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Editorial: 'Post' backs general education program

Oct. 6, 2014

Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences rolled out a new program this semester that allows students to explore a topic within or outside of their major instead of enrolling in a swath of unrelated general education courses.

The Post

Fracking protestors feel ignored amid barge dock plans

By M.C. Tilton | Oct. 5, 2014

Almost 3,000 people who submitted public comments condemning a proposed Ohio River barge dock for hydraulic fracturing waste are saying they’ve been told their comments are meaningless.The dock — set to be located just downriver of the fork of the Ohio and Hocking rivers  in Meigs County — has activists and local politicians heated about its potential negative effects on the regional water supply. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accepted public comments regarding the dock from June 27 to Aug. 24.The Corps instructed commenters to submit letters as hard copies or emails. However, nearly three-quarters of the 4,000 commenters chose to submit their letters through an alert on the Food and Water Watch website, an environmental advocacy group.The Corps has invalidated those letters and will only count the fewer than 1,000 letters that came via email and mail, according to Heather Cantino from the Athens County Fracking Action Network. Cantino said the the Corps hasn’t set a deadline for a decision on the building of the dock, but a release from ACFAN added that Teresa Spagna, a Corps project manager, told group members that she would now accept letters until the decision date. “They alone are making the choice to sit on the letters,” Cantino said. “The Food and Water Watch comments include names and contact information that make them just as valid as the emailed and mailed comments.”Cantino has sent out a press release asking that the excluded commenters request the Corps to count their original letters.The barge dock would hold waste from hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, directly on the Ohio River by GreenHunter Resources, a Texas oil field management company that activists have long pinpointed as a threat to local flora and fauna. GreenHunter already owns and operates a waste storage site in Washington County, northeast of Athens.The Corps must approve GreenHunter’s application before the dock can be built.Members of Athens City Council passed a non-binding resolution in late July condemning the move. At the time, Mayor Paul Wiehl said he was bracing himself for a worst-case scenario, in light of the water crisis in West Virginia this winter, when thousands of gallons of a chemical spilled into the Elk River and kept hundreds of thousands of people without drinkable water.Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could not be reached for comment by press time.@MCTILTONMT522913@ohio.edu

Grant Stover

Nurturing OUr Nature: Nurturing OUr Nature: a call to action

By Grant Stover | Oct. 5, 2014

Fall is here. October is already bringing a chill to our campus. In the words of Paul Simon, “The leaves that are green turn to brown. And they wither with the wind, and they crumble in your hand.” The changing of weather always makes me think: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Jordan Williams

The Good-isms: Volunteering with homeless animals is good for the soul

By Jordan Williams | Oct. 5, 2014

Countless activists devote their lives to helping others and giving a voice to those without, so how could we forget about our furry, four-legged friends? Celebrity animal activists strive to make a difference in the lives of shelter animals every day, and as much can be said for the men and women of local animal shelters here in Athens.Actor Ian Somerhalder (popularly known as Damon Salvatore in the television series, The Vampire Diaries), spurred by his love for animals and the planet, established the Ian Somerhalder Foundation in 2010. Despite his acting schedule, Somerhalder has taken his role in the foundation seriously, speaking on the foundation’s behalf about topics ranging from animal activism to climate change. The foundation aims cover a spectrum of goals that focus on the betterment of life for at-risk animals and the environment by supporting green energy and global conservation. They also strive to establish awareness of deforestation and its effects, the eradication of shelters that dispose of unadopted animals, and the care of abused or neglected animals.The Foundation believes that everything on Earth is interconnected and interdependent, which is why the foundation does not discriminate what they support. It has greatly expanded since its inception four years ago. Somerhalder recently released a statement announcing the foundation’s plans to introduce the ISF Sanctuary Project, a plan to purchase a large chunk of land to be used as a sanctuary for wildlife.The beauty of animal activism is that anyone can help. Athens County has several shelters that host charity events every year. Last Saturday, OU’s Alpha Phi Omega fraternity hosted their annual charity walk, Friends of the Shelter Dogs 5k. The walk took place in TailGreat Park Saturday morning. The Friends of the Shelter Dogs volunteer group will also host a “Purses for Pooches” event at Market on State, East State Street on Saturday, Nov. 1 from 6-11 p.m. to further fund the program.I have been wishing to get involved with local volunteer work ever since I moved to Athens, and volunteering for shelter animals has been a perfect fit for me. As a life-long animal lover and a five-year vegetarian, I would do anything to get adoptable animals into good homes. I plan on devoting any time I can volunteering with shelter animals in the area. Luckily, the Athens Humane Society has several opportunities for students to give back in a variety of ways. I look forward to helping these animals find good homes and live better lives, and I hope more people will join me.Jordan Williams is a junior studying English and Women’s and Gender studies. Email her at jw719111@ohio.edu.

