Jeff Hill Sledding Days are Over

I can still remember my very first Athens snow during the wintertime of my freshman year here. Perched at the top of the ominous Jefferson (“Jeff”) Hill (previously deemed one of my “trippiest spots” on campus), I watched as several of my friends zipped down the hill atop blue plastic trays they “borrowed” from the dining hall earlier that day.

Those days will soon be over.

Thanks to the reception of a state grant, Athens will be repaving the infamous Jeff Hill in 2010, turning it into a road that allows for an easier and faster connection between the East Green area and uptown Athens.

According to Monday’s issue of The Post, the grant is valued at about $225,000, which doesn’t quite cover the entire cost of the $300,000 project.

 

So, is this a slip-up or not?

 

There are a few factors to consider in analyzing whether or not this situation should be deemed a slip-up:

·      Pedestrian safety

·      Traffic

·      Ease of navigation

·      Connection of city areas

·      Work vehicles, such as ambulances and delivery cars

·      Costliness

 

Traffic and pedestrians:

 

Jeff Hill is a notoriously tough hill to navigate, as the relatively skinny sidewalk and steep incline sometimes push walkers into the grassy middle section. The transformation of that middle section into a road could pose safety hazards. Not only Jeff Hill, but also the entirety of East Green will be affected in this way. Driving traffic around East Green, a heavy pedestrian area, will increase exponentially with a new road available.

Hannah Senn, an Ohio University freshman who currently resides in Washington Hall, is skeptical about the advantages the project will provide for East Green residents. “I guess it has its benefits, but at the same time, there are so many students that go up that hill that in the winter, if someone lost control and there were students on there, it could be a potential problem,” she said.

However, the traffic would increase because of the community’s need for a better driving connection between the two areas, which would be implemented by the road.

 

Worker vehicles and cost:

 

The road would allow vehicles such as ambulances and delivery cars, both of which thrive on getting from place to place as quickly and efficiently as possible, to navigate the city more easily and therefore the workers would be able to perform their duties more effectively.

Ohio University junior Rue Khalsa lived in Washington Hall on East Green her freshman year, and during that time, needed an ambulance on two different occasions. “On the surface, it looks like a very positive idea. I think that it might ease traffic and allow people who are in emergency situations to get where they’re going more quickly,” she said.

Khalsa also has a few doubts about the project. “I guess it might be a little more unsafe for students who are going up and down the hill, in case someone had a mishap and fell or something like that, and then cars are kind of going very quickly down that hill. But I think that the positives probably outweigh the negatives. Not only would it assist people who are in emergency situations like I was, but it might also ease congestion in general,” she said.

Based solely on the buzz heard around town and opinions of those I’ve come in contact with, the general consensus of many people is that $300,000 is a great deal of the state and city’s money to spend just on Jeff Hill.

Some ominous looks at Jeff Hill.

Cara Miller, an Ohio University junior, is a delivery person for Avalanche Pizza. She has been delivering for nearly two years. “If [Jeff Hill] were a road, I don’t think I would use it very much, just because I don’t like driving in areas that have a high density of students walking home drunk. I feel like it would just be kind of unsafe because there are so many students who walk up and down Jeff Hill. I think there’s other places in Athens where roads could be built that would be more useful,” she said.

 

So…

 

Athens residents have a few remaining months with the grassy hill, as the project is slated to finish in August, just in time for new students to arrive. Perhaps they won’t be so turned off by the “eye sore,” a word used to describe Jeff Hill by Athens City Street Director Andrew Stone to Alex Stuckey for The Post.

Though Jeff Hill sledding days might soon be over, I hear Morton Hill (another one of my trippy spots) is a pretty close second in terms of local inclines.

Thoughts or opinions? Leave a comment.

Until next time, cheers!

Athens Animania

WHY DID ISSUE 2 PASS??? WHAT WERE OHIOANS THINKING???

Alright, I realize that is a very immature and unprofessional way to start an entry. Fair enough. Let me back it up a bit.

I’ve mentioned before that I am a vegetarian for reasons regarding animal rights. So naturally, the passing of Ohio’s Issue 2 is pretty bothersome.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of voters had big misconceptions about what the passing of this issue would bring to Ohio. And therein, I suppose, lies the slip-up. Well, I guess the entire passing of the issue itself is a slip-up as well, in my opinion.

However, it’s important to note that Athens County actually did reject Issue 2. According to Wednesday's issue of The Post, 7,170 voters voted against Issue 2 and 4,514 voters voted for Issue 2 in Athens County.

Simply by talking to voters or interested residents, I’ve come to realize that many people thought this issue would be good for farm animals. I suppose I can understand where the misunderstanding lies. Issue 2 is meant to create a “Livestock Care Standards Board” to oversee the treatment of animals in farms, including aspects such as caging and treatment regulations. The governor and legislature will appoint the members of the board.

This all seems great, until the facts of the issue are more closely examined.

The passing of Issue 2 is also a disservice to smaller local farms, as shown in this video. Found on YouTube.

