New Dining Options Read more about the new restaurants in the Student Union this semester: page 4-5
page 6 Edition 68, Issue 01 Wednesday, September 1, 2021
thenortherner.com @northernermedia
BACK TO SCHOOL AT NKU: NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND ADJUSTMENTS
NKU students gather on the steps at Founders Hall.
PHOTO BY CAMERON NIELSEN
02 Happenings
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
NORTHERNER STAFF
WWW.THENORTHERNER.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Matthew Dietz [dietzm5@mymail.nku.edu] MANAGING EDITOR Madison Plank [plankm3@mymail.nku.edu] NEWS EDITOR Mildred Nguyen [nguyend8@mymail.nku.edu] ARTS & LIFE EDITOR Braden White [whiteb15@mymail.nku.edu] SPORTS EDITOR Matthew Dietz [dietzm5@mymail.nku.edu] ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Brendan Connelly [connellyb3@mymail.nku.edu] ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Kaycee Sloan [sloank1@mymail.nku.edu] COPY EDITOR Misti Hopper [hopperm7@mymail.nku.edu] PHOTO EDITOR Cameron Nielsen [nielsenc1@mymail.nku.edu]
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Kiley-Shea Steiner [steinerk2@mymail.nku.edu] DESIGN EDITOR Allie Rose [rosea18@mymail.nku.edu] ASST. DESIGN EDITOR Ysabel Cordova-Elias [cordovaely1@mymail.nku.edu] WEB EDITOR Sean Gibson [gibsons13@mymail.nku.edu] ASST. WEB EDITOR Elizabeth Bauman [baumane1@nku.edu] ADVERTISING Payton Hubbard [hubbardp1@mymail.nku.edu] ADVISOR Michele Day [daym1@nku.edu]
Letter from the Editor What to expect from The Northerner this semester For any media organization, particularly student media, the success of the publication is extremely dependent on the connection that it has with the community and the people that it covers and represents. For over 50 years, The Northerner has been dedicated to forming that strong connection with the NKU community, developing meaningful relationships with students and faculty members, recognizing student organizations on campus for their outstanding achievements, consistently having a presence at NKU sporting events, and giving a voice to the unheard members of our great campus community. During the 2020-21 school year, a big part of that connection and camaraderie was missing. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students were not able to gather in large groups on campus, many classes moved to become either partially or entirely online, and fans at Norse sporting events became a thing of the past. At The Northerner, we were forced to move our operations online as well, utilizing frequent Zoom meetings and remote interviews to try to bring our readers the best coverage possible during what became such a difficult time for so many people within our community. As NKU begins to return to a sense of normalcy on campus, beginning with the Fall 2021 semester, The Northerner is committed to continuing to provide the the best possible coverage of breaking news, campus life, arts and theater, sports and much more, albeit in a slightly different manner than previous semesters. After debuting our weekly newsletter to great avail during both the fall and spring semesters last year, we have decided to return the newsletter this year. By the end of the 2021 spring semester, we had reached over 9,000 subscribers to our weekly newsletter, and we expect to be able to grow that number even more during the 2021-22 school year.
. Visit us in the newsroom: GH 125
ABOUT THE NORTHERNER
Entire content is copyright of The Northerner and may not be reprinted without prior consent. Views expressed do not represent those of the administration, faculty or student body. The Northerner is considered a designated public forum. Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Northerner staff respects the right to a free and open dialogue as allowed under the First Amendment.
For those that are familiar with how the newsletter format looked like last year, it will once again look similar this semester. At the beginning of each week, we will send our newsletter directly to the inbox of every one of our subscribers, providing links to stories in our news, arts and life and sports sections, as well as showcase the tremendous work that our photographers, videographers and graphic designers do that make The Northerner one of the most prestigious and innovative student publications in the state of Kentucky.
