September 22, 2016

THE

POST

MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FACE CHALLENGES P12

BOBCAT CARRIES FAMILY’S FOOTBALL DYNASTY P14

SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Going vegan has changed more than just what’s on some OU students’ plates / P20

STUDENTS REGISTER TO VOTE WHERE IT COUNTS P10

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emma Ockerman MANAGING EDITOR Elizabeth Backo DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Seth Archer ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Hayley Harding

EDITORIAL

NEWS EDITORS Kaitlin Coward, William T. Perkins SPORTS EDITOR Charlie Hatch CULTURE EDITORS Alex Darus, Sean Wolfe OPINION EDITOR Kaitlyn McGarvey COPY CHIEF Rachel Danner

ART

ART DIRECTOR Abby Day DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Alex Driehaus GRAPHICS DIRECTOR Chance Brinkman-Sull SPECIAL PROJECTS DESIGNER Matt Ryan

DIGITAL

DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Hannah Debenham SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Hannah Wintucky BLOGS EDITOR Jeremy Hill DIRECTOR OF MULTIMEDIA Patrick Connolly BUSINESS MANAGER Matthew Barnett

Send us your letters

THE

POST

ISSUE 5, VOLUME 107 1 PARK PLACE, ROOM 325 EDITOR@THEPOSTATHENS.COM PHONE | 740.593.4010 FAX | 740.593.0561

ONLINE

Do you ever find something in The Post thoughtprovoking, questionable or even infuriating? Let us know!

We are always interested in hearing about the way our readers respond to our content every day.

POST BLOGS thepostathens.com/blogs

IN PERSON Baker Center, Room 325

FACEBOOK thepostathens

ONLINE thepostathens.com/letters

TWITTER @ThePost

BY EMAIL letters@thepostathens.com

Front Desk Hours

Your opinion is welcome. Letters should be fewer than 500 words.

Longer submissions will be considered as guest commentaries, but space is limited. All letters must be signed by at least one individual; anonymous letters will not be accepted. The Post does not accept letters soliciting donations or news releases. Please include your year and major if you are a student. Letters can be submitted online at www.thepostathens.com, by email at editor@ thepostathens.com or at The Post’s front desk in the media wing on the third floor of Baker University Center. We reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, vulgarity and Associated Press Style.

Cost: 10 words: $3 students, $3.75 businesses, $.10 each additional word. Free lost and found daily, space permitting

The Post is an independent newspaper run by Ohio University students. We distribute the paper free of charge in Athens, Ohio, when classes are in session. Editorial page material represents the opinions of the editors, columnists and letter writers. Opinions expressed are independent of Ohio University and our printer

9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

Closed Saturday and Sunday.

1 Park Place Baker University Center, Room 325 Athens, OH 45701 (740) 593-4010

Advertising Policies The Post will not print advertisements that violate local, state or federal laws.

All advertisements must display good taste. The Post reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. If questions arise, the editor will make the final decision.

The Post will not run real estate or employment advertisements that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, sexual orientation or national origin. All advertisements are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act. Phone numbers will not be printed in the Personals

section.

If errors are found in a classified ad, please notify The Post by 4 p.m. the day the ad runs. Though The Post cannot be responsible for errors, a corrected ad will run free of charge on the next publication date.

Cash refunds will not be given.

Notify The Post by 4 p.m. of cancellations for the following day.

Ads cannot be taken by telephone. Ads are not accepted after 4 p.m. The Post reception office is located on the third floor of Baker Center.

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Covering breaking news still stands as round-the-clock job

I

n The Post’s newsroom, the term “deadline” may have once evoked one of two likely scenarios: an editor standing over a reporter’s shoulder demanding his or her story be turned in, or the newspaper’s pages literally being rushed to the presses.

On either occasion — and in any decade — we likely pushed that deadline as far as we could.

Certainly, procrastination has always been an unfavorable trait of both college students and journalists.

But our reporters just cannot have that luxury of knowing procrastination, or even a true “deadline,” any longer.

That much is true in newsrooms across the world. Whether we are mid-exam, halfway up Jeff Hill or dead asleep, we are expected to report news the moment it breaks. That was EMMA OCKERMAN / part of the reason we wanted to redesign our EDITOR-IN-CHIEF website — as an incentive for our loyal readers who are just as busy as we are and often catch us on their mobile phones as soon as a story appears.

I should know — I read most of my news while lying in bed, half-asleep, when I should be studying. I kept those habits in mind when pushing for a more mobile-friendly website, and I hope The Post has been acceptable on that front.

Still, I mention the unfavorable “deadline” because our reporters have been realizing with greater urgency how that is now defined by the moment readers checks their phones, rather than when the writer finishes a story. Blink and we will miss you — and we really hate to miss you.

That is why our sports reporters have been working ever-so-hard to publish game recaps (“gamers,” as we call them) the moment the Bobcats are off the field, or why our news reporters found it necessary to post stories online as soon as the news broke that Roger Ailes’ name would be removed from WOUB’s newsroom, or that the message “Justice 4 Tyre King” had been spraypainted on several buildings across campus. That is also why we worked to update those stories with fresh information hours after the initial report was published.

We are trying to recognize that our true “deadline” is whenever the reader is hoping for an answer to a pressing question and our reporters hope we can be counted on each time news breaks on campus.

Our newsroom still has room for improvement, of course. We could always be quicker, more thorough and wider in our reporting. We could always devote more time to our website and find new ways to report on breaking news indepth with our print edition, even if that is days after a story has been published online. Reader feedback has told us as much, and our reporters are hoping to deliver breaking news in improved and more inventive ways than we have in the past. We appreciate our readers sticking with us through that.

Emma Ockerman is a senior studying journalism and editor-in-chief of The Post. Want to talk to her? Tweet her at @eockerman or email her at eo300813@ohio.edu.

Cover Photo by Kelly Bondra

Bobcats by the numbers: OU’s undergraduate enrollment third-highest in Ohio MAC for fall 2015 Kent State had the largest undergrad enrollment

UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO

16,068 (+1.99%)

KENT STATE UNIVERSITY

23,607 (+6.05%)

MEGAN HENRY ASST. NEWS EDITOR This is the fifth in a weekly series comparing Ohio University to the other five Mid-American Conference universities in Ohio.

Despite enrollment increases and record-breaking class sizes, Ohio University's undergraduate enrollment is lower than some other universities in the state.

Out of the six Mid-American Conference universities in Ohio, OU had the third highest undergraduate enrollment for fall 2015 when looking at data from main campuses. The data for 2016 was not yet available at each university.

The six MAC universities in Ohio include OU, Miami University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Toledo, Kent State University and the University of Akron.

OU had 17,965 undergraduate students enrolled at its Athens campus 15 days after classes started for fall 2015, according to OU's Office of Institutional Research.

Kent State had the highest enrollment for fall 2015 with 23,607 undergraduate students at its main campus.

Akron was the only other university out of the six schools with more undergraduate students than OU enrolled at its main campus in fall 2015.

Baylee Gorham transferred to OU from the University of Cincinnati — which had 21,060 full-time undergraduate students enrolled during fall 2015 — and said she noticed a decrease in the number of students on campus.

“It definitely has a different feel,” Gorham, a sophomore

2015 Undergraduate Fall Enrollment BOWLING GREEN

STATE UNIVERSITY

14,334 (-4.40%)

GRAPHIC BY CHANCE BRINKMAN-SULL / GRAPHICS DIRECTOR (+/- XX%) = (PERCENT INCREASE / DECREASE FROM FALL 2011)

UNIVERSITY OF AKRON

21,158 (-9.02%)

MIAMI UNIVERSITY

15,974 (+8.85%)

studying media arts and studies, said. “I think it’s a closer-knit community when it’s smaller.”

She said it is easier for students to have better relationships with their professors at a smaller university.

From 2009 to 2015, undergraduate enrollment at OU’s main campus saw about a 5 percent increase.

The Class of 2019 had the largest freshman class last year with 4,423 students. That was the third year in a row OU had

a record-breaking freshman class size.

During a Sept. 9 meeting with OU officials and members of Athens City Council, OU President Roderick McDavis said he doesn't expect enrollment to increase too much going forward.

"I think we are pretty comfortable where we are because what we're seeing is that the number is stable, and the quality is increasing within that number, so test scores

OHIO UNIVERSITY

17,965 (+3.83%)

are up and GPAs are up," McDavis said.

Maddie Schroeder, a sophomore studying visual communication, said she feels the impact of OU’s increase in enrollment in her daily routine.

“You can kind of notice a bit of the overcrowd, especially in dining halls,” Schroeder said.

Keihla Hune, a fifth-year senior studying communication sciences and disorders, said she notices OU’s high enrollment, especially when she goes to study at

Front Room.

“I’m taking a class online and my group partner and I try to meet here, but it is sometimes hard — especially mid-day — it’s a lot harder to find a place to sit,” Hune said.

The school with the lowest undergraduate enrollment in fall 2015 was Bowling Green, with 14,334 students at its main campus.

@MEGANKHENRY MH573113@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

CHUCK’S COLLEGIATE POLITICS

GALS WITH PALS

Maturity, not vandalism, key in debating politics

Bisexual women often face invalidation of their identity

DISAGREEING WITH THE EFFORTS OF AN ANTI-ABORTION ACTIVIST GROUP IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO DESTROY THEIR PROPERTY, OR DISRUPT THEIR DEMONSTRATION

Bisexuality, or the attraction to two or more genders, appears to be firmly rooted in the LGBTQ community — it is what that “B” stand for, after DELANEY MURRAY all. But those who identiis a fy with that label actually freshman suffer from mistreatment studying and an abundance of negjournalism ative stereotypes, many of at Ohio which come from within the University. queer community.

While those stereotypes apply to most bi people, there are a few that run particularly rampant for bisexual women, who are both subject to the biphobia and general sexism that make those stereotypes worse.

It is common to not accept bisexuality as a unique identity at all. Instead, many view it as being “half gay, half straight,” and a bisexual person’s attraction as being dictated by their current partner. That creates the idea that bisexual people are faking their attraction, are untrustworthy or otherwise not valid, and are able to be easily erased. When applied to bisexual women, the stereotype is worsened by the idea that a woman is defined by her relationships with other people.

