Dec. 7, 2017

Lawyer and entrepreneur thrives as a professor and director P15

The prehistoric hockey fan cheering on the Bobcats P21

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2017

POST PICKS Athens’ favorite personalities and businesses as selected by ‘Post’ readers P9

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

How ‘The Post’ made the second annual Post Picks

As the semester winds down, The Post is in full gear with Post Picks.

We distributed a survey on social media in early November and gave readers more than a week to participate. The survey had nearly 100 responses, but a few questions were not heavily answered, so we narrowed down the picks accordingly. Then our reporters, photographers and designers got to work to make this issue happen.

Because it is our second year creating Post Picks, we wanted to find a way to capture all the interesting happenings in Athens. We had the chance to feature people, businesses and a T. rex. Our goal with this issue is to capture all of the quirky and interesting people of Athens and to help tell their stories.

ELIZABETH BACKO / In this issue, you will find the story of EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Salaam. The owners work to make the restaurant as sustainable as possible in every way it can be, and they feel small businesses can work together to make sustainability happen.

We also have a story about community outreach. Additionally, we have an illustration of Red Brick Tavern, which our readers voted as the best happy hour. With an illustration, we felt we could display the category in a different and appealing way.

But this issue is not just businesses and organizations. Our reporters set out to talk to interesting people. One reporter chatted with Geena Provenzano, a freshman studying journalism, who was voted for being the most fashionable. She talks about growing up with and interest in fashion and how that has influenced her today.

Our reporters also heard stories from a traveler, a musician, a hardcore sports fan and a professor who spends a lot of time in the lab. Also, a story about Athens food can be found on our online landing page. We wanted to encapsulate as many aspects of Athens as possible.

This issue will be on the stands for the entirety of winter break, so we included a story about people the celebrate the holidays. We also included news briefs and blotter to give our readers an update on current events.

Though it is our last print issue of the semester, The Post will continue running throughout winter break to produce content online every week.

Visit The Post’s website and follow us on social media so you can stick with The Post all season long.

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.

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Cover illustration by Abby Day

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! From The Post staff

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

AMPLIFIED OBSERVATIONS

2017’s musical best Albums that you want to see on a year-end top 10 list are usually ones that stand out among the noise even from the first full listen. This year gave rise to many releases worthy of commendation, but this list includes artists who not only conveyed a concept or feeling through their work but also simultaneously exceeded at it. There are no top 10 lists without a sense of personal music taste, but, for this list, I tried to pick albums that were as inventive as satisfying. And they’re also ordered, because I had to raise the stakes.

10. Toro y Moi — Boo Boo

LUKE FURMAN is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University.

The perfect summer record, Boo Boo comes with a visual component that follows Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bundick as he drives his van into a West Coast sunset. Tracks such as “Girl Like You” and “Windows” could fit into the playlists of any late-night afterparty or mid-morning recovery and never lose their dance upon repeated plays.

Boo Boo is Bundick’s best effort yet and flows together with the ease of a Saturday afternoon.

9. Florist — If Blue Could Be Happiness

Florist’s second album finds singer Emily Sprague contemplating the more abstract aspects of life and death. Lyrics about mortality, acceptance, love and melancholy fit perfectly with instrumentals that move with beauty and mellowness. The album’s first single, “Understanding Light,” shines as a tender ballad about what we might remember after death. Later on, the title track provides one of the record’s most powerful moments with a beautifully orchestrated refrain, followed by an instrumental track that could easily be mistaken for The Antlers. If Blue Could Be Happiness sounds like no other record this year in the dreamlike atmosphere it summons and never loses hold.

8. Kendrick Lamar — DAMN.

With the quality and attention Kendrick Lamar puts into his albums, how one ranks them is not really important.

Although DAMN. is not my favorite of his releases, it is one that I’ve mulled over for months now. Intended to be played both forward and backward — time is a recurring concept on the album — DAMN. chronicles the descent of a rap star descending into a prideful moral downfall.

Lamar likes very much to step into the voice of another to show us the irony of characters like that. Some parts are blatantly autobiographical, such as the third verse on “LUST.”, but how much of Kendrick’s genuine opinions are present on “DNA.” or “HUMBLE.” we may never know.

To tell the story of a radio rap star, Lamar discovered that he must play the part to complete the feel. Perhaps that explains “Bad Blood.”

7. Japanese Breakfast ­— Soft Sounds from Another Planet

With infectious melodies and changing instruments, Soft Sounds from Another Planet by Michelle Zauner, a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast, shifts between levity and sadness. Behind bright hazy guitars and the occasional trumpet, she calls 4 / DEC. 7, 2017

for help on the title track and laments a fallout on the penultimate “This House.” The music on this record is joyously sad and cathartic, and it leads to a wide range of emotions — and some comic relief — on every immersive listen.

6. Thundercat — Drunk

Thundercat’s third studio album finds the artist contemplating many things over instrumentals bursting with jazz, funk and face-melting bass playing. Of the topics to which Stephen Bruner devotes the 51-minute run time include leaving a wallet at the club, imagining life as a cat, cutting back on social media and getting out of the friend zone. But the songwriting and playing are so top notch, he could sing about filing taxes and it would still be just as impressive. Thundercat also brings together a great list of features, including Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. All in all, Drunk creates a standalone experience that offers as many wondrous grooves as it does smiles and laughs.

5. The War on Drugs — A Deeper Understanding

The fourth album from the Philadelphia-based band The War on Drugs rocks the most of out of any album released this year all while keeping its cool. Band leader Adam Granduciel looks inward and searches for a deeper understanding of himself, like on “Pain." He delivers guitar solos as frequently as choruses with a Springsteen-esque heartland aesthetic. Monstrously big-sounding songs, such as “Knocked Down” and the centerpiece “Thinking of a Place,” elevate this effort to the latest entry in the canon of rock music. The album’s entire thematic message can be summarized by one line in the chorus of the latter song. Accompanied by sprite strumming, Granduciel confesses his current state: “I’m moving through the dark/Of a long, black night.”

4. LCD Soundsystem — American Dream

When I first heard this record’s lead single “Call the Police” performed on SNL, I knew I had to listen to American Dream as soon as possible. James Murphy continues to use his meta-lyrics and a dance-punk sound while taking on more mature topics like aging, the politically polarized climate and a cacophony of opinions. Some songs such as “Oh Baby” and “Other Voices” nod musically to the early ‘80s while the lyrical themes — and album cover — skew more toward the books of David Foster Wallace and sociologists.

With a title like American Dream, a dissection of this country’s culture is expected. And after six years of hiatus, Murphy finally clears his throat and makes his long-simmering observations known.

3. Fleet Foxes — Crack-Up

Crack-Up is a complete contemplation on post-election America and the current factions of citizens who call it home. Songs such as “I Should See Memphis” and “If You Need to, Keep Time on Me” fit perfectly with the current times and might cement it as a cultural artifact for future generations, much like the work Bob Dylan or Nirvana from past decades. And epics like “Third of May/Odaigahara” and “On Another Ocean (January/June)” bring an air of timelessness to the record. Not only is this the best Fleet Foxes release yet, but it also eclipses every other folk album of 2017 and has the potential to become a classic in 10 or 15 years.