The state agriculture director will lead the board, giving it a more profit-oriented focus rather than a more humanity-oriented focus, which is what the issue is meant to be. Also, according to ballotpedia.org, some believe that the industry encouraged the passing of this issue so that there would seem to be no need for more humanity-focused animal rights groups, such as the Humane Society of the United States, to place their own issue on the ballot. And now, such groups should want to place their own issue on the ballots because it seems that the best interests of the animals may not be at heart within the majority of the board.

That being said, I’ve got a lot of opinions on this issue. And I’m thinking you might too. So if you do, feel free to comment and fill me in.

Until next time, cheers!

The Veg Bites Back

A few years ago, I ventured into that frequently ridiculed yet very self-satisfying territory of vegetarianism. For me, it was an animal rights thing. And I loved it, so there I have stayed ever since.

The popularity of vegetarianism has grown exponentially over the past couple years, though I have learned through conversation with recent converts that many are doing it just to get skinny. As though there’s nothing else in the world for people to eat besides meat.

But unfortunately, as an Ohio University student who endured the dorms (and thus the dining halls) for two years, I can say that the above statement sometimes felt true. So you can imagine the shock and vexation I felt when I read an article in Thursday’s issue of The Post that held this statement:

“For the second year in a row, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals named Ohio University one of the most vegetarian-friendly campuses in the U.S.”

Just so we’re clear, my frustration is in no way directed toward Caitlin Bowling, who wrote this article. She happens to be a fantastic writer and her coverage of this story was very well done.

But seriously, PETA? Giving OU this undeserving honor AGAIN? That’s just terrible. A definite slip-up, even though the organization may not be aware of it.

I feel as though the OU Dining Services puts up a big front about how vegetarian and vegan friendly the dining halls here are, and I’ve always felt that way. Here’s a clip of a menu from Boyd Dining Hall, the place where I ate the majority of my meals during my first year here:

Vegetarian vegetable soup? Okay, so in OU dining hall terms, that would be a bunch of soggy veggies in warm liquid. Meatless taco salad, a.k.a. lettuce and tomato and cheese in a shell. Vegetarian gumbo soup? Probably the leftovers from the vegetarian vegetable soup with some added spices to make it taste like something different. Vegan chicken parmesan is usually pretty good, but also somewhat rubbery. I’m not sure about the vegetarian three bean soup, as I’ll admit, I haven’t tried it. The tomato and spinach quesadilla is usually soggy and the vegetables taste old. Vegan curried corn rice soup, again, is something I haven’t tried. The “vegetable streudel” is pretty mysterious, but again, not at all impressive, as it is tastes like outdated veggies in a flaky, just-out-of-the-box crust.

And who knows whether or not they’ll actually make (or make enough of) what they offer on the menu.

After years of my parents’ culinary concoctions, believe me, I am not a picky eater. I’m willing to try everything, and usually like most things I try. In becoming a vegetarian, I broadened my tastes in a very big way. That being said, I can assure you that it really is as bad as I’m making it seem.

I just have to wonder how PETA made the decision about which schools would be contending for this title. Surely they only peered at the menus and didn’t attempt to come out and try the food. Otherwise, I think their choice may have been different, at least about their OU nomination.

Here’s a clip I found on PETA2.com that describes OU’s inclusion in the race:

I’m totally disappointed in PETA for the second year in a row. I guess you can’t have it all, but sometimes, it’d be nice to have just a little.

Until next time, cheers!

Home Sweet Home? Not So Much.

My younger brother, Rocco, is a senior in high school and is already starting to look into various colleges of interest, touring and getting the word on the street about each different school.

Tear.

Lately, I’ve been trying to think of different ways I could help him out, obviously being an experienced collegiate girl of ceaseless wisdom. Ha. But when I think of college and what kinds of things he should be researching and also looking forward to, I think of many different aspects – the quality of the school, campus beauty, a new level of classes, extracurricular activities and, of course, living with roommates.

And that’s when a flood of horror stories immediately deluged my thoughts and I became a nervous big sister.

I remember reading a “Letter to the Editor” in The Post at the end of my freshman year, posted to the Web site on May 13, 2008, about another Ohio University freshman, Chris Uihlein, who had a horrifying roommate experience. He decided to take a chance and branch out by being a random roommate in a triple already chosen by two other boys – two other uninviting, homophobic boys.

Through Facebook, these other boys realized that Chris was gay. They asked him to retract his decision to live in the room, but at that point, it was too late for Chris to back out. The boys retorted with cruel messages and nasty, demeaning Facebook statuses that declared their disgust for his sexuality, making it all that much more difficult for Chris to be an openly gay person, which is something that everyone should have the utmost respect for to begin with.

Those boys slipped up that day by being so completely closed-minded that they may have missed out on a respectful, fun roommate and potentially great friendship. They also messed up in assuming that Chris, being gay, would automatically lust after them and rub off on them, or whatever they assumed about him that constituted their inhumanity toward him. It’s sickening, really.

I tend to think that roommate blunders can make some of the most fascinating (and for the people involved, most irritating) blunders. Though I’m willing to talk about some of my favorite – and by favorite, I mean wildest – instances, I do want to keep all names anonymous out of respect for those involved. Therefore, all names used in the following anecdotes have been changed.