Quite simply, a bisexual woman does not “become straight” when she dates a man, nor does she “become a lesbian” when she dates a woman. A bisexual woman keeps her unique identity no matter whom she chooses to have a relationship with, and she remains queer when she is in a relationship with a man.

Related to that, many people in queer communities view bisexuality as a mid-point to fully coming out as gay. It is true that many gay women (myself included), will label themselves as bi before fully coming out.

Some gay women use the bi label because they are testing the waters of acceptance of others around them, or are not fully aware of their exact attraction yet. But the use of the bisexual label by someone who later changes how they define their identity does not make actual bisexuality any less valid.

On the flip side, there is also the widespread belief that bisexual women are just

CHUCK GREENLEE Chuck Greenlee is a sophomore studying adolescentto-youngadult integrated language arts at Ohio University.

On campus we have an anti-abortion group; you may have seen them on Twitter @OUProLife.

Bobcats for Life uses memes and other trendy pictures and sayings as means to get the word out about their beliefs, which is a great way to stay in touch with students on campus.

Still, when the group decided to have its first on-campus event this past Friday, a lot of students were upset. Not because of the graphic images displayed, but because, generally, the “pro-abortion rights vs. anti-abortion” debate gets fairly heated.

Disclaimer: I am pro-abortion rights by any stretch of the definition. My beliefs are not meant to undermine the beliefs of others in any way, but what someone else did at the group’s demonstration last Friday, Sept. 16, is entirely despicable.

As they were having their event, a masked man came and awkwardly tried to club their signs. I don’t know what he was trying to accomplish really, but he kind of just hit one sign and then fell over top of it and scampered away.

I mean, kudos to that dude for having the guts to do that.

6 4 |/FRIDAY, SEPT. 22, APRIL 201622, 2016

I know I don’t have the arm strength to club down a sign and then gracefully run away to the depths of Court Street.

Jokes aside, the masked man had no major purpose that we know of, as of yet.

So I am going to assume he or she is pro-abortion rights and wanted to let the anti-abortion group know what he or she thought.

Honestly, he or she couldn’t have done that in a worse way.

The fact that he or she thought the appropriate way to handle his or her feelings was to anonymously club down a sign is foolish and speaks a lot about that person’s character.

So I guess the short message is this: don’t club signs down.

The long message is that if you disagree with someone’s political beliefs, there is always a more mature way to handle it —be it a peaceful protest or respectfully debating with one another.

I just don’t recommend clubbing things.

How do you express your feelings in a positive way? Let Chuck know by tweeting him @chuckingaround.

straight women who are faking their sexuality or using the bisexual label to gain attention. That is only made worse by actual straight women calling themselves bisexual while temporarily experimenting with other women.

That stereotype is deeply ingrained in not only the prejudice against bisexual people, but also the general mistrust of queer people and women. But bisexual women are not using their sexuality for any ulterior motive, to trick people, or to gain attention. Instead, actual bisexual women are simply using the label the way anyone else uses labels — to define themselves and express their feelings.

Finally, even when the true spectrum of attraction that comes with bisexuality is acknowledged, it is popular to believe that bisexual people are promiscuous or more likely to cheat on their partners than their straight or gay counterparts. That is only made worse for bisexual women due to the rampant over sexualization of queer people — especially queer women — and also the shame we place upon sexually active women.

And it’s true, bisexual women can cheat on their partners or be promiscuous. So can anyone. Sexuality does not make anybody more likely to be unfaithful, morality and personality does.

Unfortunately, the issues discussed here are nowhere near all of the negative stereotypes that surround bisexuality, and especially women that identity with the label. But while it is important to remember that most of these stereotypes are unfounded, it is equally important to keep in mind that there is not a “proper” way bisexuals need to act.

They are not obligated to constantly combat and defend themselves against stereotypes, and instead deserve to express themselves and pursue relationships in whatever way they see fit, like any other person.

No matter how they choose to do that — by dating multiple people, only seriously dating one particular gender, or never dating anyone at all — they still deserve to be accepted, celebrated, and most of all, viewed as valid.

What other stereotypes about bisexuality do you find harmful? Let Delaney know by emailing her at dm181515@ohio.edu or tweeting her at @delpaulinem.

QUITE CONTRARY

Why you’re wrong about fashion Fashion doesn’t matter. Except when it does.

I say that because, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, fashion serves no purpose.

WILLIAM Fashion isn’t real. We T. PERKINS made it up. It’s all in is a senior our heads. studying journalism Clothes obviously at Ohio serve a purpose. UnUniversity. like most mammals, we don’t have a substantial amount of hair covering our entire body. That, presumably, got to be a bit of a drag for those of us living in harsher environments, so we decided to start wrapping ourselves up in the hides of other, more insulated animals.

Humans are weird.

Then we started to get even weirder because some of us decided to start dying our hides with beetle guts and indigo-tainted water, adding all sorts of bones and adornments to the fringes of our hides. That made our peers like us more, and made us more attractive to mates. And we saw that it was good.

So we started making up rules: Don’t wear black hides with blue hides. Make sure your waist strap matches your foot hides (and your hide pouch!) Don’t wear white hides after the third full moon of the sunny season.

At least, I assume that’s generally what happened. I wasn’t there.

The point is, fashion is really, really weird, and people who obsess over it are weird, too. But, for better or worse, it has become a major social signifier.

Let’s not kid ourselves. We all know the game. Whether you’re a chic, modern, millennial yuccie or a sporty bro sporting a backwards hat, cut-off tee, athletic shorts and Nikes, you all care about what you wear. You use fashion to convey the traits you want to convey.

Fashion is a shorthand for the narratives we create about ourselves.

So, my philosophy is this: Don’t worry too much about it. No one’s paying that much attention to what you’re wearing.

Of course, they’re judging you for it, but not consciously. Those judgements are just subconscious biases influenced by years of psychological conditioning.

What a relief, am I right?

That’s why I generally try to dress nicely, but I’m not going to push it.

I want my clothes to be fashionable

enough that, after meeting me, people will say “I’m not sure why, but I like that Will Perkins fellow. I’d like to be friends with that fine man.” I don’t, however, want my clothes to be so fashionable that everyone turns to look at me when I walk in the room. How unnerving.

Besides, if your personality is completely defined by the fact that you wear nice clothes, there’s probably not much of a person beneath those clothes.

No, I’d rather fly just under the radar with my innocuous, plain, navy-blue checkered button-up and take solace in the thought that I look unremarkably adequate.

How do you feel about fashion?

Let William know by emailing him at wp198712@ohio.edu.

STREETVIEW

“Would you ever go vegan? Why or why not?”

“I would not because I am a fan of meat way too much. I come from a culture (Serbian) that’s based on food revolving around meat and dairy, and I just can’t cut that out of my life after 19 years.”

Tatiana Radujkovic, sophomore studying English

“I definitely would. I think it would lead to a healthier lifestyle and avoid a lot of cancer based on the meat industry in the U.S. So yeah, go vegan.”

Warda Aden, junior studying global studies and political science

“No, because I like meat too much. It makes sense. I think it’s fair and a good thing for people who want to do that, but I don’t think it’s wrong for people to not want to become vegans either.”

“I’ve thought about it. I’ve actually done the vegetarian thing for six months before, but the plausibility at my level of income and the opportunities on campus makes it very difficult.”

Jacob Duty, sophomore studying education

Nick Englehart, sophomore studying playwriting

“I would, mainly for the sake of animals, but also because it helps with your health. I’ve been a vegetarian for seven years, and I would definitely like to try and go vegan.”

Liz Huber, Athens resident

-photographs by Blake Nissen

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 5

6 |/FRIDAY, SEPT. 22, APRIL 201622, 2016

POLICE BLOTTER

CLASSIES

Game day signs snatched from lot LAUREN FISHER FOR THE POST

F

or some, school spirit means simply attending the annual Homecoming game, only to leave after the Marching 110’s set has reached its end. For others, however, owning a piece of the action is of even greater importance — even if that piece of action is nothing more than a folding sign from parking services.

Last week, a coordinator with parking services contacted the Ohio University Police Department to report that someone stole a tent-frame sign from a game day parking lot Sept. 3, while the OU football team was squaring off against Texas State.

In a separate but similar report, the coordinator reported that two double-sided signs were taken on Sept. 10, while the Bobcats were halfway across the country playing against the University of Kansas. It is unclear if the cases are directly related.

The reports were just two filed with OUPD during the week of Sept. 12 to 18.

There were also 13 drug charges, eight reports of theft, four alcohol-related charges, two reports of disorderly conduct by fighting, one report of vandalism and a case of criminal mischief.

THE LIGHTS ARE ON, BUT NO ONE IS HOME

At about 11 p.m. on Sept.

14, Athens County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report that a school bus had been left in the Athens City School Bus Garage with its lights on, according to the report.

Deputies reported to the scene but found the gates locked with no way to get in. They could not get in touch with anyone from the garage to let them in, according to the report.

They returned to duty after notifying the school district of the situation.

LATE-NIGHT PICNIC

Evidently, for students looking to light up a joint, the picnic tables around campus are the places to be — even though they are likely to encounter an OUPD officer while doing so.

During the course of three consecutive days, OUPD officers arrested individuals in connection with possession of marijuana at several picnic tables around campus: one near Crawford Hall, one in Emeriti Park and another near Parking Lot 52, according to a series of police reports.

The arrests, which occurred Sept. 16, 17 and 18, all took place late at night

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

while OUPD officers were on foot patrol. A total of four individuals were arrested as a result of their encounters with officers.

SOUTH GREEN STUMBLING

Early Sunday morning, police and paramedics were dispatched to Weld House in response to a report of a “highly intoxicated” male, who was sitting outside the residence hall, vomiting as he faded “in and out of consciousness,” according to a resident assistant.

Upon arrival, an OUPD officer spotted the individual sitting in the grass outside the building, “drooling and covered in his own vomit,” with a “strong odor” of alcohol, according to a police report. When ACEMS personnel arrived, they struggled to load the man onto a stretcher, as he was unable to stand on his own or support his own weight.

After being transported to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, the individual was charged with underage consumption by intoxication, according to the report.