2. Zola Jesus — Okovi

Okovi is an apt name for Zola Jesus’ most recent record. It means “shackles” in Slavic languages, and even the album’s cover seems to imply that a sludge of psychic weight has taken over. On Okovi, however, songwriter Nicole Hummel cleanses pain in the form of songs that resemble the possession of an onryo. Beating and flickering synths chop up Hummel’s clear singing on “Exhumed,” and with lyrics such as “We’d hate see you give into those cold, dark night inside your head” on “Siphon,” she paints the picture of overcoming an internal darkness. Many albums this year dealt with braving seemingly impossible circumstances, but Hummel delivers inventive sound production that elevates her voice and melancholy with more force than anyone else. Well, everyone except my pick for No. 1.

1. King Krule — The Ooz

The Ooz is an album that encompasses anger, loneliness, debauchery and nostalgia with just a glimmer of fun. In a stew of jazzy grooves, punk urgency and grief-stricken crooning, Archy Marshall follows up 2013’s 6 Feet Beneath the Moon with a more expansive and flowing record in his King Krule moniker. Like the jet plane on the album cover, the songs find Marshall sailing through life in both its quiet (“Lonely Blue”) and chaotic (“Dum Surfer”) moments. The album’s second song, called “The Locomotive,” is my favorite song of the year because of its slow build to a climax of Marshall shouting “Waiting for the train/In the dead of night I howl” to his ultimate resolution “We all have our evils/We’re told just to keep cool.” No album in 2017 matches the visceral highs and the emotional lows of all the gunk molded into The Ooz. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree with Luke's favorites from 2017? Let Luke know by tweeting him @LukeFurmanLog or emailing him at lf491413@ohio.edu.

QUITE CONTRARY

Snapchat and anxiety Snapchat used to be great back in the day, but then came stories, filters and Snapstreaks — and now it’s just a source of anxiety and stress

CHUCK GREENLEE is a junior studying communication studies at Ohio University.

S

napchat is one the world’s most popular social media apps, and I know no one wants to be this idiot, but here goes: Snapchat is ridiculous and stressful.

This is such a trivial opinion to many of you, but it’s something that is so bothersome to me that I feel the need to waste a few inches of ink on it.

The old days of “Snap” were great. I could send stupid photos of myself to my friends and know they would disappear after so many seconds as long as they didn’t have their hands in the screenshot position. I would snap my face with many chins to anyone and everyone. Then Snapchat added stories. That was cool at first, but then one of my Snapchat friends put a dozen snaps of a dog on it in one day, and I was then sick of stories. Then face filters, you know the rest. It’s all just too much. The new features are

great at first, but they lose their luster because people don’t value things for long periods of time — looking at you, millennials.

Then you have the nonsense of a “Snapstreak.”

Basically the most meaningless commitment that means all too much, it’s just a small number of how many days in a row you have snapped the other person. But for whatever reason, it’s incredibly important to maintain a streak no matter what. The anxiety induced by the hourglass emoji popping up next to someone’s name to indicate that you have an hour left to continue the streak is equal to the amount of anxiety created when your calculator dies halfway through the math portion of the ACT. As of writing this, I am on my longest streak of all time at an impressive 26 days. My younger sisters have had streaks for more than two

years. My sisters left for a cruise and had their friends sign into their Snapchat accounts to continue their streaks with all of their friends — I am hardly that committed to finishing a book. I guess I am getting old. Maybe I’m lame, or maybe I should finally get around to finishing a book. But one thing is for sure: I need to make sure this streak hits 27 days. Not because I want to but to avoid the anxiety of losing it.

Cheers to anxiety-induced commitment.

Chuck Greenlee is a junior studying communication studies at Ohio University.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to add Chuck on Snapchat and stress him out? Let Chuck know by tweeting him @chuck_greenlee.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

POLICE BLOTTER

Flowers stolen from sorority house; balloons set off alarm ELLEN WAGNER FOR THE POST

S

orority life got less pretty for Alpha Gamma Delta members on Saturday.

The Athens Police Department took a theft report at the Alpha Gamma Delta house on University Terrace.

Officers spoke to the house mother, who said flower planters were taken from the house. Officers took a report, but the case was closed pending any further leads.

The flower planters had a total value of $100, according to the report.

AGGRESSIVE GARDNER On Monday, APD took a report for a breaking and entering that allegedly hap-

pened Saturday on West Washington Street.

The owner reported $590 worth of property stolen, including a weed trimmer, a leaf blower, a reciprocating saw and two cans of gas and oil.

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

FLOAT ON Deputies responded to an activated commercial alarm in Trimble Township on Nov. 29.

Deputies patrolled the area. They found no forced entry or broken glass.

They determined that it was most likely loose helium balloons floating around the store that triggered the alarm. No further action was taken and

deputies returned to patrol.

HEY, HOP IN Deputies assisted Athens County EMS at Oak Ridge Village Apartments with a man who jumped from a second story window onto a car Friday.

The car did not seem to have any visible damage, but the man complained of severe pain, according to the report. He was transported by EMS for treatment.

KEEP IT DOWN On Nov. 30, deputies responded to a call about a neighbor dispute on Connett Road outside Nelsonville.

According to the report, the caller said that their neighbor was “demonstrating a

loud truck air horn to friends.”

Deputies spoke to the neighbors, who said they would stay inside for the evening and “cease any activity with their trucks.” No further action was needed, and deputies returned to patrol.

GET OFF MY LAWN, YOU ROTTEN KIDS A woman contacted the sheriff’s office and said a juvenile kept jumping the fence in her backyard in The Plains on Nov. 29.

She said she didn’t know who the juvenile was or where he lived. The office told her to call back if she was able to get identification or photos of the juvenile.

@EWAGNER19 EW047615@OHIO.EDU

NEWS BRIEFS

Bryan Hall residents create petition; OUPD gets new female officer KAITLYN MCGARVEY FOR THE POST

W

eek 15 marks the last week of classes, meaning finals week is closer than ever. Here is what’s going on: BRYAN HALL RESIDENTS CREATE PETITION TO ADDRESS AIR, WATER TEMPERATURES Housing and Residence Life responded to a petition from irritated Bryan Hall residents about the building’s overly warm air temperatures and lukewarm water temperatures.

Henry Pham, a sophomore in specialized studies, created the petition, which garnered 73 signatures from Bryan Hall residents.

Many windows in Bryan Hall do not open, Pham said. Also, when the air outside is below 40 degrees, residents are warned against using the air conditioners because the unit may freeze.

Along with the air temperature issues, Bryan Hall residents have had problems with the water temperatures.

After the petition’s delivery, Bryan Hall’s graduate resident director sent an email telling residents that the air and water temperature problem should have been fixed.

After the petition was delivered and the email was sent, the air and water temperatures in Bryan Hall have improved, Pham said.

