Aug. 31, 2023

Who has the best coffee in Athens? PG 10

The wildest summer pop culture moments PG 19

Where did the term ‘gringo’ come from? PG 18

OU staff discusses new app, Go OHIO

Go OHIO is Ohio University’s newest app, and its goal is to create a place where students can easily access nearly everything they need to help them succeed.

The app combines references to resources that students may already be familiar with, accompanied by tools that are only featured in the app, Chris Ament, chief information officer, said.

It includes a variety of features, such as a map of campus, a student dashboard, dining hall menus, Counseling and Psychological Services, tutoring access and more.

While the app was officially released online during the summer, Go OHIO had its hard launch this fall, when faculty and staff began marketing it to students.

Since the fall semester began, OIT reported around 5,000 students using the app regularly, Ament said.

One of the ideas behind the app was to get new students accommodated to their resources faster and earlier, which, in turn, would create stronger connections, Wendy MerbBrown, assistant dean of operations and first-year student transitions, said.

Another idea behind Go OHIO was to help students avoid needing to go through several different tabs under OU’s website.

The timeline behind the app, Ament said, began in the summer of 2022 with the support to start building it. With the help of members of the product governance board and the steering committee, a beta test was conducted in the spring of 2023.

The beta test consisted of 200 student users navigating the app, and giving feedback to the Office of Information and Technology, Ament said. The entire goal was to learn what students – the target group – thought about the app and what changes could be made before the launch.

With the students’ feedback, mapping capabilities were upgraded and the positions of tools were changed, along with other modifications as well. Ament said the app underwent changes that best fit what the students wanted to see improvements in.

During the first week of the semester, informational tabling areas were set up on College Green with QR codes to download the app and provide more information to let new students know how to access their resources more easily, Merb-Brown said.

“What makes it special from my perspective is that it’s a cross-team effort, not just IT, but also our partners in enrollment, the provost’s office, student affairs and so on,” Ament said. “That’s the only way we can have hopes of making a unified digital experience where all that stuff comes together.”

The app is also available to students at regional campuses.

A student on a regional campus doesn’t need to know what Athens’ dining halls offer, Merb-Brown said, but they can check hours of operation for their campus’ resources.

A future feature will include access for prospective students to help them get familiar and connected before stepping on campus at orientation, Merb-Brown said.

The work on this app is far from over, but with the help of student feedback, OIT staff and everyone else working on the development hope to create an optimal digital resource for students.

“My hope is that we get some good feedback from all those (who are using the app), figure out what works, what doesn’t and make those changes,” Ament said.

According to OU’s website, a feedback survey is linked in the Go OHIO app for users to fill out. Go OHIO can also be accessed on any web browser, too.

PHOTO BY ALAINA DACKERMANN, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Black Student Equity Report reveals need for change within universities

MADISON KENNEDY FOR THE POST

The Ohio Student Association, or OSA, and faculty research collaborators released the Ohio Black Student Equity Report during a virtual press conference Thursday, Aug. 24.

The Ohio Black Student Equity Report is the most comprehensive study to date of Black students’ university experiences and needs in Ohio, according to OSA’s press release. The report is based on interviews with 361 students across 12 public, four-year universities and one private four-year university.

Students were surveyed on their experiences with financial aid, campus policing and other varying campus and state issues.

Prentiss Haney is the executive director of OSA and co-director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative. He highlighted the importance of the report, citing it as the first of its kind where actual research is conducted to back up what is happening at universities in Ohio.

Haney said after George Floyd’s death in 2020, many Black students started taking the initiative to demonstrate the need for change across campuses.

“Black students on campus finally had enough with the conditions that they were experiencing on campus, and they wanted to have an outlet to show through research that there are real issues happening on our campuses,” Hanley said.

Everett Smith, an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati, is one of the researchers who wrote the report and designed the survey. He said some of the things that stood out the most from the reports were students’ notions of engagement with their faculty and college leaders.

“Some (students) had very negative experiences or uncomfortable experiences or didn’t feel comfortable going to different areas on campus, not just in terms of the social environment, but in terms of support,” Smith said. “They knew where to go, but they didn’t feel necessarily as comfortable going there.”

Smith said the report showed that Black students were more apprehensive when going around historically white areas on campus and feeling unsafe. He added that there were concerns for these students about their engagement with the police, campus bullies and on-campus mental health services.

“Students from (Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or) HBCUs, tend to be much more comfortable on their college campus, generally across the board, when compared to data,” Smith said.

Brielle Shorter, a sophomore at Ohio

State University, is the associate vice chair of student experience for the Undergraduate Black Caucus and a part of the Undergraduate Society of Black Leaders.

Shorter’s childhood experiences of undermining racial intentions forged her path toward advocacy. She said she is now determined to strengthen the voices of those who are marginalized and unheard.

She said there is a lack of mental health support for people of color within Ohio’s school systems. Shorter said it’s creating a sense of uncertainty for students’ shared values and futures.

“(The report found that) 45% of students reported feeling unsure about whether their university’s mental health staff can support and truly aid Black students,” Shorter said.

Samira Atkins is a junior at Case Western Reserve University and a member of the Case Western Reserve University Black Student Union and OSA. Atkins said although the university is located in a majority Black populated area, its student body does not reflect the city or Ohio.

Atkins said, that according to recent statistics provided by the university, only 7% of all students at Case Western Reserve University are African American.

“This raises a reasonable concern for Black students that attend this university because there is a power in numbers,” Atkins said. “What I mean by that is that a lack of representation in the student body, faculty and staff can lead – and have led – to detrimental effects amongst the Black students.”

Atkins shared experiences of feeling isolated and not seeing much of herself in the university, making her feel like her voice was not strong enough. She said the underrepresentation in a city like Cleveland needs to be addressed.

In 2020, a proposal was written addressing some concerns about underrepresentation, which led to some actions being taken; however, with the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to reverse affirmative action, Atkins wants to ensure that progress toward this matter continues.

OSA is in collaboration with Policy Matters Ohio to come four high-level recommendations for state investments that are needed and what universities have the authority to do to change.

One is to develop a statewide collaborative of institutions of higher education that will focus on supporting Black students. The second is to build a system of accountabili-

ty for campus policing. The third is to make sure that all Ohians have access to a complete higher education. The last piece is protecting Black students from harmful anti-diversity legislation.

“This report is not just a call to action at the universities but the call to action to students that you no longer have to wait for your universities to decide if they care about you.” Hanley said. “If they will invest their money. If they want to invest their time and talent. You should take this report and say, ‘What are you going to do now?’”

From the findings in the report, Shorter said she feels more confident, has a sense of responsibility and has a new belief in the power of education and its potential to uplift individuals and communities.

“Let’s embrace the findings of the Black Equity Report and use it as a call to action, an opportunity to reshape the trajectory of our educational system, and use it as a testament to our commitment to a brighter and more inclusive future for all Ohioans,” Shorter said.

A full link to the copy of the Ohio Black Student Equity Report can be found here.

@MADISONKENNEDY17

The new Multicultural Center on Court Street. (CLAIRE MOORE | FOR THE POST)

New partnership between Athens and Ostroh

PAIGE FISHER FOR THE POST

Athens is collaborating with Ostoh, a city in Ukraine, to share ideas about decentralized governments and university partnerships with one another.

The sister-cities program is set up by the United States Agency of International Development, Mayor Steve Patterson said. He first heard of the program last November at the National League of Cities conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

“The program is trying to bring together cities that are in Ukraine with cities in the United States,” Patterson said. “The emphasis on exchanging the ways in which the governments of U.S. cities, how they run, how the administration’s run, how city council operates.”

The U.S. agency is also partnering with the Interna tional

Center to help connect sister cities with one another, and Patterson had the opportunity to meet with the vice president of development and External Affairs, Svitlana Ramer.

“I told (Ramer) the only thing I’m going to ask for is to find a city in Ukraine that has a major university,” Patterson said. “She came forward with the opportunity to have this partnership with a city called Ostroh.”

Ramer has been involved with the partnership from the beginning and followed through on the request of finding a city with a major university to partner with Athens.

Ostroh houses one of the oldest higher education institutions in Ukraine, The National University of Ostroh Academy.

“There was only one (city) that had a major university in it so it was kind of a no-brainer to partner Athens with Ostroh,” Ramer said.

Patterson said symbolic exchanges are already being made between the two cities; he sent the historic key to the city and

the mayor of Ostroh, Yurij Yahodka.

“Most of it is just fairly symbolic; the real work will start this winter when I have the opportunity to fly over and engage for a longer period of time and learn from them and for them to learn from us from the city of Athens,” Patterson said.

