Jan. 13, 2022 — Spring Back to School

THE LANTERN

SPRING BACK TO SCHOOL

Faculty concerned over potential end of iPads for incoming first-year students, university yet to formally announce plans COURTESY OF GRACE BUCHHOLZ, OCIO

The Digital Flagship program, a collaboration between Apple and Ohio State and originally announced in 2017, is rumored to be ending, and many are expressing their concerns over the impact of its loss.

BELLA CZAJKOWSKI Editor in Chief czajkowski.8@osu.edu DANNY FOGARTY Assistant Campus Editor fogarty.69@osu.edu JESSICA OROZCO Campus Editor orozco.55@osu.edu The future of university-issued iPads appears to be in doubt, and while Ohio State will not comment on rumors

that the Digital Flagship program will end, department chairs and faculty are expressing their concerns and making plans for the impact of its loss.

The program, which is a collaboration between Apple and Ohio State, was originally announced in 2017. It provided technology kits, including an iPad, case, keyboard, Apple pencil and Apple Care to every incoming freshman student beginning with the 2018-19 class.

With iPads currently in the hands of thousands of students, they’re most often used to monitor emails, complete classwork and check Carmen, the online

portal for class materials and grades.

While it’s unclear why the university would discontinue the program, a 2020 Student Life survey found that 96 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed that the tablets “were useful for academic purposes.”

Documents obtained and interviews conducted by The Lantern reveal department chairs’ concerns about instruction in the absence of the technology as many courses were adapted for the iPads.

Claudia Turro, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said her department prepared a document outlining

the impact the discontinuation of iPads would have on instruction.

The document, entitled “Impact of discontinuation of the digital flagship project on instruction in Chemistry and Biochemistry,” stated the department is concerned that losing the Digital Flagship program would lead to issues as it is nearly impossible for professors to return to paper-based instruction.

“It is all but impossible for us to go back to the past paper-based environment at this point, because we have entirely changed our structures and staffing DIGITAL FLAGSHIP CONTINUES ON 2

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to reflect this new and modern approach to education,” the document stated.

The document, written by Jane Jackman, vice chair of the department, stated professors routinely saw students working with older, less functional devices before Digital Flagship came along.

If Digital Flagship is discontinued, the department is worried it may affect lowincome students, the document stated.

“We are concerned about the disproportionate impact on students who already face financial barriers to success at Ohio State,” the document stated.

Michael Poirier, chair of the Department of Physics, said he was uncertain if the program was truly being discontinued but had heard it was a strong possibility.

Poirier said like the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Department of Physics uses the iPads in large classes for exams and quizzes, rather than paper.

“It’s really frustrating because we really tried to embrace this program and use it as a way to innovate and do things,” Poirier said.

University spokesperson Ben Johnson

said in a statement the university is considering changes to the program and will share more at a later date.

“Ohio State is considering modifications to the Digital Flagship program and will share more information in the coming weeks,” Johnson said.

Mary Anne Beecher, chair of the Department of Design, said in an email the iPads provided by the program are used “prolifically” in many courses for sketching and for students to work collaboratively.

“We’ve found that they explore design ideas more quickly in a digital space,”

Staying safe during winter travel

Beecher said. “It is very helpful for students to have access to common technology and to use the same software.”

Beecher said the Department of Design is working with the College of Arts and Sciences to provide design students iPads even if the Digital Flagship program ends.

Ohio State gained national attention and acclaim when it announced the Digital Flagship program in 2017, as it was the first program of its kind.

DANNY FOGARTY Assistant Campus Editor fogarty.69@osu.edu As temperatures drop in Columbus, staying safe and warm during the winter can be a challenge for many Ohio State students.

Luckily, there are many ways students can prepare themselves for the wintry conditions.

Plan and prepare before traveling For students, one of the most important aspects of travel occurs before leaving for class.

Nicole Holman, spokesperson for the Office of Administration and Planning, said all students should dress for wintry conditions, allot extra time for travel and be careful when moving between classes.

The Department of Public Safety recommends that students wear appropriate footwear and walk slowly to classes to avoid slipping. It is also important that students plan out their route in advance and look out for declining weather conditions.

MUYAO SHEN | LANTERN FILE PHOTO

Whether they are going to class, traveling off campus or planning to leave the house, students should prepare for the weather by wearing appropriate clothing and leaving extra time for safe travel to their destination.

Use different modes of transportation On days when winter weather makes walking to class a challenge, Holman said students should consider alternative methods of transportation.

Holman said the Campus Area Bus Service is a good way for students to travel around campus during the winter.

