The Kent Stater - February 22, 2018

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Kent Stater

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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018

Parkland shooting sparks gun Page 6 debate among Ohio lawmakers 2 4

University announces partnership with Akron Public Schools Researchers find cell phones increase anxiety

2 The Kent Stater

Thursday, February 22, 2018

NEWS

Kent State unveils partnership with Akron Public Schools to strengthen innovation, design thinking Valerie Royzman and Laina Yost Administration Reporters

Firestone High School Principal Larry Johnson and President Beverly Warren listen to David James, the superintendent of Akron Public Schools, speak at a press conference Wednesday, which announced a partnership geared toward experiential learning. Austin Mariasy / The Kent Stater

TheKent

Stater 240 FRANKLIN HALL KENT STATE UNIVERSITY KENT, OHIO 44242 NEWSROOM 330-672-2584

Akron Public high school students’ learning will soon expand beyond the classroom, allowing them to engage in opportunities targeted toward their college careers through a partnership with Kent State and Firestone Community Learning Center.

Kent State plans to provide hands-on learning for the high schools in performing arts, design, architecture, advanced technology and comprehensive engineering, communication and fashion.

In a press conference Wednesday, Akron Public Schools Superintendent David James said while children have changed as learners, the school’s innovation hasn’t — until now.

“Our vision for Akron Public Schools' students is to have engaged learning with goals for their future — students who are more competitive when going for internships and scholarships, and all Akron Public Schools' graduates employed, enrolled or enlisted,” James said.

President Beverly Warren said the collaboration will generate excitement and energy around education.

“Just as we’re looking at innovation in our own environment, we’re looking for those partners to really help us develop an innovation ecosystem here in Northeast Ohio,” Warren said. “And here we have the opportunity for design thinking to sit at the core of that innovation.”

Warren said this partnership was arranged with the community’s youth in mind, or "those who depend on us to really help craft that pathway."

She thanked Senior Associate Provost Melody Tankersley and Justin Hilton, who recently accepted the position of senior director of community engagement.

Warren closed her remarks with words familiar to students and educators, originally stated by Dr. Seuss: “We have brains in our heads, feet in our shoes; we can steer ourselves in any direction we choose.”

Firestone High School is home to about 1,250 students, and was mentioned by the Washington Post in a ranking of how successfully schools challenge their students.

The high school was ranked 1,849 out of 2,368 across the nation.

Principal Larry Johnson said the partnership will empower everyone, and students will be the main officiaries of the collaboration.

“It won’t be easy, and we’re going to have to be creative and persistent in order to be successful,” Johnson said.

He said a large part of what Firestone does is design, and it seemed like a natural, logical fit with Kent State.

Ginger Baylor, an Akron Board of Education member, said she is looking forward to aligning with a forwardthinking university.

“It helps our students have something to look forward to and will be able to acclimate themselves to college earlier now to where they have a different understanding of what to expect once they arrive on campus,” Baylor said. “Having that experience, I think, is key to success for the students.”

Contact Valerie Royzman a vrozyman@kent.edu.

Contact Laina Yost at lyost5@kent.edu.

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

KentWired.com 3

President offers updates on ‘inclusive,’ community-driven Master Plan Valerie Royzman Administration Reporter President Beverly Warren revealed new details on the developing Master Plan at a public session on campus Tuesday, highlighting the Kent State community’s input was crucial in shaping the proposal.

Over the course of 18 months, Kent State and SmithGroupJJR, an architectural, engineering and planning firm, drafted the plan based on more than 1,200 online suggestions from the community, Warren said.

“Here on the Kent campus, this has been a very inclusive process,” Warren said. “This plan could be developed in a backroom, in a president’s office. …But we had many many meetings — over 60 sessions to really engage the community at all levels. We had close to 500 individuals who attended those meetings.”

The university’s last Master Plan from 1996 “still has unrealized features,” Warren said. The current 10-year, $1.2 billion proposal is divided into three phases to ensure projects are completed on schedule.

The proposal for a pristine College of Business Administration Building is estimated to cost $72 million.

Warren said Kent State officials are engaging with developers in the private sector to join in partnership with the university.

“This will be the first in the U.S. in terms of a public-private partnership, a P-3 with an academic building,” she said, which people typically see in university auxiliary buildings, like dining areas or residence halls, but not in academic buildings.

The university will host a design competition open to the public in April, where four design firms will present ideas for the building.

This will be narrowed down to two firms, and Kent State officials involved in the Master Plan process hope to make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees in May, Warren said.

An exact date for the competition

has not been set.

The idea for a singular gateway to front campus remains high on the priority list. Warren said now, the university lacks a “front door to Kent State” with its multiple entries.