A girl I recently met, Rachel, is a freshman here at OU. Her roommate, Megan, is involved in Campus Crusade, an extracurricular activity that focuses on devotion to Christ. While Rachel is supportive of Megan’s activity, Megan disagrees with Rachel’s decision to drink and indulge in some of the new things that college has presented to her. Instead of being mutually supportive, Megan chastises Rachel and makes it known that she disagrees with Rachel’s lifestyle.

A friend of mine, Sarah, an OU junior, had a roommate freshman year who chose not to be cleanly and pick up after herself. It got bad enough to the point that her roommate stuck a dirty pad to the floor – sticky side down, dirty side up. And it sat there for far longer than it should have. Sarah was disgusted at the site of it, not to mention the germs and health hazards that her roommate’s actions caused.

Matt, another OU freshman I recently met, has a roommate with an intriguing issue – porn addiction. Though Matt’s not entirely sure that it’s a clinically diagnosed, actual addiction, from what he has seen, he feels as though it is. Apparently, his roommate watches pornographic films and videos entirely too often.

These situations amaze me. While I understand personality clashes, I also think it’s important to at least try to bend a little, maybe just enough to just meet someone in the middle and coexist peacefully.

My other two roommates, Morgan and Allyson, have been living together since freshman year. I just kind of jumped on that bandwagon this fall. They get along famously, though their personalities are quite different. The two of them have really learned to make it work. The following videos are nice displays of their roommate teamwork. Pay no mind to any other part of each video other than the clips I specifically directed to play, as the other parts of the videos are irrelevant.

Here's a clip from my interview with Morgan about life with Allyson:

Morgan gives a tour of the apartment, showing the difference between her and Allyson:

I wholeheartedly back the phrase: “To each his own.” But when “his own” is affecting another’s “own” or even another’s well being, then I think it’s time to cut the shit and learn to share space.

Until next time, cheers!

It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here…

… so take off all your clothes so get that Tabasco sauce out of your vagina!

No, seriously. Yes, that is really what I mean.

Campus has been abuzz with sidewalk chatter regarding the following letter, written by a girl who has chosen to refer to herself as “Unsure” (indeed), which was sent in to the sex column for The Post:

“My boyfriend wants to ‘spice’ things up a bit and try eating hot sauce out of my vagina. Is this safe for me?

 

                        Thanks,

                                    Unsure”

The letter and response were published on the Web site for The Post late at night Wednesday, October 7, and they were published in the paper Thursday, October 8. Kudos to columnist Mallory Long for handling this submission in a professional manner. I, however, will venture to say what everyone else is thinking:

WHAT THE *&$%??????

Here's an appropriate image I found at http://www.pissclear.org/ImageGalleries/fakeads/:

 

For as many years as I’ve been a “Sex and the City” fan, I have not seen the likes of this.

On the other hand, if this submission was meant to be a joke, I’m frankly ashamed that a town so heavily supportive of all types of journalism (including sex columns) would house a person who isn’t taking The Post’s venture into touchy territory seriously. Which could potentially mean that I actually agree with the notorious Ashley Herzog (see her comments below Long’s article) for the first time in my life:

“Posted: Thursday, October 08, 2009

Article comment by: Ashley Herzog

 

This is laughable. (In an embarassing way, not a funny way.) Pretty sure some idiot sent this question in as a joke.

 

The editor should be embarassed that this ran in the paper. Then again, when the Culture Editor had her own column, it consisted of her deep thoughts on Juicy Campus.”

 

However, I only admit to agreeing with Herzog’s bottom comment, not the one on top:

“Posted: Thursday, October 08, 2009

Article comment by: Ashley Herzog

 

Also, just wait til a future employer finds this. ‘Uh ma'am, we see you wrote a column about some dude eating hot sauce out of his girlfriend's vagina...’ That's one step below putting ‘exotic dancer’ on your professional resume.”

 

Really Ashley? Comparing sex columnists to exotic dancers? Tisk tisk.

PLEASE don’t get me wrong. I am in total support of the sexually gutsy and am all for “spicing things up.” Sans the actual spice.

Here’s a healthy alternative: Take a trip to Athens’ own Passionate Kisses. They have a stimulating (pun intended) selection of adventurous sexual playthings. Then you’d be supporting local businesses (yay!) AND you can be sure you’ve got safe products in your hands.

If you ask me, a bit of easy research would have answered Unsure’s question. Then maybe she wouldn’t have had to expose that question to the entire population of The Post’s readers and waste a few inches (again, pun intended) of good sex column.

Then again, what do I know? Here I am, in on a Friday evening, blogging nonetheless. Doesn’t get much more nerdy than that.

However, my friend Emilee has a GREAT sex blog that I highly recommend!

But take it from this Plain Jane, there are PLENTY of ways to be sexually explorative without the burn! (Why do my closing few words sound like an advertisement for Preparation H or a really good alcohol chaser? And how did I find a way to categorize those two items?

Until next time, cheers!