The Lantern – Jan. 6, 2020

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TUESDAY

STORY ARCHIVE

THURSDAY

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

OHAYOCON

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Ohio State celebrates 150 years through interactive website.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

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Buckeyes look to steady ship against Maryland Tuesday.

Anime convention returns to Columbus with something for everyone.

FOOTBALL

THE LANTERN thelantern.com

@TheLantern

@thelanternosu

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Ohio State’s highs and lows of the decade.

The student voice of the Ohio State University

Year 140, Issue No. 1

Office of Institutional Equity continues development SAM RAUDINS Campus Editor raudins.3@osu.edu When the Ohio State Sexual and Civility Empowerment unit — a center for survivors of sexual violence — closed in June 2018, students told The Lantern they did not know where to turn. But in August 2018, the university announced a centralized reporting center designed to streamline the reporting experience to be called the Office of Institutional Equity. As it embarks on its second semester, the Office of Institutional Equity — Ohio State’s new office that handles all forms of harassment and misconduct — spent the fall building up its resources. The office now is aiming to develop more robust programming and increase awareness about the office, Katherine Lasher, associate vice president of OIE, said. The office’s creation was announced Aug. 21, 2018, and was previously described to The Lantern as a centralized reporting center that seeks to connect resources for sexual assault survivors who desire help on and

off campus, as well as handle all forms of discrimination and harassment, including that of race, ethnicity and disability. Lasher took on her leadership role in the office Aug. 1.

“I’d like ultimately for us to have a clear place where you can go and then learn about the options you have available and to take advantage of those in the way that you wish.” MICHAEL V. DRAKE University President

OIE comes after the closure of SCE, where four employees were fired after an external review determined that the unit did not comply with requirements to document and report sexual assault complaints, according to a university press release. An audit lat-

er found that SCE failed to report 57 felonies after its establishment in 2015. University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email that prior to OIE, “reports went to a number of different offices.” Lasher said the last few months have consisted of building up the intake of harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct reports. “How that works is if we have a concern of harassment, discrimination or sexual misconduct, there’s now one pathway at the university, and that’s for all faculty, students, staff members,” Lasher said. “You can file a report by calling our office or you can report online through a form.” From there, intake coordinators review the information submitted and reach out to individuals regarding next steps, which might include providing resources, Lasher said. Next, if the person who filed the report wants an investigation or if the office determines an investigation is warranted, the case will be turned over to the office’s investigators. Lasher said the one-path model

COURTESY OF OHIO STATE NEWS

Katherine Lasher has served as the associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity since Aug. 1, 2019.

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Campaign season kickoff: Getting on USG ballot OWEN CONN Senior Lantern reporter conn.131@osu.edu

OWEN CONN | SENIOR LANTERN REPORTER

Undergraduate Student Government election campaigns are approaching with several criteria candidates have to meet.

January marks not only the beginning of classes, but the kickoff of campaign season for Ohio State’s Undergraduate Student Government. USG elections are coming up in early March, and Chief Justice Namrata Pujara explained just what it takes to be on the ballot. Before anyone can run, there are requirements such as sessions and petitions that need to be completed, Pujara, a fourth-year in political science and economics, said. During the campaign season, students can run as a president and vice president team, senator or a “slate” — a team composed of the prospective president, vice president and senators. “Slates are pretty common,” Pujara said. “Running as a slate can be really beneficial in the sense that your candidates now have a lot more resources.” All USG hopefuls must attend at least one information session to be eligible to run. The sessions are held in the first two weeks of January as the semester begins, Pujara said.

According to USG’s website, each candidate must present a petition to the USG judicial panel by Jan. 31. Candidates running as a president and vice president team must return the petition with 500 signatures, and those running for a senator position need 50.

“Running as a slate can be really beneficial in the sense that your candidates now have a lot more resources.” NAMRATA PUJARA USG Chief Justice

However, getting on the ballot is not the only way to get elected. According to USG’s website, write-in votes may be cast for registered Ohio State students as long as the name of the candidate is spelled correctly in “first name, last name” format. Campaign trail spending is limited to a maximum of $100 for senate campaigns, $1,250 USG CONTINUES ON 2


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