6 / DEC. 7, 2017

MEET OUPD’S NEWEST FEMALE OFFICER Kelly Sabaiduc was sworn in to the Ohio University Police Department on Nov. 20, becoming the fourth female officer at OUPD. “My father was a police officer, and I always looked up to him,” Sabaiduc said.

“He was always watching Cops on TV or Forensic Files, and every time there was a female officer on one of the shows, he would call for me and my sister. … And even though he told us to be doctors, we ended up following in his footsteps.”

Sabaiduc said she first began her law enforcement journey at Cuyahoga Community College. She studied for two years to earn her associate’s degree in science.

Then she came to OU to study forensic chemistry and received a certificate in law enforcement.

Sabaiduc then went to the Athens County Sheriff’s Office Academy and worked for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. She later worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as a natural resource officer.

OUPD Lt. Tim Ryan said Sabaiduc brings relevant work experience from her previous jobs to OUPD and looks forward to seeing her accomplishments in the future.

Like all new OUPD officers, Sabaiduc has been assigned to the Field Training and Evaluation Program for approximately three months. In that role, she will learn the job as she rotates through various shifts and assignments.

Kelly Sabaiduc, Ohio University’s newest female police officer, poses for a portrait outside Scott Quad. (MEAGAN HALL / PHOTO EDITOR)

OU HAS CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR RIDGES, CLIPPINGER, C-SUITE OU is planning to renovate buildings 13, 14 and 18 of The Ridges to “make space habitable for administration that will relocate to the area,” Associate Vice President of Facilities Management and Safety Stephen Wood said.

Proposed renovations were estimated to cost $12.5 million in September and

may be complete by the end of 2019, according to a previous Post report.

The project is still in planning and has not been finalized, Associate Vice President for University Planning Shawna Bolin said.

@KTLYNMMCGRVY KM451814@OHIO.EDU

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THIS IS PROFESSOR GABLER.

Professor Gabler has the most worldly views and travels abroad with the Global Consulting Program.

Professor Gabler is smart.

Learn from business faculty like Professor Gabler.

BUSINESS MINORS

BUSINESS CERTIFICATES

Business Business Analytics Finance Marketing Sports Administration

Entrepreneurship Financial Planning International Business Sales Strategic Leadership Supply Chain Management

LEARN MORE AT BUSINESS.OHIO.EDU 8 / DEC. 7, 2017

Marketing professor thinks globally Colin Gabler has run alongside bulls, been to 36 countries and continues to take students around the world to places like Spain and Italy Colin Gabler poses for a portrait inside Schoonover Center. (HANNAH RUHOFF / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

JESSICA HILL FOR THE POST The first time Colin Gabler ever traveled, he booked a one-way ticket to Athens, Greece, after college. Nineteen countries and four months later, Gabler discovered how much passion he had for traveling.

“Once it hit, ‘boom, this is what I’ve been missing,’ ” Gabler said. “This is a whole other part of the world that I know nothing about.”

Since then, Gabler has run with bulls in Pamplona, Spain, and eaten harkarl, a dish in which fermented shark is buried and then hung to dry, in Iceland. He has traveled to 36 countries and 48 U.S. states.

Gabler, an assistant professor in the marketing department, teaches professional sales, sustainability and marketing, and the global consulting program preparation course. He is Anthony Bartolomucci’s favorite professor.

“He’s definitely taught me a lot of things that I can at least use in my future whenever I’m dealing with people that aren’t from the United States or don’t speak the same language,” Bartolomucci, a junior studying accounting and business pre-law, said.

As the director of the Global Consulting Program, a study abroad program that prepares students to communicate with international clients and takes them on a two-week trip to countries such as Spain and Italy, Gabler teaches students preparing to study abroad about the foreign culture and how to interact with clients from different countries.

When he was earning his doctorate at University of Alabama in 2013, Gabler accompanied two study abroad programs and

realized how much of a powerful experience it was for the students. Once he came to Ohio University, he learned about the Global Consulting Program and was immediately interested in teaching the course and leading students on trips abroad.

“I could have a really good impact because I was passionate about it, and so I thought it would really cool,” Gabler said.

“I thought I could infuse my passion into the students.”

Although his role, which started fall of 2016, in the Global Consulting Program may have sparked people to vote for him as someone with a worldly view, his passion for sustainability may also have a great impact on his global perspective. In his sustainability and marketing class, he examines topics at a global scale, such as income inequality and the effects of the western world’s materialism on developing countries. Gabler wants to explore

solving the global food crisis, in which enough food is being produced around the world, but millions of people are going hungry, he said.

“He really cares a lot about the planet and green solutions, and things of that nature. Also, he’s traveled a ton,” Max Reichert, one of Gabler’s students who is a senior studying marketing, said. “I would say it’s like his combination of just being really involved with environmental solutions, environmental problems and sustainability, and also (being) involved in the global consulting program.”

Gabler has invited students in the Global Consulting Program to his house where he and his wife cook dishes from the countries the group is planning on going to.

Nikki Mauder, a junior studying management and strategic leadership, said Gabler cooked botticelli pasta for the students in preparation for their trip to Ancona, Italy.

“It was a good way for us to engage with other peers that were going on the trip because we didn’t all know each other,” Mauder said. “That was really cool that he opened his house to us and that we had an Italian dinner night.”

Gabler stressed that when people can travel abroad and learn about another culture, they can also combat the “ugly American stereotype,” in which some Americans travel abroad simply to be there and not have any interest in learning about the country they are visiting.

“Traveling outside of your community, state (or) country exposes you to ideas, values and opinions that might not make you change your mind,” he said. “But they’ll show you that the world is a much different place.”

@JESS_HILLYEAH JH240314@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

Most obscure class is also OU’s best kept secret JACKIE OSBORNE FOR THE POST Time to learn outside the classroom — literally.

Among the well-hidden courses offered at Ohio University is REC 1000 — Wilderness Living Skills. Combining in-class curriculum and a weekend trip, Wilderness Living Skills is a one-credit hour, two-week class that immerses students in a learning, camping and backpacking experience.

The course is taught mainly by graduate students, including Keaton Welch, a graduate student studying recreation studies. Welch is responsible for teaching students about basic camping systems, such as how to find the best shelter, how to build a fire and how to plan food menus for a trip.

“I love teaching the basic camping skills because if you want to go into different pursuits, it sets a baseline for all those skills,” Welch said. “Even if you’re kayaking, you’re still going to have to camp somewhere, and you’re still going to have to know what kind of gear to wear.”

Welch focuses his curriculum on a “Ten Essential Systems” outline, inspired

by Outdoor Basics by Recreational Equipment, Inc., or REI. Those systems include fire, hydration (water), navigation, nutrition (food), emergency shelter, insulation, first-aid supplies and more.

But those systems are useless without instructors like Welch who explain how to find and use them.

“The most important part of all these systems is it’s good if you have it, but you need to know how to use it as well,” Welch said. “Having the newest, coolest fire starter from REI isn’t going to help you if you don’t know how to use it.”