Those stories will be coming directly from our awardwinning website, thenortherner.com, the central hub for our publication that will have new content posted daily, as well as resources posted about becoming a sponsor for The Northerner, or even joining our terrific staff of students. We are always searching for more people who want to help us tell the stories of the Northern Kentucky University community! In addition to our newsletter, The Northerner will be producing a print edition once per month in the upcoming semester. These longer publications will feature more in-depth stories on the people and places around NKU that our readers want to learn more about, and will provide our photographers and graphic designers an excellent medium to showcase their talents in a more grandiose style than online. As always, The Northerner will continue to be active on our social media accounts, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Readers can find The Northerner @ northernermedia on all three platforms. A lot has changed in the last year and a half, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the unwavering commitment that we, The Northerner staff, have to bring our readers and the people of NKU the best possible content, both online and in print, while continuing to uphold the ethical standards of traditional journalism. We look forward to the wonderful year that we expect to have, and we can’t wait for the most important part of our publication, you the reader, to experience it right alongside us. Norse Up! Sincerely, Matthew Dietz Editor-in-Chief I would love to hear from you! dietzm5@nku.edu
CONTACT US The Northerner Griffin Hall Rm. 125 Highland Heights, KY 41099 Editor-in-Chief: (859) 572-5232 Advertising: (859) 572-6677
@northernermedia
Ed 68, Issue 01
News 03
New Provost Matt Cecil, COVID-19 restrictions and visions for a post-pandemic campus
NEW NKU PROVOST MATT CECIL.
Mildred Nguyen
PHOTO PROVIDED BY SUBJECT
NEWS EDITOR
Dr. Matt Cecil was selected as the new Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs on July 1 following a months-long search effort. With an extensive background in journalism, public relations and administration, Cecil joins Northern Kentucky University with a vision for a post-pandemic campus. According to Bonita Brown, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at NKU and co-chair of the PEVPAA Search Advisory Committee, Cecil was one of the strongest candidates for the position. The selection was made after a nationwide search, countless resumes and hours of Zoom interviews. Cecil said that his interest in the position was prompted by the president of Minnesota State University, Mankato, who worked very closely with President Ashish Vaidya of NKU and encouraged him to get involved. “This university is poised for great things,” Cecil said of NKU. “This institution has the kind of mission I believe in. It is here to help students gain socioeconomic mobility, to help the region become economically strong. It made me very hopeful that I’d get the offer from President Vaidya and the staff I’d met.” Cecil worked as a political journalist for daily newspapers in South Dakota and North Dakota in the 1990s. After working as a corporate public relations specialist, he earned a Ph.D in communications. He has held administrative roles at South Dakota State University and Wichita State University. According to an announcement from the Office of the President, Cecil was also a faculty member at Purdue University and the University of Oklahoma. Cecil was the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at MSU Mankato for four years. According to his former colleagues, he was overseeing various liberal arts, fine arts, music, theatre, English and communication programs. He was named Interim Provost at MSU Mankato shortly before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a position he held for one and a half years.
Cecil had a leadership role in helping the university transition to an online model within two weeks, said Henry Morris, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at MSU Mankato. He also helped establish the university’s School of Education, according to Brian F. Martensen, Interim Provost at MSU Mankato. “He’s very caring,” Martensen said. “He cares first and foremost about students and their experiences … He’s a really fantastic colleague, because he thinks about ways he can support you and help you develop.” For Cecil, college campuses are about the opportunity for all to gain in education. He did not find what he was looking for at large research universities, which had bigger global missions and were not as focused on student support. Such support, research and access to education is more easily found at smaller institutions like NKU, MSU and Wichita State, Cecil said. “He’s very passionate about students -- that came across even in his interview,” Brown said. “He really believes that higher education is the way to the future, and so he’s very passionate about making sure we provide students with the skills that they need.” One month into Cecil’s appointment to office, NKU announced a new indoor mask mandate for all individuals on campus as the Delta coronavirus variant continues to drive cases nationally and regionally. “We felt it was very important to hold down the spread as much as we could,” Cecil said, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s categorization of high transmission as 25 cases per week per 100 thousand people. According to Cecil, the transmission rate in Kentucky is 200 cases per 100 thousand people and vaccination levels in the region are low. “I want to caution people not to get ahead of themselves,” Cecil added. “Right now what we have is a mask mandate indoors. There is no requirement on anything else … If we learn anything through this, we need to learn how to adapt at anything.”