“In most transformative learning environments that really believed in a sense of community and a residential learning environment, those universities have front doors,” she said.

She said the gateway plan goes beyond a physical entrance to campus, but will be a gateway for students’ futures, the faculty’s greatest aspirations and the staff’s ability to make a difference.

Another key component of the Master Plan is the innovation zone intended to replace the old School of Art building in the center of campus.

Students of all disciplines will be welcome to collaborate in this “24/7 maker space,” which will provide a dining option closer to front campus.

“When students want a cup of coffee and a snack at 2 a.m., when that’s when they come alive at the best moment, there’s a place to go and be with community,” Warren said.

President Beverly Warren gestures while delivering the 2017 State of the University address in the Kiva Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017.

The go-ahead on the plan Carter Adams / The Kent Stater depends on the Board of Trustees’ decision in March.

Warren said the Master Plan, combined with the Strategic Roadmap to a Distinctive Kent State and efforts for fundraising, has led the university to a defining moment where “opportunity is now.”

“We’re able to harness our passions for where we want to take this university, and we have a plan that’s purposeful. … One thing we’ve been missing is how do we put purpose in a campaign so that people say, ‘I want to give to that,’ she said.

“And when we do that, we’re able to achieve the dream of more students coming to Kent State, following their dreams and aspirations. And when we do it all together, there’s just no telling how – Beverly Warren far we’ll go.”

Kent State president Contact Valerie Royzman at vroyzman@kent.edu.

‘‘

This will be the first in the U.S. in terms of a public-private partnership, a P-3 with an academic building.”

4 The Kent Stater

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Study finds excessive smartphone use connected to unhappiness, anxiety

Paige Bennett Feature Writer

When Andrew Lepp, an associate professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Services (EHHS), walks into a classroom, he is often met by silence.

Instead of seeing a room of students talking before class, he sees a room of eyes gazing down at smartphone screens.

This has become a common scenario at universities across the U.S., as smartphones have taken on larger roles in the lives of students. Data released by the Pew Research Center in 2017 revealed 92 percent of American 18-to-29-year-olds own smartphones, the most of any age demographic.

Although smartphones are continuing to grow in popularity, excessive use could be contributing to unhappiness and anxiety among students.

Lepp, along with colleague Jacob Barkley, who is also an associate professor in the College of EHHS, has been researching the effect of smartphone use on students since 2013. His research has identified a relationship between smartphones and unhappiness.

According to a study published by Lepp and Barkley in 2014, students who frequently use their smartphones are more likely to report feeling unhappy than students who do not frequently use their smartphones.

“We found that individuals that spend more time on their cell phones have poorer relationships with their peers and their parents,” Barkley said.

‘‘

This conclusion is similar to that of a study led by Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, in 2017. In this study, it was discovered students who spend more time using smartphones and other electronic devices are less satisfied with their lives than students who frequently engage in face-to-face interaction.

Another issue linked to frequent smartphone use is high levels of anxiety.

The study conducted by Lepp and Barkley showed that high frequency smartphone users have higher anxiety than their peers.

The study was non-experimental, meaning the results indicate a relationship between smartphone use and anxiety, not causation.

However, Barkley said it is possible students are developing anxiety because of the stresses created by smartphones.

During their study, Lepp and Barkley interviewed students about their smartphone habits.

Barkley said many of these students reported feeling pressured by their smartphones, and the need to constantly respond to text messages and maintain a presence on social media.

Additionally, Barkley said smartphones can cause students to worry about “the fear of missing out.”

“Students are very concerned about what other people are doing, and they don’t want to feel left out,” Barkley said. “When they see

Students are very concerned about what other people are doing, and they don’t want to feel left out.”

– Jacob Barkley

Associate professor in the College of Education, Health and Human Services Photo illustration by Michaela Courtney

that they missed out on something, that can cause some anxiety.”

In spite of the link between frequent smartphone use, unhappiness and anxiety, Barkley said smartphones can have positive effects on students.

“Having access to all the information in the world in your pocket is pretty powerful,” Barkley said. “The device obviously has a number of really beneficial uses, especially for college students.”

Some of the benefits, Barkley said, include the ability to connect with peers and use apps that track physical activity.

“What we find is that the majority of use of these devices is for leisure purposes.

People play with their phones. And when you play with your phone, it’s probably not all that enriching,” Barkley said.

One measure people can take to improve the way they use smartphones is to be more critical of the role technology plays in their lives, Barkley said. This means making a conscious effort to limit screen time.

Similarly, Lepp said smartphones can be beneficial to students as long as they use them in moderation.

“It is only when we fail to control our smartphone use that it can lead to problems,” Lepp said.

