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Round Two

By Seth Archer | Sep. 17, 2014

After completing Walter Fieldhouse for $12.5 million, Ohio University is looking to build an academic center.

The Post

Letter: Marzec’s declarations to support Palestine full of contradictions

Sep. 17, 2014

Please allow me to add my comments to those already published on the clash between Student Senate President Megan Marzec and her “Free Palestine” supporters and Bobcats for Israel. I do so as a long-ago Student Congress representative and former Post staffer and in my current capacity as Washington director of CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America.

The Post

Editorial: Program goals not transparent

Sep. 17, 2014

We reported in Wednesday’s Post that Ohio University’s Urban Scholars Program — which at its conception planned to recruit 100 high-achieving students annually from Ohio’s low income, urban areas — only consists of four total students this year. 

Lights Camera Ashton

Lights, Camera, Ashton: Comedy becoming too self-aware to be funny

By Will Ashton | Sep. 17, 2014

Anyone who is knowledgeable about comedy will tell you that it is subjective. Different people just laugh at different things. There is no right or wrong answer to what someone finds funny.I mean, sure, it’s easy to get mad at someone who keeps sponsoring Adam Sandler’s half-assed attempts at comedy, or Melissa McCarthy’s tired overweight routine. But they are not wrong per se. That’s just their preference. Personally, I like my comedy dry and witty, dark or absurd. But I know for a fact that there are things I find hilarious that many people look at with a blank, confused face.With that in mind, however, there’s definitely something to be said about how comedy weaves itself through culture. Vaudeville led the way to silent comedy and slapstick. The invention of sound in films led to quick-witted humor and mile-a-minute joke telling. Later, comedies like There’s Something About Mary paved the way for seemingly thousands of R-rated comedies involving different bloody fluids.Nowadays, there seems to be a new trend in pop culture comedy, but it may be one that comes at a price down the road. It’s self-aware comedy; comedy that prides itself in not only knowing it is a joke, but making a joke of how much of a joke it is.When applied well, there are certainly times where this works. Looking at some examples from the past few years, 21 Jump Street capitalized on the crappiness of its genre with fast wit and tongue-in-cheek aplomb, while The Cabin inthe Woods is, in my opinion, one of the better horror comedies to grace the screen of late—if just for its delightfully gory third act.But now, it seems that any and every (successful) movie with comedy has self-referential comedy in it. There was The Lego Movie, which — to its credit — needed this awareness and still serves as the best comedy of the year. And then there was Muppets Most Wanted, which was fine, solely because the Muppets have always been self-aware, and are funny about 95 percent of the time anyway.But after those, it started to get a little irksome. Just this summer, there was Neighbors, A Million Ways to Die in the West, 22 Jump Street, They Came Together, Let’s Be Cops and Guardians of the Galaxy —all of which took pride in saying over and over, “Oh, don’t worry. We get the joke.”For the most part, the strategy works for most of these movies, which makes criticizing them something of a bizarre, backhanded compliment. But it’s not about the films so much as it’s about the approach. The reason why self-aware comedy worked in its traditional sense was because it dealt with a select few being aware of the joke.It was like the one guy in class who was able to see through the BS and get away with sarcastically making fun of it. But if everyone is laying back and being sarcastic, there is no rhyme or reason to everything. There’s no joke, because nobody is out of the picture. It’s just preaching to the choir, and then it is no longer self-aware comedy. It’s just the norm.So, perhaps this isn’t a criticism but a warning: Slow down on the self-aware stuff. It’s cute, but the wear and tear is starting to show. If you don’t slow it down now — and considering how much money some of these movies made, they won’t — comedy is going to become stale.But hey, maybe that will be when self-aware comedy will be funny again. Someone will finally see the joke within the joke within the joke.Will Ashton is a senior studying journalism and a writer for The Post. Email him at wa054010@ohio.edu.

