A home away from home
Students mingle and chat with Johana Coronado, program coordinator for the Latine Student Success Center, in the weeks leading up to the center’s closure.
e impact of losing Ohio State’s Latine Student Success Center
By Sandra Fu
Photo Editor
Tucked away in Room 200 of Hale Hall, the Latine Student Success Center serves as a refuge for many Ohio State community members.
music and lively conversation as students relax on the couches. On others, it’s a calm sanctuary where students of several Latin American nations.
But soon, the space will fall silent, as the center prepares for its inevitable fate.
The Latine Student Success Center will close at the end of the semester after just three years of operation, university spokesperson Ben Johnson of Ohio State President Ted Carter Jr.’s Feb. 27 announcement rolling back several diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus. Among thesety and Inclusion — which housed the Latine Student Success Center — and the Center for Belonging and Social Change, both of which will also shut down at the semester’s end.
Though Johana Coronado, the center’s program coordinator and a second-year graduate student in education administration, said the center’s closure signals a decrease in institutional support for Latine students, she said it has provided programs and resources supporting community building, leadership development and cultural awareness since Sept. 24, 2021.
she is one of 16 university employees whose positions will be dissolved by the end of the semester due to the clos-
LATINE continues on Pages 2-3
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Actors Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard discuss directorial debut “Hell of a Summer,” and The Lantern’s resident
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LOGAN HITTLE
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CAMPUS
Some of the center’s key initiatives, including the Latine Student Success programs like Avanzando Through College, provided students with support in navigating both academic and personal challenges, Coronado said. culture.
Kevin Cazarez Lopez, a third-year in environment, economy, development and sustainability, said he didn’t know what the climate at Ohio State would be like before he arrived in 2022.
-
ing anything, but I grew up in a diverse community with lots of Latinos, so I guess in my head [I] was like, ‘Oh, there’s bound to be some over there,’” Cazarez Lopez said.
After receiving the Morrill Scholarship, Cazarez Lopez said his appliArrival Program was deferred to the campus before classes started.
an early move-in opportunity, campus tours, mentorship services and introto students, also providing a mix of group activities and social events fea-
“It’s honestly just the time to make friends,” Cazarez Lopez said. “I’ve made a lot of my closest friends that
lot of the people that I see around campus are our mentors.”
Cazarez Lopez said he credits thenado and the broader Ohio State Latine community.
“And from that moment forward, it was a very open and welcoming community,” Cazarez Lopez said. “I felt very comfortable to be around the people there.”
Juli Pinzon Garzon, a third-year
Cazarez Lopez. Prior to attending Ohio State, she said she felt out of place, having only met one other Colombian peer in high school.
Pinzon Garzon said she felt seen after meeting other Colombians while the cohort participated in an activity about their cultural identities.
“Not only am I understood, but these people are going through the same things,” Pinzon Garzon said. “It’s unmatched.”
Since Room 200 opened its doors, the LSS Center has been a place where students like Pinzon Garzon said they can feel at ease in an unfamiliar environment.
“I kept coming back because that was my comfort spot,” Pinzon Garzon said. “I didn’t feel comfortable in my dorm.”
Pinzon Garzon joined Avanzando Through College, a program that offers college-readiness curriculum for
students through a partnership with
rights organization, Coronado said.
Initially drawn in by the promise of a trip to Chicago, Pinzon Garzon said she ended up forming close friendships and realizing the importance of networking during her time with the program.
“In retrospect, that’s one of the
biggest things that LSS has provided for me, is that network [of friends],” Pinzon Garzon said.
For Cazarez Lopez, the LSS Center has not just served as a second home — it has also served as a pillar for personal growth.
“It’s been everything to me because kind of empowered to just keep being myself and keep putting myself in spaces that make me uncomfortable and spaces that I can bring my perspective into,” Cazarez Lopez said.
Beyond fostering academic success, the LSS Center likewise encouraged cultural expression, Cazarez Lopez said.