The course is also offered during Spring Semester for students who wish to experience the expedition in January and is titled REC 1005 — Winter Wilderness Living Skills.

Rob Warner, a graduate student studying recreation studies, finds the winter course more fulfilling because the trails are less populated and there is occasionally snow, but he also struggles with finding students who aren’t intimidated by the course.

“I suppose the perceived challenge is if 10 / DEC. 7, 2017

ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH OLIVIERI

you don’t have good systems to manage your own safety,” Warner said. “I think people assume they will freeze to death. But once you teach people how to take care of themselves, they can live and not just survive.”

The in-class curriculum for the winter course differs significantly from the basic class, Warner said. Students are taught to evaluate the added risk factors that come with traveling in winter conditions, such as the need for additional, warm clothing and the heightened calorie requirement after exhausting energy.

Warner’s main goal is to get across the importance of preparing properly for an expedition.

“The idea of planning and how important that is to a successful expedition … I

find that to be the most important with backcountry travel,” Warner said.

Destiny Campbell, a senior studying outdoor recreation and education, accompanies graduate students like Welch and Warner on the trips as a teaching assistant.

While she joins them in teaching the importance of basic camping and backpacking techniques, she actually believes the most important skill is communication.

“We do teach those things, and they are really important, but if you’re not a recreation major ... (unless) you really wanted to go camping, those skills wouldn’t really apply to your everyday life,” Campbell said.

Whereas in some classes, students can avoid asking questions or participating, this REC course requires students to

speak up, Campbell said.

“We focus on why communication is important and how it affects us in our daily lives, especially in the backcountry where you don’t have resources,” Campbell said. “Their wants and their needs … have to be expressed.”

REC 1000 was named the most obscure class by the OU student population, a title that Welch agrees with.

“This is kind of like a ‘you either know about it or you don’t know about it’ kind of thing,” Welch said. “It’s usually the best kept secret.”

@JACKIEOU_OHYEAH JO019315@OHIO.EDU

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BEST Known for its daily “Brick Break” from 6-9 p.m. — during which well drinks, domestic beers and pints are $1 — Red Brick Tavern was chosen as Athens’ best happy hour by the readers of The Post

12 / DEC. 7, 2017

Sustainable Salaam The Mediterranean eatery, born out of a countertop convection oven, is known for its locally sourced produce and dairy ALEXIS EICHELBERGER STAFF WRITER

H

ilarie Burhans and her husband joke that they spent their whole lives trying not to have a restaurant.

Burhans grew up all over the world, cultivating a passion for food. As a child, she spent time in Pakistan and Ethiopia. When she lived in New Mexico, she worked in small restaurants and as a private chef in Washington, D.C. She even spent several years teaching culinary arts at Hocking College.

When her son opened a hookah cafe in Athens, she made the 11-by-15 foot kitchen her own, cooking lunches of hummus and baba ganoush on a countertop convection oven. But when the statewide ban against smoking in indoor places passed in 2006, Burhans had to make a business decision: food or tobacco.

Food was the easy choice. So about 10 years ago, Burhans moved her operation to a bigger and better location at 21 W. Washington St. and opened Restaurant Salaam. The eatery serves

The windows of Salaam reflect the evening sun on Dec. 1. (HANNAH RUHOFF / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

“Mediterranean dishes with a global twist” and prioritizes sustainability in as many business practices as possible, making it this year’s Post Pick as Athens’ most sustainable business.

“I make a million small decisions, and I try to make them in a sustainable direction,” Burhans said.

Burhans has kept sustainability in mind since the beginning stages of running her restaurant. As Salaam has increased its business, it has implemented more sustainable practices. That included replacing plastic foam to-go containers with recyclable foil and swapping soup and coffee cups for compostable alternatives. Most recently, Salaam replaced every light bulb in its well-lit, thoughtfully decorated establishment with LED bulbs.

“All of those things cost a little more, but I think they’re important,” Burhans said.

Salaam works hard to put sustainable dishes on customers’ plates, too. Burhans said the restaurant purchases much of its produce from local grower Green Edge Gardens, the Athens Farmers Market and the Chesterhill Produce Auction during the growing season. Its dairy products come from Snowville Creamery, and eggs

are locally sourced as well. Burhans herself carefully tracks the quality of seafood she purchases on a mobile app, ensuring it follows the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s guide for sustainable seafood.

“You don’t even have a choice to know as a consumer where that fish is coming from,” Burhans said. “But someone who’s purchasing wholesale, I can make my fish buyers tell me. I can find out.”

Burhans said Salaam’s next step toward sustainability is to begin a composting program. Logistically, composting can be difficult in a busy kitchen where fruit flies are attracted to food scraps, but Burhans hopes to work out the kinks and begin composting soon.

“It’s crazy not to,” she said.

Burhans praised other Athens businesses, particularly Casa Nueva, for their continued efforts to operate in sustainable ways. In some ways, she said, there are other businesses doing an even better job at working toward sustainability than Salaam.

But she doesn’t think sustainability should be a contest among small businesses. Restaurants should work together to be more environmentally friendly in any way they can, whether it be through

recycling or using locally sourced food.

“Restaurants, especially in this town, we have to kind of stick together,” Burhans said. “We help each other and that certainly includes any information sharing that we can do.”

Zoe Graham, a server at Salaam, has worked at the restaurant for more than three years and appreciates its use of local food in the many delectable dishes it serves.

“It’s a really delicious home-cooked meal that you know where the ingredients are from,” she said.

Although there is always more to be done, Graham said Salaam’s implementation of sustainable practices on an everyday level is not only important, but a good example of how individuals can act and eat sustainably in their own lives.

“We’re all part of this community,” she said. “We’re all trying to live long and to show too that if a business can do it, you can do it.”

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

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.

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14 / DEC. 7, 2017

Paul Mass, the director for the Center for Entrepreneurship, poses for a portrait in his office in Copeland Hall. (MATT STARKEY / PHOTO EDITOR)

Leading with action

Paul Mass may have limited teaching experience, but he has an abundance of experience in his field ASHTON NICHOLS / FOR THE POST Paul Mass is not the usual professor. He does not have a doctoral degree, nor does he have much experience teaching. He is, however, a lawyer and an entrepreneur.

Mass, director of Ohio University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and “Entre-

preneur-in-Residence” of OU’s College of Business, teaches Introduction to Entrepreneurship, which is part of the entrepreneurship certificate program and the entrepreneurial consulting class. Mass, who was chosen for being the coolest program director, first got his start in entrepreneurship after being a practicing lawyer for 11 years.

“I went to Duke University undergrad and Emory University law school,” Mass said. “I then started my first company, which was a cable television company.

We diversified into radio and data and was fortunate enough to pretty successful in those businesses, which I sold by the year 2000.”

He came to OU in August 2016 from San Diego, where he ran two companies: GovX and ClosingCorp.

“I spent the last 10 years in San Diego building GovX, which is an online retail website that services the military and policemen and firemen,” Mass said. “It’s like Amazon — a wide range of goods at a big discount. And then another database company called Closing Corp, which serves in the real estate industry.”

