Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Donate
The Post - Athens, OH
The Post
2024 Election:
Live Coverage Election Edition

EDITORIALS

The Post

Mayor Wiehl’s comments about sexual assault are misguided, discouraging

Mar. 29, 2015

When speaking with a Post reporter about the Athens Police Department’s recently released 2014 annual report, Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl seemed to miss the point regarding the increase in calls for service relating to sexual assault.Wiehl said his office hasn’t researched programs that could combat sexual assault and cited how the Ohio University Survivor Advocacy Program was doing well on that front.But in the same conversation, he seemed to place the blame on survivors of such crimes.“We can only put so many officers on the street,” Wiehl told the Post reporter. “It’s not a case of lighting; it’s not a case of behavior; it’s usually a case of a lot of people running around and not paying attention (to their surroundings) for the most part.”We vehemently disagree with that logic.It’s the classic “don’t walk late at night alone; it’s your fault for being dumb,” argument. We’re especially discouraged to hear that our city’s top government official harbors that opinion about a topic that is so important to many of his constituents.No survivor of sexual assault is to blame for what happened to him or her.A lack of that fundamental understanding can prevent prosecution, as many survivors are afraid to come forward with information implicating their perpetrators.It’s noteworthy that Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said it’s his department’s goal to “provide department wide training in the area of sexual assault investigations,” and “partner with victim advocates to develop training to enhance understanding and support between advocates and law enforcement officers,” by the end of 2015.Based on Wiehl’s comments, we think our mayor and his office could benefit from similar training.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: editor-in-chief Jim Ryan, managing editor Sara Jerde, opinion editor Xander Zellner and projects editor Allan Smith. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.

Cutler Hall

Miami-OU rivalry should be kept above the belt

Mar. 18, 2015

An anonymous writer claiming to be a Miami University student wrote a blog post Monday for The Drunken Undergrad — a blog presumably dedicated to the drunken debauchery of Oxford — arguing that Ohio University students should be ashamed for celebrating Green Beer Day.

The Post

Editorial: Administration should be more transparent

Mar. 16, 2015

We would like to tell our readers why Greg Emery took a paid “leave of absence” from his position as director of the Global Leadership Center.He’s been out of the job for more than four months now. But we know just about as much now as we did when we first reported that he was under investigation in November.That’s an inefficient way for the university to communicate to the press and its students. We should know more.What are the results of the investigation?The university told a Post reporter this week that his contract was “not renewed.” We’re assuming that means he was fired, but we’re waiting on a clarification of that detail, among many others.When is his last day? Will he be paid until that point? What did he do for the university to decide to not renew his contract?We also don’t know the finer details of other university decisions so far this year, including: if both McDavises are living at the Ohio University Inn and who is footing the bill; why Linda Daniels was fired; and the exact reasons why construction companies didn’t want to bid on demolishing the President Street Academic Center.We’ve worked with the university’s media relations office to get answers to our questions and filed several requests for records with the university’s legal office related to Emery’s work at the university.We as reporters, and you as readers, deserve to know what happened. What kind of conduct was supported by taxpayer funds?The university should step up and answer our inquiries. Why not be transparent about whatever led the university to “not renew” his contract, as we were told, instead of acting as if it’s in their best interest to keep whatever led to Emery’s falling out with OU in the dark?We’re still going to press for more information until our questions have been answered.We’re not going to let this subject die as much as the university avoids the topic.We’re still going to do our jobs.We hope someone in the university communication department will learn how to communicate more effectively.For Print: Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editorsFor Web: Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: editor-in-chief Jim Ryan, managing editor Sara Jerde, opinion editor Xander Zellner and projects editor Allan Smith. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage. 

Women's Basketball

Best of luck to women’s basketball team

Mar. 15, 2015

After winning a combined total of 15 games during its previous two seasons, the Ohio University women’s basketball team has managed to capture a conference tournament title, a spot in the NCAA Tournament and a school record 27 wins — and counting.

Google Consumer Surveys

Change coming to ‘Post’ website next month

Mar. 12, 2015

We have made a host of improvements to our web presence over the past four years, perhaps the most significant being the launch of our current website in August 2014. But one question has haunted us — and the rest of the journalism industry — during that time: How can we monetize our website?

Board of Trustees

University should be more transparent with BOT decisions

Mar. 12, 2015

What we do know is that the university tends to bury information in jargon. We strive to provide easily readable information to our readers so the university’s actions (and reasons for doing so) are easy to understand.

The Post

Top OU decision makers converge on Walter Hall; you should too

Mar. 11, 2015

The agendas of Ohio University’s top decision makers look the same several times each year —when they all come together for the university’s Board of Trustees meetings.OU employees spend weeks preparing for the meetings, in which the trustees approve the university budget, allocate money for projects, review the year’s enrollment data, etc.Although we don’t expect students to anticipate the meetings with such fervor, we still feel it’s important for them to recognize who the trustees are and what they’re doing here on campus.The board’s spring meeting will take place in Walter Hall, beginning today at 8 a.m. There’s plenty of public seating, and students are welcome to attend.The meeting, which spans the next two days, will cover the proposed renovation of Jefferson Hall (a $44 million project) and McCracken Hall (a $32.8 million project), replacing seats in The Convo (a $2.85 million project) and the idea of constructing a new building to house OU’s auxiliary services (a $16.7 million project).Students are quick to make suggestions about how the university should be spending its money and allocating its resources, and this is an opportunity for them to get a glimpse into how the university’s decision-making process actually works.If you’re stuck in class or think your Thursday and Friday will be better spent hanging out on College Green, you can follow our coverage on Twitter (@ThePostCampus) and thepostathens.com. We will publish a report about Thursday’s proceedings in Friday’s newspaper, as well.And if you’re looking for some more lengthy reading material — almost 500 pages worth — the Board of Trustees publishes its entire agenda online at ohio.edu/trustees/agendas.We all have a stake in how this university is governed, and these two days offer a chance for every student to get a first-hand look and perhaps a say in that process. We urge you to stop by Walter Hall to check it out.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: editor-in-chief Jim Ryan, managing editor Sara Jerde, opinion editor Xander Zellner and projects editor Allan Smith. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.

upport Us
Trending
The Post on
Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2016-2024 The Post, Athens OH