@LAUREN_FISHER LF966614@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 7

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Perceptions, media create divide between African and African-American students HOPE ROBERTS FOR THE POST

A

​Tosin Akinola, second-year Ph.D. student from Nigeria studying education administration and development, poses for a portrait outside of Baker Center. Akinola came to Ohio University on the Ford Foundation International Scholarship. (LIZ MOUGHON | FOR THE POST)

8 / SEPT. 22, 2016

fter living in America for four years, Nonkululeko Shongwe felt she had to make a choice between identifying as African or as African-American.

“People had this terrible negative view about the African community,” she said. “I felt like, because I had been (in Athens) for awhile, I had to pick which one I had to be, and I regret having to do that.”

There is an unspoken divide between Africans and African-Americans, Tosin Akinola, a second-year Ph.D. student studying education administration and development, said. The divide, which is noticeable in the way people from the two groups interact both in the classroom and around campus, can cause a tense apprehensiveness among students from the two similar — but continentally different, backgrounds — Akinola, who is from Nigeria, said.

“Certain kinds of assumptions or notions have been dominant in ... the way African-Americans have been reported (by media),” Akinola said. “Africans see them as risky … but with Africa, (the portrayal is) disaster, disease (and) poverty.”

Once Shongwe became involved with black activist groups on campus, she was able to reaffirm her identity as both a black and African woman.

“Now I embrace both of my identities, but mostly my African side, because I think that’s

If I melt that metal, it is a coin, and it has two sides. That is what Africans and African-Americans have become, two sides of the same coin that do not understand each other because they do not see each other.

- Tosin Akinola, second-year Ph.D student studying education administration and development something very special,” Shongwe said.

Shongwe grew up in her grandmother’s home in Piet Retief, where she watched a lot of American films with her two siblings.

Before moving to Athens, her perception of America was largely based on what she saw in those movies, she said.

“I saw a glorified view of America that was portrayed in family-oriented movies,” Shongwe, a senior studying women’s, gender and sexuality studies, said.

Michaela Bateman, a senior studying psychology, said her charter middle school in Reynoldsburg taught her a lot about African-American history, but little about African history.

“Me, as an African-American woman, I had to learn about (African history) from my parents,” Bateman said. “I have to be aware of those things.”

Akil Houston, an associate professor of African-American cultural and media studies, said there is a historic divide between the two groups, formed in part by Western Europe’s colonization

of African nations in the 20th century.

Although OU’s African Students’ Union and Black Student Union hosted a summit last fall discussing tensions between African and black students, Houston, the faculty advisor of the Black Student Union, said consistency with such events is key to bridging the gap between the two cultures.

“It can’t be a one time thing,” Houston said. “We can’t just go to eat the food and be done with it.”

Black Student Union is primarily focused on American political conflicts that affect African-Americans, especially the Black Lives Matter movement, whereas African Students’ Union’s body focuses on the history and culture of multiple African countries, Houston said.

Shongwe said she believes students with African ties should have a personal stake in problems concerning black American rights, and black American students should educate themselves on the diverse histories and concerns that affect Africans.

“If there is no dialogue, it’s difficult for me or for Africans to see where we fit into the (black American) struggle,” Akinola said He said a deeper understanding will only come with the two groups listening to one another.

Akinola said despite the lack of conversation, he still tries to understand the struggle of black Americans, even though some Africans see black people as “too laid back” to achieve the American Dream.

“But (they) are forced to get ‘laid back’ because (they) get tired. That is (black Americans’) story,” Akinola said. “The systems in America are what the black Americans are fighting.”

Akinola added that Africans are fighting their own specific and separate struggles in their own countries.

“The two groups should work on resolving their ignorance,” Akinola said.

“Where there is ignorance, there will always be mistakes and misunderstandings.”

Akinola compares the divide between Africans and African-Americans to the two sides of a coin.

“If I take a piece of metal, it is a root of African-Americans,” Akinola said. “If I melt that metal, it is a coin, and it has two sides. That is what Africans and African-Americans have become, two sides of the same coin that do not understand each other because they do not see each other.”

@HOPIEWANKENOBE HR503815@OHIO.EDU

Personalized tech provides voice, ‘identity’ SARAH FRANKS FOR THE POST As Chris Riley sat in his Monday morning class at the Beacon School and listened to the teacher ask various current event questions, Riley quickly pressed buttons on his iPad-like device to verbalize an answer.

“How are you feeling today?” Kendall Dearing, the speech language pathologist at the Beacon School, asked Riley.

Riley located and pressed the “happy” button before Dearing could even finish her sentence.

Although Riley was the one who chose the answer, “happy,” the voice which responded was a robotic adult male. For the 15 years Riley has been alive, that has been the voice speaking for him.

Some people cringe listening to the sound of their voice on a recording device. For someone nonverbal like Riley, hearing his own voice coming from a machine could be life-changing.

Whether because of a life-altering accident that left an individual unable to communicate effectively, or because of a congenital disorder such as cerebral palsy, many people depend on Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices, or AAC devices, to communicate their everyday wants and needs to those around them.

In fact, more than 10 million people live with voiceless-ness, according to VocaliD, a company specializing in synthetic human voices.

Up until recently, those relying on AAC devices had been left with almost no personalized voice options beyond female or male, child or adult, Bridget Coologhan, a member of Ohio University’s chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association said.

Kendall Dearing, left, a speech language pathologist at the Beacon School, assists Aundrea Thompson, 4, with her Alternative and Augmentative Communication device Sept. 19.

The AAC device helps Thompson communicate.

(EMILY MATTHEWS / PHOTO EDITOR)

“It’s your voice. It’s who you are — it’s your identity. It’s what makes you, yourself,” Coologhan, a senior studying communications sciences and disorders said.

But now, VocaliD is doing something to give those using communication devices a more humanized, personalized voice that is unique to them.

If a person makes as much as a grunt or verbalizes a single vowel, the VocaliD technology can match that sound to a voice donor in the VocaliD Human Voice Bank.

Chris Riley, 15, who has severe apraxia of speech, uses an Alternative and Augmentative Communication device to answer questions during class with assistance from Kendall Dearing, right, a speech language pathologist, at the Beacon School Sept. 19, 2016.

OU’s Chapter of NSSLHA is teaming up with VocaliD to add as many donors to the Human Voice Sound Bank as they can.

Coologhan is the VoicaliD ambassador for NSSLHA. “If I donate my voice, and someone gets my voice, it will take whatever speech they can say and my speech and combine the elements of speech together to truly give them their unique voice,” Coologhan said.

Donating is simple, said Coologhan. All that is needed is a quiet room and a laptop that is able to record sound.

One sentence at a time, the donor is shown a few thousand sentences to read aloud. This can be done in a few sessions that take a few hours, or many smaller sessions of just 5 minutes. The NSSLHA estimated it takes anywhere from 5 to 7 hours to complete the entire donation.

Students should not be intimidated by the time commitment, Sophia Hendrix, the president of OU’s NSSLHA, said.

“You’re literally impacting somebody’s life. You’re giving somebody who is unable to speak a voice of their own,” Coologhan said.

Riley, a student at the Beacon School, a school for students with developmental disabilities, is one of those individuals who depends on an AAC device due to an apraxia of speech, a speech disorder that causes “problems saying sounds, syllables,

and words,” according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

“Chris is very much wanting to communicate with us, but because of the Apraxia, it’s a motor planning problem,” Kendall Dearing, the speech language pathologist at the Beacon School, said. “The brain is not really communicating with the articulators. The articulators are like your tongue and your lips. It’s not really making that connection to tell them what to do.”

Even though Riley only began working with his device at the beginning of this school year, his vocabulary is already extensive enough to discuss topics like his emotions and why he is in a particular mood.

If matched with a donor from VocaliD, Riley would be able to hear that he is “happy,” in his own voice.

“He’d be perfect for it,” Dearing said.

“Because he’d be able to understand, ‘oh, hey, that sounds a little like me,’ … I think that’d be huge for him.”

NSSLHA’s voice drive is running now through the end of the semester. To learn more on how to get involved and donate your own voice, email OU’s National Student Speech Language Hearing Association at OU.NSSLHA@gmail.com. @SARUHHHFRANKS SF084814@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

ELECTIONS

Out-of-state students weigh the benefits of voting in Athens or absentee in home state DINA BERLINER FOR THE POST

E

very four years, Ohio is inundated with campaign events as politicians try to sway the swing state in their favor.

With seven weeks until voters take to the polls, many out-of-state Ohio University students want to achieve the same goal by registering to vote in Athens instead of their home state.

A little more than a week after the first day of classes at Ohio University, the Athens County Board of Elections had received about 2,000 voter registrations in a week, almost all of which were generated by student-run drives on campus.

“Presidential elections, there’s always an increase of voter registration, and voter turnout is larger,” Debbie Quivey, director of the Athens County Board of

Elections, said. “We are unique in the fact that we are what we consider a small-to-medium county in the state of Ohio and we do have such a large college campus here.”

In presidential election years, a chunk of those registrations are from out-ofstate students or Ohio residents changing their address to Athens County, Quivey said.

As of Friday, with less than a month before the Oct. 11 registration deadline for the general election, nearly 43,000 people have registered to vote in Athens County.

In her nearly three decades of experience in Athens, Quivey has seen six presidential elections.

“I look for this to be a high turnout,” Quivey said. “I look for this to be one of the biggest elections I’ve been involved in.”

DO VOTES COUNT MORE IN OHIO?

“I wanted my vote to count,” Maya Holcomb, a freshman from Owensboro, Kentucky, who studies dance, said. “Especially in this election.”

Like Holcomb, many out-of-state students either plan on or have already registered to vote in Ohio come the November presidential election.

Athens has become a second home for more than 3,700 out-of-state students at OU, according to Fall 2015 university data.

The county’s board of elections does not officially keep track of students who register to vote in Ohio versus their home state, Quivey said.

“We’re one of 50 states but how people vote in Ohio very well may determine this election at the presidential level,” Katherine Jellison, OU history professor and former president of the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Athens County, said.

The impact of a vote in Ohio versus that of a vote in another state, Jellison said, depends on whether the state tends to lean a certain way politically. Many OU students, for example, are from Pennsyl-

We always kind of push them to vote here in Ohio because we are such an important state.