While this is the most recent form of fellowship between the two cities, in June, there was an official Zoom meeting to sign an agreement to legally mark Ostroh and Athens as sister cities.

In the agreement between the cities, Patterson will act as an official representative of Athens, City Council President Christine Knisely said.

Knisely also said she is hopeful to have more virtual meetings with translators in the future to help the cities learn from one another.

“I’m looking forward to learning as much from them as they might learn from us,” Knisely said. “I think

ficial for both sides.”

Ramer has helped connect cities in Ukraine and the U.S. for the last 15 years, and she said she has enjoyed working with Athens and Ostroh. She said she believes the two cities will be able to continue their relationship without her involvement.

With the many similarities between Athens and Ostroh, Ramer said she is confident they will find endless opportunities to connect on multiple levels, especially given the university layer within each city.

“I really hope the university gets really engaged with this, and the enthusiasm of Mayor Patterson will continue in getting some projects started because I just think it’s such a good pairing for these two cities,” Ramer said.

@PAIGEMAFISHER PF585820@OHIO.EDU

EMMA MCADAMS | ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

OU planning housing improvement

PAIGE FISHER NEWS STAFF WRITER

Ohio University’s Housing and Residence Life’s Housing Master Plan includes two buildings and 600 additional beds, located on South Green, to align with enrollment targets and provide more engagement spaces for students.

The project will be carried out in three phases and cost $94.6 million. Housing and Residence Life will ask for an internal loan of $75 million, which the OU Board of Trustees will need to approve, and the rest will be taken from reserves.

For the first phase of the Housing Master Plan, OU will take halls offline and invest in major capital renovations, Jneanne Hacker, the executive director for Housing and Residence Life, said.

The Housing Master Plan has been in the making since February 2022, with the first phase being approved by the Board of Trustees during its meeting in October 2022.

“We gave students the opportunity to identify elements of a new construction and the programs that they would like to see integrated into those spaces,” Hacker said. “We had academic representation, as well as student representation (and) student leadership representation.”

Student Senate President Megan Handle was one of the student leaders chosen to provide some input on the housing renovations.

“(Students at the meeting) got to go through with little dot stickers and put red on stuff we really didn’t like, yellow on stuff we were okay with and green on stuff we liked,” Handle said.

Handle hopes for the best, given how receptive the university appeared at the meeting. She also hopes the Board creates housing that benefits students and places that students would like to live in, as it said it would do.

Along with working with the students, Hacker said, Housing and Residence Life also brought in a consultant from Ayers Saint Gross, a design firm, to evaluate the buildings on campus and identify which facilities need to be a priority.

“They did a physical analysis of all of our existing buildings,” Hacker said. “After they completed their work, the Housing Master Plan had several different priorities. First and foremost was to construct 600 new beds. That would be two new buildings strategically located on the Back South.”

With the first phase allowing the university to take halls offline for capital improvements, the second phase involves taking four individual halls on Front South offline – one each year in the summer – for renovations.

“Phase two priorities would be to focus major capital renovations on the front four; so Pickering, Brown, Crawford, and McKinnon. Each one of those halls would be anticipated to come offline each year,” Hacker said.

Hacker said that Housing and Residence Life hopes to begin taking these halls offline in the spring if not summer 2024.

After this, phase three is the next step in the Housing Master Plan. This phase includes demolishing the remaining five buildings on the back of South Green, the only mod-style buildings on campus.

“The third phase of the Housing Master Plan really addresses the remainder of the mod-style facilities that ex-

ist on the back south,” Hacker said. “The decision has been made to demolish the remainder of the five buildings that exist on back south.”

The demolition is estimated to cost around $2 million per building, but Hacker said she anticipates some cost savings associated with this portion of the project.

“(The year) 2030 is when we anticipate that we will have the other remainder of the five back south facilities demolished,” Hacker said.

In addition to the housing renovations, OU has also recently invested in several other campus buildings to enhance the university’s academic offerings, research and experiential learning opportunities, Shawna Wolfe, associate vice president of University Planning, said.

These projects include construction within the College of Fine Arts and a translational research facility within the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“I think that this new construction really gives us a great opportunity to not only build to meet the needs of our current students but also our future students.” Hacker said.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio works toward expanding services digitally

HARSHITA SINGHANIA FOR THE POST

Access to reproductive and sexual health care is facing a critical challenge in Ohio. As recent legislation limiting access to reproductive health care has passed, many Ohioans are apprehensive of the stricter laws. In order to bridge that widening gap, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, or PPGOH, has decided to expand its telehealth services by 300% by the end of 2023.

PGOH offers various services through telehealth, including gender-affirming care, birth control, HIV services, emergency contraception, STD testing, treatment and vaccines, transgender hormone therapy and women's health care across its 17 health centers.

PPGOH's telehealth services began at the start of the pandemic to provide treatment and care to patients in a safe way.

Adarsh Krishen, the Chief Medical Officer at PPGOH, said many patients have to travel great distances to access care, but sometimes their needs can be addressed via telephone.

"The initial foray into telehealth was months, just months in the planning because it was sort of a very quick initial pivot during the beginning of COVID," Krishen said.

PPGOH went through three phases to develop its telehealth model.

"Phase one was the registration person and the clinician you were seeing were physically in the health center," Krishen said. "You as the patient did not have to be in the health center. This model was used for a long time."

Soon, phase two began, which entailed moving health care providers out of the office to any location of their convenience during the height of COVID-19 restrictions. Krishen added that phase three now overlooks extending telehealth hours beyond regular office hours.

"Our next phase in this is to look at how do we provide that care after standard business hours or outside the standard business hours," he said.

According to PPGOH's annual fiscal year report for 2022, it had 4,195 telehealth visits, which accounts for 5.59% of all visits from 45,100 patients.

Patients' approaches to seeking health care today have changed. Kishen added that telehealth removes the extra burden of arranging transportation for issues that can be

resolved virtually, saving students and working professionals time.

"One of our goals is to make sure we have more same-day appointments as part of the expansion so we've always had same-day appointments, but we've discovered that telehealth in particular lends itself very well to same-day appointments," Krishen said.

Krishen pointed out that one of the restrictions to telehealth care is that patients seeking care must be physically present in

Ohio. However, out-of-state students on their parents' insurance can still seek care even if they are not a resident of Ohio but are attending college in Ohio.

"PPGOH doubled the number of telehealth appointments available to patients from June to July, and moving forward, plans to expand even further, essentially tripling the number of appointments available," Hannah Gavin from Westend Strategies, communicating on behalf of PPGOH, said. "This

is all with the intention of making care more accessible to patients,"

Despite its limits, Ohio residents will now have access to necessary health care services from the comfort and safety of their own homes.

How two students are doing their part to stop climate change

ALYSSA CRUZ CULTURE EDITOR

It is a common for people to feel hopeless when it comes to combatting environmental issues. With evident signs of climate change plaguing the planet, it can be overwhelming for one person to feel like they are making a difference.

Maeve Fellerhoff, a sophomore studying studio art, said she has fallen into these feelings of helplessness when it comes to environmental activism.

“I think I definitely entered a phase where I was almost feeling like I was giving up a little bit or just feeling like I couldn’t have an impact, and I wasn’t feeling like there were many things available to me where I felt like I actually had the chance of changing it,” Fellerhoff said.

She said she has always felt a draw to the environment and is conscious of how to be a good resident of the planet.

“I have definitely grown up with the generation where we’ve been very aware of climate change my whole life,” Fellerhoff said. “‘I’m an outdoors person, but I also care about the world a lot.”

Eventually, she came to the conclusion that complacency with no results was worse than action with no results. With this mentality at the forefront of her mindset, she sought out ways to take action that could possibly produce more immediate outcomes.

“I felt like the feeling of not doing anything was worse than the feeling of actually doing something and feeling like it’s going nowhere,” Fellerhoff said. “So, I just wanted to start something to feel like I had some little impact.”

Celia Hawk, a sophomore studying environmental studies, shared this sentiment, and the two discussed possible routes they could take to accomplish these mutual goals. The pair decided that starting a student organization at Ohio University would be the best choice for creating a forum for environmental politics.

“We were hiking around and talking about all the different environmental clubs we are in, and we just realized that none of them were very political and that we were lacking that aspect of feeling involved in the political movement,” Hawk said.

Fellerhoff is candid about the fact that she feels like a stronger approach to creating environmental change is needed on campus. Although not bashing the other student organizations for the work they do, she said a political organization that can spark real change was what she was looking for.

