pg. 8 | Cincinnati’s own shines during last season
pg. 6 | Art exhibit breaks gender boundaries Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Coronavirus concern at UC KEELY BROWN | MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR
Flavia Bastos has led the University of Cincinnati’s Latino Faculty Association since 2017. PROVIDED | FLAVIA BASTOS.
Professor spreads Latino visibility DAVID REES | FEATURES EDITOR As a first-generation college graduate and a woman of color, Flavia Bastos wears her identity proudly and advocates for inclusivity in a traditionally white male dominated culture. An immigrant from southern Brazil, Bastos began her career at the University of Cincinnati immediately after graduate school. Nearly 20 years later, she is a professor in the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning’s (DAAP) art education program. “I have had a great career at [UC] that has allowed me to engage in research and outstanding teaching,” Bastos said. “I’m really quite grateful to this institution for having provided a home for me.” In an effort to create visibility for Latino issues on campus, Bastos worked with four other UC professors — Maria Espinola, Mauricio Espinoza, Farrah Jacquez and Michael Odio — to examine the demographics of Latino faculty. Looking at the success of UC’s Black Faculty Association, which had a significant history of empowering black faculty, the team proposed a university
grant to create an association for Latino faculty. In its second year, Bastos and the association have been able to provide strategic planning to promote events to congregate Latino faculty on campus. “Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the United States,” Bastos said. “They are sort of invisible in our region and they are not very prevalent in our campus.” When the Latino community started coming together through these new social events, Bastos described it as a “love fest” — finally being able to meet people with similar backgrounds and experiences. The association stands as a way for members of the Latino community to recognize each other, said Bastos. In addition, it provides the means to engage in conversation that can lead to strategic policy across campus. The group recruits Latino faculty, staff and students — thus, supporting them to succeed and make a contribution toward a more diverse and equitable campus. The association also has a budget that allows for small grants toward different research and community-based projects. faculty to advance Continued on Page 4
Following recent social media speculation, University of Cincinnati officials confirmed there are no known cases of the coronavirus on campus, according to M.B. Reilly, university spokesperson. The campus community initially became concerned after an unidentified professor, who took a recent trip to Asia, emailed students Jan. 28 at 12:30 p.m. and alerted them to the possibility of infection from the new virus. However, around four hours later at 4:47 p.m., the same instructor sent out a second email confirming they are not a carrier of the coronavirus. According to the message, the professor said they spoke with Dr. Kim L. Miller — the executive director of University Health Services — who asked a series of questions and determined the instructor’s respiratory situation was not the coronavirus.
The coronavirus was first identified in Wuhan, China. Other parts of the country have also reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats and bats, said the CDC. Recent travelers from Wuhan — or those who have had close contact with some suspected of having the virus — should watch for flu-like symptoms, according to University Health Services. If experiencing symptoms, use a face mask and seek immediate medical care. As of Jan. 27, there are five confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S. — one in Washington, Arizona and Illinois, and two in California, said the CDC. There have been no positive cases confirmed in Ohio.
The symptoms of the coronavirus. WIKIPEDIA.ORG
January 29, 2020
SG improves accessibility
QUINLAN BENTLEY | CHIEF REPORTER The University of Cincinnati Undergraduate Student Government (SG) is working to make the university easier to navigate for students with accessibility needs by improving signage on campus. In coordination with UC’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Task Force, the initiative will assist those students with mobility aids by placing signage on campus that displays the most accessible route to their destination. Citing a lack of visible signage on campus, the initiative is seeking to implement a pilot program with a focus on eight specific areas on campus, said at-large senator Sivani Alla, who is sponsoring the initiative for SG. These eight areas include Library Square, the Richard E. Lindner Athletic Center, the Geology-Physics Building, the McMicken Hall staircase, the CCM staircase, Clifton Court Pavilion, Memorial Hall and the Mary Emery Hall passageway. “We wanted to implement signage across campus in major high traffic areas that had stairs, but no visible pathways that were accessible,” Alla said. The pilot program will eventually be narrowed down to only a couple of the areas mentioned, she added. Having to use a wheelchair to navigate campus has not been easy, said Babaljit Kaur, a fifth-year student who also serves as director of accessibility resources for SG. “During my time here at UC, I’ve seen that it is kind of hard to navigate campus and there really isn’t any signage,” she said. “It’s kind of like very trial and error.” Alla and Kaur have been working with
the university’s ADA Task Force since last semester in effort to implement the initiative. While the initiative was originally pitched with mobility impaired students in mind, additional signage is of benefit to everyone on campus, said Kaur. “I felt like this was something that would help students and not only students, but also visitors and overall just make it easier for everyone,” she said. The new signage will also have QR codes that link pedestrians to the website of UC’s office of accessibility resources, where they will be able to see a full map of the university, as well as where to locate additional resources on campus, Kaur said. “One of my office’s roles is to respond and identify solutions when a student faces a barrier to access, whether on campus, online, or in the classroom,” said Heidi Pettyjohn, executive director for accessibility at UC. “I think one of the biggest challenges that we all face at UC is how big it is and the fact that it is a pedestrian campus; if you’re a visitor or even someone who has been here a long time, you can find yourself in an area that you’re just not familiar with,” she said. “And that is what I think these students are trying to address with this initiative.” While Alla and Kaur are still in talks with the university to launch the initiative, they hope to unveil the pilot program the week of March 9 — coinciding with their upcoming Awareness for Abilities week event.