With support from his fraternity, Alpha Psi Lambda, Cazarez Lopez said he was able to build an ofrenda — or
Muertos, a Mexican holiday that honors the deceased.
Alpha Psi Lambda is a co-ed fraternity geared toward Latine students that promotes “cultural awareness, cultural identity and cross-cultural understanding,” according to its website.
Cazarez Lopez said he began to build the ofrenda with his fraternity and other community members in 2023, displaying pictures of loved ones on the altar and taking moments to share stories and show respect for those who have died.
“It was very healing, to be able to do that,” Cazarez Lopez said.
Cazarez Lopez said he expressed a desire to the center’s employees and his fraternity to open up celebrations
campus community in 2024. Complete with snacks, music, crafts and activities, the Mexican Student Association and Alpha Psi Lambda held a joint event commemorating the holiday in the LSS Center from Oct. 15, 2024, to Nov. 15, 2024.
“It was very impactful, just being
Johana Coronado, program coordinator for the Latine Student Success Center, poses at her desk in Room 200 at Hale Hall.
LATINE continued from Page 1
so far away from my family and being able to bring a piece of them onto this campus,” Cazarez Lopez said. “At that time, it felt like I was building a permanent space for them here, just because it was physically in the center, and it was something that we all really cared about.”
Cazarez Lopez said Alpha Psi Lambda appealed to him through its meaningful work on campus and beyond, noting its focus on advocacy, community service, cultural awareness and diversity.
Founded in 1985, Alpha Psi Lambda was established at Ohio State with the help of Josué Cruz Jr., then-assistant
website. Today, the national co-ed Latine organization has 50 chapters, encompassing over 4,000 students, according to its website.
“Coming in as a member, I felt a lot of pressure,” Cazarez Lopez said. “I was like, ‘How do I uphold this whole legacy, all these values and this amazing organization?’”
Now, as incoming president, Cazarez Lopez said he will have to face the the LSS Center next year.
dissolved now, I have to reshift my focus to saving what can be saved and trying to save that community that I care about,” Cazarez Lopez said.
With the loss of the LSS Center, students will also be losing Johana Coronado, the center’s program coordinator, as a resource.
After Coronado graduated with a on education policy and literacy from Ohio State in 2021, she interned with School, studied education in Brazil andprogram administrator, supporting managing feedback from the state board of education for seven months, before returning to Ohio State as the LSS Center’s program coordinator in May 2021.
Coronado said she took the position to reconnect with and give back to her
community, seeing it as a chance to engage more with students and help them tackle academic challenges.
“I saw it as an opportunity to bring on additional perspectives and really give back to the community that helped me grow as a person so much,” Coronado said.
However, Coronado’s homecoming to Ohio State wasn’t smooth sailing, she said.
university, Coronado said she felt she wasn’t maximizing the Avanzando Through College program’s potential, as she believed the students weren’t
trip to Chicago, Coronado realized the students deeply valued the experience and had formed meaningful bonds.
Coronado said she decided to gather input from students to improve the based on what worked and what didn’t.
“Those two experiences really helped me understand that it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Coronado said. “You just have to be present.”
This collaborative mindset has continued to help shape Coronado into the mentor she is now, she said.
“Knowing that I’m properly representing the students and serving them by asking them what they want is a way for me to know that, OK, they’re here, they’re committed,” Coronado said. “I’m committed to them, they’re engaged, and their feedback helps inform what to do better or what not to do.”
Coronado is also the faculty advisor for Ohio State’s Sigma Lambda Gamma chapter — a multicultural sorority focused on women empowerment — said Sahiba Salmon-Rekhi, a thirdyear in sociology and SLG member.
Coronado will maintain the position as she completes her graduate education at the university.
Salmon-Rekhi said Coronado has become one of the most important people in her life.