Contact Paige Bennett at pbennet8@kent.edu.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

KentWired.com 5

SPORTS

Red-hot shooting lifts Ohio past Kent State Cameron Hoover Sports Editor

Kent State junior point guard Jalen Avery had a very simple explanation for the Flashes’ loss at Ohio Tuesday night.

“I’m really disappointed in our defense,” said Avery, who scored nine points and led the Flashes with seven rebounds and four assists.

“I didn’t feel like we played hard enough on defense.

“Any time someone scores 88 points, it’s going to be hard to beat them.”

Avery was right; Kent State’s (1315, 7-8 Mid-American Conference) lethargic defense was not enough to beat the Bobcats (12-15, 5-10 MAC).

Ohio’s Jordan Dartis made five three-pointers en route to a gamehigh 20 points to lead the Bobcats to an 88-76 win.

Dartis came out on fire, sinking four shots from beyond the arc in the first half to help the Bobcats to a 47-39 lead at the break. The half was Kent State’s secondworst defensive first period of the season, only behind giving up 48 in a nonconference thrashing against Xavier.

Kent State cut the Ohio lead to two points after a Kevin Zabo layup with 9:12 left capped a 9-0 run, but the course of the game changed after Bobcats coach Saul Phillips called a timeout. Gavin Block, who had previously left the contest with what seemed to be a gruesome hand injury, returned to the game, immediately scoring a hook shot.

In the next minute and 32 seconds, Ohio scored the next eight points to put the game out of reach. Kent State Kent State guard Jaylin Walker drives to the hoop during the Flashes' 88-76 loss to Ohio at the Convocation Center Tuesday. Alexander Wadley / The Kent Stater never led. year’s Wagon Wheel. Avery said he and the he’s a senior,” Senderoff said. Ridenour has shooting, 1-for-9 from three-point range) “That was the stretch of the game that team are looking forward to spending most four regular season games left in his career and Kevin Zabo (12 points, 4-for-14 from gave them the cushion they needed to win,” of the rest of the season at home, where the before the MAC tournament. “He’s trying to the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc) Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “Had Flashes are 10-3 this season. play with some urgency. I thought he played struggled for the Flashes. we been able to get a couple more stops it “Definitely, we just want to go into the well tonight, competed.”

“We scored enough points tonight, but might be a different outcome.”

Adonis De La Rosa led the Flashes with the way we scored them — we need to move tournament with some momentum,” Avery Senderoff was also disappointed in his 13 points. the basketball more to get better looks for said. “Hopefully, these last three games, team’s defensive effort.

Teyvion Kirk scored 17 points for the guys,” Senderoff said. “We missed some I we can get these three wins and give us “We’ve got to be able to guard better,” Flashes, picking up four rebounds and four think Kevin would’ve normally made and some momentum.”

Senderoff said. “Our transition (defense) assists. James Gollon and Kevin Mickle each Jaylin would’ve normally made, but tonight Kent State returns home to host Bowling wasn’t good to begin the game. … I don’t added 13 points, Mike Laster contributed 11 it wasn’t their night.”

Green (16-12, 7-8 MAC) at 6 p.m. Saturday at want to take any credit away from (Ohio) for and Doug Taylor rounded out the doubleSenior guard Desmond Ridenour scored the M.A.C. Center. The Falcons won the first how they played tonight — 19 assists, shot 55 digit scorers with 10.

12 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including meeting, 70-62, after trailing by 19 points in percent from the field. … I’m disappointed Two of Kent State’s remaining three 2-for-3 from three-point range, off the bench the first half. because we’ve shown we can defend better games are at home, and the other is across to try to give the Flashes a spark.

Contact Cameron Hoover for longer stretches of time.” town at Akron in the second iteration of this “The clock’s ticking on him, right, when at choove14@kent.edu.

Jaylin Walker (12 points on 5-for-17

6 The Kent Stater

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Thursday, February 22, 2018

COVER

GUN STANCES

of Ohio governor candidates

Demonstrators hold signs during a protest in favor of gun control reform in front of the White House, Monday in Washington.

Evan Vucci / Associated Press

On the cover: School students from

Montgomery County, Md., in suburban Washington, rally in solidarity with those affected by the shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday.

J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

RUN THE GAMUT

Julie Carr Smith Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Want a governor who’s all-in on gun rights? How about one who’s fighting for a complete statewide ban on assault-type weapons?

In politically diverse Ohio, voters have their pick of those positions — and just about everything in between — from a crowded field of contenders trying to succeed termlimited Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Following dramatic calls for action that followed a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, last week that left 17 people

dead, Republican Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Mary Taylor reasserted her support for the Second Amendment and called for more “trained, law-abiding citizens to carry a gun on campus.”

As Taylor runs to the right of Republican rival Attorney General Mike DeWine, Democratic gubernatorial contender Dennis Kucinich is going the opposite way.

