Nov. 16, 2017

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Closing the gender gap in STEM 11

COVER: Ohio’s next big investment 12

Dave Jamerson’s journey to God 20

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

EDITORIAL

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

ART

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

DIGITAL

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

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

A Thanksgiving note Thanksgiving is near. For many, that means lots of turkey, football and time with friends and family.

As I mentioned my column last week, The Post does not have a print edition on Thanksgiving. We will still share content and posting some fun blogs to our website over Thanksgiving break. But because we do not print on Thanksgiving, I allowed The Post staff to take over my column this week to express what they are thankful for.

•• Because of the high response rate, I am piecing it all together in my column and will give proper credit below to all of those who contributed. Check out the full version of what everyone said online at thepostathens. com. To start off, I am thankful for a staff ELIZABETH BACKO / that produces passion-driven content and EDITOR-IN-CHIEF laughs at my horrible puns.

•• We are thankful for all of our friends, especially the ones who bring us ice cream when we need it most. And we’re thankful for each other. We keep each other sane, make each other laugh and geek out over the news together. We’re thankful for Ohio University and the journalism school for bringing us all together in one place.

•• We’re thankful for all the new people who joined the staff and hit the ground running this year — and for all the upperclassmen for helping to lead the way. We are journalism nerds, and we’re thankful for all the people who support us in our endeavors.

•• We’re thankful for local government — and especially well-maintained and accessible government websites. Also, we’re thankful for Pumpkin the cat.

•• Thank you to the maintenance crew that comes in daily to help keep our newsroom clean. We’re thankful for our newsroom and being able to work at The Post — and to wear fancy dresses even when the occasion does not call for it.

•• We have a lot to be thankful here at The Post. So from us to you, thank you for reading our content, giving us feedback and sticking with The Post every step of the way. We may not be printing on Thanksgiving, but stick with us through the break and the rest of the semester. There is plenty more fun to come.

•• Contributors: AJ Baumann, Shelby Campbell, Kaitlin Coward, Georgia Davis, Lauren Fisher, Bailey Gallion, Chuck Greenlee, Andy Hamilton, Hayley Harding, Megan Henry, Jeremy Hill, Bennett Leckrone, Kaitlyn McGarvey, Hannah Moskowitz, Ashton Nichols, Jackie Osborne, Kevin Pan and Riley Scott Elizabeth Backo is a senior studying journalism and the editor-in-chief of The Post. Want to talk to her? Email her at eb823313@ohio.edu or send her a tweet @liz_backo.

Cover illustration by Marcus Pavilonis

Here’s how OU’s heftiest salaries break down into some of Athens’ favorite things The Post did the math to see how the salaries of Ohio University’s highest paid administrator and coach break down into some of Athens’ top commodities.

DATA COLLECTED BY LAUREN FISHER

Chipotle burritos

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGNED BY ABBY DAY

Cases of Natural Light beer

Liquor pitchers at Lucky’s

113,504

95,000 86,093

NUMBER OF ITEMS

71,428

33,677 27,941 18,343 13,791 5,732

0

Saul Phillips Men’s basketball coach Salary of $572,520

Duane Nellis President Salary of $475,000

Average assistant professor Salary of $91,716

OHIO UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

THREAD THE NEEDLE

The technique behind gauging your ears As a person with a severe metal allergy, I never even dreamed of having pierced ears, much less gaping holes in them.

However, when I learned that gauging jewelry was usually not metal, I had ZOE to go check it out. That’s why I met up STITZER with Clair Strode, a piercer at Decorais a freshman tive Injections on Court Street. studying There are two methods to gauging journalism your ears, and one definitely sounds with a focus in news and more pleasant than the other. information The tape-wrap method sounds exat Ohio cruciating. It involves wrapping tape University. onto a current earring and putting that back into the piercing. Strode does not recommend this method because dead skin will get trapped in the tape, and your skin will look gross, smell bad

and won’t feel too great when it’s time to rip the tape out.

The method that Strode uses is called tapering. This involves stretching the ear with a tapered material and, generally, coconut oil. This method will not leave your ears a mess because of the gentle coconut oil. This method is used primarily for gauges on the smaller side. The downside is that it is the more expensive option and takes longer.

The permanence of gauging was also a concern for me. As a college student, I am free to express myself however I want to. In the workforce, this is not so.

Strode told me that there are different size gauges. A size 20 is the size of a regular ear piercing, and there are sizes all the way down past zero. Although up to a size zero should go back to normal over time, after that there is no going back without surgery.

“It’s a turning point in body modification for if you’re doing it for aesthetics versus if you’re in the lifestyle,” Strode said about going past a zero.

Gauges are usually associated with the grunge look.

I suppose my 8-year-old fantasy of wearing earrings will have to remain in dreamland. After hearing all of the facts, I decide gauging isn’t for me. It is an alternative to the usual metal piercings but not one that fits my personal style, life or otherwise.

It turns out many of the students at Ohio University are in agreement. When asked how often she is asked to do a gauge, Strode said, “It’s a request that I get kind of frequently, but never from students.”

Strode said the two most popular piercings for students are nose piercings in the fall, and nipple piercings in the spring — just in time for fest season.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you have any gauges or other piercings? Let Zoe know by tweeting her @zoe_stitzer.

ON A HIGH NOTE

Taylor Swift’s ‘New Year’s Day’ is almost too good to be true The biggest artist in the world put out a record Friday at midnight, and people are going to have their own opinions. This is not an album review; this is a shameless promotion for the last track on Taylor Swift’s Reputation, HALLE “New Year’s Day.” That is all.

WEBER As I listened to the record, I did not is a expect a ballad. It’s so purposely ansophomore ti-Swift: electronic, modern and lyristudying cally infused with alcohol and sex. journalism with a focus But the 15th song that Swift included in news and on Reputation is so unmistakably true to information herself that it’s almost too good to be true. at Ohio “New Year’s Day” is a raw, unaccomUniversity. panied piano track. No prerecorded backup, no auto-tune and no sign of being tainted by the modern music industry. It’s a humble, toned-down display of the one-of-a-kind songwriting that put the world in Swift’s palm to begin with.

What makes it so great is that there’s no distraction. The album is packed full of strong lyrical moments, but many of

4 / NOV. 16, 2017

them are drenched in beat drops and heavy bass until they sound like anything else being remixed at an 18-and-up dance club.

“New Year’s Eve” is different. The chorus alone captures more emotion than we have heard from Swift in years.

“Don’t read the last page/But I stay when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes/I want your midnights/ But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day,” Swift sings.

Along with her musical and lyrical talent, Swift has always had a knack for business. She understands how to market herself better than anyone who is hired to promote her. This past year, tabloid sparks turned into a bonfire, leaving Swift in the ashes. All anyone ever needed was evidence that she was fake — because no one could ever be that nice, right? So they took what they had and ran with it.

Swift responded, naturally, by stripping down her image and reversing it. She was fed up with playing nice, and that’s how most of Reputation came about. But “New Year’s Day” is a diamond in the rough; it’s a standout if I’ve ever seen one.

In the last track on Swift’s newest release, there is not a hint of vengeance. Nobody is being fawned over; no-

body’s heart is broken. There isn’t even nostalgia. It’s not a song about overcoming adversity or coming of age. Every theme that Swift has ever exhausted in the eyes of critics is absent from “New Year’s Day.” It paints a scene and defines the characters in the midst of its enchanting haze. It whispers of the beginnings of a modern day urban love story, but in the least cliche way possible. “New Year’s Day” raises the question of whether the moments that are perceived to be great are what we should be chasing. When all that’s left is glitter on the dance floor and walks of shame, having the right person by your side in the morning is all that truly matters.

“Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere,” Swift pleads. And with that, she closes the masterpiece.

“New Year’s Day” proves that the old Taylor is alive and well, folks — she’s just a little late.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What’s your favorite song on Reputation? Let Halle know by tweeting at her @HalleWeber13.

KASH.0

The outspoken Ball family Trash-talking has always been a vital aspect of every sport, especially basketball. It’s not uncommon to see opposing players of the same AKASH caliber at exchange a BAKSHI few words to try and get is a freshman studying in each other’s heads. journalism There's nothing wrong at Ohio with that, as it spicUniversity. es things up and we see who has the better mental game.

However, notice how I said “same caliber.” Now, when someone who averaged 2.2 points per game during college and never played in a single NBA game makes a bold claim that they could beat Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, that’s when we draw the line between sheer confidence and ridiculousness. I could say the same thing, and no one would blink an eye.

Yet, American businessman and media personality LaVar Ball has been in the public eye for months now and will likely continue to remain in the spotlight for many more years.

I want to make it clear that I am not criticizing Ball as a father. Clearly, he and his wife, Tina, have done something right, as their three sons, Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo have all achieved success within the sport of the basketball.

Lonzo is a rookie point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.

LiAngelo is a UCLA commit, starting his freshman year playing for the Bruins — though this could change as he has recently gotten into some trouble in China.

LaMelo, the youngest, is a 16-year-old UCLA commit whose viral half-court shot and 92-point performance in a high school game garnered him national prominence.

All three brothers played for Chino Hills High School, where they were part of the squad that won the 2015 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division High School Championship.

So yeah, they’re pretty good.