If you really want your candidate to win, the amount of delegates you have from the state can really push them over the edge.” ‑ Sam Miller, president of OU College Democrats vania — another swing state — so choosing to register and vote in Ohio may not make as great an impact as voting from a typically blue state, such as New York, or a typically red state, such as Texas.

Sam Miller, president of the OU College Democrats, said she encourages out-of-

Deborah Howard, right, helps students register to vote on College Green on Sept. 19.

Howard traveled from Baltimore, Maryland, to southeastern Ohio to help register voters and promote the Ohio Together campaign. (LIAM DAVIS / FOR THE POST)

10 / SEPT. 22, 2016

state students to register in Athens.

“We always kind of push them to vote here in Ohio because we are such an important state,” Miller, who is from Somerset, said. “If you really want your candidate to win, the amount of delegates you have from the state can really push them over the edge.”

While members of the OU College Democrats have recently spent much of their time registering students to vote, the OU College Republicans have focused on campaigning on the local race for the Ohio House.

“I am not really for people that live out of state registering in Athens,” David Parkhill, president of the OU College Republicans, said. “I think that Athens really doesn’t belong to us (students). We’re here for four years, and I don’t think it’s really fair that we’re able to just come in and have our say and go back home.”

Parkhill, who is from Westerville, said the divide between the more liberal city of Athens and the rest of Athens County, which is typically more conservative, accounts for his view.

Jellison said students, regardless of their political affiliation, should not be discouraged by city or county leanings and cast their vote for the presidential race in November.

“If you’re living in Athens and you vote in Athens, the farther out from the local level you get, the greater impact your vote is going to have,” she said.

WHAT YOU NEED TO REGISTER (DEADLINE OCT. 11): – Ohio-issued driver’s license OR – Last four digits of social security number WHAT YOU NEED TO VOTE EARLY IN-PERSON (OCT. 12 - NOV. 7): – Last four digits of social security number WHAT YOU NEED TO VOTE ON ELECTION DAY (NOV. 8): – Ohio-issued driver’s license OR – Proof of residency such as: Utility bill Letter from OU For more information, visit MyOhioVote.com

OPTIONS FOR OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS

Miller said she has registered many out-of-state students, and students must be aware that they have to prove their residency.

“When it comes to form of identification, the state of Ohio makes it so that you need proof of address,” she said.

Unlike Ohio residents who can register with a driver’s license as a form of ID, out-of-state students need to prove their identification by other means.

To prove identification, out-of-state students need to provide the last four digits of their social security number.

Proof of identification is also required on Election Day, Nov. 8. Because outof-state students cannot present an Ohio-issued ID, such as a driver’s license obtained in the state, they need to prove their residency. To do so, they would need an item such as a utility bill or an official letter from OU, Miller said.

However, when voting early in-person, students only need the last four digits of their social security number. Due to that reason, Miller said she encourages outof-state students to cast their vote early.

Early voting begins Oct. 12 at the Athens County Board of Elections office at

Collin Gustafson, a junior from Pennsylvania, registers to vote Sept. 8 at the Athens County Board of Elections on Court Street. (LIAM DAVIS | FOR THE POST)

15 S. Court St. “Ohio counts more (in presidential elections),” Brie Boothby, a sophomore studying journalism from Fredericksburg, Virginia, said. “It’s more of a swing state than Virginia … and I don’t have to do an absentee ballot.”

Casting an absentee ballot, while still a viable option for out-of-state students or Ohio residents registered in another county, can often be difficult and less effective, Miller said.

“It doesn’t really fit in with college students’ schedules because they already have to worry about so many other deadlines,” Miller said. “It’s so easy to blow it off because you just get so wrapped up in everything else you have to do, it can just slip your mind … I think it logistically makes more sense to register in Athens.”

HOW WILL OHIO VOTE?

Ohio has voted for the winner of the presidential race in 28 of the last 30

elections, Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sobato’s Crystal Ball for the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics and an OU and Post alumnus, said.

“I think Ohio is going to be important again,” he said. “What the demographics of Ohio can tell us is that Trump can probably do a little bit better in Ohio than he does nationally, but the state should probably still vote close to the national average.”

A Bloomberg poll released Sept. 14 showed businessman Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, leading former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, by five points in Ohio.

Nationally, the two candidates are nearly neck-and-neck, according to the latest Real Clear Politics polls.

“Ohio, particularly this year, has a very outsized role,” Jellison said. “The general wisdom is any ‘get out to vote’ effort will benefit Democrats. There are more Democrats than Republicans in reality, but it doesn’t count unless people vote.”

-Lilli Sher contributed to this report.

@DINABERLINER DB794812@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

Healing the disparities Mental health services in Athens and southeast Ohio see success despite funding cuts, stigmas ALEX MEYER / SENIOR WRITER

A

Victorian-style brick house on North Congress Street is not only a place of support for adults diagnosed with mental illnesses, but also a refuge from the negative stigmas against them.

That experience has been especially true for Andi Watt, who regularly visits the house — a nonprofit organization called The Gathering Place, 7 N. Congress St. — a few times a week.

Before she moved to Athens County in 2008 to receive treatment for her diagnoses of obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, she lived in nearby Jackson and said she noticed animosity there toward those with mental illness.

“It’s stigmatized down there,” Watt, 39, said. “It’s very hushed.”

Watt, who is bisexual, said negative stigmas surrounding both mental illness and sexual orientation are common outside of Athens County — a place she believes is “a breath of fresh air.”

“Having to repress that part of myself may have exacerbated my mental health issues,” she said.

The Gathering Place, though, offered Watt a safe alternative. The house offers stigma-free peer support and helps clients feel welcome in the community, executive 12 / SEPT. 22, 2016

director Mary Kneier said.

“You feel empowered,” Watt said of the house.

That empowerment is what The Gathering Place and other mental health services hope to provide for those living in Athens and the Appalachian region.

Negative stigmas about mental illness still exist throughout southeast Ohio, however, and the organizations providing mental health care often face funding and logistical difficulties.

One such organization is the 317 Board, formally known as the Athens-Hocking-Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. The board provides and funds mental health and addiction services — including The Gathering Place — for residents of the three counties.

“We’ve seen a trend over the past 10 years of state money going away,” Earl Cecil, the 317 Board’s executive director, said. “It started with the recession, and then the current administration wanted to do a lot of different tax reductions.”

FUNDING AND LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS. The Gathering Place funds most of its operating costs with money from the 317 Board. The board offers assessment and treatment planning, crisis services, case management and one-on-one counseling, among other services.

Annual reports show the board’s budget reductions are ongoing, though. From the 2014 to 2015 fiscal years, state funding to the 317 Board intended for mental health services decreased by about $393,000. All local boards have received cuts from the state in recent years, Cecil said.

Funding cuts made it so that the board had to prioritize those with chronic, long-term mental health needs over those with short-term needs, Cecil said.

Part of the board’s funding comes from local levies, Cecil said, while the rest comes from state and federal funding.

On top of funding complications, the board faces a lack of transportation for its clients, as well as low employment and quality housing opportunities for patients in the region, Cecil said. As of August, Ohio’s average unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, while Athens, Hocking and Vinton counties had an average unemployment rate of 5.5 percent, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Julie Owens, professor of psychology at Ohio University, said a lack of transportation can be a problem in rural areas; some families may live 40 to 50 miles away from the nearest clinic.

In its community plan for fiscal year 2017, the 317 Board mentioned Athens and Logan have limited public transportation, while Vinton County lacks a hospital.

That is in addition to a lack of cell phone and internet access in the area.

Watt said the City of Athens’ public transit system has been a big help, though. She lives in Chauncey and uses the bus, adding that most counties in the area don’t have buses like those in Athens.

Beyond transportation issues, the region is lacking in human resources. Owens said there is a shortage of mental health professionals in southeast Ohio.

“Recruiting enough psychiatrists to our region and physicians interested in treating addiction is a challenge,” Diane Pfaff, the 317 Board’s community service manager, said, adding that qualified psychiatrists often “follow the money” to urban areas.

That leaves about 60 percent of rural Americans living in what can be qualified as “mental health professional shortage areas,” according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, based on their ratio of 30,000 or more persons per psychiatrist.

Athens, which is designated as a “special population” shortage area for its low-income and Medicaid-eligible population, is characterized as needing one psychiatrist per 20,000 residents, according to a statewide primary care needs assessment for 2015 to 2016, via the Ohio Department of Health.

Athens is home to one of six regional Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services-operated psychiatric hospitals, Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare, which serves a total of 21 counties in Southeast Ohio. The facility, located at 100 Hospital Dr., has 92 psychiatric beds.

Local mental health centers can refer patients to Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare and other centers, such as Hopewell Health Centers. Watt said she has received treatment from Hopewell since moving to Athens, for example.

Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare provides services such as intensive psychiatric care, recovery, patient education, occupational and recreational therapy and work

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN OHIO THE GATHERING PLACE The Gathering Place is a community support program promoting recovery for adults coping with mental illness.

Address: 7 N. Congress St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday Phone: 740-594-7337 Website: www.317board.org

LEFT: The Gathering Place, which is a nonprofit community support program for adults with mental illness, is located on 7 N. Congress St. RIGHT: Andi Watt, a member of the Gathering Place, poses for a portrait on the porch.

BOTTOM: An art piece created by a member of the Gathering Place hangs on the wall.

PHOTOS BY ALIE SKOWRONSKI

evaluation, Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services spokesman Eric Wandersleben said.

Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare treated an average of 74 patients a day in fiscal year 2015, according to the department’s annual report. It also had an average daily cost per resident patient of about $740, which was the highest of all the department’s six psychiatric hospitals.

Wandersleben said the cost was higher that year because the facility operated 14 beds below capacity due to renovations, and thus had increased expenses and fewer patients.

ORGANIZATIONS SEE SUCCESS COMBATING STIGMA. Amid the practical limitations on mental health services, stigmas also affect the way people with mental illness are treated.

“There’s that typical stigma that they’ve done something to cause it themselves, or that they’re scary, … crazy and unhinged,” Kneier said. “With treatment and support, people can live fairly normal lives, and our volunteers are able to see that people are quite normal.”

