”

Before the opening, OU has to complete construction and conduct a final walkthrough.

“I had a flex meal plan my freshman year, which I didn’t really get to use very many places except for West 82 and the food truck,” Sears said. “I think it will be a nice addition to add some variety to what people can spend their meal plans on.”

Addie Hedges contributed to this report.

@MAYACATEMORITA

MM294318@OHIO.EDU

Pawprint Park from the sky. (COLE PATTERSON | DIRECTOR OF MULTIMEDIA)

OU officially opens Pawprint Park

SOPHIA YOUNG FOR THE POST

Last Friday, Ohio University administration officially opened Pawprint Park on OU’s South Green.

The park features two paw print-shaped outlines that can be seen from above, one of which is designated as a campus hammocking area with metal poles and shade screens, and the other serves as an open concrete and gravel space for students and communities on campus to gather and hold events.

The space was conceptualized between OU Housing and Residence Life, the Campus Involvement Center, the Office of Sustainability, Campus Recreation and various students to create a site that would serve programmatic needs and student wants, said Jneanne Hacker, executive director of Housing and Residence Life.

When brainstorming, students expressed the desire to incorporate a hammock park, which OU administrators were previously considering in the design, Hacker said. Observing the frequency of hammocking students across campus, the university sought to find a more sustainable way for them to enjoy the activity.

In a university release from 2019 about measures to keep campus trees healthy, OU Landscape Coordinator Susan Calhoun mentioned the idea of creating a hammock park on campus to preserve tree life.

“It takes time for trees to grow large enough to create shade, absorb stormwater and provide food and habitat for other living things,“ Calhoun said in the release. “Investing in planting and preserving trees is key.”

OU alumna Maya Cox, who received a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and environmental studies, worked on a research project covering the relationship between tree health and hammocking on campus in conjunction with Calhoun and the Office of Sustainability. In Cox’s report, the idea of bringing hammocking poles to campus was suggested.

Cox cited research showing the harmful effects of hammocking on trees when not done properly, including damage to the bark, which increases the risk of disease, soil compaction, which then limits root growth and water absorption and stunts growth.

Cox also conducted a limited survey of 23 people on campus, asking about hammocking practices and how they would feel about hammock pole alternatives.

“Everyone mentioned how unique the idea of hammock poles on campus would be and how they would love to have somewhere to hammock without damaging the trees,” Cox wrote in the report.

The hammock section of the park has a series of poles that can accommodate up to 56 hammocks at a time, Hacker said. She also described the new park as a place that will not only meet sustainability needs, but also student needs for gathering places.

“We are excited about engaging students in the outdoor area and giving them space just to come and really focus on their sense of well-being by being outside in their hammocks,” Hacker said. “But, then also being intentional with working with our in-home student leaders to create programming to draw students out into that space, to not only connect students within a hall but connect students across their halls.”

Sherman spoke at the opening, commending the Division of Student Affairs and mentioning the importance of residential engagement space within the college experience.

“On a residential campus, it’s the many activities that take place in the residence halls, in recreation, with all the student organizations that we have,” Sherman said. “That’s what provides the really special education that we think we provide.”

@SOPHIELISEY

SY951319@OHIO.EDU

OU students begin housing search earlier than previous years

University Rentals off-campus housing apartment located in Athens, Ohio. (ALAINA DACKERMAN | FOR THE POST)

MADALYN BLAIR

FOR THE POST

Many Ohio University students planning to live in off-campus housing during the 2023-24 school year have already signed leases to attain their desired Athens housing. Next year, rental agencies expect the housing process to begin even earlier.

During the off-campus rental season for the 2021-22 school year, students finalized housing plans up until May 2021. According to a previous Post report, Athens rental companies noticed students were hesitant to commit to long-term leases while COVID-19 was still a concern, resulting in a much later rental season than previous years.

However, Scott Hunter, an owner of Athens Ohio Rentals, noticed this year’s students are signing leases early to ensure they receive for housing they want.

“I think it’s a result of people missing it last year, so they jumped ahead of last year’s time and they start sooner,” Hunter said. “I’d actually rented my very first one for 2023-24 back in December (2021).”

Tanner Smith, a sophomore studying pre-social work, said he and his group of roommates began searching for houses for their junior year at the end of their freshman year. After looking for the right home all summer, Smith quickly signed a lease around the first week of classes this semester.

Smith said the house-hunting process can be extremely stressful, especially for those unfamiliar with leases.