The former Cleveland mayor and congressman fired up supporters at a Monday anti-gun rally in Cleveland by calling for a complete ban on assault-type weapons across Ohio. He accompanied his demands with a model resolution that local governments can

use to urge Ohio’s Republican-controlled General Assembly to pass such a ban. Two Democrats introduced the bill Tuesday.

“I believe that we are at a tipping point, that the public awareness of the danger of these assault weapons is so powerful, that no matter who is in office, or who aspires to office, this event in Parkland has created a sea change in the way we’re approaching this issue where people are becoming motivated and activated because they realize that all our lives are on the line here,” Kucinich said.

Somewhere in the middle are DeWine and Democrat Richard Cordray, the former federal consumer protection chief.

DeWine responded to the Florida massacre with a three-point plan centered on beefing up children’s safety, while supporting no new gun laws.

The DeWine plan calls for one mental health professional in every school, more robust use of Ohio’s background check system and insistence that Ohio’s existing center for strategic analysis of threats use “every current and emerging technology to analyze, investigate, and intercept any threats to Ohio children and schools.”

“We must protect our children at all times — especially in school,” he said. “These are tangible efforts that will help ensure that our kids get the help and protection they need.”

At a breakfast for prosecutors held in Canton Tuesday, Cordray also supported expanded background checks and increased support for school safety measures. He said he would fight for a statewide ban on the sale of bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic rifles to mimic the rapid fire of machine guns.

‘‘

Cordray also said he would create local gun trafficking task forces and appoint a “gun violence prevention czar” if elected.

“Throughout my career in public office, I have supported responsible gun ownership by law-abiding citizens and I continue to do so in accord with the Second Amendment,” Cordray said. “But as a supporter of responsible gun ownership, I believe we must strongly enforce existing laws, take steps to ensure these laws are not being circumvented, and take further steps to make sure these guns don’t get into the wrong hands and are not being enhanced to engage in mass killings.”

Kucinich questioned Cordray for failing to support an all-out ban on assault-style weapons, which appears to be gaining ground nationally.

He labeled Cordray “singularly responsible” for stripping local communities of their ability to ban assault weapons. Kucinich was referring to Cordray’s role, as Ohio’s

KentWired.com

7

attorney general, in defending the state in a lawsuit by Cleveland challenging a state law prohibiting local assault weapons bans.

Cordray and Kucinich are among several other Democratic governor candidates, including Youngstown-area state Sen. Joe Schiavoni and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill.

On Wednesday, O’Neill proposed a mandatory permitting process for all assaulttype weapons that would require gun owners to report in person to law enforcement with their weapons once a year.

Schiavoni said he is re-introducing school safety legislation that twice failed to gain traction in Ohio’s Republican-controlled state Legislature. He said he’s also holding meetings with firearms experts and others to explore additional bills addressing background checks, access to firearms for those with mental illness and limits on the sale of AR-15 style assault weapons.

We must protect our children at all times — especially in school. These are tangible efforts that will help ensure that our kids get the help and protection they need.” ­— Mike DeWine Attorney General

‘‘

An early morning fog rises where 17 memorial crosses were placed, for the 17 deceased students and faculty from the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. As families began burying their dead, authorities questioned whether they could have prevented the attack at the high school where a gunman, Nikolas Cruz, took several lives. Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

6 The Kent Stater

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Thursday, February 22, 2018

COVER

GUN STANCES

of Ohio governor candidates

Demonstrators hold signs during a protest in favor of gun control reform in front of the White House, Monday in Washington.

Evan Vucci / Associated Press

On the cover: School students from

Montgomery County, Md., in suburban Washington, rally in solidarity with those affected by the shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday.

J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

RUN THE GAMUT

Julie Carr Smith Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Want a governor who’s all-in on gun rights? How about one who’s fighting for a complete statewide ban on assault-type weapons?

In politically diverse Ohio, voters have their pick of those positions — and just about everything in between — from a crowded field of contenders trying to succeed termlimited Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Following dramatic calls for action that followed a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, last week that left 17 people

dead, Republican Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Mary Taylor reasserted her support for the Second Amendment and called for more “trained, law-abiding citizens to carry a gun on campus.”

As Taylor runs to the right of Republican rival Attorney General Mike DeWine, Democratic gubernatorial contender Dennis Kucinich is going the opposite way.

The former Cleveland mayor and congressman fired up supporters at a Monday anti-gun rally in Cleveland by calling for a complete ban on assault-type weapons across Ohio. He accompanied his demands with a model resolution that local governments can

use to urge Ohio’s Republican-controlled General Assembly to pass such a ban. Two Democrats introduced the bill Tuesday.