Brown said that the administration is being ‘cautiously optimistic’ as pandemic information and requirements are constantly changing. The university is working with faculty to ensure that they have what they need for their classrooms and is acknowledging everyone’s fears and concerns, she said. “We don’t need to add to people’s stress. You don’t know what people are going through,” Cecil said. “We’re just encouraging people to be patient and calm and sort of address issues as they arise, and we’ll get through this again just like we did before.” Cecil encouraged vaccination in the community if pandemic restrictions are to be rolled back. He also encouraged other methods of care, whether by wearing masks to keep each other safe or being with friends throughout the semester. Cecil believed that there would be a transitional semester to a post-pandemic campus. He envisioned a hybrid campus where various student audiences, such as adult learners, are provided with the programs and services they need. “People have been going through a lot. A lot have been questioning where they are in their lives,” Cecil said. “We’ll be there to serve these people, whether they are looking for undergraduate or graduate degrees, looking for a handful of courses or different skills.” Brown mentioned a ‘Hybrid U’ where there are in-person and online options for many services, citing the success of online mental health advising and chatbots on certain pages like financial aid. “So we’re looking at Hybrid U, and we’re looking at economic engagement,” Brown said. “This region really depends on NKU to lead some regional economic work and we want to make sure we’re living up to our role, our responsibility in this region.” According to Brown, a post-pandemic campus will feature a first-year advising center to advise all first-year students the same way and degree
mapping to ensure students know what classes they need for their degree programs. The administration will work with faculty so that classroom curriculums will provide students with high impact practices: community service, opportunity and internship, group work with other students. Focus will also be placed on identifying, removing or modifying barriers to students’ application and admission. Brown said that as provost, Cecil has one of the most difficult jobs on campus. He is responsible for all of the colleges, working with the faculty, hiring and retaining good faculty members, ensuring that NKU’s programs are in line with what the region and what employers want. “I think he’s the person for the job,” Brown said. “He’s done this role before and again, with his passion, combined with his expertise, I think we’re gonna see great things and I’m excited about partnering with him on a lot of this work.” Cecil’s former colleagues at MSU Mankato shared the same opinion. “I think it’s a wonderful match,” Martensen said of Cecil’s selection as provost at NKU, adding that the wide range of students at NKU is an excellent fit for him. “Matt has an ability to honestly look at what’s needed very quickly to understand a place … I have no doubt the place will benefit from his knowledge.” Morris wished that Cecil would have remained at MSU Mankato, but understood that sometimes one needs to move on. “I remember trying to keep him here. Your gain was our loss,” Morris said. “He’ll do good work. He’ll be committed to you while he’s there. I think you’re getting a well-seasoned, experienced senior academic leader.” When asked what he was looking forward to the most in the Fall semester, Cecil mentioned that he was seeing his family for the first time in two years. “Keeping our spirit up and working hard remind us of why we do what we do,” Cecil said. “The energy of a college campus in the fall is really special. I’m hopeful to be as normal as we can.”
04 Arts & Life
Arts & Life 05
New on-campus dining opens in the Student Union Braden White ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Now open in the Student Union, students can now enjoy up to five new dining options, as well as “GET,” an online mobile ordering system for students to place orders ahead for pick up.
Patrick Hannan, resident district manager with Chartwell, is hopeful that these renovations will bring more students together on campus since many students were remote last school year due to COVID-19.
The new restaurants include Norse Street Subs, “We miss our students. It Ace, QDOBA, Wild Blue has been a tough year for us, and Create Chop’d and ver y emotional, but at the Wrapped. same point we are part of this family here at NKU, and we Along with that is Student are excited to be continuing Choice, a restaurant that that this year with the new students can vote on using renovations,” Hannan said. a live Twitter feed poll. Students can vote on four difAndy Meeks, director of ferent restaurants includ- business operations and ing Absurd Bird, Smoked, auxiliar y ser vices, hopes Melt Lab, Smash’d, and The that this can not only attract Travel Wagon for the fol- people living on campus but lowing month. also attract commuter students as well. Also new is Virtual Teaching Kitchen, which allows “We have an unusual perstudents to learn more centage of commuter stuabout cooking through dents, so we need to ensure Chartwell’s on-campus that our retail operations are Chefs. attractive in all ways to them. They need to look good, they This comes after re- need to ser ve good food, and cent renovations that be- the price point needs to be gan during the end of last right.” Meeks said. Spring semester.
