The Mirror Lake Restoration Project of Autumn semester 2017 has brought upon anger from the Ohio State community as a result of interrupting the holiday lights display and the traditional “Mirror Lake Jump”. While uniting the student body, the lake in general is looked upon as one of the standard landmarks that defined the university around the world.

With the shocking circumstances from the 2015 edition of the Jump, Ohio State has taken steps to make the area untouchable to the public during the time surrounding the once-annual tradition.

The university has started a project the will restore the draining issue with the lake that has caused issues in terms of maintenance over the past several years. Previous attempts to improve the process of flowing water came from the addition of the fountains, but constant issues with the lake’s bottom floor has led to the same results. Costs for the restoration project are slowly beginning to outweigh the normal costs to maintain the presence of the lake, and many people in the community are questioning the attempts to save the landscape.

Kellie Dempsey, a recent 2016 graduate of Ohio State, described how this stance should persuade the university officials.

“When the cost to save an item is more than the cost of regularly maintaining it, there needs to be a re-examination of the focus of the university,” said Dempsey. “There are many other ways they can funnel the money into other projects that will be more worthwhile in the long run.”

Dempsey feels that there are other issues going on around the campus that could use more attention.

“I know several former professors who have to start forming their resumes again due to a shortage in the department’s budget, and the money in the restoration budget would be more than enough to save their jobs,” said Dempsey. “At some point, the university needs to realize they operate for the betterment of their people and not just their materialistic luxuries.”

The month of November signifies the shift into late fall and the preparation period for the winter months ahead. During this period, staff at the Ohio State University begins prepping the campus for the holiday season. In usual fashion, one if the tasks is the famous lighting of the Mirror Lake area with Christmas lights creating an aurora similar to the Columbus Zoo Lights attraction.

This, along with several other reasons, have made the area a prime study spot during this time of year in advance of final exams rapidly approaching.

For fellow Ohio State junior Amine Lehachi, the current construction cuts into this steady pastime.

“With the weather cooperating with us this year, this would have been a prime time to enjoy the classic scenery while preparing for my exams,” said Lehachi. “[The construction] really dampens the culture of campus because this lake means more to us than just a now-meaningless attempt to jump into it.”

Afroduck Vigil during Fall 2015 semester. Credit : Alex Biddle

Like any controversial event, there are different view points and other topics that tie into the overall situation. In the case of the restoration project, the key is to eliminate a potential “eye sore” in the opinion of Ohio State head officials. To a select group of students, the project has acted in a counterproductive manner.

Michael Shaver, a current Ohio State junior, spoke in a short video about her view of how the construction creates an unwanted image for the community.

Mike Shaver Interview

Shaver finishes with a point demonstrated by many students every year. “At the end of the day, all we want to do is to be able to take pride in our campus’ image,” said Shaver.

Most videos that commemorate the campus show seasonal scenes of the lake area. Not being able to enjoy the area during the holiday season eliminates the ability for outsiders.

Like every controversy that can be imagined, there is a contingent of people on the opposite side of the opinions. The crowd that supports the restoration project believes in the university’s statements regarding the possible outcomes of ignoring the leaking issues. The issues have been displayed by construction companies in the past showing possible damage to surrounding buildings.

Hassan Chaudary, a sophomore in his second year living on south campus, explained why he prefers the safe approach.

Crew setting up fencing to begin project. Credit: Columbus Dispatch

“If you eliminate the threat of great disasters, then the project should have been an easy decision,” said Chaudary. “Living in a south campus dorm that could be harmed by a system failure is very scary and anything threatening the safety of students should be immediately addressed like this project.”

Both sides of the argument have been clearly heard through social media profiles and campus movements. The project is still in the early stages, and it will be a while until we can gather a sense on the likely results. With such a strong and connected community, there will be ways to ease the tension of those against the decision and find peace in enjoying new areas of the campus in the meantime.

The holiday season display may have to wait a year, but the prospective improvements to the area will have the potential to satisfy all Buckeyes during 2017 and beyond.

The developing story of Ohio State possibly reaching the College Football Playoff (CFP) without winning a conference championship is full of information that attracts a large audience. Simply put, I have many connections to the football communications department and would be able to interview many important figures. The CFP in its short two year history has followed  format of taking the best team from the top four conferences. This year, there may be a rift in the ideology as many believe the best B1G team will not represent their division in the championship game. Penn State is regarded as the fourth best team in the conference, while Ohio State is first with the potential second seed in the CFP. Every ESPN personality have given their takes on the situation and it sets up for a rather dramatic finish when the selection show airs next Sunday. Running a feature on the monumental decision of the committee a week before the revelation would attract a decent audience depending on the source and platform. Teams such as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Washington, Clemson and Wisconsin all have another game to play so the hypotheticals of this article would not be solved until December 3rd. WE do receive valuable information every week from Chairman Holcutt that scripts the narrative in even more detailed fashions every week that will extend the topics necessary for the story. I almost feel like with more time I could have made this a better story than my Mirror Lake one that will be posted on the 6th.