“I believe that we are at a tipping point, that the public awareness of the danger of these assault weapons is so powerful, that no matter who is in office, or who aspires to office, this event in Parkland has created a sea change in the way we’re approaching this issue where people are becoming motivated and activated because they realize that all our lives are on the line here,” Kucinich said.

Somewhere in the middle are DeWine and Democrat Richard Cordray, the former federal consumer protection chief.

DeWine responded to the Florida massacre with a three-point plan centered on beefing up children’s safety, while supporting no new gun laws.

The DeWine plan calls for one mental health professional in every school, more robust use of Ohio’s background check system and insistence that Ohio’s existing center for strategic analysis of threats use “every current and emerging technology to analyze, investigate, and intercept any threats to Ohio children and schools.”

“We must protect our children at all times — especially in school,” he said. “These are tangible efforts that will help ensure that our kids get the help and protection they need.”

At a breakfast for prosecutors held in Canton Tuesday, Cordray also supported expanded background checks and increased support for school safety measures. He said he would fight for a statewide ban on the sale of bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic rifles to mimic the rapid fire of machine guns.

‘‘

Cordray also said he would create local gun trafficking task forces and appoint a “gun violence prevention czar” if elected.

“Throughout my career in public office, I have supported responsible gun ownership by law-abiding citizens and I continue to do so in accord with the Second Amendment,” Cordray said. “But as a supporter of responsible gun ownership, I believe we must strongly enforce existing laws, take steps to ensure these laws are not being circumvented, and take further steps to make sure these guns don’t get into the wrong hands and are not being enhanced to engage in mass killings.”

Kucinich questioned Cordray for failing to support an all-out ban on assault-style weapons, which appears to be gaining ground nationally.

He labeled Cordray “singularly responsible” for stripping local communities of their ability to ban assault weapons. Kucinich was referring to Cordray’s role, as Ohio’s

KentWired.com

7

attorney general, in defending the state in a lawsuit by Cleveland challenging a state law prohibiting local assault weapons bans.

Cordray and Kucinich are among several other Democratic governor candidates, including Youngstown-area state Sen. Joe Schiavoni and former Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O’Neill.

On Wednesday, O’Neill proposed a mandatory permitting process for all assaulttype weapons that would require gun owners to report in person to law enforcement with their weapons once a year.

Schiavoni said he is re-introducing school safety legislation that twice failed to gain traction in Ohio’s Republican-controlled state Legislature. He said he’s also holding meetings with firearms experts and others to explore additional bills addressing background checks, access to firearms for those with mental illness and limits on the sale of AR-15 style assault weapons.

We must protect our children at all times — especially in school. These are tangible efforts that will help ensure that our kids get the help and protection they need.” ­— Mike DeWine Attorney General

‘‘

An early morning fog rises where 17 memorial crosses were placed, for the 17 deceased students and faculty from the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. As families began burying their dead, authorities questioned whether they could have prevented the attack at the high school where a gunman, Nikolas Cruz, took several lives. Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

8 The Kent Stater

Thursday, February 22, 2018

OPINION

A startling trend in Trump’s budget

SHANNON KOVACH’S VIEW

Joseph Langan President Trump’s budget proposal is set for some major shake ups. First on Trump’s cutting board are education and health care, making America great by hiking up the cost of living for the working class.

Subsidized Student Loans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness are among the first programs to be axed. If subsidized loans are eliminated, the cost of college will rise considerably due to increased interest costs. Public Service Loan Forgiveness made public servants and nonprofit employees who made payments on time for ten years eligible for loan forgiveness.

Making college more expensive and harder to benefit from is the opposite direction we need to be going. There are more than two dozen countries that offer tuition-free education, and many more that have extremely cheap universities. We live in the richest nation in the world; continuing to deprive citizens of their right to quality education is a global embarrassment and a national tragedy.

We should be asking for free college education. If Trump can push a 10 percent increase in our bloated military budget with bipartisan approval, we have the cash. The Trump administration is choosing to allocate money to military contractors instead of investing in the American people.

Don’t tell me we don’t have the money for free college education, a standard that is easily met by our allies across the world. The U.S. spends more than the next 10 countries combined on our military.

Cutting our wasteful and bureaucratic military spending by a fairly small fraction could pay for all Americans to attend college.

The White House budget calls for tax-deductible contributions to health savings accounts for Medicare beneficiaries, a provision the IRS is currently against. This is like putting a bandaid on a shotgun wound.

Instead of focusing on tax-deductible savings accounts, we need to be conversing about getting all Americans insured and drastically lowering health care costs. There are almost 30 million Americans with no form of health insurance at all, and there are tens of millions more who are significantly underinsured. Even Americans with full coverage

are slapped with hefty premiums and many are saddled with inescapable debt. We should be moving toward a universal Medicare For All system where everyone is insured and everyone’s health care costs decrease considerably.