“I feel like a lot of the clubs take a softer approach,” Fellerhoff said. “It’s a lot of (things) like recycling and all after-the-fact things which are great and necessary, but I feel like when I do those things repeatedly, they feel very futile. I just felt the need to feel like I actually have a chance of changing something.”

Because of this, the pair settled on creating a chapter of the Sunrise Movement at OU. The Sunrise Movement is an organization dedicated to creating a movement of young people to help stop the climate crisis and win a Green New Deal, according to its website.

There are “Sunrise Hubs” all over the nation, with the closest to Athens being the Sunrise Movement Columbus. The campaign works to make climate change an urgent priority for Central Ohio, as well as end the influence of fossil fuel executives on Ohio politics.

In addition to having Sunrise Hubs in cities, there are also chapters of the campaign at universities. Case Western Reserve University is home to its own chapter of the Sunrise Movement.

Fellerhoff said the Sunrise Movement was compelling because it provides welcomed support as well as guidance when it comes to tackling environmental political activism.

“I know for me, I needed some pathway to not feel like I was doing this alone,” she said. “They had a framework laid out…I think it just was the most appealing support system with it.”

Hawk said she likes the organization because there is evidence of real change.

“It’s a good way to feel like you’re causing real change and to get connected with people,” Hawk said.

Right now, the organization is just in the process of getting started at OU, but there is an Instagram for the new chapter. Fellerhoff

EMMA MCADAMS | ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

and Hawk will be the co-presidents, and they both said they are excited to get started.

There are potential plans to host a community fest in early October to spread awareness and drum up support for the movement. The co-presidents said everything will be updated on their Instagram, and encouraged all interested parties to reach out.

They encourage everyone to ask themselves what the environment means to them and what they can do to help it.

“Not doing anything was affecting me more than doing something,” Fellerhoff said. @ALYSSADANCCRUZ

Senate Bill 83 continues to raise concerns for faculty, students

ABREANNA BLOSE CULTURE STAFF WRITER

College students often have opportunities to expand their knowledge, make decisions about their education and explore aspects of their identity in a safe space – but many state lawmakers are making an effort to change this, one bill at a time. Ohio is no exception.

Last spring semester, many students and faculty discussed Ohio Senate Bill 83, otherwise known as the “Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act.” The bill was first introduced in March by Republican state senator Jerry Cirino and would make substantial changes to Ohio college curriculum and safe spaces.

As students finished their exams and left campus for the summer, a ground-breaking development was made: Senate Bill 83 was passed by the Ohio Senate on May 17. The bill made it onto the state budget and remains in the Ohio House, awaiting further committee consideration.

Kathleen Sullivan, an associate professor of political science, said the bill could eliminate mandatory diversity and inclusion training and regulate identity-based groups on campus including organizations based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation. Although there are some specific exceptions, the passing of this bill would not mean great things for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

“There could be restrictions on membership by identity group, which the bill sees as segregation,” Sullivan said.

The term “segregation” appears twice in the bill. Any identity-based groupings in classroom settings, formal orientation ceremonies and formal graduation ceremonies are prohibited.

Chloe Fabricante, a sophomore studying philosophy, believes that the bill will take away identity-based spaces altogether, including an all-women’s organization she is a part of.

“They won’t be able to allow all-female groups or female-presenting groups,” Fabricante said. “It’s going to take away a lot of our safe spaces on campuses in my opinion.”

The bill also addresses college curriculum, banning concepts like critical race theory and targeting colleges’ Asian and African American departments, said Julianna Rittenberg, a junior studying political science and the president of the Ohio University College Democrats.

“It’s a bill that could make diversity a lot harder in classrooms in higher education,” Rittenberg said.

With changes to the curriculum comes a disruption in the work of Ohio professors.

Sullivan explained that if this legislation were to pass, all students would be required to take an American government course developed by Ohio’s chancellor of higher education.

“That’s a real concern about professors’ academic freedom,” Sullivan said. “We choose our readings based on our own professional training according to certain learning objectives, according to certain disciplinary norms. This would require us to teach something that someone else designed.”

The proposed mandatory course would require readings including the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, essays from the Federalist Papers, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address.

The bill also bans universities from endorsing or opposing controversial beliefs. Examples of these topics include electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity, equity and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage and abortion, as stated on page 25 of the bill.

In order for the bill to become law, it must pass through the House and be signed by the governor.

Sullivan noted that if legislation change needs to be made,

ABBIE KINNEY | ART DIRECTOR

it should be addressed with consideration and research.

“If we need to make meaningful changes, let’s be sure we’re doing it based on facts and a shared understanding of present needs,” Sullivan said. “That’s how we change policy normally, and that should continue to guide us.”

As the new academic year kicks off, both Fabricante and Rittenberg recommend students continue to have discussions on Senate Bill 83 and advocate for academic freedom in higher education.

Even if Senate Bill 83 doesn’t appear on a ballot, Fabricante encourages students to continue to use their voice in every election as a way of making their mark on important, adjacent issues.

“Give your opinion,” Fabricante said. “If you’re able to talk about these things, and be an advocate, do it. But most importantly, vote.”

Coffee Comparison

CARA FINNEGAN FOR THE POST

Although Uptown Athens is known for many well-loved local eateries and bars, it is also home to some amazing local coffee shops that are beloved by students, faculty and local Athenians alike.

The three local shops that college students frequent in Uptown Athens are Brenen’s Coffee Cafe, Donkey Coffee and Court Street Coffee. Each seems to have its own special beverages and food options as well.

Natalie Drotleff, a senior studying biology, is a barista at Donkey Coffee, 17 W. Washington St. She enjoys her job because she interacts with members of the community in a personable environment. She also enjoys drinking either a power chai, a chai tea latte with espresso in it or a cortado, a drink with espresso and steamed milk.

Donkey Coffee is known in the Athens community for its variety of drink options, community involvement and cozy, warm environment.

Evy Wirth, a junior studying pre-physical therapy, believes Donkey Coffee is the best cup of joe in Athens.

“The environment and the people are great,” she said. “Everyone’s very friendly.”

Donkey Coffee does not just boast a wellloved environment and menu, it also sources its beans from a farmer co-op, called Dean’s Beans. The co-op is organic and fair trade and gives profits back to the farmers who grow the coffee beans they serve.

Donkey also hosts a variety of community events, like Designated Space, an open mic poetry, prose and spoken word event. They also host a weekly open mic night for musicians of all types.

Overwhelmingly, Donkey seems to be a fan favorite, because of its warm and inviting environment.

Brenen’s, 38 S. Court St., is a more well-rounded option for someone wanting a coffee and a sandwich. Brenen’s boasts a wide variety of food options, from a selection of around thirty sandwiches, salads and soups, too.

They also offer customers a wide array of bagels and other baked goods, like croissants and cookies. It also has counter seats

that overlook Court Street, which is perfect for avid people-watchers.

Natalie Schneider, a sophomore studying integrated language arts, believes that Brenen’s has the best cup of joe in Athens.

“They just have the best coffee,” she said. “They are the kindest people ever, and they have the best sandwiches.”

Schneider mentioned that she enjoys the environment at Donkey Coffee, but appreciates the breadth of food options that Brenen’s offers its customers.

“I love the environment at Donkey Coffee, and I love the environment at Court Street Coffee and Front Room,” Schneider said. “I think I prefer Brenen’s, but Donkey is a really great environment, and I really enjoy the atmosphere they make an effort to create.”

Similarly, Drotleff advocates for Donkey Coffee’s commitment to the community.

“We hold a lot of events where you can meet people, and I think we excel compared to other coffee shops in that way,” she said.

Although the best cup of joe in Athens is disputed by the community, it is evident that the employees, community events, and environment each coffee shop offers, keep customers coming back for more. Whether one prefers Donkey because of its comfy seating and variety of events, or would rather people watch from the Brenen’s patio, there isn’t a wrong choice when one is looking for a delicious cup of coffee in Athens.

CF652620@OHIO.EDU

What’s the best cup of joe in Athens?

What to know before Ohio takes on Marshall

MATT BUTCHER FOR THE POST

Ohio will take the short trip south to Marshall on Thursday, where each team will put its unbeaten 2-0-1 record on the line. The Bobcats have found themselves victorious in each of their last four matches against the Thundering Herd and should expect a similar outcome. Here is everything to know about Ohio’s fourth of seven nonconference matches.

Match Information

Opponent: Marshall

Venue: Hoops Family Field, Huntington, W. Va.

Time: Thursday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m.

Opponent Notes

Marshall has victories over Morehead State, 3-0, and High Point, 1-0. The Thundering Herd drew 1-1 with Indiana State last Thursday.