Sophie Kruse

Gamer Girl: Depression shouldn’t be the topic of a video game

By Sophie Kruse | Oct. 5, 2014

With all the recent news over the “Gamergate” controversy, I decided I should probably check out Depression Quest. Here’s the CliffNotes version of the scandal: Zoe Quinn, an indie game developer, was subjected to a massive amount of harassment after the release of her game, Depression Quest on Steam in August. When the game was released, her ex-boyfriend wrote a pretty nasty blog post claiming that Quinn cheated on him with a journalist from Kotaku, which resulted in more favorable news coverage of her game.After this was posted, it seemed like the entire online gaming community had something to say about it — many members of the community piled her with threats of rape and death.I don’t think I even need to say that there is no reason for the amount of harassment Quinn received.I was really excited to play Depression Quest, an “interactive fiction game” that has you read through the story as you’re making decisions. I hoped that it would properly capture the way that depression feels.The game is playable on Steam or on the web. The main page says that the primary goal of the game is to spread awareness, and players are able to continue for free or pay what they want. A  portion of the proceeds will be donated to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.While I’m glad I played it, I was really displeased. There wasn’t anything that was particularly offensive towards those that suffer with depression — that was my main fear.Moreso, the game felt immature and a little rushed. It was extremely short — I think it took me about 30 or 45 minutes to complete it. It’s a text-based game, so the only action is choosing your decisions.As someone who has — probably much like many readers — suffered time and time again from depression, it felt like Quinn and her team channeled the thoughts of someone going through depression and wrote a script in one or two nights.I’m glad that Quinn made this game, as I think it gets people thinking about the topic. However, I just don’t think that depression is something that can be illustrated in a game.For example: many of the choices you have are already crossed off. The point of that is so players understand that these are choices that a depressed person couldn’t or wouldn’t choose (like ordering food and grabbing a drink when you get home for the evening).Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand Quinn’s reasoning for this and that it is something many people face. But I think it could have been better executed if there were a variety of choices in the spectrum, like maybe not being able to order food but being able to munch at your apartment.All in all, I’m glad I played the game, but it left me unsatisfied with a title I was looking forward to checking out.Sophie Kruse is a junior studying journalism. Have you played Depression Quest? Email her at sk139011@ohio.edu or tweet her @kruseco. 