However, then comes LaVar, the parttime entertainer and joker, which makes it harder for us to be on his side. His outrageous statement of beating Michael Jordan is unfortunately just one of many others that he’s made. What’s his craziest assertion that he’s said so far?

Take your pick from the following: (1) Lonzo is better than 2-time MVP and 4-time NBA all-star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, (2) a basketball team can’t win

with three white guys after UCLA’s loss in the Sweet 16, or (3) all three of his kids will end up on the Los Angeles Lakers. Keep in mind that there are plenty more.

Why is LaVar making these statements?

The answer to that question is seemingly obvious: attention. As long as his name is recognized, the brand — particularly his own, Big Baller Brand — will continue to rise.

However, this also comes with the price of making his kids some of the most targeted players in the realms of basketball — and making them out to be the most hated basketball players in the country.

After Lonzo’s disappointing debut in the NBA Summer League, in which he shot just 2-of-15 in a packed arena, many on Twitter were quick to call him a “bust” and believed the Lakers’ season was already over.

Nonetheless, the Lakers (6-8) are off to a decent start, and Ball has since turned it around, averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.7 rebounds as of press time. However, for many, that still isn’t enough.

Despite being the youngest Ball brother, LaMelo is just as prone to widespread ridicule, as social media users demolished him when a video of him struggling to shoot in a blowout seemingly went viral. Yikes.

Ultimately, as the hype around the brothers continues to double, the expectations and pressure of their success will triple, all thanks to LaVar. Regardless of our judgments and perceptions, LaVar has been busy as ever; launching a new reality TV show via Facebook, Ball in the Family, which details the daily activities of his family.

He has also released Lonzo’s and LaMelo’s exclusive signature shoes, the ZO2 and MB1, respectively.

Creating a signature shoe for LaMelo was viewed as controversial, as LaMelo is still in high school — albeit home-schooled — and the NCAA has certain regulations regarding student-athletes profiting from commercial products bearing their name. The thought of losing your NCAA eligibility and potentially being unable to play for a Division 1 powerhouse can be terrifying.

LaVar’s reaction to the situation? “If he can’t play, he can’t play. It doesn’t mean he’ll stop working out and getting better.”

Considering his other decisions, I guess LaVar knows what he’s up to.

The Drugstore at OU is conveniently located on campus inside the lobby of the Hudson Health Center. We offer lower copays, automatic refills with text alerts, and the option to apply purchases to your Ohio University student account. We accept most insurances including CVS Caremark and TRICARE, and accept prescriptions from all physician offices.

As Athens’ only locally owned pharmacy, we pride ourselves on offering our OU Bobcats with the hometown care and compassion they deserve.

Our pharmacists are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding your medications.

Your health is our priority.

We also provide a wide variety of health and personal care convenience items including hair care products, cosmetics, vitamins, cough, cold, and flu medication, Tylenol, Motrin, snacks, beverages, and so much more.

We make transferring your prescriptions easy! Simply call us directly at (740) 593-4738 and we will take care of the rest.

For more information, visit us at www.TheDrugstoreatOU.com.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Does LaVar Ball really know what he’s doing? Let Akash know by tweeting him @akashmbakshi.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

POLICE BLOTTER

Halloween pumpkin thrown through window; man doused with water, assaulted by hostel innkeeper ELLEN WAGNER FOR THE POST There are many ways to dispose of old Halloween pumpkins, but someone in Athens found a rather destructive way to do it Friday.

At about 3 a.m., the Athens Police Department responded to a call about criminal damaging on Putnam Drive.

The man said he heard a loud crash and found that someone had thrown a pumpkin through his kitchen window.

The report states that the incident cause $100 in damage.

There are no suspects in the case, which is closed due to lack of leads.

WE HAVE THE PHONES On Monday, APD took a report from

Frontier Phone Company about phone lines being cut in the back of the parking lot at Arby’s, 991 E. State St. The phone lines had apparently been cut sometime overnight.

There are no suspects at this time; the case is closed pending further information.

YOU USED TO CALL ME ON YOUR CELL PHONE

The Athens County Sheriff’s Office responded to call Monday about a theft on Big Bailey Road.

According to the report, the man said a woman had knocked on his door and asked to use his phone, which he let her do. When he returned to the porch, she was gone and had taken his cell phone.

The man said she had told him her name, but deputies were unable to find the woman.

A ROWDY BOY On Thursday, deputies responded to a call about a verbal dispute in the East Scatter Ridge area.

A boy was caught attempting to skip school by his mother’s boyfriend. No physical violence occurred. The mother eventually drove her “unruly son” to school, according to the report.

HOSTILE HOSTEL The sheriff’s office took a report of an assault in the Bessemer Road area Sunday.

The man said he was trying get in contact with the innkeeper of a hostel. When the man knocked on his door, the innkeeper dumped a bucket of water on him, according to a sheriff’s report.

According to the report, the innkeeper assaulted the man after dousing him in the

water. The case is still under investigation.

LOST AND ALONE Deputies responded to a call about woman on a front porch asking for help on Hunterdon Road in Glouster on Friday.

The woman said she was staying with her friends at a nearby cabin with no cell phone service. According to the report, the woman said she left the cabin after a fight with friends and had to walk home.

She didn’t have a form of transportation and misjudged the cold weather and distance. No criminal acts occurred, and deputies took the woman home.

@EWAGNER19 EW047615@OHIO.EDU

NEWS BRIEFS

OU freshman mourned; district evaluates option 4 KAITLYN MCGARVEY FOR THE POST It is week 12 of Fall Semester, meaning students are one week closer to Thanksgiving and one week closer to finals.

Here is what has been going on: OHIO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS MOURN DEATH OF FRESHMAN Ohio University freshman Allison Suhy died Nov. 8.

Suhy, 18, was a freshman majoring in education. She was also a member of Alpha Xi Delta women’s fraternity.

The fraternity held a candlelight vigil for Suhy on Monday at its chapter house on College Street.

OU Spokeswoman Carly Leatherwood said the university does not know the cause of Suhy’s death.

The Franklin County Coroner’s office said it may not be determined for 12 weeks.

Leatherwood said the university is providing support to students and employees affected by the loss.

6 / NOV. 16, 2017

ATHENS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION CONSIDERING ‘OPTION FOUR’ After voting down the single campus solution last month, the Athens City School District Board of Education is considering “option four.”

“Option four” is a hybrid of all the options proposed by the steering committee board, member Kim Goldsberry said. The option includes creating two pre-K to third-grade buildings and one fourth- to sixth-grade building.

The two pre-K to third-grade buildings would have about 100 students per grade level, Athens Superintendent Thomas Gibbs said. The fourth- through sixth-grade building — which could also be a fourth- and fifth-grade building if the board chooses to move the sixth grade to the middle school — would have 200 students per level, Goldsberry said.

If the option is approved by the board, a bond issue would appear on voting ballots about a year from now, Gibbs said. The approval of option four would start the pro-

cess of attempting to pass the bond issue, the beginning of a planning process and the construction of the new facilities.

ATHENS COUNTY MAN SENTENCED TO PROBATION FOR KILLING OSPREY A Glouster man was sentenced to two years probation by the U.S. District Court of Southeast Ohio on Thursday after he pleaded no contest to unlawfully killing a migratory bird.

According to court documents, two birdwatchers saw the man shoot an osprey over a pond. They said he pulled the bird from the lake and then bludgeoned it to death.

The man’s defense attorney argued bludgeoning the bird was an appropriate and possibly merciful way to kill it because, over the summer, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources had bludgeoned 46 geese to death that had become a nuisance on the beach at Strouds Run State Park.

In addition to probation, the man will have to pay $500 in restitution and forfeit his hunting license.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CRITICIZE OU’S HEALTH INSURANCE POLICY At last week’s meeting, Graduate Student Senate passed a resolution asking OU to no longer require international students to purchase the student health care policy.

The resolution provides OU with examples of waiver forms used at other universities that international students can fill out to see if their current insurance policy meets their visas requirements.

Vice Provost for Global Affairs and International Studies Lorna Jean Edmonds said there was a time when many international students would come to the U.S. with health insurance that did not comply with the health insurance in the country.

Edmonds said “times have changed” and, although the university has looked into finding a third party to review the legitimacy of every international student’s insurance, it “does not excuse the university for not figuring out a way forward.”

@KTLYNMCGRVY KM451814@OHIO.EDU

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THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 7

What the GOP’s tax reform bill means for graduate student education

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH OLIVIERI JULIA EVERTSY FOR THE POST The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students promoted a mass phone call event Nov. 8 to call elected officials to oppose the new Republican tax reform bill.

At its Nov. 7 meeting, Ohio University Graduate Student Senate passed a resolution that opposed the new GOP tax reform bill. Under the resolution, GSS members would distribute letters to administrators, advisers, legislators and other relevant members describing GSS’ opposition to that bill and asking they “keep graduate students in mind” in their legislative and advocacy efforts.

“Under current tax law, graduate students who work for a university as research and teaching assistants do not have to consider any tuition benefits they receive as income,” Sarah Poggione, associate professor and chair for the department of political science, said in an email. “Un8 / NOV. 16, 2017

der the new plan, these tuition benefits would be taxable income.”

GSS President Maria Modayil brought that issue to the attention of GSS executive members after attending a conference for the National Association for Graduate-Professional Students, Vice President for Legislative Affairs Zachary Watts said.