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Program aids survivors in need
SHANNON SMITH | NEWS EDITOR
A University of Cincinnati professor is working with a Hamilton County Court program to help survivors of human trafficking recover from histories of drug addiction and homelessness. CHANGE Court – which stands for “Changing Habits And setting New Goals is Empowering” – was established by Judge Heather Russell in 2014 under a specialized court docket. The program takes a hands-on approach to assisting vulnerable women who have been arrested and pleaded guilty to offenses such as prostitution, drug use or solicitation. Maria Espinola, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the UC College of Medicine, is a part of the CHANGE Court treatment team, which is one component of the interdisciplinary program. Through individual and group sessions with the women, Espinola gives treatment recommendations to the judges based on psychoeducational assessments. “What they all have in common is that in their histories they had some kind of sexual exploitation situation,” Espinola said. “This happens when someone exploits a vulnerable person, usually a woman or child, and forces them into sexual activity for some kind of profit.” The court works to establish a plan for each participant to try and improve their relationships or increase their safety, Espinola said. The two-year program is divided into three stages: safety and stabilization, recovery and empowerment. During the first phase, participants usually spend about three months in a jail-based treatment to detox before being placed in transitional housing or residential treatment. The court then connects them to Medicaid to get their physical and mental health needs taken care of.
In the Empowerment stage, the court offers job training, job placement, help finding independent housing, drivers’ license reinstatement and help with child custody issues. All of these services are provided to help survivors not only reestablish themselves in the community, but to also maintain a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. “They need to learn a lot of different skills to function in society because they have gone through a lot of trauma,” Espinola said. “Many of the women we see have gone through [human trafficking] and have been victims of kidnapping, other had not but were identified because of poverty, drug addiction or other history of trauma that could exploit them.” The court is made up of a treatment team, advisory committee and a variety of organizations to provide participants with a range of services. Along with Espinola and Judge Russell, the treatment team consists of representatives from the offices of Hamilton County Probation, Prosecution, Public Defense and local nonprofits, such as First Step Home. Along with working to prevent participants to falling back into poverty and homelessness, the court addresses their mental health through trauma-informed and culturally sensitive services for both English and Spanish speaking women. “I don’t like to think of them as patients, but as women who are capable and have survived a lot,” Espinola said. “We aim to figure out their maximum potential and work to get them there.”
The Hamilton County Courthouse in Cincinnati. FLICKR | OZINOH PROVIDED | UNVERSITY OF CINCINNATI STUDENT GOVERNMENT
January 29, 2020
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UC professors protest university budget model
YOUTUBE SCREEN CAPTURE | JEFF CRAMERDING
QUINLAN BENTLEY | CHIEF REPORTER Professors at the University of Cincinnati are raising concerns that the institution’s long flawed budget model is hindering their ability to serve students. The UC chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) launched its Fight for 51% campaign last year to address the growing debt and declining revenue retention for the university’s colleges under the university’s current budget model. Since the university adopted Performancebased Budgeting (PBB) in 2010, revenue retention at the colleges decreased to 43% in 2017, according to the AAUP’s website. As part of its campaign, the AAUP is asking that revenue retention be restored to 51%. Despite record enrollment, faculty at the College of Arts and Science (A&S) often receive mixed messages from the university about their performance, said Ronald Jones, president of the UC chapter of AAUP. A&S is UC’s largest college housing approximately 19% of the university’s student population, according to the 2018 Student Fact Book. Each year, financial decisions are made by the president, provost and senior vice president for administration and finance, said professor Amber Peplow, who acts as budget committee chair for both AAUP and faculty senate. This small group of administrators gives each college its threshold of university funds, which is then expected to pay back to the university through revenue or budget cuts, she said. Any extra money the college has at the end of the year is split with the provost’s office. Although PBB is meant to allow colleges to grow out of their financial issues, performance is measured on a strictly bottom-line basis, she said. “And that’s really limited for an educational institution, and especially one as large and diverse as UC,” said Peplow.
“In a $1.3 billion budget, we have an enormous amount of entities that are vying for money,” added Jones. While A&S has been the hardest hit by budget cuts, this affects all of UC’s colleges, he said. “And they do recognize that there are issues with the current funding model,” said Jones. PBB has been attributed to a $1.5 million deficit at A&S last year, along with the departure of four deans in less than a decade. “Things [have] gotten to the point where if you can’t make it work, you can’t run the college,” Ken Petren, former dean of A&S, previously told The News Record. “I fully admit that I couldn’t handle the budget … But I also pretty firmly think that there isn’t anyone who can handle this budget. It’s a ratcheting effect that has run its course, and now there’s no way out.” The university is currently considering recommendations for a new budget model, said UC representative, M.B. Reilly in an
FACEBOOK | UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI CHAPTER OF THE AAUP
email statement to The News Record. Transparency is more of an issue than the current budget model, says Chris Campagna, English professor and associates council chair for AAUP. The university is not operating in a way that adheres to faculty values, he said. “[The campaign is] really not for faculty, it’s for what we see as what the mission of our university is and really higher education in general,” Campagna said. While faculty senate – under UC’s collective bargaining agreement with AAUP – does have some level of say in the budget process, many faculty members don’t believe they have a voice, said Jones. However, concerned faculty can turn to university governance bodies like faculty senate for budget transparency and input, Reilly said. Faculty senate representatives are given a chance to provide feedback to the administration on budget issues during committee meetings which they may communicate with other faculty, said Cynthia Ris, professor of English and faculty senate chair. “We are trying to promote what we think we need to do at this university, which is to keep things transparent,” Ris said. Even still, Peplow says she is concerned about the university’s level of transparency with faculty regarding the budget, adding that measures are being taken within faculty senate to address this issue. “The budget and priorities committee is reviewing right now and gathering information regarding shared governance and the budgeting process to determine if there is enough transparency,” she said. Faculty senate will make a determination at the end of this school year as to whether recommendations should be made to change that process, she said.
