Ohio University
Mapping team at OU a part of redistricting process
Before the Ohio Redistricting Commission was appointed, before advocacy groups started mobilizing for fair districts, before even the last presidential election, a team at Ohio University was working toward their own map-drawing goals. Back in 2017, a team of about 20 staff and students led by Michael Finney and Dr. Jason Jolley at OU’s Voinovich […]
With criminal charges enhanced, colleges say zero tolerance is only way to stop hazing
Ohio’s public universities say they plan to keep students convicted of criminal hazing from being a part of any of their institutions. That’s one part of what they say will be the next steps after a law expanding criminal penalties for hazing was passed by the legislature in June. The law, and the pledges announced […]
Collin’s Law signed to prevent hazing tragedies
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed anti-hazing legislation into law on Tuesday, setting into motion what university leaders and parents of hazing victims call a change in culture. Collin’s Law was signed as parents of Ohio University student Collin Wiant and Bowling Green State University student Stone Foltz looked on, marking a significant achievement in preventing […]
The Post at Ohio University is in jeopardy. Here’s the case for saving it
By Joe Donatelli — (Commentary originally published on Substack) News of The Post’s pending demise is spreading far and wide. Here’s the gist, from The Athens NEWS: Ohio University student news organization The Post is at risk of losing its sole full-time employee who raises money for the publication, posing a potential existential threat to a 100-year-old […]
College hazing legislation passes Senate
A bill to expand criminal penalties for hazing and create prevention methods for colleges and universities has passed the Ohio Senate. The bill was a reintroduction of Collin’s Law, named after Ohio University student Collin Wiant, who died of asphyxiation due to nitrous oxide ingestion after attending a fraternity related party in 2018. Members of […]
State receives very few complaints on ‘divisive’ racial education concepts
Despite two different pieces of legislation seeking to ban the practice and a nationwide movement against teaching race’s impact on history and society, the state says they haven’t heard a public outcry. A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Education said it has received “only a small handful” of concerns about an academic study called […]
Federal and state hazing bills hope to change law, culture around student orgs
As state legislators try to change Ohio laws regarding the crime of hazing, one U.S. Senator from Ohio is helping reintroduce nationwide legislation changes on the topic. The mother of an Ohio University student who died in what officials called a hazing incident in 2018 joined Sen. Sherrod Brown on a recent press call, speaking […]
Universities stay the course, stay nimble as they ready for spring semester
As spring semester planning approaches, Ohio’s universities largely seem to be staying with their phased pandemic plans or previous plans, but testing in some areas is changing with COVID-19 numbers still a concern. Despite Portage County’s designation as a “red” county on the state’s Public Health Advisory System and categorization as a high case incidence […]
Universities continue quarantine, testing protocols, as semester continues
Some public colleges throughout the state are balancing staying open with being part of high-incidence counties in the state. Random sampling and other testing methods continue as higher education edges closer to the end of the semester. At Ohio University, three residence halls have dealt with increased cases, causing the relocation of students. “The increasing […]
Ohio colleges scramble to explain sweeping new DeVos rules on sexual misconduct
WASHINGTON — Ohio colleges welcoming some students to campus this fall despite the pandemic face a second major challenge. They also must put in place major new federal rules on campus sexual assault and misconduct that extend added rights to the accused. Aligning university policies with the new federal regulations — while also overhauling health and safety […]
Reopening begins for Ohio’s colleges: Here’s how it looks
Some of Ohio’s colleges and universities have begun moving students in, but the navigation of a school year amid a pandemic is still a balancing act. For Miami University, classes began this week, with all undergraduate courses online or remote. The plan is to keep it that way until at least Sept. 21, according to […]
Ohio’s universities require pledges of personal responsibility to slow virus spread
As the school year swiftly approaches, Ohio’s universities are making a last-ditch effort to curb the spread of coronavirus by requiring students, and in some cases faculty, to sign personal pledges. The Ohio State University, Ohio University, Miami University, the University of Cincinnati and Kent State University are requiring students sign “pledges” — as dubbed by […]