raw footage & FINAL from amber ellyn colleen

Amber Ellyn And Colleen's raw footage interviews

            During the month of May, fests on designated streets occur every weekend in Athens. Students participate in these fests but within the past five years the fests have escalated out of control, even needing police intervention. Couches were set on fire, police horses were injured and several students ended up in jail. Some students see this as fun; others see this as a danger. We’re setting out within Athens to see how the citizens feel about fests taking place in their community.

Transition from Quarters to Semesters

By Ali Cupelli and Terri Link

The focus of our video will be on the transition from quarters to semesters. We have interviewed several faculty that will shed some light onto the subject matter. They will hopefully make things clearer for students who might watch this video. We also interviewed students to get their perspective on some possible concerns that they might have about the transition. We interviewed, Kyle Manthei, Ann Fidler, Jacqueline Rinehardt, Dean Lombardi, Professor Zionkowski, and Andrew Shrock. They provided us with information about the issue at hand.

Interview with Kyle Manthei and Ann Fidler, above.

Crime Rises - La Borde/Levine

Levine/La Borde

Title: Crime Rises as Students and Police Look for Answers

Interviewees – Russ Brown, Junior at OU. Has a girlfriend who he worries about.

-       Jane Doe – Junior female at OU (name omitted for privacy purposes)

-       Captain Williams – Athens Police

-       OU Counseling and Psychological Services

This article focuses on the recent crime in Athens, sexual in nature, that has impacted both the students and police of Ohio University. Some students feel insecure on campus and are worried that they, or their loved ones, may be in danger. Police assure the student body that they are doing all that they can to act preventively and offer support and various services to report suspicious behavior. Some students, however, are still skeptical about the protection they get on campus.

LINK:  http://youtu.be/W5RSI9D6A_8

The Controversy of the Fests

By Danielle Lewandowski and Amanda Pomerantz

For many years, springtime in Athens has meant one thing to Ohio University students: Fest season.  Although these Fests have become a tradition, they remain a controversy to the OU community as well as the Athens community. We will explore different opinions about the Fests, including those of OU students, a local Athens resident (now an OU student as well), and a law enforcement officer. Our interviewees include: Captain David Williams of the Athens Police Department, Alex Foor, Erica Partridge, and Joanna Garber. We will ask our interviewees their general opinions of the Fests, and whether or not they feel the amount of police coverage at the Fests is appropriate. 

Above: Alex Foor

Above: Erica Partridge

The Crackdown on Spring Quarter Fests

By: Erin Graffis and Rachel Miller

            The burning of a couch in the middle of Palmer Street last year may have been the last straw for Athens Police Department when it came to Ohio University’s student-sanctioned fests. Since then, there have been numerous changes in the way these fests are monitored, going to extremes such as mounting several officers on horses for the duration of the fests, and even having “The Bear” present, a special response vehicle similar to a police tank. The recent changes have sparked mixed emotions amongst Ohio University students and Athens-area residents regarding the safety measures. The precautions have left many wondering where the line should be drawn when it comes to stricter security that is now taking place during the spring quarter fests.

Gender Neutral Housing

Starting this fall, students on the Ohio University campus will be given the opportunity to live in what is known as Gender Neutral Housing. This is an on-campus living plan that has been adopted by about 58 other universities in the United States. This type of housing allows students to live with whom ever they wish no matter their gender or sexual orientation. This new option will hopefully allow all Ohio University students the opportunity to live comfortably in their residence halls. Smith House on South Green will be the first location for Gender Neutral Housing. We have chosen to interview two Residence Assistants, Sean Martin and Rodger Jones, along with Judy Piercy who is the Associate Director for Residential Education. Jill Rich, an Ohio University sophomore shared her views on some of the issues with GNH. Each of these interviewees have discussed how they feel Gender Neutral Housing will benefit Oho University and will show that the university supports the LBGT (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender) community here at Ohio University. We would like to target both incoming freshmen and current students who will be residing in the residence halls on-campus. However, we feel that this is something that the entire campus should be informed about and familiar with.