“From being my mentor to being my friend, and wearing both hats, and just helping me with my resume, helpingnecting me with people, helping me with presenting myself to employers and working on my personal brand, I guess you could say she has just re -
ally, honestly helped to mold me into the woman I am today,” Salmon-Rekhi said. “She has done so much for me in a professional setting, as well as in a personal setting, to the point where I could never pay her back for everything that she’s got coming.”
Knowing the center will soon close, Salmon-Rekhi said she is left with “a big hole in [her] heart.”
“There’s going to be a big part of my safe spot on campus that is missing, and I don’t really know what I’m gonna do next year,” Salmon-Rekhi said.
For many students, Pinzon Garzon said the center is not just a physical space that’s disappearing — it’s a place where they found belonging, support and community. But the closure has also left some feeling a sense of disloyalty when it comes to the university’s administration.
“I literally feel like it’s betrayal in its highest form,” Pinzon Garzon said.
Cazarez Lopez said he originally wanted to stay at Ohio State to pursue a graduate degree after completing his undergraduate track. However, following the shutdown of the center, this sentiment has changed.
“I don’t want to say this, but in a
be recognized, and there are universities and institutions out there who will gladly accept me with open arms, and who have programs to support me and to support my success,” Cazarez Lopez said. “So, why would I stay at a university that is doing the opposite?”
Though Cazarez Lopez said he is frustrated by feeling a lack of university support, he acknowledged that his connection to the campus community remains a source of strength.
“I think the only reason I’m not completely crashing out right now is because my coordinator, Johana Coro -
nado, has kept telling us, ‘They can take away your physical spaces, they can take away the institutions that support you, but they can’t take away the community,’” Cazarez Lopez said.
Cazarez Lopez said while he wants the Latine community at Ohio State to grow, he feels like he cannot recommend Ohio State to prospective Latine students because “clearly, the administration doesn’t want [Latine students] to have a community.”backs, Coronado said she has hope for the future of Latine students at Ohio State.
“We don’t know what’s gonna happen with this physical room, but I know that they are, they’ve always been, the change makers, and they’ve always been part of the decision-making and everything that happens,” Coronado said.
role model, Coronado said she believes they will be able to persevere without her.
“They’re great leaders; they’re great peers; they’re great mentors,” Coronado said.
Ohio State has lent its support to review resumes and cover letters to see what opportunities are available at the university, according to Coronado.
ing their own choices, possibly with support from the institution, possibly elsewhere,” Coronado said.
Coronado said she has yet to de -
students will continue “living in their purpose” and paving the way for future students.
Latine Student Success, but truly, their success is all of our success,” Coronado said. “So, they’re going to continue succeeding; they’re going to continue upholding the center, even if it’s not formally or physically.” Interested in advertising with e Lantern? Visit
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Actors Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk break down directorial debut ‘Hell of a Summer’
By Sebastian Petrou
Lantern Reporter
Though “Stranger Things” star Finn Wolfhard is no stranger to acting, he said directing has been an entirely new challenge for him and his co-director and fellow actor Billy Bryk (“Saturday Night”).
The duo recently teamed up to create “Hell of a Summer,” a slasher-comedy set in a remote summer camp and distributed by the indie powerhouse production company Neon. Though Wolfhard and Bryk also star in the
a virtual roundtable Monday, hosted critics from various universities, Wolfhard and Bryk spoke about the challenges and joys of this process.
Inspiration
bonded over a love of coming-of-age ensemble movies, while also sharing balance the horror and comedy genres.
“Making a horror-comedy sort of felt like a no-brainer because it really felt like a way for us to push the comedy further and try to make a movie that wasn’t a horror movie and then a comedy, that had them both forming and elevating the other,” Bryk said.
In fact, Wolfhard said he and Bryk had both written similar short stories, which eventually merged into the idea for “Hell of a Summer.”
“We both had written comedy slashers before we had met each other,
and it just felt like the perfect place to start as a writing duo,” Wolfhard said.