Last season, the Bobcats won 3-1 in their first game of the season against Marshall. Bailey Fisher is the only Thundering Herd player with more than one goal, while Abi Hugh, Alyssa Hardin and Ada Clare Tempert have found the scoresheet once each.

In the young season, Marshall is scoring 1.67 goals per game, while only allowing 0.33 goals per game, despite allowing an average of 13.3 shots per game to its own 10.

Player to watch

Izzi Boyd

Senior Izzi Boyd was named Mid-American Conference offensive player of the week for the first time in her career after her performances against Cleveland State and Navy.

In the week prior, Boyd scored the season-opening goal versus Duquesne, which she followed up with a game-winner against Cleveland State a week later. Against Navy, Boyd was responsible for assisting the game’s only goal to Scout Murray.

Boyd faces Marshall for the first time in her career and will be looking to build on her fast start to the season.

S e p t e m b e r 2 , 2 0 2 3

P a w P r i n t P a r k

8 - 1 1 P M

B O B C A T

B L O C K

P A R T Y

E n j o y a f r e e i c e c r e a m

s u n d a e b a r , D J s e t b y A C R N , a n d f i r e w o r k s h o w !

Ohio University Senior, Olivia Darrow (8) fights off a Miami defender Camber Hayes (11) at Chessa Field, Oct. 30, 2022. (JACK TATHAM | FOR THE POST)

Polling Problems:

“It makes you think, ‘Why?’” Rose Butcher said. “Do they just do this because they don’t want you to vote?”

The explanation

The right to vote is granted to citizens of age in the U.S., and ideally, it is an easy and accessible experience for people looking to express their civic liberty. Although many Americans may experience little to no hardship at all when voting, there are still citizens who run into complications.

Many people still face barriers while casting their ballot, and Athens is no exception.

The postcard

July 5, Rose Butcher received a postcard in the mail from the Athens County Board of Elections indicating her polling location had been changed.

Rose Butcher is a resident of Rome Township. Before the Aug. 8 election, her polling location had been the Federal Hocking Middle School, located at 8461 state Route 144, Stewart, OH, 45778. Her notice indicated that her voting location, along with all residents of Carthage and Rome Township, had been changed to the Carthage Township Volunteer Fire Department, located at 21200 Holly Lane Guysville, OH, 45735.

The change came as a shock to Rose Butcher, as she was never given an explanation as to why the polling location was changed. She said she had talked with other Rome Township community members who had similar concerns.

She was never informed of any problems or issues indicating that a change was necessary, just a simple postcard in the mail a month before election day.

Rose Butcher voted early at the polling location on Court Street, so she did not have to find her new polling location for herself. However, when she was taking someone else to the fire department to vote, she realized there was a problem with the directions.

The location

She pulled out her phone and searched “Carthage Township Volunteer Fire Department” in Google Maps, but nothing came up.

Nothing was adding up to Rose Butcher; she said she thought it had to be a mistake.

However, Rome Township residents were not alone in their struggles. Nancy Pierce, a resident of Carthage Township, affirmed that the road to the fire department does not easily catch people’s attention.

“It’s a small road I barely see off the highway,” Pierce said. “But it’s marked, and I found it when I needed to.”

Beau Murphree, another resident of Rome Township, said one of the reasons he was deterred from voting in this special election was due to the change in his voting location.

Murphree said for as long as he can remember this was the first time the location was changed from Federal Hocking Middle School.

Similar to Rose Butcher, Murphree wanted to discover where he could find his new polling location. After driving along U.S. Route 50, he came across the path to the fire department, but he was reluctant to continue.

To get to the fire department, you need to drive across the highway, which can be difficult for those of older age, he said.

David Butcher, Rose’s husband, is also a resident of Rome Township. He added that Rome Township is home to a variety of people with varying social classes and races.

“There are very diverse groups of people in this area, maybe one of the most diverse in Athens County,” David Butcher said. “It is a very underserved community, and it has been for a long time.”

Many people experienced difficulty and confusion when trying to find the fire department online, but David Butcher questioned how those without the internet would be able to find the new polling location. Even some who had directions from the internet were unable to find the fire department; David Butcher said it would be even harder for those without the internet to search for directions.

“To think everyone has the internet in my community is not right,” David Butcher said.

Athens Board of Election Board Member Aundrea Carpenter-Colvin said other polling locations were also temporarily, and in some cases permanently, moved due to unavailability, parking and traffic lot concerns and misuse of polling equipment and capacity.

However, Carpenter-Colvin said the Board of Elections received the most calls with questions about the new Rome and Carthage Township polling site.

There must be yearly inspections on voting sites to ensure the polling locations meet the Americans with Disabilities, or ADA, Act of 1990 law. During the inspection of Federal Hocking Middle School for the Aug. 8 election, it was determined that the school did not meet the guidelines, Carpenter-Colvin said.

One of the major issues was a 2% cross slope which makes it difficult for people in wheelchairs to easily enter and exit the building. Another key issue was parking compliance; all parking spaces, including handicapped spots, were not wide enough, Carpenter-Colvin said.

She contacted the middle school about moving the polling to a different area in the building, but the school could not meet the requested accommodations.

Carpenter-Colvin spoke with school board members, Rome Township trustees and the Federal Valley Resource Center to find the next best location for the residents of Rome and Carthage Township.

The board had considered Carthage’s Volunteer Fire Department in the past – four years ago – but at the time the site did not meet ADA regulations. Since then, the facility has made renovations and improvements to achieve ADA compliance.

When determining where to move the polling location for the Aug. 8 election, the fire department was brought into question. An accessibility coordinator reevaluated the facility and said it met ADA guidelines with 100% compliance.

Carpenter-Colvin said the Board of Elections board members voted Wednesday, June 21, to affirm the new polling location. She said announcements were made on Thursday, June 22.

Posts about the change were made on Facebook and the homepage of the Athens County Board of Elections website, and postcards were also sent.

ADA

The Athens City Commission on Disabilities is a committee whose purpose is to provide a means for the concerns of people with disabilities. Each year the ADA evaluates polling

MADALYN BLAIR NEWS EDITOR

ABBIE KINNEY | ART DIRECTOR

locations based on the committee’s guidelines to ensure all voters are given the same equitable experience while voting.

Dianne Bouvier, vice chair of the committee, and Allyson Hughes, secretary of the committee, were not responsible for determining that the precinct location in Rome and Carthage Township did not meet ADA’s guidelines, but they did speak about their thoughts and concerns with the unexplained polling location change.

Hughes said it is a “huge red flag” that voters were only notified within one month before the election and that Google and Apple Maps were giving different locations and directions.

“For those with intellectual differences, this can be confusing,” Bouvier said. “It’s confusing and unclear when different websites are showing different locations for voting.”

Additionally, some browsers do not designate Carthage Township Volunteer Fire Department as a verified organization, stating, “Some users are reporting that this business does not exist.”

However, with the slope of the sidewalk entrance at Federal Hocking Middle School being at 2%, it does prove to be a challenging barrier for those with physical disabilities, so a change needed to be made, Bouvier said.

“Having a 2% cross slope is scary for a person in a wheelchair,” Bouvier said.

Bouvier said this is not the first time Athens County has experienced confusing voting issues. She acknowledged that voting is better than it has been in previous years, but she also has experienced confusion with her polling location.

“It seems like they’re creating more barriers, and the perception is that they are making it harder to vote,” Bouvier said.

When Bouvier and Hughes found out that Carthage’s Volunteer Fire Department was given a 100% ADA-compliant score, they were surprised. They decided to visit the location to see for themselves.

The women set off to the fire department, and to their surprise, they were impressed by the voting location, in terms of access, Bouvier said.

Though they did not give the fire department an official score when they visited, Bouvier acknowledged it had a van-accessible parking space, a level concrete sidewalk to the entrance and the door has a button actuator and signage.

Although they did not have the opportunity to go inside the building, they could see through the windows that it could easily be an accessible place to vote with clear pathways.

“If they went from a space with a 2% cross slope to this

one; they made a good decision,” Bouvier wrote in an email. “Of course, the main issue would then be whether or not people knew about the location change in time.”

Nonetheless, Bouvier and Hughes acknowledged that the changing of the polling location created confusion for multiple people, and though they determined – from an unofficial observation – that the fire department was an equitable site for all voters, they believed there were still flaws in communication.

8 election. Though the decrease is significant, the comparison is made between a general election and a special election, so some decline may be expected.

Will the location change again?

Carpenter-Colvin said the board is looking into finding a precinct closer to Rome Township for those residents. However, she does not anticipate the change happening anytime soon.

She advised people to continue to keep an open mind about the situation. She said there is always a possibility for the site to go back to Federal Hocking Middle School.