Meeks also mentioned working with SGA to make decisions on what new dining options to add, making sure that the new dining option would be suitable for all students.
PHOTOS BY CAMERON NIELSEN
as new dining options on-campus to tr y.
“We spent a lot of time working with SGA for the food court on what the hot eating places are now,” Meeks said.
“It got tiring last year to eat the same thing, but I knew I had to eat. This year since we have more restaurants, and even new restaurants, it is easier to bounce around and not eat the same thing ever y day,” Smitha said.
Amelia Smitha, a sophomore biolog y major, is excited to see these new changes coming, especially after a year of many dining options not being available due to COVID-19.
Post COVID-19, Smitha is looking forward to seeing more restaurants being available and seeing what life was like in the Student Union pre-pandemic.
“I think the thing with last year was that they only had two food options open. That made it kind of frustrating, but I still ate lunch on-campus ever y day at the SU, and I ate dinner at Norse Commons,” Smitha said.
“Ideally, it would be nice to have all food options open, but with COVID, I know it is not possible or with maybe low staff to have ever ything open. It would be nice to see ever ything open and see what the true Student Union experience would be like,” Smitha said.
Smitha expressed that it was hard eating the same thing frequently. However, she is excited to see more restaurants open, as well
NEW FOR THIS YEAR, STUDENTS CAN GET MEXICAN-STYLE CUISINE AT QUDOBA.
For more information about these new dining options or hours of operation, you can visit http s : / / d i n e on c ampu s . com/nku.
NEW FOR THIS YEAR, STUDENTS CAN ENJOY SALADS AND WRA[S AT CREATE CHOP'D AND WRAPPED .
@northernermedia
NEW FOR THIS YEAR, STUDENTS CAN ENJOY DIFFERENT TYPES OF JAPANESE BOWLS .
04 Arts & Life
Arts & Life 05
New on-campus dining opens in the Student Union Braden White ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Now open in the Student Union, students can now enjoy up to five new dining options, as well as “GET,” an online mobile ordering system for students to place orders ahead for pick up.
Patrick Hannan, resident district manager with Chartwell, is hopeful that these renovations will bring more students together on campus since many students were remote last school year due to COVID-19.
The new restaurants include Norse Street Subs, “We miss our students. It Ace, QDOBA, Wild Blue has been a tough year for us, and Create Chop’d and ver y emotional, but at the Wrapped. same point we are part of this family here at NKU, and we Along with that is Student are excited to be continuing Choice, a restaurant that that this year with the new students can vote on using renovations,” Hannan said. a live Twitter feed poll. Students can vote on four difAndy Meeks, director of ferent restaurants includ- business operations and ing Absurd Bird, Smoked, auxiliar y ser vices, hopes Melt Lab, Smash’d, and The that this can not only attract Travel Wagon for the fol- people living on campus but lowing month. also attract commuter students as well. Also new is Virtual Teaching Kitchen, which allows “We have an unusual perstudents to learn more centage of commuter stuabout cooking through dents, so we need to ensure Chartwell’s on-campus that our retail operations are Chefs. attractive in all ways to them. They need to look good, they This comes after re- need to ser ve good food, and cent renovations that be- the price point needs to be gan during the end of last right.” Meeks said. Spring semester.
Meeks also mentioned working with SGA to make decisions on what new dining options to add, making sure that the new dining option would be suitable for all students.
PHOTOS BY CAMERON NIELSEN
as new dining options on-campus to tr y.
“We spent a lot of time working with SGA for the food court on what the hot eating places are now,” Meeks said.
“It got tiring last year to eat the same thing, but I knew I had to eat. This year since we have more restaurants, and even new restaurants, it is easier to bounce around and not eat the same thing ever y day,” Smitha said.
Amelia Smitha, a sophomore biolog y major, is excited to see these new changes coming, especially after a year of many dining options not being available due to COVID-19.
