The Lantern – Jan. 16, 2020

Page 1

TUESDAY

THURSDAY

Thursday, January 16, 2020

ENGAGEMENT

COSPLAY

P2

Ohio State researchers team up to support communities with health disparities.

P4

Ohio State students receive recognition at Ohayocon for handmade costumes.

BASKETBALL

P8

Buckeyes face upcoming challenge against Michigan State.

FOOTBALL

THE LANTERN thelantern.com

@TheLantern

@thelanternosu

Fret not for fleeting faculty

P8

Ohio State prepared to work even harder next season.

The student voice of the Ohio State University

Year 140, Issue No. 4

NCAA violations Ineligibility and personalized itineraries

MICHAEL DRAKE

CRAIG KENT

JAVAUNE ADAMS-GASTON

DAVID BENFIELD PHOTOS COURTESY OF OHIO STATE AND AMAL SAEED | PHOTO EDITOR

As Ohio State celebrates its sesquicentennial, four members of administration have stepped down from their roles.

MAX GARRISON Lantern reporter garrison.237@osu.edu In the midst of what might seem to be an unusual exodus of administrative officials, the recent Ohio State departures aren’t out of the ordinary. As Ohio State begins the transition of Michael V. Drake ending his six-year tenure as university president, other parts of the university, including the Office of Student Life, College of Medicine and the Ohio State Agricultural Institute at Wooster, are also facing leadership changes in January. When compared with other Big Ten schools, this kind of turnover is not that different. According to a Lantern analysis based on Big Ten universities’ websites, the average term length of a university president who has served between 1990 and 2018 is 7.63

years. The average term length for an Ohio State president in the same time period is 6.33 years. University of Minnesota was not included because of a lack of comprehensive information on its website. The national average for a university president’s term length decreased from 8.5 years in 2006 to 6.5 years in 2016, according to a study from the American Council of Education. Anne E. Dorrance was appointed associate dean and director for the Wooster campus — the senior-most position at the regional campus — effective Jan. 1 to replace David Benfield. Melissa Shivers was appointed vice president for student life at the Columbus campus effective Jan. 6 to replace Javaune Adams-Gaston after she became president of Norfolk State University, according to Ohio State’s website. Additionally, Dr. K. Craig Kent, dean of

the College of Medicine, will become vice president for health affairs at the University of Virginia beginning Feb. 1. Drake announced his retirement from the presidency Nov. 21, 2019, and will assume a faculty position, according to previous Lantern reporting. Drake will stay in his current position until at least the end of spring semester. The amount of turnover Ohio State is experiencing is “nothing atypical,” Ben Johnson, university spokesperson, said in an email. “Ohio State employs nearly 50,000 people, and the amount of turnover the university experiences at all levels is typical for an institution of our size,” Johnson said. The University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University and Penn State are facing similar changes in senior leadership, acADMIN CONTINUES ON 3

Student Life VP hits the ground running ANDRÉ WHITE Lantern reporter white.2884@osu.edu The Office of Student Life has brought in a new face to kick off the spring semester. Melissa Shivers, former vice president for student life at the University of Iowa, has taken on the same position at Ohio State. Shivers began her role Jan. 6, replacing Javaune Adams-Gaston, who assumed the presidency of Norfolk State University in Virginia in June 2019, according to an Ohio State press release. Shivers said there are several things she wants to accomplish, but initially wants to emphasize student resources. “One of the things I’m most

looking forward to … is being able to sit down and listen to our students and the needs of the campus at OSU,” Shivers said. “Being able to sit down and hear from students about what those are, and then figuring out what ways I can best support them, or the Office of Student Life can best support them, is my top priority and my short- and long-term goal.” Along with providing resources, Shivers said she is passionate about students’ well-being. “If students are not doing well mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally — it’s really hard to show up in a classroom and to be successful,” Shivers said. “I’m looking forward to learning more SHIVERS CONTINUES ON 3

COURTESY OF JIM BOWLING

Student organization members join in for a photo with new Student Life Vice President Melissa Shivers (center).

ANDY ANDERS Assistant Sports Editor anders.83@osu.edu The Ohio State field hockey team played an ineligible player in 2018, and Ohio State football briefly lost contact with recruits due to “personalized itineraries.” These are two of the Athletics Department’s 26 self-reported NCAA violations from January through September 2019, ranging from eligibility issues to the error of placing names on a schedule, according to Ohio State’s NCAA violation records. Ohio State football accounted for nine of the self-reported violations. No other sport surpassed two. In total, 13 of the university’s 30 varsity sports reported at least one violation, with an additional violation reported by the camps and clinics department. VIOLATIONS CONTINUES ON 6

Rhodes Scholar: Henry Wu’s Journey TWINKLE PANDA Lantern reporter panda.16@osu.edu Henry Wu wasn’t sure it was real. “I think I was just in shock,” Wu, a fourth-year in philosophy and political science, said of the moment he learned he had been selected for a 2020 Rhodes Scholarship. The scholarship funds two or three years of studying at the University of Oxford in England, according to a news release by the Rhodes Trust. Students who apply must receive the endorsement from their own university, and the United States is divided into 16 districts with a selection committee that invites strong applicants for an interview. In total, 32 scholars are selected. Wu said the process for selecting a candidate at Ohio State started in the spring semester of

WU CONTINUES ON 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.