Currently, the Federal Valley Resource Center received a grant to help fund its work toward ADA compliance to – potentially – become a polling location.

Though she struggled with the location change as a Carthage resident, Pierce also said she does not believe there was any malice behind the decision.

“A barrier is a barrier, even if it’s small, it shouldn’t happen,” Hughes said.

Who voted?

On Aug. 8, a high number of registered voters cast their ballots across Ohio either in support or dissent for Issue 1.

A ‘yes’ vote on Ohio’s special ballot was in favor of increasing the number of votes required to pass a voter-initiated amendment from 50% to 60%; if passed, it would have also required initiative petitions proposing an amendment for the ballot to be signed by 5% of the electors in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, as opposed to the state’s present 44.

Ultimately, the majority of Ohio voted ‘no’ in this special election; with 1,744,094 people voting ‘no’ and 1,315,346 voting ‘yes,’ according to NPR.

The number of registered voters in Athens who voted ‘no’ was 9,743 and 4,043 voted ‘yes,’ according to the Athens County Board of Elections.

In last year’s Nov. 8 election, Rome Township had 826 registered voters with 463 cast ballots – a 56.05% voter turnout. In the Aug. 8 special election, there were 793 registered voters with 314 total ballots cast – a 39.6% voter turnout.

Carthage Township saw a similar trend. In last year’s Nov. 8 election, there were 1,009 registered voters in Carthage Township with 576 cast ballots – a 57.09% voter turnout. On Aug. 8, there were 977 registered voters with 402 ballots cast – a 41.15% voter turnout.

Compared to last year’s general election, there was a 15%16% decrease in voter turnout in both townships for the Aug.

“I have tremendous confidence in the Board of Elections,” Pierce said. “I know how well they know the law and how careful they are with it. My guess is I’d be very surprised if any (voting barriers are) happening in Athens.”

Moving forward

There is not a direct answer as to whether Rome and Carthage Townships’ polling location will once again be Federal Hocking Middle School, but the Athens County Board of Elections website states that the voting location for those areas has been permanently moved.

During general election day, which is always held on the first Tuesday in November, the weather can be uncooperative – it can be cold, snowing or raining – and Rose Butcher mentioned how it could deter people from wanting to vote at the fire department.

“I feel the nightmare isn’t over yet,” David Butcher said.

- Allyson Hughes, secretary of the Athens City Commission on Disabilities

A barrier is a barrier, even if it’s small, it shouldn’t happen.”

Aerial photo of a new polling location located off of Holly Lane, in Guysville, Ohio, Aug. 29, 2023. (COLE PATTERSON | DIRECTOR OF MULTIMEDIA)

Everything you need to know ahead of Ohio’s game with Long Island

ROBERT KEEGAN III SPORTS EDITOR

Ohio opened its season last weekend on the road against San Diego State in week zero. This week the team will host Long Island University in the home opener at Peden Stadium for week one of college football.

The biggest news heading into the week was once again the health of Quarterback Kurtis Rourke who left last week’s game with an apparent injury. Rourke entered week zero in recovery from an ACL injury suffered in November of 2022.

Saturday’s matchup will be the first time in history that Ohio takes on non-conference opponent LIU, here is everything that you need to know.

Head Coach

Ron Cooper took over as LIU’s head coach in 2022 where he led the team to a 4-7 record that included a four-game winning streak to end the season. During the 2021 season, Cooper worked under Nick Saban as an analyst for Alabama’s 2021 national championship team.

Offensive Leaders

LIU lost its top passer last year in Derek Green; however, Luca Stanzi took quality snaps for the Sharks during its end-of-season four-game winning streak. Sophomore Stanzi is expected to start against Ohio this weekend. Stanzi passed for 1,219 yards, 13 touchdowns to only four interceptions in

eight games last season.

Pat Bowen is returning as the team’s leading rusher from 2022, this year as a junior looking to break out. Bowen rushed for 597-yards and five touchdowns.

Michael Love also returns as the team’s leading receiver, the oncoming senior had 702-receiving-yards in 2022 along with three receiving touchdowns.

As an offense, the team scored 26.7 points per game in 2022.

Defensive Leaders

LIU will return its leader in tackles in junior Larry Elder who had 49 solo tackles in

2022. Victor Nelson, the team’s leader in interceptions with six, transferred to Boston College at the conclusion of 2022.

As a defense, LIU surrendered 38 points per game throughout 11 regular season games.

Weather

It’s supposed to be a beautiful day in Athens on Saturday. There is no chance of rain in the area and it’s projected to be 81 degrees at kickoff.

@ROBERT_KEEGAN

BK272121@OHIO.EDU

BE VARIAN BE VARIAN BE VARIAN

Don’t overreact to Ohio’s week 0 loss

ROBERT KEEGAN III SPORTS EDITOR

Ohio got off on the wrong foot over the weekend on the road at San Diego State. Despite a 20-13 loss, the defeat should be taken with a grain of salt by Ohio fans.

The biggest storyline from the game is that Ohio’s star quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, went down with an apparent injury during the first quarter, sidelining him for the remainder of the game.

Leading up to San Diego State, Ohio was not expected to win, even with Rourke. San Diego State features one of the best Group of Five defenses in all of college football, and Rourke, even before the injury at the end of the first quarter, was playing his first game since tearing his ACL last November.

Other than an outlier in Power Five-opponent Iowa State, Ohio is unlikely to face another defense as good as that of SDSU in 2023. Ohio needed Rourke to win this game, it just wasn’t the right time.

At the time of Rourke’s injury, Ohio was tied with San Diego State 3-3 and marching into enemy territory on its way to potentially score the game’s first touchdown. That’s just

not how things worked out for Ohio. In a matter of a quarter, OU’s backup, CJ Harris, was forced into a situation in which he would have to face one of Ohio’s toughest opponents for the 2023 season on the defensive side of the ball.

On Harris’ first throw, he was intercepted. He would go on to throw three interceptions and only one touchdown in his three quarters of play.

Despite all the quarterback drama, the most important thing that we learned Saturday is that Ohio’s defense is ready to pick up right where it left off last season.

Ohio’s defense was a tale of two halves last year. In the first six games of the season, the Bobcats gave up a total of 40 points per game compared to its last eight games where they only gave up 19.

Going into fall camp this year, it was a priority to get off to a fast start on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. Despite the loss, Ohio showed that it is ready for what is to come in the 2023 season.

Bryce Houston, a captain for the Bobcats this season, led the team with 13 total tackles, putting forth a performance that could not go unnoticed. Ohio was also able to force a turnover early in the first half on a fumble that was forced by Bralen Henderson.

Another high note for Ohio was the first-half play by freshman kicker Gianni Spetic. Ohio had many questions entering the 2023 season at the kicker position after the All-MAC second-team kicker Nathaniel Vakos transferred to Wisconsin. Spetic went two-for-two on field goals in the first half, including a 40-yard field goal that gave Ohio its only lead of the game at 6-3.

So, even though Ohio struggled in week zero, there’s no need to panic about the hope that it can return to a bowl game and potentially win the Mid-American Conference Championship in 2023.

The defense has already started hot and it has been announced as of Monday that Rourke is scheduled to make the start in Ohio’s home opener this weekend against Long Island University.

Like any team, the Bobcats have work to do as they approach conference play later this season, but after San Diego State, there are a lot of positives that show the team can seal the deal this year on a Mid-American Conference championship

Ohio looks to continue winning streak

Coming off an impressive weekend against some very challenging opponents, Ohio (2-1, 0-0 Mid-American Conference) will look to extend its winning ways on the road as they return to Ohio.

This weekend, Ohio will participate in the Dayton Flyer Classic, another round-robin style tournament that mirrors the same format as last weekend’s tournament. As the name suggests, Dayton (2-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) will host a weekend tournament for the second straight weekend.

Ohio’s strong play last weekend was anchored by Caitlin O’Farrell, who picked up a total of 40 kills while hitting at a .333 clip, good for second on the team behind Parker Kwiatkowski.

Additionally, Kwiatkowski has been one of the catalysts for Ohio, leading the team in assists with 127, more than 100 more than the next-highest total. Her efforts earned her MAC East Division Setter of the Week. Defensively, Ohio has been anchored by another award winner from last week, Sam Steele, who won MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week. She picked up 65 digs as well as nine service aces.

Match 1

Opponent: Butler (3-0, 0-0 Big East)

Date and time: Friday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m.