Post COVID-19, Smitha is looking forward to seeing more restaurants being available and seeing what life was like in the Student Union pre-pandemic.
“I think the thing with last year was that they only had two food options open. That made it kind of frustrating, but I still ate lunch on-campus ever y day at the SU, and I ate dinner at Norse Commons,” Smitha said.
“Ideally, it would be nice to have all food options open, but with COVID, I know it is not possible or with maybe low staff to have ever ything open. It would be nice to see ever ything open and see what the true Student Union experience would be like,” Smitha said.
Smitha expressed that it was hard eating the same thing frequently. However, she is excited to see more restaurants open, as well
NEW FOR THIS YEAR, STUDENTS CAN GET MEXICAN-STYLE CUISINE AT QUDOBA.
For more information about these new dining options or hours of operation, you can visit http s : / / d i n e on c ampu s . com/nku.
NEW FOR THIS YEAR, STUDENTS CAN ENJOY SALADS AND WRA[S AT CREATE CHOP'D AND WRAPPED .
@northernermedia
NEW FOR THIS YEAR, STUDENTS CAN ENJOY DIFFERENT TYPES OF JAPANESE BOWLS .
06 sports
Ed 68, Issue 01
NKU men’s soccer looks to continue winning this fall Matthew Dietz EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Northern Kentucky men’s soccer team did not have the preseason that head coach Stu Riddle nor his players were hoping to have coming off a 2021 spring season in which the Norse won the Horizon League regular season championship and advanced to the Horizon League tournament championship before falling to Milwaukee. After narrowly defeating Georgetown College in their preseason opener, the Norse suffered setbacks against Bellarmine and the 14th ranked Kentucky Wildcats to conclude their exhibition slate. “This has been a wake-up for us this preseason,” senior goalkeeper Daniel Bermingham said following the loss to Kentucky on Aug. 20. “I think people just didn’t come in with the right mindset and people need to start waking up, because next week, games actually count and conference games mean everything to us.” However, despite the early struggles to open the 2021 fall season, the Norse are confident that they have the talent to become the first NKU men’s soccer team to reach the NCAA Tournament during the school’s Division I era, in large part due to the returning experience that the team has coming into the fall. The Norse lose just one key play-
NKU GOALKEEPER DANIEL BERMINGHAM
er from last season’s team, defender Justin Earle, and return several players who earned all-Horizon League honors last spring, including Bermingham (Goalkeeper of the Year), Dylan Bufton (All-HL First Team) and two freshmen that were named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team in Roberto Burlew and Deryn Armstrong. “It’s massive,” head coach Stu Riddle said about the returning experience for the Norse. Riddle and his staff have emphasized to the team that winning the Horizon League regular season championship and cracking the top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches poll was a great first step last season, but the difficult part will be maintaining that level of success. “What we have said to the boys in preseason now is that the easy part was getting here, now the hard part is going to be to stay in this position.” Bufton, who led the team with 13 points last season in his first season at NKU, is using last season’s experience to become more of a leader for the younger players going into his senior season. “It was a difficult year, but it still gives you a lot of experience to help the younger boys coming in, show them the way things are done around here and hopefully
PHOTOS BY: CAMERON NIELSEN
they can be confident in themselves,” Bufton said. The Norse bring in four newcomers for the 2021 fall season, in goalkeeper Seán Bohan, midfielders Gustav Severinsen Craig Wellens and forward R.J. Linenkugel. In the goal, the Norse will once again look to Bermingham, who became the starting goalkeeper during the 2021 spring season for the Norse and thrived, allowing just seven goals all season. For Bermingham, who began his college career at Iowa Western Community College and has worked his way to the Division I level, the opportunity that he has received at NKU is one that he has relished along the way. “It’s hard work, it’s my family, I play for them, the name on my back,” Bermingham said. “I’m just trying to make something of myself here at NKU and help us get on the map, and hopefully make a career out of it.” In addition to Bermingham and Bufton, the Norse return several other upperclassmen that made an impact on the pitch last season, including junior forward Sam Robinson (two goals in spring), junior Ryan Godding (three assists in spring), junior midfielder Ben Hegge and junior forward Brodie Sallows.