Post by: Jamie Watkins and Samantha Ripkin

Profile Interview: Jordan Somerville

"As gory as it sounds, I would love to be the go-to girl for sowing people back up and doing stitches,” said Jordan Somerville, a student of Hocking College’s registered nursing program. “I doubt they’d call on a nurse do that type of work on short notice, but I would if they let me.”

Jordan Somerville relaxing on a sunny day.

Jordan (far left) w/ friends at graduation practice.

When she’s not working on her nursing degree, Jordan Somerville can be found at her job at Outback Steakhouse in Parkersburg, W. Va., or around town spending time with friends and family. “It sounds kind of boring, but my family and I get along really well. We always try to make time to get together and do something,” she said, “even if it’s just going out to eat.”

Jordan lives with her parents Nathan and Pam Somerville in Parkersburg and commutes to her classes in Nelsonville, Ohio. Her father manages the family business, Somerville Fabricators, a local custom steel fabricator (among other materials) for various building and construction purposes. Jordan’s mother works as a registered nurse at Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital.

Jordan Somerville before prom with her date, Jordan Hartinger.

Despite the price of gas, Jordan pointed out that her tuition was much cheaper if she just drove to the Hocking campus. Though she is very enthusiastic about finishing her degree, Jordan commented that she is uncertain where she will work once she has completed her education.

Regardless of Jordan’s busy schedule of balancing work, school and family, she also makes time to enjoy and explore music, theatre, books and horror movies. “Besides my most recent love affair with Rob Zombie’s films and other works, I have always taken a liking for the classic horror films, especially The Bride of Frankenstein,” Jordan said, showing off a couple of inked portraits of the “Monster” and his bride that a friend drew especially for her.

Jordan also plays bass guitar and listens to various styles of music including rock, alternative, indie, metal, rap and even some hits from the oldies. “I haven’t played bass for too long, so I wouldn’t say that I’m good by any means, but I still want to work on it all the time,” she said. When asked about her favorite musicians, Jordan said that she was torn between an Australian band known as The Jezabels and her American favorite, Alkaline Trio.

When she can afford the expense, Jordan also likes to travel out of town to see some of her favorite musical acts. “I saw a band called Cold War Kids in Columbus in March,” she said, “and it was one of the best performances I have ever seen.” Jordan also said that she would love to attend the Nelsonville Music Festival that begins next week, but doubts that she can afford the costly tickets as she is preparing for school and dealing with other expenses.

Jordan (far right) w/ friends at crew practice.

Jaimie Cavinee: One in a million, or more specifically, one in twenty thousand

Jaimie Cavinee: One in a million- or more specifically, one in 20,000.

by Amber Dixon

The odds of stumbling upon your long-lost best friend from kindergarten in a college town such as Athens are pretty slim, but somehow I beat the odds and was accidentally reunited with an old acquaintance- from kindergarten.

Age	20
Height	5’8”
Favorite Color	Purple
Pets	4 cats and a dog
Hometown	Ashville, Ohio

A chance meeting

Millions of people have gone through college, and have experienced all that goes along with it. But through mere chance, I had a chance to personally get to know someone who is truly living the life of a college student- Jaimie Cavinee. We met in kindergarten, but in a unexpected turn of events, I was transferred to another school, and one day, as I walking across the lawn of West Green, I saw someone that I recognized- and it was her! After chatting for a few minutes, we exchange phone numbers and agree to meet for lunch at a later date, and I took advantage of this opportunity to not only catch up on lost time, but to use this opportunity as an informal interview. Since we were young, she has been up to a lot of amazing things, and has had many accomplishments!