About 25 percent of adults in the U.S. with mental health symptoms believe that people are caring and sympathetic toward people with mental illness, according to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

Those diagnosed with mental illness can also enforce negative stigmas against mental illness, as some see receiving support as a sign of weakness.

“Some are embarrassed to be struggling with a men-

tal health problem,” Owens said. “The media has contributed to portraying mental illness in a negative light.”

She said many people are uneducated about mental illness, which leads to stereotypes or inaccurate assumptions.

That is why organizations like The Gathering Place exist: to combat stigmas related to mental illness, Kneier said.

That has been the house’s mission since it was formed in 1976, during a time of deinstitutionalization, when states in the U.S. closed many psychiatric hospitals. That process affected The Ridges as well, Kneier said.

“Athens had The Ridges, and a large population of people who were newly released but hadn’t lived in the community for a long time were now in Athens,” she said.

In response to that, residents formed a nonprofit to help the patients, and created The Gathering Place. The three-story house has since been a place for those with mental illnesses to feel welcomed and live meaningful lives, Kneier said.

In addition to other support, the house offers meals, fresh produce, gardening and other activities. Clients can also become members of The Gathering Place, Kneier said, meaning that they have voting rights and can decide on house policies and procedures.

“Everyone wants to feel worthwhile,” Watt said.

ATHENS-HOCKING-VINTON ALCOHOL, DRUG ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BOARD The 317 Board provides and funds mental health and addiction services to residents of Athens, Hocking and Vinton counties.

Address: 7990 Dairy Ln. Phone: 740-593-3177 (Athens) Website: www.370board.org HOPEWELL HEALTH CENTERS The organization has several centers in Southeast Ohio that offer a wide range of services, including comprehensive behavioral health care.

Athens Address: 90 Hospital Dr. Phone: 740-593-3344 or 1-888-457-8484 Website: www.hopewellhealth.org APPALACHIAN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH The center provides inpatient care for acutely mentally ill adults from Southeast Ohio. Local mental health providers refer patients to the center; direct admission or “walk-ins” are not available.

Address: 100 Hospital Dr. Phone: 740-594-5000 Website: mha.ohio.gov INTEGRATED SERVICES FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH The organization serves 12 counties in Southeast and Central Ohio with behavioral health and other services.

Phone: 800-321-8293 Email: info@integratedservice.org Website: www.integratedservice.org

@ALXMEYER AM095013@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

BETH TUPA / PROVIDED

Contributing to a dynasty Tyler Tupa keeps the Tupa football tradition alive, just on a different side of the ball

F

TONY WOLFE / SENIOR WRITER

rom the first snap they play, all football players dream of one thing: a Super Bowl celebration.

Every player wants to be on the final team left standing at the end of the year — to have a moment that can be etched in sports history forever, to stand in the middle of a raucous stadium and feel like they’re at the center of the world.

On Jan. 26, 2003, Tyler Tupa experienced that firsthand with his family, having just witnessed his father, Tom, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. It was just four days after his fifth birthday, and it is the first memory he has of watching his dad play. That day, a silent competition formed between Tyler and his older brothers, Tommy and Tim, to see which one could reach that pinnacle next.

“That’s been our goal for all of us in our life,” Tyler said. “I think it helps having them because we push each other. It’s always been a competition, but we’re always supporting each other and always want the best for each other.”

It is that competition that has pushed all three brothers to earn spots on Mid-American Conference teams, the most recent of which being Tyler, who joined Ohio University as a freshman safety.

A BOND FORMS Their father earned the greatest individual recognition as a punter, receiving All-Pro honors in 1999 and making the Pro Bowl the same year. Before that, Tom made a name for himself as a quarterback on a state championship-winning Brecksville-Broadview 14 / SEPT. 22, 2016

Being referred to as Tom Tupa’s son, it happened to all of us. But (Tom) instilled a lot of values in us and talked to us time and time again about how important it was to be your own person.

-Tommy Tupa, Tom Tupa's son

Heights High School team in 1983. He made the USA Today All-American team in that same year, before going on to play at Ohio State, where he was named to the All-American team as a punter.

Despite that recognition, Tom didn’t shift to punting full time until his sixth season in the NFL. Once that transition was made, his career lasted 11 more years.

It was a lengthy and well-traveled NFL career. During his 16 seasons in the league, he played for seven different teams, meaning every time he joined a new team, the family would be forced to move a thousand miles across the country to prepare for a new season. Because NFL players often spend half the year in their team’s city and the other half in their hometown, that created a hectic lifestyle for a young and growing family.

The family said the busy travel schedule played a major role in bringing the family close together.

“When we traveled and lived in all those places, we didn’t know a lot of people,” Tom’s wife, Beth, said. “We moved about every three years when Tom would change teams. So we would move July through December, and once the season was over, I’d have to move the kids back to our hometown in Brecksville to get established in school in January.

So (the kids) really only had each other for the most part to play with, because we would be in new places all the time.”

By the time Tom announced his retirement from the NFL in the spring of 2006, his children were already blossoming as athletes. Those genetic gifts didn’t come from just their father’s side, though. Beth, a native

THE TUPAS of Aurora, Colorado, was a professional cheerleader and dancer for the Phoenix Suns. In that spirit, Emma, the youngest in the family and only daughter, used to put together cheerleading squads for her brothers during their games. It didn’t take long, however, before she was moving onto basketball and volleyball careers of her own.

“She’s a very athletic girl,” Beth said. “She honestly would just get right in there with the boys’ games, and they never excluded her.”

Even after the moving stopped, the firm network of support didn’t. Although some might struggle to move into high school being known as the children of a local football celebrity, the Tupas took it all in stride.

“Being referred to as Tom Tupa’s son, it happened to all of us,” Tommy said. “But (Tom) instilled a lot of values in us and talked to us time and time again about how important it was to be your own person. We never let it bother us. We were proud our dad was able to accomplish what he did.”

Fittingly, it didn’t take long for all three sons to start putting together careers reminiscent of their father’s. By the time they graduated, Tommy left high school with the most prolific passing career of anyone since the school began keeping stats in 1993, Tim had recorded the highest single-season rushing touchdown mark in program history, and Tyler had become the school’s all-time leading receiver.

They did all of this while playing for their father, who served as the team’s offensive coordinator throughout the boys’ tenure.

“I started coaching them in Pop Warner and then up through high school,” Tom said. “Obviously I had a lot more time and was a lot more active in that role. So, I enjoy it. I enjoy coaching all of the kids. It’s a way to spend time with them and bond with them.”

A COMPETITION REVISITED Because of the talent all three displayed in high school, it didn’t take long for colleges to begin taking notice. As luck would have it, they all attracted attention from MAC schools, allowing all three of them to play close to home if they chose to.

Tommy was the first to leave for school, getting a chance to play quarterback for Miami University. Tim followed suit with a trip to the Naval Academy before transfer-

Ohio freshman safety Tyler Tupa poses for a portrait at Walter Fieldhouse.

Tupa's two brothers have also played football, and their father, Tom Tupa, was a quarterback and a punter at Ohio State and part of the 2003 Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers.

(CARL FONTICELLA / PHOTO EDITOR)

ring to Bowling Green to play as a receiver.

When it was Tyler’s turn, however, he chose to do something no one in the family had done before — he chose to play defense.

“I’ve just always been playing with older kids, so I’m hard-nosed,” Tyler, who is studying sport management, said. “I like contact. Growing up, kids were just beating on me all the time, so I think playing defense gives me a chance to hopefully beat on some other kids.”

That choice to play on defense wasn’t always easy, though. The first two offers extended to Tyler were from Kent State and Bowling Green, the latter of which would give him a chance to form a receiving combo with his brother. Neither offered him for safety, however, so when Ohio came along with an offer to play on Jimmy Burrow’s defense, the decision became clear.

“We’re looking for athletic guys that are tough, physical players that have change of direction and are smart,” Burrow said. “(Tyler) fits all of those qualities. I could just see the competitive nature of him in one-on-ones, and so far he’s proving us right. He’s done a nice job.”

Tyler joins a young Ohio secondary that features ten freshmen aside from himself. He’s also joined in the safety group by redshirt junior Grant Cunningham, a Brecksville graduate who played alongside Tommy and Tim in sports since they were small kids.

“He’s gonna do well,” Cunningham said. “He’s already getting good reps as a freshman. Since I didn’t get to play with Tyler in high school, it’s pretty sweet. It’s good to see him really getting the opportunity.”

Tyler’s decision also creates an unprecedented chance for the brothers’ competition to play out on the field. With Tim maintaining redshirt sophomore status at Bowling Green, the two will have an annual opportunity to face each other on the field — adding even more depth to what has always been the deepest rivalry in the family.

While Emma is focusing on other sports and Tommy is working toward a master’s degree at John Carroll University, Tim and Tyler are still battling on the football field. The latter were known to butt heads the most growing up, a perfect compliment to the other two’s laid-back temperament.

Because of that, it is probably fitting that they are the final two left to play out the rest of their football careers in head-to-head competition.

“Me and Tyler are probably the most competitive with each other just because we played the same positions in all sports,” Tim said. “We were both point guards in basketball and then played the same position in football. As we got older and started playing on the same teams, it went from being a more competitive bond to just a brother bond.”

That bond best encompasses how the two play the game, with both Tyler and Tim bringing the same aggressive mentality to both sides of the ball.

“I don’t know if it’s gonna make it, like, a rivalry,” Tim said. “But it’ll be a fun game to compete against him.”

@_TONYWOLFE_ AW987712@OHIO.EDU

The Tupas enjoy playing basketball, golfing as a family, and. of course, watching football.

When they’re out competing as individuals, however, here’s what each one is up to:

TOM First team All-Pro NFL punter with New York Jets in 1999, played in 16 seasons with seven different teams. Scored league’s first ever two-point conversion.

BETH Native of Aurora, Colorado, graduated from Arizona State University. Former professional dancer for the Phoenix Suns & dance instructor with the Universal Dance Association.

TOMMY Former Miami RedHawks quarterback. Holds Brecksville-Broadview Heights records in career pass attempts (750), completions (447), yards (5,751) and touchdowns (53).

TIM Redshirt sophomore receiver at Bowling Green.

Third in career passing touchdowns at BrecksvilleBroadview Heights (25), first in single-season rushing touchdowns (19).

