The Summer I Stayed in Athens

Backdrop Magazine Fall Issue 1 2025

WELCOME TO BACKDROP


Backdrop is an entirely student-produced lifestyle magazine in the college town of Athens, Ohio. Founded in 2007, it is an outlet for Ohio University students to share their perspectives on issues such as politics, sex and health, entertainment and culture with regard to the university and its surroundings. Readers are primarily students who take an interest in their peers and the community. Our magazine is published four times each academic year. Backdrop has a shelf life of several months, with long and short-form feature stories that aim to be both timely and timeless.


LATEST IN THE DROP

City News
Uncovering Ohio
Uncovering Ohio

 Brian Koscho brings Athens County history to a wider audience

Elevating the Trail
Elevating the Trail
Found Family 
Found Family 

Local podcast explores what "adoption" truly means

Can We Get A Headline!
Can We Get A Headline!
Committing To Character
Committing To Character
Locally Sourced
Locally Sourced

Moments captured at the Athens Farmers Market.

The Right to Read
The Right to Read

How Little Professor Book Center is fighting against book banning at a local level.

Making Space
Making Space

How the Racial Equity Coalition is fostering unity in Athens.

Growing Healthy Habits
Growing Healthy Habits

The Athens community embraces plants and the health benefits in caring for them.

Brewing Up Community
Brewing Up Community

Ohio University alumna follows coffee shop dream to Albany, Ohio.

Campus News
S.O.U.P
S.O.U.P
Workshopping Comedy
Workshopping Comedy
Court’s Quizzes
Court’s Quizzes
OU Think You Can Dance
OU Think You Can Dance

The School of Dance makes room for exploration.

The Rise of Campus Ambassadors
The Rise of Campus Ambassadors

Students are making connections with brands and their peers.

Bettas, and Spider, and Snails...Oh my!
Bettas, and Spider, and Snails...Oh my!

Nowadays, it seems like the most popular pets are the most peculiar.

Beyond Backdrop: Catching Up With Buckingham
Beyond Backdrop: Catching Up With Buckingham

A conversation with a Backdrop alumna on health writing, marathon training and self-improvement.

Wear a Bandana, Change a Life
Wear a Bandana, Change a Life

Ohio University establishes chapter of national mental health initiative: The Bandana Project.

Anything is Paw-sible
Anything is Paw-sible

Who says that leashes are for dogs alone?

Money, Money, Money
Money, Money, Money

Students express concern about OU’s budget.

Science & History
Built to Perform
Built to Perform
UNSERIOUS STOPS
UNSERIOUS STOPS
The Best Medicine
The Best Medicine
Breaking the Beaker
Breaking the Beaker

Changing the narrative on women working in a historically male-dominated field

What 'Juno' About Contraceptives? 'Science on Screen' Combines Film and Education
What 'Juno' About Contraceptives? 'Science on Screen' Combines Film and Education

The Athena Cinema aims to educate Ohio University students about contraception and shed light on the issue of unplanned pregnancy. 


Turning Over a New Leaf
Turning Over a New Leaf

The OU and Athens communities are implementing initiatives to reduce the negative effects of climate change.

Keeping Land Unfractured
Keeping Land Unfractured

Environmental advocacy takes root among landowners of Athens.

Repurposing Pollution
Repurposing Pollution

With the help of Rural Action, local activists are turning toxic acid mine drainage into paint.

She's Got Grit
She's Got Grit

Margaret “Rootie” Covelle has spent a lifetime paving the way for other women in her field.

Cosmic Views
Cosmic Views

The Ohio University observatory gives viewers the opportunity to witness the unfiltered night sky.

Voices
The Rainbow Connections
The Rainbow Connections
A Double Life Fit for a Queen
A Double Life Fit for a Queen

Student by day, drag queen by night, Jack Wilburn shares his journey balancing the best of both worlds. 

Beyond the Lecture Hall
Beyond the Lecture Hall

Professors and students who use the classroom in a more untraditional way.

Purr-fessional Friends
Purr-fessional Friends

Students discuss life on campus with animals they cannot live without.

Not My Story to Tell
Not My Story to Tell

Journalism student Alyssa Cruz shares her experience completing an internship abroad and redefining her own ethics for journalism.

Navigating Support
Navigating Support

Students and a new organization on campus give advice on how to prioritize one’s safety at college.

Down With the Gospel
Down With the Gospel

Backdropper Darcie Zudell gives a personal view of coming to terms with the religion she was raised on.

An Ode to Appalachia
An Ode to Appalachia

Backdrop writer criticizes J. D. Vance's memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, and describes how Appalachia is so much more than what meets the eye.

Deutsch Americana
Deutsch Americana

This Backdrop writer recalls her experience as a dual-citizen of Germany and the United States.

Dear Drake: Stop Fetishizing Lesbians
Dear Drake: Stop Fetishizing Lesbians

Backdrop writer, Mia Walsh examines the culture that allows the objectification of women who love women.