“We would be paying double taxes, basically, and that’s kind of why we’re calling,” Watts said. “We’re trying to make people understand that we don’t get paid a lot, so now you’re going to be asking us to pay the majority of our salaries in taxes.”

Nationally, about 55 percent of graduate students had adjusted gross incomes of $20,000 or less. Master's students received waivers for about $11,000, and doctoral students received waivers for about $13,600, according to 2011-12 Department of Education data.

On Nov. 9, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, introduced an amendment to the tax plan that would “restore critical education reductions” the original plan would

eliminate, according to Doggett’s website.

The amendment was voted down.

Since then, the National Association for Graduate-Professional Students has called on all who participated in the mass call event to tweet using the hashtag #ReworkTheReform at those who voted against the amendment.

OU has been “very vocal” on how that tax bill can affect universities, Vice President for Finance and Administration Deborah Shaffer said.

“Through our government relations office we've (been) … kind of taking this tax bill and putting it into layman's terms on what it means for higher education and then the analysis of what that means for Ohio University specifically,” Shaffer said at GSS' Nov. 7 meeting. “We were asked to rank overall highest impact (of the tax bill), and we’ve ranked graduate students as the highest on the list.”

OU President Duane Nellis spoke out against the proposed GOP tax plan in a campus-wide email Monday, referencing provi-

sions that would affect higher education.

In its current form, Nellis said, the plan would fundamentally make college education more expensive for students and families.

“It also would reduce our ability to provide quality education for economically disadvantaged students,” Nellis wrote in the email. “The reforms contain changes that are financially detrimental to University employees.”

Nellis joined members from Ohio’s Inter-University Council in co-signing a letter to “implore our Congressional leadership to reconsider detrimental provisions in the proposed legislation.”

“My focus is to remain fully engaged in protecting the ability for Ohioans to continue to have access to quality higher education options,” Nellis wrote. “I will continue to advocate for Ohio University’s students and our University community.”

@JUIAPHANT JE827416@OHIO.EDU

Budget proposal cuts regional commission BENNETT LECKRONE SLOT EDITOR The Appalachian Regional Commission provides millions in investments to Appalachian communities each year — but it is completely cut in President Donald Trump’s proposed 2018 budget.

Trump’s proposed budget calls for the elimination of all funding for the commission, according to a report by Time. Ninety-five percent of the counties the commission supports voted for Trump, according to the Time report.

The Appalachian Regional Commission, or ARC, is a federal-state partnership that invests in resources in Appalachia. From 2015 to 2017, the commission supported a total of 662 projects in the region totaling $175.7 million, according to data provided by the commission.

The ARC was founded in 1965. At the time, more than 30 percent of Appalachian residents lived in poverty.

From 2011 to 2015, the poverty rate was just over 17 percent, according to the commission website. Additionally, the number of high-poverty counties in the region has declined from 295 in 1960 to 87 in 2015.

In Ohio, the ARC, working with the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia, has supported 41 projects totaling nearly $9.7 million since 2015 in Appalachian Ohio. The commission has also created or retained more than 750 jobs in the region since then.

Athens has received funding from the commission for a variety of projects, according to a previous Post report. Athens City Council members passed a resolution in April opposing the budget cuts that would eliminate the commission.

At an April council meeting, councilwoman Chris Fahl, D-4th Ward, said the commission has provided important funding to the local area.

“The ARC is an incredibly important source of revenue for the city of Athens and the region around Athens,” Fahl said. “We all know that when regions do better, cities do better.”

At that same meeting, councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward, said the ARC helped right many wrongs in Appalachia.

“I was born and raised over in Vinton County,” Risner said. “All my life, I saw coal, timber, limestone and iron ex-

tracted out of the county going someplace else and very little coming back.

The ARC, at least in some way, was correcting that."

In a letter to Trump, Ohio Sens.

Sherrod Brown, D, and Rob Portman, R, urged the president to continue funding the ARC. “Discontinuing programs such as ARC would undermine the progress we have witnessed in Appalachia over the last few decades and have a detrimental impact on our constituents in the region,” Brown and Portman said in the letter. “We urge you to reconsider your decision to eliminate this essential program and encourage you instead to consider ways in which the Commission could be expanded to ensure continued progress in Appalachia.”

Wendy Wasserman, the director of communications and media relations for the Appalachian Regional Commission, said she couldn’t comment on the budgeting process because it's ongoing but said the commission will receive funding until the end of December.

“The federal government, including us, are operating under a Continuing Resolution which is in effect through December 8,” Wasserman said in an email. “The bill continues the Commission’s funding at the (fiscal year) 2017 annual level of $152 million through that date, minus a small across-the-board reduction. Congress will need to pass another federal budget by December 8.”

Not all project funding for the Appalachian region comes from the federal government. Penny Martin, the public information officer for the Ohio Governor’s Office of Appalachia, said she wouldn’t speculate on the ongoing federal budgeting process but said the state legislators are committed to helping the Appalachian region.

“We're very lucky that the state legislature has provided funding for the Appalachian region here in Ohio,” Martin said. “Our job is to administer programs with the funding we're provided with. We've been provided state funding, so right now we're focused on administering that funding and building infrastructure and workforce here in the Appalachian region.”

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@LECKRONEBENNETT BL646915@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

New initiative works to help combat food insecurity on campus LAUREN FISHER ASST. NEWS EDITOR

M

ore than a third of Ohio University students who come from financially insecure backgrounds report not feeling a sense of belonging, according to a recent survey first reported at the October Board of Trustees meeting.

During the first weeks of the Fall Semester, the university surveyed new students to assess their ease of transition into college life.

The survey included questions about students’ current and lifetime experiences with food, housing and financial insecurity.

According to this year’s survey, 36 percent of students who identified as not coming from a financially secure background indicated they did not feel a sense of belonging at OU. In response to the recent numbers, university administrators, faculty and staff have embarked on a grass-roots initiative called Basic Needs OHIO, which aims to assess OU’s efforts to meet the basic needs of students facing food, shelter or financial insecurity.

“It’s not like we haven’t heard about poverty or great inequality,” Yeong-Hyun Kim, coordinator of the Wealth and Poverty theme, said. “The term ‘basic needs’ is kind of new and trending to define the problems that our students have. It’s addressing their very basic right — the student right to certain needs.”

Up until this point, she said, the services have focused on the broader community. Now, members of the program hope to shift the focus to address the needs of students.

“They need to hear more about their neighbors and their friends,” Kim said.

“Some of their basic needs are unmet.”

In the coming months, a series of committees will work to gather statistics on poverty, food and housing insecurity for the counties of each OU campus. The committees will also compile a list of both potential and existing resources for students, and seek external and internal funding opportunities, according to a university

10 / NOV. 16, 2017

news release.

“The goal is to accomplish those tasks by mid-February and move on to the next stage of determining how the University can maximize its efforts to assist students in need,” University College Dean Elizabeth Sayrs said in the release.

During the October board meeting, the trustees discussed the university’s ability to donate uneaten food from dining halls to students in need. Although most excess food is composted, Culinary Services donates food to four different locations on campus and in Athens County.

Donating food, however, can present dining halls with a host of challenges.

Southeast Ohio Food Bank, which has partnered with the university for more than 25 years, cannot accept food donations containing meat or dairy.

Much of the food donated to the food bank is nearing its expiration date or fails to meet Culinary Services’ quality standards but is still safe to eat.

“Food that is left over from each meal is evaluated by staff to determine if it can be safely saved and re-heated for a future meal, based on strict food handling practices,” OU Spokesman Jim Sabin said in an email. “Any leftover food that has been reheated once is thrown away; it cannot be donated due to the risk of foodborne illness.”

Produce and perishable items that are leftover at the end of the semester are donated if they cannot be frozen or kept fresh until the next semester, Sabin said.

During the 2016-17 academic year, OU donated more than three tons of food to Athens Food Rescue, a volunteer-based group that accepts surplus food from local donor institutions.

“Helping to address the needs of students plays a key role in allowing students to focus on their academic efforts, as well as to help ensure their ability to return each year,” Sayrs said in the release. “There’s no question that there are students in need.”

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Female STEM students thrive despite low enrollment ABBEY MARSHALL FOR THE POST

A

lexis Lanier, a sophomore studying electrical engineering, has just four women in her class.

According to a 2015 headcount from Ohio University’s Office of Institutional Research, only 15 percent of the Russ College of Engineering is female, despite the fact that technology is a “lucrative” field.

“There’s a lot of guys, so (women) think they shouldn’t do it,” Lanier said. “It’s definitely intimidating because it’s new to me, and I feel like the guys have always been really into it.”

J.J. DiGeronimo is no stranger to the frustrations those students experience.

As a 1995 OU alumna from the J. Warren McClure School of Information and Telecommunication Systems, DiGeronimo said most of her classes were at least 75 percent men.

Like many students, DiGeronimo’s main goal was to come out of college with a job. Because the School of Information

and Telecommunication Systems was known, at the time, for its 100 percent job placement after graduation, pursuing a degree in communication systems management made sense.

“I was great in math,” she said. “I was great with numbers and science. ... It was important for me to learn a feasible skillset the marketplace was looking for.”

As a keynote speaker and advocate for girls in STEM, DiGeronimo said gender stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions of the field can hinder a woman’s decision to enter the technology field.