TYLER Freshman safety at Ohio. All-time leader in career receptions (174), receiving yards (2,885) and touchdown catches (38) at Brecksville-Broadview Heights.

EMMA Sophomore outside hitter for Brecksville-Broadview Heights volleyball. Earned honorable mention AllSouthwest Conference.

Plans to play volleyball in college.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY HANNAH DEBENHAM THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

FOOTBALL

Bobcat dominates in kicking field goals LOUIE ZERVOS IS 13-OF-14 FOR FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS THROUGH THREE GAMES, BUT OHIO WOULD RATHER SCORE TOUCHDOWNS CHARLIE HATCH SPORTS EDITOR Louis Zervos scores a lot. So much so that he could be considered the best kicker in the country.

But here’s the problem: Zervos can’t score touchdowns.

Thus, coach Frank Solich wants to keep Zervos on the sidelines. But when he is on the field, he is nearly automatic.

Through three games, he has been 13-of-14 on attempts — an impressive stat. The problem, though, is every field goal means an unsuccessful touchdown drive.

“You don’t want to kick field goals,” Solich said Sept. 17, after Zervos made four first-half attempts at No. 15 Tennessee. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the business that wants to kick field goals.”

And for Solich, his team keeps lining up for field goals. A lot.

As efficient as the Bobcats have been offensively — they’re averaging over 481 total yards per game – they’ve struggled to find the endzone. Thus, Zervos is called upon.

With 14 attempts throughout three games, Ohio has already attempted as many field goals as it had through 11 games last season.

Through three games last year, Ohio had only three field goal attempts.

“On a kicker’s part, it’s great that I’m hitting field goals and making them,” Zervos said in practice last week. “From the team, yeah, we want to punch those in the endzone.”

But even if Ohio has failed to 16 / SEPT. 22, 2016

Ohio redshirt freshman kicker Louie Zervos poses for a portrait during practice Sept. 19 in Walter Fieldhouse. Zervos has connected on 13 of his 14 field goal attempts this year, making him the best kicker in the country. Zervos previously kicked for Tarpon Springs High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida.. (CARL FONTICELLA / PHOTO EDITOR)

do so at this point, Zervos’ production recently has been more frequent than the best kickers in college football. What’s startling is that he’s so successful as a redshirt freshman.

After kicking for Tarpon Springs High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida, Zervos was named the ninth best kicker in the country by ESPN. Deciding to graduate high school early, he did not finish his last semester so he could become an early enrollee at Ohio University at 17 years old.

“That’s a big stage jumping straight from high school,” Zer-

vos, now 19, said. “You’ve just got to stay humbled and do what you’ve been doing and stay focused.

Staying focused meant staying off the field last season. In 2015, Josiah Yazdani was Ohio’s kicker for his third and final season, and Zervos became his shadow.

Despite not playing, he was brought along to road games and practiced in pre-game, as if he was going to kick.

“They went through the game mentally,” special teams coordinator Brian Haines, who also had redshirt punter Michael Farkas travel, said. “They’re freshmen on

the field but they’re not. … This is nothing new.”

Zervos looks and plays confidently. Other than the missed field goal against Texas State in the season opener, he’s kicked like clockwork.

So far, the only Zervos miss has been from long distance. He’s 2-3 when attempts are 40-49 yards, and he’s yet to line up for a 50 yarder or more.

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the leg strength. He’s made a 65-yard attempt in practice, but that was without pads.

“He’s got a personality that lets him be himself,” Haines said. “Real-

ly, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

For Solich and Ohio, hopefully Zervos’ playing time drops down primarily to point after touchdown attempts and kickoffs. But if not, the Bobcats have found a dependable scoring option in his first three games of his college career.

“We’re scoring points,” Haines said. “Louie can’t control if it’s a touchdown or a field goal attempt. All he can control is when he’s called on to make a field goal and he’s done a good job at that.”

@CHARLIEHATCH_ GH181212@OHIO.EDU

How out-of-state students factor into OU’s enrollment MAGGIE CAMPBELL FOR THE POST KAITLIN COWARD NEWS EDITOR When Sarah Shoeb took the roughly six-hour drive from Manassas, Virginia to Ohio University, she joined 2,813 other undergraduate students coming from out of state.

Shoeb, a sophomore studying communication disorders, said she often imagined herself going out of state for college to “try something new” and “be with a whole new gang of people.”

When she toured OU before her freshman year, she knew it was the place for her.

“I guess I am scared that one day I will wake up and want to go home," Shoeb said. "It just hasn’t happened yet.”

Shoeb is one of thousands of undergraduate out-of-state students. That number has been steadily increasing with the overall enrollment increase at OU. In fall 2015, nearly 16 percent of undergraduates came from states other than Ohio.

In 2011, the proportion of out-of-state undergraduates was about 13 percent of the total undergraduate population on the Athens campus.

OU officials said their goal is to maintain a fairly consistent ratio of in-state to out-ofstate students on the Athens campus.

“We push toward 85 percent in state and 15 percent out of state, but that can vary,” Craig Cornell, the senior vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management at OU, said. “We’re not removing any in-state students for outof-state students. We’ve never done that.”

Cornell said that number can vary slightly for OU as a whole because of online programs and regional campuses close to state borders.

He also said enrollment from out of state has increased for all of OU in the past few years. Other colleges in Ohio have seen increasing numbers as well.

In 2015, Kent State had 3,892 total students enrolled from out of state, which is about 15 percent of the university’s total population at its Kent campus. At Miami University's Oxford campus, 6,074 students, about 32 percent of its population, came from out of state.

OU's admissions counselors work with both in-state and out-of-state students. In comparison, Miami University has seven regional counselors tasked with recruiting outof-state students.

Susan Schaurer, assistant vice president for enrollment and director of admission at

We push toward 85 percent in state and 15 percent out of state, but that can vary. We’re not removing any in-state students for out-of-state students. We’ve never done that.”

- Craig Cornell, senior vice provost for Strategic Enrollment Management Miami, said the school focuses more on attracting certain types of students, rather than maintaining a certain ratio.

“We look for the brightest, best and most diverse students, regardless of where they reside,” she said.

Cornell said OU officials "attend hundreds" of recruitment events across the U.S. "In Ohio, a lot of students already know us," Cornell said. "(Out of state) it’s about getting in and making people familiar with the university."

One tool the university uses to recruit outof-state students is the Out of State Ambassadors, a university-sponsored organization that helps recruit and support out-of-state students as they go through the transition of living far from home.

“It’s kind of hard because you can’t talk to somebody who lives an hour away about what you’re dealing with and not being able to sleep in your own bed for four months,” Shoeb, secretary of the group, said.

The university also holds "OHIO Up Close" days, which allow members of Out of State Ambassadors to connect with students at their old high schools and meet with prospective out-of-state students. “(The group's) ultimate goal first semester is making sure ... every out-of-state student feels like they are at home,” Shoeb said.

There is one piece of advice Shoeb would give to out-of-state students deciding to attend OU. "You just have to go in with an open mind,” Shoeb said. “It was the best decision I ever made.” @MAGGIESBYLINE MC987015@OHIO.EDU

@KCOWARD02 KC769413@OHIO.EDU

“Tater Tots on pizza?” “pizza and tots... yep ...it happens in Athens”

“e Tot-za Pizza -it’s good”

“..ranch sauce, bacon and nacho cheese..nice” Order online PlusOnePizza.com Find Specials & Discounts Online www.PlusOnePizza.com

Fast, Friendly Delivery

740-594-9494 Plus 1 Pizza - 600 E State St –Athens

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 17

SOCCER

Two sophomores’ defensive skills stand out on Ohio’s back line KELLEN BECOATS FOR THE POST

S

ophomore Rianna Reese is taking her responsibility as Ohio’s starting center back very seriously.

So it was not surprising to watch every other player walk out the Chessa Field gates after practice while Reese remained on the field.

Reese stood with about a dozen balls scattered around her as assistant coach Debs Brereton gave her instructions and set up dummies about 30 yards down the field.

For the next 45 minutes, Reese lofted passes across the field, looking intensely focused the entire time.

Reese, who was recently appointed assistant captain of the team in her second year at Ohio, said the trust from her teammates means a lot to her.

“I think it shows that I’ve really earned the respect of my teammates,” Reese said. “And that’s really humbling to know that they trust me to be a leader for them, and that my coaches trust me to be a leader for our team.

And it gives me a lot of confidence to be able to step up and play the role of center back this year because that’s a position that has to take a lot of leadership on the field.”

It also helps that Reese has a few familiar faces in the back line with her, namely fellow sophomore Mandy Arnzen.

Although Reese and fellow assistant captain Celeste Fushimi-Karns have been able to build a solid partnership as the typical starting center backs, Reese and Arnzen’s relationship in the back line has given Ohio

18 / SEPT. 22, 2016

some of the best defensive cover it has had in years.

Their personalities seem diametrically opposed.

Reese emits a fiery, intense vibe, while Arnzen seems much more fluid in her play and can consistently be seen smiling her way through games — and it suits the Bobcats well.

“She’s so athletic, and she’s the kind of person, like, you know is always focused, but she keeps it lighthearted at the same time,” Reese said of Arnzen. “I’m really focused during the whole game and super intense, and sometimes I think that I’m forgetting to have fun. ... Mandy is the type of player who reminds you at the end of the day that we’re supposed to be enjoying what we’re doing and she helps me do that.”

Arnzen shares Reese’s sympathies, and said playing consistently with each other last year helped build both their relationship and an acknowledgment of trust.

“I mean, any time you’re playing with your friend, like, you just feel more confident,” Arnzen said. “Like freshman year and so far sophomore year, I just know that she has my back and I have her back, and it really helps a lot knowing that she’s next to me.”

Their relationship has certainly paid its dividends. After a trial by fire last season of both players being thrown into large roles early on, the defense looks settled this season. Ohio gave up 13 goals in its first six games last season. So far this season, it has only given up eight in the same amount of games.

Every loss the Bobcats have incurred was during overtime, where heavy legs and lethargic minds come into play. Despite

that, both players are confident in their team’s ability. Reese even had some pretty lofty expectations for the end of the season.