“It was stressful because some of the realtors can be a little shady with how they talk about their properties, and it seems almost like they are using college students to their benefit,” Smith said in an email. “It was stressful also because you had to hear so much information in so little time and then they stress signing a lease that day.”

Besides the added pressure to find a rental and sign a lease quickly, Smith said the cost of living was difficult to accommodate. Ultimately, he said the cost of off-campus housing was the most stressful factor in the housing process.

Patrick Daugherty, an employee of Bobcat Rentals, said it’s not unusual for students to contact rental companies year-round to find housing for future years.

“People sign early to get the best places in the best locations,” Daugherty said in an email. “It’s been this way for decades.”

Following the admittance of OU’s largest freshman class ever, rental companies predict an influx of students looking to sign housing leases earlier than students this year.

“Next year, (the housing search) will definitely start sooner,” Hunter said. “There’s 1,500 more kids in the market next year with this huge freshman class.”

Hunter said Athens Ohio Rentals has already received calls from students interested in housing for the 2024-25 school year.

Due to the current COVID-19 climate, Daugherty said Bobcat Rentals is seeing its pre-pandemic levels of housing demands. Daugherty said the agency has successfully rented out most of its 2023-24 properties.

“For us, this is a return to business as usual in a post-pandemic environment,” Daughtery wrote in an email. “Most of our places are already rented for next year. We have a few left that probably won’t be around for much longer.”

Hunter said quick lease signings are possibly due to students preferring houses over apartments. However, Hunter said there is a supply and demand issue because not many new houses have been built in Athens.

“They want houses,” Hunter said. “People want the porches and yards … there’s less houses because no one’s building houses. They’re tearing down houses to build these triplexes, little apartment buildings and things. There’s less houses than there was 20 years ago.”

Hunter predicts that Athens Ohio Rentals will start to receive calls concerning housing for the 2024-25 school year this spring, over a year before the leases would potentially begin.

“I suspect this year the rush will start in March,” Hunter said. “There’ll be a huge rush in the spring semester for houses only.”

@MADALYNTBLAIR

MB682120@OHIO.EDU

BINGO & BEERS

FOR ABORTION ACCESS

BLOOD DRIVE

Various locations

Jackie O’s Brewpub 24 West Union St

The Athens Community Leadership Council invites you to join us for BINGO and Beers for Abortion Access, a fundraiser supporting Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and the Abortion Fund of Ohio. At the event, we’ll play human sexuality BINGO for fabulous prizes, have a few raffles, and drink specialty beers crafted by Jackie O’s to help protect abortion access in Ohio. $2 from each pint sold of the specialty brews Basic Rights (a pumpkin spice honey brown ale) and Safe Sex on the Beach (a pineapple, coconut, and vanilla IPA) will be donated to Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio/Abortion Fund Ohio. These specialty brews will only be available at the Jackie O’s Brewpub. Friday, October 14th 5:30-8:30 pm

FREE and OPEN TO ALL

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ATHENS FARMER’S & ART MARKET

Market on State HOW-TO MONDAYS

Theater Lounge Baker Center • Second Floor Every Monday, 7pm Join in the fun and create with friends. This week- CHALKBOARDS FLAVOR OF THE WEEK

Third Floor Atrium • Baker Center Every Wednesday

12-2pm FREE While Supplies Last Join us for FREE LUNCH , every Wednesday. Each week is a new theme

@OhioUPC

Locally grown, raised and prepared food and beverage items + plants and seeds and locally made artistic goods.

Find us in the parking lot at the Market on State Saturdays 9am - Noon

Listen Live anytime from our website

NAMI ATHENS WALK THE WALK

Athens Courthouse Steps

NAMI Athens is holding their 21st annual Walk the Walk for mental health awareness. Meet at the Athens County Courthouse to rally & walk Court Street with a free t-shirt and help show support for those who struggle with a mental health condition. Saturday, October 15th 11:00 am

ACRN.com

Athens campus experienced a general increase in crime in 2021

The Ohio University Police Department at The Ridges. (JESSE JARROLD-GRAPES | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY)

KENDALL WRIGHT

FOR THE POST

Ohio University experienced a general increase in crimes reported in 2021, according to OU’s 2022 Clery Act Annual Security Report.

The 2022 Annual Security Report reported crime statistics on OU’s Athens, regional and extension campuses from 2019 through 2021.

The report contains information regarding campus security and personal safety, such as crime prevention, law-enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, etc., along with crime statistics.