Butler has only reached the NCAA Tournament twice, with both appearances only lasting one match. The program has not made it to the NCAA Tournament since 2010, but that is a drought that head coach Kyle Shondell is looking to end during his first year on the job. His path to the position is interesting as he is not only making the jump from coaching NAIA volleyball to the highest level of collegiate volleyball, but he is changing from coaching men’s volleyball to women’s volleyball. Previously the head coach of Indiana Tech, Shondell led the program to national prominence. Thus far, Butler has defeated its first three opponents at the Bulldog Brawl, a tournament it hosted last weekend.

Player to watch: Jaymeson Kinley

Kinley, a redshirt senior defensive specialist/libero, has been a marquee player for the Bulldogs for multiple seasons. She has garnered countless awards; she is the reigning twotime Big East Libero of the Year, two-time All-Big East Team and 2022 AVCA East All-Region Team.

Additionally, she is quickly moving up the program record books as she sits seventh all-time in digs and first in digsper-set. Kinley broke her own record last season for most digs by a single player in one season in program history. Her efforts make it incredibly difficult to score against the stout Bulldogs’ defense and she will always be on the floor to battle the Bobcats’ offense.

Match 2

Opponent: North Dakota State (3-0, 0-0 Summit League)

Date and time: Saturday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m.

North Dakota State is yet another undefeated team that will travel to Dayton for this tournament. A program that is on the rise, North Dakota State turned in a 21-12 record, including a 13-5 mark in conference play last season. Head coach Jennifer Lopez inherited the team that she led to prominence during her career. Since being hired full-time in 2017, Lopez has gone 84-83 and made her first postseason appearance as a coach last season. Regardless, North Dakota State won all three matches last weekend by the same score: 3-1.

Player to watch: Kelley Johnson

The reigning Summit League Setter of the Year, Johnson has become the face of this turnaround for the Bison. Her 1,342 assists in 2022 not only led the conference but ranked eighth in the country. Not only is Johnson a tremendous player on the offensive side of things, but she is also a key contributor to the Bison defensive attack. Johnson was second on the Bison with 352 digs, serving as one of the most well-rounded players featured in the tournament.

Match 3

Opponent: Dayton (2-1, 0-0 A-10)

Date and time: Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m.

Watch live: ESPN+

Dayton is hosting its second straight weekend tournament and will look to flex its muscles on its home floor again. Dayton has made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, all of which have come in the last 20 years. Attempting to find itself back in the NCAA Tournament, Dayton has start

ed strong, having played a pair of top-25 teams during its opening weekend, defeating No. 24 Western Kentucky before falling to No. 12 Marquette. Head coach Tim Horsmon is entering his 14th year at the top of the food chain for the program he has led to relevancy.

Player to watch: Lexie Almodovar

The Flyers are led by one of the best outside hitters in the A-10, Lexie Almodovar. She is coming off a season where she was awarded AVCA All-Midwest Team, A-10 All-Conference First Team and A-10 All-Championship Team. Almodovar is very likely to record her 1000th career kill over the course of the weekend as she sits at 992 entering the weekend. So far on the season, she is tied for eighth in the nation with 57 kills. In addition to being deadly when she hits the ball, she does so at a very high rate, sporting a .291 hitting rate this season.

@MBGOLDSTEIN1107 MG126321@OHIO.EDU

MARC GOLDSTEIN FOR THE POST

Ohio senior Caitlin O’Farrel (12) gets in position for the serve from Kent State on Nov. 16, 2022 at the Convocation Center, in Athens, Ohio (JACK TATHAM | FOR THE POST)

A breakdown of the Trump indictments

scape. Some Republican politicians agree with the charges, others condemn them. At this time, it is completely possible for Trump to be elected president from prison. Much of the 2024 presidential election may balance on the public perception of these cases and whether Trump is found guilty.

That all being said, these cases can be hard to understand given the jargon and confusing processes that come with indictments. Here is a short breakdown of the cases:

Manhattan Criminal Case

Claire Schiopota

Former President Donald Trump is the first president in United States history to be indicted, and the cases are adding up. Over the last five months, the former president has been slammed with four indictments with felony charges, which may land him in prison. None of the cases have gone to trial yet, but dates are currently being set by prosecutors.

Meanwhile, Trump is the frontrunner for the GOP, and his party’s support has not waived significantly in the political land-

The former president’s first indictment came in March 2023. The Manhattan district attorney charged Trump over an alleged hush-money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. According to the prosecutors, the money was part of an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election. This investigation has been ongoing since 2018.

Trump is pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts over falsifying business records. The trial is scheduled for March 25, 2024.

Classified Documents

The Justice Department opened the

investigation in 2022, and an FBI search of Trump’s home in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, resulted in a seizure of 102 classified documents.

In June 2023, a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Trump for taking national defense documents from the White House and showing them to unauthorized individuals. Trump is pleading not guilty to 40 felony counts. Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, is also pleading not guilty to six felony counts.

An update from the case came later that month, which added three new felony counts for Trump and two more for Nauta. Trump’s property manager in Florida, Carlos de Oliveira, was also indicted on four felony counts. In totality, this case has the most charges of the four.

The trial is scheduled for May 20, 2024.

Jan. 6 Insurrection

The Justice Department opened this investigation in December 2021 following the conflicts of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment alleges Trump and his allies attempted to overturn the election by exploiting the violence that occurred during the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

The grand jury indictment, which came

down on Aug. 1, 2023, also alleges that allies pushed former Vice President Mike Pence to delay President Joe Biden’s win.

Trump is pleading not guilty to his four counts. The trial is scheduled for March 4, 2024.

Georgia Election Interference

The investigation into the case began in February 2021, but it wasn’t until Aug. 14 that a grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

This is the most recent indictment and the charges cover some of the most overt efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn the election, including the spread of lies about voter fraud and Trump’s calls to Georgia officials and state lawmakers to reverse Biden’s win.

As it’s the most recent case to indict the former president, no trial date has been set yet.

Claire Schiopota is a senior studying journalism. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want Claire to cover a certain topic or talk about her column? Email her at cs123719@ohio.edu or tweet her @CSchiopota.

Tips to make studying less of a burden

Quizlet

Haylee Leasure

Studying is something that every person in school seems to dread. Whether it’s studying for math or English, it can be a challenge. Gathering the motivation and figuring out the right method for you is difficult to navigate. Many people didn’t study in high school and once they get to college they are lost on what to do. As someone who studies anxiously almost every day, I’ve tried a lot of study methods. Here are some of the ones that helped me the most:

It’s safe to say many people have a lovehate relationship with Quizlet. More recently, feelings of hate have become prominent due to its new subscription service that puts all the valuable tools behind a monthly paywall. I’ve tried so many Quizlet alternatives and none helped me the way Quizlet did, so last semester I caved and bought a year-long subscription to the service. Although it can be a bit of an investment, I’d recommend buying the subscription or finding a friend who did and is willing to share. Quizlet flashcards and learning features have helped me a lot, especially with memorizing specific terms.

Create your own study guide (if one isn’t provided for you)

I’ve used this method in almost every class. I look at the notes that I took during the class and turn them into a digestible study guide that I can easily look over. By doing this you become more familiar with the content while also creating a helpful resource. Figuring out what to pull from your notes to your study guide can be a bit of a challenge, but I try to cover everything at least a little bit. Oftentimes professors provide sneak

peeks into future exams, so paying attention to those cues can also help with this.

Blurt Method

This is one of my favorite methods of studying and pairs well with creating your own study guide. The blurt method is when you look over a piece of reading, a study guide or notes and then write down everything you remember on a separate piece of paper. You then can look back and see what you got right, wrong or missed completely. This method is great for being able to discern your weak points of the material as well as your high points. I use this method for every class and it helps craft a deeper understanding of the material that actually sticks.

Study comfortably and not all at once

This was the most difficult method for me to get used to. It is vital for your success to study somewhere you feel safe and comfortable. Whether that is Alden Library, Baker Center or Donkey Coffee, studying somewhere you feel productive and motivated is essential. Creating the right environment and headspace for studying is always the hardest part.

This next part is challenging, especially

for those who want to get everything done in one sitting. Spacing out your studying over the course of days or weeks is important. When you sit down and try to study material the day before the exam, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Be organized and aware of when your exams are. Then use the week or days leading up to it to study for an hour or so every day. You retain information so much better when you don’t pressure yourself into memorizing it all the night before. This method also creates a lot less stress in the long run.

Studying doesn’t have to be something you dread doing. Make it fun and romanticize it. Get that coffee and those slightly too-expensive glitter gel pens. If it makes the process easier and better for you, go for it. Studying is a part of the college experience that everyone has to go through. So, make the most out of it and don’t stress it too much– you got this!

Haylee Leasure is a sophomore studying journalism. Please note that the opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk about the column? Email Haylee at hl125421@ohio.edu.