From grade one to grade eleven

Cavinee at Ohio Women's Team Challenge

While I had been plugging away in a school district thirty miles away, Jaimie had been studying hard, and playing harder. She had always been athletic, playing softball from age 8 to 13, running cross country from age 6 to 16, and track from age 12 to 18. Her tall and slender frame made her a perfect candidate from pole-vaulting, and with much training and perseverance she beat her high school’s record for greatest height reached and raised it to 10 feet. “I grew to about 5’8” during the summer of my sophomore year, and until I started pole-vaulting, I was kind of like a crane- all elbows and knees. Pole-vaulting has really helped my coordination, that’s for sure!” she told me during our interview/lunch date.

Cavinee at Marietta Meet

Pole-vaulting and Jaimie

 Jaimie understood the responsibilities that go with becoming an adult, the main one being that you pay for everything yourself- so instead of kicking back and enjoying her senior year, she opted for the post-secondary program her high school offered, but the track season of that year, she tore her ACL during a meet, taking her out of her favorite sport for a good eight months. When she was fully rehabilitated, she had graduated high school and was living in Athens as a freshman. “It really sucked- the meet after I beat TVHS’ (Teays Valley High School) record, I tore my ACL and was benched before I could even try for 10’6”. It was just my luck.”

The college experience

Cavinee at the Ohio Women's Team Challenge Meet

The tall blonde from Ashville aspires to be an Athletic Trainer, and is currently a sophomore in Ohio University’s Athletic Training program. She juggles school, track (indoor and spring), and working part-time in her hometown’s Bob Evans restaurant. She maintains a 3.6 grade point average, and has since beat her personal record for pole-vaulting with the height of 10’6”, attained at Mid-American Conference Championships at Bowling Green University in February.

Pole-vaulting for beginners

Jaimie confided to me some tricks to attaining such great heights: upper-body workouts, internal confidence, and “the bend and snap!” This last one gave me a giggle, because Legally Blonde is one of my personal favorites, and when does it really work in real life anyway, but her serious features made me swallow my laughter. She explained to me the way the pole bends with the vaulter’s weight, and when the vaulter reaches a certain point, the pole reverts back to straightness with a snap.

Walking the Talk

Nate Freeman, 20, hanging out in Athens, Ohio.

Nate Freeman, an Integrated Science Education major at Ohio University, takes the lessons he learns in his education courses beyond the classroom.

As a future educator, Freeman, 20, has learned the importance of teaching methods that allow students to actively participate in class (as opposed to traditional passive lectures). Leading by example, Freeman gets involved in his education and the surrounding community. As a result of his involvement, Freeman has had the opportunity to network with colleagues, work with children, and pick up interesting ideas for future lesson plans.

Childhood Influences

Growing up, Freeman developed an interest in people, science, adventure, and community involvement that helped him choose his future career.

“As a kid, I wanted to be a lot of things when I grew up,” Freeman explains. “These possible careers included becoming a police officer, a librarian, a roller coaster designer, a video game designer, and finally, a teacher.”

Born on June 13, 1990 in Cleveland, Ohio, Freeman lived in Shaker Heights until age 4, and moved to Solon, Ohio, where he currently resides, when he was 5-years-old. As an only child, Freeman received a significant amount of attention from his parents. Freeman especially recalls the time he spent with his mother during his childhood and the impact it had on him.

“My mom and I both really liked puzzles,” Freeman recalls, “and if after school, my mom could sense that I had something on my mind but wasn’t interested in thoroughly discussing it, she’d pull out a puzzle for the two of us to work on. I valued this time with her, and appreciated the way she used it to connect with me.”

When Freeman becomes a teacher, he says that he would like to use a similar technique of one-on-one interaction to not only get to know his students, but to help them learn and actively engage them during class time.

In addition to his mom’s influence, Freeman was inspired by many of his teachers to become a teacher himself.

“My high school biology, chemistry, and physics teachers had a big impact on me,” Freeman explains. “Although they occasionally taught typical lessons of lecturing and note-taking, most of the time, they used a lot of different techniques and teaching styles to switch things up. Our lesson plans and class activities were constantly changing. I also liked the way they rewarded the good behavior of their students, instead of always focusing on the troublemakers in class. This attention gave us the incentive to behave well.”