I want to focus on the construction involving the reconstruction of Mirror Lake. I plan to visit the community and interview residents of the area such as students that live on South Campus and see it daily. Also, I will interview upperclassmen to explain their feelings about the lake being closed to the public for the majority of their college careers. The following are possible questions:

At what point is it going too far to save a traditional landmark?

Is the eye-sore and cost worth a scene that cannot continue a storied past tradition?

What would be an alternative than keeping the lake?

For the Ohio State University, tradition is rooted into the core pieces that created the school’s identity. Along with the people and excellence, Ohio State believes that these three qualities are what solidify their existence as a premiere Big Ten school. Tradition paints the campus with iconic places such as Mirror Lake, the Varsity Club, the Oval, and the Horseshoe. Since the 1970s, this list included the bar-littered section of High Street adjacent from the East edge of campus. Campus Partners is in the processes of commercializing the street and removing the “black eye” of the campus in the opinion of the school’s administration staff.

Fellow alumni barely recognize the campus and fear the probable issues that can involve turning a place for children into a corporate world. Gregg Neff, a former student during the 1980s, described his thoughts during his return to campus for the Nebraska game.

“Before I left this area, campus had a true college town vibe that made it so attractive to perspective students. Coming back to see a dead night life strikes very strong emotions within me,” said Neff.

The removal of drinking outlets are not the centerpiece, it is the removal of social locations that helped many form friendships that have lasted a lifetime. Tyler Youtzy, a graduate of 1985 and current South Carolina resident, feels that breaking traditions will hurt the university in the long run.

“While there may be some benefits to tearing down traditional places, the negatives of losing student and alumni support may ultimately outweigh them and result in loss of revenue if the new places do not succeed,” said Youtzy.

Campus Partners, a non-profit organization in a contract relationship with Ohio State, started off the 2016-2017 school year by tearing down Chumley’s in preparation for the building of apartments and corporate retail stores along High Street. The plans began with the destruction of the infamous Schooner bar and anticipates eliminating popular hangout Too’s by the end of Spring Semester 2017. The university has instructed their partnership to help integrate the surrounding community with the college campus. The creation of apartments and department stores allows for eliminating the separation between campus and the city.

While the university can eliminate a huge concern, they may possibly create an even larger issue for the future. The demand for drinking will never be eliminated from this campus, and removing the walking distance locations can lead to rather risky decisions from those under the influence.

Ian Hayes, a current student at The Ohio State University, echoes the concern that people under the influence will make ill-advised decisions to get to the new locations.

“It is no secret that people drink before heading out to the bars, so putting these people in the position to make sophisticated decisions puts people at risk and could be avoided if the campus bars are kept in place,” said Hayes.

On the contrary, it is clear to see that the motive is to improve the integrity of the school. Parents potentially sending off their children to a school controlled by factors alternative to the academic aspect feel anxious and nervous of the possible repercussions.

Alissa Agriesti, a future Buckeye of the class of 2021, realizes that there is a benefit in a situation that hits her conflict of interests.

“I love the essence of High Street and how it creates a true college atmosphere,” said Agriesti. “At the same time, there is a time for change for everything and I will respect the decision even though it angers those of us who looked forward to the experience.”

For my feature story, I am going to cover the decline of the “party school” image at Ohio State over the past decade. From the 1980’s on, OSU was notoriously known for house parties and a great bar scene. This all began to change when Karen Holbrook was hired as the President of the University. I will interview former students that experienced the before, during, and after the phase-out. I will also find those in association with bars and the former “Hineygate” tailgate that took place outside of the now-named West Lane Dormitory. Those who were familiar to the moves of Holbrook would also add valuable detail to help script out the process.

As mentioned in the class discussion, this feature story was not the best at holding our attention with interesting information. The beginning has a storytelling to feel to it, almost like a documentary in print. After introducing DiMeo and his work, the author transitions into describing his major artwork and what they represent. Each piece of artwork has a background to his rise up and how it propelled his career. Towards the middle of the story, it feels like you are reading a timeline as he author is going step-by-step with the moment of his podcasting career. The podcast are described and tell how his style and approach were on-air. Overall, this is not a feature story i would expect in a magazine and would not hold onto readership very well.