As for why they were drawn to the summer-camp-slasher microgenre in
it was their shared longing to attend summer camp — something that neither had as children.
ourselves the ability to have a summer camp experience,” Bryk said. “A bigdiences and older generations of this idea that there’s this massive divide between older generations and Gen Z. We wanted to put these younger characters in this very timeless setting. We were sick of reading scripts that felt like older people talking down on younger people.”
Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard in “Hell of a Summer.”
summer camps to no avail, Bryk said he began to look to other options for
Though the pair said having experience in front of the camera made some aspects of directing easier — such as and understanding of actors — transitioning to a directorial role still came with its fair share of challenges.
“We wrote ourselves into a lot of scenes in the movie, so [it’s hard] to transition [out of] being the leader of the set and someone who you want the crew to listen to,” Wolfhard said. “But at the same time, we’re playing idiots in the movie, so it gives people mixed signals.”
Both Wolfhard and Bryk said they originally got into acting because of and they had each paid special attention as actors on previous projects to
“I wanted to act because I had known since I was a kid that I had
on a much smaller scale, and now we’re working on a much bigger scale, but weirdly at its core it’s the same; there’s the same energy at the end of the day.”
“It was an insane process,” Bryk said. “The issue with our production -
the time we got money for production, every summer camp had opened up again, so not only were they packed with kids, but [the camps] were like, ‘You’re an insane person if you think summer. We need the money.’”
With no money for a location scout, Wolfhard said the duty of securing a location fell on his and Bryk’s shoulders.
“Billy had just been spending every single day calling camps,” Wolfhard said.
After multiple months of scouting
Bryk said. “I’m looking at camps that got shut down and abandoned camps that we could maybe rebuild. I was
repainted to maybe look like a summer camp.”
Bryk said it was only when he reverse-image searched a painting of a summer camp and reached out to its
found what would become Camp Pineway.
The joys of working together and Bryk closer together.
“We had a pretty great experience collaborating together on this,” Wolfhard said. “What’s really nice about
‘Hell of a Summer’ is a faithful ode to sleepaway-slasher genre
By Sebastian Petrou Lantern Reporter
Disclaimer: “Hell of a Summer” has not yet been released in theaters, with to begin Friday. The Lantern recentlying, as well as a virtual roundtable interview with lead actors and directors Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard.
Who doesn’t love summer camp?
As one of the staples of American youth, summer camps are often associated with some of the best childhood memories of late nights aroundtime.
However, campers unlucky enough woods with a psycho killer — a surprisingly common narrative in the slashbe sentimental for summers gone by.
This predicament is the case with “Friday the 13th,” “Sleepaway Camp” and now, “Hell of a Summer,” the directorial debut of co-directors Finn Wolfhard (“Stranger Things”) and Billy Bryk (“Saturday Night”).
Wolfhard and Bryk, who both also act in the movie, star as part of a group of teenage camp counselors tasked with running Camp Pineway after their adult supervisors mysteriously disappear.
In particular, the over-eager Jason (Fred Hechinger) — who refuses being several years older than all the other counselors — feels the weight of responsibility fall upon his shoulders. But when various counselors begin getting murdered in increasingly twisted ways, it’s more than even Jason signed up for.
“Hell of a Summer” is a horror-comedy at its core, though its scales are tipped more heavily toward laughs than scares. In particular, Bryk’s character Bobby is the comedic highlight of the movie, a big-headed teenager
desperate to disprove the other counselors’ theories that the killers targeted the more attractive camp members
Hechinger’s Jason has his fair share
archetype — someone who’s just a little too old and a little too big to be acting the way he is.
As for the horror elements, going into the movie expecting any genuine fear-inducing moments would make “Hell of a Summer” feel like a hell of a bummer. There are some decently creative kills early on in the movie, before settling into a lull once the plot really
veal is fairly disappointing and fails to really strike fear in the audience.