Put It In Writing

Put It In Writing: Becoming a great writer comes with more than just writing

By Kirsten Saylor | Sep. 17, 2014

Many people want to become better writers. Being a great writer is something people should aspire to be. However, you’re not going to become a great writer just by writing. Yes, practicing will improve your writing to a certain degree, but it is not the only thing (or necessarily the best thing) to help you become a better writer. The best way to improve your writing is to read.  It may sound cliché, or maybe it’s something you’ve never really heard, but reading is the No. 1  way to improve your own writing. Reading allows you to explore different styles, words, structures and worlds that you may have never considered for yourself. Reading isn’t merely looking at the words on a page; reading is opening up your mind to a unique realm full of knowledge.Not only does reading allow you, as the reader, to discover what appeals to you, but it also exercises your mind. Joseph Addison, an 18th century writer, once said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” When exercising, you build resilience and strength in your muscles, keeping them fit and agile. Reading does the exact same thing, but for your mind. When you read, you are exercising your brain by mentally cataloguing dialogue and imagining scenarios through words on paper. This only goes to increase your intelligence, thus making you a better reader and a writer.Read everything you can get your hands on. Read full length novels of every genre. Read the classics. Read the newest releases. Read short stories by independent authors on the internet. Read Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. Read newspapers, articles and essays from local providers and websites. Read poetry. No matter what it is, read it. It could provide you with insight that you may not notice on your own.Stephen King, the author of “The Shining” and “Pet Cemetery,” has a quote which goes well: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” You have to make the time to read in order to improve your writing. Whether you can only fit in one chapter of a book a night or if you can finish an entire novel in a few days, do it. Even 10 minutes of reading is better than not reading at all.Read when you can, write when you can and watch your writing improve before your eyes. It’s amazing how quickly you can progress if you continuously read and write. You will find what works for you through this process, and your writing will begin to feel like you. All you have to do is exercise your brain a little.Kirsten Saylor is a freshman studying English. Email her at ks749113@ohio.edu.

Rashmi Sharma

AAUW Fellowship Application Workshop to be Held at Women’s Center

By Kate Keverline | Sep. 17, 2014

Close to one year ago, Rashmi Sharma attended a Women’s Center Brown Bag Lunch and Learn conducted by Director of Grant Development and Projects in the Graduate College at Ohio University, Roxanne Male-Brune.The second-year doctorate student did not believe Male-Brune’s session about the American Association of University Women Fellowship would be of benefit to her, but budding curiosity about the organization drove her to find out more.Sharma now stands as a recipient of AAUW’s International Fellowship for the 2014-2015 year.On Thursday, the Women’s Center will collaborate with the Graduate College in hosting their second brown bag discussion entitled “How to Write a Competitive AAUW Fellowship Application,” guided by Male-Brune. AAUW is a non-profit organization that awards grants and fellowships to women pursuing graduate studies that advocate women or are involved in activities that promote women.Male-Brune will introduce the women to “Pivot”: an online search engine that allows students to discover worldwide funding opportunities to conduct their research.She also plans to discuss the requirements and guidelines for AAUW applications, as well as how to interpret the questions and prompts to write compelling responses worthy of selection. The application process was initially overwhelming, Sharma said. Along with writing numerous essays and a proposal, applicants need documents from the university, different departments and academic advisors all in a timely fashion.“You need somebody who is persistent with you, who is following up with you the whole time,” said Sharma.For Sharma, Male-Brune acted as her mentor and motivator to complete the tedious application.Male-Brune hopes that Sharma’s success will inspire other women to realize that winning the award is possible.“Not only will (potential applicants) see the opportunities and success, but they’ll see that they’re not alone and that there (are) resources that we provide that make the process easier,” said Male-Brune.Students interested in any kind of funding are encouraged to attend, including undergrads that might be applying to study or intern abroad.“Even if you don't end up writing the application for these fellowships, I'm sure Roxanne is going to have some great tips and tricks to make your application stand out, and that's something that's going to hold someone in stead for many years to come,” said Sarah Jenkins, program coordinator for the Women’s Center and LGBT Center.@katekevvvkk940213@ohio.edu

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