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Emeritus professor died Friday

By Jeremy Hill | Nov. 24, 2014

A former Ohio University professor and local mainstay was killed Friday night after being struck by a car near his home in rural Athens County. Richard Syracuse, 80, was struck by a van at roughly 9:30p.m. while he was crossing Radford Road on foot, according to a news release from Ohio State Highway Patrol. The driver of the van, Sarah Harkins, of Athens, was not injured as a result of the crash. The crash is pending investigation, according to the release.Doctors pronounced Syracuse’s death at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital later Friday evening. The professor emeritus taught keyboard classes in OU’s School of Music and served as an artist-in-residence."We are deeply saddened by the news of the sudden passing of Richard D. Syracuse, emeritus professor of music at Ohio University,” said OU President Roderick McDavis in a statement. “His long-standing dedication to Ohio students and to the study of music has made an indelible mark on his field and on our community. Our hearts are with Professor Syracuse's family and friends during this difficult time."Syracuse played piano for diners at the Ohio University Inn’s Cutler’s Restaurant on a weekly basis. “He was an absolutely magical man. He will definitely be missed,” Pete Holey, manager of the restaurant, told The Columbus Dispatch. Holey said Syracuse was performing for a private party at the inn as recently as an hour before his death.Management at the OU Inn wasn’t available for comment Sunday afternoon. Brandon Thompson, a music producer and resident of Athens, frequented the restaurant with his family from an early age. “He was just always there… he would come over and ask how I’m doing. He was just a really nice guy,” Thompson said. “It was always something kind of cool and special about Athens.”Thompson got to know Syracuse well while he worked for the Ohio University Inn. He said his death “hits everyone so hard” because he was so well-known by Athens’ older crowd.@jeremyhtweetsjh082913@ohio.edu

The Post

Ride Board to see changes in 2015

By Maygan Beeler | Nov. 24, 2014

Ohio University’s Ride Board, the web service that allows students, faculty and staff to find and offer rides, is getting revamped and won’t go away, according to Student Senate and OU officials.“Senate started the Ride Board 10 years ago and it’s been on that same server since,” Senate Vice President Caitlyn McDaniel said. “That server is about to die, like, according to the OIT director, it’s being held together with gum and paper clips.”Prospective passengers post their travel plans and arrange carpools. Access to the Ride Board requires an OU ID and password.The Ohio University Information Technology department presented the Ride Board initiative to senate “back in the day” McDaniel said, and the service has remained a senate project ever since.“While they were waiting on us to talk about it, they put up that message that it’s going to be taken down,” McDaniel said, clarifying that while the old system will be removed, a new one will be replacing it. The service itself isn’t going anywhere, she said.The current Ride Board server will be discontinued at the end of this calendar year. A new Ride Board, run by senate and funded by OIT, should “switch over to the new server” and “shouldn’t be down at all.”But “it’ll look a little bit different,” she noted.OIT recommended that Student Senate sign up for a cloud-based forum service to replace the old Ride Board application. Sean O’Malley, the information technology communications manager, said this service will cost OIT an estimated $2,000.At least hundreds of students have used the service even though it hasn’t been updated in a decade. “I think Ride Board is a great service because as a freshman, I don’t know too many people with cars,” said Rebecca Cain, a freshman studying journalism. “If I want to go anywhere, either home or to visit other friends, the only other option is the GoBus. The GoBus has specific times that are not always convenient and it can get kind of expensive as well. Ride Board is more convenient and a great way to find a ride to other colleges.”Allison Schengber, a sophomore, says she uses Ride Board as much as possible when traveling home.“It’s trustworthy because I know I’m getting a ride with someone who is a student at OU,” Schengber said.@mayganbeelermb076912@ohio.edu

The Post

Students affected by fire still thankful

By BETHANY BELLA | Nov. 21, 2014

After recounting their experiences during the Union Street fire to The Post earlier this week, the paper caught up with Alison Stewart and Rachel Portik to see how they’re doing five days after a fire that deeply affected them.Last Sunday’s Union Street fire, a rare disaster that ravaged one of Athens’ most beloved blocks, left affected Ohio University students in various states of disarray. One of those students is Alison Stewart. “We were the attic, and it kinda fell through to the bottom,” said Stewart, a previous resident of 12 ½ B W. Union St., an apartment that was torched by the fire. “My entire apartment is just gone.” Stewart’s bedroom — under a little white roof three stories above the street — collapsed during the fire that displaced 40 OU students — 17 of them permanently — who were all safely evacuated Sunday morning. No one was seriously injured and everyone survived, yet the same cannot be said for many personal belongings. “Everything is a total loss,” said Stewart, a senior studying special education. “I had one roommate, and everything of hers was a total loss, as well.” Those losses, Stewart said, included her glasses, her bed and her great grandmother’s necklace. While other students and faculty from the university provided considerable donations of clothes, toiletries and other household supplies to the fire-affected students, not everything has been easy to replace. “Although I did get a lot of donations, I am having to go out and buy professional clothing, because I am going to be a teacher, so I’m still in my field placement,” Stewart said. Replacing lost personal items will put an unforeseen strain on these families, especially for the upcoming holiday season. “I feel bad because my parents have paid a lot for this incident,” Stewart said. “But I think we’ll manage — we’ll pull through the holiday. My siblings might not be getting as much for Christmas, which I feel bad about.” Not every Bobcat who was affected by the Union Street fire is having to cope with considerable damages. “We really just had to get our clothes smoke-cleaned,” said Rachel Portik, one of the previous residents above Chipotle on Court Street. “We’re just dealing with the water damage now.”Her apartment, which only had smoke and water damage, was not damaged by the flames. On Sunday, Portik told The Post she believed her roof had caught fire and did not know if any of her possessions still existed.Despite the discrepancies in fire-related damages, one resounding theme has echoed from these resilient Bobcats: thankfulness. “I’m very thankful. The university has been amazing to us,” Portik said. “They have done everything to make this better for us; they’ve been very helpful during this time.” These students are also appreciative of the firefighters who fought the blaze and police officers who assisted in the fire evacuations. “Back where we are, there are so many doors and only a few little houses,” Portik said “The fact that they got everybody up and out is just amazing.” The donations that students and faculty provided were also well received.“I actually feel extremely thankful for the generosity that’s been given to me this week,” Stewart said. “It really shows you who cares about you and will support you through these kinds of things. I feel very thankful.”Material possessions may come and go, but for next week’s Thanksgiving holiday, these students say they still have something to celebrate.@bnbjournobb308113@ohio.edu

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