“There’s some perceptions that it’s really geeky, that it’s a lot of coding, that they’re not going to fit in,” she said. “They don’t know people in the field to get experience or even ask questions of what it might be like. … There’s some preconceived notions that (women) are not going to like it.”

In most career fields, research shows women make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes, but in STEM fields, DiGeronimo said women make 92 cents for every dollar a man makes.

“As a whole, women in any field and men in any field should be about equal (numbers) just because it’s different points of view,” Katie Meeks, a sophomore studying biological sciences, said. “You are able to get a lot of different points of view, and you are able to make more informed decisions.”

Although DiGeronimo said the lack of women in her college classes was unfortunate, she viewed it as a great preparation for the professional world.

“Most of my career, I have often been the only woman at the table,” she said.

“Obtaining a degree that had more men than women prepared me for the workforce. I really didn’t have a lot of fear. I had already worked through some of my concerns about being the only woman.”

Meeks said her mother, a high school biology teacher, inspired her to pursue her dreams in STEM. “Throughout elementary and middle school, I thought I didn’t like science,” Meeks said. “Once I came into high school and saw what my mother was doing, it made me want to do something better

with my life.”

Though it helps to have representation in the field, DiGeronimo said those role models don’t always have to be female.

“I had a lot of great male mentors in my program that helped move me in the right direction,” she said. “You don’t necessarily have to look for the same gender.

A lot of women look up to fathers, uncles, professors. It’s about getting around good people willing to help you in your career.”

Lanier agrees. She said her professors, who are primarily male, have been incredibly helpful because many of them are encouraging female participation in STEM fields.

“A lot of women tend to take support roles instead of the lead roles,” DiGeronimo said. “Don’t talk yourself out of the lead role. ... Keep at it. It’s more about perseverance and persistence oftentimes than it is about how high of an IQ you have and how well you’ve done in your classes.”

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Caleb Brown, a key player behind The Athens Cannabis Ordinance, performs at open mic night at The Smiling Skull Saloon on Tuesday. (KEVIN PAN / SLOT EDITOR)

WEEDING OUT OHIO’S HOPEFULS Players behind The Athens Cannabis Ordinance have bigger plans JEREMY HILL / SENIOR WRITER

F

or Athens resident Saraquoia Bryant, marijuana legalization is about more than letting people get high, and she’s not happy with the way Ohio’s medical marijuana program is shaping up.

Bryant, who owns Cool Digs Rock Shop, 6 Euclid Drive, is forthright about her stance on Ohio’s current medical cannabis law: “Our state medical law is a

total scam,” Bryant said, speaking in the cramped back office of her shop in October. She was heated, in part, about the way the state is divvying up licenses to cultivate medical weed in Ohio.

More than 100 starry-eyed investors, hoping to cash in on Ohio’s budding cannabis industry, have submitted applications to become cultivators — along with nonrefundable fees as high as $20,000 — to the

state, but only 24 of those applicants will ultimately be selected. The selection process is opaque, with the state providing relatively little information on how it will score applicants. It’s reminiscent of a past marijuana ballot initiative — Issue 3, backed

by ResponsibleOhio and its human-sized marijuana mascot, Buddie — that failed in the state in 2015, Bryant and others say.

That initiative would have allowed for only

10 pre-selected cultivators.

“We’re anti-monopoly,” Bryant said.

She was one of a handful of Athens residents who actively campaigned against that 2015 initiative, thinking it gave too much pricing power to big-money, outof-town opportunists. “As a small business owner, I don’t think people need to have millions of dollars to be involved in an industry.”

Important dates for Ohio medical marijuana Gov. John Kasich signs House Bill 523, the framework for Ohio’s medical marijuana system.

Marijuana becomes technically legal for the treatment of 21 medical conditions in Ohio.

Columbus-based Black Elk said it’s considering an 8-acre plot of land near The Plains for a large-scale medical marijuana cultivation site.

185 entities apply for 24 total cultivator licenses.

The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy confirms Athens, Meigs and Vinton counties will share one dispensary, with 60 total across the state.

JUNE

SEPT.

APRIL

JUNE

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2016

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2016 2017

2017 2017

“Or that we should restrict licenses to an arbitrary small number, like 10 or 12,” added Caleb Brown, who works at Cool Digs and runs Caleb’s Coffee, a local coffee roaster. “Like, ‘there only get to be this number of businesses in this state,’ is silly for something that is a major agricultural crop.”

That thinking — that cannabis should be treated like a normal crop and that most anyone should be allowed to grow it and use it — is what’s at the heart of a constitutional amendment Brown and Bryant are pushing. The “Medicinal Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Amendment” would re-categorize marijuana in the state, moving it away from the realm of pharmaceuticals and making the state treat it more like alcohol, tobacco or traditional herbs.

Bryant, Brown and a host of other Ohioans are behind a loosely organized coalition called Grassroots Ohio, which has been collecting petition signatures in a bid to get the amendment on the state ballot since 2016. The movement has lost momentum since Gov. John Kasich signed House Bill 523, which laid out the framework for the state’s medical marijuana system, into law in June 2016.

But the more than 100 aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs who will soon have their cultivation applications rejected by the state could provide the spark Grassroots Ohio needs to make a push for the ballot box.

AS IT STANDS The state’s current medical marijuana system looks roughly like this: Ohio’s government is in the process of picking a limited number of cultivators, processors and dispensary operators, all of which will be tightly regulated. Doctors must undergo specific training to recommend marijuana to patients. Patients can get pot to treat any of 21 state-approved conditions, which range from Alzheimer’s to HIV. That marijuana can be eaten or vaporized; it can’t be legally smoked. The system is supposed to be fully operational by fall 2018, though many don’t think that’s feasible.

Ohio residents didn’t vote for or against the state’s medical marijuana laws — Gov. Kasich signed House Bill 523 less than

Hocking College is the first school to announce it intends to serve as a marijuana testing facility for the state.

a year after voters beat down the state’s first marijuana ballot initiative. Legalization advocacy groups like Grassroots Ohio and Ohio’s chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), citing similarities between current law and the initiative that was struck down, are vocal about the law’s problems.

“Right now, I think the state of Ohio’s program — unless there are some major changes made — it has a very slim chance of success, and it’s going to take something like the Grassroots initiative to save the patients of Ohio,” Jolie Moyer, the communications director for Ohio NORML, said.

Other than strict regulation and limited production — something Bryant says will result in a supply of “Walmart weed” — Moyer and Bryant point to the fact that patients aren’t able to grow marijuana themselves under the new law.

Grassroots Ohio’s amendment would allow for people to grow pot at home. It would also allow anyone over the age of 21 to possess it, use it and share it as they please. The amendment is open-ended, but it does stipulate that commercial growing and sale can be regulated and emphasizes equal access to licenses and a transparent licensure process. Marijuana testing and research, according to the amendment, would be done “in a manner substantially similar to other agricultural crops.”

“If you want to farm corn, you don’t have to pay $2 million; if you want to be a soybean farmer, you don’t have to get on a list of only a dozen producers,” Brown said.

“So it would be the same for cannabis.”

It’s difficult to tell exactly how the proposed amendment would interplay with the state’s current medical marijuana law. Columbus-based Black Elk Biotech, which has applied for a large-scale grow license, is eyeing land in Athens County for a grow site and has agreed to pay an Ohio University laboratory $1.85 million to research cannabis on the company’s behalf, according to a previous Post report. Black Elk would be able to keep its planned grow operation under the amendment, Brown said.

The amendment is steeped in the lan-

The State of Ohio Medical Board finalizes rules for physicians concerning the recommendation of marijuana to patients.

SEPT. 6, SEPT. 8,

2017 2017

guage of rights, as opposed to nitty-gritty specifics. “It’s rights-based, like gun rights,” said Bryant, who is the treasurer of Grassroots Ohio. “You have the right to possess your gun. You have the right to sell it at an auction.” With Grassroots’ amendment, the same would go for weed.

In short, the amendment is a radical departure from the way most Americans seem to view marijuana. No other state’s marijuana laws work that way, and it’s tough to tell whether Ohioans would go for it. Plus, right now, the group doesn’t have the funding to commission polls or pay activists to collect signatures — but that could change.

ANYONE HAVE A LIGHT? The state of Ohio is set this month to unveil the recipients of the cultivation licenses. Regardless of whom the state picks, more than 150 applicants will be left disappointed, and one longtime cannabis activist thinks that could result in the funding Grassroots Ohio needs.

“There are going to be hundreds of disappointed people here, Ohioans who pulled their money together to submit one of these applications, jumped through all the hoops and really had high hopes that … they could get one of these things, who aren’t going to get it,” said Don Wirtshafter, 66, a retired attorney who lives in Guysville.

Wirtshafter explained that he thinks if a significant number of those spurned investors see what Grassroots’ amendment would do to marijuana policy in the state, they might throw their weight — and money — behind it, allowing the campaign to make a real push.

That cash would fill a major hole for the movement. “Without having the campaign finance for advertisement, it’s difficult, because people aren’t even aware of the fact that this exists,” Bryant said.

Wirtshafter said getting the Grassroots amendment on the ballot is “a couple million dollar proposition.”

“If it gets on the ballot, I’m very confident this will win,” Wirtshafter said.