The U.S. is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not have a universal health care system.

Yet, we spend substantially more -- around 90 percent more -- on health care than other developed countries. Despite this, we house some of the sickest people in the industrialized world. Over ⅓ of American children are overweight or obese, a figure that has tripled since 1970. Mental health conditions are getting worse. Even with severe depression, 76 percent of youth are left with no or insufficient treatment.

Trump’s budget punishes Americans who want to better themselves with education and moves the chairs around on the sinking ship that is our health care system. We need to be pushing for free college and free universal health care. If our allies can afford it, why can’t we?

‘‘

We need to be pushing for free college and free universal health care.”

– Joseph Langan

SUBMISSIONS: The Stater hopes to encourage lively debate about the issues of the day on the Opinion Page. Opinions on this page are the authors’ and not necessarily en­dorsed by the Stater or its editors. Readers are encouraged to participate through letters to the editor (email them to lmisera@kent.edu) and guest columns. Submissions become pro­­perty of the Stater and are subject to editing without notice.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

KentWired.com 9

God’s cradle: Reflecting on Parkland NUMBERS Andrew Atkins San Antonio, Texas was surprisingly cold last week. Cold, though, is relative and I was still able to wear shorts without any discomfort most of the time I was there.

I was sad to leave.

My flight took off at 6:55 a.m. The plane shuddered through the misty morning, hurtling down the runway.

It shook off the water clinging to its skin, and little rivulets of water slid across the window. The drops fell to the ground, but soon the water will evaporate back up into the atmosphere where it will fall down somewhere else. Nobody knows whose lips it will cross, what earth it will water, where it will fall again.

Crossing the threshold of the sky, I couldn’t see anything. Clouds wrapped around us. Us — so many strangers carried on the back of this strange, unthinking, immeasurably powerful creature.

We rose from the clouds alongside the sun. For a moment, I worried. I worried that this great weight in the pit of my stomach would hold us back. Time held its breath for just a moment, and with its exhale the moment was gone.

My mind wandered to my sister, my nieces. My sister has three little girls and a fourth on the way. Saydee is 1, Aubri is 6 and Lilyan is 7.

“Uncle Andrew is crying,” Aubri said.

“Of course I’m crying,” I answered.

“Why are you crying, Uncle Andrew?” Lily asked.

“Because I’m going to miss you.”

I held Saydee for a hug and kissed her little cheeks, the brown curls that spin down the side of her head. I hugged Aubri, kissed her goodbye, told her I loved her. I hugged and kissed Lily, too, great big teardrops falling down on her tiny shoes.

My sister punched my arm.

“Quit it, you’re going to make me cry,” she said.

Saydee cried in her car seat while my mom, my sister and me hugged.

We cried.

My stomach twisted itself into knots watching my sister drive the

truck away. My mom and I lingered in the parking lot for a moment after she was gone. I grasped at the echoes of the space all of them had occupied just seconds before.

My mind swirled with the memories we had made together this past week, reminiscing and healing in each other’s presence.

The worries grow, and I think of those 17 people, those children who didn’t get to come home in Florida.

Will I be able to see my nieces again?

My sister? I blink back the stinging tears, using every bit of my strength to stop the flood of emotions. It doesn’t work.

I look past my mom and out the window. The waves in the clouds brought to mind this feeling that we were held here, in what felt like it could be God’s cradle.

Who rests here, I wonder, in the place between where the sky ends and everything else begins?

Would they be happy with us?

Could we have done more?

Contact Andrew Atkins at aatkins5@kent.edu.

Thoughts and prayers are not enough Kellie Nock Things look bleak.

It is hard to watch newsreel of a school shooting and not think of all the other times you watched newsreels of school shootings. It’s a constant reminder of the great, terrible thing that haunts this country, this constant presence looming over us, the thing we keep looking out over our shoulder for.

This ugly, terrible thing makes itself known to us, then disappears just as quickly, sometimes for months on end, just enough time to let us stop talking about it.

Then it comes again.

And again.

And once more.

We cry out ‘thoughts and prayers’ because of the helplessness that we feel.

People in power use it as a shield: ‘Yes,

I’m thinking about it. No, I won’t do anything about it.’

We can simmer in the anger that we feel toward these people for a little while. Admonish them, their campaigns and their platforms, until you’ve got nothing left to yell about.

After that, it’s time to do more.

Hold them accountable. These are the people who value their relationships with interest groups more than they value the safety of innocent children.

Children who will never go home to work on homework, who will never go to soccer practice again, who will never get to see graduation.

