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Who is protecting your health

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By: Grant Goetcheus
Twitter: @goetcheusg
Email: goetcheusg@Findlay.edu

On Feb. 3, 2015, the Findlay City Council unanimously approved the merging of the City of Findlay and Hancock County health departments. A month later, on March 2, the two combined to form the Hancock County Public Health (HPH).
Since then, the HPH has had success in providing care for the residents of Hancock County. Each year, the HPH provides an annual report of what they did over the year, their budget and their staffing structure.
The Hancock County Board of Health is an independent governing body operating under Ohio Revised Code 3709 and Ohio Administrative Code 3701. Board of Health members are appointed by the 29 members of the Hancock County District Advisory Council. The Board of Health in turn appoints the Health Commissioner.
The Hancock County Board of Health report states their purpose is to “define the organization’s target populations to be served; evaluate the accomplishments of the programs planned and implemented; appoint the executive officer (Health Commissioner); take a lead in the development of financial resources; and represent the public’s interest in health matters.”
In the report, Karim Baroudi, health commissioner, explains some of the accomplishments made by HPH this year.
“Your public health professionals work hard every day with input from partners and the community to: PREVENT disease, PROMOTE health, and PROTECT you,” stated Baroudi. “Last year, this included: Leading the charge on reducing adult and child obesity, increasing health prevention in schools, improving on school-aged kids’ immunization clinics, raising awareness about mosquito-borne diseases, ensuring the safety of your food and water, updating emergency plans, mitigating the effects of flooding, working with first responders and law enforcement battling the opiate epidemic and many more you will find in the pages of this report.”
According to the report this year, HPH decided they should tackle the issue of obesity. As a result, the organization has been working with Lincoln Elementary, Great Scot on Broad Avenue, the OSU Extension, Findlay Police Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Hancock County ADAMHS Board, Century Health, Blanchard Valley Hospital, Hanco EMS and the University of Findlay.
The report says that HPH also collected data from the public and found that 72% of parents say they would support increased physical education/recess time. In addition, they also found that 64% of parents support more classroom education on nutrition.
Another big problem that Hancock County faces is substance abuse. In 2017, Hancock County had 24 accidental overdose deaths. There are currently eight deaths that are still waiting for final determination by the Coroner’s Office.
According to the Courier, HPH received additional grants and $14,250 to expand the Naloxone distribution program. This program coincides with the City of Findlay’s Quick Response team (QRT), which aids victims of opiate overdoses. HPH also helps with the QRT.
Not only does HPH look at what is currently happening, they are looking towards the future. One thing that they are looking at is communicable diseases on the rise. According to HPH, Hepatitis A is on the rise. The number of cases in Hancock County has nearly tripled from the reported four cases in 2016. HPH received 15 confirmed Hepatitis A reports in 2017, 10 of which were co-infected with Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is still number two in the top five communicable diseases reported in Hancock County. Chlamydia remains number one since 2016, and Hepatitis A made the list at number five. The HPH report also shows the top diseases reported in the whole state of Ohio. Chlamydia infection is number one, Gonococcal infection is second and Hepatitis C is third.
To read the entire HPH report visit http://www.co.hancock.oh.us/government-services/board-of-health.

Resources:
https://www.findlayohio.com/health-department-merger/
http://www.co.hancock.oh.us/government-services/board-of-health

Healthy eating taking students by storm

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By: Kelsey Nevius
Email: Neviusk@findlay.edu