FACEBOOK | UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI CHAPTER OF THE AAUP
While AAUP’s campaign has so far received positive response from other faculty, it is still trying to spread the awareness around the university. “It really is and advocacy campaign for the health and well-being of the university,” Jones said. .
January 29, 2020
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Organization strives to Living Openly: Meet UC’s unite Latino faculty new senior administrator DAVID REES | FEATURES EDITOR
Members of the University of Cincinnati Faculty Association hold up their awards at the 2019 Faculty Assocation Awards. FACEBOOK | UC LATINO FACULTY ASSOCIATION
Continued from Page 1 “[The association] is a way to empower faculty to advance towards their goals and their career without the red tape that sometimes exists,” Bastos said. “Then it’s really about, too, showcasing and celebrating the success of Latino faculty across campus, so that the university community as a whole can have a better sense of what our contributions are.” Developing her entire career at UC, Bastos views the association as an opportunity to give back and shape a more equitable and diverse culture on campus. Through different recruitment strategies and events like the Latino Students Summit, Bastos is already noticing ripple effects of the association. Bastos is honored to be receiving UC’s 2020 Distinguished Research Professor Award for exemplifying the highest order of research in an Arts Humanities of Social Science (AHSS) discipline. Nominations for the award come from recommendations by a college dean, and are approved by the provost. Colleges may only nominate two individuals each year. Bastos hopes Latino students advocate for visibility in their own spaces, and encourages them to wear their identity proud — articulating Latino perspective by building a network of allies who understand Latino stories and who can be supportive. “We are a nation of immigrants, we are a diverse nation,” she said. “Latino students need to reflect on their identity and leverage
that in any opportunity that they have. Those diverse perspectives and voices [are] what is going to shape the future of our country.”
Flavia Bastos, art education program professor at the College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning (DAAP). PROVIDED | FLAVIA BASTOS
As UC prepares for its most diverse class in history – with a record 22,352 applicants for the fall 2020 freshman class – the university also welcomes a new openly gay senior administrator. Jack Miner grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio and received a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in women’s studies and a Master of Public Administration at The Ohio State University. Miner spent the last 28 years working at his alma mater as the university registrar and executive director of enrollment services. At the beginning of January, Miner joined the bearcat family as the vice provost for enrollment management. Inspired by UC’s “Next Lives Here” initiative, Miner realized that UC was an exciting place to be. “It became clear that UC was right on the cusp of some really significant growth, some really significant dedication to students and student success, and everything that the University of Cincinnati was doing to conduct itself to the city,” he said. “I felt like I really wanted to be a part of that.” With many institutions across the country working to stabilize their enrollment, Miner highlighted UC’s efforts to expand. Miner also admires UC’s strong connection to the Cincinnati community – defining itself as an urban university with an urban mission, said Miner. After graduation, Miner has noticed that many students move away from their alma mater. However, with a big core of students coming from this region, Miner was inspired by the significant number who stay after graduation. “We are doing really important mission, and that is educating the workforce and educating the community within this region,” he said. “Other universities do not have that opportunity because a lot of times their students do not stay in the region.” Growing up in a small close-minded town and coming out as gay during his freshman year of college, Miner has looked at his challenges as opportunities for positive impact in the community. Throughout his career, Miner made a conscience effort to further the visibility and access to education for LGBTQ students. Roughly 20 years, Miner founded an LGBTQ scholarship program at OSU, which grew to be one of the largest of its kind in the nation, said Miner. An advocate for the transgender community, one of the eight scholarships aimed toward transgender students was named after Miner.
As an openly gay member of the UC community, Miner is looking forward to working with organizations like UC’s LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association, the LGBTQ Center and other LGBTQ student groups. For LGBTQ students, Miner encourages them to live their lives open and proud, to be deliberate about their visibility and to take opportunities that allow for change. In doing so, that influence and networking can create a personal connection to the LGBTQ community “As more people live openly and proudly, and as more people in the greater community got to know LGBTQ people or learned that there were LGBTQ people in their family, it really created a broader sense of allies,” he said.