Last year, Mass and Paul Benedict, associate director for the Center for Entrepreneurship, shared an office. Both are named Paul, left-handed, teach entrepreneurship in the College of Business, and have invested in and operated startup companies.

Benedict said in the year and a half they have worked together, Mass has brought his experience to both students and Benedict.

“He’s got a lot of good stories of things that were successful and lessons that were learned along the way from losses,” Benedict said. “All of that stuff is really cool.”

Mass said he came to OU to help build the Center for Entrepreneurship, which he said is a resource for the entire university.

“We try to help students who aspire of starting their own business and working for themselves,” he said. “It’s fun for me because it’s what I do. It’s what I’ve spent the last 30 years doing. I’m hoping to build the center so that all students here at OU that might think about doing something on their own or for themselves will have a support system.”

Kurt Kissinger, a junior studying marketing and management information systems,

said he believes Mass is the coolest college director because of his personality and his thorough experience in entrepreneurship.

“He comes to work every day with a bright personality, and it shines through in the job that he does and the way that he treats everyone,” Kissinger said in an email. “Paul has helped me learn not only about what it means to be a great entrepreneur, but how to be the most well rounded business professional.”

Mass often shares his experiences with his students and gives them insight on traits and the kind of people he would hire, which greatly helps students, Kissinger said.

“Paul has not directly helped me with my college path, but indirectly, he has shared with me his experience … this insight has helped me in interviews and has also helped me position myself more effectively to employers,” Kissinger said in an email. “Once again, this is not something that can be taught in a classroom but it (is) priceless to know.”

@ASHTONNICHOLS_ AN614816@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

Frazier Nyasulu and his colorful coat are always in the lab ANASTASIA NICHOLAS

/ STAFF WRITER

With his vibrant demeanor and a tie-dye lab coat to match, it’s difficult to miss Frazier Nyasulu in Clippinger Laboratories.

Voted most frequently seen in the laboratory by Post readers, Associate Professor Nyasulu teaches entry-level chemistry and biochemistry labs. This fall, he instructs nearly 1700 students, he said.

“All these students will see my pretty face at least once or twice a week,” Nyasulu said.

Nyasulu said his signature lab coat alerts students to his presence.

“My lab coat does a few things — tells students the monster is here,” he laughs. “I think that’s why students notice me. ‘Frazier is in the house!’ ” The lab coat is a topic of frequent discussion among students, who often ask where it is from, Nyasulu said. It was a gift from the stockroom worker at the laboratory.

“I’d like to get credit for it some other way, but that’s the way I got it,” Nyasulu said. “I probably said, ‘I like that.’ If I say I like it, that’s my way of saying, ‘Can I have it?’ ” Courtnee Ambos, a junior studying biology, said she often sees — or hears — Nyasulu around the lab.

“Every time, we can hear his laugh from down the hallway,” Ambos said. “I’d say I see him about three times a week.”

Haylie Kinman, a freshman studying biological science, said she loves his lab coat. She agreed that he was the most likely to be seen in the lab, and she said she sees him once a week because he would come into every lab.

“He’s very friendly, very nice, very easy to talk to, and he’s just got a fun personality,” Nyasulu received his doctorate in analytical chemistry at University of Salford in Manchester, England.

During the about 11 years he has worked at OU, Nyasulu said there have been no accidents in his lab, other than minor ones, such as a student touching something hot.

He said his technique for preventing accidents is to design labs so that students are dealing with materials that won’t harm them.

“Students care about their safety,” Nyasulu said. “We take care of them, and they take care of themselves.”

Katlyn Meeks, a sophomore studying biological studies, said Nyasulu is very knowledgeable 16 / DEC. 7, 2017

I love my job, I love what I’m doing and I love my students.

I have the best job ever.”

-Frazier Nyasulu associate professor of chemistry

and safety-oriented. She sees him in the lab at least once a week.

“He’s a very nice person, so he’s very approachable,” she said.

Nyasulu said his students always remember him, but he can’t pinpoint the reason why.

“Maybe because of my laugh,” he said. “I love my job, I love what I’m doing and I love my students. I have the best job ever.”

—Kevin Pan contributed to this report.

@STASIA_NICHOLAS AN631715@OHIO.EDU

Frazier Nyasulu poses for a portrait in Clippinger Laboratories.

(HANNAH RUHOFF / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

From left to right, Rachel Cooper, Mollie Fitzgerald, Megan Norris, Adrienne Fratczak, Dylan Bean and Bri Bretzfelder, staff members for Live Healthy Appalachia, pose for a portrait outside of the organization’s headquarters.

(EMILEE CHINN / FOR THE POST)

Live Healthy Appalachia works to teach Southeastern Ohioans to live healthier lives

ELLEN WAGNER FOR THE POST

Live Healthy Appalachia works with its partners and volunteers to teach people of the Appalachian region how to live a healthier life.

The organization offers a variety of classes and programs to teach about a healthy and active lifestyle.

“We support healthy eating and active living,” Mollie Fitzgerald, executive director of Live Healthy Appalachia, said.

Live Healthy Appalachia started in 2010. It has a small staff but has learned how to use its resources to expand to areas throughout southeast Ohio.

Aimee Townshend, a wellness coordinator, said Live Healthy Appalachia has learned how to use

university benefits and the community to reach out to people who would not normally have access to these types of programs.

“Live Healthy (Appalachia) is so small, and they are able to reach much farther than you would think,” Townshend said.

There are various programs offered for adults and children throughout Southeastern Ohio. Fitzgerald said programs are available to anyone regardless of their skills and physical and mental abilities.

One of the cornerstone programs is called Live Healthy Kids. It is available to all second-grade students in Athens County and some second-grade classrooms in Washington County, Fitzgerald said.

Healthy Kids was based off the food elementary pro-

gram, a national program that teaches students about healthy living. Students are introduced to healthy foods and also taught how to cook with them.

Fitzgerald said the goal is to familiarize students with different healthy foods and take the information they learn to their families.

One of the main programs for adults is the complete health improvement class. That class is a nineweek intensive program that teaches adults how to cook healthy foods with low oils, salts, meat and dairy.

Each member of the program gets a biometrics screening before, during and after the program. The goal is to see improvements in the tests, such as lower cholesterol levels or a lessened need for medications.

Live Healthy Appala-

The people who take part in programs with Live Healthy Appalachia show a greater amount of confidence in using cooking skills.”

- Aimee Townshend, wellness coordinator, Live Health Appalachia chia relies on grant funding, contributions, sponsorships and fundraising to fund its programs. Live Healthy Appalachia partners with organizations including Hopewell Health, COMCorps AmeriCorps

Program, Ohio University and Athens City Schools.

People who work for Live Healthy Appalachia said they have gotten involved in the program because of its community outreach.

Emily Chapman, a senior in the dietetics program, has interned with Live Healthy Appalachia since September.

“I’ve always enjoyed community outreach, so the opportunity to do this with food really struck my interest,” Chapman said in a email.