But getting it on the ballot is a tall order: The group will need to collect more than 300,000 signatures — the minimum

number for 44 counties in Ohio — to get it there. That’s a lot of legwork. It has fewer than 50,000 collected now.

Brown hopes a local initiative will help build momentum in Grassroots Ohio’s favor.

FROM TACO TO GRASSROOTS Bryant and Brown were two of the major motors behind The Athens Cannabis Ordinance, or TACO, an ordinance that lowers the penalty for misdemeanor marijuana charges in Athens to the lowest level allowed by state law — namely, no fines and limited court costs.

TACO made it on the ballot by way of citizen petition — Brown estimates that of the roughly 600 signatures gathered by the ordinance’s backers, he collected about 300 himself.

Before the Nov. 7 election, Brown had said he thought the result could serve as a gauge for citizens’ appetites for marijuana reform. If that’s true, then Athens really wants pot laws changed: The initiative passed with a landslide 77 percent of the vote — 2,000 for, 598 against.

“It was telling that the cannabis ordinance received more votes than any of the candidates of the city of Athens,” Brown said after the results were finalized.

That’s accurate: Athens City Council President Chris Knisely, who ran unopposed, received 1,984 votes.

TACO is the latest in a string of similar city-level reforms that have passed in Ohio cities in recent years, starting with Toledo in 2015.

TACO and similar ordinances in other cities don’t directly affect the state’s marijuana laws. But if their passage does help build momentum for Grassroots Ohio’s amendment, as Brown hopes, and if some 100 spurned would-be cultivators do flood the campaign with cash, the thing has a chance. Those are big “ifs,” though.

“I’ve done the work that I can,” Brown said. “But, like, there needs to be hundreds more people doing the kind of work that I’m doing, and there just aren’t.”

@JEREMYHTWEETS JH082913@OHIO.EDU

Ohio’s medical marijuana program must be fully operational, per state law.

Ohio begins announcing cultivation license recipients.

Ohio’s dispensary operator application period closes.

Ohio’s processor application period closes.

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THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

Racial diversity in YA novels leads to discussion

MAE YEN YAP CULTURE EDITOR

When black actress Noma Dumezweni was cast as Hermione Granger in the 2016 play The Cursed Child, which takes place in the Harry Potter universe, the announcement was met with mixed reception.

White actress Emma Watson portrayed Hermione throughout the Harry Potter film series, and the unexpected change of the character’s race led upset fans to voice their criticisms against the casting choice on social media.

However, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling commented on Twitter about the situation, supporting Dumezweni and later followed up with a tweet stating she had never specified Hermione’s racial background throughout the books.

The publishing industry in the U.S. has grown over the years. In a 2017 report by Research and Markets, the industry was reported to have grown to more than 2,600 publishing houses, and its annual revenue is roughly $25 billion, due in large part to the increased interest in paperback children’s and young adult, or YA, novels.

The racial representation within those books has yet to catch up to the growth of the industry. There is a belief that society automatically defaults a character to be straight, white, able-bodied and heterosexual.

“If you look at print media like books and stuff … television, movies (or) video games, there is a very slow incremental move toward inclusion and diversity,” Edmond Chang, an assistant professor of English, said. “But the numbers still aren’t very good.”

There have been discussions about the racial representation among popular YA fiction novels, such as the Harry Potter series. Kylie Somodi saw the film version of Hermione and pictured Watson as the character in her head while reading the books.

“I can see why (Harry Potter fans) were a little upset when the play wasn’t someone who seemed a little more like the character (in the films),” Somodi, a junior studying communication science and disorders, said.

A similar situation occurred in 2012 when the YA dystopian series The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, was chosen for a film adaptation. The character Rue, portrayed by black actress Amandla Stenberg, was described explicitly as having “dark brown skin and eyes” in the novel. But many fans 14 / NOV. 16, 2017

ILLUSTRATION BY RILEY SCOTT took to Twitter voicing their criticisms against the actress’ race.

The fans’ criticisms regarding Rue’s racial identity were clearly due to racial bias, Chang said. But it’s more than just a political belief.

“It’s not just the fact that people feel like politics are sneaking into things,” he said. “They’re even willing to ignore the fact that there are already attempts to make things diverse.”

Non-white characters are usually featured solely in the background, and if they were to take a main role, “they were usually the ones to die first,” Somodi said.

It’s understandable why there have been several conversations regarding the portrayal of characters of differing races within YA fiction novels, Chang said. Earlier this year, a novel titled The Black Witch also faced criticism because the main character’s behavior toward other characters was claimed to be racist.

Even if the book might be interesting, it’s important that readers analyze the material they’re reading and listen to concerns others may have, especially if it deals with the subject of race, Chang said.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean we chuck everything out,” he said. “But that means we really have to listen. We don’t victim blame, and we don’t make it the fault of the (non-white) reader for being unhappy with the fact that the system might actually be problematic.”

In the end, even if authors intentionally diversify their stories by including characters of differing races, sexualities, genders or any other traits, Chang said the plot wouldn’t be affect-

ed if the story is good.

“If it’s a good story, you enjoy it and it does other things that you like, then what’s the harm?” he said.

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LGBT coming-of-age films flourish in cinema following success of ‘Moonlight’ the first queer movie Ng felt was made for general audiences. The film is about an HIV-positive man who is wrongfully fired by his law firm. The movie faced criticism because it didn’t mirror other queer films from that time.

“From a queer perspective, it was clearly made for straight people,” Ng said.

About a year before Moonlight was released, Todd Haynes’ film Carol was nominated for six Academy Awards but didn’t win any. The film was about two women who explore their sexuality as older women.

Ng thought Carol was a step in the right direction for queer cinema and was the most highly acclaimed queer film since Brokeback Mountain’s recognition in 2005.

Carol opened the doors for movies like Moonlight to be produced, but some distributors were still hesitant, and some critics didn’t think it would win many Oscars.

“Part of it was, ‘Well, if Carol — with two white conventionally feminine women getting it on can’t win — what makes us think Moonlight, with queer men who are even more different than the mainstream white, straight audience, (is going to win)?’ ” Ng said. “And it won.”

When Moonlight was first shown at The Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St., it did not bring the audience Kamody was hoping. But after its first run and a new buzz in the cinema world, the film was brought back to Court Street and was on the marquee when the film won the statue for Best Picture, an award Kamody was skeptical the movie would win.

“It wasn’t one of the ones from the beginning saying, ‘You better watch out for this,’ ” Kamody said. “It wasn’t anything to do with the quality of the film or how powerful and well done it was. It was just, ‘This is a little film.’ ” But those “little films” need to reach bigger audiences to make change in cinema, Ng said. The films need to generate buzz outside of art house theaters to have a profound impact on society as a whole.

“The reality is straight, white people are the majority in the U.S. still,” Ng said.

“Queer filmmakers or filmmakers telling queer stories need that support in order to not always be relegated to the art house screenings.”

GEORGIA DAVIS CULTURE EDITOR

O

n Nov. 18, 2016, a movie hit theaters. That’s not news. Movies premiere in theaters every week.

But that particular movie went on to win three Academy Awards. It was also involved in an immediately infamous envelope mix-up: La La Land was the Best Picture winner for a few minutes, but then Moonlight was announced as the real winner. Moonlight was the first LGBT film to win the coveted award.

But that’s old news.

Months after the monumental win, the coming-of-age film that follows the life of a gay boy into adulthood has brought about a surge in cinema: “The Moonlight effect,” as Entertainment Weekly called it. More of those stories are hitting the mainstream movie market with more set to debut in time for Oscar season, including Call Me By Your Name, which is set to debut in the U.S. on Nov. 24.

But queer narratives have always been present in cinema, Alexandra Kamody, the director of The Athena Cinema, said.

“Are there more of them now or are they just getting publicity now? Because my sense is there has always been a lot of art made about this particular topic,” Kamody said. “Maybe the public is realizing on a bigger level … that these stories deserve to be represented, and there’s an audience for them.”

Most queer films are shown in art house theaters that screen primarily from independent distributors, and there is a clear divide between mainstream and indie films, Eve Ng, an assistant professor of media arts and studies and women and gender studies, said.

Jeremy Sierra, a graduate student studying critical studies in education, saw the film through the Ohio University LGBT Center. Sierra said queer cinema would progress even more if Hollywood in general were more inclusive.

“I think they’re usually indie films, not mainstream films, that you will see in theaters — which I think is a step in the right direction — but I would like to see more (LGBT) representation in big films,” Sierra said.

The 1993 film Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, was

ILLUSTRATION BY RILEY SCOTT

@GEORGIADEE35 GD497415@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

The Ohio University Marching 110 performs at halftime during Ohio’s game against Eastern Michigan on Oct. 15, 2016. The 110 will perform over Thanksgiving break at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. (CARL FONTICELLA / FILE)

Marching 110 working hard, preparing to perform in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

I

t’s been a year and a half since Ohio University’s Marching 110 announced it would return to New York City for the third time to represent Ohio in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Since then, nearly half the band has graduated and been replaced by new members. Dozens of performances have passed since the 110 received word that it had been selected for the exclusive honor. Now, the band is working hard to perfect everything from step sizes to dance moves to perform in front of millions at the world’s largest parade.

The application process to participate in the parade is, to say the least, long. Marching 110 assistant director Josh Boyer said the band submitted its application in February 2016 and received word that it had been selected the next April. But plans for the parade had been in the works years before that to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the OU School of Music and the 50th anniversary of the modern style of the Marching 110.