The University of Cincinnati’s new senior administrator grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio. PROVIDED | JACK MINER
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January 29, 2020
CEAS program coordinator advocates for inclusivity
DAVID REES | FEATURES EDITOR As a psychology major, Ashantia Collins had a mission and a fascination: finding out why people do the things they do. After graduating from Miami University in 2017, Collins studied abroad at the University of the Arts London and earned a master’s in psychology. She went on to become the office coordinator at Grand Valley State University and assisted in student program funding, student advising and development, as well as utilizing campus partners to refer students. Collins moved back near her hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in summer of 2019 to be a senior extension clerk at Michigan State University. Working in its agricultural department, Collins helped run programs that taught residents about security, healthy dieting, budgeting and even gardening. It was here that Collins realized she wanted to do more work with students. Now, Collins is joining the University of Cincinnati’s College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) in the department of inclusive excellence and community engagement as a program coordinator. Collins manages the summer STEM bridge program. The program is for students in the
College of Arts and Sciences, CEAS and the College of Allied Health Sciences who stay on campus for seven weeks to take classes for credit and to get a taste of their future at UC. The students also get connected to possible internship opportunities. Year round, Collins is in charge of creating programs to veterans and LGBTQ students within the college, in addition to supporting both groups and making their resources more accessible. “I really want [students] to feel like I am someone that they can come in and complain to, and if I can do something about it then we are going to do something about it,” Collins said. Further, Collins assists in organizing veterans financial aid and hopes to make the process smoother within the coming semesters, she said. Collins is also developing an “Out in Health” group for LGBTQ students, in hopes of creating events and fundraisers, like starting a yearly clothing swap for students to get the items they need to feel comfortable in their identity. “It is just important to be an advocate in any way that I can and I know it such a big deal for a millennial to be in a position where they can create change like this
because a lot of times, people may be a little bit stuck in their old ways,” she said. With the help of the department of inclusive excellence and community engagement, Collins would also like to work with companies to start a job fair for LGBTQ students.
adaptation to give them just that. “When jumping spiders are scared their instinct isn’t to run like other things, they actually freeze,” she said. “If [the male] can startle [the female] a little, he can kind of capture and maintain her attention while keeping himself safe.” The next step is to blur these images in such a way that will simulate a spider’s vision and feed those images back into the software in hopes of getting different results, she said. Already this approach has had promising results, with a 3% decrease in identification accuracy, said Harris. This research is unique because while most organisms imitate prey in attracting a mate, this spider is doing the opposite, she said. “We have never found another case where the male actually wants to look scary in order to flirt better with the female,” Harris said. “Fear and flirtation almost never come together in the animal kingdom.” Earlier this month, Harris presented these findings at a conference of Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, where she says there has been a positive response from others in the field. Although the research is ready to be prepared for publication, she would like to add a behavioral component to compliment the machine-learning research. Because the peacock spider is native to Australia and the bushfires still raging across the southern half of the continent,
obtaining a collection of specimens for research is not anywhere on the horizon, she said.
Moving forward, Collins is excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve different populations of the student body and is eager to support them throughout their college experience, she said.
Ashantia Collins, newly appointed College of Engineering and Applied Science program coordinator. PROVIDED | ASHANTIA COLLINS
Doctoral student studies spider mating patterns
QUINLAN BENTLEY | CHIEF REPORTER
A University of Cincinnati student is researching how spider abdomens appear to mimic the appearance of their natural predators in order to attract a mate. Doctoral student Olivia Harris studies visual ecology and perceptual realities – or how organisms use what they see in constructing how they perceive their environment, as part of this research, Harris noticed that the backs of male peacock spiders mimic the appearance of other predators like wasps. “Humans are excellent at seeing faces where there aren’t faces,” said Harris, adding that the real question is whether other spiders will notice this similarity as well. Programing artificial intelligence (AI) software to accurately identify the structural features of different predator’s faces, Harris – who spent her time as an undergraduate studying marine invertebrate species – found that the spider abdomens were able to fool the computer in 5% of identifications. Although 5% does not seem like a very significant figure, the AI was programed to be as accurate in identifying organisms as possible to make each misidentification even more significant, she said. As female spiders are known for being cannibalistic, males need a competitive edge to be safely noticed in mating, said Harris. She believes male spiders developed this
Some spider abdomens look like predators. This is used to evade predators. WIKIMEDIA COMMOMNS
January 29, 2020
EMMA BALCOM | STAFF REPORTER
Things to do: Jan. 31 to Feb. 2
FRIDAY, JAN. 31 Winter Salsa Social: Join the dynamic environment of a Latin dance party and lose yourself in a whirlwind of motion! The live music of Cincinnati’s eleven-piece classic Salsa orchestra, Son del Caribe, will be performing to get you to your feet, describing their sprightly salsa as “a miniconversation without the need for words.” Get your feet moving and your hips swaying as you dance into the weekend this Friday night! 7p.m.-12a.m. The Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St. Art After Dark: Monochromatic: The Cincinnati Art Museum is hosting yet another of their most well-loved events: Art After Dark. This time around, they’ll be commemorating the work of Sohrab Hura in The Levee: A Photographer in the American South, and using the stark grayscale photography he produces as a theme for the event. Guests are encouraged to dress in crisp black-and-white wear to peruse the galleries and enjoy the festivities in the form of live music, delicious food, and special tours through the night. 5-9p.m. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Dr.
SATURDAY, FEB. 1 Theatre Design and Production Showcase: The talented senior and graduate students of CCM’s Theatre Design and Production program will be displaying their spectacular works for any who wish to attend! The portfolios of the array of students will be showcased to depict their knowledge and the hard work that goes into creating unique and specialized designs for the stage. Support your fellow Bearcats and their resounding success! 11a.m.-12p.m. Dieterle Vocal Arts Center, Room 300, 280 W Corry St.
Johnny Cash Tribute: Celebrate the oneof-a-kind legacy that was Johnny Cash with a striking tribute at Bogart’s. The unusual combination of country and rock and roll that made Cash so distinctive as an artist takes on a new life within Cincinnati, performed by Cash Unchained, a tribute band dedicated to keeping the memory of Cash and his musical genius alive and thriving nearly 70 years after his music career began! 8p.m. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St.