As an intern, Chapman works with some of Live Healthy Appalachia’s partnerships and assists with some of the organization’s classes.

Townshend interned for Live Healthy Appalachia in 2015 and is now a wellness coordinator for Hopewell

Health. She works in Athens to help include tobacco cessation, nutrition, physical activity and chronic disease management in the programs offered.

Townshend said she has seen positive outcomes from the programs offered. She has seen participants work together in class to learn skills.

Participants also told her that they go home and use the recipes and skills they learned in class to make healthy meals.

“The people who take part in programs with Live Healthy Appalachia show a greater amount of confidence in using cooking skills,” Townshend said.

@EWAGNER19 EW047615@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

Most fashionable student finds her inspiration through blogs, reality TV AJ BAUMANN FOR THE POST Geena Provenzano describes her style as “extra.”

“I feel like I’m very monochromatic, but I like having a statement piece with that,” Provenzano, a freshman studying journalism, said.

Provenzano was voted by her peers for being the most fashionable Ohio University student, and it’s quite easy to see why.

“I think the best way to put it is that she makes everyone look average,” Annie Kautz, a freshman studying photography, said.

Provenzano, who is from the Pittsburgh area, has been interested in fashion since she was a toddler and could be found going through her mother’s closet putting together outfits.

Provenzano now puts her fashion insight on a blog called Psychonic Style. She writes about trends she’s interested in, current fashion news and shows off looks of her own.

“I do lookbooks of what I wear and how I pair certain things, and then I’ll do trends I’m currently obsessed with and where to buy certain things that are trendy now,” Provenzano said.

She also created a Christmas list on her blog, as well as anniversary picks for Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale.

“I work at Nordstrom, so I shop there a lot because (of the) discounts, and I like how they have a little bit of everything,” Provenzano said. “I shop at Free People a lot because I like all of their bohemian sort of different things, and Urban Outfitters, too, for the same reason.”

Provenzano finds inspiration from other people’s blogs, as well as social media sites such as Instagram. Her favorite places to find 18 / DEC. 7, 2017

I do lookbooks of what I wear and how I pair certain things, and then I’ll do trends I’m currently obsessed with and where to buy certain things that are trendy now.”

- Geena Provenzano new looks are reality television shows like Project Runway.

“I’m in a group in Pittsburgh that’s a blogger group, so I look at (their blogs) a lot,” Provenzano said. “I think Instagram is big because of the pictures. You can see the outfits easily.”

One of Provenzano’s biggest inspirations is Rachel Zoe — a fashion designer, writer and businesswoman. She is a role model to Provenzano because she was one of the first people she saw with a similar job that she wants in the industry.

Provenzano is reluctant to say she finds inspiration in the stylings of the Kardashian family, but she said her closet is stocked with some similar items.

“I don’t want to say the Kardashians because they’re not who I would think to be style inspiration,” Provenzano said. “But some of the clothes they wear I do see myself wearing, so I guess I take outfit inspiration from them.”

Alessia Accordino, a freshman studying exercise physiology, admires the fact Provenzano is not afraid to stand out and be the most fashionable person in the room.

“She just wants to look her best all the time and puts her best foot forward,” Accordino said.

Provenzano’s dream job is to combine her passion for fashion and journalism experience to become the editor of Vogue, one of the most well-known fashion magazines in the world.

“I feel like (fashion is) its own artform in a way,” Provenzano

said. “I think it’s one of the best ways to express individuality.”

@AJ_BAUMANN AB387316@OHIO.EDU

Geena Provenzano poses for a portrait in Seigfred Hall. (MEAGAN HALL / PHOTO EDITOR)

DJ Bobby Booshay voted most musical person on campus JULIA EVERTSY FOR THE POST At the 2017 Halloween Block Party, DJ Bobby Booshay held the “prime time” spot at 10 p.m.

A junior studying music production, Bobby “Bobby Booshay” Fleck is a co-owner of Brick Life Entertainment.

Hailing from the “underdog” city of Cleveland, Fleck said a lot has been changing in the past few years in terms of the city’s reputation. No longer is it referred to as the “Mistake on the Lake.”

“You just really have to work for what you want. Especially in the local scene, there’s a lot of egos,” Fleck said. “I came from nowhere, and now I’m slowly starting to build myself up. … It’s worked as a motivator.”

Brick Life Entertainment was founded with the help of Fleck’s best friend, Scott Kutil. Both thought the party scene of Athens was not doing “all that they could” and decided to make names for themselves. Before starting Brick Life, Fleck and Kutil met their freshman year in a media learning community.

“We really hit it off because of our shared love for music,” Kutil said in an email. “I stick to more of the business side of it while he is mainly on the creative side, but his ambitions make me focused on the beauty of the artist and the music.”

Both Fleck and Kutil live in Cleveland and work for Rock The House Entertainment, where they DJ and work on the technical side of live production.

Bobby ‘Bobby Booshay’ Fleck DJs at The Pigskin Bar and Grille on Nov. 16.

(KEVIN PAN / SLOT EDITOR)

“Bobby is not only an exceptional human being, but he is also my best friend,” Kutil said in an email. “He treats people with the same love that he puts into his craft.”

When he’s not DJing, Fleck is a music producer and aspiring recording engineer. During the first part of his career, he was involved in the electronic dance music, or EDM, scene while producing on the side, which became challenging.

“To build up what I had in Cleveland … I started out in the EDM scene. I was doing that and trying to produce at the same time,” Fleck said. “As far as producing, it was kind

He is definitely someone to keep your eye on.

He has a lot of ambition that is hidden, and his potential is about to explode.”

- Scott Kutil

of working, kind of not. I found it more challenging than I thought.”

Fleck’s first big achievement coming to Athens was performing at a party at Palmer Place Apartments his freshman year. The event planners called Brick Life the day before the party to have them perform, and a “good amount of people” showed up.

“People left their house parties because they heard about it,” Fleck said. “We had heard that the bars were like, ‘Where is everybody?’ ” This year, Fleck got to perform at the Athens Halloween Block Party for the first time. Before attending OU, Fleck said he was

not aware of the atmosphere around Halloween, and he had avoided Court Street before this year.

“I got to DJ at 10 o’clock, which was the prime time,” Fleck said. “It was insane. Everything went how it should have went; nothing went wrong.”

Fleck said his next goal is to perform at Number Fest, which is known as the nation’s largest college music festival, according to its website. To achieve that goal, Fleck has been working to set himself apart from other DJs in Athens.

“I recently upgraded my equipment after a couple of years. I have gotten turntables, and I’m trying to learn

more of that technique,” Fleck said. “There’s not many (DJs who use turntables in Athens). There’s like two or three others.”

Fleck said he provides more of a “quality experience” because he knows what people want to hear — and what they don’t want to hear. Although DJing is not his main career goal, it plays a significant part of it.

“He is definitely someone to keep your eye on,” Kutil said. “He has a lot of ambition that is hidden, and his potential is about to explode.”