Most of all, Freeman liked these teachers because he genuinely had fun in their classes. Freeman was inspired to become a high school science teacher, and to use some of the same proven techniques as his role models.

“Science has always been my favorite subject in school, so it was an easy choice to make it my concentration area,” Freeman says. “Although I was inspired by a lot of good teachers and positive educational experiences, I was motivated by the negative ones too. When possible, I want to grade my students using assessment methods other than standardized tests, which are stressful and high-risk.”

Freeman (top middle) with the Solon High School 2008 Bowling Team.

Extracurricular Activities

From a young age, Freeman has been involved in extracurricular activities, including soccer, Boy Scouts, orchestra (playing the cello from 4^th grade through 12^th), and track. In high school, Freeman was a member of the bowling team, cross-country team, and AV club. Of all his activities, Freeman says that participating in Boy Scouts has probably had the biggest impact on his life.

“When I was 13-years-old, my Boy Scout troop and I took a 14-day trip to Alaska,” Freeman reminisces. “Supervised by a few parent chaperons and troop leaders, we went backpacking, sea kayaking, and ice climbing. This was my first major trip away from my parents, but since I had such a good time, it gave me the positive foundation to build off of. From that point on, I wanted to keep getting involved, and keep having more adventures.”

During Freeman’s senior year in high school, he became an Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program, and a high honor held by only a limited amount of people.

“[Becoming an Eagle Scout] was the proudest moment of my life,” Freeman says. “Through Boy Scouts, I learned leadership skills, management skills, and random life skills that have been useful to me throughout my life.”

College Experiences

While attending OU, Freeman has maintained his active involvement in school organizations and the local  community. Since his freshman year, Nate has been a member of the Ohio University National Science Teachers Association (OUNSTA). His leadership roles include secretary (2009-2010) and vice president (2010-2011). Through OUNSTA, Freeman networks with current and future science educators.

During an APhiO service event, Freeman (right) spends time with 8-year-old Abby at a local playground.

Of all the activities Freeman has participated in during college, he is most passionate about APhiO, the service fraternity that he joined last year. From mandatory weekly chapter meetings, to service and fundraising hours, APhiO keeps Freeman very busy. This year, Freeman is the current Youth Service Chair. APhiO has allowed Freeman the opportunity to be involved in intermural sports (like soccer and volleyball) with his fraternity brothers, put together programs for local Athens students, like a Halloween haunted house at their school, and participate in fundraisers and local events, like Relay for Life and Kidfest. This past winter break, Freeman traveled to Kissimmee, Fla. to volunteer at the Give Kids the World village, which houses terminally ill children. When asked why Freeman loves being a part of APhiO, he explains that he enjoys “having 300 of [his] closest friends around [in other words, his fraternity brothers] whom [he] can always count on." In addition to the friendships it has helped him forge, his fraternity involvement is a rewarding experience that gives him the chance to help others.

“It’s all about seeing that smile on the kids’ faces during a time that they normally wouldn’t be having fun,” Freeman answers, referencing the many kids he works with through APhiO service programs.

Future Dreams

Freeman prepares to teach a lesson in McCracken Hall.

Out of all the things Freeman does in his life, he finds teaching the most rewarding. While he would like to teach high school science for a while, he says in 20 years, he’d love to be a college professor teaching a geology class at a university, preferably located in North Carolina.

“If there’s one thing my experience has taught me, it’s that all students can learn,” Freeman says. “In fact, that’s my teaching philosophy: ‘All students can learn.’ It’s just a matter of whether or not the students put their time into it and whether or not the parents care.”

The care Freeman has for students, their education and well-being, and the teaching profession is evident in the time he puts into volunteering and getting involved outside of the classroom.