As students enter Henderson Dining Hall at the University of Findlay, their stomachs rumbling and their tempers short from the classes of the day, they are greeted by the sights and sounds of the affectionately nicknamed, Hendo. Students hear the scrape of shoes on the linoleum floor, the distant chatter and laughter of the lunchtime crowd, and the metal on metal clang from each meal station.
Their eyes dart from screen to screen posted above each meal station that shows the meal of the day: Ruben sandwiches, tomato and basil soup, Caesar salad, and proteins in all shapes, colors and smells assaulting them from all sides. Some stick with the tried-and-true chicken nuggets, while others try to stay on the healthy side by opting for the salad bar.
Regardless of meal choice, healthy eating is a fluctuating term that goes through every college student’s mind, especially those dreading the freshman 15. Though each person may define it differently, healthy eating can be described as anything from watching your portion sizes to maintaining your daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
College students need to be aware of the healthy options on campus and how to manage their healthy eating. According to Medical Daily, 59 percent of college students have food insecurities, and the percentage of overweight college students has risen to 29.2 percent.
Peyton Sibert, University of Findlay junior and healthy eater, knows that the search for healthy eating on campus can be a struggle.
“The food on campus seems really processed,” said Sibert. “I feel like the only healthy eating is a sub, depending on how you make it, and maybe pretzels and hummus from a la carte.”
However, finding a balance between student needs like Sibert’s and Sodexo’s menus can be hard to maintain.
In a back-corner office, where the sounds of laughing students and forks clinking on plates can be heard loud and clear, sits David Harr, director of Sodexo campus services. He says he enjoys the sounds of students enjoying their time at Henderson and likes the community aspect of the dining hall, but recognizes that healthy eating is a topic that is debated around campus.
“It’s hard to define healthy eating, because it’s up to the individual and how they perceive what healthy eating is,” said Harr.
While students always cheer for more chicken nuggets, Harr says that keeping campus dining healthy can be a challenge, but they have made changes to keep up with the healthy eating trend.
“When we get back our surveys, it’s always ‘we need more healthy food’, and then they say in the comments, ‘we need more chicken nuggets’,” said Harr. “Each individual person comes up with their diet and what they like to have, and we try to have things available for each of those diets.”
Harr also notes that Henderson is run by Sodexo’s standards, which includes a national menu team who puts the menu together on a four week cycle. Additionally, Harr notes that healthy trends seem to come in waves across the country: what’s popular in California now may hit Findlay in three months.
Henderson’s and the Refinery’s menu options include things for vegetarians, vegans, and other people who may either be looking for healthy choices or who have a special dietary concern. If a college student is looking to eat more mindfully, however, the dining service has an icon for just that.
“In Henderson, one of the things we find is that we have a thing called Mindful. Mindful items have a little apple next to it, an icon,” said Harr. “Those are deemed to be the healthy dishes and items, they have low sodium, a good calorie counts across the board, and you’ll find that most of those aren’t fried.”
However, Harr notes that healthy eating is a two way street. Since Henderson is a self-serve, all-you-can-eat dining hall, much of what students eat is in their own hands. Additionally, the Refinery tends to rotate their meals and try to balance the nutritional values in them.
“It’s hard to do portion control in a place where you self-serve, so that’s up to the person that’s there,” said Harr. “But the Bite ‘app’ by Sodexo, if you load it on your phone and have your location turned on for that app, it’ll pull up Henderson Dining Hall and the stuff down at the Refinery. If you pull up the app, it will have everything that’s menued for that day on it, and you can go to particular items and show the nutritional information of everything.”
Dining hall fare isn’t the only thing that students have to worry about: catered events may factor into healthy eating, as Lori Kragnes, catering manager, knows all too well. Kragnes has an open-door policy with students, helping them to plan the catering for their events and trying to drive them in a healthy direction.
“Everybody wants starch: potatoes. I had a health food store for over 10 years, so I have a health food background, and I was a competitive power lifter,” said Kragnes about her healthy past. “I don’t push [healthy eating] down people’s throats, because they don’t want to hear it. I want to hear them, and what they have to say.”
Kragnes also says that it is important to be careful about certain foods. Sugary and calorie-filled drinks are a huge contributor to adding the calories, and she says that it is better to eat something filling. Kragnes hates the word dieting: she prefers to educate students about changing their eating habits and lifestyle instead.
“You balance [meals] out a bit by bringing in brown rice, by bringing in vegetables that are green and colorful; but I have to give them what they want while also trying to educate them,” said Kragnes.
And for those students who still crave a healthier selection, or who want to plan events that cater to a health-conscious crowd, both the dining service and catering service are shifting to a greener perspective.
“We’re going to be launching the new website which will be geared toward the community and make it simple, easy, inexpensive, healthy options,” said Kragnes about the new catering ordering system that will be implemented next semester, in the fall of 2018.
For the dining service, Harr states that the cycle is always changing, and they are looking to incorporate more mindful options, like replacing iceberg lettuce with spinach.
“Our formula for Henderson is listening to our customers, what they’re doing, and seeing what they’re eating. Sometimes those are different,” Harr laughed, “But we try to balance those out.”

