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The Post - Athens, OH
The independent newspaper covering campus and community since 1911.
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EDITORIALS

The Post

Editorial: Administration should be more transparent

Mar. 16, 2015

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

Women's Basketball

Best of luck to women’s basketball team

Mar. 15, 2015

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

Google Consumer Surveys

Change coming to ‘Post’ website next month

Mar. 12, 2015

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

Board of Trustees

University should be more transparent with BOT decisions

Mar. 12, 2015

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

The Post

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

Mar. 11, 2015

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

The Post

‘Post’ not singling out Marching 110 for noting Peterson affiliation

Feb. 25, 2015

The Post received several inquiries about why it continually refers to Dedrick Peterson as a former member of the Ohio University Marching 110.Peterson, a 31-year-old from Ann Arbor, Michigan, was sentenced to five years in prison Friday after he was found guilty on three counts of sexual battery.Our reasoning as to why Peterson is labeled as a former member of the Marching 110 is simple: He assaulted the survivor, whom he had known for several years, at a post-game party among friends also in the 110 during OU’s 2013 Homecoming Weekend.The fact that he was part of the Marching 110 — and among his peers when he committed the sexual assault — is part of the story. We would be remiss not to include that information in our reports.We’re not the only ones who find it to be appropriate to mention Peterson’s Marching 110 affiliation. The affiliation has been noted by other media outlets and was included in news releases and Facebook posts from Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn.We’re not singling out the Marching 110 by publishing Peterson’s affiliation with the band. If a person formally accused or convicted of a crime has any publicly-stated ties to this university or city, we’re going to include that information in our reports. That’s regardless of if the person was a member of the Marching 110, a representative on Athens City Council, a student-athlete on an Ohio Bobcats athletic team or an OU professor, for example.We published a story Tuesday about Alvaro Mangual-Manfredi getting two years in prison for sexual battery stemming from an August assault behind Red Brick Sports Pub. Mangual-Manfredi has not been publicly identified as a member of any university or local organization or group, and he hasn’t even been identified as an OU student. If such information was available, we would have certainly published it, just as we did in the Peterson story.It’s part of our job to do so.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: editor-in-chief Jim Ryan, managing editor Sara Jerde, opinion editor Xander Zellner and projects editor Allan Smith. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.

The Post

Editorial: Off-campus students, please shovel your sidewalks

Feb. 22, 2015

The poor conditions of sidewalks around town has been a frequent topic of discussion among students during the past few days.We’re tramping through slush, slipping on ice and jumping puddles on our way to campus.Although it’s easy to gripe about the conditions, we’d like to remind students living off-campus it’s their responsibility to keep the sidewalks in front of their residences clear. Many landlords provide shovels to their tenants, and inexpensive road salt can be found at several locations on East State Street.The city issued a reminder earlier this year noting that “it is required by Athens City Code to have sidewalks cleared within the first 4 hours after daylight, following or during a fall of snow.”Athens City Code states that keeping sidewalks clear is the responsibility of the owner, occupant or “person having the care of” any building or land bordering a sidewalk. Choosing not to shovel your sidewalk or driveway isn’t worth a possible $50 fine.Even if you don’t agree with the city law — it’s not exactly favorable for student renters — no one wants to fall on the way to class or walk into a lecture with their socks soaked through. If you live off campus, spend a couple minutes shoveling your sidewalk. Your fellow Bobcats will be glad you did.Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post's executive editors: editor-in-chief Jim Ryan, managing editor Sara Jerde, opinion editor Xander Zellner and projects editor Allan Smith. Post editorials are independent of the publication's news coverage.

Jim Ryan

From The Editor's Desk: Proud of what we do at ‘The Post’

By JIM RYAN | Feb. 12, 2015

We realize that we will not be universally liked by everyone at Ohio University. That’s not our job. But we’re also exceptionally proud of the work we do, and we’re going to keep doing it by soliciting reader feedback and using it to improve our coverage every day.

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