Where does the term ‘gringo’ come from?

If you're white and have interacted with a Spanish speaker, chances are you have heard the term “gringo” before. Whether you saw “gringo tacos” as an option at a Mexican restaurant, or if you have visited a Spanish-speaking country and attempted to speak the language only to be met with the word, it is a very popular term. According to Dictionary.com, gringo is a label most commonly used by Latin Americans to denote foreigners, most commonly white people from the U.S. This word can evoke a multitude of feelings from humor to surprise to shame. Some people own their “gringoness” proudly, while others are afraid to admit it. Although it appears like a part of Spanish vocabulary, it is technically slang. In light of this, where does the word “gringo” come from?

There are many different origin stories for the word. According to Dictionary.com, the term first appeared in the 1787 Castilian Dictionary. The author, Esteban de Terreros y Pando, defined the word that was most commonly used in

Málaga, Spain, to describe foreign, heavily accented speakers of Spanish.

Vocabulary.com introduces another theory about the word’s origins, citing a more popular story that the term surfaced during the Mexican-American War. According to this conjecture, the U.S. military uniforms were colorful, most notably very green. Because of the unsolicited invasion of Mexico, the warranted response from Mexican citizens was “green, go home.” A slightly different theory states that the American soldiers would constantly sing a song that began with the words “Green grows…,” earning them the nickname. There are a number of songs that fit this description, but it is unclear if American soldiers sang these songs during the Mexican-American War. However, according to Vocabulary.com, the word entered mass vocabulary after the war, showing up in two sources from 1849. These two sources included a diary entry from a man recounting being called “gringoes” while passing through northern Mexico. The other source was the book “Los Gringos; or, an Inside View of Mexico and California” in which U.S. Navy Lieutenant Henry Augustus Wise claimed the word was a “rather reproachful one used in California and Mexico to designate the descendants of the Anglo-Saxon race.”

Around three decades later, the Arizona Weekly Citizen

published an article claiming that the origins of the word could be attributed to English sailors docking on Mexican shores, where they all became extremely drunk and began singing “Green Grow the rushes.”

There are a couple of other theories of varying merit, but regardless, the term has been around for a long time. Although the word is not typically meant to be offensive in nature, it can be associated with feelings of disdain and disrespect. More specifically, it is sometimes used within the Latino community to denote that someone is not “Latino enough.” This can range anywhere from not liking spicy foods to not speaking Spanish.

Furthermore, the word can also be used in reverse to express a desire to be more “white.” In a New York Times article, a six-year-old Puerto Rican child claims he “wants to be gringo” in order to be able to identify as white in place of his true identity.

Whether you claim gringo as a badge of honor, or you aren't a gringo or if you honestly don't care either way, now you know the history of this Spanish slang.

Alyssa Cruz is a junior studying journalism and Spanish at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Alyssa by tweeting her at @alyssa_danccruz.

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Alyssa Cruz

This summer’s craziest pop culture moments

As the 2023 summer ends, it’s time to recap the craziest pop culture moments from the past few warm months. Everyone was either attending a megastar’s concert or purchasing tickets to one of film history’s most iconic double features. Along with it were some odd, unexpected moments that became the biggest trending topics on social media – some were historically important and others lasted 10 minutes.

‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer,’ aka “Barbenheimer”

Cinema was back as the biggest double feature of all time – “Barbenheimer” – drove masses of moviegoers to the theater with two long-awaited, opposite films. The vibrant pink “Barbie” joined forces with Christopher Nolan’s dark biographical “Oppenheimer,” as the juxtaposed hilarity of it all had everyone wanting an “I Survived Barbenheimer” shirt. Expect to see a lot of Barbie, Ken and maybe even Oppenheimer costumes this Halloween.

Colleen Ballinger’s drama unfolds

All aboard this summer’s most chaotic moment: Colleen Ballinger’s 10-minute long ukulele song, infamously titled “Toxic Gossip Train.” The YouTube persona’s response video came after several of her former fans came forward about Ballinger’s toxic and controversial relationships with them. After the unbelievable ukulele track was uploaded, the internet grew even further from forgiving Miranda Sings and the video became one of the summer’s biggest memes.

Twitter’s transformation to “X”

Elon Musk’s reign of one of the largest social media platforms took its biggest turn, transforming the long-standing “Twitter” into what is now just “X.” Retweets are now plain old “reposts” and the iconic bird symbol is now nowhere to be found on the app. X’s competitor, Instagram, then established “Threads” in early July, which featured a similar format to the former bird platform.

All the celebrity breakups and divorces

Nearly every celebrity couple was going through the wringer this summer, as news of couples breaking up seemed to pop up left and right. Pop star Ariana Grande split with her husband, Dalton Gomez, while another iconic pop star, Britney Spears, went separate ways with her husband of 14 months. Even long-term couples detached this summer, including actors Sofía Vergara and Joe Manganiello, whose marriage ended after seven years. Though the most trending relationship of the summer seemed to be the shortlived, peculiar relationship between Taylor Swift and The 1975’s Matty Healy.

Celebrities randomly working restaurant shifts

Imagine going into Waffle House one day and seeing singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey serving you breakfast or Ed Sheeran serving your morning coffee at Starbucks. Apparently, this is more common than you think, as celebrities randomly started picking up shifts at fast-food restaurants and coffee shops throughout the summer. These sightings were most likely PR stunts for these artists, especially those with a tour or a new album coming up. Surprisingly, it’s an odd method that is working.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ and re-recordings

There was absolutely no vacation for the unstoppable Taylor Swift this summer. Swift’s sold-out “Eras Tour” started in mid-March, but its journey continued strong throughout the summer. Even more tour dates were added along the way, including dates in other countries and a second U.S. leg of the tour.

Not only was Taylor Swift performing on the world’s largest, top-grossing tour, but she also announced not one, but two of her re-recorded albums at her concerts – “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” and “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” Swift released “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” in early July, along with six previously unreleased vault tracks. She also released a music video for one of the vault tracks, “I Can See You.” The music video featured Taylor Lautner and Joey King, both of whom had iconic significance from the original “Speak Now” era.

Beyoncé’s world tour

Another iconic music legend, Beyoncé, shimmered this summer with her Renaissance World Tour. From the unexpected setlist to the lack of visuals because the singer doesn’t have an opening act, she is doing things differently, and rightfully so. Her ambitious choices may set a precedent for future tours to come. With Swift and Beyoncé’s tours and the “Barbenheimer” double feature, billions of dollars returned to the U.S. economy.

The WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes

In early May, 11,500 writers from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began their strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for failed negotiations on stable compensation and artificial intelligence in screenwriting. The SAG-AFTRA, also known as the Screen Actors Guild, also went on strike starting in mid-July. As this strike continues, more pop culture events will feel the effects until negotiations with the WGA/SAG and AMPTP are met. The strike will also push back several anticipated film and television releases, including “Dune: Part Two,” the next season of “Euphoria” and the final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”

MIA PISHOTTI| FOR THE POST

LOGAN HUMPHREY FOR THE POST

‘Unreal Unearth’: poignant, powerful, political

ALICIA SZCZESNIAK FOR THE POST

After four years of radio silence punctuated by the occasional single and the “Eat Your Young” EP, Hozier has returned with his newest album, “Unreal Unearth.” And it was well worth the wait. The album delivers on all fronts, with emotional pieces, diverse songwriting, instrumental styles and lyrical genius, all strung together under the common theme of Dante’s Inferno, taking the listener on a musical journey through the circles of hell.

The descent starts with “De Selby (Part 1),” beginning the album on a somber note, asking questions of God before shifting into an outro spoken in the traditional Irish language. This quiet somberness is short-lived though, as it quickly shifts into “De Selby (Part 2),” which is much heavier and more rock-infused, with a prominent bass line carrying the song’s fast tempo and dark mood.

However, the album is not all doom and gloom. Even with the grim source material, songs like “First Light” and “I, Carrion (Icarian)” feel more akin to Hozier’s trademark poetic love songs. The former explains that the narrator did not know he could be that happy until he met someone he loves, and he basks in the feeling of pure elation that he could start every day next to that person. The latter explains the recklessness of falling in love, likening himself to Icarus in that he might be flying too close to the sun with the person he’s fallen for, but he does not care so long as he does not fall too far from the one he loves.

Others, though, are much more politically charged. For example, the hit single of the spring, “Eat Your Young,” has a strong anti-war theme, explaining how people “put food on the table selling bombs and guns.” Furthermore, the title references a satirical essay from 1729 by Johnathan Swift, which stated that rather than letting impoverished children be a burden to society, they should be eaten. It was meant to be a dig at the British government’s seeming inability to aid the impoverished Irish, many of whom were starving to death.