And though “Hell of a Summer” is at its strongest when it emphasizes comedy, it feels more like a collection of sketches and bits than a really co -
Hot American Summer,” establishing
the camp
balance this tone with its accompanying horror elements, making the genre switch feel a bit abrupt.
most in the editing room, with some sketches ending without a real punchline and a lack of a soundtrack where one would’ve elevated a scene. This adds to the general choppiness of the story and draws attention to the fact that “Hell of a Summer” is a directorial debut.
But that’s not to take anything away from Wolfhard and Bryk. Though “Hell of a Summer” can be a bit of a mess at times, it still punches just hard enough at its most pivotal moments, making it an overall successful debut for the
In this sense, “Hell of a Summer” can function in a vacuum as a fairly entertaining comedic slasher and a promising directorial audition.
Rating: 3/5
with a youthful, relaxed vibe.
Abby Quinn, Finn Wolfhard, Krista Nazaire and Fred Hechinger in “Hell of a Summer.”
SUMMER continued from Page 4
able to look back at this movie and think about it as an artifact of who we were at this time and our relationship.”
Bryk shared the sentiment,fact of their close bond.
“This is a movie that we started writing at the beginning of our friendship, and this is a movie that’s just now coming out after six years,” Bryk said. “We’ve gotten so much closer throughout the It was, in this weird way, this embodiment of our friendship. This was something that was making us laugh together.”
Bryk said the fact that the two were such close friends also made the movie easier to direct.
Finn Wolfhard in “Hell of a Summer.”
“[There] was something about us to our relationship, and that made it a lot easier to collaborate,” Bryk said. “It always felt like our movie, and we never felt at odds with each other over whose movie it was.”
Wolfhard and Bryk said they could second-guess themselves, admitting that they too experienced frequent
during the editing process.
“Of course you can tinker with something forever, and I think there’s a dangerous side to that, where at some
point, you just have to trust yourself,” Bryk said.
Bryk and Wolfhard said they both value “Hell of a Summer” as a memento of the time in their lives when they
movie to a tattoo he got when he was younger, saying that he’s very proud of
he’d make today.
“I have this tattoo that I’m not really crazy about on my chest, but I want the movie to be a tattoo,” Bryk said. “This tattoo meant a lot to me at that time, and even though I don’t like it now, I can still like it as a symbol of something that I really liked at that would make if I was making this was a story that I wanted to tell.”
Wolfhard said when it
learn to balance his creative instincts with the reality of creating a movie.
“I think what’s really odd
what’s really special about it is that sometimes you’re going with your instincts creatively, but when it comes to you’re going against your instincts,” Wolfhard said. “You have to compart-dence and optimism to make something.”
Wolfhard said his background as an actor didn’t save him from countlesscess, mainly due to the pair’s ages.
of people saying no and rejecting you because that’s just what the process is. The worst that they can say is, ‘No.’” Bryk also had some wisdom to im-as you are, but it has to come from you
worst thing is that you make something that you’re not stoked about, but the next thing you make is better. Trust yourself to let yourself go try and make something.”
“Hell of a Summer” ensemble.
HITTLE continued from Page 8
asked him about working in collegiate athletics.
to Hittle. “You can always come back, but go get experience somewhere elsetant for the school’s football program, helping the Volunteers plan academic schedules, track educational progress and schedule tutors and mentoring sessions.
A year later, Hittle got a call from Melissa McGhee, director of stu-ciate director. wanted to be at Ohio State anyway. It
was incredible because what Gene had
As Hittle began his new job back in gain steam in the wider world of college sports.
athletic director of sport administra--
tle to read through related articles and the program could connect.
As more and more schools began a position he assumed in 2022.
said about Hittle. “In the space that we’re in, and NIL and the responsibilities that he has, I don’t know that
fast-paced, changes quickly, high-pressure, high-stakes, and he handles it
In his role, Hittle completes a multitude of tasks, whether it’s educating student-athletes on brand building, talking to potential donors about how they can collaborate with student-athletes, researching how jersey sales impact Ohio State and its athletes or
place for a new recruit.