The people in power who stay (e) motionless are not hidden. Nor are they ashamed of their espousal to their interest groups, with some of them receiving millions of dollars across

their entire career. Here, the New York Times, lays it out very clearly.

It is rational to be angry, but it is smarter to turn that anger into something productive. Students are planning rallies and walkouts as a way to show people that they want their voices to be heard. After all, they are the ones with the most at stake — not the interest groups, not the politicians.

School shouldn’t be a place of fear, not for anyone.

So, consider the students first. The innocents that lawmakers paw around in their ‘thoughts & prayers.’ Consider their voices, their thoughts, their calls to action.

It can’t be ‘thoughts and prayers’ anymore. It has to be more.

Contac Kellie Nock at knock1@kent.edu.

TO KNOW:

6883 Days since Columbine High School shooting

18 years ago, one of the deadliest mass shootings took place in U.S. history.

Two high school students killed 15 and injured another 24.

200 People killed in school shootings since Columbine

More than 200 people have died in school shootings since Columbine. No effective gun control regulations have been passed.

Cheers&Jeers Cheers to ... seal rehabilitation. A British seal that was injured after getting its neck stuck in a frisbee was finally released after months of rehabilitation.

Jeers to ... airplane vents. A woman went viral after she was seen using the airplane’s overhead vents to dry her underwear. The flight was headed to Moscow.

10 The Kent Stater

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Flu season still progresses

‘‘

Anu Sharma Health Reporter

When you work with kids, if you have a fever or a sore throat within 24 hours, you can’t go into work.”

– Jessica Zink Senior human development and family studies major

With weeks still left in flu season, a family medicine doctor in Kent, says it’s never too late to get a flu shot.

As the numbers rise, Jennifer D’Abreau said there are 72 confirmed diagnoses of the flu on campus. The flu clinic continues to offer flu shots on Thursday's 3-5 p.m.

D’Abreau hopes the flu clinic gives out all of the remaining flu shots by spring break. She also said it was possible to receive both strains of the flu either at different times, or even at the same time. There have been two reports of individuals who have gotten both strains of the flu.

D’Abreau suggests for those who are allergic to eggs or have Guillain Barre Syndrome to not get the flu shot because of complications. The flu shot has a weak, but live virus.

Guillain Barré Syndrome is a disorder where the immune system

‘‘

attacks the nerves.

Victoria Cohen, a junior fashion design major, currently suffers from the flu. She had a fever of 102 and was diagnosed with the flu on Monday, Feb., 12. Cohen said she has not gotten the flu shot, but will consider getting it for next flu season.

She was prescribed Tamiflu for treatment. Like other students, the flu interfered with her academics, as she missed classes due to a high fever. It also prohibited her from attending a Supplemental Instruction session.

Cohen said she used basic hygiene to prevent herself from getting the flu, such as washing her hands more frequently, and disinfecting everything. She also felt drained from the sickness.

“Having the flu is very exhausting. I felt very tired and weak and it’s been very difficult to be productive,” said Cohen.

Jessica Zink, a senior human development and family studies major, works as a teaching assistant

at the Child Development Center.

Zink said she got the flu three weeks ago, despite practicing basic hygiene.

She said she never got the flu shot, but this is the first time she's had the flu since she was a child.

Zink has no plans of getting the flu shot in the future. She said she experienced fever and heat flashes.

For medications she took Tylenol and Sudafed over the counter.

Zink said the flu also interfered with her academics.

“I had to skip class which lost me attendance points," Zink said.

"I was pretty ahead in all my homework, and then because I didn’t do anything for that week, I’m still catching up.”

Zink said she had to take off a week from work.

“When you work with kids, if you have a fever or a sore throat within 24 hours you can’t go into work.”

Contact Anu Sharma at asharm16@kent.edu.

Having the flu is very exhausting.

I felt very tired and weak, and it’s been very difficult to be productive.”

– Victoria Cohen Junior fashion design major

Thursday, February 22, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS Legendary BBQ Pork Every Thursday!

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For Over 35 YEARS! Delivery After 2:00 Franklin Square Deli Sandwiches Made RIGHT!

A&W Restaurants Opening soon!

Now taking applications for: -Car Hops -Fountain Help -Assistant Fry Cooks Apply in person only, 1-5 p.m.

Mon-Fri. 1124 West Main St. Kent, Ohio 769 E. Main St. Ravenna, Ohio

All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin, or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.”

State and local laws forbid discrimination based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

If you feel you have been wrongfully denied housing or discriminated against, call the FHAA at 330-253-2450 for more information.

Leasing for fall 2018 REMODELED 2,3,4,&5 bedrooms with 2-3 full baths.

High quality and close to KSU. Starting $385/mo. 330-5527032 Houses for spring semester and 2018-2019 school year. 2 & 3 bedrooms.