@JUIAPHANT JE827416@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

Men’s basketball forward Sam Frayer named the Bobcats’ most recognizable athlete JORDAN HORROBIN Ohio forward Sam Frayer wasn’t even the most recognizable athlete on his high school basketball team.

That role belonged to Andrew Benintendi, the all-time leading scorer at Cincinnati’s Madeira High School, who now happens to be the starting left fielder for the Boston Red Sox. But based on The Post’s online vote for its annual Post Picks, Frayer was named Ohio’s most recognizable athlete.

When teammate Doug Taylor found out, he laughed.

Frayer, a senior walk-on, has played all of 39 minutes in his college career.

“He’s a good leader,” Taylor said. “Him being recognizable is a surprise, but as outgoing as he is, it’s not that big of a surprise.”

Frayer, who’s known as a guy who likes to joke around and keep the mood light, offered a more succinct expla-

/ STAFF WRITER

nation for his award.

“I’m kind of tall,” he said, referencing his 6-foot-8 frame.

“I’m (studying) communications, so there are a lot of people in my classes … I’m not like the typical athlete who doesn’t take school seriously and goes to class and sits there. I’ll engage in class, and I think that probably helps a little bit.”

At The Convo, fans may not recognize Frayer for his athletic stardom — after all, he’s scored just seven points in three-plus years — but it’s worth a look to watch him celebrate when Ohio scores a critical basket.

Frayer is annoyed by choreographed group celebrations, such as the ones that brought viral fame to Monmouth’s bench in 2015. Instead, he lets out his excitement in the moment. Once last season, an ESPN camera caught him

Then-junior Ohio forward Sam Frayer reacts after a 3-pointer during the Bobcats’ game against Toledo in the quarterfinals of the 2017 MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. (CARL FONTICELLA / FILE)

swinging his arm wildly to signify an air guitar.

“The hardest part of being a walk-on is warming up for an hour, getting ready and then like, ‘Yeah, I’m just gonna sit for the next two hours,’ ” he said. “So you’ve

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got to make it fun and be able to be engaged and never get down on yourself.”

Staying engaged is a big part of what Frayer does for the Bobcats. During early morning lifts, he claps his hands and yells “let’s go” to pump up his teammates.

His energy oozes into practice every day, as he matches — or exceeds — the intensity of the teammates he matches up against.

When Frayer plays hard, he pushes other players to be better.

“Guarding Sam in practice is almost like guarding your little brother when your dad is looking at you,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to be on your toes, because if (Sam) does something, you’re in trouble.”

Frayer is one of just

Guarding Sam in practice is almost like guarding your little brother when your dad is looking at you.

You’ve got to be on your toes, because if (Sam) does something, you’re in trouble.

- Doug Taylor, teammate

two players who’s been a Bobcat since the beginning of coach Saul Phillips’ time in Athens. What makes Frayer such a good fit at Ohio is that his gregarious personality mirrors that of Phillips, who said Frayer is “impossible to ignore” given how outspoken he is.

Being named Ohio’s most recognizable athlete just gives Frayer another thing to talk about.

“Does he know he’s been voted most recognizable?” Phillips asked. The answer, of course, was yes.

“Oh, boy. That’s going to be an issue.”

@JORDANHORROBIN JH950614@OHIO.EDU

The dinosaur who roams Bird Arena MATT PARKER / FOR THE POST

E

very team in every sport has its own oddities. Oakland Raiders fans dress up in the most outlandish outfits, wearing nothing but black and silver, and celebratory cannons are shot off whenever the Columbus Blue Jackets score a goal.

But you would be hard-pressed to find a tradition as prehistoric as the one budding within Bird Arena.

The Tyrannosaurus rex has been extinct for well over 65 million years — that was the general consensus until one surfaced, very alive, at Bird Arena in late October.

While it has won the hearts of Bobcat faithful, the mysterious — almost mythical — creature roams throughout the old arena in search of its next victim. Its prey?

The opposing team and its supporters.

Mainly used in attempt to get in the head of visiting teams at Bird, “Rex” has been seen standing next to the away team’s bench, staring menacingly in hopes of getting one of the skaters to crack.

Ohio goalie Jimmy Thomas has been one of the many Bird Arena dwellers to notice the carnivorous monster lurking about.

“It’s awesome knowing that we have fans that support us that much,” Thomas said. “It’s cool, as a team, knowing that your fans go out of their way to do things that make the atmosphere more fun.”

Fun has most often equated to wins.

Since Rex first appeared at Bird Arena when Ohio played Stony Brook on Oct. 2021, the Bobcats are 9-2-1, including wins over nationally acclaimed teams such as Lindenwood and Robert Morris-Illinois.

Other players are more outspoken about Rex, including junior forward Matt Rudin.

“I love it,” Rudin said. “I think dinosaurs were a pretty cool species.”

Rudin — whose favorite dinosaur is the fictional Indominus rex from the 2015 film Jurassic World — used to study marine biology but has since switched to environmental geography, and claims to “know

John Healey gets surprised by “Rex” — also known as high school junior Rawlin Barber in a Tyrannosaurus rex costume — during Ohio’s game against Lindenwood on Nov. 17. (EMILEE CHINN / FILE)

his dinosaurs.”

Despite all the fame, pictures and going-ons that occur for Rex, it’s who’s under the suit that makes Rex shine.

Virtually every single T. rex to have ever lived hatched from an egg, yet Rex takes the form of an inflatable suit donned by Belpre High School junior Rawlin Barber, who was chosen as the most spirited Bobcats fan.

Barber, the son of Michael and Wendy Barber, is one of the many kids to have grown up in Bird Arena watching Ohio play. Mainly, that’s due to the Barber family being “Blue Line Boosters” for the team.

Rex has been a year in the making; Michael was originally supposed to be the prehistoric creature.

“It started out last Halloween; (Michael) was supposed to wear his hockey jersey over it,” Rawlin said. “But the arms (of the costume) go straight out, so he couldn’t wear it.”

While the costume was collecting dust in the family’s basement, the idea came about last season, but the execution happened this year; from a dinosaur’s per-

Sometimes, people are just there to watch. When Rex comes over, people start laughing and want to get more involved with the game.”

- Rawlin Barber, the high school junior behind “Rex,” Ohio hockey’s favorite dinosaur spective, it’s opened up a whole new world.

Rawlin, who described himself as a quiet person who does his own thing, takes on a new life behind the teeth of a rubber dinosaur that’s allowed him to be more comfortable in his skin. “(When I’m in the suit), I just jump around a lot and dancing to whatever (public address announcer Jake (Jakuszeit) plays,” Rawlin said. “It’s completely different.”

Rex has received mixed reviews from visiting teams — getting water squirted at

him and being shown the middle finger is just another day at the office.

Both father and son have seen the power of influence that Rex has over the crowd at Bird Arena as well as his ability to put life back into the stands.

“Sometimes, people are just there to watch,” Rawlin said. “When Rex comes over, people start laughing and want to get more involved with the game.”