Julian was not very familiar with the sport of baseball but he had a few observations on the article as a whole:

• If possible, eliminate acronyms if you are trying to appeal to the complete general public
• Quotes were tied in well to the overall topic and added detailed eleements
• The significance of the situation to our community is large

On Thursday evening, the Cleveland Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 at the Rogers Centre to win the ALCS and earn a spot in next week’s Fall Classic. Rookie left-hander Ryan Merritt held Toronto to 4.1 scoreless innings and the Cleveland bullpen pulled through again to shutdown the heavy-hitting lineup once again.

The win wraps up a 4-1 series against the champions of the AL East division. Cleveland will play in a World Series for the first time since the 1997 series against the Florida Marlins.

Around the Ohio State Columbus campus, a sea of students can be seen sporting jerseys and shirts displaying the likes of Chief Wahoo and names of many beloved players.

Erika Barnes, an Ohio State junior and resident of Cleveland, describes how the victory symbolizes her city.

“This just goes to show that this is the year of Cleveland,” said Barnes. “The sports teams are going through a complete revival period, and you see the city starting to glow again for the first time since the population shift.”

The Indians have been labeled as the centerpiece of the city since its inception in the early 1900s. Alex Landon, an Ohio State Junior, reaffirms this notion with his devotion and love for the team.

“Cleveland has, and always will be, known as Tribe Town,” said Landon. “Regardless if this team is 30 games back in the division or best record in the MLB, we come out to every game and put all of our emotions into them.”

According to die-hard fan Zach Muetzel, the ending of “The Curse” and “The Mistake On the Lake” ideologies makes this trip to the Fall Classic so much sweeter for Tribe fans.

“It feels like the sporting world is finally off our backs and starting to respect us as a sports city,” said Muetzel. “Even though I’m not a Cleveland native, I’m anxious like any other Tribe fan to win the World Series.”

Until then, Terry Francona and the team will have to wait for the conclusion of the NLCS to find out their opponent and to being scouting and planning for the series.

Inky Johnson was a former highly-recruited safety who chose Tennessee to begin his promising college career. Johnson had become a team leader and was labeled as a must-pick in the NFL draft after the season. Suddenly, a routine tackle shattered his dreams when it busted his subclavian artery in his chest and tore ligaments in his shoulder. Doctors told Johnson that it would be too much of a risk to play again, and his was immediately downtrodden. After a change in heart, Johnson used his injury to help become a motivational people for those who have struggled like him.

http://www.mrt.com/lifestyles/religion/article/Inky-Johnson-found-strength-in-faith-after-7398318.php

On September 19th, the United States Department of Transportation met in Washington DC and released a 15-point safety standard for the design and development of autonomous vehicles. Federal safety officials of the department claimed that the newly presented format has been scientifically studied to extents where it is believed the guidelines will help produce an automatic-driven car that will make highways safer.

This news is intriguing for local government officials because Columbus is at the forefront of the movement after winning the “Smart Cities Challenge”.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Columbus received approximately $40 million from the contest for the purpose of furthering technology in the self-driving car industry. State officials have confirmed that the city planned to invest heavily into the industry regardless of the contest’s result.

The Ohio State University will more than likely benefit from the situation. Questions will rise about the 15-point safety standard list, but immediate impressions have many people in the community optimistic for the project.

Madeline Richardson, a resident of the Ohio State campus area, expresses that she would be excited about the cutting of traffic troubles.

“Hearing about certified officials approving the process excites me because this industry could change the layout of certain roads and change traffic patterns,” said Richardson. She pointed out that highway traffic during the after-work hours would speed up tremendously.

Brianna Rodriguez, a current student at Ohio State, steered her focus to the potential of improving campus nightlife on the weekends.”I am not really sure how the alcohol policy will go, but the first thing that comes to mind is that drunk kids can drive home safely,” said Rodriguez.

While the U.S. Department of Transportation has not discussed this aspect, it will be potentially a hot topic until the cars reach the market.

Rodriguez also had some doubts in the new standard because of the history of defects in cars produced under the safety standard for manual-driven cars. She states, “I feel skeptical because there are always many recalls on people-driven cars that lead to accidents.”

As expected, many people will be concerned to the autonomous vehicle being a new technology introduced to the public. Rodriguez gives a relative outlook of people with that state of mind. “Introducing self-driven cars for the first time can be dangerous if things were to go wrong,” said Rodriguez.

Lexi Biller, another student at Ohio State, sees the potential opportunity to help end the major issue of distracted driving. “Distracted driving is a problem especially on highways, and these guidelines are a stepping stone in the right direction to end the epidemic,” said Biller.

The US. Department of Transportation will now begin to apply the safety standard to models that car production companies construct for inspection.