“Well, when I wrote it down in our first meeting of the year, I wanted to win the MAC Tournament and go to a NCAA Tour-

nament game. So that’s the ultimate goal,” Reese said.

Given a little more time and some solid competition in conference play, that goal may not be that farfetched. @KELLENBECOATS KB749012@OHIO.EDU

Rianna Reese, left, and Mandy Arnzen, right, pose for a portrait at Chessa Field. Both sophomores have taken on leadership roles during the season.

(MATT STARKEY / FOR THE POST)

Living above bars can mean little-to-no sleep Convenient living above the Court Street bars often comes with noisy downsides SARAH FRANKS FOR THE POST

T

here are certain luxuries students enjoy when they live in apartments above Court Street: the closeness to the bars, the view of the bricks and the location just a few steps away from a basket of Lucky’s Sports Tavern’s fried pickles.

Something less extravagant for Brett Mowery, who lives directly above The CI, is feeling the vibration of his bed as he tries to get some sleep.

Many students like Mowery, a senior studying media arts and studies, choose to live in apartments directly above bars on Court Street even though they are aware of the ruckus their downstairs neighbors might cause.

“It’s pretty bad honestly. My room is right on the street, so I hear everybody shouting and stuff. And then it’s funny because my bed is right above a speaker, so (the speaker) just vibrates my whole bed,” Mowery said.

Roommates Sarah Filippi and Maggie Stotts expected some sleepless nights with bass pulsing through the walls of their junior year apartment above Courtside Pizza. What they did not anticipate, however, was football Sunday, football Monday and a DJ every Tuesday night keeping them awake well past their ideal bed times.

“I knew it would be that bad, like, Wednesday through Saturday, but we had no idea that it was going to be this bad, like, Sundays through Tuesdays,” Stotts, a junior studying fashion merchandising, said.

Just when the roommates thought the party was over and they could finally get some decent rest, Courtside cleaning crews arrive bright and early.

“They go in and clean the bar the next morning, and they’ll start playing music with bass at 5 a.m. … So we (often) only get three hours of sleep,” Filippi, a junior studying criminal justice, said.

J Bar bartender Dan Rhinehart, a junior studying marketing and business, said residents living above bars have to know what they are getting into when they choose to live above a late-night hot spot.

“The people that live above here or

Courtside Apartments, located above Courtside Pizza, can get loud on busy weekend nights. (KEVIN PAN / FOR THE POST)

They go in and clean the bar the next morning, and they’ll start playing music with bass at 5 a.m. ... So we (often) only get three hours of sleep.”

Courtside, Pawpurrs — all these bars — like, before they sign the lease, they literally have to know, like, at least two to three nights of the five days of the week, it’s gonna be loud,” Rhinehart said.

A reason Rhinehart thinks many students are initially okay with the notion of living above a noisy bar is because they believe they are getting a good deal by paying a little less rent.

“They think it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m getting a deal because it’s cheap.’ But it’s like, yeah, but you’re going to be listening to (rap) going on at 1:30 in the morning when you’re trying to go to bed,” Rhinehart said.

The Athens Police Department rarely has to mediate between residents and bars because of the expectancy of loud music, Rhinehart said. However,

when an issue does arise, things usually run smoothly.

“I can’t honestly recall the last time we received a noise complaint on one of the bars, if that tells you how frequently we receive those complaints,” Tom Pyle, Athens’ police chief, said in an email.

On occasion, more than just unwanted sound reaches some apartments above the bars. Sometimes, it’s the confused and intoxicated bargoers just looking for a place to rest their eyes — or in some cases, relieve their bladder.

Kevin McKay, a former OU student who lives above Lucky’s, had such an encounter when the school year had just begun.

“I just kind of overheard (people) through the door. They were like, ‘Agh, let’s like just go up here. I think we can go pee in this hallway,’ ” McKay said.

McKay stood there for a moment before he opened the door and told the couple to “get the hell out,” or else he would call the cops.

Apartment doors left unlocked can lead to further issues with confused intruders. Earlier this summer, Filippi and Stotts dealt with a very sleepy — but nevertheless unwelcome — guest.

After a night out with another roommate, Stotts awoke to an open front door and a strange man asleep in

their apartment.

“Our door was completely open, and it’s like pitch black in (the apartment),” Stotts said. “I was scared.”

Unsure whether the man was a friend of her roommate who had not come home yet, Stotts left for work. After receiving confirmation by text that the man was definitely a stranger, one of Stotts’ other roommates came home and demanded the sleeping guest leave.

Stotts’ roommate was adamant the stranger left immediately, but Stotts said the man proceeded to ask, “Can I sleep for 10 more minutes?”

Noise and unexpected guests are downfalls that come with living above bars on Court Street. Residents like Mowery, however, still say the positives outweigh the negatives.

“I’m two feet away from work, all the bars and all the fun and stuff. It’s a really nice apartment,” Mowery said. “I’m at the center of the city, five minutes from everywhere.”

If someone is considering living above one of the bars on Court Street, Mowery has some advice.

“Get an apartment toward the back, not the front.” @SARUHHHFRANKS SF084814@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

Vegan diet can pose problems, limitations for college students With some research pointing toward the benefits of a plant-based diet, Ohio University students have started to seek vegan-friendly meals on campus ALEXIS EICHELBERGER / FOR THE POST PHOTOS BY EMILY MATTHEWS / PHOTO EDITOR

W

hen Moira Snuffer decided she would abide by a vegan diet two years ago, she was faced with more challenges than simply finding something to eat each day.

Snuffer, a senior studying sculpture, said she has faced criticism from friends and others for her meatless and dairy-free diet.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say I look healthy for a vegan,” she said.

“It’s just kind of insulting in that way.”

Of course, converting to a vegan diet could mean dealing with complications other than cravings for cheese and chicken wings. Some Ohio University students who are vegan say they have been shamed for their lifestyle choices, or have faced health complications due to nutrient deficiencies, on top of trying to find vegan-friendly meals in the dining halls.

Rachel McDonald scoops out curried chickpeas and dhal at the vegan cooking workshop Sept. 6.

20 / SEPT. 22, 2016

MEATLESS ISN’T MAINSTREAM Tegan Strauss, a freshman studying psychology, became vegan a few years ago after her cousin bet her that she could not change her lifestyle.

“I did some research and found the videos about the food industry and stuff and then I was like, ‘Nope, that’s not for me,’ ” she said.

Strauss has now been vegan for more than a year, but when she accepted her cousin’s challenge, she also accepted the stigma that can come with it.

“Vegans shouldn’t have a negative connotation, because a lot of them do,” she said. “We’re cool people. We’re not all mean to people who eat meat, we just like animals.”

People often react negatively to veganism and those who are vegan because it is not considered a mainstream lifestyle, Edita Birnkrant, the campaigns director for Friends of Animals,

said. Friends of Animals is an international nonprofit animal advocacy group that promotes veganism as a way to improve animal welfare.

“I think one of the reasons we see negative reactions from some people is because anything that isn’t mainstream is going to seem odd,” Birnkrant said. “For many people it’s been ingrained and we’ve been brainwashed in a sense to think that we need meat and dairy and eggs to be healthy, but that isn’t the case.”

DEFINED DIFFERENCES The International Vegan Association defines a vegan as “a person committed to abstaining from using animals and animal products for food, clothing, entertainment, and other purposes.”

Rachel McDonald, a sophomore studying global studies, has been vegan for almost a year. She transitioned from eating meat and dairy over the course of a few months with the help of her mother, who has been vegan for several years.

McDonald, who said she draws inspiration for her vegan meals from posts on Instagram, said her love for cooking made her vegan transition a fun challenge.

“Try new things,” she said. “You don’t have to not enjoy what other people are enjoying, you can just change it up a bit to make it work.”

About 2 percent of adults in the U.S. consider themselves vegan, according to a 2012 Gallup survey. The survey concluded that vegans consider themselves to be completely separate from vegetarians, rather than a subset.

Vegans are typically thinner, have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and are less at-risk for heart disease, according to a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2009.

Many vegetables were used at the vegan cooking workshop Sept. 6.

Deborah Murray, the undergraduate coordinator of food and nutrition sciences, said although plant-based diets can contribute to positive health benefits, eliminating animal products could potentially cause nutrient deficiencies, particularly in calcium and protein.

“Veganism can be a very healthful lifestyle,” Murray said. “But what is acknowledged is that there is a handful of nutrients that are at risk when meat and dairy go out the window.”

Other nutrients vegans can lack include iron, zinc and B-12. Having a deficiency in those nutrients can cause an increased risk of anemia, which is a red blood cell deficiency. That deficiency can also cause psychological and neurological abnormalities, such as disorientation, dementia and difficulty with concentra-

Alexandra Grbcich, left, and Moira Snuffer, right, cut mango coconut ladoo at the vegan cooking workshop Sept. 6. tion, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Murray said vegans are able to get the protein they need by eating foods such as beans, legumes and nuts, and dairy alternatives such as soy and almond milks can provide calcium.

But for some college students, the positive health effects of veganism could outweigh the potential nutritional risks.

PETA said the number of universities that received an “A” rating on their Vegan Report Card has more than doubled since 2013, while the number that received a “B” rating has more than tripled. The criteria for receiving an “A” rating includes labeling vegan entrees and desserts, offering non-dairy milk and at least one vegan option at every meal. According to PETA’s report, Ohio University received an “A” grade on its 2015 Vegan Report Card.

Despite PETA’s analysis, McDonald said

Clockwise from top left, Rachel McDonald, Brandon Stevens and Elli Lavon drain curried chickpeas and dhal at the vegan cooking workshop. The Athens Vegan Cooking Workshop teamed up with Gluten Free Alliance to make a vegan and gluten-free meal.

Curried chickpeas and dhal was one of the dishes served at the vegan cooking workshop Sept. 6.

navigating the dining halls can be challenging.

“Sometimes the dining halls are hard, but if you have rice, beans and vegetables, you’ve got a full meal, and usually the dining halls have that,” she said. “In college, I eat potatoes and sweet potatoes a lot. You can cook them in a microwave.”

FINDING A FULL MEAL Murray said Athens is full of “little treasures” for vegan nutrition, such as the weekly farmers market and the promotion of local produce through organizations such as the Community Food Initiatives. She said the university also does a good job of offering healthy vegan options in the dining halls and markets, particularly The District on West Green.