The relationship between a team and its fans is give and take. But whether Ohio wins or loses, the Barbers are there for their Bobcats.

“At the end of it, we’re die hard Ohio hockey fans,” Michael said. “We’d never do something that takes away from the players.”

To coach Sean Hogan, Rex is a part of the Ohio family.

“My favorite dinosaur?” Hogan said.

“Our dinosaur, Rex.”

@MPARKER_5 MP109115@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

deck the green Holidays in Athens HALEY RICHARDS FOR THE POST

A couple walks down Court Street in front of a holiday display, which consists of Santa’s Workshop and a Christmas tree.

(MEAGAN HALL / PHOTO EDITOR)

T

he holiday season is an intersection of celebrations from many different cultures. Ohio University students from all walks of life celebrate with gifts, gatherings and feasts.

HANUKKAH Although Christmas may fall during winter break, Hanukkah will begin Tuesday of finals week this year. That means that many students will be celebrating with friends before family.

There will be some campus events for Jewish students to celebrate the beginning of the holiday, and the City of Athens offers some events for students spending break in town.

“I’m super excited for this year because it’ll be fun to be around my friends,” Lilli Sher, the president of Hillel who is a sophomore studying journalism, said.

Sher is a former Post reporter.

Hanukkah isn’t a major Jewish holiday, but many people celebrate because of its proximity to Christmas. Hillel and Chabad are the two Jewish organizations on campus, and Chabad is hosting a Menorah lighting outside of Alden during finals week on Dec. 12.

“The Jewish community here is really nice,” Sher said. “There’s something for everyone.”

UPTOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS Athens also hosts a plethora of activities to celebrate Christmas, like movie showings at the Athena Cinema, rides in horse-drawn carriages and visits with Santa Claus.

“We love being here,” Paige Atlost, the executive director of the Athens County Visitor’s Bureau, said. “I think the lighting Uptown is really nice.”

Athens residents have many activities 22 / DEC. 7, 2017

to choose from during the holidays, but many decide to spend their time with friends and family or attending church services, Atlost said.

Residents of Athens can also make trips to Nelsonville to see other displays of Christmas lights, in addition to the displays around Uptown. The annual tree lighting celebration took place Nov. 30, accompanied by the arrival of Santa.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS Throughout break, Athens continues to host regular events, such as the weekly Athens Farmers Market and live music performances. OU is closed on holidays but continues to host sporting events and

student showcases among other events throughout most of winter break.

Many international students spend their break in Athens, celebrating the season with music, food and drink. Samba Bah, the president of the African Student Union who is a graduate student studying international development, said many of the students who stay in town often spend time together, because there’s not much to do during the break.

One of the celebrations was Yalda Night, an Iranian holiday celebrated on the winter solstice that falls on Dec. 14 this year. The holiday was celebrated earlier in the season to allow more students to attend celebrations.

Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration of African-American heritage that lasts from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The Black Student Cultural Programming Board hosted an outreach program before break that taught elementary students in Athens about the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It is also one of several organizations hosting a Multicultural Mixer to celebrate the season on Dec. 8.

Whether students choose to celebrate one of the major holidays this break or just the holiday season in general, Athens is sure to be a joyful place this December.

@HRICHARDS1000 HR899116@OHIO.EDU

WHAT’S GOING ON? MAE YEN YAP CULTURE EDITOR Friday Yoga Shabbat at 6 p.m. at Hillel at

Ohio University, 21 Mill St. Take a break from studying to de-stress by joining a yoga class led by Hillel’s vice president, Jenna Reis. No prior experience is required, and refreshments will be provided after the session. Admission is free.

A Merry Maeve Kroeger Kringle’s Kristmas Finale at 8 p.m. in the

Radio-Television Building, Studio C. Fridays Live will kick off finals week with its semester finale performance, which will be hosted by Maeve Kroeger. Admission is free.

Saturday Athens Art Guild Holiday Shoppe at

10 a.m. at the Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St. Members of the Athens Art Guild will sell handmade gifts for the Christmas season ranging from woodwork to desserts as part of the annual holiday shoppe. The event will also take place Sunday at 11 a.m. Admission is free.

Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides at 11 a.m.

on Court and Washington streets.

Join Athens’ Uptown for the Holidays event and experience riding a horse-drawn wagon around Uptown. Rides will also be available at 6 p.m. on Dec. 14 and 11 a.m. on Dec. 16. Admission is free.

Front and Center Classically Christmas at 12 p.m. at ARTS/West, 132

W. State St. Enjoy a musical performance and children’s open stage

Chris Besiter, left, and Nate Brite perform at Casa Nueva on April 20, 2016. Open Doors Dance Night will take place at the cantina Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. (HANNAH SCHROEDER / FILE)

featuring classical Christmas music. Admission is free.

Home Alone at 1 and 3 p.m. at The

Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. As part of its Holiday Film Series, the Athena will screen the classic Christmas film starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, a young boy who is left home alone after his family accidentally leaves him behind while on vacation. Admission is a minimum donation of one canned or nonperishable food item per person. Cash donations are also accepted.

Three Year Anniversary “Fancy Dress” Party at 6 p.m. at Athens

Uncorked, 14 Station St. Athens Uncorked invites everyone to dress up and celebrate its three-year anniversary. Live jazz music, drink specials and a raffle will be offered throughout the night, and attendees who dress up in costumes will receive a 15 percent discount off their bill. Admission is free.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at 7 and 9 p.m. at The

Athena Cinema, 20 S. Court St. Leave the kids at home and en-

joy watching the Griswolds deal with their in-laws as part of the Athena’s Holiday Film Series. Admission is a minimum donation of one canned or nonperishable food item per person; cash donations are also accepted.

buffet while their children take photos with Santa Claus. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made by calling 740593-6661. Admission is $17.95 for adults and $9.95 for children ages 12 and below.

Open Doors Dance Night at 10:30

The Local Girls Annual Benefit Concert at 2 p.m. at Southeast Ohio

p.m. at Casa Nueva, 6 W. State St. Dance the night away before finals with DJ VampyKitty at the final LGBTQ+ Dance of the year. Admission is $3 for ages 21 and above and $5 for ages 18 to 20.

Play On! at 8 p.m. in Baker Theater.

The Lost Flamingo Company will perform a story of a theater group that tries to put on a show despite having an writer who keeps revising the script. The play will also be performed Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is $5.

Sunday

History Center, 24 W. State St. Enjoy a night of music with Southeast Ohio History Center’s annual concert featuring Athens-based trio The Local Girls and special guest Sarah Hart. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and below.

Men’s Basketball vs. Western Kentucky at 2 p.m. in The Convo. Support

the Bobcats as they take on Western Kentucky. Tickets can be purchased through the Ohio Athletics page.

Admission is $15, and students get in free with an OU student ID.

Breakfast with Santa at 9 a.m. at

the Ohio University Inn, 331 Richland Ave. Families are invited to enjoy beverages and a breakfast

@SUMMERINMAE MY389715@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

Walk-Ins Welcome!

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24 / DEC. 7, 2017

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