Boyer explained that bands are only eligible to participate in the Macy’s parade every five years. Only 10 bands are selected to march each year, and only one band

16 / NOV. 16, 2017

comes from a given state. The Marching 110 was selected to perform in 2000 and again in 2005. In 2010, the band traveled to Pasadena, California, to march in the Rose Parade during the Rose Bowl celebration. After that year, the band intentionally waited to apply for 2017 in hopes of representing OU’s proud history on one of the country’s biggest stages during the School of Music’s and the Marching 110’s landmark years.

Katey King, a freshman studying middle childhood education who is a member of the 110, is excited to do some sightseeing in New York City while the band is there.

Although she wasn’t in the band when the parade selection was first announced, she looks forward to performing.

“I’m excited about it,” she said. “(The parade) will be on TV so everyone gets to watch it.”

The parade winds its way through miles of Manhattan streets, past famous attractions like Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. When the 110 reaches the star in front of Macy’s department store, it will have exactly 1 minute and 15 seconds to show the world why it’s the “most exciting band in the land.”

Luckily, Boyer said, the members of the 110 won’t have to start from scratch to learn the routine they will be performing on live television. The band will

“

The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade is just a staple of Thanksgiving. To be selected ... for our third time is really great, and it’s something that we enjoy doing. It’s great for the university, for people to see us marching down the street with this giant ‘Ohio’ across our uniforms.

“

ALEXIS EICHELBERGER STAFF WRITER

- Josh Boyer assistant director for the Marching 110

play “25 or 6 to 4” by the band Chicago, a selection it played for OU’s 2017 Homecoming show. The dance had to be modified slightly to fit the time and space

constraints, but thankfully the material will already be familiar.

“The rest of what we do with parading ... we do that all year long,” Boyer said. “So it’s not really anything new for us. It’s just a parade for 2.5 miles in front of a million people.”

Boyer, who marched in the 110 during the 2005 Macy’s performance, said participating in the parade is unlike anything else. The sounds that echo off the skyscrapers that line the route and the cheers of parade watchers create an atmosphere that can’t be duplicated anywhere other than New York City.

“The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade is just a staple of Thanksgiving,” Boyer said. “To be selected … for our third time is really great, and it’s something that we enjoy doing. It’s great for the university, for people to see us marching down the street with this giant ‘Ohio’ across our uniforms.”

Mac Kramer, a sophomore studying business economics, said he hopes to see the 110 in the parade on TV and point it out to his family.

“I think it’s definitely awesome to see Ohio University, which isn’t the biggest university, to have the band in the parade,” he said.

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU

Latino students, faculty members talk machismo, Latinx JESSICA HILL FOR THE POST

W

Gabriela Godinez-Feregrino, a senior studying integrated media, spray paints over a pro-Donald Trump sentiment on Ohio University’s graffiti wall that originally read “Build the Wall” in April 2016. Godinez-Feregrino wants to make OU more inclusive to different races and sexual identities, such as using more gender-neutral terms like Latinx, and discussing experiences in a machista culture. (EMMA HOWELLS / FILE)

men would fetishize Godinez-Feregrino’s bisexual identity and suggest threesomes, and people who identify as LGBT would also fetishize her brownness.

“Definitely, being a Latina ... there’s always a chance you’re going to be fetishized for that,” Godinez-Feregrino said.

“Like if you have your own porn category, you’re going to be fetishized no matter what.”

Daniel Torres, a Spanish professor at OU, left Puerto Rico in 1984 because of the machista culture. Torres said machismo was everywhere — in his family, in the university and also at social gatherings such as at church.

“It has gotten better and I guess I’ve gotten wiser,

“

It has gotten better and I guess I’ve gotten wiser, but I think it’s an intricate part of culture. In a way, I believe that I am a survivor of it.

“

hen Gabriela Godinez-Feregrino went to a fraternity party her freshman year, she was called “chica” and “mami” by white men. Eventually, someone grabbed her inappropriately, and she left the party.

“Most of the objectification that I’ve experienced comes from white men,” Godinez-Feregrino, a senior studying integrated media, said.

Some Latino students and faculty have experienced a machista culture at Ohio University.

Machista culture is defined as a culture with strong sense of masculine pride, according to Merriam-Webster.

Machista is synonymous with machismo, as machista is its adjective. Students and faculty are also using more inclusive terms to include nonbinary latinos, such as “Latinx.”

The most machismo Godinez-Feregrino has experienced has come from white people and not in the Latino community, she said. She said machismo can be found in every culture because of the “sheer nature of the patriarchy.”

“It’s hard talking to people who you feel look like your father or your cousin or your next door neighbor and have them be sexist,” Godinez-Feregrino said.

“Because while you feel like you might have found a brother in somebody, you ended up being just, ‘Well that’s one less person who looks like me that I want to hang out with.’ ” Godinez-Feregrino also experienced fetishism for both her Latin and bisexual identities. A part of machista culture includes moments when straight men sexually objectify women. Straight

- Daniel Torres Spanish professor at Ohio University

but I think it’s an intricate part of culture,” Torres said. “In a way, I believe that I am a survivor of it.”

Machista and patriarchal societies have certain expectations of people and what it wants people to be, Torres said. It is expected of men to be in control of

things, and he questioned that. As an openly gay man, it’s hard to fit within these expectations, Torres said.

When he first came to OU in 1990, one problem he saw was the idea of the “old boys’ club.” An old boys’ club is an institution or profession dominated by

men, according to English Oxford Living Dictionaries. delfin bautista, the adviser for Latino Student Union and the director of the LGBT Center, has advocated for more conversations on sexuality and gender. bautista, who uses they/them pronouns and the lowercase spelling of their name, has met some resistance because there is a discomfort when talking about sexuality in Hispanic culture.

“We don’t talk about sexuality,” they said. “You don’t rock the boat. Any topic that rocks the boat, you can’t talk about it.”

That discomfort is starting to shift as groups discuss using more inclusive language, such as using the term “Latinx” instead of “Latinos.” Latinx also refers

to a person of Latin American origin or descent but is used as a gender-neutral or nonbinary alternative to Latino or Latina, according to English Oxford Living Dictionaries.

People first used the “@” symbol in the term as “Latin@” as a way of combining the “o” and the “a” at the end of Latino or Latina to be more inclusive and recognize that masculinity and femininity should be equal. Some people, however, thought the “@” symbol reinforced a gender binary.

“What about folks that don’t live within that binary?” bautista said. “The ‘x’ has started to be used as a way of disrupting that and trying to be more inclusive to folks who live outside of a gender binary.”

Erick Meza, the president of Latino Student Union, said he never thought about the word “Latinx” until college.

“In Spanish, anything that ends in an ‘o’ is masculine, but I never really thought about that,” Meza said. “It’s like saying ‘Latinos,’ you could be Latino and be a female and male.

But I never thought that it would make people uncomfortable or make people not see it that way. … Having Latinx, I understand is more inclusive, but I didn’t really think much of it.”

The LSU decided to keep its name because some members decided Latino could be an umbrella term for everyone, Meza said. bautista hopes the organization continues to revisit the issue and make the usage of “Latinx” a recurring conversation.

“We have a moment to be revolutionary and radical,” bautista said.

@JESS_HILLYEAH JH240314@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

UNSTOPPABLE AKRON’S REDSHIRT FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK, KATO NELSON, CAUGHT OHIO BY SURPRISE TUESDAY AND LED THE ZIPS PAST THE BOBCATS, 37-34

Akron quarterback Kato Nelson runs the ball down the field during the first quarter of the Ohio vs. Akron game Tuesday. The Bobcats lost 37-34. (MIJANA MAZUR / FOR THE POST)

JORDAN HORROBIN STAFF WRITER AKRON — Stepping onto the field for the first time Tuesday, Javon Hagan was surprised to see a familiar face on the other side of the ball.

At quarterback for the Zips was redshirt freshman Kato Nelson, who, like Hagan, grew up in Florida. Hagan was expecting someone else under center on the chilly Tuesday night, more than 800 miles from their home state.

“That’s what was the hard thing, we were just so focused on (quarterback Thomas Woodson), and he wasn’t even in the stadium tonight,” Hagan said after Ohio’s 37-34 loss. “That’s a big letdown on our part. If we would’ve focused on (Nelson), we would 18 / NOV. 16, 2017

have been able to prepare better.”

Woodson, a senior, was the Zips’ starter for the first nine games of the season. He did not play in either of the past two games due to a violation of team rules, according to a report from the Akron Beacon-Journal.

In Woodson’s place, Akron tapped Nelson to make just his second collegiate start. With a conference title game berth at stake, Nelson thrashed Ohio for 322 passing yards and four touchdowns, as well as 45 yards rushing.

From the outset, there were no biggame jitters for Nelson.

Ohio (8-3, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) allowed him to settle in quickly, as he connected on each of his touchdown passes in the first half. Nelson had enough quickness to stay sack-free all game and

hurt the Bobcats with deep, pinpoint passes on blown coverages.

“We were preparing for a much slower quarterback,” Hagan said. “(Woodson) is a much slower quarterback. (Nelson) is definitely the better quarterback, (Woodson) just had more experience. (Nelson) was definitely more talented and we didn’t prepare for him.”