Athens campus crime statistics increased from 2020, excluding burglary, which decreased from nine reports to four, and motor vehicle theft, from one to zero.

Since 2020, arson offenses have remained at zero on Athens Campus.

Athens campus arrests decreased from 2020 except for liquor law violations. Disciplinary referrals increased from the previous year.

There are no reports from 2019 to 2021 for murder, manslaughter or incest on the Athens campus.

The report states that 16 rapes were reported in 2021, up from 2020 but decreasing from 2019. Six of the reported rapes were related to events occurring over the course of around 18 months involving the same two people, according to the Security Report.

Statutory rape is down to zero from the previous year, which had one report. There were no reports of a robbery. Aggravated assault had three reports, an increase since 2020.

Additionally, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking have increased. According to the report, 37 cases of dating violence were reported, three aggravated assaults and one report of domestic violence. The report said 26 out of 37 reported dating violence offenses in 2021 also involved the same two people as the repeated rape offenses.

Athens campus arrests statistics for 2021 include seven liquor law violation arrests, two drug law violation arrests and one carrying/possessing weapon offense.

Athens campus disciplinary referrals statistics for 2021 include liquor law violations at 129, drug law violations at 24 and zero for carrying/possessing a weapon.

Regarding hate crimes on campus, one hate crime was reported in 2021 on campus, not in a residence hall.

@KENDALLKWRIGHT KW229520@OHIO.EDU

Black Girl Day Off encourages self care

PIA BENTHIN FOR THE POST

In 1962, Malcom X famously said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”

Today, Black women still face intersectional racism and microaggressions and have a higher risk of heart disease, breast cancer and other chronic illnesses. The annual Black Girl Day Off, celebrated on Oct. 11, raises awareness of these issues and encourages Black women to take a break for their mental, physical and emotional health.

“A day like Black Girl Day Off brings awareness to the ‘Superhuman’ ideals that come with being a ‘Strong Black Woman,’ which is an expectation/stereotype/assumption that many women of color have to continue to perform because of pressures to manage several roles,” wrote Valessa Gray, assistant director of counseling and diversity and inclusion initiatives for Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, in an email.

In addition to the stress from these high expectations, Gray also wrote that scientifi c studies prove a connection between intersectional racism and health.

“Having multiple marginalized identities increases the likelihood of experiencing day-to-day stressors,” wrote Gray in an email.

Due to the intersection between gender and race, Gray said encouraging Black women to take a break is important.

“Despite the compounding of stressors, several studies show that people of color are less likely to seek services for themselves,” Gray wrote.

Mylan Foster, a senior studying communications, said she prioritizes self-care.

“For my mental health, I love to be around my friends,” Foster said. “I also like to do a lot of self care. So whether that’s like doing my hair in a different style or a facemask or even just walking around the mall or the store—that’s what I consider self care.”

Foster thinks that days like this are important for celebrating marginalized identities.

“Giving any minority group just a day off to really just celebrate them and have their own specifi c day is really comforting,” said Foster.

Larissa Becker, director of operations and engagement of OU’s Wellbeing and Recreation, said that Bobcats can seek help at the Counseling and Psychological Services of OU any day of the year and Well-Being Coaching from Ping Recreation Center.

“Students can schedule time to meet with a Well-Being coach to better understand what triggers burnout and stressors to their mental well-being and set goals to manage those triggers,” Becker wrote via email.

Becker encourages students to explore support options.

“By understanding social support systems and university resources available, students on campus can better manage their mental well-being and understand what could drive their potential burnout before they’ve reached capacity,” Becker wrote in an email.

Further, Gray’s personal advice for Black female Bobcats is to prioritize their own well-being.

“Use this day to bring awareness to have adequate self-care,” she wrote in an email. “I would then ask you to consider what are you already doing to support your well-being.”

Lexie Boateng, a junior studying forensic chemistry, said she is a fi rst-generation, Black female college student, which comes with additional pressures.

“Growing up I never really took the time to sit down and just think about my mental health,” she said. “But knowing that there’s more people out there trying to focus on mental health is a really important thing. I feel like I need to actually get into that.”

She wants to use Black Girl Day Off to sit down on College Green after her tutoring.

“I need to take time for myself and actually take a step back and look at what I’m doing and prepare myself mentally and physically,” said Boateng.

Boateng likes the idea of the holiday.

“Growing up, we as Black women don’t get enough recognition,” she said. “We don’t get talked about that much. I feel like everyone is always looking past us.”