“We recommend that riders download the Ohio State app to track the buses in real time so that they can plan their travel accordingly,” Holman said.

Holman said in addition to the regular, scheduled bus routes, CABS On-Demand gives students the ability to WINTER TRAVEL CONTINUES ON 3

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schedule a shuttle to pick them up from the RPAC, Baker Systems and Watts Hall during the day and any campus building overnight.

If students need to travel off campus, they can ride COTA buses throughout Columbus, Holman said. Students may swipe their BuckID to ride COTA buses at no additional cost.

If conditions become so harsh as to stop campus transportation services, Holman said the university will notify students.

“Service levels may be adjusted depending on the severity of the weather and any changes are shared with riders in advance,” Holman said.

Resources for students with disabilities Ohio State offers many resources for students with disabilities to stay safe when traveling during the winter, a time when sidewalks might be slippery or covered in snow. Tara Rhea, deputy Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, said in an email the ADA will try to ensure these pathways are cleared during the winter.

“There are over 130 miles of campus sidewalks that take at least 6 hours to clear,” Rhea said. “The University prioritizes accessible pathways and ramps when removing snow and ice.”

Rhea said students can request

for specific sidewalks to be cleared by calling Service2Facilities.

If snow or cold becomes too severe, Rhea said students with disabilities can use CABS or CABS On Demand, or request one of the university’s paratransit shuttles.

When planning to drive, be ready and be careful Driving to and from campus can be a much bigger challenge during the winter, but for commuters and many off-campus students, it is the only option.

The Department of Public Safety recommends students keep their windows and lights cleared of snow. It also instructs people to

allow additional distance between the vehicle in front of you when driving.

Having an emergency kit in the car is another way to stay safe.

The Ohio Committee For Severe Weather Awareness recommends blankets, first aid kits, a snow brush, extra clothing, a radio, a flashlight, a cell phone charger and various other materials to fill an emergency kit.

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Wexner Center for the Arts prepares for new events and exhibitions TESS WELLS Arts & Life Editor wells.1442@osu.edu This spring semester, the Wexner Center for the Arts will provide community members with events inspired by a prominent jazz artist, Princess Leia and even its own history.

Despite reducing capacity in its Film/Video Theater to 75 percent and live-performance capacities to 50 percent, the Wexner Center has a busy lineup prepared for the next several months, barring pandemic-related changes, Melissa Starker, spokesperson for the center, said. Students can look forward to various happenings, including a film series with a special sound and a book reading in January, preceding a February exhibition showcasing work that has not seen the light of day in 30 years.

Kicking things off for the spring semester is the film series “Soundtrack by Herbie Hancock,” which will pay homage to a jazz

legend. The series, which will consist of eight films and run from Friday through Jan. 29, will showcase Hancock’s awardwinning soundtracks in films such as “Harlem Nights” and “ ‘Round Midnight.”

“Aside from really great music, it’s a really diverse lineup,” Starker said. “It’s everything from, you know, one of the greatest films ever made about jazz to ‘Death Wish’ — the 1970s action exploitation film that started like this whole revenge genre.”

Not only does the center cater largely to student audiences, but it works hand-in-hand with them as well. A new collaborative effort between the Wexner Center and the student organization Cinéseries has led to the formation of a new monthly program, taking place this month Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Film/Video Theater.

“This month, we’re doing a series called ‘Breakaway Shorts,’ which is five really cool, boundary-pushing shorts that

they have curated,” Starker said.

“This is a new partnership that we’re pretty excited about.”

Ohio State professor Linda Mizejewski will also grace the Film/Video Theater, catering to “Star Wars” fans with a reading from her book “Our Blessed Rebel Queen: Essays on Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia” Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. A book signing and screening of the documentary “Looking for Leia” will follow the reading.

February and Valentine’s Day tend to go hand-in-hand, and the Wexner Center will be practicing self-love next month in the form of a new exhibition, “To Begin, Again: A Prehistory of the Wex, 1968–89,” which will be on view Feb. 5 through May 8. The exhibition will showcase work from artists such as Eva Hesse and Frank Stella and will be a way of recognizing the arts at Ohio State from 1968 onward, before the formation of the Wexner Center in 1989, Starker said.

“There is a contemporary art

collection at Ohio State that the Wex has stewarded for 30 years, but a lot of that work has not seen the light of day in that time,” Starker said. “It all is connected to this really interesting period of time in which contemporary art became a new focus at Ohio State.”

