Is a Facebook profile a suitable memorial? | Page 8
DAILY KENT STATER
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 • The independent student newspaper of Kent State University • Weather: Snow showers HI 33, LO 25
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‘It just seemed like it wasn’t even real’ Cody Francis
Daily Kent Stater On Jan. 22, Jon Koch went downtown to a few bars for his friend’s birthday. With Koch, among others, were his girlfriend Heather Weber and his friend John White. Weber and a friend decided to call it a night around 1 a.m. Koch and a few others stayed out until 2 a.m., when they got into a cab to go home. Koch said White decided to walk to his house instead of getting in the cab. Shortly after Koch left, White was assaulted. On Sunday, White died from injuries suffered in that assault at Akron City Hospital’s intensive care unit. Weber, senior art history major, said she and White’s other friends had been receiving updates on his condition from White’s mom and his friend Ted. She said she was startled when she received the news of White’s death. “It’s really shocking,” said Weber. “It’s really hard
to wrap your mind around.” Koch, a graduate student in the College of Business Administration, said he was under the impression that White was on his way to healing from his injuries before he heard about his death on Sunday. “We had heard nothing but good things,” he said. “He was going into physical therapy. He was having some short-term memory issues, but we figured that was normal. I didn’t think anything like this would happen. I was just shocked. We thought he was going to be on his road to recovery.” Koch said he still remembers when he heard about the assault almost a month ago. “I woke up to make some coffee and I found out,” Koch said. “None of us really knew what to think, it just seemed like it wasn’t even real. There’s no way it could have happened, we just saw him six hours ago.” See WHITE, Page 5
Kelly Byer
Daily Kent Stater County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said he is awaiting the autopsy report in the case of John T. White, who was assaulted Jan. 23 and died from his injuries Sunday at Akron City Hospital’s intensive care unit at 2:25 p.m. Vigluicci said the report is needed before taking further steps in the case against John H. Ragin Jr. and Hallie E. Nuspl, both 21-year-old Akron natives. “Based on what we find, we can then re-present the case to the grand jury for additional charges,” he said. An autopsy was performed yesterday to determine White’s cause of death, but results are pending, said Gary Guenther, supervisor of the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office. Guenther said hospital records and police reports still need to be reviewed and more testing needs to be
done. He said it could take days or weeks to reach a result, depending on the records. “Everything’s pending right now,” Guenther said. Kent City Police said they had no further information to add on the incident and are deferring all inquiries to the prosecutor’s office. White, a 28-year-old Iraq War veteran and graduate student at Kent State, was assaulted in downtown Kent near the intersection of South Water Street and West Main Street at 2:30 a.m. Jan. 23. He received head injuries from the physical altercation and was transported to Akron City Hospital.
RAGIN JR
See CHARGES, Page 5 NUSPL
Drug busts just a ‘coincidence’ Heroin dealer unrelated to Nov. incidents Simon Husted
Daily Kent Stater
Students demand options Healthier choices on the way Ashley Sepanski
Daily Kent Stater Changing times and appetites at Kent State have brought healthy food options to the forefront on campus. With the classic college breakfast of cold pizza and beer becoming more of a delicacy than an everyday food option, dining halls are altering their menus to provide healthier choices for students.
Dining Services Director Richard Roldan said student feedback has helped create new food options. “Our menus are constantly changing,” Roldan said. “We are offering more vegan and vegetarian options. Food that has no preserves and gluten-free bakery items are available upon request.” Roldan said Prentice Café is also starting Veggie A-Go-Go, a vegetarian service where students can call in and order food to be prepared and picked up at a designated time. Jodie Luidhardt, Kent State Nutrition Outreach coordinator, said eating healthy on campus is all about choices. See OPTIONS, Page 5
With three heroin and one ecstasy bust this school year, drug activity is surging in Kent. Commander Pat Burns of the Portage County Drug Task Force said Friday’s heroin bust had no connection with the two November heroin busts. Roderick Wheeler, 28, of Ravenna, who was arrested during Friday’s bust, has an eight-year-long criminal history related to drugs, Burns said. “I’ve actually arrested him personally on another drug investigation about seven years ago,” Burns said. Burns added Wheeler has also been charged with dealing cocaine before. Burns said Kent campus’ high student population and central position between Cleveland, Youngstown and Akron make it a clear target for drug activity. Wheeler was charged with trafficking in heroin, a 3rd degree felony, possessing heroin, a 4th
degree felony, and possessing criminal tools, a 5th degree felony, Burns said. During the arrest, Burns added, Wheeler had $1,600 worth of heroin on him. Burns said the Drug Task Force had 133 open cases in 2009. John Peach, chief of the Kent State Police Department, said the bust was never intended to happen at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. He said that’s just simply where the suspect ended up stopping before his arrest. Burns added that many of the busts occur on campus only out of coincidence. “It’s not that we’re specifically targeting the university, but when we get a call, we don’t discriminate, we go to wherever the call takes us,” Burns said. Some students are not surprised by the insurgence of drug activity on campus. Nicholas DePaola, freshmen pre-dental and biology major, said his hometown of Harrison City, Pa., was a quiet, isolated suburb 20 minutes away from Pittsburgh. Although the town was secluded from much violence, DePaola said high school students there experimented with drugs all the time. “It was rich kids with too much money and too much time on their hands,” DePaola said. He said the same environment seems to be true here. See BUSTS, Page 5
They are healthy and ready ROTC students in good mental health Megan Dunick
Daily Kent Stater
There is an ongoing trend that many soldiers returning from Afghanistan or Iraq suffer from mental health diseases. But for two Kent State students, that is not the case. Senior criminal justice major Brad Taylor and senior history major Joe Gray are dressed comfortably in casual clothes as they
sit their tall frames down in two oversized plush chairs. The room is dim yet relaxing as they begin to converse about their personal experiences overseas and what it is like mentally to serve in the military. “When I went over, I was initially scared,” said Brad Taylor, senior criminal justice major. “When you see all the coverage about the war on T.V., I thought — you know — you are getting shot at 24/7. But it was a lot different than that.” Both Taylor and senior history major Joe Gray served overseas before joining the ROTC Army program at Kent State. Taylor
was deployed to Afghanistan in June 2004 where he served in the military. As for Gray, he was in and out of Afghanistan and Iraq for 15 months. Gray and Taylor agree that they had many worries before being deployed overseas. “I was pretty nervous when I first went over,” Gray said. “I was scared shitless on the flight over because I had no idea what to expect.” They both were taught the essential military skills needed in the basic training camps, which are held throughout the United States. See ROTC, Page 5
BRITTANY ANKROM | DAILY KENT STATER
Senior history major Joe Gray and senior justice studies major Brad Taylor stand in the Army ROTC office on campus.