The campus desk picked out five stories they felt fell under the radar this academic year. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor, Reilly Ackermann | Asst. Campus Editor, Reid Murray | Managing Editor for Design, Courtesy of Luqman Tengku, Courtesy of Kyra Avarello
The Ohio State community has witnessed many changes this academic year, whether local, statewide or national.
There is a new U.S. president. New laws. New university policies. A wavering and fragile social and cultural climate.
Through all this, one factor endures: the Campus desk’s commitment to keeping an eye on what impacts students, faculty, staff and the broader Buckeye community. However, with so many daily changes, it can be difficult to remember the “underground” campus news.
Below, we have listed some of the most notable and underrated stories the Campus desk has produced over the past two semesters, as well as the reasons why you should read them — if you haven’t already.
Kitten’s disappearance leads to pair of Ohio State students facing criminal charges | Bailey Johnston, John R. Oller Special Projects Editor
“Porch camera footage captured an Ohio State student placing his roommate’s kitten into a plastic bag before leaving his home. The student is now facing five criminal charges, and his roommate is facing two, including assault with a hammer.
On Sept. 27, a neighbor’s porch camera recorded who police suspect is Muhammad Aziz putting his roommate Luqman Tengku’s kitten, Mindy, into a bag before leaving their home, according to a police report. Aziz, a fourth-year in civil engineering, returned over 30 minutes later without the bag, leading to a confrontation that escalated into a physical altercation in which police say Tengku assaulted Aziz with a hammer. Tengku — a fourth-year in electrical engineering — now faces assault and aggravated menacing charges.
Mindy went missing for nearly a month before being found Oct. 21 in Dublin, which is almost 11 miles away from the home. The Columbus Division of Police and Capital Area Humane Society — an organization known as Columbus Humane, the law enforcement agency tasked with investigating animal cruelty cases in Franklin County, according to its website — have since investigated her disappearance.”
What on the surface may seem like a Netflix crime documentary is actually a real-life interpersonal conflict that took place in students’ own backyards.
Originally discovered through the social media website Reddit, then-public safety reporter Johnston gave a voice to those affected by the crime in a well-reported, sincere unpacking of what really went down.
In these unprecedented times, it could be easy to feel burned out from reading the news. However, this piece from The Lantern’s campus desk uncovers a compelling story from Columbus’ local news scene.
Brotherhood and parties or violations and sanctions: Inside the hazing culture of Ohio State’s fraternities | Nora Igelnik, Campus Editor, and Brooke Tacsar, Senior Lantern Reporter
“Ohio State’s chapter of FarmHouse International Fraternity, Alpha Tau Zeta, is a fraternity committed to shaping men into intellectual, moral, spiritual and physical leaders.
A community of young individuals with philanthropic interests, FarmHouse actively supports organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, according to its website.
And just like 30 other Greek life organizations, it is also a fraternity that has faced hazing violations.
In September 2022, the Student Conduct office within Ohio State’s Office of Student Life received an anonymous report alleging hazing — including activities such as a blood oath, verbal abuse, pornography and forced memorization of songs about rape — had taken place on ATZ’s property, specifically inside the fraternity’s house at 153 E. 14th Ave.
“How did you become aware of this violation?” the report language asks.
“It happened to me,” the anonymous reporter wrote.”
Yes, students may be aware of hazing. But have they ever considered all of its facets, its prevalence at this university and its deeper psychological effects on young men and women?
This special project — which starts with an anecdote but leads into carefully analyzed data — explores the world of fraternities, Greek life and hazing at Ohio State with expert interviews and detailed incident reports. In addition, it is an important read for those interested in the inner-workings of Greek life at a large state school.
Erasing tradition: Knowlton students fight against student censorship in the School of Architecture | Reilly Ackermann, Asst. Campus Editor
“In the main stairwell of the Knowlton School of Architecture, students encounter bare concrete walls underneath dim fluorescent lights as they make their way to class.
If they take a closer look, however, they may see traces of students past.
Knowlton’s stairwell was historically filled with artwork left by students past and present. But in fall 2023, all preexisting drawings and statements were removed from the passageway after a pro-Palestine message was added to the wall, per prior Lantern reporting.
Sarah AbuDakar — a fourth-year in landscape architecture and vice president of the Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects — said because Knowlton is intended to support and hone students’ voices, she viewed the stairwell as the “inside and the brains” of various academics. She said she remembers when the drawings originally came down in autumn 2023, recalling the scraping and drilling of the concrete as ‘traumatic.’”
In an age of national political turmoil, this story from Ackermann shines a light on the trickle-down effects of federal policies at the campus level.
Putting a magnifying glass on the School of Architecture, readers can see firsthand how students are utilizing their First Amendment rights to speak up for what they believe in — even if it goes against university policy.
Dividing up donations: How the Ohio State community contributes to political candidates | Josie Stewart, former John R. Oller Special Projects Editor
“Ohio State faculty, staff and students donated to various seats ahead of this year’s election, but one element remained overwhelmingly the same: about 96% went to candidates within the Democratic Party or political action groups that support it.
A Lantern analysis of over 180,000 publicly available Federal Election Commission filings shows that this year alone, Ohio State faculty, students and staff donated nearly $1 million to candidates and political action committees nationwide.
This trend remains consistent — even when adjusted for contributions designated for primary and general elections — when expanded to the last five years, during which total contributions jumped to over $4.5 million given almost wholly, about 93%, to Democratic candidates and groups.
These results persist when aggregated by sects of the Ohio State community, with a different trend emerging for just one group — the board that oversees the university.
Contributions among 15 voting members of Ohio State’s Board of Trustees lean more heavily toward bipartisan groups. However, when accounting only for partisan candidates and committees, about 88% of contributions were given to Republican candidates for federal office or political action groups.”
In this clean-cut special project, Stewart went through political contribution disclosures to analyze the differences between how Ohio State faculty and Board of Trustees members donate to political groups or candidates.
The disparities she uncovers are intriguing to those who are interested in the intersection between politics and higher education — a line that has grown more blurred in recent months.
The walls are alive: Mushroom and mold growth in Lawrence Tower, university to temporarily relocate students | Lily Pace, Senior Lantern Reporter
“Students living in Lawrence Tower have been made aware of a mushroom and mold threat in the dorm, confirmed by the university to be caused by a water leak.
Dave Isaacs, university spokesperson, said in a Monday email that 40 students will be temporarily moved out of 19 rooms.
Kyra Avarello, a first-year in earth science, said she noticed bulbs emerging from the wallpaper in her Lawrence dorm room around two weeks ago. She said they grew to become full-sized mushrooms overnight, with yet another one sprouting from a crack in the wall the following day. Avarello said she and her roommate subsequently contacted the emergency housing line Oct. 27 to report the issue.”
Yet another story that can be traced back to a Reddit post, former student life reporter and soon-to-be Campus Editor Pace took on the still-unfolding saga of a widespread mold outbreak at the now-evacuated Lawrence Tower.
This story was the first of many about how this mold outbreak would lead to students promptly moving out, health issues and an ongoing lawsuit. The walls were truly alive, and the image of sprouting mushrooms is now firmly ingrained in the minds of this year’s Lantern staff.
Many readers would be surprised at how interesting a mold issue can really be, and how sprawling its effects. Read Pace’s work to get the full picture of spores, mold, mushrooms and more.