By: Amanda Pomerantz

 

A Few Fun Facts About Nate Freeman
Favorite band?	Daft Punk
Official DJ name?	DJ Freenate (I’ve been the DJ at a lot of APhiO events, including the DJ on the APhiO Homecoming 2010 float)
Guilty pleasure?	Late-night Food Network
Favorite cereal?	Wheaties Fuel
Pet peeve?	People who don’t drive the speed limit
Three adjectives your friends would use to describe you?	Honest, reliable, and empathetic
If you were a crayon, what color would you be?	Granny Smith Apple
Favorite spot on OU's campus?	The Convocation Center
Biggest fear?	Losing a loved one (like my mom or dad)
TV show you think they should bring back?	“Rugrats”
Something people might not know about you?	I like to shop
Three items on your “Bucket List”?	Travel to Iceland, attend the New Year’s Eve party in Times Square, and attend a Super Bowl that the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing in

Dancing Through Life

Living day by day to be happy is always a great goal to keep in mind, and Jason Cox (22) lives by this phrase, trying to put the past behind him.

Jason Cox on the set of RENT

“My life story?” Jason laughed, “Well, I was born in Cincinnati on March 3, 1989.  My mom and dad, we lived in Kentucky for a while.  For the longest time, my dad was on an army base, whatever army base is in Kentucky, St. Lewis somewhere?  I don’t know.”

Levi Mcgrath (right), Jason Cox (Center) and Kristen Foor
(left) at a the CD 101 Fundraiser

His parents unfortunately, did not have a good marriage, as his father was abusive.  When he was 8, his mother left for Ohio and Jason stayed with his father, moving from base to base.  Jason rarely talked to other kids at school because he always expected to make a new friend and then leave for another base.

At the age of 13, he told his father that he was sick of living with him and he packed up to join his mother in Pataskala, Ohio.  From there, he turned his life around.  Jason turned to music and acting instead of sports, which were constantly demanded by his father.  From there, he developed a passion for the arts.

Finally, Jason was able to make friends and have a real life.   He quickly befriended Adam Biemeyr.

“He’s still one of my best friends to this day,” Jason informed.

But his new life really set into place when he went into High School.  There, his love of acting and music flourished, as well as a new friendship between someone he formerly hated, named Alex Foor.  Foor introduced Jason to his group of friends as well.

Jake Haddock (Far left), Katie Tolerton (Middle Left),
Charlotte Jacobson (Middle Right) and Jason Cox (Far
Right) at Golden Slipper Camp.

His sophomore year, Jason made it into the schools Vocal Ensemble, which was one of the school’s lead choirs.  He also made a lead role in the school’s musical production of Guys and Dolls as Nicely, Nicely Johnson. 

“It was one of the best years ever,” Jason stated with a grin on his face.

From there, his acting career shot off and each year following he got one of the lead roles in a show.  Junior year he was Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun, and his Senior year he was Marcellus Washburn in The Music Man, singing the famous song “Shipoopi.”

“It was great because I found out I got that role and started cracking up because Family Guy put out the episode where Peter sings Shipoopi.  So everybody knew the song and everybody loved it.  It was awesome,” he reminisced.

Jason Cox on the set of The Nameless Cryst

High school unfortunately came to an end, and Jason graduated Watkins Memorial.  After the fights, the music, the acting, the break down and the laughs, he had to say goodbye to his friends and look for a future elsewhere.  He kept in contact with Alex Foor, however, who headed down to Ohio University.

After school, it got a bit rough as Jason tried for the military, and being told he was over-weight, he couldn’t make it in and took up working.  Other problems arose like Tina and Jason eventually ending their relationship to which Tina moved out and Jason discovered she was cheating on him and a week after his 21st birthday, Jason's father passed away.

Later, Jason was kicked out of his house only to come down to Ohio University and live with Foor and a couple of his friends.  Life for him has been quite different since.

Now, Jason has plans to attend a school to get a degree.  He plans to get a degree in which he can work with children as a counselor or social worker.  He claims a teaching position will never work out for him.  He is still acting and is currently in a production of RENT.

“I love day by day to the best of my ability to be happy,” he mentioned, as the final comment to his story.

The different acting roles Jason Cox has had

By Danielle Lewandowski