330-547-1212

Leasing for fall 2018 Spacious 2,3,4,&5 bedrooms with 2-3 full baths. Great condition, A/C, washer/dryer, dishwasher, deck, garage. Starting at $350 a room. 330-808-4045 6 Bedroom 3 Bath North Lincoln 1 Block from Campus Neat and Clean $350 per month per person plus utilities.

Please call Nancy at (330) 472-0501.

AVAILABLE NOW. Short term leases and leases in August available. Close to campus. 2 and 3 bedrooms, details for special move-in. Landlord pays heat, water and trash. Good parking, central air. 330-6769440.

Kent 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. Air, appliances, carpet, heat and water paid.

No pets or Section 8. $660 and $810. Short term available.

330-677-5577 Apply Now For ‘18-’19 Large 1, 2, 3, & 4 BR Close to campus Call to schedule tour 330-678-3047 www.buckeyeparksmgmt.com 2 BR House for Rent 2018-2019 School Year Close to campus Call to set up tour 330-678-3047 Large 1 BR for Rent 2018-19 School Year Call to set up tour 330-678-3047 3 BR House for Rent 2018-19 School Year Call to set up tour 330-678-3047 Large 4 BR for Rent 2018-19 School Year Call to set up tour 330-678-3047 Pinewood Apts. Kent Studio & 1 BR Apts.

1st Month’s Rent Free -Single Story -Private Entrance -Off Street Parking -Convenient Location -Pet Friendly Call Dolores Today 330-673-2403

5 Bdr House for students available July/August 2018.

Call for details 330-592-1848.

Apply Now for ‘18-’19 Large 1 BR Quiet House Call Today to Schedule Tour 330-678-3047 Apply Now For ‘18-’19 Large 2 BR Duplex Call Today to Schedule Tour 330-678-3047 Apply Now For ‘18-’19 Quiet House Call Today to Schedule Tour 330-678-3047

Leasing for fall 2018 REMODELED 2,3,4,&5 bedrooms with 2-3 full baths.

High quality and close to KSU. Starting $385/mo. 330-5527032

SQUIRREL TALES

Fall 3 Bedroom, 534 South Depeyster. $400/month plus utilities. washer, dryer, and central air. 330-903-0987 For rent, 4-5 bedroom town homes for Fall 2018. Newly Remodeled, 2.5 baths, washer, dryer and dishwasher included.

Sign early get a free months rent. Please call 330-685-9622 or text 330-770-2197 for more details.

Kent:Large 2 bedroom.

Freshly painted walls and new carpeting. REDUCED$650/ month. Heat, water and trash included.330-472-9671.

Kent Apartments The places to stay on your way to success Studios, efficiencies, 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms Check us out at our website www.kentapartments.com Call us @ 1-888-999-1596 Nice rooms available for Fall 1 block from campus on South Willow Street. Nonsmoking house. 12 month lease. No pets.

Free parking. $505.00/month includes all utilities and wireless internet. Chris Myers (330)678-6984 4 bedroom 2 bath, Neat and Clean $270 per month per person plus utilities.

Parking available one half block from Mcgilvrey Call Nancy at (330)-472-0501 7 bedroom houses, great location - 1 block from campus, large bedrooms, off street parking, big front porch, washer, dryer. $345/mo., owner pays partial util. Must have a group of 7. Call or text 330-6072569 KSU 4 bedroom leasing for fall, on site parking, washer-dryer, please call 330-221-0460 for inquires Leasing for Fall. Beautiful, newly redecorated 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom duplexes with attached garage. One block from KSU. $400 per student.

330-687-6122.

HOW TO ADVERTISE For information about placing a Display ad please call our offices at 330-672-2586 or visit us at 205 Franklin Hall, Kent State University. Our office hours are from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Classified ads can be placed by fax at (330) 672-4880, over the phone at (330) 672-2586 or by e-mail at ads@ksustudentmedia.com. If you fax or e-mail an ad, please be sure to include run dates, payment info and a way for us to contact you.

REBUS

KentWired.com 11

MIND YOUR STEP.

Limited spaces remaining for Fall 2018.

Apply today!

KEEP YOUR HEAD OUT

OF THE CLOUDS,

UNIVERSITYEDGEKENT.COM See office for details.

AND YOUR FEET

ON THE GROUND!

WE WANT YOU TO FEEL YOUR BEST. DON’T BE ONE OF THE 73 VICTIMS OF SLIP, TRIP AND FALL INJURIES THIS WINTER SEASON. · Wear proper footwear in inclement weather. · Report unsafe conditions so they can be addressed. · Phone: 330-672-4347 · Email: compliance@kent.edu

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