The new and improved Cavaliers

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By Dylan DeWitt
Twitter: @dd_witt
Email: dewittd@findlay.edu

The Cleveland Cavaliers have continuously been noticed as one of the best teams in the National Basketball Association and without a doubt the Eastern Conference favorite throughout the last five years. However, since the trade of Kyrie Irving, an all-star and major contributor of the success that has come to the organization in this time period, the Cavaliers saw multiple struggles despite gaining an all-star caliber player in Isiah Thomas.
When the season began, the Cavaliers did not seem to have that same step that they had with the previous seasons. Team morale was hurting, and the Cavs were quickly going into a dark place as an inner organization, with more than just losses on the court. Changes needed to be made, especially with the trade deadline approaching, if the Cavaliers were going to take a turn for the best. With that being said, the Cleveland Cavs decided to nearly hit the restart button.
The trade deadline in the NBA is an annual event where, more often than not, organizations attempt to make their teams stronger before entering All-Star weekend, and the halfway point in the regular season in order to make a push in the second half. The most notable of teams to do this was the Cavs. The Cavaliers struggles started after Christmas where the team saw a 20 game stretch result in only 7 wins. The team was sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference, with an overall record of 30-22, and after the loss against the Orlando Magic, a team who is tied for the least amount of wins in the league with 18, the restart button was officially pushed.
Trades were quickly put into motion in order to rebuild what seemed to be broken. The organization ultimately decided to trade some big names like Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose, and Isiah Thomas along with draft picks in multi-team trades. The news quickly traveled around the league about what the Cavaliers were doing in order to build. Although the trades made may have given away key players in key roles, the Cavaliers has suddenly become a team to be feared in the East once again.
The team gained four players including George Hill, Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr., and Jordan Clarkson. These four not only added athletic presences, but versatile aspects that seemed exactly what the Cavaliers needed. Hill and Hood both came from the Utah Jazz, and Jordan Clarkson and Nance were acquired via the Los Angeles Lakers. The teammates from the Jazz were known to be injury-pruned, but as a healthy unit can increase the potential success of the Cavs. The four will be able to add value on both sides of the ball, and most importantly bring back the Cavalier’ locker room morale.
Let’s not forget about whom the Cavaliers are built around either. The Cavaliers have one of, if not the, best basketball players on the planet in LeBron James. James is currently in his 15th season as a professional basketball player and continues to have a record year. He recently surpassed 30,000 career point, shooting better than ever before in his career, and leading a team game in and game out.

The trades appear to be just what the Cavaliers needed, and LeBron believes so too. According to NBA.com, James stated, “I like the pieces that we have coming in.”
The pieces proved to be just what the Cavs needed as they quickly meshed in the final four games before All- Star break. Not only did the team get better on paper, but have improved statistically as well. The Cavaliers compiled four straight victories averaging the most points so far in a game this season with roughly 115 points a game.
At the halfway point in the season, the Cleveland Cavs are again the team to beat in the East, and look to make another run at a championship. LeBron and company look rejuvenated, new and improved, and demonstrate they together are “All for One, One for All”.

Learning brought to life

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By: Olivia Wile
Twitter: o_wile
Email: wileo@findlay.edu

It matches the rest of campus; a low-rise, brick structure with grey letters spelling “The Virginia B. Gardner Fine Arts Building” on the side. Nestled behind the landmark that is the University of Findlay bell tower, the building itself houses its own piece of history; a hidden gem that teaches us not to judge a book by its’ cover.

Though University of Findlay students attend classes in this building, the Mazza Museum promotes learning beyond just campus. According to its’ website, the Mazza is the most diverse collection of original artwork by Children’s book illustrators in the world. Deputy Director of the museum Kerry Teeple explains how it is an archive embraced by students.

“We have tours with classes,” stated Teeple. “Professors have their students come in for a tour, or they work something about picture books into their curriculum.”

One of these tours includes that of ENIN students at the University. The ENIN course is a writing class designed for international, non-native English speakers.

“That’s just like an immersion tour, they just want to go through and hear English be spoken, and we’re pointing at things,” explained Teeple. “You know it just kind of gets them used to the English language.”

Findlay’s College of Education also makes use of the artwork in the Mazza. Teeple says that Dr. Mary H. Munger, assistant professor of English, has her students visit the museum once a month.