NKU PLAYERS CELEBRATE A GOAL AGAINST CENTRE
With that returning experience, the Norse will be able to continue to strengthen the tight bond that they have created in the past year, which Bufton believes will only help the success of the team this fall. “We’re definitely a brotherhood here,” Bufton said. “There’s no difference between a freshman and a senior on this team, everyone is on the same level, we all respect each other the same amount and that’s why we have our success, because everyone is on the same level.” The Norse, who are 1-1 on the season already have carved out a tough non-conference schedule for the fall season, with the hope being that having those quality games on the schedule will help their case for securing an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament at the end of the season. Among the tough non-conference opponents for the Norse are Louisville, Oral Roberts and Coastal Carolina, all on the road. “I see how these selections work for the NCAAs and the at-large and you have to have a signature win, so we have got three opportunities away from home to try to get that signature win,” Riddle said. The Norse will be in action on Friday, Sep. 3 as they battle Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
PHOTOS BY: CAMERON NIELSEN
Ed 68, Issue 01
Sports 07
NKU men’s soccer defeats Centre 3-0 for first win of the season
BRENDAN CONNELLY
NKU’S SAM SLUCUM DRIBBLES AGAINST CENTRE
PHOTO BY CAMERON NIELSEN
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
The Northern Kentucky men’s soccer team defeated the Centre College Colonels on Saturday night at the NKU Soccer Stadium. With the win, the Norse level their record at 1-1. The Colonels held possession for the first five minutes of the game, but a staunch Norse defense ensured that the Centre attack didn’t amount to anything. NKU began to apply pressure after a Centre corner kick in the fifth minute. The Norse worked their way down the field before Jesse Randall fired a shot over the goal. That shot by Randall sparked the Norse offensively. Just two minutes later, Craig Wellens scored the first goal of the game, firing over the outstretched arms of Centre goalkeeper Hayden Korfhage. The assist was given to Ryan Godding, who set Wellens up after a back-and-forth exchange in the 18-yard box. “We knew from the start what we needed to do. Get the first opportunity, get the first goal... we finally came out today and did exactly what we needed to do.” NKU forward
Dylan Bufton said. The best chances of the first half for Centre came in the fifteenth and seventeenth minutes, but the Colonels offense was foiled by an offsides call and a kick-save by NKU goalkeeper Daniel Bermingham. For the remainder of the first half, NKU continued to build an advantage with steady ball control and precise passing. After a breakthrough chance in the 23rd minute by Dylan Bufton, the Norse netted a second goal in the 28th minute after Sam Robinson received a through ball from Bufton and slotted it past Kolfhager. NKU outpaced Centre in the first half in every offensive category, including 12-4 in total shots, 5-2 in shots on goal, and 4-1 in corner kicks. Coming out of halftime, the Norse continued to put on a clinic on both ends of the field. Bermingham was tested only once in the entire second half thanks to the Norse defense holding Centre to just two
shots in the final 45 minutes. Not allowing a goal was a priority for both the team and head coach Stu Riddle after allowing three goals to UNC-Asheville just two days prior. “We kept a clean sheet, which we desperately needed to do.” Riddle said. NKU grabbed a third goal in the 66th minute after Centre misplayed a header in the midfield. Jesse Randall seized possession and passed ahead to a surging Bufton, who dribbled around Centre’s keeper and calmly slotted home the final Norse goal of the night. The third goal was a manifestation of Riddle’s halftime speech to the team.
“Let’s put away the fact that we were two-nil up. Let’s have a nilnil mentality and go and win the second half.”
Even after the final tally, the Norse kept their foot on the gas. At the final whistle, NKU held a 23-6 advantage in shots and 11-3 lead in shots on goal. The Norse offense forced a trio of Centre keepers into eight saves for the entire game, while the defense only allowed one shot on goal in the second half. “I’m very proud of the boys. Everyone performed exactly what they needed to do.” Bufton said. The Norse travel to Tulsa for a contest against Oral Roberts on Sep. 3 before returning home to face Virginia Military Institute on Tuesday, Sep. 7 at 1 p.m. That game can be seen on ESPN+.
08 Advertisement
Wednesday, September 1, 2021