Samuel Howard

Between The Lines: Thanks to baseball’s Adam ‘Big Donkey’ Dunn

By Samuel Howard | Oct. 5, 2014

Baseball has seen classic nicknames. There was “Shoeless Joe” Jackson; Willie “Say Hey Kid” Mays; Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose.But none resonate with me quite like the nickname for a slugger from my own era — the enigmatic Adam Dunn.Dunn will always be “Big Donkey.” And I’m sad to see the big guy hang up his cleats without a postseason at-bat to show for himself.He has a ridiculous nickname, sure, but no other baseball player has hit as many home runs as the Donkey did, while also being so terrible at the same time. And I mean that in the most affectionate way possible.At his worst, Dunn was putrid. Horrid. Think of a synonym for either of those words, and he was it.But what made him such an endearing fan favorite was that he’d admit it. Dunn was his biggest critic. He once told reporters, “When I’m going bad, I’m the worst player in the league.” And historical statistics tell us just what that meant.He’s third on the all-time strikeout list, despite playing seven fewer seasons than the leader, Reggie Jackson and eight fewer than Jim Thome at number two. He also committed 120 errors while bouncing between first base and the outfield.Despite how historically awful he was, Dunn lasted 14 seasons in his career, which ended abruptly last week.Why did teams keep him around so long, despite his lackadaisical outfield play and his haphazard stabs at swinging the bat?Big Donkey could hammer a ball out of any ballpark.During his 14 seasons, he hit 462 home runs — more than half of which were on the Cincinnati Reds, my favorite team. I once saw him hit an electrifying three-run walk-off home run against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park in 2006. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite moments ever at a ballpark.Only 10 other baseball players in history have a higher home-runs-per-plate-appearances rate — Dunn averages at 14.90 at-bats per home run. Four of them are in the Hall of Fame and the others are Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Sammy Sosa, Ryan Howard, and Manny Ramirez.Dunn is also tied with former teammate Ken Griffey, Jr. and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson with the most Opening Day homers in history; eight, to be exact.There might not be a more misunderstood ballplayer in this millenium. Fans, managers and fellow players either hated or loved him, or sometimes both. When Dunn came to the plate, there were seemingly three options: He’d strikeout, he’d walk, or he’d blast a home run nearly 500 feet.Heck, the guy even had a cameo appearance as a bartender in last year’s Oscar-nominated film, Dallas Buyer’s Club, which he helped invest.So with all that in mind, I fundamentally disagree, on all levels, with Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin’s decision to keep Dunn from batting in his only playoff appearance last Tuesday. Dunn warmed the bench during the Athletics’ 12-inning American League Wild Card loss to the Kansas City Royals.Dunn retired the next day, having not played in a single postseason game throughout his entire 14-year career.Waiting in vain on the bench for his named to be called as the innings passed Tuesday, Dunn showed little resemblance to the “Big Donkey” persona he embodied: The loveable but feared player who would either change the dynamic of a game with one swing or go down in three consecutive strikes.I wish Adam Dunn would’ve gotten the one postseason at-bat he deserved, but I wouldn’t change anything about the last 14 years. The pathetic strikeouts and pitiful defense, alongside the tape measure home runs made him one of the most entertaining athletes of my lifetime.Thanks for the memories, Big Donkey.Sanuel Howard is a junior studying journalism and the Local News Editor at The Post. Do you think Adam Dunn was incredible, terrible, or somewhere in between? Email him at sh335311@ohio.edu.

Jim Ryan

From The Editor's Desk: 'The Post’ gets back to its roots with 'throwback' front pages

By JIM RYAN | Oct. 5, 2014

You may have noticed that our front page looks a little different today. Per Post tradition, we will be publishing “throwback” front pages this week in celebration of Homecoming Week here at Ohio University. (OK, this is only the third year, but who’s counting?) This year’s cover is modeled after the 1963 Post, which is one of my favorite newspaper fronts from over the years.I scoured our archives for eye-catching headlines from ’63, and I found a handful of gems:Girls begin traditional manhunt to find dates for Coed Prom (Feb. 11)Solitaire, eights, hearts — big deals on campus (Feb. 26)Whew! Dorm radiators will continue to heat  (April 23)‘Spitless’ Toledo University takes it in ear (Oct. 10)To be honest, I still have no idea what that last one means.If you’re familiar with our Homecoming-Week covers from years past, you’ll notice that we’re doing things a little differently this year by featuring front-page designs reminiscent of OU’s olden days first and working our way toward The Post’s modern look. We did the opposite in the past.Our Friday edition will feature a classic Green & White design on its back cover.This will allow those who haven’t seen a print copy of The Post in awhile to see what we’re all about today, all while giving them an extra hint of nostalgia in celebration of Homecoming Week.Stick with us throughout the week for a bit of Homecoming fun and information about events happening around campus this week. And keep your eye out for us in the university’s annual homecoming parade on Saturday. We’ll be the ones handing out papers and causing a ruckus — all in good homecoming spirit.As always, thanks for reading. Jim Ryan is a senior studying journalism and political science and editor-in-chief of The Post. Let him know what you think of the homecoming front pages. Contact him at jr992810@ohio.edu or on Twitter at @Jimryan015.

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