“They look at picture books, different genres, and its using picture books in the classroom, so we are a big part of that,” she explained.

Among their engagement with the campus population, the museum also invites a much younger crowd to its’ gallery. Director of the museum Ben Sapp says the Mazza School Extension program in particular is a cherished partnership for all involved.

“It’s a partnership between the museum and, generally it’s been an elementary school, where they form a committee that comes to the museum to select three works of art, three illustrators to run their program on,” said Sapp.

The program is a nine week, collaborative effort between the museum, picture book docents, and elementary schools. During the program, the docents visit the elementary schools once a week and spend 30 minutes with each class reading the picture books and discussing the art. Two of these “Mazza Ladies” are Cindy Lininger and Sandy Reinhardt.

“They can’t wait for us to come,” said Lininger, “they say ‘oh it’s the Mazza Lady.’”

Docent Sandy Reinhardt says both her and Lininger work with second and fourth grade students throughout the nine weeks. She explains the art they teach about was selected by a committee made up of Jerry Mallett, the founder of the Mazza, teachers, and docents. Reinhardt says the committee chose books based on art in the Mazza they felt would encourage good conversation.

“We kind of have a teaching element, a variety of art media for sure,” stated Reinhardt.

Lininger adds that the various books chosen encourage students to practice a deeper level of thinking.

“We really get them thinking, trying to get higher level thinking skills, and they notice that the pictures compliment the text. The words don’t tell us everything,” said Lininger, “the pictures expand on the story, and they love that.”

The program not only continues to grow in proximity, now accommodating schools from Perrysburg, Toledo, and Sylvania, but also advances technologically. Sapp says last year a live Skype was held between an illustrator and students of Carey Elementary School for the first time in program history.

“They were able to talk back and forth which was a wonderful end to a nine week period of time that they really spent studying both the art and the literature in the books that these artists created,” stated Sapp.

Though the Mazza plays a large role in the lives of these students, it is clear they have a large impact on the museum staff and docents as well.

“Sharing your love for the art with the kids, and getting to see the art through their eyes because they notice things that we don’t notice and it just so sweet,” said Lininger.

LGBTQ community feels at home at UF

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By: Cory Berlekamp
Twitter: @Cberlekamp
Email: berlekampc@findlay.edu

According to niche.com, the University of Findlay is ranked third most conservative college in Ohio. With the hard line drawn between conservative spirituality and liberal sexuality, it might seem the LGBTQ community would not feel welcome at a traditionally Christian school. However, faculty and students agree this is not the case at UF.
“I feel like students would tell you that they feel safe here,” said University LGBTQ Faculty Advisor and Chair of the Social Work Program Dr. Robin Powell.
“Yes, we are at a Christian university, however, one of our great big eight strategic plan goals is to celebrate diversity,” said Powell. “How else would we do that without recognizing everyone’s differences and how great that is?”
This was not always the case. According to Powell, the attitude at the University in the early 2000s was one of “don’t ask, don’t tell” making the first attempt at a gay straight alliance at the school difficult.
“It failed miserably for whatever reason,” said Powell. “I think it was because there was a lack of faculty support, not that there wasn’t supportive faculty, but I don’t think the culture and atmosphere was right at that time.”
Powell has been the advisor for United, the University of Findlay’s GSA, since 2009. Since then, she has seen their score go from a one to a three out of five stars on the Campus Pride Index. The rating is based on “an overall indicator of institutional commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policy, program and practice” which is a point of pride for Powell.
When she first decided to make a “LGTBQ Resource” sign for her building, she was wary of the push back she might get from the University. “Here comes security down the hall and I am like here we go and he said ‘hey about that sign, don’t you need two?’ So I don’t worry anymore,” said Powell.
Powell does her best to make sure that every LGTBQ student coming to the school feels comfortable and works with admissions when a new student is looking for information on LGBTQ resources. United’s secretary, Rebecca Osborne, was one of those students.
“I saw there was a LGBTQ office and I was like ‘this is where I’m going, this is it,’ because I wanted to go somewhere that had those resources,” said Osborne
Osborne grew up in Norton, Oh., a conservative area where there was not a GSA. She did not come out to her parents as pansexual until she came to UF. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, pansexual is described as “not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity.”
“When I told my mom, she cried in a Cracker Barrel,” said Osborne. Both of her parents attribute her sexuality as “just a phase” but still support her decision on coming out. Her father sent her a letter expressing his feelings. “I’ll accept you no matter who you want to date and even though I don’t agree with it, I’ll still give you away on your wedding day.”
Osborne says she has never felt discriminated against as she walked around downtown Findlay and around campus with her significant other. Instead of dirty looks and honking horns they received smiles and waves. “It’s comforting to know that if people have opinions, they keep them to themselves,” stated Osborne.
According to Vice President of Spectrum Doug Marshall, multiple groups in the Findlay area have come together to form the LGBT Community council, including Spectrum of Findlay and University of Findlay’s GSA, United. Marshall says having a person from each group meet once a month helps them work together towards a common goal. This includes the businesses of Findlay putting up LGBTQ stickers in their shop windows.
“Seeing that sign automatically makes you feel a little safer and a little prouder,” concluded Marshall.