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SUNDAY, FEB. 2 Chocolate in the Chapel: Norman Chapel is hosting an annual gathering of chocolate delicacies and other sweet treats to bring in the Valentine’s Day spirit! Arrange an assortment of delicious goods for all the important people in your life to illustrate your love and appreciation, or practice an act of self-care and acquire a surplus of tasty delights to indulge on during a relaxing day off. Either way, you won’t want to miss out on the vast array of chocolates, cookies, pastries, and other delectable goodies available this Sunday! 12-3p.m. Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave. Image Space/Memory Space: Take advantage of the final day of Joomi Chung’s fantastical and immersive installation. The sharp angles of the landscape-map “explores the idea of memory space,” a fascinating take on the world of technology we experience today. 10a.m.-5:30p.m. Weston Art Gallery, 650 Walnut St.
The Weston Gallery will be hosting the final day of the Image/Memory space Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. INSTAGRAM | @WESTONARTGALLERY
New exhibit shatters the art world’s glass ceiling
EMMA BALCOM | STAFF REPORTER
With a title like “Women Breaking Boundaries,” my expectations for one of the Cincinnati Art Museum’s newer exhibits were shamelessly high. My enthusiasm lay in hopes of seeing works illustrating the advancement of women in every aspect, depicted from artists whose minds truly believed in the power behind every female. I feel confident in saying that my expectations were exceeded because while a simple glance around the exhibition told a mighty narrative on its own, the backstories behind each individual piece and its artist exemplified how every single boundary a woman could break was being shattered completely. Walking in, my attention was directed from one corner of the room to the next, my gaze caught by vivid colors, breathtaking design and the unique application of every possible medium one could work with. Each piece demanded my fullest attention; one massive print screamed its message at me in bold font across a stark black-and-white image, impossible to glance over. “My face is your fortune,” read the untitled print by Barbara Kruger. It depicts a woman splashing a handful of water into her face and seemed to speak to the frequent monetization of the female face and body
— plus the notion that pursuing sex appeal to advertise a product leads to profitability. Other artworks reflected a similar, yet subtler message. Other pieces displayed the sheer ability of women in other walks of life. Dorothea Lange, a printer, encapsulated her experiences witnessing human suffering and created a special call to attention to the injustices she observed, particularly in one of her prints, “Once a Missouri farmer, now a migratory farm laborer on the Pacific Coast. California.” A lower-class couple made the best of their living conditions in a grayscale photograph, and Lange used her potential to highlight the dire situation of the pairing, and all those in the same circumstances. Meanwhile, some of the original garments of CoCo Chanel adorned the center of the room, calling for attention with their unique shapes and styles. Gabrielle “CoCo” Chanel aimed to find a compromise in women’s clothing that combined modern style with practicality, hence creating an outstanding integration of femininity and power to reflect the spirit of the independent woman. In the end, no two works of art were the same. They each had a different statement to make, and yet they ultimately came together into one gorgeous collection. “Women Breaking Boundaries” accurately
conveyed the beauty and novelty of independence, community, the female body, the kindred spirit and the intelligent mind. It preached ideas of empowerment and broke through societal standards placed upon women at various points in time, reflecting on years far in the past and continuing to the present. I left with a new perspective on the female
identity that completely disregarded conventional stereotypes, instead acknowledging the standards each woman sets for herself. These artists recognized that femininity is not interchangeable with power and any woman can be both in whatever ratio she chooses, exemplifying her ability to leave an impact on this world.
“Women Breaking Boundaries” is on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum through April 12. PROVIDED | JILL DUNNE
September January 29, 4, 2020 2019
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Q&A: DAAP student illustrates children’s book
University of Cincinnati Design, Art, Architecture and Planning (DAAP) student Hannah Dickens is creating a children’s book for her capstone project. PROVIDED | HANNAH DICKENS
TAWNEY BEANS | STAFF REPORTER Hannah Dickens — a fourth-year student at the University of Cincinnati studying graphic communications design — was recently featured on the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning’s (DAAP) Instagram page for the booklets she’s illustrated over the last three years that capture her travels with her husband. Also mentioned was her capstone project — the co-writing and illustration of a children’s book focusing on mental health. Within a quaint coffee shop in Newport, Ky., Dickens spoke to The News Record about her artistic inspirations, children’s book and plans for the future. The News Record: What was your inspiration for your capstone project and travel documentation? Hannah Dickens: Halfway through school I realized that I wanted to do illustration. This past semester, I did a part-time co-op and a part-time independent study. Partially to work on my capstone and partially to build a portfolio and have illustration work. My capstone inspiration was ‘I want to build my illustration skill,’ and a children’s book is a nice way to do that. My travel books were actually just practice for making my portfolio. I’d been wanting to print them anyways, and I was like, ‘I’ll just illustrate the front.’ It’s practice and something I can do every time that’s personal for us. TNR: How did you end up co-writing and illustrating a children’s book? HD: I’ve been thinking about it for a year and a half. One of my mentors at DAAP, I mentioned it to him, and he was like, ‘I have no doubt that you could illustrate a children’s book, but writing it is the hard part.’ So, I went through the process of ‘What am I going to do?’ and eventually came back to it because I was like, ‘I’m not going to be happy with anything else.’ We’ve been through three versions now. I
have a friend who’s a teacher who’s helping me write it. I’m currently rewriting it again for the fourth time. My project statement is that we’re illustrating a children’s book for teachers to use in their classroom to bring up topics like anxiety and depression. Our [book] is particularly dealing with sharing burden. It’s not just a poem. The structure has to be there, and it has to flow the right way in order for it to go the point across. So, it’s not long necessarily, but it has to get everything across in a short amount of time.