“I had no idea where it was going, but knew that I was willing to take the opportunity to learn and grow with the
because this NIL space has allowed
Hittle said he has helped facilitate more than 5,500 NIL deals and works
closely with Ohio State’s 1,100 student-athletes, as well as coaches, administrators, brands, donors, alumni, fans, agents and parents.
“Anybody that interacts with him externally — whether it’s a brand orpressed with him, and people go out of their way to take note of how special he
Hittle’s quick rise in the athletics administration landscape was not a surprise to Hoyt, Athletic Director Ross Bjork or Hodges, who is now the associate director of player personnel for Alabama football.
Hodges said. “And he’s one of those people that I saw those traits when he was changing trash, I saw it when he Bjork agreed.
his talent, his organization, his
the NIL world, and you can’t get too high or too low with his steadiness, and calmness and organization; he
experience in the college administration realm. Looking forward, he said he can see himself becoming an athathletics.
the future — he’s focused on the present.
“Ultimately, that endpoint and how you want to feel has to stay consistent, but how you’re gonna get there isn’t always going to be a straight
Logan Hittle has helped facilitate more than 5,500 NIL deals and works closely with all of Ohio State’s 1,100 studentathletes, as well as coaches, administrators, brands, donors, alumni, fans, agents and parents as the associate athletic director of name, image and likeness and strategic initiatives.
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From sweeping oors to shaping futures: Logan Hittle’s unorthodox path to success at Ohio State
By Noah Weiskopf Sports Editor
Logan Hittle was working as a facilities assistant at the Woody
out the trash.
Eron Hodges, former assistant director of player personnel for Ohio State football, was sitting at his desk and looked up at the interruption. He quickly took notice of Hittle.
Hittle answered honestly: The
But he pondered the idea, imagining what it could be like.
A few months later, the team was holding tryouts, and Hittle had thought enough — he was ready to set the bizarre idea into motion.
He walked onto the indoor practice
white cleats with gold laces.
asked Phil Matusz, a strength and conditioning coach.
The rest is history.
he’s the associate athletic director of Ohio State’s name, image and likeness -
legiate athletics landscape.
“I had the foresight that getting
Hittle went back to the recruiting mistake. But he wasn’t told he was out of luck. Instead, he realized his determination as a facilities worker was being noticed.
Hittle had Hodges’ trust already, and that following Wednesday, he was good to go for tryouts.
A day after his tryout, Hittle was sitting in his American literature class email. He had made the cut.
“It was just one of those things that
But Hittle didn’t quit his custodial job just because he made the team. In fact, he consistently went from practices to cleaning shifts.
“It tells you the kind of person he is; said.
chance to walk on was always bigger -
ways going to lead to the opportunity to work in college athletics, hopefully
On another wall are nearly a dozen handwritten notes from student-athletes, expressing their gratitude for
His current setup is a far cry from the janitorial job he took in 2017 to pay tuition.
“If I’m taking out the trash of a
HITTLE continues on Page 7 Stadium to celebrate senior day prior to then-No. 2 Ohio State’s 28-17 victory over then-No. 8 Penn State Nov. 23, 2019.
try and build a little bit of a relation-
he stepped through the door, whether cleaning toilets or taking out trash.
“Logan was great; he was proba-
letics director of indoor facilities. “We
he was a self-starter, he was a leader — he led the crew, and he could manage
himself to try out for the Buckeyes, he ran into a roadblock: He forgot to turn in his mandatory paperwork and thought he had blown his chance of making the team.
Hittle’s lone snap as a member of the Buckeye football team came Sept. 21, 2019, when Ohio State led Miami
Before the game was called early by mutual consent, Hittle and the other walk-ons were put into the game.
“It was a cool moment to be out there with guys who are in similar situprobably 300 people in the stands. It
Hittle spent two years on the football team and graduated in December 2019. Soon after, he sat down with then-athletic director Gene Smith and