The Bobcats, who entered the game allowing the third-most passing yards in the conference (252.5 per game), looked least prepared on two 50-plus yard touchdown throws from Nelson to receiver Kwadarrius Smith.

On the first, Nelson found Smith uncovered as a wideout and Smith ran 71 yards untouched into the end zone. Later, Smith beat Jalen Fox on single coverage, catch-

ing a 54-yard strike several strides ahead of Fox on his way to the end zone.

Ohio coach Frank Solich said his players “knew everything we needed to know about Nelson” before kickoff on Tuesday. But Woodson was said to be a game-time decision, which may have thrown off the Bobcats.

Six days removed from keeping Toledo’s NFL-ready quarterback, senior Logan Woodside, in check for just 263 yards and one touchdown, Ohio struggled against a much greener quarterback in the game that mattered most for its season.

“He threw the ball well,” Solich said of Nelson. “But it seems like a lot of people throw the ball well against us.”

@JORDANHORROBIN JH950614@OHIO.EDU

Going forward in reverse: Garrett Jenkins, Ohio’s smart new weapon MATT PARKER FOR THE POST A blue bucket filled with pucks was dumped onto the thin sheet of the Bird Arena ice. Ohio players ripped off shots, hoping one would find the back of the net.

For Garrett Jenkins, making those shots was about as easy as tying his shoes.

What has taken some time for Jenkins, however, is adjusting from firing shots at the opposing net to defending his own — Jenkins has transitioned from forward to defenseman.

Every fall, the Bobcats host tryouts for the team in which they can hopefully find the last piece of the missing puzzle.

With only six eligible defensemen on the roster, coach Sean Hogan and his staff were tasked with looking for one or two more defensemen to complete that puzzle.

Before tryouts, Jenkins took it upon himself to tell his coaches to give him a look at defenseman.

Ultimately, nobody stood out enough to make the cut. Ohio had its last puzzle piece the entire time — just in the form of a forward.

“Right before tryouts, I told (Hogan) to take a look at me (on defense),’ Jenkins said.

“He took a look, and, well, here we are.”

From then on, Jenkins’ main focus was no longer scoring goals or expecting centering passes down the lane.

His role on the team changed, yet he remains the same player.

Sort of.

Learning a new position at such a high level would likely be daunting for most.

Jenkins, however, had prior experience as a defenseman before he came to Ohio.

“The last time I had played (as a) defenseman was probably in my major-minor years,” Jenkins said. “That was probably four or five years ago.”

As a former member of the Compuware U16 team of the High Performance Hockey League in Canada, Jenkins saw time as a defenseman in an attempt to become a more well-rounded player.

With just one season spent as a defenseman, the learning curve was wide and shallow at once.

“Garrett’s a smart player,” Grant Hazel, a fellow defenseman and assistant captain, said. “He thinks the game right, and he’s a quick learner.”

Hazel, along with the other defensemen on the team, has played a huge role in

Ohio forward-turned-defenseman Garrett Jenkins poses for a portrait in Bird Arena. (MEAGAN HALL / PHOTO EDITOR)

Jenkins’ position change. Hazel, along with captain Jake Faiella, talked with Jenkins about making the potential shift.

“We thought the switch was going to be good for him,” Hazel said. “His sense for where the puck is going to go and his anticipation (for the game) are really good.”

As practices began in August, Jenkins could be seen skating around the ice with Faiella and Hazel, returning players Jake Houston, Tom Evans and Tom Pokorney, and the newest members of the Bobcats’ defensive corps, Shawn Baird and Nick Grose.

From the transition game to special teams play, Jenkins’ teammates and coaches have seen his consistent improvement in his game — especially Hogan.

“He’s done well. He’s learned the position well,” Hogan said. “His breakout passes have gotten a lot better.”

In Hogan’s eyes, the position switch is bigger than just a change. To him, it speaks volumes of the kind of teammate Jenkins is.

“To be able to do that — to switch from forward to (defenseman) — that shows just what kind of a teammate you are,” Hogan said. “It’s helped us a lot.”

It would seem for Jenkins, the switch has been uncharacteristically easy, but one thing is still slowing down his development: the mental aspect.

“I’m still learning, and it’s tough,” Jenkins said. “You’ve got to think the game differently, and, at times, I still see it as a forward.”

It’s pretty clean-cut for the most part: Defensemen should see the game in how to stop the other team from scoring. But in Jenkins’ case, he adds an element to Ohio’s game that it thinks it could use in the long run.

“It helps (at times) that he sees it (as a forward),” Hogan said. “He gets the puck to the net front and understands where goals are scored from, and he gets himself to the scoring zone (as a defenseman).”

Ultimately for the Bobcats, Jenkins is a versatile player in the making. With his experience as a forward and his continuing development as a defenseman, Jenkins could soon be a highly dangerous player for the Bobcats.

But for now, he’s just fine being the last piece to the puzzle this season.

@MPARKER_5 MP109115@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

FOR THE LOVE OF BASKETBALL JIMMY WATKINS | FOR THE POST

D

ave Jamerson is fascinated by the professional athlete who longs for more.

He quotes articles about Tom Brady’s disillusionment after winning his third Super Bowl. He can recite scenes from Chariots of Fire, the film about a runner who struggles to find purpose beyond the track and the documentary on former NFL quarterback Todd Marinovich.

As a former professional athlete, he experienced similar heights to Brady. He never won a championship, but he did achieve a life-long dream of playing in the NBA. He struggled to find his purpose away from sports just as Harold Abrahams does in Chariots of Fire. He lost his way when he wasn’t feeling fulfilled, just like Marinovich.

At one point, Jamerson, 50, picked the wrong thing to worship — but he found his way out.

Jamerson is the all-time leading scorer in Ohio basketball history and the only player to score 60 points in school history. He was the 15th pick in the 1990 NBA draft. But most importantly in his mind, he is a servant of God. It took him a while to get there, though.

Basketball was everything for the first half of his life. It made him famous and a millionaire, which was how he measured his success.

But that wasn’t enough.

ILLUSTRATION BY MARCUS PAVILONIS

20 / NOV. 16, 2017

IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE It nearly took an act of God for Jamerson to become an NBA player.

In ninth grade, he was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 130 pounds. Basketball was his third-best sport behind football and baseball.

It took until his senior season to catch the eye of Ohio assistant coach Fran Fraschilla. Fraschilla didn’t go to the 1985 Five-Star Basketball camp in Pennsylvania looking for Jamerson, but Jamerson made himself hard to ignore.

“I saw this kid who’s gonna be a pro,” Fraschilla told head coach Billy Hahn. “I don’t think people understand how good this kid’s going to be.”

Jamerson’s recruiting tour didn’t last long. When he drove past The Convo and Peden Stadium in 1986, he was pretty sure he’d be a Bobcat.

SPORT magazine ranked Jamerson as the fifth best shooting guard in the nation heading into his sophomore year.

“I was like, ‘Wow, I could really be headed to

NBA,’ ” Jamerson said.

Jamerson was in perfect position to tip the ball into the basket at Ohio’s European tour in the Netherlands. Then a player on the opposing team lost his balance while trying to guard Jamerson and fell into the back of his right knee.

He flew with Fraschilla back to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, where doctors told him he had torn every ligament in his knee. He was out for the season, and the doctor said he might never regain the same form.

“It was a devastating blow to Jamerson,” Hahn said.

Jamerson turned himself into the prospect he was before his injury. In his mind, he was ready for the NBA. A POWERFUL AWAKENING He recalled NBA draft night, June 27, 1990, when he was the 15th pick, and the Miami Heat selected him.

Shortly after, Jamerson was traded to the Houston Rockets. He’d made it, but it didn’t feel like it the next morning. He woke up and made his bed like he always did. Nothing was different.

“I was chasing the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Jamerson said. “Then you get the pot of gold and you’re like, ‘OK, now what?’ ” The NBA was not the validation he’d been seeking.

“He was real cocky to start,” teammate David Wood said. “Had a lot to learn.”

He cracked 10 minutes in a game once before Christmas in 1990, his inaugural season, and averaged just more than two points per game.

“I didn’t understand how hard I was gonna need to work,” Jamerson said.

His slow start did not mix well with life on the road.

Women waited for him in hotel lobbies and by the tunnels after games. Once, Jamerson even had a card sent to his room with a name and room number on it. He and his future wife, April, would talk on the phone, but they weren’t dating at the time.

“There was a lot of temptation,” Jamerson said.

There’s a Bible verse he likes to quote that relates to that time in his life.

Matthew 7:13: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.”

In April 1991, Jamerson decided he couldn’t go on alone anymore. He went into his closet and found his black, leather-bound Bible. He probably hadn’t looked at it in five years. But on that night, he needed it.

There was a concordance in the back to help him find the passage he needed. He

looked up the phrase, “sexual immorality.”

He found Galatians 5:19-21.

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” It was at that moment, sitting alone in his bedroom, that he decided he needed to make a life change.

“I’m 23,” he thought. “If I go out and get in a car wreck tonight and I die, I don’t think I’m right with God.” THE PIVOT Wood was an instrumental figure in Jamerson’s journey to salvation. He seemed content in a way Jamerson knew he wasn’t.

“I just saw something different in his life,” Wood said. “I saw character. I saw the way his marriage was. When he played a bad game, he didn’t tank.”