“I really think students have more options than ever within the university,” she said.

Students with dietary restrictions who choose to dine on campus can schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian through OU Culinary Services, according to Culinary Services’ website.

Dining halls also label vegan options, saying food bearing the label is prepared with no animal or dairy products, including honey, gelatin or rennet, according to the website.

“We try to find new and different (and tasty) ways to offer plant-based diet options,” OU spokesperson Dan Pittman said in an email.

“Culinary Services has done much through renovations and menu revisions in the past few years to greatly increase the number of vegan options.”

Pittman said Culinary Services increased its focus on providing vegan and vegetarian options in recent years.

Some vegan students, however, do not find the dining halls to be sufficiently vegan-friendly.

Ally Valeda-Maiden, a junior studying specialized studies in human relations, said she is “mostly vegan,” but found the dietary restrictions difficult when she came to OU. “One of the main reasons I started eating meat in college was because I was tired of (the) lentil salad every day in the dining hall,” she said.

Snuffer, who used to be a student leader in a dining hall, said she had to be imaginative to find food that suited her vegan diet by finding different pieces of her meal at different stations.

VEGAN-FRIENDLY EATS IN ATHENS: CHIPOTLE, 41 S. COURT ST.: Burritos and burrito bowls without meat and cheese.

AVALANCHE PIZZA, 329 E. STATE ST.: “I Was a Teenage Vegan Werewolf” Pizza and a vegan cheese option.

CASA NUEVA, 6 W. STATE ST.: Vegan burrito and an enchilada made with vegan cheese.

VILLAGE BAKERY AND CAFE, 268 E. STATE ST.: Vegan chocolate chip cookie and chocolate almond biscotti.

FLUFF BAKERY AND CATERING, 8 N. COURT ST.: Curries and chocolate chip cookies.

“The chefs don’t understand veganism a lot of times, and the university just does it to get a name,” Snuffer said. “They just want to get that ‘A’ rating on the PETA website.”

The student organization Conscious Ohio offers a weekly vegan cooking workshop, which is another option for students looking for a meal outside of the dining hall.

Snuffer, who is the president of Conscious Ohio, said there can be anywhere from 20 to 120 people who come to eat, but not all who attend are vegan.

In the past, they have put vegan spins on non-vegan favorites by crafting things like buffalo wings made from cauliflower. Snuffer said the vegan component of the meal is not the most important aspect.

“It’s not just about the vegan diet, it’s about getting people together to just enjoy a meal together as friends and family,” she said.

@ADEICHELBERGER AE595714@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

the weekender

Festival brings Jake Owen, Brett Eldredge GEORGIA DAVIS STAFF WRITER Even though Country Night Lights is scheduled for the same weekend as Ohio University Parents Weekend, Adam Lynn is not worried about a decrease in ticket sales.

“I think it’s actually a good activity for parents to do with their students during the day,” Lynn, a co-owner of Prime Social Group, said. “I feel like a lot of kids’ parents are into country music.”

Prime Social Group, which also hosts Number Fest, will bring 13 country acts to The Venue of Athens, 8003 State Route 56, for two days of music at Country Night Lights. The opening acts will start at 5 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. A two-day general admission ticket is $70, and a two-day VIP ticket is $100. The festival will sell alcohol on-site for people who are 21 or older, and those who attend cannot bring their own alcohol on the premise, Lynn said.

This is Country Night Lights’ second year, but its first year extending the concert across two days. The festival also did not allow concertgoers to bring their own alcoholic beverages last year. “(It) gives a lot of country fans the ability to come out and camp onsite, as opposed to the single day show,” Lynn said. “It’s pretty popular in the country world to have multi-day events like this.”

Victoria Buzzard, a 22 / SEPT. 22, 2016

sophomore studying nursing, said she went to Country Night Lights last year and did not like that the concert was long and drawn-out. She added that she was “exhausted” by the time the headliner, Sam Hunt, performed, which is who she wanted to see the most. Chase Bryant and Easton Corbin also performed last year.

Buzzard said she likes the idea of creating two separate days for the concert because “you can pick which day you want to go.”

Jake Owen, known for his current single “American Country Love Song,” will headline Friday night.

Opening up for Owen will be country duo Brothers Osborne, Clare Dunn, Matthew Pinkham and Julia Neville.

Buzzard said she will most likely attend the event Friday to see Owen perform.

“He’s just the most popular person in the lineup that sings well-known country songs,” she said.

Brett Eldredge will perform as Saturday’s headliner. The “Drunk on Your Love” singer will follow Frankie Ballard, Chris Lane, Josh Thompson, Ryan Robinette, Shaina Rhodes, Mitch Kirkpatrick and Matt Goodrich.

Alyssa VanWinkle, a freshman studying finance and management information systems, said she will attend the country concert Saturday to see Eldredge.

“I like that I like a lot of his songs and not just one or two,” VanWinkle said.

Concertgoers tailgate in the parking lot outside The Venue before the Country Night Lights concert in 2015. (LAUREN BACHO / FILE)

“He has a ton of amazing songs.”

VanWinkle said she goes to a lot of country concerts because she lives within an hour’s drive of the Blossom Music Center near Cleveland. Despite the number of concerts she attends, she said she has not seen any of the performers for Country Night Lights.

“I think we have one of the hottest lineups you could put together,” Lynn said. “I feel like we just got a lineup that, like, really came together super well and one that the country fans can definitely appreciate.”

GD497415@OHIO.EDU @GEORGIADEE35

IF YOU GO WHAT: Country Night Lights WHEN: Friday and Saturday WHERE: The Venue, 8003 State Route 56 ADMISSION: $70 for two-day general, $100 for day-two VIP tickets For more ticket prices, visit the Country Night Lights website.

WHAT’S HAPPENING CHRIS PETERSON / FOR THE POST

P

arents Weekend is an Ohio University tradition that reunites Bobcats with their families for three days of entertainment, events and recreational activities.

Live entertainment will range from nationally-established acts, such as magician Adam Trent and comedy troupe The Second City, to underground performers, such as the bands Skeletonwitch, Moon Curse and

Horseburner, which will be performing at The Union Bar & Grill on Saturday.

The Ping Recreation Center’s Outdoor Pursuits program will host three different events for families this weekend: a stargazing and campfire event, ziplining at The Ridges, and a hike at Hocking Hills. Tiffanie Fogel, a junior studying music production and recording industry, works for the Out-

FRIDAY What: Adam Trent: Magician Reinvented When: 8 p.m.

Where: Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Admission: $20

Adam Trent, one of the nation’s most popular magicians — featured on television and Broadway — will be performing at OU as a part of the Parents Weekend festivities. Trent strives to give lively and interactive performances, incorporating music and comedy into his act. As he states on his website, “I realized that the most important element in a show is the performer’s connection to the audience, and without that even an amazing performance could fall as flat as a bad boy band.”

What: Coffee with a Cop When: 8 a.m.

Where: Front Room Admission: Free What: Ohio Hockey vs.

John Carroll University When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Bird Arena Admission: $6 for students, $8 for non-students

What: Ohio Volleyball vs. Akron When: 7 p.m., Friday Where: The Convo Admission: Free for students, $5 for non-students What: Stargazing and Campfire When: 8 p.m., Friday Where: Meet at Ping Recreation Center Admission: $10 per person

door Pursuits program and said those activities are the best options for families interested in adventure.

“Outside (activities) are fun,” said Fogel. “It gives (families) something to do during the day besides hanging out in your dorm room.”

On Saturday, Rural Action and the Center for Campus and Community Engagement will sponsor bike tour of local wilderness areas, in addition to

a tour of the Little Fish Brewery. The Front Room in Baker Center will also be hosting “Coffee with a Cop” as an opportunity for students and their parents to meet local and campus police officers and ask questions concerning campus safety.

A full list of Parents Weekend events can be found on the Ohio University website.

CP142115@OHIO.EDU @CHRIS_PETER_SON

Saturday What: Skeletonwitch, Moon Curse and Horseburner at The Union When: 9 p.m.

Where: The Union Bar & Grill, 18 W. Union St Admission: $12 advance, $15 at the door

In addition to quality dining, the reopened Union Bar & Grill hosts concerts for bands of all genres. This Saturday, students and parents can enjoy performances from metal bands Skeletonwitch, Moon Curse and Horseburner. Eric Gunn, co-owner of The Union, recommends the concert for students and parents interested in metal and rock ‘n’ roll. “If your parents are headbangers, they’ll probably have a good time,” Gunn said.

What: Second City: Hits Home When: 8 p.m.

Where: Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium Admission: $20 per person Second City has launched the careers of several high-profile comedians, and is one of the most prominent comedy groups in the nation.

During Parents Weekend, the touring company will be performing at Ohio University. The show will feature a blend of improvisational and sketch comedy with an emphasis on audience participation.

What: There’s No Place Like HOUme Brunch When: Two separate sittings at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Where: Baker Center Ballroom Admission: $15 per person

What: Hocking Hills Hike When: 10 a.m.

Where: Meet at Ping Recreation Center Admission: $20 per person

What: Ohio Volleyball vs. Buffalo When: 7 p.m.

Where: The Convo Admission: $5 general admission, free for students

What: Ohio Hockey vs.

John Carroll University When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: Bird Arena Admission: $8 general admission, $6 for students

What: Stargazing and Campfire When: 8 p.m.

Where: Meet at Ping Recreation Center Admission: $10 per person

What: Ziplining at the Ridges When: 10 a.m., Where: Meet at Ping Recreation Center Admission: $25 per person

What: Birds, Bikes, & Brews When: 3 p.m.

Where: Little Fish Brewery, 8675 Armitage Road Admission: $50 per person, $35 if attendees bring their own bike

What: Ohio Football vs.

Gardner-Webb When: 2 p.m.

Where: Peden Stadium Admission: $30 general admission, free for students

Sunday What: Hocking Hills Hike When: 10 a.m.

Where: Meet at Ping Recreation Center Admission: $20

What: Ziplining at the Ridges When: 10 a.m.

Where: Meet at Ping Recreation Center Admission: $25

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

24 / SEPT. 22, 2016