However, this is not the only song that calls out the British government on the album. “Butchered Tongue” explains the attempted brutal massacre of Irish culture. He references intimidation and torture tactics inflicted upon many native Irish under British occupation in rebellions and other historical events. During these events, many young men had their ears cut off and many citizens were killed to diminish Irish culture

and bring about submission to the government and British culture. However, the song celebrates that even though Irish is not as commonly spoken as a language and was somewhat butchered, it still exists, and is still spoken throughout the country.

But, the true shining star of the album is the instrumental diversity presented throughout all the songs. Some, like “All Things End,” carry a gospel-infused rhythm and backup vocals. Others, like “Francesca” and “First Time” are loud and emotional. Still others like “Anything But” and “Damage Gets Done (feat. Brandi Carlile)” are a bit more up-

beat and lighter in tone and mood. Another standout is the instrumental piece placed in the middle of the album, “Son of Nyx.” It begins with dark, moody piano notes over rainy static sounds and what sounds like a ticking clock. Soon, though, orchestral elements are slowly added in, alongside haunting vocalizations from a female singer, giving it an overall extremely eerie feeling. But, this pauses, and quickly gives way to a full-blown orchestra, with male and female vocalizations added in, giving the piece a dreamlike quality. Toward the end of the song, it becomes flooded with vocaliza-

tion, as if the souls of the explored inferno are speaking.

After four years of waiting for another album, Hozier has proven once again that he values quality over quantity, which is present in “Unreal Unearth.” Every song on the album is an absolute masterpiece, and the Irish folk-R&B artist’s fans are eager to listen and see what comes next. @ALICIA_SZCZ

EMMA MCADAMS | ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR

JANMASHTAMI CELEBRATION

Athens Krishna House

Join us to CELEBRATE LORD KRISHNA’S BIRTHDAY

Athens Krishna House invites you to a Janmashtami Celebration on Tuesday, September 5th. The Event will begin with an Open House at 4:30 pm followed by Music, Meditation, and a Vegetarian Feast at 6:30 pm. Join our group on Facebook for information on programs and events. All of our programs are FREE and open to the Public ALL are Welcome.

Donations Accepted

Tuesday

September, 5th

Open House

4:30 - 6:30 pm

Music, Meditation, & Vegetarian Feast

6:30 - 8:30 pm

Scan below to join our group on Facebook, and stay up to date on our programs and events

ATHENS FARMER’S & ART MARKET

Athens Community Center

Same great vendors in a NEW space. Now located at the Athens Community Center. Parking Available at the Community center and the City Pool lot. If walking to the market, PLEASE use designated crosswalks to cross East State Street

Get Locally grown, raised and prepared food and beverage items. Plants, dairy, baked goods,seeds, and meats. PLUS locally made artistic goods.

Wednesdays & Saturdays

9am - Noon

Athens Krishna House 114 Grosvenor Street Phone: 605-KRISHNA

Humbling things every college freshman experiences

ALICIA SZCZESNIAK FOR THE POST

Freshman year of college: a pivotal time in a young adult’s life that, for many, serves as a transition from childhood and adolescence into adulthood. But, like most times in life, it comes chock full of the good, the bad and the brutally humbling. Most people who go through their freshman year of college have personally humbling experiences, but some are much more universal than others.

Spending all your money in the first month

Yes, you worked throughout high school to save up money for college. Yes, you got a lot of money from family and friends after graduation. No, it will not last you throughout the year. It won’t even last you through the first month.

Scheduling an 8:00 a.m. class

Sure, your classes started at 8:00 a.m. in high school, if not earlier. However, it’s not the same, and you’re going to be dragging yourself out of bed for it every time – if you even make it to that class. After all, you won’t have your parents to make you get up for school.

Not using an umbrella because you “won’t need it”

Listen. Your classes are more than likely at least a ten-minute walk from your dorm. It’s going to suck when you inevitably think the rain “isn’t that bad” and end up sitting in class completely drenched with puddles forming in your shoes.

Realizing just how much you actually have to study

You might have been able to just breeze by with some light studying in high school. And I know freshmen reading this are thinking “No, I studied really hard.” Maybe you did. It doesn’t change the fact that college is a lot harder than high school, and you’ve got to step up your game. No matter how hard you work, college academics are overwhelming, and there is a really good chance your GPA for your first semester might not be pretty.

Your welcome week friend group

Many freshmen make friends during the welcome week of their first year. Some of them will probably last! However, your 15-person friend group made up solely of people from your dorm will more than likely not survive, at least for your entire time at college.

Going out, as a whole

The first time a freshman “goes out” on the weekend is a humbling experience. Whether it’s not knowing how to put together an outfit (either wearing the black top and blue jeans uniform or something that will get destroyed by a frat house), making the walk back to the dorm in the cold while covered in various drinks, or getting separated from

your friend group within the first five minutes, the first time going out is definitely a time.

The sheer amount of walking for EVERYTHING

Have a class? Walk. Have to do laundry? Walk. Need to eat? Walk. I can promise you that unless you were in cross country or are

a frequent hiker, your legs are more than likely going to be hurting after a few days of constant uphill walking. And then when it’s combined with the heatwave that strikes at the beginning of the year every time without fail, it’s going to hurt.

ABBIE KINNEY | ART DIRECTOR

2023 MTV Video Music Awards Predictions

GRACE KOENNECKE ASST. THE BEAT EDITOR

Every year, MTV hosts the MTV Video Music Awards, or the VMAS, honoring the past year’s music videos from all genres of music. With slated performances from artists such as Demi Lovato and Shakira, this year’s event is sure to be the one to watch in a few weeks.

Before Sept. 12 arrives, here’s a list of nominations and predictions for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards:

Video of the Year

Predicted winner: “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift

Up against fellow artists Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Smith and Kim Petras and SZA, it would be no shocker if Swift took home the biggest award of the night for her song “Anti-Hero.” After having a widely successful sold-out tour throughout the United States this past summer, 2023 is simply the year of Taylor Swift. Although the other artists are just as talented, the singer knows how to draw in a crowd with her creative, directive vision and

songs about self-doubt and insecurity. Thus, “Anti-Hero” is most likely to win for its reliability, as well as for its iconic lines such as:

“It’s me, hi / I’m the problem, it’s me.”

Artist of the Year

Predicted winner: Taylor Swift

As much as we all would like Beyoncé to win Artist of the Year, Swift is another probable winner for this award, not only because of her “Eras Tour,” but for the year she’s had. From dropping her 10th album “Midnights” last October to announcing she would be directing her first mainstream film in the near distant future, the singer’s name has been on everyone’s tongues for months. Alongside fellow nominees Shakira, Doja Cat, KAROL G and Nicki Minaj, it’s a tight category, but one that Swift shouldn’t have a problem rising above for her notoriety and strong work ethic.

Song of the Year

Predicted winner: “Flowers” by Miley

Cyrus

Although the first two awards have the highest chance of Taylor Swift bringing home another Moonman, Miley Cyrus’s

“Flowers” may just take the cake for Song of the Year. Let’s be real, this song has been playing non-stop on Top 40 radio stations across the world for months, making it the singer’s biggest single to date. Acting as the lead single from her most recent album “Endless Summer Vacation,” its spin on Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” is iconic, proving that Cyrus is done dwelling on her past and ready to love herself again. The ultimate self-empowerment anthem of the year, the singer deserves to take home at least one award for this song in a few weeks.

Best New Artist

Predicted winner: Ice Spice

The Best New Artist category is a tough one this year, especially with breakthrough stars such as GloRilla, Kaliii, Peso Pluma, PinkPantheress and Reneé Rapp, but Ice Spice is most likely to win for her giant impact on pop music within the past year. One thing about the rapper is that she’s consistent, constantly releasing back-to-back bangers such as “Princess Diana (with Nicki Minaj),” “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress and “Deli.” With an effortless sense of confidence and swagger, as well as a down-

to-earth personality, Ice Spice is a humble star who deserves her flowers after working so hard.

Best Alternative

Predicted winner: “the film” by boygenius Nominated against many returners to the VMAs such as Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Lana Del Rey, Paramore and Thirty Seconds To Mars, this category is also a competitive one usually for newcomers, but boygenius may just surprise everyone when they win for Best Alternative. Directed by Kristen Stewart, “the film” contained videos for the trio’s debut album “the record,” which has taken over the alternative and indie scene since its March release. Also, who doesn’t love Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, as well as their heartwarming friendship?

@GRACE_KOE

ABBIE