A Degree in war

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By: Mac Williams
Twitter: @m_williamsm2
Email: Williamsm2@findlay.edu

The story of Patrick Williams begins in Cincinnati, Oh. in a place that can only be described as a project.
“I was born as a ‘crack baby’ because my biological mom was addicted to it when I was born. There were nights when I was maybe three or four years old where I had to fend for myself because my mom wasn’t there,” said Williams. “There were times when it was just me and my three brothers in this little apartment in a drug infested neighborhood. Looking back, I wasn’t sure we were ever going to get out of there.”
Williams did get out of that apartment when he was five years old when he and his three brothers were adopted by the woman he now calls his mother. He and his brothers moved to Vintin, Oh. to a quiet farm with gentle rolling hills and a life that most people dream of. Williams, however, is anything but your typical farm boy. When he finished high school, he had a higher calling that he needed to answer, in the form of higher education and service in the military.
“Findlay had given me the opportunity to play [football] and so I thought ‘why not.’ When I realized that football wasn’t going to pan out, I figured that I needed to do something with my life that I could be proud of. I became a criminal justice major because I always hated evil people, and I wanted to help people. That in turn made me enlist in the Ohio National Guard in 2013 because it allowed me to protect and serve right away,” said Williams.
When Williams enlisted in 2013, he was assigned to the infantry division and joined the already 1.1 million military students enrolled in undergraduate education across the country according to the U.S Department of Education. According to Williams, the thought of actually going overseas didn’t really enter his mind.
“When I signed up, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were pretty much winding down, so I never really thought I would actually go overseas,” he said.
Then, on a late October day in 2016, all of those thoughts changed.
“I was sitting at one of the high top table in the AMU, I remember the way the sun was shining. It was almost as if Findlay was the only place on earth that day getting sunshine,” said Williams. “I was doing homework and all of a sudden my phone rang and I saw that it was my commanding officer from the National Guard.”
The thoughts that were furthest from Williams’ mind had now become a reality. He had been given his orders to deploy with his unit in February of 2017 on a nine month deployment overseas. According to Williams, he was never fearful during his deployment because he was with his brothers and the people whom he knew he could count on.
“In the military it is very simple, you don’t fight for a nation, an idea, or a cause. You fight to protect the man beside you, and to make sure he goes home to his family,” said Williams.
Upon the completion of his deployment he returned home in December 2017 to resume his studies at the University of Findlay. According to Dr. Phil Lucas, chair of the department of justice sciences, Williams has adjusted well to being back at Findlay.
“I think he has eased himself back into civilian life,” said Lucas. “One of the biggest things that I see with students who are in the military is a sense of discipline, and I certainly see that in Patrick. Patrick’s greatest attribute is his ability to talk to people. He’s one of those guys that can talk to anyone about anything and make you feel at ease.”
According to Williams, it takes a certain set of skills in order to be both a soldier and a student.
“Being an active duty soldier and a student takes several skills. The first is discipline, you have to manage time, family, and school all at once. We are required to train on weekends so you have to get your work done early,” said Williams.
Williams, a senior criminal justice student, now looks forward to serving the community in other ways.
“Law enforcement is certainly an area I want to pursue. I think that being able to affect change at a grassroots level is amazingly powerful,” said Williams.