TNR: What are the best and worst aspects of making a children’s book? HD: The best thing is that you can do anything you want. There’re so many styles and so many different kinds of books that it’s such an open field to work in. The worst thing is finding the right idea and finding the right way to talk about an idea. That’s with writing, in illustrating it’s being okay when it doesn’t turn out perfect. It’s always a battle between ‘it’s fun’ and ‘it’s frustrating’ because you look at all these people’s work that you aspire to be. Somebody told me this last night: ‘If you get to the point where you’re really happy with your work, you might as well just stop doing what you’re doing’ because you’re always trying to get better. So, I’m trying to learn to be okay with that. TNR: What are your plans after graduation? HD: TBD. I’m still figuring it out. I would like to freelance for a while with illustration and design. Just reaching out to the contacts that I have in the industry and seeing if they need help with things. Really trying to just piece it together instead of getting one job, but we’ll see how that works. .
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TNR: What is the book about? HD: Our topic specifically is the need to share burden and the fact that if you don’t share it, it builds up and weighs you down. The metaphor that we’re using is a kid with a backpack and he just throws everything that he comes into contact with into the backpack — every responsibility, exciting thing and sad thing. Eventually he can’t carry it because it weighs too much. So, he has to figure out how to deal with the stuff. We’re still figuring out how he’s going to deal with the stuff. At first it was a mentor character and then it was a creature that lived in the backpack that was hurting from the things being in there because it was crowded. Now I think it’s going to be a friend, especially since we want to bring these topics up in a classroom setting.
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TNR: What is the goal of your capstone? HD: My end goal is that if it were used in a classroom, the kids would feel more comfortable talking about that topic with their teacher and their classmates. We’re also putting a discussion guide in the back for teachers to use. TNR: Who inspired your art style? HD: My favorite illustrator is Eda Kabon. She’s from Turkey but she lives in San Francisco. Her work is largely inspired by Mary Blair, who did a ton of visual concepts for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and old Disney films like that.
CLASSIFIEDS
The children’s book focuses on being comfortable sharing burdens with others. PROVIDED | HANNAH DICKENS
January 29, 2020
Hometown hero excels on and off the court MARCELLO JONES | CONTRIBUTOR
Sam Rodgers (11) looks for an open teammate during the first quarter of the University of Cincinnati women’s basketball game against the University of Houston Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 at Fifth-Third Arena in Cincinnati. MARY LEBUS | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
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From a young age, Cincinnati native and University of Cincinnati women’s basketball player, Sam Rodgers was surrounded by the Bearcat life. She would come to watch an array of sports at UC, including basketball. Sat in the old Fifth Third Arena, that was then called the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, Rodgers sat and watched as Bob Huggins’ Cincinnati men’s basketball team would shape a new direction for Cincinnati basketball. And perhaps then, underneath the luminous lights within the arena, her dream of being a Bearcat student-athlete was born. Rodgers grew up not only playing basketball, but soccer as well, and even “thought [she] was going to be the next Mia Hamm,” she said. But injuries and her physical attributes meant she wouldn’t walk in the footsteps of the two-time World Cupwinning, double Gold Olympic medalist, but instead choose a life of basketball that would lead her to Fifth Third Arena, and her No. 11 jersey. Rodgers arrived as a fresh-faced freshman in 2016 along with seven others, and although her “high-school did a great job at preparing [her], It was still scary,” she said. As a freshman class, they wanted to change the women’s basketball program, according to Rodgers. And that desire was fulfilled with their post-season run to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT)
quarterfinals last year. The team’s post-season run, that seemed to have the college campus entranced reached its pinnacle on a dramatic night against Butler University in Fifth Third Arena. On a night that seemed to have a “bazillion and seven people in there,” said Rodgers. “The atmosphere … was insane,” she added. “I have never played basketball in an environment like that… where everyone was able to pull together. It was incredible.” The team triumphed, 72-65, in a win that took them to the quarterfinals. The team regrettably did lose its match-up against Texan Christian University (TCU) in the last eight. Still, Rodgers says it was her most defining moment as a University of Cincinnati women’s basketball player. The UC women’s basketball team has changed a lot in the four years Rodgers has been on the roster. The year before Rodgers joined the team, the Bearcats had a losing record of 8-22, in comparison to last year’s record of 24-11. The team’s rise has been drastic, and this is down to everyone “being very open and honest with each other,” Rodgers said. “We are able to talk to each other, and it isn’t taken personally no matter the message or the tone. I think that has been quite essential in the success we have had.” But it isn’t just a mentality change that has driven the team to new heights; it is also the result of a new head coach – Michelle Clark-Heard. Clark-Heard was named the
UC women’s basketball team beat the University of Charleston 67-52 in a preseason exhibition game Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019 at Fifth-Third Arena. ALEX MARTIN | ART DIRECTOR
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UC women’s basketball coach in March 2018 and instantly had success. In her first season at the helm, she led the Bearcats to 24 wins, the most victories in a head coach’s first season in program history, and the most triumphs in 17 years. Rodgers is one of three captains on the Bearcats team, and her relationship with Clark-Heard has grown. Rodgers is “one of the best leaders on the team,” Clark-Heard said though it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the Cincinnati native as she has had to adjust and grow into the position. Rodgers influences all those around her and even those in the stands of Fifth Third Arena. Although it is something she had never previously thought about, her influence over the youth that comes and supports her has been unmistakable. “There is a girl who wears her hair like me; it’s just crazy,” Rodgers said. “I never thought I would be able to influence or have that kind of impact on another kid’s life.” Rodgers is studying nutrition and hopes to become a sports dietician, working with athletes, and specifically college athletes. The hometown senior is entering the last few months of her tenure as a student athlete. With her last match at Fifth Third Arena possibly being as early as March 2, Rodgers has refused to look toward the last time she will put on the jersey, but can’t help but wonder what the next chapter of her life will entail.
