KELSEY BOEING | FILE

Hundreds of Athens residents and OU students gathered Feb. 24 to support increased gun legislation during the March for Our Lives in Athens. The march was organized by the OU College Democrats. The rally in Athens was one of more than 800 similar rallies worldwide.

KEVIN PAN | FILE

More than 100 students and faculty members marched across campus Oct. 20 in protest of OU interim “Freedom of Expression’ policy, which banned indoor protests in non-reservable spaces on campus. Demonstrators said the policy limited expression and was retaliation for the protest in Baker Center in February 2017 during which the OU Police Department arrested 70 students.

MADELEINE PECK | FILE

Over 100 Athens High School students skipped class March 9 to protest on the steps of the Athens County Courthouse. Students held signs and chanted in support of tighter gun control legislation. The protest came in the wake of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14 in which 17 students were killed.

HANNAH RUHOFF | FILE

About 200 men, women and children marched in the Athens Women’s March on Jan. 20. The march mirrored the Women’s March on Washington one year before, when half a million people marched for women’s rights in response to the election of President Donald Trump. At the Athens march, people spoke about Trump, women's rights and Planned Parenthood.

MEAGAN HALL | FILE

After receiving his Ohio ID, OU President Duane Nellis laughs as he realizes he has his own PID number. Nellis' first official day as OU’s 21st president was June 12, 2017.

CARL FONTICELLA | FILE

Maddie Sloat, Lydia Ramlo and Hannah Burke cheer as they are elected OU’s Student Senate president, treasurer and vice president, respectively, on April 3. The three ran unopposed on the Bridge Ohio ticket. Only 673 undergraduate students on the Athens campus voted in the election this year, down 1,529 students from the 2,202 students who voted in the 2017-18 election.

ABIGAIL DEAN | FILE

Athens County Board of Elections Director Debbie Quivey watches through the window as the last car of ballots is unloaded on Nov. 7. Voters cast ballots for several local elections this year including Athens City Council, Athens City School District Board of Education and township trustees.

ABIGAIL DEAN | FILE

Saraquoia Bryant celebrates as The Athens Cannabis Ordinance, or TACO, passes in Athens on Nov. 7 with 75 percent of the vote. The ordinance reduced fines and fees for misdemeanor marijuana offenses to $0.

MIJANA MAZUR | FILE

One man was injured in an explosion on the 100 block of West Union Street on April 15. The explosion blew open nearby doors and shook houses across the street. Columbia Gas Company said the gas lines near the house were properly pressurized; no cause has been determined as of press time.

CARL FONTICELLA | FILE

On Feb. 23, a rapid rise of the Hocking River’s water levels due to heavy rainfall in the Athens area caused OU to cancel classes for Feb. 26, giving students an unexpected three-day weekend.

ABIGAIL DEAN | FILE

Bethann Hughes enjoys the music on Court Street during the Athens Halloween Block Party on Oct. 28. Attendance and arrests were down at the 2017 block party: On mostly alcohol-related charges, the Athens Police Department arrested about 15 people, the OU Police Department arrested 12 people, and the Ohio Department of Public Safety Investigative Unit charged 32 people.

BLAKE NISSEN | FILE

Students participated in several fests during Spring Semester at High Street, Mill Street and Palmer Street. Palmer Fest, the final block party of this year’s fest season, was shut down with riot gear just before 3 p.m. after police deemed the crowd too large and dangerous.

EMILEE CHINN | FILE

For community or feral cats, it’s especially important during winter to receive additional protection, so some Athens residents provide heated blankets or build cat houses. Steve the cat poses for a portrait at The New Beginnings Animal Center on Jan. 20. The New Beginnings Animal Center is home to several cats that are ready for adoption.

ABBEY MARSHALL | FILE

Dug is a 2-year-old golden retriever who joined OU Counseling and Psychological Services as a therapy dog in November. He is handled and trained by Rinda Scoggan. Dug, named after the talking golden retriever in Disney/Pixar’s Up, began seeing clients after the semi-retirement of Buddy, a 10-year-old standard poodle.

HANNAH RUHOFF | FILE

Although the original Vietnam Memorial Wall is in Washington, D.C., Athens residents were able to pay their respects to fallen soldiers at OU’s Bicentennial Park in September. All 58,318 names of Americans who died during the war in Vietnam are engraved on the replica of the wall.

MCKINLEY LAW | FILE

The Appalachian Hell Betties got a new floor in April to help them raise hell on competitors. The Hell Betties play about six games in a season and have 20-30 active members. This year the team will play 11 games from March to November this year.

MIJANA MAZUR | FILE

Tre Howell, a bartender at The Pigskin Bar and Grille, pours a cup of green beer during Green Beer Day on March 7. Bars served green-dyed beer for Green Beer Day, a tradition that began as a way for students to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Athens when the holiday fell on Ohio University’s spring break.

CARL FONTICELLA | FILE

Tessa Evanosky, events coordinator for ARTS/West, sets up for a PRISM meeting on Jan. 24. PRISM is an after-school program that began this year and is aimed at local LGBT youth and allies aged 12-18.

BLAKE NISSEN | FILE

Patton College of Education Dean Renee Middleton poses for a portrait in her office on March 5. Middleton is the only African-American dean at OU. Colleagues describe her as driven, focused and always on the move. She said women should receive the same respect as their male counterparts.

HANNAH RUHOFF | FILE

Freshman environmental studies student Edward Drabold poses for a portrait on Jan. 15. Drabold works in the Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment lab on West State Street. He seeks ways to effectively use algae to remove pollution from water, create biofuels and absorb harmful carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as part of a $500,000 grant from Honda.

HANNAH RUHOFF | FILE

Former OU student Notay Jackson was found guilty Feb. 25 of a rape committed in July 2016. During the emotional four-day trial, the prosecution presented DNA evidence and called witnesses, including the victim, her friends, police officers and health professionals. Jackson was sentenced to 11 years in prison, the maximum sentence for rape.