At the time, Jamerson lived and died with his performances.

“Basketball was my God,” Jamerson said.

His relationship with his future wife was on the rocks too. Jamerson and April met during orientation at Ohio University. They dated their senior year, but their relationship got complicated when April moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dance career. They weren’t dating anymore, but Jamerson visited when the Rockets came to town to play the Lakers or Clippers.

During a phone call on June 12, 1991, they ended their relationship. Two days later, Jamerson made the official decision to give his life to Christ. He was baptized under Rev. Greg Ball’s supervision.

“He stopped talking about himself all the time,” Ball said. “He started caring about other people.”

When Jamerson returned from a vacation in August, he had a weeks-old voicemail from April and decided to call her back.

They talked about becoming serious about their faith. Jamerson proposed four months later, and they married the next July.

Jamerson’s newfound spirituality helped him on the court, too. He credits it to how he played more minutes, averaged more points and shot a better percentage than he did the previous season.

“He played more free,” Wood said.

Jamerson and Wood’s relationship evolved as they both preached the Gospel to anyone on the Rockets who would listen.

As he entered his third season, he felt like he was coming into his own as a player.

During a pickup game in August 1992, Jamerson led 2-0. The parallels to Netherlands from his sophomore year of college were eerie.

NBA & ABA PLAYERS WHO ATTENDED OU Frank Baumholtz Paul Graham Brandon Hunter Dave Jamerson Howie Jolliff

It was another fast break, this time a four-on-three. Jamerson ran the middle of the floor, trailing former Texas Tech guard Sean Gay. Jamerson cut to the basket, and Gay threw the pass too far behind him. Jamerson tried to reach back, but then pop.

This time, it was his left ACL. He missed the entire season.

The next year, he was the final cut made by the Houston Rockets in the preseason.

He played with the Utah Jazz for the first month of the 1993-94 season. Then he latched onto the Continental Basketball Association’s Omaha Racers and Rochester Renegades. He barely played his final month with the New Jersey Nets.

His career essentially ended when he went home that summer. His brother, Tom, took Jamerson to Kent State to work Jamerson out. But about 30 minutes into shooting drills, he stopped.

His career officially ended that preseason after the Timberwolves made him the last cut for the second straight season.

It was time to choose a new path.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Jamerson has a soft spot for athletes when it comes to his work with the church.

Morris Virgil signed a contract with the Chicago Bears, and like Jamerson, Virgil was ready to turn his life around.

Virgil’s baptism at Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis was widely celebrated by attendees.

“This never gets old,” Jamerson said.

He spent seven and a half years at Traders Point as the outreach pastor. His playing days were over. Now, he’s focused on spreading the word of God as far as it can go.

In 2015, he planted a new church in Austin, Texas, which has been named one of the country’s fastest growing churches in consecutive years.

“For me, I care about people,” he said.

“I love connecting people and hearing their stories.”

Pete Lalich Jerry McKee Maurice Ndour Dick Shrider Gary Trent

DIVISION 1 MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS WHO SCORED 60 POINTS AGAINST NON-D1 OPPONENTS Name

Pts.

Pos.

Frank Selvy

100

G

Paul Arizin

85

F/G

Freeman Williams

81

G/F

Bill Mlkvy

73

F

Freeman Williams

71

G/F

Darrell Floyd

67

G

Freeman Williams

66

G/F

Bob Zawoluk

65

C

Frank Selvy

63

G

Sherman White

63

F

Elvin Hayes

62

C

Dave Jamerson

60

G

Harry Kelly

60

F

Bob Pettit

60

C

@JIMMYWATKINS95 JW331813@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender

Yalda Night Celebration to honor winter solstice with music, Persian cuisine IF YOU GO

HALEY RICHARDS FOR THE POST

WHAT: YALDA NIGHT CELEBRATION

On Saturday at 5:30 p.m., the Ohio University Iranian Student Association will hold its annual Yalda Night Celebration. Yalda Night is an Iranian holiday celebrating the longest night of the year, and ISA will be hosting the event in Walter Hall with multiple performances and various Persian cuisine.

“This event is the best international event,” Iman Khondabi, an OU alumnus who will come from San

WHEN: 5:30 P.M., SATURDAY WHERE: WALTER ROTUNDA ADMISSION: $10

Antonio to celebrate and perform at Yalda Night. “We (will) have very delicious cuisine that night.”

Khondabi will perform various styles of music, such as traditional Iranian songs and pop songs, with a few other members of ISA, all of whom have been practicing several times a week for months.

“We are well prepared,” he said.

The event is intended to represent a diverse nation with many different lan-

guages and foods, according to Ali Rafiei, a graduate student studying chemistry and biochemistry who is the president of ISA. “We want to give (OU students) a taste of music and tradition,” he said.

This year, a certain number of tickets have been made available each day. Association members will have a table on the first floor of Baker Center at 4 p.m., and the final day for ticket sales is Thursday.

An attendee is allowed to buy a maximum of three tickets, so the Facebook event page urges people interested in the event to arrive early to purchase their tickets.

Rafiei said he expects there to be a line at the table before 4 p.m. and to sell out the tickets within the first 10 minutes.

“Our events are very popular,” Rafiei said.

Like Khondabi, who is returning to Athens specifically for Yalda Night, many students are interested in the event and the opportunity to learn about Persian culture.

“I think it’s important that we understand cultures outside our own,” Michael Wyrick, a freshman studying screenwriting and producing, said.

The Yalda Night holiday is on the date of the winter solstice, Dec. 21, but the celebration was moved to an earlier date “in order to have enough students and enough interest,” Rafiei said.

Most of the roughly 70 members of ISA will participate in or attend the event, but it is not limited to Iranian students.

“We usually have a majority of our guests from other nations, other cultures,” Rafiei said. “We get very pleased when people from different cultural backgrounds come and visit our event.”

@HRICHARDS1000 HR899116@OHIO.EDU 22 / NOV. 16, 2017

WHAT’S GOING ON? MORRIS WEIN FOR THE POST Friday Wine Dinner at the Ohio University

Inn, 331 Richland Ave., from 6 p.m. until closing. Enjoy a five-course dinner Friday evening, featuring holiday wines from all around the world. Tickets cost $40 per person if you order in advance and $50 at the door. This is the perfect date night, so the inn is cutting couples a deal at $75 per couple if paid for in advanced or $90 per couple at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the inn at 740-593-6661.

Chris Janson at 8 p.m. at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. The OU Performing Arts and Concert Series will put on another concert this weekend featuring country artist Chris Janson. He plays every instrument on stage and is best known for his signature harmonica playing.

Rolling Stone describes Janson as having “a mesmerizing stage presence that most arena-headlining artists would kill for.” Tickets cost $35 for the first 10 rows and $25 for the remainder.

P3 Donkey Performance at 8 p.m. at

Donkey Coffee, 17 1/2 W. Washington St. Enjoy one of OU’s a cappella groups, the Picardy Thirds, at one of its performances. Tickets cost $3 and can be bought at the door.

‘80s Night with DJ Barticus at 10

p.m. at Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St.

Bartender Ali Rutowski, of Columbus, laughs as she takes an order from Elliot John-Conry, left, and Phil Ortman, both of Athens, at Little Fish Brewing Company on Sept. 23, 2016. (ALEX DRIEHAUS / FILE)

DJ Barticus is at it again with another ’80s night. The last one must have been so righteous that they decided to do it again. Dance and drink to all of the hip-hoppin’ ’80s music a person could dream of.

Saturday Art, Farm and Wine Tour at 11 a.m. at Rock Riffle Run Pottery, 96 Jones Road. Rock Riffle Run Pottery is teaming up with other businesses to hold this event. Rock Riffle Run Pottery, Windsor Works Fine Furniture, Thorn Ridge Studios, Integration Acres and Shade Winery will hold open galleries where customers can come admire art, browse what they have for sale and try some fine wine. All locations are quite far away from one another, so, while this will be a whole day commitment, anyone who partakes is sure to get a great

tour of some of the lesser-known scenic routes near Athens.

Magnolia Child and Valerie Mash at 8

p.m. at Donkey Coffee. Local artists Magnolia Child and Valerie Mash will perform once again at Donkey Coffee. Magnolia Child’s Midwestern indie folk band coupled with a good cup of coffee is sure to make for a nice and relaxing Saturday evening. Tickets cost $3 and are purchased at the door.

DJ Peacock Vinyl Night at 7 p.m. at the Little Fish Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Road. Enjoy Little Fish’s 19 different brews and the Cajun Clucker food truck while local vinyl enthusiast Tim Peacock spins records for attendants’ listening pleasure. Admission is free, and nothing beats drinks, music and some good tunes on a Saturday night.

Sunday Little Fish Yoga at 11 a.m. at Little Fish Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Road. Have a little too much fun on Saturday? Why not head on back to Little Fish to recover from the day before? Stretch out and de-stress on Sunday morning.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner at

7 p.m. at the Athena Grand, 1008 E. State St. Enjoy the 1967 classic at the Athena Grand on Sunday night. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner tells the story of a girl who seeks her parents’ blessing on her plans to marry a black man. The film was very thought-provoking at the time of its initial release, and still contains a poignant message for audiences today. Tickets cost $12.50 per person.

mw774315@ohio.edu THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

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