January 29, 2020
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Which Bearcats could be drafted? LOGAN LUSK | STAFF REPORTER
University of Cincinnati tight end Josiah Deguara catches a touchdown pass against the University of Connecticut at Nippert Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019. ALEX MARTIN | ART DIRECTOR
After having a great year for the University of Cincinnati’s football program, in which the team was able to achieve a No. 21 ranking and claimed The Birmingham Bowl against Boston College, some of the players on the team have shifted their focus to the upcoming 2020 NFL draft. The Bearcats have had at least one player drafted in each of the last four years, with the lone draftee in 2019 being defensive tackle Cortez Broughton. This time around UC has a few players with the potential to go on to the ultimate stage. On the offensive side of the ball, junior running back Michael Warren II and senior tightend Jason Deguara will both be looking for a new place to call home. Warren recently announced his decision to enter the 2020 NFL draft, after 38 career games with UC totaling nearly 3,000 yards (2,918) including back-to-back 1,200+ yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, along with 37 total touchdowns which is second all-time best for the university. In declaring his commitment to the NFL Draft, Warren addressed his love for the time he spent as a Bearcat. “Words can’t describe how honored I am to fulfill a lifelong dream, and I’m ready for the challenge,” he said on Twitter. “I will forever be a Bearcat and am honored to have been a part of this team. I love you Bearcat Nation and can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me and my family.
JUNCTA JUVANT!” According to UC, Warren is the first Bearcat to be an official early entrant in the NFL Draft, meaning the first non-senior to do such a thing. Warren showed extreme versatility for UC out of the backfield, providing good vison running and being a solid receiving threat as well efficient passblocking both. These qualities should have Warren going from anywhere in the early fourth round to mid fifth round. On the end of the offensive line for the Bearcats was senior tight-end Josiah Deguara, who broke out with the team in 2018 and improved into this past 2019 season as well. In both seasons he amassed over 35 receptions and five or more touchdowns, finishing with a team high of seven touchdowns this past year.
Since making a name for himself, NFL scouts are sure to have taken notice. Deguara’s big body, strong legs, and sure hands combined with his quality pass and run protection make him a prospector’s dream. He has all the tools he needs to succeed in the NFL, and given the right setting and training perhaps he could step up to the plate against fellow former Bearcat and NFL superstar Travis Kelce. These traits have Deguara finding a team somewhere in the sixth round. Also amid the draft scouts talk is UC senior linebacker Perry Young. Young, who’s fought through health adversity during his time as a Bearcat has continued to
prove his serviceable skills even despite his “safety-linebacker” tweener size, which coincidentally is becoming more and more useful in todays NFL. This all-around ability can see Young drafted somewhere in the seventh round. The 2020 Bearcat Football season will commence Sept. 5 against Austin Peay at Nippert Stadium.
University of Cincinnati running back Michael Warren II reacts to scoring a touchdown against Miami (Ohio) Saturday Sept. 14, 2019. ALEX MARTIN | ART DIRECTOR
Opinion | Kobe’s everlasting legacy goes far beyond his basketball skills
Kobe Bryant,41, passed away after a helicopter crash Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
SAMUEL SCHELL-OLSEN | OPINION EDITOR The world stood still as news of the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant shook the headlines Sunday. The tragedy turned into absolute horror when it was discovered that Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna
was among the nine total casualties in a Calabasas, California, helicopter crash. Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star, 5-time NBA Champion and had a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is considered one of the greatest NBA players of all time. As a shooting guard, Bryant was known for his fade-away jump shot and taking clutch shots in closing
seconds of a game. Bryant retired in 2016 and scored 60 points in his final game against the Utah Jazz. Former Jazz and current Boston Celtic Gordon Hayward tweeted, “He got 60 on me and I didn’t give him anything free all night. What happened on the free throw line was not intentional. Kobe would have lost respect for me if I gave him something free. That’s what made him so very special!” After retiring, Bryant became an advocate for women’s basketball, and has even stated he believes women can make the jump into the NBA. Bryant also spent time in the community. In 2017, Bryant teamed up with Nike and the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club to create a youth basketball league. The Mamba League, which consisted of children aged 8 to 10, taught the fundamentals of basketball and how the sport intertwines with life. The league aided over 288 boys and girls from underserved communities. To many however, Bryant was an inspiration. Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid tweeted, “Man I don’t even know where to start. I started playing ball because of KOBE after watching the 2010 finals. I had never watched ball before that and that finals was
the turning point of my life. I WANTED TO BE LIKE KOBE. I’m so FREAKING SAD right now!!!! RIP LEGEND.” The news of Bryant’s death crossed sport lines. During the NFL’s 2020 Pro Bowl Sunday afternoon, Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith celebrated Bryant when he sacked the opposing quarterback and called over his teammates to perform Bryant’s trademark fade-away jumper. Smith said, “It was a tribute to Kobe, him and his family. We came in on thirddown (and said), ‘Man this is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna do two steps and then we gonna do the fadeaway for him.’ For everybody to participate as a team, I just hope that touched a lot of people in a special way.” To sport fans, especially Lakers fans, Bryant will be remembered for his winning attitude, his relentless effort, his trademark moves and overall competitive nature. While some would rather focus on his past controversies, it’s important to remember the impact on millions that Bryant left behind. As “The Babe” said in the movie Sandlot, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”
January 29, 2020