Kelly Kivland, chief curator and director of exhibitions for the center, said the show will focus heavily on the University Gallery of Fine Art, which was created in the ‘70s. Kivland said the gallery came about in part because other Big Ten institutions had independent art museums on their campuses and Ohio State did not, but also because of on-campus protests and resulting artwork of the time.

“There were these significant protests that happened here on campus that really brought the university to a standstill in April and May of ’70,” Kivland said.

“That was really very much a part of, I would say, the greater ethos to create change on campus and

to really give attention to shaping culture and countercultures.”

In addition to showcasing work from Ohio State students, faculty and staff who were interested in making change through art at the time, Kivland said the gallery faced several heavy topics headon. It hosted several exhibitions in the 1980s that will be shown in the February exhibition and pertained to issues such as the AIDS epidemic and sexual violence.

“This particular exhibition is relevant now as an institution that’s really looking back at and giving attention to what it means to be part of an academic institution,” Kivland said. “Really looking at that foundation of the students and activists that were on campus and how they really pushed for and shaped and inspired so much of the arts.”

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Comforting atmosphere makes Thompson Library a campus treasure CHLOE MCGOWAN | ASST. ARTS & LIFE EDITOR

and Berry Cafe.

CHLOE MCGOWAN Assistant Arts & Life Editor mcgowan.184@osu.edu In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Thompson Library provides a place of comfort for Ohio State students.

Home to 1.25 million volumes, according to the library circulation desk, as well as 11 floors, glass staircases, private study rooms, art installations and Berry Cafe, it’s no wonder many students frequent Thompson, voted best library by readers of The Lantern in 2021, each day. However, the overall welcoming and calming atmosphere of the library is what continues to draw students in, making it their desired study space, Kylie Smith, a third-year in marketing, said.

“I think that Thompson’s kind of the heart of campus, the top of the Oval,” Smith said. “I think that there’s a lot of traffic in and out. There’s always tours going around, and all the art and displays are back up, so

there’s a lot of educational, little tidbits all around the library, which is, I think, a cool part for us as students to get to see and be surrounded in that atmosphere.”

Smith, who works at the circulation desk in Thompson, said she’s been working there for a little over a year, following in the footsteps of her parents who also worked in the library when they attended Ohio State.

“I fell in love with this building, and I was like, ‘I have to go here, like, I can see myself sitting here,’ ” Smith said. “I just grew up liking it, and then I got a job here because of that.”

Smith said she started working in the library during the height of the pandemic when there were not many students on campus or studying in the library. She said the atmosphere of the library, now that campus has opened back up, is completely different.

“This year I feel like I’m re-falling in love with being just in, like, the commotion,” Smith said. “Something’s

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always happening.”

Adriana Rodriguez, a fourth-year in accounting, said she visits Thompson three to four times a week because she and her friends like to study on either the second or third floor, and the library is conveniently located between her classes.

“I’ve never really been in a library that big, and I think just the amount of areas to study with how big OSU is, I mean, you’re always able to find a table, even when it’s at its busiest,” Rodriguez said.

Thompson has many options for students to study, whether it’s at tables, in one of the reading rooms or the private and group study rooms, which Rodriguez said gives students even more access to study or work on a group project without having to meet off-campus or in a dorm room.

Rob Menon, a fourth-year in psychology, also works at Thompson and said the relaxing environment was one of the reasons he chose to work there over the other libraries on campus.

Menon, who works at the reference desk, said he’s usually busy helping other students with printers, finding a specific book or article or answering questions.

However, when he does get some free time to read or study, he said the Grand Reading Room is his ideal spot.

“It’s just a great building,” Menon said.

“It’s just nice, comfortable, a lot of nice lights and stuff, so it’s a great atmosphere here.”

One of the things that makes Thompson special besides all of the unique features and art installations is the students’ friendliness and willingness to help, Smith said.

“There’s always students who are either, you know, having trouble printing or don’t have their BuckID, so people help each other out,” Smith said. “Also with like, if they need the same book, they tag team and figure it out, which is cool. It’s just a nice, productive environment to be in.”

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No. 16 Ohio State, No. 13 Wisconsin meet in ranked rematch JACK EMERSON

GABE HAFERMAN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

The Buckeyes celebrate their win after the Ohio State-Northwestern game Sunday. Ohio State won 95-87.

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No. 2 Ohio State at St. Cloud series canceled KATY POPOVITCH

GABE HAFERMAN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

2022 Ohio State football schedule impacted by Big Ten

MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR

JACK EMERSON

CASEY SMITH

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SPORTS

Buckeyes travel to Wisconsin in search of season sweep

Conditioning, COVID-19 protocols at forefront of Buckeyes’ return

MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR

JACOB BENGE