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Opinion | Civility needs to improve SAMUEL SCHELL-OLSEN | OPINION EDITOR A couple days after the 2016 presidential election, people started asking me who I voted for. I told them I didn’t vote because I thought all the major candidates were awful. I definitely wasn’t voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and I continue to believe she is the definition of a corrupt politician. After Republican candidate Donald Trump’s Hollywood Access Tape was released, I couldn’t vote for him in good conscience. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson didn’t seem very intelligent, Green Party candidate Jill Stein seemed kooky to me and Independent candidate Evan McMullin seemed to be just a guy. After I told people I would’ve voted for Trump if it wasn’t for his crudeness, people who I thought were my friends lost their minds. Never mind that I didn’t even vote for the guy, but the fact I considered it was out of bounds. It’s shock to me how the difference in beliefs will change one’s perception of another. To let one’s views of abortion for example, push your own family away was stunning to me. For instance, because I disagreed with my cousin on abortion, she unfriended me on Facebook and hasn’t spoken to me since. It’s been four years. It’s not harmful for a loved one to have different political views. People, especially some in social media circles, always act like it’s a bad thing when people disagree with you. Wouldn’t it be boring if everyone
agreed with you? To let political views or opinions on public figures alternate your social circle is quite depressing. I would say most of my friends are Democrats. You know what happens when they share their opinion on something? I listen, and appeal to their good qualities. For example, to a good amount of my friends, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Cal) is a great politician who cares about democracy. To me, Schiff is a political hack who will do anything for attention. But to have a civil discourse with my friend I will nod and say, “I like your perspective.” Even though I don’t see how Schiff can be appealing, I enjoy hearing the opposing side. In all likelihood, they look at me in the same fashion with how I admire former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC). But to them, Gowdy is a lightweight who only cared about Benghazi. It’s sad to see people fail to stay friends, fail to love another and fail to talk with each other or to see music artists and pubic figures curse their own fans for liking the President. It’s awful to see athletes alienate their fan bases with their political pampering and it’s pretty gross to see politicians sneer at one another over the littlest of things. As President Thomas Jefferson once said, “I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.”
U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff speaks to attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco. FLICKR | GAGE SKIDMORE
An activist protests student debt during the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City in 2011. FLICKR | PHINEAS AZCUY
Opinion | Forgive student loans EMILY CHIEN | CONTRIBUTOR Every year, college is the expectation for so many high school seniors looking to make something of themselves. Every year, the price to do so rises. In fact, adjusting for inflation, the price of college literally doubled in America between 1989 and 2016, nowadays with an average four-year degree totaling $104,480. As of 2018, the price of college was rising eight times faster than wages. If the educational cost to enter certain fields rises faster than the pay in those fields, what are students to do? For middle class kids today, college is less of an option and more of an expectation. In many fields, a bachelor’s degree is not a cherry on top, it is the bare minimum. Even for the middle class, however, rarely anyone can afford college out-of-pocket these days, with 70% of students graduating with significant loans. Right now, 44 million American graduates collectively owe over $1.5 trillion in student loans. In no way is this normal, even for the United States. As of 2018, students left school with an average of $37,172 in student loans, increasing by $20,000 in only 13 years. Having student debt is not a crime, but here in America, it can feel like one. Those ravaged with student loan debt lose so many opportunities to further their careers and pursue their dreams. As a matter of course, they are less equipped to pay for graduate or medical school, buy a home, or even start a family. In some cases, a consequently low credit score comes with a whole other mountain of detriments. We’re painted a pretty picture of postgraduation life, a white picket fence and a
steady career that supports a family. Too often, though, this isn’t the case. Debt builds on itself, creating a heavy weight on the livelihoods of the graduates who bear it. High costs and crazy loans are taking over education. The stress of affording college can be a major distraction from even getting a thorough education in the first place. When the price of college rises, we all lose. Discouraging potential students with a hefty price tag puts us behind the rest of the world, where countries are willing to invest in all students, not just those who can afford the bill. The more that student debt makes college unappealing, especially for public-service where payoff for a degree is minimal, the less people we will have working in those fields. When we drown future generations in inescapable debt, the only people who profit are those with the power in higher education. Even if we attack the root of the problem by making public colleges completely free for 44 million Americans, the massive weight of student loan debt will stay. We have to wipe the slate clean for people who dared to go to college and make something of themselves — canceling all student debt is the only equitable way to handle this crisis. Taking out a loan for an education is not something that should need to be forgiven in the first place. Education is a human right, and by making it only accessible to those with enough financial means from the beginning goes completely against American values of “equal opportunity.”
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January 29, 2020
Sudoku By The Mepham Group
Sudoku is played on a grid of 9 x 9 spaces. Within the rows and columns are 9 “squares” (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the row, column or square. Does it sound complicated? Each Sudoku grid comes with a few spaces already filled in; the more spaces filled in, the easier the game – the more difficult Sudoku puzzles have very few spaces that are already filled in.
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January 29, 2020
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